Completed [The Prairie] Adolescence (Celeste)

[Mirage]

Where the spine pierced Kouri there was an obvious drain on her energy. Her soulmist was quickly slipping away, and if she did not get free quickly the ghost girl might find her unlife ending far too quickly. Fubuki would feel a yank as she was pulled closer to the creature, its serpentine tail wrapping around the ghost to hold her in place. With more of her soulmist touching the creature her strength began to fade faster, and just as her strength was fading the creature was growing in size, getting larger by the second. The more it absorbed it began to take on a translucent quality.

Celeste's call was quickly answered, two short howls that cut the air. Help was coming. For now Fubuki and Celeste would have to fend for themselves. The beast barely glanced at Celeste as she darted past, giving a very lazy swipe at her as she got close but not bothering to chase after.

It would be a little over a chime before the tell tail plume of dust announced backup's arrival. A single shape appeared, resolving itself into the large wolf body of the other Prairie Initiate. Celeste would recognize him as Brom, and catching sight of the situation he would make straight for the creature, fangs bared and ears laid back. As he ran he grew as well, growing to just under six feet at the shoulder. His canines hooked over his jaw, the bone plates spread farther to cover his vital spots and ridges began to form across their surface. His fur changed as well, becoming black as night and his eyes red like blood. it would still be a few ticks before he arrived, and if nothing was done Fubuki would be finished before he got there.

OOCLet the battle begin!

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Uuuh... n-no!! Run!" Though Kouri was confident Celeste could take care of herself in normal situations, the matter of combating a giant scorpion-snake thing alone wouldn't be considered 'normal'. The ghost girl feared for the morpher's safety, the monster could tear her apart with its powerful pincers or devour her with its cobra-tail. "Uuuh... uhn..." Kouri dropped to the ground and clutched her chest, a swirl of black mist began forming over her wound, she needed more time but obviously the monster wouldn't let her. Even to a master ghost like her, the pain was so great, Kouri felt like being stabbed by one of Wanda's needles, she felt her power draining and couldn't even blink away to safety. She saw Celeste lifting her magic, turning her form back into that of a naked young woman. If this was not a life-and-death situation, the ghost would be disappointed she couldn't see the giant snake anymore. Oh, she's not going to fight it alone? The human's call was most likely to request for backup from her allies. Good, that easened the ghost girl's worry. Through her blurring vision, she witnessed Celeste's process of transforming into a large dog, it was so different from a Kelvic. No swirls of light or instant shifting, but more 'biologically' correct. The creature was approaching fast, she didn't get the chance to escape as the tail part of the monster lunged at her. "Ku... uuh... AAAAH!!" In much horror, Kouri felt her ethereal small body being constricted by the snake, the head hissing at her in pure undisguised hunger. It didn't look sentient, just a simple monster driven purely by instinct. The creature's very own body felt like one big soulmist-sucking machine, Kouri moaned and wailed in extreme pain as her soulmist drained from her body and oddly after a few ticks, she began to feel pleasure. A sick pleasure of being close to utter exhaustion, like a person who felt calmness just moments before their death. "Ah..." The ghost girl exhaled a long tired moan, her eyes rapidly fluttered. What would happen to her now? It was completely up to Celeste to distract the creature long enough before it focused on completely absorbing the little ghost girl. If Kouri was just an ordinary ghost, she wouldn't even lsat for more than a few ticks at making contact with the creature's body.

[Celeste Arumen]

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She didn’t even hesitate. Even as Brom ran into view, she’d already managed to get just barely behind it. Her corded back legs propelled her upward, while her thick, powerful jaws closed around the flesh of the creature’s tail. Just like an angry dog, she tossed her head back and forth with all her might, attempting to tear the appendage from her friend, so that she might find a way to escape before it was too late.

In the meantime, Celeste knew she’d need some sort of distraction. It would likely not work, given the fact she was ripping into the beast’s flesh (or at least trying to) but she allowed the illusion to manifest on the ground. It was almost an identical representation of Kouri, just a visual. ”Look to the illusion,” she growled between clenched, tearing teeth. ”Run!” The more appropriate term being, ‘float’ but she didn’t have the energy to make that kind of distinction.

It occurred to her in that moment, that it’d be terribly fruitless to die in the name of saving a ghost. Of all the rational things to do… And yet Celeste felt obligated, no obliged to save this girl. No one should have to die twice. It wasn’t as if she’d signed up to become a Nuit or anything – Kouri was a ghost. She was being tethered to the world for some reason or another, but that reason might not even be her own.

If the tail came free, Celeste would try to bound off to the side before the creature could turn on her. If not, she’d be stuck, jaws clamped down, still trying to rip it away from the ghost’s incorporeal body.
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[Fubuki Kouri]

"Ah... M-mama..." The ghost girl muttered under her misty breath as she felt her body being weakened further and further. The wrap around her neck, torso, and limbs were getting tighter as the creature feasted on her soulmist. The monster grew larger with every tick passed, getting more and more aggressive at the annoying bug that was intervening with its meal, a certain bug in the form of a large dog. The captured ghost's vision was filled with white bright light as hallucination came over her exhausted mind, she imagined she was back in Avanthal among the aurora and snow. Her mother hugging her from behind, picked her up, and Kouri nuzzled lovingly to Sora in return. NO!! No! Don't sleep! Sleep and you will never wake up again!! Some part of her mind driven by survival instinct jolted the ghost back to reality once more. Her gut instinct told her that if she slept now, she would never see the light of Syna again. She definitely didn't want to end being consumed by a monster, she already experienced that once with the tiger in the jungles. The ghost girl's eyes shot open and she screamed with all her might, trying to wrench her way out of the coil to no avail. "H-heeeeelp!!! Help me!!" She couldn't get away, but she would sure to give this monster a hard time eating her. Kouri wanted to blink away, but her body stuck like a glue to the monster... or precisely, to the mist coating and surrounding the monster. She tried to launch her tendrils, but it failed as well. She was stuck, utterly stuck. The monster hissed in anger as it felt it precious tail being bitten. It trashed as it tried to get the annoying dog off from it but Celeste's bite was too strong. White ichor-like blood pouring from its wound and filled Celeste's mouth. D-don't give up! The ghost didn't want to die again, she had so much more things to accomplish in the world. She couldn't just be eaten by this thing, it was not her destiny!

[Mirage]

The tail was not so easily detached, but the rush of blood and the taste of life essence ensured that it was not all in vain. Because the tail did not come free instantly the creature would have time to twist its body, snapping at Celeste but not quite able to reach her with its pincers. It did manage to clip her shoulder, and one of her hind legs. While painful, these wounds would not be fatal. Finally, after prolonged struggle and with a last wrench the tail would be dismembered, ripped free in a spray of white ichor-like blood that set the beast into an agitated frenzy. One of its overly large legs would swipe at Celeste, knocking her back but once more causing no serious injury. WIth its prey taken from it the creature would have turned on Celeste, however, the illusion catching its eye it would begin making after the fake Kouri instead, but it would not work for long.

When the tail came detached the draining of Fubuki's strength would abruptly stop, and the snake-tail would instantly loosen, allowing the ghost to go free. A black streak shot past them both, the shape of Brom, eyes filled with the kill, barreled toward the over large scorpion. Snarling and baring his large fangs the Initiate would lunch, landing on top of the creatures back and then off once more, grabbing the creatures attention for himself. Landing gracefully Brom would turn in time to avoid a swipe made by the scorpions pincer, and as the appendage sailed past he would bit into the join that connected it to the creatures main body. Powerful muscles worked in his jaw and back as he shook his head, tossing the beast from side to side as it tried in vein to get its pincer to pierce the boney plates that ran along his back and sides. WIth one final jerk he sent the creature tumbling, but its pincer stayed in Brom's mouth. Slinging this to the side the Initiate looked back at Celeste, growling with a shake of his head indicating she should come help him finish the creature as it struggled to write itself back upon its feet.

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Aaaaaah!" She screamed in pain as the creature intensified its absorption, using herself as a fuel to aid itself in combat, most likely as a portable healing source. Kouri couldn't take it anymore, as much as she wanted to (un)live, her soulmist body would give up sooner or later. Her crimson eyes, fluttered to a close, a misty breath escaped her small pale lips. Mama... Papa... will I finally see you both? She got her answer soon enough, evident by the sickening crunch of scales and flesh as the monster's serpentine tail ripped off from its body. The ghost girl fell along with the disembodied tail, the fatal constriction around her body loosened. Kouri's body was in a sorry state, her form far more translucent than her unmaterialized state, the swirling wisps around her body all but gone. The powerful presence she carried was reduced so much that only a decent spiritist would be able to 'sense' her. She still couldn't move out of utter exhaustion, but opened her eyes to see Celeste fighting against the tailless scorpion. T-thank you... She couldn't even speak, but her face showed immense amount of gratitude towards her new friend. If it was not for Celeste, Kriemhild and Rena would suddenly find the leader of their group to be no more. I have to help... help! "Aaaagh!" Forcing herself to launch her tendrils only resulted in pain akin to her soulmist being shredded. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see a strange mirage in the shape of her own, it was like staring at her own reflection only that reflection seemed to move on its own. Huh? She didn't know it was the result of Celeste's gnosis, the ghost girl just assumed in her exhaustion, her senses were going awry. The creature seemed to notice it as well, chasing after it to reclaim its prey. That was one strange 'reflection'. The berserk monster found itself to be facing not just one bug, but two bugs. They went from annoyance to threatening, evident by it losing two of its limbs. It desperately tried to get up, like all cornered predators, it would fight to the death. "Grrr! Kill it! Kill it!" Kouri was really, really, angry. If she wasn't physically incapacitated right now and had her chakram-daggers, that thing would know what it felt like to be mince meat! Unfortunately, she could only resort to being the observer right now.

[Celeste Arumen]

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As she struggled with the writhing beast, it struggled to reach her in kind, snapping vainly with its pincers while her teeth sank deeper still. Celeste growled in frustration. The flesh just wouldn’t give! The beast gashed at her shoulder and then her hind leg, each time causing a whimper to escape from between clenched jaws. The pain caused tears to automatically spring to her eyes, but she didn’t relent; with a triumphant spray of milky-white blood, the tail finally came free, causing her to stagger back. But the creature became incensed and swung at her with a shining, chitin-covered leg. It caught her totally off-balance, sending the little girl reeling across the dirt, winding her for a moment.

It took a few seconds for her to comprehend what’d happened. Her head was swimming from the initial contact from the ground. Was Kouri safe? She scrambled to her feet, trying to locate the scuttling beast. It only took a moment – it looked like Brom was taking it apart piece by piece, glancing over expectantly at her. Celeste felt more than happy to oblige, though she felt somewhat wobbly. Shaking the dust from her fur, she bounded back into the action, stinging from the wounds on her front and back. Endorphins helped to pacify the agony, though it’d be back soon enough.

Celeste emulated Brom’s action, attempting to pull the pincer from the other side, gnawing through the muscle. The beast hadn’t quite recovered, providing the perfect opening. Still, how did one kill a bug? What would they have to do in order to deal the killing blow? Celeste again, shook her head from side to side, working her back teeth at the spongy flesh, hoping to tear the claw forth. If it came free, she would toss it to the side and hop back, assessing what to do next.

”Kouri,” she said, tasting the disgusting white ooze in her mouth. ”Kouri, are you okay?” Perhaps she would hear the girl’s reply. She didn’t have any time to wait for it. Looking within, the Morpher sought out each section of the elastic energy and pressed it further, pulling each strand outward with a heavy hand, attempting to become slightly larger. She manipulated her spine, her legs, her paws all outward, the gold and amethyst strands of her djed protesting with each expansion. Her bones cracked while her knees thickened, the sense of it all being as if an impossibly large weight suddenly pulled her downward. The feeling of being stretched was not necessarily new to her, but she’d never felt it so acutely before. And as she worked, the wounds on her shoulder and leg became larger too, tearing further with the sudden increase in mass.

She gave a slightly yelp but worked through it, even the pain pulsated with every step she took. Growling, the very-large Celeste rounded on the creature and with a lunge she made toward the head, intending to bite it clean off.
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[Mirage]

The limb would come free after some fierce biting and tugging, wriggling for a moment after it landed on the ground before growing still. The bug struggled, rocking back and forth with its many legs.

Brom stepped forward, stomping hard in the middle of its midsection, pinning it in place for Celeste as she lunged, grabbing hold of the creatures head. It's exoskeleton would crack with a now SNAP, the creatures head nearly exploding and the creatures movements stilling. Stepping back Brom sniffed the remains, nudging it to ensure it was dead before turning to look at Celeste, "What are you doing here, and with one of those." His eyes flicked to Kouri and back, "They attract things here. Get rid of her, and go back to your patrols." his voice sounded irritated, though his eyes scanned Celeste up and down, stopping on her wounds for a moment before he turned his back on them both, "Let Tierra look at those wounds. You don't want to get an infection, not here." His voice was a little softer as he said this.

Grabbing a hold of one of the creatures legs the Initiate began dragging the Carcass away, heading in the direction of the blood hills.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Even in battle for life and death, Celeste still managed to ask about her well-being. Kouri truly appreciated it, she smiled and shouted to the canine-girl. "Yes! I'm okay! Ehehe~" As much as she loved the attention, Celeste couldn't spare anymore attention to her, she still got the monster rampaging near her. "W-watch out!" She warned the girl when the monster lashed out, but thankfully, the larger black dog comrade of Celeste stopped it. The ghost girl sighed in relief, but her eyes were awed when she witnessed Celeste's transformation into an even bigger and more vicious canine. The battle raged on, but by now, Kouri's child-like mind could see the creature was losing. The canine duo worked together and with their combined efforts, managed to destroy the creature's insectoid head. The overgrown scorpion twitched for a couple of ticks before dropping dead. "Yaaaay!!" The ghost girl stood up and put both of her hands into the air as she launched forward to hug both Celeste and her comrade. Pure euphoria washed over her, she would make sure to repay them in anyway she could, they just saved her unlife. "Eh?" She suddenly stopped though when the black dog called her 'one of those' and commanded Celeste to 'get rid of her'. Who did the man think he was? Some kind of king? The child ghost growled and puffed up her cheeks in anger. Her crimson eyes kept watching the rude canine as it dragged the scorpion's corpse. Once he was out of earshot, Kouri floated to Celeste, ignoring the pain still coursing through her small ethereal body. "Thank you, Celeste! Ehehe~ Uhm... who was that guy?! H-how dare he! I'm not a 'one of those'! Who does he think he is? Hmph!" Kouri crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance. Her expression softened when soon after as she decided to just ignore the rude dog. "I uh... thank you, again." She played with an alabaster strand of her long hair. "Uhm... how can I repay you? I have some gold... and uh... some dolls and daggers, uhm..." She wasn't sure on revealing about her special maledicted dagger and animated doll, those items were precious to her and the little girl didn't want to relinquish them. Nevertheless, she needed to repay Celeste somehow. The other black dog could just drop dead.

[Celeste Arumen]

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They attracted things? Celeste glared at him stubbornly, though she said nothing. While it wasn’t advisable to attract any more failbeasts than strictly necessary, she didn’t like the prospect of trying to shoo Kouri away. It wasn’t often the initiate made friends, living or otherwise. But Brom was trying to help; she noted the change in inflection as he advised her to contact Tierra. She gave a curt nod and sounded the call, less desperate this time.

When he was far enough out of earshot, she sat back to lick her wounds. ”That’s Brom,” she replied, trying to clean some of the ichor from the weeping gash on her leg. It tasted absolutely horrible. ”He is another initiate here on the Prairie. He’s a pain in the arse, but he’s sweet on the inside. Anyway, what you just saw was a failbeast, a failed experiement. Wizards like to dump them out here for us to clean up.” She suddenly felt a pang; just by being out in the Testing Grounds, she was placing the ghost at risk. ”Kouri,” she said softly. ”Once I get looked to, would you like to go back to the Citadel? I can meet you later, when I’m done with patrols.”

She sighed and continued to lick. ”You see, I don’t want you getting hurt again. If you attract creatures like that, I’ll have to fight them to save you. As for repaying me…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want dolls or daggers or anything the Vantha had offered. Celeste didn’t even really want a reward. ”Maybe you can just promise me a favor - anything I want. Does that sound good?” She smiled. This was considered a true political maneuver in the Citadel. A favor could mean anything in the world.

”Are you okay?” She asked suddenly, looking over the girl’s waifish form. ”Did it hurt you?” Was it peculiar to be concerned for a ghost?
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