Basilius

........................................................... Red Rose Flowerfall Apparel A cascade of red rose petals fall around you at all times: inexplicable! 2400 Bamboo Sedge Hat Apparel A conical hat made of dried bamboo shoots. Its shape provides adequate protection from the sun and rain. 1500 Red Mantle Apparel A crimson wrap. 250 Katana Apparel A blade fit for a seasoned warrior. 0 Viper's Breastplate Apparel Chest armor crafted from steel and lacquered wood. 1700 Golden Wing Silks Apparel A fine piece of golden silk, elegantly draped to echo the movements of the dragon wearing it. 1725

A dragon of very, very, very few words. Even Hitsugaya hardly knows what he sounds like, as he speaks so infrequently.

Has been part of Byzmara's guard force for decades and hasn't seemed to age a bit. He just appeared one day and approached one of the previous captains of the guard for a position. No one knows whether they actually officially accepted him or not, but Basilius joined their ranks regardless. Against the warnings of every other dragon, he chose to take up (the very first) night watch and became largely responsible for the rank's ensuing expansion and welfare. The nights still weren't safe, but Basilius at least could navigate them freely, and with his aid, additional measures could be taken to protect Byzmara.

He's one of the most independent guards, and the only one that Hitsugaya allows free rein to act as he deems fit in that capacity. It is to Basilius that dragons must report if they wish to join the night watch, rather than Captain Hitsugaya himself. The captain respects Basilius' input, at the very rare times where he chooses to offer it.

Apollo occasionally joins him on patrol for reasons unknown to anyone but themselves.

Shadow-morphing: can turn himself into a substance that looks like Shadowbinder's goo to sink into shadows, used to travel/eavesdrop/etc. He can't be injured in goo form or while he's in a shadow, but he also can't attack; for that, he has to come out and go back to normal Wildclaw form.

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You don't become a guard of the night watch unless you're as deadly as the monsters you fight.

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Basic -> Cherub 1/28/2016, 00:56 FRT
Basic -> Underbelly 4/29/2018, 14:26 FRT
Basic -> Shimmer 10/2/2022, 12:31 FRT
Cherub -> Pharaoh 4/2/2024, 21:06 FRT
Common -> Rare [Flash Sale] 4/2/2024, 21:06 FRT



bought from @Claudea

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The wall had been breached, but not for much longer. As the Pearlcatcher worker slotted the last block in place, Hitsugaya and his guards visibly relaxed.

"The geomancers will take it from here now. You may go," Hitsugaya said. The worker smiled warmly back. He pulled his bamboo-green cape tighter around himself before ambling away.

In contrast, Hitsugaya snapped, "Stay right where you are!" to the Imperial fidgeting nearby. Volker grinned sheepishly. His wolf cape, meant to enhance his ominousness, only made him look snaggletoothed, and his hangdog expression wasn't helping.

Hitsugaya fixed him with a stern glare. "I don't suppose you'd care to assist us with this?"

"You're doing such an excellent job already, Hitsugaya—"

"That's Captain Hitsugaya to you, magician!"

"—so I believe you can take care of things without my help, like you always do! After all..." Volker's smile grew more ingratiating. "You have so many talented folks at your dispo — er, command. Like that gruff old fellow... What was his name again?"

The sun was setting. Hitsugaya studied the shadows; they threatened to drown the city, hide the monsters prowling within...

"His name is Basilius. Nightfall approaches... He will join us soon."

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Volker's latest experiment had been another great success. He'd summoned hunters from another world, things of brightness and crackling noise that could spear a dragon’s body with their lance-shaped limbs. "I call them light wights!" he proudly declared. Nobody appreciated this.

All but one had been dispatched by the guards. Sunlight had rendered it inactive, caused it to temporarily vanish from the world. But at nightfall, it appeared again.

A flicker and a crackle... A shape materialized in an alley. Jittering lines and polygons, as sharp and flat as broken glass. They stood out against the darkness as if painted onto the air, shining white through gold. A passing cutpurse, intrigued by this anomaly, tested the shape with his dagger.

He soon realized he'd made a mistake: the light wight was indeed as sharp as it appeared. A single strike from it punched a slit through the cutpurse's arm. It bled badly, and his scream split the air.

And a shadow detached from the wall. "You should be running," it rasped as it shifted form. Violet eyes smoldered in a coal-dark face; talons dug into the ground. Basilius, one of Byzmara's greatest guards, had arrived.

As the cutpurse staggered away, the Wildclaw drew his sword from its sheath. The wight paused, studying this new challenger. And then one of its upper limbs suddenly elongated. Now it, too, had a sword.

The night rang with jangling notes as the wight menaced the guard. Its shining limbs failed to find purchase or even scratch the sword, and it began to rattle and whine, seemingly in frustration. At its core, more shining polygons whirled around each other. Basilius' eyes narrowed; clearly the creature was planning something...

He was ready when it lashed out, myriad shining spikes striking all at once, each as long as his own sword. The alley was briefly as bright as day. In the sudden rush, the Wildclaw disappeared. His mantle seemed to fold in on itself, and the rest of him followed, liquefying into utter blackness.

The wight's lances pierced empty air. The only other sound it made was a shriek as Basilius engaged it again. His shadow looped around the lances and flowed quickly along their length; the wight's scream cracked nearby windows, but the Wildclaw didn't seem to hear it. From the dark mass his head reared up, followed by his arms, his shoulders, and the inevitable gleaming blade. His wings arched in a scarlet surge before the sword flashed out, stabbing deep into the light wight's core. Its implosion plunged the alley back into darkness and left the buildings trembling.

The rest of the guards arrived just as Basilius sheathed his sword. He was as solid as stone once more; the wight's remnants lay at his feet like pieces of glowing glass. The next instant, they were gone, erased by a passing breeze.

"Well done, Basilius," commended Hitsugaya. "You didn't have much trouble, I hope?"

"Negligible," the darker Wildclaw responded. Hitsugaya decided that it wouldn't be good to mention that the wights had slain a dozen other dragons already. And anyway, the threat had been eliminated — that was all that mattered right now.

"One night to wrap up the mission — that's gotta be some kind of record!" crowed a guard. She was new, and her optimism hadn't entirely disappeared yet. As she walked beside Basilius, she chattered, "You're amazing, sir! To take on that thing single-handed... I've heard you can transform into shadows; no wonder that wight lost to you. I'm thinking of joining the Night Watch myself... Do you think I can make it?"

It was rather sad, in a way. Someone would have to explain to the newbie that fighting the monsters of the night meant eventually becoming one of them. Hitsugaya wished Basilius would say something about this, but it was a futile hope. The older Wildclaw continued striding in silence, looking straight ahead.

They passed through a covered alleyway, and when they came out the other end, he was gone, his shadow moving fleetly over the ground. The Captain didn't attempt to call him back. Although Basilius was Hitsugaya's subordinate, he'd been around longer than the Captain himself. Hitsugaya had heard the stories: how he'd seemingly melted out of the darkness one evening, asked to be a part of the Night Watch. Some dragons had scoffed at this newcomer — but there was no scoffing after he'd led his comrades in dispatching the phantoms that had plagued Byzmara at night. The city had become significantly safer since then, thanks in large part to Basilius himself.

"To fight monsters, one must become a monster," Hitsugaya mused to himself. "Basilius may indeed be a monster — but at least he's our monster."

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