Fantasy ɪɴ ᴀᴇᴛᴇʀɴᴜᴍ - ɪᴄ

[a z u l a]

mood :

determined

location :

abandoned mall in Oregon

outfit :

mentions :

sox dreamglow .empathogen. AI10100 Maverick. jay.rain mix.ie -ferret- fin

interactions :

open

champion of morrigan

;; Raven

Centuries came and went and Icarus' killer continued to circle around the kingdom of the gods. So much had changed through the millenia, and yet so little had truly had. Technology advanced faster than the immortal could keep up, from electricity to television to tiktok, the world was ever evolving. The one thing that held true as the years ebbed and flowed, was humanity.

From the time Raven had been a raising her brood of younger siblings on a farm in what was now called Ireland, to her current life as a non-profit worker in the age of W.A.P. and avocado toast, the people around her had stayed the same. Certainly not in the physical sense, as everyone Rae had once loved had long been returned to the earth, but in different iterations through the never ending cycle of mortals she kept in her company. She often met mortals who reminded her of loved ones she'd once cherished, a laugh or a smile in a coffee shop would send her back a millenia or two.

Even after an eternity with them, humans never ceased to amaze her. Perhaps it was her fondness of mortals that made her so optimistic about the gods, even after witnessing their cruelty first hand. How could gods who created the innocence of children and the wholesome joy of friendship be evil? She couldn't say the same for the other champions, however.

The first wave on monsters had shocked them all. It wasn't entirely uncommon to see monsters, but they were much more reclusive than they had been before civilization took off at light speed. The sudden appearance of a whole group near where each champion resided was far from ordinary.

After defeating the first round of creatures, the champions had begun to question the gods about what was really going on. A sudden influx of monsters and natural disasters was certainly no coincidence. The gods informed their champions that the titan Kraniais had begun breaking free from his prison deep inside of Tartatus, where the champions had sealed him a millenia before.

With the rise of a powerful threat and an eternity of servitude behind them, the champions struck a deal with their patrons. Defeat Kraniais, and be free forever. As much as Rae loved humanity and the life she'd made, there was nothing she wanted more than to live a normal human life in peace.

Her fellow champions seemed to want the same thing as well, but the hushed whispers and meaningful glances between some of her companions didn't go unnoticed by her. Some champions didn't hold their gods in as high favor as she did. It wasn't hard to understand why, but with so much at stake, Rae wouldn't dare risk siding with Kraniais.

Before the discussion could even fully be had, Kraniais had struck. A hoard of monsters had come after one of the weaker gods, forgotten with the passage of time and uninterested in clinging to the glory like the rest, Hephaestus had become even more of a recluse. The god barely used his powers any more, so when the blacksmith god sent a call for help to the Olympians, the champions were quickly dispatched.

It seemed Rae had arrived first. It wouldn't last long, the others were sure to be there in the time it took her to breathe in the dense air of the abandoned mall Hephaestus had last been located at. The sound of howling, hissing, and growling was unmistakable as she ran closer, the scent of blood and burnt flesh growing as she rounded corners with weapons bared. The place was crawling with monsters of all kind, and Rae was incredibly thankful for her endless enchanted quiver of arrows.

It was easy to find the epicenter of the action, sparks flew towards the sky as Hephaestus fought off the beasts and the horrid stench of burnt creatures permeated the air as she threw herself into the fray.

The number of beasts were overwhelming as Rae fought gnashing teeth and shredding claws. Through the fog of battle, she began to wonder if her fellow champions had abandoned the mission, until the sound of heavy footsteps landing somewhere behind her alerted her to the arrival of help.

"About damn time." She called through gritted teeth, her voice swallowed by the clang of her sword against the feral teeth of a chimaera.

coded by reveriee.

 

[sox]

back during the age of the delhi sultanate, kiaan had crafted the upamarayati to punish a corrupt minister in charge of regulating citizenship in the slave dynasty, an ornate blind mask with spikes inside along the eye sockets. 'upamarayati' meant to dip or plunge into water in sanskrit; with the root 'mar' meaning 'to die', however, the original meaning was 'to drown'. as such, the wearer of the mask would relive the pain of death by drowning as long as they continued to don the accessory.

this sultanate minister had a reputation for being abhorrently cruel to slaves, plucking out the vision of anyone who dared to challenge his heinous policies. the champion of nirriti did not opt to execute the corrupt official, for that would be far too light of a punishment for what he considered to be an unforgivable crime; instead, he was rendered blind and cursed to wear the upamarayati for the rest of his days, the obsidian spikes that hooked into his eyeballs powered with kiaan's grim darkness to deliver a lifetime of anguish and despair upon the minister's fragile psyche.

upon hearing of this exchange, the vile nirriti had raised a toast to the creativity of her pitiless champion in the face of injustice, which he declined adamantly. he was not one to relish in the misery of others, regardless of how deserved it may be, and he certainly did not feel proud of dealing punishment in such a merciless manner. earning nirriti's praise meant that he had been demonic levels of brutal, and the idea of raising a toast to such necessary callousness made his stomach turn, even if he had not batted an eye during the process.

cursed with witnessing the unending millenia pass by from deep within the trenches of battle, the champion of nirriti no longer concerned himself with matters of the gods and titans, nor did he strive to serve any. perhaps the world would never be free of disaster, but there existed good in that same world, too. while it was rare for a champion to find repose for their soul, scattered across the globe like a disjointed flock of birds, even the darkest of hearts have room for those they cherish.

now, several centuries and countless endeavors later, news of the upamarayati reappearing in some unearthed tomb had made its way back to kiaan, an unpleasant surprise to the champion who direly wished to seal those memories away in the depths of his past. perhaps it would be best to destroy that artifact with his own two hands once and for all now that it had served its original purpose and could be used for more harm than good in the modern age.

as he was looking into this matter, however, kiaan received the summons from hephaestus, a cry for help in the face of the newest wave of monsters serving kraniais. much to his irritation, the champion had spent many days in the last few months fending off unusual tides of beasts on his own terf. with the coast clear for the time being, however, he had some wiggle room to settle some matters in his lab and set out to aid the war efforts.

"shalini," kiaan beckoned as he power-walked through the sea of desks to his office at the back, "updates on the visual hallucinations study."

the petite woman named shalini was a senior research fellow at the underground lab he'd founded a century prior to develop an antivenon to his toxic blood, a promising intellectual with a heart of gold and nerves of steel who'd been willing to take up the challenge. she was also a descendant of one of his closest friends back in avanti and one of the few people in the lab who knew his true identity as the champion of nirriti. as such, shalini was one of his most trusted subordinates, a pillar of his research lab and a shining beacon in his life he swore to protect at all costs.

"yes, sir," she chirped in response, scrambling up from her desk to follow him into his personal lab. "last week, we observed a woman who was admitted to the emergency room in south india two hours after being bitten on the right foot by a russell's viper while working in a paddy field. a twenty minute whole blood clotting test showed no clot formation after thirty minutes."

"what was she administered?"

shalini adjusted her glasses and checked the clipboard in her arms, brow furrowing as her eyes scanned the tiny font at a mile a minute. "100 mL of antivenin naja/antivenin bungarus/antivenin daboia russelli/antivenin echis coloratus. on day three, she reported a sudden onset of visual hallucinations, recurring 25-30 times a day for around 20 seconds each. in particular, she reported seeing ropes dangling in the air, bright colors, and lights with geometric shapes. on day four, the number of recurrences reduced to 15-20 times, and stopped entirely by day five."

"hm... anything else? hear anything from uganda?"

"nothing significant yet, sir. our team is still collecting pharmacological evidences for the ethnobotanical report on antivenin plants. compiling knowledge of oral traditions from the elders is always a tedious process."

kiaan hummed in approval of her summary, taking a moment to process the findings before nodding to himself and and cracking his back against counter he was leaning on. "good work, as always. you must have been stressed while i was gone— come here."

shalini's eyes lit up as she set her clipboard down and approached her boss, barely stifled excitement tugging at her lips despite her attempts to remain professional. while it was already nice to have her boss back in-house to take some of the load off her shoulders, this was her personal favorite part of his visits, a mellow high she was bound to chase for the rest of her academic career under his wing. even if he would never be able to return her affections, she was content with this, being touched and comforted every once in a while by the person she respected most.

kiaan tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, channeling his power through the soft touch against her skin. as gentle as a subtle breeze along the coast, the stress and anxiety in her heart gave way to contentment and fulfillment. she melted into the calloused palm on her cheek and braced her hands against his arms as he took her burdens onto his own mind, gratefulness brimming in her irises as she gazed at him with fondness.

"you did well," kiaan murmured in hindi, closing his own eyes at the influx of negative emotions taking up residence in his brain as she leaned her head against his chest. "take it easy for the weekend."

"mm, yes, sir. back at you." shalini gave his bicep a light squeeze. "you're leaving again, aren't you? stay safe and bring me a souvenir."

he opened his eyes at the melancholy undertone to her request. "it's not christmas. get your own toys." despite his grumbling, they both knew he would, indeed, bring something back for her to further clutter her desk with. while kiaan typically gave off a domineering, intimidating aura to those who didn't know him very well, the ones closest to him understood his true gentle, considerate nature.

"i need a new fountain pen, in case you're curious."

"you too good for bic now?"

nonchalant banter aside, kiaan made haste with changing into his battle gear and setting out for the scene of the carnage. his journey did not take long; with nirriti's assistance to travel through the shadows, he arrived at the abandoned mall within a split second of stepping outside of the research facility.

the unmistakeable hissing and howling of fiendish beasts and creatures that barraged kiaan's eardrums the moment he arrived— how long had it been since he'd last been in the midst of such a hellish cacophany? the mortal realm had successfully driven the vast majority of the world's monstrous entities into the abyss over time as human civilization flourished to span most of the planet. despite the recent resurgences of demonic activity, the son of nirriti could only vaguely recall the last time he'd stood in the center of a true, proper battle.

kiaan did not dally in jumping into the fray. the moment he unsheathed the cursed blade kalakuta, a smothering shade befell the space around him as he travelled as discreetly as the breeze amidst the darkness, slicing off head after head like a dancing harbinger of death.

"your voices... i hear you all."

his soft utterances were drowned out by their incessant screams, shrieking cries demanding that their thirst for death be quenched lest they perish in the fervor of their bloodlust— the agony of such tortured beasts brewed violently underneath the surface, barely detectable beneath the searing flood of rage attacking kiaan's senses.

"i, too, have been swallowed by the darkness. fear not— this is salvation."

kiaan surveyed the mall for the arrival of his comrades as he fought, hacking his way towards where the champion of morrigan pranced about sniping beasts with her precise swordsmanship. raven's adeptness with the blade in such close quartered combat was a testament to her incredible prowess, an observable fact he was not ashamed to admit.

while they butted heads more often than not, kiaan regarded raven as closer than a sister, a reliable warrior and teammate he knew he could depend on in the throes of battle to cover his back. however, he dare not consider himself any sort of older brother figure to her; how could an anguished assassin who knows nothing more than how to venomously massacre countless souls and emerge unscathed be a suitable mentor for such a fiercely righteous individual?

"about damn time."

kiaan scoffed at the exasperated greeting, having expected no less from the champion of morrigan. despite straying closer to her to be within earshot, he maintained a large enough distance to prevent his sword or blood from coming into contact with her skin for the same reason he covered his entire face and body when entering battle. his poisonous black blood was unforgivingly corrosive, while kalakuta was infused with grim darkness to strike down upon its victims; should either of these touch his teammates, they may be out of commission for the next decade or two.

"i'm a busy man," kiaan drawled from behind his mask and dispelled the darkness around him so raven could see him, crushing a skull beneath his booted foot while fending off a larger minotaur previously making its way towards the struggling god. the hand that wasn't wielding kalakuta snaked out and snapped the arm of the beast in half with ease, unfazed by its screams of agony before its head was forcibly detached from its meaty body. "don't tell me you're working up a sweat already."

the throng of beasts only thickened in intensity with each step kiaan took towards the epicenter of the action. he gritted his teeth and braced himself against the onslaught of claws and jaws raking across his armor, unhesitating to tear off anything that wasn't fastened in place. before too long, he reached the blacksmith god, bruised and bloodied after hours of squaring off with the most hostile demonic creatures the human world had lured out in ages. currently, hephaestus was fending off a particularly nasty aqrabuamelu snipping at him with its scorpion-like stinger.

the champion of nirriti took a deep breath, steadying his heartrate before his next maneuver. with careful precision so as to not accidentally strike hephaestus or get caught in his fiery rage, he slashed kalakuta outwards in a circle around himself to awash his immediate vicinity in foggy darkness once more. the aqrabuamelu staggered backwards in surprise as it attempted to regain its bearings amidst the wave of despair barraging its psyche. in that single mometary gap, despite mirroring the harrowing effects of the grim darkness in his own mind, kiaan lifted his sleeve to cut a shallow slice into his forearm, running the sharp edge of kalakuta along the incision so as to coat it in a layer of his blood.

it hurt— of course it hurt. it hurt like hell, but he had long since transcended the ability to wince at such flesh wounds in the wake of the rush of battle coursing through his toxic veins.

hyperaware of hephaestus' position relative to himself, kiaan dashed forward and caught the aqrabuamelu's stinger with his cursed scimitar just before it could strike again. the defensive blow was not enough to break the scorpion hybrid's exterior shell with brute force, but the blood dripped onto its pincers sent the beast writhing backwards in agony as patches of its shell corroded on the spot.

"i can't keep doing that if this shit is gonna drag on much longer, but i've got you covered for now," kiaan called out to hephaestus from within the darkness, jumping from shadow to shadow as he cleared part of the horde honed in on the blacksmith god. with each flex of his arm, more drops of his blood spewed out from his sleeve— they'd have to put an end to this altercation quick before anyone got caught in the crossfire. "try to escape to the second floor as soon as you get the chance. don't worry about us."

champion of nirriti

kiaan.

• aaaaaaaaa
• aaaaaaaaa

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  a z u l a
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[AI10100]

amyr.

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  Excited, Giddy, Intoxicated
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  peep my fit!
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  Abandoned Mall, Oregon
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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"Gordon, have you ever been to Oregon?"

His ever loyal driver and assistant looked up from the papers he was holding. "Aside from the times that we've gone there, sir, not really." He responded, eyeing Malai— Amyr's right hand woman. It was already obvious where this would go.

Amyr hummed as he tapped the envelope between his fingers against the desk. Currently, they were in one of the many Shezzy stores that dotted the world. Amyr, out of his own impulsiveness that he was known for, had decided to visit one of them all of a sudden. Understandably, the new workers in the store didn't even know who he was and the manager had never seen him before so it took a bit of convincing to let them in the backrooms. He inspected the items and the sales and if he was going to be honest, half of the information had already fled his intoxicated mind. Malai and Gordon both had to pick up the slack for him ninety-nine percent of the time.

"Well, there's something I need to do in Oregon."

He muttered before slipping his envelope inside of his pocket. It was urgent, after all. More importantly, it sounded fun. Fighting had always been fun for him and it would never, ever be boring. With a wide smile, he stood up from his seat and patted both Gordon and Malai's shoulders.

"Soooo, it's time to pack up shoot! Malai, I need you to head back and tell Sammy that everything's all good on this side of the map. I think. Right? Right. Oh and..."

He paused before rounding the desk and took out a bottle of wine and handed it to her.

"Give this to her. It's her favorite brand. She needs a break every now and then. You know, loosen up and the likes."

Malai nodded, taking all of his orders in stride as she grabbed the wine and tucked it under her arm. She exchanged a few words with Gordon, likely a few more warnings and telling him to keep an eye on Amyr before bidding farewell to their shared boss. If you were to ask Amyr if she knew what he gets himself into, he'd say that she probably did. She knew a lot of things. Maybe Gordon tells her. Or maybe she just had the intuition of a god. Heh. A god.

The two made their way around the building and Gordon prepared the helicopter. Of course it was a helicopter. After all, how else would you travel unencumbered to places like an abandoned mall in Oregon at record time. If Amyr remembered correctly, the other Champions could get there using their own powers. Or at least some of them can. Man, how lucky can you be to have cool powers like that. Then again, he wouldn't exchange his own blessings for anything else. Who else could drink as much as him and not die. In his opinion, he had the best power out of all of them.

He was lucky that he was closeby as it didn't take them particularly long to get to the mall. Amyr took a couple of chugs from his unli-alcohol flask and took a deep breath. Man. Nothing felt better than that. He blinked a couple of times as his vision began to swim a bit. Perfect intoxication. In the distance, he could see sparks flying up from the abandoned mall and if he squinted, he could see the monsters funneling inside. Gordon, in all of his patience and loyalty, made no comment on this or as Amyr made his way to the doors of the helicopter and opened it as they passed by the battlefield.

"Go and refuel, Gordon. I'll call you when I'm done. Buy yourself some foood and whatever you do when I'm out."

Gordon didn't look back at him and merely gave him a thumbs up before Amyr opened the door and stepped on the landing skids before sliding the door closed.

He looked down, took another big gulp, and jumped.

A monster was crushed under his feet as he landed, a cracked crater forming around him.

"Whoo!"

He yelled out in excitement before unsheathing his khopesh and charging into the fray. One slice here, grabbing a monster there, throwing said monster into another group over yonder. He laughed as he ducked down from a swipe before slamming his fist into the monster, sending it flying to the side as his magically enhanced strength overpowered its smaller frame.

He was separated from the others, having decided to land in the middle of the monsters instead of closer to his allies. Well, he'd comment on it if he had noticed it. Amyr was far too busy and far too drunk to truly notice it.

Amyr brought his khopesh up before he even fully processed what was attacking him. A cyclops, a few feet taller than himself, had brought its club upon him. Thankfully his khopesh had been forged by the gods or else he doubted it would have withstood that hit. He pushed the club off and he charged forward, slamming his body against the cyclops while it was trying to recover.

"Come on, you can hit better than that!"

He goaded the cyclops into another attack and it did. The two danced around, brute force versus brute force until the cyclops's head fell off its body. He dropped his khopesh for a moment as he grabbed the cyclops by the legs and lifted it with little effort. He swung it around, slamming its body into the other beasts. He brought the cyclops up and slammed it onto another one, squashing it beneath its body.

The rush. The thrill.

He laughed as he dropped one leg and took gulps of alcohol, taunting the monsters to attack him.

Silver Grave

Unholy

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[-ferret-]

Cualli Camsal
The Healer
(fuck doing a code gd I have no motivation rn)​

It had been centuries upon centuries that Cualli had been talking to cats. She enjoyed it. Most people found cats to be fickle, brainless beings that relied solely upon instinct and all had the same aloof personality. Cualli had never thought such a thing to be true. Not before and certainly not now. Cats were possibly the most intricate and interesting creatures Cualli had ever met. While having no finicky issues that humans have, such as morals or conscience, cats did have complex personalities and societal structures. She'd found that cats, after speaking with them, were creatures not bound by the laws of humans but bound by other forces unseen. Their own drive to survive.

Cualli thought Champions much the same.

A message relayed through a simple system reached Cualli in her own home. A villa in the Italian countryside that was home to an innumerable amount of cats. All Ixchel had to do was pick a cat and whisper in its ear and suddenly Cualli would have the repeated message. A call to arms for Hephaestus, trapped in a mall in Oregon in the United States.

Cualli, blessed with healing gifts among others, would be dispatched alongside other champions to the location. She was quick to gather her various artifacts and gear, rushing through the villa in full battle armor and weapons at her side. Alongside that, a small duffle of healing supplied should anyone be grievously injured. After that, she used her abilities to materialize at the entrance of the mall, sluggish for a moment before righting herself.

It was at that moment that she saw her longtime friend, Amyr, fall straight down into the mall with a loud shout. The helicopter seemed to hesitate before simply flying off, likely used to the display.

"So it's going to be on of those days," Cualli sighed, checking her watch. She had a few hours before her children would be home from school.

She shook herself free of any residual feelings besides a duty to fight and quickly darted into the building, finding the center of the battle in no time.


"Sorry I'm late!" She shouted over the din of the noise. Though if anyone heard her, she wasn't sure. She quickly wormed her way through monsters and fighters alike, looking for any life-threatening injuries. When all she found was Kiaan and his deadly blood, she gave him his space. Raven and Amyr seemed quite alright as well, if the spinning cyclops was to be believed. She did notice Hephaestus in a state of disrepair though and was quick to pull him to the side to spend bits of precious energy healing him well enough to continue fighting. There weren't enough champions present yet to risk losing a valuable fighter.

When she sent him back into the fray, she was quick to join it herself after placing her kit somewhere behind an abandoned stall in the food court. Cualli, while an adept fighter, was not as good as most other champions and therefore, put her efforts towards picking off smaller creatures and monsters. And while there were more of the smaller beasties, it was easier to take them down, faster as well. It meant that her companions wouldn't be as overwhelmed while fighting the bigger monsters.

She was fast to spin with her dual daggers, stabbing and slicing away.

 

[a z u l a]

mood :

determined

location :

abandoned mall in Oregon

outfit :

mentions :

sox AI10100 jay.rain -ferret-

interactions :

open

champion of morrigan

;; Raven

The arrival of Nirriti's champion greatly reduced the challenge Raven was facing. A warrior as fearsome as Kiaan was a great help in battle. Raven had seen entire armies give up at the mere sight of the champion of death. After centuries of shared battles and blood shed, Raven trusted all of her fellow champions with more than her life. But, if there was ever someone to fear facing on the other side of battle, it was Kiaan.

It wasn't like Raven was afraid of him, in fact she often sought him out more than most of the others. Out of all the champions, Kiaan was the most feared as opposed to revered. It was understandable, his aura was incredibly dark and menacing, but there was something rather sad about him that caused Raven to often annoy him by trying to cheer him up. She respected his dedication to justice, though she thought his methods were more cruel than necessary. It was because she respected him, and what he was capable of, that she hoped to never find herself opposite the battlefield of him.

Even with the two of them fighting tooth and nail, the monster swarm was never ending. An abrupt cracking of concrete and outburst of slashing metal and guttural snarls alerted her to the arrival of another ally. Through the snarling and snapping of the basilisk she was fighting, a familiar drunken laugh graced her ears and she could tell that Amyr was enjoying himself somewhere in the fray.

A soft shout, similar to the tinkling of bells, noted Cualli's entrance, and soon after a polar opposite voice akin to the growl of a bear announced the arrival of Ch'alla. It had been years since they had fought in a group like this, and yet they melted into battle so seamlessly that it felt like it had only been days since they'd last battled side by side. Warmth bloomed in her chest at the familiarity, as strange as it was nothing made her feel more at home than being beside her eternal allies on a battle field. Now that more champions had arrived, the monsters were easier to pick off.

With the might of a god and chosen demi-gods, the tide of the battle had turned. Eventually, there were only a few stragglers left and the champions made quick work of them until the mall was still except for the ragged breathing of fighters as they began to rest.

"I'll check the perimeter. I don't sense any more, but we'd better be cautious." Raven called out before darting off. After confirming that all threats were eliminated, the champion of Morrigan returned to the center of the mall, stepping through blood and guts to reach her friends.

"What can you tell us, Hephaestus?" It was perhaps rude to address a god so directly, but after years of dealing with the gods even someone as loyal as Raven had thrown formality out the window. These strange events had been happening for months, but the gods had offered their champions no explanation. It felt like they were hiding something, something they wanted to keep a secret even from their mightiest warriors. Hopefully, after being a victim of these strange happenings, Hephaestus would open up to them.

"I did not want to believe it was true." The blacksmith started, and Raven instinctively leaned in, knowing that whatever he was about to tell them would be important. "There is a meeting of pantheons in a few days. To discuss what we will do, and perhaps now you will all be summoned to stand witness."

The gravity of his tone had a pit growing in her stomach, begging for answers to the thousand questions Morrigan had not deigned to answer, but she wouldn't dare interrupt him. "Kraniais is rising." That name hadn't been spoken in a millenia, the shock so stark that Raven's grasp on her sword almost faltered before she could steel herself.

"But, we sealed him away forever ago?" Raven resolved her voice not to falter as she stepped toward the god, fists clenched tightly as the truth of his words sent chills down her spine. How dare they keep this from them? From their own champions? Especially after they had expressed concern about the growing number of monster attacks. It all started to make sense now.

"It was so long ago that the seal on his prison has cracked. His power is leaking out, enough to send the monsters out to do his bidding until he can fully break free. We don't know how much longer it will hold him." The blacksmith admitted, somewhat ashamed to have kept this information from them, though it certainly wasn't his fault. Raven would be having a word with her goddess.

coded by reveriee.

 

[.empathogen.]

E L I J A H

The dead cannot cry out for justice/ It is a duty of the living to do so for them

rebellion defiance hope

justice

how do you see the stars?

nimble bastard

— incubus

mood: shitty
location: hell, hopefully
interactions: everyone there

scroll

Elijah drew his sword as he stepped off the ledge of one of the third-story ledges in the mall. Below were a few creatures, undoubtedly the remnants of the battle he witnessed, his colleagues making quick work of the monsters that seemed to take the form of various mythical beasts--if they took any cohesive form at all. His sword arced in the air before crashing on the head of a straggling creature that resembled a blackened form of a griffin, the monster slumping over and spewing out blood. His sword slid out of its prey with ease. Elijah swiftly made work of the remaining stragglers, moving in an effortless glide and striking his targets critically. When there were no more of them, there were no more.

Elijah then made is way to the centerpoint of the makeshift arena, reaching the group as one of the gods he worshipped as a child began to speak of the terror they locked away long ago. "Kraniais is rising." Hephaestus murmured, making the hairs on the back of Elijah's neck stand on end. He fell into a trance, standing there and remembering the words of his Goddess from not even mere hours ago...

Earlier...

"Athens is beautiful this time of year...but, this is equal." Persephone spoke, dangling her feet over the side of the ledge of the skyscraper that she and her champion sat upon. "The Chigago air is polluted just right, just to the point where everything has a gorgeous hue to it." Elijah chuckled as he took a sip of his tea. Persephone nodded and lifted her own cup up for a sip--a caramel frappé with cookie crumbles in the whipped cream. She stared into the skyline with a smile on her face. It took a minute, but her smile dissolved into a stern gaze. "Things are changing for the worse rather than better." she sighed woefully. Elijah turned to her, his face betraying the fact that he could feel it too. Wars, famine, and countless other atrocities were taking their toll on Gaia. It was only a matter of time before something cataclysmic would rear its head. "Indeed, these people are hellbent on destroying themselves...but they also endure. We endure," he said, leaning his head on her shoulder. Persephone let a tear fall, out of both fear and pity. "Ellie, she asked in a voice she only ever let him hear, "If I was gone, would you keep me alive? In your heart?"

Eli pulled back and looked at her, bewilderment on his brow. "I will keep you alive, no matter who or what I have to slay." He said, his voice backing his words with the strength of pure devotion. Persephone looked up at him with dearness that was as familial as it gets.

"I know," she said, standing up and bringing Elijah to his feet. "There's somewhere you need to be...it'll take an hour, but it'll seem like a second of floating on the wind. I promise." Elijah knew exactly what that meant for him to do. He knelt down, accepting the kiss upon his forehead. He heard her voice in his head as he traveled, through the blessing of a goddess. 'Don't lose hope,' she told him, making him open his eyes. When he did, he found himself outside the mall, a mile into the parking lot. He sighed, then smiled, pulling his sword out of literal nowhere and running toward the beasts and his friends that he could feel inside the building.

Now...

"Sorry, my Lord," he said in a very confused tone, "But we struck that Titan down almost a millennia ago... and he's been powering up the entire time? That seems like something the Gods should have warned us about. Otherwise, it'd be pointless to even consider trapping it away." He walked toward the lot, wiping the ichor of the monsters off onto a nearby fountain's ledge. "Also, hello everyone...Ch'alla...Amyr...Raven." He waved at Cualli and nodded toward Kiaan. "Sorry I'm late...they were guarding the other enterances too. Seems like they didn't want my adopted Uncle to get away at all." he sneered, taking in all the blood and bodies around them.

© reveriee

 

[AI10100]

amyr.

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  Confused, Intoxicated
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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  Abandoned Mall, Oregon
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
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In his inebriation and excitement, he hadn't even noticed that other Champions had already entered the fray. So he kept fighting until there were no monsters in sight. He let out a chuckle before reaching up to his mask and bringing it down to breathe in the fresh air. He crouched down for a moment and closed his eyes. He wasn't praying. Gods had never answered his prayers in particular— he was someone who thrived off of the power of one but that was the end of their relationship. No, he was trying to regulate the amount of alcohol he had consumed. Without enemies to fight to let out the excess energy he would gain from alcohol, it would become disastrous.

For a few moments, he simply stayed there.

As sound became more and more understandable, he opened his eyes. The scars of battle marred the ground. He looked back to the mall where he spotted most of the Champions beginning to move toward an injured Hephaestus. Oh. Right! They were probably sent here to help Hephaestus since he was being besieged by a bunch of monsters. Amyr stood up and headed towards them, dusting himself off and wondering how long it would take for him to clean his costume. He didn't always wear it to battle but it was too cool to pass up, if he was being honest.

Amyr arrived just in time to hear Raven question the god— to provide an explanation for why there was a sudden surge of monster attacks. He vaguely remembered him going into a few more fights, sometimes with other champions and sometimes without. He really liked being able to let loose and not worry about his own friends... not that he'd say it out loud. He placed himself beside Cualli, always feeling more comfortable around her among all of the Champions. He gave her a cheerful wave before turning his attention to the explanation.

"Kraniais?"

He paused. Everyone was saying they had sealed this titan so long ago Amyr can't even place a face on the name anymore. Well, that wasn't special. He's always had memory problems— if it is because of old age or because of excessive alcohol consumption, he wasn't sure. As Amyr was deep in thought on who Kraniais was, Elijah had popped up. He gave a wave to him as well before speaking up.

"Bit off topic here and I know this is serious and all but... uh... was Kraniais the one with the eight eyes, ten arms, really tall... or was that someone else?"

Silver Grave

Unholy

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Maverick.]

Mylo Garrick

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Mylo Garrick spat out two of his teeth into his open palm, shook them like dice inside of a closed fist, and then cast them to the street.

He knew that his odds were better than most, and in a game of fists and fractures, those who stood across from him leaned back on luck, hoping to strike a winning blow that they could cash. Most of the spectators had placed their money on him, and whether or not he collected his winnings depended on if he was still standing at the end of the fight. Though the crowd gathered around this backstreet boxing match were none the wiser, it was true that Mylo’s fights were rigged even before the throw of the first punch.

He had a god on his side.

She was watching him now.

He saw the flash of her pale yellow eyes at the end of the alleyway, set like twin moons eclipsed by thick tufts of fur. She could’ve been a shadow, but Mylo had spotted her between the breaks in the scattered crowd and the spots swimming in his vision, had heard her low growls, had smelt her even from here. He’d spent nearly an eternity within her gaze, cornered by the white wolf that hunted only him.

He knew why she was here. He was losing, and she didn’t like it when he lost.

Mylo’s opponent shuffled before him, chin tucked and knuckles raised. Both men were bloodied, their faces covered in red stains painted on their skin by the other’s hand. Mylo blinked away the drops of sweat that streamed down his forehead as they stung the cut above his brow and clung to his eyelashes.

He could end it right now. Mylo wasn’t a mortal. His godly durability, coupled with the fact that the number of fights he’d been in before this one bordered on infinity, meant the man before him should not have proven to be a challenge that he couldn’t handle.

His gaze flicked back to Lyssa. She was still sitting there in the distance at the mouth of the walled street, removed from the brawl, ears pinned back. This was the only form she’d come to him in. He’d never had a glimpse of her otherwise, not once in the centeruties that he’d known her. And she had been with him forever, since the beginning. He’d been raised by a wolf.

Mylo grinned at the goddess with bared teeth, his mouth full of blood. He’d lured her here with the scent of it, with the sting of his failure. In his mind, every hit he took was one that he could hold against her. He could spite her, make her watch her Champion get beat into the dirt in front of everyone. That was his own victory. The days in which he could lose like this were cathartic, and every punch he ate started to taste almost like revenge.

The man before him threw his fist, and Mylo took it hungrily, as though he were swallowing it whole.

~ ~ ~​

Mylo had shown up late.

In fact, he’d missed the battle entirely. His entrance into the mall had told him as much. He’d expected to be met with the usual chaos that he could greet with a raised sword. Instead, it was eerily quiet, more like a cemetery than a battlefield. He picked his way through the wreckage, navigating the bodies of slain creatures and pools of blood. It was obvious that the other Champions had taken care of the threat already, rather expertly at that.

Mylo felt the familiar bubble of rage lick at his throat. He never passed up a chance at a war, and the fact that he’d let something as stupid as a fist fight among mortals to keep him from it irked him. Instead of showing up for his fellow Champions, he’d been acting out like a rebellious child, staging a pathetic attempt at sticking it to Lyssa for just a moment.

You stupid fucking drama queen.

Lyssa had told him as much when he’d woken up after the knockout, after he’d pulled himself to his feet, face and fists aching. It was Hephaestus, she’d said, and he had a job to do. And like her pet, he’d gone, collected his armor and weapon, the ones she’d ordered him to bear forever, and left for the abandoned mall to bow to the bidding of the gods.

He didn’t bother sneaking around. He let his feet lead the way toward the heart of the mall. Lyssa had given him enhanced senses, and though he hadn’t yet found the group, he could hear their conversation drift from afar. He recognized the voices, of course, though their tones made him raise an eyebrow. It didn’t sound much like a victory.

”Kraniais is rising…”

Mylo’s breath hitched, and he froze, his blood suddenly pumping ice water.

Raven’s voice sounded even farther away than before, struck hollow by shock, yet steady. Mylo would follow it. He strode forward, jaw clenched. He’d lived through everything. He was jaded by now, and nothing much surprised him anymore.

But this did. It surprised him. And, just like everything else, it angered him, too.

He finally turned the corner, revealing the group gathered around the god. It was like the world’s worst family reunion, and Mylo couldn’t even find it in himself to be awkward about it. He was sure that he hadn’t missed the other Champions when they’d been apart. Oh no, of course not. Not at all. That would just be dumb, wouldn’t it? But regardless, exchanging pleasantries was never a priority for him, and politeness wasn’t a skill he’d ever mastered.

Elijah was speaking now, seeking balance, voicing rational thoughts that Mylo might've benefitted from. Amyr followed up with his own questions. Whether Hephaestus’s news had sobered up the Champion of Shezmu or not, Mylo couldn’t tell.

Right now, however, his eyes were on the god.

"And who’s fault if that?”

Mylo hissed, the bruises on his face brightening to red. His jaw tightened, his tongue sliding over the two tender holes on the side of his mouth where his teeth used to be.

"You. This is on you. You, and the rest of them. You think we’re just gonna keep saving your sorry ass? And you’re saying you don’t know shit?"

He glanced around at the others, eyes narrowed. He threw his arms out, gesturing to include all of them.

“So, what? We’re just gonna keep eating this bullshit? For what? The gods? Until when?”

Until now, he thought. Until right fucking now.

my own summer (shove it)

Deftones

♡coded by uxie♡