Post by Joy on Nov 28, 2019 22:56:13 GMT -8
Everyone faced failure at some point in their lives, and Joy was no exception. The difference was that she wasn't the only one to reflect on it. If she could call it that. The belltower had fallen, the crystal destroyed and strange clouds in the sky that made the hair rise on the back of her neck, reminding her a little too much of home and the crater that their bloodline had created. Only they weren't kicked from Cabal for it. It was a luxury she hadn't expected.
'Yet.' Her shoulders tensed at the mocking, bitter tone echoed in her mind, a familiar voice that she had known since she was young. How Pride managed to befriend his inner beast was beyond her. Her hands gripped into fists, or rather, the right one did. The left was still bandaged, but her wounds were healing well enough for her to be walking on her own. In her mind, anyway.
Refusing to respond to the bait, the warrior walked the grounds of the academy, still fascinated by the fact that things came so easily to them here. There was food and water for everyone, security and housing – hell, even protection from accidental death or most fatal injuries. No learning the hard way there.
“He was right. They're soft.” Just so long as Pride didn't hear her say it. He was as insufferable as the beast inside her head if his ego got a boost.
'So are you. Soft. Weak. You couldn't stop her from cutting us deeply. I should have fought her.' She felt the snarl creep up and lodge in her throat as her lips curled, forcing the sound back down where it belonged. But the creature had found a weak spot and was more than happy to keep proddign at it as she kept walking, drained of energy and not looking at anyone. Apparently she couldn't look at the building without upsetting someone, either, so she headed to the training grounds, seeking the familiar song of steel clashing against steel, any sign of combat.
“I did not need you to beat them.” She had, but she remembered the chaotic energy crackling in the air, as well. A smug sensation swept over her from the monster as the vision of red along her body came to mind, reminding her that it had also done its part. Then the overwhelming sense of its need to destroy the nameless woman filling her, for once their thoughts so in sync that it was hard to tell where the line that separated hem was. The barrier that defined them. Defined her.
'Liar.' She hissed as she felt the sensation of bones popping, sines and flesh stretching and tearing open her wounds as her left arm broke free of its bandages, the dark red and black mottled skin ending with a clawed thumb and half a palm. 'When was the last time you fought without this? Without me?'
“I've been fighting before you ever woke.” Growling under her breath, Joy reached up to a low hanging branch, gripping it with her other hand, feeling the wood start to crack and break beneath the pressure of her grip. She could feel it give more with every second.
'Still me. Why don't you try it sometime? I'm sure it'll work better than last time.' The sarcasm that filled her left a bitter taste in her mouth. She wanted to throw up, to cut this monster out of her and go back to her normal life. Back before her mother had a fateful vision, before she had this extra presence sharing her body. Back when she was happy, when their family was together rather than being exiled in shame because their people were afraid. Before home was taken from them. The thing they had fought to protect all of their life.
Now what was she supposed to do?
The sound of wood snapping pulled her from her thoughts, birds scattering and taking flight with startled chatter as the branch she held fell to the ground, the limb broken from the trunk as splinters stabbed through her palm and the wood crumbled to dust in her grasp. Her gaze went to the dust rising from the ground to the birds, now sitting on a nearby wall and scolding her.
“Sorry.” With a heavy sigh, she looked away from the birds with a small moment of regret. They hadn't done anything to deserve her destroying part of their home. They were just birds.
''Oh, sure, they get an apology.'
Ignoring the beast, Joy headed further into the training grounds with her newly made club, more mindful of her grip.
'Now what?'
Settling into a place near the walls of the grounds, Joy closed her good hand around the wood, testing it, lifting it, swinging it. The swordswoman hadn't taken her dominant hand, but she could still fight. She could still do what was needed to protect and keep her home and her family safe. She just had to learn to adjust to the new development.
'HEY!' Joy grit her teeth as the mental shout echoed in her skull like lightning, bright and furious, but she continued to ignore the beast. She had shared an instinct with it once and had lost a hand for it. She would not let it distract or overtake her again. Build the mental wall higher, refuse to give in to it like some fussy noble or child.
She refused to do otherwise.
____________________________________________
Zero Ability: Monstrous Claw - Joy's left arm morphs and cracks into a monstrous claw that adds 3/4 of her energy to her attack star. +8 DEF while active.
Acquired Ability: "Scorpion Grip!": With the power of 60,000 newtons of force Joy is able to grip adding her full energy stat to her Attack stat.
Qi Uses: 2/17
____________________________________________
Name: Your Event
Requirements: Approved Character
Job: An event has happened to your character alone. What happened? Write a story about some big event that just happened to your character. This event can be done once a month.
Bonus: Receive an injury that lasts 3 threads.
Payout: +3 exp, +$250
Bonus not met.
'Yet.' Her shoulders tensed at the mocking, bitter tone echoed in her mind, a familiar voice that she had known since she was young. How Pride managed to befriend his inner beast was beyond her. Her hands gripped into fists, or rather, the right one did. The left was still bandaged, but her wounds were healing well enough for her to be walking on her own. In her mind, anyway.
Refusing to respond to the bait, the warrior walked the grounds of the academy, still fascinated by the fact that things came so easily to them here. There was food and water for everyone, security and housing – hell, even protection from accidental death or most fatal injuries. No learning the hard way there.
“He was right. They're soft.” Just so long as Pride didn't hear her say it. He was as insufferable as the beast inside her head if his ego got a boost.
'So are you. Soft. Weak. You couldn't stop her from cutting us deeply. I should have fought her.' She felt the snarl creep up and lodge in her throat as her lips curled, forcing the sound back down where it belonged. But the creature had found a weak spot and was more than happy to keep proddign at it as she kept walking, drained of energy and not looking at anyone. Apparently she couldn't look at the building without upsetting someone, either, so she headed to the training grounds, seeking the familiar song of steel clashing against steel, any sign of combat.
“I did not need you to beat them.” She had, but she remembered the chaotic energy crackling in the air, as well. A smug sensation swept over her from the monster as the vision of red along her body came to mind, reminding her that it had also done its part. Then the overwhelming sense of its need to destroy the nameless woman filling her, for once their thoughts so in sync that it was hard to tell where the line that separated hem was. The barrier that defined them. Defined her.
'Liar.' She hissed as she felt the sensation of bones popping, sines and flesh stretching and tearing open her wounds as her left arm broke free of its bandages, the dark red and black mottled skin ending with a clawed thumb and half a palm. 'When was the last time you fought without this? Without me?'
“I've been fighting before you ever woke.” Growling under her breath, Joy reached up to a low hanging branch, gripping it with her other hand, feeling the wood start to crack and break beneath the pressure of her grip. She could feel it give more with every second.
'Still me. Why don't you try it sometime? I'm sure it'll work better than last time.' The sarcasm that filled her left a bitter taste in her mouth. She wanted to throw up, to cut this monster out of her and go back to her normal life. Back before her mother had a fateful vision, before she had this extra presence sharing her body. Back when she was happy, when their family was together rather than being exiled in shame because their people were afraid. Before home was taken from them. The thing they had fought to protect all of their life.
Now what was she supposed to do?
The sound of wood snapping pulled her from her thoughts, birds scattering and taking flight with startled chatter as the branch she held fell to the ground, the limb broken from the trunk as splinters stabbed through her palm and the wood crumbled to dust in her grasp. Her gaze went to the dust rising from the ground to the birds, now sitting on a nearby wall and scolding her.
“Sorry.” With a heavy sigh, she looked away from the birds with a small moment of regret. They hadn't done anything to deserve her destroying part of their home. They were just birds.
''Oh, sure, they get an apology.'
Ignoring the beast, Joy headed further into the training grounds with her newly made club, more mindful of her grip.
'Now what?'
Settling into a place near the walls of the grounds, Joy closed her good hand around the wood, testing it, lifting it, swinging it. The swordswoman hadn't taken her dominant hand, but she could still fight. She could still do what was needed to protect and keep her home and her family safe. She just had to learn to adjust to the new development.
'HEY!' Joy grit her teeth as the mental shout echoed in her skull like lightning, bright and furious, but she continued to ignore the beast. She had shared an instinct with it once and had lost a hand for it. She would not let it distract or overtake her again. Build the mental wall higher, refuse to give in to it like some fussy noble or child.
She refused to do otherwise.
____________________________________________
Zero Ability: Monstrous Claw - Joy's left arm morphs and cracks into a monstrous claw that adds 3/4 of her energy to her attack star. +8 DEF while active.
Acquired Ability: "Scorpion Grip!": With the power of 60,000 newtons of force Joy is able to grip adding her full energy stat to her Attack stat.
Qi Uses: 2/17
____________________________________________
Name: Your Event
Requirements: Approved Character
Job: An event has happened to your character alone. What happened? Write a story about some big event that just happened to your character. This event can be done once a month.
Bonus: Receive an injury that lasts 3 threads.
Payout: +3 exp, +$250
Bonus not met.
