Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on May 17, 2023 2:40:26 GMT 9
So. He might have fucked up.
Kazuki is staring at his UI, at the ominous ring of teeth that plagues him. It calls itself—and by extension, him—a PARASITE. It is identified as the Corruption Subclass.
And it is now in Stage 2.
Now the thing is, he’s not that fucking stupid. He had read the description. He knew there would be consequences for upgrading it, but he was also fucked if he didn’t touch it. It’s not a class he can switch out. And usually, he wouldn’t give a shit about that either—but then the incident with Verai happened. The scar on his hand has long since disappeared, but he still remembers the deep bite, the violent switch the other man had undergone: peaceful one moment and then mindlessly aggressive the next.
Nearby People and Pokemon may find themselves afflicted by violent or unnatural impulses as this player's proximity triggers unpleasant memories.
So, he relented. He funneled some BYTES into it, not much, just to see what would happen.
<Kazu… ki?>
He snaps out of it, looking down at Sprigatito curled up in his arm. The kitten breathes, slowly and shallowly, his coat a green not of fresh mint leaves, but of mold. Yet there isn’t a speck of dirt on him. When he opens his eyes, it’s only halfway, and the pink in them is dulled.
“Go back to sleep,” Kazuki says, voice low, as his other hand taps through his UI.
He needs to do something. Ask someone. Someone who knows the game better than him. Someone who he—well, knows. And at least kind of trusts. It is dawning on him now just how much time he’s spent with only one player.
But a name does come. It’s with an image of a relaxing dock, iridescent colors, and a playful smirk.
I don’t know if you remember me But you said once that if I’m nice you’ll show me something cool Yeah, well, need to cash in on that promise Can you meet me at Mistra?
SPRIGATITO'S HP: 200/250 |
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Domino
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G.A.Y.
Round 2
Posts: 314
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Hilda Faust
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 40
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Post by Domino on May 18, 2023 22:52:58 GMT 9
A thin trail of smoke dances in the air, twisting and turning until disappearing in a sky grey with promises of rain and thunder. She pays it no mind, nor does she pay any mind to the sky, eyes of rainbow irises instead narrowing as they read a message. "...Fuckin' hell." Domino whispers to herself, taking one last drag from her cigarette before its ruined by the first few drops of rain. She drops it in the mud, stomping it out before stepping away.
She has never been to Mistra before, nor had she planned on ever coming to this place, yet here is Domino: hands firmly in the pockets of her jacket while harmless flames are left behind by her every step. By her side stands a Charizard that is as big as he is irritable — huffing out smoke at the sight of the distant darkness ahead. "I know. Fucked up, right?" She sure could use another cigarette right about now, but even if this is VR and simply happening in their minds, Domino isn't enough of a fool to light one when corruption lurks all around. See, she has seen how corruption reacts to fire, and even if she hadn't, she probably would still think it's a dumb idea. Just as dumb as being here. What the hell is Kazuki thinking? Why are they meeting here? Yes, she could have told him 'No', but Domino has the feeling that he would have still come here regardless of her opinions. It would be fucked up not to come, right? Not to mention that she's kind of curious and feelings sure as hell aren't going to stop her from telling him he's being an idiot. In a friendly and helpful manner, obviously."You know, I questioned how smart you were when you tried to catch a fish with your bare hands, but this might just be a new low," is the first thing she says to him when seeing him, her tone as teasing as her playful smirk. Is she joking to lighten the mood because this place creeps the fuck out of her? Bingo. "Didn't you get Ash's warning? Bad things happen when you go near corruption, dude."By the look of him, he probably already knows that bit. Uh oh. A platinum blonde brow quirks when she looks up at Kazuki. "You okay? You're not lookin' too good."BALERION'S HP: 200/250
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on May 20, 2023 13:35:12 GMT 9
It’s nothing short of a miracle that she agrees. The ‘promise’ hadn’t really been a promise, but maybe she’s just too nice for her own good. Or too curious.
Kazuki waits, but even as Domino’s arrival is heralded by loud wingbeats and the scent of false flame, his gaze remains turned to the darkness beyond. He doesn’t stir until she’s close enough for her voice to permeate his thoughts (or lack thereof), and when he faces her, there’s a split second of bewilderment there, as if he hadn’t been expecting her at all.
He snorts at her quip, plastering on a crooked smirk to mirror her playful one. “Not that different, really. The water’s just rancid here, and the fish are… bigger.” He knows this isn’t the best rendezvous point. It’s unnecessary, but at the same time — he has to. He has to be here.
She hasn’t changed a bit. Well, he’s unsure if she had been wearing the jacket and hot wheel kicks, and the Charizard is new, but it suits her; makes her look like the seasoned player he’d pegged her to be. The mention of Ash’s warning and Domino’s subsequent questions about his state causes the edge of his mouth to twitch.
“I’m fucking peachy.” He feels like a broken record, saying it, but he means it. Believes it with every fiber of his being. Sure, he’s more restless in the game these days, but he’s fighting as well as he always has — maybe even better. His adrenaline is unceasing, and when he gets into it, he gets into it.
“It’s this one that’s not looking too good.” He turns, presenting Sprigatito sleeping fitfully against his arm. “Bringing him to the shrines does nothing. And I just don’t fucking get it, I only upgraded it one goddamn stage, so how is this cat already so—” the cat mewls, shivering as he curls tighter into a ball. Verai is going to find a way to perma-kill him at this rate.
Kazuki’s face contorts into a snarl, green eyes raking over Domino. “You’re the veteran here. What the hell is going on? What even is this corruption bullshit?”
SPRIGATITO'S HP: 150/250 |
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Domino
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G.A.Y.
Round 2
Posts: 314
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Hilda Faust
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 40
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Post by Domino on Jun 28, 2023 1:55:24 GMT 9
Peachy is not the word Domino would use, but the thought is brushed away in the same motion with which she brushes away the smoke Balerion spews. She takes a step closer to the man before her, the heatless flames of her sneakers hissing when meeting the muddy ground of the Corruption Zone. It's then that her gaze fixes on the Sprigatito as if to get a better look at what ails it, but when multicoloured eyes fall upon the grass feline, what she sees is not what she expects: {warning: mild flashing lights} The resolution lowers to an absurd degree, pixels shifting and changing between the colours of their three subpixels. RGB. Cyan. Magenta. Yellow. Some even die out completely, as if she were looking at Sprigatito through a very old monitor. She squints, furrows her brow, clicks her tongue, and looks away, and when she looks at Sprigatito again, the Pokémon is there as if nothing had changed. "Ugh. It's starting already." Things like these are why Domino hadn't wanted to come to this place. Nevertheless, here they are now, and so her attention returns to Kazuki and his concerns. "You said you upgraded something... What was it?"In her peripheral, pixels continue to shift, wrong and out of place. Domino forces herself to ignore them, focusing on Kazuki. That's when she realises the answer to the her question before he even speaks it. "Oh, fuck me. You have the Parasite, don't you? Good lord, Kazuki, how many times have you been to this place to have gotten infected with corruption?"She had heard of the class before and none of the things she had heard make her like it at all.BALERION'S HP: 150/250
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Jun 29, 2023 0:59:14 GMT 9
Confusion paints his features as she mentions something starting. Looking around reveals nothing particularly amiss; in fact, the place is almost eerily safe. Not a single wisp of that accursed fog that had swallowed him last time.
An answer isn’t needed. Domino quickly pieces together the picture, and the word–Parasite–bears its own sting.
“Once. I’ve only been here one other time.” Sprigatito whines as his arms tighten around him, frustration kept at bay by the sensation of soft fur. It’s a little damp, a little sticky–as if he’s holding moss instead of a kitten.
He hates the way she had said it, as if he had gone out of his way to do this. It’s all a mistake. It’s all because of that disgusting son of a bitch with the goat horns that he’s witnessing the deterioration of his starter and the birth of these impulses he hadn’t asked for.
Behind his back, the air cools and saturates with geosmin like the call of a storm. His eyes are set on her, zeroed in on the prismatic lighthouse. He does not see how the riot of color contorting Sprigatito into malformed visual data slowly seeps across his arms, turning handmade tattoos into twitching stencils.
“You didn’t answer me. What’s happening? Why is this happening?” His anger carries him forwards, to her. “How could anyone consider this fun?!”
The ground under his feet bears a radius of parasitic aura, where even the slightest hint of fertility in the dry soil becomes null. He steps forwards, and the proximity leads the radius to collide straight with the kaleidoscopic shards dancing by Domino’s feet.
SPRIGATITO'S HP: 100/250 |
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Domino
•
G.A.Y.
Round 2
Posts: 314
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Hilda Faust
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 40
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Post by Domino on Jun 29, 2023 8:04:01 GMT 9
Shadows and corruption are held at bay by prismatic light, crackling as if alive and hissing in protest. But, they're alive, aren't they? That's the whole damn problem."...It's not fun?" Domino echoes in a soft and quiet tone, brow furrowing once more — as if, out of all the things Kazuki had said to her so far, this statement were what worries her the most. The sights before her are distorted. Pixels die all around. There's missing data. There's interference. There's glitches and bits of code clearly visible to the virtual naked eye. A question rumbles in the proud Charizard's chest, nudging her shoulder with his head, but when Domino looks at him, its as if he's separating into two different beings, blues departing from reds. {warning: 3d glasses needed} She attempts to rationalise it for him, yet her attention remains fixed on her Charizard. Perhaps it's because she doesn't want to look at Kazuki and the increasingly disrupted visuals emerging from what's supposed to be his Sprigatito, or perhaps it's because the appearance of her Charizard concerns her more. She reaches for the draconic lizard's maw, gently petting its snout. "Think of corruption as the horror element in UNOVR. It spreads, it changes everything it affects, and it's real fucked up."The ground continues to hiss, the sound growing louder and louder with each word. The whistling of a kettle approaching boiling point. She looks down at their feet, seeing the death and decay around Kazuki's and the flame and prismatic rainbows around her own. They're wrong. Some of the rainbows have gone dark too. Data is lost. It makes no sense, there's too many different problems. Tԋҽ ɠαɱҽ ιʂ Ⴆɾσƙҽɳ.₱ɆØ₱ⱠɆ ₳ⱤɆ₦'₮ Ɇ₦JØɎł₦₲ ł₮ ₳₦Ɏ₥ØⱤɆ. W̗̞ͮ̽ͨ͝h̶̲̟̼ͭa̟̱̖͓̜̋̀ͤ͜t͉͙̖͇̤͇̀͊͟ ̺͈̀ͧ̔̕h̨̟͔̯̖̯́̔a̪̱ͯͣ̇̊͢d̝̘̘̬̯̙͚̣̋͟ ̵̮̩ͣ͊͆͋a͓̤̫̤͇̬͛̽̀ľ̟̹̗̠ͫ̈͜l̗͖̺̪̳̺̜̹ͧͣ͊̂̕ ̨̠̝̫̞̞̦̦͊̈́ͫt͙̦̙̤̎̓͝h̒҉̱̭e͙͔͎̞̲͉ͭ̚͡ì̴̦͔͓r̸͍̦̬͈̟͖̀̒ͩ ̷͚̖̙͋w͔̲̝͉ͫ̌̎͝o̸̝̝̽͗r̡̺̖̮̝̘̱̠ͩ̂͒k̵̹̲̀̍͑͆ ͂ͪ͌͏̮̭͙͎̣̞b̠̘̦̰̖̊͋͟e͙̙̪͊̋ͭ͞e̹̞̻̥͓̟̙̯̎ͮ́n̫̮͉͒͞ ̜̙͐̓͜f̧̫̦̰̹̠͎͚ͣ̅ͥo̹̦̲̐͛ͪ̃͠r̫̳̤̖͎͐͞?̡̦̼̐͂ "Kazuki." She looks at him then, sure that the sight her own gaze must be distorted as well. Everything is fucking broken and the hissing gets louder and louder. "A Parasite means you got infected with Corruption and it's now spreading to your Pokémon. That's what's happening to your Sprigatito."She's honest, but was that always the intent? Is this what the game is supposed to be? Isn't it supposed to be fun for the players? Kazuki doesn't look as if he's enjoying himself... Maybe everything is truly broken beyond repair... Maybe they all had failed... But, what can she do? She's just a small piece in this puzzle. Helpless and useless.BALERION'S HP: 100/250
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Jun 30, 2023 8:51:22 GMT 9
White hot pain sears across his skin as if he’s trying to walk into a furnace, his steps forced back because just being around her turns into an insufferable affair. They are unable to bridge the gap any further, Kazuki oblivious to his discordant colors, Domino with the strength of her aura. But it’s only Kazuki who tried to step forwards.
His throat tightens as she speaks, as she reaches for her Charizard with a gentle hand, not even bothering to look at the cat withering before her eyes. For a man who had spent a better part of his game enacting the same cruelty, he’s stumped to find it thrown back in his face.
She says his name—the stupid joke-nickname his roommate had given to him, “Because she’s a better fighter!”—and he can’t stand the sound of it. And he can’t stand the answer she provides despite having asked for it and having known the basic concept in his gut. Having it verbalized is only another nail in the coffin.
“I know that already!” he hisses. “How can I use any of that to fix this? Anything that you’ve said!” A lot of people really like horror games, don’t they? Never has the urge to attack been stronger, and perhaps if he wasn’t cradling Sprigatito, he would have right then.
The realization douses him like cold water.
“You’re not going to help me.”
The words slip hushed from his mouth. He doesn’t see how the pixels have already mangled Sprigatito and his avatar to incomprehensibility. How the aura of death under his ankles pushes on to eat, to cannibalize like termites, exploiting every nook and cranny that Domino's light cannot touch.
“You’re not going to help me, are you?”
He had tried to solve the infection on his own, failed, and reached for help.
And his salvation had spat in his face.
SPRIGATITO'S HP: 50/250 |
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Domino
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G.A.Y.
Round 2
Posts: 314
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Hilda Faust
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 40
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Post by Domino on Jul 1, 2023 7:33:13 GMT 9
Akin to the crackling and popping of the Catalyst's prismatic light, Kazuki's anger is explosive, truly volatile. He snaps at her, furious in a way that makes a chill run down her spine, instinctively stumbling back while her hand slides down the scales of her Charizard's neck — no longer gentle petting but as if she were holding onto Balerion for support that is much needed at this moment. She's afraid.It's not Kazuki's fault that she reacts this way. Deep down, Domino knows this well. It's the fact that all these glitches and errors already had already sent her emotions tumbling down into a anxious spiral. It's the fact that men of volatile tempers had been a feature of Hilda's life for a long time, and during that time she had learned to be apprehensive of such outbursts — nothing ever good ever comes from them. Get a grip, girl.Still, Kazuki is right, isn't he? She should help him. She wants to help him. She has to help him. Too bad this isn't the right time or the right place for it. "Hey, hold up. Listen..." She begins, trying to stick to the persona Domino is. She's supposed to be cool and collected. She's supposed to be confident. She's supposed to laugh in the face of danger. But, the game Hilda loves so much threatens to crumble all around her, and Kazuki is just so so angry... Balerion growls at the man, spewing flames when sensing a clear threat, but no command is given for him to attack, and Domino hushes him softly. She pinches the bridge of her nose now, both to keep her eyes close so as not to see all the damage in the game map they stand in and to collect her thoughts. "Listen... It's a subclass, right? You should be able to unequip it or replace it with something else. The effect shouldn't be there anymore when you do... If you can't do that... if the corruption is really fucking things up... Cygnus, the Mythstar guild leader... He used this beam to get rid of it before... It was... Germanium, Americium, and it—... Ytterbium, yeah...That's where all the lights around me come from..."She knows she's probably not making much sense. She should explain this better. Under different circumstances, she would. Here, however? Her head hurts, it's hard to breath, and even though Domino tries to keep all the mistakes and flaws out of sight because it's just too much to bear right now, they even seep into her HUD when her eyes are closed, red letters flashing as if mocking her: "...We need to leave..."The snapping of light continues, Balerion still growls, and Domino just wants to get away from the corruption. Maybe, when she does, it all will be right again: the game won't be broken beyond repair and the sight of Kazuki won't fill her dismay. BALERION'S HP: 50/250
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Jul 1, 2023 17:28:46 GMT 9
Again, the answer Domino gives is not an answer. It’s delivered well, in even tones that align with the composed veteran Kazuki had met, but he’s seen through the cracks. His eyes catch the way she recoils, her steps pulled, a flicker in her bright eyes, a brief but clear sign of fear.
And it brings him to himself, amplifies his awareness of his own skin – this virtual skin that he’s fashioned after his real self. It’s a sight he’s all too familiar with. A sight he sees every time he leaves in public: people pulling away, mothers cradling their children, the derisive eyes of officers and the elderly. And how could anyone blame them? How else are you supposed to react to someone when you’re faced with this much anger from a man built to fight?
He unclenches his jaw as if taking a wrench to an industrial bolt. The aura of death under his feet claws at the earth as he pulls away, stepping until the pieces of Domino’s kaleidoscopic aura are entirely out of reach.
The Charizard looks ready to kill him. Domino looks done. He is, too.
“It won’t come off. I’ve tried.” Cygnus. Beams. Sure.
It’s gibberish, of course, but even if Domino had provided him a perfect step-by-step of how to cure himself and his pokemon, it’s unlikely to reach Kazuki at all.
He shouldn’t have placed so much trust in someone he barely knows.
“Leave, then.” His eyes move down to his arms and Sprigatito, or what it’s supposed to be. To Domino, he’s just color. “I shouldn’t have called for you.”
He pivots on his heel and continues walking into Mistra on his own, the screaming wall of corroded pixels enveloping him like a curtain, the light that calls now all that’s left.
SPRIGATITO'S HP: 0/250
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Domino
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G.A.Y.
Round 2
Posts: 314
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Hilda Faust
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 40
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Post by Domino on Jul 1, 2023 18:03:43 GMT 9
She should apologise. She wants to apologise. The problem is that even when her mouth opens she can't find the words. What could she even say to him? 'You see, Kazuki, I grew up with a really angry dad and really angry brothers, so I REALLY don't vibe with your whole temperamental thing.'? No, of course she can't say that. That's Hilda's life, not Domino's. Domino shouldn't care about all that. The problem is that Domino is Hilda no matter how different she may pretend to be, and above all, Hilda cares. Hilda cares about this game that is the job she's so damn proud of, just like she cares about its players and their enjoyment of UNOVR. Hilda cares about Kazuki because he's a player too, and because she had enjoyed his company back when they went fishing together and maybe she had been hoping they could be friends one day. Hilda cares about her friends, Hilda cares about people, and so, no matter what she may act like, Domino does as well. Why the hell else would she main Support, after all? "Kazuki... Wait..." She tries to call to him, but it's too late. Even if it weren't, her voice is barely audible beneath Balerion's growling. The Charizard stands tall by her side at all times, menacing gaze fixed on the man that had been grasped by corruption as he walks away from them. As he walks deeper into Mistra. "Don't..."She opens her eyes in time to see him go, but everything is broken beyond repair, the man barely visible in the jumble of pixels, and even as a one of the Beta Testers that are able to navigate among glitches, Domino knows she can't chase. This broken Mistra is done with her: it won't allow her entry. They need to fix this. This place is all wrong. Corruption is all wrong.But, see, here's the thing... Hilda is just one programmer who simply does whatever is asked of her at her job, and so the truth of the matter is that Domino may be much more capable of fixing the corruption than the woman wearing the WorldScreen. Perhaps she should try to, for people like Kazuki."Let's go, Balerion." She tells her Charizard, a hand still holding onto him. "There's nothing left for us here." She needs answers. She needs plans. She needs to think.BALERION'S HP: 0/2505yktBzGb1-20
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