Post by CREATION on Sept 10, 2013 17:05:04 GMT
Animated brassy music lifted up from the marching player’s instruments, filling the summer air with a jovial melody. Footsteps played out an accompanying percussion which seemed echoed in the drums. Voices rose up to join in, loud and full of cheer. Parades were always such joyful displays. Creation enjoyed watching them, especially when the float trundled by. He found the human’s renditions of his experimental creations—those creatures of myth and legend—amusing.
There were even the giant, cartoonish balloons that bobbed on their tethers, trailing behind the masses of people they were bound to. A blobby Pegasus, comical Cyclops, and several other mythical creatures filled the sky and captured the crowd’s attentions just as well as the floats. Nova Athenis had seen similar displays every year. There were always slight changes year to year, though nothing too drastically. It was their annual festival, The Taste of Nova Athenis.
It encompassed the city—from the festivities and fireworks on the boardwalk to the teenagers own private bonfire at the ruins. The entire island was celebrating. Creation made sure to watch their celebrations; however, he didn’t have to just watch anymore. He was ready to make things much more interesting and fun. In a whirlwind of glittering orbs of golden light, the black clad entity materialized atop the balloon Cyclops. He balanced perfectly on it despite its instability in the air.
He stepped into view, although the light should have been enough to draw their attention. Creation gave them a chance to notice him before he chose to spoke. “Hello!” His discordant voice rang out over all other sound. “I’m bored of this parade. It needs something more, something fun. How about I make things fun?” The eerie being chortle drifted down from where he perched on the floating Cyclops’ head. “Who will play with me? I am sure it will be worth it. So, let’s play.”
Valencia was very excited. One of the many things she looked forward to on Nova Athenis was the annual festival held; she recalled that as a child, her parents would take her every year to see the parade and eat the (unhealthy but delicious) festival food offered by the stalls that lined the streets. It was a very exciting event in her younger years, and her anticipation had not dwindled as she grew older.
However, this year Val wasn't watching the parade. She was participating, on one of the float, no less. Every year the police department set up a float for the parade and chose a group of officers to participate in standing and waving to the crowds. It was very thrilling to the artist, and she was delighted to be chosen this year.
A large grin spread across her face as she turned this way and that, waving to the crowds gathered along the street. Valencia had the great fortune (or was it misfortune?) to sit right underneath the Cyclops balloon on which Creation perched, and therefore could only hear the voice above. "Play?" She inquired, standing up from her spot to back up a few steps. The artist peered up at the entity, curious. "What do you mean by play?"
Festivals were always fun when you had someone to go with them with you, but Rocky didn't. He wasn't even planning on going to the parade, but somehow he was put on float duty in keeping an eye on the engines, making sure that anything technical happened, he was there to fix it. His boss had signed him up for the job against his will, which his boss liked to do. "It'll make you responsible!" He said.
Rocky rolled his eyes as he remembered the conversation with his boss. Of course, he'd agreed to take up the offer. He knew his boss was only trying to be helpful and the upside to that was he was getting double pay for this whole ordeal. There certainly wasn't anything wrong with extra money in his wallet.
He kept to the back of the float, trying to stay out of the view of everyone on the sidelines. The southerner knew he wasn't important to the float or the show minus making sure that the float's engine didn't break down. That wasn't exactly all that important visually or appearance-wise. He was about to close his eyes when something bright caught his gaze. He looked up to find where the shinning came from, then something else happened. A voice rang out over everything else. Rocky got to his feet and ran to the front of the float next to the blunette woman, confused and rather astonished as well.
"I'm with her," Rocky said, thumbing over to the girl. "What do you mean by play?"
People were lined up on either side of the street whilst she squeezed between shoulders. Ornella radiated with Princess Peach charisma, her hands clasped beside her cheek as she looked up at the gigantic Power Puff Girls' balloons tailing the officer's float. She wanted the perfect view of the band and marchers, which meant pulling herself through the tight crowd, edging in front of people with chipmunk apologies.
"Justice!! Look!" she squealed, pointing up and glancing over her shoulder. However her smile deflated as she found that he hadn't managed the traffic. Of course he hadn't, and a Bowser's grimace slithered onto her face. "Oh, pooh." she muttered, looking back up, for one last, quick glance to remember this year's parade by.
Only, a black smear in the confetti caught her eye. A dark shadow, plumed in black, stood above, and he spoke. A Dejavu shivered in the back of her mind, growing into recollection. She pressed through the crowd, rudely, leaning over the wooden barrier. This was the man who had summoned a dragon! Harmless - the egg he had left her was incubating in her oven - but, tricky like souffle.
"I'll play too, Mr. Black! Why are you up so high today?"
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Grump grump grump. Thats all she was today. She was grumpy and tired but would not miss the festival for anything. She had gone every year she resided in Nova and she would not stop now. Well, the only thing different was that this year she was particularly grumpy. For no reason in fact, she woke up wanting to punch someone in the face. But she didn't, landing in jail during the festival would be horrible.
Hadley walked around with her arms crossed and her back hunched, only slightly smiling at some of the floats. She grumbled to herself and glared at those who bumped into her. She liked to glare at the couples for being so happy when she was over there tired and pissed off.
When she made her way past a particular float with a particularly interesting person perched on top of one she stopped and looked up, still glaring like she had been all day. "What is this? Some kind of show? What the hell are you doing up there? Its not very cool y'know." She liked his choice of clothing but Hadley made a point to not be impressed, feeling like bothering someone for no particular reason.
All their attention had been drawn to him, if not by his glittering entrance than by his own voice chiming over most of the festival sounds. Hushed questions rippled through the throngs of people gathered around save the four voices which spoke above the rest. Creation recognized one, casting his gleeful visage down to look at her amidst the crowd. “Ornella!” He called out with uncontained excitement. “Good to see you. How is that egg doing? Has it hatched yet?”
His eyes swept over the other three whose names popped into his head one by one as he recognized them—Rocky, Hadley, and Valencia. They were perfect for the game he had in mind. With the crowds surrounding them forgotten, he sent power rippling through the Cyclops balloon. It dipped from the sky as if its weight was increasing, bringing it to rest beside a float. Two very fleshy feet settling on the ground and, slowly, the rest of the balloon became very much alive.
The Cyclops; one and only bulbous eyeball blinked open with a squelch as the eyelid fluttered. Creation wasn’t quite done though. A large amulet appeared around the one-eyed creature’s massive neck where ropey muscles bulged. Four glowing items floated down from the hand of entity perched on the Cyclops. When they came close to the people they were intended for, they were revealed as four unique jeweled brooches. Each seemed suited to the person it was meant for.
“It’s up to you four to stop this big, mean Cyclops from destroying the town. Good luck!” And then Creation was gone in an explosion of gold light, leaving the mythical one-eyed beast blinded and quite irritated. He stomped his elephant feet while rubbing furiously at his eye. A ground shaking roar erupted from the beast, showing its pointed teeth and bathing those nearest to it with its foul breath. No sign of the black clad being remained though he still lingered on the scene.
---
Rocky, Valencia, Hadley and Ornella have each received a glowing brooch. Feel free to describe it how you please and do whatever you want with it. They will all feel a power pulsing from inside the jeweled object. Maybe it's important to defeating the Cyclops?
Valencia cocked her head to one side, curious. Several other individuals (one of which had joined her on the float) called out their dissent (or assent, as one girl seemed more pleased to see the mysterious black-clad man than the rest) to his words. Now she was intrigued, and a bit more eager to play this "game" he had mentioned.
An unfamiliar sound pulled her gaze to the Cyclops balloon, which was slowly coming down to rest next to their float. Val watched wide-eyed as it blinked slowly, the giant eyeball rolling in all directions, scanning over the crowd. She would have loved to sketch it, if she had her sketchbook. So taken was the artist by the Cyclops that she didn't notice the brooch being sent down to her until it reached eye-level. She held her hands up to catch it and it dropped into her palms.
The brooch was made to be shaped like a bird, wings spread in flight and one, sparkling black gem for an eye. Deep blue sapphire stones made up the body of the avian, and thick gold wire completed the small beak. All in all, it was very beautiful, and about the size of her palm. 'What am I supposed to do with this?'
The voice of the mysterious black entity caught her attention again, and she screwed her eyes shut against the light as he disappeared, only to be doused in Cyclops breath. Eurgh. Val wiped her watering eyes and tugged on the sleeve of the man who had stood next to her. "What did you receive?" She asked, showing him her jeweled bird.
A cyclops? Seriously? Did that honestly just happen? And why was that girl so calm? Just asking about his brooch like she was talking about the weather while a cyclops happened to be storming about the town. No big deal, right? And they had to stop it? With what? The brooches? What was this, some kind of magical girl anime? He wasn't no magical girl. If anything, he was like Tuxedo Mask. Hell yeah, that's what's up!!
He took a look in his hand and examined his brooch. Huh, if anything, it was more like a belt buckle. You know, one of those really big ones. It was silver and engraved with rather beautiful markings. The buckle was also very heavy in his hand.
"Well, uh..." he started and held it out for the girl to see, perking a brow at her. "It's a belt buckle. It's rather nice, don't ya think?" Rocky wasn't so sure of what else to say in regards to the buckle.
"Yours is right cute, too," he said, deciding to compliment hers for lack of anything better to say. He really did find it cute, though. That much was true. "I wonder what it is that these things do? You got any ideas?"
There weren't many people among the masses that spoke up. The crowd wavered behind her, jostling and muttering, some shifting away. Her spot leaning over the barricade had once been claustrophobic.
But there was one other woman that did not back away with the crowd. She stood like an old woman, irritably, with her arms crosses. She spoke up, yelling at Mr. Black with cynicism.
"It's okay. He probably wasn't planned to come here by the parade people. Mr. Black does stuff on his own, which is cool, you know, eh?" Smiles were contagious right? This woman reminded her a touch of her husband. But Creation was here. She ought to pay more strict attention.
Ornella found it difficult to make out Mr. Black from this angle on the ground. Her head tilted all the way back as she looked up to Creation's perch.
"It hatches? He doesn't seem like he wants to come out of his shell," she replied.
Back to her fellow pedestrian: "He's very polite, but horrible monsters seem to follow him around. I think it's why he's so mad," she concluded in a low whisper.
But the pasty chief was interrupted as bits and pieces of the cyclops balloon seemed to pop as they became real. The shadow she stood in became a threat as a shimmering rock plunged into her chubby, poofy hair.
"Oh, not again," she said in a strained voice, struggling with a brooch depicting flowers and bees, her fingers trying to gently twist her hair off. She sidestepped away from the shadow, torn between getting this mischief out of her locks, and rechecking the reality of the cyclops.
"The poor beast." It must be upseting to have only one eye and an out-of-control beer belly. Her voice shook now as she remembered the dragon. "He wants to destroy the city?" but it was perhaps too late to question the cyclops'motives.
She glanced to the side where another spoke to her. Her face was still weighed down by a frown. "He's weird. I don't like him." Hadley wasn't even being snotty, she was being matter-of-fact and more rude than anything else.
How could she be smiling? Is what Hadley really wanted to know. Everyone around her seemed to be in such a great mood, even when the weirdo on top of the float confronted them. It didn't make sense to her and she wasn't going to try sort it out. All she wanted to do was walk away and go home. She was stopped for a second and all she could do was look back with a puzzled expression
Again, her pace resumed and she ignored the popping noises behind her. That was until something was chucked at the back of her head causing her to stop and hiss in pain. "What the living fuck!" She whirled around ready to fight but the shimmering amulet on the floor caught her eye. As soon as she picked it up, it turned into a plain gray rock. "I can't believe this..." As soon as she moved to walk away, the cyclops came into view and the man clad in all black was gone.
"I told you he was weird!" Hadley nearly screamed, not in horror or freight but in pure rage. "Never fucking talk to weird guys on balloons! It never ends well!" Now she would focus on what the hell to do about this cyclops but she'd be damned if she didn't get a few words in.
The potbellied beast towered over the float it once drifted above as a cartoonish balloon, staring down at the gathered crowds. A ring of near empty space opened up around the Cyclops that left the four to stand out to it. It took the crowd a few moments to register what had happened though their instinct had made them draw back in fear at the sounds they heard from the transforming balloon. Now they knew what had happened. Panic broke out amidst the gathered masses.
A single scream brought on a hundred more. They turned and tried to run, only to meet the bodies of some who were a bit slower to recover from their shock. Bodies toppled over bodies. People pushed and shoved to break their way through. Chaos reigned across main streets as everyone but the four selected mortals tried to make their escape. The Cyclops, who had been disoriented after his sudden animation, let out a throaty bellow, thick feet stomping on the ground.
Ropy strings of saliva dribbled down his chin and dropped to the ground in thick globs. When his temper tantrum subsided, he turned toward the nearest cluster of fleeing people to give chase. He hardly noticed the group who stood silent and captivated by their newly acquired brooches. They had ceased glowing, but power radiated from their jeweled forms. It sent a tingle up their arms. There was something more to those pieces of jewelry. If they leaned in, they would almost hear it whispering.
There's magic in the brooches Creation has given you. If you can figure out how to unlock it, you might be able to use it to stop the Cyclops. For now, distracting it from attacking the innocent bystanders might be a good idea.
Katze has dropped the event. The posting order is now Valencia, Ornella then Hadley.
"Nope, not a clue," Valencia chirped cheerfully, as if there wasn't a Cyclops stomping around madly above her head. She peered down at the bird in her hand, and thought she saw its shiny black eye wink. Or was that simply a trick of the light? Tearing her eyes away from the brooch, the artist took her companion's sleeve and tugged them back, away from the stomping feet.
She eyed the screaming crowds and came to a halt a safe distance away from the Cyclops, although they were still closer than the fleeing crowds. "It looks like it's up to us to help out the civilians," Val remarked, clutching her bird. "These are bound to help us out someh- Oh! My name is Valencia," she beamed at the male. "A bit late, but nice to meet you!"
Val gazed up at the Cyclops and then looked around her. "Is there something that we could use to distract it...?" Spotting a long stick that looked like it used to be a part of a fairy wand before somebody stepped on it, she scooped it up and aimed it at the Cyclops. "I may not look like it, but I have quite the good aim," she commented, and threw the stick at the monster, where it whizzed past its great eye. The Cyclops grunted in confusion and turned its attention towards Val and her friend. "Now," she said, grabbing the male's wrist. "We run!"
"You don't like him because he's weird?nooo nooo, girl, they just follow him around. He can't help it." Ornella managed, trying to calm the lady and finally yanking the device from her froo. With jittery fingers, she promptly pinned the gift to the strap of her spring dress. The bubbles of gems seemed too precious to drop, and she hadn't a pocket to spare. Above the noise of the crowd, she could hardly tell it murmured with the sound of leaves crashing on leaves like when wind hits a great tree.
Struggling with the pin while stumbling backward, she called up to the behemoth. There was an uneasy shake in her voice as she checked the crowd running away behind her.
"Hello Big Foot, dear! Today is disgustingly hot. You don't want to eat a warm-blooded, sweaty, smelly human, d-do you?"
Hadley balked at the girl's words, she either had to be so high on life she didn't notice what was going on or so trusting that she refused to believe this guy could be trouble.
"Look, weird isn't bad. But this guy is bad weird! Not the kind that makes you unique and-" She gave up trying to explain herself and huffed loudly. Her hand went up to her face and ran over it once. "I am too god damn tired for this bullshit..." She mumbled and grumbled then walked forward a bit, following everyone else's lead. Her nice new black ankle boots came in contact with the cyclops' nasty saliva. She scurried back and stared at her shoe as if the whole world was about to end. Her breathing deepened and hastening, if one were to look closely they could see a vein throbbing on her forehead.
"Oh this is just great... so great. Best day ever, its the best day ever~" Hadley probably sounded insane singing to herself, but at this point she gave no fucks. If they wanted to get his attention, she surely would help. One of her talents was to get people to listen to her.
With a deep inhale, she lifted her head and got ready to shout. "HEY YOU BIG PIECE OF SHIT, COME OVER HERE SO I CAN SLAP YOU. YEAH! YEAH YOU, THE ONE WITH THE GNARLY ASS ODOR! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU GET MY SHOES LIKE THIS! COME OVER HERE, COME FIGHT ME BRO!" Hadley stood her ground and watch the cyclops whirl around in search of the screaming people below him. It had started to chase another, presumably with a pendant as well, but she hoped it would change directions. She was clearly looking for a fight today. The pendant that had been turned into a rock made her arm shake uncomfortably so she shoved it down her shirt, saving it for later.
Before he could turn fully towards the panicked crowd, the thrown stick blurred past his single bulbous eye. He cocked his head to where it had come to see the blue haired girl still posed as if she had just thrown something. Confusion washed over the massive one-eyed creature. By the time he had any idea what happened, the human was running and several others were yelling at him. He released a furious roar before finally setting after them.
The float the blue haired human had been on stalled the Cyclops, tripping him as he blindly stomped after the three people. Metal crunched under the goliath’s girth. Thankfully the operators of the float had fled with most of the other people. No one was harmed, though the force of his fall sent vibrations rippling through the ground. Some people lost their footing on the shaking ground and fell, only to get back up and run in an even more panicked state.
He tried pushed himself up once he recovered from the shock crashing clumsily into the float and pavement. A metallic groan sounded as his hands palmed the mangled decorative vehicle. Then he was on his feet and lifting the twisted structure up to throw it at a nearby building. With a snarl, he threw. It whizzed through the air towards the group with the brooches. The three jeweled trinkets pulsed in unison, freezing the mangled contraption in the air.
The brooches eminent a soft humming sound which almost sounds like chanting the closer you hold it to your ear. You know there’s magic in the brooches now, but how do you unlock it? If you listen carefully, the brooches are telling you how. You just have to listen. A kiss and a magic spell will unlock its secrets. Use your imagination and create your own magical spell. Even though these brooches will give you the power you need to fight the Cyclops, they aren’t the key to defeating it. Look for its weakness.
Legs carrying her away from the fleeing crowd, Valencia noticed that the man she was with had slipped away. "Oh dear," she murmured, stopping in the street, out of breath. "Looks like I'm on my own."
That wasn't necessarily true, however, as soon she noticed two other girls: one who had a brooch pinned to her dress and another with a rock in her hand. The girl with the rock was yelling up at the Cyclops, and it seemed to Val that they were all trying to distract the monster.
The ground shook as it fell over the float, making Valencia fall over onto her hands and knees. A shadow fell over the trio, and she looked up in time to see the damaged float sailing through the air in their direction. 'It's going to-!' Val thought in horror. And then it froze mid-flight.
Quickly scrambling to her feet, the artist stared wide-eyed at the float, mouth gaping. The bird brooch hummed in her grasp, and she glanced down, hearing a soft hum emitting from it. Bringing it close to her ear, she could hear a low chanting coming from the brilliant gems. "What...?" She muttered, holding it closer to hear it better. "Unleash...? Unleash...the power...." Squinting even though that didn't help at all, she finally grasped what the chanting was saying.
"Unleash the power of the blue?" Val asked, bemused. "Isn't that the Capri Sun slogan?" As soon as those words left her mouth, a bright light burst out of the brooch, causing her to shut her eyes. When the light faded, Valencia opened her eyes to see that the brooch was gone. In its place a beautiful bluejay stood on the palm of her hand, eying her with its brilliant black eyes.
The big fat oaf didn't seem to understand English. He didn't seem to speak at all beyond a groan of pain as he banged his shin on the float. A quixotic look crossed Ornella's face like that might cross an absent-minded driver being chased by the cops. She hadn't thought Mr. Black would unleash a mindless, salivating beast upon the town without any hope of negotiation. Aren't some things simply too dangerous to drop like a handkerchief?
As her new aquaintence began to curse at the slobbering behemoth, as if he could even understand what she said, another girl, who hadn't fled with crowd proded the air in warning. A shadow had fallen over her, and she was very observant as to how the cyclops had lifted the float. Ornella realize it too, the float, piece of pipe and confettin falling off it he rolled it in his grip.
Ornella's hand was suddenly drawn to the brooch out of nervousness. She clutched her heart and shouted to the woman neside her.
"Maybe we should get out of here. He doesn't seem to get it." There was a nervous reproach in her voice. She was giving it her all to not admit she didn't know how dangerous this whole situation was. No one was hurt the last time Mr. Black was involved. What if it were a dream all over again? This moment was no fuzzy dream. Where was Justice?
Her face whipped around as the float hit the ground in front of them and bounce up and froze.
Ornella weakly stepped backward in disbelief, her hand coming up to cup the fading light of her glowing present. She shot a glance at the mouthy woman beside her, perhaps it would be shared. Then, she forwarded her concentration at the cluster of gems depicting flowers and insects.
"Help me make sure no one gets hurt," she whispered back to the brooch. As her lips touched the smooth, cold rocks, the emerald leaves began to stretch and grow. Before Ornella could pull away, their tangles pulled mouth-like around her body. She squeaked as she was buried in a caccoon and she fell over to the side beside a fire hydrant. From a sticky green ooze, the shell began to pull tight and harden over her body. Her pitiful wriggling was suffocated after a moment, and she became trapped in the cold silence of the precious stone.
Hadley’s yells were cut short by a float barrelling towards them. She stood rooted to her place, too terrified to move, her eyes watching come closer and closer. Right before impact it stopped, causing her to fall over with a hint of relief. Although, at this point everything was so insanely surreal that she doubted any of this was happening.
As she scanned the area, the two other girl’s pendants activated, saving them in their own unique way. When the woman next to her, who she had shared a glance with moments before, collapsed into a cocoon like shell, her eyes widened and she let out a shriek. “No! Jesus christ what are you doing?! We don’t have time for you to shrivel up into a cocoon!” It was obviously too heavy to lift and she prayed she’d be safe in that shell, albeit prayed a bit forcefully. “If you get hurt I’m gonna be so angry!” Rushing over to the other girl with the bluejay, she made a move to shake her arm.
“What the fuck do we do now? I got a shitty rock and you have a bird! Ok, ok, lets just, calm down and think!” Hadley’s uncaring shell was starting to break, panic and a need to get things done was surfacing. All of the movement and terror caught up to her, making her eyes burn and let out a tear. She hated crying and she wouldn’t do it no matter what, but the waterworks would stop and she sobbed into her arms, tears drenching her shirt. The rock pendant pulsed, and she could hear words coming from it. Taking it out of her shirt, she brought it to her face and sobbed harder, the words coming from it were faint. “W-what? I don’t care! Just work you piece of shit!”
With that, it flew out of her hands and skipped over a good yard in front of them. Hadley could give two shits about it until suddenly the ground shook. Her blurry vision looked up just as the rock seeped into the ground then sprung up into a pillar. It was huge, nearly as big as the cyclops, and thick enough for one or two people to stand on top of. A feeling of hope spread throughout her body and she smiled for the first time that day. “This could be great yes?!” She ran over to it, hoping it was big enough to conceal her from the cyclops. She hugged the pillar of rock, happy for something that seemed useful and that was when she spotted footholds, a few feet over her head. With a glance back at the other girl, she nodded once. “What do you say about trying to get up there.”
One by one, each of the three girls before him unlocked the magic in their brooches. The unsuspecting Cyclops pulled his gaze from the floating mangled ball of metal to the girls. He could do nothing more but watch as each girl was armed with the unique magic imbued within their gifted trinkets—a bird, a pillar of earth and a cocoon of greenery. He didn’t know what to expect. Everything in the world was already foreign enough to the behemoth that only moments ago was merely a parade balloon.
But he was bigger and stronger than they were. There was no reason for him to fear three puny humans, no matter what they might have up their sleeves. Pounding on his barrel chest, the Cyclops charged the trio. He made an effort to sidestep the pillar which appeared nothing more than a useless pile of rose raised up to the height of his shoulder. Anything that got in his way was crushed beneath his ginormous feet. Thankfully the crowd had more than enough time to clear the area.
Valencia’s little bird has the power to control air and will do whatever she wills it to. Hadley now has the power to manipulate earth as long as she holds on to her brooch. Ornella’s brooch allows her to control plant life as long as she wears hers. Be creative with how your character makes use of their magic and stay in character. The key to defeating the Cyclops is finding his weakness. Good luck!
Moments passed inside the spongy green encasement, and her skin began to prickle and itch, but she could not move to scratch. Ornella was in a panic. She was trapped, and she would cry and scream if her face were not covered in a smothering wax. Believing she would suffocate like this, she struggled until her gasps did not ease the pressing fatigue. Her insides felt dry and pained. She wondered if this was happening to everyone. Was it happening to Justice? No one was helping her. No one pulled away the layers.
But suddenly, a cool breeze filled her up like a balloon, and the world returned to her. Ornella awakened to many ogres seen through two green-ish blue compound eyes. Around her, the green cocoon had fallen apart into a dried brown crinkly material like an autumn leaf. She waves her legs as she rights herself, her moist wings uselessly flopping on her enormous back. In another second, the Cyclop's foot smashed the remnants of her cocoon, and it explodes into a poof of dust. She skittered like an ant away from the monstrous beast that stomped towards the three pendant-blessed beings. What was she thinking as her six feet twitched? Well for one, she was impatient to fly and leave the disgusting saltiness of the road. She hungered for flowers! They were in her eyes, and when thoughts of escape did not cascade through her mind, the desire for the color of petals filled her heart. She wanted to taste their softness beneath her feet.
While she zig-zagged about the street, gigantic marigolds lifted out of the ground like geysers. The riots of crimson and saffron grew as tall as a forest through cars and the glass of buildings. Thickly, the dense weeds manifested from the ground behind her, but she was too afraid to approach these miracle blooms. An enormous weight threatening to squash her. Its movement frightens her into a mania despite her single-minded hunger.
"Uh...." Valencia gaped, very uncertain as to how her brooch suddenly turned into a real, live, breathing bird. Didn't that sort of thing happen only in stories? But then again, she was currently confronting a Cyclops that had formerly been a parade balloon. "Don't be too surprised by anything from here on out," she muttered, returning the bird's beady black stare. It cocked its head this way and that, as if to see its new master from all angles, before it spread its wings and took to the sky. "Ah," Valencia cried out, startled. "Wait-!"
She was interrupted as one of the girls beside her was suddenly encased in a green cocoon. Yelping, the artist momentarily forgot about her bird and reached out to try to pull away the green vines. The greenery broke, only for them to simply wrap back around the cocoon stronger than before. She felt a shaking sensation on her arm and looked down to see the third girl, looking immensely frustrated and panicked. "I-it's okay," Val tried to soothe her, although she herself was beginning to feel panic rise up in her throat. Her bird had flown off, one of them had become trapped inside a cocoon, and the other was on the verge of crying.
As she ran a hand through her blue locks, trying to come up with a plan, the ground rumbled beneath her, and she looked up in time to see a pillar rise up out of the ground. "What...?" Val said, at a loss for words, although it didn't last. "Wow, where did this come from?! Was it from your brooch? Did the earth form it, or did it grow out of your rock? Was your rock a plain rock, or did it have some sort of special qualities-" She cut off abruptly, for once trying to focus on the situation at hand, and nodded. "Right. Getting up there. Uh...I'll think of something."
Looking around desperately, Val spotted her bird circling the pillar, and frantically waved her hand. "Hey! Hey, uh, Mr. Bluejay? My bird? Can you help us out?" She called. The bluejay immediately began to spiral down, hovering in front of Valencia as if waiting for orders. Which, she hoped it was. "Hey, can you help us get to the top of the pillar? I'm not exactly sure how but- whoa!" The bird circled around her legs once before giving a strong flap of its wings, creating a strong gust of wind. She cried out as she felt herself getting lifted up, nearly losing her balance if she hadn't grabbed onto the girl beside her, who was getting lifted up as well. "Wow!" Val exclaimed, peering down at the ground below them. "I guess that's one problem solved. What's the plan now?"
Before she could start to climb the rock, she was swept up with a gust of wind. She landed clumsily on the tops, collapsing onto all fours and gasping for breath. "Whoa! Could have warned me!" Heights were something she needed to adjust to, they had always been frightening and the sensation of being lifted into the air with nothing to hold on to was near terrifying as much as it was exhilarating.
As she stood, she spotted a creature fly past causing a mass growth of nature in its wake. Looking back at the ground below, she saw the cocoon gone along with the other girl. "Uh... d-do you think... no that couldn't have been her?!" At this point doubting anything was useless. "Try calling for her, get her attention!"
Hadley stepped backwards, waving her arms as a signal and shouted towards the now flying girl. She stopped her voice when her foot came into contact with a bump. Looking down, she realized the brooch laid there in the middle of the pillar. She picked it up and examined in, clasping in her hand tightly. "Well what now?" She muttered it under her breath and stared at the nearing cyclops who stomped its way over. Its stench made her nose wrinkle in disgust and a growing hatred for it welled up inside of her. How she wish she could just trip the damn thing! Her foot stomped in frustration, making a bump in the cyclops path a second later.
Her eyes widened and she realized that they really could stop this thing, all they needed to do was figure out how. "A plan... um hey! Figure out how to use your bird or whatever! Then lets try to get that other girl over here!" Her next words were hesitant, not sure if it was the best plan of action. "Maybe... maybe we need to stop him from moving. Like trip him or something... there aren't many people around so the only thing he is likely to hurt is himself if he falls over."
The Cyclops had been stomping his way at the group of seemingly helpless girl’s when a gust of wind lifted two of them up and the other hatched into…something. He paused in confusion, having trouble comprehending the sudden turn of events. Two blinks later, the Cyclops whirled around towards the pillar to find the girls there—two of them. He rushed at them despite the flower popping up around him. However, with all the towering plants, he missed the bump of earth Hadley raised up.
His shin collided with it and his momentum sent him forward. Arms pin wheeling in a futile effort to stop his fall, the behemoth hit the ground with earthshaking thud. The pillar and his forehead crashed together. White flashed over his one eye’s field of vision. He tried to push himself up, blinking away the stars flashing in his eyes. A throbbing started in his forehead, disorienting the massive beast and giving the girl’s time to work out a strategy. Not too long. He was already trying to get on his feet.
The colorful flaps on her back were beginning to dry and perk up, but they were still too wrinkled and weak to lift her. She was in another world, one with a hundred cyclops, two hundred girls, and countless flowers, but she knows instinctually there aren't that many. The cold air of the metamorphosis had wiped out her humanity. Her mind raced with thoughts of how the moment could kill her or feed her. There was no room for anything else. With an insect's burst of speed, she evaded the shadow of the falling giant. A wall of thorny vines began to grow where his fist has punched the ground and prop him up. She considers the girls to be other bugs. Luckily there are enough flowers for everyone to feast. This is world is a paradise. Everything is so big! Just watch out for the feet.
Valencia winced as the Cyclops tripped over the bump that the girl caused, rubbing her own forehead sympathetically despite the fact that they were trying to defeat the monster. "My bird?" She repeated, glancing around for it. She spotted the avian hovering above them, the sun shining on its brilliant blue wings. "Ah," the artist said, her eyes fixed on it. Her hand raised in a wave, and the bird flew closer, hovering in front of her face as if waiting for an order. "I...think I need to tell it what to do," she said slowly, watching as it retreated due to the lack of command.
Peering over the edge of the pillar, she watched in surprise as a wall of vines grew around the struggling Cyclops. A flash of color caught her eye, and Val found herself watching a very bright, very large butterfly. Was this who her companion was talking about? Nonetheless, Valencia proceeded to wave her arms around and shout. "Hey! Hello? Er, butterfly? Miss Butterfly?" Pausing when there seemed to be no response, the artist lowered her arms and tried to think. Maybe...her bird had lifted them up to the pillar by somehow causing a gust of wind to fly them up. Maybe it could blow the butterfly over to them?
Valencia pushed any doubts aside and turned her attention to her bluejay, who flew over at her call. Pointing to the butterfly that was soaring through the sky, she said, "I need you to get that butterfly over here. Blow her over, corner her, whatever you need to do. We need her help to defeat the Cyclops!" The bluejay cocked its head from one angle to the other, taking in first the butterfly, and then the Cyclops. Valencia didn't speak bird, but the bluejy seemed to understand its task. Spreading its wings, it veered away from the pillar, speeding after the butterfly. It flew over the rising Cyclops, pausing to send a strong gust of wind in its direction to knock it off balance.
She watched the cyclops tumble with a satisfied smirk on her face. So her plan wasn't a complete failure after all! Seeing the bird listen to the girls command sparked an idea within her head. "A command...." Hadley mumbled a few things to herself before focusing her power onto the surface below, seeing an indent slow grow deeper.
Finally realizing that she had done it with her own power made her calm down a bit. If she could get it under control then it should work out. Her eyes focused on the thorns that wrapped around the now fallen being and tried to mimic their position. Beams of rock sprung up, forming a triangular cage around its arm that would firmly root him to the ground. "I think this will be ok after all! If everything keeps going smoothly it should work out... Well... I mean what are we supposed to do after this? You don't think we need to uh... kill it do you?!"
Now that the cyclops was down and another set of beams encased its left foot, everything seemed under control. But Hadley was at a loss for what to do next, they couldn't just leave the damn thing there and be done with it. They obviously couldn't walk away from the whole ordeal without repercussions either, even if that was what she wanted to do. What about the now bug girl over there as well? They couldnt just leave her in that state! As uncaring as she wanted to be, the thoughts of who, what, wheres and whys of the situation made her head spin.
ORNELLA BELLEFLUER @valencia @eva
There were even the giant, cartoonish balloons that bobbed on their tethers, trailing behind the masses of people they were bound to. A blobby Pegasus, comical Cyclops, and several other mythical creatures filled the sky and captured the crowd’s attentions just as well as the floats. Nova Athenis had seen similar displays every year. There were always slight changes year to year, though nothing too drastically. It was their annual festival, The Taste of Nova Athenis.
It encompassed the city—from the festivities and fireworks on the boardwalk to the teenagers own private bonfire at the ruins. The entire island was celebrating. Creation made sure to watch their celebrations; however, he didn’t have to just watch anymore. He was ready to make things much more interesting and fun. In a whirlwind of glittering orbs of golden light, the black clad entity materialized atop the balloon Cyclops. He balanced perfectly on it despite its instability in the air.
He stepped into view, although the light should have been enough to draw their attention. Creation gave them a chance to notice him before he chose to spoke. “Hello!” His discordant voice rang out over all other sound. “I’m bored of this parade. It needs something more, something fun. How about I make things fun?” The eerie being chortle drifted down from where he perched on the floating Cyclops’ head. “Who will play with me? I am sure it will be worth it. So, let’s play.”
Valencia was very excited. One of the many things she looked forward to on Nova Athenis was the annual festival held; she recalled that as a child, her parents would take her every year to see the parade and eat the (unhealthy but delicious) festival food offered by the stalls that lined the streets. It was a very exciting event in her younger years, and her anticipation had not dwindled as she grew older.
However, this year Val wasn't watching the parade. She was participating, on one of the float, no less. Every year the police department set up a float for the parade and chose a group of officers to participate in standing and waving to the crowds. It was very thrilling to the artist, and she was delighted to be chosen this year.
A large grin spread across her face as she turned this way and that, waving to the crowds gathered along the street. Valencia had the great fortune (or was it misfortune?) to sit right underneath the Cyclops balloon on which Creation perched, and therefore could only hear the voice above. "Play?" She inquired, standing up from her spot to back up a few steps. The artist peered up at the entity, curious. "What do you mean by play?"
Festivals were always fun when you had someone to go with them with you, but Rocky didn't. He wasn't even planning on going to the parade, but somehow he was put on float duty in keeping an eye on the engines, making sure that anything technical happened, he was there to fix it. His boss had signed him up for the job against his will, which his boss liked to do. "It'll make you responsible!" He said.
Rocky rolled his eyes as he remembered the conversation with his boss. Of course, he'd agreed to take up the offer. He knew his boss was only trying to be helpful and the upside to that was he was getting double pay for this whole ordeal. There certainly wasn't anything wrong with extra money in his wallet.
He kept to the back of the float, trying to stay out of the view of everyone on the sidelines. The southerner knew he wasn't important to the float or the show minus making sure that the float's engine didn't break down. That wasn't exactly all that important visually or appearance-wise. He was about to close his eyes when something bright caught his gaze. He looked up to find where the shinning came from, then something else happened. A voice rang out over everything else. Rocky got to his feet and ran to the front of the float next to the blunette woman, confused and rather astonished as well.
"I'm with her," Rocky said, thumbing over to the girl. "What do you mean by play?"
People were lined up on either side of the street whilst she squeezed between shoulders. Ornella radiated with Princess Peach charisma, her hands clasped beside her cheek as she looked up at the gigantic Power Puff Girls' balloons tailing the officer's float. She wanted the perfect view of the band and marchers, which meant pulling herself through the tight crowd, edging in front of people with chipmunk apologies.
"Justice!! Look!" she squealed, pointing up and glancing over her shoulder. However her smile deflated as she found that he hadn't managed the traffic. Of course he hadn't, and a Bowser's grimace slithered onto her face. "Oh, pooh." she muttered, looking back up, for one last, quick glance to remember this year's parade by.
Only, a black smear in the confetti caught her eye. A dark shadow, plumed in black, stood above, and he spoke. A Dejavu shivered in the back of her mind, growing into recollection. She pressed through the crowd, rudely, leaning over the wooden barrier. This was the man who had summoned a dragon! Harmless - the egg he had left her was incubating in her oven - but, tricky like souffle.
"I'll play too, Mr. Black! Why are you up so high today?"
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Grump grump grump. Thats all she was today. She was grumpy and tired but would not miss the festival for anything. She had gone every year she resided in Nova and she would not stop now. Well, the only thing different was that this year she was particularly grumpy. For no reason in fact, she woke up wanting to punch someone in the face. But she didn't, landing in jail during the festival would be horrible.
Hadley walked around with her arms crossed and her back hunched, only slightly smiling at some of the floats. She grumbled to herself and glared at those who bumped into her. She liked to glare at the couples for being so happy when she was over there tired and pissed off.
When she made her way past a particular float with a particularly interesting person perched on top of one she stopped and looked up, still glaring like she had been all day. "What is this? Some kind of show? What the hell are you doing up there? Its not very cool y'know." She liked his choice of clothing but Hadley made a point to not be impressed, feeling like bothering someone for no particular reason.
All their attention had been drawn to him, if not by his glittering entrance than by his own voice chiming over most of the festival sounds. Hushed questions rippled through the throngs of people gathered around save the four voices which spoke above the rest. Creation recognized one, casting his gleeful visage down to look at her amidst the crowd. “Ornella!” He called out with uncontained excitement. “Good to see you. How is that egg doing? Has it hatched yet?”
His eyes swept over the other three whose names popped into his head one by one as he recognized them—Rocky, Hadley, and Valencia. They were perfect for the game he had in mind. With the crowds surrounding them forgotten, he sent power rippling through the Cyclops balloon. It dipped from the sky as if its weight was increasing, bringing it to rest beside a float. Two very fleshy feet settling on the ground and, slowly, the rest of the balloon became very much alive.
The Cyclops; one and only bulbous eyeball blinked open with a squelch as the eyelid fluttered. Creation wasn’t quite done though. A large amulet appeared around the one-eyed creature’s massive neck where ropey muscles bulged. Four glowing items floated down from the hand of entity perched on the Cyclops. When they came close to the people they were intended for, they were revealed as four unique jeweled brooches. Each seemed suited to the person it was meant for.
“It’s up to you four to stop this big, mean Cyclops from destroying the town. Good luck!” And then Creation was gone in an explosion of gold light, leaving the mythical one-eyed beast blinded and quite irritated. He stomped his elephant feet while rubbing furiously at his eye. A ground shaking roar erupted from the beast, showing its pointed teeth and bathing those nearest to it with its foul breath. No sign of the black clad being remained though he still lingered on the scene.
---
Rocky, Valencia, Hadley and Ornella have each received a glowing brooch. Feel free to describe it how you please and do whatever you want with it. They will all feel a power pulsing from inside the jeweled object. Maybe it's important to defeating the Cyclops?
Valencia cocked her head to one side, curious. Several other individuals (one of which had joined her on the float) called out their dissent (or assent, as one girl seemed more pleased to see the mysterious black-clad man than the rest) to his words. Now she was intrigued, and a bit more eager to play this "game" he had mentioned.
An unfamiliar sound pulled her gaze to the Cyclops balloon, which was slowly coming down to rest next to their float. Val watched wide-eyed as it blinked slowly, the giant eyeball rolling in all directions, scanning over the crowd. She would have loved to sketch it, if she had her sketchbook. So taken was the artist by the Cyclops that she didn't notice the brooch being sent down to her until it reached eye-level. She held her hands up to catch it and it dropped into her palms.
The brooch was made to be shaped like a bird, wings spread in flight and one, sparkling black gem for an eye. Deep blue sapphire stones made up the body of the avian, and thick gold wire completed the small beak. All in all, it was very beautiful, and about the size of her palm. 'What am I supposed to do with this?'
The voice of the mysterious black entity caught her attention again, and she screwed her eyes shut against the light as he disappeared, only to be doused in Cyclops breath. Eurgh. Val wiped her watering eyes and tugged on the sleeve of the man who had stood next to her. "What did you receive?" She asked, showing him her jeweled bird.
A cyclops? Seriously? Did that honestly just happen? And why was that girl so calm? Just asking about his brooch like she was talking about the weather while a cyclops happened to be storming about the town. No big deal, right? And they had to stop it? With what? The brooches? What was this, some kind of magical girl anime? He wasn't no magical girl. If anything, he was like Tuxedo Mask. Hell yeah, that's what's up!!
He took a look in his hand and examined his brooch. Huh, if anything, it was more like a belt buckle. You know, one of those really big ones. It was silver and engraved with rather beautiful markings. The buckle was also very heavy in his hand.
"Well, uh..." he started and held it out for the girl to see, perking a brow at her. "It's a belt buckle. It's rather nice, don't ya think?" Rocky wasn't so sure of what else to say in regards to the buckle.
"Yours is right cute, too," he said, deciding to compliment hers for lack of anything better to say. He really did find it cute, though. That much was true. "I wonder what it is that these things do? You got any ideas?"
There weren't many people among the masses that spoke up. The crowd wavered behind her, jostling and muttering, some shifting away. Her spot leaning over the barricade had once been claustrophobic.
But there was one other woman that did not back away with the crowd. She stood like an old woman, irritably, with her arms crosses. She spoke up, yelling at Mr. Black with cynicism.
"It's okay. He probably wasn't planned to come here by the parade people. Mr. Black does stuff on his own, which is cool, you know, eh?" Smiles were contagious right? This woman reminded her a touch of her husband. But Creation was here. She ought to pay more strict attention.
Ornella found it difficult to make out Mr. Black from this angle on the ground. Her head tilted all the way back as she looked up to Creation's perch.
"It hatches? He doesn't seem like he wants to come out of his shell," she replied.
Back to her fellow pedestrian: "He's very polite, but horrible monsters seem to follow him around. I think it's why he's so mad," she concluded in a low whisper.
But the pasty chief was interrupted as bits and pieces of the cyclops balloon seemed to pop as they became real. The shadow she stood in became a threat as a shimmering rock plunged into her chubby, poofy hair.
"Oh, not again," she said in a strained voice, struggling with a brooch depicting flowers and bees, her fingers trying to gently twist her hair off. She sidestepped away from the shadow, torn between getting this mischief out of her locks, and rechecking the reality of the cyclops.
"The poor beast." It must be upseting to have only one eye and an out-of-control beer belly. Her voice shook now as she remembered the dragon. "He wants to destroy the city?" but it was perhaps too late to question the cyclops'motives.
She glanced to the side where another spoke to her. Her face was still weighed down by a frown. "He's weird. I don't like him." Hadley wasn't even being snotty, she was being matter-of-fact and more rude than anything else.
How could she be smiling? Is what Hadley really wanted to know. Everyone around her seemed to be in such a great mood, even when the weirdo on top of the float confronted them. It didn't make sense to her and she wasn't going to try sort it out. All she wanted to do was walk away and go home. She was stopped for a second and all she could do was look back with a puzzled expression
Again, her pace resumed and she ignored the popping noises behind her. That was until something was chucked at the back of her head causing her to stop and hiss in pain. "What the living fuck!" She whirled around ready to fight but the shimmering amulet on the floor caught her eye. As soon as she picked it up, it turned into a plain gray rock. "I can't believe this..." As soon as she moved to walk away, the cyclops came into view and the man clad in all black was gone.
"I told you he was weird!" Hadley nearly screamed, not in horror or freight but in pure rage. "Never fucking talk to weird guys on balloons! It never ends well!" Now she would focus on what the hell to do about this cyclops but she'd be damned if she didn't get a few words in.
The potbellied beast towered over the float it once drifted above as a cartoonish balloon, staring down at the gathered crowds. A ring of near empty space opened up around the Cyclops that left the four to stand out to it. It took the crowd a few moments to register what had happened though their instinct had made them draw back in fear at the sounds they heard from the transforming balloon. Now they knew what had happened. Panic broke out amidst the gathered masses.
A single scream brought on a hundred more. They turned and tried to run, only to meet the bodies of some who were a bit slower to recover from their shock. Bodies toppled over bodies. People pushed and shoved to break their way through. Chaos reigned across main streets as everyone but the four selected mortals tried to make their escape. The Cyclops, who had been disoriented after his sudden animation, let out a throaty bellow, thick feet stomping on the ground.
Ropy strings of saliva dribbled down his chin and dropped to the ground in thick globs. When his temper tantrum subsided, he turned toward the nearest cluster of fleeing people to give chase. He hardly noticed the group who stood silent and captivated by their newly acquired brooches. They had ceased glowing, but power radiated from their jeweled forms. It sent a tingle up their arms. There was something more to those pieces of jewelry. If they leaned in, they would almost hear it whispering.
There's magic in the brooches Creation has given you. If you can figure out how to unlock it, you might be able to use it to stop the Cyclops. For now, distracting it from attacking the innocent bystanders might be a good idea.
Katze has dropped the event. The posting order is now Valencia, Ornella then Hadley.
"Nope, not a clue," Valencia chirped cheerfully, as if there wasn't a Cyclops stomping around madly above her head. She peered down at the bird in her hand, and thought she saw its shiny black eye wink. Or was that simply a trick of the light? Tearing her eyes away from the brooch, the artist took her companion's sleeve and tugged them back, away from the stomping feet.
She eyed the screaming crowds and came to a halt a safe distance away from the Cyclops, although they were still closer than the fleeing crowds. "It looks like it's up to us to help out the civilians," Val remarked, clutching her bird. "These are bound to help us out someh- Oh! My name is Valencia," she beamed at the male. "A bit late, but nice to meet you!"
Val gazed up at the Cyclops and then looked around her. "Is there something that we could use to distract it...?" Spotting a long stick that looked like it used to be a part of a fairy wand before somebody stepped on it, she scooped it up and aimed it at the Cyclops. "I may not look like it, but I have quite the good aim," she commented, and threw the stick at the monster, where it whizzed past its great eye. The Cyclops grunted in confusion and turned its attention towards Val and her friend. "Now," she said, grabbing the male's wrist. "We run!"
"You don't like him because he's weird?nooo nooo, girl, they just follow him around. He can't help it." Ornella managed, trying to calm the lady and finally yanking the device from her froo. With jittery fingers, she promptly pinned the gift to the strap of her spring dress. The bubbles of gems seemed too precious to drop, and she hadn't a pocket to spare. Above the noise of the crowd, she could hardly tell it murmured with the sound of leaves crashing on leaves like when wind hits a great tree.
Struggling with the pin while stumbling backward, she called up to the behemoth. There was an uneasy shake in her voice as she checked the crowd running away behind her.
"Hello Big Foot, dear! Today is disgustingly hot. You don't want to eat a warm-blooded, sweaty, smelly human, d-do you?"
Hadley balked at the girl's words, she either had to be so high on life she didn't notice what was going on or so trusting that she refused to believe this guy could be trouble.
"Look, weird isn't bad. But this guy is bad weird! Not the kind that makes you unique and-" She gave up trying to explain herself and huffed loudly. Her hand went up to her face and ran over it once. "I am too god damn tired for this bullshit..." She mumbled and grumbled then walked forward a bit, following everyone else's lead. Her nice new black ankle boots came in contact with the cyclops' nasty saliva. She scurried back and stared at her shoe as if the whole world was about to end. Her breathing deepened and hastening, if one were to look closely they could see a vein throbbing on her forehead.
"Oh this is just great... so great. Best day ever, its the best day ever~" Hadley probably sounded insane singing to herself, but at this point she gave no fucks. If they wanted to get his attention, she surely would help. One of her talents was to get people to listen to her.
With a deep inhale, she lifted her head and got ready to shout. "HEY YOU BIG PIECE OF SHIT, COME OVER HERE SO I CAN SLAP YOU. YEAH! YEAH YOU, THE ONE WITH THE GNARLY ASS ODOR! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU GET MY SHOES LIKE THIS! COME OVER HERE, COME FIGHT ME BRO!" Hadley stood her ground and watch the cyclops whirl around in search of the screaming people below him. It had started to chase another, presumably with a pendant as well, but she hoped it would change directions. She was clearly looking for a fight today. The pendant that had been turned into a rock made her arm shake uncomfortably so she shoved it down her shirt, saving it for later.
Before he could turn fully towards the panicked crowd, the thrown stick blurred past his single bulbous eye. He cocked his head to where it had come to see the blue haired girl still posed as if she had just thrown something. Confusion washed over the massive one-eyed creature. By the time he had any idea what happened, the human was running and several others were yelling at him. He released a furious roar before finally setting after them.
The float the blue haired human had been on stalled the Cyclops, tripping him as he blindly stomped after the three people. Metal crunched under the goliath’s girth. Thankfully the operators of the float had fled with most of the other people. No one was harmed, though the force of his fall sent vibrations rippling through the ground. Some people lost their footing on the shaking ground and fell, only to get back up and run in an even more panicked state.
He tried pushed himself up once he recovered from the shock crashing clumsily into the float and pavement. A metallic groan sounded as his hands palmed the mangled decorative vehicle. Then he was on his feet and lifting the twisted structure up to throw it at a nearby building. With a snarl, he threw. It whizzed through the air towards the group with the brooches. The three jeweled trinkets pulsed in unison, freezing the mangled contraption in the air.
The brooches eminent a soft humming sound which almost sounds like chanting the closer you hold it to your ear. You know there’s magic in the brooches now, but how do you unlock it? If you listen carefully, the brooches are telling you how. You just have to listen. A kiss and a magic spell will unlock its secrets. Use your imagination and create your own magical spell. Even though these brooches will give you the power you need to fight the Cyclops, they aren’t the key to defeating it. Look for its weakness.
Legs carrying her away from the fleeing crowd, Valencia noticed that the man she was with had slipped away. "Oh dear," she murmured, stopping in the street, out of breath. "Looks like I'm on my own."
That wasn't necessarily true, however, as soon she noticed two other girls: one who had a brooch pinned to her dress and another with a rock in her hand. The girl with the rock was yelling up at the Cyclops, and it seemed to Val that they were all trying to distract the monster.
The ground shook as it fell over the float, making Valencia fall over onto her hands and knees. A shadow fell over the trio, and she looked up in time to see the damaged float sailing through the air in their direction. 'It's going to-!' Val thought in horror. And then it froze mid-flight.
Quickly scrambling to her feet, the artist stared wide-eyed at the float, mouth gaping. The bird brooch hummed in her grasp, and she glanced down, hearing a soft hum emitting from it. Bringing it close to her ear, she could hear a low chanting coming from the brilliant gems. "What...?" She muttered, holding it closer to hear it better. "Unleash...? Unleash...the power...." Squinting even though that didn't help at all, she finally grasped what the chanting was saying.
"Unleash the power of the blue?" Val asked, bemused. "Isn't that the Capri Sun slogan?" As soon as those words left her mouth, a bright light burst out of the brooch, causing her to shut her eyes. When the light faded, Valencia opened her eyes to see that the brooch was gone. In its place a beautiful bluejay stood on the palm of her hand, eying her with its brilliant black eyes.
The big fat oaf didn't seem to understand English. He didn't seem to speak at all beyond a groan of pain as he banged his shin on the float. A quixotic look crossed Ornella's face like that might cross an absent-minded driver being chased by the cops. She hadn't thought Mr. Black would unleash a mindless, salivating beast upon the town without any hope of negotiation. Aren't some things simply too dangerous to drop like a handkerchief?
As her new aquaintence began to curse at the slobbering behemoth, as if he could even understand what she said, another girl, who hadn't fled with crowd proded the air in warning. A shadow had fallen over her, and she was very observant as to how the cyclops had lifted the float. Ornella realize it too, the float, piece of pipe and confettin falling off it he rolled it in his grip.
Ornella's hand was suddenly drawn to the brooch out of nervousness. She clutched her heart and shouted to the woman neside her.
"Maybe we should get out of here. He doesn't seem to get it." There was a nervous reproach in her voice. She was giving it her all to not admit she didn't know how dangerous this whole situation was. No one was hurt the last time Mr. Black was involved. What if it were a dream all over again? This moment was no fuzzy dream. Where was Justice?
Her face whipped around as the float hit the ground in front of them and bounce up and froze.
Ornella weakly stepped backward in disbelief, her hand coming up to cup the fading light of her glowing present. She shot a glance at the mouthy woman beside her, perhaps it would be shared. Then, she forwarded her concentration at the cluster of gems depicting flowers and insects.
"Help me make sure no one gets hurt," she whispered back to the brooch. As her lips touched the smooth, cold rocks, the emerald leaves began to stretch and grow. Before Ornella could pull away, their tangles pulled mouth-like around her body. She squeaked as she was buried in a caccoon and she fell over to the side beside a fire hydrant. From a sticky green ooze, the shell began to pull tight and harden over her body. Her pitiful wriggling was suffocated after a moment, and she became trapped in the cold silence of the precious stone.
Hadley’s yells were cut short by a float barrelling towards them. She stood rooted to her place, too terrified to move, her eyes watching come closer and closer. Right before impact it stopped, causing her to fall over with a hint of relief. Although, at this point everything was so insanely surreal that she doubted any of this was happening.
As she scanned the area, the two other girl’s pendants activated, saving them in their own unique way. When the woman next to her, who she had shared a glance with moments before, collapsed into a cocoon like shell, her eyes widened and she let out a shriek. “No! Jesus christ what are you doing?! We don’t have time for you to shrivel up into a cocoon!” It was obviously too heavy to lift and she prayed she’d be safe in that shell, albeit prayed a bit forcefully. “If you get hurt I’m gonna be so angry!” Rushing over to the other girl with the bluejay, she made a move to shake her arm.
“What the fuck do we do now? I got a shitty rock and you have a bird! Ok, ok, lets just, calm down and think!” Hadley’s uncaring shell was starting to break, panic and a need to get things done was surfacing. All of the movement and terror caught up to her, making her eyes burn and let out a tear. She hated crying and she wouldn’t do it no matter what, but the waterworks would stop and she sobbed into her arms, tears drenching her shirt. The rock pendant pulsed, and she could hear words coming from it. Taking it out of her shirt, she brought it to her face and sobbed harder, the words coming from it were faint. “W-what? I don’t care! Just work you piece of shit!”
With that, it flew out of her hands and skipped over a good yard in front of them. Hadley could give two shits about it until suddenly the ground shook. Her blurry vision looked up just as the rock seeped into the ground then sprung up into a pillar. It was huge, nearly as big as the cyclops, and thick enough for one or two people to stand on top of. A feeling of hope spread throughout her body and she smiled for the first time that day. “This could be great yes?!” She ran over to it, hoping it was big enough to conceal her from the cyclops. She hugged the pillar of rock, happy for something that seemed useful and that was when she spotted footholds, a few feet over her head. With a glance back at the other girl, she nodded once. “What do you say about trying to get up there.”
One by one, each of the three girls before him unlocked the magic in their brooches. The unsuspecting Cyclops pulled his gaze from the floating mangled ball of metal to the girls. He could do nothing more but watch as each girl was armed with the unique magic imbued within their gifted trinkets—a bird, a pillar of earth and a cocoon of greenery. He didn’t know what to expect. Everything in the world was already foreign enough to the behemoth that only moments ago was merely a parade balloon.
But he was bigger and stronger than they were. There was no reason for him to fear three puny humans, no matter what they might have up their sleeves. Pounding on his barrel chest, the Cyclops charged the trio. He made an effort to sidestep the pillar which appeared nothing more than a useless pile of rose raised up to the height of his shoulder. Anything that got in his way was crushed beneath his ginormous feet. Thankfully the crowd had more than enough time to clear the area.
Valencia’s little bird has the power to control air and will do whatever she wills it to. Hadley now has the power to manipulate earth as long as she holds on to her brooch. Ornella’s brooch allows her to control plant life as long as she wears hers. Be creative with how your character makes use of their magic and stay in character. The key to defeating the Cyclops is finding his weakness. Good luck!
Moments passed inside the spongy green encasement, and her skin began to prickle and itch, but she could not move to scratch. Ornella was in a panic. She was trapped, and she would cry and scream if her face were not covered in a smothering wax. Believing she would suffocate like this, she struggled until her gasps did not ease the pressing fatigue. Her insides felt dry and pained. She wondered if this was happening to everyone. Was it happening to Justice? No one was helping her. No one pulled away the layers.
But suddenly, a cool breeze filled her up like a balloon, and the world returned to her. Ornella awakened to many ogres seen through two green-ish blue compound eyes. Around her, the green cocoon had fallen apart into a dried brown crinkly material like an autumn leaf. She waves her legs as she rights herself, her moist wings uselessly flopping on her enormous back. In another second, the Cyclop's foot smashed the remnants of her cocoon, and it explodes into a poof of dust. She skittered like an ant away from the monstrous beast that stomped towards the three pendant-blessed beings. What was she thinking as her six feet twitched? Well for one, she was impatient to fly and leave the disgusting saltiness of the road. She hungered for flowers! They were in her eyes, and when thoughts of escape did not cascade through her mind, the desire for the color of petals filled her heart. She wanted to taste their softness beneath her feet.
While she zig-zagged about the street, gigantic marigolds lifted out of the ground like geysers. The riots of crimson and saffron grew as tall as a forest through cars and the glass of buildings. Thickly, the dense weeds manifested from the ground behind her, but she was too afraid to approach these miracle blooms. An enormous weight threatening to squash her. Its movement frightens her into a mania despite her single-minded hunger.
"Uh...." Valencia gaped, very uncertain as to how her brooch suddenly turned into a real, live, breathing bird. Didn't that sort of thing happen only in stories? But then again, she was currently confronting a Cyclops that had formerly been a parade balloon. "Don't be too surprised by anything from here on out," she muttered, returning the bird's beady black stare. It cocked its head this way and that, as if to see its new master from all angles, before it spread its wings and took to the sky. "Ah," Valencia cried out, startled. "Wait-!"
She was interrupted as one of the girls beside her was suddenly encased in a green cocoon. Yelping, the artist momentarily forgot about her bird and reached out to try to pull away the green vines. The greenery broke, only for them to simply wrap back around the cocoon stronger than before. She felt a shaking sensation on her arm and looked down to see the third girl, looking immensely frustrated and panicked. "I-it's okay," Val tried to soothe her, although she herself was beginning to feel panic rise up in her throat. Her bird had flown off, one of them had become trapped inside a cocoon, and the other was on the verge of crying.
As she ran a hand through her blue locks, trying to come up with a plan, the ground rumbled beneath her, and she looked up in time to see a pillar rise up out of the ground. "What...?" Val said, at a loss for words, although it didn't last. "Wow, where did this come from?! Was it from your brooch? Did the earth form it, or did it grow out of your rock? Was your rock a plain rock, or did it have some sort of special qualities-" She cut off abruptly, for once trying to focus on the situation at hand, and nodded. "Right. Getting up there. Uh...I'll think of something."
Looking around desperately, Val spotted her bird circling the pillar, and frantically waved her hand. "Hey! Hey, uh, Mr. Bluejay? My bird? Can you help us out?" She called. The bluejay immediately began to spiral down, hovering in front of Valencia as if waiting for orders. Which, she hoped it was. "Hey, can you help us get to the top of the pillar? I'm not exactly sure how but- whoa!" The bird circled around her legs once before giving a strong flap of its wings, creating a strong gust of wind. She cried out as she felt herself getting lifted up, nearly losing her balance if she hadn't grabbed onto the girl beside her, who was getting lifted up as well. "Wow!" Val exclaimed, peering down at the ground below them. "I guess that's one problem solved. What's the plan now?"
Before she could start to climb the rock, she was swept up with a gust of wind. She landed clumsily on the tops, collapsing onto all fours and gasping for breath. "Whoa! Could have warned me!" Heights were something she needed to adjust to, they had always been frightening and the sensation of being lifted into the air with nothing to hold on to was near terrifying as much as it was exhilarating.
As she stood, she spotted a creature fly past causing a mass growth of nature in its wake. Looking back at the ground below, she saw the cocoon gone along with the other girl. "Uh... d-do you think... no that couldn't have been her?!" At this point doubting anything was useless. "Try calling for her, get her attention!"
Hadley stepped backwards, waving her arms as a signal and shouted towards the now flying girl. She stopped her voice when her foot came into contact with a bump. Looking down, she realized the brooch laid there in the middle of the pillar. She picked it up and examined in, clasping in her hand tightly. "Well what now?" She muttered it under her breath and stared at the nearing cyclops who stomped its way over. Its stench made her nose wrinkle in disgust and a growing hatred for it welled up inside of her. How she wish she could just trip the damn thing! Her foot stomped in frustration, making a bump in the cyclops path a second later.
Her eyes widened and she realized that they really could stop this thing, all they needed to do was figure out how. "A plan... um hey! Figure out how to use your bird or whatever! Then lets try to get that other girl over here!" Her next words were hesitant, not sure if it was the best plan of action. "Maybe... maybe we need to stop him from moving. Like trip him or something... there aren't many people around so the only thing he is likely to hurt is himself if he falls over."
The Cyclops had been stomping his way at the group of seemingly helpless girl’s when a gust of wind lifted two of them up and the other hatched into…something. He paused in confusion, having trouble comprehending the sudden turn of events. Two blinks later, the Cyclops whirled around towards the pillar to find the girls there—two of them. He rushed at them despite the flower popping up around him. However, with all the towering plants, he missed the bump of earth Hadley raised up.
His shin collided with it and his momentum sent him forward. Arms pin wheeling in a futile effort to stop his fall, the behemoth hit the ground with earthshaking thud. The pillar and his forehead crashed together. White flashed over his one eye’s field of vision. He tried to push himself up, blinking away the stars flashing in his eyes. A throbbing started in his forehead, disorienting the massive beast and giving the girl’s time to work out a strategy. Not too long. He was already trying to get on his feet.
The colorful flaps on her back were beginning to dry and perk up, but they were still too wrinkled and weak to lift her. She was in another world, one with a hundred cyclops, two hundred girls, and countless flowers, but she knows instinctually there aren't that many. The cold air of the metamorphosis had wiped out her humanity. Her mind raced with thoughts of how the moment could kill her or feed her. There was no room for anything else. With an insect's burst of speed, she evaded the shadow of the falling giant. A wall of thorny vines began to grow where his fist has punched the ground and prop him up. She considers the girls to be other bugs. Luckily there are enough flowers for everyone to feast. This is world is a paradise. Everything is so big! Just watch out for the feet.
Valencia winced as the Cyclops tripped over the bump that the girl caused, rubbing her own forehead sympathetically despite the fact that they were trying to defeat the monster. "My bird?" She repeated, glancing around for it. She spotted the avian hovering above them, the sun shining on its brilliant blue wings. "Ah," the artist said, her eyes fixed on it. Her hand raised in a wave, and the bird flew closer, hovering in front of her face as if waiting for an order. "I...think I need to tell it what to do," she said slowly, watching as it retreated due to the lack of command.
Peering over the edge of the pillar, she watched in surprise as a wall of vines grew around the struggling Cyclops. A flash of color caught her eye, and Val found herself watching a very bright, very large butterfly. Was this who her companion was talking about? Nonetheless, Valencia proceeded to wave her arms around and shout. "Hey! Hello? Er, butterfly? Miss Butterfly?" Pausing when there seemed to be no response, the artist lowered her arms and tried to think. Maybe...her bird had lifted them up to the pillar by somehow causing a gust of wind to fly them up. Maybe it could blow the butterfly over to them?
Valencia pushed any doubts aside and turned her attention to her bluejay, who flew over at her call. Pointing to the butterfly that was soaring through the sky, she said, "I need you to get that butterfly over here. Blow her over, corner her, whatever you need to do. We need her help to defeat the Cyclops!" The bluejay cocked its head from one angle to the other, taking in first the butterfly, and then the Cyclops. Valencia didn't speak bird, but the bluejy seemed to understand its task. Spreading its wings, it veered away from the pillar, speeding after the butterfly. It flew over the rising Cyclops, pausing to send a strong gust of wind in its direction to knock it off balance.
She watched the cyclops tumble with a satisfied smirk on her face. So her plan wasn't a complete failure after all! Seeing the bird listen to the girls command sparked an idea within her head. "A command...." Hadley mumbled a few things to herself before focusing her power onto the surface below, seeing an indent slow grow deeper.
Finally realizing that she had done it with her own power made her calm down a bit. If she could get it under control then it should work out. Her eyes focused on the thorns that wrapped around the now fallen being and tried to mimic their position. Beams of rock sprung up, forming a triangular cage around its arm that would firmly root him to the ground. "I think this will be ok after all! If everything keeps going smoothly it should work out... Well... I mean what are we supposed to do after this? You don't think we need to uh... kill it do you?!"
Now that the cyclops was down and another set of beams encased its left foot, everything seemed under control. But Hadley was at a loss for what to do next, they couldn't just leave the damn thing there and be done with it. They obviously couldn't walk away from the whole ordeal without repercussions either, even if that was what she wanted to do. What about the now bug girl over there as well? They couldnt just leave her in that state! As uncaring as she wanted to be, the thoughts of who, what, wheres and whys of the situation made her head spin.
ORNELLA BELLEFLUER @valencia @eva
