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Character of the Season
Once known as the Butcher of Whitebrim, he's now The Butcher of Dygra, stepping forward as the first created demigod of the Ancients. There is no question that Astaroth casts an intimidating silhouette. Tall, domineering and dangerous, if looks could kill you'd be dead already, but to get up close and personal with the Grounds' resident cannibal tells a much different story. Dripping with charm and clad in only the finest attire, Asta is a gentleman monster, as polite as they come and committed to his role as security for the Dusklight and those who have earned his loyalty. Be careful of that smile, though - those teeth are sharp.
Congratulations, Asta!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
your dreams are all full of war you are from another time
Sitting on the hedgerows of the massive maze, Melita swung her legs back and forth, tending to a multitude of things in her palms. While Fangorn restlessly toyed with the idea of marching back and forth on the gambit outliers, Sila seemed to flicker and roam overhead, her little dragon eyes narrowing in on the roaming animals nearby. “Eh, leave ‘em be for now,” the demigod muttered, stringing together another piece and cutting the edges with her dagger. “They’re only mildly annoying.” Though, she supposed, if they kept harassing her and her companions, maybe she’d just blow them sky-high.
The speaking squirrels didn’t seem to care much regardless, roaming together in a group of five with excited expressions and rampant stupidity. Follow me! they chorused, bristling tails moving back and forth in hopes that one of the three would join them in the labyrinthine quest to absolutely nowhere. Peering at the top of the fern, moss, and collection of bent twigs and lichen, their eyes went wide, before disappearing, then reappearing below – gesturing wildly to the trio once more. Yes!
salvation doesn't look like light So what remains?
It was supposed to be a quick trip to King’s End, but between the snow and the sudden urge of landing before he loses control completely – the butcher is still learning how to fly, after all – he finds himself stuck in a maze not unlike the Labyrinth back home. It’s a wholly unfortunate event, he decides, but there’s a familiar voice just a few rows over that the butcher latches onto – forcing his way through the rows until he can finally see Ludo’s demigod among a group of speaking squirrels all too excited to distract Melita this deep in Queen’s Gambit.
“Melita, darling. The squirrels have found you too, I see.” He muses, shooting her a shark tooth smile with a hand full of a ball of flame to keep him warm despite the many, many layers the butcher wears to keep the snow at bay and his limbs from freezing entirely. “Pestering little things.” Comes the softer drawl, a brief annoyance on the tip of his tongue as he regards the speaking squirrels again.
your dreams are all full of war you are from another time
Fangorn and Sila serenaded her with warnings well before the Ancient made his appearance, so she cooly turned her head over her shoulder before her features erupted into a grin; no worse for wear nor wholly bothered by the situation at hand. “Unfortunately. Obnoxious fuckers.” She swung her legs around so she could turn and face him, inclined to kick at the hedges underneath, listening to some of the twigs snap, knowing she could simply toss off the tops of the maze whenever she’d like.
While the gourd waved his vines to Astaroth and Sila hovered overhead, she tilted her head, putting her dagger and strings down. “What brings you out this way?” She had been lured by the thought of the unnatural fire again (one of those moments where she’d half-wondered if she could touch the thing and then get the flames for herself without the back and forth).
salvation doesn't look like light So what remains?
Her grin is met with one from the butcher’s own face, taking in the squirrels as they continue to try and lead them off into random directions that would certainly not get them out of the maze. “Mm, yes, that they are.” He agrees with an accented chuckle, keeping the fire at his fingertips before he sparks a few beams of fire toward the closest squirrel that tries to get even closer to him, before he’s waving to Fangorn and Sila.
Turning his dark gaze back toward Ludo’s demigod, he straightens up his posture. “A small pitstop for a snack before I make my way back toward the Grounds.” He doesn’t elaborate that he was hunting, sating the bloodlust, but he’s sure she can put two and two together. “And you?”
your dreams are all full of war you are from another time
For the squirrel’s part, even with its amiable nature, it seemed to sense fire was not good, and twisted back to its brethren. Even then though, it must have felt some affectionate or diabolical pull, for Melita was never certain which way it went with the little rodent bastards, because they turned a corner and still kept up the antics. Follow me! echoed on a throng, tails twisting back and forth as they seemed to find deciding a great difficulty.
She turned her attention back to the Ancient though, a wry grin tucking itself in the corners of her mouth. “A snack, huh?” presuming the insinuation was that he’d be munching on something hunted and raw, taken and snagged from the makeshift labyrinth before making his way home. “Well, the squirrels might give you some. If they don’t fuck off.”
Swinging her legs back and forth again, highly amused and on the edge of determining maelstroms and bloodshed, she pocketed her dagger and the knotted string she’d been unraveling. “I was going to harass my uncle, but he’s busy. So, waiting it out.” Perhaps he could take that to mean she was all fervent and eager for destruction too.
salvation doesn't look like light So what remains?
“A snack, indeed.” The butcher agrees with an easy laugh as he watches the squirrels drift just far enough to not be in proximity of his wrath and the fire that licks at his fingers. “Mm, they may.” He says, regarding the squirrels that still seem somewhat visible on occasion as they peek out from around the edge of the maze, seeing if they’re following yet.
Turning his attention back to Melita as she swings her legs, her answer something that does have him picking up on the meaning, and his smile grows a touch brighter and more amused. “Well, darling, I suppose that means we can bide out time with these squirrels?” Raising a dark brow toward her, Asta smirks as he lets the fire grow into a brighter blaze, a crown of it sitting atop his head nestled in the seat of his antlers now to keep him additionally warm as he nods his chin back toward the space the squirrels still seem to be hanging out.
your dreams are all full of war you are from another time
“I suppose,” she grinned back; had she any Attuned proportions the smile would’ve been fanged, for certain. Launching herself from the hedges, she dusted off portions of the undergrowth stuck to her leggings. Figuring Sila would know the way out, especially from above, she snagged at Fangorn, letting his vines circle around her arms and carrying him along the passageway. “What’s your favorite way to taunt them? I just acquired some new methods.”
At which, the first instance she heard the next Follow me! she shifted towards the sound, narrowing her eyes, before the malicious, wicked little grin set off again. Within half a second, there was an orchestrated bang of confetti, shot directly towards the rodents, sending some running and some ultimately to a swift, squeaking demise.
--
Magic: Confetti Cannon | Fires a magical blast of confetti at an opponent. Range: 30ft
Type: Grey | Rank: Upgraded | Cost: Action
salvation doesn't look like light So what remains?
// you know that this could be your last day here on earth //
Her grin bolsters his own murderous intentions, especially as she launches herself off the hedge and brushes off little pieces of leaves that have stuck to her. “I am a fan of using my scorch magic as well as my shifts on occasion.” Contemplating the idea of it, he realizes that there’s enough room here where they’ve reconnected to be able to use his dragon shift – also relatively new to him. “New methods, however?” He asks, leaning toward her as he watches her begin to interact with the squirrel that starts to shout Follow Me!
It’s met with a loud bang of confetti and Asta’s low rumble of a laugh to watch as it falls, shooting her a vibrant grin of just how impressed he is by it. “That is brilliant.” He offers, the compliments leaving his lips immediately before he’s stepping back when the next squirrel darts out like it might be able to do something about his fallen friend.
The butcher has shifted into his scarred dragon shift, hovering above Melita with too sharp needle-like teeth lashing out at the creature and plucking the squirrel from the ground to promptly devour within his large maw.
Astaroth
// so buddy please, won't you smile just for me //
your dreams are all full of war you are from another time
The instant he mentioned scorch magic, Melita thought about snagging it for herself – but once he rendered into his new methods, she was rather distracted from the idea. Instead, her eyes widened as he hovered overhead, and then promptly descended upon the nearest squirrel like it was nothing more than a toothpick. ”Nice!” she called out, suitably impressed.
But then, because these rodents were stupid, another fresh batch of curious onlookers seemed to want involvement in their friend’s sudden and momentous disappearance. It didn’t appear to matter that they’d have no way of stopping the onslaught (save for pissing off and running away), she could hear the fresh squeaking of Follow me! and No! though none of it sounded like it was in mourning decibels. Snorting, she unfurled another cannon fire blast, right into the makeshift fodder, and there was another bright spray of confetti to land upon desecrated squirrel corpses.
salvation doesn't look like light So what remains?
// you know that this could be your last day here on earth //
The compliment uttered from the demigod sparks a content little chuff from the butcher in this form as he chomps down on the speaking squirrel he’d snatched up. It’s nothing more than an appetizer at this point, though, because the movement of the next scattering of speaking squirrels in their stupidity rushing toward them, he watches as the canon blasts off again in a spree of confetti – momentarily distracting the butcher in vibrant hues.
It’s precisely time for another squirrel to tempt fate, though, and for its boldness the butcher dives down to pick the next one up by the tail, tossing it up into the air and catching it with a snap of his jaws, more than content to play the beast he is under the flesh.
Astaroth
// so buddy please, won't you smile just for me //
your dreams are all full of war you are from another time
Melita had to marvel at both the platitude and range of Astaroth’s skills, and the stupidity of rodents. So while he snapped and tossed and crunched down on the snacks, more of the insipid individuals rushed forward – though their numbers appeared to be dwindling. Whether it was the sheer force behind both Ancient and demigod, or some were wising up to the fact that none of their brethren appeared to be surviving this onslaught, Melita couldn’t be certain. Nor, she figured, did she really care. This was chaos and chicanery and fun.
She gave him a thumbs up he likely couldn’t respond to or see, but the action was there regardless. Once he’d harpooned another directly into his mouth, the Honeybee fired off another round of cannon maelstroms until confetti covered the hedgerows and more deceased, bludgeoned, decimated creatures. “That might be the last of ‘em!” she hollered, not hearing any other echoes. Perhaps Astaroth would be able to see farther from his current position.
salvation doesn't look like light So what remains?
// you know that this could be your last day here on earth //
As the squirrels descend upon them again and Asta plucks one from the ground and tosses it up into the air, it’s a little bit of playing with his food and also the amusement in hearing the shriek of the squirrel scream out a “No!” before its silenced entirely in swallowing the creature down. It helps that his maw in this shift is giant compared to the offending squirrels.
With the next barrage, Asta does miss the thumbs up but he offers a little growl of approval to see the confetti erupt again with a bang, bludgeoned by the cannon. It’s as close to a laugh that the butcher can manage in this shift. He does hear that it might be the last of them, though, and as they turn tail to start to run Asta snags one more with a rapid snap of his neck and maw before they begin to disappear into the undergrowth, finally realizing they didn’t stand a chance against the cannon and the dragon.
So the dragon sits back as he chews on the next bite of the food, a bit of blood dripping down his maw between his too sharp teeth that he pays little attention to as it sates the bloodlust within him very well.
Astaroth
// so buddy please, won't you smile just for me //
your dreams are all full of war you are from another time
Melita supposed, if she ever received a shift, she’d also want to play and taunt and be a little shit to her impending victims. As such, it was with a wild cackle as the dragon toyed with his food, shaking her head merrily before ensuring her companions were all right and well, before stretching out her shoulders and commending their movements on a mission accomplished. “Well, that was fun.” Knowing he couldn’t talk back and not really caring, she hoisted her bag further up her arm, fiddling with the ends of the strings, studying his motions for half a second.
“I’m going to head out, unless you see some other shit we could fry.” Her uncle was bound to be halfway ready by now, and her patience, tragically thin as it was, had returned to its more restless platitudes. The actions had done a great service though in ensuring she wasn’t bored and peeved out of her mind – a nice little chaotic emblem to the afternoon.
salvation doesn't look like light So what remains?
// you know that this could be your last day here on earth //
A low grumble of agreement leaves the dragon as he inclines his large head toward her, nodding. It was fun and it sated exactly the low thrumming chaos in his chest of the bloodlust that had been becoming more noticeable as the days go on. But, seeing as he’s intending on getting out of this maze without having to take the time to escape normally, Asta remains in this shift as she says she’s going to head out.
The dragon shakes his head when it comes to other things they could attack, and with a huff of a sound that could be as close to see you around that he could manage, the butcher’s attention shifts toward the sky, waiting until Melita has managed to get away far enough that the butcher can take to the skies without taking her out – his take off still extremely shaky, but each of these little situations only help him to learn more.
- FIN
Astaroth
// so buddy please, won't you smile just for me //
