Omni5876

Broken Skies

The battle mage had managed to recuperate enough to place a hand on the railing and use it as support to stand up slowly. He let out a humph/grunt at Leo’s jab. Arn knew that a mage sporting swords was a walking punchline. He knew that there was an unwritten rule that swords were meant for swordsmen i.e. knights and ki users.

He placed one hand protectively on the smaller bladed weapon. “I am able to hold my own against common soldiers. I dare say that I would be less than a challenge for the likes of you or the Knight Captain. These were given to me by my master.”

The young mage did not want to get into such a tale at a time like this. As if to answer his unspoken request, the ship started to turn more smoothly than the jolts that had been felt before. He agreed with Leo’s assumption and Tyrhallan had managed to gain the control of the steering wheel. All that was left was to somehow jam the rudder into place.

He grunted as he prepared himself to execute the remainder of the plan. His body groaned and strained. It had been many years since he had felt this way. He had not strained so much, but during his tenure in school it was not uncommon to find him passed out on the training grounds. He would be punished for such recklessness but this had not dissuaded him. Indeed, he often welcomed his time in the solitary room where students were sent to penance.

Arn was setting himself against the railing so he could be able to utilize his hands to perform perhaps his last spell ever. His idea was to melt the metal and in so doing, he would accomplish their goal of ramming the frigate into the other.

Their goal however, came to them. No sooner had he let go of the railing that the two behemoths crashed against each other. Metal squealed and groaned under the impact. As if in its death throes, the frigate that the mage and Leo occupied lurched violently. The motion of the ship sent Arn flying out of the side of the railig so he never heard the young Knight’s comment.

He was soon a leaf in the wind falling through the sky. He saw the deck of the refugee ship below him.. A close mounted knight may still have time to pick him off the sky as he fell. Arn however, was already planning. He even entertained a quick thought of just allowing himself to slam into the deck of the smaller ship. But that thought was immediately cast aside. He figured he could still cast a last spell which he had not used up since he did not have the chance to melt the rudder.

So he fell, the mage timing his fall and waiting untilt he last moment to try and cast an air cushion that would at the least allow only for injuries rather than death.

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

Like many of the battles he had been a part of, it was done before you knew it. Adrenalin still rushed through is veins as he looked about. Cole, as the main attack dealer, had dispatched three or four himself. A few groans could be heard from the ones who had been knocked out by Auriel’s spear shaft. He looked down at their feet and the two who they had recently dispatched lay unmoving.

He turned to the winged warrior. “Hey you ok?” Came his gasping question. Fer saw some blood on her but it seemed to be only that which had spattered on her after inflicting wounds. He grimaced. A few specks had gotten on her pretty wings. The young shield wondered if they would be hard to clean off.

While waiting for her response, he gave himself a patting. There did not seem to be any obvious wounds expect for some scrapes and bruises. His shield arm especially hurt now that the adrenalin was receding. He shook it a couple of times and allowed his shield to disappear into the gem. He touched it to make sure there was not break but it seemed like it was only bruised.

Fer was still making sure he would not bleed out when he heard Cole’s request. It was a bit stranger to the shield at first but he figured it was better to make sure none of the bandits would surprise attack them later. He made his rounds. The two at their feet were definitely gone. Even in battle Auriel was merciful. The hammer bandit ha died quickly. As if to perhaps show a bit of mercy himself he closed the man’s eyes. He moved over to his own handy work. The edge of his shield had connected perfectly at the base of the spine, he had heard a crack and a gurgled grunt from the man. Some moans later and then silence indicated the final demise of the sword wielding bandit.

The shield hero moved on to other targets. Some, which had met Auriel’s spear shaft, were just knocked out. Utilizing what material he had available he hog tied them. With their hands behind their back and using their ankles as leverage, it would be really hard for the bandits to try to escape let a lone wield a weapon. He counted about three or so which were still alive.

Fer walked over to the water throughs for the cattle and washed his hands and face. He hissed as the water made the scrapes and cuts sting. But he was more or less used to that. He splashed water on his face and headed towards Cole who seemed to be taking all the death hard. The young shield hero could sympathize.

His first time had been much worse. They had been ambushed and forced to escape via a mine field. Needless to say many of the gore on him was not his own and there are nights he still wakes up hearing he explosions and the screams crying for help. Maybe that is why he was so adamant about being the hero that this world needs. He did not have the courage, power and means to help at that time but he did now.

As he neared Cole, he placed his hand on the sword’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. “Are you ok?” The question both asked for his physical and mental state. Fer had heard Cole describe the ultimate plans of the gang. It seemed that these vultures were hoping to enjoy the end of the world feeding of the less fortunate.

The plan made Fer feel less bad about killing such scum. Taking life is not something you should enjoy be even vermin must be cleared to let good game thrive. Such is the circle of life, and somebody had to do it.

“Well, you are right about cleaning up this mess. I don’t think the poor farmer would have the fortitude to try and remove our bloody mess.” He thought back reflectively. “Also, we need to notify them of the plan. If I remember correctly, this quest was personally given to us by the king. I am sure he knew all along. But, this feels like more than just a test or a chance to cut our teeth at being heroes.” He massaged his left hand from the soreness that started to set it as he continued. “I think we are going to get little to no help from official avenues. We might have to try the adventurer’s guild again.”

Fer was not happy with the idea. The bat winged adventurer which was supposed to have inside knowledge on the gang never met them at the advertised location. Adventurer’s were nothing more than hired muscle and as such followed those who paid them the most.

To Claim a Starting World

The hunter followed the same methods he was used to. He looked for signs of animal movement and habitation. Arn always wondered at their instincts to find the perfect place for them. He envied their innate knowledge and insight for avoiding danger.

Danger…

The word hanged in his mind like a bad odor. Heavy like some sort of fog that blurred his vision and made him be distracted about the task at hand. He had been tracking for about an hour already. As soon as he had left the cloister of the village and entered the cool dark woods a feeling had begun to creep in the back of his mind.

It was as if by leaving civilization and entering the domain of the wild, of the mysterious, he had entered the territory of danger.

But this time it was different from the ever present danger of predator and prey. He knew that feeling well. He had been one of the other depending on the time. He understood the game of survival and was a peace with it. But recently, there had been an external danger. Not natural but just as primal. He had felt like all the world was prey. Animal or human, there was no circle of life or hierarchy. There was only danger.

Danger…

The feeling moved its way to the fore front of his mind. Slowly like a stalking predator but there was nothing he could do to shake the thought. He was caught in the web like a helpless fly. His mind came back to all the sights he had seen in the last couple of weeks or months. Animals savagely mutilated and consumed.. Wounds that did not match any local predator. Even humans, as vane and destructive as they were, often took fur or other valuables leaving the carcass for carrion birds. But even these acts of savagery did not pose any real danger

DANGER….

The thought was becoming clearer and more insistent. Suddenly, the feeling transcended to confines of his mind to the real world. How long had it been since the silence fell? The usual chirping of birds, or rummaging of animals or even insects were gone. Despite this, Arn no longer felt alone in the woods. Why what was the danger.

DANGER!.....

The hunter trusted his instincts. He did not know why but he headed in the direction of the clearing. It was the obvious place. Inviting, seemingly safe. The flowers that grew there a pretty sight to the eyes distracting those inside the clearing from the dark place of the wood where predators could hide.

His feet pumped faster. His strong legs propelling his body quickly through the woods but still the sense of urgency did not diminish. His lungs pulled in huge amounts of musky air. Despite his size, he weaved through the wood like a deer or rabbit. Still branches snagged this arms and face as if accomplices of whatever had sparked his fight or flight response. Roots tripped him up like malicious tricksters wanting him struggle.

He saw the clearing up ahead, a solace from the darkness of the forest. The bright clearing nothing more than another trick to be played as it left the prey wide open. Many a prey had meet their end on that clearing both by his arrows and by claws or jaws. The beautiful yellow and white flowers stained red more than once. Would he make it in time? But in time for what? What was the danger?

He burst through the forest edge like a bear in full sprint.....

Broken Skies

The Battlemage grunted as he was thrown from the meager safety the pillar provided. He landed on his side which made him loose his breath but he kept on rolling and ended up in a kneeling position. There was a split second when he thought that he would soon feel the pain of bullets tearing through his body as the machine gunner took aim for him but it seemed the jolt had affected not only him but the machine gun team too.

Utilizing this unforeseen but welcome change of pace, the Battlemage dug deep into his connection to Gia. While humidity and water were ever present in the air, it was harder to coalesce into usable magic which is why he used fire more often. However, he needed enough pressure to blow the machine gun team out of the ship. His eyes glowed as he commanded and strained for every particle of water in the immediate area to condense in his hands.

A spell’s potency depended on the duration of the cast but since he did not have enough time to gather more water he extended the radius of his magic influence which cause even more exertion. Feeling as if he was holding back flood waters, his joints aching in the milliseconds it took for him to weave his spell, Arn finally allowed it to burst forward. A stream of water expelled from his hands making him skid backwards until he hit against a side railing. The other end of the potent spout slammed into the machine gun team. With accuracy born from practice rather than actual ability, the mage managed to hit each member in a sweeping motion in either chest or face propelling them with such force that they were like rag dolls being thrown from the ship.

The last Viamesse soldier managed to straddle the railing and stay on the ship. Arn’s spell ran out of synthesized water and spurted out of existence. The mage slumped forward on all fours. Holding himself up only through grit and as a veteran of many near death experiences. His swordmaster, the one who had gifted him his Daisho, had taught him that strength was like a fire. One needed to fan it to keep it alive. However, just like a fire, a strong wind might put it out if it was too weak.

Arn concentrated on fanning his flame, but he needed time. Time that the Viamese who was crawling back into the ship side of the railing would more than likely not give him. The mage kept his eyes on the would be attacker. His breath ragged as he tried to force his body to move but it seemed to be of no use. He already felt what people called casting exhaustion starting to work on his body. It was like lactic acid build up but much more pronounced. Even staying on his hands and knees made him wince. However, this was not something he had not felt before.

The Shooting Stars often trained their mage’s to the limit. After all, being the first one is in the battle meant that your survival depended on your skill and grit. So he waited, conserving as much of his energy as possible until it was time to strike. Like a snake, waiting until the last minute to sink his fangs into the prey. This may well be the mage’s final encounter, but he would be dammed if he would go quietly.

To Claim a Starting World

@LadyRunic can I reply to @Cyrania post or would you like to add some other element?

To Claim a Starting World

or there is going to be strange grunting noises and Arn gonna walk out pulling up his pants... it must have been something he ate....

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

Happy Thanksgiving to yall

Broken Skies

Arn had a fleeting moment of concern for the knight as he saw sparks fly from the chest area indicating direct hits. However, since ki users and knights in general were front line, close fighter types, it was only natural for the armor to be top grade.

The moment of concern changed to one of annoyance. Based on the nicks and cuts on the suit of the Spider it meant that close combat was probably what the knight preferred. His annoyance did not last long though as his mind needed to concentrate on more pressing matters. Pretty soon both men were trying to squeeze together in the space the pillar offered without exposing their sides.

Arn grunted at the playful address by Leo. “Yes we are in a tight spot. However, now that you are here we might have a chance. I need you to be the bait. I assume your speed is adequate to keep ahead of the firing line of that machine gun. I will come out of the opposite side and blast them off the side with a surge of water”

The battle mage scanned behind them to make sure they would not be facing a two front attack. It would not do well to exhaust their resources, especially his magic exhaustion. Arn needed to finish this efficiently.

He shrugged his shoulders at the knight’s question regarding his welfare. “I could be better, have been worse once or twice. I don’t think I have any serious wounds and I am sure that the troop medic will loose his top trying to patch me up.” That was definitely true statements. There had been a time when he had dropped too ahead of his squad and he had been found so badly wounded that the medic almost pronounced him KIA had it not been for the slight heart beat. Arn had spent months recuperating in some field hospital which he felt was worse than actually dying. He grunted in pain as he stood up, apparently a bullet had hit him in the thigh and had just been deflected enough by thigh length armor leaving a nasty gash.

He quickly and efficiently used a roll of gauze to pack and dress the wound. There did not seem to be any arterial bleeding but there was no need to take a chance. After all, there was no telling how long it would be before they were able to safely evac.

He took a deep breath and he said in a gruff voice. “Ok, I am ready when you are. I hope you do not get shot.” His voice might have had a slight tone to it to signify humor but it was barely noticeable. The mage nodded to the knight and raised his arms, the slight distortion around his silhouette started to appear as he started to manipulate the Aether.

Broken Skies

@deia876lat I meant as in "hail, Hydra" kind of mentality. meaning they want to conquer everyone and are like basically willing to comit hideous acts to do so.

Broken Skies

@deia876lat I actually think that might be the movie they are from now that you mention it lol. Anyways, I was actually wondering the societal mental state of the Viemese. Are they like hydra minded or more like Nazi Germany where they fought for patriotism rather than belief that theirs is the right to rule?

Also, it makes sense regarding the affinity. I guess that your soul would naturally cast the type of magic that your Will prefers. Makes sense that Arn would seek to control a world that had culminated with the death of his mother. Science, is a sort of no feelings sort of art but one that is full of wonder depending on perspective.

His manipulation of the Aether is very calculated but the things he is able to accomplish would seem flashy or even artistic to any onlooker.

How did Tyrhallan learn sword fighting? A school or tutor? I am assuming that it was sort of like Aria Stark with the best swordsman in the form be the personal tutor no?