freearcadia | Harlock's Palace - The Endless Orbit of Solitude

Harlock's Palace - The Endless Orbit of Solitude

Who: Lechter, Zenkichi, Stoat, Moon
What: Harlock's Palace Part one
When:
Content Warnings: Death, Dead Things, Death Wish/Passive Suicide stuff, Alcoholism and scars/grevious injuries may come up

When the teams enters the Pirate's heart, there is a moment of choking darkness, threatening to strangle the life out of people, but it soon ebbs and a wailing wind shatters the silence.

You find yourselves on a vast, dry rubble-strewn wasteland being battered by winds that alternated between needle-sharp, wet cold and dry, furnace-like blasts of heat. There's a sense despite how extremely unpleasant it is that it will not harm the group, but it is trying to discourage them from exploring too thoroughly within the heart.

Above the wasteland is a dark sky utterly devoid of celestial bodies, and of such a uniform blackness that it strains the eyes to stare too long, and would no doubt incite artists into feuds over it's unnatural hue.

The only thing that broke the stark black sky is a long, ash-gray ship with a skull upon it's bow, bristling with cannons that swivel and pivot, searching for something.

The wind changes again, the lilting sound of music coming from one direction, and the sound of creaking from another.

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[There is silence that seem to stretch as far and as long as the universe.

The lid of the crate suddenly flung open - though the emergency lights didn't flood the darkness as much as one would think as a gloved hand reaches through the mess, and grips Stoat tightly, pulling it out none-too-gingerly.

Stoat would notice a deep, deep gash on the man's side that is closing with a dark flame]

If you all insist on following me to my grave, I suppose I will have little choice but to oblige.

[It shrieks in a high-pitched voice, scrabbling and failing to pick up one of the grenades with it. It's time for plan B—panicking and sending its drone out from the vent with the knife, trying to stab the knife directly into the man's skull.]

Let go of me!!

[As he seem to be studying Stoat, the drone drops down, hitting him with a glancing blow before it clatters to the ground]

...Was that supposed to do something?

[The knife clatters out of reach onto the floor, but at least the drone is under Stoat's direct control, and gets back up again, hovering near the ceiling. It is on standby until another opportunity arises.

Plan C now. Panicking even more, and releasing the little control Stoat has over its own monster. Abruptly, in the man's grasp, it changes from a tiny stoat into a large and heavy elk.]

Wha-

[His eye widen as his grip is forced open as Stoat's form changes, half-stumbling backwards to get clear of the sudden elk as he moves to unsheath his weapon]

Right. Shapeshifter. It won't save you...

[It changes in the next instant, to a tiny kingfisher, but at least it's free now. It flies up quickly, doing its best to get above the Shadow, hoping desperately that its next form will be something heavy again to let gravity do its work.]

[The pirate quickly draws and fires at the kingfisher, though it's actually difficult to hit a small flying object, the shot ricocheting off the ceiling and into a wall]

[Unfortunately it becomes... a porcupine next. Could be worse, but isn't going to be the best either.

It is at least an entire porcupine falling down on the Shadow's head, prickly side first. So hopefully that at least annoys him.]

What-?!

[It's clear that whatever he's expecting - this was not it. he turns his head and body, but is unable to avoid all the spines. His left hand flew to his face, trying to take out the spines, the movement pushing back dark hair to reveal an empty eye socket as he wildly shot at the Stoat in the same motion.

the two light specks flew in from the vent]

[With a nat 1, come on. The porcupine is hit by at least one of the bullets, blown backwards. By the time it hits a stack of crates, it is a feral hog, and two large round chimes appear out of nowhere on either side of it, jingling and falling to the ground, adding to the cacophony.]

A little help?!

[It says to the specks.]

[There's a flicker, and the young man regains his form, lunging to try to wrest the gun from the golden-eyed Harlock's grip as the other searches before lighting upon the drone... doing something.

Stoat would sense his drone is somehow more responsive and agile than before]

Out of the way!

[It's worried about becoming too small to handle the gunshot wound, so it's afraid to change back into a stoat, letting the shifts continue to happen. Unfortunately, it turns into a bat next anyway, which is not really better. It stays on the floor.

The drone, though... Maybe it can switch back to that. It zips back over to the box of—flashbang grenades, first, since it can't tell how these specks would be affected by a more explosive grenade. It pries its way in to grab one.]

[Moon doesn't know who the teenager is or why there's a bat on the floor, but there's a Harlock with a gun and that's what he's here for! He comes barreling up from somewhere downstairs to throw himself through the door and at the Harlock, snarling and lashing out with all thirty claws.]

[The teenager was backhanded by the man into a crate - though that left him completely flatfooted when Moon suddenly charges in, stumbling back as he tries to fire off several shots.

Stoat would be able to successfully grab a flashbang grenade]

[The bat becomes a beaver. Another clatter as wooden dams spill onto the ship out of nowhere.]

The Moon is here?!

[The drone hovers above the fight, not acting yet, dodging bullets and waiting for a better moment.]

—Stoat!? You are a rodent!?

[but oh hey dams. CONVENIENT! grabbing for a log to take a baseball bat swing at Harlock's gun hand]

[The shadow quickly regains his footing, nimbly avoiding the swing of the log, his free hand unsheathing the sword on his hip.

the dark flames that's been roiling off the odd injury on his flank (that strangely looks identical to the claw marks Moon left on the elevator) slowly spreads up and around him, the jagged holes left by the porcupine quills closes - in time with the flickering of the Arcadia's emergency lights]

This is not your place... this is not your fight... how dare you all interfere! I have no need for interlopers.

[There is now a mass of tentacles over in Stoat's corner, hard to discern the true nature of.]

I'm possessed by a shapeshifter. Didn't Minato even tell you how he got eaten? Well, don't worry about it.

More importantly, I don't need you on my team, doppelganger! Just go back to normal already!

[One long tentacle lashes out to try and trip the Shadow. As it does, the drone drops the flashbang into his face.]

That was a shark, not—!?

[gestures at TENTACLES before hurling the log at the emergency lights and lunging at Harlock directly. several of his arms crack open and shatter into the shape of long scythe-blades. if it's a sword fight he wants, well then!]

[Weirdly as the log hits the lights, Harlock's eye went completely black as he tries to deflect the scythe-blades, putting up a decent fight despite being clearly outnumbered but the injuries kept piling up, instead of the scarlet blood like the one bleeding from his gash, he is dripping black, oily substance]

Just. Let. Me.

[He snarls with each parry and strike, before being forced back, completely drenched with the dark ichor]

Die alone on this ship!

[What injuries Moon gets in return bleed saltwater instead of blood. Sorry to whoever has to clean that mix off the floor.]

No! Harlock's friends want him to come home and that! Unfortunately! Includes your part too!

[As he starts to force the Harlock back, Moon's blows shift towards trying to disarm him. Where he slashes, another arm grabs.]

[Between the staggering amount of wounds that would've dropped a normal person, even Harlock in the real world, the shadow was easily disarmed, weapons clattering to the floor]

I have no one who would-

Captain. that's a lie. Why would they be here if that's not true.

[The teenager staggers up, looking at Moon and Stoat]

[The mass of tentacles becomes—

a raven egg... It forgot how useless some of the items in this list are. Due to the gunshot wound, it's more of a cracked egg with a dying baby bird on the floor. Good thing it will switch again before it perishes.

It weakly chirps:]

C'mon... That's like... Phoenix's whole thing.

[The drone goes up towards the emergency lights, being prepared to smash them if this situation goes south again.]

Yes!

[whisking his tail across the floor to sweep the weapons away and hurridly shuffling to put himself between harlock and ??BABY EGG??]

So let us all go downstairs before anyone else has to bleed more. Please?

[Even Harlock seem momentarily taken aback by the talking egg - the young man goes to restrain the man, who starts to struggle]

Stoat vs ???: 10 vs 17, 5 vs 13

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Stoat vs ???: 15 vs 20

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Stoat vs ???: 3 vs 15, cw: body horror, also porcupine spine injuries are not pretty?

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cw: death seeking

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