recolle | Semi-Open

Entry tags:

Semi-Open

WHO: Freya, Pen, Luna, Felicia; others added as needed
WHERE: Campground, outskirts of Recolle, beginning of the road to Magatus
WHEN: May 20th
WHAT: Freya turns into Ragnarok, and Ragnarok is not friendly.
WARNINGS: Violence

[[Important! If you would like an encounter with Ragnarok, please contact me by PM or at

gsdragono and we'll work something out!]]

One arrow. Another. The next.

They came slower once Freya had sorted out her feelings about the cursed mark, but they still came. Every week, more of that reddening eye stared back at her in the mirror. It was thoughts of Ryoji, both of his monstrous side and his return from death that kept Freya sane.

But those thoughts didn't dismiss the fear of the creature that awaited her, or her other self's despise and heart-wrenching pity for the soulless things. She could put on a brave face all she wanted, but with each passing day, the hope that this time would be different from her other self's world--that the Brand wouldn't work how it should--became harder and harder to muster.

When a spasm rippled through her shoulder and the Brand burned, Freya knew her time was up, and the fear packed beneath the surface burst through to seize her. That was all the invitation the Brand needed. Ragnarok had come.

[Penelope - Morning]

The paint can clattered to dirt as Freya clutched her right shoulder, fingers clutching at the skin through the fabric as though she could suppress the Brand's blazing light if she just pressed hard enough.

"No," was out of her mouth before she could stop it, somewhere between forceful and quiet, and several more desperately murmured no followed as Freya fell to a knee. Not here. Not now, not where Pen could see, their little pact about Freya's curse be damned. She was lucky, probably, for this to happen at the camp grounds, away from the city, but...

A little more time. Just a little more time.

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The sound of the brush hitting the dirt was an indication that something was wrong, but her partner's voice was another. Pen had been waiting for this, dreading it, because she had no idea what to expect. She'd been jumping at shadows for weeks now, almost to the point of paranoia. Her classes were done and she was just waiting on commencement, which gave her a lot of free time to worry. She'd even taken a short hiatus from videos after the third week, because she just couldn't take the wait anymore.

And now it was here.

Whirling towards Freya, she rushed to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder and already fumbling for White Hare's auracite.

"Freya...baby, what's wrong?"

"Get out of here," rushed out on a breath in response. Freya knew Pen's self-assigned role in this, but that had never mattered so much as doing her best to protect her partner, even if... her current best was a paltry attempt. She didn't really know what Ragnarok was like, or what it could do. Could her partner really kill something that was supposed to annihilate an entire civilization?

Kill. This was it, wasn't it? For all her recklessness, Freya always risked her life against things she could contend against, or work to overcome. But against this, against what was happening to them because of Retrospec... Freya lifted her head to meet her partner's eyes, her expression something scared and desperate. The brand shone brighter from under her hand, a surprisingly warm light despite its sinister meaning.

She didn't want to be Cie'th. She couldn't become one of those abominations. Freya wanted to say more, but the words wouldn't come.

Edited 2018-05-29 16:53 (UTC)

"No."

That was Penelope's default response, something pre-programmed and hardwired in. She wasn't running from this. It didn't make her any less frightened, but it was the one thing she had resolved not to budge on. If she couldn't follow through on her promise not to let Freya hurt anyone, did she really deserve to say she loved her?

It didn't make her any less fearful, the aching desperation in her partner's eyes sending a chill through her entire body. Her eyes flitted down to the brand, then right back to Freya's. Resolve mingled with dread, and her voice came out surprisingly firm.

"I made you a promise."

Darting forward, she gave Freya a quick kiss before stepping back, fingers moving over towards a different crystal. A sickly greenish light began to pulse behind her, one of her own brands springing to life as she drew on the Esper within. If half of what Freya had said was true, then she was going to need all the help she could get.

Ah. Freya loved that fire and strength. Even if she fiercely wanted Pen to leave, watching her lover step away without pleading, ready to fight and carry out one of the hardest things she's had to do... It brought a surge of pride to her turmoil even if Freya never got a chance to express it.

The blazing light from her Brand expanded almost violently, the eye centered on the mark snapping fully open for the few brief seconds it was visible. When it faded, the creature crouched there only vaguely resembled Freya. Its tail whipped around once, the ornate, mace-like end thudding into the painted ground in an cloud of dirt and debris. Its face turned to the blanks sky, scanning, searching, and the beast let out a cry, low and angry and unnatural, but nearly human-like.

It was definitely the hardest thing Penelope had ever had to do, standing there and watching this. She wanted nothing more than to run, to flee, to leave this nightmare behind...just wake up and banish this like a bad dream. But that is not now Penelope's life goes. She doesn't get to have an easy time of things, and she knows it. She is passed due for a tragedy, and there's only one thing left that the universe can really use to hurt her. Freya, one of the central figures in the life she'd built for herself.

It's been a good run, a few months of peace and quiet, nearly a year with no fights. They've had their problems, they've been separated and been thrown into dangerous situation after dangerous situation, and despite that Freya has stayed steadfast. She's stayed and supported Penelope.

So, Pen stands her ground. It's the least she can do. Reaching one hand out, she yanks her spear from it's place inside the tent, feeling it's cold and solid weight smack her palm. A faint shimmering enveloped her, the now familiar shield covering her as surely as the armor she didn't have on her.

When the change happens, Pen is forced to look away, the brightness of it searing itself into her memory. When the light fades and she can look...her expression twists from resolve to horror. This was something bestial and terrible, a creature built for war and destruction. The vaguely Freya-like shape of the beast was both unsettling and heartwrenching. It made her stomach churn, and not for the first time since all this started she felt sick.

Scanning the creature up and down, she managed not to flinch at that echoing nearly human roar but only just barely. The not-quite human features tore at her, and as she took in more detail her eyes only widened more and more. This thing was like some twisted mockery of the person she held most dear. In an matter of moments something beautiful became something out of a nightmare, and that only solidified Penelope's decision.

Her despair was short lived however, as a deep seeded rage flooded through her. Not at Freya, or this thing...but at the being that had cursed her partner. That gangrenous green light flooded the campsite behind her, intensifying to match Ragnarok's for a brief moment. Pen heard the voice, the clarion call to draw on Cu Chulainn's power.

She knew the thing's history, knew what it was about, and she knew better than to take it in directly. But it's rage? It's fury? That was genuine, utterly lacking in deceit. It hated anything to do with gods, and Freya's transformation resonated with it in a way that mirrored it's own past. It knew the cruelty of gods, knew what a strange and twisted sense of humor they could have...and it called to Penelope.

LET ME FIGHT! PLEASE!

Slamming the butt of her spear against the earth, Pen assented, summoning the Esper. It appeared behind her as always, but stepped around in front of her immediately, letting out a stentorian bellow that shook the clearing.

"FREYA!" Pen's shout seemed tinny and small in the wake of the Esper's bellow. "If you're in there...I'm not letting you go! Give me a sign!"

Edited 2018-05-29 20:03 (UTC)

It paid them no heed, blank eyes turned upwards. Ragnarok had just screamed at the sky again when Cu roared at it, the second cry drowned in the Esper's challenge. That heavy tail lashed again as Ragnarok's head half-jerked, half-tilted in the Esper's direction, and despite its humanoid frame, settled into a four-legged stance.

There was no recognition, for Pen or her captive demon. There was only animosity, growing and spinning endlessly off of itself in a confused mass, chasing a phantom purpose misplaced in time and space.

And that demon that roared a challege--that was a place for that animosity to go. Ragnarok lunged with surprising agility, swinging wide at Cu with a clawed hand and rage created to sunder earth.

That lack of recognition would have hurt if Penelope had time to process it more than a cursory acceptance that it wasn't there. She'd prepared herself for this as much as she could, though. She would not back down, and this was something like what she had expected. Freya was gone, replaced with this savage thing. And that meant a fight.

Cu slammed his feet down into the earth, planting himself firmly and swinging a huge hand at Ragnarok's claw. The blows connected solidly, the sheer force of the Cieth's strike rippling through the fat of demon-flesh. Claws dug in, poisonous blood oozing from the wound, but the demon didn't so much as acknowledge the hit. It's other hand swung in hard, aimed to cuff the smaller creature with an open palmed slap.

Pen, on the other hand, moved back. She knew that brawling with this thing up close was not something she personally could do. That was a job for Cu and her friends, and so she touched two stones in rapid succession. Behind Ragnarok, Gilgamesh made an appearance with a somber expression, all six hands holding enormous blades. And off to one side, purposefully summoned in a bush...Tons lay waiting for a chance to attack.

"Gil. This is it. We have to stop her" Pen willed to the Yahri through the stone, a sense of resolve the only answer from the spirit. Then he surged forward, all six swords bared, swinging downwards to the agile enemy engaged with the demon.

Unlike its human counterpart, Ragnarok didn't seem to be bothered by the poisonous ooze or foul miasma. It couldn't quite plant its feet as Cu had in time, but that heavy tail smashed into the ground to anchor it against the blow instead.

The heavy strike slid the monster a foot to the side and made it pause under the force, but Ragnarok did not buckle. It yelled again in outrage, planting those clawed feet properly this time, and sunk both hands deeper into Cu's flesh; with a pivot and a heave, attempted to uproot the hefty Esper and slam the demon into the ground in the middle of Gilgamesh's path.

Ragnarok's physical strength would definitely be put to the test, trying to heave a Cu. His very skin burns to the touch, though compared to the pain a sumo slap from him would cause it's likely insignificant. He hasn't fully rooted himself, either, so he does go. His arms flail and pinwheel, the ungainly form not really helping him as physics comes into play. Gilgamesh diverts his swords in time to avoid impaling the demon and coating the forest in toxic blood, but it sends the two of them crashing together.

The spirit rebounds, leaping up and over the demon, using it's body to obscure his motion. Down he comes, blades sweeping in a truly massive arc. Meanwhile Penelope flicks her wrist out and lashes at Ragnarok with a Blind spell, hoping to cut the monster off from it's senses to aid her allies.

The not-quite-Freya beast hopped back after tossing Cu, but the follow-up was impeded by a misstep. Ragnarok shook it's head violently a few times--nearly a full-body motion--to clear its vision, but only in time for Gil to come crashing down.

The Cie'th was larger and heavier than Freya, but the force of the strike was still enough to knock it around. The blades sparked across the beast's rock-like skin instead of opening wounds, but Ragnarok still seemed to recoil in pain regardless.

The onslaught forced it back, but Ragnarok soon managed to get its feet underneath it, and the look of fury on the beast's face renewed itself with fresh zeal. A hand lashed out to the side, catching and tearing a picnic bench from the ground to fling it at Gil's head. Almost in the same motion, Ragnarok spun, tail cleaving clear through the base of a half-painted tree, the true height of which obscured by the lack of complete paint.

With a furious cry, the Cieth seized the tree (the bark withering in contact with Cu's blood) and heaved it down in the direction of the Yahri and his allies.

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