On the Run (Event)

Cetus wrapped a bandage around his ribs. One broken on the left side, three fractured on the right. Three of his fingers couldn't bend. His left wrist would grind at a certain angle. The assassin was pretty sure his leg was broken too. "Persephone, body functionality?" he asked, tying off the bandages. It was a toss up whether the A.I. implant would respond. It had been on the fritz since Louie did a number on him. The blonde god wannabe was responsible for his body's current state too.

Body functioning at 63% Persephone answered, her voice full of static. Cetus rubbed his chin. Not as bad as it could be. He'd have to test his combative capabilities. There was some kind of holiday event being held in a town nearby. Good place to try out a few things. First things first though. A purple black armor rippled into existance around the assassin. He'd learned his lesson when fighting Louie. He needed to be careful lest his injuries get the best of him.

Cetus leaped down from his perch. The move aggravated his leg. The assassin frowned. Using his mind, his armor tightened to reinforce his limbs. That should increase his combat capabilities. The assassin moved openly toward the town. He didn't have time to practice stealth. The armor would have to be enough.

As Cetus stepped into the town, couples passed by. They were kissing under mistletoe, cuddling and other holiday things. The assassin wished the sight moved his cold heart. Anything at all would have been appreciated. Instead, he merely raised a hand. "Bah, humbug" He said in a monotone voice. A snap of his fingers and columns of flame swallowed the couples.

That should draw the law keepers. If it failed... Cetus eyed his surroundings. A few independent mages were drawing weapons or readying magic. Was that a ghost? She hovered about, moving toward one of the other mages. A good distraction but he wished to hold sole attention. Black flames flew from his hand. The torrent consumed the ghost and the mage. Two birds one stone. Four mages left. Cetus wondered how long it would be before the Rune Knights responded.

WC: 364
@Illya Aoshara

The timid traveler of Dies Iraw, Illya Aoshara, would find herself among the many doting crowds of the winter festival. Spirits were up in the air as couples would sit among one another. The very sight brought a warm feeling of happiness and envy at the same time for the small mage. While she was elated to see such love for their partners here she was reminded fully of her one and only. The solution to her complex puzzle of a troubled life. This was normally kept at bay with the tiny woman's incessant tendencies to overwork herself to the point of exhaustion so that no such thoughts could creep over about her former lover now missing in action. The current state of affairs brought by the members of Dies Irae didn't exactly inspire much hope in her, although something inside of her was pushing her forwards instead of onto the ground. It would probably lead her down a dangerous path, but for now, being right in the middle of a festival, with a mug of hot cocoa in her mitted hands, was just where she needed to be. The cup was brought directly towards her lips while the sweet taste of milk chocolate and marshmallows would linger on her tongue.

The joyful evening in the snow was not meant to be, as columns of flames would rise up from the ground, incinerating some of the fairgoers as Illya dropped her mug in response, the cup landing with a soft thud in the snow as its sugary contents spilled across the snow, melting it down to the muddied grass beneath. "Wh-What's going on?!" Illya murmured to herself, eyes darting around in every direction for any kind of clue. People were running around frantically from the sudden spires popping up, though in the chaos would be another site to behold: a small girl with dark blue skin and hair as white as the clouds. Her form was an ethereal color, with their form looking incorporeal enough to be passed straight through, almost like a ghost of some kind. Illya watched her roam about as the mages nearby took up arms against their supposed attacker. But some things still didn't make sense in her mind. If she was a ghost, why would she attack with fire magic such as this? The recruit watched the child from afar as she floated above the crowd with a look of disdained painted on her otherwise emotionless face. Her flight around the festival was cut arbitrarily short as a gyser of black fire would engulf her from the side, vanquishing herself and another poor mage who just so happened to be standing in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Illya's nearly gasped at the sight of this horror, though somehow managed to contain herself enough to not begin too run away. That weird guy was the cause of all of this! She wanted to step forward and deal with him herself, but she was just some little punk compared to the rest of the big dogs. Illya, Sivy, even Johann...Each one of them could have creamed this guy without breaking a sweat. But it was just here now, until the stronger people showed up. But with this being the holidays, that could have taken anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, and who knows what might happen if she were to just run away again?

She had to do it. It was just like Illya said, all she had to do was to believe she could.

The girl would focus to her right and then towards the location near the roof nearby, in front of the man. She did some math in her head, how big the distance between her current position and the point she wished to go to was as a tear in reality would form, shaped into a round circle. Illya stepped through as the entrance would close behind, an axe made of ice having been thrown just mere seconds after she came through. It took a moment but Illya would pop out of another portal from above, her feet landing on top of the roof in front of the man's way.
"H-Hey!" she called down to him, attempting to at least force out a bit of confidence in herself. The killer could probably see through her facade, as her legs looked ready to give away at the faintest of glares from him. "You'd really ruin other people's holidays like this, y-you....you monster!" she stomped her foot and would psych herself up to face this guy. "I'll teach you to ruin th-the greatest holiday ever! The Rune Knights, the cops, the magic police, everyone's coming! B-But I won't let you run. So just come quietly and I pro-" she was cut off, a swarm of ice daggers flying at her from afra would cause the girl to duck down to avoid a cold demise. One did cut a small portion of her cheek, alongside almost falling off of the roof itself as she clung for dear life on the gutter.

Another ghostly looking woman would be staring at the two on her monstrous companion and mount, her body growing icicles as each point that was forming into the beginnings of differing weapons. Illya would managed to shimmy along the gutter and slide down, landing on her two feet while a chill ran down her spine, thoughts and memories of her family and Illya's. She had promised them she'd take care of her and now what had happened? Some friend she was to her. Messed up so bad that Illya couldn't even say her name.

The girl snapped out of her daze while looking between the man who had killed those people, and the magical being apart from them. "Call h-her off!" Illya said, trying to sound a bit more commanding. "You've traumatized these people enough! I'll make you if I have to!" There she stood, this little shrimp of a mage standing up to somebody twice her in both size and magic. Illya was blinking back tears as her hands shook tremendously but here she stayed, repeating to what Illya said all those times ago.

"It's a lot to get used to, but baby steps, little Illya!"

WC: 1046

@Cetus

Cetus turned his armored head as an interesting player entered the game. A shy little pink haired mage was begging him to stop. Perhaps begging was the wrong word. He grinned behind his metal mask. It was mirthless but an involuntary reaction. It appeared she could teleport too. For some reason a second ghosty was now targeting her. Interesting. Filed away for further observation and experiments.

"Come now, little mage. You'll hurt my feelings. A monster I might be, but I still feel. Ruining other people's holidays is what gives my life meaning. And the cops have never been able to stop me anyway." He gave her a deep bow. "Da name be Dubhar, milady. A mass murderer of the worst sort. And your people don't even have the time of day for me." He snickered for the effect. He didn't know if the Rune Knights, or magic cops were investigating him or not. He hoped to wind the little pinkette up.

She did stir up wry amusement in his chest though. When she demanded he call off the other ghost, Cetus burst out laughing. As if he would use such a crude tool. "As you wish, milady" he acquiesced with a bow. A spear of black flame coalesced in his palm. Winding up, the spear flew true. It shot through the chest of the deer riding ghost. She shrieked as she disintegrated. "Now if in you don't mind, I'll go back to making my own holiday fun."

Cetus reached up and tugged of the helmet of his armor. The pointy faced bastard of a thing didn't really fit his style anyway. He kept his face hidden with a bit of pyro kinesis. Instead of his head when the helmet came off, a black fireball with a glowing face appeared. The sight of it made the Independent mages back up a step. Oh, no. They weren't getting away now. Cetus hurled the helmet at the left most mage. It pierced the man's stomach. Cetus heard his arm crackle in response. Best not to use over whelming force then. He teleported behind the second victim. A grip on the chin plus a quick twist. The man crumpled with a sharp crack. The next mage was standing right there. He kicked out the back of her knee. His mailed fingers pierced her neck. Not enough to kill but enough to cause pain. He smiled grotesquely as flames shot from his fingers. The mage's insides melted. As she opened her mouth to scream, her throat and eyes glowed.

The last mage turned to run. Seriously? Cetus looked around. One of the mages by his feet had a wand. Crude but it'd do. He grabbed it. A flick of his wrist sent it into the mage's back. Downed but still alive. Cetus strode forward whistling. The man whimpered, trying to reach the wand to pull it out. He couldn't quite reach it. It was sad to watch. Enduring a little pain as he twisted would have been enough to reach it. Cetus only waited a few seconds before having enough. "Allow me." he said reaching down. He spun the wand, slowing widening the hole as he manuvered the wand. The mage screamed. When he tried to cast magic, Cetus casually leaned forward and bit off his ear. The glob of flesh was spat back onto the street. "Dude. Shower once and a while, yea?" Cetus admonished. Then he yanked out the wand. It had nicked the liver and his widening of the wound meant the man would die slowly.

The assassin straightened, grinning widely. It was more for effect then actual amusement. He still couldn't feel much emotion. Louie had failed to have the desired result. However, this strange little mage had given him amusement. Perhaps he'd play with her emotions. See if she would attack him directly. Or if she would do that thing people with emotions did... uh cry? The tears falling thing. Eliciting emotions within another might help him discover his own.

Cetus licked the mild blood splatter on his fingers. Looking for the pinkette, he smiled again. This snow was a big part of this holiday thing. He'd eliminate it and then hit the various events. Maybe he could see if there were any other ghosts floating about. Ah, the fun he'd get up to. Extending his hands to either side, a ring of fire burst forth. It pulsed rapidly, melting snow, setting buildings on fire and injuring any unlucky enough to be caught in it. "Much better. That nasty white stuff needed to be cleaned up." Cetus caught the eye of the pinkette whenever she appeared. "If you love snow, I have my own nasty white stuff I could shower you in." A wink and grabbing his crotch should help get his point across. If not, innocent little mage needed to pick up the XXX Sorcerer's Magazine. It was very educational.

A black shape appeared near the edge of his cleared space. It touched someone and Cetus watched them disintegrate. Properly, they decayed into dust. What a curious power. It appeared ash was also under this one's control. It flung out a hand and enveloped two others in black clouds. Cetus clapped his hands in appreciation. That drew its attention. Its hooded head turned toward him slowly. Glowing blue eyes captured his own. Cetus found himself sucked into them.

'A failure. Dispose of him, Dem. Saber brought him in, you kill him.' A cold detached voice said. Cetus frowned seeing himself kneeling before his long time friend. Dem had the symbol of the Order of Law emblazoned on his chest. His hands appeared to be permanently encrusted with blood. As he raise a sword, Cetus turned to another vision. He stood over the bodies of his adopted family. A ring of gold held the symbol once more. He felt something stir in his chest at a duplicate vision. However this one wasn't cold. This one showed him a bloody field without any identifying parts. It was only a gut feeling that told him his family lay there. What the hell was all of this? He flipped theough these 'futures'. Cetus cradling the body of a child (presumably his own), watching a house burn while on his knees, tearing apart a unknown woman (probably a lover, he didn'tthink it could be his mother or a relative), pulling- The assassin didn't stop on that one. That psychological blow had never sat with him logically. The woman would always come to avenge the baby. It created a vendetta that could pull everything out from under one's feet. It seemed like many of these visions revolved around him finidng love of some kind. Was that an inevitability of searching for his emotions? Further study required. Cetus paused on one last vision. This one showed him laughing, crying, shouting. He'd gotten his emotions back but... there was something wrong. Cetus couldn't quite put a finger on it. When the vision Cetus ate someone, the shark man shuddered. That was it. They weren't his emotions. He'd consumed others to have them. After journeying for so long, attempting everything to gain his own emotions, he'd crumpled to despair in this instance. It was morbidly fascinating to see. However, it was also the last straw.

"Enough!" He roared. A crescent of fire shot from his chest. The ghost shrieked and the visions vanished. The ghost was burning. Cetus looked down. His armor appeared damaged from the ghost's attacks. It had kept him from even noticing he was being attacked. Disconcerting. Cetus always reacted to being attacked. It was drilled into him as a survival skill. If one failed that lesson in training, they died. Cetus shot another burst of fire to finish of the ghost. It couldn't be allowed to survive. Just to ensure its destruction, he hit it with more black fire.

The ghost had stunned him. Law enforcement had creapt into the area. They held an assortment of weapons. Wands, guns, staffs, presumably that weird thick gun was a magic suppressor. Cetus threw back his head and laughed. What a fool he'd been underestimating everyone. Especially since he'd made that mistake with Louie and vowed to learn from the experiance. His body was broken. The number standing against him was daunting. Time to pull out the stopper.

The air around Cetus distorted. Heat poured off him creating a mirage of sorts. Not magic, just cranking up the heat of his flames. It hid his use of actual magic to retrieve two items. He reached into the spatial pockets and pulled out two books. One was a bright green. He opened it and set it to float behind him. The other was emblazoned with the head of a medusa. Cetus chuckled as he opened it. It also floated behind him. A rainbow burst from the green book, bathing him in light. That done, Cetus turned to the officers. Apparently they'd been shouting at him.

"I apologize, officers" He apologized with a bow. "I had a bit of light reading I wished to do. Now, you have my full attention." The gist of what was shouted seemed to be put up his hands, lay his books on the ground, drop any magic currently on him. Cetus had the black fireball around his head smile unnaturally wide. "These books are a part of the old family. In fact, you should meet them." The green book glowed ominously.

Leprechauns burst forth from the book. Cetus shrank himself as the leprechauns charged the officers. Running with the crowd covered him from attack. At least for the most part. The spell caught the officers unaware as thousands of angry leprechauns washed over them. He could hear the little guys verbally tearing into the law enforcement as well as physically. Cetus laughed as he slipped past the ring meant to trap him. Fools. His tricks were vast and varied for escaping situations.

The assassin resumed regular size only after getting a fair distance away. The leprechauns would keep the officers busy for a while. He wondered if his new pinkette friend had been caught up in that. It would be a pity if that was so. Messing with her had been a big part of his plans. The day simply wouldn't be as bright without that bit. Especially if nothing else ignited his emotions.

"Well done, lad" a voice said as Cetus emerged from the alleyway. "That should ruin their holidays considerably. However, you and I have a bit of a problem. My ghosts seem to have been swept up in your chaos. I'd like them back please, and I'd like you to leave them alone this time." Cetus looked at the speaker. He was an older gentleman clad in white, with a top hat and a cane. An odd fellow to be controlling such creatures as those ghosts. Cetus tapped his chin. "May I think about it for a bit? I do quite love to destroy things. Rarely can I destroy things twice in one day." The old man sighed. Cetus held up a hand. "Please, join me for my fun. You'll see what I do and can make up your own mind if its worth it or not." The gentleman tipped his hat. Cetus grinned, gesturing for the man to go first. "I'm Duke Scrooge, my lad."

Cetus guided the man, as he responded in kind. "They call me Dubhar." Gift giving. Wasnt that nice? No wait! It was gift guessing. Cetus cackled. That was even better. He wove a complicated spell and placed it over every gift without anyone noticing. When he urged the Duke to move on, the older man frowned. "Aren't you going to do anything?" he demanded. "Set the gifts on fire! Have your leprechauns tear it all apart! Come on!" The assassin sighed. Patience was wasted on the old. As was subtlety. He gestured toward the table. A teenager was opening a present to check their guess. As the wrapping paper crinkled, it exploded. That set off subsequent explosions until the entire area was engulfed in fire. The Duke yelled at the first explosion. Then he stared until everything died down. That was when the screaming and shouting began. Duke Scrooge looked troubled as Cetus urged him on to the next place.

Trees surrounded the next event. Decorating? What a boring event. Not to mention this was a little too easy to sabotage. Fire and trees? Come on, son. The Duke made Cetus stop anyways. He demanded the event be ruined. Cetus felt a flicker of irritation. What right did this man have to demand anything of him? They were together for their mutual destruction of a holiday. Neither was the boss of the other. The assassin debated setting the Duke on fire and sending him running into the trees. It would be entertaining - he hoped.

Cetus looked around for another option. Every moment they lingered, the pinkette could reappear. Or the law enforcement officers could show up again. Destroying every event wasn't safe or smart. Not that the Duke seemed to care about that. In the end, Cetus raised his hands and simply torched the trees. Any bystanders that got caught ran out of the trees screaming. Once again the Duke appeared bothered as Cetus moved him along. What was up with this guy? This was exactly what he wanted. Thats why he used the ghosts in the first place.

There were ugly sweaters at the next event. Cetus sighed at how easy these were. The gift one had at least taken some effort. A tiny cripple participated in this event. Poor thing. His parents should have drowned him whenever the accident happened. Being a cripple was to be useless and depend on everyone else. Cetus clucked his tongue and took aim. The Duke clasped a hand around his wrist. The assassin looked at the older man in surprise. What the hell was he doing? Cetus was about to do a kid a favor.

"I can no longer do this. Seeing the destruction wrought by destroying this holiday, has pulled at my long dead heart. No more. If you insist on continuing, I will stop you. Whatever it takes." Cetus' face hardened. A change of heart? Weakness. It must be nice though to have enough emotions for that. He slowly lowered his hand. Time to take care of the old geezer. One thing to do first.

"Hey! Pinkie! I'm over here! By these really really ugly looking sweaters, an old guy and some cripple kid that shoulda been put down a long time ago." The kid's parents gasped. They gathered him into their arms. Cetus sneered at them. "Oh get over it. By the way kid, your dad is cheating on mommy. He has the perfume and scent of another woman all over him. Musta slept with her right before all yall came out for this." There a different kind of destruction. If the pinkette showed up, and even if she didnt, Cetus pointed at the Duke. "This idiot was the one who summoned the ghosts. Not me! He wanted to destroy this holiday too! Now he's had a change of heart. So he'll be my final piece before I make my escape."

The Duke slashed his cane in the air at those words. Large snowflakes appeared and burst. From each appeared the three ghost girls. Cetus gave them a little finger wave. "Hi, girls. Did you miss Daddy?" He unleashed another ability of his books. Crimson snakes moved from beneath his feet. His suddenly serpentine eyes glowed a menacing red. As the snakes reached the apex of the circle around him, neatly encapsulating his victims, Cetus breathed a purple gas upon them. The ghosts and the Duke screamed horribly. The gas ate at them. Cetus watched for a moment. Poetic justice this. They'd eaten at this holiday and now something was eating them. A snap of his fingers enveloped thier writhing bodued in fire. If the pinkette was there, Cetus tipped an invisible hat to her. "Catch me if you can, sweetie!" He taunted before teleporting away.

WC: 2695
Cetus: 3059
TWC: 4105

Defeated all the enemies in order.