(Closed) Deceuer Catch All

[mirshikar]

Who: Asura + Plotted CR
When: Deceuer
Where: Various locations in Aefenglom, the Outer City, and the Wilde.
What: Quest and event threads, along with a healthy dose of clowning. I'm always down for building new CR, so if you'd like a thread starter, feel free to hmu @ the Dec plotting post!
Warnings: Light violence.

Comments

ENKIDU;

[mirshikar]

[ It is between dispatching the Shades that have come to infest the Outer City that Asura takes to search and rescue: evacuating those that should have long since taken shelter from the blizzard behind the safety of the Bright Wall. But not all make it beyond the checkpoints marking entrance to the city (there are the infected, and those unwilling to leave them behind), and it is for these civilians that Asura remains ever on the hunt—they'd not be forgotten, left to fall either to the ravages of the storm or to the ravenous maws of the Shades which could not be brought down by the long-distance weaponry of Aefenglom's defenses. No, Asura—the King of Summer—would stand as a bulwark against Winter (as is his edict, serving as the counterweight which would forestall storms of ice and snow from sowing so much sorrow), the heat of his season imbued in his flesh even when his Witch's magic wanes, dwindling into nothing.

During one such instance, he carries a common spear at his back while scouring the outskirts of the Slums for those most in need of aid. It is slow, ponderous work with visibility so very low, but even the wind which bites at the skin and eyes, whipping snow into lashes of ice, does not prevent Asura from taking notice of a shock of green hair, belonging to someone succumbed to the cold. And Asura? He doesn't think twice before gathering the stranger into his arms, seeing them lifted clean from the snow and held flush against his person because—

Asura, as always, is warm. And for it being so very frigid, he is donning surprisingly little by way of clothes (no thick layers, no Wintertime accessories), the fire crystal of his bones churning out enough heat to assist him in remaining outdoors for longer periods then most. It'll help his newfound companion, too. Prevent their internal their body temperature from sinking too low. ]

Hey. [ He jostles the person in his arms gently, assessing how alert they are; if they're able to give him a response. But... even as Asura looks over the other Mirrorbound (has he glimpsed their face somewhere before?), his attention seems to drift elsewhere as he becomes aware of something (a Shade), its shadowed silhouette just visible at a distance through the thick of the snowfall. ] You going to be all right if we hang out here for a little while longer?

[enkidoh]

[Enkidu realizes it now more than ever. Truly, this must be it, the absolute pinnacle of incompetence. Once they were a weapon created by the gods and now nothing else but a some lost soul without a purpose, a bond, their magic or a healthy skin condition. And they are awake the entire time, leeching of the warmth that comes from the person who picked them up.]

I am fine. [The tone of their voice is completely neutral and so is the look on their face. Nothing really shows how frustrated they truly are with this entire situation.] I will hold on a little tighter. [And that is what they do, carefully curling their arms around the larger person's neck.]

Normally creatures like these would not have been a problem for me. [They sigh and brace themselves for the fight that is at hand. They have been too weak to handle these creatures alone. Really, it is preposterous.]

[mirshikar]

Yeah? [ I am fine, the other Mirrorbound has said, and Asura can't be sure if their current state of calm is the product of hypothermia and its onset (detachment and apathy, listlessness due to low energy) or the mark of a fierce will (one which has the stranger's arms curling fast about the King's neck and allows for the huff! of a sigh to fall from their lips). Either way, Asura makes it a point to n o t treat them as though they were invalid, declaring!: ] You owe me a spar, then, whenever you're back on top of your game.

[ And with the other Mirrorbound hanging on for the ride, Asura deems them secure enough to support with one arm instead of two—after all, he'll need the spare to wield his spear in short suit.

A laugh!: ] Anyone who can contend with Cwyld-beasts on the regular is someone I'm interested in going hand-to-hand with.

But, for now... [ As the Shade nears (propelled forward by its hunger), and Asura falls back to terrain which is not flanked by massive drifts of snow (he can't afford for his movements to be hindered, not when he's carrying precious cargo), he asks: ] ...think you could be my second set of eyes?

[ By keeping a lookout for more of the Cwyldtid, Asura does not need to say. Where the King's own eyes are trained upon the threat which he can see (the Shade advancing quickly, now, through the snow), the other Mirrorbound may as well watch his back because...! The next moment sees Asura's weapon drawn, its bladed edge brought down upon the Shade which has caught up to them, thinking that it had finally secured itself a meal after knowing only the cold for so very long.

(It is wrong, of course, and all it is fed is the brunt of a spear, the raw physical force behind the weapon's thrust splintering the creature's shadowed carapace—rearing back, it howls in keening agony, and Asura falls back as well, putting distance between the Shade, himself, and his charge once again. Close-quartered combat when another so happens to be within reach of gnashing teeth and flesh-rending claws isn't high on Asura's list of priorities. But...

As the snow kicks up with a particularly fierce gust of wind... can the other Mirrorbound see where the creature might strike from next?) ]

[enkidoh]

[Enkidu smiles at that response. They are in no condition to handle the other. One blow of that spear and their body would probably crumble apart.

But yet...]

Very well. [Reaching their full potential would mean they'd have to master most of the witchcraft here. But maybe it could be achieved. Nothing is impossible even when everything seems rather impossible at this point.] I will spar with you when my strength has returned. I think it would be refreshing.

[Oh of course. Thank whatever gods their eyes are still working.]

Yes. [Enkidu shifts a little, their hold tightening as they start to look out for whatever shadow that might think about attacking. So this is what they are fighting against? That mold. The disease that crawls over these lands and destroys everything in its path. While the other moves and attacks they hold on tightly.] May I give you a little bit of advice? [They lean forward a little while they cover their eyes with their hand. The snow is truly fierce.] Your techniques are impeccable. But try to not put so much strength in every blow, it might wear you down eventually.

[After saying that they look around themselves a little, aware of the fact they can be useful in a position like this.]

Ah! [They lean in a little.] There's one on your left.

[mirshikar]

Wise words. [ —is Asura's acknowledgement of the other Mirrorbound's appraisal and concern, his voice rumbling up from the depths of his furnace of a chest. It had been something of a disappointment, being unable to fell the Shade in a singular blow (a simple spear, no matter how expertly crafted, could not compare to the effectiveness of a weapon comprised of Witch's magic), but his current companion is right: should Asura continue to throw around his weight, pitching everything into lunges and takedowns, his endurance will be compromised for it. For even if every Cwyld-creature to cross their path should meet with its end at the King's spear, shelter from the storm is a fair distance off—in order to make that trek while navigating the blizzard and bearing another's weight, Asura will doubtlessly need to conserve energy, and that's why--

--when his charge calls out, "on your left!", Asura defends with a low sweep of the spear, his taloned fingers digging into the grip of the weapon to see it stabilized (adapting is necessary when wielding a spear one-handed), the power behind the arc its blade carves enough to see the Shade unbalanced. And therein lies the King's opening: a secondary strike which pierces the beast's diaphragm, quick and light, shattering the shadowed exterior which encases it.

Already on the move, Asura does not wait for the creature to collapse into the snowdrift behind it, choosing instead to fall back toward the Bright Wall rather than risk contracting the Cwyld. Simple scratches from a Shade could ravage the body, festering into a surface infection, and were it any other circumstance, Asura would have sought proof of the kill, but...

The creature is mortally wounded, and if the injury does not claim it swiftly, the ice and snow will see Asura's work finished. ]

You've my gratitude. [ For spotting the creature, for continuing to look out for others of its ilk as Asura sets a brisk pace towards safety and warmth. There are times during the footslog that King uses the weapon in his hand to measure the depths of the snow (gauging whether it is worth the time saved, to trudge through an embankment of cold and wet, or to pass around), but apart from these instances, he never gives pause. Even when he speaks, he presses forward relentlessly still: ]

So you are a formidable fighter, versed in the techniques of the spear... [ Enough so to pass formal judgement upon the King himself. ] ...and have agreed to spar with me.

All of these things I know, but I still have no name to call you by. [ Here, he hums, the fullness of his mouth curving into an easy grin despite the elements which beset the both of them. ] Shall I refer to you as 'Galanthus', for the greenery which defies Winter, growing through the snow?

[ It is a no less than apt nickname, given the color of the other Mirrorbound's hair, but then... Asura, he would much rather know the true identity of his charge. ]

[enkidoh]

[It is obvious that Enkidu perks up now they actually feel as if they are of use. No nonsense with magic or bonds, just battle. Those insights come naturally, easily. They know how to assess things like this. The distance needed to strike, how to hit an opponent in the most efficient way, balance, wind, weather. It is so easy to think like a weapon and it is so nice that they are able to do so right now.]

You do not have to thank me for this. [They smile.] It has been…a relief to be of use to another person.

[When Asura starts to walk again they do not stop with keeping watch, not really bothered by the snow blowing in their face or the cold creeping under their skin. It is obvious that they are in their element here.]

Hmm…I think I am classified as a Lancer for a reason. [Enkidu leans on the taller man’s shoulder, seemingly at ease.] Yes. But please allow me to regain my abilities. I am…not much of a witch. [Really, they are awful at magic.]

Ah… [That earns a very big smile from Enkidu.] That is a beautiful name. I am fond of nature, yet I do not think I deserve to be named after plants that strong. My name is Enkidu. May I know yours?

[mirshikar]

[ Like Winter thawing into Spring, Enkidu's smile—Asura glimpses it during a moment spared to appraise the other Mirrorbound's condition (though snow crystals cling to green hair, Enkidu seems to have recovered both vigor and spirit), before making the decision to push onward. Had Enkidu not recovered from their listlessness, Asura would have given pause, taken a detour in favor of resting in an abandoned residence (long since evacuated, those populating the Outer City taking shelter closer to the Bright Wall), but as it is... Enkidu leans into Asura's shoulder, suffused through with the warmth which the King has to offer, and they move forward together. ]

There are many things in this life that we are not deserving of. [ —Asura says simply, succinctly, blinking the sting of snow from his eyes as he looks ahead. ] But that does not change the fact that you were hardy enough to withstand the snow, nor can it alter the verdant color of your hair-- like the stem of the galanthus, bowing in the wind.

[ And that is only the truth as Asura sees it, nothing more and nothing less. ] But... my name is Asura, and I'm not much of a Witch, either.

[ What follows the statement is the bark of a hearty laugh: hot air exhaled, the plume of breath crystallizing into white vapors before melding with the snowfall. It is still the most profound of ironies, that Asura (enemy of mages, distasteful of human magic) should have been categorized as a 'Witch' upon arriving in the Looking-Glass House. It remains a cruel joke, one which Asura can face only with mirth. ]

My strength is diminished, in this place, as though a Witch's abilities could help me to be anything more than a pale shadow of what I once was. [ And that had been a dragon, as Asura's horns, talons, and scales might allude to, along with the heat that seems to emanate from the very core of his body. ]

Though... you say that you are a 'Lancer'. And classified so because of skill. Could you be military, Enkidu?

[ Maybe, maybe. Asura's curiosity is genuine, and the more they talk, the easier trudging through the snow seems to become. ]

they're getting along so well, i love it! :D

[enkidoh]

[Enkidu has perked up a lot. Their heart is beating faster again and they are less aware of the cracks in their skin. Whoever this person is they are glad that he has crossed their path.]

That is true. But that does not always mean we should deny us everything, isn’t it? [Their smile becomes a little warmer.] Very well then, I will accept the name only when I deem myself worthy of it.

[When they will be a strong witch who will finally be able to make a decision about this entire bonding matter and the meaning of friendship and all those things that cannot get through to their clay head.]

It seems we are both in quite a predicament then, Asura.

[A soft but earnest chuckle escapes their mouth.]

I understand what you mean. [Oh how they understand and relate to this. It is still difficult to accept how this place has stripped them from all of their abiltiites, all of their strength. And they were asked to replace that with magic. They weren’t a Caster. Truly, of all classes they could put him in Caster would be the last one ever.] It is quite frustrating, isn’t it? To not have any abilities to rely on. Or a purpose…

[Enkidu still keeps watch, eyes scanning their environment. There aren’t any creatures around, so it seems.]

Lancer is the class they assigned to me after my Master summoned me from the Throne of Heroes. I do not know if it is entirely fitting… Originally I am a weapon created by old gods, a long time ago. [They hum.]

What about you, Asura? I am curious about your story.

and then !! plot-twist? i'm enjoying their cr. /o/

[mirshikar]

[ Worthy. Purpose. Assigned. Alongside the squall of the Winter wind, Enkidu's voice flutes in the King's ear, and if Asura allowed himself to be nostalgic, it would be easy to pretend that his present companion were regaling him with a story at Court; that they were not in the midst of lumbering through the snow, Enkidu taking up the mantle of sentinel as the King chose the path that they were to travel. But Asura denies himself this luxury (despite Enkidu's sagacious words of before), and the word Master (as it falls from Enkidu's lips) diminishes the King's smile, his green eyes narrowing and on no account of blowing ice and snow.

Throne of Heroes. Weapon. Old gods. It makes Asura think of Faerie (of where he, himself, had been forged in the fires of an Arcadian volcano); how he had been his Master's most prized possession and weapon until the day when he'd devoured the creature—a monster, styled as a God—whole. Where it hadn't been present before, tension seeps into the King's frame, however... He remains mindful of Enkidu (the other Mirrorbound, their voice had been absent of bitterness when they spoke of their origins), aware that their circumstances may not mirror his own. Time will tell if as much is the case, and until then, Asura will hold his temper and so too stay the wrath which he holds for Masters and oppressors.

(And if, in the meantime, they happen across another Shade in the bleak landscape of the Outer City, it will meet with unbridled ferocity of Asura's rage.)

For now, though, there remains a question in need of answer. ]

...we are more similar that I might have imagined, you and I. [ —he begins, voice curling low and deep as his expression slips into the realm of the unfathomable. I understand, Enkidu had said, and now they and Asura both are kindred in this: ] So too was I forged as a weapon, though I broke from that path nearly half a century ago.

[ By clawing his way out of Arcadia and through the Hedge, finding himself in the mortal realm. And of course, there is more to that story, but it is something best deferred until Enkidu has been delivered to the safety of the Outpost on the Bright Wall. ]

My purpose now is the same as it was then, when I felled the creature that called itself my Master: the pursuit of justice. [ In all its forms, for both himself and for others.] And yours—

[ Though Enkidu had professed they possessed no such thing... ]

—is it not to be strong? [ For themself and for the abilities they've yet to regain; for the fated spar they will share with the King and for the refreshing day it will bring. ] You do not strike me as someone so aimless. If you were, I would not have crossed paths with you out here, in the cold.

Same here! Sorry for the slow!

[enkidoh]

[The other’s warmth is slowly seeping into Enkidu’s body and it is pleasant to have warm hands again and to feel their toes heat up. Eventually they start to hum a soft melody. The song doesn’t have a name but that doesn’t matter. It is a melody that relaxes them.

A soft hum escapes their mouth when Asura starts to speak.

Another weapon? Just like them? Their eyes widen for a moment.]

Hmm… [Enkidu is silent for a moment and finally they wiggle around so they can gaze at Asura’s face properly.] …there is no such thing as denying you are a weapon, a weapon will always function the way a weapon does. But a weapon is able to make choices and those choices will decide where you will aim at.

[They smile.]

My purpose is to be a weapon. To be wielded and used as one. As it is now…ah…I think I have broken down. I have to refind my strength. [It sounds so simple and maybe it is better to think of it that way. As something simple.]

Hmm…it is interesting of you to say that. But I like the forest. Whether it is frozen or in bloom, there is such beauty in nature. Something that this city absolutely lacks.

[mirshikar]

[ When Enkidu looks to Asura—really looks, their body purposefully shifted such that their line of sight falls solely upon the King—there is finally pause to Asura's step, the crunch of snowfall underfoot ceasing entirely. And when the King speaks next, he does not break the hold of their gaze, his eyes (the green of sacred sage and its smoke) and Enkidu's own (one in the same with the forest greenery they are so attuned to) perfectly interlocked. ]

You have not broken down. If you have been cracked and chipped— [ Asura sees them, now, the fissures and cracks splitting Enkidu's skin, and knows them to be no true product of the cold. And so intense, so pervasive is the King's stare that it suggests, were Asura's hands free from the spear he now holds in defense, he would have laid his fingertips upon the markings in reverence for what they were: scores left behind from stories; what Enkidu had weathered and endured since their arrival in this world. ] —it means only that it is time for you to be forged anew.

[ As Asura himself had been, when he'd chosen to walk alongside humans decades ago. ] And this, my friend, is something which will be done your own terms, absent of your old gods and their influence.

[ And in this vein, they agree, however... ]

...but that path will be difficult. [ Here, the smile returns to Asura's lips, perhaps rekindled by Enkidu's own, his voice resonant with a certainty that could have been borne only from traveling that very same path: ] But you will find a way, and when you do, it is my hope that you will be able to tell me what it is you've decided to aim toward.

While it is true, that a weapon will always be a weapon, it is not impossible for ones such as you and I to be more. [ No, their existence (and those of Asura's many Summer brothers and sisters) were not so limited. They had been made, shaped by the hands others to fulfill a singular function and purpose, and yet... still, they had grown. ] Do not forget that.

gonna tag anyways :D

[enkidoh]

[Enkidu gazes back at the other, the look on their face surprisingly soft for someone in the middle of a cold snowstorm. Even though they know Asura for just a short moment in time, he feels familiar. Calming. No, he holds no similarities to Gil but in a way he holds a lot of similarities to themself. A role as a weapon, making choices while not straying from the path you are on.

It is pleasant.]

Forged anew. [They repeat those words softly. It is a good sort of sentiment. But their place in the history of humanity is something that cannot be replaced. Their role will not change and their purpose will not differ.] Hmmm…in a way I see what you mean. Yet I wonder if it is possible. You cannot change a gun into a sword or an arrow into a spear. But you can replace parts…in a way.

[The gods…well…]

To turn from the purpose that is ingrained within you is barely possible. But you can redefine the reason you use it for. I have decided to be wielded by humanity instead of the gods. [And in the end, after all of it, it has been a good decision.]

[Enkidu always wanted to be more. Even though they were bound to their role they had hoped for their soul to grow. Not their knowledge, not their strength but the soul the gods have given them. It never happened and at times it had been difficult to contain their disappointment or frustration.]

Worry not, it is not easy to forget such a thing. Especially when everything reminds you of something you can be.

[They are getting closer to the city and Enkidu gazes at the buildings. No, they don’t like it. In fact, if they had to pick between fighting creatures here and protecting the forest and its nature and living in that city, they would always pick the first option.]