The Scourge of Kings [Junction]

Subject: The Scourge of Kings [Junction] Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:04 am

The Scourge of Kings
"Never can true reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep..."
― John Milton, Paradise Lost
The Scourge of Kings [Junction] Sayaka_gif_3

The Scourge of Kings [Junction] Sayaka_gif_3

The Biography

Birth Name: Gisèle Durand
Aliases: Scourge of Kings, Sword of Satan, Azure Knight
Gender: Female
Age: Appears around 22, biologically immortal.
Birth Day: ???
Species/Race Name: Apparition
Original Homeworld Name: Junction
Arcana: The Lust - Hunger symbolizes the danger of losing control, of being consumed by power. The card also implies strength, but strength which comes through Dominance. It is not true power, but the pure bliss of abusing power.
Place of Residence: Lower Ward
Academy Semester: N/A
Class: N/A

Part/Full Time Job: Gisèle doesn't have a paying job, but she does do volunteer work around the city every now and again.

Appearance:

Casual:

As a "human" Gisèle isn't someone who particularly stands out. At a height of 5'6 and a weight of 116 pounds, she's around the average size a woman would be at her age. She tends to dress in modern and informal attire befitting of the lower and middle classes in most universes in an attempt to blend in more and hide her feudal roots, although she's open to a wide variety of styles of clothing as long as they're not too gaudy. Her hair is cut rather short and most notably is an extremely light shade of blue that tends to catch people's eyes almost immediately when they first meet her, although in a city as diverse and technologically advanced as Junction it's no surprise that most people tend to shrug off such an unnatural color.

Demon Form:

In her Demon Form, Gisèle assumes one of the many facets of her myth and takes on the visage of one of her countless titles, that of the Azure Knight. Very little changes about her physical appearance, but her attire shifts drastically from whatever she was wearing into a beautifully stitched and masterfully designed regal garb. Everything about it speaks of nobility from the blindingly shiny colors to the elegantly flowing white cape; if only for a moment Gisèle appears as if she were a queen before she reveals the true meaning and intent behind this carefully crafted mien of hers.

As the Scourge of Kings, the only point of Gisèle's existence is to tear down, mock, and torment the elite as so many of them have done to those beneath them. She is an entity born of pure, seething contempt and so she dons this lavish facade all in the name of sullying it. With erratic and vulgar attacks reminiscent of that of a wild beast she flings herself forward eagerly without concern for dirtying or tearing the sickeningly materialistic regalia; she shows as soon as combat begins that there is nothing sacred about luxury, that clothes do not make the man and that even an unrepentant savage can dance about in such frivolously frilly garments. Just like Gisèle herself, this deceivingly posh transformation is nothing more than an expression of undistilled hatred for any and all who stand above others in some way.

Personality: If there is one word that could describe Gisèle perfectly it would have to be tragic. She is damned regardless of how you choose to interpret the word: damned to never fully possess the humanity she's said to have lost, damned to throw herself time and time again into a life full of war and bloodshed, damned to act according to and wholeheartedly, foolishly believe in a self created entirely by the wishes and whispers of faceless strangers. The Scourge of Kings may be a monster, she may be a fiend, but as a being born from the human psyche, she represents a low that any living creature could fall to however exaggerated and twisted that reflection might be. She isn't an incomprehensible horror from the great beyond, she's us----and ironically enough in the eyes of many that makes her more irredeemable than less. Even if she were to come to regret her actions, even if she were to hope and cry out for salvation finally free of her despair, who would be willing to listen? What kind of person would be so kind and so stupid and so unassuming as to extend their hand to one of their inner demons brought to life?

The answer is none. No one cries for the devil, especially not when it's on their doorstep.

As a demon, Gisèle is id given form, desire and emotion run amok. She's an entity that thrives off class warfare and devotes her entire being to fighting for her depraved idea of the good fight: she is the envy and wrath of those who suffer beneath the heel of tyrants all bundled and melded together into a singular beast. The Scourge of Kings has no goal other than destroying everyone at the top. She doesn't exist to reform society or peacefully champion the cause of aiding the working class, she exists to kill, maim, and torture everything that has drawn her ire. Given no opposition and the appropriate amount of power required for such a task, Gisèle will kill anyone who is a part of society's upper-class without concern for what happens next, typically in the most brutal and sadistic ways she can manage. Dehumanizing her chosen victims and pushing them as far away from her as possible, she views their very existence as an unforgivable crime, a blemish upon the world that deserves the atrocities she inflicts on them with such zeal and catharsis. Prior to the rise of this new incarnation of her which has manifested in Junction, the Azure Knight has never been forced to coexist alongside the kind of people she hunted as prey and as such she has never had a chance to connect with them; her entire view of the world has been filtered through her legend and as such she acts accordingly to how she is described in the story. Perhaps if a truly pure soul bonded with her and proved that not all nobles are unaware of the plight of the poor she'd see the error of her ways, but... that's an unlikely outcome to say the least, even ignoring the potential dangers of such a task (although most likely wouldn't be able to tell that Gisèle's a demon at first glance let alone discern her inner thoughts and worldview). For now though, she at least entertains this way of life and puts on a mask to hide her true feelings and nature, if only because she's sensible enough to know that trying to go on a rampage in a city she's barely familiar with without any clear targets and barely any power to fall back on is akin to signing her own death warrant. Whether she likes it or not, for now, she'll have to hold herself back.

While she is incredibly devoted to and invested in her "duty" to strike at the bigwigs in the universe and it defines her in many ways, that doesn't mean it's the only thing she focuses on. Gisèle has taken advantage of her recent circumstances to learn about Junction as much she can and to try to see all the sights it has to offer. These investigations could offer some valuable information but in truth, they tend to be done more out of curiosity than necessity. They provide a nice distraction from all the ails and worries that weigh down crushingly upon her, although deep down she's aware that no amount of sightseeing is going to magically lead to long-term happiness.

Having well known the pain of hunger, it should be no surprise that Gisèle finds much pleasure in countless kinds of food. While she doesn't require it to survive every now and then she still gets the urge to treat herself and seeks it out, although this is a rare occurrence as she deliberately tries to avoid indulging in luxury too much out of disgust at the avarice and selfishness that she sees in hedonists who can afford their pleasures. Still, when she does get the chance to humor herself and decides to take it, Gisèle will try anything on the menu and she'll savor every bite.

As stated before, Gisèle's more interested in the downfall of the prosperous than uplifting the destitute. This isn't out of a lack of compassion for what they're going through; she empathizes with the poor immensely and it's her fury at how some people can treat them that drives her to the extremes she commits. However, Gisèle is a person with a very bleak outlook on life that's been molded by almost all of her memories and experiences. She doesn't see any hope for a brighter tomorrow or any chance of an egalitarian society, all she can see awaiting those who lie at the bottom of the city is an eternity of despair and loss. While she does her best to ease their pain to the best of her abilities when she can it isn't her main focus and if members of the lower class die in the crossfire of her actions she'll dismiss it as an inevitability or even go as far as to call it euthanasia. It's a revoltingly pessimistic and cruel way to look at the world, but if nothing else it serves as a crude defense mechanism for someone who can't handle any more sorrow within their life.

Overall Gisèle is someone who most sane people would avoid. But within a city as wild and diverse as Junction, the typical definition of sanity can't really be applied, can it? Perhaps if you're (un)lucky enough you'll cross paths with Gisèle yourself and be able to make your own judgements about her if you can tolerate her sour demeanor long enough. Just be sure to avoid wearing that fancy new dress or suit of yours when you do, alright? Bad things tend to happen to those who tempt fate. =)

The Potential

The Scourge of Kings [Junction] 46b5374a4a295b5cf8142c39ac80359718d3c783_hq

Strengths:

—Strength Name: Eat the Rich
—Description: When fighting against another character Gisèle will deal 10% more damage to them if they have more VC than her in their inventory.

—Strength Name: Warrior of Chaos
—Description: Throughout all her many incarnations across the multiverse the Scourge of Kings has always been a skilled swordswoman. Under the rare circumstance that she wasn't able to rely on her supernatural powers, she could fall back on her prowess with a blade and her natural speed to deal with her opponents. Mechanically this translates to her being able to attack twice in one turn with her soulbound weapon.

—Strength Name: Avatar of Malice
—Description: Gisèle's fury is unyielding and on the battlefield she pulsates with inhuman levels of hatred. If she uses her class ability and enters her Corrupted form then once the duration ends she'll be inflicted with the Rage ailment specifically instead of a random one. It should be noted however that if for some reason she decides to enter Corrupted form again afterwards then whatever ailment she gets next will be randomized as it would typically be.

—Strength Name: Claws
—Description: If Gisèle enters her Corrupted form then on both of her hands she will gain small claws capable of inflicting real damage on the enemy. These claws aren't anything spectacular; they're the length of average human fingers and will only inflict as much damage as a normal knife would do to the person. When up close and personal though they can be useful and if Gisèle wants to make a person's death look particularly gruesome then she can quite literally tear them to shreds through this.

—Strength Name: Mind Games
—Description: While she's generally far from a subtle person, Junction is a much different environment than the other worlds plagued by the Scourge of Kings, and so Gisèle must take precautions that she never before had to deal with. Luckily for her, there are much more nuanced ways of breaking a person and her innate connection to humanity enables her to see those ways more clearly even if executing them might still pose some challenge. With sufficient information and tact, Gisèle's words can cut deeper than any weapon and she can get inside people's heads with a little more ease than most in order to manipulate or torment her victim as she sees fit. In addition, she can use this talent of hers in the opposite way as well and rely on it to better understand and empathize with the problems her allies are going through, although given her destructive tendencies this is understandably a much rarer application of it.

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((Racial Strength: This is where you put any special powers that your race is capable of. This area is where your character truly comes alive. Things such as flight, shape shifting, or anything else your race can do is put here. This strength will be heavily scrutinized to ensure balance.)

—Racial Strength Name: I Am Thou, Thou Art I
—Description: Gisèle is not a human being, but rather a product of them. While she does have a human form, it exists only as a container for her tale and soul, a hollow vessel that is only maintained by the beliefs and emotions of entities which know "true life." While she is still affected by real damage and can certainly be "killed" by non-supernatural weaponry, this method of destroying her will never be able to put a permanent end to her so long as someone within Junction continues to observe her existence in some form. As a result, Gisèle may reform within the Lower Ward of the city if killed through this method and will simply reappear with a new body with the old one having been destroyed in a burst of ethereal flames at the time of death.

It should be stressed however that this does not make her immortal. This racial strength applies only to death through real damage and cannot shield her against Personas, soulbounds, side-arms, soul skills, etc. If she dies to those then she's dead for good just like anyone else would be. In addition, her old body won't vanish for at least a few minutes and during this time the soul will continue to be housed within it thereby being open to attack. This means that were a person to acquire knowledge of this racial strength then they'd easily be able to counter it through simply wailing on the body through supernatural means until her HP is depleted to zero; the only saving grace to what would otherwise be a fatal flaw of this ability is the simple fact that it's extraordinarily unlikely that they'd arrive at this conclusion without Gisèle herself telling them about it.

If it's not obvious it should also be noted that any items or VC she had on her at the time of death will be lost. They won't even be able to be recovered by her allies or enemies as the flames which engulf her body will destroy all valuables on her person. Even if they take advantage of the short timeframe between her demise and her body's disappearance in order to loot from her discarded husk, the goods they gather from her will dematerialize in an instant as soon as she does.

Last but not least of the stipulations: it takes at least an ingame day for her to revive, so she absolutely cannot reenter the topic she died in or go into any other topics which were happening at the same moment. Even ignoring the day that it takes for her to resurrect, it'd still take some time to get from the Lower Ward to wherever she was last, so she can't just stroll right back in as if nothing happened.

Weaknesses:

—Weakness Name: Strange Bedfellows
—Description: Needless to say by now, Gisèle is not very fond of those at the top of the food chain in society, so working alongside them can prove quite difficult. If the majority of her allies have more VC than her then any healing or buff skills used on her by her party will be 5% less effective. This means that a basic Media would only heal 15% of her HP instead of 20%, an unboosted Tarukaja would only give her a 25% increase in attack power, etc. This effect doesn't apply to passives, however, so skills such as Auto-Mataru would be unaffected by it.

—Weakness Name: Dated Tech
—Description: It's not as if Gisèle's myth has never manifested in a world with advanced technology. Poverty exists in any time period after all and any reality where megacorporations exist is sure to attract her wrath like bees to honey. Speaking frankly though, it's far more likely for her to manifest somewhere like medieval Europe than it is for her to appear in Neo Tokyo. Her tale is one rooted in the feudal system of the time and the superstitions of the common people, so it's only natural that she'd take after those times in some way and feel slightly uncomfortable using highly advanced technology when there's a more familiar method available. It's partially because of this that her side-arm is a bow-and-arrow and because she uses this instead of a gun her attacks with Envy only ignore 5% of the enemy's PEnd instead of the usual 10%.

—Weakness Name: Aquaphobia
—Description: Every time she stares out into the waters Gisèle is reminded of... unpleasant memories. Around significant amounts of water, she feels incredibly uncomfortable and she'll try her best to avoid it at any cost making swimming or visiting an aquarium out of the question for her. This also has the mechanical effect of increasing her chance of being inflicted with Fear for the next two turns after being struck by an ice or water skill. Ice increases the chance by 5% whereas water increases it by 10%. The extra chances don't stack on top of each other though; for instance, if she was hit by an ice skill and then shortly after hit by a water skill the 10% boost would override the 5%.

—Weakness Name: Monstrous
—Description: When Gisèle goes into her Corrupted form she reveals herself as the Sword of Satan and thereby a demonic entity. In this state light skills are 10% more effective against her.

—Weakness Name: Pitiful
—Description: Beneath all that hate and all those shows of bravado lies a broken and deeply disturbed individual. An air of melancholy follows Gisèle wherever she goes and people looking for more upbeat company generally tend to avoid her figuring that she'll just rain on their parade. This doesn't mean that she can't enjoy herself from time to time or that she can't feign happiness, but in the grand scheme of things, Gisèle is a person whose existence is defined by suffering. Haunted by the past and poisoned with enmity for anyone who has not experienced her plight firsthand, she trudges through her so-called life thoroughly convinced that there is no hope for her, that the only thing she's capable of doing is dragging everyone else down to her level and making them understand her pain. She hurts and so she hurts others, she has nothing and so she can't allow anyone to have anything... In the end that's all she is and, more likely than not, all she ever will be.

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((Racial Weakness: If you take a Racial Strength, you are required to take a racial weakness. This weakness must tie into your racial Strength and will be looked over just as heavily.)

—Racial Weakness Name: Azure Sin
—Description: Gisèle's inexorable ties to her myth and her supernatural nature grant her a means of defying death, but they also ensure that she will forever be a slave to the parable from which she sprung. As such, she will never be free of that Azure Sin, the crime that stained her inside and out and stole from her her humanity, that very first murder that her tragedy itself is intrinsically rooted in. It matters not whether the tale is true or false, whether or not someone could convince her that it was just a legend; she is nothing more than an actor on a stage, a pawn of pawns cursed to play the role she was given. And so shall the waters forever reject her, so shall she never know comfort within the waves.

What this means is that if someone were to submerge her body in water after killing her through real damage they'd negate her chance of revival and cause her to experience death as she normally would. However, this also has another and arguably much more potent effect.

Any time a water skill is used on Gisèle it has a chance of instantly killing her as if it were a light or dark skill of an equivalent tier. The way the skills normally function doesn't change meaning that she still receives damage in PvS from being attacked by them, they just have an extra benefit when used against her on top of that. Any relevant boosts to water skills will also increase the chance of the instant kill being a success but just like for light and dark skills it can't exceed the cap that's in place.

Soul Bound Weapon:

Weapon Name: Wrath
Weapon Description: Despite its theatrical name, Wrath is not all that unique of a weapon. It's a polished, average cutlass at a length of 24 inches and is more a decoration for her Demon Form than it is a deeply meaningful representation of her inner self.

Weapon Image:

Weapon Attack Type: Slash
Weapon Element:

Side-Arm Weapon:

Side-Arm Name: Envy
Side-Arm Description: A simple black-and-red bow which gives off a demonic vibe. There's a small slot on its right side which the wielder must put bullets into in order to convert them to arrows. Once the string is drawn back and the bow has finished charging the transmogrification will be complete and a glowing crimson arrow will appear in place ready to be fired at whatever unlucky target Gisèle has her eyes on.

Side-Arm Image:

Side-Arm Attack Type: Gun
Side-Arm Style: Sniper Rifle - Aimed Shot - Accuracy and crit chance is increased by 20%, bullets also pierce through an enemy and ignore 10% of their PEnd. Takes a turn to charge/aim before able to fire. Consumes only one type of ammo per use. Can shoot only one enemy at a time.

The Background

The Scourge of Kings [Junction] E6f1d4a90688018245d91bb86a4c3ea2

History: Once upon a time in a small village on the outskirts of Paris there was a child named Gisèle.

Gisèle wasn't particularly sharp, or strong, or fast. She wasn't anyone noteworthy or out of the ordinary; she was just like any other girl her age and among the teeming masses she was nothing more than another speck. This wasn't exactly a bad thing though, at least not in her eyes: she was happy with what she had and lived a surprisingly carefree life considering the troubles the times had to offer. Spending most of her time taking care of her baby brother Acel and playing with the other children of the village, she lived within what might be described as a bubble and only very rarely ever found herself looking outside of it to observe the greater picture. While she somewhat understood the role that her family and others in the community had as serfs, she never thought about it in too much depth and instead would only nod her head at whatever it was the adults around her would say; she was naive like you'd expect any child to be and assumed that whatever didn't matter to her at the time was something completely irrelevant, an issue to be dismissed and ignored as if it would never impact her or her way of life.

"How very foolish she was."

One day at dusk underneath the setting sun, that girl made her way home after a day of play with her friends. The brown-haired peasant expected to find things no different than they were before, but when she arrived she'd be greeted not by the warmth of her mother's embrace but by the sight of her in the midst of a heated argument. Gisèle watched from afar quietly with curious and concerned eyes as her father yelled and screamed words that she didn't understand. His skin looked a little paler than it did the last time she had seen him and for whatever reason, he shook a little whenever he tried to stand, but he still managed to raise his voice loud enough to shout down the woman's pleas. Watching and waiting for the argument to die down, Gisèle would eventually enter her home once the two of them reached an impasse and would quietly take her place. That night their normally jovial and rambunctious family gatherings were replaced with a deafening silence that spoke all for itself.

She woke up the next day as usual, and the day after that, and the day after that. There were no more quarrels between her parents or unnaturally silent family dinners -- things had returned to the normal way that they had always been. But something nagged at her in the back of her head, whispered concerns into her ear and filled her heart with worry and uncertainty. She began to slowly drift away from her friends and started spending her freetime not on personal entertainment but on keeping an eye on her father from afar while he worked in the fields. Never before had she displayed any particular interest in the details of his work, but... that wasn't what this was about. Not by a long shot.

She didn't know how he typically went about his job, but even so she could tell that this wasn't what it was supposed to be like. As he tended to the crops he struggled and stumbled barely able to keep his balance; his hands and entire body shook as he lifted up his tools and with every stroke and every motion he seemed as though he was about to break. From what little she had been taught about agriculture and what she was able to piece together she could tell that the crops weren't doing well, but as she watched her dad push himself harder and harder to take care of them she had to wonder if it was worth all this effort. Sure, food was important, but... did it really matter more than humans themselves? Did it really matter more than her father's? Yet no one stopped him, no one attempted to intervene in the slightest, and so he pushed on ahead with a grim look on his face and only the faintest glimmer of hope resting within his colorless eyes.

Day by day he got worse and despite his best efforts, the crops began to wilt and die. Their neighbors chipped in as much as they could, but with their own families to look after they couldn't risk their own livelihoods all just to assist someone else. Eventually those few that extended a hand to them withdrew it and as her father's mysterious condition worsened he became bedridden and unable to continue work. All he could do was lie in bed muttering incoherently about his duties. "I need to work, I need to work..." It was the only complete sentence he could manage to form and as time continued to cruelly march on he'd soon enough prove unable of uttering even that.

Unable to afford most medicines and treatments, they scraped together what money they had in order purchase the best remedies and services available to them, but even that wasn't enough. He didn't grow any better and his condition only worsened until... Until one day he was gone. They woke that morning to be greeted by the sight of his corpse unmoving and still, his eyes open and blankly staring up at the ceiling devoid of what little life he had left in him.

With the love of her life lost, what little savings they had gone, and the crops they made their livelihood off of now useless it was no surprise that Gisèle's mother sunk into despair. She wasted away inside of their house refusing to greet the world outside and waiting for the inevitable end. It was only a day or so later that she mustered up the last of her energy to wrap a noose around her neck. And with that Gisèle and Acel had only each other left, otherwise all alone in the world.

Gathering what valuables they had left, she took her brother with her and headed for the city in secret knowing that there was no future left for her within the village and not wanting anything to do with the place where her parents died. While she could only go by foot, Paris wasn't too far from the town thankfully and through persistence and a miracle she made it there alive. Paying some merchants with the goods she brought with her, Gisèle ensured she'd have a way to get into the city and a safe place for her to stay away from the many dangers that came with such an unfamiliar environment. She still had to find work for herself and pay for her own meals, but at least she had some comfort knowing that she wouldn't be booted out onto the streets impromptu so long as she could keep up her end of the bargain and pay her dues.

But this was... harder than she expected it to be. Much, much more difficult. That naivety came back to bite her yet again and she struggled to find any sort of work in what to her was practically akin to a whole new world. Paris was hectic, and bustling, and was filled with people of a far different stripe than her who already had others to rely on in the case that they needed a job done. A mere child wasn't fit to survive in such a place on her own, but no matter how much she begged and prayed to the heavens above, time would not slow down for her. With very little options for reputable work, Gisèle was forced to seek out more unscrupulous and dangerous options. It took some time to find anyone who would consider employing her. Hunger pangs became a common fact of life for her and every day was a struggle to keep herself and, more importantly to her, her brother alive. She survived through pure luck and willpower which led her to find a job as a "delivery girl" who brought suspicious packages from place to place and person to person. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement: those who hired her got a reliable runner whose innocent appearance helped her avoid attracting too much attention to unwanted activities and in exchange she got a fighting chance at survival.

But just because she had some kind of a job didn't mean that tough times were magically over. Every night she ate less and less to ensure Acel had enough food to maintain his health. The payment from jobs started to decrease gradually as people began to realize the hold they had over her and just how desperate a situation she was in. They had her start doing worse things, things that she blocked out of her mind as best as she could, but which always came back to haunt her at night in her dreams. But just like her father, she kept pushing herself more and more, over and over; Acel was depending on her, she had no other choice. It didn't matter if she broke, it didn't matter if she died like him as long as her brother was alright. She didn't cherish her life like she used to, for all the simple pleasures she had before had slipped through her fingers and vanished from her sight.

And that was when she started seeing it all. She saw the things that went over her head in her younger years. The more that she got older both literally and figuratively, the more aware she became of what was truly going on. While the clergy and the nobles enjoyed themselves to their heart's content never knowing hardship, the people under them were exploited and abused as if they were mere animals. Sometimes it was for profit, sometimes it was out of spite, sometimes it was even just a way to pass the time or get some quick kicks... Whatever the case, those at the top were so high up that they couldn't see those below them as anything but ants. It made her sick to her stomach, it made her shake with rage every time she thought about it. Malice and anguish built up within her and poisoned her heart as everywhere she looked she began to see suffering where there was none before. She even cursed God himself: after all, what made the King of Kings better than any other aristocrat? If he was as compassionate as the priests made him out to be then why wouldn't he answer her prayers? Wouldn't he help her? Wouldn't wouldn't someone... why wouldn't ANYONE just stop for a second and help?

Things only got worse and worse as time went on; previously reliable employers discarded her and left her to fend for herself in favor of new workers who brought more to the table, opportunities that were once available to her started vanishing as if they were never there, and even the merchant who had provided her housing turned his back on their deal as soon as he started having money issues of his own and demanded she pay rent knowing that she had nowhere else to go. It started to dawn on Gisèle that her time was running out; she and Acel would die if she didn't do something. But there was no light at the end of the tunnel and no matter how much she begged on the streets or how long she searched for a new job no one would give her the time of day. In that moment she just wanted everything to disappear: she didn't want to keep going on, she couldn't possibly keep going on.

And that was when the voice whispered in her head. It creeped out from inside her heart and told her sweet nothings in hushed tones; it asked her if she wanted revenge on the world and the people that did this to her. There was hesitance in her voice, but when the agony of the hunger pangs struck her once again and she heard the sound of Acel weeping ring out from the other room it was wiped away in an instant. She turned her gaze into the abyss with hollow, empty eyes and asked what she needed to do to fulfill her one and only wish. With an amused chuckle, she was given a simple instruction.

"Go to the river near your old home. That is all that I ask."

So at dusk she took her brother and left for the village that she had promised herself she'd never return to. She walked, and walked, and walked until her soles were red and she couldn't stand anymore. Then at the bank of the river, she collapsed to the ground with her brother in her arms and stared exhaustedly at the pale blue waters before her awaiting the voice's return. When she regained her breath and some sliver of her strength returned to her, the man inside her head spoke once again with yet another demand. This one though, this one... it was...

"If you want power then sacrifice your brother's life.
Hold Acel down and drown him in the river with your own two hands."

...it was too cruel. To ask her to do something so horrible to the only person she had left, to ask her to murder him after everything she had done for his sake. It filled her with overwhelming revulsion and horror to even think of entertaining a vile request like that. Her arms tightened around him refusing to let him go while in the presence of such a monstrous devil, but as she stared down at the sleeping boy's face her mind filled up with thought after thought and emotion after emotion until it felt like it was going to burst. They couldn't survive as it was. No matter how many times she forced herself to forgo eating just for his sake, no matter how much she slaved away to get the money they needed to pay off their debts, no matter how much she struggled or how much she cried out for help they wouldn't live. No matter what Acel would die either beneath the waves as the presence commanded of her or of starvation after she worked herself to literal death and was no longer there to support him. So... so she did as it asked. Because it didn't matter; there was no place for them in the evil world that smiled only upon kings.

With the last of her energy, Gisèle lifted him over the azure-colored creek and forced her frail arms down into it with all her might. As she felt him awaken and stir beneath the waters her body shook uncontrollably and tears poured down her face one after another until she broke down into an earshattering sob. Incoherently she shrieked out and sputtered whatever words she could through her wailing desperately trying to beg him for his forgiveness. She choked out the same apology again and again, again and again, pleading with him through the tears in desperation and despair until she felt his thrashing body go still. Screaming out in sorrow and grief she fell forward into the waters still weeping even as the voice boomed with laughter and hands grasped onto her legs pulling her down into the sea below. Her short, brown hair became drenched in blue, forever stained to reflect the color of her tears and her clothes too were painted over in much the same way by the waters that viciously thrashed against her during her descent.

Gisèle sank further and further down into the river. Dragged deeper by her own agonizing regret and the demons that had preyed on her, the girl cursed everyone and everything with her last breath as a human, and as she plummeted into the depths of hell all the hatred and all sin that clung to her soul tainted her both inside and out corrupting her into one of the very monsters that had tempted her to walk this dreadful path. Now nothing more than a puppet of the devil who did this to her, Gisèle has become the Sword of Satan, the Scourge of Kings who knows only contempt for everyone and everything in existence. She will stop at nothing to steal away the souls of the nobles who took from her that which she cherished most and forever rejecting God's light she will never again know peace. Such is the Hell she has made for herself, a Hell she will never be free of no matter where she goes until the day that she's finally saved from the all-consuming hatred that has infected the remains of her crumbled psyche.

The Scourge of Kings [Junction] Tumblr_n382rilgFU1ts7zcto1_500

There are a thousand different variations of this story scattered across the multiverse each different in their own ways to reflect the time and culture they were spawned in. What you've heard is one of the more common versions told throughout medieval cities; while some specifics vary, the contents within largely remain the same, although perhaps that could be said of all versions of this little tale. The origin is different for each one as well and if there actually exists a single point from which all these legends have come from then it's likely it'll never be found. Sometimes the story was spread by the rich to the poor in the hopes of exploiting their superstitions to induce in them the fear of damnation should they scorn their masters, other times it emerged from peasants themselves as a warning against losing hope or even was whispered by rebellious members of the lower classes as a reminder of what they might become if they became too extreme in their actions and/or their worldview. In some particularly horrible dystopian societies people looked to the tale for inspiration and saw Gisèle as an outright hero despite its nature as a clear fall-from-grace story.

Whatever the case, the tale of this girl is one that has emerged in countless universes and has been looked to and believed in time after time. While it isn't necessarily common per se when one takes into account the myriad and possibly outright infinite realities that exist within the multiverse, it's still very much plentiful and all the faith and importance that humans have placed in this story has given rise to many echoes of its tragic protagonist. Filled with mindless hatred from their very inception and hellbent on destroying any trace of the bourgeoisie, these monstrous Apparitions unleash the wrath of all who have ever suffered at the hands of the rich; they carve and tear their way through any semblance of order that holds the world together and when it comes to realities where the supernatural is not a well-known facet of life they more often than not end up succeeding in their goals. The Scourge of Kings is something that people know to fear and so long as there is someone who knows of the story then it can theoretically rearise and strike anywhere at anytime.

As a city which hops between dimensions and constantly assimilates new cultures and societies into itself, it's no surprise that eventually word of the Scourge of Kings would make its way around Junction. People from worlds that've been attacked by her and even those who've heard about her but never encountered her in their previous homes have begun to spread around rumors, retellings, and urban legends about Gisèle and the atrocities she's inflicted on those who attracted her unholy anger. While still an obscure story and one that most in Junction have never heard of, the tale's presence within the city still exists to some extent and combined with the resentment that some among those who live in The Slums have for those who reside in The Skies it's just barely enough to give rise to an Apparition of the Azure Knight... and so, accordingly, it has.

"Born" within the Lower Ward, this new incarnation of Gisèle has found herself confronted by a confusing and confounding environment unlike anything she's ever seen. Junction is a city far different from most of the worlds she's manifested in and making sense of how it functions and all that's happening around her has proven difficult given her lack of information. In the weeks that's followed she's since learned much more about the strange society she's found herself in, but without the ability to call upon any supernatural powers she's found herself perplexed on how she should proceed. For now, she's decided to take a more cautious approach and so has put up a front of being an ordinary woman residing within The Slums, even going so far as to willingly seek out registration without coercion all in the name of blending in (and as such she has received an ID like all other citizens). As far as anyone is aware at the moment, Gisèle is a normal girl from one of many cities plucked from one of the dozens of Earths that Junction has visited over the course of all its jumps.

Perhaps for the moment, they aren't even entirely wrong.

But if there is a will there is a way. As single-minded and stubborn as all her counterparts, Gisèle yearns for and seeks out some way to "reclaim her power" or at the very least acquire some new strength to compensate. She overflows with enmity as always and while she'll play pretend for now it shouldn't be forgotten that if she ever retrieves even a fragment of the strength she recalls having then whatever happens next will be far from pretty. If you feel no sympathy for the Scourge of Kings, if you care nothing for the Sword of the Satan, and are certain you'll never have any sort of interest in the Azure Knight then very well. But at least take heed of this warning:

Gisèle Durand will stop at nothing to see you and everyone you love dea—
——————ERROR. CONNECTION LOST.——————

=)

Subject: Re: The Scourge of Kings [Junction] Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:42 pm

Analyzing Character Data.

All Requirements Met.

Congratulations New Citizen Of Junction, ID #SOK3516127 Otherwise Known As Gisèle Durand.

Welcome To Existence.

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