VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu VIGIL Application]

Wenomir sighs through his nose.

"I have. That doesn't mean I approve. But I suppose the damage has already been done and we could hope to do a better job than the people who trained you," he says. "The press would just love it, though. 'Vigil employs child soldiers!" would be plastered over every front page. I'm going to need to consider this. And let Cessie give her opinion."

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

When Wenomir speaks of damage being done and a better job than her trainers, Karasu stiffens a bit, and though her face otherwise doesn't change much there's a smolder in her eyes. She forces herself to think objectively, some experiences in the Nexus have told her that while a lot of places see battle children as 'kid heroes', some places still think 'child soldier' regardless of the circumstances. If he subscribes to the latter philosophy, he'd be very wary of hiring her.

Another tack is needed.

But first, she can't help but address something. "I chose this life. I was born into it, and at the orphanage I could have rejected advanced battle training in favour of other stuff, but I didn't. I'm here today by my own efforts." And once she's said that, she stops standing so stiffly.

"What if I were interning in a non-combatant role, Commander? My skills include medical training. I can be useful in a battle clinic while we iron out the remaining kinks. Battle-wise, do you have a command center? I can be useful in-base, my shadow powers make it easy for me to hide myself from any snooping reporters." She suggests, still standing at attention.

[Rebonack]

[Geneva's Lab]

Thankfully Geneva is large enough to accommodate a rider without too much trouble.

"Hold on tight, and I was serious about not pulling on my ears," Geneva says as she spreads her wings and leaps off the edge of the island.

One beat of her wings later, and she's moving at a pretty impressive clip. Oddly enough, Karl won't feel the acceleration. Or even the wind beating against his face as hard as one might expect. Once she's a respectable distance away from the base-

"I'm going to pick of the pace, don't worry though, it's completely safe."

Karl will notice two things happen at once here.

First?

A cone of thrumming air has appeared in front of them, along with a shrill whistling sound.

Second?

The earth far below is rocketing by at an absolutely impossible rate. They'll be over Trog's in no time at all.

[VIGIL Tour]

"It's a sort of angel like me or mom," Lapis reports as she helpfully checks under some furniture to see if the bird is hiding under there.

It probably isn't.

But she thought checking would be a good idea.

You never know!

"Do they have angels where you come from Miss Makuro?"

[Morty]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

Wenomir strokes his chin. There's a subtle glint in his eyes that suggests he guessed what Karasu carefully didn't say.

"A non-combat internship would work while I talk things over with Cessie. Though I'd rather you didn't hide from the journalists. That'll just make it worse when one of those weasels finally does spot you."

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

Karasu lets her body release the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and nods once, saluting at Wenomir. "Yes, sir! In 2+ years I won't have to hide." She looks up at the sky. In Starside, save hiding her true Wakodan identity for her safety, she has to hide less. "I'll ensure my usefulness overrides any regrets or reservations you might have, sir."

[Morty]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

Wenomir actually smiles slightly, the scars on his face shifting. He can appreciate her eagerness, at least.

"We'll see about that. But now that we've managed to work something out, I'd like to know more about who trained you."

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour

"I don't know. I can't remember. I remember very little. I sang in a church, and... I know what an angel is, though you're not what I'd have pictured as one." She thinks a moment. "Nor does Zee, for that matter. I hear 'angel', I think 'woman with wings and a glowy floaty circle above her head'. Zee didn't have wings, or a glowy floaty circle." Makuro can't remember the word 'halo'.

It's not hiding under the sofa or any chairs, but Makuro's headed to the kitchen to sort out a glass of water. "I'm going to get a drink. Would you like a glass of water? Or, uh, a bowl?" Since Lapis doesn't have arms, she's not sure if the little angel-dragon can use glass beakers.

[Arkhosia]

Firing Range

"Not much, but a friend of mine let me try her rifle. I liked the punch of it even if I couldn't aim for ****. This one is tiny in comparison. I've seen you in action though, this one is even more deadly. I just wish there was more smoke and powder. It was half the fun, you know?" Anika raises one of her overly long eyebrows at Blanche before starting to following the instructions the catgirl is giving her.
"Mhmm... I think I got it." She narrows her eyes at the target. "So safety, aiming and... shooting." She pulls the trigger, the gun firing and to her credit she at least hits the broad side of the shooting range.
She seems to have withstand the recoil but her expression is one of agony rather than triumph as she quickly presses the gun against Blanche to make her take it before she lets go to cover her long ears with her hands. "Euuughh... ****." As Anika is stepping away from her, Blanche might note that Anika is swaying as if disoriented. "Elune's tits, had forgotten the sound." She eyes the catgirls ears, they were even larger than hers! "Doesn't it bother you?!"

Firing Range

"Heh, I know what you mean. That's half the reason why I don't use lasers; there's no recoil or smell of gunpowder." The catgirl comments with a grin, before her pistol is abruptly shoved into her smaller hands. Blanche's expression is one of surprise and worry before a spark of revelation hits, one that she can't help but laugh at herself for not realizing earlier.

"God-****ing-damnit, I'm an idiot. I forgot to get you ear protection." She apologizes. "I was practicing my shooting earlier and just forgot to take out my earplugs, so I didn't even think about it." With that mistake realized she retrieves a pair of earmuffs and hands them to Anika. "You, uh, need to sit down or something for the moment?" A tad bit of concern is present in her voice. Maybe it's the medic training, or maybe it's a little bit of guilt. Maybe both.

[Zefir]

[Geneva's Lab]

Thankfully Geneva is large enough to accommodate a rider without too much trouble.

"Hold on tight, and I was serious about not pulling on my ears," Geneva says as she spreads her wings and leaps off the edge of the island.

One beat of her wings later, and she's moving at a pretty impressive clip. Oddly enough, Karl won't feel the acceleration. Or even the wind beating against his face as hard as one might expect. Once she's a respectable distance away from the base-

"I'm going to pick of the pace, don't worry though, it's completely safe."

Karl will notice two things happen at once here.

First?

A cone of thrumming air has appeared in front of them, along with a shrill whistling sound.

Second?

The earth far below is rocketing by at an absolutely impossible rate. They'll be over Trog's in no time at all.

[Geneva's Lab]

Okay, that is strange. First of she can talk and now it appears simular to those iron koffins he used to get up.

Even thought he doesn't feel it, doesn't mean he won't notice. as she tells him to speed up she will notice him beeing pale.

"Please. No" He tries to say, but to late. He'll try to get an even harder grip on Geneva. Karl obviously isn't a fan of flying at all.

[Rebonack]

[VIGIL Tour]

"What's a church?" Lapis asks curiously as she follows Makuro. "It sounds nice if there's singing. I bet I would love it."

She loves just about everything so that's probably a safe bet.

"I think maybe mom could look like that if she wanted to?" the seraph ventures. "Angels can look like other things when they want. Mom is WAY bigger and WAY prettier than she looked here today. But she loves people too much to expose herself and maybe accidentally hurt someone."

Lapis ponders for a moment, peering at her wings, then wraps them around herself. From within the cocoon of feathers come noises, flashes, and thunderings. And when she parts them? There stands in her place a human girl of perhaps twelve, wearing a bright blue dress swirled with yellow. She still bears her six wings, though they're folded along her back. Her eyes are still pits of void ringed with stellar light.

She does not have a halo, however.

But she does have a stick!

She bends it in her hands, tongues of bioplasma licking along it, until she has bent it into the approximate shape of a ring.

Which she then holds above her head.

"I would love a glass of water! And like this? Is this what your angels look like?"

She's glowing a little. Mostly in the form of the occasional ribbon of iridescent light slithering across her.

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour- Makuro's Place

Makuro turns to look as Lapis changes shape. That was unexpected. "A place where people go to sing, yes. They sing praises to... Somebody important. A dead person, I think? But I don't really know. I remember words, and concepts, but no context for either. It is rather frustrating." But also means she's not shocked or surprised at the flying island she's on, or the fact she's talking to a girl that was a pangolin-dragon moments earlier, and before that was a pile of leaf litter and old sticks.

Makuro opens the cupboard with the glasses in and jumps backwards, as a glass falls out of the cupboard, followed shortly by a certain orange-feathered bird which flaps around the kitchen, apparently looking for a way out. The glass that it knocked out of the cupboard has broken; it hit the counter and bounced off, tumbling to the floor where it shattered.

[Rebonack]

[Vigil Tour- Makuro's Place]

"Singing for someone who's dead?" Lapis echoes. "That's kind of sad... I hope they get better."

It sounds like she might not be completely up to date on what dead means.

But then far more exciting things happen.

Namely?

A broken glass.

And That Bird!

Lapis frowns at the bird!

Frowns!

"You made Makuro break her glass!" Lapis chides. "That's very rude, you should apologize."

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour- Makuro's Place

"That's not how death works, Lapis." Makuro manages to get out before the chaos.

The hoopoe flies around the room twice before disappearing. It's telepathically nudged Makuro so she's looking the wrong way, and flies so that Makuro is behind it and Lapis before it does. There's no flash of light or anything; it just flies behind Makuro and never flies out the other side. "What- where'd it go?" Makuro didn't see, she was looking the wrong way. Because the hoopoe made sure of it.

The moment their eyes leave the broken beaker on the floor, it also disappears, returning to the cupboard where it's whole once more. It still bears marks of having been broken; the edges of all the pieces of broken glass are visible, but it's held together so securely that it won't break in the same place again.

[Rebonack]

[Vigil Tour- Makuro's Place]

CHAOS!

Lapis is trying to figure out where the bird went.

Of course, since she doesn't have any essence of the ophanim flowing through her the mysteries of space and time are largely beyond her grasp. Matter and form and life and will? Those are all things she has an intuitive understanding of and intimate connection to.

But questions of entropy? Of the splitting and folding of space? Of the grand tapestry of time and the threads of fate?

These things are unknown to her.

"That bird is cheating," she insists. "Non-linear motion is cheating."

Seems she isn't a fan of teleporting.

Then she stoops down to pick up the glass and-!

"Oh. The glass is gone?"

Is the bird just messing with them? It sure seems that way.

She isn't holding her little wooden halo anymore. It's hanging off one of her wing-ears at a jaunty angle.

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour- Makuro's Place

"I'm not sure it cares about your opinion, Lapis. It doesn't care about mine." But then, why should it? It's a stalker-bird that can teleport (or something like teleport) and seems to have an unhealthy interest in the two ladies in this room.

Makuro does reach up to get glasses, though. And one's the one that the hoopoe broke. She pulls that one up and holds it by the bottom, using her gripping power to make sure it doesn't drop again. "At least it fixed the glass. Hopefully it's still water tight." She lowers it and fills it with water, handing it to Lapis as she fills another for herself.

[Purple Eagle]

Wenomir actually smiles slightly, the scars on his face shifting. He can appreciate her eagerness, at least.

"We'll see about that. But now that we've managed to work something out, I'd like to know more about who trained you."

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

Karasu first nods respectfully, then curtsies, then salutes. One of those is bound to be what he's looking for. "What exactly would you like to know, Commander?" She returns a tiny smile of her own, before reverting to being serious-faced.

[Morty]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

"You didn't like it when I criticized the people who had trained you," Wenomir states matter-of-factly. "Who are they?"

[Murkus]

[Karasu VIGIL Application]

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

Wenomir paces back and forth a little.

"I know Anika has met her, so she'd join us in this. And I can just take some Vigil members with me if I have to. Rescuing someone from AMEN and gutting some of those vermin on our way is what we're supposed to do. But... the last time we stormed AMEN through the front door didn't go well, to put it mildly. And they've got this... thing with them now that seemed completely invulnerable to everything we could throw at it. We need a plan."

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

"Storming's bad? Damn. This is gonna be breaking new ground, for me," Adir muses. "Really, though, I'm perfectly happy being able to tell Sakura I did whatever was safest. We can sneak in some way they won't expect. Ever done an aerial insert?"
"Maybe before we put a plan together we'd better get everyone huddled up."

[Morty]

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

"If you mean being delivered to battle via an airship, I've done that," Wenomir says. "Our best shot here is that AMEN is still as undermanned as... well, after Ilpholin led them into a trap and broke their morale for good." He shakes his head. "Which is why they decided to capture her, I would guess. It's hard to tell how much time we have, so we just need to hope their plans for her will take longer than us putting together a plan of action. I'm going to call Anika and anyone else who might be willing to go into AMEN of all places. I'm most concerned about that invulnerable thing, really."

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

"You didn't like it when I criticized the people who had trained you," Wenomir states matter-of-factly. "Who are they?"

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

"My family, my bloodline, both nuclear and extended, Sir. Our bloodline has a duty to fulfill, and the sub-duties are so varied no one is forced into combat. I didn't like it because I felt insulted, sir." Karasu replies and explains, then remains at attention.

[Morty]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

"Because I said they shouldn't have trained a child for combat, I assume," Wenomir says. "I understand that this is how your people do it, I simply don't believe in it. And your bloodline's duty would be to fight monsters?"

[Lord Magtok]

Spoiler: Outside the Base

Show

[Outside the Base]

Calm Reed looks like she's not fooled, but chooses to let St. Laz deal with it as she sees fit.

"If you say so. And you should avoid getting close for some time. My Essence is volatile right now. But one way or the other, we've passes the trial, so let's see what Commander Mithar has to say."

[Outside the Base]

Lady Mithar can eventually be seen wandering back towards them with Garn in tow. "I pray you are as tough as you claimed as that went out of hand." She remarks in a worried tone while looking between the two. Her attention drawn to the ghoul knight. "Will that heal? Since otherwise your first order will be to go and see a healer right this instance." Young lady!

"It'll heal," Saint Lazarus insists, patting the useless limb with the one that still works fine. She takes a step or two back from Calm Reed a moment after. She's not entirely sure what this 'volatile essence' business would mean for her, but she's already down one arm, and in no hurry to find out.

"So you can just make giant hydra monsters any time you want? If VIGIL gets involved in some big war, someone could hide you in a room somewhere and a big monster could swoop in and eat all the demons?" Jenette, no. Not demons, at least. Self-RP is the worst, and a giant hydra would be a lot for everyone else in the scene to try to measure up to.

Spoiler: Training Grounds

Show

[Training Grounds]

"A reasonable enough precaution. I don't know of this Adir, although Commander Wenomir gave me the impression of an impressively stoic man when we spoke." Which was pretty brief. The monk isn't sure what to make of this proudly-proclaimed mortal peasant who fights like a Forsaken Solar Anathema. "Let's hope in time you'll be able to walk here unarmored. I do practice in armor sometimes, but I'm rusty enough with the tetsubo that I decided to forgo it. I usually use Earth Dragon style unarmed, as you've seen."

"Tetsubo," Saint Lazarus repeats, trying out the word after what's pretty obviously her first time ever hearing it. It's pretty easy to piece together from context that Calm Reed is talking about the bludgeon she's beating those training dummies with.

"So remind me again, what did you say Earth Dragon style was? Is it a set of stances? A specific method of fighting, like slow and powerful hits instead of a quick flurry or hits or aiming for pressure points?" Saint Lazarus draws her own weapon, takes a few steps back, and charges a dummy, a clumsy downward swing burying her zweihander in its shoulder. The angle is all wrong, but with a weapon so large and as much force behind it as Jenette can bring to bear, it's still a pretty vicious strike, all in all.

[Morty]

[Outside the Base]

"I've heard of An- of sorcerers being able to summon tentacles of magma from the earth, but I've never seen such a thing until now," Calm Reed remarks. She decided not to mention that only Anathema sorcerers have been known to do it.

[Training Grounds]

"Earth Dragon is a whole style of fighting, yes," Calm Reed says, observing St. Laz's efforts. Strong and vicious, but clumsy. Like a mortal monk being handed a tetsubo and trying the basic stances. Only St. Laz is stronger than any mortal she's seen. Hmmm... "One of the five Immaculate styles and one among many in Creation. When I stand firm and deliver powerful, straight punches and kicks, I'm using it. When I'm moving quicker and drowning an enemy in strikes, I'm using Water Dragon style. Those are the two I've learned. If I hadn't wound up here, I might have chosen to undertake a third one eventually."

[Rebonack]

[Vigil Tour- Makuro's Place]

"Maybe it does care," she offers. "If it didn't then why would it put the glass back together after I yelled at it?"

Huh.

It DID repair the glass shortly after Lapis made her demand.

That could have been a coincidence, of course.

Or maybe the bird is trying to show that in spite of being a weird stalker it's still going to be polite?

Life is full of mysteries.

Lapis eagerly takes the glass of water and laps it drinks it.

"Oh! This is great! It's so cool and wet! I love it!" she squeals with glee upon sampling the water.

[Earl of Purple]

Vigil Tour- Makuro's Place

"To show off, maybe? I don't know. It is a thing to think about." Makuro takes a sip of her water, smiling at Lapis' enthusiasm. "You should try some lemonade." Makuro blinks in surprise. "I should try some lemonade, too. I can't remember what it tastes like." Always a surprise when something catches her out like that- she spoke before she thought about it.

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

"Because I said they shouldn't have trained a child for combat, I assume," Wenomir says. "I understand that this is how your people do it, I simply don't believe in it. And your bloodline's duty would be to fight monsters?"

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

Karasu can see that this man won't relent, and she smiles a bit at that, for a little while. "I'm a ninja, sir, and that's a big deal where I'm from. Powers manifest at age 10, and you don't need strong power to be a nuisance, but you need strength to beat nuisances. My bloodline's duty is to protect both our world and Seaside. With ability users rampant, villains operate in secrecy. You see the need for ninja training, sir." She replies matter-of-factly. "We can agree to disagree, sir."

[Murkus]

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

"If you mean being delivered to battle via an airship, I've done that," Wenomir says. "Our best shot here is that AMEN is still as undermanned as... well, after Ilpholin led them into a trap and broke their morale for good." He shakes his head. "Which is why they decided to capture her, I would guess. It's hard to tell how much time we have, so we just need to hope their plans for her will take longer than us putting together a plan of action. I'm going to call Anika and anyone else who might be willing to go into AMEN of all places. I'm most concerned about that invulnerable thing, really."

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

"What is this 'thing'? I think you mentioned it before. I might have even met him, if it's the guy I'm thinking of. Calls himself the Devourer?" Adir rubs his chin. "I might have something that can put a frown on that smug face of his. A special gun. Supposedly - big emphasis on supposedly - there isn't anything it can't kill. I wasn't going to whip it out for the King yet, but if we can take out a big asset for AMEN... Well, hell. There's a hundred and one freaks under the sun, either way, so we should have a couple of backup plans in play in case this guy survives."

[Morty]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

"Hm. That's a young age for powers to manifest," Wenomir says. "We're going to see how this ninja training works for us. Now let's find you a place to stay."

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

Wenomir doesn't look convinced.

"I don't know what that thing is or what it calls itself, but it is attached to a man, or something that looks like one. So we're probably thinking of the same thing. What I know for certain is that the Answer couldn't so much as scratch it. Neither could... uh, it's a long story, but something that has a lot of DC's power. Maybe your gun will have better luck, but I don't know if we can bank on that."

[Murkus]

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

"DC's... still around?" Adir has to hold back a look of shock at that. News to him. "Well, look, invulnerable doesn't mean unstoppable. We need to figure out what we're up against. Does the bastard breathe? Does he feel pain? Is there some magic doohickey out there that could punch his number?" He glances down, ears flicking in thought. "Hmm. Maybe you and I should go looking for some lore."

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

"Hm. That's a young age for powers to manifest," Wenomir says. "We're going to see how this ninja training works for us. Now let's find you a place to stay."

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase]

Karasu nods at Wenomir, getting to an 'at ease' position and subsequently letting her relief show at having gotten a place to stay. "Indeed, sir, but it is what it is, and we make the most of it. This stoic-ness of mine is more my personality than it is any trauma at losing my parents at 5. Call it a different 'neurotype'. I think it's something we can agree on, sir." Karasu states boldly, dematerializing her sword into her inventory. "Can I see the training range, sir?"

[Morty]

[Urgent Business - Commander's Village]

Wenomir shakes his head morosely.

"He's dead. But the part of his soul that gave him psychic powers is intact and animating his suit of armor. Long story, like I said. Either way, if this Devourer has a weakness, we do have to find it."

[Karasu - VIGIL Skybase ==> Training Grounds]

Wenomir doesn't visibly react to this particular revelation, simply turning around and gesturing Karasu to follow.

"We do have some pretty extensive training grounds here. Made for training all sorts of skills."