#strongest opponents and most formidable allies…
Text
𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍
𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊
show!Luke Castellan x daughter of thanatos!reader
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the image above or any of Rick Riordan’s characters/world-building.
⚠️Warnings⚠️: mentions of violence, swearing, and parental neglect
A/N: capture the flag scenes>>>
When you heard your name being called, you didn’t even have to look up to know who was speaking. You’d recognize your best friend’s voice anywhere.
“What’s up, Luke?”
The son of Hermes gave you a toothy grin and linked arms with you, leading you away from the group of miscellaneous campers. You had been participating in a rope-tying class held by the Hephaestus head counselor, but it was really only to pass the time. There were more important matters at hand.
“Can we go over everything one more time? I want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
It was Friday afternoon, meaning that Capture the Flag was mere hours away. This time, Hermes was paired with the Hephaestus, Apollo, and Athena cabins. The campers in the cabins of Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Ares would be their opponents. It wasn’t the most difficult match-up they’d faced, but it wasn’t a guaranteed victory.
Luke took winning very seriously. You knew that better than anyone, because he would talk to you for hours upon hours about his plans. He always went to you for consultation, as he knew you’d never betray him by giving information to the opposing team. You were loyal to him, just as he was to you.
He also knew you were an excellent strategist as well as a formidable fighter. After seeing your ideas work flawlessly on the battlefield, he asked if you would be his co-captain.
And of course, you accepted. Not only would it make the Hermes cabin a stronger force, it meant you had an excuse to spend more time with him. Not that you really needed one, but it couldn’t hurt.
You and Luke took a seat on a fallen tree trunk at the cusp of the woods. He quickly ran through the plan you had formulated last night. It was chalk-full of deception and diversion, which was Luke’s specialty. You had ensured that the strongest fighters would be placed in exactly the right spots, waiting to take hostages to the blue team’s “jail”. The more players the red team lost, the better. You’d also given two of the most observant and experienced fighters the job of guarding your flag. Guards must always be on alert, and you couldn’t risk them getting distracted and allowing the other team to steal the victory.
When Luke finished talking, you cleared your throat. “I don’t believe there are any misunderstandings between us regarding the plan. I have no doubt that we will emerge victorious.”
He gave you a small smile. “I appreciate your confidence.”
“I have a good reason to believe we’ll win,” you said, leaning your head against his arm. “When we work together, we rarely lose.”
You sat in silence for awhile, enjoying the peaceful moment. You loved having time alone with Luke. It was becoming rarer and rarer, especially now that he was a camp counselor. But he did everything in his power to make time for you.
After all, you were his best friend, his most loyal ally.
Nothing, not even the gods, could tear you away from him.
________________________________________________
“Fuck-I swear to the fucking gods, if someone stole it…gods dammit…LUKE!”
You screamed for your best friend, who came rushing over, almost tripping over himself.
“What? What happened?” he said breathlessly, scanning you for any sign of injury.
“Someone took my chest plate,” you seethed. “Everyone knows what mine looks like, they must’ve stolen it to fuck with my head.”
“Hey,” Luke said, placing his hands on your shoulders. “Relax. I’ll figure out who took it and bring it back here, I promise.”
“It was probably Vander,” you muttered, internally shuddering as you thought about the son of Ares. “He’s just mad because I beat his ass in a race earlier today.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “I bet you’re right. Stay here and put the rest of your armor on, I’ll go get your chest plate back.”
Before you could protest, he removed his hands from your shoulders and dashed out the door, leaving you alone in the armory.
And within minutes, Luke returned, holding your beloved piece of armor and wearing a triumphant grin. You noticed that his knuckles were slightly bruised, but didn’t need to ask why.
Luke had a habit of getting even with anyone who messed with you.
.
.
.
“Campers,” Chiron’s baritone voice echoed throughout the forest clearing. “I know most of you are familiar with the rules, but I must go over them to ensure none are forgotten. I want a fair and clean fight.”
You barely refrained from rolling your eyes. The Ares cabin never fought fair, of course their opponents would stoop to their level in order to win.
As Chiron went over the rules, you took the opportunity to size up the red team, who was standing on the other side of Zephyros Creek.
Dionysus, Demeter, and Aphrodite weren’t the largest concern. Yes, they could fight, but they weren’t nearly as ruthless as the Ares cabin.
You hated most of the Ares kids. Even though your father had a close relationship with their father, you couldn’t stand their obnoxious bickering and unethical warfare tactics.
Unlike your father, you believed that death should only come fairly.
The Ares cabin were always out for blood during Capture the Flag, no matter who they were facing. And when they didn’t win…
Well, whoever was on the opposing team would face their wrath for weeks afterwards.
“…and finally, all weapons and powers are fair game.”
“Hang on,” a newly arrived daughter of Ares spoke up, pointing at you. “What about her creepy death powers? And can’t she fly? Isn’t that unfair?”
Chiron shook his head. “As long as she doesn’t kill or maim anyone, she is allowed to use all powers at her disposal.”
The girl scowled. “Fine.”
“If there are no other objections,” Chiron spoke once more. “Let the game begin!”
The sound of a conch blowing followed his declaration. Luke immediately began giving orders, making sure to use every one of the twenty minutes given to organize the team before the combat began.
You followed behind him closely, ensuring he didn’t forget any details of the plan. You preferred to to let him talk to the other campers, as he was a friendlier face. When you had tried explaining strategies in the past, people who were supposed to be listening got distracted, either due to fear or your non-assertive tone.
After all of the campers were briefed, you and Luke turned to each other.
“I should head to my post,” you began, tightening your forearm guard one last time. “Make sure that everyone is positioned exactly as we discussed.“
Luke nodded. “Of course.” He held out his hand, and you clasped it firmly. “The next time you see me, I’ll be holding the red team’s flag.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” you replied, giving him a confident smile. “Good luck, and stay safe.”
“You too,” Luke said. You expected him to leave after that, but instead, he leaned forward to give you a swift kiss on the cheek. Then, he turned on his heel and raced into the depths of the woods, leaving you feeling as if Zeus had struck you with his master bolt.
Quickly shaking off the feeling, you gripped the hilt of your weapon, a dual-ended sword made of Celestial Bronze and Stygian Iron.
You had a game to win.
________________________________________________
The campers around you erupted into cheers as Luke hoisted the red team’s flag above his hair triumphantly. He had a euphoric grin on his face as he shook hands with his teammates and congratulated them on a job well done.
You watched the celebration from several feet away, sitting on the dirt ground and resting your head against a tree. It had been a long game, and you’d almost passed out from over-exerting your powers.
Perhaps you should have run to where your front lines were compromised instead of flying.
But it didn’t matter now. Your team won, that was the important thing.
Luke came jogging over to you, holding a small metal water bottle. He knelt down next to you, and placed the canteen in your hands.
“Drink this,” he instructed. “You look like you’re about to faint.”
You gave him a tired smile, and unscrewed the bottle. Taking a small sip, you immediately recognized the sweet taste of nectar. “Thanks, that helped a lot.”
Luke took off his helmet, freeing his disheveled curls. He also looked physically tired, but the adrenaline from winning the game was clearly keeping him in an energetic state. “You did great out there today.”
“Not nearly as great as you,” you said, downing half of the bottle of nectar in one go. If it had been a normal-sized canteen, consuming half of the contents would’ve killed you. Luckily, you were smart enough to refrain from ingesting enough nectar to burst into flames. “You’ve been dubbed the best swordsman of the century for a reason.”
Luke chuckled, giving you a gentle nudge. “Careful now, don’t go inflating my ego.”
“It doesn’t need any inflating anyways,” you joke, giving him a teasing smirk.
“Fair enough,” he agreed, and extended a hand to help you stand up. “Seriously though, I’m glad you’re on my side. Otherwise I’d be fucking terrified of crossing you.”
You smile proudly, and grabbed his hand. He pulled you onto your feet, and slung an arm across your shoulder.
“I’ll always be on your side, Luke. As long as you’re on mine.”
“Of course, angel. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
taglist: @orionspaperwork, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @marvelescvpe, @lovingjasontoddmakemewanttocry, @louweasleymalfoy, @stars4birdie, @stargurl-battleship
Thank you for reading! Pls let me know what you think in the comments!!! Ive absolutely been loving writing this series so far, it’s been a really nice creative outlet for me. i’m pretty busy right now and trying not to get overwhelmed w/ schoolwork, so doing this has been really relaxing and fun.
i’m also sorta going thru some…relationship problems rn, so just know that i may be a little inconsistent with posting
Let me know in the comments if you want to be added to the taglist!
#luke castellan x reader#luke castellan#luke castellan imagine#luke castellan series#luke castellan x you#percy jackson#percy jackon and the olympians#pjo tv show#pjo series#pjo#rick riordan#demigods#thanatos
87 notes
·
View notes
Text
Full name: Basara Gladiaugus
Race: Saiyan
Gender: Male
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 230 Ibs
Birthday: Age 871, October 30
Occupation: Warrior, Hero
Allegiance: None
OVERVIEW
Basara Gladiaugus (バサラ・グラディアグス), also known as the “Saiyan Berserker”, is a young Saiyan who exists in a parallel Dragon Ball timeline. A vain and strong character, and a ruthless warrior driven by vengeance, righteous fury and the desire to be the strongest. He is a counterpart to Vegeta, and is the half-brother and rival to Hiro Alexanders.
APPEARANCE
Basara is a tall, brown, very muscular young man with long, unruly hair, sharp scowling eyes, and a monkey-like tail he wears around his waist like a belt. He wears a white and yellow Saiyan Armor over a black bodysuit with white gloves and boots. He shares many similar physical traits with Raditz and Vegeta. He wore a red scouter in his first appearance, but eventually discarded it.
PERSONALITY
Basara is a brash, short-tempered and aggressive young man with an insatiable desire for even greater power. Because of his demeanor, he tends to often come off as unheroic and sometimes downright wicked and immoral. He often acts erratically and of his own accord, but in spite of this, he has no real desire to be evil, and mainly seeks to use his potential for good. In battle, Basara is a brutal fighter with a questionable lust for violence and destruction. He has no qualms on injuring, or even killing, his opponents in cold-blood when angered past the point of reasoning.
Unlike his predecessor, Basara sees little to no value in pride or honor, and acts on what seems more realistic, direct and practical. In spite of his conviction of his own power, his main goal when fighting is to win, and is willing to cheat and use underhanded tactics to do it. He is also incredibly disrespectful towards his opponents, and often berates and belittles them with venomous insults.
Even with his bad qualities, Basara is not without his own moral compass, as he does not needlessly harm innocent people, nor does he allow them to come to harm. He despises villainy and cowardice, and being a hero has taught him to show harness his power and rage and use it to fight injustices rather than just for senseless violence and selfish gain.
In spite of his evil personality, Basara’s strength, ruthlessness, stubbornness and determination makes him a fearsome warrior and a formidable protector of the earth and universe beyond.
POWER
Basara possesses incredible strength and exceptional fighting talent, as well the potential to accomplish unimaginable feats. Before his encounter with Hiro, Basara traveled across the universe in search of powerful warriors to defeat. When arriving to Earth, he singlehandedly defeated almost all of the planet’s most powerful fighters and protectors in his base form. He had even outclassed and overwhelmed Hiro, who defeated Omega Shenron several months prior, when they both fought as Super Saiyans. However, he is eventually defeated by the combined efforts and the earth’s protectors.
After suffering defeat at the hands of the heroes, Basara is humbled and reminded that he is not infallible, nor is he invincible. Upon realizing he has better chances at becoming stronger as an ally to the Earth’s protectors, rather than continuing he chaotic ventures into an early grave, Basara begrudgingly joins the heroes, and alongside them, fights to defend the planet from evil.
Much like his brother and rival Hiro, Basara is capable of affectively battling opponents of multi-universal potency. Even in battles against cosmic horrors like Archon and other villains, when he’s been met with both victory and achievements as well as defeat and failure, Basara becomes so powerful to the point he is capable of affectively causing interdimensional ripples through time and space.
TECHNIQUES & ABILITIES
- Master Hand to Hand Combat: Basara has trained in disciplines of war that focuses on survival and destroying his opponents.
- Mimicry: Basara can use a limited range of skills and fighting styles of many other warriors of the past.
- Flight: The ability to fly through the use of ki.
- Ki Blast: Basic spheres of energy fired as explosive projectiles.
- Galick Gun: A powerful, turbulent beam of chaotic light used to obliterate objects in it’s path.
- Big Bang Attack: An explosive energy cannon with tremendous power behind it.
- Volcano Explosion: An exploding energy wave caused released below.
- Arm Break: A powerful punch capable of stunning, breaking, or even severing an opponent’s arm.
- Violent God Slicer: A sword of chaotic and destructive energy.
- Energy Rings: Rings of pure energy, used to trap and immobilize opponents, rendering them defenseless.
- Energy Barrier: A spherical shield of energy used to protect the user from attacks.
- Final Flash: A massive golden beam of energy with the potency to destroy galaxies.
- Final Explosion: A last-resort attack that releases all of his energy in a self-destructive, suicidal blast.
EQUIPMENT
Scouter: In spite of how powerful he was, Basara initially couldn’t detect/sense life energy before his assault on Earth, and had to rely on a scouter to read surrounding powers. He saw little to no use for it any longer after learning to sense ki. Along with the armor, it was likely stolen from remnants of Frieza’s army.
TRANSFORMATIONS
Great Ape
By visually absorbing energy form a full moon, Basara can transform into a Great Ape. In this form, his strength and durability multiplies ten fold and he retains his natural speed, and though he is still fully conscious of his actions and even able to speak, his violent and destructive tendencies are also increased. Usually, he needs the energy source of the moon to retain this power, or he’ll revert back to human form.
Super Saiyan
At some point, Basara lost control of his emotions and entered a berserk state, awakening his Super Saiyan powers. In this form, his strength, speed, durability and energy output increase tremendously, and dark bio-electricity is produced from his aura. This form allows him to achieve unmatched power and battle opponents of multiversal potency. As a Berserker, overextending the use of this form could make make him dark, psychotic and uncaring of the consequences of his actions.
TRIVIA
- Basara’s name is a play on the word “Basaka”, which is the Japanese pronunciation for the English word “Berserker”. His last name, Gladiaugus, is a mixture of the word “Gladiator” and Latin name “August”, which means means Great or Magnificent. Gladiaugus is intended to mean “Great Gladiator”.
- Basara overcame his tail’s weakness during childhood. Traditionally, he still wears it around his waist like most Saiyans did.
- In his origin game, Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi, Basara is voiced by Joel McDonald in English, who also voices Zahha in the official mobile game Dragon Ball Legends. In Japanese, he is voiced by Masakazu Morita, who also voices Whis in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Super. Morita also voices Ichigo Kurosaki in the anime Bleach.
- Aside from being chaotic parallel counterpart of Vegeta, Basara also shares many similarities with Raditz. They’re both the main character’s evil older brother (Basara to Hiro, and Raditz to Goku respectively, Basara was redeemed), they share the same hairstyle and large muscular builds, and they both look very similar to Vegeta.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Muses
Dr. Albert W. Wily
Dr. Wily is the mad genius to rival the benevolent mind that is Dr. Thomas Light. Many years ago, he was scorned from the Robot Institute of Technology, and has dedicated his life to surpassing Light to gain the respect he so clearly deserves, even if he has to force the world to look upon his works. To that end, he has built and stolen many Robot Masters and even more non-sapient robots to aid in his world conquest. There were times when his determination waned, but by now he's too far in to give up. He will become the ultimate scientist!
Bass
Bass is Dr. Wily's greatest creation and, at times, worst nightmare. This rebellious robot was built to be the strongest robot in the world, and he chases that title with wild fervor, even having gone so far as to willingly infect himself with an alien energy just to get the leg up over Mega Man. He is cocky, arrogant, and will even directly disobey direct orders from Wily in service of his greater purpose-- to destroy all inferior machines.
Treble
Treble is Bass's most trusted ally and only true friend. The two have a bond akin to symbiosis, having been built at the same time specifically to support one another. Though Treble appears as-- and can truly be-- a ferocious wolf-dog, he has a soft spot for Bass, who shares the same soft spot for his dog. The two have been through thick and thin together, and their bond goes far beyond mere programming at this point.
Quick Man
Quick Man was Mega Man's first true rival. True to his name, he's still the fastest Robot Master that Dr. Wily ever built, and he's got an ego to rival any comic book speedster. Quick Man prefers a race over a fight any day, but between his speed, nearly impenetrable armor, and powerful Quick Boomerangs, he's a nonetheless a formidable opponent to any who might face him.
Shadow Man
Shadow Man is Dr. Wily's most loyal Robot Master. Built by far-off aliens to protect the supercomputer Ra Moon, after Ra Moon's destruction he was listless and without purpose. Wily gave him new purpose, and new brothers. Though many of those brothers have now moved on, been reprogrammed to serve society instead of harm it, Shadow Man remains steadfast in his service to Dr. Wily. It isn't just his programming that binds him, it is his duty to protect and follow Dr. Wily to the last.
Buster Rod G
Buster Rod G is the first of the special team known as the Genesis Unit. Much like his design inspiration, Buster is lazy, a bit mischevious, and loves a good scrap. Unlike Sun Wukong however, Buster is no hero. He is loyal to Dr. Wily through and through, and carries out his missions as efficiently as possible-- though, that's probably just so he can get home and laze about sooner.
Mega Water S
With an inflated ego and a shield of water, Mega Water S is the supposed brains behind the Genesis Unit. Though some may call him a coward, he prefers to call himself strategically cautious-- to the point where many of his plans revolve around distracting the enemy enough to where he and his unit can escape. Despite all this, he takes himself utterly seriously, and has trouble getting along with the carefree Buster Rod G.
Hyper Storm H
If Mega Water S is the brains behind the Genesis Unit, Hyper Storm H is easily the muscle. Aloof and stoic much of the time, not much can get under his thick, nigh-impenetrable hide. He's not much of a thinker, and is happy to be guided by his allies, both of whom he cares for as brothers. Despite this, he isn't stupid. He may not be as quick-witted or learned as his compatriots, but he can be plenty wise in his own right, with a slow and steady approach to life in general.
1 note
·
View note
Text
Childhood Friends - Fluff
For @animebookworm16
It got kind of long and I’m not really sure it still counts as fluff, but here’s my piece for @maribat-angst-fluff-april, prompt 25, Childhood Friends.
Damian Al Ghul-Wayne was five years old the first time he met a girl his age. And in typical League of Assassins style, he went for efficiency by meeting ten at once.
“These are your betrothed,” Talia told him. “All but one will be dead by your twelfth birthday. You will marry the sole survivor on your eighteenth birthday and produce an Heir to carry on the great legacy of the League of Assassins.”
Nine of the girls heard the words without so much as a flinch. The last stared in shock at Talia, then broke into tears.
“Quiet, Marinette,” Talia hissed.
“No,” she yelled defiantly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I want my mama!”
Talia backhanded her and she fell to the floor with a yelp.
Damian surveyed the girl – Marinette – with distaste.
“Mother, surely you don’t consider this sniveling coward worthy to compete for my hand?”
“Her mother, Sabine Cheng, was our best assassin for years before she turned traitor. I suppose she’s lost her touch if she raised such a weak daughter.” Talia shrugged elegantly. “No matter, if she turns out to be useless, we’ll ship her mutilated corpse back to Sabine as a reminder of what happens when you cross the League.”
She waved the girls away. “To your training now.”
Damian watched as Marinette sniffled and followed the other girls out the door.
She won’t last a week.
He had no idea how wrong he was.
.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was five years old the first time she won a fight. And in typical Dupain-Cheng fashion, she did so in the most unpredictable way possible.
“You’re going down, pigtails,” shouted a pretty brunette, charging at Marinette with a sword that was as tall as she was.
With a startled shriek, Marinette darted away. She hated how behind she was here. Back home, she was good at everything – reading circle, art class, tussles when the teacher’s back was turned. Here, it felt like she was constantly playing catch-up.
Not to mention, the constant threat of death was not fun.
Skidding around a corner of the labyrinth arena, she tripped over a protruding stone and fell to the ground. The brunette grinned viciously, advancing towards her.
Marinette smiled nervously. “Can’t we talk this out?”
“Not a chance, shortie,” said the brunette.
Marinette glanced around frantically.
I don’t want to die!
She reached for a rock, a stick, anything that could help her fight, but came up with only a handful of sand. With a pleading glance heavenward, she flung it into the brunette’s face and lurched to her feet, grinning when the girl had to stop to get the grit out of her eyes.
Taking off into the labyrinth of passages, she nearly stumbled again, this time over a nearly buried metal object.
She shifted away the dirt surrounding it and smirked. “Finally, a weapon I know how to use.”
Ten minutes later, the watching League members straightened in surprise as the smallest and weakest of Damian’s betrotheds utterly decimated her opponent.
With a frying pan.
.
“What are you doing here?”
The two children spoke in unison, glaring daggers at one another.
“I always come here,” Marinette said. “It’s my drawing spot.”
“The vents are my domain, Dupain-Cheng,” Damian said. “Get out.”
Two years’ worth of resentment and anger simmered beneath Marinette’s skin.
Drawing is the last thing I have of home. I won’t let him take it from me.
“No.”
Damian looked thunderstruck and Marinette couldn’t keep the smirk off her face.
“I am Heir to the Demon! You will obey me!”
“You may be Heir to the Demon, but right now you’re also a kid skipping classes,” Marinette argued. “And if you make me leave, I’ll tell Talia exactly where you go when you’re not in class.”
Ha, take that, you tyrant!
Damian froze. Marinette watched as emotions overtook his face – anger, resentment, then acceptance.
“Fine,” he grumbled.
Marinette smiled and returned to her sketchbook – which wasn’t really a sketchbook, just some loose papers she’d tucked into her history book.
A few minutes later, Damian peered over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Drawing,” she said, holding out a few of her older sketches, the ones she wouldn’t mind losing if Damian decided to rip them. “There’s your mother fighting, cook making soup, the sunset from this other spot in the vents – actually, that one’s pretty bad because I didn’t have any colors.”
Damian stared at the drawing of his mother.
“I’m keeping this,” he announced.
Well, at least he didn’t tear it up.
The next week, when Marinette arrived at her drawing spot, Damian was already there. With an annoyed grunt, he shoved a sketchbook and colored pencils into her hands.
Marinette looked between him and the supplies in confusion. “What’s this for?”
“Teach me how to draw.”
Marinette bit her lip, looking longingly at the colored pencils. Then, she pushed them back towards Damian.
“I want you to give me weapons training. As often as I teach you drawing.”
I may be naturally talented at combat, but the other girls have been training their entire lives. I need to catch up.
Damian eyed her suspiciously. “That’s against the rules.”
“So? Are you scared?”
“Never.”
“Then it’s a deal?”
“It’s a deal.”
.
Damian lunged, making a displeased noise when his quarry danced out of his reach.
“You’re slow today, Dami,” Marinette teased. “Losing your touch?”
Marinette was no longer the scared little girl she’d been at five, or even at seven. She’d thrown herself into her training with single-minded determination and two years of training with Talia by day and Damian by night had made her a formidable – and snarky – combatant.
“Never,” Damian replied. His next attack nearly threw her off-balance.
With a grunt, Marinette recovered her footing and countered with a flurry of blows that would have left a lesser opponent dizzy.
Damian smirked, parrying each attack easily. “Completely mediocre. Should I tell my mother that her protégé is slipping?”
Although he’d never admit it, Damian was proud of her. She’d gone from being the worst of the League’s trainees to the only one able to keep up with him in a fight.
“Me? Slipping? Not a chance.” Marinette flipped backwards, knocking his weapon away. “Hey, Damian?”
“Yes, Marinette?” He scooped up his katana, readying himself for her next move.
“The floor is lava.”
With a startled intake of air, he leaped onto the nearest table.
“Really?” he asked, half annoyed, half amused.
Marinette giggled, peering down at him from her spot in the ceiling rafters. “I thought we could use an extra challenge.”
Damian glanced up at her. “You just like having the high ground.”
“Technically speaking, it’s the high rafter,” she pointed out.
“Either way, it won’t prevent me from defeating you,” Damian said, pulling himself into the rafters.
At that moment, the door opened and they both immediately went still.
“Damian? Are you here?”
Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. “Skipping again?” she mouthed.
Damian shrugged in response.
Rolling her eyes, Marinette gestured to the vents behind him. “I’ll meet you in the lower training rooms to finish our bout.”
“Marinette!” The teacher startled as she caught a glimpse of the pigtailed girl. “What are you doing up there?”
Effortlessly, the girl swung down from the ceiling, drawing the teacher’s attention away from Damian’s hiding place.
“Just improving my arm strength, Mistress Eva.” As she distracted his teacher with false information about his whereabouts, Damian climbed into the vents.
Marinette makes a surprisingly tolerable ally.
.
It didn’t seem to matter how many people Marinette killed; it never got easier. Surrounded by the bodies of Deathstroke’s traitors, she retched.
She was alone. Somehow, in the midst of the fight, she’d gotten separated from the rest of the League’s loyalists.
I need to get moving. I’m an easy target right now.
With a shuddering breath, she climbed to her feet and made her way out of the compound and into the shadows. It was there, staring at the ruins of the League’s strongest base, that the realization hit her.
“I’m free,” Marinette whispered, tears trickling down her face.
The Head of the Demon was dead, his followers scattered.
“I can finally go home.”
She ignored the voice in her mind that said her home was here, with the League, with Damian. She ignored the tightness in her chest at the thought of never seeing Damian again. She ignored the fear that he might already be dead.
The League kidnapped me. Talia abused me. Even if I managed to be happy here, I owe the Al Ghuls nothing. A vow of loyalty made under duress is no vow at all.
Her hands curled into fists.
And if they come for me again, I’ll be ready.
.
Damian scowled as their plane descended into Gotham.
“This is imbecilic. I should be assisting you in decimating our enemies, not hiding like a frightened child.”
“Damian,” his mother’s voice was cold. “This is not up for negotiation. You will stay here and train with your father.”
“Yes, Mother,” he replied bitterly. A moment passed, then he tilted his head in thought. “But what of my betrothed? If she is to be my equal, should she not train with me?”
Talia studied him carefully. “You use the singular of betrothed,” she noted. “Despite the fact that three remain alive. I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me which one you consider your wife-to-be?”
“Tt. Your protégé, the Cheng girl, is the only one that even approaches competent. You know this.”
“I also know that you trained her separately – against my orders,” Talia said.
Damian nearly flinched. “And yet you didn’t stop me.”
“I wonder if that was a mistake,” his mother said. “You feel more for her than you should.”
“She is an effective ally. That is all.”
“Then you won’t mind being separated from her for a while.”
“Not at all, Mother,” Damian lied.
.
“Marinette? Is that you?” Her mother looked as if she’d seen a ghost.
Marinette smiled. “Hello, Mama.”
Sabine reached out a shaking hand to cup her face. “How are you here? We saw you die.”
“Sabine, do you know where – ” Tom dropped the pan of croissants. “Marinette?”
He jumped over the counter and raced to her. Marinette took a step back before her mind caught up with her body.
This is Papa, you idiot. He’s not a threat.
She threw herself into his arms, shoving away her fears.
Twisting to face her mother, she said, “I don’t know how my death was faked, but I never died. The League kidnapped me.”
Tom’s arms tightened around her.
“The League?” Sabine’s face went pale. “What did they want with you?”
“The usual,” Marinette said with a shrug. “Revenge on you for leaving and a capable assassin and potential wife for Damian if I turned out to be any good.”
“Who’s Damian?” Tom asked with a frown.
Marinette grinned. “Oh, Damian’s great! He’s the Heir to the League, but he’s actually pretty okay for an assassin. He helped me get good enough to survive. You know, after I blackmailed and bribed him.”
“What?”
.
Meeting his father did not go the way Damian had imagined.
Talia always spoke of Bruce Wayne’s great intellect, his strength in combat, his determination in all things. She never mentioned his brainless playboy act, his absurd prohibition of killing, or his habit of taking in strays. Damian wasn’t sure which one was most offensive, but he was incredibly disappointed in his father regardless.
He had to reassess after he saw Batman at work. When not purposely acting like a buffoon, Bruce Wayne was everything his mother had described and more, entirely deserving of Damian’s respect.
He set out to prove himself in his father’s eyes. It didn’t go well. Whatever he did, it was the wrong thing. In any fight with the imposter sons, Damian was punished – even if he won. Assisting his father with Wayne Enterprises was met with an eye-roll and a request to stay away from Bruce’s office.
It should have made Damian angry but instead it hurt and Damian did not understand why.
And then his father was gone. Richard Grayson became Batman.
Damian became Robin. Finally.
And yet the triumph felt hollow.
Not to mention, it came with strings attached: ‘Murder is bad.’ ‘Justice, not vengeance.’ ‘Robin doesn’t kill.’ ‘Protect rather than avenge.’
Grayson’s teachings were imbecilic. And yet he had to follow them. His mother had yet to finish with the traitors.
He wondered where Marinette was, if she was undergoing similar training, if she fought the way he did to reign in the bloodlust. Considering how she had to hide her dislike of killing, how she helped heal her competitors, he thought probably not.
Slowly, things got easier. Grayson became tolerable. Damian learned to suppress the instinct, the muscle memory that said ‘kill or be killed.’ He found an adoration for animals and learned to deal with his classmates. He finally began to understand why Grayson and his father valued life so highly. His father came back and he chose to deny the League. Wayne Manor became home.
On days when he struggled, he retreated to his room and the comfort of his sketchbook. And if a certain blue-eyed girl made an appearance every few pages, well, who would know but him?
.
Returning home did not go the way Marinette had imagined.
She knew it wouldn’t be sunshine and roses, of course. But she hadn’t expected the magnitude of the changes in her home, or in herself.
School was laughably easy. Marinette had the equivalent of several college degrees. Finding x and learning how to spell ‘earthquake’ was a waste of her time. Instead, she spent class drawing and coming up with increasingly complex plans for fighting off the League should they try to kidnap her again.
She kept herself closed off from her classmates – she didn’t know how she’d ever called them friends. They were neutral parties at best – not one ever stood up for her against Chloe. Her parents encouraged them to give her classmates a chance, but the League had trained her well. Misplaced trust could kill. And Marinette had fought long enough for survival to know that dropping your guard was a death knell.
She hated hurting her parents though.
Though they tried to hide it, she saw the pain cross their faces when she flinched away from hugs. When she moved like an assassin rather than a child. When she gave away her stuffed animals. When she skipped family game night and spent her time training.
She hated hurting her parents. So she changed.
Marinette locked away her lethal grace, faking clumsiness and turning it into an art form. She hid her weapons, training only when her parents were asleep. She returned to family game nights; she initiated hugs. At school, she became bubbly and friendly again, though she trusted no one.
More than anything, she tried to atone. She sought out those in need and tried to help – whether by providing food, babysitting, or making them warm clothing. She discovered an interest in fashion design, but mostly stuck to making the essentials for those in need. She met a tiny floating bug named Tikki and became a superhero.
On days when she struggled, she retreated to her room and the comfort of her sketchbook. And if green eyes and a cocky smirk featured prominently in the book, well, who would know but her?
.
Damian frowned as he followed his brother into Wayne Enterprises.
"I don't understand why it's so important for me to be here."
"C'mon, Baby Bird!" Dick said. "You said you wanted to be more involved in the company!"
"I meant the business side of things," Damian said. "I have no interest in showing around a gaggle of unruly teenagers."
"You're a teenager too," Dick pointed out. "It'll be fun!"
Damian sniffed. "I'm an adult. And fun, really? Surely you don't truly believe that?"
Dick sighed. "Just give it a chance, okay? They seem like really great kids."
They walked into the lobby and Damian stopped short, eyes catching on long black hair and brilliant blue eyes.
"Marinette?"
.
In truth, Marinette wasn't all that excited about the Wayne Enterprises tour. The architecture was interesting, sure, but her class had a habit of making themselves a target and Bruce Wayne's patronage was not helping.
She gave it three days, at most, before they got in trouble with Gotham's Rouges.
Which meant she was on 'keep the class from dying' duty. Joy.
She kept her eyes and ears peeled, which meant that she heard the faint whisper of her name from an unfamiliar voice.
"Marinette?"
Forest-green eyes filled with far too much emotion had her breath catching in her throat.
"Damian?"
With obvious effort, the League's Heir pulled himself together. "Fancy meeting you here, Dupain-Cheng."
His voice. Oh, kwami, it should be illegal to look AND sound that good. Nope. Nope. Not doing this. He's an assassin, get your act together, Marinette.
"Al-Ghul." She was proud that her voice betrayed nothing. "I have to admit, I'm surprised to see you here. This doesn't seem like your scene."
She reached out for a handshake and was taken off guard when Damian kissed her hand instead. She blushed.
"It's Wayne now," Damian said. "I'm... no longer associated with the Al-Ghuls. Or their business."
He's not an assassin anymore? Yes! I knew you were a good person deep, deep down, Dami!
"Really? I broke ties with them several years ago myself."
See that, Damian? We're both good people. Good people that would be great toget - no! Bad Marinette!
Damian grinned. "In that case, I look forward to reconnecting. Perhaps after the tour?"
Oh, kwami, I'm doomed.
"I'd like that."
.
"What was that?" Dick asked in a low voice. "I've never seen you open up to someone so quickly."
With difficulty, Damian tore his gaze from Marinette.
Stars, she grew up gorgeous.
Damian smirked. "Don't be ridiculous, Grayson. I met Marinette over a decade ago."
I wonder, does she still consider our betrothal valid?
"Wait, so she's an assassin?" Grayson blanched. "Who is she here to kill? Who do I have to protect? Ugh! Why can't you ever have normal friends?"
"Relax," Damian chided. "She's an ex-assassin. Like me."
"That does not make me feel better. Who is she to you?"
Damian hummed in thought, running through years of teasing, fighting, and spending time together. "She was my first friend."
And maybe now something more.
435 notes
·
View notes
Text
PROFILE: Olivia Bonaparte
Name: Olivia Bonaparte
Epithet: Mistress Olivia, Napoleon 2.0
Personal Info
Status: Alive
Nationality: French
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Height: 5'2
Family: Emma Bonaparte (Younger Sister)
Magic Name: Salvare001 - Be the savior of those who are in need of it
Affiliation: Fallen Roman Catholic Church, House of Bonaparte
Abilities
Magic: [Stigma] (聖痕 Seikon (Sutiguma)?, lit. "Holy Mark")
Power Level: Saint-level
Equipment: Sword of Gallicans
Olivia Bonaparte (オリビア・ボナパルテ Oribia Bonaparute) is a major recurring character in A Certain Magical Index: Rebirth Testament, appearing as the primary antagonist of the Inquisitorial Invasion Arc. She is a member of the Fallen Roman Catholic Church and is a member of the elite House of Bonaparte. She's also a saint and the rival and Catholic-counter-part to Kanzaki Kaori.
Background
Olivia was born and raised in Paris, France and was born into the House of Bonaparte, an elite aristocratic family that secretly controlled France from behind the scenes. She spent her whole childhood training in the art of magic and eventually rose to become a full-blown saint at around the same time as Kanzaki Kaori. During one of her first missions, she confronted Kanzaki and the two of them fought which ended in a stalemate but Kanzaki was scared because Olivia had killed many members of the Amakusa church. Ever since then, the two have had a never-ending rivalry and they seek to fight each other whenever they can and want to see the other one be defeated.
Personality
Olivia is a strict disciplinary, always having a hard and stern look on her face and only smiling to those whom she deems worthy of it. She tends to act cold, calm and collected in general and this helps her especially in the battle against her opponents. She has fierce devotion and allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church going as far as to refer to Protestants as "heathen traitors". She is also loyal to France and longs to have it return to the days of the French Empire under Napoleon, her descendant. Olivia also has a rivalry with Kanzaki and tends to want to fight her and the other members of Necessarius whenever she can.
Olivia is also very strict and dedicated to the idea of victory. She believes in scoring victory for the Catholic Church and/or France and is willing to do anything to accomplish that. She has a very strong sense of pride and nationalism and refuses to have either the Vatican nor France cave in or negotiate until they've won. The same applies to her as well and holds her status as a saint in very high regard. Her sense of pride and victory is so strong that upon being captured, Olivia will shut herself out and lay in shame and will refuse to speak to her captors. She will be vigilant against them and will even go as far as to demand to be gagged so she can't speak to them believing that she'd be dishonoring either the Catholic Church or France by doing so.
Powers & Abilities
Like Kanzaki, Olivia is a type of magician born with Stigma. As a result, she has the ability to call upon God's power as a Saint who has bodily characteristics similar to the Son of God, and is endowed with super-human capabilities. It is said that she is capable of fighting with a christian angel in most circumstances. She is highly proficient in non-magical combat, having been trained sense childhood by the sword and other martial arts. Because of her ability, she is stated to be one of the top Magicians in Europe.
She has great knowledge of western magic, primarily christian and kabbalac spells.
The Sword of Gallicans
The Sword of Gallicans is a sword that is passed down from generation to generation within the House of Bonaparte to the head of state, the French monarch. It is a ceremonial sword that is used during the coronation ceremonies, however this was not its original use. The sword was used in battle by the Bonaparte family for many generations, and continues to be used as such by the family.
The sword is referred to as the "sword that brings judgement", specifically because it has also been responsible for many executions by the family head. It does not necessarily mean the sword is the symbol of the monarch but represents the proof of being the person chosen to be the family head. It is also known as the Sword of Honor and the sibling of Britain's Curtana.
Like Curtana, its importance lies in its use as a spiritual item where it is called the sword that determines the country's leader of the angels. The sword is able to empower its weilder with Telesma, the same type of power that Archangel Michael, the leader of angels, possesses. As a result, Olivia gains a significant boost in power. It should be stated however, that while the boost in power she gains is significant, its affects drastically weaken when she is not in France. Still, when armed with the Sword of Gallicans, she is formidable in combat and is capable of empowering her allies from the French division of the Roman Catholic Church and the revived Knights of Orleans.
The Sword of Gallicans does not have the same limitations as Curtana Original and its subsequent variants, as its effects can be used outside of the country of France, although as mentioned before, its effects will be much stronger in the country of its origin. With it empowering Olivia's allies, they also are able to possess telesma to enhance their own abilities, with the conditions that her party must all be French in order to feel its affects, for example, a person from Italy or Japan would not be enhanced by the Sword of Gallicans' power.
Sword's capabilities
Invisible Air Spell
The Invisible Air Spell (風王結界Fū-Ō Kekkai lit. Barrier of the Wind King) is a spell that produces a sheath of wind that covers the Sword of Gallicans and conceals it so that it cannot be easily recognized as such. It is made up of multiple layers of wind compressed into super-high pressure air with a massive amount of magical energy, which distorts the refraction of light and renders what is inside completely invisible. This spell is not just limited to the blade, as it can also be used on its wielder to conceal herself and others.
Upon the Sword of Gallicans, it takes on the shape of the blade and renders it as an invisible sword that doesn't appear even as sparks fly off of it. It lacks the capacity to annihilate the enemy like Light of Gallicans Spell, being more suited as a "sharp tool" in battle. It isn't used for any particular strength, but it is easier to use in battle than Light of Gallicans and it is a trump card that can bring about victory if used well. It is also possible to implement the barrier on something other than the sword. She can form the barrier in the area around her or as a quick defensive wall of wind, which she can keep active for a number of minutes with her magical energy. She uses it to completely envelop an entire Building in an unbreakable protection.
It is rather simple in execution, but it proves tremendously effective in hand-to-hand combat. The barrier isn't a vacuum, so the air constantly whirling around the blade is essentially a weapon. It increases the damage and cutting power of an attack, and the amount of mana released from each strike is high enough that it is visible to the eye. It also provides for an increased accuracy and defense against opponents unfamiliar with the nature of her weapon as it is difficult for the opponents to parry lunges and thrusts from Olivia. They cannot discern the length, width, reach, or trajectory of the blade, or even the fact that it is even a blade until they actually make contact with the weapon, which leaves them constantly on guard due to having to rely solely on Olivia's movement to decipher her attacks. They are confused both offensively and defensively, only allowing them to approximate the movements of the strikes and keep outside of her range to avoid being easily struck down. Against an opponent who can figure out the nature of the weapon quickly and correct the visual disturbance, or someone with a resistance to visual impediments, it becomes nothing more than wind around a sword.
Once the barrier is released so that the Sword of Gallicans can be used, the previously compressed wind surges around her chaotically, creating a vacuum as it diffuses into the air with enough force to knock over normal people and shake heavy, firm trees like a typhoon. The compressed wind can also instead be released as a single use projectile spell called Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King (風王鉄槌, Fū-ō Tettsui?). Acting like a hammer made out of wind, it creates a gale made out of super high pressure condensed air that is powerful enough to easily crush and blow away armies and fling a stone slab weighing several tons into the air as if it were nothing. It is a long range attack with a constant amount of damage that is not influenced by Olivia's physical condition or her level of magical energy. It can only be blocked by overwhelming it with a higher amount of magical energy. It can also be used to accelerate her own body towards her opponent, allowing her to travel at three times her normal speed. By holding the sword in a backward wide stance, she releases the air and changes into a supersonic bullet that charges towards her opponent. If working together with another person, the partner can use the vacuum left behind by the attack to immediately rush in behind it by using the surge of air taken in by the vacuum as a Slipstream. After releasing it, she can recall it by compressing the surrounding air to reform the barrier.
Light of Gallicans Spell
Her strongest offensive spell yet, the Light of Gallicans is a spell that takes a large amount of Telesma within it and unleashes it as an offensive power. It has been noted by Olivia that it is an extremely dangerous spell to use and that it has a good chance of overloading and destroying her if not prepared properly. Because of its destructive power, it has been regarded as an "ultimate killing technique" that releases Telesma in its purist form from the tip of the blade once the sword is swung. To an observer, it looks like a giant beam of light, but the attack's target point is only at the tip. It is the "ultimate slash" that cuts through everything in the "area" the light goes through. Its enormous power heats space around the tip, and as a result, it is interpreted as a wave of light that mows across the surface of the earth. One could also call it a directed energy weapon. Even if it is dodged, those in close proximity can still be temporarily distracted by its intensity.
Because of its nature, the spell cannot be used consecutively and runs the risk of overloading the user with Telesma and destroying their body and the surrounding area. It is capable of eradicating entire armies at its fullest capabilities, as well as destroying numerous buildings in a place like Academy City. The sword itself being a spiritual item, it is able to be negated by Imagine Breaker, however, the Light of Gallicans Spell would have enough force to completely blow Kamijou Touma away, despite the spell being dispelled by Imagine Breaker. It is possible to limit its destructive power if the opponent focuses on close-range combat, and it cannot be used against opponents who fight at extremely close range.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Should you fight my f/os?
Tagged by @megane-shipping @rose-wine-selfships @firebird-inkheart
I have many f/os, so this isn't all of them but I still did a fair number of 'em.
Also the rating system confused me but I did my best.
Dazai: He looks pretty scrawny, and while he is a pretty good fighter fighter through skill he isn't the physically strongest opponent, but you still wouldn't be able to beat him. He'd come up with some sort of plan where you'd probably think you'd won but then you turn around and oop no Dazai won. How does that work? Who fucking knows.
No fighting Dazai. 2/10
Erza Scarlet: She will kick your ass with the power of friendship and her eighteen thousand swords. Are you kidding me? She's queen of the fairies, no way. Beating her up only inspires her to win for the sake of her guild.
No fighting Erza. 1/10
Shinobu Kocho: She will poison you with a smile on her face. Unless your name is Douma, I would not recommend (ouch).
No fighting Shinobu. 4/10
Chuuya Nakahara: if you're looking to get crushed by a manlet in a fancy hat, then go for it. He's quite possibly one of the strongest ability users out there, but tell him Dazai called him a nerd or whatever and he'll fly into a rage that you can either use to your advantage or will result in you being crushed faster.
No fighting Chu-tan. 1/10
Yosano Akiko: Holy shit what? You're going to fight her? She will hack you to pieces, put you back together, and then repeat, repeat, repeat until she has to go and catch a sale.
No fighting Yosano. 4/10
Howard Phillips Lovecraft: You have a chance so long as he continues to give into his tiredness, he may simply lay there while you beat the shit out of him. Make sure you keep him from going all eldritch monstrocity on your ass though.
Not advised to fight Lovecraft. 3/10
Edgar Allen Poe: He's baby, why would you fight him? I know his best friend is a raccoon and he looks like he hadn't been outside since he was a baby, but what would you accomplish by fighting him?
To remain a decent person no fighting Poe. 5/10
Mark Twain: He's allergic to wearing shirts properly and thinks he's all buff and stuff, but you can punch him in the eye and knock him the fuck out. His little doll friends ain't gonna do shit. So long as you get too close for him to snipe you, you've got this.
Fight Mark. 7/10
Margaret Mitchell: I would really rather you not, she's napping. If you did, though, be ready to get caught in your own personal tornado while she rants about restoring her families honor. Unless your name is Akutagawa, be careful.
Not advised to fight Margaret. 5/10
Higuchi Ichiyo: She's certainly not the most formidable opponent, but she would gladly cut a thousand bitches for the sake of getting senpai to notice her.
You could fight Higuchi but it's not advised. 6/10
Gin Akutagawa: You wouldn't even hear her coming. The thought of fighting her would be brand new and then whoops, you've got a knife to the throat. She's not a leader of the black lizards for no reason.
Not advised to fight Gin. 4/10
Beelzebub: There is a chance that he would literally eat you, but for the most part while he is a big, beefy demon, he's also a teddy bear; he'd probably let you punch him over and over with a straight face. Stay away from his food and you should be fine.
Maybe fight Beelzebub. 6/10
Mammon: On one hand, he is the second most powerful of his brothers, he could easily destroy you. On the other hand, boy gets beat up verbally and physically by his brothers every damn day and has a mountain of insecurities, poke at those and you could probably win. Or make him even more mad. It's a gamble with the avatar of greed, my guy.
Maybe fight Mammon but not advised. 5/10
Jae-ha: He's a quick fellow, and his aim with those daggers is pretty spot on, it'd be very difficult and your best chance would be to try and ground him so he can't use his dragon leg. Although, he's a pervert and would probably like getting beat up, so you could win simply by that
Not advised to fight Jae-ha unless he's feeling especially nasty: 5/10
Chain Sumeragi: She can literally make herself completely undetectable and then stick her hand through you to play with your insides, unless you can get past that somehow, you're fucked.
No fighting Chain. 3/10
Steven Alan Starphase: He will Esmeralda Blood Freeze you before you can even blink and the shatter you into ice cubes for his drink. He ain't afraid to get his hands dirty.
No fighting Steven. 3/10
The Happy Huntresses: They're an experienced team of top of their class huntresses; four badasses trained not only to fight people but also giant evil monsters.
No fighting the happy huntresses. 4.5/10
Meis and Gueira: I mean they look decently tough with those bikes and the armor and the fire, but everytime we see them in a fight they get their asses handed to them in like two seconds. Best to be equiped with a fire extinguisher or like some ice cubes to chuck at 'em.
Maybe fight them. 6/10
Aizawa Shouta: Your best bet is to catch him in the middle of a nap, but please be so careful not to wake him up, he's most likely be so cranky that he'd forget he's a hero and snap your neck.
Not advised to fight Aizawa. 5/10
Idia Shroud: His scrawny ass barely ever leaves his room, he hasn't lifted anything heavier than his phone ever, he's a flaming stick basically.
You could fight Idia. 7/10
Sesshomaru: He has very little mercy to spare and has killed a great deal of people and demons.
No fighting Sesshomaru. 2/10
Annie January: She is capable of blinding and throwing you across the room with a beam of light from her hands and can lift like thirty two times her bodyweight. Unless you also have superpowers, would not recommend.
Not advised to fight Annie. 5/10
Byleth: She's a skilled fighter on her own, but she also has an army of feral students ready to beat the shit out of anyone who messes with their proffessor.
No fighting Byleth. 4/10
Shatina: Her greatest joy is beating people up and watching them bleed, she steps on and torments even her closest allies on a near daily basis. She would crush you and the go right back to drinking.
No fighting Shatina. 4/10
Maeve: I'm actually not sure what kind of fighting ability she has, but why would you want to hurt a goddess?
No fighting Maeve. 5/10
Ban: He's a member of one of the strongest groups of fighters in the land, and he's able to almost immediately regenerate after any and all damage. Also, he's like 10 feet tall, what are you going to do? Chew on his ankles until they snap off? They grow right back.
No fighting Ban. 4/10
Joxter: Fucking feral cat man, too lazy to fight back. Kick his ass.
Fight Joxter. 8/10
Shigure Sohma: Please fight Shigure, please. I will put my bet on you and watch.
Please fight Shigure. 9/10
Vodka: She's used to fighting giant fallen angels, she'd have no trouble kicking your ass and looking good while doing it. Also, she could simply send her hawk Andre to peck out your eyes before she even has to do any work.
Not advised to fight Vodka. 5.5/10
Jordan 'JD' Davies: They're the Jersey Devil. Literally, the Jersey Devil. They'd burn you to a crisp with their fire powers. But, your chances of victory aren't zero if you could find a way to deal with that. They're strong, but you could find a way with a fist fight. Fuck knows they deserve to be fought.
You probably shouldn't but fight JD anyways. 7/10
Zoro: You're going to fight a guy who wields three swords? One of which he sticks in his mouth? He's clearly crazy. Also I'm pretty sure he cuts a mountain in half at some point or something like that? So there's that to take into consideration. You're best bet would be to also be amazing with swords.
No fighting Zoro. 3/10
Nami: She's not the most powerful out of all of all of her crew, but if you beat her you will leave afterwards and notice that your wallet and all your valuables that you had on you are missing and she's already sailing away.
You could fight Nami but you will be poor afterwards. 7/10
Mollymauk Tealeaf: Hasn't he been through enough?
No fighting Molly please. 5/10
Zora: She will turn you into a literal baby, how do you plan on beating her up as an infant with your chubby lil baby hands?
No fighting Zora: 4/10
And I wanted to include some familial too
Yukichi Fukuzawa: Have you seen him fight with a sword? You won't even see him draw it.
No fighting Fukuzawa. 2/10
Ogai Mori: He will trick you into thinking he's merely a simple, friendly neighborhood physician, and then the moment your back is turned there will be a scalpel buried deep in it. Also, he has a demon baby at his command.
No fighting Ogai. 2/10
Kouyou Ozaki: You might think you're sneaking up on her, but her Golden Demon will cut you down without her even needing to look away from admiring the flowers and sipping her tea.
No fighting Kouyou. 2/10
Oda Sakunosuke: HASN'T HE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH.
No fighting Oda PLEASE. 4/10
Ranpo Edogawa: While he has eaten nothing but processed sugar since the day he was born, he will eviscerate you with his words and leave you too mentally beaten to lift a finger. Stuff your ears with some cotton and kick his scrawny ass. The rest of the detective agency will come after you, though.
Not advised but go ahead and fight Ranpo. 5/10
Yumeno Kyusaku: So much as look at this child wrong, much less lay a finger on them, and I will be the one fighting you.
NO FIGHTING YUMENO. 0/10
Lio Fotia: I know he looks like a dandy who was abandoned and raised by a biker gang, but he is also the strongest known burnish. The only thing saving you is his code against killing.
Not advised to fight Lio. 4/10
Laxus Dreyar: He's an asshole, and I completely understand wanting to fight him, but he is jacked as shit with the power of lightning at his finger tips.
It's not smart but I would like to watch you do it anyways. 2/10
Noctis Lucis Caelum: He'd rather fish than fight you, but he is capable of taking down giant monsters and mini armies with the ability to teleport. Tell him Hot Topic is going out of business and he'll crumble.
Not advised to fight Noctis but eh maybe you could. 4/10
Pretty sure all the people I would've tagged have already done it? So do this if you want to.
#self ship#self shipping#should you fight my f/os?#selfship#selfshipping#self ship community#dazian#erzian#I'm too lazy right now to tag them all gonna do that later
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
Death Knight: The Reaper (Unit Review)
Available at 3-4★ (Grand Hero Battle Reward)
Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)
Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward, Death Knight does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.
HP: 36/40/43
Atk: 32/35/38
Spd: 23/25/29
Def: 26/30/33
Res: 23/27/30
Neutral BST: 157
Max Dragonflowers: 5
Skills
Weapon: Scythe of Sariel (400 SP)
Mt: 16. Rng: 1. Accelerates Special Cooldown Count by -1. If bonus granted from buff (ex. Rally, Hone) or if movement buff is present (ex. Armored March, Armored Boots), grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res +4 to unit during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.
Lance. Cannot be inherited. Cannot be refined.
Assist: None
Special: Blazing Flame (300 SP)
Before combat, target and foes within area near target take damage equal to 1.5 x (unit’s Atk minus foe’s Def or Res)
Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.
A: None
B: Escape Route 3 (240 SP)
If unit’s HP ≤ 50%, unit can warp to any space next to an ally.
Can be inherited.
C: Close Guard 3 (240 SP)
Allies within 2 spaces gain following effect: “If unit is attacked by foe who uses sword, lance, dagger, or dragonstone, grants Def/Res +4 during combat.”
Can be inherited.
Analysis
Following the recent Three Houses cast added into FEH is the Death Knight, a powerful lance unit in his own right. While his statline leaves much to be desired, Death Knight brings with him a new playstyle meant to punish the current in-game meta.
His statline aims to focus on his high Atk and mixed defenses. This however leaves him with low Spd making any combat outside of enemy phase difficult to achieve. His weapon however seems to counteract what worries he would normally have from faster opponents. The Scythe of Sariel will, if a foe has a visible buff whether on their stats or a movement buff, not only deny the foe any follow-up attack they would normally have but will also grant Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 to Death Knight during combat. This means that a ranged armor opponent with Bold Fighter and Armored Boots equipped will effectively have their Bold Fighter skill nullified due to their movement buff from Armored Boots. The same will apply if instead of Armored Boots the ranged armor has a +6 visible buff in Atk from Odd Atk Wave.
This unique effect, however, will not apply if an enemy team fails to use visible buffs such as Ward Armor teams. His base kit outside of his lance will have to be completely revamped to compete with other lance units. He may act as a supporting unit with Close Guard but his B skill, Escape Route, will be tricky to use as it requires him to fall below 50% of his HP. The lance cavalry pool is also a vastly overpopulated pool and with limited copies of him available at this time Death Knight leaves much to be desired outside a niche effect.
On his first merge, Death Knight will gain +2 HP/Atk and +1 Def.
Reasons to Invest in Death Knight
You like Death Knight and intend to use him in a core team, whether it be for Arena, Aether Raids, or a Cavalry team
You’re interested in building Death Knight due his powerful enemy phase and his ability to ignore follow-up attacks
You have obtained all or most previous copies made available and do not mind the grail cost
Reasons NOT to Invest in Death Knight
You don’t intend on using him as a core on any team or in any PVE game modes such as Rival Domains or Grand Conquest
You don’t play Aether Raids and have no interest in obtaining grails
You consider Death Knight’s playstyle and base kit uninteresting and would rather fodder his skills off to other heroes you use
You already have an invested lance unit that you already use on your core Arena & or Aether Raids team
Similar Units
Note: As a Grand Hero Battle Reward Death Knight does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units.
Berkut: Prideful Prince (43/34/22/31/24)
Death Knight: The Reaper (-3/+1/+3/-1/+1)
Note: Death Knight has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable.
Fallen Berkut: Purgatorial Prince (40/35/17/35/30)
Death Knight: The Reaper (+0/+0/+8/-5/-3)
Note: Both Fallen Berkut and Death Knight have access to uninheritable skills and are thus not directly comparable.
Builds
Budget/Low Investment:
Death Knight will for the most part require an overhaul of his base kit. Even in terms of budget sets this will be necessary.
The build on the left focuses on boosting his stats both with the help of Fury and his seal, Brazen Atk/Def 3. Fury will provide +3 to all of his raw stats at the cost of -6 HP after each round of combat. We can use this recoil to our advantage by giving him Brazen Atk/Def, effectively boosting his Atk/Def by +7 while in combat. Once at or below 50% HP he will then be able to move next to an adjacent ally with Escape Route. He can then freely teleport to safety, teleport next to an ally and escort them to safety or surprise his foes by appearing in front of them. Ignis is taken due to his relatively high defense and for its cooldown which becomes 3 if the Scythe of Sariel is equipped.
The build on the right focuses on the same concept of lowering his HP to effectively boost his stats. Here we use double brazens (in this instance Brazen Atk/Def and Brazen Atk/Res) to boost his Def/Res by +7 and his Atk by +14. On top of his potential +4 to all his stats if his opponent has a visible buff applied to them, Death Knight can reach a total of +18 Atk, +4 Spd, and +11 Def/Res. Vantage is taken to allow him to have the first hit once at or below 75% of his HP and, keeping in mind how high his Atk can reach, will allow him to do a massive amount of damage if not outright take out his opponent.
Death Knight’s seal options include but aren’t limited to: Atk+3, Def+3, Res+3, Atk/Res 2, Atk/Def 2, Close Def, Stance skills, and Brazen skills.
Physical Tank:
Death Knight is arguably one of the most powerful enemy phase cavalry units in game. One of his strongest attributes, he can go far with the right investment.
The first set aims to bulk up his defenses while protecting him from enemy specials while in combat. Close Def will grant +6 Def/Res to Death Knight when attacked by a physical unit. On top of +4 from his lance this becomes an easy +10 Def/Res before any further ally buffs. Guard is taken to protect him from enemy specials from activating while in combat while Quick Riposte is taken to guarantee Death Knight multiple counterattacks. Ignis is taken for its cooldown decrease and higher damage output but can be swapped for Bonfire if desired.
The build on the right follows the same logic albeit with different skills. While Brazen Def/Res will require him to first fall at or below 80% of his HP, it will grant a constant +7 to his Def/Res while in combat. Quick Riposte and Bonfire are taken for their synergy together as explained in the prior build. To better bolster his defenses, we alternate Wave skills using Odd Def Wave on odd numbered turns and Even Res Wave on even turns. Alternatively, Even Res Wave can be swapped to Even Def Wave. The same goes for Odd Def Wave being swapped out for Odd Res Wave.
High Investment:
It’s needless to say that Death Knight functions best as an enemy phase unit. With a wide variety of enemy phase skills available to him he can become a formidable force. The following sets are best intended for players who plan on fully merging Death Knight.
The first set fully focuses on his ability to act as a tank against both ranged and melee foes. Distant Counter will allow Death Knight to counterattack regardless of distance. Because his Scythe’s effect requires a visible buff to be on his opponent and can, at times, be fairly inconsistent we use Berkut’s Lance instead which will grant him an additional +7 Res when attacked. Steady Stance is used as his seal to grant him +6 Def when attacked pairing well with his lance. Quick Riposte will allow him to make multiple follow-up attacks while Atk Smoke is taken to help survive multiple encounters on the same turn, ploying foes within 2 spaces of the attacking foe for -7 Atk.
The build on the right in contrast simply focuses on countering melee opponents. Warding Stance will, along with granting +8 Res when attacked, will grant Guard to Death Knight protecting him from enemy specials while in combat. This frees up his B skill which we swap for Lull Atk/Def. Lull Atk/Def will neutralize any visible buffs on a foe’s Atk/Def while inflicting Atk/Def -3 to said foe at the same time. This may counteract with his lance, the Scythe of Sariel, so it’s best used against opponents granted a movement buff such as armors. Rouse Atk/Def 3 will grant Death Knight a visible Atk/Def +6 when separate from his allies allowing him to better function on his own. Renewal is taken to help keep him healthy but can be swapped out for another seal such as Quick Riposte if follow-up attacks are a higher priority.
#fe heroes#fire emblem heroes#feh#unit review#Death Knight: The Reaper#Changing Winds#mod asama#lance/cavalry
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Top ten most powerful members of the Batfam
1) Bat-mite
A fifth-dimensional entity, Batmite possesses near unlimited reality warping powers. His name isn't actually Bat-mite; he's just a giant Batman fan.
2) Claire Clover (Gotham Girl)
Claire can use her own life force to gain powers. She could maintain Superman level powers for two years, or God-like powers for two hours. However, she can not gain back the life she spends to power herself, and every expenditure of her abilities push her closer to death.
3) Charlie Gage-Radcliffe (Misfit)
Charlie's powers are strange, even by comic standards. Her character arc was cut short due to Flashpoint, but she was originally supposed to be the lost princess Ruby of Gemworld. She hails from an intensely powerful magical bloodline, but is complete unaware of her origins. As far as she knows, her powers manifest as minorly enhanced strength, and "Bouncing". Charlie can teleport an unlimited amount of distance, carrying an unlimited amount of weight. Any wounds she sustained will instantly heal, and it costs her no energy to do so. More interesting, however, is the fact that anything living she brings with her will instantly die.
This means that she can only be defeated by projectile weapons, as anything that makes contact with her could be teleported away, along with anything connected to it.
Interesting note: I believe Charlie, as a homo-magi, has powers she hasn't yet used. I hypothesize her teleportation is similar to Kurt Wagner's (Marvel's Nightcrawler), and she travels through a parallel dimension. She may be able to tap into and channel this energy for greater use.
4) Basil Karlo (Clayface)
Basil started off as a villain, but was made a member of the Gotham Knights in Detective Comics 2016. He is nearly unkillable, as his body is made entirely of animated clay. There is no organic material to injure. He can manipulate his form to mimic shapeshifting, but his composition will always remain the same. He is an extraordinary actor, and can combine this with his powers to fool almost anyone. He has super strength, and can split himself into multiple forms. However, he has an easily exploitable weakness in temperature. Extreme cold or extreme heat will nullify his powers, and make him brittle, and easy to subdue. Disintegration is the easiest way to kill him, and frost or heat based powers and weapons are fairly common.
Interesting note: The Martian Manhunter is incapable of reading the mind of Eel O'Brian (Plastic Man), as he is made of inorganic material. I believe that Basil has a similar resistance, as well as perhaps an interesting interaction with Charlie. As Basil's body is chemically almost identical to clay, I believe he's one of the few people Charlie could teleport.
However, it is unclear exactly how Charlie's "bouncing" kills. The only time this effect occurs is when we see Lori Zechlin (Black Alice) accidently kill someone while stealing Charlie's powers. The body of her victim exploded. It is never given whether the mind can survive, and, given Charlie's powers are magical in origin, it may not even matter.
5) Cassandra Cain (Batgirl/Orphan
Cass is completely human. However, her unique brain structure gives her the ability to interpret body language as an actual language, granting her a form of precognition. She is able to tell exactly what someone will do, before they do it, making her unbeatable in combat.
She's also the physically strongest and fastest human member of the batfamily, strong enough to punch through steel, and fast enough to dodge bullets after they've been fired. Her strength is only surpassed by Claire and Clayface, and only a Superman level Claire is faster. She ties with Dick Grayson for most gymnastic skill, as she can copy any of his moves. She has complete control over every function of her body. She can stop her heartbeat, speed her healing, and completely deaden pain.
She can perfectly copy any movement, provided the original user has anatomy close to a humans. She has no skill ceiling, and will be able to break her previous records every time. The limits to her strength, speed and skill don't exist.
Interesting note: Her body reading completely negates any form of disguise, including shape shifting. She can read non humanoids to a lesser extent, but not robots. Cass feels extreme empathy towards anybody she's reading, to the point where she will feel their pain as her own. She can read animals, but does not experience any empathy for them.
With her abilities, she can defeat everyone lower on this list combined.
Cass would be able to defeat Charlie in a fight, as the surprise and stealth factor from teleportation would be completely negated. Cass would know where Charlie would teleport before she does it, and could throw a projectile into that area as Charlie bounces into it.
Her abilities do work on Clayface, but she would require either cryo or thermal technology to beat him, giving her no real advantage. While Cass could predict a powered Claire, it doesn't help her defeat someone faster than light and strong enough to bench the earth.
6) Barbara Gordon (Oracle)
If everyone on this list was given access to maximum equipment, Barbara would rank number three. With unlimited access to every piece of technology on earth, she could very easily take over the world, or destroy it. Her photographic memory and extreme intelligence means that she has a plan for every situation, and, unlike Bruce, doesn't need to keep files. There is no opponent she can't outsmart.
However, her ranking falls due to her maximum strength being extremely conditional. Remove her from computers and she is a formidable opponent given light gear, but her paralysis makes her a sitting duck without her wheelchair. She is the fourth strongest on the list, but her fighting style is completely defensive, as Barbara lacks any way to engage a fight, and has to wait for opponent to come to her. She cannot dodge fast moving projectiles, like bullets, or move out of the way of powerful AOE attacks, like explosions, fire, electricity, sonic waves, chemical splashes or falling objects. Her extreme strength is somewhat neutralized by her extreme weakness.
Interesting note: Barbara's wheelchair changes from writer to writer, but at one point it contained a machine gun full of rubber bullets, a mechanical lift platform to go up stairs, grappling hooks, and a portable computer.
Post flashpoint, Barbara has a device in her brain that allows her to walk. However, this version is significantly less powerful, and shares very little with her pre-flashpoint counterpart.
7) Jean-Paul Valley (Azrael)
Azrael is the combined entities of Jean-Paul Valley, his suit's AI, and an actual angel. Jean-Paul himself is not entirely human, as he was created by the Order of Saint Dumas artificially, and had his genome spliced with the DNA of other animals. He has enhanced speed, strength, stamina, metabolism and intelligence.
His abilities are vastly enhanced with the Suit of Sorrows, capable of exceeding Bane. The Suit of Sorrows contains an angel, one who attempts to use the wearer as a host. The longer the suit is worn, the greater the enhancement, and the greater the loss of control. The suit is equipped with two bladed gauntlets; The Sword of Sin, and the Sword of Salvation. The first forces you to relive every bad thing you've done, and the second forces you to relive every bad thing that happened to you.
With suit enhanced strength, he's the third strongest. Without it, he falls behind to sixth. With or without his suit's speed, he comes in third.
Interesting note: With or without his suit, he is the second best fighter on this list. His blades defeat an enemy in a single touch, allowing him to defeat Basil. His superior skill would most likely allow him to get a hit off on Charlie, and his blades would incapacitate her before she could teleport him. Barbara would likely be able to hack and disable his suit, but, in straight combat, she stands no chance. As his blades are magical, there is a high probability they could harm Claire. However, she can power up to a point where she can take him down from range, and eliminate that threat. I have no idea whether they would work on Bat-mite, but Jean-Paul would have little difficulty tricking it and finding out.
8) Helena Wayne (Batman)
The Bat of a world ruled by Darksied, her rogue's gallery is composed entire of alien powerhouses. She faces threats so dangerous, Batman's rouges of Prime Earth are either irrelevant, dead, or her allies. In order to survive on Apokalypse, Bruce Wayne required the Hell Bat suit, a suit so powerful, wearing it kills him. Helena just uses her two fists.
9) Dick Grayson (Nightwing)
Dick's advantage comes from his circus background. He clocks in at the fifth fastest, and ties for most gymnastic skill. He is an extremely skilled fighter, detective and spy. He falls below Helena Wayne, however, because of lack of want. Dick has no desire to pursue his crime fighting career, and hopes to retire. Although he served as Batman as a time, it was out of necessity, and he resented the role he played.
10) Bruce Wayne (Batman)
The first person to wear the mantle of the Bat, Bruce is the third most popular comic book character to ever exist. He has the most years of training under his (utility) belt, and is a highly skilled fighter. He has almost unlimited resources to build gadgets and vehicles, which he utilizes to extreme efficiency.
However, his stats are nothing extraordinary. He manages to scrape ninth strongest member of the batfamily, but is one of the slowest.
Interesting note: Most would grade him higher due to his crippling paranoia. Bruce is famous for coming up with a inane amount of contingency plans, to defeat any opponent. However, these plans are really stupid, and would never work.
His plan to defeat the Flash (Wally West) involves shooting him with a bullet, and having Wally attempt to phase through it instead of dodging. Wally can run seventeen trillion times the speed of light, and is famously terrible at phasing. This plan would fail epically. His plan to defeat Wonder Woman (Diana) also involves shooting her. Even in iterations where Diana isn't bullet proof, it's still impossible to shoot her. Her signature thing is blocking bullets. She can do it blindfolded, and against hundreds of bullets at a time. This is just a bad plan. To defeat Martian Manhunter, he plans to set him on fire. J'onn isn't actually weak to fire, he just suffers from sever psychosomatic pyrophobia. So assuming Batman could somehow ambush a psychic so powerful he's developed precognition, he would still fail.
#dc comics#dc#bat mite#claire clover#gotham girl#basil karlo#clayface#charlie gage radcliffe#misfit#cassandra cain#batgirl#jean paul valley#azrael#helena wayne#huntress#dick grayson#nightwing#bruce wayne#batman#barbara gordon#oracle#batfam
67 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Ships of Morgan: Kellerman class Battlecruiser
In an attempt to regain motivation to write my science fiction WIP Morgan, I’m making posts regarding its world, starting with a series going over the ships of the Acidalian Intersolar Colonial Navy.
Today, the Kellerman class Battlecruiser.
Commissioned in 2319, the Kellerman class Battlecruiser represents all that the Ross and Armstrong classes should have - Acidalian progress. Launched at the height of the Thetai War, the Kellerman class Battlecruiser was among the most powerful warships set to space, with the most extensive arsenal of any Acidalian ship. The first, A.S.V. Pierre, BC-01, was quickly set up as a flagship of the navy, heading its own battle group which was instrumental in engagements across the sector. With twelve heavy railguns and an extensive battery of missiles and torpedoes, the Kellerman is a formidable foe to even the strongest of Thetai battlecruisers, outgunned only by the Eschelis class Deployment Cruisers of the kor’Daer.
The launch of the Kellerman class in mid 2319 marked the turn of the war in favour of the Allied powers, able to cut down whole flotillas of smaller vessels singlehandedly. Thanks to its unique design of railgun, the Kellerman was able to engage other capital grade warships on an even footing, with the ability to project a flak field over itself to destroy incoming ordinance. This allows the vessel to rely less upon fighters, a frequent weakness of prior vessels. In close range, the Kellerman is among the most dangerous ships ever built to fight, able to rapidly release volleys of fire onto an opponent with a rapid fire mode, giving it the greatest offensive capability of any Acidalian vessel to date.
Much like its predecessors, the Colonial, Democracy and Ross classes, the Kellerman set the bar by which all later Acidalian vessels would be judged, as well as making key adjustments to the design practices of Phobos Fleetyards.
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
ENMY Chapter 90 - Fourth Crusade (Part Two)
Chapter Synopsis:
The Kingdom of Vacuo is about to enter its most daunting challenge since its conception. Salem is launching the Fourth Crusade. A war to end some of Remnant’s greatest warriors, including Team ENMY. Assistance from Atlas is on its way, but will the Fleet arrive in time to make a difference?
Only one thing is certain. Whatever happens in Vacuo will echo the events to come for the rest of Remnant.
Series Synopsis:
Team RWBY is disbanded, and Yang must find herself new allies.
For her, that might very well be yesterday’s enemies.
Joining up with the likes of Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, the four will comprise Team Enemy(ENMY).
Links to read the series: Ao3 or FF.net
Or hit the jump below
.
The Fourth Crusade (Part Two)
.
My life for Ire.
.
.
It was afternoon, but the skies above Vacuo suddenly dimmed to the dark shadowing overcast of night.
The sun faded into obscurity. Instead, the shattered moon took its place. Its size much larger, more closer than any had seen in a very long time.
“Do you remember, Titan?” Salem sneered to her opponent across the sands. “This is the night I laid waste to everything you ever built. The night I brought ruin to everything you ever loved!”
“Yes, I remember. Which is why, I will not allow you to do the same to these Children of Remnant!” Titan declared.
The once golden sands of Vacuo dyed a soft shade of blue and purple. Stars in the sky shimmered with a haunting brightness. The kind astrologers used to foretell a great calamity approaching.
Although the battle between Grimm and the Kingdom’s warriors still waged with savage fervor, a small pause pervaded the battlefield. The phenomenon of the immortals’ duel garnered a hallowed awe by all. And the great pieces of the moon drew ever closer towards the world.
Salem’s curse mimicked the Cataclysm of ages past on a smaller scale. Even so, the damage it would cause would be nothing short of catastrophic.
I will not fail again, Titan told himself.
Those who have entrusted their lives to me will not allow it.
Titan’s body warped into that of a merchant, heavily-obscured by a brown cloak. From his backpack, he drew a few ordinary looking beans.
The man bent down and whispered a quiet incantation to the kernels resting his palm. They sprouted vines to the sound of his voice. He then, curled them into his fist, touched them once to his forehead, before tossing them into the ground a few feet ahead.
Immediately, there was an explosion of green vegetation. Giant beanstalks sprouted from the sand, intertwining into the sky and towards the falling moon. Once it reached its height, the flora branched out like a freshly cast fishing net.
“I must thank you for one thing, if one thing only, Wicked!” the Magic Bean Seller shouted. “You’ve offered me a chance at redemption!”
“You’re still the same fool you always were! Do you truly think yourself capable of changing anything?!”
“I will! I’ve found my calling, as late as it was!”
“Your world will end again!”
“No! You’re wrong! And this isn’t my world! IT IS THEIRS!!!”
Salem poured more of her Magic into the curse, as if to refute Titan’s claim by force. Every negative emotion she could dredge, increased the potency of the Cataclysm’s replication. Likewise, Titan infused his counter curse with the lifeforce saved from previous incarnations. He thought if this was the moment his long life led up to, he would gladly forfeit it all for a glimmer of hope against all hope—an odd against all odds.
The sound of the great collapse racked the continent like a tectonic plate shift. A tidal wave of sand blew everything and everyone in the vicinity off their feet. It was the eternal battle between unstoppable force and immovable object at its grandest.
The beanstalk caught the moon in its grasp, but only momentarily. The force of the falling world continued to descend. Its mass broke away the weaker branches, only leaving the strongest stalks to contend. Pieces of the moon were repelled, while others struck the earth like meteors.
Titan felt a sharp numbness set in. Committing so much of his energy into a single stroke took more than its toll. His mind began to haze at the edges. But still, he maintained his strength.
“I can feel you fading…” Salem narrowed. “Had you fought without spending yourself on that fruitless endeavor, you may have stood a chance. Alas, your sacrifice was all for naught. Stopping Behemoth only delayed the inevitable.”
Out from Salem’s back, the head of a great serpent burst out. Its body wriggled and writhed, trying to shake itself loose from the Witch’s flesh. When it was fully freed, it expanded rapidly in size.
With one pounce, it sunk its teeth into the base of the beanstalk, gnawing away at its roots.
“A pitiful effort your so-called redemption has become,” Salem snickered. “The same old mistakes in a few new ways—like dividing your power among the Maidens. I see the foolish belief you chose to place in these Children was never a lesson you planned to learn from.”
“Do you ever shut up!”
Glynda pointed her riding crop to the beanstalk and began reconstructing some of its fractured pieces.
“If you think we will entrust the Wizard with Vacuo’s safety alone, you are sorely mistaken.”
Minerva conjured the form of a fiery phoenix to do battle with Salem’s serpent. Its flaming talons and beak cut wounds all over the reptile’s scales.
She is right, Titan. You do not stand alone, several voices within the immortal resounded.
There was a rousing cry, and the legions of Vacuo’s warriors rallied to fight the Grimm once more. Waves of projectiles launched into the hordes of Salem’s army. A portion of the gunfire concentrated on the Witch’s serpent.
Never alone.
Part of Titan’s body phased out with a violent ripple. While the main maintained the beanstalk, a previous host wearing a silly-looking fez and bowtie stumbled clumsily onto the ground before popping back up.
“Ugh! Which one am I?” he began touching his face. “Nose, hair, FINGERS! Still got them! Yes! Excellent! You! The angry one with the eyebrows!”
“Excuse me?!” Glynda gasped.
“Yes! The thing you’re doing! The timey wimey!”
“The what?!”
“It could use more wimey! I’d do it myself but we need to conserve as much energy as possible, and this—“the man pulled out what appeared to be a sonic screwdriver from his tweed jacket. “—does not work on wood. But what it can do…! Whoopsie daisy!”
The man pointed it at Glynda’s wand, and she suddenly felt her spell refine and focus. Her time reversal spell accelerated the repairs of the beanstalk to match the speed of its destruction.
“‘Oh, he’s cool. He did a cool thing’. You’re making the ‘he did a cool thing’ face, by the way,” the man gloated.
“How…?! Who are you?!”
“I’ve gone by many names. Different body, different name. If I remember correctly, this one was…Doctor?”
“Doctor? Dr. Who?”
“Never get tired of hearing that one.”
.
X X X X X
.
“Damn it! What the hell is that old lady thinking?!” Yang shouted her frustrations.
“Your godmother’s always been short a few screws. But this is worse, even by her standards,” Raven clenched her teeth. “Still, we can’t lose our composure. We both saw the vision. They should be able to hold out a little longer before the prediction comes to pass.”
Although her mother’s words were reassuring, there was an almost imperceptible quiver to her bottom lip. Yang could read the worry all over her face. An anxiety that threatened to swallow her if she didn’t constantly temper it.
“We’ll save her, mom. We’ll save Temujin.” She took Raven’s hand in hers.
“Yes, of course,” her mother sighed. “The question is how.”
“Can you slice us open a portal?”
Raven was about to say yes, when something held her tongue. There was a visible resistance to her movement. Invisible strings no one could see.
“Damn it!” she cursed. “It would count as direct interference against Salem! I can’t do it without breaking the contract!”
Yang tapped her in-ear communicator.
“Hey, operator. Did you get that?”
“Yeah,” Emerald answered. “Heard it all…!”
“How’s Neo?”
“Your wifey’s running on fumes like the rest of us. If you’re asking her to fast-track you back to the city, it ain’t happening right now. Just stay put, I called you guys an uber driver, who happened to be close by.”
“How are you and Merc?”
“We’ve got our hands full …!”
Yang heard gunfire in the background, as well as the random cries of bestial creatures.
“Em? What’s going on there?”
“Grimm. Lots of ‘em…! Trying to come through the crack Behemoth left in the wall. Also, some of its giant ass baby larvae are still around. Annoying fuckers.”
“How bad is it?”
“Let’s just say, we also got word parts of Salem’s armies are breaking off from the North and South to come here. So, uh, just a few shades shy of complete shitstorm.”
“And you need to hold there until more of Vacuo’s military makes it back. There’s no way you can help Temujin?”
“Not without letting Grimm overrun the city.”
“…Do you need me?”
“You won’t hear me say no, but... Your ride’s there.”
Just then, Yang and Raven spotted a light-traveling aircraft in the distance. In little to no time, its wing thrusters kicked up a wave of dust, as it came to a hover at the cliff’s edge.
The sidedoors opened to show Ilia.
“There better be a damn good reason I’m playing chauffeur in the middle of a fucking war, or you’re not getting on this boat.”
Yang only gave her a dead stare.
“Blake and Temujin.”
“…...Get on the fucking boat.”
.
X X X X X
.
Nai had never waged battle like this before.
The Grimm were intricately coordinated, their movements vastly complex. Whatever weakness certain species possessed were annoyingly paired with another species that could more or less compliment it.
There was an organization and strategy to the monsters Nai never thought possible. Not the Crusaders, not even his own people could achieve this level of coordination. It was a most formidable army, if it could be called that. A legion of darkness which surpassed imagination.
Who could control such a force of nature?
But the man already knew who. The one called, Bean. He would have gone after the enemy’s commander himself if he could pinpoint where the boy was. But as Nai stared out into the endless hordes of glowing red eyes, he knew such an idea was impossible.
We’ve managed to stall them somehow and Behemoth has been slain.
Better not to test our fortunes.
Retreat should be the priority.
The moment he finished the thought, a Moredread cleaved through the soldier beside him. It turned its attention the Khan’s way. The sword interlaced into the Grimm’s muscle fiber raised high once more.
Nai reacted immediately. He was well-versed in dealing with the Moredread. While they were fortified in a dark parody of medieval-like armor and literally armed with a claymore, they were not without weakness. The non-sword arm was a particular safe-zone to move to.
But as Nai strafed to the Moredread’s weakside, a scorpion’s tail almost stung him on approach. It was there, he noticed a baby Deathstalker wrapped around the knight’s gauntlet. With its top carapace facing outward and pincers snapping, it looked like some macabre shield.
Just then, a line of Moredread bearing Deathstalkers of their own, charged the front lines. They “shield bashed” the Vacuo vanguard, followed by a downward strike with their swords on any who lived through the first blow. And just like that, the Kingdom’s battalions staggered.
This isn’t good.
The rhythm of our army is being disrupted.
As if drowning their fears with rage, a Faunus warrior gave a mad cry before rushing the Grimm’s shield wall. His squadmates followed, trying to pry a break in the formation. But with uncanny unison, the Grimm gave way to a small concave and decimated the squadron in two short blows. The line reformed like a watery surface.
“FALL BACK! TO THE CHASM!” Nai ordered immediately.
War drums and horns resounded. The battalions showed signs of wanting to continue, but eventually gave in to their leader’s instructions.
To stop the Grimm from pursuing, a small flock of airships flew overhead. Some were taken down by the flying Grimm in the process, but those remaining deployed bombs to cover their allies’ withdrawal.
Exploding Dust dotted the space separating Vacuo’s military and the Grimm. The monsters ignored their baser instincts by not pursuing mindlessly into the fire. In fact, holding their position until the conflagration dissipated somewhat.
Damn!
Not even the barest of losses given.
“Pan! Assist the retreat!” Nai passed additional orders.
“You’ve got it!” shouted a lively response.
The former Headmaster of Signal Academy pulled ahead of the battalions and activated his Gravity Semblance.
Ahead, separating the army from the city walls was a wide chasm. Nai had chosen this location for the battle specifically for that reason. It was one of the only natural obstructions protecting the city and the perfect place to cover a retreat.
As Vacuo’s army approached, gold lights enveloped them like tiny fireflies. Their steps became weightless, as they jumped the fifty-meter gap with ease. Pan’s Semblance, with the assistance of a godmother device, allowed the battalions to defy gravity and leap to safety.
Once they were all across, their ranged units set up coverfire for the aerial.
Now, we only need to worry about the Grimm in the sky for the moment, Nai thought.
It will take hours for the main host to maneuver the chasm.
…
In a safe distance away, Bean watched the progression of events from the view points of Grimm he was linked to.
Stratagem is well-adapted.
General Nai’s ability requires reassessment.
However.
The Grimm around the boy rushed past, making their own way to hit the city, but he paid them no mind. He only looked down at the flute held in his hands with a troubled gaze.
It was a disturbing little artifact. The instrument was dyed in a bold ebony finish. Varnished bone crusted the lip and finger holes. The cursed pipe was once a Nightmare Class Grimm classified as Hamelin. But after Salem’s experiments, she converted the Grimm’s original form into an object. A feat Bean found the Witch was all too familiar with.
Regardless, the boy pressed the recorder to his lips. A devilish melody was born as soon as he breathed life into it. The kind of music that enticed those who heard it to move and follow against their wills.
…
In that moment, Nai watched an eeriness pervade the other side of the trench. He wasn’t sure at first, but he thought he saw the sands moving.
Then the bright red eyes of the Grimm became clear. They were much smaller and quicker than the ones of Bean’s standing army. It was like a flood of glimmering rubies skittering across the ground. And like a flood, the bodies collected into a river.
The tiny Grimm latched onto each other, forming an extension into the chasm. Some of them fell into the abyss, while more continued to squirm into the construction connecting one side to the other. Nai could barely make out their figures now.
They were Ratten, a rat-type of Grimm. Usually nothing more than pests individually, but they did carry the potential to swarm and plague if left unchecked. But Nai couldn’t have known they would be used in this way, much less an army capacity.
“Take them out!” he ordered, snapping his soldiers out of their stupor.
Rows of guns were brandished in new formation, barrels leveled at an even angle. The concerted rings of Dust rounds being loaded into firing chambers traveled down the ranks. The shooters opened fire for a sparse two seconds, before great booms impacted across the way. Thunderous crashes fell among their numbers.
On the backs of giant rabbit Grimm, Moredread knights struck down at the crouching shooters. A circle of blood and death reaped in their unexpected surroundings. And before the Vacuo military could react, the Moredread’s mounts leapt to another section.
All the while, the Ratten finished the first of their bridges. The tiny scourge rushed Vacuo’s warriors immediately—engulfing, consuming, until there was nothing left but barebones and trace amounts of flesh.
Nai himself, was being blanketed by the critters. They bit into his poisonous body, and died, but took pieces of him with them. They were especially dangerous for the rest of his battalions. The Ratten’s small bodies made them difficult to hit, and when they did manage to find purchase, the Grimm’s large numbers easily made the deficit for any one killed.
Nai never doubted the courage of Vacuo’s people when they met adversity. No matter the situation, he knew their warriors would fight to their deaths. Armies lived and died by their morale, and his battalions would only fall with spirits high.
Still, he prayed silently that this would not be the end.
“Is there nothing left we can do?”
.
X X X X X
.
“Are you quite finished?” Salem scowled at her opponents.
The Witch didn’t have the same level of strategery Bean had, or the same room to maneuver, but her Grimm still displayed an uncanny coordination. The dark army was beginning to best the warriors of Vacuo in the Southern theater.
Titan recognized the way the scales were tipping. Their side was also aware of the dire situation playing out on the Northern front, as well as the impending hordes bent towards the city’s West Wall.
“I will be fine on my own!” the Magic Bean Seller yelled to his comrades.
The immortal’s appearance shifted to a man with jade-white, taoist robes. A feathered fan materialized in his hand, and he brought it up with a heavy motion.
The beanstalk entered a deadlock with the moon, while its roots solidified its foundation. A great many stone formations rose from the sand, extending across the battle line. The rock curved and split, trapping Grimm attempting to get through. When the construction finished, a stone sentinel maze separated the two armies.
“…Alright, I’ll give you that. Very impressive,” the Doctor said slightly perturbed, while putting away his screwdriver. “Used up a lot of our incarnations’ energies in that, but I suppose it couldn’t be helped.”
He then, turned to Glynda and Minerva.
“We’ll hold off Wicked here. In the meantime, you should order your lot to reinforce the Western Wall. Oh, but the two of you have somewhere else to be…”
The man raised his brow to something behind them.
When they turned, they saw a mysterious green police box.
“Don’t worry, there’s enough room—”
“It’s bigger on the inside.”
.
X X X X X
.
Another of their airships spun and crashed into a smoldering wreckage in the sand. The Grimm under it were smashed into nothing but ash. When the pilot exited the cockpit, he let out a fierce scream, fighting the monsters swarming him before succumbing to their endless claws and bites.
Nai was barely keeping the battalions together. He managed to pass orders between fending off the Ratten and the mounted Moredread, but it was obvious where the battle was headed. His people were quickly being overtaken.
There was a feeling of inevitably donning on him and his army. They could not outrun Bean’s Grimm, not by air or ground. It was becoming all too likely their forces would not only be routed, but wiped out entirely.
As Nai banished the thought for the umpteenth time, an odd undulating whir caught his attention. In the empty space where the sound came from, a rectangular object faded into existence. From the green box, two women stepped out.
With riding crop and wand in hand, they simultaneously cast a thunderous cloud over the whole area. The wide-range spell hailed ice and lightning across the swarms of Grimm. A counter to the numerous, but fragile bodies of the Ratten.
“Go!” Minerva shouted to Nai. “Gather our people back behind the walls and enact siege defenses!”
Nai nodded, and resumed ushering his armies to the city.
As she watched her fellow Khan retreat, Minerva couldn’t help but wonder.
Where is Temujin in all this?
She said she wouldn’t join us in the South, but she isn’t here either?
I know she didn’t take part in Behemoth’s extermination.
You senile buffoon.
“What in the hell are you thinking?!
.
X X X X X
.
“Temujin, I’m so sorry,” Blake apologized with tears in her eyes.
“Hmph. What are you apologizing for, while swinging your sword in my face?!” Temujin snapped, as she used her cane to deflect another one of Blake’s blows.
The previously quiet throne room of the Hanging Gardens had turned into a private arena.
Temujin herself, faced her former proteges in Adam and Blake. The two always worked well together, their movements combined always produced a high-paced lethality. An aspect Raven and Temujin fostered themselves, to their current regret.
Adam dashed forward at an opening, but abruptly crashed to the ground. His body convulsed as he gasped with pain.
“Kill…ME…!”
His body was being torn apart by Temujin’s territorial Semblance, but only short of fatal. On the other hand, Blake moved freely to attack. The weakness of Temujin’s Semblance was exposed to them earlier, as it could not target more than one opponent at any given moment.
“KILL ME!” Adam coughed blood.
“Peh! Don’t give me orders, you brat!” Temujin scolded. “I don’t need to kill you or Blake in order to stop you. Don’t underestimate me!”
The elder Faunus stabbed her cane through Blake’s clone, before throwing an Aura-enhanced dart into Blake’s thigh when she reappeared. But the wound quickly healed with unnatural speed, forcing the dart out onto the floor. A dark mist billowed from the regenerated cut in the flesh.
“You have to kill us, Temujin,” Blake pleaded. “We can’t resist Salem’s control. There’s no other way!”
“No, I’m sure there is,” the elder disagreed easily.
“You’ll die if this keeps up! You can’t handle both of us at the same time!”
“Don’t be stupid. You two won’t be the end of me.”
Temujin glowered from the pair to the Rakis siblings fighting Camlann a certain distance away.
Seeing how they neglected Blake and Adam completely, it’s obvious what they saw in their vision.
So, I am to meet my end at the hands of Camlann, am I?
Temujin discerned the situation with an appraising glare. The siblings were obviously trying to keep the Grimm and her separate. She could imagine how it would likely play out. Death at the hands of her “supposed” mortal nemesis.
Rather fitting if the Grimm truly is the reincarnation of the Crusaders’ ill will.
Mouse, Knives, Summer.
I’ve carried on through so many misdeeds without so much as any care or regret.
My ego made weapons of my people to break against my enemies.
I can no longer fight properly, even as I send more lives to their early graves.
I cannot stand beside them at their final moments.
An old fool with a missing eye and leg.
There’s only so much until someone as stubborn as me gets the message.
It is no longer in me to fight the wheels of fate…
…
Camlann, king of the Moredread Grimm barreled down on the Rakis siblings like a warbound locomotive. Its stature was comparable to an Ursa, but its strength and arsenal were beyond any measure. With its grossly swollen sword and shield, it charged Mouse and Knives relentlessly like a mad bulldozer.
The siblings were small and light. Their blades vibrated with a magnetic hum, as they shrieked them across the Grimm’s armor. Usually their daggers could cut through the toughest bone, but it was not so in this case.
Knives and Mouse crisscrossed against its shield a second time. The sound of countless strikes could be heard, further evidenced by the sparks scattered from the friction. Camlann’s aegis was formed of the densest material layered over. And despite that, the Grimm dragged and swung it around as if it weighed nothing.
The flat boulder of the shield almost caught Knives with its edge, but the girl slipped just underneath it. She purposely baited the attack, dodged, and then brandished her karambit all along Camlann’s unprotected arm. But all the good it did, but cut shallow grooves into the Grimm’s armor.
The claymore came chasing after her, but Knives made her escape like a ghost, almost floating out of its range.
Mouse couldn’t stop but marvel at his younger sister’s movements. He was sure Knives’ consciousness was still in there, but Summer’s co-possession curbed her unnecessary tendencies. There was an experienced hand guiding his sister’s fighting style, as well as an unnerving agility that wasn’t present before.
“Mouse, I need you to follow my lead,” Summer said. “Use your short-term Precognition to match with me.”
“Do you have a plan? As this rate, we can’t defeat Camlann. The prediction is going to come true!”
“We don’t need to beat it, just stop it long enough for the others to get here.”
“And in the instance, they do make it in time. What could they possibly do?”
“Hm,” her sister flashed him an aged smile in a youthful face. “If there’s anyone who can defy the future, it’s them. It’s why I brought them here in the first place.”
“…I don’t have any choice but to believe that, don’t I?”
“Nope!”
And with that, Knives launched herself at Camlann once more, trailed closely by her brother.
…
Temujin watched the Rakis siblings’ fight from afar. She deciphered their intentions as clear as day. She also saw that they might die trying to save her.
Can’t have that.
Temujin locked her cane against Blake’s two swords. There was an obvious conflict in her opponent’s body. Blake was clearly trying to resist Salem’s influence. The strength of her and Adam’s attacks were only half, if it was that much. But it was still enough to keep Temujin in check.
“How do the contracts work, hm?” she asked, paying little mind they were crossing weapons. “It seems Raven has more leeway in her actions.”
“I can’t tell you…!” Blake struggled to reply.
“So long as she acts within the confines of her set conditions, she seems to be able to move freely. Are the contracts you and Adam hold by different in some way?”
“Adam and I broke our contracts…! This is the price of defying the Witch…!”
“Ah. Interesting. So the price of breaking your contracts is complete obedience? How faithful are you to her orders?”
“We don’t have a choice…! Our bodies are acting on their own…! That’s why you have to kill us!!!”
“I’m getting tired of hearing you say that. Back to the matter before, how faithful are you to her orders. What were they? Something along the lines of ‘do everything it takes to end Temujin’s life’?”
Blake scrunched her face, all but conveying the answer.
“I see,” Temujin nodded. “Well, then. What if I were to tell you the Rakis siblings foresaw the means of my demise? And it was Camlann who accomplished the deed. Not you or Adam.”
Blake blinked with confusion, before her consciousness shifted in and out of awareness.
“No!” she tried to shake her senses clear. “It’s a lie!”
“It’s not a lie. The best way to end my life is to let Camlann do it.”
“STOP IT!”
“In order to accomplish that, you should get Mouse and Knives out of the way.”
“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!”
As angry as Blake was, Temujin felt the remaining strength fade from the girl’s swords. She stepped back in disbelief, making no impression of restarting the duel. Her actions completely outside her control.
“NO!” Blake shouted, trying to will her body forward.
But nothing came of it.
Temujin observed the phenomena a while longer, before confirming her suspicions.
Hm, I see their orders are a little easy to manipulate.
Just as well, I suppose.
Salem will get what she wants in the end.
Temujin let down her guard and released the territory binding Adam.
The young man got uneasily to his feet, wearing the same pained expression as Blake. Both showed a sorrowed disbelief at what Temujin was making them do.
“I’m sorry, Blake, Adam,” she said to the two in turn. “I am truly sorry it came to this.”
Against their wills, Blake and Adam set off for the other side of the throne room. The two joined the fight with the Rakis siblings.
“I am sorry.”
.
X X X X X
.
As Yang, Raven, and Ilia rode the airship to the city, they could see the harrowing situations unfolding from a distance.
There were Grimm pouring over the dunes to the North. Minerva, Glynda, and Nai were retreating with their armies and securing siege defense at the Northern Wall.
Titan was holding back Salem and her forces in the South. The retreating Vacuo army was setting up their own siege defense, while sending reinforcements to the Western Wall. And it was there, the three’s airship flew just overhead.
The burning carcass of Behemoth was still in the process of dissolving into the wind. Fiery wreckage dotted the break in the wall and a little into the city. Grimm were swarming through the gap, which fighters on the inside were making use of as a funnel. Though, even with the tactic in place, there were so many of the monsters filing through, the defending forces risked being overrun at any moment.
And there were more Grimm on the way.
Yang felt her stomach lurch as she tapped into her comms.
“Hey, Em! You there?!”
“Oh. That you idiots, up high?” Emerald’s radio crackled more than earlier. “How’s the view?”
“There’s more Grimm closing on the gap!”
“So, we figured.”
Below, they saw a herd of Boarbatusk Grimm roll into a spinning ball, and ram into the wall repeatedly. More of the structure collapsed at the impact. The break in the wall crumbled further.
“Emerald!!!”
“Yeah…! *Hkrgh!* Fuck! We saw…!”
Immediately, Yang saw three figures move to counteract the new influx of Grimm. They maneuvered to prevent the Boarbatusk from causing further damage. But as effective as they proved, their enemies were repeatedly surrounding them.
“EM!!! HEY!!!”
“Don’t worry about us! Just get to Temujin!”
“But what about you guys?!”
“We’ll hold the choke…! Get your ass over there already!”
“Emerald…”
“Don’t worry. Worst comes to worst, we’ll make a run for it…! We’re good at that, remember?”
“…Make sure you do.”
“Obviously…!”
Yang pretended not to notice how tired Emerald really sounded. She then, heard a few taps on the radio, which could only be from Neo.
“I love you too, babe. Let me know if I need to double back,” she replied. “I can’t lose you.”
“I know. I will,” Mercury interrupted.
“Haha…!” Yang chuckled. “Don’t die out there, Merc. Still need to open that weapons shop.”
“Yeah, which reminds me. We are getting paid for this gig, right? Make sure Temujin stays alive long enough to pay our reward?”
“You got it, bud.”
Yang waited a moment, before she turned her gaze from her team to the Hanging Gardens ahead.
She had been holding it out, but the deep sinking feeling in her chest was starting to give way. There was no telling when the Grimm would finally break through the West as easily as it could be from the North or South. The girl tightened her fist and felt Aura strain at her summons. She barely had anything left in the tank after Operation Gun Dog, Behemoth, and subduing Inna.
Yang long learned to never stop fighting until the very end, and in no way was her spirit dampened. But the truth was becoming clearer that today may be their day of days. If it was, she wondered if Cinder and Weiss would order Team ENMY’s retreat before then. She wondered if they would obey it if it came down.
Can we still win this?
Yang stared to the back of the cockpit, where Raven absentmindedly tapped the hilt of her sword with impatience.
No, we have to.
I don’t know how, but we will.
I don’t care how bad it looks or what future Mouse and Knives saw.
I can’t let things end this way.
I won’t!
As if reading Yang’s thoughts, Raven noticed her stare and nodded solemnly.
No.
I’m not the only one who won’t let things just end this way.
.
X X X X X
.
Back at Atlas HQ, the Queen regents and Board of Directors watched the increasing direness of Vacuo’s situation with widened eyes.
“How far out are the reinforcement Fleet?” Cinder asked for the update.
“Fifteen hours ma’am,” the adjutant replied. “Three hours for the light transport sortie.”
The officer neglected to tell her it was probably the fifth time she asked in the last half hour. She could see the Black Queen was barely keeping herself from shouting the orders.
At that moment, a small blip ringed on her tablet.
“Ma’am…” the officer called uncertainly.
“What is it?”
“The light transport, Swordfish is requesting permission to proceed ahead of the group.”
“Patch them through.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
With a few key commands, the adjutant secured a line to the team onboard the Swordfish vessel.
“Hey, head honchos!” Coco Adel’s image flared on the projection. “Give Team CFVY the go already. With this ship, we should be able to make it within the hour.”
“Your team is tasked primarily with Team ENMY’s extraction, NOT as a reinforcement element,” Cinder snarled.
“Yeah, but you haven’t given them the order to tail it yet. So, what’s the fuss in letting us get there early and waiting?”
“And if they needed emergency evacuating, but you were neutralized while ‘waiting’. What, then?”
“We can still do our job and help Vacuo.”
“You’re only one team.”
“Weiss! I’ll cut my commission in half if you let us go right now!” Coco shouted.
Cinder turned to her fellow Queen, who had her eyes closed in deep thought. When she opened them, the girl glared right at Coco’s hologram, as if they were speaking in person.
“Nothing reckless! Your primary objective is to assist Team ENMY. Understood?”
“Loud and clear!” Coco whooped.
Weiss looked to the teammates behind her. The image was fuzzy, but she could see Velvet, Yatsuhashi, and Fox show signs of relief. It may have been her imagination, but she might have seen Velvet mouth a small thank you.
“Be careful, Team CFVY,” Weiss cautioned.
“Roger. Team CFVY out,” Coco confirmed.
The White Queen breathed a troubled sigh, intentionally avoiding Cinder’s gaze. Rather than waiting, she extended the first words.
“I think there was a fifty-fifty chance Team CFVY was going to disobey orders, and fly ahead.”
“I would have put the odds closer to eighty-twenty,” Cinder smiled.
Just then, a number of blips came in requesting communications.
“What is this?” Weiss muttered.
“M-ma’ams,” the adjutant started with a small hitch in her voice. “T-they’re requests to sortie ahead. All light transports are saying they are ready and willing to burn their fuel reserves to arrive at Vacuo ahead of schedule. The same requests are being made of General Ironwood and Captain Trafalgar of the main fleet.”
Weiss was struck silent for a moment.
“……If they do that, they won’t have enough Dust for the journey back should the worst happen.”
“They know, ma’am,” the officer nodded, trying to keep a straight face. “They’re aware and requesting permission.”
Weiss looked to Cinder for an explanation, but was only met with the same confusion. The officer then, patched the main projection into what the reinforcement Fleet was viewing.
They were images of Vacuo’s people fighting relentlessly against the Grimm, as they were being torn apart. Many raged, many cried, and they fought harder for the ally who fell mere moments ago, only a few feet away. There wasn’t a single warrior on the battlefield that wasn’t covered in wounds.
Another soldier fell. Her partner took their weapon and slew the Grimm with it. And then, they also died.
What precious few airships Vacuo possessed, dropped like flies. The pilots, who knew their deaths were imminent, made sure to steer their crafts so they would land among the enemy. Any survivors of the crash fought, while missing their limbs.
Emerald, Neo, and Mercury could be seen battling despite their exhaustion. They were surrounded and outnumbered, but held themselves to keeping the choke in the Wall under control. Nothing but the sheerest of wills moved them now. Blood stained their figures head to toe.
“Emerald…!” Cinder bit her lip.
She was ready to pick up the communicator and order their retreat. There was never a time she was closer to doing it than now.
…
Yet, she couldn’t bring herself—and she wasn’t all too sure why.
“Cinder.”
The Black Queen felt Weiss’ hand hold hers. The cool touch alleviated the pain she didn’t notice from her nails digging into her palm.
“They’ll be fine. Help is on the way,” Weiss told her.
“…I know.”
“They won’t fight alone.”
“No…”
“…They won’t.”
.
X X X X X
.
Before Mouse could understand what was happening, dark mist clouded his sight. There was a violent vacuum that dragged his body across what felt like a world over. And then, his feet hit solid ground, sliding upon landing.
“No! What?!”
As he spun to take in his new surroundings, he recognized that he was somewhere in Vacuo’s bazaars. Empty stalls and vacant roads were all he could see. The residents and workers had long been evacuated to the bunkers.
His sight eventually settled on a large shadowy cat with smoke billowing its body. Mouse understood what had happened. Blake had warped him away from the throne room.
“NO!” he cried.
“I’m sorry,” a girl’s soft voice could barely be heard.
And then, Blake’s figure vanished with a puff.
…
Summer was at her wit’s end fighting Adam and Camlann at the same time. Using a body that wasn’t hers had its limits. She was also unable to access her Semblance.
As she dodged within a millimeter of having her head cut off by Camlann and her forehead sliced open by Adam, she made a hasty jump back. Summer touched a hand to her hair, and found it a few locks short.
No.
I’m cutting it too close.
If this wasn’t hard enough, if I get hurt once, Knives will wake up.
I’ll lose possession immediately.
As Knives curled her hands in frustration, she heard a voice come from the other side of the throne room.
“Summer!” Temujin yelled. “Stop risking her life!”
“And maybe you should stop trying to give up yours!”
“This is no joke! I will never forgive you if any harm comes to her! Do you hear me?!”
Even though it was Knives’ body, Temujin could see the outline of Summer’s appearance behind her. An older woman, with an overpowering presence despite a gentle nature. A calm determination that reminded her too much of Shepherd.
“You can’t just be brave for yourself, Temujin,” Summer said. “I used to think I was responsible for other’s lives too. But Raven, your daughter, taught me people’s lives are their own.” The woman smiled sadly. “And it’s always their lives to risk. You have to have the courage to see it through on their behalf too.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about! This will be meaningless if I lose her. She and Mouse must lead our people.”
“It’s you who doesn’t understand. I’m pushing her body beyond what it’s capable of. Knives is asleep, but I can hear her. She’s screaming, begging me to fight harder—to push harder.”
“…”
“You may have given up, but she hasn’t. I want to grant her wish to its end.”
“Oh, you’re granting wishes now?”
A cloud of dark billowing mass exploded from the empty space and Blake emerged forth. The light in her eyes was glazed and distant. Her face was vacant of emotion, yet something seethed below the tone.
“Salem. Long time no see,” Knives greeted.
“Summer Rose.”
“Still have the spare time to chat, even while fighting Titan?”
“Please, the Old One possesses all the threat of a bothersome mosquito. In fact, I believe the only true adversary I have left in this pathetic remnant is the one standing before me.”
“Wow. Flattered, but I’m not really here,” Summer chuckled.
Blake went silent for a short moment.
“…How did you do it?”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Summer grinned.
“I should have known. Raven couldn’t have broken the first contract on her own. You helped her. How?”
The little girl stared blankly back, before shrugging. As if to imply she still had no idea what the other was talking about.
“Hmph,” Salem scoffed. “I doubt you could perform that feat now. This isn’t your body.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Shall we test it?”
“I’m game, if you’re game, Sally.”
Blake glared with an intensity like she could burn a hole through her. But Knives only smiled back with the sort of fierce defiance only a child could have before a deity. It was a duel daring the other to make the first move. A decision to call Summer’s bluff, or concede.
“…Hm. I believe our fated moment will arrive soon enough,” Salem grinned. “A time where we won’t be communicating through proxies, but a meeting face-to-face.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Summer answered.
“Hmph.”
The Witch moved her gaze from Knives to someone past her.
“I believe this is the first time we’ve been formally introduced. I am—”
“I know who you are!” Temujin hacked a large spit to the side. “You’re some dusty, ancient cunt, who wants to be forever young by possessing younger people.”
…
…
…
The figure of Knives bent over, clutching her stomach in pain. Summer was trying to stifle her uncontrollable laughter, but was failing. Abrupt snorts escaped through the hands and they would not stop.
“I knew I’d find you insufferable,” Salem scowled.
“And I knew you’d be a boring, pretend-goth, edgelord!”
“…”
More painful cries from Knives echoed the silent throne room.
…
“You like that?!” Temujin glowered. “Ilia taught me that one. I have no idea what it means, but it felt right. And it felt good.”
“Are those truly the last words you wish to part your life with?” Salem asked.
“I have a few more. There’s a list somewhere.” The elder woman started patting her clothes. “Must’ve misplaced it. Had some other good ringers for you.”
“Enough.”
In that moment, three things happened at once. At the Witch’s command, Camlann charged Temujin with his claymore thrust towards her head. The blow was stopped by Summer, who barely caught the sword between two daggers. But her strength alone would have been easily overwhelmed. The only thing that kept her from dying was Temujin activating her Semblance.
The Grimm knight groaned with an unearthly bellow through the slits of its mouthguard. Its surrounding environment worked to kill it, but as testament to its strength, it did not collapse like so many others. Camlann had more than a hardiness found in many of its class. Its entire entity was birthed by the malice held towards Temujin. The final breath of countless Crusaders, who cursed the Great Khan’s name.
In a sense, Camlann was the pinnacle of what a Grimm was.
Even in the face of Temujin and Summer’s combined strength, the monster made one heavy step forward after another. And with that single repeated motion, strained everything Temujin and Summer had.
While the contest of wills proceeded, Blake paid the scene with a light applause.
“A valiant effort. Almost poetic.”
““…!””
Neither Temujin or Summer could muster a comeback. Stressful breaths escaped them in short, stuttering heaves. Sweat coated their skin with increasing fatigue.
“This is exactly reflective of our so-called War. You cannot possibly win, yet you struggle nonetheless. Allow me to enlighten you on a little fact, Temujin.”
“…”
“I know full well what your death will bring. The Faunus will cry with outrage. They may even fight my Grimm back for a time. I very much expect it.”
“…”
“But hold no illusions with you, when you make your journey into the afterlife. Vacuo’s time is over. Its end is not just a certainty, but an eventuality.”
“…I’ll…! Kill…! You…!”
“Tsk tsk. Offer your life to the masses as much as you like—”
“For there will be no victory in strength.”
.
X X X X X
.
Emerald was reaching her breaking point.
Her Semblance was stressed to its absolute limits. There were too many minds, too many senses she was coordinating at once. She was constantly flirting with the threshold of a complete brain meltdown. But at the sign of five Vacuo soldiers watching a new break in the Wall form, she pushed her Enchantments harder.
Emerald tried to separate her physical perception from her mental, but she couldn’t shut out the cluster headaches that formed. Her nose was bleeding, practically able to hear the little droplets touch the ground. She inadvertently shuffled her feet, because she almost lost conscious along with her balance. Her shoe knocked slightly against one of the four Godmothers she burned through.
The Western Wall was crawling with Grimm. Its Dust lining worn through the endless tidal waves of creatures sacrificing their bodies against it. The turrets, which used to be the main deterrent, had long been destroyed. And more Grimm climbed over the ramparts with each passing second.
Still, the warriors of Vacuo defended the choke point. Mercury and the other aerial units took down countless of their flying counterparts. Neo was reduced to using the bare minimum to slay the Grimm with the other foot soldiers. Nothing but her physical agility and swordsmanship to commit, but hundreds of their foes fell nonetheless by it.
Emerald felt a stray bone projectile cut her cheek, and almost slipped her mental link. The warriors she coordinated with, sensed it and immediately went to shield her. No care given to their pre-existing wounds.
It was a desperate battle. A miracle in itself they were somehow managing with the forces they had. News over the comm channels told them the North was facing a similar assault, but without the gap in their Wall.
“Em, you need a break!” Mercury told her.
“And who’s going to make this work if I don’t?”
“This fight isn’t going to end any time soon. We’ll need you for the rest of it.”
“Yeah, except Bean’s putting his focus here. I can tell by how the Grimm are moving. If he’s masterminding these fuckers, the only way we hold him off is I keep masterminding our guys back!”
“We can brute force it till you catch a breath.”
“…Oh, hallelujah. Guess I’ll be getting that break after all. You and Neo get your asses back here too.”
Mercury didn’t have to ask why Emerald had a sudden change of mind. About a dozen Atlesian light crafts answered the question for him. One particularly silver-nosed ship, the first to arrive, rained a relentless barrage of machine gun fire from above.
Androids were deployed all around the funnel area, providing support to Vacuo’s warriors and Team ENMY.
After the Grimm’s waves were subdued somewhat, Emerald noticed a lessened coordination. Bean diverted his attentions back to the North theater, as soon as Atlas reinforcements arrived.
“Fffffuck…!” Emerald retracted her mental links and staggered back a few steps. “About freakin’ time these guys showed up.”
Behind her, the Swordfish landed. From its passenger doors, a team of familiar faces stepped out.
“Hey, Emmy~♪ Been a while, huh?” Coco waved. “Do we get a thank you for pulling your ass out of the fire?”
“If I remember right, we should be square from some shit back in Atlas.”
“Nah, you’re remembering wrong. I’ll send you an invoice for our services later.”
“Asshole.”
“Come on. You know you can’t let money stand between good friends.”
“That’s exactly something I would do, and is that what we are?”
As Team CFVY approached, Mercury and Neo joined Emerald. The two teams crossed, and a number of high-fives were exchanged.
“Tag, you’re in,” Emerald groaned.
“Take a knee, kiddo. You’ll owe me,” Coco grinned.
“You guys got energy drinks in that thing?” Mercury pointed to the Swordfish.
“I would not drink it. They taste awful,” Yatsuhashi replied.
“The worst tasting ones are the best ones.”
“That is…completely untrue.”
“Thanks so much for your hard work, you guys,” Velvet said with heartfelt gratitude.
Neo smiled tiredly, and gave her a light pat on the butt.
“Ah!”
Go get ‘em.
“Er, yes. We will!”
Trading places with ENMY, Team CFVY went into the siege defense with a furious motivation. Meanwhile, Emerald and the rest of her crew collapsed into the Swordfish’s interior.
They knew their break would only last half an hour at most. The main Atlesian Fleet was still far away. What reinforcements arrived would not hold out until then by themselves.
Mercury knocked over a nearby cooler, and started draining energy drinks into his open mouth.
“Dude…” Emerald could only comment.
“Don’t judge. You want one?”
“No.” She eyed a thermos with her name on it, along with the price of five-thousand lien written jokingly at the end. “Coco’s special ice coffee. Good shit.”
Neo rummaged through the cooler and found a few ice cream bars set aside for her. It appeared Velvet had left a thank you note next to it as well.
As their team took their long-deserved break, they practically inhaled what they considered their late lunch. Too tired to eat, but forced whatever they could into their stomachs. They watched from a safe distance as the Wall remained a desperate battlefield, ready to jump in at any moment.
There was no talk. They couldn’t afford to. And their thoughts of Yang were obvious, and didn’t need voicing.
It was everything they could do to recover and then will themselves back into the fray.
Half an hour. A time that passed all too quickly, and at the same time, not fast enough. They would not rejoin the fight if they had a choice. No one in their right mind would.
But what they wanted was not what the world needed. Vacuo needed its warriors. Remnant needed its Enemy.
Mercury chucked another empty can into the street, before he began chugging a new one midstride. Emerald stretched her neck and pressed her knuckles to her temples. Neo moved silently, without any excess motion.
She bade one look in the direction of the Hanging Gardens. Even if it was brief, catching a glimpse of Yang was enough to lift her spirits.
“Oh, there ain’t no rest for the wicked,” Emerald sang.
“Money don’t grow on trees.
I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed.
There ain’t nothin’ in this world for free.
Oh no, I can’t slow down, I can’t hold back.”
“Though you know, I wish I could.”
.
X X X X X
.
“No, there ain’t no wish for the Wicked. Until we close our eyes for good~”
Salem murmured the last part of the song, while watching the events swirl around her. The landscape around them drifted in and out without rhyme or reason. A world at a crossroads of all the available paths fate could turn.
She stared at the multiple incarnations of Titan littering the ground. Each with bated breath, trying to stay conscious after their lengthy fight, which eventually brought them to the Never Realm.
Salem waved her hand and summoned the events happening around Vacuo like multiple memories playing out.
Her army in the South resumed its march after dragging Titan out of the physical plane. Vacuo’s Northern Wall was facing heavy siege from the Grimm under Bean’s command. And now, more of her forces were being committed to the crack in the West.
“And, so falls the great and mighty titan,” she said with sarcastic flair.
“I’ve lived long enough,” the Old Ones responded in unison.
“I wasn’t speaking of you. I was referring to Vacuo and…” With another wave of her hand, Hanging Garden’s throne room surrounded them. “…her.”
Camlann was advancing ever so slowly. Summer mustered every strength she could to stop the blow from reaching Temujin, and Temujin was doing all she could to save Knives.
“This is the part where you would normally run. So, why haven’t you?”
Titan’s bodies felt the Witch’s curse quicken in their blood streams.
“…You truly mean to die.”
“Hah…! You sound almost disappointed with my defeat!” the Old One spat back. “I thought you would be delighted.”
“Oh, I am. I just assumed there were still a few more vain attempts in you before the end. Some last-ditch efforts, but alas—I once again find myself overestimating my age-old adversary. As if my impression of you could be any lower.”
“This fight has been over for me…long before Vacuo.”
“Indeed,” she sighed. “Look at them all, Titan. So small. Their very conceptual awareness is flawed.”
“Is it? I rather think it is the opposite.”
“This world is at an end. It’s been at its end for a while, before they were even born. Remnant is a ghost, a flawed byproduct of a figment that was never meant to be. You know this better than anyone.”
“What I know is wrong.”
“You still believe?”
Salem made the images spin like a twisted carousel. Every life lost in real time flashed before their eyes. Bodies going cold, the souls leaving their vessels, the last beat of their hearts before their final breath extinguished.
“They are entertaining little creatures. So weak, but very much entertaining,” the Witch admitted.
“Yes, they are. As weak as possible, but also as strong as when it requires. Never too much, never too little. Just right,” the Wizard rasped.
Salem cocked her head with suspicion. A paranoia flitted her expression, before she shook it away.
“No, this is enough. In Oberon’s memory, in your brother’s memory, I thought I could hold one decent conversation with you before you died. But true to form, you speak of nothing but foolish drivel.”
“Feeling lonely? The only immortal left will be Masa.”
“I’m sure I’ll find a way to cope with your loss.”
““Hahaha!”” an echoing cacophony of the reincarnations laughed.
In the midst of the immortals’ banter, one reincarnation separated Qrow from the others. The two had fled the battlefield ahead of time, and masked their presence.
“It’s about time you made your exit, Qrow.”
“What are you talking about, Oz? This isn’t the deal.”
“The rest of us will manage on our own. Your task is far from over.”
Ozpin took Qrow’s hand, and pressed something into it. The veteran Huntsman turned it over, examining it with intense curiosity.
It was a gold knight chess piece. A familiar artifact Qrow had seen once before. Something he spotted in the corner of Team RWBY’s dorm back at Beacon. Apparently, they had been used as Relics in their entrance exam.
“You know, I’ve granted so many wishes over the years,” part of Ozpin and part of Titan mused. “This may be the first time I���ve entrusted another with my own.”
“Titan…” Qrow could only mutter.
“Please, bring this to Yang Xiao Long. This is my final request.”
“……What is it?”
“Hm.”
Ozpin put a hand to his chin and chuckled lightly.
“I believe your niece referred to it once as,”
“A cute little pony.”
…
…
The reincarnations all paused in their laughter. They sensed Qrow leave the Never Realm, making for the Hanging Gardens in his shapeshifted form. Their Relic firmly in his possession.
“I’m a bit tired,” Titan sighed. “But I think I do have one more ‘vain attempt’ in me,” he smirked at Salem.
The Wizard arranged quick transportation for Taiyang Xiao Long with his last bit of influence on the physical world.
And with that, I have fulfilled the wish Summer made to me, which I refused so long ago.
If only I had tried to grant it from the beginning, maybe I wouldn’t have pushed her away.
Too late for that now, I suppose.
Together, the reincarnations of the Old One rose to their feet. A reverent green light encompassed them all. Their expressions steeled with a hallowed resolve.
“SO, THE END COMES!”
The swarm of past lives attacked the Witch like an army bent on its own destruction.
And the death of the Immortal Titan came to pass.
.
X X X X X
.
Blake blinked.
Her pupils dilated and readjusted, while in the throne room. She opened and closed her hand to test her reflexes. The sensation of the possession was now completely different.
Ah, so he destroyed the vessel with that last move.
Vain attempt, indeed.
Merely accelerated my transference to this one.
The Witch gave a low, rolling laugh.
Before her, was still the stalemate between Temujin, Summer, and Camlann. Adam was the only one to really notice the change in Blake.
Salem could barely control herself. She couldn’t stop laughing. Her shoulders shuddered and her cheeks were starting to feel sore. And then, she noticed something odd, which put an end to her fit.
Light tears trickled down her face.
…
…
…Am I actually mourning that old fool?
I hated him.
And, still.
“I’ve had enough of this,” the Witch growled. “I am growing tired as well…old friend.”
She bit her lip, and was overcome with emotions she hadn’t felt in centuries.
“We will find our peace. You, your brother, and I. Not in this lifetime…”
“…but the next.”
.
X X X X X
.
“You’ve done enough, Summer!” Temujin shouted at the small back defending her. “Take Knives, and leave!”
“I won’t!” Summer refused. “I have promises to keep…!”
“You need to let whatever needs to happen, happen. You said yourself, other people’s lives are to do with as they please.”
“That’s only true for people still willing to fight! You resigned to your fate, so it doesn’t count…!”
Temujin could feel her Semblance waning, while she argued with Summer. There would soon be nothing to stop Camlann from running Knives through, and herself after. She wondered what else she could say to plead the woman into leaving. She wondered if it was possible at all.
“Summer…please. Take Knives and go.”
“The answer is still no,” Summer shook her head vehemently. “Nope!”
“You’re so foolish. I’ll never forgive you.”
“Nope! The stupid thing would be to leave you here on your own. And that’s a mistake I’ve already made…!”
“…”
“Nope! We can still do the right thing!”
Knives and Summer’s eyes shone with a twinkling silver. A vision of the future was deviating from its set course. The memory shaped and aligned to something Summer once saw in a dream. Yang and Raven were close. Qrow was on his way. Taiyang was exiting a green police box outside.
“They’re going to be here soon, Temujin. If you want to give up after this, that’s fine because I might actually join you. But not before my team’s had their turn!”
“…What are you talking about?”
Summer’s mischievous grin grew from ear to ear.
“STRQ Team’s last mission!”
#rwby#yang xiao long#emerald sustrai#neopolitan#mercury black#raven branwen#qrow branwen#taiyang xiao long#Summer Rose#TEAM STRQ#ENMY
1 note
·
View note
Text
Attack On Titan: Zeke's First 10 Battles
New Post has been published on https://attackontitanmerch.store/attack-on-titan-zekes-first-10-battles/
Attack On Titan: Zeke's First 10 Battles
Zeke Yeager was a very important character throughout Attack on Titan. These battles were truly impressive and did not go unnoticed.
Throughout Attack on Titan, Zeke Yeager was a pivotal character. He was the heir to the Beast Titan, one of the manga series’ most powerful characters. As a result, he fought in numerous battles against some of the world’s most formidable opponents. These battles were truly spectacular, and they did not go unnoticed. There’s something special about looking back at a character’s early fights after they’ve accomplished so much in the series.
These are Zeke’s ten first fights, ranging from being a child who Marley transformed into a warrior candidate to defeat their enemies to his role in causing the Rumbling to occur.
Marley’s Warriors Destroyed An Entire Nation
After Zeke, Pieck, Marcel, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie inherited the Beast, Cart, Jaw, Armored, Colossal, and Female Titans, they were given the task of destroying a nation so Marley could see how powerful they were. Marley was impressed by Zeke’s pitching abilities, which allowed him to attack his enemies from afar by throwing debris at them.
Though little is known about this battle, it is believed to be the first time any of the warriors fought.
Zeke Allowed A Group Of Titans To Eat Mike
Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, and Marcel had not returned to Marley after years on Paradis, so Zeke and Pieck were sent to find them. Mike, Paradis’ second strongest soldier at the time, was one of the first people Zeke met there.
Mike, on the other hand, was too stunned to fight back when he met Zeke, who threw his horse at him before attempting to communicate with him. Zeke eventually ordered Mike to be killed by the normal titans who surrounded them.
Zeke Attacked Utgard Castle
After turning the villagers of Ragako into titans, Zeke used them to attack the soldiers in Utgard Castle, including Reiner and Bertholdt. A couple of the soldiers there died, with Reiner, Bertholdt, Historia, and Connie only surviving because Ymir revealed that she was the inheritor of the Jaw Titan and rescued them, with the help of the Survey Corps.
Once they did, Zeke backed down and waited to fight the Survey Corps, while Reiner and Bertholdt turned their backs on their friends.
Zeke And Reiner Fought Each Other
Now joining forces with his comrades again, Zeke disagreed with Reiner and Bertholdt on what they should do next in their war against Paradis.
Reiner and Bertholdt wanted to save Annie while Zeke wanted to fight the Survey Corps at Shiganshina, especially after learning that Eren was his younger brother. To decide what they would do, Zeke and Reiner fought each other, with the Beast Titan proving that he was stronger.
Zeke Killed Many Survey Corps Soldiers In Shiganshina And Fought Levi
The Survey Corps fought against the Warrior Unit and sealed the hole in Shiganshina in order to reclaim all of Paradis from the titans. Zeke was able to trap his opponents, including Erwin, Floch, and Marlowe, during the battle. As a result, they all sacrificed themselves in the hopes of distracting Zeke while Levi killed him.
Zeke, on the other hand, noticed what was going on and fought humanity’s strongest soldier. He was almost killed when Levi was able to insert his blade into the Beast Titan’s mouth. The only reason he lived was because Levi hesitated to kill him and Pieck came to his aid.
The Warriors Defeated The Mid-East Allied Forces
A few years after they returned to Marley from Paradis, Zeke and the other warriors helped their military defeat the Mid-East Allied Forces at Fort Slava. Zeke played a huge role in the ending of the war.
After Gabi destroyed the armored train, Zeke used his screaming abilities to transform Eldian prisoners into titans that ate his enemies. He also threw debris at their ships, taking down their navy.
Zeke Pretended To Fight The Survey Corps When They Invaded Marley
Marley’s enemies were much closer than they thought as Eren had snuck went there, disguising himself as a patient, and instructed the Survey Corps to follow. When they did, the warriors and soldiers fought against each other again, and it seemed that Levi had finally killed the Beast Titan.
However, when the Survey Corps retreated, it was revealed that Zeke had deceived Marley for years and was able to start working with the Eldians in Paradis after their battle in Shiganshina.
Zeke And Levi Fought Again
Though they had helped each other, Levi still didn’t trust Zeke at all. He kept him hostage in a forest, surrounded by a lot of soldiers. However, Zeke was able to trick the soldiers into drink his spinal fluid and turned them all into titans when the moment was right.
Levi had to kill his former comrades and fought Zeke after. While it seemed that Levi won the fight, Zeke was able to injure humanity’s strongest soldier and got away.
Zeke And Eren Fought The Warriors At Shiganshina
The Marleyan military invaded Shiganshina in order to exact revenge on Paradis. The Yeager brothers attempted to communicate with one another in order to travel to the coordinate, but were attacked by the other warriors. Many Eldians in Shiganshina, including Falco, drank Zeke’s spinal fluid before the battle.
Falco ate Porco and inherited the Jaw Titan when he transformed them, allowing Eren to get closer to Zeke. Gabi, on the other hand, shot him in the head. Zeke was able to catch it, saving Eren, and they went inside the coordinate, but it ruined all of his plans.
Eren Controlled Zeke During The Rumbling
When Eren and Zeke finally arrived at the coordinate, Eren revealed that he didn’t actually agree with Zeke’s plan to stop Eldians from being born. Instead, he convinced Ymir Fritz to start the Rumbling. As thousands of people died, Eren and Zeke’s former comrades teamed up with each other to stop Eren.
In their battle against him, Eren controlled Zeke, having him attack them when they caught up. When Zeke eventually gained control of himself again and left the coordinate, he allowed Levi to decapitate him.
Visit us to buy Attack on Titan Official Merch.
0 notes
Text
The Rocks Crew
Legendary and active 38 years ago before the adventures of One Piece began, the Rock Pirates consisted of powerful pirates - renowned and feared. Indeed, this crew had as members three of the four future Yonkô, namely Kaido of the Hundred Beasts , Charlotte Linlin alias Big Mom and Edward Newgate alias Whitebeard, the Strongest Man in the World . There was also Shiki the Golden Lion, captain of The Golden Lion Pirates, and John, aka Captain John, who later became one of Thriller Bark's Zombie Generals.
This crew was under the direction of Rocks D. Xebec, a famous and influential captain before the Gol D. Roger era. He was not only one of the most powerful crews, but also one of the greatest threats of their time to the World Government. 🗽 Its dissolution took place 38 years ago following the God Valley incident between Rocks and Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp . In addition, the World Government has done everything to make the name of this crew and its deeds fall into oblivion by intentionally concealing them.
Captain of the Rocks:
At the head of this crew was Rocks D. Xebec who were simply called Rocks. If the latter is no longer in this world today, it nevertheless had its heyday 40 years ago. According to Sengoku the Buddha, the former Admiral Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Rocks was one of the most formidable adversaries that Monkey D. Garp aka The Hero of the Navy had to face. He was also the first opponent of Pirate King Gol D. Roger and his most formidable rival.
Let us note besides that Rocks D. Xebec had for ambition to conquer the world and to become the Master of it. His power is such that he ruled the seas for quite a while until the arrival of Gol D. Roger. In addition, the latter had to ally temporarily with the Navy and Monkey D. Garp in order to stop Rocks and his crew who had given themselves the mission of attacking God Valley, an island in the New World and the stronghold of the Heavenly Dragons. . An impressive battle ensued, which led to the defeat and disbandment of the Rock Pirates, but also to the complete disappearance of the island. 🏝️
Devil Fruit from Rocks D. Xebec
As seen, Rocks D. Xebec is so powerful that Roger and Garp had to form an alliance to be able to defeat him. Apart from the fact that Rocks has been seen with a saber, his skills have unfortunately not yet been revealed to this day. However, there is a theory that this character had a Logia-type Devil Fruit 👹, the Yami Yami no Mi or Fruit of Darkness.. This hypothesis is based on the outcome of the God Valley incident which caused God Valley to be razed from the map. Indeed, the island where the World Nobles were located has completely disappeared and is no longer present on any existing map following the terrible clash between Roger and Garp and Rocks. The question arises of what really happened during this fight for an entire island to disappear from the face of the earth. And it is here that the hypothesis of the use of Yami Yami no Mi by Rocks D. Xebec arises.
Recall quickly that this Fruit 🍇 of the Devil allows its user to control darkness as well as gravity. Thanks to this, the user can absorb everything around him in darkness, be it objects or even living beings. He also has the possibility of creating a kind of vortex, like a black hole, in which he sucks up whatever he wants. The theory of Rocks using the power of this Devil Fruit during the Banaro incident can be compared to another event known as the Banaro incident which pitted Portgas D. Ace alias Ace with the Burning Fists against Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard . First of all, these events are both called incident, which could not be a coincidence for the followers of this theory.
Note that in the Banaro incident, Blackbeard had used the Yami Yami no Mi to absorb into its darkness the entire city where the fight was taking place and then expel it in ruins. It is also important to remember that at the end of this confrontation, it is practically the whole of the island of Banaro which was consumed by a gigantic explosion of energy caused by the darkness of Teach in contact with the ultimate Ace technique Dai Enkai: Entei, also from his Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi .
The theory is therefore that Rocks D. Xebec would also have used the Yami Yami no Mi, which had the effect of absorbing the island of God Valley. The Captain of the Rocks Crew would have been the first owner of this Devil Fruit and this would also be the reason why Teach did everything to get it back. Indeed, the hypothesis does not stop there, it goes even further by drawing parallels between the characters who played a role in these two incidents. Each of these incidents featured clashes between three named characters with the particle "D". That of God Valley pitted Monkey D. Garp and Gol D. Roger against Rocks D. Xebec while, for that of Banaro, there was Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy against Marshall D. Teach .
In addition, these characters would have quite a special bond between them: Roger is the father of Ace, Garp is the grandfather of Luffy and Rocks would therefore have an affiliation with Teach, the latter having renamed his ship Le Saber ⚔️ de Xebec for a precise reason and not by mere chance. For Blackbeard, the Yami Yami no Mi would therefore have a special meaning, hence his need to recover him at all costs.
On the one hand, it would be his inheritance from Xebec because they both have an affiliation to each other and, on the other hand, it would allow him to carry on Xebec's will, that of conquer the world. Note also that before Blackbeard stole it, this Devil Fruit was previously in the hands of Thatch, the Commander of the 4th Division of the Whitebeard fleet , while the latter was himself a former member of the 'Rocks Crew. So it cannot be a simple coincidence.
A final point to be made in support of this theory is that Emperor Teach chose Pirate Island 🏴☠️ as his residence. Indeed, it is on this island that Rocks trained its crew more than 40 years ago. It could therefore be that Teach's choice is not trivial, but is important to him because of his potential relationship with Xebec.
History of the Rocks crew
Having long dominated the oceans, Rocks and his crew were one of the greatest threats the World Government has faced, even to this day. This dominance only ended 38 years ago following the God Valley incident, which led to the advent of the Gol D. Roger era. This crew was born on Pirate Island, also known as the Hive. We know that the understanding between the different members was very bad to the point that killings even within the crew were commonplace.
The captain's sole objective was to become King 🤴🏼 of the World and this crew looked more like a terrorist organization than anything else. By their actions, he represented a real danger for the World Government which it was absolutely necessary to put an end to. This need led Monkey D. Garp to forge an unprecedented alliance with Gol D. Roger in order to defeat this crew. So that's what happened 38 years ago in God Valley with the loss of Rocks and his crew. This victory even earned Garp his nickname of Hero of the Navy. It was also learned that after their defeat, the crew was disbanded and that Charlotte Linlin aka Big Mom had given Kaido the Uo Uo no Mi, a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, and the latter ate it. .
In the Reverie Arc, Garp the Hero teaches us that Rocks and his crew are a thing of the past, and their very existence now seems forgotten. It must be said that the World Government has intentionally concealed a large number of misdeeds perpetrated by the Rock crew. It even happens that the former members of this crew do not seem very inclined to evoke this period of their past. It is also in the Wano Kuni Arc, during a meeting of the Navy about the alliance that was established between the Emperors 👑 Big Mom and Kaido, that Sengoku revealed to us the belonging of many notorious pirates to this renowned crew.
This is notably the case of the Whitebeard Yonkos, Big Mom and Kaido but also of Shiki, Captain John, Ochoku and Silver Ax . Hina the Black Cage, Rear Admiral of the Navy, also recounted during the Reverie Arc that these former members of the Rock Pirates became more and more powerful even after their captain died. To which Garp replied that if this crew were to reform, it would mean a terrible threat to the Navy.
Rocks Crew Members:
Kaido
As mentioned above, Kaido was once under the Rock Pirates banner. Note, however, that at the time of the God Valley incident 38 years ago, he was just an apprentice on the crew. Following their loss to the Garp and Roger alliance and the death of their Captain, the crew broke up and Kaido received the Uo Uo no Mi from Charlotte Linlin aka Big Mom who considered him her little brother. For his part, Kaido formed his own crew, known today as the Hundred Beast Pirates. 🐲 The latter has a system similar to that of the Rocks, namely the concept of killings between members of the same crew in order to determine who are the most powerful members.
Indeed, Kaido retained from his time with the Rocks this idea that only the strongest should command and he applied it to his own crew. Thus, duels were often organized within the crew to allow members to compete. It was thus possible for a Headliner, and more precisely a Tobiroppo, to take the place of an Okanban (or Calamity), which is the highest rank of all the officers of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, if he arrives. to defeat it. Gradually, Kaido made a name for himself among the fiercest pirates thanks in particular to his incredible physical strength. He is both ruthless and very confident in his power and abilities. He even considers himself far superior to the Supernovae . He will get
Charlotte Linlin AKA Big Mom
Much like Kaido, Charlotte Linlin aka Big Mom was previously a member of the Rocks Pirates as well. You should know that Linlin has always been a real danger to everyone around him since his childhood. Even though she was born to human parents, she did indeed cause terrible damage due to her large size and uncontrollable strength. Abandoned by her parents at the age of five on Erbaf, an island populated by giants, 🧟♂️ she was responsible for the deaths and injuries of both people and animals. It is also at the origin of the destruction of a village.
The day of his six-year-old Linlin acquires the powers of Soru Soru no Mi . Shortly after, she began her pirate career with Streusen, who is now the chef of her crew. She began her acts of piracy by destroying villages to obtain candy, but soon her fame grew to the point of having a capture bounty of 50,000,000 Berrys. This amount quickly multiplied by 10 as she was feared and powerful. She then gave birth to her first child, a son named Charlotte Perospero 50 years ago. Soon after, she founded her family known as the Charlotte Family which today consists of her 85 children (46 sons and 39 daughters from 43 husbands).
It was then that she was called Big Mom . She then joined the Rocks Pirates before forming her own crew after their defeat at God Valley. Subsequently, she became one of the Four Emperors and Queen 👸🏼 of the Totto Lond Archipelago in the New World. In addition, she knew how to transform her crew into one of the most powerful in the world by recruiting famous pirates and by marrying her children without taking their opinion into account.
Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard
Edward Newgate was born on Sphinx Island in the New World and raised as an orphan. He embraced the career of a pirate at a young age with the aim of sending money to his homeland which was so poor that the World Government refused him to be a member. He was first part of a pirate crew under his real name Newgate and 40 years ago he was on the same ship as Bakkin who claimed to be his lover and to have had a child with him, Edward Weeble aka Barbe. Blanche 🧙🏼♂️ Jr, a former Captain Corsair .
It was subsequently that he joined the Rocks Pirates before they were defeated and disbanded during the God Valley incident 38 years ago. Five years later, he founded his own pirate crew, the Whitebeard Pirates. Three years later, he was shipwrecked at Wano where he met Kozuki Oden, Kuri's Daimyō , who joined his crew and later became the Commander of the Second Division of his fleet. Just like the previous two, Edward Newgate became one of the Four Emperors. He had such phenomenal power and strength that he was considered the strongest man in the world while he was still alive.
Whitebeard ate the Gura Gura no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, which gave him the power to slash through air and anything in his way. It thus had the capacity to cause tsunamis as well as earthquakes. It should also be noted that Edward Newgate had a perfect mastery of the 3 forms of Haki. He lost his life in the Battle of Marine Ford after telling Teach and everyone else present that One Piece, the famous treasure 💎 hidden by Gol D. Roger, really existed and that someone would find it for sure.
Shiki the Golden Lion
Known as Shiki the Golden Lion, Shiki was also a former member of the notorious Rock Pirates before its disbandment 38 years ago. Like his other former companions, he is not very talkative about this period of his life when he appears in the series. After his crew was defeated in God Valley, he fled and began a career as a pirate. He gradually built up a gigantic fleet and had the greatest number of pirates in his pay, which gave him great notoriety during the Gol D. Roger era against whom he fought several battles.
Note also that he wanted to recruit the King of the Pirates to be his second, an offer that the latter declined, which sparked the famous battle of Ed War between the large armada of Shiki and the Crew of Gol D. Roger . At the end of this major clash, Shiki saw his skull pierced by a piece of the helm of his ship without losing his life. In addition, he had lost half of his fleet to an unexpected 🌪️ storm, which allowed Roger and his crew to escape. In his youth, Shiki had stood up to Sengoku and Garp, which demonstrates the great strength he possessed. Its Paramecia type Devil Fruit, Fuwa Fuwa no Wi or Floating Fruit, grants it the power to lift any non-living object just by touching it. He was even seen floating several entire islands and other matter like water in the movie One Piece: Strong World .
It should be noted that Shiki was also an outstanding swordsman who used Meito-class swords : Oto and Kogarashi. He also used the latter to replace his legs 🦵🏼 which he had amputated to free himself from his Marine Granite chains while he was imprisoned in the Impel Down Underwater Prison. These swords also allowed him to fly thanks to the abilities of his Demon Fruit and escape from prison. So he became the first and only person to be able to escape Impel Down without the help of anyone from outside.
Captain john
Known primarily as Captain John, John was also a member of the Rocks Pirates. He was a famous pirate, greedy and brutal, he even had a disgust for the members of his own crew, which incidentally caused a revolt. When he died, his body was found by Dr. Hogback, a physician-surgeon in the pay of Grand Corsair Gecko Moria . These two characters then resurrected John's body to make him one of their Zombie Generals, 🧟♂️ given that he was a very powerful and feared pirate during his lifetime.
Unfortunately (for them), his addiction to alcohol followed him even once he became a zombie, rendering him ineffective in combat. Indeed, he was always lagging behind, refusing to obey orders and to fight. He was also easily knocked out by Oars aka The Continent Transporter and Dr. Hogback's Special Zombie # 900 after he sheltered Luffy's shadow stolen from the Thriller Bark Arc. Like all other zombies, he will be purified of his condition when their master wants to increase his power by absorbing all the stolen shadows.
Silver Ax
This character was first mentioned by former Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Sengoku during the Navy meeting to discuss the alliance that was established between Big Mom and Kaido . It was while discussing the former Rocks crew that Sengoku revealed that Silver Ax was one of them and that he was a renowned pirate just like Shiki, Captain John or Ochoku. This parallel therefore tells us that Silver Ax was subsequently a powerful or well-known pirate. However, not much is known about him or his story as of yet.
Ochoku
Like Silver Ax, not much is known about this character known as Ochoku, other than that he was also a member of the Rocks D. Xebec crew. It was also during this meeting between Navy officers that Sengoku was mentioned.
Crew of Legends
As has been seen throughout this article, the Rock Pirates are a legendary crew and whose known members virtually all later became true legends. In addition, its Captain Rocks D. Xebecwas single-handedly a renowned pirate having ruled the seas 🌊 for a time before being beaten and killed by Garp allied to Roger. Just seeing how powerful and feared each of its former members subsequently became, one can only conclude how formidable this crew was. Let
Read the full article
0 notes
Text
Headcanons: Summoner Spells
- Being a discourse over the technicalities behind the magic of Summoner Spells, as well as how they are applied by Renzus, a former Summoner. I’ll be covering just the ones from Summoner’s Rift, as these are probably the most well-known.
Read More’d for length.
Flash: Perhaps one of the most well-known spells used by the former Summoner order, Flash is nevertheless only taught to fully-fledged members due to the considerable risks involved. Instantaneous displacement of a living creature is no small feat, for the spell requires a hefty expenditure of mana on the Summoner’s part, briefly “shunting” the target of the spell through space and time. The spell requires incredibly precise magical control, for even the slightest mistake in its casting can send its target into somewhere disastrous and possibly fatal, such as inside a wall.
Renzus has refined the Flash technique to use considerably more subtlety, slipping quietly through a shadowy haze to his intended location rather than arrive in an obvious burst of light and sound. It is a technique he uses sparingly, however, for the strain involved precludes rapid or sustained usage.
Teleport: Unlike its short-ranged but instantaneous cousin Flash, teleportation is a spell with a few more drawbacks, exchanging freedom of destination and speed of arrival for sheer range. Teleport taps into the leylines ingrained within Runeterra itself, creating a temporal and spatial link between two often predetermined locales so that a creature or object may be sent through. Due to the nature of the spell, it is impossible to cast Teleport without a destination connected to some kind of arcane fixture. With that being said, Teleport seldom comes with any overt risks in its casting, merely a lengthy casting time that must go uninterrupted.
Teleport is one of the greatest secrets that Renzus possesses, and it is the reason behind his ability to travel Valoran quickly and coordinate the actions of the Crows and their allies seemingly without pause. One of the first things the Crows did during the Fall of the Institute was to secure access to its teleportation network, sequestering the linked nexus crystal within the Nest under heavy guard. Since then, they have established numerous clandestine teleportation circles in every major province, the better to swiftly travel undetected.
Ignite: The simplest offensive spell taught even to initiate Summoners, Ignite uses a rudimentary technique, but one focused enough that it inflicts grievous damage even in the hands of a novice. Ignite uses the ambient mana in all living things to create a blaze of magical fire, impossible to extinguish with mundane methods. The inferno is relatively short-lived, as the mana fueling the spell is swiftly consumed as its target burns, but most would say even the brief moment that the spell creates is sufficient.
Every Summoner often has a different expression or flair with which they employ Ignite, and Renzus is no different. While it is a technique that Renzus seldom employs due to its simplistic nature, he will not hesitate to start a conflagration when a show of force is required. His flames burn with a ruby-red blaze, empowered by the Crow’s superior knowledge of sorcery, burning harder and longer than the conventional spell.
Smite: Smite is another relatively simple spell, devised by the Summoner order originally to combat dangerous monsters and other foes untrained in magic. Smite has all the subtlety and brute force of a magical sledgehammer, a bolt of sheer mana conjured to strike an opponent with armour-piercing physical force. Devastating against beasts and monsters, Smite loses much of its edge against humanoid foes, who can either avoid the bolt or dampen it with the simple application of defensive magic.
When Renzus employs his mastery of the Smite spell, it is one with chilling precision and power, manifesting instead as arcs of crimson lightning that can disintegrate a man or blast through a foot-thick stone wall. Again, it is not a spell that the First Crow often employs, but when push comes to shove, it is one tool in his formidable arsenal.
Exhaust: A more insidious spell designed to hinder and weaken even the strongest warrior, Exhaust turns the target’s strength against them, a hex that is simultaneously an application of temporal manipulation as well as a curse of lethargy. The victim suddenly finds themselves bereft of strength and agility, fighting to move their limbs as if immersed in thick swampwater.
Renzus has not often had cause to employ Exhaust, for his methods often involve the swift and clinical execution of those in his way. However, should particularly dangerous opponents present themselves to him, Renzus knows to use it to slow pursuit and facilitate an easy escape.
Heal: The art of healing is well-known throughout Valoran, by magic-users of all kinds. The Summoner order’s version transfuses the recipient with restorative energy, accelerating the wounded individual’s metabolism to the point where injuries mend of their own accord. Because it functions in such a manner, Heal comes into play with minimal strings attached, unlike the shamanistic rituals used by primitive sorcerers and witch doctors, although there is only so much a body can do to heal itself, even with magical stimulus; successive Heal spells have diminishing returns, particularly against severe wounds that must still be treated over a longer period of rest.
Renzus has always maintained that his proficiency in healing is merely ‘competent’, although the truth of the matter is that he employs the Heal spell with the same precision and power that manifests in other forms of his magic. There is no unique spin on its spellwork, for the Crow sees no need to modify a spell with such a simple, straightforward purpose.
Barrier: The strongest defense is the simplest one, and Barrier is a simple, yet effective spell indeed. By channeling mana through an arcane ward, the Summoner can project an shield of invisible force that absorbs blows and deflects projectiles. The strength of a Barrier is only as much as the defender wishes to commit to it, which is often a matter of snap decision making; too strong a barrier, and the effort is wasted guarding against attacks that would have stood little chance of hurting the Summoner to begin with. Too weak, and the barrier would fail after a few impacts, leaving the Summoner defenseless.
The wards that Renzus employs are markedly different from the conventional spell. Rather than simply project a shield to absorb impacts, the barriers that Renzus manifests are brief but powerful slivers of force intended to parry aside rather than block, a technique that has taken him years of training and experience to master, but master it he has. It is a more efficient form of defense, one that Renzus can maintain for extended periods of time, and often against multiple aggressors at once.
Cleanse: Cleanse is a technique developed soon after the Heal spell was created, a modification of the flesh-weaving biomancy that its older cousin employs. Using a similar vein of restorative energy, Cleanse purges its target of harmful debilitation, as well as dampening the effects of hostile magic. While unable to restore strength and vitality in the same way that Heal does, Cleanse nevertheless proves a strong defensive option.
When Renzus employs Cleanse, it is often a swift, reactionary use designed to intercept a hex or debilitating spell as soon as it reaches him. Casting it almost purely on reflex, Renzus often uses it to stay moving while eluding capture, as well as serving as a useful tool for self-preservation considering the amount of poisoned food and drink that comes with operating in Valoran’s underworld.
#ooc#headcanon#headcanons#magic#summoner magic#summoner spells#just stuff i thought up#maybe it'll be interesting to someone
9 notes
·
View notes
Note
what do u think about the junk buffs?
As I discussed with @hikarain, here are some thoughts -
I know a lot of people are saying the buffs are “unfair” or “unneeded”, and I can understand both of those things. Junkrat’s Tire now has Lucio-level mobility, and his double-mines grant him Genji-style air time with the recharge behavior of Symmetra’s turrets. This is certainly going to make him more formidable in the right hands.
The thing is, Junkrat remains one of the most heavily countered characters in the entire game. He is heavily countered by Pharah, Zarya, Genji, any sniper, etc. About 1/3 if not more of the cast can also one-shot his Tire, making his ultimate a very easily countered thing if not quickly detonated or used from a surprise secret spot. Junkrat previously was less mobile, only sported 200 health, had one chance to escape from danger with his Mine, and had a Tire that was easily deletable, sometimes even before he finished putting it down. On top of that, the Halloween event basically taught people HOW to destroy Tires, making the Halloween event an overall nerf for Junkrat’s kit.
I think this buff is comparable to Symmetra’s. Prior to her buff, she was an insanely weak troll-pick hero who was borderline useless outside of the first point on defense for 2cp/hybrid maps, her damage output was poor, she was easily countered, and her initially starting with only 3 turrets meant she had to wait an extra amount of time to regenerate all 6 to place. This combined with her ult which was always either placed against a cliff for a troll move, or was quickly found and destroyed with its shitty health, made her useless in almost all situations. After her buff, she had a longer reach and more damage, making her more formidable at chasing and killing opponents, she could put down all six turrets and gain her ult much faster (and get the Car Wash achievement much faster too), and her two ults made her more useful outside of just one or two situations. The shield gen literally is capable of winning games now - if you don’t get the shield gen, more often than not you will be incapable of winning. Despite all of these changes, though, Symmetra is still easily countered by the likes of Tanks or Pharah, so while she is more powerful against other squishies and provides more to her team, she is still capable of being beat if the enemy team puts their mind to it. And she easily falls apart once her shield gen is deleted, as does her team.
Junkrat before his buffs was certainly a lot more powerful than pre-buff Sym, especially in the right hands or against poor foes. I have killed Pharahs as Junkrat plenty of times if said Pharah was bad or we had a good Soldier/Widow to help, and Pharah is arguably Junkrat’s number one counter. Junkrat’s double mines grant him increased mobility without compromising the consequences that can occur if he wastes both. Yeah, he can triple-jump if he uses his mines carefully, but there is still a massive 8 second cooldown between uses - if you blow both mines and land in the middle of the enemy team without some sort of plan, you will die. If you use both and fall off a cliff, you will die. The main purpose is to get up to places like sniper nests or other high locations to take out snipers and get a height advantage (aka Junkrat’s best friend). His increased Tire speed and wallclimbing changes make it so he can maneuver his Tire more easily around without it getting one-shotted - this coincides with the dev team’s tip to ult from cover as Junkrat, because ulting in the middle of the open often subjects your Tire and subsequently you to a quick death. Now Junkrat can be more safe and secretive while still wreaking damage against a team that’s huddled or that fails to take care of the Tire when they see it. Additionally, he can use his additional upward mobility to fight against his strongest counters - using his ult or himself to fly up to a Pharah or a sniper and take them out. Considering that in a lot of cases unless the Pharah on the enemy team was countered by an ally Soldier76 or Widowmaker, most Junkrats would have to switch off or risk being useless to the team, this will make him a bit better at holding his own.
But even if Junkrat has some increased mobility and power, the main thing is that he is still easily counterable much in the same way as Symmetra. These changes aren’t making him OP, they’re making him usable outside of against heroes who can’t aim at the Tire. Many times Junkrat is regarded as a shitty pick and Junkrat mains are shit on for playing him because of his supposed uselessness in most situations (even though South Korea, the best OW players in the world, have a Junkrat main on their team and had said Junkrat main play with them in the World Cup). This will lessen that while still maintaining not ruining Junkrat’s counters - a Pharah who stays out of the way of his frags and Tire will still be easily able to kill him. Junkrat’s Tire still has unchanged health, meaning most heroes can still one-shot it and destroy it easily, especially if a poorly-playing Rat doesn’t hide and surprise them. Junkrats also tend to stand still and spam down a chokepoint, making them easy targets for snipers or just anyone who can aim. Zarya can still majorly benefit from an enemy Junkrat who just fires off frags and feeds her charge, Genji can still kill a Junkrat who decides not to stop shooting when he’s reflecting, etc. These buffs don’t alleviate poor playstyles or bad choices done by the Junkrat player - they merely make him more viable in the right hands. If he or the Tire was given extra health, if he was given more powerful shots, then maybe I would understand him being OP because his mistakes would be less punishable while he would still be easily capable of blindly killing someone by just firing down a hallway. These changes don’t do that, they instead expand his kit and make it better at doing what it was previously capable of doing. This may make people who were okay or bad at Junkrat better at playing him, and it may make some people who play Junkrat-counters angry because he is actually capable of putting a fight against them now, but this is a natural result of changing a character who previously was weak unless played by someone with extensive knowledge of the character.
If you want to bring up an example of a completely unfair or pointless character change, pre-nerf Bastion is a great example. Before his most recent nerf, Bastion was capable of living through almost ALL enemy ultimates just by healing at the right time, and had damage output that shredded enemies while also being unkillable in return because of his armor and healing. This produced a new meta where Bastion was played in every single situation because he was almost never punishable even if he made terrible mistakes due to his healing and armor, and he was capable of annihilating most enemies (even Tanks). That was neither fun to play against nor fun to play as. And while prior to those changes Bastion was not very popular outside of lower levels, he was still a pretty strong character. His only real counters are people who can stay out of his way and hit him aggressively (like Pharah or Junkrat), or Genji and his Reflect or D.Va and her Defense Matrix. One of the best ways to kill a Bastion was always to ult, because he took forever to get out of sentry mode and was often killed while camping - the new changes made him impossible to kill even with most ultimates. THAT was an unfair and frustrating buff that was quickly rectified. Junkrat’s isn’t.
TL;DR - Junkrat’s buffs are necessary because they help people who play him well have a chance to contribute without getting barked at and forced to switch, since they grant him increased mobility and reward good playstyle, but they don’t make him OP because he is still easily countered and bad play choices are still very easily punished.
51 notes
·
View notes
Text
Notable Grimm Species of Remnant: Part 1 (Final Rose)
The following information is considered classified. It should only be shared with individuals possessing Class B or higher clearance. Except Diana. Someone has to do my paperwork, and my number one minion technically has Class EX clearance since no one but me can keep her away from files she wants access to.
- Professor Oerba Dia Vanille
X X X
Essence Eaters (Threat Rank A to SS)
Essence Eaters are an exceedingly rare species of Grimm. Although they initially start off as relatively weak and fairly easy to kill, they undergo constant evolution throughout their lifespan.
Their most obvious ability is the ability to command and control other Grimm. Combined with their high levels of intelligence and cunning, this makes them extremely dangerous since Grimm under their command will typically fight with far more organisation and planning than standard Grimm. Both their intelligence and ability to command other Grimm increase over time.
However, perhaps the most potent ability of Essence Eaters is the ability that gives them their name. Whenever an Essence Eater kills something with Aura, it absorbs part of the Aura of its victim. In the case of individuals with a Semblance, the Essence Eater may even steal part of their Semblance too.
For this reason, Essence Eaters will generally command Grimm under their control to severely weaken or cripple people with large Auras or powerful Semblances before taking the actual kill themselves. Given sufficient time and a steady supply of victims, Essence Eaters can grow to become monstrously powerful.
Essence Eaters have a mandatory threat ranking of A. Steps should be taken to eliminate them as quickly as possible to prevent them growing in strength. The strongest Essence Eater currently known had a threat ranking of SS. It was responsible for badly wounding the members of Team RWBY while they were students at Beacon. They were lucky to escape it alive. It was killed by Oerba Yun Fang.
Physically, Essence Eaters are vaguely humanoid, but their appearance can change drastically depending on what sort of Semblances they have incorporated into themselves. Their distinguishing feature is a face seemingly without a mouth. When preparing to kill their victim, their face will appear to split in half, revealing a maw filled with jagged teeth and lit from within by the Aura they’ve stolen.
Hunter-Killers (Threat Rank A to S)
Hunter-Killers are another exotic species of Grimm. Much like Essence Eaters, they have the ability to command other Grimm. However, their ability to plan and organise is much more limited. Instead, they will typically employ other Grimm in a bid to exhaust and wear down their opponents before attacking.
Out of all species of Grimm, it is possible that Hunter-Killers are the ones most uniquely adapted to fighting huntsmen and huntresses. They feature a number abilities that are designed to either negate or hamper the use of Aura and Aura-related abilities like Semblances.
The most well-known of these is their venom, which is one of the most Aura-reactive substances in the world. Upon entering the body, it reacts violently to Aura, burning out the paths along which Aura flows through the body and making it virtually impossible to use Aura and Aura-related abilities.
This reaction is more potent at lower levels of Aura. It will typically kill weaker huntsmen and huntresses almost instantaneously. Against stronger huntsmen and huntresses, it can be crippling, particularly if they are already exhausted from fighting other Grimm, leaving them easy prey for the Hunter-Killer. The effects can last for years, possible even a lifetime. Treatment is expensive, painful, and time-consuming.
Hunter-Killers also possess a potent fear/terror Aura that can kill civilian outright and will severely hamper all but the most powerful and battle-hardened of huntsmen and huntresses. They also have the ability to disrupt the flow of Aura through the body by casting a strange sort of ‘anti-Aura’ energy as a projectile weapon. They can even create ‘webbing’ that siphons Aura from its victims to better restrain them.
Hunter-Killers have a bizarre appearance, looking almost like a cross between a spider and a praying mantis. Older, more powerful specimens, are typically larger. The one responsible for the near-death of the elite huntress Summer Rose was roughly the size of an elephant. It was killed by Lightning Farron.
Mind Twister (Threat Rank B to EX)
Unlike it’s more combat-oriented brethren, the Mind Twister is far less threatening in combat. Its true danger lies in its ability to twist the minds of its victims, eventually turning them against their allies and enslaving them on behalf of the Grimm.
Mind Twisters employ a combination of exotic chemicals and illusionary powers to gradually influence the minds of those in their territory, filling them with murderous impulses and traitorous thoughts. Indeed, more than one outpost has descended into bloody anarchy after being constructed in the territory of a Mind Twister.
If confronted directly, Mind Twisters will attempt to destroy the minds of those facing them, flooding their bodies with mind-altering toxins delivered in the form of toxic gas while using illusions of terrible power. Most victims caught off guard will be driven insane or catatonic within seconds of the attack beginning.
Physically, Mind Twisters are far from impressive. They resemble six-feet-long chameleons, and they use their ability to hide themselves via illusions to escape notice. Whenever possible, they will do their best to avoid fighting, supporting the more combat-oriented Grimm with their potent abilities.
Perhaps the most notable Mind Twister currently known was the one that was able to enslave several prominent politicians in Atlas before being discovered by Jihl Nabaat. The two engaged in a tremendous psychic struggle before Jihl was able to slay the creature. It is this ability to control others that gives Mind Twisters the potential to grow into an EX threat (a Grimm capable of bringing about another Calamity or a similar level of devastation).
Krakens (Threat Rank SS to EX)
Krakens are perhaps the most physically powerful Grimm on the planet. They are also suspected of being responsible for at least one Calamity.
A kraken is a gigantic Grimm similar in appearance to an octopus or squid, but with a major difference: size. The smallest adult kraken ever recorded measured more than a mile across. Based on evidence found from sunken islands that most likely formed part of the Elemental Empire the Water Tribes are thought to have originated from, specimens larger than ten miles across may exist.
From a combat standpoint, Krakens are nearly perfect killing machines. They are completely impervious to all forms of small-arms fire. Nothing less than artillery can even scratch them, and artillery will do little more than annoy them. Cruise missiles are also unlikely to do much more than leave small flesh wounds. The only conventional weapons capable of harming them are so-called ‘bunker busters’ that are designed to penetrate hardened fortifications (e.g., bunkers, command centres, underground facilities, etc), and even those are unlikely to do much more than breach the outermost layer of the Kraken’s formidable exterior.
In practice, Krakens are completely invulnerable to conventional weapons. This means that even a single kraken can wipe out entire nations with ease if more powerful weaponry or Semblances are not available. Further complicating matters is that Krakens will often retreat underwater when truly threatened, diving miles below the surface, which makes them exceptionally difficult to track or harm.
In terms of strength, even a small Kraken is strong enough to break ships apart before using the wreckage as a projectile. Krakens have also been known to haul themselves up onto land where they appear to function quite well for short periods of time, albeit with less mobility due to their aquatic nature. In such cases, there is footage of Krakens tearing buildings out of the ground and throwing them at defenders.
Krakens are the primary reason that travel by ship is heavily regulated. Any area where a Kraken is likely to have claimed territory is simply not safe for ships or other forms of marine transport to travel through. However, this has begun to change in recent times with the advent of Operation Kraken Killer.
Operation Kraken Killer is the brainchild of Professor Oerba Dia Vanille. It uses a combination of satellite-scanning, seismic recordings, oceanic measurement buoys, deep-sea probes, and sonar to locate Krakens. Once a Kraken has been located, steps are taken to eliminate it.
Phase 1 involves the use of a large-scale, shaped explosive to clear a column of water from the surface to the target. Phase 2 involves the use of fleet-mounted rail guns firing anti-matter tipped projectiles at the Kraken’s skull. These projectiles are designed to have maximum penetrating power. The shaped anti-matter core will only detonate once the projectile has lodged as deeply into the Kraken’s skull as possible. The resulting explosions are usually enough to effectively drill a hole right through the Kraken’s skull, leaving it vulnerable. Phase 3 involves firing a Dust-catalysed, gravity-contained, mega explosive into the hole in the Kraken’s skull. The result is an explosive with a blast force exceeding 150 megatons contained inside a gravity-controlled sphere centred around the Kraken’s brain.
If all goes according to plan, the Kraken’s brain is completely destroyed, resulting in its death. The titanic corpse can then be harvested for resources. It is, of course, only fitting that the death of such a monstrous Grimm be used to fuel weapons that kill even more Grimm.
So far, Operation Kraken Killer has successfully eliminated 10 krakens. Apart from the unfortunate loss of a handful of islands when dealing with a particularly large specimen, the operation has gone well. Its success has had a huge economic impact, allowing for shipping to expand, as well as for large sections of coast to be reclaimed.
10 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
ik94
Khalid
arrowfinancialco-blog
Arrow Financial
goldenretrieverpaladin
Golden Retriever Paladin
behavioral-event-network
Behavioral Event Network