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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 24, 2023 1:34:26 GMT
Waves break against the shore, sending white foam and droplets splashing against the rock faces upon which the Bulwark was built. Pale-orange light shimmers across the water as the sun just barely began to peek over the ocean. Camille's scales glisten in the light similarly as she takes a deep breath, enjoying the salty air of the ocean. She was up earlier than usual this morning because it's her weekly wash day. Prior to engaging in the arduous task that would take up the first half of the day though, she felt like going down to the Bulwark's unbuilt harbour to enjoy the cool morning air. She sits there coiled up by one of the docks as she marvels at the rising sun, breathing a contented sigh.
"What a sight..." She comments to herself. Views like these are one of the plethora of reasons she had to put forth her every effort to protect this world from destruction, not just for her own eyes but for everyone else to appreciate as well. Every moment of peace serves as a reminder of her purpose, and that gave her strength.
Not very many people are out this early in the morning barring the night watch and other really early risers. She was sure Donnie was already awake as well, the life of a farmer necessitating he rise with the sun out of habit. The lack of people left the harbor quiet and serene, barring the sounds of the ocean.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 25, 2023 19:22:14 GMT
The serenity and peace of the harbor in the mornings was only starting to be disturbed. Like Donnie, there were other early risers out and about as well, though not enough to make the place less serene. Fisherman loading up the smaller boats to take out on the rivers, dock workers unloading some of the cargo vessels that had arrived in the night to either deliver to the bulwark, or to transfer cargo onto smaller vessels to deliver to riverside settlements... even at this early hour there was plenty to do.
But it was also a time of peace, and the Bulwark was much less of a hub of activity than it had been during periods of war, so even these early risers didn't have as much to do anymore.
Which is why one particular individual wandering the docks seemed out of place, they were dressed like a sailor, and could've easily come in on one of the cargo ships in the night... but they didn't seem to be working on unloading or loading any boats, instead they were just walking along, ignored by everyone. They even got bumped into one person and the person didn't acknowledge them. It was as if they weren't even there as far as everyone else was concerned. Why Camille could see them and nobody else seemed to was a mystery, but it was a bit odd to say the least.
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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 25, 2023 19:27:27 GMT
Camille's keen awareness of her surroundings did mean she took note of the somewhat anomalous person wandering the docks, seemingly unseen by everyone else. She cocks an eyebrow at the person getting bumped and not even acknowledging the offender. It didn't take a mastermind to figure out this was suspicious.
She elected to pretend she also didn't notice them for a little bit and observed them out of the corner of her eye. Given how obvious she is due to her size she was very cautious about when she actually moved since being stealthy wasn't really an option for her.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 25, 2023 19:34:40 GMT
The strange individual seemed to be wandering all around the dock, heading into alleyways periodically, lingering out of sight for a few moments, then coming back out and wandering again. Were they doing something in the alleyways? Looking for something? It was hard to tell, even Camille would find that focusing on him too hard was oddly difficult... it was like her mind just wanted to overlook him. Her eyes sliding off him like the very image of him was covered in an oil slick. She could focus on him, but it required far more effort than it should've.
Whatever was going on with him, she wasn't completely immune, just resistant enough to it to power through... but clearly everyone ignoring him wasn't coincidence. And clearly he was up to SOMETHING or he wouldn't need to do this odd perception blocking thing.
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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 25, 2023 19:43:10 GMT
Camille rubs her eyes as her vision starts to feel a bit sore from trying to track the illusory individual. This is without a doubt some kind of ability, likely a bonded object. If this person is scouting around without being seen, then they are clearly up to no good. She couldn't very well let this be, but she is torn on what precisely to do about it. She could attack them, but she would hate to make a mess of the docks and she has no idea how strong this person is, or whether they have backup. What else could she do though?
An idea comes to her and she slithers over to one of the nearby guards. She speaks in a hushed tone. "Pardon, I wanted to ask for your assistance. There is an individual walking around using a power to conceal themselves. I need some more spiritually keen people to come to the docks as soon as possible— Head up to the manor and ask for Anderson and Lexi to come quickly," She says.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 25, 2023 19:54:42 GMT
The guard looked at Camille in confusion, he hadn't seen anyone, and he wasn't a slouch spiritually, no soldier assigned to the Bulwark was weak after all, in response to the claim he tried to strain his spiritual senses. There was... something off. He couldn't sense anyone other than people he could physically see, but he got a sense of unease nonetheless. It stung his pride to admit it, but that unease was probably a power besting his senses. He nodded to Camille and rushed off
the stranger seemed to notice the guard rushing off in a hurry though. And raised a pistol. Most guns weren't one handed weapons like this, meant to pierce monster defenses they were usually rifles, or at the very least SMGs, pistols and the like were rare, and even more rarely carried by reputable individuals. A weapon primarily good for killing humans was viewed as distasteful, even in the instances where the person was hunting monsters small arms fire was good against. People hunting those kinds of beasts tended to prefer blades instead to avoid the stigma.
The fact this man was wielding one was a bad sign, and it had a contraption attached to it. He pulled the trigger, and without a noise, Camille would see the guard collapse. Most concerningly of all, nobody noticed, they continued walking around the guard's bleeding body as if he was affected by the same perception alteration as the stranger himself.
A pistol with a silencing option? Absurd, that's the sort of weapon a hitman in Mara might wield, and if it also perception blocked its victims. This man was clearly a spy or assassin. And a very dangerous one, killing without batting an eye.
If Camille moved to help the guard, she'd reveal she was onto the stranger too, it might even be for naught since an assassin would probably have landed a lethal shot regardless.
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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 25, 2023 20:18:03 GMT
Camille puts a hand over her mouth as the individual ruthlessly assassinates the guard. This is bad. She may be the only person who can actually stop this spy right now— Most of her body has natural armour that would resist a pistol shot— But this person is likely extremely mobile, which is a luxury Camille no longer has. A part of her puts a little bit of hope that the guard somehow survives, but she knows she can't do anything for him right now. Think, Camille, think...
She needs to get the message to some of the more powerful and, more importantly, nimble members of the Bulwark, but if she tried to hurry off she'd get the same treatment as that guard. However brutish it may be, perhaps directly engaging the spy is actually the optimal solution? If everyone else sees her shooting light at seemingly nothing though then it may turn out poorly for her. Not that she thinks people would attack her, she's been around the Bulwark for long enough that everyone knows she's on their side, but she IS still a monster so some people may have bad impressions.
But what else can she do?
She tsks to herself and decides to, as conspicuously as possible, slither to the center of the docks and look out at sea again, keeping the spy in her peripheral vision. If the spy walks close enough to her, she would attempt to conjure a mirror below them and deposit the spy directly in front of her.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 25, 2023 20:29:24 GMT
Once the spy was satisfied the guard wasn't getting back up, and nobody else seemed to be reacting to him, he resumed his business, ducking into yet another alleyway. He took longer to come out this time, before eventually emerging and taking a turn to start walking to the end of the docks. Maybe the close call with the guard had spooked him, or maybe he'd found what he was looking for. Or maybe something else, knowing very little about his motivations made it hard to assess his actions, but he seemed to be leaving now.
If Camille ducked into the alleyway the stranger was last in, she'd notice it lead to a large opening in the clutter of buildings around, just a sort of business square with a decorative fountain where a few businesses and warehouse entrances were located, not tactically significant apart from it being a rare open space inside a rather cluttered dock. She'd also smell corruption in the air there now, nothing regular people would notice... but it was there for people who knew what it was like such as her.
She wouldn't have much time to linger in that area without losing track of the stranger though. She'd also pick up on the scent of corruption if she got close enough to him while pursuing him directly.
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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 25, 2023 20:43:35 GMT
The spy seemed to keep his distance from her, though whether that's because he was wary of her or not she doesn't know. Surely this person knows who she is... Especially because she feels a grotesquely familiar sensation. The ever so subtle wrongness in the air, like the spiritual equivalent of rancid milk, showed telltale signs of nearby corruption. She follows the corruption to find a small square of open space. Yep, there is definitely corruption in the air. Either there are multiple compromised people, or this single individual is so incredibly corrupt they can leave this level of spiritual stench.
Resolved not to let this man out of her sight, she continues to, as quietly as a huge snake monster can, trail his movement. If this man is so corrupt, why hasn't he tried to assassinate her yet? As she follows him down another alley though a troubling thought dawns on her. The fact he hasn't noticed her is suspicious, unless he wants her to follow him...
She realizes just how incredibly reckless this is, and decides to turn back and go get assistance. Either the spy leaves and they can shore up their security, or the spy stays and she can track them down with backup. Either way she can't afford to take half measures.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 25, 2023 20:53:05 GMT
The spy did seem to be aware of her as she began moving to follow him, but took no actions to attack her. Perhaps he couldn't risk a fight in a populated area. His ability might've been making people not notice him, but it didn't seem to be true invisibility. Presumably if he got into an extended fight here he'd be detected... or perhaps while he must've known who she was, she might not have been his objective right now. She'd notice that the further she got from the square where all the corruption was, the fainter the smell got.
The spy was definitely corrupted, but it seemed the strong stench wasn't his, and he seemed to be heading for the water's edge now. From where he seemed to be planning to enter the water, it was a straight shot to a river to swim away. If his goal wasn't to assassinate her, he must've already achieved what he came here to do... and if he got away they'd never know what that was.
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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 25, 2023 21:01:50 GMT
With the corruption getting less dense as she left the square, she knows for certain there are other sources of corruption there besides this man. Moreover he seems to be picking up the pace to escape. Having been around the Bulwark so much she knows that the route he's taking is the shortest swim to the shore. Fuck, she can't just let them go free.
She decides it is far overdue for her to act, conjuring a mirror doorway to slither through and close the gap between her and the spy, following by her firing a couple radiant bolts at them. "You've a lot of gall infiltrating this bastion!" She accuses, preparing to continue her attack.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 25, 2023 21:10:28 GMT
The man reacted quickly as Camille appeared, dodging and weaving between her bolts, then leveling his gun at her and pulling the trigger several times. She might've expected the bullets to be harmless, and they wouldn't hurt her much, but they did seem to have a lot more piercing power than the should... they were mystically charged.
"Damnit girlie, I was tryin real hard to look the other way bout you. Orders were pretty clear that my job takes precedence, but to kill you if we could." the spy said with a sigh "luckily for you, we're still out in the open and I can justify running away. But don't you dare follow me if you value your life"
In a blur, the man darted for one of the smaller supply boats anchored at the edge of the harbor. It was easy to overlook, probably only manned by a couple of people, and not carrying a lot of cargo. People probably just assumed it had already been unloaded and was unmanned and ignored it, but Camille could see it's engines were vibrating, it was set to leave the moment he got on board! If it got out of the harbor it'd be hard to catch. Mobilizing another boat to pursue would take too long, she had to prevent that thing from departing with the spy on board or he was gone!
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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 25, 2023 21:44:15 GMT
As he fires shots at her, her defensive training with Donnie kicks in as she curves to have her hardened snape body take the shots instead of her squishy upper body. It was at that moment she realizes that she forgot to harden her scales, wincing in pain as they pierce into her, leaving painful wounds. They were far from lethal though, and she makes sure to remedy her mistakes as her scales flourish into their armoured state. Glancing at the boat she realizes that they were already on the verge of getting away with it.
She quickly cups a glowing orb and then fires it straight into the air, resulting in a flashy and loud but harmless BOOM that ought to get peoples' attention as a makeshift signal flare. She quickly follows after the spy as the boat starts to rev, slithering onboard with her body starting to glow as she charges up her Radiance. "I am not so easy to intimidate," She hisses.
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Post by cmd1095 on Jun 25, 2023 21:53:16 GMT
"Damnit girl, I am TRYING to spare you" the spy hissed as he slammed the throttle on his ship and it shot out from the port, apparently it hadn't even been anchored, just staying put through the engine's power. Nobody had noticed though, so focused on their usual routines and made softer and more lax by the quietness of peacetime
Unfortunately for Camille, the boat moving so quickly meant that while she was slitering aboard, the boat would pull away from her too quickly, making her menacing charge of radiance feel rather underwhelming as she'd instead plunge into the water below. Her tail still on the dock for a moment before her weight would carry it off and into the water as well.
The signal flare did get attention though, people starting to notice a boat making a break for it, but they'd be slow to connect the dots. They DID notice the dying guard now though, either due to the flare getting them focused enough to see through the technique or it just wearing off for one reason or another
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Post by giantfiredog on Jun 25, 2023 22:38:06 GMT
Camille gasps as she isn't able to maintain traction on the wet, rapidly moving boat. Before she knows it— SPLOOSH
She gasps and sputters as water invades her lungs. The bubbles from the engine surge around her, combining with the choking to disorient her into not being able to tell up from down. She feels herself start sinking deeper and deeper. Shit. Need... To make... A mirror...
But she can't even tell where she could put it, her whole body starting to ache from a lack of oxygen. She... She can't. She's just sinking, further and further as the boat makes distance.
No attempts by her to move are successful besides useless flailing about, her massive body far too heavy to be bouyant. Is this it? Is this how she dies, undignifided in the sea as she drowns from her own hubris? The edges of her vision start to go dark as she feels a rage boil up inside her. What a stupid way to go out, after all this buildup and training, to just die from drowning? What would Anderson think? Ariana? And what about Polymas? His champion dying such a stupid death...
No... No, I refuse.
Even as her vision fades, Camille feels her aura flair brightly in defiance.
I refuse to die like this. I will swim. I. WILL. SWIM!
Her spiritual energy spikes and she feels her whole body shiver and itch all over. In the midst of it, she begins to move once again. Instead of slithering side by side, she starts weaving up and down in a motion that feels... Oddly natural. Her consciousness seems to fade no longer, and, in fact, her vision grows sharper even this deep in the water. Even her bullet wounds seem to stop hurting. She spots the boat from far below and everything seems to fall into place. She wills herself forward, and in a surge of movement she flows through the water like a rocket toward the boat. Even with its motor, she is faster. Rising up to the surface— SPLASH— She soars up into the air and over the ship, everything seeming to move in slow motion. Landing back into the water on the other side, her body curls around the center of the boat. Clenching her muscles, she begins to constrict. Wood cracks first, then the metal bends. The boat slowly crumbles within her grasp, before finally with a resounding CRACK-SNAP! Even the metal frame of the ship is unable to hold up against her monstrous strength, splitting the small ship in two and sending debris flying.
"You will not escape that easily," She mouths, but she doesn't seem to be able to breathe out any words in spite of her being perfectly cognizant underwater. Her focus is still too heavily on her foe to dedicate too much thought pondering this oddity though...
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