GGaD » [intro] In a random Medeival sect. city, there is a shade

AshTheAvaricious · December 30, 2022 23:08:05

At first glance, she could've been mistaken as a particular deity(Dust) but any aquainted with that shadow god would remark on how not-burnt-to-the-ground the city is. Or how it's wingless. They're drinking a mug of some kind of dark brown liquid, probably coffee, and looking rather prepared to be bothered. She might be waiting for somebody, who knows, but in the meantime it can be bothered by curious strangers.

wolffighting3768 · December 31, 2022 00:22:39

"Fang! Flare?!" Crimson called, his voice reaching rather far. "Where are ya jokers?!" he called again. Crimson, even from a few hundred yards away saw a faint aura of a deity and immediately went onto the defensive. "A false aura of a deity? Dust?" he thinks to himself. "Oddly cold so it can't be..."

AshTheAvaricious · December 31, 2022 12:49:48

The Darkest Devout doesn't notice Crimson, as he is several hundred yards away in a bustling city. She continues sipping on its cup of liquid and staring into various crowds. Crimson would notice that there isn't a false aura of a deity, but there is the presence of a demigod. Demigoddess? Eh, who cares.

wolffighting3768 · December 31, 2022 14:07:33

Crimson drew his sword and slowly walked up to the deity. "Wish I had my mask right about now..." he whispered to himself. "Deity isn't hostile, aura is chill, not in any stress nor distress...Demigod? Or it could be a mortal gifted...who and whatever this is, not exactly paying attention to me. Crimson stabbed his sword into the earth and observed the deity. "Not Dust, and it's not any possible Arithnian as far as I'm concerened. So either this bloke can manipulate their aura or they really are demigod..."

AshTheAvaricious · December 31, 2022 22:49:08

She still doesn't seem to notice, or at least care, that Crimson is there. Its left hand looks to be either made of or engulfed in gray fire. It looks like Dust's flame. Another thing off about the being compared to Dust, they have a soul; however draped in blindness and the dark like her skin. As Crimson is going about being stalkery, a few shadows pick up The Darkest Devout's bag, and it stands after leaving a few coins at the table. It starts to walk away, their black and red robes lifting slightly with the movement.

wolffighting3768 · January 1, 2023 00:06:22

"A Kyng never idles. The blade never dulls. My mind is sharp, and my eyes, sharper. To find the Truth is to seek the Liar. Find who they are and seek their Truth." a voice ring inside Crimson's head. Crimson retrieves his sword and wipes it off. "Demigod then isn't it?" Crimson replies. The voice stays silent. He sighed and kept a grip on his sword. "Ay...lovely...guess we're making friends with one another." he said and walked toward the Deity slowly.

Ishmael · January 1, 2023 04:29:43

Gevar was perched on the roof of a nearby building. Not that she had any business there, of course, but a giant metal bird needs a break from the hustle and bustle sometimes, right? She was actually in her mortal form, which was a bit conspicuous, but the stink eye she gave to anyone who looked the Random Woman On The Roof for too long was a clear message to leave well enough alone.

Until she spotted an odd, familiar-looking humanoid being tailed by an equally odd... mortal? Mage? Something definitely not normal. She leaned forward expectantly, not exactly wanting to directly engage at the moment, but wanting to know what was going on.

wolffighting3768 · January 1, 2023 11:30:40

Crimson stopped in his tracks and touched the earth below him. "This all feels too smooth...why would a deity be sitting out here alone? How did they not hear me calling for Fang and Flare? If this is a trap it should be sprung...but no...something else is off." Crimson knelt down and set fire to a small patch of grass and took out a small sliver of meat he may or may not have stole from a possible bandits....or hunters. "Deities, mortals...were both the same aren't we? Born of the principle to live and govern or rule over something or someone. Then the few of these worlds who are born into both places, or are born to be in ones place. Secrets are held into these bloodlines, a curse forever put upon us to uphold that.--" Crimson stops himself and flips over the meat. A slight gold aura radiates from Crimson's body. When the meat finishes he extinguishes the flame and stands up. "Food is a necessary force of sorts to provide us with what we need. Let us hope they take it as a sort of act of goodwill." He said and looked around for the deity he saw earlier. (Haha, jokes on you, he's blind, so by look I mean he scans the ever-living crap out of the life around him. Take that as you wish. Use thine creativity.)

AshTheAvaricious · January 1, 2023 12:36:06

As Crimson does so, he finds the soul of the demigod and then feels it disappear as The Darkest Devout turns into a dark alley. Gevar on the other hand, would hear the click of boats against the roof behind her as the shade steps out of her shadow. DD continues walking away, although if Gevar turned around she would notice that despite clearly not being the shadow she knows; they are certainly connected. Gevar has probably seen Dust's gray fire, and definitely knows what its power of shadows looks like.

wolffighting3768 · January 1, 2023 15:08:29

"Just my luck. Out of range...close, but not enough." he told himself and trailed the last known location of the aura .

AshTheAvaricious · January 1, 2023 16:09:11

Crimson finds the alley, which just looks like any other dark alley. There's no trace of The Darkest Devout's soul past a couple steps into it, however he might be able to feel a lingering will. Not like magic, but capable of other feats. Perhaps if Crimson's fine-tuned enough, he would feel from the lingering will that it was to travel.

wolffighting3768 · January 1, 2023 22:03:20

"Dead end...trail stops here. How would one see a without being seen? Clearly there are no hidden doors or such, moss and other dark creatures would grow...portals? Maybe even gateways to other realms...no use adding strain. Maybe they'll come back...this way." Crimson kept his thoughts in order and sat against a wall and yawned. "Maybe it's due to fatigue, after all...power only comes best to those who can use it at full strength...let's just...nap...for now." he said and closed his eyes, opening a part of his mind to the influence of the Emperor Soul.

((Typin' this in a rush, helpin' round the house taking X-mas stuff down.))

Ishmael · January 2, 2023 06:54:42

Gevar wasn't expecting footsteps behind her, and the superhuman speed at which she stood and whipped around to face the sound betrayed the fact that she was caught off guard. In a remarkable show of restraint, she didn't immediately blast the Darkest Devout with a pillar of fire-- perhaps her time as head guard of Anatina had taught her some manners after all. That didn't stop her from readying herself for an attack. Her body temperature spiked, causing the shingles beneath her to blacken, smoke curling out from underfoot.

The Stymphalian bird had definitely recognized the similarities between this stranger and Dust. Perhaps that also contributed to her reluctance to make the first move. She was not in the habit of letting someone who waltzed out of her shadow walk away unchallenged, however.

"Good day to you, too," she called to the other, her tone biting and sarcastic. "You got a name?"

wolffighting3768 · January 2, 2023 10:41:43

Crimson jolted awake, how long was he out. He could feel numbness crawling across his body. That means he was out for almost too long. "Fire...an internal aura..." he whispered. "Found ya mysterious deity." he said and jumped up and looked at the alley wall. "Rooftop time!" he said and began to jump off the walls to the roof. "Hellbound here I come!" he said and began to make a mad dash after the source of the burnt shingles. "Someone isn't too happy are they?" the same voice rang in Crimson's head. Clearly it was not his own. "Thank me later..." it said and vanished from Crimson's mind. As Crimson ran he felt odd. Not in a bad way, but in a way that made him feel....drawn to the flames. Perhaps it's not his power, but of the Emperor's. After all, odd things do and can happen around Crimson.

AshTheAvaricious · January 2, 2023 14:33:01

DD turned back to face Gevar. A mask hid her mouth, but the stymphalian bird would... less see but feel that the being is covered in scars. The shade speaks with Gevar's voice, although it seems plaintive and without thought. As though they do not have a voice of its own. "I bear no name, but I hold a title. I am The Darkest Devout."

wolffighting3768 · January 2, 2023 20:24:40

Crimson stopped and looked around. "Flames vanished...where to now?" he thought. "Open your ears and not your eyes. A ember is always around." Crimson recalled Flare saying this years ago. But it's not like Crimson was paying attention to what he meant or how to do such a thing. "It's not like I even have a working set of eyes Flare..." he grumbled and knelt down and ran his hand across the roof tiles. "No evidence of soot here...too rocky. If only there was still fire around...clearly such a thing doesn't exist...yet." he got back up and began to run across random roofs, looking for his goal.

Ishmael · January 3, 2023 15:21:17

Gevar's eyes narrowed. "...Right." Hearing her own voice come out of a stranger's mouth was a bit jarring, but definitely nowhere near as unsettling as some other things she encountered. "To what are you devout?"

AshTheAvaricious · January 3, 2023 17:12:09

"I follow the will of The Broken Blade." Given that Dust has broken swords, DD's shrouded in darkness, both their voices echo away from the listening, and her hand is engulfed in gray flame, it's fairly obvious that's a title of that vile shadow. It ponders a moment, before speaking again. "I must admit that I didn't expect to find you here, Gevar. Were you not charged to assist The Corrupted in the kingdom of Anatina?"

Meanwhile, Crimson's somewhere. Maybe closer to the bird and shadow than before, maybe about to fall off the rooftops. I dunno, but I personally think the latter would be funnier. Actually wait, Crimson might not be able to feel it since it's not traditional flame, but The Devout's left hand is Dust's magical gray flame.

Ishmael · January 3, 2023 18:25:08

The air around her rippled with energy as she put two and two together. They were a follower of Dust at the very least, likely more. It would be wise for the bird to choose her words carefully. She cocked her head to the side, her typical defensive attitude returning at its line of questioning. "And I have assisted. I'm not chained to the place, I can do what I like."

AshTheAvaricious · January 3, 2023 20:26:05

"I suppose that is truth. I just wouldn't place you as one to visit cities from what It told me of you." The Darkest Devout shifts slightly, as they're standing on a tilted part of the roof.

wolffighting3768 · January 4, 2023 02:56:51

In an nearby roof top a loud "OOF" could be heard, followed by a thud. Crimson had apparently fell.

"Yeah, that's no bueno." he said brushing himself off. "Though I feel an odd flame near. Not a cursed or a dark one. Never seen this kind before." he said and began to climb back up to the roofs. Once he reached the top he paused, feeling a strange energy coming off of DD, he began to follow it once more, eventually jumping to a roof close enough to confirm three souls. One of which he knew: Dust.

As soon as Crimson took a step close toward the group, a wave of energy washed over the roof, even Crimson could feel his own aura. This after all, was Judgements power. Whatever is going on, Crimson didn't like the darkness surrounding him, so he naturally reacts. "Dust." Crimson called. "A new deity I've never seen." he said, referring to Gevar. "And the deity I saw earlier. The one who lit the flames on the roof." Crimson summoned a number of fireballs to light the area. "What exactly is happening here that such dark flames and force gathers?"

AshTheAvaricious · January 4, 2023 10:26:14

Dust doesn't have a soul that Crimson would be able to find even if it was present, but he would feel its power in usage. The Darkest Devout's not-fire hand slips over a faint outline of a knife when Crimson calls out. Both Crimson and Gevar hear their own voice as she calls back, with no overlap between the two listeners. "Neither of us are gods, and my liege is not here. And we are speaking, something I imagine doesn't partain to you, flame."

wolffighting3768 · January 4, 2023 11:13:32

((When I refer to people as Souls, I mean it as a place taker for 'people' or a group. I'm aware that Dust has no soul now and I shall keep this in mind.))

Crimson looks at the three and smiles. "Crimson. Crimson Kasaki. Kyng of Judgement. If I were you I wouldn't be so mighty. I'm not here to fight, nor intervene...yet at least. But I do want to know why it all converges here. Especially with--" Crimson looks at DD's remaining flame on the hand. "Your friend over here. I saw them earlier and I wanted to talk to them. THey gave odd an odd aura, then again, all of you do....more of less at least."

Ishmael · January 9, 2023 15:20:31

Gevar had a scathing retort at the ready ((I promise)) before she was interrupted by Crimson's arrival. She glanced over at The Darkest Devout with a raised brow. "Are we friends? I don't remember us exchanging friendship bracelets." she had yet to draw a weapon, but was getting pretty darn close. She wasn't a fan of Crimson's aura.

One of the tiles beneath her feet finally cracked from exposure to heat. Parts of it skittered down the roof and landed in the street below, but she didn't seem to notice.

AshTheAvaricious · January 9, 2023 17:16:15

"I don't recall that either." DD moves her gray flame hand slightly out of Crimson's line of sight. "And I have a feeling you are not a king of this country, so I don't believe your title will convince me to tell secrets."

wolffighting3768 · January 10, 2023 12:04:20

Crimson walks over to DD and looks at them in the eyes, a slight shimmer of gold could have streaked across his eyes for a second...or maybe not. "I know a flame when I see one. Let me see it." he said, almost demanding it, but let it go and whipped his head over to Gevar. "Try not to burn down the whole house please. In case you didn't notice, you're burning off the shingles." Crimson sighed and closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "A flame that shouldn't exist, a person of grave stupidity (sorry Dust, but Crimson doesn't like him much) and we have someone guilty by association. Sure sounds like either a gang or a cult. Either way, it is true I'm not the king of THIS land, but I am a King of sorts according to this world rules. Or maybe more close to a deity. I'm not sure, I'm more or less an artificial deity than a real one. Oh, and I know my title will not change anything, but it's a formal greeting to the lot of you. But no matter which world I travel to, I do have an extent over Judgement. So you all have 3 tries to tell me what's happening or...well let's say things aren't going to get so friendly."

AshTheAvaricious · January 10, 2023 17:20:05

(no wonder it's so malevolent, dust gets misgendered by people like three times a month)
"Surely a god of judgement should know that there are only two in front of him." There are no eyes in the head of The Darkest Devout for Crimson to look into. "And most assuredly, it does not take a divine to realize your intrusion was unwelcome. Nor that we are allies of a number of gods, and thus threatening us will not lead to as good a result as you would hope."

Last edited by AshTheAvaricious (January 10, 2023 18:55:49)

wolffighting3768 · January 11, 2023 03:14:39

(I would like to apologize for my earlier statement then.)

"I'm stuck in a godforsaken world which I know little about, I'm not too sure what you are trying to accomplish here. I'm just curious as to what the hell is happening here. And considering that three dark aura are here, I'd say nothing good."

Ishmael · January 21, 2023 06:02:53

Gevar's indignation rose as her temper got the better of her. In the blink of an eye, she had shifted into her bird form. the shingles were no longer burning off, instead crumbling beneath her talons as she took a step forward and fixed her beady black eyes on the god. "I don't appreciate you lumping me into whatever this one's got going on," she said, jerking her head in the direction of the Darkest Devout. "And I especially don't like being threatened."

AshTheAvaricious · January 21, 2023 07:44:12

"The stymphalian bird would be correct, you have done nothing to show that we should trust you with any information we might have. Much the opposite, truly. And I, for one, don't have time for judges with clouded eyes." The Darkest Devout sprouts wings of gray flame, as the fire smothering its left hand burns brighter, and it takes off. It hovers just out of reach, but does not leave yet; either to give Crimson a chance to redeem himself or to watch Gevar do her work without interrupting too much.