PHASE I [ ❓❓❓ ] And then the Flamines are there.
They just appear, suddenly, as if from nowhere. They’re a race of mercenary aliens, and fighting is all they know -- they’re definitely not going to be easy to kill by any means. They seem to have a natural resistance to magic: aside from very specific types of magic (in particular, light magic and anything highly spiritual), they absorb it. Light magic and spiritual magic can harm them, but it will take a lot to take one down.
They can be stabbed, if you can get that close.
But good luck.
Of course, they look like nondescript black shapes with masks until you knock the mask off...and then you can see the true shape of the Flamines.
They’re here to kill you all. :)
PHASE II [ ❓❓❓ ] As if that isn’t enough… it seems the Flamines’ arrival was the last straw for Cerealia and the Nexus Code. There’s a tear in the sky, and from it… the Nexus Code, where all of the lost friends from before, can be seen. It can be entered, even, though remaining there too long can be detrimental to your health.
But people are there.
Old friends, strung up and lifeless, can be seen there, unmoving.
And…
Then some of them move. They open their eyes. They remember how to breathe. And they’re able to return, able to stagger their way back into Cerealia and take their first breath of air in a long, long time.
Welcome back to the chaos of Cerealia, friends.
Unfortunately, you’ve got nothing but the clothes on your back while murderous aliens are rampaging, so hopefully you’re able to think fast. It’d be unfortunate to die so soon after coming back.
As for spiritual and magical characters who were not in the Nexus Code...well, when they return, they’ll find that they’re covered in old, dried blood, and their clothing might have tears in it, as if from a knife.
There are no scars, though, and they’re otherwise fine. Strange.
PHASE III [ ❓❓❓ ] As if this chaos isn’t enough… there are also the masks. Regardless of whether or not characters were around to receive them the first time, regardless what they did with them before, the masks will suddenly reappear in your characters’ hands. They can be tossed aside, but they’ll reappear again eventually, unable to be truly shaken.
Characters who received them before will receive the same mask they had before.
Characters who didn’t receive them before will receive a mask according to the trait that’s more prominent for them.
Either way...it’ll have a profound effect on the Flamines.
They will go after any character with a broken mask in a bloodthirsty rage, intent on murdering them. Characters with a barcode mask or bloody mask will be the next likely to be chased down intently by the Flamines.
Characters with a :( mask will be killed if they get in the Flamines’ way, though they will not go out of their way to chase them down.
Characters with a vine mask or feather mask will be treated with wariness, though they may still be attacked if they get in a Flamines’ way.
Characters with a grey mask will not be killed unless they are first the aggressor, as will characters with a bloody fingerprint mask.
Naturally there will be exceptions to every rule, but the masks will change how the Flamines’ generally act towards characters!
PHASE IV [ ❓❓❓ ] But something’s not quite right.
Regardless of the battles against the Flamines, it seems Cerealia’s just been under too much pressure lately. Something had to give --
And it’s the code building up the characters that really suffers.
Their code has been hanging on by a thread without CERES to maintain it, and now… it’s finally giving out. The glitches that afflicted characters before will be even more prominent now; they might glitch from place to place, or have their powers go totally awry in odd ways. There may be a lack of powers suddenly, or a sudden difficulty staying on the ground as gravity stops working on the character.
They might suddenly be unable to breathe, or go cold, or very nearly die --
But it can be controlled, too, with effort. Characters can learn to control the glitches, gaining an ability to almost teleport, or ways to tweak their powers in exciting new ways.
With a lot of effort, they could even possibly reverse a death -- but only their own, and only once.
BONUS [ ❓❓❓ ] There are also… birds?
Flamingos, to be exact. Who knows where they came from, but either way, there are plastic flamingos chilling all over the place. They’re just normal plastic; they don’t move, they can very easily be destroyed --
But if you touch one with your bare hands… it’ll have an interesting effect.
Characters will suddenly find that they have the abilities or the last person they touched -- but without any of the practice or ability to control it, of course.
Still, it might help with that pesky Flamines problem, right?
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
Welcome to the beginning of Cerealia's endgame event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will begin 11/03, or IC 11/18. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you! |
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[ Many others have already sacrificed themselves just for him and Pyrrha to be here right now. For him to not even allow Pyrrha to put herself at risk is entirely selfish, he knows this. ]
Just... I'm gonna be with you every step of the way, got it? We do this together.
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Jaune...
[ No. Not that, not yet. She wants to tell him how grateful she is for him, for the past few months, for the extra time they were able to share.
She wants to ask him to stay, to willingly give up his life on Remnant because hers ended and she isn't sure she remembers how to be happy without him.
She wants to say those words, aloud this time. But they still frighten her, even now.
She doesn't say anything like that, though, because there's a faint scraping noise outside the destroyed shop window. The black shadows of a Flamine cling to a wall across the street, unmoving, its cloud-like mist pulsing. It's almost like the otherworldly being is staring at them.
That's about right. ]
... uh, let's go out the back.
[ THE ROMANCE OF THE CENTURIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ]
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[ Jaune finds the door to the back and opens it for Pyrrha. Once she goes through, he follows as well, not realizing there's a tiny wrench magnetically stuck against his back.
Huh. ]
So they seem to be going after your type of mask, huh?
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One thing Pyrrha hadn't grabbed was the mask, though. That's okay, because it's hanging on a hook just beside the backdoor, and she grabs it pointedly. ]
It's just a theory, but I strongly believe I'm right.
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[ He doesn't say it very proudly. If anything, it just weighs on him more that the only reason he's survived what many haven't so far is that the Flamines don't think he's worth their time.
And so begins their endless stairway climb! ]
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You shouldn't look for a pattern in this chaos. [ Pyrrha hardly thinks she's much of a source for concern to them, either. Look what happened to the dumpster! ] It's not worth your time.
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[ Whether it's masks or elemental effects, Jaune has learned by now that there usually is a pattern even if they can't figure it out. Though, this isn't anything like before, not even close. ]
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[ That, or the main thing separating them now - her death, his life - is the only significant difference she can think of. The thought makes her stomach turn unpleasantly. ]
Sometimes, I wonder if it's simply aimless malice. When they... recovered me -- [ She shakes her head. ]
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We're almost at the top!
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The last door looms, the telltale black shadows of her semblance almost outlining her in full as the weapons continue to float on, a little wobblier now.
Breathe, and ask, ] Are you ready?
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As I'll ever be.
[ ...and then. ]
I love you. [ The tone doesn't come with a sense of finality but it's rather casual, he just wanted to say it out loud for once. Amidst everything horrible that's happened so far, this is the only thing that can make him smile right now. ]
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He says something else, and her hand stops midway.
As his confession, spoken, leaves her heart fluttering, an impossible and giddy lightness going from her stomach to her breastbone, Pyrrha can't bring herself to look at him. Her courage could very well crumple if she does. Later, she'll be choking on her regrets, bleeding the consequences of this moment: the moment where she says nothing in response, where she pushes the door open and steps out onto the roof without ever saying it back.
With a light toss, the mask slides across the rooftop floor. The weapons remain hidden in the darkness of the stairwell as she crosses into the vague light of this destructive day, waiting.
And waiting.
And... ]
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Alright, you alien dirtbags, let's see how you handle Team JNPR!!
[ He goes to reach for Crocea Mors at his side, but realizes that it's actually just orbiting around him. ] ...Huh?? [ Did Pyrrha do that? ]
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... ] Jaune, I think you're doing that.
[ DID THEY FIND HIS SEMBLANCE? -- No, that's crazy. ]
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[ No time to discuss it however, the first Flamine homes in on them as it climbs on the side of the building and makes its presence known. ]
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The bellowing shriek of agony it gives off is downright inhuman, impossibly loud, and she only just resists clapping her hands over her ears. ]
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Alright, that's one down! A-Are you oka--
[ It's not dead, however! A tentacle wraps itself around Jaune's foot and begins to reel him towards the Flamine, just as it stand up again. HELP ]
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Her first strike had been a necessity of combat. Her second is pure aggression, protectiveness over her partner and fear of being separated from him lending a fire to her muscles and her semblance.
Ignoring the weapons entirely for a moment, Pyrrha rips a chunk of the metal framing out of the doorway and brings it down on the tentacle, again and again, striking at the smokey, inexplicable substance until it dissolves, releasing Jaune.
It's still not dead, though.
Pyrrha's beginning to be a little worried now. ] Jaune--
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Thanks!
[ A second Flamine has already reached the top, lunging at Pyrrha from behind until Jaune stands up and impales it with Crocea Mors, then with all his strength flings it over to where the first one is. ]
Something's wrong, they-- they're getting back up!
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More weapons shoot out from the doorway (they had literally robbed an entire store, it seems) but each strike is feeling less and less effectual.
And then there's Jaune exclamation. ]
Maybe we're just not hitting them in the right spot. Can you see a weak point? [ Hands thrusting, all the metal chaos around them stills, weapons hanging in the air like pictures. It allows the Flamines to inch close again, yes, but it will also lend an observable moment. ]
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...P-Pyrrha...
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She looks over at him, expectant. ]
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[ And why both are homing in on Pyrrha once again. First one from the front, the other circling her to get her from behind. ]
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She closes her eyes for a brief moment, her only protection from an anguished expression.
When she opens them again, Pyrrha looks like she did that night, gazing up at the tower following Ozpin's apparent demise. Before, she had been economical in her use of their grand theft weapon; now, every last one flies out into the open. They may not be able to kill the Flamines, but they can pin them down in a way that they won't be able to get back up again. The inhuman shrieks of pain they let out are amplified as she brutalizes them onto the rooftop floor, turning them into pincushions, dark ichor pooling and staining the ground as they bleed without inhibition.
That takes care of those two, but the others... ]
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That... should do it. [ But now that they know what they know... ] --Pyrrha! We gotta regroup with the others, there's no point in fighting them for now!
[ Suddenly, the building shakes a little. ]
What? That... didn't sound good...
[ It shakes again! But nothing happens so far. ]
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