LUCARDA, the No-Life Queen Pokégirl

LUCARDA, the No-Life Queen Pokégirl
Type: Very Near Human
Element: Ghost/Magic (Infernal)
Frequency: Extremely Rare
Diet: Blood, Souls
Role: Hunters
Libido: High (Very High during a full moon)
Strong Vs: Bug, Fighting, Ghost, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Celestial
Weak Vs: Dark, Fire, Celestial
Attacks: Blood Blade, Dark Thunder, Ghost Blade, Mega Drain, Night Shade, Vampire Bite, Invis 1-3, Illusion, Phase, Aura of Doom, Hypnotize, Shadow Walk, Devour, Summon Familiar
With Experience: Grisly Wing, Evil Touch, Blood Veil, Summon Undead
Enhancements: Enhanced Speed (x4), Enhanced Strength (x8), Enhanced Endurance (x5), Darkness Affinity, Psychic Affinity, Constant Dark Goggles effect, Regeneration, Self-Mutation, Solar Resistance, Can use certain T2 techniques naturally
Evolves: None
Evolves From: Vampire (mechanism unknown)
Bounty: Varies from league to league
Recommendation if you see one: An uncontrolled Lucarda is regarded by many to be a Mantis-level menace. Immediate evacuation is advised upon sighting. If unable to do so and she's still tame, attempt to parlay. If you’re lucky you might get her as a member of your harem or she’ll decide you’re not worth the effort. If feral, it's advised that you have access to a high-level Celestial, Dark, or Fire pokégirl in order to supress and capture this breed.

Few pokégirls are as reviled as the Vampire breed. Regarded as habitually evil by many, loathsome things that shun the wholesome light of day, that require human blood of all things to survive. As if that were not enough, Vampires are a special breed, one of the few pokégirls with the capability of infection and spreading, an idea which is a nightmare unto itself.

The Lucarda breed is agreed upon by many to be much, much, much worse.

The unusual, some claim unnatural evolution of the Vampire breed is made all the more terrifying due to the unknown trigger that can cause an evolution into this powerful pokégirl. Some claim that a Vampire that has indulged in horrendous amounts of bloodshed can make the leap to this new powerful form. Others theorize that more natural, known triggers can cause such a jump, such as the plethora of unusual evolutionary stones, though Researchers have yet to delve deeply into this unknown area of study. Mages are quick, as always, to note a possible magical source for this evolution, perhaps even that of a Legendary Blessing, though few are eager to see what kind of Legendary or Summoning can spawn this particular pokégirl.

Lucarda, the self-proclaimed 'No Life Queen' pokégirl, were first identified and captured roughly around 210 AS, the exact date unknown due to the lack of modern communication infrastructure in place at that time. Researchers and Watchers are quick to bemoan Tamers habit of thinking with their balls first when it comes to the capture and cataloging of new pokégirls, but in this case they are ironically grateful. After all, had not the first Tamer that encountered a Lucarda not promptly suppressed and tamed the unknown pokégirl, this breed to this day would likely be regarded as a menace to be wiped out upon first sight.

A Lucarda's appearance remains similar to that of a vampire, with pale flesh and pointed canine teeth, but are, habitually, far more intimidating. The minimum height of a Lucarda is that of six foot even - no specimen has been captured or recorded as being shorter. their busts typically increase to a small D-cup, with a sensual, long-limbed figure to match, their hair normally an ankle-length jet black, though a few rare cases have reported Lucarda's with short blonde hair. The most unnerving feature of their appearance, however, is their eyes, shifting to that of blood-red in coloration, with a habit of displaying an unholy luminescence with powerful emotions, such as anger, lust - or their ravenous hunger for blood. Also upon evolving, they loose the Vampire's capability to spread and infect others, for which many view as a small grace.

The true intimidating feature of this pokégirl, however, lies not in their appearance, but in the changes the evolution enacts upon their biology. The loose what enhanced durability they possessed as a Vampire, having a durability similar to that of an Ingenue. However, this crippling weakness is offset by the primary strength a Lucarda brings to a fight - their insanely powerful capability of Regeneration, shrugging off blows that other pokégirls would view as instantly fatal. It's this similar Regeneration most claim that makes Lucarda's immune to the more damaging aspects of sunlight. Most Lucardas, however, have expressed a negative opinion in regards to lazing about in the sun. Day-time beach trips are still ill-advised for the rare Tamer that might come into possession of such a pokégirl.

It's how Lucarda's can utilize this regeneration, however, that makes them truly terrifying. They can utilize their internal energies to twist and deform their body, employing their blood and flesh to spawn unholy creatures they term 'familiars'. Individually, these unholy, unnatural entities are far from overwhelming, but nearly every Lucarda has expressed power that enables them to spawn more than one of these beasts, utilizing swarming tactics to battle against a foe they feel beneath their notice to actually confront face to face. It's this capability that many point to too support the notion that the Lucarda is 'evil', and those whom witness this attack are not quick to deny the accusation. It takes a strong-willed Tamer to stand by calmly as darkness pools and swirls around a Lucarda's body, her flesh cracking, twisting, slithering and mutating into creatures the limits of which seem to be only that of a Lucarda's nightmarish imagination. The Lucarda's claim that the source of the energy to support these familiars are the blood and souls of those she has slain in battle does not help, either. Wise Tamers are quick to note the one aspect of this attack - when utilizing it, the technique leaves a Lucarda weaker and vulnerable than normal, allowing a tactically-minded Tamer to take advantage of such an opportunity.

Still, as much as Lucarda's enjoy playing up their inhuman invincibility when facing off against weaker foes, they are not unstoppable juggernauts, nor do they remain untouched by the unnatural capabilities they possess. Heavy reliance on their Regeneration capability can result in... unusual... aspects developing in their physiology, further enhancing their inhuman features. One Lucarda, as an example, had her left arm completely severed - what regenerated could not be described as proper flesh, but instead a liquid, shadow-like substance that takes the shape of her pleasing - a normal arm, grasping or bladed tentacles for combat, or shadows that can swarm out ravenously to gnaw and attack. All in all, a stark reminder of the inhuman thing a Lucarda pokégirl has become.

Lucardas, unlike other pokégirls, do not shun away from their unnatural, inhuman state, however. They revel in it. They enjoy flaunting their seeming immortality and near invincibility when dealing with foes that are weaker than them, gleefully indulging in egotistical behavior. More than one Lucarda has expressed a preference to let their opponent seemingly tear them apart, only to employ their monstrous regeneration to negate the full extent of their injuries, and then obliterate their opponent whilst taunting and belittling them to the last. Lucardas apparently relish the opportunity to completely break an opponent in both mind and body, before finishing them off completely.

Tamers, however, should be warned to never to fall under the spell and miss-assumption of a Lucarda's self-aggrandizing behavior. They are not a pokégirl without weaknesses. For one, their Regeneration capability is not as unlimited as it would initially seem at first glance. A Lucarda's energy can be expended to the breaking point by a dedicated Tamer utilizing tactics that favor mobility with crippling strikes, exhausting the No Life Queen pokégirl's reserves until she can no longer marshal an offensive. In addition, Dark, Fire, and Celestial attacks all afflict horrifying damage, leaving wounds that seemingly take greater energy to recover from than normal ones. Rather than fear Celestial Pokégirls, however, Lucarda's are seemingly infatuated by the challenge they present, and highly amused by them, both in and out of battle. There is one breed of Celestial Pokégirl in particular that the Lucarda simply love battling more than any other: the Warrior Nun. With a similar regenerative power, battles between these two pokégirls are considered by many to be one of the most exciting and involved pokébattles anyone can witness.

Abilities and traits taken altogether, there is a general assumption by the public that such a pokégirl would be an utter horror to include in a harem with anything but a long list of ball-breaking pokégirls, infernals all, or other similar horrifying and man-killing monstrosities. After years of study, Researchers, Watchers, and Master Tamers have reluctantly disagreed with this initial, first-impression assessment. Despite being an egotistical breed with powerful capabilities and a near-horrendous thirst for blood and flesh, Lucarda's revel just as much if not more in serving their Tamer. Indeed, nothing seems to give them greater pleasure than to serve under a strict task-master, flourishing under challenges and approaching chastisement and correction with subservient glee. While they delight in verbal fencing with their Tamers, they never physically follow up with such taunts. As one Tamer ironically put it, no matter how much a Lucarda adores taunting their Master to allow them to orchestrate displays of carnage and bloodshed, they get just as much pleasure from being told to shut the loving hell up.

A seeming byproduct of this behavioral quirk, Lucarda's respond very poorly to active threats to their Tamer(and regard insults just as badly). No matter the source of this aggressive behavior, their instinctual response is apparently to immediately kill and consume the threat - be it an overly zealous official, a Team member, another Tamer, or a pokégirl in the harem they belong too. At the very least, they respond with such threats with vulgar rhetoric of their own, and have a surprising capacity and eloquence for insults.

Beyond threats to their Master, a Lucarda seems willing to forgive a startling amount from her harem sisters, seemingly content to ignore them - unless they are a Celestial, in which case the Celestial will likely find that she has quickly gained an eager opponent in the battle ring, much to her dismay. The only thing Lucarda's seemingly react poorly too is rank cowardice, which they typically respond to with loathing disgust.

Taming-wise, Lucarda's are habitually omnivorous, with a high libido, but tend toward a submissive streak. It's an accepted rule, however, that taming a Lucarda will involve the pokégirl in question taking blood from her Tamer, submissive streak or no. This requirement, more than anything, seems to be what binds a Lucarda to her Tamer, as one rare instance where a Tamer successfully fended off his Lucarda over an extended period of time resulted in the pokégirl abruptly leaving his harem for another, claiming their blood was sweeter.

There is one final quirk of a Lucarda that bears mentioning; they claim that the majority of their abilities, from their powerful regeneration to their familiar attack, is derived not only from the blood and flesh of their fallen opponents, but their souls, as well. No one is sure what to make of this claim, but it typically expresses in the way Lucarda's always go for a killing blow at the end of a battle, something that needs to be curbed by their Tamer. Such things are frowned upon by the Leagues as a whole, and a Tamer who allows their Lucarda to recklessly indulge in taking pokégirl lives in official battles will likely face anything from an audit to seizure.

There has never been a case of human girl becoming a Lucarda through Threshold. Most people rejoice because of this fact.