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Post by Nobu on Jun 10, 2017 14:36:36 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
As far as Nobu was concerned, the Hunter had long since ceased to be much of a threat. His energy had been mostly exhausted, and his troublesome weapons had been cast away, lost to the river the lion fish magi had been enjoying a quiet afternoon in before their encounter. At this point, the man could barely keep himself on two feet as he gasped for air, and the magi was certainly not helping.
Much like a cat with a trapped mouse, Nobu was toying with the human who had so foolishly wandered here, cutting him off from an even supply of air with bubbles of water. It was quite amusing, really, watching him flail and squirm, trying to get away. Unfortunately, this one was really starting to tire, and wouldn’t be of much use for too much longer. A toy that could not play needed to be discarded, and all things considered, he had probably spent enough time here as it was.
Wandering across the surface of the river to the shore, Nobu ripped away the water he had been holding over the Hunter’s face for the last time, stopping a short distance away to watch him gasping weakly for air for a moment or two. Then, stooping, he dragged the human up by the front of his shirt, gripping his jaw tightly in his other hand, and…
Paused. A noise had caught his attention from further up the bank, so he turned to find he had at some point gained an audience in the form of a gaggle of children and an elderly woman. All were magi, and most he recognized at least vaguely as citizens of Haven, save for the elder, who he knew beyond a doubt. “Ah. Hello Cherche, young ones…” Nobu greeted, smiling nonchalantly, “What brings you here?”
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Post by Cherche Du Âme on Jun 12, 2017 19:00:09 GMT
It was a beautiful day to take the children for a swim! Cherche led them through the woods with high spirits, which were infectious to the impressionable little ones following her. She did have a few chaperones to assist her, parents of a few of the children, to make sure nothing went poorly. All in all there were a dozen little water magi, many with traits just barely forming; the bump of a fin, webbing between their fingers and toes, itchy little scales starting to surface… They were adorable, really, and it only made her heart swell to see so many magi children, all toddling after her and the other three adults, chattering excitedly about being out in the woods and getting to swim and practicing magic.
The excitement was short-lived.
The river- this one chosen specifically for a low depth and weak currents- seemed to already have an occupant. Two, technically. Cherche, in the lead, raised her hand to signal that the others should stop, and they did (though they tried their hardest to watch what was happening). Before here stood a familiar magi, and a human (though perhaps standing wasn’t the right word). She glared at the latter, the invader, a human deep within magi lands. A hunter, most likely, one who would have loved to tear apart the children if he had the chance. She felt nothing for him, and would have been happy to leave him in Nobu’s hands. But… children should not see torture or death. Not at this age, when the ideas of permanent death were not fully comprehended by their developing minds.
“Nobu,” she said, turning an equal glare up to the lionfish. So nonchalant, to be committing such acts in front of children! It irked her that he did not even attempt to disguise what he was doing for their sakes. A troublemaker, through and through. “The children are here for their first lessons with water.”
She turned her head back. “Take the children upstream a ways, and start them on their lessons. I will be there shortly.” Her voice took on a rarely heard tone, one with absolute authority, a reminder of her status. The adults complied and lead the curious children on, many who continued to look back. The river shore was clear, so there was no way they could avoid seeing everything, but maybe if they were far enough away, or distracted, Cherche could resolve this without troubling them.
She shifted her gaze back to Nobu and approached the shoreline. “I’m more curious about what you are doing here, young one. Do you not even stop to consider that children should not see such things? That perhaps you should hide what you are doing?” She crossed her arms. “Either stop, or take it elsewhere. I will not have little ones exposed to your torturing ways.” It was a demand, not a suggestion, nor a plea, nor a compromise.
489 WORDS ● Nobu ● Really, Nobu? Children are present! |
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Post by Nobu on Jun 17, 2017 13:39:35 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
The high priestess was not happy with him, that Nobu could see quite clearly. But despite the glare boring into him, he hardly seemed fazed by the old woman’s ire. Nor did he seem to particularly mind the curious or frightened looks some of the young ones were giving him as he glanced at the lot with a warm smile. “Well, this is a decent place for practice, hm? Plenty of shallow spots, gentle enough current…”
Whatever attempts at small talk he was making ended as Cherche sent the rest of her group away. As the lion fish magi watched them wander off, he felt a weak scrabbling on his arms, and looked down to find the Hunter attempting to struggle against him. A sharp blow to the side of the head quickly put an end to that before he turned his gaze back on the governor of Haven.
“I’d like to point out that there were no children here when I found this parasite stalking about,” Nobu answered her, raising a brow. “Would you have preferred I let him be to try skinning them, and making blades out of their little bones? Hm?” Scoffing, he readjusted his hold on the Hunter. “They’ll all see such things one day, Cherche. Better for them to be prepared for it.”
Abruptly, he twisted his hands, and with a sickening snap, the Hunter’s neck broke, and his corpse fell limp. The elder magi had asked him to stop, after all, and this seemed as good an end as any. Turning away, Nobu moved to drag the body into the river, and put a bit of magic into strengthening the current to push it downstream. “Don’t worry. We’re almost done here anyway…” | out of character | Muse | |
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Post by Cherche Du Âme on Jun 26, 2017 20:17:39 GMT
Her steely gaze remained steadfast in light of his attempt at joking. She was not in a joking mood. Children this young should not be exposed to such things; they should enjoy their first few dozen years, learning, loving, playing… not thrust into the harsh realities of the outside world. It was not ignorance, but mercy, which cemented this thought in her mind. Their lives would be hard already, so why take away the fleeting time they could enjoy?
“Make no mistake, Nobu,” she said sharply. “I am not concerned for the life of this human. Every hunter who ventures towards our home will receive no mercy from me. Yet you dare tell me what you think is best for children? How many have you sired or nurtured? None, if my memory serves, and I do believe it does, despite my age. So you wou-“
She was cut off by the snap of the hunter’s neck. Her clawed fingers curled into fists and her sharp teeth were bared with her scowl. “You disrespectful, foolish boy! You think you know what is best for the little ones, but it is clear to me that you know nothing!” She swept her arm across with the last word. She glanced over downstream, afraid to see curious eyes looking in her direction but knowing that is what she would find. The adults tried their best to distract them or block their view, goddess bless their hearts, but it isn’t so easy to stop a child’s curiosity. She turned back to Nobu with a death glare. Under her hijab and clothes, her fins tried to flare up in irritation.
“You could have walked away with the human and finished him away from their prying eyes. Instead, you chose to frighten them because you think you know what they need. Hmph! You know nothing of the world, child. It is clear you were never taught better, though I cannot say I am surprised. You are done now.”
She was ready to belt him one to show him he needed to learn some respect, but it would be hypocritical to throw the first blow in front of the children. Part of her wanted to leave him to walk off, and the other, to show him a lesson or two. She was fed up with the militant magi that ruined Haven’s very namesake with their vengeance-fueled actions. Defense was one thing, but to try and expose people to it deliberately?
Unacceptable.
413 WORDS ● Nobu ● You're gonna be fishsticks soon |
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Post by Nobu on Jul 7, 2017 16:34:20 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
Cherche had begun to stray into dangerous territory, and with every step she made further Nobu’s expression darkened. No, he had not raised any children of his own. The chance had been stripped from him, by people much like the man he had just finished off. But since they were going to talk about that… “And how many do you have left?” the silver-haired magi asked coldly, one brow rising. “None, if memory serves… so what would you really know of raising them properly, having failed to prepare them all?”
Then the lecture really began, screeching against ears not interested in hearing it. Rather than answer her initially, he kept his focus on keeping the body moving until it was well out of sight. “And you could have led their ‘prying eyes’ away, so they would not see, yet here they remain…”
There was murder in his eyes now, despite a relatively level tone. It was clear to her he’d not been taught better, was it? “You claim I know nothing, and yet you speak of things about which you know even less.” At his side, once-calm waters began to twist and churn, rising up at the bidding of a growing temper, until it came to circle past his feet and rise up into the air around him. What could she possibly know of how he had been taught? How he had been raised? And yet she spoke so disparagingly of his upbringing— and his family by extension— when she had no knowledge or right to do so.
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Post by Cherche Du Âme on Jul 7, 2017 19:51:00 GMT
Nobu wasn’t the only one with a darkening expression, nor was Cherche the only one treading into dangerous waters. Though while she was content to wade, Nobu dove right in. There was no mistaking the reaction the mention of her children drew from her. She scowled, sharp rows of teeth on full display. Her fingers and toes curled, and her tail stopped any signs of movement. Her children… Goddess, it was no secret she lost two daughters, but to bring that up…
“You. Know. Nothing!” She growled. An icy chill accompanied every breath she made and her fins fluttered angrily. What cockiness! What unrelenting arrogance! There was no chance to lead the children away, but an attempt could have been made by him to hide his kill to spare them. But no, he clearly knew what was best.
“Are you so sure of that?” She offered. She was old and well-traveled. How could he be so sure she did not know of his family? Between her experiences at the camps, and her decades with the coast guard, his family was known to her, though barely. But she did not care to say this, instead leaving the implication hanging in the air. It only infuriated her- his family was lost, too, if she remembered correctly. How dare he then bring up her children’s deaths, having also experienced such pain?
Perhaps he needed a bit more pain.
When he rose the waters around him, she laughed. Goddess help this foolish boy. “It is clear that you are more ignorant than you believe, child; do you truly intend to ask the waters to aid your insufferable arrogance? You would do well to remember that the river swears no loyalty. Remove yourself from this place before you hurt yourself.”
She flashed him a playful, crooked smile. She intended for today to be about teaching children to swim and love the water. But perhaps now it could be used as an impromptu lesson about respect- respect for your fellow magi, for your elders, and for the waters themselves.
343 WORDS ● Nobu ● Don't hurt yourself, child |
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Post by Nobu on Jul 21, 2017 19:06:55 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
The old woman’s question was a distraction. An attempt to mislead, and sow doubt in his heart… That was all. In response, Nobu merely sneered. “Extremely sure.” Cherche knew nothing of his family, nothing of what they had suffered… Nothing at all.
Her laughter earned her a murderous look, while the waters writhed and raged about him. “You ought to be more worried about yourself, old crone. How much do you really think those brittle bones can take?” Without another word, Nobu sprung, fins flaring at his back while the water he had summoned from the river rushed forward around him. As they moved, the tendrils began to bubble and steam, heating up to match the rage burning in his heart in that moment.
As he moved, aiming to dart closer to aid his magical assault with a physical one, Nobu would send each tendril whipping toward the aging leviathan magi, lashing out wildly in every which way, both in a frontal assault and one that would twist around to strike from behind.
In his mind, he could already hear her screams, and see her wrinkled features twisting in agony. That alone brought a wicked grin to the lion fish magi’s features as he began his assault against her. He would see her break. He would see her suffer, and her presumptuous words be silenced. Perhaps he could even send her back to her daughters… And he had every intention of using her precious, unaligned waters to do it. | out of character | Muse | |
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Post by Cherche Du Âme on Jul 25, 2017 17:02:32 GMT
Cherche laughed again, but this time with an icy mist spewing forth from her lungs. It was like a crystalline fog, like winter hanging in a nearly-invisible cloud. She anticipated his attack, his anger; there was no way he was going to back off. She would have to make him.
If Cherche was any old woman, she may have been hit by the sudden assault. Instead, she moved with uncanny speed for not only her age, but anyone’s; the blood in her body responded to her magical commands, whipping her limbs into quick, small dodges. The assault was fierce, and that alone would not have been enough to avoid the multi-pronged attack, but Cherche was most experienced than Nobu, more in tune with her magic, more practiced; not only did she command her own blood to help her duck and sidestep tendrils, but she also commanded the tendrils themselves, exerting enough magic to move them off Nobu’s intended course.
“I’ve fought humans tougher than you,” she said. His intention to move closer to her physically was about to have quite the literal barrier. With a sweeping motion of her hands, almost like a dance, the icy mist coalesced for a moment. With a jerk upward of her hand, several icy pillars, each as wide as a person and twice as tall, shot up between the two magi; with any luck, Nobu would have ran right into them! In either case, it would buy her some time to back up away from Nobu’s water whips and put some distance between them. She pulled some moisture from the air, forming a rotating ring of water around her form like a hovering, liquid sash.
“Children, this is why the waters must be respected, along with your elders,” she called, not moving her eyes from where Nobu would appear next. “Do watch closely.”
For now, Nobu would have control of his watery tendrils; she wasn’t interested in a magic tug-of-war with the younger man just yet. It was easier to use neutral water than to try and compete with another, even if she had no doubt she would win that little contest.
358 WORDS ● Nobu ● time to mr miyagi this fool |
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Post by Nobu on Aug 14, 2017 12:46:29 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
While Cherche’s blood moved and manipulated her limbs, Nobu’s pounded in his veins and rushed in his ears. No response came to the elder magi’s insult— his interest rested in anything but banter, at the moment— but there was a frustrated snarl as no part of his initial assault met its mark. He could feel her influence in each tendril, taking control and causing misdirection as he dashed toward her, but felt it was of little consequence just yet. There was still plenty of time to thrash her, and—
Pillars of ice rose up around him, too suddenly to avoid entirely. Skidding, Nobu twisted around so only one side took the brunt of the impact, and immediately started running again, dodging between the icy constructs. As he went, he withdrew the tendrils whipping around Cherche, gathering them into a single mass around himself. Once he had, he formed the water into a swirling pillar to push himself up and over the ice blocking his way.
As he fell back toward the ground, levitating to slow his fall, he would fling the column forward as a single, thick mass aimed to batter and knock Cherche off her feet. And, as soon as his feet touched land, Nobu would resume racing forward to close whatever distance the old leviathan had gained, fingers itching to close around her neck. A bunch of bubbles would be formed as well, sent flying toward the other magi to explode with sharp force should they come within range. | out of character | Muse | |
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Post by Cherche Du Âme on Aug 15, 2017 19:18:34 GMT
Hmph, so he was a tenacious one. That hardly surprised the old woman; the snarl and sheer recklessness told her that he was an aggressive type, and would probably kill her if given the chance. Probably the perfect little soldier for Elijah’s misguided movement. Fortunately for the lionfish, Cherche refused to kill her people, mistaken or violent as they may be, they were still magi.
The water orbiting around her would rise up from behind her back, arc down, and slam into the ground in front of her, all while shifting into ice. In a moment, she had a small ice wedge in front of her, which dispersed the force of Nobu’s furious water column, sending water to the left and right of her, as if parting a sea. With a fluid motion, she extended her arms to either side and swept them forward, taking the water from his attack, as well as the water from her ice shield, and drew it around herself in a wobbling orb.
Nobu’s bubbles would explode harmlessly on contact with her bubble shield, succeeding only in making some water splash and the sphere wiggle. She watched him through the translucent shield with a smirk, wagging her finger in a ‘tut, tut’ scolding. As he closed in, she breathed another burst of icy mist from her lungs, chilling the inside of the bubble sphere drastically. Then, she waited.
The bubble could protect from some things; projectiles, a small kick, maybe a bullet… but not the full force of a person’s charge. She knew this. Cherche was patient in her old age, waiting for the right moment…
And that moment was when the first part of Nobu breached the barrier. Head, body, arm, leg- it didn’t matter. The second a part of him poked through, Cherche would snap her claws up and flash-freeze the chilled water, aiming to capture some part of him in an icy restraint.
321 WORDS ● Nobu ● I know we planned for this to be a beatdown but if I'm being too invincible let me know |
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Post by Nobu on Aug 29, 2017 18:52:27 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
Another failure. Nobu’s features twisted a bit more as Cherche blocked his next strike and ripped it away from him, using the water he had meant to bludgeon her with to build up her defense. Bubbles burst uselessly against the one she had formed around herself, while the lion fish magi’s frustration built, until it was almost equal to his original anger.
Still, with his progress left unimpeded otherwise, his forward progress did not falter. There were still things he could do, still ways he could bring old Cherche to her knees. And he would. He would break the finger she used to chide him, and rend the lips she was so fond of smirking with from her face. He would shatter her legs with her own cane, he would—!
It didn’t take long for Nobu to close the distance between the two of them, now that the elder magi had stopped to make her stand. It was almost amusing, he thought, that she believed her fog and her bubble would protect her, but those too would be dealt with soon enough.
As soon as he was within range, Nobu would stop to take up a stance before the mist-filled bubble, and make a sharp jab with one hand, aiming for the relatively soft flesh of the high priestess’ throat while he poured his magical focus into breaching the barrier between the two of them.
However, all did not go as planned. The second the bubble broke, an ice encased his arm, weighing it down and throwing Nobu’s strike off-balance. He wouldn’t stop there, though, twisting his body to swing the same frozen limb around to try striking at the side of her head. As he did, he would work to focus his power on melting the ice inhibiting him, hoping to Boil it off before Cherche could use it against him. | out of character | Muse | |
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Post by Cherche Du Âme on Sept 7, 2017 17:47:49 GMT
She could see the ferocity in his eyes; the old woman knew, given the chance, he would kill her here and now. It was a fight for survival. Fortunately, it was a fight the leviathan was confident she would win.
Another command of her very blood allowed her to get out of the way of the heavy limb with a small spin. She still smiled, but playtime was over. She held her hands out in front of her and focused on the ice on Nobu’s arm. A fissure formed in the ice, between his hand and forearm; for a moment, it would seem almost as if she was helping him break out.
Instead, she moved her hands up and down in the opposite direction, commanding the ice on his hand and the ice on his arm to do the same. Unless he managed to boil himself out in these few moments, his wrist was forcefully snapped in a way that wrists do not normally bend.
Successful or not, the old women quickly followed up by spinning away once more, and swinging her arm back around in front. The excess moisture near her would follow her command and form a thick tendril to slap Nobu from the side, aiming to knock him off his feet and put more distance between them.
The water was a blessing in another way, too; it helped hide the sweat starting to beat on the old woman’s head. Playing tug-of-water with another water magi over their element was an exhausting process, and Cherche was beginning to feel it.
262 WORDS ● Nobu ● If you insist! |
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Post by Nobu on Sept 13, 2017 13:47:41 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
A crack formed in the ice encasing his arm, but not of his own making, and while he still pushed to melt the stuff off of him, Nobu wasn’t quite fast enough to get the job done before Cherche made her move. The ice shifted abruptly, and with a sickening crack he felt his wrist break beneath it, sending sharp pain rocketing up his forearm. A sharp cry of pain soon followed, impossible to hold back as the lion fish magi, now injured, retreated a few steps.
For a moment, all of his power went into melting the ice that remained around his arm, and in that moment he was not quite fast enough to avoid the tendril the elder magi sent his way. Though he tried to roll with the strike, the mass of water succeeded in knocking him off his feet, sending him tumbling across the ground and painfully jostling his already injured arm.
He wasn’t done just yet, though, and while significantly battered was able to push himself back onto his feet, holding his broken wrist close against his chest. What reason he’d had left in mind began to slip as adrenaline-fueled fury took over.
With a raw, animal scream Nobu began his assault anew, ripping water from the river to form as many tendrils as he could manage, boiling hot and aimed at least in his mind’s eye to batter the old leviathan until there was nothing left but a Governor-shaped stain on the bank. | out of character | Muse | Cherche Du Âme *Mortal Kombat voice* Finish him but like in the not-dead way ;3 |
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Post by Cherche Du Âme on Sept 25, 2017 16:51:52 GMT
The injury, which she had hoped would calm him, ended up having the opposite effect. Her casual, cheerful attitude gave way to a determined glare for just a moment as she saw the water rise, summoned by Nobu to the sound of a primal growl.
“Remember that I could have killed you,” she said, low and deliberate. Those would be the last words he would hear from the governor, ones she hoped would stick in his mind (though, given his thick skull, perhaps that was wishful thinking). It was time to end this before he killed himself from overexertion alone.
The tendrils came. She didn’t move. Closer and closer the many water ropes came, and the leviathan stood. Waiting. Watching.
Her back foot turned, digging into the dirt.
At the last moment, with a command of her own blood, Cherche sprang up to the topmost tendril, moments before it impacted her. Her feet planted on the boiling water as if it were solid ground, and Cherche surfed it up and over, following the length towards the river. Towards Nobu.
And as she surfed, bearing the feeling of boiling water through her boots and heating her scaled feet, she dragged the tendrils with her, as if she were holding onto all of them by a lead rope. The tendrils curled and followed her command, curving up and over, now moving in the opposite of Nobu’s intended direction: directly towards him, like a great wave of watery snakes.
With a roar that seemed more fitting coming from a dragon’s throat than an old woman’s mouth, Cherche whipped her arm forward, commanding the tendrils to coalesce into one swirling rope and slam directly into Nobu with as much force as she could muster, hopefully strong enough to force him back into the river.
She winced as she landed on her feet, joints protesting the action (“You’re not young anymore!” they cried). Now huffing openly, her exhausting was becoming clear. Hopefully, though, the water struck and she had no more need to exert herself.
341 WORDS ● Nobu ● That should do it |
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Post by Nobu on Oct 7, 2017 13:20:38 GMT
Here comes a killer whale
“Remember that I could have killed you.”
In the moment they were uttered, the elder magi’s words hardly registered in Nobu’s active thoughts, which were much to busy rushing in an attempt to counter her. But the water could not respond quickly enough to keep up with Cherche, and then as she drew closer it stopped responding to his will entirely.
And by the time he abandoned his failed attempt to enforce his will over it, it was too late. Though he tried to spring out of the way, Cherche’s rope struck true. He felt his feet leave the ground, and the air in his lungs forcefully pushed out. He felt his stunned body flung through the air, and then moments later impact with the bank of the river and tumble further into the water. There was a searing feeling that shot up his already injured arm, and then a new blossom of pain at his temple— and nothing, as consciousness left him.
Blood oozed from the fresh wound on the side of his head, picked up and carried away by the current as it flowed into the river. Save for his shallow breathing, Nobu’s form remained still after that, lying face down at the water’s edge, where he would likely remain for some time unless moved by another. The fight was over, with the victor standing very clear in the eyes of any watchers. Whatever happened next would be beyond Nobu’s awareness for some time, whether he was left where he had fallen or moved elsewhere. | out of character | Muse | |
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