Rune_Alchemist

Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

Probably will be posting tomorrow.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

A skill Seeker and Warlord
@Crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

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“Hm, alright. You know the way there already?” Enli would ask. “I’ll have Bolcha and some others come to take these three somewhere.” He’d say. “If you’ll follow me back to the longhouse, I’ll have him get you want, too.”

They wouldn’t spend long getting ready. The longer they took, certainly the more the trail would grow cold. If they had realized their plans were starting to fall apart, then well, they were more likely to do something drastic. A pair of pine torches, covered in burnable resin both given to Novak. One for now, one for later if they had need of it.

All they had to do now, was make their way to the supposed location of the seal.

A trek one of them had done before, and one that when all was said and done, wouldn’t be too difficult initially. The animals they’d pass would prove fairly impeding. The gliding bird-like creatures easily dispatched, and wolves so long as they were aware of them wouldn’t prove difficult. Thankfully, they hadn’t ran into another one of those armored beasts.

The villagers were right, though - the fog had definitely started to spread. Much further, it seemed. Lighting the torch would cause it to dissipate, creating a small bubble of safety from it. Heading to where the old temple was, with presumably novak leading the way. It seemed though - the hunters were prepared for anyone coming their way.

An arrow would whizz out of the fog, barely grazing Novak.

“Damn fog! I missed!”

“Doesn’t matter. We’ll make sure no one disturbs the seal!” Four hunters would emerge from the the fog, all carrying a small stone on their person. One with a bow, two with spears, and one with a rather hefty looking axe.

Misaki and Narkissa

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@Click This@PKMNB0Y

“Hmm…okay, I think it should be fine! We can totally handle this…probably.” Lazhira would Nod. “Okay…alright. I’m gonna distract them. I’ll sneak out and see what that box is and what’s in it. It’s probably some…nngh, I can’t tell what it is? Doesn’t seem to have much intelligence, it feels…mushy.” She’d shake her head. “Anyways! Uhm…I’ll leave sneak attacks to you two? Probably will want to take out anyone with a bow first…” She seemed like she would have liked a bit more input from Narkissa and Misaki on what they were doing, but assuming they didn’t have any revolutionary plan themselves, or something to say or would stop her, she’d give a nod and then summon a small little ball of light, and set off from their hiding place.

Curiously, once both of them would blink, they’d lose sight of her. After a few seconds they’d think they’d see her again, before promptly losing sight of her. It was like despite knowing she was there, and where she should be, their minds refused to process that she actually existed where she should - and it seemed like the hunters hadn’t noticed her yet. Perhaps they didn’t notice her at all, since they weren’t aware of her presence to start with.

Lazhira would stealthily approach the box, the contents of which were still growling, angrily thumping and attempting to break out of the box. Looking around, and pausing briefly as to how she could open it, before finding a large latch on one side.

“Okay…here goes…”

The young girl would open the crate.

Immediately a black tendril would lash out, striking her right in the chest and sending her flying.

“Gah!”

The black, slimy creature would pull itself from the box - it was another one of those black slime things that had been in the temple. It would slowly pull itself from its prison, though would quickly coalesce into a form perhaps more familiar - a large, almost somewhat spherical blob, but it didn’t seem to stop growing as it would start taking a more solid form. A large, oily tail would extend from its ‘back’, covered in dangerous looking bony spikes, while a spot at the top of it would start to almost resemble that of a humanoid, a large skull serving as its head…if any remembered, it was the same skull that had been on that smaller one that had been hiding from them. More bones and other things served as parts of armor, protecting its gelatinous insides. Numerous oily tendrils would wildly lash out, striking some of the hunters in the process and catching them off guard.

“What the-!” She had successfully gotten their attention, at least.

“...Calm yourselves!” Soyala would shout. “Our prey has come to us, it seems. No one let her get away, and we’ll put this thing back in its place.”

The creature would respond with an almost mournful shriek, lashing out again.

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

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The fans were, after his initial few tests, seemed perfectly balanced. Strong, too. Maybe not strong enough to go toe to toe with heavier weapons, but with they certainly seemed suited to deflection and less conventional ways of fighting. The oni that had been lounging around the makeshift arena would give Nomura a decidedly unfriendly glare as he’d approach, obviously not thinking to terribly much of the guy.

“Who wants to fight the princess?” One of them would grunt.

“Gahahah, I bet he doesn’t even know how to use those toothpicks.”

“How much you think before he cries?”

They were definitely both underestimating and also not thinking too highly of him at the same time…save, for perhaps one of the more rougher looking Oni.

A scarred shirtless body, sharp horns protruding from his head. Standing easily over six feet, a scar running the length from his shoulder to his midsection. More easily crossed his body, in fact it seemed rarer that there wasn’t a scarred patch of skin somewhere. A necklace made from rope and a magatama hanging from it, as well as two more serving as earrings.

Curiously, he wasn’t wearing a mask like the others were.

Wordlessly, he’d ignore the words of his compatriots.

“I’ll be the first.” He’d say gruffly, the other Oni falling silent as he’d step into the arena proper. The katana he’d draw from his side, was as large as he was, the handle twice as large as a normal one, with the blade itself nearly being as long as he was tall and five inches in width.

And take the first move he would.

Despite the obvious heft and weight of the blade, he’d move without any trouble, the blade arcing downwards in a simple slash - likely nothing more than a test.

The Roma Mob
@ERode

---

Isidore would stride into the pool, the cold water stinging his wounds as the steps carried him down waist deep into the bath. Deeper than it looked, perhaps, and cold, too. There was an odd feeling of…comfort, being in the pool though from the source one couldn’t say. Maybe it was to do with the assumed holy nature of it. Thankfully if the crimson lightning he had absorbed earlier didn’t seem bothered by it.

“Folzerrie.” She responded with a huff. “Alright, lets get this over with. Stay outta the water mutt, I’m not purifying this pool again.” Octavia gave a mildly annoyed growl but would wait obediently away from it. Seemed she was a bit put off by the water itself. The shadow elf priest would walk to the edge of the pool, in a bit of impatience it seemed.

“Alright, lets see…what was it again?” She’d walk start walking around the edge of the pool. “O’ goddess of stories, writer of fate and the trial of heroes,” Her feet would carry her around the pool, eventually ending up at the opposite end she had started on, where she’d begin walking into the pool herself. “Let not this story end, let it continue yet, mend flesh and bone, letting vigor leave the body not,” Slowly, she’d start moving her staff, letting the end of it stir the water.

The water now, was seemingly starting to move a bit on its own. Lazily circling Isidore as some unseen current would slowly carry it, taking all the blood and dirt from his body. Folzerrie would approach, slowly walking and muttering a few more what seemed to be holy prayers until she’d be standing behind Isidore. Something would start crawling up his body - the cold water slowly ascending and moving up his injured and wounded flesh, draining any fatigue and tiredness away from his body in a seemingly miraculous manner as it would travel all the way up, a thin layer of water enveloping him.

“Lay down.” She’d interrupt the prayer quickly, not giving Isidore much time to respond before the priestess would quite roughly grab him by the neck and pull him backwards into the water where he’d be briefly submerged entirely while he’d feel her hands slowly move across his body, as if guiding the water and where it should go in order to heal his body.

It certainly seemed to be working, at least. The fatigue and tiredness already left his body, and his body would be soothed and pain assuaged, a brief look at his hands would show the burns gone, and flesh replaced, the cold water renewing his body and ridding himself of wounds.

“Alright, you’re good.” The priestess would say, pulling him up out of the water. In all, the process had only taken about five minutes, all things considered. The priestess would get out of the pool fairly quickly, walking over to the podium. “Mhm, your welcome. Don’t come back. Honestly the fact you were still standing is amazing.”

…was it a trick of the somewhat low lighting in the area, or was there noticeable tiredness in the elfs visage? Her eyes seemed a bit strained, and quite like she was a going to fall asleep, and she was leaning a bit heavily on her staff moreso than she had been.

“Oh, and a bonus.” She’d say, picking up a jar of some sort. Silver in color, but earthy in feel - a clay jar, perhaps? Folzerrie would hand it to Isidore. “Water blessed by the goddess. Holy water. Helps heal minor wounds and whatever.” Supposing he took it, then there was probably nothing else for him unless he wanted to talk with the elf herself about something or another.

Supposing he accepted -

Goddess note

Item Received: Moonlit Water
A type of holy water blessed by the Goddess of the Moon. Cures minor wounds and invigorates the body. Its surprisingly not a clear color - but a deep, oceanic blue. Seems to faintly glow at night. Not strong enough to harm demons.

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@Pyromania99

The plants would initially continue to resist. Unlike fire or electricity, the plants seemed…significantly more rigid in their nature. More physical. Harder to move, harder to cooperate, almost as if they actively were going to resist any attempts at altering the way they were growing or the way they were moving.

Hm, how did Leuca manage to do it then? Perhaps she could have asked.

Well, she would find her own solution. If they wouldn’t willingly do it - then force.

The plants, would seemingly shudder lightly at Augusta’s touch, but the more rigid resistance would soon give way to malleability. The green foliage would start to move away from Augusta, the vines curling away and starting to cling to the walls, as though they were a bit frightened of the elf before them. The flowers too, would close their petals, wilting under Augusta’s watch as they’d change their growth. One by one the tangled mess of plants would start start clinging to the wall and floor, and soon would appear less of a tangled mess as it they would start to wilt into a thorny sphere of vines, as if it was trying to protect itself from whatever else was in the room.

“...Hm, I see, congratulations. You can be a quick learner when you want to be.” Rullphana replied.

Goddess note

Skill Acquired:
Flora Command (lesser) - You’re able to command the natural world around you, to an extent. Though, as it comes from domination rather than understanding and mutual understanding, it is not out of mutual respect or because they desire it. Rather - they do not wish to incur your wrath, so they cooperate.

You can’t perform complex actions or move them very quickly yet, and flora with more vitality may still ignore you outright as of now.

Leuca, for the most part seemed silent, looking towards the now balled up thorny plant with a bit of sadness, though she said nothing and soon the scene was interrupted by a familiar voice as they would enter the tower.

“I see everyone is working hard.”

“Ah! Sorcha!” Leuca would run over, greeting the woman as excitedly as ever. “I-I did it! Proper magic! Oh, the druids would be so impressed!”

“Ahahah, is that right? Oh, is that why you’re covered in dirt?”

“Impressed!? The entire side of that room was covered in a forest!” Raelzeth would chime in with a mild bit of impressed annoyance. “Is that even normal for a Sirithen!?”

“Heh, who knows.” Sorcha responded, picking up Leuca into a hug. “Well, we’ll need to get you cleaned up.” The warriors eyes would fall on Augusta. “Hm…done with Augusta, Rullphana?”

“Mhm, for now, yes. Feel free to drag her back to your torture routine.”

“Well then, Augusta, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you about something.”

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

A skill Seeker and Warlord
@Crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

“We saw some heading towards the Obelisk! There was an odd light over there earlier…” The same villager who had spoke with Nobunaga about it earlier would reply to Novak and Enli.

“The Obelisk…? That old ruin…? What could they be wanting there?” Enli frowned, rubbing his weathered, now stern face. “Haa, so much trouble for us. If what I’ve been told is correct, then someone is trying to break a seal on some…old goddess or something…then…maybe…hm.” Enli would turn his head towards Kippoushi. “We need to figure out where this seal is and what exactly is going on. We can assume its in that pit that was under the temple…In that case, we should send someone to study it and figure out what we’re doing.” Enli would smile lightly. “Hm, and the girl I know that has best knowledge and understanding about that…Lazhira.”

“I think I saw her heading out to the Obelisk with a few of the other travelers.” One of the other villagers would chime in.

“What of the hunters? Have you seen them anywhere else?”

“Soyala headed to the Obelisk, but I’m not sure about the others. I think we saw a few heading into the forest, but that wasn’t anything unusual until just now.”

If nothing else, it seemed like they had a small choice to make. Head to the obelisk to see what was going on there - or head to the supposed Location of the seal and seeing if there were any hunters or people snooping about. Though, that left them with some way of needing to get past the fog.

Misaki and Narkissa

---

@Click This@PKMNB0Y

“A counter ambush?” Lazhira would echo. “Well, we could! I uhm, well, do know some small magical tricks at least! Though I’m not sure I’m…good at the whole fighting thing and Misaki looks too fluffy to know how to fight.” It was true that they could do an ambush, but exactly how that would be handled remained to be seen.

The hunters would now be bringing something and setting it on the ground nearby. A large…crate of some sort. Large enough that it needed two people to carry safely, and seemed fairly heavy too. It was oozing black slime like the kind Narkissa and Lazhira had seen back in their little dungeon dive earlier. Also seemed a bit agitated and violent, the box violently shaking and thumping, causing the hunters to drop it before reaching its destination, but it didn’t seem like it could get out, whatever was inside.
“Maybe…hm, I could…well…maybe mess with their heads a little?” Lazhira would offer. “Make them sort of…not notice us, at least, until we get to where we’re gonna position ourselves? And attract their attention after that.” She’d look over to Misaki. “...maybe we should go back and find someone? What about um, Kippoushi? And Novak? Though…we might be too late if we don’t go ahead and do something…”

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

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“...L…A?” The figure would shake her head, seeming a bit confused by the whole response Nicholas gave, but otherwise didn’t question some of his more odd words as she’d linger by the cabin’s door. She seemed like she wanted to keep a bit of distance between the two of them. “Uhm…well…I don’t know about that but…the undead shouldn’t bother you here…”

She’d move away from the door now, slowly walking to the table, not taking her eyes off Nicholas.

“I’ve…not seen you here before…” She’d state, giving Nicholas a mildly curious glance. “...are you with…Liven? Or…are you just a traveler?” She didn’t seem like she wanted to get too much closer to Nicholas, her soft voice inquiring about who he was in a fairly timid manner.

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Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

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“I can speak from experience to the sound.” She’d respond with a smile. “It does indeed, sound as lovely as any flute or other instrument.” She would though, frown slightly as he made his concerns apparent. “Well, you don’t actually have to know how to play even if you do carry it, though your concerns are valid…a war fan, though…? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you are a mountain spirit.” She’d chuckle lightly. “You are In luck, though, yes I do. Not something I have that often in my inventory, but it just so happens that I currently do.”

Mie would leave Malphas for a few moments, though like last time it wouldn’t be long before she returned with a war fan - a set of them, in fact. The two were simple in construction of iron and subtly decorated. Unassuming when closed, but when folded open one would be black in color with a small embossing of what seemed to be a white-colored fox on one side of the folds. The other was the inverse of that one. White with the embossing of a black fox on the other.

They were fairly heavy, all things considered. Could easily be used as a club. The iron spokes on the outer sides of it also were sharpened to a point, and just longer than the fan itself.

“Does this suit your tastes?~” She’d ask.

Goddess note

Item Received: Fox War Fan
A pair of war-fans you received from Mie. One is white, with an embossing of a black fox upon one side of its face, while the other has the inverse. Plainly decorated and unassuming, if a bit heavy. Easily used as a club against unarmored opponents, and the iron spokes on the outer sides of it are sharpened to a point, and just longer than the fan itself. Useful for catching or parrying blades if the fan is opened, and also causing slashing wounds.

Otherwise mundane.

“If you are, then get in there. The Oni are tired of waiting around.” She’d chuckle. Indeed, the Oni that had been waiting around seemed to be a bit restless from all the waiting. "I'd suggest also at least, becoming acquainted with the blade too, though that's your decision."

The Roma Mob
@ERode

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“...What in the name of the goddess’ ocean happened to you?” The elvish woman would respond after a long, few seconds. She seemed genuinely impressed he was still standing, let alone able to even talk or speak in his condition. Still, her eyes would slowly fall to his side and the coin pouch at it. “Hm…lets see, considering the suddenness of it, the amount of work its going to take to stop you bleeding all over everything, a fee for any unforeseen complications, a fee for cleaning the carpets, something for dinner…” She’d seem to make a few more calculations silently in her head. “50 silver. If you can afford that, off with your clothes and into the pool - well, what remains of them anyways. It’s not going to take too terribly long.”

He could indeed, afford it, but something seemed a bit off with a few of the things she’d said he’d need to pay for. Octavia tilted her head quizzically, almost seeming a bit suspicious of the woman too.

---

@Pyromania99

The plants had certainly rampantly grown. Nearly the entire side of the workshop that Leuca had been working in had been taken up. Vines, flowers, all manner of plants had just grown in a fairly chaotic manner. The elf herself seemed to be suspended mid-air, bound tightly in her planty prison. Thankfully for Augusta, it’d be easy enough to cut her out if she had something to well, cut with.

Focusing like she had earlier, Augusta would attempt forming a blade of fire. It was a tiny bit harder than she’d anticipate to do - giving fire itself a more solid form that lasted more than a few seconds would be a bit harder than she’d have done previously. It’d form, but with each strike the blade would dissipate in her hand, causing her to need to re-form it. And it was less of a blade at this point, and more of a simple mass of fire with some weight to it. Still, it was a fairly effective tool for cutting plants, taking a bit of force to slice through them and leaving them burnt, unable to grow back and soon Leuca would be free. Perhaps a bit more practice and she could do something proper with it.

“Oof…that was terrible…” The elf would say, once free, moving closer to Rullphana and Raelzeth. The small elf was covered in small cuts from some thorns, as well as a heaping of plant sap and some dirt and soil from the pots the plants had been planted in.

“This is what happens when you lack control.” Rullphana would tell the Sirithen, huffing lightly. “It will control you instead, so to speak. A similar principle to your ancestral abilities, in practice.”

“Y-yes…”

As Augusta would focus on the rest of the plants, Rullphana would lecture Leuca on a few particulars an extreme beginner would need to know. Apparently, those without the inherent ability like Augusta had, had to spend years usually to be able to even make a small fireball…but that was neither here nor there.

Augusta would lay a hand on the plants that had chaotically taken over the place. They were grown with magic, and as such it did stand to reason they could be…controlled with magic. Extending her reach from her body through the plants, she could easily ‘feel’ them and how they were grown, though getting them to do exactly as she’d want was a different matter entirely. It was slow at first, and it was hard for her to wrap her mind around the object, but she was able to follow the ‘flow’ of mana in the plants towards what seemed to be their source.

A ball of magical energy deep within the plant life. Yet, when she tried moving it, it resisted. She’d tell it to move, it wouldn’t budge. It didn’t seem like they wanted to cooperate though. Maybe she needed to do something else…?

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Neffy

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Oh thank the goddess.

Neffy would pull her blade from the goblins corpse, glad that it had worked. Really, she was glad she hadn't ended up a Nem-kebab or something. Thankfully it all went well. She had already been thinking of all the ways it could have gone wrong. She would turn to face the others with her, breathing a bit heavily but otherwise, outwardly fairly calm looking despite her thoughts traveling faster than Trina ran after stealing a cake.

"...I-is that all of them?" She'd quietly ask aloud, taking a quick look around, prepared to do her job more if she had too. Ugh, direct confrontations like this wasn't what she liked doing.

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Righto I'll do a thing tomorrow

Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

Alasayana

---

Well, she supposed she should have expected that response, with the other gods being what they were. Hmph. Not like she could say they were wrong either. They should avoid confrontation, getting Flora into trouble was probably a bad idea and she didn't want to put the poor girl through anything else...now of course, whether or not she could refrain from her more predatory instincts remained to be seen. She was a bit disappointed in the God of the oceans though. She wasn't expecting him to turn away from a decent hunt...but she really didn't know much about the oceans or the god himself, really.

Not that she didn't get to question this.

Moridax had the audacity to actually ask for her protection. Well, she didn't have a problem with it really. Protecting people was something that at least loosely fell under her domain. She might have readily agreed too, had the moment she asked something didn't cross their path.

Some sort of...odd grey creatures. About a dozen of them, four long legs. Slender legs and taller than any present. Compact bodies, with round heads and large orange eyes. She had never seen such creatures before - and seeing them immediately made her ears and tails all stand on end. An unknown creature? Right in front of her? Well, how could she say no?

"Hmm, what were you saying Moridax? Sorry, I was busy observing those creatures. I suddenly find myself hungry, so..." Pulling away from the Goddess of the Dead, the Huntress wouldn't wait for someone to tell her no before she'd crouch low to the ground, pushing off the ground towards the four legged creatures using her tails to pounce upon the one closest to her.

Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

I shall probably go a-hunting tomorrow.

Supposing no one stops Alasayana from having fun.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

A skill Seeker
@Crimson Paladin

---

“I…I see…” Enli would frown, taking Novaks words in stride. “I knew that they were after me since last night, but for such a reason…” In the old mans normally passive, more friendly expression there would be a sudden flash of anger in his tone as he’d let Novak finish saying his piece.

“I know not what they speak. Not really, but if the Illuminator said that, then its likely at least in part true…but then why go to such lengths? If it was possible, would it not be better to seek help? Maybe there was some reason he couldn’t…though I suppose there would be no helping to understand a divinities thought process.” Enli would shake his head, sighing in an exasperated manner. “Well, whatever it is,” He’d reach out, placing a hand on Novak’s shoulder. “Thank you. All of you travelers have helped greatly.”

It was then, Bolcha would walk into the longhouse, a look of concern.

“That kippoushi girl just walked back into the village with a few hunters. The people are…”

“I see. Thank you, Bolcha.” Enli would say with a nod. “If you’ll excuse me, Novak, I need to go do my job for these people.” He’d say, leaving the longhouse. Novak could probably follow if he wished. What Bolcha had described seemed to be true enough. The villagers were all still mostly crowded around the trio of hunters, loudly accusing them of not only attempting to harm their Leader, Kadisht Enli as well as conspiring to hurt the rest of them - not to mention the problems with hunting.

“What the traveler here speaks is true.” Enli’s voice would ring out over the immediate area, interrupting both the villagers as well as whatever it was Nobunaga would be doing. Considering his usual soft spoken nature, the volume with which he could speak was perhaps a bit surprising.

“The hunters of the village, have both jeopardized our relationship with the Kyrnith by actively conspiring with the Illuminator, as well as actively tried to have me killed!” He would slowly walk towards the group, each step purposeful and determined. Some of the villagers seemed surprised that Enli was speaking in such a manner. “...Honestly, I can understand why they would go to such lengths. Somewhat. I have not been a very good leader. Too passive. Trying to simply hold onto the status quo so no one is hurt, and that we can survive just a little longer.” The older man would admit with a tired, but determined expression.

“But I can no longer sit idly by and watch our village wither. In the coming days I will see to it that we will do more than survive! I have spoken with the Kyrnith itself, thanks to these travelers.” He would proclaim, breathing in. “And we have earned not only its respect and trust, for now, it has agreed to help. As for these hunters - though their actions may have been motivated by good intentions, it is not good intentions that can justify actions.” He would walk to the hunters, stopping in front of each - and looking at them right in the eye as he would make his next proclamation.

“I should have them killed, as they tried to have me killed. Exiled at best…but I can not allow myself to stoop to such levels. If we are to build a better future for ourselves, then we need to do so together. For now - I want them imprisoned until we have a better handle on what the others are doing. Can I trust you and your companions with that for now, Kippoushi?“

Misaki and Narkissa

---

@Click This@PKMNB0Y

“Mhm, no they aren’t.” Lazhira would respond with a frown. “Something odd happened with the Obelisk earlier. A lot of light and I thought I saw a door? I’m not sure, but I thought I saw some people here earlier…” She’d shake her head, not entirely sure what to say or do. “I was just curious about what was going on with the Obelisk and when we got here…” She’d look over to the hunters that were quickly setting up a number of traps, as well as ambush points around the Obelisk. Seemed like Soyala was starting to get a bit impatient, too.

“I think they’re planning to ambush something, but I don’t know…?”

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

---

The bushes weren’t anything alien. Probably similar to kinds he’d have run into on earth, if he had ever spent any length of time outside. Green leaves, gently covered in snow with dozens of berries on each. Roughly oval shaped, with a tough red looking skin and about the size of a grape. Considering their purposeful positioning here, they were likely safe to eat and were used for food.

It was then, as he was observing the bushes, he’d hear the light creak of wood, the door opening ajar just slightly. Since it opened in the direction of the bushes were, he could just make out who this little red riding hood was. Long locks of snow white hair fell from her head, and under the cloak itself it looked like she was wearing a coat with fur trimming. Her face was hidden by the fur trimmed hood, allowing him to only make out two light colored eyes.

“...If its just a rest…okay then.” She’d say, scrunching her nose. Her words were soft, but firm and certain. Curiously, it seemed like there were two small protrusions from the top of her head hidden by the hood. She’d open the door just slightly, letting Nicholas inside.

Assuming he’d do as he’d asked, the inside of the apparently single room cabin was well, cozy if nothing else. Warm from the fire crackling away in the fireplace, his body would probably be grateful for the warmth. A closet made of wood, a table for eating and other things. A bed, made of a wooden frame and animal furs. Over the admittedly rather large fireplace was a large cauldron, bubbling away at something. A rug made of animal fur covered the area near the bed, though part of the corner of it was folded over.

“...uhm, take a seat…if you need to rest. I was making some food.”

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

---

“A concealed weapon, hmm?” Mie would hum thoughtfully. “Well, you’re in luck. I happen to have quite a number of weapons that are a bit more…discreet.” She’d smirk, holding a hand to her chin as she’d consider the weapon choices she’d have available. “In fact…I think I know juuuust the thing, if you don’t mind a little…well, flamboyance. Stay here for a moment.” She’d run off somewhere, leaving Nomura in the small arena for a few seconds by himself, though it would not be long before she’d return with a…flute?

“Here we go,” She’d hand it to Nomura. “Not a cane, but I think this works nicely. A seemingly normal flute. Its made of a sturdy plant, at least, that’s what it initially looks like. Go on, give it a little try.” She’d say, and if he did he’d certainly be met with a sound of something that sounded exactly as one would expect a flute too. The only problem was, that it was fairly heavy for being made of a plant and it didn’t exactly feel much like a plant, either. More manufactured - something attempting to imitate something. There was also what was a small thing that seemed to be a button near the mouthpiece.

“And see that little button? Go on, press it. But watch your hands.” Supposing he did, there was the sound of something metal being released, and out from the end where the air was released on the opposite end, about a foot long metal blade would shoot out from the end of it.It was thin, sharp, and pointy. A bit like a rapier, perhaps though with its edges sharp and made specifically for stabbing. “A little something I made myself for more…discreet dealings.” She’d chuckle. “Works best if you actually know how to play though. Still, its reinforced with ore from the mines and surprisingly sturdy. Probably won’t do much against armor, but if you’re fighting armored opponents then you’ve already messed up heh. Its easy enough to put away, too. After its extended, there’s a little lip on the underside of it that is normally disguised as part of the mouthpiece you just pull until you hear a little click.”

The Roma Mob
@ERode

---

Demons and Elves

Red. Half his vision was dyed in red, a sanguine tinge coloring his world. A world that pulsated with the erratic throbbing of his head. Something had cracked inside, something that caused him to bite back the bile that threatened to rise. First time for everything. Hurt more than getting hit by a car. But he’d have to give the Storyteller some props. He could still hear, could still feel, could still stand. And with all these things together, Isidore could still fight.

Now wouldn’t it be impressive, that he found the source of the silkweaver eradication within the very first day?

Pushing his head away from the tree root he had smashed into, Isidore righted himself in a sudden, jerking movement. He pressed his thumb against the side of his nostril, righting the broken nose before snorting out a stream of coagulating blood. Every breath he took brought in the sting of iron, and he had lost most of his equipment in yards that he had bounced, rolled, and skid against. A shame about the lantern. Bought the thing and now he couldn’t even use it. Would have to ask for another timepiece too. Halberd was still lying on the ground beside the horned lady; he had only been leaning it against his body when the lightning, the woman, struck. The dagger still lay in his belt.

Isidore clenched his fists, raising them up to either side of his head. His body hunched down, sinking into his form as his knees bent. Blood sheared to flame as his heart roared to life with but a spark of lightning, his vision clearing away. A corner of his lips twisted upwards. Terrible abominations that made him question the sanity of the gods, followed by enough beauty to cause heart palpitations.

“Octavia, run for a healer.”

He’d have to be careful. This world was doing a lot to raise his standards.

Octavia would whine, looking between Isidore and the demoness in front of him. Healer? For where would one find a healer here, in the depths of proverbial hell? Well, perhaps the hound could pull off a miracle. The demonic hound, would thus, obey Isidore’s orders, bolting from the scene of the conflict.

There was nothing else to be said by the demoness. Giving Isidore enough time to issue a simple command was about as much time as she was going to give Isidore. She’d close the distance, crimson lightning trailing behind her, crackling with each step…but she was however, noticeably not as swift as Sorcha was.

She was however, just a smidge faster than him it seemed.

The demon would begin simply. An uppercut aimed for his chin, energy crackling along her fist.

A smidge faster was a negligible difference. As she closed in, Isidore stepped back, her fist striking air as his own flickered out into a straight jab, aimed for her face.

Nothing powerful, nothing decisive. Only a swift blow to gauge distance.

A missed blow for a missed blow.

The demoness’ would weave just slightly to the side, using the momentum to transition into a spin and low aimed spinning hook kick, the heel of her foot slamming into Isidore’s side. Felt like the kick had broken something else, just from the impact alone. It was a good thing, at least, that his armor would reduce damage he took after the first blow, then.

It hurt, but only from a distance. Adrenaline suppressed pain, something he’d suffer the consequences of after the fight ended. But for now, Isidore only let out a grunt escape, crumbling to the side as his elbow locked her foot between his arm and his side. Her ankle locked, he twisted around and swung her towards the roots she had sent him flying towards moments before.

She was surprisingly light, and it was easy enough to grab the Demoness. What wasn’t so easy, however, was the constant sparks of electricity that was now burning him again. Every time this demoness seemed to make contact, that same red electricity would cause severe burns, and more seeming disintegration of his skin.

It was a good thing he could deflect this energy, otherwise it’d probably be affecting him even worse.

She was swung, and this time it was the demoness who would be slammed into the roots. There was a resounding wooden thump as her body would hit it.

Following through with the momentum of his throw, Isidore dashed in while she was still suspended by the roots. Sparks ignited at his right elbow, before blooming into a jet of flame that propelled his fist with ever greater speed as he delivered a haymaker right for her stomach.

A fiery fist would careen towards the demoness. There was the definitive sound of impact, a quiet grunt as the fist would meet its target.

“...heh!” And then a laugh. Her hand would grab his wrist. There was a flash of crimson lightning, the roots immediately in their vicinity completely disintegrating leaving nothing behind but rectangular cuts at their tips. “I don’t know what you’re made of human, but you sure are tough. And that, hurt. Just a bit. I’m impressed.” Despite her words, Isidore would find her hand grabbing him by the back of his head, pulling him downwards and slamming his face into her knee.

She’d keep a firm grip on the back of his head, forcing him into a kneeling position as she’d slam her foot into his knee.

“Haaa, still….” She’d slowly open and close one of her fists, hands shaking slightly. “Not…enough. And its pissing me off more. So I’m…going to find out what you are made of,” She’d give Isidore an unsettling grin. “Lets start with figure out what these scales of yours are.”

Pain.

Isidore’s entire world would then be awash with pain as that crimson lightning from earlier began eating away at his armor and his flesh, first by slowly, small centimeter at a time stripping away his armor then by immediately dissolving the flesh under it. The same crimson lightning that he now had inside of him - if this continued, this was not going to end well for him.

“Do…I still…look human?”

Bathed in lightning, carapace crumbling, flesh disintegrating, and his face a mask of blood from the nose that was broken twice over, Isidore spat out his own words even as his left leg trembled beneath him, still shaking from the low kick she had delivered. A difference in durability persisted, a difference in striking force, one that could not yet be bridged by divine gifts. The realm of true superhuman capabilities exceeded him. Perhaps if all this had been delayed by even a single day, a single night, a single conversation, he’d have a clue as to how to surpass the limits of this inhuman body of his.

But for now, he had to survive.

So for now, he had to risk demise.

All of creation was a craft of magic. All demons possessed magic potent enough to make them whole even after death. Through spellwork, one could manifest materials out of the thin air. And now, just recently, this demoness showed that this methodology was a cycle. From physical to magical to physical once more, all whilst maintaining the mind, the soul from which such magic was born. Theory, hammering into his thoughts over and over again, the basis of his understanding of magic clarified by the words of one of the greatest mages within this nebulous world.

As disintegrating lightning broke through crystallized darkness, snaking into flesh and tearing bloody gashes into his body, Isidore redirected them one step deeper with the power that he had already wrested from the demoness’s grasp, pulling in as much fuel as he could for what he was about to attempt.

Was he ore, value found only after been tossed into the crucible? Or was he coal, naught more than a piece to be consumed for greater designs?

Scarlet lightning, his lightning, surged outwards to shroud his entirety, and with a singular mindset, Isidore forced his entirety to go into the depths of the earth.

…

Perhaps nothing had changed after all. Only in death would he accept his limits.

Crimson lightning filled the area, wildly sparking and arcing to the nearest physical object it could find as it disliked being in the air itself. The demons, solely focused on Isidore. Bit by bit, Isidore’s body began to look more dead than alive, skin having already completely been sheared from his forearms, most of his neck and face, and it was slowly spreading further. Not even his burning blood seemed to deter this demon - perhaps, it was to be expected here in such a fiery place.

It was a feat in and of itself he hadn’t passed out from the sheer pain, but even if his body wasn’t superhuman yet, it was enough, it seemed to allow him to survive.

“What-oh you clever bastard-”

He could vaguely hear the demoness’ words over the crackling electricity and his own throbbing, burning blood. More of the crimson lightning would come to rest within his body, blitzing about and running wildly within. He couldn’t hold this much for long, he had to give it purpose, and purpose he did. Isidore suffused himself with the crimson lightning within, and with it, the feeling of his entire body disintegrating - but it wasn’t from the demoness’ abilities this time.

Suddenly he’d feel his body jerk downwards, as is pulled by something into the ground. Sheer agony followed, his vision fading but it wasn’t anything he could control. What exactly was he doing? It was feeling more instinct than anything at the moment with such little control he had over what was happening. Was he moving? In fact, he could barely think, barely do anything.

….

What seemed like a number of hours to Isidore, as he would attempt re-constructing his body, would in reality be mere seconds. A crackle of energy, and he’d suddenly feel himself being pulled upwards. The agony of quite literally ripping himself apart would slowly fade back into the familiar pain of his injured flesh. Piece by piece the crimson lightning restructuring his body near his goal - not exactly near it, but behind the demoness nonetheless. He’d need to work on precision, but he had done it. He was out of breath, his body’s stamina failing him, and everything quite literally, hurt to even think about.

But would he go for another blow?

Somehow, he had lived.

Somehow, he had killed himself and was reborn. Still tenuous. Still fractured. Still bleeding and burning, his heart threatening to burst, his lungs threatening to collapse. All his injuries compounding until he could hardly stand on his own feet, his injured leg trembling with the mere effort of holding up his weight. If he had been closer, perhaps he would have tried for a final knockout blow, but at this distance…

Isidore let out a breath, raising his fists up to guard his head, bending his legs to prepare for sudden movements. Whether experienced gangster or fledgling fighter, whether surrounded by your underlings or alone with your foe, there was one thing that never changed.

You gotta look tough, don’tcha?

He spat fiery blood out and fashioned a dogged grin with his stained teeth, dark eyes glimmering in the firelight of his injuries. “Well?” Isidore stood, mind cool and body hot. “What’s next, pretty lady?”

“...heh. Oh, oh, ahahah!” The demoness would laugh in response, not seeming entirely all there in the head at the moment as she’d turn to face her opponent, taking a step towards him. “Aaaah, maybe instead of turning you to a red smear, I should just take you home, ahahah!” The cavalier attitude showed if nothing else she wasn’t the least little concerned and likely could indeed, do just that if she wanted.

Despite her words though, she had no intention of letting Isidore leave here alive. Red energy coursed through her hands.

“Fine. Fine! FINE! I’ll turn you and this entire forest to dust!” The crimson lightning began leaping from her, into the ground, crushing and causing it to buckle and crumble and crack under her feet. Into the roots, blasting them into dust, towards Isidore once more to rip him into pieces. The demoness would raise one of her legs -

“Guh-huh!?”

Before she could finish whatever it is she was charging though, a vine would wrap around the demoness’ neck, pulling her backwards and off balance! Isidore would watch as Octavia would use the vines to pull herself up to the demons head, wrapping them tightly around her neck while her mouth would bite and tear at her head, paws clawing and ripping into her shoulders.

“Human, get behind something!”

A voice, coming from behind him. It seemed Octavia had returned, and perhaps, with help this time. A build up of magical energy could be felt, but it was hard for him to place in his injured state.

If the demoness had continued with her dialogue, he would drag it out until he could figure out how to heal himself. If the demoness had charged in once more, he would empty his entire deck of tricks and go for a cross counter to knock her out. And if she flew into a rage…

…he’d rely on the constantly increasing capabilities of his blackened armor to give him the time to absorb the entirety of her magic and blast her to smithereens.

But for all his predictions and all his simulations, Isidore hadn’t honestly expected Octavia to return with help. Two immortal creatures, grappling each other. Immense magic power building up behind him. Anomalies everywhere, threatening to snap the last bits of rational thought that kept him conscious.

And here Isidore thought that a six hour ‘shift’ would be just him easing himself back into work.

Drawing in the last licks of broiling flame within his core, the dark-haired youth slammed his fists into the ground and raised a wall of molten steel, just high enough that he could duck beneath. Anything that happened after, he would have to leave to his unknown savior.

The wall of steel would raise, just high enough to lay against, molten and malleable, not quite hardened. Intense heat, but enough to serve as a shield against whatever was about to do.

The demoness reached behind her, grappling the hound who would growl, roots wrapping around her neck and eyes, preventing her from seeing and occupying her attention…not that Octavia could keep her attention for long.

“Dumb-” The demon grabbed Octavia by the neck. There was a pained whine. “-Bitch-get-off!” She’d wrench the mutt from her body, grabbing the mutt by either side of its mouth where she’d start pulling. Octavia’s body creaked, her paws scrabbling for purchase as the demon would slowly start tearing the poor hound in half.

It was hard to see what was happening, but he could hear someone. A flash of blue in his vision, a stream of energy would fly right over his head.

“Rest for now by the light of this star, demon!.”

The voice would cause the demoness to turn towards it, eyes burning with boiling rage - but she could say not a word. The arrow was loosed from the bow, the light at the arrows tip would coalesce into a single point. Faster than the eye could see, the arrow would arc towards the demon in a straight line. A surge of divine, bluish white energy behind it would blast towards the demon, cutting a straight line into the earth as though it was indeed, a falling star slamming into the ground.

Octavia would use one of her roots to uppercut the demon right in the face, causing her to lose grip on her right before the arrow would impact her. She’d give a pained grunt, but it was soon drowned out by the surge of divine energy trailing behind the arrow as it bore through the earth and the demon herself.

When the dust settled, there was seemingly nothing even left of her.

“On your feet, we have about three minutes before she resurrects herself. A surprise trick like that isn’t going to work again. And trust me, we don’t have the fire power right now to put her down for any length of time. I’ve tried.” It was…an elf? Maybe one of the Shadow but his skin was less pale and more dark. In his hands was a well crafted wooden bow, on his hip was a quiver full of arrows and a…stone sword? Well, it looked like a fairly standard sword, if somewhat on the bigger side. It was currently sheathed in a scabbard the only real visible part of it was its hilt - where a sapphire had been embedded in the pommel and the crossguard had a small engraving of a moon on it. At least it’d leave no doubt to whatever goddess this elf prayed too. He was wearing a fairly simple, if color garb of red, gold, and black with eyes of blue.

“...you can stand, right? I’m honestly impressed your even still breathing with half your skin missing.”

Isidore grit his teeth, pushing himself up. From the outside, he probably did look like a mess, and now that he could probably look around his body, he realized that the rags he wore really couldn’t even be called rags anymore. It was a heads up decision, keeping his cloak back in the palace suite. Anything else though…

“Half my skin? Better than expected.” Blood trickled down one eye and he closed it, quelling the excitement of his heart and feeling the crushing fatigue, the breathlessness that followed. He’ll recover though. His waterskin hadn’t burst, and he glugged down the rest of its contents before picking up his halberd again. It was heavier in his hands now, almost unwieldy, but as a crutch it would do. Octavia was alive too, and they had a whole three minutes to make themselves scarce before that demoness would rebirth herself from literally nothing.

He could understand a bit, why everyone hated them. He’d hate a species that didn’t follow the laws of nature too. “I’m headed for Gloomhaven. Can we make it?”

“Gloomhaven?” The elf responded thoughtfully, a curious tone carried across his voice. “...hm, perhaps are you…? Mhm, no time for chatter.” He’d keep his bow in hand, looking to where the demoness had previously been standing, little more than a crater left at the scene - but the red energy was starting to frantically spark about the ground, as if trying to move somewhere.

“We can. Once we get out of the forest, I doubt she’ll give chase. Her nature is fueled by the Blood of the old demon god so she’ll likely rampage in the area for awhile, killing anything she can get her hands on. I’ll be surprised if there is even a forest left, considering how powerful she is…” Octavia would walk over, seeming a bit none worse for wear at the moment, though the roots which had come from her feet seemed withered and burnt. “I’ll escort you back to the cavern at least, but after that you’ll be on your own. I have my own business to take care of in Naraheim.”

“Explain in detail,” Isidore responded as he began to jog away. “And call me Isidore. Was hired to see where the silkweavers went. Saw any?”

“We don’t have the luxury of detail.” The swarthy elf replied, moving after Isidore. “I’ll explain what I can once we’re out of the forest, but don’t expect much.” For most of the initial part of the trek, he’d be silent, attentively listening to their surroundings no doubt listening and feeling for any sign of the demoness.

And just as he’d have estimated, from within the forest as they’d reach the edge, they’d hear a blood curdling, bestial roar from within accompanied by a large flash of crimson lightning, the sound of destruction and what was likely the demon rampaging within.

“...should be safe enough here.” He would eventually say, once they had reached the edge, close to the area where Isidore had dealt with the hounds and the hunter earlier. “Now to answer your questions…Silk weavers. If you mean the creatures that eat flesh and produce extremely durable silk, then yes. You’ll likely find them near their primary habitat towards the roots of the great tree.” It looked like for a moment he wanted to say more, but would move to Isidore's other question.

“As for the other thing…demons are divided into five different clans based on their Origin. The Demons of Naraheim were formed when they crawled out of the old Demon Gods blood. As a result, they’re…well, vicious, violent and tend towards extremely bestial tendencies. Their blood, conversely, is also an extremely potent magical medium, which is why they possess extreme physical regeneration. They use their own blood to fuel any magical spells they wish with almost zero ill side effects and they can also use their own blood to replenish any lost that they had, effectively almost creating a loop of near infinite magical energy.” He’d sigh, though his mouth would turn into a smirk.

“Almost. Its not a completely perfect process, even if its near perfect. Eventually they’d run out of steam. The best tactic when fighting them is to make it so they can’t regenerate…or simply outlast their regenerative abilities, if you can stand it. The one we just fought though…I’ve ran into her a few times since I arrived here a few days ago, and I can only conclude one thing - she’s one of the seventy two arch demons and as things stand, fighting her without a solid plan of some sort is just going to end with everyone being smeared into the ground as a bloody stain.” Whoever this guy was, he seemed extremely knowledgeable about demons.

And that made him valuable, doubly so because he seemed staunchly on the side of killing demons, rather than researching them. Chewing on some of the dried food he brought along with him, Isidore recalled the demoness’s seeming resilience to fire, and concluded that dunking her in a magma bath wouldn’t work out too well. Infinite magic, infinite regeneration, and the status of being the big boss of demons, who nevertheless had no mercy for her own kind. But more importantly…

“So that place wasn’t the roots of the great tree.”

“No, they are. All these roots belong to it…or used to be, but that’s neither here nor there. If you’re looking for the silk weavers, they used to be here, but since that demon started rampaging around, she’s destroyed a number of nests. Probably tried eating her. Not a good idea.” He’d sling his bow across his shoulders, glancing towards the burned city in the distance with a seeming impatient huff.

“I’m sure you can get back from here. My goal lies in the opposite direction.” He’d start to walk off, and assuming Isidore didn’t stop him he’d not say another word.

“Got a name?”

“Vikas, though we probably won’t be meeting each other again. I only helped this time because someone asked me to.” He’d rather cryptically state, though he’d not mention any more than that.

“World’s a small place,” Isidore replied. “See you around.”

And with that, he walked off. Some healing and a nice long bath would do much to make him feel civilized again. After that? Well, there were business dealings and late night rendezvous to get to. Time didn’t wait even when Isidore felt like he was hit by a truck, after all.

Ah, right.

“Gotta get you something fancy too, don’t I?”

Octavia would bark affirmatively at Isidore’s question, seemingly agreeing that yes, she did indeed deserve something fancy.

Getting back to Gloomhollow wasn’t all that hard, compared to fighting an apparent Arch-demon at least. His body was still aching, and he was starting to feel a bit light headed from all the blood he was losing. At least, maybe, it was starting to get a bit more bearable by the time he’d make his way from the hot depths of the world towards the cooler caverns of Gloomhollow.

Goddess note

Skill Acquired: Pain Tolerance (lesser)
A skill denoting ones remarkable ability to withstand pain of all kinds. Doesn’t confer any bonuses or otherwise increase ones defensive abilities, but it allows one to simply shrug off blows that would otherwise cripple other men and power through certain things.

Understandably, his appearance would cause quite the commotion as he’d approach the gate. The Shadow elves were quite perturbed by both him, thinking he was some sort of demon at his appearance at first, and then extremely worried about by what in the name of the Goddess could hurt him in such a fashion and in such precision.

Regardless of his answers to their queries, he’d eventually be pointed towards the location of the Temple, if he didn’t want to go to Rullphana for treatment. Not many Shadow Elves actively worshipped the moon or revered the sage as the dwarves warrior poets did, but it was still customary for the Temple to handle such affairs.

Supposing he’d take them up on that offer, Octavia would trod along happily next to Isidore, seemingly satisfied with her various meals in Naraheim for the moment and it wouldn’t be long before he’d find his destination. A bit far from the palace, towards the underground lake was a fairly ornate looking stone building carved into the earth. A garden of various plants and fungi surrounded it.

The interior was as one would expect of a church or religious place of worship. There weren’t any pews to sit upon, and the only source of light in the place was a chandelier over a reflecting pool that served as the centerpiece of the room. A small altar sat beyond, flanked by a few shelves. He wouldn’t get very long to be able to observe though, as he would soon be confronted by another elf.

Her skin was of a paler shade compared to the usual more grey tone the others had. She was wearing a rather elaborate piece of clothing, sporting white and black colorations, a dark blue shawl draped across her shoulders. A staff that was crowned with an almost closed circle with points on the inside edge of it was held in her hands.

“...a demon? What is a demon doing here?” Seemed his appearance might have given her the wrong idea. “Well, I don’t care why you’re here, but if you could stop bleeding on the carpet, that’d be lovely.”

---

@Pyromania99

Trainig arc pt 2

“Such a vague goal…” Rullphana would say with a click of her tongue. “You should fix that sooner rather than later. Magic is in part, the users own willpower and reality manifest. Without a clear goal or direction, your magic will never be anything to speak of. Keep your expectations grounded, too. Unrivaled in power is far too childish and likely fairly uncommon.” Well, if nothing else she was sounding definitely like a teacher scolding a pupil now. “Not that magic isn’t a path to such things, but such a path starts with a small step - a goal driving you.”

She would open the door at the top of the stairs now, entering into the room beyond as the wall would close behind the pair, sealing the room from intruders. The room was a bit smaller than the one below, the mushroom a bit thinner in this area but still large enough to be what was obviously a training room. A large, open space covered in what appeared to be wooden floors, magical light in lamps lighting the room.

“But I suppose lightning is simple enough to work with.” The Shadow Elf would hold out a open hand towards Augusta, letting electricity crackle across her fingertips. “I am certain you would be able to do that yourself with enough thinking, allow me to offer some guidance anyways.” The lightning would crackle upwards, striking the ceiling with a peal of electrical whirr.

“Now tell me, when you think of lightning, what do you think of?” She’d ask.

Willpower, reality manifest. Yes, she had assumed something to that extent but she was glad to get confirmation. “I find that sometimes, you set your aim for a lofty goal and then work to that through smaller goals. It’s not too different of a view.” Augusta mentioned as she followed her current teacher through the door into this new room. It was pretty much a training room. Perhaps Rullphana would allow her to come here and practice at any time.

That aside, Rullphana gave her an example of lightning striking the ceiling after letting it course over her fingers. “What do I think?” There were a few things that came to mind. “Coursing electricity. The sound of thunder that follows. Coi–” No, those probably didn’t belong in this world, did it? “How fast it comes and goes, I suppose. Fire, as well.” Augusta would mention, thinking about how Lightning could cause a fire.

“Hmm…that viewpoint perhaps, isn’t entirely incorrect I suppose.” She’d frown, commenting with a thoughtful hum. “But you still need to keep it grounded in reality. As much as you may desire it, ‘Unrivaled Power’ is too vague. To whom, is it overwhelming? Mortals? Gods? There is always someone stronger than you, Augusta, and there always will be.” She’d move across the room, telling Augusta to stay put as she’d stand opposite end of the room.

“Moving on though, I can understand why you think they are similar. Fire and Lightning are both energy - but fire is also Warmth. Life. The humans and people above would not be able to live without it. Lightning however, is…destruction and power. Its power is great, but its lifespan is short, only existing for short bursts. It dislikes being contained, and it always desires to move from point A to point B, and will do so given the chance. Fire is merely a result of this great energy hitting a target. A byproduct. Now then, remove thunder and fire from the equation. Now, I ask again. What. Is. Lightning? Less physical explanations. What does Lightning mean to you?”

"It's just electrical discharge? It can be destructive but it has other uses as well…" Augusta started to say, crossing her arms. "It can be destructive or useful depending. Zap someone to stop their heart or give someone whose heart has stopped just enough of a shock to restart it." The woman sighed a small bit. "Lightning itself tends more towards destructive than useful I suppose."

“...still quite the…realistic response. I suppose that may be just the type of person you are. Since you’re a Sirithen, I shouldn’t be surprised by your lack of…imagination.” Rullphana would smirk lightly. “Very well then, in times like this the pupil learns best by doing and seeing. So, Augusta,” Lightning would crackle across her fingertips. “In that case, you will get intimately familiar with lightning. That is to say, you will learn to defend against it as well as use it or you will get hurt.”
As she’d finish saying that, a bolt of lightning from her raised hand would blast across the room towards Augusta.

Augusta expected as much. After that brutal session with Sorcha earlier, she almost wondered if she'd be forced through such a thing with this powerful mage. The woman wasn't intimate with electricity but knew that lightning was supposed to be negatively charged and she had wondered if that was the same with magic.

Well, not that she had much time to think that far. As soon as she saw the crackling in Rullphana's fingers, she started to raise a magic barrier and tried to add a small positively charge property to it. Though she wasn't the most confident in that. Hopefully she'd weaken the blow she did take.

Augusta would attempt making a barrier, the air in front of her shimmering for a brief second. The bolt of lightning would be absorbed into it, crackling around the barrier in front of her before losing its energy entirely and fading.

“Ah, yes…a ward, is it? And…you…made it function as a lightning rod.” Rullphana would respond. “A fair move, and would indeed, function well against other lightning based attacks so long as the barrier was not overloaded. However - that does not solve the issue you have.” She’d inform Augusta.

“Again.” Another bolt of lightning would soon follow. “If you wish to tame lightning, you must first experience it and learn it. A mage will never learn properly without exposing themselves to danger.”

"Why are my teachers so insistent on putting me within an inch of death…" Augusta muttered ever so slightly as Rullphana started her lecturing… Before firing off another bolt of lightning. Augusta applied a small positively charged ward to her hand to dissipate the attack a small bit. Not enough to stop it outright but it was better for her hand to take than her chest.

She raised that hand and blocked the bolt. It hit but she didn't feel anything major at first. Until it ate through the little ward she allowed herself. The shock rang through her body. Her nerves felt like they were vibrating and about to melt. Now… it didn't seem to matter where she were hit. Her fingers were not listening to her commands nor were her toes.

In an attempt to stop the internal fuzziness, Augusta attempted to redirect all of the extra electricity out of her body with magic, redirecting it back out her fingers toward, really, anything.

The bolt of lightning would streak through the air, slamming into Augusta’s ‘barrier’ though, it was far less a barrier and more of a sort of cloud of gas. It would thump into it, before it would meet Augusta’s fingers. The shock was well, as expected, painful. Every nerve on her hand would light up with pain, but, it likely wasn’t as painful as it could be. The energy would attempt to find some way out of her body, but it didn’t seem like it would just go back out the way it came - pushing it back out that way seemed hard, like shoving something through a clogged faucet or hose.

Fine, if it was going to be that way, Augusta used magic to force a circuit of sorts in her body toward her other hand. She clenched her teeth together as she internally forced the energy to cross her shoulders and down her other arm and out her fingers.

The energy would course through her body, prickling her skin and creating a painful flow through her body as it raced from her shoulder, to the other, and then back down her other arm. A bit like a river or other current. It was…powerful, like nothing she’d have ever felt before. Purposeful. Swift, and destructive. If she had lost focus even for a second there was a very high chance she’d hurt herself as she guided it through her until it reached her other hand…where a shower of sparks would escape.

“Well, you’ve learned a simple trick to prevent yourself from being hurt, I suppose.” Rullphana would say. Indeed, perhaps she could use this trick with other sources of magic.

Goddess Note

Skill Acquired: Mana Redirect

A skill allowing one to redirect magical energy tossed at them from any supernatural source. Rather than absorbing and meshing it with your own, you redirect it to some other purpose, thus weakening its effects upon you as you turn it towards something else. Generally, this will work with everything but some sources of energy would be far too strong to completely deflect, and some are easier to work with then others.

“However…redirecting it only leaves one with half the picture. Unless you are ready to attempt making it yourself? You’re clever Augusta, surely you can do it without any more guidance. Think again about what lightning is, what you felt when you directed it elsewhere. Try to recreate that feeling. Alternatively, if you are intent on the more grounded aspects of it, that is still an option I suppose. Either way, now try.”

"Still hurts a bit." Augusta mentioned, her fingers still a small bit tingly. She did seem to get a new skill, though, so that was good. "Try to recreate?" Augusta questioned, looking down at her fingers. Perhaps she would try both the way Rullphana wanted her to and her own way.

"Let's try the way you suggest. A raging storm bottled in my fingertips." She thought of Rullphana's words from earlier. Fleeting destruction, moving from point A to B in the blink of an eye before disappearing from the face of the world. The image of a bolt striking the ground flashed in her mind as she intended her Magic to produce the same result.

“Pain is nothing more than a side effect of learning.” Rullphana would assert, as Augusta would move to start recreating a bolt of lightning. She could feel energy gathering in her body, though without some sort of focusing point for it it seemed…distant, fleeting.

“Good, good - but all power must originate from somewhere. Your heart? Lungs? Stomach? Tongue? Or that-ahem-those eyes of yours? Focus from there, and bring it out.”

Augusta narrowed her eyes in Rullphana. When she mentioned eyes. She wanted to question her then and now but now wasn't the time. Really, it just made her curious. Curious and slightly worried about how the woman knew.

"Fine my 'eyes' it is." Augusta mentioned in a slightly annoyed tone. She did as Rullphana mentioned and focused from her eyes. As if she were collecting her power from the Eye of the Goddess to fuel her magic allowing it to flow to her fingertips so she would fire off a bolt of electricity towards Rullphana.

Augusta could feel…something, change. Just ever so slightly. The energy she was directing before seemed more focused and as she’d point her hand at Rullphana she could feel it. It would happen in a flash. In little more than a millisecond, not even long enough for her to process. Electricity would arc from her eye, coursing down through her arm and then out her hand.

A bolt of lightning raced towards Rullphana.

The Shadow elf would merely raise her own hand, a smirk as the bolt of lightning would harmlessly impact a seemingly invisible barrier.

“See? That wasn’t so hard. though a bolt of lightning or a fireball is the most basic of basic things a mage can accomplish.”

"Most basics of basics..?" Augusta questioned, using the same focus method to make as many of those flame lances she was familiar with as she could sustain at once. "So, what do you know?"

She asked, not stating exactly she was talking about, but it should be obvious to Rullphana she was talking about the eye comment. Of course, she was expecting the senior mage to play coy with her.

The fire would shape itself into Lances, hovering around her and ready to fire off at anyone that Augusta wanted.

“Hm? Know? More than you do, that’s for certain.” Rullphana replied coyly, a smirk forming her her features. “But…perhaps I could extend to you more lessons. A bit more…secretive lessons and knowledge, if you desire it.” She was telling the truth, that much Augusta could tell from her eye. She would be willing. “In return for…hm, lets say, a little help in a certain matter?”

Augusta kept five of her magical lances in the air fairly easily. She started to play with them a small bit, moving them to and fro to practice her control a bit. "I'm not a believer of agreeing to help on cryptic matters, my dear teacher." Augusta mentioned, eying Rullphana with some small part of suspicious. And a small bit of curiosity.

“Cryptic? Please, my dear student, its less cryptic and more…discretion.” Rullphana would respond, eyeing those five lances curiously, spinning as they lazily floated through the air. It wasn’t hard to control them, after all, they already clearly moved easily enough. “Then let me ask you something - you want to know more about demons, do you not?”

"Demons? I do want to know about them as a matter of interest. But if the matter of the favor has to do with Octavia I'll politely deny now." Augusta mentioned, twirling her magic around like a toy, feeling comfortable with controlling it. "What are you wanting? Demons hunted? Capture them?" Augusta didn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea. As interested as she was, unless Rullphana had some magic ritual or rite to bind Octavia to her commands instead of that flower demon… Would she be very interested?

“Then we are of the same mindset.” She’d respond with a smile. “Intriguing, aren’t they? Strong. Talented with magical abilities…immortal. It is my desire to know everything about them. Every little trick, every little history of theirs, ability…so we can better protect the queen dearest, of course.” Rullphana would smile. A small note would tell her she was definitely being dishonest about something, but it didn’t give specifics.

Whatever Rullphana really meant, Augusta didn't like it. "Of course." Augusta replied with a small sigh. "What exactly do you want then?" The woman asked, dispelling her magic. She was sure that the woman was being dishonest about protecting the queen, or at least, learning the knowledge for that end. "A foot massage?" A mocking tone hung on the last words for if that were the case.

“A foot massage? Ahaha, and if I were to take you up on that offer, would you?” Rullphana would ask with a fairly serious tone. “But no…simply put, I would like you to look into something in old Naraheim for me. My duties keep me fairly busy, and teaching Leuca is going to take up even more of my time. I ask this because of personal interest, mostly, but also - seeing demons yourself and what they are like would be good for you, I think.”

As a response to the foot massage question, Augusta merely shrugged. If she got something worthwhile out of it? Probably, but it would be difficult to admit it.

She listened on to the Shadow Elf's request. Going to old Naraheim. Seeing demons firsthand. It sounded interesting. That left a question for her though. "What's this old Naraheim? I don't believe I've heard of it."

“Haa, you run around with one of them yet don’t even know where they’re from…” Rullphana would sigh lightly. “Old Naraheim is well…the old home of demons. Well, a particular clan of them anyways. Those born from the burning Blood of the old demon god. There used to be clans that inhabit other places, or so my research tells me, but…i’ve yet to find where any of them are. Regardless, its likely also the Origin for that pup of yours. You could very well also find something you’re looking for there.”

"Old home of the demons?" Augusta repeated as she listened to Rullphana's explanation. Burning blood of the demon God. Clans… She definitely remembered seeing such a thing in Octavia's status window. "So you want me to travel to the home of demons. Sounds dangerous."

The woman didn't really sound too threatened really. And she couldn't deny that she was heavily interested in going. It was something else to learn about after all. Knowledge was on of the best advantages one could have. "Would I be looking forward to constant demon attacks? And what do you mean by 'something you're looking for" exactly?"

“Who knows,” Rullphana replied with a smile. “I’m certain you’ve heard rumors of me being a sage - one who has studied and earned the title closest to the one blessed by the moon and led us against the corrupt humans of old. Or have you not? Lets then, just say my intuition is good.” She’d question, seeming a little disappointed at the idea if Augusta hadn’t. “Well, regardless…its safe enough, I’m sure, for one of your calibre. There are demons, yes, but for the most part they’re small fry you shouldn’t have trouble with.”

Augusta wasn't going to let the compliment stroke her ego like she might have otherwise. "When exactly would I go. The next couple of days will be training with the sword with Sorcha and then… Well, more than a couple of things." Despite the danger, she did want to go see more places. "And on that note, where is it?" It would be difficult to even place herself in danger if she didn't know where to go, after all.

“Old Naraheim exists right beneath our feet.” Rullphana responded. “There’s a gate at the end of the road. Normally you need the queens permission, but my authority should be plenty fine as well. As for when…well, think of it as hands-on training. As I said, adversity breeds creativity if you have trouble thinking of how to do things in a stable setting.”

"You say that like I've had a stable setting at all in a while." The trainee mentioned, looking at Rullphana and thinking about her journey since she was stabbed in the back before bleeding out. "Hands-on training…" Augusta thought. "Tomorrow between my trainings with Sorcha perhaps." She needed to prepare after all. "Anything in particular you wanted down there?"

“Stable and adversity are different things. Travel is comparatively easy, so long as one keeps warm. While it can help one think of different ways to combat dying from weather…its honestly a poor teacher for magic, unless you are planning on honing more elemental based magic.” Rullphana would continue. “Regardless, yes, there is something I’d like you to look into for me, but that can wait until tomorrow. I think I’ve given you enough to consider for now, so this lesson is over.”

Augusta listened to more of Rullphana's words for she had a great many to share. "Very well then. I'll return tomorrow after my morning session with Sorcha." Augusta grumbled, thinking on how in the near future she would need to go back out and practice with her more. While she did want to train with a weapon… She didn't exactly desire the multitude of cuts she received. "Need I prepare anything?"

“Hm…I would advise bringing some food, or perhaps some medicinal herbs just in case you run into more demons than expected.” She’d respond. “Otherwise, it’d be best to travel light.”

"Right then." The would-be princess uttered as she started a mental note about what her teacher suggested. "Until tomorrow then, dear teacher." With that she head back towards Leuca to check on her. See how close she was to done or if she'd take longer.

Making her way back to the main floor of the mushroom tower, Augusta would soon hear a small shout of surprise.

“Eeep! Raezel!”

“A-ah! Hold on, I’ll uh, get something to cut it with!”

After making her way back to it, she’d see Leuca apparently having a bit too much success with the plant growth, it seemed. The entire side of the room she was on, was now covered in plant foliage of various kinds and the young Sirithen was now entangled in a mess of vines, plants, and flowers. Raezeleth was doing her best to pull the other girl out.

“...I did not expect such quick progress. Tsk, you certainly have a lot of power hidden in that body of yours.” Rullphana would comment, following Augusta down. “Well, this is good of another lesson as any. You fix this, Augusta using your own magical abilities.”

Friend or Foe?

Trekking through Naraheim had always been difficult. If it wasn’t the demons, it was the hellish landscape itself threatening to suck the life out of a man. It was a good thing he was blessed by both the moon and his teacher in ways to avoid such events, but it still made it no less annoying to deal with…especially when he had to deal with a demon.

“My my, back already? I was half hoping you’d come crawling back half dead, hehe.”

“And miss the chance to annoy you? Not happening.” He would respond curtly, reaching the crest of the plateau upon where the old, burned out tree sat.

“Hows the human?” From atop its severed stump, lay a blond haired demon that was currently looking down at him from her perch where she’d lazily roll over onto her stomach as she’d ask the question.

“Half dead, but he’ll live. The Goddess really gave them very…robust bodies, didn’t she?”

“Haaa, such delicious looking bodies, too. I almost regret letting them leave. And my little puppy, she’s looking so healthy too! I wonder what became of the other seed…”

“I won’t be saving them again, just so you know. Hows the tree?”

“Eeeeh, do you have to ask! Isn’t it obvious! Ugh, that stupid dumb idiot Death Goddess did a number on it! If I ever see her Maids or her again, I’m going to turn every last one of them into a delicious meat soup!” Her apparent anger would quickly shift to amusement though, a pointy toothed grin forming on her blindfolded face. “Heheh, but I suppose I can forgive her…after all, its thanks to her I’m even ‘alive’ to start with.”

“Can it be used or not?” Vikas would curtly reply.

“Oh take a moment to relax would you? Always so busy…but I suppose that is a trait I find attractive.” She’d sit up, smirking. “What about it though? Relax with your favorite little demon?”

“...I’m going to assume that’s a no.”

“Tsk tsk, you’re no fun! Of course its a no! Look at it! Its not even a stump! Barely a husk! I’d need to replant the entire tree from scratch! Do you know what that would take?! I’d need the help of those divinities for that! And do you think they’d let me!?”

“You do have other methods of seeing our deal through to the end do you not?”

“Eeeh? I suppose I do, but it won’t be pleasant.”

“Then what do you need?”

“Hehe…well if you’re certain you want to go through with it…”

Emerald Odyssey — An MMO Isekai RP (Now Accepting!)

Kokoma

---

"Ho jeez, you're hurt pretty bad aren't you." Kokoma's tone was fairly exasperated, seeing the cub hurt in such a fashion. One of its legs was clearly broken. For once, Kokoma was now for a loss of words or actions as she'd nervously regard the creature in front of her. Right, this wasn't a game any more...or at least, probably wasn't. She had skills and stuff sure, but...how did one fix a broken bone? Aside from maybe a splint or something similar, she hadn't a clue.

"Hmm...alright, don't you worry! Kokoma's gonna help." Now that it didn't seem like the cub was going to be hostile, Kokoma would inch slowly closer to it, so she could see exactly where it was pinned at. If it would let her, she'd start finally getting to unpinning it as best she could with her hands, hoping she'd not need to cut any branches or anything. Didn't want a weapon to spook the cub again. "Just stay still, I'll get you out and fix that leg of yours."

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Okaaay!

Sorry for the long delay on that I got a bit distracted by other things. Hopefully I didn't have Neffy do too much there but I shall adjust as needed if I have to change anything.