Realistic or Modern 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 — 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

[erzulie]

[ SCENE ONE— THE MISSIONS. ]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓
Our merry band of students travel to the coastal village of Kemer, Turkey in search of hideous beings that are said to turn a man to stone with one glance. A plant within the village has witnessed people disappearing at night and their statues against the seashore come morning. A group of Gorgons have decided to occupy an underwater cave system, where they swim ashore to snatch unsuspecting swimmers and those playing in the sand.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐁
In the village of Shirakawa, Japan there is a tale of love in its most nefarious form. There stands a once beautiful and grand Minka, now withered and desolate. It is said that the home was built by a handsome, wealthy merchant for his wife. Not long after however, the husband went missing with nothing but bloodstains as proof that he was once there. People are too afraid to visit the home, so it remains. Mythos’ plant has come across a horrifying site. A large jorogumo resides inside of it and she is not alone, after all someone has to step out into the world for fresh bodies to feed her and her children.

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[PRETTY HATE MACHINE.]

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DÁMASO

cave maw

siobhan, ophelia

sollie , erzulie

Shadows played along the jagged walls of the passage Dámaso had found himself in; a long figure stretched out within the thick, heady air of relative silence. He did his best to step carefully. Evenly. The slight shuffle of feet not any more distinguishable from the rhythmic dripping that emanated from above and echoed a faint call into the darkness. What he lacked in hesitance he made up for in emboldened apathy towards the prospect of having to take the blade from his belt and cut into his palm, and as he waited for the blood to gather, he briefly spared a look back towards the cave's entrance. Past Brennan and Dalevan towards the ticking time clock that was Alvarez's beacon. Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it with a quickness, and so he pressed on into the darkness - occasionally smoothing his reddened hand over the walls as he went.

Just how far was his company willing to follow him, he wondered? There would be no stopping until he heard some sign of restlessness coming from the far end, but the deeper he descended also meant the further they'd have to retreat without the possibility of any outside help. None that could get there in a time, at least, and he was sure to remind the other two of that before the descent. His practicality could easily be confused for doomsaying, but it wasn't his idea to bring an entire troupe with him now, was it?

He continued on, remaining in silence, holding handprints against grooves where the backdraft hit stronger and hoping that his own quiet settled the air with the others. The strategy was simple. A hungry Strigoi that follows such a strong scent trail would expect wounded prey before an ambush, and if all went well it would investigate with lowered guard. It was much preferable to the alternative of making so much noise it would come angry and screaming, but it would require more patience. All the while, his eyes trailed the ceiling, lingering over the dark corners where stalagmite and stalactite met and obscured his direct vision.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[sollie]

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Siobhan Brennan

Cave

Dámaso, Ophelia

PRETTY HATE MACHINE. erzulie

"to cower is to die."

Despite their beacon, which radiated from the mouth of the cave, the darkness impaired every sense, tricking her eyes, deceiving her ears, and casting illusions on her mind. Though Siobhan considered herself a level-headed person in times of high stress, with each step, each shift into the cave, the claw of anxiety which crushed her lungs grew stronger. Not a word was spoken between the trio, each breath teetering on silent gasping. She certainly wasn’t the only one holding her breath, possibly for fear of prematurely alerting one of their delightful friends, the Strigoi, to come after them. Still, the silence felt suffocating, even more so than dread of what was to come. The constant reminder of her blade soothed her inflamed nerves, infusing her body with a steadiness she needed. If she didn’t believe in anything, she believed in her ability to behead Strigoi if need be.

Though being used as bait certainly inspired stress in a person, Siobhan’s hair standing straight up on her body could evoke a different type of emotion; caution, fear, perhaps encouragement of a lethargic crawl into the depths of the cave. That feeling meant trouble was near. Good for those waiting to ambush the Strigoi, bad for the three that were nearing the source of trouble. “We’re close.” Siobhan whispered, the sound of her voice resonating off the glistening cave walls causing her to flinch. Would the sound of a ravenous Strigoi be a sound of future victory or, as so often was unconsidered, would the bloodthirsty creatures devour the three of them and leave nothing more than their bones as a memory? That certainly remained to be seen.

The deeper the trio explored into the cave, the dimmer Eva’s persistent light became. The dimmer that light became, the more the pit in Siobhan’s stomach grew. Breaths grew short, trapped on their way in, eyes became strained, desperately searching in the darkness for a sign of their foe and her grip on the hilt of her sword became tighter. The sound of her own heart pounding in her ears was a war cry from those at Mythos, dedicated to eradicating these wicked creatures which threatened those more defenseless, but to Siobhan, the rhythmic pounding reminded her of the fun to come. Strigoi were terrifying, yes.. But outside the halls of Mythos, in battle, her natural instincts could take over, eliciting a sense of pure humanity. Adrenaline, sweat, lots of Strigoi blood… It was the perfect recipe for an exhilarating mission.

She could do without the cave and part of her company– but given the theatrics of their plan, things could be worse.

Inhaling a sharp breath, her heart began to speed up, eyes dilating as she looked into the darkness, a clear sign disaster was about to hit and the three heroes would need to scramble their way towards the exit before they became a Strigoi snack. Drawing her blade, she looked to Dámaso and then to Ophelia, barely able to make their faces out in the shadowy blackness of the cave, but the look of determination and focus was undeniably planted on their features. “Here we go…”

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[sox]

if there existed one extant truth at the end of this arduous, lifelong grapple with the whimsical gods over dominion of his insignificant fate regarding the truth of this world and the complex creatures within, it was that mankind's impenetrable arrogation would always, unfailingly result in war.

and war served no one.

the misshapen dirt path crunching beneath his boots felt melancholy, sullied by the aftereffects of sprawling urbanization and all the aluminum cans and glass bottles it left in its wake. how must the life within this teeming jungle's emerald walls have felt when they first gazed upon humanity sowing its seeds of destruction across their untouched domain?

though not an avid fan of his outlook on the nature of war and politics, and definitely not one to take leadership advice from some dead italian warmonger who spent the majority of his life writing prose to the owner of a throne that no longer belonged to him like an obsessive ex-lover, kiaan had to admit that that machiavelli bloke was right on the money with his belief in the power of data, research, and practical solutions to cut through the fog of politics and clear obstacles in the path of a successful operation. the world may have progressed at an astronomical speed since he first published his advice to the medici prince, but people... they had not changed one bit, still riddled to this day with treachery, jealousy, and insufferable greed.

and the only way to combat such a populace? data-driven strategy, clear-eyed in its vision and devoid of exceptions in its implementation.

though brimming with endless possibilities and adventures below its blanketing canopy of mysteries, the rainforest was an unforgiving place to those who dared venture in without the unwavering will to survive. kiaan was no stranger to such terrain; almost a quarter of india was covered in expansive, thriving jungles and ferociously diverse wildlife. perhaps this innate understanding of the battlefield was why he'd been selected as the leader for this mission, despite his lack of expertise in any particular specialization across the board.

or perhaps he'd been chosen because half the student body at mythos seemed incapable of concealing their personal vendettas like illuminated beacons within their fiery pupils.

whatever the reason, kiaan now held the hefty responsibility of making sure that the threat from their target was neutralized without compromising the safety of the environment or his crew— a crew that barely knew him, much less respected him.

that was no bother to the son of nirriti, however. they had a strategy, a solid one at that, and so long as they all put their best foot forth in guaranteeing a cooperative effort for the sake of avenging the innocent lives lost to the asanbosam, a lack of mutual respect was no threat to their path towards success.

"exterminate the asanbosam, sustain as few injuries as possible, and cause no harm to the forest— we must accomplish all three of these goals to consider this mission a success." kiaan slipped his hood over his masked visage as he debriefed the team one last time, the abyssal black of his obsidian-lined armor melting his silhouette deeper into the shadows the further they trekked into the asanbosam's territory.

each member on the mission was responsible for equally invaluable roles in ensuring their safety: hazuki, kamnan, and himself would lead the charge, sprinting through enemy territory to lure their targets towards a less dense clearing in the forest they'd scouted out prior to embarking. once the enemy tribe had been successfully corralled, the archers, ezra and zahra, were to shoot them off their perches using arrows coated in kiaan's black blood, a vial of which he'd supplied each of them with the night before. paz and laurie were in charge of disorienting the targets to prevent them dodging their arrows, and ikenna and valeria were tasked with keeping their respective flank teams safe from ambushes.

"remember: one fuckin' drop," kiaan stressed, a grave undertone to his voice as he warned the archers for the umpteenth time. "that's all you need. get yourselves hurt for no reason and we all suffer the consequences."

and thus, with all the chess pieces in their starting positions, all that remained was to set their plan in motion. the odds of success were in their favor, but nothing in their world was predictable; only time would tell if their preparations were thorough enough, or if the data they'd meticulously collected had misled them in reality.

"ready on three... two... one..."

in the next moment, kiaan vanished from sight, a shadowy blur zipping from tree to tree in an attempt to piss off as many demonic creatures he could on his way to the designated battleground. in small amounts so as not to wear away at his focus, he directed bursts of grim darkness towards whichever humanoid forms he could make out through the branches, polluting their minds and enraging them further to ensure they take the bait. echoes of hissing, snarling cries grew louder and louder in his ears with each second, the glowing golden eyes of the asanbosam the only other source of light beneath the hazy full moon.

kiaan reached the sparse stretch of trees in record time— what he lacked in sheer strength he made up for with his agility, after all— and whipped around to face the contained horde following him as he unsheathed his scimitars.

now, all he had to do was wait: survive in one piece until his team backed him up, and don't let a single one of those bastards look away from him for even a moment in the meantime.

4th child of nirriti

kiaan.

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[cavitea]

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HAZUKI (蓮月)

the trees whisper

valeria, kamnan, mentions kiaan

Valeria ravensunset , Kamnan a z u l a

Moon does as moon wills, a phrase tossed in waves until it smoothened out beside river rocks and dreams. A ridiculous notion they'd call it, baiting breath where wrinkled lines couldn't hear. It was through blood that one of the obnoxious spheres in the heavens coursed, a grasp closer than the intimacies of astronauts and lead-laden boots. She should've counted herself among those who reached the stars and winked at the dying planet behind.

She should've considered herself lucky, blessed and special in a grouping of five.

Unfortunately for the attendants of shrined windows and archaic stepping, Hazuki Aki had never quite followed in the path laid so comfortably out before her. Cracks went so comfortably under feet that mothers howled from their beds six feet under, a skip and hop breaking metaphorical spines in thirds and fourths. Hazuki simply lived, as she'd put it, resistant to fires lit under seats from the safety of her sky jungles.

The ground beneath her now didn't fit into that box now, shaded cold, sinking into ligaments with unshakeable presence. A spectral visage peeked in stark contrast from the darker cloth folded on shoulders. Too tight, was the only rummaging thought she'd breathe in a collection of path-driven companions. Initial glance told the legacy information she could've pulled from murky scrying pools: she wasn't among her own kind, at the very least.

Valeria stood as she always did, a body that screamed desperation for the crumbs of recognition those nearby so easily saw in godly parentage. Redeemable only behind the frothed sweat of running horses Hazuki had no explicit pity for her, a strained curiosity that saw a mouth encircling the hand that fed it. Still she trailed feet, avoidant of spotted sunlight in betraying leaves until her position settled beside the other legacy.

"Remember: one fuckin' drop —"

"It's amusing how bodies with special blood trip just as the rest of the leaves fall; it'll be more interesting to see how Polyphemus cries on his way to the ground." Hissed in milkweed venom her syllables dropped between the legacies, staining the ground beneath them as diluted grey looked with stiffening cornea to those unfortunate enough to pretend on this mission. Demigods were different, special. They carried powers and with it a cocked rise to pedestals they climbed themselves onto, fascinating if she had a word for it.

Shoulders popped in the elliptical roll Hazuki forced them in, bent arches of feet dismissing her from the side of Valeria in quickened step to stick a finger out towards the one she wanted to assume was Kamnan. Another distraction, another demigod. Even for someone so intertwined in make believe social constructs she had yet to put names to intimate moments watched from trees above.

"Hazuki Aki, it's your pleasure I'm sure." Pointed canines pinched themselves out in a grin, the smile lines of a face often scrunched echoing the absentee greeting before eyes followed already the ever-eager annoyance marking down time and shadowed hood. A hand jerked down the cloth settled on her head, a wrinkling curdle to the smile lasting only the moments it took for alabaster locks to flow from their prison. "Well, I'll congratulate you after we both don't die, yes?"

An eye closed, albinistic lashes shoving out a wink before seconds after a cue she followed behind novella backstory leader, crawling up nearest trees in a natural swing taught by effort alone. She could speak about how the nearest body of water was due to have high tide in thirty minutes, speak to the ability to read a book under the light of slivered moon. Those were her talents on paper, as flashy as a lightbulb strangling on the dying unpaid electricity bills.

All of that was fine, expected.

Steps pushed along branches, a blur of white and forested dyes, a perfect beacon of distraction if only for the outstanding appearance coating the understatement of the year. She could run, jump, do as her body allowed and allow it in her heart to be enough. Demigods are the special ones, a statement with rolled eyes and the bruised lips of denial. Ah, but at least she'd try.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[erzulie]

Stepping into the gaping maw of the cave had set her nerves alight. Even though she did not fear the darkness, she was not foolish enough to believe that it was a home to her alone. It was somewhat of a comfort to be able to see through the sea of black that surrounded him. Light brown eyes shifted to and fro in an attempt to catch sight of the creatures within. It was the sight of a fourth person that caught her attention. Yes, she had been expecting it. The Strigoi alone were not the only restless spirits that haunted the cave. With sad eyes she watched as the fallen warrior walked alongside them. Death had done little to quail the bravery that drove him on. Her heart clenched knowing that he had been forever trapped with the very creatures that had stolen his life.

The smell of blood hit her nose and she was pulled back to the mission at hand. She paused her steps, keen ears taking in the sound of dripping water along with something else. For a moment time seemed to come to a stand still. No one moved as they waited for their enemy to take the bait. The war drum that made up her heartbeat urged her to do something, anything to get away from the danger.

It happened fast. A creature slowly emerged from deeper inside of the darkness. It’s gangly form standing before them in all of its horrific glory. The Strigoi spread its wings and released a shriek that seemed to shake the cave around them. Ophelia drew her weapon but took a few steps back. She turned, urging her teammates to go before her. “Now!” She bellowed. The taunt string of tension finally snapped. Above them she could see more Strigoi crawling along the cave ceiling.

daughter of pluto

ophelia.

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  damaso PRETTY HATE MACHINE. siobhan sollie

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

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[minajesty]

Mood

nervous but determined.

Location

strigoi cave.

Interactions

mentions. the trio + eva. interacting with. sirius.

Tags

PRETTY HATE MACHINE. , sollie , erzulie , riddle . , a z u l a

elias thatcher.

for the majority of his life, thoughts plagued elias' mind relentlessly. morning, day, and night, he had to learn to succumb to the race track of neverending conceptions that kept him on the move. there was never a dull moment.. until now.

his mind was frigid and his heart grew numb as he watched some of his team disappear into the darkness that was the entrance of the cave. even the light provided by eva wasn't enough to free his mind of the worry he felt sending them into impending doom. thatcher impatiently tapped the end of his blade against the dirt ground, slicing jagged lines into the floor he stood on to occupy himself. through the corner of his eye, he glanced occasionally at sirius from where he stood. the expression he wore upon his features, from what he could see, reflected that of his inner emotions. any minute now, they would be faced with the children of evil.. the spawn of the night. in their home.

lifting his head up from the floor, he provided a nod toward the legacy's direction as an act of reassurance. one that said they would be okay, even if he had to throw himself in. it went without saying, but the demigod would without a doubt fight until the end if it meant ensuring the safety of his teammates.

a cold, unnatural shriek coming from the direction of the caves made his head snap up. the grip on the hilt of his sword made his knuckles turn white as he moved forward, readying himself for an attack. just a sliver of his mind softened when he saw ophelia, dámaso, and siobhan escape unscathed but a strigoi monster wearing a grotesque face managed to snake its way close behind, teeth dripping with drool and starvation as it could sense the taste of prey awaiting it.

one.. three... five.. they kept crawling out from what seemed like a bottomless pit of strigoi. beads of sweat glistened and dripped off his ebony skin as he flung his blade right through the mouth of a strigoi with blackened teeth before letting its flailing body collapse onto the ground.

the son of hades didn't know how, but his feet and arms knew where to take him and when to duck, swiftly maneuvering his way in and out of harm's way.

kill em', every last one of em', his mind rang as he plunged his weapon in and out of the predatorial beings.

© weldherwings.

 

[riddle .]

hurry up hurry up hurry up

sirius yaw

His mouth was unfathomably dry, a sharp contrast to the sheen of sweat that coated the rest of him as his head whipped toward every far-off sound around him. Licking his cracked lips, Sirius returned focus to the box in his hands, an equal mixture of awful delight and apprehension stirring beneath the vest he wore, which contained his tools. The prototype for it had been sitting on his desk the entirety of winter break after he made quick work on it when the annoyances of the academy had returned to their pathetic parts of the world. Sirius had to suppress a smile as he fiddled with his trap with the knowledge of what it could do with a careless press of his finger against the left panel's upper half - the trigger that could send him suspended in the foliage above him, body contorted as a beaten marionette, though much more bloody.

Not yet, not yet, no.

His mind was in fits of unrest. Thoughts and images of the monsters expected to crawl out from the cave's seemingly endless depths mangled by his newest creation were almost too much to bear for his imagination. The academy would never let him test it on school grounds. Not in the way he wanted to, anyway. Testing on dummies was no fun.

In all honesty, Sirius had only volunteered to come along for the exact purpose of using his trap on something new. He was sure the others had come for more heroic pursuits; honor, justice, public safety, and other meaningless things of the like. His eyes traveled to where Eva's bright light among the cape of darkness that covered the rest of their surroundings was visible from his spot on the ground, distaste coating his features. At least he could stomach the rest and all their colorfulness. He uncurled himself from the tight knot he'd made behind his hiding place behind a line of jagged stones covered in moss, peeking out to search for his latest interest. Nocturne Lovejoy. They were older than Sirius, and they didn't share many academy bullshit lectures, but Sirius was curious never-the-less. Must be due to the snakes, he reasoned. Snakes are good.

Anxious about being caught staring, the freshman retreated, settling into his previous position. Quickly, he glanced over to Elias, who had been busying himself with making cuts into the earth beneath him, wondering how the mission leader was feeling. Sirius tried copying the stifling seriousness the demigod exhumed, but dropped it when Elias finally met his eye, giving a nod. Sirius merely blinked at it and returned to making adjustments to his beloved creation. Just a few more tweaks and it would be complete. A toothy smile overtook his face as he tucked in a loose wire behind its respective panel, excitement threatening to leak out in forms most unbecoming of the serious warrior he was playing at. Ah, the joy of creation!

Then, the shuddering sound of death rang out from the maw. The shiver that found home under Sirius's skin crawled across his frame, raising gooseflesh from under his layers. His dull hues snapped to Elias, the other's nod of promise and safety something he was eager to feel again as his lips began to form the other's name, only to find himself frozen upon seeing the demigod's blade being embedded into the lifeless creature they had been sent to exterminate. His grip on his invention tightened along with his chest at the sight, but fear came only secondary to the thrum of exhilaration that flowered at the cracking of bone against metal. Let it be from the stings of my instrument of choice next, Sirius thought deliriously, finger itching to activate the failsafe. Soon, soon!

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• tags

  interactions: elias minajesty
  mentions: nocturne and eva @arthur morgan. a z u l a
  

coded by reveriee.

 

[sollie]

Summers on the Olympic Peninsula were hot and often rainy, but they were bearable and comfortable. She was raised in the forest, underneath dense foliage, through towering giants, and amidst the flora and fauna native to northwestern part of Washington. So when she discovered their mission was to set out to a jungle, of course the daughter of Iris was on board. Upon the sight of the ravaged graveyard of earth and soil, unearthed and washed away from many cycles of rain and mankind's torment, a feeling of sickness washed over her. While forest and jungle still remained, the once lush and rich environment felt stripped of its ethereal and verdant beauty.

Perhaps the Ansanbosam weren’t wrong for fighting back especially after years of torment from the touch of humanity, striking back with a vengeful fist– or, in the Ansanbosam’s case talons– represented nature’s desperation at reclaiming her war-torn and devastated land. But, as was her onus, bestowed upon her by her mother’s blood and her sworn duty to Mythos, Laurie found her feet pounding against the rich jungle floor, bow and arrow slung over her back, barrelling towards the ‘enemy’.

Partaking in the violence that would occur in the coming moments soured Laurie’s face, a look of distaste clearly presented on her already sweat-clad features. The heavy jungle air was thick with humidity, each breath weighing the demigoddess down.

Drowning. Laurie felt like she was drowning.

The cacophony of violent beat of the Ansanbosam pulled her from the suffocation of her thoughts, sharpening her mind and alerting her sense; she was close. With Kiaan and Hazuki stretched ahead of the rest of the group, Laurie’s body found its natural rhythm, surpassing her team members and tailing closely to Kiaan, who quickly disappeared from her sight via his… cloud of darkness. She didn’t properly know the formal title for it, but whatever it was, Laurie didn’t like it. Regardless, she followed.

Upon arrival at the sight of battle, the woman witnessed their ‘fearless’ leader engaged in combat with two Ansanbosam, fighting slashing skillfully through the targets with dual blades. Kiaan made artful work of protecting himself– Laurie could only wish the rest of their team would arrive quickly and save their bait from being snatched.

Taking in a deep and not-so-soothing breath of humid air, she cracked her hands, shaking her limbs out as if to prepare herself for the battle to come. Support sounded like a weak position, as if she wasn’t trusted enough or skilled enough to go on the front lines, but Laurie knew just how valuable her and Paz’s job was– As if on cue, the caterwaul of creatures pierced her ears. Kiaan, who seemed to be doing well enough against the Ansanbosam dyad, would soon be assaulted from above and overwhelmed without reinforcements.

“Mehta!” Laurie’s voice sounded through the air, hopefully reaching their leader. Acting quickly was the key to successful support. “You better close your eyes real tight unless you feel like fighting blind for the next half hour!” Her movements were intricate and crisp, all gestures in the complex dance of her ability. Harnessing light took a bit of coaxing. With her hands acting as a mirror, reflecting the beams of light filtering through the dense canopy of leaves, Laurie squeezed her eyes shut, aiming to blind the Ansanbosam before it feasted on Kiaan. Only downside to being able to blind anything she wanted? Not blinding herself in the process.

Letting out a labored breath, taut from anxiety, she sighed from relief. It appeared her efforts to aid their team leader worked. The creature groped hopelessly at the ground, doing anything in its power to regain and collect itself. Kiaan wasted no time taking care of the poor creature, pinning its wriggling form down with hiss boot and plunging his blade through its chest. Laurie winced, darting her eyes away. Even after three years of missions, the sound of blade piercing skin made her stomach turn.

“Fuck,” Appropriately, Mehta looked frazzled from the encounter. These rainforest dwellers were no joke– and with the majority of their team quickly approaching, hopefully he’d be able to handle the hoard better with three.

“Owe you one, Jeong!” Kiaan shouted her way. Waving her hand dismissively, Laurie scanned for a better vantage point for her and the archers to reside. “Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome Mehta.” She shouted back, eyes on the unmoving Ansanbosam. More were to come, surely. They wouldn’t get off easy with three and done. “On your left!” The girl announced as the winged creature swooped towards Kiaan; it was go time, both for Laurie and her team. This was going to be a long, painful mission.

daughter
of iris

laurie.

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[mangomilk]

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Ezra Velucci

Forest

Kiaan, Hazuki / Laurie, Valerie

ravensunset sollie sox cavitea

One fucking drop.

Their leaders’ words rang in his ears still. A shudder, if not two traveled down his spine as he watched the black fluid coat the tip of his arrow. He followed along Laurie and Valeria, careful to keep close to them and not to be separated to fall prey to the eerie Asanbosam. Darkness illuminated the dense forest as Hazuki drifted past them and was swallowed by the void of trees and branches. Reaching the outer circle of where they needed to be according to Kiaan’s plan, he drew his bow.

While Laurie already put her skills to use and hence being of help to Kiaan, Ezra did what he could best: hesitate.
"Come on, Ez’. Give them some war," Valerie demanded. Her voice grounded him ever so slightly. "On it," he answered but his words did not echo with vigor like hers. A deep breath filled his lungs, he held it. Relax. Ezra would not allow himself to be futile but when one of the creatures with opened wings and glowing eyes set sight on his small team, sheer panic unfurled in his chest like ink on wet paper. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

The monster attacked right on pace, launching for Kiaan, and the world came alive. Valeria's hands closed around a metal staff, the pulse in her fingertips loud against it. Ezra – busy to manifest a posture of strong core and even stronger arms – did not get a glimpse of Valeria, but something told him, she wore a grin on her pale face. Gripping his bow and hooking the arrow in place, his body moved on its own.

The sturdy string pulled backwards, caressing his skin as the trace pushed into the cheekbone, calculations of winds behind trees and vigilant legacy eyes flickered and reverberated the same poise of the deities they came to be from. If only there was more...

The creature took off and spread its claws, ready to clutch them at once and rip them apart. Fling. The poison strengthened arrow shot past his head and struck the monster in one of its bat wings, all the while Valeria gave his marksmanship abilities a low whistle as appreciation.

The Asanbosam exhaled an agonizing screech and flopped to the ground. Fright and dread imbued him as the blood blistered holes in skin and indoctrinated Ezra to put even more caution to the blood of their leader. But it didn't stop there. Instead, it targeted him, Valeria and Laurie; its desire to carve its claws in their throats, visible in its vile strut. They shifted into position next to Laurie’s blinding lights. "Come at us," Valeria whispered, the war born into her blood starting to scream for it. A creature, limbs and built so humane yet wings and furious eyes filled with vile rage against her own launched at the archer, and Valeria followed its cue, her staff connecting with all her force against its head.
It didn’t summon the lightning it was built for; that did not make it any less potent. The wind whizzed past her as the world turned into flashes of motion, moving out of conscious thought and into the adrenaline and memory of battle, whether her own or those of her ancestry, it did not matter. It embedded deeply into her.

The creature perished at the sheer force, the poison now free to devour more cells at the lack of motion. Like a fire, it spread over the surface. "Be sure to stay away from that," Ezra warned.

Where one was down, more were to come. The diversion team certainly excelled as to draw the monsters together but now that the archers and supporters fought their own fight, more of them redirected their attention towards them.
Ezra hated to admit it but with pure adrenaline rushing from his guts to his head, his heart thumped against his chest and the iron in his mouth tasted sweet. He couldn't tell if it was the energy Valeria's staff gave off, but he too – now – felt electrified.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[erzulie]

There was no better feeling in the world than the feeling of entering a ring so to speak. Ikenna could not keep the grin off of him even if he tried. There was tension in his body. Like a tightly wound spring he was ready to snap at any given moment. It would only take the slightest of touches to snap that tension. A tongue ran over full lips in a sort of hungry way, like a big cat licking its chops at the prospect of a full belly. He had long since abandoned the fear that came with slaying beasts. It had burned to ashes and pure malice had risen from them.

There was something in the air that made his skin tingle. It was intoxicating in the best of ways. Emotions were running high and he could sense them. In fact, Ikenna was sure that he could taste them if he stuck out his tongue. The negativity only fueled him. Feelings of anger and fear creating a type of cocktail that he would happily down in one go. Even the spiked mace within his grip seemed to vibrate in sheer anticipation of blood that would be spilled.

Foliage was carelessly knocked from his path. Though he looked ahead his attention was on the archer a little ways away from him. Ikenna watched with rapt attention as she fired those flaming arrows at their enemy. Her attention was so focused that she had not realized the creature that made a grab for her. Iron talons flexed with intentions of impeding in flesh but Ikenna was prepared. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the jungle. The Ansanbosam’s talons met with the mighty club and were sent crashing into a nearby tree. The wood threatened to split with the force of the blow.

It was then that his pupils seemed to widen. Ikenna threw his head back and let loose a laugh that came from deep inside of him. Another Asanbosam attempted to attack but the spikes of the mace embedded itself within its wings, shredding the appendages like a knife through butter. Ikenna was all too delighted to put the creature out of its misery with one final blow. He continued on fighting as they herded the enemy into a less dense area.

legacy of ekenswu

ikenna.

• aaaaaaaaa
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♡coded by uxie♡

 

[a z u l a]

MOOD: mom mode activated.

OUTFIT: tactical gear

LOCATION: outside the cave.

basics

MENTIONS:
the trio, sirius

INT:
everyone, sirius riddle .

tags

TL;DR Shine bright like a diamond

tl;dr

Eva

you have a heart that makes others strong.

Upon battered, battle-hardened rocks stood a weathered lighthouse guiding weary ships home, a signal in the darkness for those damaged souls needing a place of rest. The daughter of Ix Chel was a safe-haven in more ways than one, physical and abstract. With the baited breath of a mother bird watching her precious young venture too far from the nest, Eva prayed to whoever was listening that they wouldn't plummet to the waiting jaws below. The incandescent silver glow radiating from her skin contrasted sharply against the growing pit of dread within her.

Mythos had become a second family to the demi-god, trading in her younger half siblings in Arizona for divine brothers and sisters who although close in age, reminded her of the children she had raised in place of her dead mother. Even those that frayed on the last of her nerves, like one such legacy leading the charge into the cave, were people she felt a fierce protection over on missions such as these.

The gaping maw of the cave had swallowed them the minute they'd entered, wholly consumed by a darkness only Tartarus could rival. Eva focused her energy into her luminescent skin, breathing evenly to cycle her godly blood into the few exposed inches of skin that radiated heavenly light into the creeping shadows. Fear lurked at the edge of her heart, a foreboding sense of dread that she could never fully shake. Even back in her dorm, even tucked tightly under her covers, death was always clinging to her legs like a child grasping for something warm.

There was not just a lack of light in that cave, but a true, sinister darkness that threatened to snuff out life itself. Eva's divine light flickered in the entrance of the cave, calling out to her teammates, but the abyss gave no response. No indication of life, only the unsettling scraping of malevolent claws across slick stone.

The cave entrance rattled as a guttural, malignant cry reached her ears. That horrible, awful noise lifted every hair on her body, her entire being trembled before she reminded herself that she was the predator, not the ill-fated prey. Still using all her power to keep her skin aglow, she drew twin blades from her sides, obsidian gleaming ominously off the reflection of her skin. She would wait at the entrance to hell with blades ready, ready to strike the moment her teammates emerged, ready to run if they did not.

Hurried footsteps and labored breathing alerted her to their approach, heartstrings contorting in both relief and despair at what their return meant. They were alive, and hellish company would be right behind them. Crouching to lower herself into a spring-loaded position, Eva let the luminescence of her skim dim as they neared closer, conserving the energy she needed to fight. Three figures barreled past her, the light draining from her figure as the Strigoi came thrashing out with a vengeance.

Muscles pulled tight, a current being swept out to sea, pushing back in a tidal wave of strength that propelled her lithe frame forward. One dagger lodged itself in the nearest Strogoi's neck, using the momentum of her sprint to launch herself up and over the Strogoi's shoulders, second blade dragging along its neck as she slid down the other side, lopping its head off in a shower of blood and gore. Brute strength was not a virtue of hers, but her agility and the ebb and flow of her power made her a swift and deadly opponent despite her lack of hulking muscles.

Another was on her before she had a moment to breathe, muscles rippling as she sprinted forward towards the crevice of rocks where the others waited. A well aimed shot of water pushed the monster back, giving her a split second to drive herself up towards safety, a claw plunging through the bottom of her pants and ripping away fabric, leaving her skin blessedly untouched. A sea of monsters sprang from the cave, all horrid in nature and lusting for blood.

A timed tidal wave of momentum sent her sliding beneath the underbelly of one, blades ripping open the sensitive exposed flesh as she hurried out before the Strigoi collapsed on her. There was only so much fighting Eva could do and still heal her teammates when they needed her, meaning that she needed to get out of the center and stay on the sidelines as much as possible. Uselessness and shame drowned her as she ran, unable to fight as fearlessly as her mighty teammates. If she were taken out by a Strogoi or used up her power while fighting, there would be no one to heal her team in case of emergency.

Assessing her current situation, Eva decided that her safest bet was to led the Strogoi to Sirius. He had been muttering under his breath about his precious trap like a man possessed all evening, she hoped to the gods that it would work. Dashing like a mad woman, wings flapped and teeth gnashed on her heels as she darted up the rocks and straight for her classmates.

"Sirius!" She cried, pushing her legs to move faster as the pack drew closer on her. If this stupid contraption worked, she would do Sirius' homework for a month.

code by valen t.

 

[blue-jay]

abril sanchez.

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Abril was going to have so much to journal about when she finally got around to it.

Her vision (and the shitty day it had happened on) still felt like yesterday, and yet here she was about to slay vampire monsters! In the past few weeks alone, her life had gotten substantially cooler: she had ridden on a magic ship, made strides in harnessing her (awesome) power, and even made some cool friends.

Now that she was standing outside a cave full of Strigoi in the dead of night, it was hard to imagine that she had ever been stressed about things like school drama or college applications, which she cringed just thinking about. She stood a bit away from the cave's mouth since she had been put on arrow duty. She held her wooden bow (which she had created using a seed from her sacred blossom) and her arrows in her left hand while she readied a lighter in her right hand, recalling what they had told her when they briefed her on the mission: if she was going to remember anything, it should be that these things died either by decapitation or fire. Decapitation sounded like a bit of a tall order, so she defaulted to fire.

Most of the friends she had made so far had been sent on the other mission—specifically Zahra, Kiaan (who had given her some archery pointers before they departed), and Ezra. She ended up mostly with scary and/or buff upperclassmen. Sirius, a fellow freshman, was also there, but Abril hadn’t really been able to crack his shell yet. Shy guy, maybe?

Abril had sort of… zoned out a little while thinking about her mission teammates, so when Strigoi started streaming out of the cave with that awful noise, she got pretty startled. After taking a second to recover, she lit an arrow (only after saying a quick word of gratitude to the tree felled to make it), nocked it, and aimed. Abril had never really taken archery that seriously before coming to this school, so when she loosed the arrow and it flew uselessly past a Strigoi’s torso and into a rock, it wasn’t surprising—just very embarrassing. Hitting moving targets was kind of hard, huh?

She cringed at herself, lit another arrow, and tried again—another miss. The Strigoi she missed this time now turned its attention to her and began creeping from the cave mouth over to her as she was trying to light another arrow. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!” Abril prepared to nock the next arrow but figured there was at least a 50% chance she’d miss again. She had to try something else.

So instead, she focused, feeling out the area (tapping into what she called her greeny sense), and picked it up—the presence of tree roots below the ground. Come on! Come on! Help me out, please! I don’t wanna die now! I just got here! Just in time, a thick, sharp wooden root erupted from the soil under the Strigoi approaching Abril, impaling the monster through the chest. It clawed helplessly at the air, immobilized.

“Oh, fuck yeah!” Abril's quick moment of celebration was cut short by the sound of the Strigoi still struggling, not dead yet, and she remembered: Oh… yeah. Fire or decapitation. Abril quickly nocked the flaming arrow and shot it, striking the Strigoi square in the chest. The Strigoi screeched as it was engulfed in the flames, properly killed this time, and Abril gave herself a satisfied smile.

After her brief moment of triumph passed, Abril noticed that the Strigoi were beginning to chase Eva (an upperclassman who had prompted a reaction of “She’s so pretty!” from Abril upon first sight) over to where Sirius was waiting—to her understanding, with some kind of trap. Backing up so as to not get in the way, she waited for the big reveal, curious to see what the fellow freshman had in store.

lucky girl

fazerdaze

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[riddle .]

scroll

child of xōchipilli

paz flores

mood

nervous but really trying to hide it

outfit

click me!

location

a pretty forest, if the Asanbosams weren't there

interactions

none

mentions

Laurie sollie Ezra mangomilk Kiaan sox

Paz's stomach had felt twisted up ever since they entered the jungle. The vines above them that blocked the moon's natural light from view coated the environment below the canopy in near-suffocating darkness. Kiaan's direct, firm voice played on repeat within his mind, reaffirming his duty and role. Compared to some of the other's parts played in the mission, Paz had it relatively easy.

He should be grateful and assured that it was something he could do. Doubt was a comfortable friend, however. As the night ticked on, through their steps approaching the center to where awful creatures lurked, the feeling grew. They needed to be strong, for the team. He and Laurie were being counted on for their support. If he faltered now, it could disrupt the others. Pax wouldn't forgive himself if it were his inadequacy that led to a mistake or failure. Gods forbid if it triggered someone to be harmed. They looked to where each member of their team was situated, heart clenching painfully. While they weren't close to all of the people here, they wished that none would ever be put in a position where they would feel the cold breath of death on their cheek.

Dark eyes found where they knew Ezra was, close to Valeria. Such a gentle, and kind person. Paz worried for him greatly. Ezra could hold his own, but like Paz, wouldn't hesitate to put himself in front of someone else to protect them. It was honorable, and why they were close friends. Paz hardened his expression, grip on his tepoztopilli tightening.

Only use it to defend, they reminded themselves. Focus on assisting Laurie and keeping these things confused. You can help better that way.

Then it started. The yowls and skittering of the Asanbosam echoed around them, but he paid no mind to the cloying fear that worked its way up to the back of his throat, instead holding a hand near the fauna littering the ground. With practiced ease - a mere twirl of his fingers - a bright red flower, his unique species, burst from the leaves with an enticing smell. Paz pushed further, feeling the ground beneath them flow with energy as his power spread across the area, several bunches of his dream flower budding to bloom, releasing their delirium onto the creatures that were quickly making haste toward Kiaan.

From where his flower's aroma rose and tickled at the Asanbosam's noses, Paz watched with satisfaction as they slowed, disoriented from the effects. Things that had been above were now below and Kiaan's place was now a blurry outline. It wouldn't last long, not with so many to outpace their drunken brethren. They weren't human either, so Paz couldn't estimate how long the hallucinogen would stay in their system, disrupting whatever functions resided in their skulls full of violence.

Paz readjusted their grip on their spear and began to run to where the hoard was condensing, spreading their bloom as they passed fauna within quick reach. He hoped it would be enough to give his teammates an advantage and better safety. He'd be with them soon enough, he promised, racing through the thick jungle with the intense need to protect. They needed to succeed. Paz needed to succeed.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[sox]

"yeah, yeah. you're welcome, mehta. on your left!"

the screams of the asanbosam nearly drowned out laurie's response as kiaan instinctively jumped backwards, just barely out of range of the gangly creature's claws. before he could face it head-on, however, an arrow whizzed by and sniped it from the treeline, sending it writhing in pain before pivoting its sights towards the newly arrived flank team consisting of ezra, valeria, and laurie. just as expected, they took down the creature without any need for his interference, a feat which he'd be sure to laud them for later when he had attention to spare.

with the second flank team arriving and more and more asanbosam tumbling to the ground, kiaan could finally dedicate himself fully to the eradication of their opponents, a much-needed relief to the stressed demigod unused to managing this many people at once. while dousing them in darkness would not hinder them in the slightest, obscuring his own form within the magical haze would at least give him the element of unpredictability, an advantage that allowed him to sneak up behind the creatures before they could sink their talons into his armor. one by one, he plunged his blades into their chests, ripping out their hearts before they could register what had become of their fate.

"four down, at least seven more by the looks of it! keep it up, just like this— don't let them get behind you!" kiaan called out with bloodstained hands to whoever may be listening, already too preoccupied in his own faceoff once again to make sure his words were received by the team.

in the next moment, two asanbosam previously circling above their heads finally descended to join the fray, targeting the archers and their supports with unprecedented speed. he did his best to fend them off as well as he could until ezra was free to handle it without interference, the echoing cacophany of blades clanging against their hooked claws ringing in his ears with every impact.

distracted by the edge of his peripheral vision, the demigod did a double take as he spotted a subtly out-of-place shadow moving along the bushes, rustling the leaves almost imperceptibly among the chaos of their battlefield. the hunkering figure seemed bulky yet quick on its feet, dashing through the treets with haste— not up high in the branches, but from trunk to trunk as though hiding from the squadron.

kiaan wasted no time in approaching the elusive beast to sus out the situation, caution keeping his eyes peeled as the figure stepped further out of the shadows with each step. once its mug was no longer obscured and the brazen moonlight illuminated its black eyes, however, the demigod froze in his tracks, mind shortciruiting at the unexpected revelation.

it was a bear.

albeit on the smaller side, most likely a fledgling, but a bear nonetheless. a bear that was making direct eye contact with him, preparing to lunge. kiaan snuck a quick glance over his shoulder; at this point, he had to make absolute sure the predator didn't get involved in the bloodshed behind him, or it may well lose its life in the process. that being said, the way the bear was rearing up to lunge at him instead was not any more promising, as it would be sealing its own fate in end regardless.

just as kiaan braced himself for the mammal to leap towards his weary frame, it stopped, cocked its head at him, and... spoke.

it spoke. in a taunting voice he was all too familiar with.

"sike!" a malicious cackle, followed by a scoff. "ha, what would a bear even be doing—"

zero. mother-fucking zero. the worst menace lurking around mythos and the bane of his existence. he'd assumed the trickster legacy would be a no-show after she'd missed role call, instead opting to priortize one of her nefarious shenanigans back in town. the prospect of her suddenly showing up for the sole purpose of sabotaging their first mission since returning to campus hadn't even cropped up on his radar.

he should have known better. really. rookie mistake.

just as kiaan opened his mouth to release the string of expletives flooding his brain at the sight of zero's ridiculous bear form, an asanbosam dropped to the ground behind her, lips curling up into a gnarly grin at the promise of a dinner so bountiful it was too hefty to pluck off the ground.

"oh, fuck—"

before he could even begin to process how badly he wanted to strangle the life out of the eyesore before him, kiaan lunged forward and tackled zero out of the way, shielding her unwieldy mammalian body with his own as the asanbosam screeched its disapproval.

which was all well and good, of course, save for the fact that one of his arms was now helplessly pinned underneath her stocky body while the other desperately wielded kalakuta to fend off as many incoming attacks as he could with its limited range over his shoulder. his custom armor was strong enough to deflect most claw impacts, but it wasn't impenetrable by any stretch of the word; he needed to free his arm soon, or they'd both be facing their demise in one excruciating way or another.

and kiaan did not want to die with this stupid fucker in his arms. absolutely not. no way.

"you are the most miserable—" a resonating clang— "pathetic, useless—" a deafening screech— "insufferable sack of shit i've ever fuckin' seen—" a grunt escaped his lungs at the impact of the creature ramming its claws against his back. "you're damn lucky i'm not as fuckin' sick in the head as you! seriously, what the fuck were you thinking?!"

for what it was worth, zero's panicked expression gave kiaan the impression that she hadn't been involved in orchestrating this particular series of unfortunate events, though that hardly absolved her of her sins. he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer in this state; though they were beasts at heart, the asanbosam were still highly intelligent beings capable of predicting attack patterns in combat. after a few failed attempts at breaching his armor with its blows, the one ambushing him had started to realize that it could hook its claws underneath the edges and pry it off with some extra force. it was only a matter of time now until it found success in its endeavour, exposing his teammate to danger should his skin be torn.

"if we die because of you..." the unbridled hatred in kiaan's pained exclamations did not match his actions, but he could agonize over his foolish instincts later; now, he just needed to hold out until either zero shifted back into human form, or one of his teammate's noticed their predicament.

4th child of nirriti

kiaan.

• aaaaaaaaa
• aaaaaaaaa

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♡coded by uxie♡

 

[ravensunset]

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valeria isayeva

the jungle

Laurie, Ezra, Kiaan, Zero

In the stories Ekaterina told her young daughter, she spoke of Iriy, the faraway place where birds fly in the winter, where souls go after death. Ekaterina was always careful with her stories: they were purely fiction, a fantasy, so that little Lera would not mistake myth for fact, would not know of the truth behind stories.

On Valeria’s journey to Mythos, she wondered whether that was where she was headed. When she’d first seen the island, she’d become a flying bird, having made her way to paradise.

Mythos Academy may have been a fantasy, but it was also deeply human. Valeria would spend much time trying to separate the two, place every element of her life into a neat box either human or divine, desperate to fall into the latter.

Everything around her wanted her to be the former. Valeria’s bloody spit after gladiator matches was not so different from that after high school fights, her friends were not so different from the people she’d once known, and the buildings were more beautiful than any she’d ever been allowed to call home, but beneath all the glamor, they too were stone and brick and wood. When winter had drawn close, she watched the birds fly through the sky, and wondered whether Iriy lay somewhere even further, or whether it simply couldn’t hold the weight of its story.

The jungle was a foreign entity. Her skin was sticky, both from sweat and a level of moisture in the air wholly unfamiliar to her. The Asanbosam screeched and flew, all talons and wings and ferocity, a force unseen in Mythos Academy’s relative safety.

And yet, Valeria felt alive, the way she did only in battle. A skull crushed beneath the force of her staff, and Valeria’s arms followed the momentum of the motion; she ducked a swipe of a second creature, kicked away at its leg and turned back upright, plunging her staff down into its belly. Blood sprayed up at Valeria, and her eyes flashed with fire as that same quality in its own faded away. Her breath escaped in deep pants, and the corners of her lips turned upwards in exhilaration.

She was not far from home, not really. Ezra fired an arrow after another, each lodging into their target, and somewhere in the rage and adrenaline coursing in Valeria, there too was pride. He was doing his job well: as Kiaan and the others led the Asanbosam towards a clearing, Ezra’s arrows forced them from the trees, drawing their attention towards their group as any capable fighter should. Valeria could see across from her was Ikenna, full of anger and raw force, a reflection from the day she’d met him. A pair of wings tore and shred under his mace, another body thudded against the ground.

The sound of running feet against jungle ground was swallowed up by the rustling of leaves and impacts of weapons. Enemies fell around her. She couldn’t tell whether the hot blood running down her arm was foreign or her own; no one was leaving without a couple scratches. The battle threatened to swallow her up into it, until something was different, missing from her periphery.

Kiaan? Valeria’s heart missed a beat as she saw only trees and Asanbosam flesh, before realizing what they were crowding around. She didn’t have time to process the bear he was on top of— was he talking to the bear? He’d have to handle that part of it— but an Asanbosam threatened to pull his armor away. Ikenna was fighting his own battle, creatures swarming. Ezra’s arrows and Laurie’s light had no shortage of targets.

“Keep him cover,”

Valeria’s eyes met Laurie’s for hardly an instant, and she was off, passing behind a tree and coming up behind the creature hovering over Kiaan. Her staff came down on its back, and it reared up. A clawed arm struck out at her, and collided against metal, raised to block.

A soft thud sounded on the ground behind her. Valeria didn’t need to turn to know another creature was behind her. She had no choice but to fight– and hope that between Kiaan and the archers, she too was well covered.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[sollie]

“Now!” Ophelia cried, the hoard of Strigoi emerging from the darkness, lured by the whispers of the three and the sickly sweet smell of Damie’s blood. They emerged from the darkness in horrifying fashion, twisted bodies making quick work of finding their snack. Muttering out a string of curses, Siobhan nor her companions needed any encouragement to start their mad dash toward the mouth of the cave. The piercing cries of the Strigoi were enough to alert their team members of their success in locating the wicked creatures.

The trio stuck close together, attempting to escape the clutches of the Strigoi’s clawed hands before they were pulled in and devoured like the poor souls that came before them. Thankfully, speed wasn’t an issue for the godly children, covering a lot of ground quickly. Eva’s shining light guided them toward the exit, the brighter it got, the safer Siobhan felt– that light meant they were leaving the den of evil.

“Fucking hell…” Siobhan hissed, her lungs begging for rest, stinging from exertion. Laborious breaths came out in pants as the bright light of Eva’s light shone in her eyes. The demigod brought her hand up to shield her eyes– but the Strigoi wouldn’t stop just because she was exhausted from running the length of the cave. Pausing for a beat, the strident cry of the Strigoi irritated Siobhan’s ear and the sudden jump of her heart alerted her to approaching danger.

Not missing a beat, she swung around, hands planted firmly around the hilt of her sword as the sharp edge of the blade cut through Strigoi's skin. She recoiled at the sound of the heavy head hitting the ground but there wasn’t time to grimace over decapitated monsters. They were emerging like terminates from bursting from a dead tree. Stumbling back from the limp Strigoi body, Siobhan took time taking care of two more, wiping the face of the liquid which she could only hope to any god was a bit of midnight mist. It definitely wasn’t.

“We have to get out of the way!” She called to Ophelia and Damie, wishing not to linger and take care of the endless hoard of Strigoi crawling from the cave. Sirius’ trap would hopefully take care of the infestation without the need for slaughtering the creatures by hand. There was no doubt that the nine of them would be quickly overwhelmed, even with their powers combined. These bastards were something else.

Moving from the pile of Strigoi and crossing the boundary mark, indicating the three would be out of the way of the trap. For a fleeting second, Siobhan’s heart stopped, eyebrows furrowing, and the hair standing straight up on her arm. Danger surrounded them in the form of countless Strigoi, but there was something else… Amongst the chaos, there was something else setting off her senses. Amid the Strigoi, left in the cave, something human remained.

“Where the hell is Dámaso?!” Siobhan’s eyes jumped from the figures of her teammates, looking for that nuisance of a man amongst them. The longer they waited without Sirius’ trap, the more the Strigoi gained in numbers. It was all they could do to hold them back. “Fuck. Fuck! That dumbass is still in the fucking cave!”

Dámaso was still in the cave. With the legion of Strigoi. Alone. With a bloody hand and a weapon. Were they going to lose a teammate? For as much disdain and contempt she held for Dámaso Escarra, she didn’t want him to fucking die. Honing into any essence of death she could, Siobhan focused her energy of the cave, on Dámaso. Was he dead? Trails of death came to Siobhan in flashes of red, leading into the cave, like pathways to the end of a person– or creature– life. Animals, soldiers, and villagers from Bran, Strigoi. But in all that red, in all that death, Dámaso’s path did not end in the cave. Somehow, that idiot was alive.

They couldn’t fire the trap until he either emerged from the cave or perished inside– and Siobhan certainly hoped they’d be celebrating the former. “We gotta hold 'em back 'til he’s out!” Shouted her to Elias and the others, taking her blade to block and delay the emergence of the mass amount of Strigoi. There would be a considerable amount of Strigoi blood on their hands… When they were finished and through with this mission, Siobhan had some very colorful words to share with Dámaso.

daughter
of mórrígan

siobhan.

• aaaaaaaaa
• aaaaaaaaa

• filler tab!
• 
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  mood

  
  
  
  

  that fucking idiot dámaso

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  tags

  
  
  
  

  minajesty | Elias
  erzulie | Ophelia
  PRETTY HATE MACHINE. | Dámaso
  a z u l a | Eva
  riddle . | Sirius
  blue-jay | Abril

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[erzulie]

scroll !

mood

attack mode

location

jungle

outfit

here

tags

here

IKENNA/VALERIA

Amongst the noise that filled the jungle, a screech of agony joined the choir of battle. Ikenna stood, glowing blue in the moonlight, over the body of the Asanbosam that had attempted to carry him off. The creature writhed on the ground, flapping its remaining wing in hopes of escaping. The legacy could feel the rips in his armor and the wounds where metal had met flesh. He felt no pain in the head of the moment. No, his focus was on the ones he had been assigned to protect. With the enemy crowded into one place he was able to scan his surroundings.

He was quick to spring into action when greeted with the sight of a bear. It didn’t occur to him that said animal was out of place in the jungle, his body moved on its own. Seeing as the bear was not the creature that they were targeting, Ikenna merely sent it flying with a kick. With a speed not often associated with someone of his size, he turned and pushed Valeria away. The Asanbosam’s strike came a mere second later.

The claws barely passed Valeria’s face. If Ikenna hadn’t come to action when he did— Valeria only had an instant to make eye contact with him, send through her recognition as she regained her balance. Valeria spun her staff behind her, gaining momentum, and collided it into the Asanbosam’s stomach. Its back collided against a tree, and as it fell to the jungle floor, the rage within it only intensified, legs scrambling to push itself back up. Valeria took her position, back-to-back with her closest ally. A kick struck out against the creature, sending it back down to the ground.

“Princess, can’t you go one mission without needing a prince to save you?” Despite the seriousness of their situation Ikenna just had to take a jab at Valeria. With anyone else his tone would have been harsh, but there was no heat behind them now. With Laurie defending Kiaan he focused on the remaining Asanbosam. With their numbers dropping the creatures took to higher ground in an attempt to gain an advantage. “Hey…remember that plan we talked about?” He smirked as he looked at a monster hovering above them.

With anyone else, Valeria would’ve sparked to insult. Here, a grin formed across her features. Ikenna’s capabilities only strengthened her own, not threatened them. “Needed to make you feel important somehow, didn’t I?” She retorted, knowing he could hear the gratitude behind it. Valeria drew it a deep breath, fingers gripping tightly around her staff. She offered no response beyond a look, at him and then the creature above, snarling down from the foliage.

“Keep telling yourself that!” They had been told ther the Asanbosam were intelligent creatures. They had to be in order to capture humans the way they did. Ikenna was never one to underestimate his opponent. So when the two Asanbosam began to move in tandem he was quick to move. It took little effort to toss Valeria into the air and raise his weapon. With all of his strength behind his blow the head of the Asanbosam that had landed behind Valeria was disconnected from its body, spraying Ikenna in gore.

Valeria leapt towards the sky. In the moment, it didn’t matter that she’d been launched from Ikenna’s strength and not powers bestowed upon her. She was flying. The air crackled around her. For all the time Valeria had spent rejecting her mother, Ekaterina’s form echoed within her, the move she’d taken so many times before recreated. The Asanbosam jumped from the branch it was sitting on, and they met in midair. Valeria’s staff collided hard with the creature’s head, knocking it sideways. With the force, the momentum of the blow, she followed its direction to twist her body in the air and grab its shoulder, pulling herself onto its back. When they landed back on the ground, Valeria’s staff was lodged into its spine, and her whole body covered in both fresh and drying blood.

“You’re such a fucking show off!” It was probably a comical sight, Ikenna following Valeria and the Asanbosam like he was waiting for a ball to drop. With his friend now safely on the ground, he clapped her on the back. Though rough his touch was far gentler than normal.

coded by reveriee

 

[minajesty]

Collab with

sollie

Location

strigoi cave.

Interactions

mentions. damie, sirius interacting with. siobhan.

Tags

PRETTY HATE MACHINE. , riddle .

elias / siobhan.

deep red blood sprayed across the man's face as the blade of his sword sliced through the neck of another strigoi. the ear-splitting shriek that escaped from its deceased lips alerted another nearby, with a face full of vengeance. the son of hades could have sworn it bared its razor-sharp teeth into a sadistic smile before letting out a war cry and lunging toward him.

hooking its talons into the back of elias' legs, the strigoi swiftly lifted him off the ground for a moment, body flung as easily as a ragged doll in the wind before all 190 pounds landed back onto the floor with a smack. time wasn't given for the intense pain to register before thatcher had to roll out from underneath the strigoi, its talon shredding the dirt where his body was just milliseconds ago.

with labored breathing and his heart beating out of his chest, he plunged the sword into its neck and dragged it down its spine before yanking his weapon out, making sure to watch as another strigoi collapsed, its lifeless body withering before going still for good.

a series of swears in the air from one of his members caught his attention before he turned towards the direction of the cave entrance where siobhan brennan was standing. that dumbass is still in the cave! registered loud and clear before elias scanned the warzone in search of who it was. dámaso.

"dammit!," he yelled, before swiftly running in her direction, "i'll go in." he added, ducking inside before giving her a chance to protest. the eerie silence that surrounded him made his heart sink just a little. the sound of the shrieking monsters outside growing faint the deeper he ran into the cave. navigating the darkness without having an inkling of a clue as to what he was walking into didn't occur. and every step that he took was a dead end, making his heart sink further when there was no dámaso waiting at the end of each turn.

"fucking damaso..," he swore in defeat, the only sound of his harsh breaths and continuous disappointment with his lack of luck in finding him filling the empty void. it was the only time in his life he could remember hesitating to turn away, but he did.

a few wrong turns in and elias finally made his way out. the sight of eva sprinting away from a pack of strigoi towards sirius made him realize just how outnumbered they were compared to them. hundreds of them versus mortal demigods and legacies who could only keep up with this strenuous fight for so long. it was only a matter of time before they collapsed under the pressure of the strigoi mission.

we have to set off the trap, he thought to himself before turning his attention to siobhan. "we can't put it off anymore, i'm signaling sirius to set the trap," elias spoke in a matter of fact. his statement was not a question.

but her lack of support, and even her overall lack of a timely response, made the demigod turn the attention of his direction back to her.

before getting the chance to speak again, siobhan interjects with an expression of protest. urgency and frustration spewed from her lips like snake venom in elias' direction, hardly showing care in his decision.

"you absolutely cannot set off that trap," the other said, as she now looked at him directly. "he is in there alive and breathing and with a heart still beating. if you set that trap off, you're giving him a death sentence," she added.

a part of him wanted to sympathize and wanted so badly to wait one more minute for the legacy to surprise them all with the reassurance that he was alive and okay. but another minute spent waiting was another minute lost. one minute closer for them all to be brutally killed one by one. piece by piece.

his anger towards her lack of rationality nearly overtook him. throwing his arm in the direction of the attack nearly on the verge of going south, elias looked back at her and replied. no, yelled through gritted teeth.

"we cannot wait anymore, siobhan! WE'RE OUTNUMBERED!!," the demigod explained. "eva has a pack of them on her heels, sirius is putting all his faith into that trap, and i just got body slammed by one of those goddamned things." he added, every word slowly getting louder and louder as he tried pleading his case to siobhan.

but her face showed no sign of sympathy, she was keen on waiting for the legacy to emerge, making elias wonder if her presence on the team was even safe for them all. with a harsh tone, he reflected her same venom back to her. "you're gonna get us all killed if we wait any longer."

he was their leader, and she was listening as best as she could, but his words didn't register or process in her mind. it was clear on the expression on her face. she couldn't agree with him, especially since her supernatural sense was telling her that the legacy's heart was still beating in there. his last remark was the last straw, her body fueled with desperation and annoyance as she sent her hand slicing across elias' cheek.

the impact of the blow made elias' ear ring as his hand came up to touch the spot where her hand connected with his skin. blood, he thought to himself, feeling the familiar wetness on his fingertips as she argued with him.

"you would want someone to wait if you were trapped in there, fighting for your life! you'd want someone fighting for you!," siobhan screamed at him all while he began to wipe the droplets of the crimson fluid off his face. his gaze darkened as it lifted to hers, however this time, there were no words exchanged from him. only silence at the moment.

but she continued, "just wait.. one fucking minute and help me fight these godforsaken monsters! we cannot lose someone, and as a team leader, you should be prioritizing that!"

elias hand came back down to his side, the other gripping the hilt of his sword as he dug it into the dirt beneath him. he refused to say more, leaving the silence to engulf the both of them aside from his breathing slowly becoming normal again. however, something tugged at the back of his mind. something told him to look again, and when he did, the sight of sirius' demeanor showed that elias wasn't the only one still in the right state of mind.

yes.

© weldherwings.

 

[riddle .]

finally finally finally!!!

sirius yaw

Sirius was frozen. The Strigoi were as ugly as he pictured, maybe more so. Their gangly bodies swayed with wildness, teeth gnashing, eager to sink them into Sirius's flesh and tear.

He'd never been in a fight before, not really. Sirius had a grand disappearing act he'd perform when he caught wind of school bullies who wanted to take their anger at being miserable pieces of garbage on him. Now, he couldn't dare run. He'd actively volunteered for this, after all. Still, he glanced behind him, searching for the escape route he'd planned since they first arrived. If it came to it, could he run away?

"Sirius!"

He jolted, head whipping back to where his teammates were being chased and beaten down, to see Eva rushing towards him. Sirius's eyes widened, taking a few steps back, feeling panicked. Why the fuck is she coming towards me?! He thought, gritting his teeth at the Strigoi on her tail. If he set his trap off now, she would end up in pretty meat ribbons across the ground, and there were still so many in the cave yet to take care of. Desperate for another answer, he tried to find Elias, mouth dropping at the sight of the team leader rushing into the cave as Siobhan and Ophelia waited outside. Too far away, he seethed. Next was Abril, but he estimated there wouldn't be enough time for her to reach either of them. Fuck!

The legacy's mind raced. Dámaso wasn't with Siobhan or Ophelia - still in the cave. Elias is out of the cave now - didn't find Dámaso. Siobhan and Elias were arguing - his trap could kill the senior still inside if he set it off. Eva was running - she was too close for him to throw it, and they'll both get strung up. Sirius spared another contemplative look at his escape route, but the images of his teammates torn, bloody and dead made his stomach twist. Sighing, he unhooked his hammer from where it rested on his belt, wielding it surely despite its heavy appearance in his scarred hand. The trap remained on his left, carefully balanced.

Sirius surged forward to Eva with intent. "Keep going, don't stop!" He yelled to her, passing her and swinging his hammer up, terror deep in his chest at being so close to the Strigoi, crashing it into the creature's jaw. It rang loud, and the Strigoi's skull began to warp in on itself as the power of the hammer's touch began to take effect. The bone twisted together until it imploded from the pressure, spraying Sirius with its brain matter and blood. Fuckin gross! Its body slammed backward from the sudden force into its brethren, sending them tumbling into each other.

Sirius wasted no time turning around and following after Eva, creating distance between him and the rest of the pack behind him now that Eva was out of range. Whether Dámaso came out or not wasn't his problem, not when they were on the verge of getting their asses chewed on by a bunch of undead freaks. He'd saved Eva, his good deed of the year was done, and so was his patience. With a distance he deemed acceptable, he readied his stance and lifted his trap, winding up to throw.

His eyes met Elias's across the way, and he started to yell. "Everyone get out of the fucking way!"

It was the only warning he gave as he pressed the trigger and sent the box flying. There was a beat of silence as it soared toward the mouth of the cave until a click sounded, and it fell apart, the panels freeing razor-sharp wires that sprang out faster than the eye could see, impaling the Strigoi that had made it out from the cave and any other object they could dig in. The bundle of them thinned, and an inner mechanism snapped open, propelling it further until it entered the gaping maw, all while still releasing its vicious strings that seemed to have a mind of their own, determined to pierce through whatever wasn't quick enough to avoid.

Sirius's laughter at the sight rang like the metal ends of his strings of destruction, lost in the beauty of it, forgetting the danger in his awe. He stood there, uncaring of anything else, arms spread outward at the webs of his creation in front of him - a spider finished with its work.

• .
• .
• .

• outfit
• location

  
  

  outside the strigoi cave
• tags

  interactions: Eva a z u l a
  mentions: dámaso PRETTY HATE MACHINE. , ophelia erzulie , abril blue-jay , elias minajesty , siobhan sollie
  

coded by reveriee.

 

[sox]

VALERIA — KIAAN — EZRA

MENTIONS: Ikenna, Zahra, Paz, Laurie

TAGS: erzulie mi casa riddle . sollie

Valeria grinned at Ikenna, taking a beat to give him a tiny bow before pulling her staff out of the monster’s spine. Even now, with the group having made their way to a relative clearing, the jungle was dark and thick, and the trees hid snarls and fangs. Still, Valeria was able to catch a breath; the horde was not gone, but it had thinned.

She could almost taste victory, metallic and warm— or was it the blood, the adrenaline rushing through her? Their jobs well done, the archers had succeeded in bringing the Asanbosam down to the ground. One of the remaining creatures leapt out from behind a tree, and Valeria swung up her staff to block its blow, pushing muscular arms away from her face. It pressed against her, and she was forced to take a step back. Despite it, she was grinning, arms held up strong.

There was almost no thought in her motions, instinct taking over. A duck down, a kick out, connecting against a leg but not knocking it down. She caught her footing again, and swung upwards before looking, aiming to connect the staff with its lower jaw— only to feel nothing but air.

Between the onslaught of blows to his back and the thrashing of the ‘wild’ animal against his chest, Kiaan could barely register what had just occurred by the time Ikenna kicked Zero out from under him, launching her hunkering mammalian body several feet away with one firm tap of his foot.

'Ha. What a shitshow.'

By the looks of it, however, they were at least down to a handful of Asanbosam now that they'd all been knocked off their perches and struck down by the melee combatants on the team. Kiaan didn't dare waste any time in joining the fray; after a quick once-over to guarantee his skin hadn't been torn, the son of Nirriti regained his footing and jumped right back into combat, fending off one of the last two creatures with relative ease. Once they weren't hovering above them with that condescending sneer plastered on their faces, they were rather predictable in their movements for the most part.

As Kiaan's cursed scimitar tore through the Asanbosam's jugular, spraying a tide of foul-smelling blood across his white mask like a modern rendition of the Scream poster, he took a brief moment to catch his breath and survey the status of the rest of their crew. Everyone seemed to be holding up alright at the moment, much to his relief; his own shit luck hadn't affected the others' momentum at all.

In the few seconds that he dared to glance away from the creature squaring off against Valeria, however, a horrible sense of dread instinctually washed over his wary form like ice water, as though something somewhere was about to suddenly go terribly wrong. He whipped back around with haste, only to be greeted with a gruesome nightmare scene that seemed to unfold in slow motion before his eyes.

“Watch out, Val—!”

The creature Valeria had just missed moved, interest in her seemingly lost. With a motion faster than the mass of muscle and wings seemed capable of, it lunged towards the archers, towards Ezra. She had moved away from her team, the team well prepared for fighting at a distance and less so for monsters on the ground, the team she was there to protect.

Her team, out of reach.

Valeria threw her staff forward. She couldn’t cross the gap in time, she could tell even in the split second of calculation, yet she ran forward after it. The metal struck into its shoulder. Blood sprayed outwards, the creature shrieking loudly as it swerved towards her. The sharpness of the move flung Valeria’s staff out on the ground as the Asanbosam lunged.

Kiaan’s yell echoed in her ears, but the warning was drowned in her thudding heartbeat, the anger in its eyes. Long, metallic claws of its uninjured hand shredded past the leather of her armor and tore into her gut, iron-cold against the heat flowing through her. Valeria’s inhale caught in her throat, eyes going wide.

The monster leapt upwards, claws anchored deep in the muscle and sinew of Valeria’s abdomen to snatch her up with it. As the air rushed around her, the world blurred, lost its focus. There was nothing but the pain ripping through her body, overloading every sense, the dizziness of blood loss and the taste of iron on her tongue. Only one thought was able to break through. Anything but be taken up into the trees.

Her prayer was answered as soon as the thought formed; something must have been listening. An arrow, vengeful, pierced through its skull, the force shifting the momentum of its jump. Chunks of her clothes’ fiber and her own flesh tore from her as its grip was lost.

Valeria, stomach open, thudded against the ground. Blood gushed from multiple punctures and tears, and black spots filled her vision. Always fighting, she tried to press a hand against the soil to push herself up, but it slipped down instead, and it cost all her concentration to even draw shaky, labored breaths past the blood filling her mouth. Valeria could feel her head move, or perhaps be moved, but she felt less and less as her senses numbed. The world dissolved into blurs of color, and then into nothing at all.

———​

Drops of sweat like luscious pearls clung to Ezra’s temples and chest. The muscles in his arms strained with each arrow locked between his fingers and bow. The only thing that kept them from giving in to the tension was the underrated might of rhythmic repetition.

Now that Ezra had gotten used to the gravity of the rainforest air, his accurate calculations of gradient and velocity were executed with promise. Swift arrows brought the Ansanbosam’s wings to a drop one by one where Valeria, Kiaan and Ikenna struck the beasts almost with ease. Laurie – handing him each arrow she could find in fresh corpses – was the sole reason for his mind to not be able to follow his body’s sheer exhaustion.

“One more to go, it seems!” he called out through the clearing towards Valeria and Kiaan, not too sure if his voice could break the stiffness of humidity that dragged their very limbs down with each breath.

As Laurie slapped the next arrow – draped with engravings of fresh blood just now given space to dry and turn lumpy and somber – in his hand, Ezra’s chin raised. Piercing eyes, too bright to belong to a creature of darkness, stared him down with hunger; mere moments away from devouring him whole. How did it– A silhouette of electric flickers gushed to the front like a shield. He could already hear his flesh rip and the squelch that followed it. Except, it wasn’t his.

Between chilling howls, the vertiginous scent of blood solidified and made Ezra shiver with nausea.

It struck Valeria right between her ribs.

“LERA!” he yelled as his arms moved on their own, an arrow quickened and shot through the skull of the creature. Free from monsters of the forest – or so he hoped – Ezra yanked the bow from his chest and dropped it next to Laurie where ferns hugged his weapon close. His body leaped forward and caught hers swaying on the level of mudded soil. While Ezra secured her head on his lap, he called out in solicitude: “A healer! She needs help right now!” Jittery hands hovered over her cheek in a desperate attempt to keep her awake. “You’re going to be alright. You’re going to be okay,” Ezra whispered but he realized by the time he pronounced his words, the only one to console was himself as his teammate had lost consciousness. Valeria painted the forest of shades of greens and browns in scarlet red for her medium of art were warm strokes of vessels; endless until they would.

As screams of terror ricocheted around the gory scene, Kiaan's masked expression morphed into one of rage and vengeance. Those vile monsters dared to touch one of his people? Before his very eyes, no less? The team leader raced over in the blink of an eye, dropping his swords in favor of unclasping the sides of his armor and tearing his shirt out from underneath to use as makeshift gauze until a healer could lend a hand.

"Move!" he commanded as he dropped to his knees beside Valeria's unconscious body, devoid of malice when shoving Ezra's hands out of the way so he could access the wound better. It was bad— blood gushed out of the gashes in her abdomen, significant chunks of flesh missing revealing the bones and tendons underneath. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck.' Their team didn't have a dedicated healer; while Zahra technically fell into that category, her abilities likely weren't honed for the gravity of this situation, and he was fairly certain any sort of salve Paz had pre-made wouldn't quite do the trick.

So what options did that leave them? Kiaan wracked his brain as he wrapped the torn shirt to roughly bandage the slashes across Valeria's abdomen, tying it as tight as he could around her waist to apply the most pressure possible. Pressing both palms down to block as much blood as his hands could cover, he focused all his energy on absorbing the grueling sensation from her pain receptors. As the full force of her terror and agony struck him in one go, chilling and scalding in tandem, he bit back the oncoming howl and carried on through the torturous transfer, grateful that his mask hid his grimace as he tried not to tremble too noticeably— though she was out cold, hopefully this treatment could temporarily provide her a frightless, dreamless rest and a gentle bodily numbness whenever she finally regained consciousness.

… Because she would come to eventually— she had to. She was not dying on his watch. 'Fuck all that noise.'

"Ezra," he kept applying pressure as he addressed the archer, who seemed one bad omen away from passing out himself, "snap out of it, man. We don't have time— carry her while I get the portal ready. Zahra! Paz! Get your asses over here and help Ezra with whatever he needs! And watch the bandage! She’s lost too much blood already."

With Ezra’s arms almost numb, he commanded them to serve him once more. The gratefulness of Kiaan telling them how to handle the situation could not yet gush to the surface, he was a mere soldier acting on command. He shifted, slipped his hands under her thighs and back and lifted her to the level of his chest. “Zahra, Paz– Laurie,” Anyone. “Get her staff!” Ezra, too, was missing his weapon but that thought didn’t cross his mind; peripheral.

At long last, with Valeria safely in Ezra’s arms and the portal back to campus activated, Kiaan made quick work securing all their loose ends at the scene of the carnage. Between gathering the rest of his and his teammates’ forgotten personal belongings and collecting some Asanbosam bone samples for his research as well as a few wayward talons, their frazzled leader barely had time to breathe before it was time to depart, swallowing the pain inflicted by his abilities as he guided everyone back to the safety of Mythos.

code by fudgecakez

 

[erzulie]

[ SCENE TWO— THE AFTERMATH. ]

The first mission of the semester was dubbed a successful…but at what cost. Legacy student Valeria was torn to shreds by creatures known for their deadly attacks. Two weeks have past and the thread that held the careful balance between the groups of students and staff has went up in flames.
Tensions rise as individuals call into question the morals of allowing legacy students to participate in missions and even be allowed to attend the academy the way they are. In the meantime the campus is preparing for the upcoming Winter Formal, a ball dedicated to the deities of winter and cold. The campus has been turned into a winter wonderland with the help of those with an eye for decoration. Snow blankets the ground and covers the trees and buildings beautifully. Even Fortis has set up their decorations to celebrate the winter season and prepare for their winter festival.


In the meantime a force watches the academy, waiting for the perfect time to strike as the island prepares for the winter festival and formal.

​

​

 

[a z u l a]

MOOD: annoyed.

OUTFIT: kam tactical gear

LOCATION: in the trees.

basics

MENTIONS:
valeria, kiaan

INT:
cavitea
everyone

tags

TL;DR world's worst duo

tl;dr

Kamnan and Hazuki

trouble usually finds me.

People were a curse placed upon Kamnan. Or perhaps, he was the curse placed upon them. Either way, avoidance was his preferred method of dealing with the horror that was human interaction. Unfortunately, like most things in his life, he could never just have his way.

Of all the ways Mythos forced him to interact with others, missions were by far the worst. The mere sight of the summons had dread creeping up his bones until it wormed its grip around his heart and mind, squeezing tightly like a boa constrictor. A singular misstep on his part could mean a horrific death for one of his teammates. Each time that violet lightening leapt from his trembling fingers the screaming rattled his memories until he couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't think of anything else but that night.

Sopping wet cats had more charisma than Kamnan as he regarded his teammates, only half-listening to Kiaan give orders. It didn't matter how well thought out their plan was, adding the legacy of Phra Sao to the equation meant all hell would break loose once the monsters made their appearance. Hopefully his teammates were sturdy enough to survive the affliction of Kamnan’s presence and the calamity that came with it.

Hazuki was the unfortunate soul named as his partner for the night. A feral grifter and a walking bad luck charm. What could go wrong?

Being a distraction was one thing Kam promised to be good at, whether on purpose or not he could lead the hungry jaws towards him instead of his teammates. Of all divine children to lose, Kamnan would not be missed. The world would be a better place with one less bad omen wandering its planes. His fear may not within himself, but for those with the burden of being too close in proximity to him, the boy who could only bring sorrow and death.

Smoldering coal melted in his gaze, flicking through the trees and then meeting Hazuki’s gaze as they prepared themselves. Wordlessly, he took off in a parallel but mismatched path adjacent to Kiaan and Hazuki’s, legs pushing him forward as the jungle became agitated in his wake. Cracks in the sky as sharp and bright as amethyst trailed behind him, causing asanbosam to fall from branches and go momentarily blind.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───​

She danced in the air, moonlit night that struck on dulled blades and begged the question of why? Hazuki breathed in the uncomfortable airs of falling beneath radars and giving the unassuming, ever-present thought that she was pathetic, a disaster of a Legacy bound to the greatness of the moon. Below, others were fighting, battling against monsters with blades and powers like heroes so foolishly looked up to, so impossibly not her.

Perhaps this was why misfortune trickled alongside her, raindrops extended to the tides on sand, joined in a bitter sense of salt and sweet. Hazuki was meant to distract, a pretty spinning flower at best. The form of 'Kamnam' was the same it seemed, if not more an unknown raincloud that stomped along in his pitter pattered 'woe is me' performance.

She stepped and met his eyes again, flicking them desperately back towards the trees she performed on; he was unnecessary for now, misfortune looming before him as sparks flew behind him. He was a storm that brought in the tide too early and that was danger enough.

"Tch," was all she remarked out loud, ending her train of thought as albinistic locks snagged themselves on the sickly branches of trees. Hazuki caught herself in the moment, hands already moving to tug free her head. The Asanbosam weren't focused on her but another was, a miserable sight that saw grey meet too intimately into thunderstorm and a cracked branch that sent two unfortunately clashing bodies tumbling down.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: ** :☆ﾟ. ───​

One slip of the finger, two cracks in the heat of the night had the ground rushing much too quickly towards Kamnan’s face. On the way down the distance between himself and Hazuki lessened, the brush slamming into him first, a petite but still incredibly painful weight second. Their heads met in a caress much unlike a lover's kiss, both reeling back to cradle their aching foreheads.

The cacophony of battle was assaulting on all senses, the throbbing in his head not helping this disorientation. Despite knowing that it was entirely his fault, a result of the walking curse that was Kamnan, his lips curled up into a snarl, eyes narrowing as he stared at Hazuki accusatorially.

“Watch where you’re going.” Stay away, avoid at all costs, be fearful of the dreadful jinx.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───​

"You're joking; me? You're the raincloud Care Bear!" Hazuki's head rang, pale fingers pushing into the spot where their heads collided. Each word she said had the venom of a wounded animal, a corner she found herself backed into by the misfortune of knowing a man made of it. "As soon as you stop having seven eyes we'll see how unfortunate you really get you foul—"

A wince came over chalked-out eyes in the glare she barely spared to the other.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: ** :☆ﾟ. ───​

Tongue prepared to lash out, the unmistakable sound of shredding flesh had words dying on his lips. That horrible, slimy feeling wracked his whole body, a warning that something truly awful was about to happen. A silk screen reflecting a horror film, Kamnan helplessly watched as blood spattered from Valeria’s frozen form.

The world stopped, and then everyone was moving at once. Kiaan was yelling something incomprehensible over the sound of his heart beating too close to his ear. The team worked fast, moving without thinking in the chaos to protect their wounded teammate. Kamnan stood stock still, watching from the cover of the trees. The last thing they needed right now was more bad luck, the jinx in human skin keeping his distance, barely daring to breathe in case his very proximity caused the world to come tumbling down.

Iron tainted the air, desperate cries wrenching into the abyss. Still, Kamnan stood like a statue of woe and misery, unwilling or unable to move. Perhaps if he hadn’t been busy knocking Hazuki out of trees they could have helped. That trail of hexes was unpredictable, could that bloody scene have been his fault? Could he have helped prevent it if misery didn’t cling to him like a too heavy cloak?

Impotent eyes watched, until it was time to return to Mythos with their tails tucked between legs.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───​

Hazuki startled awake from the realm of sleep. A nap had turned in hands as a stone tumbled through a plastic kit meant for curious youth and brat-nosed adults. Dark eyes, hazy and filled with exhaustion entered her view and she took it as a push to scuttle out from the rooms of Somnum, a rat as wet as she was uncomfortable to admitting.

In the wake of the mission she had stood in her own stormed eye, a glaring figure that stared at a penny wrong-side-up and blamed him for the crimes of the world. A week had passed and she still hadn't managed to make contact with the boy again, stalking the halls of Legatum as if she had any plan for the words that would surely 'show him what for'. Hazuki, in fact, knew little of what to say. In a collective binding of limbs and panic they had both frozen, stalled in the woes of 'useless' Legacies while a far more capable version got fed to the beasts.

Valeria was, at most, someone that put up with her antics behind the wild sneers of horses. At most, and again, as with many things, Hazuki didn't know how to connect across the bridges she so willfully set fire to. She hadn't seen to the injured Legacy despite the frequent pauses outside doors she resigned a vampiric notion towards.

If uninvited, unwanted.

Hazuki shuddered as she glided along paths she had memorized, eyes lurking on the faces of students as they passed, wary of none but skittish of all. A celebration for winter meant a burned cupcake on the side for the moon and she wanted nothing to do with the feelings of festivity, as strained as some of it was made to be. It made slipping into hallways more important, dashing in steps from groups of students until like cornered rats she was faced with miserable fate again.

Thundercloud and moon, and the finger that pointed between the two of them.

"You."

code by valen t.

 

[mangomilk]

MOOD: relieved / guilty

OUTFIT: /

LOCATION: mythos infirmary

basics

MENTIONS:
valeria/ezra

INT:
ravensunset

tags

TL;DR x

tl;dr

valeria & ezra

– prologue –

Valeria was no stranger to nightmares. She’d had periods in her life where they’d worsened or bettered, times where sleep was an enemy or a gentle acquaintance, but it was never a friend. Without her knowing it, Kiaan’s powers had granted her that gift: for a while, for the first time in a long time, she slept peacefully as her body, free from pain, focused on piecing her together. It would be a long time before that would come again.
A day after being brought back from the mission, the sleep wore off, and Valeria’s eyes blinked open to find white walls and ceiling in place of trees and sky. Her mind reeled, trying to place memories in order. She remembered the moisture of jungle air, the fear, she’d needed to stop a monster before it reached–

“Ezra.” Valeria shot up, pushing herself into a sitting position, and immediately realized the mistake of sudden movement. Shots of pain rang out in her skull, the moment of peace snapped away. The nerves in her abdomen fired up as though it had been freshly ripped open, and every other muscle in her body ached to her bones. Valeria didn’t manage to hide her wince as she nearly doubled over.

If it hadn’t been for the body that shot up in a condition it shouldn’t be able to, he could’ve sworn it was a loud rustle of snow falling from trees. Words that chittered away, a name, his name, an eastern accent but pronounced melodically as it should. Ez-ra.
His face swayed to the bedside, a drive now awakened by her sudden movements, her arduous gasp welcoming blame and accusations yet again. It could’ve been you in that bed, it should’ve been you in this bed.

“What are you doing??” he asked and his body shot up from his seat. Ezra shoved her back in the bed. “You shouldn't move as long as your wound is still fresh..” He took a look but the mere sight of regrowing skin tissue could make him barf, the thought of it too, like little worms grabbing one another and forming a maze. “How much do you remember?” Panic in her eyes, they mirrored in his own, sad dreamy eyes that could not glint with vitality but glimmer with art and smitten soul. “Don’t worry. Everyone is fine, I am too. I don’t know what else to say but thank you and I am sorry.” But Valeria had not been awoken for long enough to know what spark the incident ignited in the Academy already, let alone when she was able to show her face again – recovering but still not well. Malicious words whispered from one ear to another, towering silhouettes of demigods like sacrificial rituals over Legatum. "The disgraces of our parents safe haven, legacies, they should clutch the things dear to them. They don’t belong."

There had been one creature left, and Valeria remembered the arrow going through its skull. She knew it had worked, that everyone had to be okay, but she only believed it when she saw him. The wave of relief was enough to dull the pain. “I’m fine,” her voice came out hoarse, unconvincing. She pushed against his efforts to get her back down and propped herself up against the backboard, determined not to fall over. “Not worse than a concussion,” even though it was. With Valeria’s more violent habits, she’d suffered her fair share of bruises and post fight injuries, and nothing had ever felt like this.

Valeria closed her eyes, drawing in a breath in an attempt to quell the bouts of nausea and stabbing pain. She was fine; she had to be, she always did. She couldn’t think about the possibility of anything having gone worse. When her eyes opened again, they locked into Ezra’s.

“Don’t do that. You shot the last one, you got me back. I’m–” I shouldn’t have gone so far, I should have been faster, Valeria thought, but she couldn’t apologize. Instead, Valeria broke eye contact. In a manner far gentler than most of her movements, she shifted towards him and rested her forehead on Ezra’s shoulder, allowing some of her weight to shift onto him.
‘But still’, Ezra wanted to finish her sentence but refrained from doing so. He decided to be content with the image of her recovering; how life and vibrancy was re-emerging in her skin day by day and how her hunger was returning (he brought her some snacks deemed forbidden by the nurse). His side caught her in warm embrace while the quiet found a home with them; comfortable and healing.

He’d keep her company, sitting on the windowsill and puffing away cigarettes like it was a sport. If he came by day after day because he considered Valeria friend enough or if guilt was pulling him in the infirmary, Ezra wasn’t certain. The day she was finally released from the prison of white sheets and bland foods, he had taken her to Fortis for a welcome-back drink or two.

code by valen t.

 

[sollie]

MOOD: Laurie: irritated/vexed ✦ Issah: attentive/temperamental

OUTFIT: Laurie ✦ Issah

LOCATION: Mythos ✦ The Quad

basics

MENTIONS:
@ravensunset - Valeria
@.moonchild. - Zero

INT:
@erzulie
@sox
everyone

tags

TL;DR Laurie and Issah being baddies telling the truth < 3

TL;DR

Laurie And Issah

"you couldn't handle your liquor and you can't seem to handle the truth."

Flushed redness painted brown cheeks and hairy arms, earthy scents morphed with his perfume and formed something new: bodily proofs of endeavor and pride. The apartment door pushed open, plonked against the wall, and swung shut after his frame pushed through. Spent breaths exhaled from a mouth that lusted for the drought to be tamed. Water. He walked straight to the sink of the open kitchen. Issah gulped away a tall glass of water before wiping the remnants of drops from his mustache. Only now the demigod picked up noise from the TV screen. He turned, tilting his head as his black locks fell on his forehead. “Laurie? You here?” he called from the open living room. “What you up to?” Issah stuffed away his weapon and made his way toward the bathroom.

The divine blood that ran through Laurie’s body wasn’t doing much to make her feel very godly. A week after one of the worst missions she’d been on and her body ached, each muscle and bone sore from her and Zahra’s run-in with an Asanbosam. Laurie wasn’t known for her positive attitude, but post-mission was filled with an unusual amount of snappy comments, glares, and general unpleasantness from the woman. But how could she not be unpleasant when the idiot responsible for getting the entire team fucking killed was lying pitifully in an infirmary after her blunder? Laurie couldn’t stand it. No repercussions, except for pampering in the infirmary and ‘get better soon’ cards from her moron friends that couldn’t see she was the problem.

“I’m here,” Laurie called out insubstantially, pushing herself up from her horizontal position on the couch. The bruises on her arms punished her for such an action, causing the demigoddess to wince. Looking at the nature documentary flashing images on the screen, she made a face, fumbling with the remote to turn it off before her roommate could discover it. “Breathing. Existing. Meditating? Why?” She called back, looking towards the light flooding out of the bathroom. “What the hell are you doing in there, Issah?” Laurie Jeong filled her time with studying or bettering herself– ‘tv is for the braindead’, she’d retorted at Issah one time or the other. It was truly a critical situation that she’d resorted to watching educational programming to forget the anger and irritation bubbling below the surface.

A creature with a flurry of curls emerged from the couch. Bruised and ill-spirited, Issah scrunched his nose, mirroring her impression. He had already heard of the latest gossip about the mission a week ago (from his favorite shit-talker Kiaan naturally).

Kiaan had mentioned one of his team members he led got badly injured.
“You used your abilities on her, didn’t you?”
“احمق لعنتي، به خدايان قسم ميخورم…"
(Fucking idiot, I swear to the gods…)

“Didn’t even see you...” he noted and approached her, circling the couch just to spread the whiff of sweat in her direction. Noises of wildlife, a voiceover that only could’ve been the one and only Sir David Attenborough from the TV, a corrupt form possessed his lips. “The hell are you doing? Feeding on some brain poison like the little monster you are?” His British accent mocked her while he laughed. “What’s there to meditate about?” A hand went through his re-developing curls – he had to cut his hair soon again – as he circled back towards the backroom. Strong but exhausted arms pulled a black hoodie from a muscular torso, each dent and bulge of muscle traceable.

Laurie turned her nose up at Issah, narrowing her eyes as she followed his circling form. He’d just gotten back from sparring, she could tell by the foul smell he dared waltz up in their shared space with. The woman voiced her disdain for his barbaric hobby on several occasions, never one to keep her opinions to herself, but by this point in their time living together, she simply got used to it, silently judging him each time he returned to their dorm with a bloody mouth or bruised face. It was his choice if he wished to waltz around hitting things for fun– but Laurie would always think it was a hobby for idiots.

Scoffing at his comment, Laurie crossed her arms, sinking further into the couch. “It’s not brain poison, you moron. It’s educational television to enrich the mind. Much better than the garbage you watch, that’s for sure.” She retorted, trying to defend herself for partaking in something she looked down upon. “Meditation needs not a purpose, Issah. Of course, I don’t expect you to understand that.” The few times she tried roping him into meditation, he’d fallen asleep or proclaimed how ‘boring and useless’ it was. Yeah, that wasn’t something she’d try again.

“Meditation allows a person to feel a sense of calm, peace, and balance– it refocuses and realigns you when fucking idiots decide to be useless and annoying on missions and end up getting everyone hurt and then act pathetic and get themselves hurt.” Laurie scoffed, before clearing her throat, clearly getting too heated about a situation Issah knew nothing of. “And it's super beneficial for your overall health. So the real question is… What’s there not to meditate about, hmm?” She added to round off and hopefully distract Issah from her small rant.

“Meditation needs not a purpose..,” Issah mimicked her and applied his worst American accent. Horrendous. “Meditation has no purpose, that’s what it is.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. Brown eyes darted at each other from across the room, both a different kind of glare and yet holding the same ferocity. Challenging Laurie offered a time well spent, always. The more upset he could get her, the more fun he had. Thick hedges of black eyebrows raised while Laurie educated him on boring definitions as anger was weaved in her words. “Mhm, that bloodbath with the legacy?” A name not imposing enough to cling to his mind, her heritage one related to his own but diluted, weak, bleak. Never once was an almighty lightning spotted from her hands, frail and lacking in talent, god given gift, simply not chosen for things great.


Rules of campus grounds might keep her safe, hell, maybe even the joke of a separate dorm, but out there, legacy bodies and spirituality brittle, were prone to be left behind, crushed. Everyone fights on their own in one way or another, and if Issah was appointed leader like many missions in the past, he’d save them all, but not due to personal beliefs or morals, but for the sake of wearing responsibility like his shield.

“These legacies are always causing trouble-- and not the nice kind..,” he ran his mouth. “I’ll shower. When I head out after, join me. Meditating sure made you calm.” Issah disappeared into a separate room, a few moments passed and sounds of splattering rain from a shower head echoed. Melodies of Ouds and drums chimed through a speaker, loud enough to interrupt ongoing conversations if there were any. Music blasting from the speaker, always too loud but repeating complaints were argued against a wall.

تملي حبيبي بشتاقلك
تملي عنيا تندهلك
ولو حواليا كل الكون
بكون يا حبيبي محتاجلك​

Amr Diab’s voice morphed into his own. As if he’s ever been ‘always with you’, he sang the lyrics, engraved in his brain that they could’ve been his own.

Back in the living room, Laurie sat, pondering her in silent resentment. That bloodbath with the legacy. Laurie’s brain echoed the words of her roommate as she sat on her bed, trying to tune out Issah’s always-too-loud music. Thankfully, her own bitter and vengeful thoughts were all-consuming. She’d kept her mouth shut for a week about Valeria’s little incident. But anger welled inside of her like a kettle that boiled for a moment too long. If she wasn’t careful, she’d boil over and scorch the stove top and everything in its path.

Though she cared not for sparing others' feelings, she wasn’t stupid. Speaking ill of Valeria while she was clutching to the wisps of life she’d been afforded, after being sliced and diced by an Ananbosam nearly a week prior, didn’t sound like the best move. But surely anyone with a brain could acknowledge her folly? Valeria was the problem. Just like a majority of the legacies at Mythos. There was no use in keeping them around if all they wished to be was a liability.

Of course, the select few Laurie bestowed the honor of respect upon, didn’t count in that clumping of useless extras. Zero could hold her own in a battle– though, after hearing her foolishness with Kiaan, even she was beginning to doubt it. Fresh air would do her good, she decided, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars attached to her ceiling. Of course, Issah was the one who asked her to join him on his walk or whatever. Begrudgingly so, Laurie decided she would indeed join him…

. . .​

One thing about Issah Habib? That man was an enabler in every way possible. Once he got Laurie going about Valeria, there was no stopping her. Perhaps it’s because he was part of the select few that Laurie didn’t mind talking to for extended periods, or perhaps it was because Laurie was looking for anyone to listen to her bitch about Valeria. Either way, she’d been going on about her disdain for the legacy for at least five minutes now.

The two demigods began their walk from Silva, through the winding paths towards the Quad and Laurie’s rampage hadn’t stopped for even a second. It was a wonder the woman was breathless and gasping for air after using up so much of it.

“I just think it is utterly absurd that Mythos would expect anything but the best from its students. Demigods and goddesses are expected to be perfect and controlled and skilled in combat. But the minute one of the loser legacies comes around with subpar skills they just get to go on missions and be nuisances? Does that make any fucking sense whatsoever? No! It doesn't!" Laurie was all hands, gesturing wildly in her irritated fervor.

“And don’t even get me started on that pathetic imbecile Valeria.” She scoffed as they began to pass through the Quad. “You should have seen her Issah. Honestly, it’s a wonder she didn’t just keel over and die there. I would’ve been so humiliated that’s what I would’ve done. I’m not saying she should’ve died, obviously. But there has to be some sort of repercussions for being so useless.”
.

code by valen t.