Crouching Bacon

Cold Fire

How Soren found himself in a fight against the year’s most promising young mage, he doesn’t quite remember. All he knew that it was a bad start to another dismal day in the Academy.

“Ulrich Braus… of all people. Just my luck.”

The mage made an upturned fist– immediately, in front of him, a burning orb appeared; behind him, an explosion of jeers and taunts.

“Get out of my face, Dusk-tainted filth.” Ulrich grinned, his rakish smile glinting in the cruel sun.

“Brand him! Brand him!” chanted the crowd.

Soren cringed as a crackling ball of cobalt flame hovered ever closer to his face, threatening to melt his flesh away if he so much as moved. The boy’s dull eyes flickered to life, aflame with cold, cold hatred as his fingers dug into the soil, subconsciously trying to dig a way out… or perhaps a hole to die in.

“Hey! Leave him alone, Ulrich. Look for somebody who can actually fight.”

Everyone froze and turned towards the voice. Everyone but Soren.

“Damn you, bitch.” His eyes shut in shame.

“Ah. Somehow, little Fei has the heart to pity you.” Ulrich laughed and lowered his fist, killing the flame. “Even I have my standards.” He turned his back on the both of them and began walking away, his pack following close by.

“Oi, I’ll tell the teacher what you just did! You meanie!”

The girl’s hand drifted to her sword, ready to lash out at the swaggering braggart, but before she could do so, something flew past her face. Soren watched, his face frozen in an almost smile as his tormentor fell to the ground with a hound’s sharpened tooth buried in his shoulder.

“Heh. I guess you aren’t so strong after all, Ulrich. We all bleed.”

Rising quickly, he drew close to the girl and hissed in her ear. “Don’t you dare do that again. My life is mine to keep!” Soren pushed her to the ground and ran into the trees.

When the teachers arrived, the victim turned victor was nowhere to be found. As soon as the wound was cleaned and the blade removed, the girl snatched it.

“I should give this back…”

She looked at the strange weapon in her hands, more fang than dagger. The blade seemed to hum with an old power, one that could drive a man mad if he listened too closely.

Perhaps it already worked its strange magic, because into the woods she went.

"With you by my side, my love, even hell feels like heaven to me"

- Fei to Soren, Arcanum Academy's school drama festival

"I cannot-"

<In the corner of the concert hall, Ko vomits>

-soren gets distracted and says the wrong line-

"Hell... Hell no?"

Not a one featured Lily or Camus either. There's no Iblis, no Azelus, and we also lack Jeanne in the listing but there hasn't been much time for fantasizing there so I suppose that makes sense.

 

Also no Renly or any off-character ships. Why no Magnar x Beth, or Lily x Absolom, or even Camus x Absolom? And why do more almost half of these make some semblance of sense? Imagination people! Let the doujin work commence!

 

Except not really since we all make the original....

 

P.S. Just waiting on an Ahti and a Beth post before progressing.

Lily x Iblis = Hell hath no fury...

What ever happened to that cross-dressing character you were thinking about? Or was the 'son' a trap all along?

Shh. all in due time.

Shes 16, that is far from loli.

well, she has this odd child-like quality about her. XD

i couldn't help it.

oh my goodness, Garm ;u;

don't end up like Marco.

I call Caius x Rayne 'Tortureshipping'.

Well, I call Terra x Hadrian "Lollipopping".

[Flamma Vitae]

"Agh! Get off me, mutt!"

She strained against the wolf in vain, yelling defiantly despite the risk of worms falling into her mouth. Her arms weren't broken... yet. The damage done would definitely affect her swordsmanship, provided that she could still even hold the blade long enough to parry or strike properly. Her eyes flickered to the sky as the wolf's jagged teeth came dangerously close to her neck.

"...is this the death that I deserve?"

Before the downed warrior could utter her very first prayer, her tormentor flew to the side, blasted away by some unseen force. She jumped and got on her feet, wincing as her arms hung limp by her sides. The pain lessened quickly though; Terra had the presence of mind to heal her despite facing down a wolf of her own.

“Terra! Aera! You guys escape while I keep these wolves busy!”

Aera sheathed her sword and gave Hadrian a brief glance.

"Ever the savior. I owe him my life again..."

Terra didn't seem enthusiastic about retreat either and for good reason– the healer's wand had caustic properties, at least to the wolves. Aera's eyes glared at the strange red orbs within the craggy beasts, their pulsating glow akin to beating hearts. An attempt to shatter them would be risky; there was always the chance that they were only vulnerable to magic.

She looked at the sky. Then she looked at the girl beside her.

"No." Dagger in hand, Aera prepared for the next window of opportunity to open. "You really don't know me at all, do you, captain?"

The stabbing force would just have to come from a shift in technique and a little creativity. Thankfully, her legs remained uninjured and they were more than enough to compensate.

"Though if worse comes to worse..."

A small crevice lay a few meters away. Aera was quite ready to carry her pint-sized team mate to it if need be. But for now–

"Ready, steady, go!"

Like hell would she abandon her friends.

hey hey!

welcome and stay.

yeah you heard me right,

STAY or else. :>

You know, as I typed out that rant, that little voice that tells you important things told me not to write it...I should have listened...

well it's alright, though maybe someone should post some concrete magic rulez somewhere that's not buried? :>

like the ten commandments or something.

i promise i wont break the stone tablets.

Posted. Am training a puppy

EDIT: Thanks Liar for said puppy. That was nice of you. Better than a mushroom

if it's got worms for a tongue, i really don't want to see what comes out of the other end.

A draft.

my first time creating a slightly magic based character. oh dear. XD

Spoiler

 
The Selfish Lamb
 
Name: Soren Noctus Rossignol
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Crusader Relation: Unbeknownst to Soren, Gale is his father.
 
History:

Comprendre, c'est pardoner.
To understand is to forgive.

So Soren's mother tells him time and time again, after another harsh round of bullying by the neighborhood children. The problem is, the little misfit was pretty sure he didn't want to understand them. Fantasies of his father coming back to lay waste to his tormentors died away as he grew wiser in the ways of the world. It baffled him to see how his mother always talked about the man with such fondness and respect. The way he saw it, shepherds who abandoned their sheep were worse than wolves.

Due to the incessant bullying, the boy was homeschooled. Growing up, his only friends were the cattle he watched over; Soren watched over them in exchange for a small sum of money, which he often used to buy his mother pretty trinkets just to see her smile.

The boy's tutor quickly ran out of books to teach Soren, since he was a voracious reader, the books being his only means to know about the outside world. He took quite an interest on the subject of Necromancy and the Dusk, dreaming of the day he could weild the darkness and torment his enemies.

After some time, it was clear that sending Soren to the Academy was the only way to put his mind to good use; already, thoughts of revenge drove him mad at times and would drive him into fits of rage. Though loath to leave his mother's side, he knew that knowledge was power. At the age of eleven, Soren began his training, beginning with the manipulation of the basic elements.

Unfortunately, it turns out that he was not as gifted as he thought he was. While his classmates were able to hear the voices of the wind, or the whispering of the earth, all Soren could hear was the voice in his head that constantly mocked him for being such a failure. He was attuned to the flow of magic, yet he could not express the energy in a realized form.

Until one fateful day, the day of the placement examinations, Soren's frustrations got the best of him, provoking him into another one of his infamous tantrums. While everyone was out toying with the elements in the field, Soren closed his eyes and felt a dam break from within. The force around him was gone; he felt it well up inside him, filling him with an unnatural vigor. Simultaneously, everyone else could no longer carry out their exercises, complaining of weakness and an inability to access their magic.

Eventually he fainted from sheer exhaustion, but not without arousing the curiosity of the professors present during the exercise. After some experimentation, they realized that while Soren was horrible at using magic, he was able to manipulate its flow, able to take and give magic at will, at the cost of his own.

Upon hearing the discovery, the boy was crushed. Soren hated the ability; it only made him weaker than he already was. All he wanted was to be strong enough, but now, even fate denied him of this. Despite it all, he decided to continue his training, strengthening his stamina and fine-tuning his ability to sense the flow of energy around him.

Unable to return home as a failure, when Soren heard of the Crusade, he immediately signed up as a volunteer. If he came home, it would only be as a hero, worthy of his mother's welcoming smile.

Specialty: Vis - Soren has the unique ability of controlling the flow of magic, absorbing it within his body as well as expelling it into another physical body capable of storing the energy. However, exercising this ability takes a lot of stamina, thus limiting the length of time it can be used as well as the intensity of power he can give or absorb.

Skills:
Tracking - since he has had experience with preventing predators from attacking cattle
Knowledge in Necromancy - widely read in Necromancy and can recognize and distinguish various spirits, though he cannot summon his own
Agility - Since Soren was bullied early on, he learned that running away was the best was to survive. He is quite speedy, though relatively fragile.
Navigation - He is quite knowledgable about the constellations and can find his way back home with them alone.

Personality
The Savage Coward - Soren is a survivor. He dislikes weakness though he knows very well that he is a weakling. Thus, this means that he would do nearly anything to keep his life.
 
Equipment & Inventory:
Corvus - A cloak that Soren's mother made for him. It is made out of the toughest yet supple leather, able to withstand wear and tear as well as shallow cuts from a blade. She claims it makes him resemble his father.

Hund - An enchanted dagger fashioned from the tooth a a dire wolf that nearly killed Soren when he was out looking for a lost calf.

Animus - Soren carries around a physically unbreakable orb that serves as a diary of sorts, able to record all his thoughts, feelings, memories, and whatever information he gives it. He made it in the Academy as a class project. Only he is able to access it, unless he gives others the password or if they are skilled enough to crack the code. He is also the only one capable of destroying it.

Relationships:

Gale Kaloc - Gale is Soren's father, though he is unaware of this fact.

 

Just finished reading your post, Sciutto. Very creative with the mouth stab, I liked it.

 

+ 2 Respect

 

Orcra is next. >:}

-thanks >///<

haha, though it seems like the only "soft" spot

i guess hadrian's going to bust out the laser canons or something, huh.

but not before terra does something crazy awesome. or just plain crazy.

lol, then liar decides that the bull has regenerative powers.

orc-nii, slice and dice them mushrooms

maybe all rayne needs is some chicken mushroom soup for the soul~

i love campbell's cream of mushroom, incidentally

samsung touch screen

 

the touch screen is just about the only good thing about this crappy handling PC. and the fact that it's light as a feather (a 1kg feather)

anyway time to write a very much revised post... gonna use notepad this time, seems like a wiser idea

whoah, 1 kg. i'm jealous XD

my back would definitely thank me.

“I have no intention of leaving either of you behind,” Hadrian’s voice reverberated amidst the silence, disturbed by only by the crunch of stones under their feet as Aera tailed the eccentric child.

“My heart tells me that his words are no lie.” She took a deep breath and released it in a quick sigh, letting go of all the doubts that plagued her mind. “So far...it has yet to fail me.”

Her patience, however, was at its limits.

“Terra… what exactly are we looking for?” asked Aera, for the fifteenth time, growing frustrated with the cryptic silence of the self-proclaimed Lord of the Flies. When they finally approached a cliff with an odd crevice, the princess was about ready to find the girl a kingdom of shit she could rule over. Lack of information could bring about death in a battlefield– she had lost many good men because of it.

“Wait, don’t–“

But it was too late. The air around them reeked of rarified evils to come. An unseen force goaded the earth and the stone to rip itself apart and combine into what passed for crude imitations of wolves. Aera has seen enough of magic to know that this was not a good sign. Blades could sever flesh and blood, but rocks were not as obedient to force.

“Stay behind me! Damn... is this what you were looking for, trouble?”

However, it was hard to hide her excitement; her scowl quickly changed into an impish grin.

With Lichtgestalt in hand, Aera placed herself between the girl and the largest wolf, regarding it and its savage brethren with watchful eyes. When the alpha howled and revealed its foul mouth, the princess dashed forward and swiftly plunged her blade into the wriggling mass, the entire move taking place even before the wolf finished its dreadful cry.

“Take that!”

Some worms splattered on the ground as she pushed and twisted the sword deeper into its throat with measured force, taking care to keep the blade from getting stuck in the grimy mess. Once it hit solid rock, Aera gave it one final stab and pulled it out. She returned to Terra's side, ready to fend off the eager demons.

"Terra, if you know how to make things explode, now would be a good time."

The princess smiled and nodded at Terra's staff. Something that flashy should be at least marginally useful, right? Or at the very least, it looked sturdy enough to whack away a few of the mutts.

I submit my second character for Liar's approval.

 

Spoiler

 

The Pirate Queen

"I'm more of an adventurous type, than a relationship type."

 

¤ Name: Alvilda Black

¤ Age: 18

¤ Gender: Female

¤ Crusader Relation: None

 

 

¤ Appearance ¤

​

 

Alvilda is tall for a woman. Standing at roughly six feet and five inches, she is larger than most men. Besides her waist-lenght blonde hair, deep blue eyes and incredible height, her only distinguishable feature is the blue-ink 'Eternal Knot' on her right shoulder. It symbolizes a whole 'lotta crap Alvilda was too drunk that night to remember. All she knows, is that it looks fricken epic.

 

¤ History ¤

Alvilda Black, formerly of The Winter Marches, was the libidinous captain of the pirate ship 'The Black Sun' until her crew betrayed her to the empire for control of her smuggling operation and a generous bounty.

 

The daughter of a former tribal chieftain, her father viciously opposed the rule of Freya the Raven - better known then as The Valkyrie. A proud man, and the son of many great northern warriors, he felt that it was his blood and kin and clan that should - and would - rule The Winter Marches. But after The Valkyrie's many victories against other, larger tribes, the courage of his clansmen failed them. And instead of a glorious battle, the likes of which the bards would sing of for ages, his warriors offered Freya the Raven their weapons as a sign of their surrender the day she marched on their lands.

 

Enraged, the chieftain challenged the future Margrave of the Winter Marches to a duel for the Right of Leadership to the vast army assembled on his doorstep. Sadly, before he could even cross weapons with the holy knight, her aura alone crushed his spirit and he fell to his knees in despair. In his heart, he knew he was no match for her, and surrendered like a cowardly Empyrian. 'Victory or Death', those were the proud words of his tribe. Yet she broke their conviction and pride without even slaying any of their children.

 

Within the year, The Valkyrie conquered the rest of The Winter Marches - only to turnaround and offer it to The Empress of Light and her empire. Heartsick with regret, Alvilda's father left his ancestral home with his wife in shame. He had failed his ancestors, and himself. A warrior no more, for the next two years he traveled south to become a farmer - during which time Alvilda was conceived.

 

When Alvilda was seven, she ran away from home to become a warrior like those in her father's epic poems and never looked back. A warrior through-and-through, the farmer's life was too dull and predictable for her. So in the dead of night, she set off for the nearest town and began her journey of adventure. Now, more than ten years later, she has sampled many pleasures and many more ales in almost every tavern from Empyria to the edges of The Winter Marches and back again. A lover of fine wine, beautiful men, and bold women, Alvilda plays hard and fights harder. Every day is a new chance to increase her legend. Soon her father will tell tales of her to her brothers and sisters.

 

¤ Specialty ¤

Strength, Lust, and Power: Because of her father's heroic poems and their proud heritage, Alvilda naturally gravitated towards the largest and most impressive weapons she could find. Now, after years of training, she has developed the incredible strength sufficient enough to wield greatweapons effortlessly in either hand. Because of this ambidextrousness, she can either swing a mighty weapon in a dazzling arc between each hand, or duel-wield exotic weapons and double her slaughter potential by easily hitting multiple foes around her at once as she dances through the battlefield.

 

¤ Skills ¤

​Swashbuckler: After years spent battling aboard rocking ships, Alvilda has learned to command a battle like a craftsman. Her skills allow her to match targets parry for parry, extending or ending the battle as she sees fit. Which is to say, so long as she's having fun, her prey can squirm just a bit longer. Primarily used to disarm foes, she can just as easily lure enemies into traps or into her bed - a win, is a win.

 

Warmonger: Many warriors are adept at destroying enemies, but Alvilda wants a challenge as well as a victory. To her, combat is a proving ground where mettle is tested and mastery is proven. Unlike the warriors of Empyria, she will often announce her intentions - inviting attention with bravado and insults. She is at her best when surrounded by foes, keeping them off balance with flashy moves and flare.

 

Of the Northern Tribes: Alvilda is a deadly combatant who prefers to fight in light armour. But what she sacrifices in defense, she more than makes up for in speed. And thanks to her sea legs, few can close as quickly or strike as decisively as she can on land or on a table.

 

Now This Is How We Do It: A self-taught fighter, Alvilda learned how to brawl in street fights and arenas by getting knocked down time and time again. By watching her opponents exhaust themselves and loose faith in their abilities everytime she stood back up, she realized that the real enemy was within one's self. With that, she released all her fear and doubt and quickly learned the rules of 'Fight Club'.

 

¤ Equipment & Inventory ¤

- Alvilda wears thick, leather armor only where it counts - her hands and legs. The exposed areas serve to funnel attacks into her field of vision. Enemies that can't hit such an obvious target, slowly lose morale and confidence. Less weight also means she can move quicker than most would expect a large girl to. She's proving that big girls can be quite flexible.

 

- 'Tease' is what most believe to be Alvilda's greatsword. In truth, it is just a hollow metal sheath used to conceal four other weapons inside - Heartbreaker, Regret, Panic, and Backstabber'. While only a sheath, Tease is incredibly heavy and functions as her first line of offense as well as a shield. The four blades inside, when combined, become a 'sixth' weapon, 'Nightmare'.

•  
• 'Heartbreaker' and 'Backstabber' are her twin blades, named after the two lovers Alvilda killed and threw overboard after they decided one night to try 'something different' without her consent. Fifty-four inches in length, these blades are fast, accurate, and deadly.
•  
• 'Panic' was an expensive shield given to her by a noble, that she had melted down into something more useful. Sixty-nine inches long, it is basically a large metal splinter with a handle added as an afterthought.
•  
• 'Regret' is the base sword the others fold into to create 'Nightmare'. It is the largest and longest of the blades, at seventy-two inches, put is thin and full of holes. Because of this, Alvilda can grip the weapon anywhere across it's impressive lenght - changing the size of her arc midswing, catching the foolish unawares.
•  
• 'Nightmare' is the assembled form of all four weapons, once the first three have been locked into the fourth. Designed more for crushing targets, once Alvilda wields it in both hands, she can generate enough strength to cut through heavy armor. She even destroyed a tavern once when she cut through it's supports chasing a man who had turned down her drunken offer to take him upstairs.
•  

¤ Relationships ¤ 

-casually ships new girl with magnar-

For a very ignorant reason, I was surprised to see that Clare could write. ~sits in a corner~

why? her right hand was still functional XD

EDIT:

His. I meant his.

damn, that trap is pretty effective~

As Hadrian darted away before Aera could rip him a new mouth, she looked around the cockpit floor for her sword.

"Ouch. Another bruise..." she said; the low dashboard made it hard to move without hitting things.

Finally, after much uneccesarry head trauma, she exited the ship, Lichtgestalt in hand and a determined smile on her face. They were alive, which meant that they were essentially a functional search party. If this strange wench survived after being hit by their ride, then the rest definitely did. Trained warriors and heroes deserved better deaths than an accident.

"We can't die yet. This is only the beginning."

As the girl mumbled on about something, Aera felt something touch her nape with what almost passed as a kiss. A sudden gasp escaped her; she bit her lips to stop herself from making any more strange noises that only made her face heat up more.

She glanced quickly behind her, but saw that Hadrian was too far to have touched her. Not that she would have let him approach so easily and so intimately. Their previous altercation was close enough.

Though there was always the risk of Hadrian leaving them behind, Aera rushed after the Terra-creature. Her boisterous oddness could probably scare the overly welcoming spirits that only grew bolder in Hadrian's presence.

"I'll go after her. Don't you dare leave us behind, you." she said, without facing him. The stiffness in her gait probably said as much as her blush anyway. That feathery touch was quite difficult to forget.

Aera shook her head and ran ahead.

"I don't like this place, but anything to find the others, I guess."

What I meant was, is Rayne the type that rapes people as well? Or would she stop Iblis from raping people?

I say people because I don't want to assume anything at this point.

PLEASE RAYNE x LYSANDER rape courtship scene.

8D

then aera discovers her brother being deflowered. oh dear.

oh wait, he's not a virgin, i guess?

or is that integral to his powers?

ugh, i'm blabbering again.