POWER LEVEL
27,342
Tech Points
3/10
Forms
Demonic Rage [x5]
Zeni
8,969
Demon
|
May 12, 2023 17:56:11 GMT -5
Post by Isla on May 12, 2023 17:56:11 GMT -5
 years ago...Today was supposed to be the day Isla was supposed to be married to another powerful clan's son in order to confirm their alliance between them and her own clan. She initially assumed she could tolerate it for the sake of the alliance and the approval of her own parents, yet she knew it wasn't worth it if it meant sacrificing her own happiness and pursuing acceptance from people who only saw her value in whether she was useful in some way. Even when she gained and significant improved her combat skills, it somehow wasn't good enough or even on par with her younger sibling's power according to her parents. Her ability to create weapons and even control weather somehow didn't gain her approval. It especially stung when Isla was the eldest child. But... It was okay, she'd thought. The past didn't matter now. What mattered was the present, and the present showed Isla getting married. Isla sat in front of the mirror in a black dress that resembled a wedding dress in design. She eyed her reflection from top to bottom while the corner of her lips went down in the form of a slight frown. She was supposed to be happy, even if she were sacrificing it. This was part of the deal. At the same time, something in her heart told her to call it all off, yet she would risk disappointment from her parents, or even worse. It was a thought that Isla refused to imagine, yet the risk might somehow be worth it. "Knock, knock." A gentle voice entered the room and caused Isla to snap out of her trance and thoughts. Her eyes slid over in the mirror to the door that was already cracked open. A familiar head peered into the room with a soft smile on her face. She recognized that face anywhere; her younger sister, River. Although she has been guilty of teasing Isla, much like her brother, River was known to be the more sensible sibling compared to their brother, Basil. When she came in, all Isla could do was sigh with relief. For some reason, seeing River calmed her down a little. She took note of Isla's grim expression from the mirror and approached her from behind. "You don't seem too excited about this wedding." She placed a comforting hand on Isla's shoulder, giving it a nice soft rub. "Well, when you're in an arranged marriage for the sake of the clan and trying to seek approval from your parents after years of trying to have them see you as their own, it does take a toll on you." A sense of dry wit and sarcasm dripped in her voice, which admittedly, caused River to recoil a little from the sudden bluntness. Another hand that had the same level of comfort was placed on Isla's other shoulder while River winced. "Yikes. You didn't have to get too honest with me." She said half-jokingly. "But hey, I can't blame you, even if you do want to go along with this. Then again, you don't have to, you know." She said. Isla gave a look of disbelief to her sister with an empty scoff. "And have my head on a platter? Please. The last thing I need right now is to disappoint my parents more than I already have." The laugh Isla gave was empty, almost forced. No matter how hard she tried to cover it up with humor, it was clear as day that Isla was far from content in being in an arranged marriage, especially when it was one she had no say in. River shook her head and exhaled a tired sigh. "And is that really the worst thing ever? I mean, I know I'm one to talk since I'm not at all in a similar position like yours, and I'm not considering the black sheep of the family," She paused for a moment to grab a chair not too far from Isla's own seat. She grabbed it and dragged it across the room to place it and sit next to her older sister. "But... honestly, is it really worth it? I may be in our parents' good graces, but that doesn't mean I exactly honor them or their input of any kind. I know it's hard to believe, but... wouldn't it be nice to have your own legacy?" She asked. "My own... legacy?" Isla echoed. River nodded and laid back in her seat. "Yeah. The Euphrasia Clan is powerful and all, but if it were up to me, I'd not want to be known for my family name. I want to be known by what I can do, what I can provide, what kind of value I could bring in this dimension," It sounded as if she were about to go on, but she stopped herself to see if Isla caught on to where she was getting at. And that was when Isla gave a thoughtful glare, almost a consideration, at her younger sister. "You sound a lot like me right now; usually I'm the one offering wise advice." She joked, and for the first time since the conversation started, a genuine laugh sparked, to which River joined along. "And now I'm returning the favor because you needed it." Both of the women's laughter eventually came to a stop and River gave her older sister a confident smile. "Listen, if you still want to go through with this wedding, then by all means, do it. If you'd rather back out, do it. I'm not saying the repercussions will not come back to bite you, but it'll be worth it for a very long time if that's what you feel is best." She explained. The more River spoke, the more decided Isla was with her choice. It was clear what she wanted to do. This marriage wasn't worth it. After everything she did to try and please her parents, nothing worked. Making her forgo her well being was where she realized that River was right. Maybe it would be better, no, it will be better if Isla would make her own legacy and not rely on the family name to open doors of opportunities for her. Maybe-
Words: 1,039 Total: 1,039 Bonuses: Rookie Bonus +65% PL: 3,410 |
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POWER LEVEL
27,342
Tech Points
3/10
Forms
Demonic Rage [x5]
Zeni
8,969
Demon
|
May 13, 2023 17:16:06 GMT -5
Post by Isla on May 13, 2023 17:16:06 GMT -5
Three chimes suddenly echoed in the air from the strike of a large bell outside, interrupting all thoughts and any further words being exchanged. Isla and River exchanged looks, all thoughts and conversation coming to a full stop. It was time; time for Isla to tie the knot with her so called "sweetheart". The two women stood up, but not before River tapped Isla on the shoulder. "For what it's worth, whatever you choose, our family may not be on your side, but I'll be there for you. Maybe not physically per se if you choose the other route, but just know I support your decision." She gave her one last nod of reassurance before she took her hand off of Isla's shoulder and walked out of the room. Isla only responded with silence and a solemn look. A few seconds later, she plastered on a fake smile as she turned around and followed River out.
Isla entered what was similar to a church and altar where she was supposed to walk down the aisle. Beside her was her father, Rome, who stared at his eldest daughter with appraisal. For what felt for the first time for Isla to observe, it looked like he was smiling at her. Not half-assed, not something without effort, it was a genuine grin. A part of Isla wanted to cry, but not because she finally gained her father's approval. Another part held those tears back. Either or, Isla could've fooled him into believing they were tears of joy. "You look lovely, Isla." He delicately whispered, his arm offered for Isla to loop her own around to which she obliged. The duo began to stroll down the aisle towards the altar and Isla couldn't help but look around.
These seats were filled with Euphrasia and Wallis Clan members alike. There were three people that caught her attention; her mother, Fern, who beamed at her with joy and delight; her younger brother, Basil, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than the wedding; and finally, River, who gave her a comforting smile, a symbol that meant that she'll always support whatever choice Isla made. River was the only person who truly felt Isla's struggles and would have no resentment towards her if she deviated from her original position and goal assigned by her parents. "Ah, thank you, father." Isla replied, almost distracted and spaced out from what was around her. Of course, she was brought back to reality when she was close to the alter.
There, was her soon to be husband, Amon, who stood before her with a smile of his own directed at Isla. The smile, however, didn't seem authentic in actually marrying for the sake of love, but an opportunity of sealing the alliance. As expected, there was no such thing as real love when it came to arranged marriage. For a split second, Isla's smile faltered, but not before she covered it up and regain the composure of her fake smile. When she stood across from Amon, her father returned to his seat as the ceremony began. The officiant began to follow along the script he created, a few sounds of celebration from the audience arose here and there. When it was time for the vows, however, Isla remained silent and looked at the ground. She then looked around; first at the officiant, the audience, then at Amon.
Resolve began to take over in her eyes as Isla stared at Amon for a few seconds with eyebrows furrowed down with determination. "I'm not doing this." It took only those four words for the audience to collectively gasp in shock and even threw Amon and even the officiant off guard. Isla turned around to face the audience and was met with a high amount of shocked reactions. When it came to her family, her mother was flabbergasted, her younger brother actually looked interested in what was going on since the ceremony started, her father both shocked and enraged, and finally River, her younger sister, who smiled in approval. "For years, I've been trying to get the approval of my parents. I wasn't as gifted as my siblings combat wise, and when I have shown significant improvement, they've still refused to acknowledge me as their own. It wasn't until they decided to force me into an arranged marriage with a man I have no feelings for and vice versa, did they see me as their own daughter. But no, I'm not a daughter to them. I'm just a pawn that they're willing to use and throw away." The more she spoke, the more angered her father and even Amon were.
"You best watch your tone, woman." Rome snarled as he got up from his seat.
"Woman. Not Isla, not even daughter. Just woman. It just shows how much you really value my being now, does it?" Isla gained more confidence in her voice, hands tightened into fists of rage. "Well no more. Disown me if you will, though it doesn't even matter since you've never seen me as your own. I don't love this man and this man doesn't love me. I refuse to sacrifice my happiness for the happiness for others, for others that will never see me as a true Euphrasia." It appeared her revelation slowly began to cause a stir among the audience, some were surprisingly appalled by her parents' actions as they were revealed.
Amon suddenly grabbed Isla's face as tight as he could with one hand to forcibly turn her to him, his nostrils flaring in anger. "You think you can just stand here and embarrass me?! To ruin everything that this alliance could do for both of our clans?!" As he spoke, the grip on her face gotten tighter and tighter. "You WILL marry me and you WILL be disciplined for the disturbance of what was supposed to be-" Before he continued, Isla held out a hand as a dark blue glow emitted from the palm and quickly formed an energy blast with a thrust of her wrist, releasing the blast.
The blast made immediate contact against Amon's stomach, his grip released from Isla's face with a pained yell. He flew across the area and crashed through the walls, leaving a large hole from the impact. Not even having time to take in the reaction from the audience on what just happened, Isla turned around and performed another energy blast on another wall. Once it crumbled and formed another large hole, she ran out of the building as quickly as she could.
From that point forward, Isla knew she was no longer a Euphrasia Clan member. With the exception of her sister, the clan wanted her head served on a silver platter. But it didn't matter. Right now, she was a free woman, all while being on the run.
Words: 1,042
Total: 2,081
PL: 3,410
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|
POWER LEVEL
27,342
Tech Points
3/10
Forms
Demonic Rage [x5]
Zeni
8,969
Demon
|
May 13, 2023 22:29:54 GMT -5
Post by Isla on May 13, 2023 22:29:54 GMT -5
The sound of heels rapidly clicking against the rocky terrains reverberated with the addition of heavy panting. Isla's eyes were shot wide open, pupils constricted out of fear and panic. Each step made was another second of survival. She had no idea how long since she made her escape or any idea that someone was after her, most likely her father filled with rage, if she had to bet. She stopped in her tracks and took a look behind her if anyone was on her trail. To her surprise, initially it looked like no one was chasing her. Just when she was ready to even sigh in relief, she spoke too soon.
Closing the distance across the field were about six assassins chasing after her. All of which were armored and armed with swords and other melee weapons. "Come back here, traitor!" An assassin barked. No doubt it must've been her father that sent them to permanently off her for good.
Piss. Should've known. As a result, Isla turned around and began to run as the adrenaline came back from trying to survive.
One of the assassins unsheathed a dagger from his belt and drew the blade back against his side. His gaze on the target remained focused, he then flicked his hand forward and slung the dagger towards Isla, primarily aiming for her head or neck for an instant kill. Instead, Isla felt the blade scrape against her cheek and instantly instantaneously split it right open where blood began to pour from the nasty wound. Usually Isla would've most likely stagger from the impact, but her adrenaline was her savior in pushing forward and not missing a step in her sprint. The pain was barely noticed, if not ignored at all. She may not even recognized that she was injured at the moment.
While Isla kept running she extended both hands out to her sides. Both thumbs were up and index fingers were out in a slight crooked position. Just seconds later, two pistols that emitted a dark blue glow formed perfectly in positions where she was ready to shoot, fingers on the triggers. The same assassin that flung the dagger reached for another, but not before Isla quickly turned around and jumped in the air to get a clearer look at the assassins. Right there, she pulled the trigger on both guns and unleashed a storm of dark blue ki bullets on the assassins. Out of the six, two of them had their bodies sprung back and recoil from the bullets penetrating their bodies, specifically their upper bodies. The pierced bullets threw them to the ground, but four other assassins remained.
Isla stopped in her tracks and took a few deep breaths to calm down. She had to beat them, or at the minimum try to get them off her trail even if it meant killing them. It pained her to kill one of her own, but since she ran from the wedding, she was not one of them anymore. The first assassin that was closer to her shrunk the distance between him and her with his sword drawn and ready to slash. Isla quickly aimed her guns at the assassin and pulled the trigger once, bullets from both pistols fired. Expectedly, the assassin flawlessly dodged both by sidestepping with ease. When the assassin had been just inches away from her, Isla held both hands by her side as a long pole formed in between her hands.
The assassin drew his sword up in the air and slashed it down towards Isla, only for her to barely block the slash with her pole above her head. The assassin drew back is sword and aimed another brutal slash towards her right side, but was quickly blocked by Isla. In just a matter of seconds, the assassin unleashed a fury of slashes for Isla to block. As she blocked each slash, she became more confident, smooth, and technical with her movement. She followed the blade and the blade only, waiting for an opening to strike. Right there in Isla's peripheral, she noticed the assassin lifting up his right foot up for an attempt to drive it towards either her chest or stomach.
There.
When he lifted his foot up, Isla took the opportunity to swipe the pole against the assassin's other leg. She failed to trip him, but instead wiggled to try and find his balance. Close enough, Isla would've thought. She took the opportunity to draw her pole back and drive it against the assassin's face and create a thunderous CRACK that immediately broken his nose. Without another moment to spare, she rose her pole above her head and began slinging it at his head, hips, and the side of his torso. As the final hit, she slammed the pole against his side and started to spin around with the assassin still on the pole, taking him along in the spin.
The second assassin caught up with the first and Isla, but just after her back was already turned to him, she came back full circle and launched the first assassin right at the other with full force. The harsh contact evolved into a ruthless collision that sent both assassins back a couple meters how much force was put into her swing. Two down, two more to go.
The third assassin was swift as he was already close to Isla with a fist drawn back and shoved at her face. Isla's weaved to the left as she began to dodge nearly all of his strikes with dexterity. The assassin finally made damage as his fist connected with Isla's chin with a straight uppercut. From the clash, it caused her to stumble back. Quick thinking and considering the distance she had between her and the assassin, she pushed out her right leg and turned the stumble into a flip. The top of her foot landed right against his chin, ensuing the stagger he experienced. The pole still in her hand while she flipped, the top of it grew a sharp blade. Towards her landing when she faced the stunned assassin, she catapulted the sharp pole arm towards the assassin's neck. The sharp blade easily pierced through his armor and right through his skin. A ghastly gargle could be heard as the assassin choked on his own blood on the way down to the ground.
The last assassin took no time to rush at Isla, but she stood her ground. At the last second, a dark blue pistol generated in her hand and quickly aimed it at the lower half of the assassin's body. She quickly pulled the trigger to shoot at his kneecaps, causing him to instantly stumble onto the ground.
Without another word or look at the fallen assassins, Isla turned around and continued to run in case more of them were after her.
Words: 1,145
Total: 3,226
PL: 3,410
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POWER LEVEL
27,342
Tech Points
3/10
Forms
Demonic Rage [x5]
Zeni
8,969
Demon
|
May 14, 2023 21:28:26 GMT -5
Post by Isla on May 14, 2023 21:28:26 GMT -5
After what felt like an eternity of running, Isla finally stopped to take a breather. Looking back for a few seconds, it didn't appear that anyone else was after her, or at least knew where exactly she was... for now. A deep sigh of relief was exhaled, but she couldn't get comfortable just yet. She needed a plan to get out; out of Hell. As crazy as it sounded, she placed a target on her back in Hell. Those assassins that came after her from her father were just only the tip of the iceberg. She was confident that more of them would hunt them down, and reasonably so. She broke a potential alliance and embarrassed the Euphrasia name. It was well worth it, especially after what her parents put her through.
"Isla!"
The voice rang behind Isla. She recognized the tone, but the panic in her caused her to summon a dark blue glowing pole in her left hand. Gripping the lower half of the pole with both hands, she turned around ready to swing the pole at the assumed assassin, but Isla was quick enough to stop in her tracks with shock in her eyes. "River!" She gasped.
River matched the shock expression Isla exchanged from the near swipe she almost received. She then broke into a chuckle that she couldn't hold in. "And here you were, ready to smack my head off of my body. Can't even blame you, given the situation you're in and all." She said.
Isla shook her head as the pole disappeared from her hands into thin air. "What are you doing here? Why are you here? Hold on, you're not trying to kill me and bring me back as a trophy, are you?" The question was twisted into somewhat of a dark joke, but she wouldn't put past her sister or anyone that was from the clan to do so.
"No!" Isla was slightly surprised at the denial River exclaimed, but she still held her ground, just in case. "Remember what I told you? No matter what choice you make, I'll be supporting you? You decided not to go through with the wedding, and guess what? I support you for it." She gave Isla a soft smile and took a couple steps closer. "I think that might've been the best decision you could've made. You're now your own person and get to do whatever you please. You know, asides from other circumstances from that."
"But now our father is going to send assassins for you know, since you're with me. He'll see it as a sign of betrayal that you're helping me instead of trying to put my head on a stake." Isla explained. She couldn't bear putting her own sibling, her younger sister who supported her, in danger. While she was able to very much so defend herself even without Isla's help, she felt responsible.
But River was confused and tilted her head at the thought of assassins sent by their father. "They weren't sent by father." She admitted. Isla was surprised, but River continued before her older sister had anymore say. "Granted, he is beyond pissed off, but he wasn't the one that sent those men to kill you. My guess? It must've been from the Wallis Clan. You know... since you've, uh-"
"Blasted their son through a wall?" Isla finished River's sentence, unable to stop a laugh from escaping.
"Pretty much," River laughed along. "I think that little speech of yours sort of swayed over a bunch of people on your side, believe it or not. You'd think most clans would be apathetic if it meant having a political advantage, but members from both sides seemed understanding. Well, some of them, anyway."
"You know, you'd think after standing up for myself and practically ruining the Euphrasia my 'almost husband' through a wall, I expected a lot more hostility and aggression. Now I'm starting to think that they think he deserved it." Isla was too high on emotions to actually take in the reactions that came after her speech. If that were the case, then the noble world wasn't as cruel and heartless as she thought it was. It might've been a different story with her family, specifically her father.
"They should. That said, we shouldn't be out here any longer. Don't know if more of those Wallis goons will come after you. Come with me, I know a good place to hide out until we can figure out our next move." River explained.
"Sorry, 'we'?"
"Yes, we. I told you, I support your decision, which also means I'm sticking around to help. Whatever happens, we can handle it together." The reassurance from River was almost touching for Isla to give a fond smile at her younger sister.
"If that's the case, then lead the way."
Words: 806
Total: 4,032
PL: 3,410
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May 15, 2023 17:25:00 GMT -5
Post by Jelly Mod on May 15, 2023 17:25:00 GMT -5
PL: 3410
Zeni: 1682
TP: 0/6
New PL: 8732
New Zeni: 4101
New TP: 1/7
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years ago...
