(Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

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Fate II
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(Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

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New moon nights left Vescrutia's sky a spectacled gallery of shimmering lights, draped delicately above the majestic, frostless peaks of the Hyperion Mountains. The ancient stones that make up the range, stretching largely around the equator of Vescrutia, had their own charm glowing in the night's soft light. The quiet breezes passing through and running along the valleys howled gently as they rode the river's surface and danced through rock formations eroded by the rivers' course over the millennia.

Yet, a particularly foul gale found its way into the mouth of a beast nestled in one of the deeper valleys in the range, where the air seemed to be sucked into the gaping, stone maw of a fanged beast. Within the howling corridors, drenched in darkness, going on for what seemed like forever, two sets of footsteps patter quietly through the darkness. One man leads, spurned on by his innate sensory perception that dwarfs his eyesight, drenched in darkness that seemed to only get blacker by the moment. Following him, another pair of light steps following the sound of his comrade's closely. They traveled in this dark, winding corridor for hours, stepping through pitch blackness with no end in sight. And so they stepped further into the pitch black belly of the snake...

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Fenri
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

Post by Fenri »

"We've been traveling for hours, there's still time for you to turn back!"

Fenri screamed to the figure in the dark behind him, keeping in flying stride with him through the pitch black corridor. The path he followed changed pitch, width and depth wildly, coiling impossibly deep into the Hyperion Mountains. The dank scent reminded him of autumn days and golden sunsets on the range after a smattering of rain, tossing auburn leaves to the wind running free in the valleys. It lent him deftness in this blind sprint while his nighttime adapted eyes peeled away the shadows.

Bolting through the inky gullet, Fenri picked up on a new scent, one growing more pungent with every wind riding step. Its particular blend of olfactory sensations stung on his nasal passages, turning his face into a grimaced scowl enhanced by the terms on which he subjected himself to such torment.

It reeks of death and it only grows worse. I'll have to stop him before we reach wherever this stench is coming from.

Drowning in the macabre haze, Fenri weighed his options: reach the end of this pitch black trail and meet death head on or...

"This is your last chance before I stop you by force!"

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

Post by Zero Venkage »

"I'm not really a 'turn back' kinda guy, y'know?"

Right on Fenri's heels, Zero carefully followed the sound of his footstep through the pitch black. In the dark gullet of this cobra's maw that could have been easily illuminated by a flexing finger, he made sure not to pass his skeptical leader. Sure, he made a blind dash, only following the steps and sounds of the Diamond Dust Premier, just like he was taught. Well, while he was a part of Diamond Dust, that's what the coursework disseminated.

"Come on, I followed you years, what's another few hours?"

Fenri was painted as a perfect leader, stoic, decisive, fierce, compassionate. It drew people to him and allowed them to bend the knee to his cause and the mission of Diamond Dust. Wherever there was strife, whenever asked to help, Diamond Dust agreed to uphold the greater good and had their praises sung all over Vescrutia, enshrined in legend and whispered of in the shadows of carnality. Zero appreciated their place in the world and its structure, but he felt a little unfulfilled when it came to their creed and how it meshed with his personal philosophy.

Any fun, Zero made on his own. The Diamond Dust training regimen rivaled the challenges he took on with the Leviathan Order, in a much more structured sense. What they claimed in intensity, they lacked in freedom of expression, er, freedom of desire, which is what led the pair into the Jotuun Maw. Zero caught wind of the treasure held within and set off, but somehow Fenri beat him to the punch and kept stride ahead of him this whole time which Zero accommodated graciously.

"This is your last chance before I stop you by force!"
"Your commands won't work on me and they never have! What's your next option?"

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Fenri
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

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"You've managed to turn your back on your country, your comrades!"

Playing coy with Fenri only made him more angry. They spent a large amount of time training together, supposedly to prepare Zero for becoming a formal member of Diamond Dust at some point. And although Zero took to the skillet provided with relative ease, laying a very good foundation for a promising Dustee, his own 'creativity' overshadowed the teachings handed down by the school of Tinjutsu.

"You turn your back on every good thing in your life for your own, I'll gotten gain!"

It bothered Fenri to his core to see someone so capable, so naturally adept acquire the skills of his forefathers with such acuity. And to take that foundation and mask it with the mindset of a pirate and a selfish, callous heart hurt that much more. Diamond Dust is a family committed to the greater good and the only thing Zero ever committed to was his own goals.

The same ideals brought them into the depths of the Hyperion Mountains chasing another I'll fated relic if it were to fall into the hands of Zero. Fenri planned to have no part of that future.

"I command only the loyal and they pledge their allegiance freely. Your fair weather feelings are of no concern to me."

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

Post by Zero Venkage »

"Fair weather? I've stuck by your side through tons of bad weather!"

Scanning his memory banks, Zero recalled more than a few good memories with Fenri in tow. Between the secret basement training sessions and normal service on the main floor of the facility, Zero's time at Duster's Tavern was well spent. He enjoyed the structure and education for what it was worth, grasping the fundamentals of each lesson very quickly. They, all of Diamond Dust and the skills they developed within him reminded Zero of his home, before setting out to see what the wide reaching arc of life had in store for him. Being around Fenri felt natural for Zero, they learned and communicated easily enough and shared with each other dreams of the ideal future the both strove to build for the people they cared about. Zero thought they were two peas in a pod on most situations.

"I tried to be a big shot in Diamond Dust and you never let me show out! And now you're trying to rain on my parade and I'm not even on the team anymore! What's your deal, bro?"

The rosy tint over the images of his memory faded as they barreled deeper into the darkness. Zero wanted nothing to do with Fenri's almost incessant need to control everything in his sphere. Zero understood it was a trait that made him an amazing leader of an organization like Diamond Dust, handling members all across the globe still unified in a singular goal, dedicated to the betterment of their fellow man. It all sounded great on paper, but Zero's heart craved more than the tight directives of Diamond Dust would allow. That fact spurred him out on his own when the opportunity appeared, free of the coercive control he left home to escape.

"So hung up on me you can't stand to see me shine? Not very cool of you, is it, Frosty?"

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Fenri
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

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"It's that entitled, lazy mindset that keeps you from the status you seek."

Big shot? Fenri never described Diamond Dust membership as a popularity contest, although the highest ranked members were all very close members of Fenri's court. Zero, in all his prodigal ability, had eyes full of stars, searching for the next high to reach, always another peak to surmount. One one hand, Fenri might have been envious of his youth, the naivety that allowed him such a dreamy outlook on life. On the other, his wistfulness and ability often pit him against the Diamond Dust core tenets, and unable to rein in. Every time Zero stepped across a line that members of Diamond Dust shouldn't, Fenri found himself face to face with a child with all the ability in the world choosing to push their organizational limits to their breaking point every chance he found. It spat in the face of every member who lacked that natural talent and fell within the organization's operational mantra, every other member had something to prove to one another in their quest for self improvement and gracious charity. They trained, learned, and lived the Diamond Dust lifestyle to bring a benevolent bounty to all of Vescrutia. Zero's short stint was a joke to Dust's dedicated membership.

"Anything I can do to puncture your inflated ego..."

And Fenri knew it from the start. From the chance meeting that brought them together in the Astral to Zero's disappearance from Duster's of his own accord. The only thing about Zero Fenri could count on was his insatiable ability to put himself first. It took time to learn the best way to channel his selfishness into a tool Diamond Dust could utilize, and that is what kept Zero in their care. Now, a lone wolf and loose cannon, Fenri knew he needed to neutralize the imp's ambition before it swallowed the whole world.

"I'll carry out happily!"

The pungent smell of death swelled in the corridor almost like a wall meant to stop the unprepared in their tracks. Fenri's eyes shone an eerie shade of green, hinted with copper highlights as he made a full turn to meet Zero's face. He stretched his hands to the walls beside him and a matching eerie glow lined the inner walls of the tunnel as he slid backwards into its depths. The aurorine (aurora-like) glow that lined the tunnel danced in the air pressure swelled with the pungent scent of death. The power of his Anthem, Tourmaline, filled the cavern's walls and slowed the flow of air, gas, Naten, of anything passing through its glow. That meant Zero and his tailgating were as good as stuck as long as they were slowed down. Fenri pulled off the maneuver in a slick movement like a turning on an slab of ice. Zero was fast, cunning, and resourceful, but Fenri was clear sighted and determined to keep the Jotuun Pearls out of the imp's troublesome hands. With a forceful clench of his fists, the aurora glow intensified and froze everything caught in its glow.

2d6

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

Post by Zero Venkage »

Fenri wrote:
Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:36 pm
"It's that entitled, lazy mindset that keeps you from the status you seek."
"I work really hard to make it look this easy!"

The tunnel burst into an eerie green kaleidoscope of soft green with Fenri's piercing eyes staring back at him in the center of it all. Zero made a choice to be on the opposite end of that ghastly glare this time, his own eye going alight with a sinister, amber glow. Zero had seen Fenri's Anthem do profound work, it quelled a volcano in the Foidia Islands, stemmed a tidal wave off the Rhone Coast, even kept an earthquake from decimating a Dolmida City while it completely flattened the nearby forests. Fenri was the leader of a world renowned humanitarian group for a reason and Zero respected that above all else. His ability to put the good of other people first with such awesome power only made Zero more excited to work with him, even if he couldn't really relate to humanitarian issues in the same way. Unfortunately, Zero's priority was himself and that didn't mesh well with Diamond Dust's tight ship. So those fearsome eyes and that beautiful glow gave him a familiar rush of adrenaline akin to his adventures on the Ogian Seas with the Leviathan Order, hunting his own quarry with a terrifying reputation coming from it.

Zero leaped forward almost on reflex, a flash of electricity firing off from his heels. Fenri's Anthem had a way of slowing things down and it was the sure fire way Fenri planned to keep him from reaching the chamber at the end of the tunnel. He figured it would be easies to pass the wolf if he was turned around, planning to outpace him to the Jotuun Pearls and find a way out of there. He figured they must be close if Fenri resorted to force at this point after spending hours running in the dark.

Zero dove into the kaleidoscope spinning like a drill, its air pressure propelling him through the tunnel like a vacuum tube. He posed to shoot straight past Fenri and keep barreling forward into the inner sanctum they sought.

2d6

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Fenri
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

Post by Fenri »

Fenri 's focus zeroed in on the spinning human human projectile covered in aurorine glow, condensing the mass of green energy to a thin film around his body. He was stuck, mid spin, velocity and forward momentum halted.

"It must be easy being so callous."

Fenri sighed satisfied, catching his prey just before it sped past his body. The daunting smell of rot and death swelled in his nostrils, an almost nauseating stench punctuating how bad of an idea it was for either of them to be in this chamber. Still, he felt relieved with Zero in custody, ready to drag him back to the surface and keep him away from more of the same trouble. Having Zero paused in midair made him chuckle a bit, like having a wild animal stuffed and preserved very well.

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Zero Venkage
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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

Post by Zero Venkage »

I can't believe it...

Suspended in midair, Zero was stranded in animation. It took a lot to pin him down, but Fenri is the only person he thought could manage ensnaring the trickster. Fenri pushed his limits beyond what his natural ability gifted him being from the Marlborough Archipelago, training him in Tinjutsu and using his skills in Diamond Dust, . Zero owed a lot to Fenri at this point, Diamond Dust put him through his paces, showing him how much just an ounce of mindfulness can change the impact he leaves on the world. He used those skills to use and shame more recently, probably why Fenri was able to hunt him down, understanding his goal and knowing the tactics he'd use to reach them gave him an edge Zero supposed.

Zero felt he only had a moment to try to wriggle free, amping up his Naten output to try to break loose of the auroric grip constricting him. He knew Fenri dealt with "treachery" very harshly and found a rush in evading his watchful eye, no matter how narrowly he got away with his antics.

He's probably going to kill me. This is going to suck.

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Re: (Flashback) Divergent Paths: Snake Eyes

Post by Fenri »

Fenri eyed his quarry pridefully, under normal circumstances he might not have been able to catch Zero. He was only able to slow the speedster down in this tunnel, leaving only a matter of time before Zero tried to overtake him. Fenri had an intimate understanding of Zero's repertoire and his Anthem, and that put his chase at a major disadvantage. Staying a step ahead worked in his favor.

"I tried to teach you that patience is a virtue... Ironic, isn't it?"

Fenri walked toward Zero, stranded in midair behind a film of eerie green energy. He found it fitting to have the fiend locked down in mid pounce, like a moth to the flame. The boy had so much promise, a natural prodigy of the surf, sky, and surge, crafty as a sphinx, ferocity to match his cunning and an eye for valuables that rivaled any auction hall. And all that potential boiled down to a scourge of the sea, feared by honest seaman and pirate alike so long as they valued their cargo.

A common thief with extra steps.

"But there really is no honor among your Order, is there?"

Fenri posited half chuckling. Diamond Dust had averted another world crisis for all he cared.

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