Randomness

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

Solomon took pause, occasional shifting his eyes to look at the timer. While it was true that the timer moved considerably when he passed through, it had barely made any progress since then. He was sure there were a plethora of reasons why or how the timer worked, but Solomon didn’t need nor care to contemplate it further. Kaito was already out there, presumably searching for the persons he described. However, Solomon realized he was of no use any more within the box. He got all the information he could from both observing the runes along the walls and from speaking with the prince.

“I am not of much use to you in here, it seems.” said Solomon, relaying the facts towards the prince. “I will have to depart. We need a key bearer, and I’m afraid my comrade might not be able to succeed alone. You’ve given us enough insight to find a means of your release. Hold tight, it should not be much longer.”

Solomon’s form darkened as his figure resembled ethereal smoke more than a person. Collapsing and snaking out through the exposed crack in the box, Solomon left the prince alone. Rather than meet up with Kaito outside the box, should he still even be there, Solomon phased through the stone and timber bones that held the keep together until he was outside its walls. The storm was still blowing strong, with no sign of letting up any time soon. No one alive, either enemy or dead, seemed to be around. Anyone alive should be seeking shelter.

“A mage in purple, or underling of Asevor. If you should find him, living or non, call me forth.” said Solomon, though in his spectral form, no one alive would ever hear him, let along through the noise the falling rain and billowing winds were making. The two shadows who were otherwise lingering within the dining hall of the keep flew through the walls towards the remains of the bramble roots outside the palisade where the mages of the keep attempted to control the magical growths. Petra remained where she was, concentrating on the coordination with Jazdia.

Solomon reentered the keep, returning to a physical form, resting upon the ruined seat laid closest to the shattered remains of Asevor’s armed men. Though Solomon could no longer raise them, their secrets once held in death was left for Solomon to coerce. He asked those men of how many knew of the box, how many knew of the key, and whether they could name any. From the perspective of an outsider, it would appear as Solomon was sitting still, staring at the remains of a torn apart lifeless corpse. But to Solomon, the dead could speak volumes. With the bodies either Kaito or his shadows could find, he might quickly narrow the key bearing candidate entrusted by Asevor.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

So it appears Asevor erred more towards his convenience than to that of his paranoia. Still though, it didn’t leave Solomon with many options he could do from within the box. The mage in purple was probably one of Asevor’s underlings, but he could not recall a man with one eye. Solomon considered leaving the box again, potentially shortening their time to seek answers from another avenue. His first though was Asevor, the only man he knew who could open the box. Then there were his mages. They had left to deal with Cedar’s brambles and the following fire. He doubted if any survived, but even if they had not.

For the thirty or so seconds he contemplated what to do, he heard a voice, barely audible. It was Kaito, or at least sounded like his illusion casting friend. Solomon moved closer to the forced opening at the corner of the room like box.

“Unless you are also have talent in rune crafting, I’m afraid there isn’t much you could do. The box is very durable.” said Solomon. He spoke as closely to the crack as possible so that he words could come through. Despite the thin walls, there was a considerable amount of soundproofing. Another measure to help conceal the prince within, no doubt. Solomon stayed by the crack a little longer, he had more to say. “Time isn’t desperately short, but we don’t have much to linger. The prince is in here. If you can locate any of the mages sent to fight the bramble growth or any of their bodies, bring them here. Perhaps then I might be able to wring out a key bearer. The should be dressed in purple. At the very least, find any under Asevor’s charge. None from within the keep, though. They have passed on and will not be of much help.”

Solomon turned back to the prince, “lets hope that Asevor entrusted more than one other mage a key.”

As the wind penetrated the lower levels of the keep as Asevor continued his attempted escape, Petra scowled again as the paranoid mage continued his ascent, shrugging off every ray of ice she had released. Her physical body was flipping through a couple of the pages, locating another spell when Jazdia shouted towards Cedar, and then directed instruction to Petra. Petra looked down then up at the injured elf. At some point Jazdia started for the stairs.

Petra attempted a protest, but everyone was too far away, and the storm and raining hail made it difficult to speak without shouting, and Petra just lost interest at that point. Follow the elf’s lead. That was the instruction along with everything else. Petra considered ruining the stable to retrieve the magic device. At least then it would be the storm’s fault for those death inside. It didn’t matter. A spell not requiring her book, Petra’s spectral hand was laid out palm up as an exact replica of it separated from her body. With a flick of the wrist, the singular hand with no attachments flew through the storm, cutting through the wind as though it didn’t exist towards the stable.

Petra looked down at the book, held in her physical arms raised above the physical head. She rested another hand on the exposed spell book, her fingers curling as pure arcane energy pooled between her palm and the page. Her arm lifting off the page, several mostly transparent distortions of space erupted from the page. Seven beams of pure kinetic energy given magical form flew out of the keep, turning sharply towards Asevor’s direction. In clear weather, these rays were barely perceptible, but nigh unnoticeable through the fog, rain, and hail. Each of the seven rays flew past Asevor before turning sharply circling him in a wide orbit. One at a time, the rays would deviate striking Asevor’s barrier the opposite direction he was attempting to travel. Each ray was like being hit with a wall, so the plan was to at least halt his movement before he got too far away.

At the sables, barely holding together through the strong winds and heavy rains, a magical hand cut off by the wrist appeared. In one swift motion, it attempted to grab the magic device from Yvonne. Should it be successful, the hand would fly towards Cedar’s location, and by one means or another, thrust it into his possession, even if it was uncomfortable.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

Petra launched a ray of ice towards Asevor as he attempted to leave the keep. Though the force broke the last one, Asevor all but ignored Petra in his escape. Unfortunately, the ray remained true despite the wind. Asevor, on the other hand, was ripped into the hurricane, though his protective shield probably saved him from the violent winds. At least from the winds directly, it would be hard to fly against such powerful gale. Her ray of ice struck the frame of the entrance, encasing it and parts of the wall in ice

Like Jazdia, Petra approached the entrance of the keep, landing to better brace herself against the wind’s vacuuming effect. She had five rays remaining and one by one she released them, flying true to Asevor’s general position. The wind was working to slam Asevor into the wall, and that was fine by Petra. At least he would be contained to a small area. As each ray flew through the storm, the wind seemed to have no effect, but the rain froze as it passed, leading to small bits of ice to crackle on the ground, melting quickly in the pooled waters.

Back inside the keep among the higher floors, Solomon frowned as he listened to the prince. He knew is part that the key would be a rune, but had some hope that it could be something else. While Solomon learned to read some runes, or even interact with a few, he knew nothing about crafting them.

“I trust that is everything, then? Is there anything else you might be neglecting to mention?” asked Solomon. He wanted to be sure he got all the information he could get. As it were, Solomon was ill equipped to open the box outside of widening the forced opening. Ideally, Solomon would rescue the prince of his prison without outright bowing it up or otherwise accelerating the timer. The situation was tricky. Asevor seemed too arrogant to always be on constant watch over the box, yet he with how paranoid the stories portrayed him, it was unlikely he would let anyone else besides himself have access to a key.

“When the maid had come, had she come alone or had wizard in purple opened it? Are there any instances where said wizard was not present? Even to just use this slot on the door? From the time before you were first placed within the box until now. Please do not leave out any details.” The slot was an idea. It was too narrow for a normal person to pass through, but Solomon got to thinking. Incorporeal form only affected him and his belongings. Normally this spell wouldn’t work with another. It was risky, but if the prince were among his possessions, perhaps he could stretch the magic a little beyond its function. Perhaps that would be best used as a last chance attempt, an idea that Solomon was not in favor of. Another would be to try and peak at what the failsafe below the floor would be. But that would certainly increase the timer again. And severing the connection would probably trigger a fail safe to the fail safe to prevent tampering. It was starting to feel impossible without Asevor to open the container.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

Petra was amused, though the sour expression on her face might have told differently. She pointed at the base of Asevor’s person, one of the rays of frost quickly separating from the rest that was orbiting her body. The beam hit the bottom of Asevor’s annoying and seemingly impenetrable barrier. Frost began to spread from where the ice spike landed covering the various debris on the floor in solid water. Similarly, the ice grew up over the barrier until it reached a height equal to Asevor’s waist. The affected area was surrounded in a thin layer of mist as the temperature suddenly dropped around the layer of frost. Petra had released the ray partially in response to Asevor’s comment, and partially on reflex from the wayward arrow exploding. As a result, her ray launched shortly after Jazdia fired her readied arrow.

Solomon took note of the arrangement of runes, committing as much as he could to memory. While some did line up with what he studied several decades ago, the structure was very complex. It would take him longer still to figure out a means of bypassing the mechanism. The door was especially guarded, but it did have a keyhole of sorts.

“Yes, we are here for your rescue.” said Solomon without turning. “Antigone is not among us. We have only learned of Asevor’s involvement recently. He is still a part of the ongoing situation, I’m afraid.” Solomon was bothered by the flickering of the illusion, perhaps letting a steady stream of water would better illuminate what he was working with. As it were, there was less than an inch of water in the room, so the threat of drowning was less of a concern than the fail safes Asevor had enchanted. However, his arrival had rushed the red timer, and he wanted to minimize how often he would have to penetrate borders of the box.

“I imagine you’ve attempted escape, yes? Or at least tried to learn as much of your captors as possible? Is there anything you can tell me of the wizard you mentioned? Such as how you’ve been fed, clothed, or cleansed. Perhaps a word or a spell you’ve caught glimpse of, be it sight or sound. It could narrow down my efforts if so.” Solomon turned his head sideways to get a side glance at the prince’s expression, though the hood made it hard for either of them to get a full view.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

“You are just going to let him live? You’re just as spineless as that damn doctor up stairs” scorned Petra. Her hand was resting upon the book, ready to fire another series of frost rays. One of her earlier rays struck the paranoid wizard, so her next attack was almost guaranteed to land true. That was until Asevor’s barrier surrounded his being. Despite Petra’s hand resting upon the book being spectral, and considering the material the book was made out of, both were becoming increasingly encased in condensation and frost. Still hovering above the ground, Petra moved further into the room to avoid the rain still billowing in through the entrance. Finally, her hand slipped off of the page, brittle ice shattering as seven different rays of ice began to orbit her person ready to launch at a moments notice.

“If it wasn’t for him, our trapped rosette here would be frozen solid as soon as that barrier comes down. But here we are. You’re in control it seems.” Petra scowled at the current situation. First it was kill him, then it was contain him, and now the elf she was to listen to was negotiating. Besides, Asevor’s little last resort didn’t seem to sway the elf, so why drag it out?

“You might as well detonate.” said Petra, “I don’t care about the lives they’re trying to save, nor yours. You would be doing me a favor, actually. Otherwise…” The various magical rays of cold energy quickened their orbit almost resembling several rings before slowing down. Cold mist enveloped Petra, surrounding her in a thin fog. “I might not kill you, but nothing it preventing me from putting you as close to the brink as possible.”

Upstairs, Solomon turned his attention back to the box. Jazdia had departed to the lower levels. As obvious as it was, Solomon felt some guilt about Jazdia’s resolve and the strain his comments put on it. Though Petra would be there to lend her aid, Solomon felt that would not quell her discontent. The conflict Asevor thrust upon them was reaching a breaking point if it hasn’t already. If only Cedar wasn’t enthralled in his spell, then perhaps he could not only support the elven archer, but perhaps heal some of her injury. As it stood, many of Solomon’s medicines were mixed, several vials broken from the screech of the banshee.

He heard a voice. It was male, young, and partially muffled. Solomon peeked into the box again. He completely neglected the rain and the possibility that the box was water tight. He looked around for something he could use, opting to grab a small hand shield. By affixing it over the crack and the available vines, he was able to keep any further rain from seeping into the prince’s prison. He made sure that the shield was fastened down.

“Okay, stay where you are. I am not sure how cramped it will be getting.” said Solomon. His body became like smoke, black, barely humanoid in shape. Then it condensing into a snake like shape, slithering up and into the box through the crack. He didn’t want to force himself through the magical runes that encased the box. Once inside, he could get a better view of the runes, and perhaps decipher their inner workings.

“Keep where you are, the situation is still ongoing.” said Solomon, facing the prince. Though his rain soaked hood and mask made it hard to get any sort of view of his uncovered eyes, Solomon presented himself as calmly as possible. “Let me see if I can decipher a means of getting you out.” Solomon turned to face the flickering walls. He felt like time was against him more than it was already. One of his undead shadows informed him of Asevor’s last resort. He had some worry for how the negotiations would proceed.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

Solomon moved back from the box when he was addressed. Jazdia had come down from the roof. Solomon initially thought to avoid the weather. Though, the current floor provided cover, the remains of the garret above wasn’t doing much to keep out the rain. Jazdia then mentioned Asevor being on the first floor of the keep, just twenty or so feet below them. So, that is where the wizard retreated to, much to what Solomon predicted. The explosion that took place just moments before must have been Jazdia taking aim against the wizard.

“I agree in part, but the damage the box has already sustained seems to have triggered some kind of timer. Though my rune lore isn’t extensive, I do not imagine the pace of the red line to be anything benign.” said Solomon as he maneuvered down the vines to more stable ground. “Asevor possesses numerous jewels for breaking from my hold, and he is currently invisible. Until both of those change, I’m afraid I won’t be able to grasp him again.”

“Petra should be at the first floor now, as are my shadows. They can attempt to subdue him rather than kill him outright if you wish. I will be within earshot of them, so if you can relinquish Asevor of his anti-magic accessories, I can quickly come down and finally bind him with my hold. In the mean time, I will decipher the runes to find a means of opening the box safely. I want to avoid any other dead man triggers. Perhaps I can open the intended doorway.”

Down on the first floor Petra flew near ground level following the blasted entrance from Jazdia’s earlier arrow. At the same time, the shadow that was lingering there noticed the blackened vines and scattered tableware collapse and crackle as nothing tumbled over the remains. It started to fly away when the other joined it from the second floor. While none of the three could see Asevor, they were to somehow restrain him. Petra was annoyed, her spectral face scowling as she looked into the dark and otherwise empty dining hall. There were also the shadows who physically could not do anything. The question of how they were to accomplish the change in instruction was quickly raised.

Petra rested her hand on her spell book, cold mist consolidating around the pages as she charged her spell. She slid her hand off the book, spreading her fingers as several cold rays of magical ice scattered about the room. Where ever they landed frost spread out several feet covering anything in contact near the center in ice. The spell centered mainly around the obvious crash site in the middle of the room. By shotgunning her spell, she attempted to locate Asevor, either by disturbing the frost with heat or friction, or by being hit directly. Hopefully with the latter, the ice could slow his movements as it could attempt to expand over his form.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

That was bothersome. The grouped looked so close to actually bringing Asevor down, but was able to cripple Cedar, dispel Solomon’s hold, and turn completely invisible within moments of each other. To make matters worse, without Violet here to supplement his eyes, Solomon no longer could keep track of the mad wizard as soon as his form vanished. Solomon clicked his tongue. Since the storm was clouding the incineration spell, Solomon didn’t feel much threat from it any more. And given the size of the hail, it would be too dangerous to fly for a prolonged period of time, even if he was invisible, even through his rings or protection. He was probably seeking shelter. That would be the keep. Solomon turned back inside, still being soaked with rain as the wind carried the falling water inside through the open window.

Solomon doubted Asevor would enter from any floor except the first. That was where the closest and mostly unobstructed entrance was. Many of the others along that wall were covered in vines courtesy of Cedar’s massive plant stalk. He lack much of any more power to call upon another exceptional ally, Solomon regretted, but perhaps he might have enough for something else. He remembered he still had a couple shadows still within the keep, though they couldn’t be of much tangible aid. Perhaps as a distraction, but without knowing exactly where Asevor was, that could be ineffective.

“Shadows. Peak corners along the first and second floor. Speak to me if anything shifts to the presence of another.” said Solomon softly, his mind focused on something else. The shadows were like sentries now. One moved to the first floor, and the other stayed on the second. The idea was twofold, if Asevor spotted one of them, the shadows would initially appear to be another entity on the floor with him. Of course, he could confirm they were simply undead shadows through his magical tool. But that moment of pause, no matter how short might make a difference. It wasn’t a perfect sentry as long as he remained invisible, it was entirely possible to move about to any part of the keep without disturbance.

Solomon’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the box resting slightly askew from perfectly level upon rambling vines. Despite the damage caused by both sides during the conflict, Asevor was still very protective of the box. Solomon didn’t suspect much else reason he and August were targeted they way they were. Something looked off about it, though. Solomon climbed over a particularly thick vine to look at it from another angle. The large box initially looked undamaged from the pressure, but now he could see that part of the corner had popped open. Solomon got as close as he could, resting his eye just before the opening. His eye darted around its sunken socket trying to peek inside, perhaps hoping it was enough to see completely inside.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

Petra’s intuition was right. Unfortunately, she was not in any position to effectively warn anyone, even those in the air with her. That is to say, even if she had, she probably wouldn’t. She did not particularly care what happened to Solomon, and being a voice of warning was not one of her ‘commands’. Still, she was also one of the targets of Asevor’s sun spell. Luckily for her, the spell missed center mass in part because of blur, and she had the forethought to fly away from the sun laser the pinprick foretold. The heat that emanated the blast was intense and though she was able to avoid the initial column of sun magic, parts of her dress was still singed by the heat, and her skin blistered. Not bothered by it, not even able to feel proper pain, Petra looked around, her head swiveling. Asevor disappeared from where Petra had seen him, losing sight as the blinding beam came down. The quickly forming clouds didn’t help. Petra felt a cold chill, moving to descend before the weather worsened.

Violet remained oblivious to anything other than the Xelthos bird she was occupying, taking to full force of the beam as the sun intensive ray completely engulfed her. The only benefit, if it could be called one, is that she kept the deathly looking humanoid raven with her. Though she could not be touched by physical weapons and structures, she was still susceptible to magical attacks. The intensely focused sun beam all but incinerated her.

August and Solomon continued to work on breaking open the box. The box was too large to take all the way down without causing too much more structural damage. The beanstalk already had most of its weight supporting one wall, and the ceiling above already started to collapse with the garret. He concentrated on the increasingly constrictive force of the vegetation as he attempted to crack open the box. The walls might be strong, but near omnidirectional force applied on all sides of the box would break the seams eventually. As long as August was there, the risk of further collapse was minimized.

Solomon looked towards August. While Solomon was a floor down with the box, August remained with the stalk, commanding the vines it sprouted throughout the keep. He noticed the bright thin beam of light poke through the remains of the garret ceiling spearing through August’s position. Solomon uttered a quick word of warning before he himself suddenly vanished within black mist ducking into the surrounding structure. All August could hear was the word of warning, but wasn’t able to do more than attempt to return to the stalk before the beam of concentrated sunlight tore through the remains of the garret though his body. He along with much of the vegetation by his person ignited. What remained of the undead druid collapsed, falling to the floor below, landing next to the box containing the prince.

August’s body smoldered as the teeth of his skulled head chattered. Cursing his fortune, August reached with his remaining hand towards nothing in particular. The vines holding the box quickly lost their tension, and gravity took over. Many bits of foliage fells as the multitude of vines were left dangling from whatever perches they were rooted to. The box leveled out, resting on the plant life that once held it suspended. August’s arm fell, and though he lacked proper eyes, it could be said that his closed. With a final burst of mana, the remains of August’s body extinguished as small stems quickly sprouted from his corpse, a multitude of colorful petals blossoming releasing a sweet scent in the otherwise dusty and charred atmosphere. Then with a pulse, the vines and the beanstalk grew several feet at once. It wasn’t enough to reach or capture anything, but it was enough for the roots to dig further the structural integrity of the keep. The entire side of the keep the beanstalk occupied was unstable. And the weight of the been stalk was fully leaning into it. The strong winds picking up outside wasn’t helping either.

Solomon could feel the loss of both Violet and August. He was saddened by their demise. Violet especially. Though she may have perished once before, she was still a child in many ways. Still, he turned his attention back to the box. It remained entirely intact, the vines doing nothing to crack it open. Not even the apparent door budged, despite the evidence that root work attempted to penetrate its hinges. Solomon lacked much of anything to move it now. For now it was level, and hopefully the Prince would be okay if he stayed inside just a little bit longer.

Solomon stepped over the roots snaked across the floor, looking for a window. He was able to find one, peaking through one of the bedrooms, through it was overgrown with vines. Solomon was able to push enough out of the way to see the drastic change in the weather. The once bright and sunny morning had turned cloudy as rain and hail fell from the dark clouds above. The signs of a vortex was forming among them as the winds picked up. Solomon wasn’t quite sure how the weather came to be, but he suspected it might have to do with Cedar’s bizarre dance among the current battle.

Then there was Asevor, low to the ground now, but not for long as that cyclone forming above encapsulated Asevor. He wasn’t the only one to notice as the rest o his allies were nearby as well either recouping or taking advantage of the turn of the weather. Petra had appeared once again with a volley of light. The beams of light magic that she had circle her body flew from their orbits, homing in on Asevor’s position. With the Xelthos bird more or less dealt with, these may have more impact against Asevor himself. Solomon held out a hand towards the enemy wizard. Before he would get too far away, Solomon cast another instance of daggerhold. A test of the wind to see if it was powerful enough to break it. If neither the wind nor any of Asevor’s jewelry broke the spell, the cyclone would would push the sun commanding wizard into what felt like a wall of knives multiple times.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

An explosion? Asevor is certainly pulling out the stops now that he is outside the keep. Solomon didn’t worry too much about it. Not due to a lack of care, rather he knew that at the moment, he had no reliable means of reaching him, and even if he did lacked any methods of actually dealing with him. It was unfortunate, but it is as it is. Even so, Solomon exited the garret to assess the progress of the battle. Several of the wooden structures crackled as small fires ate away at the timber, small bits of blackened foliage drifted from the remains of the bean stalk, what remained limp leaning over the keep. Jazdia was also there, burned and beaten, her exposed skin blistered from magical acid.

“Prince?” questioned Solomon. He took pause. So the prince is in the box? Solomon turned back to face the box covered in script. The door and slot made sense, and the device? The device might have been a part of what confused Veronica’s scry. But something else was bothering him, he look back out through the door towards the battle above. Violet was holding down one of the death creatures while Petra all by annihilated the others. But the sky, it was getting dimmer. Without clouds in the sky, yet the sun was filtered. Solomon didn’t know specifically what was going on, but it didn’t look good.

Time working against him more so than before Solomon had to risk opening the box to rescue the prince. Sensing August nearby, he called for his presence. From what remained of the beanstalk that overhung over the building, August emerged having used the vines to elevate himself up from below ground. Walking part Jazdia shortly after she set fire to the source of the acidic fog he ripped the door off the hinge to join Solomon within the garret.

“So, your herbicidal king’s heir is in there you suppose? Don’t want to confirm?” asked August. He was a little annoyed at the lost of Cedar’s glorious beanstalk creation. Though he was confident he could restore it once the fighting was over, the damage it sustained cut off his reach against Asevor. “Alright, let me see what I can do.” Vines covered much of the side of the keep as well as penetrating deep within each of the floors. A byproduct from Cedar’s growth spell as well as necessary to support the stalk. Concentrating on those vines present in the keep, August was able to nurture their further development. The wood along the floor creaked and split as thin stems sprouted from below. Soon they widened into thick vines, boring out the floor, collapsing it beneath the box. At the same time, the vines grew around the box to support it instead.

“We will need to get below ground.” said Solomon, “I fear the spell Asevor has cast may lead to stark devastation.” August only nodded as the vines took the box below into the third floor. The vines slithered abound the floor digging into existing crevices and imperfections, widening them and ruining their integrity, boring down through the keep. The abundance of vines helped. Still at the third floor, the vines began to compress the box continuously applying force hopefully to the point where it would split open, but not be crushed. Enough to create an opening for whatever was inside to crawl out. If it was indeed the prince, then he could take him and follow the path August created down through the keep. The goal was to get underground, perhaps among the roots of the giant stalk if the ground could be cleared away in time. At the very least, find as much cover as possible.

Above, Violet was clueless to the change in sky, working to keep the remaining death bird from interfering with the others, but Petra looked onward with knowing eyes. She scowled, but knew that in the end, it didn’t affect her fate. Even so, she was compelled to keep the pressure on Asevor. He may have been able to cast his spell, but the Xelthos birds could only last so long before Petra could resume casting rays towards the wizard. She had some time before the spell came to fruition. She laid a hand on the book but when she raised it off, the ray that accompanied the motion instead curved its path so that it circles her person. She repeated this a couple times. It along with Blur would make approaching difficult, and at the same time would allow her to fire the rays in quick succession should it be required. Given the sudden and quick formation of storm clouds, she might need to in one way or another.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Solomon Sparrow

Location: Fanghorn, Kindeance

---

With Asevor so far in sky and the cloud of caustic acid slowly descending over the keep, Solomon realized just how little range he had. For that battle, Solomon would have to rely on his allies, both living and dead. That is not to say Solomon didn’t have anything to do near the ground. The steel box was of concern. It was a good size, enough to hold a person. The doors further supported it. The night magic, silent incantations that one wouldn’t be detected meant this contraption, this cage perhaps was to be thoroughly hidden. Solomon observed the case, and the device, attempting to read some of the runes engraved to get a better sense of what he was working with. Unfortunately, he misrepresented how much time he had, unaware of how quickly the acid fog descended upon the battlement. However, it seems like his miscalculation was saved by Jazdia’s release of inner fire, something he wouldn’t realize until he once again left the garret.

As for the ongoing battle, Violet was keeping one of the summoned bodyguards busy as best she could. In fact, being mostly unaffected by the crystal fire of jazdia’s explosive arrows, worked to position the one she was dealing with as near to them as she could, though made very difficult by the shadow raven’s persistence.

August found he was out of range. The beanstalk could not go up much higher without increasing the base significantly, and he currently lacked the substantial mana to do so. Instead, he took individual vines and laced them with rooted seeds, turning the stalk into a pseudo trebuchet and the root structures into nets. The seeds held just enough mana that once they land to rapidly dig into their landing spot enough to sturdy themselves. Almost like an extension of himself several hundred feet in the air, the vine would swing like a whip, releasing the seeds where one would normally crack.

Petra used all parts of her body to cast her spells. Her arms would come down, flip through pages quickly before raising her book once again for the spectral hand to lay upon the page and release a spell. After her first near encounter with one of the strangely humanoid ravens, Petra cast upon herself Blur. Her very being was no longer a sharp contrast to her surroundings, becoming wispy, and very hard to focus. It was though one was looking at her through fogged glass. While not impossible, her appearance would make targeting and landing further attacks that much harder.

With another hand on the page, Petra slid her hand off the spell book with a directed point towards Asevor. The servants of death, at least the ones that remained, would have to act more defensively to protect Asevor blocking barrages than facing Petra. Rays of light were enough to burn and seemed to be a weakness of the shadow elementals.