REI WHAT IN THE EVERLOVING HELL DID YOU SAY TO HER?!?!?!?!
I RESTATE MY ABOVE QUESTION!
Perhaps For Love, Or Maybe Justice (A Tokusatsu/Magical Girl Quest)
- Thread starter Kermie
- Start date
- Original Superhero
Omake: Paper Mario: A Tale of Stars and Justice Prologue Part 2: Genius or Cheep Cheep Tricks?
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Paper Mario: A Tale of Stars and Justice
Prologue Part 2: Genius or Cheep Cheep Tricks?
By SolarGemX
… It was another tranquil night in Star Haven, The star children were either playing or sleeping, the adults were making sure the influx of wishes and hopes were constant, the Elder Stars were making sure that The Star Rod was being Kept safe and The Star guardians were making sure nothing happened, or practicing their fighting styles. Everything was calm and peaceful, just as it always is. This serene atmosphere is what Rei was accustomed, a sort of peace that would hopefully last forever.
Rei was considerably young for a Star Guardian, Older than the young Stars and Collectors, but younger than the adults who monitored the larger sections of the world. Her explosive growth in the art of combat could be seen as a combination of will, talent and a deep dedication to protecting those she held dear. It also helped that one of the older Star Guardians, Solferina, took an interest in her, and decided to teach Rei in the art of combat… even if she did beat up Rei more times that she would admit (One time she barely lasted 5 seconds before being launched into a star wall unconscious). As a Star Guardian, Rei had the chance to choose among different "classes" to dedicate her studies towards.
Warrior: They who guard the weak with weapons forged from the stars themselves. Swords, Spears, Fist and more. The first ones to go in and the last ones to go out in a confrontation.
Protector: They that are the "literal" shields of the weak, guarding against even the toughest of blows, some could tank meteors without a single scratch.
Mage: The casters, they who weave spells and the elements in order to defeat their foes, or use their magic to solve even the most difficult of puzzles.
Clerics: The ones who heal the ill and the weary, they may lack more offensive spells, but their abilities to heal and Buff their allies is second to none, and its said that the strongest of them has such potent light magic that they could smite even the vilest of foes.
Gunner: Those that use stars and technology to convert energy into power. Masters of ranged attacks, a Master Star Gunner could shave the top of a fuzzy's head from the other side of the world.
… among others. Rei took the power of the Warrior like a cheep cheep to water. Surely becoming one of the best Star Haven had to offer. That is until it all came tumbling down.
Fire… poison… darkness…pain…R…e..i... Fire… poison… darkness…pain…Rei…., Fire… poison… darkness…pain…wa…ke…...p. Fire… poison… darkness…pain…REI WAKE UP!
Rei: GAH!!! Who what…Where am I?
The one who spoke was the Star Warrior Rei, a Female Humanoid Star Spirit that was tasked with Protecting Star Haven, but barely failed to stop the Koopa King from succeeding. As her strength failed her, she was blasted from the Star Sanctuary, and lost consciousness mid fall. Her clothes were surprisingly intact, a short silver dress with armored sections in the shoulders and some vital areas, some pants that seemed to have a golden trim, and a pair of gauntlets and boots made of Star metal, in order to defend herself. Her hair once black and flowing like a nebulae (Think MLP 4 Princess Luna, but with Rei's twin tails), now stood motionless and looked more like a meteorite in both color and texture, luckily it didn't weight her down.
???: That would be my house, little one. You took a rather nasty fall, nearly scared the spirit out of me.
At the voice Rei Turned her head and saw an Elderly Toad, slowly making their way towards them.
"Name's Toadananny," nice to meet you, said the elderly toad.
Rei: Oh… sorry. Mi name is Rei, nice to meet you. I'm guessing you are the one who helped me?
Toadananny: Got it in one sweety. A couple of nights ago I was minding my own business, fishing near the lake and such, when suddenly I saw a shooting star, tried to make a wish and all that… well I tried to do so until said "star" fell near the shore of the lake with a massive boom. Once I could get the ringing out of my ears I went to check the impact site, found you unconscious in the crash site, I somehow managed to get you back to my house and you have been resting, ever since. But oh dear me, here I am talking your ear off, you must be starving. Here, I made some Mushroom stew, eat, and recover some of your strength.
Rei: I thank you. You truly did not need to do that.
TN (I'm just going to cut her name short): Nonsense! You young'un's need to eat! Especially after such a nasty fall, as you eat Ill brew us some tea, and hopefully you can tell me what the heck happened to ye! You had some serious injuries, and I doubt all of them where from the fall.
Rei: Oh umm, I… you see. I don't think.
TN: Ah don't worry kid, I know you are a Star Spirit, A Warrior if those Gauntlets are anything to go by.
Rei: How did!?
TN: HA! I' may be an old fisherwoman now, but I used to be an adventurous lass in my youth, always going to new exotic locals to fish, be it a lake, the sea, an active volcano, or Star Haven itself! Ah… I ate good during those adventures…I need to head back to Yoshi's island someday, I want some deep-fried Magma Calamari…
Rei: Bwah… ? I… you…*stares at stew and just begins eating*.
A little while longer after Rei finished eating, she and Toadananny, began to swap tales. Toadananny told Rei of some of her Adventures, including one time when she managed to snag an Astral Tuna (Who grow to the sizes of whales) that got to close to the surface once, sadly she underestimated its strength and she got dragged along for the ride, smashing face first into Star Haven's main square, where the various Star Spirits tended to her. After recuperating she stayed for about a month since she wasn't leaving without getting some payback on that tuna. She surprisingly got along great with the star spirits and even made friends with one of the Elder Stars, Muskular, who appreciated the young woman's grit. Rei, spoke a bit about her training and some of her friends like her mentor Solferina… and about how she got her injuries, when she began talking about Bowser and the Star rod…
TN: Bowser did this to you!? You fought the Koopa King!? My word that is truly impressive for someone so young. From what I've heard he is a Truly powerful Sorcerer King, who has only ever been beaten by the Mario Brothers. To hear that you fought him for so long… you have a lot of talent little one. But if that brute now has the star rod…that may explain the stunt that happened a few days ago…
Rei: Stunt? What do you mean?
TN: …well.
Rei was astonished to learn what had happened while she slept. Bowser had attacked Peache's Castle? He somehow STOLE the entire castle and apparently defeated MARIO!? Oh no. Oh nonononono, that's not good. She need's to get back to Star Haven fast! But with her injuries... *sigh* healed as they may be, she lacks the Star Power to reach her home, to much mass to allow easy flight, a problem shared by all humanoid Star Spirits.
Rei: Tch… I need to head to Shooting Star Summit, I may be able to contact one of the Adult Stars that reside there, get an update on the situation. Or perhaps I should see if I could find one of the Mario Brothers? The longer Bowser holds the Star Rod, the less virtuous wishes will be able to come true. I need to hurry towards Toad Town.
TN: I would normally agree… but you may find that difficult sweetie. The path that leads to Toad Town has been Blocked by a rathe bothersome delinquent. I doubt he is under Bowsers Employ, but he has managed to block any entry or exit from Bubble Lake.
Rei: What!? Who!?
And Toadananny explained. Bubble lake was a massive lake spanning the southwestern part of the Mushroom Kingdom, it was a mysterious lake that seemed to change size every couple of years, from a rather small pond to a miniature ocean that could span miles. The Lake brought different fish from all over the kingdom, and some areas even had pockets of salt water with rare seabound fish to catch, it why Toadananny decided to make her house in one of the special areas that is not affected by the lakes phenomenon. Her house is actually neat the path that leads to Toad Town, but in the latest shift the Lake is currently in "miniature Ocean mode" so trying to circumvent it by going around it could possibly take days if not weeks, and the "short cut" was encased in ice by a rather bothersome hooligan by the name of Cheep Beard, a Pirate Cheep Cheep that has laid claim to a small alcove near the middle of the lake. The bugger what's to make a Pirate Crew and has decided that anyone inside the lake area is to join or not leave at all. He had a stroke of luck between the lake changing size and freezing the only entry points. So if Rei wants to leave, she has to deal with him first.
TN: If you are planning on taking on that troublemaker, I recommend you take one of my old rods with you, Cheep Beard is a strong ice user, but he's also a coward, wont fight ya fair and square. You need to drag him out by force if you want to fight him, just use some "Juice" laced mushroom balls as bait and he will come "running" towards ya, can't resist his favorite meal.
*Rei has obtained a Fishing Rod and Mushroom Ball Bait*
(These items have been placed in Key Items)
(These items have been placed in Key Items)
[Rei: Thank you kindly, Lady Toadananny. I will make sure to deal with that hooligan as fast as I can.
TN: Just be careful deary. Also be on the lookout for a girl in a lab coat/casual wear combo, she got stuck here as well after the attack on Peaches castle, fell from the sky just like you did, straight into the Water. Apparently, she used some kind of prototype water-based jet pack to survive the fall, I told her about Cheep Beard and she left before I could give her a Rod or Bait. Haven't seen her since, although if the local rumor mill is to believed (Goombas are terrible gossips) she has been raining hell on Cheep Beard, almost pity the guy.
Rei: Understood, thank you again.
With this pleasant conversation at its end Rei left the house and went inwards towards the inner areas of the lake. As she traveled, she fought some enemies that thought she would be easy pickings. Boy were they wrong, Rei may not be at tip top shape, but she's tough enough to beat some random mobs. As she traveled, she discover a plethora of coins, items and even found 2 Badges! A Sleep Stomp (well a sleep punch) and a FP Plus, for a total of 4 badge points being used. She even managed to reach level 3 by the time she reached the last known location of Cheep Beard.
Rei has Reached Level 3!
Rei has added a +5 to her Hp and a +3 to her BP (Badge Points)
Current HP: 15/15
Current FP: 10/10 (+5 from badge)
Current BP: 4/6 used
ATK: 1
Def: 0
Coins: 58
Star points: 25
Items: (5/15 items)
2x Mushrooms (Heal 10 HP)
1x Fire Flower (Deal 3 Fire Damage to all enemies)
2x Honey syrup (Restores 5 FP)
Rei has added a +5 to her Hp and a +3 to her BP (Badge Points)
Current HP: 15/15
Current FP: 10/10 (+5 from badge)
Current BP: 4/6 used
ATK: 1
Def: 0
Coins: 58
Star points: 25
Items: (5/15 items)
2x Mushrooms (Heal 10 HP)
1x Fire Flower (Deal 3 Fire Damage to all enemies)
2x Honey syrup (Restores 5 FP)
Once rei reaches levels that are multiples of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20, etc) she will unlock some of her original special skills, like the Starlight Kick. For now she has 2 hit normal attack with her legs or arms.
Rei: Ok that wasn't so bad. If what the nonviolent locals said is true, then I should be close to Cheep Beards Location. Just a few more minutes and everything should be-
???: YOW!!! Watch it you overgrown Seaweed! That's my favorite shirt! Why I outha… Grr…eat Poltergust!!! Ha not to tough now are ya!? Wait…what are you? HOLY ICICLES!
(Ka-Crack!)
As Rei neared the probable location of her target, she heard a commission from a nearby islet that was connected by some wooden bridges. On the other side there where 3 figures, 2 of them where basically a pair of giant plants with massive teeth, blueish green in color and with a slight layer ice and water covering them, Seaweed Piranha Plants, a variant of the common Piranha plant that lives near watery areas, much like their names imply these piranhas plants have adapted to watery environments and are experts at absorbing water, which they can freeze via some internal mechanism to shoot deadly icicles at their prey. The other figure was a Female Human, perhaps of 18 years of age, trying her best to not be skewered by the deadly flora. She was wearing a lab coat on top of some casual wear, and was fighting the two flowers with what seemed like a…Vacuum cleaner? Either way she was slowly getting overwhelmed as one Plant kept shooting icicles at her from afar as the other took giant chomps in her direction. Rei may be on a rush, but she wasn't going to leave an innocent bystander be attacked, plus she pretty sure that's the person Toadananny mentioned before she left.
P.O.V. Shift: Himari Gadd
Oh Stars, this has been the worst set of days ever! She's cold, she's wet and she was going to be eaten by a giant plant if this kept going. She always knew grass was going to Game over her one of these days, and everything was actually going so well. She had managed to get a rather fetching purple dress for the party at Peaches Castle and had actually managed to make some small talk as the party got into full swing. Apparently, a lot of the Guard Toads are surprising gossips, while some got a bit startled at the size difference (Apparently the only people that are usually taller than them is the Princess or the Mario Brothers, so they were surprised) they were actually fun to talk too. Some went on about their days, some about their families, heck one even played video games in his spare time, something about a game called "Fire Emblem" or something like that. After that she met some potential investors in the party, apparently some individuals from Toad Electrics, Toad Kart Central and Even Toad University were in attendance and she managed to exchange some small talk with them, they were interested in the effects of ghosts on their various products, and were actually quite amicable, heck she even got to talk to the world-famous MARIO. He was surprisingly friendly, although he had to leave to talk with the princess so that was fun. And then it all went to the Underwhere. A massive rumbling began to occur and suddenly BAM the entire Castle was stolen! How did they even manage to build an entire fortress under Peaches Castle!? Technological wonders and probable use of magic aside (I need to ask Kirata if there's a spell that can prevent people from seeing things or something) the guest only panicked a little, since they knew Mario was on the scene, and Then Bowser Appeared with Peach in tow and said that he had defeated Mario and launched him off the Castle. That's where everyone began panicking, even more so when Bowser's army began to appear in droves, led by an apparent Captain of the Army named Dokuro, a black armored Koopa Patrol with SPARKING metal Claws!
Mario World Dokuro
Show No Tears - Basilisx battle theme
Dokuro: One Of Bowser's Elite Commanders
RUN
HP: 60
ATK: 5
DEF: 3
A veritable leader of many of the Koopa Troopa and Koopa Patrol, Dokuro is a loyal servant of Bowser that rose through the ranks of the army at a ludicrous speed. Usually off doing work in other locations, he was recalled as an asset by Bowser Himself. Extremely well liked by his fellow Koopa and is even the role model for a lot of them, including the Koopa Bros. Can and will cut you to pieces.
Sooo yeah, all hell broke loose. The Toad Guards tried their best, but they were overwhelmed by the Enemies forces. I only managed to escape by the skin of my teeth, and the Fact Dokuro wasn't really trying to actively capture her. They were floating hundreds of miles from the Ground, what was she going to do jump? She did in fact jump, and thank the stars she took the prototype F.L.U.U.D unit her Grandfather was working on as a potential technological investment. The Hover Module kept her from going splat near the Water's Surface in Bubble Lake, even if the prototype equipment broke near the end. (Note to self, mention this to Grandpa later). Anyway she was helped by a kind elderly toad that lived near the lake and when said toad mentioned that they were trapped until a pirate lord wannabe was defeated, she pretty much grabbed her Poltergust and went on a… well, mini rampage. Sucking up some enemies and launching them at others and pretty much stealing all of the hidden coin staches the fish had hidden throughout the lake (Himari gained 300 coins!) so yeah, old Seaweed breath is hoping mad and sicked his pet Piranha plants on her. And if something doesn't change soon, she is going to become fish food.
As if the stars themselves were answering her plea, a shout of "Not a Starlight kick" reached her ear and a metallic boot meet the side of the Seaweed Piranha that was attacking her. Next to her now stood a slightly armored figure, a human (?) female with some kind of battle dress, metallic gauntlets, and boots. As the figure Straightened, she asked her if she was alright, and with a surprised nod she confirmed her wellbeing. As quickly as that happened the two girls, took a quick glance at their enemy, who looked quite displeased with the sudden intrusion to their potential meal. So with a snarl and a hiss the battle commenced.
(10 minutes later)
(You can stop the OST here)
Rei: Correct. And you are Himari Gadd, the Granddaughter of a Prof. E. Gadd. You are studying ghost's and have been causing havoc in Cheep Beard's territory in order to flush him out, but every time you manage to do some form of damage, he just escapes. Rinse and repeat?
Himari: Yuuuup. The coward runs the moment he takes any damage, so I've been stuck in a game of Cat and fish, for the last 2-3 days. Annoying, is underselling it. Although, part of it is my own fault for not listening to Toadananny's advice before bolting. I just wanted to leave and go contact my grandfather or my sister, maybe see if they had any ideas to this whole "Castle Stealing" business. I'm not exactly a fan of Bowser at the moment, ruined a perfectly good party, one that I was ACTUALLY enjoying, and probably ruined a potential future sponsor deal. So yeah, I was trying to rush.
Rei: Hmmm… I see. I have a proposition if you don't mind. Why don't we work together? We made quick work of The Piranha Plants and I've been told (Star guardians value working together a lot) that Teamwork makes short work of most problems. So what do you say Miss Gadd. Team up, at the very least still we reach Toad Town?
Himari: Hmm… All right, you got yourself a deal Rei. Let's kick some tailfin.
Himari has joined the Party!
HP: 10
ATK: 1
Def: 0
HP: 10
ATK: 1
Def: 0
Normal Attacks:
Deal 1 Damage once by using a special E. Gadd approved Digi-Wrench (Think Ratchets Omni Tool wrench), this attack can causes the opponent to lose -1 atk or def, for the rest of the battle.(Can only proc once for each stat, for now).
Specials:
Analyze (0 FP)- Himari scans a target using her glasses, giving the party information about the foe. Could potentially reveal hidden weaknesses.
Poltergust 3000: (3 FP) Damage Variable: Suck up an opponent or item and shoot it with force. If there is more than one enemy you can shoot one enemy into another, dealing damage that pierces the foes defense. (Special interactions with ghost-based enemies)
Himari Field Skill Tutorial:
Himari has access to the Poltergust 3000, a potent piece of ghost hunting technology. It is capable of sucking up a huge amount of materials and small objects with almost no upper limit in weight. Any material that is sucked into it that isn't a ghost, is teleported to a personal vault (Treasure) or a waste disposal (Trash and small objects like rocks). Making it a great cleaning tool. Himari can use the Poltergust's functions to suck up objects and then shoot them at far away targets, or if the object is too large, move them to open closed off passages (Like boxes that can be use as platforms). Make sure to use this useful field skill to reach far away targets that may hamper your path!
Both: Alright let's go!
And so the duo of heroines went on deeper into Bubble Lake and once they neared the last known location of Cheep Beard. The area was slightly barren with a bit of water-based foliage… and are those cannonballs over there? Why the heck are they frozen? Anyway, Rei plucks a couple of Mushroom Balls and place them in her fishing hook, and with a hearty swing cast the line into the crystal-clear water. A few seconds pass and…The line tenses! As fast as lightning bolt Rei grabs the rod as Himari Grabs her From the back in order to give her some balance. As the line rapidly moved from one side to the other, The girls began to slowly move back one step at the time until they gave a mighty heave and landed their catch, a hungry and pissed off Cheep Beard!
Cheep Beard: Yeowtch! Why ya dang landlubbers! Who hooks a guy now a days? And with my favorite treats as well? WHY I OUTTA! Ill make ye walk the plank! Wait a minute… ITS YOU, that foul mouthed barnacle that stole me loot!
Himari: Foul mouthed Barnacle…? That's a new one I'll admit, but I don't really care. Listen here blubber butt, we want to leave the lake, and your ice is blocking the path! Just get rid of it and we can all leave without any more trouble.
Cheep Beard: *Becomes Red in Anger* You come into my territory (It's not really yours), take my hard-earned loot (Stolen), beat my plants (Hey you're the one who sicked them on us to begin with!), and TRY to tell ME what to do!? (Yeah, pretty much…) Stop adding commentary you star spackled commentator! *Looks at Rei irate*
Cheep Beard: *Puffs up in anger showing that his head has 3 spikes* You want to leave? Then Do it like a proper pirate. EN GARDE SCALLYWAGS!
Boss Battle - Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [OST]
Cheep Beard
(Has a beard and a Pirate Hat)
Underwater Flotsam of Bubble Lake
HP: 20
ATK: Variable
Def: 0
Cheep Beard
(Has a beard and a Pirate Hat)
Underwater Flotsam of Bubble Lake
HP: 20
ATK: Variable
Def: 0
A spiny Cheep Cheep that has embraced the Pirate life, and has decided to make a name for himself in the Bubble Lake area. He has a variety of attacks all of which can deal different amounts of damage. He can jump at you for an ATK of 1, shoot icicles at both of us for 2 ATK, summon a Seaweed Piranha to help him (HP 4 ATK 2 DEF 0) and he can even charge up for a turn to raise his next ATK by 2! When he charges it means he is going to swallow one of the cannonballs near him and launch it at us. The artillery can deal 3 damage, which goes up to 5 thanks to his charge. Those cannonballs are frozen till he decides to use them, maybe we can take advantage of that window. Oh yeah, also he has spikes on his head, don't jump on him. Although you just punch, and kick people and I throw stuff, so this really doesn't apply to us.
As the battle began Himari Quickly analyzed Cheep Beard in order to know his vitality and possible strategies as Rei gave the guppy a 1-2 punch to his face. As he is damaged Cheep Beard Summons a Seaweed Piranha Plant which lunges at Himari and takes a bite of her leg (OUCH!). After the clash Rei goes towards the minion and hits it with a potent kick giving her partner some breathing room, just as she throws her wrench at Cheep Beard lowering his defense, but the fishy pirate counters with a pair of icicles damaging them both just as the Piranha takes a big bite out of the Star Warrior Rei. As Cheep beards jumps back, he takes a looks towards his cannonball stashed nearby and releases it from its frozen shell and begins puffing up as he ignores his minion being defeated and the rude one hitting him with a wrench again. Just as the pirate attempts to grab one of the cannonballs his concentration is broken as a POTENT wind begins to drag one of the deadly speres towards… HIMARI! The scientist takes one look at the explosive in the nuzzle of the Poltergust, looks at Cheep Beard… and smiles (It is not a friendly smile). Quickly shooting the Pirate fish with his own ammunition. He flies upwards and falls on his back once he reaches the ground, his spike impaling the ground and Rei (Imitating a certain duo of Plumbers) takes a leap and uses the Badge she recently found on the pirate, sending him to the world of dreams. Which the girls capitalized on and pretty much chewed through what was left of his HP, defeating him. As the fishy fiend explodes in a burst of stars the 2 heroines can feel the temperature begin to normalize, and the ice that surrounded the area begins to melt. They had done it; they won and now they can both head towards Toad Town in peace.
Rei: That was incredibly done Himari! That Poltergust sure is something else, and your wrench even more so!
Himari: Thanks, your not bad yourself, jumping and landing devastating punches and kicks. We… actually make a very good team.
Rei: Huh… we do.
Himari: Hey…you are planning on tracking down Bowser, right?
Rei: Yeah…?
Himari: Hmmm… well I'm still angry at the turtle, so what the heck, might as well stick around so I can bonk him upside the head with my wrench.
Rei: Wait… do you mean?
Himari: I'm sticking around! Let's kick some Koopa Tail!
Rei: *Smiles* Heck yeah! Let's Go!
As the duo renew their partnership, they begin to move towards Toadannanys house, chatting all the way back, with victory in their hearts, but this is just one of the many trials these heroines will have to face on their way towards Bowser. Will they be able to make it? Well you just will have to wait and see, next time on
Paper Mario: A Tale of Stars and Justice
Prologue Complete!
Would you like to save your game?
*yes*
Saving… Saving complete.
Prologue Complete!
Would you like to save your game?
*yes*
Saving… Saving complete.
Author notes: Blegh…I've never played the original Paper Mario, so no idea if I can make an entire "playthrough." But I was making this as I was waiting for Kermie to roll, and then the rolls happened and yeaaaaahhh… Might as well restore my EP a bit. Especially since Tomorrow I'm back to doing schoolwork. So no idea if I can write again soon. Anyway you can see the "Battle Log" (Biggest quotation marks ever. IDK how to make them) Down below, feel free to ignore.
Battle Log:
Rei: 15 HP and 10 FP, ATK 1, DEF 0
Himari: 10 HP, ATK 1, DEF 0
Rei switches places with Himari letting her attack first.
Himari uses Analyze on Cheep Beard.
Rei Uses a normal attack; she deals 2 damage.
CB: 18/20 HP
Cheep Beards uses Summon! He brings a Seaweed Piranha into the battle!
Seaweed Piranha attacks Himari with Bite! He deals 2 Damage.
Himari: 8/10 HP
Rei attacks the Seaweed Piranha and deals 2 damage
SP :2/4 HP
Himari Attacks Cheep Beard deals 1 damage and lowers his defense to -1.
CB: 17/20 HP
Cheep Beard uses Icicle! Dealing 2 damage to both Rei and Himari, and SP bites Rei as well! (4 damage to Rei and 2 to Himari)
Rei: 11/15
Himari: 6/10
Rei attacks and deals 2 damage to the Seaweed Piranha plant, defeating it.
Himari Bonks Cheep Beard on the Head with her wrench, dealing 2 damage and lowering his attack by 1!
CB: 15/20 HP
Cheep Beard defrost his cannon balls and uses Charge! He gains +2 to his next attack.
Rei switches positions with Himari.
Himari uses the Poltergust 3000 to suck one oh Cheep Beards Cannonballs and Launches it at him dealing 3 (+1 because of his lowered defense) damage and stunning Cheep Beard.
FP- 7/10
CB: 11/20 HP
Cheep Beard is stunned and falls on his back! His spikes are buried.
Rei uses Sleepy Stomp! Dealing 3 (2+1) damage and putting Cheep Beard to sleep for 3 Turns.
FP- 6/10
CB: 8/20 HP
FP- 2/10
CB: 1/20 HP
Rei finishes the fight with a normal attack.
Rei and Himari Win!
Rei: 15 HP and 10 FP, ATK 1, DEF 0
Himari: 10 HP, ATK 1, DEF 0
Rei switches places with Himari letting her attack first.
Himari uses Analyze on Cheep Beard.
Rei Uses a normal attack; she deals 2 damage.
CB: 18/20 HP
*Enemy Turn*
Cheep Beards uses Summon! He brings a Seaweed Piranha into the battle!
Seaweed Piranha attacks Himari with Bite! He deals 2 Damage.
Himari: 8/10 HP
Player Turn:
Rei attacks the Seaweed Piranha and deals 2 damage
SP :2/4 HP
Himari Attacks Cheep Beard deals 1 damage and lowers his defense to -1.
CB: 17/20 HP
*Enemy Turn*
Cheep Beard uses Icicle! Dealing 2 damage to both Rei and Himari, and SP bites Rei as well! (4 damage to Rei and 2 to Himari)
Rei: 11/15
Himari: 6/10
Player Turn:
Rei attacks and deals 2 damage to the Seaweed Piranha plant, defeating it.
Himari Bonks Cheep Beard on the Head with her wrench, dealing 2 damage and lowering his attack by 1!
CB: 15/20 HP
*Enemy Turn*
Cheep Beard defrost his cannon balls and uses Charge! He gains +2 to his next attack.
Player Turn:
Rei switches positions with Himari.
Himari uses the Poltergust 3000 to suck one oh Cheep Beards Cannonballs and Launches it at him dealing 3 (+1 because of his lowered defense) damage and stunning Cheep Beard.
FP- 7/10
CB: 11/20 HP
Cheep Beard is stunned and falls on his back! His spikes are buried.
Rei uses Sleepy Stomp! Dealing 3 (2+1) damage and putting Cheep Beard to sleep for 3 Turns.
FP- 6/10
CB: 8/20 HP
*Enemy turn Skipped*
Player Turn:
Rei and Himari repeat their last actions.Player Turn:
FP- 2/10
CB: 1/20 HP
*Enemy Turn is skipped…again, poor dude*
Player Turn:
Player Turn:
Rei finishes the fight with a normal attack.
Rei and Himari Win!
Gained:
50 coins
80 Star points
*LEVEL UP*
Rei Reaches level 4!
Rei adds a +3 to her Badge Points, Raising it to 9.
Last edited:
The Nat 1 and subsequent EP spending binge compelled you to make up your losses.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
I was just at tennis class and am literally dying, so I'll make this quick. Good Omake, liked how you put in the paper Mario mechanics, and nice characterization. +50 EXP… is it ok if I only give you 5 EP instead of 10? Since you're already over the 50 mark.
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ok sure. Hope you soon get better.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Eh, don't worry, I was just tired from exercise. Happens every time. +5 EP to you.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
No chapter today guys, sorry. Had to help my family install a new fridge. In the meantime, here's the promised playlist samples. Have a good day, and remember to enjoy the holidays! Stay safe out there.
Resolution
Bulbel
like a fire
Justifaiz- Accel Mix
Like A Prayer (choir version)
Yeah, I know that my music taste is a bit all over the place. It is what it is.
Bulbel
like a fire
Justifaiz- Accel Mix
Like A Prayer (choir version)
Yeah, I know that my music taste is a bit all over the place. It is what it is.
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Do you mind if I share a song I've been listening to recently?
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
One of the greatest Death Battles in recent memory. The fact it wasnt a season finale is truly impresive...
So everywhere I've looked has had people saying it's probably one of, if not the single best DB they've ever released. Something I can't quite disagree with. Every part of it was on point.
It's really good as a song. Personally I've had this song from Brandon Yates living rent free in my head for months. It's even topical for this thread, and as a match-up would go so hard.
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So, does that count as a win or did we still lose?
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It would depend on who reach 0 HP first... but honestly AT BEST it was a tie, most likely a rather impressive struggle but still a lost. Sijce Im pretty sure Kirata was dominating most of the fight, it was only because of Kermie making the decision to use Void Burst (to get awakening) and apperently Rei rolling like a Madwoman that she didnt get pasted immediatly. (We survived for a tiny bit with Gateway of the Six Samurai...before Kirata shredded it to bits. Also doesnt help that Plunder Patroll is weak to Kiratas main element WIND!!! But im leaning we lost because we THEN got slightly charbroiled by her dealing 50+ fire damage. Only reason we arent out of commision for the rest of the turn, and only have some "slight" injuries going into the other missions is because one of the archmages is a rather potent healer....)
So yeah, lose to Kirata or at best a rather surprising tie. Since we were both going so much on survival instinct that Yuki and Takeshi were forced to intervine. Number 2 Archmage and the Strongest KR had to intervine since we nearly killed eachother.
At lewst we made am impression... good or bad we have 0 clue. And we still showed the V.Burst that some people didnt want to show since they wanted to make a good impresion... (which honestly I did not really understand all that much? That was probably the best place to try it out, literally no way we could do something bad with all that comcentrated firepower, also the barriers helped to hide its signature. It would probably look worse to hide it and use it in another situation and have them get slightly surprise by it later, but thats in the past now).
...what the heck did Rei say in that nat 1 social to elicit such a response? Dod she imply something with her choosing Kirata, did she look at her with pity? Jeez....
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Probably something that Rei didn't think sounded patronizing or talking down about Kirata's combat ability, likely in relation to Kirata probably wasn't going to use her full power because they were friends, and resulted in Kirata having a "Fuck you, I'm gonna go all out" moment.
Omake: Yo-Kaijin Riders (canon)
Ok so first off: Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans! I bring a new omake for feasting upon! Disclaimer up front: most of this was typed up on phone, and I'm copy-pasting it on mobile as well. Please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes.
Shinjuku
11:30pm
The bustle of Shinjuku at night was as noisy as always, but on a rooftop overlooking a street in the pleasure district it was calm. At least until a fox climbed its way up, an apple held in its mouth, and sleek dark red fur covered in sweat. The fox looked around, and in a flash of ghostly purple flames the fur was clean. A stray leaf is picked up in a paw and put on the fox's head, and a moment later, the blink of an eye, suddenly instead of a fox there is a naked young woman, holding the apple in her hands. She tosses the apple into the air, and another flash of ghostly flames covers her before she is clothed. A low-cut red crop top covers her fairly generous chest, leaving her midriff exposed, a black leather jacket with spiked shoulder pads over it. Black jeans with a low waistline cover her slim yet toned legs, with small rips over the knees and random spots on both legs. Her feet are bare, a fingerless glove over her right hand, a bracelet with a small mask on her left wrist, and her dark red hair is in a slightly spiky mane down to mid-back. She wouldn't look out of place among the rebellious youth of Japan, if it wasn't for the vulpine ears on her head and the two tails sticking out of the back of her waist, marking her as a fox spirit.
The woman lazily walks to the edge of the roof before sitting down, one leg over the edge, the other curled up with the knee close to her chest. She takes a bite of the apple, savoring the taste of a treat fairly stolen. She went to take another, but stopped at hearing a deep yet smooth voice behind her.
"I thought we were not trying to attract attention, young mistress?"
Tilting her head back, the nogitsune looked at her companion. He was large, with blue skin and a build that in slang would be called a "brick shithouse". Lightning yellow hakama pants cover his waist and legs, a similarly colored tiger-skin loincloth covering the front. His feet are bare except for a pair of geta sandals. His upper body is similarly bare, the only exceptions being a multitude of scars, a bead necklace with a small mask on it and tiger-pattern bracers on his forearms. His face was harsh, yet somehow gentle in its demeanor. Two tusks grew down from the top of his mouth, and two long horns jut out of his forehead, a shoulder-length mane of wispy raven hair coming down. On the oni's back was a wicked-looking kanabo, held in place with seemingly nothing.
The young woman returns to looking back into the street taking another bite of the apple before answering. "We're not. And stealing this apple from one of the mortal night markets isn't going to attract attention."
"A dark red wild fox stealing an apple in the middle of a crowded night market in the middle of an urban center is the kind of thing that attracts attention."
"Bah! At best that's going to get animal control or the police called. It's not going to get attention from anyone we actually care about. The Goody Two-Shoes Brigades won't care about a random animal, and those Umbra upstarts" here the woman's voice took on a dangerous tone tinged with disgust, "are too busy meddling with something that's going to inevitably backfire on them. Those Shogun-Wannabes aren't going to care about what happens in a mortal market. Although I will admit they have the right idea about these mortal worms. They're not our equals, and they never will be."
"Still, you shouldn't be so reckless, mistress Kurahime. You already have eyes on you from some of the older generations because of your age and number of tails. You're barely over half a century old. Your mother-"
"Claimed a life debt from you after saving your stiff ass from that feral, cannibalistic Jorogumo a few decades back. And she made you my babysitter, because she didn't want to make her 'grand re-debut' just yet. I get you're just doing your job, but you need to lighten up and have some fun every now and then, Goro. And I've told you to just call me Kura!"
Goro let out a heavy sigh, eyes closed and face uplifted as if asking the Kami for strength. "You and I have very different definitions of 'fun', young mistress Kurahime."
Kura snorted, "I don't understand how you can consider betting on some mortal sport involving a shrunken wood club and a diamond made of dirt 'fun'." She took a large bite of the apple, leaving just the core and seeds, before plucking out the seeds one by one, applying her magic to them, and then flicking them into the air in random directions. When she was done, she used a stronger amount of magic on the core, before standing up and turning towards Goro. She tossed the apple core over her shoulder, where it hit somebody on the head going by the exclamation of pain and surprise, while sauntering up to the oni, walking around him while tracing her uncovered hand across his torso. "I think I know just the thing to get that stick out of your ass. When was the last time you got to enjoy a strong drink?"
Goro stoically ignored the teasing touch of his charge, and the sound of the brewing brawl on the street below, "Young Mistress, I am not going to-"
"There was a distillery I ran by while making my escape from the market earlier. It's only a couple blocks away. According to the sign, they don't use any glyphs in creating their alcohol at all. Purely the traditional methods. I know how much you say that it tastes better…" Kura trails off, having circled back around to Goro's front. Goro tried to remain strong in the face of such temptation, but eventually gave up and sighed in acceptance.
"I suppose I could do with a good drink…" when his charge spun around and gave a fistpump, whisper-yelling 'yes', Goro allowed the corner of his lips to turn up in a small smile.
Shinjuku
11:50pm
The back door to the distillery opened with a silent click, and when no alarms went off Kura gained a smug grin. "See! Told you it would be simple to get in without setting off an alarm! Now grab as much as you can carry, I'll raid the office." The fox spirit sent out some wisps of her foxfire, having them mess with the security cameras in order to cover her and Goro's tracks. As her companion got to work rifling through the stock of alcohol, Kura made her way to the cash register, using her magic to open it and stealing all the money within. After that, she found the owner's office, picking the lock with a hairpin she pulled out of her jacket pocket.
Once she was in, she looked around until she spotted a safe set into the wall. 'Bingo!' She went up to the safe, putting one of her ears up to it before starting to spin the tumbler.
Click. Click…click!
"Alright, let's see what goodies you have stashed in here." the nogitsune muttered to herself as the safe swung open, revealing a bunch of papers and a wooden box. A quick rifle through the papers revealed them to be only a bunch of legal documents and licenses. The box on the other paw…."Well now, this is quite a gem!"
Kura closed the safe back up before walking back to the storage area of the distillery. She saw Goro had a few crates full of assorted bottles already set up for her to use her magic on. He turned to her, and motioned to the box, "Did you steal the money from the safe?"
"There was none there. But this is worth more than money. It's an unopened bottle of rice shōchū! If the label's right, it apparently was made in the final years of the Edo Period- Hey!"
Goro practically teleported over to her, taking the box from her hands and staring at the label almost reverently. Kura allowed herself a small, gentle smile while he was occupied. 'With how much he puts up with me, he deserves a luxury like this every once in a while.' One of her ears twitch, picking up the sound of approaching sirens. "Fuck, the safe must have had a silent alarm tied to it. Stop looking at the alcohol like a lover, and get ready to move. We've got incoming."
Goro immediately walks over to the collection of crates, and Kura helps him tie the crates together before casting an illusion to make the crates nearly invisible. "Get going, I'll distract them so you can get away."
"Young mistress, why don't you make us invisible as well?"
"I've used a lot of magic already tonight. Much more and I will run the risk of it failing before we're safe. And you know how…specific it can get when I'm transformed."
"Young Mistress Kura, you know how much attention you'll draw if you do what I think you're going to. It's too risky!"
"Worth it. It'll be fun giving the pigs a run around, now get going, they're about to pull up out front."
Goro didn't bother continue arguing, instead making for the backdoor as Kura started walking towards the front of the building. As she did, her two tails curled around her waist, and where the tips met at the front a flash of ghostly purple flames burned, before extinguishing to reveal an odd buckle. Kura lifted her uncovered hand, which became covered in the same flames, before she swung it down over the buckle, a single word charged with power spilling from her lips.
"Henshin."
A few moments later…
The cops that had assembled outside the distillery were preparing to head in, when suddenly the front wall of the building blew out in a blast of purple flames! A dark red and burnt orange motorcycle stylized to resemble a kitsune, with the 9 tails being individual exhaust pipes, came bursting out through the flames, landing on one of the cop cars and driving over it, landing on the pavement before the driver stopped the motorcycle to look back at the cops. They raised their middle finger towards the recovering cops, a female voice shouting out "Catch me if you can, pigworms!"
The Rider then sped off,and in a few minutes she was weaving through a crowded street, uncaring if anyone didn't get out of the way in time. She let out a cackle, before a number of sirens began blaring out in pursuit. Looking back, the Rider saw roughly 9 different police vehicles chasing her. She turned back forwards, and yelled back in a voice filled with malicious glee "All this for me? You shouldn't have! But if you're so insistent on playing…I guess I'll oblige."
She thrust her left hand into the air, where it became coated in purple flames, before slamming it down onto the dash of her bike "Illusory Parade: Ninefold Duplication!"
Suddenly, the entire bike, Rider included, became shrouded in flames, before 9 near identical copies of the Rider burst from it. The only difference between them being that each of them had a different "tail" of the motorcycle, and that each of them had a tassel coming off the waist from a different point. The same voice came out of each copy, overlapping in an echo "Try and guess who's real!" The 9 copies then split off, going in different directions, down side streets, through alleys, some even ramped off of abandoned cars or stalls to briefly ride on the walls. The police, having no other choice, split up to chase the duplicates.
12:05pm
The Rider raced down the empty street, the motorcycle's "tail" coming out the top center of the vehicle's back, a singular cop car managing to keep pace. She glanced back, seeing the cop still there, "Tch. For a worm they sure are persistent." She faced back forward, before taking a sharp turn, nearly scraping the road. The moment she was back upright, she poured on the gas, speeding up and starting to pull away from the pursuing car.
As the Rider was approaching a bridge over train tracks, she saw a line of police cars blocking the other side. "Trying to box me in? Almost clever for a bunch of mortals. Unfortunately, I've got a train to catch!'
The Rider kept going until she was about to reach the middle of the bridge, before turning sharply, jumping her bike off the bridge and onto a train that started passing under just moments before. The Rider dismissed their bike, before giving a one finger salute to the cops on the bridge before she was carried out of sight.
When she was confident that she was far enough the cops wouldn't find her, the Rider jumped off the train onto a street, right in front of an alley. Landing under a streetlight, her form was revealed clearly.
The armored suit was primarily crimson in color, with purple highlights on the outer legs and arms, a flame-patterned chest piece in purple-accented gold over her torso. On the top of her helmet was a design resembling a pair of red fox ears, with gold outlining a purple inner section, and her gloves ended in gold claws. From the armor's waist, a single tassel came down from the middle of her back, starting a deep red and transitioning to a purple with what seemed like part of a flame pattern on it. As she stepped forwards, 8 other tassels appeared in a flash of purple fire, completing the flame pattern and forming a half-skirt going from one side of her waist behind her back to the other.
"Well, young mistress Tama, if we didn't have their attention before, we certainly do now." a deep male voice said. Stepping out of the alley was another Rider.
The armored suit was primarily blue in color, with accents of silvery white on the outer legs and arms. Over the front of the waist was an electric yellow sheet of metal with a resemblance to a loincloth, a silvery white tiger stripe pattern covering it. On his forearms were furred bracers with a similar color and pattern, and over his broad chest was a silvery white chest piece with an electric yellow lightning pattern on it. His helmet had a pair of silver horns resembling lightning bolts coming out of the forehead. On his back is a wicked-looking kanabo colored blue and gold.
Seeing him, the female Rider's voice gained a noticeable smirk, "Yeah, it was fun while it lasted. Wasn't expecting you to be transformed as well, Shuten. Did you have that much trouble getting away? Hope you didn't leave any witnesses…"
"It is fortunate I don't share your taste for cruelty and sadism, young mistress. The humans didn't even have time to feel pain. Regardless, we will likely have to lay low for a while. I have heard rumors of a pair of siblings trying to keep peace in Night Market, and one of them is supposedly a Kamen Rider."
"Haaaa…I hate when you have a point. Fine, we'll return to our apartment in Night Market, and I'll plan out how I can continue getting my fun while you savor that shōchū."
She proceeded to walk into the alley, Shuten falling into step right behind her. As the shadows covered their forms, a single thought passed through her head.
"I'm almost tempted to say 'let them come'. After all, no one will be able to stop my fun. For I am the Daughter of Tamamo-no-Mae!"
So how's that? Say hello to my two newest contributions: Kurahime, the self-proclaimed Daughter of Tamamo-no-Mae (a claim no one has been able to disprove), AKA the Dark Rider Tama, and her long-suffering minder in the form of Goro, a blue oni with a life debt to Kurahime's mother, AKA the Dark Rider Shuten. If it wasn't obvious, Goro's Rider name is based of Shuten-dōji. Hope their personalities came across ok, I wanted to take a stab at writing two evil-aligned characters.
Yo-Kaijin Riders
Shinjuku
11:30pm
The bustle of Shinjuku at night was as noisy as always, but on a rooftop overlooking a street in the pleasure district it was calm. At least until a fox climbed its way up, an apple held in its mouth, and sleek dark red fur covered in sweat. The fox looked around, and in a flash of ghostly purple flames the fur was clean. A stray leaf is picked up in a paw and put on the fox's head, and a moment later, the blink of an eye, suddenly instead of a fox there is a naked young woman, holding the apple in her hands. She tosses the apple into the air, and another flash of ghostly flames covers her before she is clothed. A low-cut red crop top covers her fairly generous chest, leaving her midriff exposed, a black leather jacket with spiked shoulder pads over it. Black jeans with a low waistline cover her slim yet toned legs, with small rips over the knees and random spots on both legs. Her feet are bare, a fingerless glove over her right hand, a bracelet with a small mask on her left wrist, and her dark red hair is in a slightly spiky mane down to mid-back. She wouldn't look out of place among the rebellious youth of Japan, if it wasn't for the vulpine ears on her head and the two tails sticking out of the back of her waist, marking her as a fox spirit.
The woman lazily walks to the edge of the roof before sitting down, one leg over the edge, the other curled up with the knee close to her chest. She takes a bite of the apple, savoring the taste of a treat fairly stolen. She went to take another, but stopped at hearing a deep yet smooth voice behind her.
"I thought we were not trying to attract attention, young mistress?"
Tilting her head back, the nogitsune looked at her companion. He was large, with blue skin and a build that in slang would be called a "brick shithouse". Lightning yellow hakama pants cover his waist and legs, a similarly colored tiger-skin loincloth covering the front. His feet are bare except for a pair of geta sandals. His upper body is similarly bare, the only exceptions being a multitude of scars, a bead necklace with a small mask on it and tiger-pattern bracers on his forearms. His face was harsh, yet somehow gentle in its demeanor. Two tusks grew down from the top of his mouth, and two long horns jut out of his forehead, a shoulder-length mane of wispy raven hair coming down. On the oni's back was a wicked-looking kanabo, held in place with seemingly nothing.
The young woman returns to looking back into the street taking another bite of the apple before answering. "We're not. And stealing this apple from one of the mortal night markets isn't going to attract attention."
"A dark red wild fox stealing an apple in the middle of a crowded night market in the middle of an urban center is the kind of thing that attracts attention."
"Bah! At best that's going to get animal control or the police called. It's not going to get attention from anyone we actually care about. The Goody Two-Shoes Brigades won't care about a random animal, and those Umbra upstarts" here the woman's voice took on a dangerous tone tinged with disgust, "are too busy meddling with something that's going to inevitably backfire on them. Those Shogun-Wannabes aren't going to care about what happens in a mortal market. Although I will admit they have the right idea about these mortal worms. They're not our equals, and they never will be."
"Still, you shouldn't be so reckless, mistress Kurahime. You already have eyes on you from some of the older generations because of your age and number of tails. You're barely over half a century old. Your mother-"
"Claimed a life debt from you after saving your stiff ass from that feral, cannibalistic Jorogumo a few decades back. And she made you my babysitter, because she didn't want to make her 'grand re-debut' just yet. I get you're just doing your job, but you need to lighten up and have some fun every now and then, Goro. And I've told you to just call me Kura!"
Goro let out a heavy sigh, eyes closed and face uplifted as if asking the Kami for strength. "You and I have very different definitions of 'fun', young mistress Kurahime."
Kura snorted, "I don't understand how you can consider betting on some mortal sport involving a shrunken wood club and a diamond made of dirt 'fun'." She took a large bite of the apple, leaving just the core and seeds, before plucking out the seeds one by one, applying her magic to them, and then flicking them into the air in random directions. When she was done, she used a stronger amount of magic on the core, before standing up and turning towards Goro. She tossed the apple core over her shoulder, where it hit somebody on the head going by the exclamation of pain and surprise, while sauntering up to the oni, walking around him while tracing her uncovered hand across his torso. "I think I know just the thing to get that stick out of your ass. When was the last time you got to enjoy a strong drink?"
Goro stoically ignored the teasing touch of his charge, and the sound of the brewing brawl on the street below, "Young Mistress, I am not going to-"
"There was a distillery I ran by while making my escape from the market earlier. It's only a couple blocks away. According to the sign, they don't use any glyphs in creating their alcohol at all. Purely the traditional methods. I know how much you say that it tastes better…" Kura trails off, having circled back around to Goro's front. Goro tried to remain strong in the face of such temptation, but eventually gave up and sighed in acceptance.
"I suppose I could do with a good drink…" when his charge spun around and gave a fistpump, whisper-yelling 'yes', Goro allowed the corner of his lips to turn up in a small smile.
Shinjuku
11:50pm
The back door to the distillery opened with a silent click, and when no alarms went off Kura gained a smug grin. "See! Told you it would be simple to get in without setting off an alarm! Now grab as much as you can carry, I'll raid the office." The fox spirit sent out some wisps of her foxfire, having them mess with the security cameras in order to cover her and Goro's tracks. As her companion got to work rifling through the stock of alcohol, Kura made her way to the cash register, using her magic to open it and stealing all the money within. After that, she found the owner's office, picking the lock with a hairpin she pulled out of her jacket pocket.
Once she was in, she looked around until she spotted a safe set into the wall. 'Bingo!' She went up to the safe, putting one of her ears up to it before starting to spin the tumbler.
Click. Click…click!
"Alright, let's see what goodies you have stashed in here." the nogitsune muttered to herself as the safe swung open, revealing a bunch of papers and a wooden box. A quick rifle through the papers revealed them to be only a bunch of legal documents and licenses. The box on the other paw…."Well now, this is quite a gem!"
Kura closed the safe back up before walking back to the storage area of the distillery. She saw Goro had a few crates full of assorted bottles already set up for her to use her magic on. He turned to her, and motioned to the box, "Did you steal the money from the safe?"
"There was none there. But this is worth more than money. It's an unopened bottle of rice shōchū! If the label's right, it apparently was made in the final years of the Edo Period- Hey!"
Goro practically teleported over to her, taking the box from her hands and staring at the label almost reverently. Kura allowed herself a small, gentle smile while he was occupied. 'With how much he puts up with me, he deserves a luxury like this every once in a while.' One of her ears twitch, picking up the sound of approaching sirens. "Fuck, the safe must have had a silent alarm tied to it. Stop looking at the alcohol like a lover, and get ready to move. We've got incoming."
Goro immediately walks over to the collection of crates, and Kura helps him tie the crates together before casting an illusion to make the crates nearly invisible. "Get going, I'll distract them so you can get away."
"Young mistress, why don't you make us invisible as well?"
"I've used a lot of magic already tonight. Much more and I will run the risk of it failing before we're safe. And you know how…specific it can get when I'm transformed."
"Young Mistress Kura, you know how much attention you'll draw if you do what I think you're going to. It's too risky!"
"Worth it. It'll be fun giving the pigs a run around, now get going, they're about to pull up out front."
Goro didn't bother continue arguing, instead making for the backdoor as Kura started walking towards the front of the building. As she did, her two tails curled around her waist, and where the tips met at the front a flash of ghostly purple flames burned, before extinguishing to reveal an odd buckle. Kura lifted her uncovered hand, which became covered in the same flames, before she swung it down over the buckle, a single word charged with power spilling from her lips.
"Henshin."
A few moments later…
The cops that had assembled outside the distillery were preparing to head in, when suddenly the front wall of the building blew out in a blast of purple flames! A dark red and burnt orange motorcycle stylized to resemble a kitsune, with the 9 tails being individual exhaust pipes, came bursting out through the flames, landing on one of the cop cars and driving over it, landing on the pavement before the driver stopped the motorcycle to look back at the cops. They raised their middle finger towards the recovering cops, a female voice shouting out "Catch me if you can, pigworms!"
The Rider then sped off,and in a few minutes she was weaving through a crowded street, uncaring if anyone didn't get out of the way in time. She let out a cackle, before a number of sirens began blaring out in pursuit. Looking back, the Rider saw roughly 9 different police vehicles chasing her. She turned back forwards, and yelled back in a voice filled with malicious glee "All this for me? You shouldn't have! But if you're so insistent on playing…I guess I'll oblige."
She thrust her left hand into the air, where it became coated in purple flames, before slamming it down onto the dash of her bike "Illusory Parade: Ninefold Duplication!"
Suddenly, the entire bike, Rider included, became shrouded in flames, before 9 near identical copies of the Rider burst from it. The only difference between them being that each of them had a different "tail" of the motorcycle, and that each of them had a tassel coming off the waist from a different point. The same voice came out of each copy, overlapping in an echo "Try and guess who's real!" The 9 copies then split off, going in different directions, down side streets, through alleys, some even ramped off of abandoned cars or stalls to briefly ride on the walls. The police, having no other choice, split up to chase the duplicates.
12:05pm
The Rider raced down the empty street, the motorcycle's "tail" coming out the top center of the vehicle's back, a singular cop car managing to keep pace. She glanced back, seeing the cop still there, "Tch. For a worm they sure are persistent." She faced back forward, before taking a sharp turn, nearly scraping the road. The moment she was back upright, she poured on the gas, speeding up and starting to pull away from the pursuing car.
As the Rider was approaching a bridge over train tracks, she saw a line of police cars blocking the other side. "Trying to box me in? Almost clever for a bunch of mortals. Unfortunately, I've got a train to catch!'
The Rider kept going until she was about to reach the middle of the bridge, before turning sharply, jumping her bike off the bridge and onto a train that started passing under just moments before. The Rider dismissed their bike, before giving a one finger salute to the cops on the bridge before she was carried out of sight.
When she was confident that she was far enough the cops wouldn't find her, the Rider jumped off the train onto a street, right in front of an alley. Landing under a streetlight, her form was revealed clearly.
The armored suit was primarily crimson in color, with purple highlights on the outer legs and arms, a flame-patterned chest piece in purple-accented gold over her torso. On the top of her helmet was a design resembling a pair of red fox ears, with gold outlining a purple inner section, and her gloves ended in gold claws. From the armor's waist, a single tassel came down from the middle of her back, starting a deep red and transitioning to a purple with what seemed like part of a flame pattern on it. As she stepped forwards, 8 other tassels appeared in a flash of purple fire, completing the flame pattern and forming a half-skirt going from one side of her waist behind her back to the other.
"Well, young mistress Tama, if we didn't have their attention before, we certainly do now." a deep male voice said. Stepping out of the alley was another Rider.
The armored suit was primarily blue in color, with accents of silvery white on the outer legs and arms. Over the front of the waist was an electric yellow sheet of metal with a resemblance to a loincloth, a silvery white tiger stripe pattern covering it. On his forearms were furred bracers with a similar color and pattern, and over his broad chest was a silvery white chest piece with an electric yellow lightning pattern on it. His helmet had a pair of silver horns resembling lightning bolts coming out of the forehead. On his back is a wicked-looking kanabo colored blue and gold.
Seeing him, the female Rider's voice gained a noticeable smirk, "Yeah, it was fun while it lasted. Wasn't expecting you to be transformed as well, Shuten. Did you have that much trouble getting away? Hope you didn't leave any witnesses…"
"It is fortunate I don't share your taste for cruelty and sadism, young mistress. The humans didn't even have time to feel pain. Regardless, we will likely have to lay low for a while. I have heard rumors of a pair of siblings trying to keep peace in Night Market, and one of them is supposedly a Kamen Rider."
"Haaaa…I hate when you have a point. Fine, we'll return to our apartment in Night Market, and I'll plan out how I can continue getting my fun while you savor that shōchū."
She proceeded to walk into the alley, Shuten falling into step right behind her. As the shadows covered their forms, a single thought passed through her head.
"I'm almost tempted to say 'let them come'. After all, no one will be able to stop my fun. For I am the Daughter of Tamamo-no-Mae!"
So how's that? Say hello to my two newest contributions: Kurahime, the self-proclaimed Daughter of Tamamo-no-Mae (a claim no one has been able to disprove), AKA the Dark Rider Tama, and her long-suffering minder in the form of Goro, a blue oni with a life debt to Kurahime's mother, AKA the Dark Rider Shuten. If it wasn't obvious, Goro's Rider name is based of Shuten-dōji. Hope their personalities came across ok, I wanted to take a stab at writing two evil-aligned characters.
Fun fact: Goro's "civilian disguise" when amongst humans is achieved via Kura's illusion magic. He basically resembles Kazuma Kiryu from Yakuza, but in a blue suit and pants with an electric yellow tiger stripe tie, dark shades that cover his eyes completely, a baseball cap that is always a different baseball team whenever the illusion goes up, and the kanabo takes the form of an aluminum bat.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Peak. Gobbling this up (compliment) Almost as delicious as the freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies my aunt made for the family today. +50 EXP, +10 EP. I think I can make this work, and loved the personalities of both Goro and Kurahime.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Apologies that no chapter's been coming out. I uh, lost my earbuds and have had to be doing all this thanksgiving stuff. I'll try my best to get it out by next Friday, along with another Dokuro+Senkesha side story to go along with it.
Sidestory 2.5: What's The Price We'll Have To Pay?
New
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Thursday, March 6th, 2080. 7:09 PM
Shibuya 110
"Isn't it weird, partner?"
"What? Also stop calling me that."
"They made a sequel. To a freaking department store. That's totally crazy!"
"…shouldn't you be happy that they made more department stores? Also, it's not a sequel, it's an expansion of a chain."
Two people were hanging out on the balcony of the newest and hottest department store in Shibuya. One of them, a man with scruffy brown hair wearing a red hoodie. The other, a plain-looking girl with glasses and long hair. They were both next to each other, overlooking the city from the public balcony. The crowd was passing them by, sparing not even a glance at them, almost as if they were both invisible.
"Doku," the girl said, "it's, like, a sequel. But that totally isn't important. You know what is?"
The boy (also known in some circles as the Dokurokan, but that isn't important) raised an eyebrow, looking at his plain partner. "Uh… what? What's important, the number of fashion stores in the 110?"
She flung her hands outwards, pointing at the skyline. "They don't have any safeties here! If I wanted to throw someone off this top-floor balcony, I could, like, totally off somebody and say that it was an accident!"
If you could ascribe a single emotion to Dokuro's face at that moment, it would be: "what the fuck?" "…hey. We're still in public. Don't say that weird shit, we're off the job. I get that we're both Umbra higher-ups, but we've both got to calm down every once in a while. Heck, we should both be at the club right now."
Senkesha paused, before sighing and collapsing onto the metal railing, leaning her elbows and face onto the metal surface. Her glasses seemed to glow a bit from the glare, hiding her forlorn eyes. "Yeah. You're right. Sorry about that. Seriously though, you didn't need to take me out to dinner. Do you know what that looks like from the outside?"
Dokuro sighed, leaning his back against the railing. "It's not like that, don't make it weird. My old coworkers— Katsu always used to make or get this great hot pot for us every other Thursday. Hopefully it'll make up for us not being able to find that Lily Dragon. 1 freaking hour of walking around for nothing…"
"Eh, our reservation is gonna come up in ten minutes. I'll be the judge of how delicious it'll be myself."
For a second, they were both silent as she got up from the railing and polished her glasses on her sweater. Then, still looking out at the skyline, she said: "Hey, can I ask you something?"
He wasn't looking at her as he spoke, eyes glassy and unfocused. "Only if I get to ask you a question of my own as well."
"…fine. You really cared about your Skull Faces, didn't you? Most of us Umbra people use them as disposable manpower. You wore that old mask, looked into their personal lives. How much did you care about them?"
Dokuro closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply. Both of them still weren't looking at each other. "I cared about them in the same way I cared about my family. Kyou and Emiko both didn't have much money, so this job was really one of their best ways to provide for their family. I tried to protect them that day, but the Void made me cowardly. I thought that I could rely on them to cover my escape, as always."
Senkesha looked at him anxiously, as his hands began to start to shake. "I regret it so, so much. I miss them every day. That's why I have to kill that girl."
She nodded in understanding. "…yeah. I get that feeling. I've had my own share of losses."
For a good second, they were both silent. Then:
"You got that gyaru accent from someone you lost, didn't you?"
Senkesha sighed again, with her being practically a few seconds away from deflating. "…How'd you know."
"You never bother to care much about fashion. You dropped the accent the second I chastised you. And, I know you tapped into the Void a bit, back when we were on our way here and you pulled your gun on the guy who tried to mug us on the train. The Void brings out all the weird parts in us. I think that for you, it brings back the person you lost. Like some sort of distorted reflection."
Senkesha turned to look at her partner, who was still looking out at the city. Her glasses were getting foggy. "Yeah. You might be right. Losing her was why I decided to join this whole Umbra thing."
She sighed with a grief that should have belonged to someone twenty years older than her. "…A world without Magical Girls would have been a world where she would have lived. That's the world Mr. Great Leader said he'd create, right partner?"
Dokuro opened his eyes, softly breathing out and reminiscing. For once, "partner" didn't sound too bad. "It is. Don't worry. That's why I'm still walking. That promised world he showed me… once she's dead, it's what I want more than anything else on the earth."
A world without Magic, one that doesn't need it to survive. A world without heroes or villains, without needless Magical Girls, Kamen Riders, or Shades.
And a world without death. What a fantastic, faraway Paradise.
They both stood there for a second, looking out at Shibuya, at Tokyo. Wondering what it would look like in that perfect future.
After a while, his phone rang. With a half-glance, he checked it, before patting her on the shoulder. "Time to go. The hot pot place's ready."
She readjusted her purse strap, before going off to follow him. "Yeah. Oh, and thanks for that talk. I needed a reminder of why I was doing what we're doing. Outside of the killing, y'know."
"Think nothing of it. We're working together, aren't we, Senkesha?"
As they got away from the balcony and into an empty elevator, she couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Man, you're still calling me that name? You really don't have to. What, are you trying to be some sort of professional gentleman?"
"Hey, I've never worked a business job higher ranked than a coffee grabbing intern. Give me a break. Besides, you never actually gave me your real name, even once we got out of the UE. I've got your phone number, but I just have you down as "Coworker"."
"Dude, you should know that isn't helping us beat the couple allegations. But as for my name, it's Michiko. Uyeno Michiko. A simple name for a simpleish person like me."
He smiled softly. "Alright then. You can call me…"
Author's Note:
"Hey, hey, this hot pot isn't that bad! What's in here?"
"Ah, that's beef soup with Sichuan pepper. The numbing sensation might kick in a bit late, though."
"What the— ack! You'd do this to a cute girl like me?!"
"Again, you're not on a date with me. You're my coworker. So I've got some room to mess with you. You can deal with it just fine."
Thanks for reading!
Shibuya 110
"Isn't it weird, partner?"
"What? Also stop calling me that."
"They made a sequel. To a freaking department store. That's totally crazy!"
"…shouldn't you be happy that they made more department stores? Also, it's not a sequel, it's an expansion of a chain."
Two people were hanging out on the balcony of the newest and hottest department store in Shibuya. One of them, a man with scruffy brown hair wearing a red hoodie. The other, a plain-looking girl with glasses and long hair. They were both next to each other, overlooking the city from the public balcony. The crowd was passing them by, sparing not even a glance at them, almost as if they were both invisible.
"Doku," the girl said, "it's, like, a sequel. But that totally isn't important. You know what is?"
The boy (also known in some circles as the Dokurokan, but that isn't important) raised an eyebrow, looking at his plain partner. "Uh… what? What's important, the number of fashion stores in the 110?"
She flung her hands outwards, pointing at the skyline. "They don't have any safeties here! If I wanted to throw someone off this top-floor balcony, I could, like, totally off somebody and say that it was an accident!"
If you could ascribe a single emotion to Dokuro's face at that moment, it would be: "what the fuck?" "…hey. We're still in public. Don't say that weird shit, we're off the job. I get that we're both Umbra higher-ups, but we've both got to calm down every once in a while. Heck, we should both be at the club right now."
Senkesha paused, before sighing and collapsing onto the metal railing, leaning her elbows and face onto the metal surface. Her glasses seemed to glow a bit from the glare, hiding her forlorn eyes. "Yeah. You're right. Sorry about that. Seriously though, you didn't need to take me out to dinner. Do you know what that looks like from the outside?"
Dokuro sighed, leaning his back against the railing. "It's not like that, don't make it weird. My old coworkers— Katsu always used to make or get this great hot pot for us every other Thursday. Hopefully it'll make up for us not being able to find that Lily Dragon. 1 freaking hour of walking around for nothing…"
"Eh, our reservation is gonna come up in ten minutes. I'll be the judge of how delicious it'll be myself."
For a second, they were both silent as she got up from the railing and polished her glasses on her sweater. Then, still looking out at the skyline, she said: "Hey, can I ask you something?"
He wasn't looking at her as he spoke, eyes glassy and unfocused. "Only if I get to ask you a question of my own as well."
"…fine. You really cared about your Skull Faces, didn't you? Most of us Umbra people use them as disposable manpower. You wore that old mask, looked into their personal lives. How much did you care about them?"
Dokuro closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply. Both of them still weren't looking at each other. "I cared about them in the same way I cared about my family. Kyou and Emiko both didn't have much money, so this job was really one of their best ways to provide for their family. I tried to protect them that day, but the Void made me cowardly. I thought that I could rely on them to cover my escape, as always."
Senkesha looked at him anxiously, as his hands began to start to shake. "I regret it so, so much. I miss them every day. That's why I have to kill that girl."
She nodded in understanding. "…yeah. I get that feeling. I've had my own share of losses."
For a good second, they were both silent. Then:
"You got that gyaru accent from someone you lost, didn't you?"
Senkesha sighed again, with her being practically a few seconds away from deflating. "…How'd you know."
"You never bother to care much about fashion. You dropped the accent the second I chastised you. And, I know you tapped into the Void a bit, back when we were on our way here and you pulled your gun on the guy who tried to mug us on the train. The Void brings out all the weird parts in us. I think that for you, it brings back the person you lost. Like some sort of distorted reflection."
Senkesha turned to look at her partner, who was still looking out at the city. Her glasses were getting foggy. "Yeah. You might be right. Losing her was why I decided to join this whole Umbra thing."
She sighed with a grief that should have belonged to someone twenty years older than her. "…A world without Magical Girls would have been a world where she would have lived. That's the world Mr. Great Leader said he'd create, right partner?"
Dokuro opened his eyes, softly breathing out and reminiscing. For once, "partner" didn't sound too bad. "It is. Don't worry. That's why I'm still walking. That promised world he showed me… once she's dead, it's what I want more than anything else on the earth."
A world without Magic, one that doesn't need it to survive. A world without heroes or villains, without needless Magical Girls, Kamen Riders, or Shades.
And a world without death. What a fantastic, faraway Paradise.
They both stood there for a second, looking out at Shibuya, at Tokyo. Wondering what it would look like in that perfect future.
After a while, his phone rang. With a half-glance, he checked it, before patting her on the shoulder. "Time to go. The hot pot place's ready."
She readjusted her purse strap, before going off to follow him. "Yeah. Oh, and thanks for that talk. I needed a reminder of why I was doing what we're doing. Outside of the killing, y'know."
"Think nothing of it. We're working together, aren't we, Senkesha?"
As they got away from the balcony and into an empty elevator, she couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Man, you're still calling me that name? You really don't have to. What, are you trying to be some sort of professional gentleman?"
"Hey, I've never worked a business job higher ranked than a coffee grabbing intern. Give me a break. Besides, you never actually gave me your real name, even once we got out of the UE. I've got your phone number, but I just have you down as "Coworker"."
"Dude, you should know that isn't helping us beat the couple allegations. But as for my name, it's Michiko. Uyeno Michiko. A simple name for a simpleish person like me."
He smiled softly. "Alright then. You can call me…"
Author's Note:
"Hey, hey, this hot pot isn't that bad! What's in here?"
"Ah, that's beef soup with Sichuan pepper. The numbing sensation might kick in a bit late, though."
"What the— ack! You'd do this to a cute girl like me?!"
"Again, you're not on a date with me. You're my coworker. So I've got some room to mess with you. You can deal with it just fine."
Thanks for reading!
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Huh... a more humanizing shot of our antagonist duo...
An interesting view of their overall goals and how the void affected them.
Dokuro... definitly has his baggage and Senkesha has hers, but their both still bad guys in the end, so we need to fight.
Also a world without magic is an interesting goal... but considering how magic is an essential part of everyday life in this world, the yokai who probably also run a little bit on magic, suddenly loosing all that is pretty bad. *Looks at Sky Seal*
And a world without death?
Immediate Red Flag. That... never ends well...
An interesting view of their overall goals and how the void affected them.
Dokuro... definitly has his baggage and Senkesha has hers, but their both still bad guys in the end, so we need to fight.
Also a world without magic is an interesting goal... but considering how magic is an essential part of everyday life in this world, the yokai who probably also run a little bit on magic, suddenly loosing all that is pretty bad. *Looks at Sky Seal*
And a world without death?
Immediate Red Flag. That... never ends well...
Not just red. Crimson.
I can't remember if Senkesha's family name is a family name we've had on a character before....
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
It isn't. And no, she's nobody's sibling. I only did that twice!