Vertigo

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

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Fellwing stopped mid-step, turning back to Runa. Ah. She must've misunderstood; she'd thought the troll siblings had not only gotten separated from their group, but also from each other. This time, she was rather happy to be corrected — though not entirely happy to find herself venturing into the mines after all.

"Oh, pardon, my mistake. Then yes, please do lead the way." She said it with a smile, but in all honesty, Fellwing couldn't help but feel a sense of unease crawling up her spine. She could only guess at the reason.

"Perhaps we will run into my friends on the way, as well." Though whether that was something she hoped or dreaded, the Seer wasn't quite sure. Hopefully, if nothing else, they were already done with... whatever it was they wanted with the older dragons' family issues.

Planescape: Search for Tir na Og

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_{Manyroads' Maps, Tradegate, the Outlands
@Lurking Krog, @XxFellsingxX, @Abstract Proxy, @Guardian Angel Haruki}

For whatever reason, Garnet seemed to be the only one smiling over her latest acquisition. She caught the looks and the glares leveled at her, but didn't answer in kind, her smile not once wavering. Buncha grumps, here new companions! Maybe they should've rummaged around the shop too and found their own treasures, that ought to cheer them up.

Before she could suggest as much, the shopkeeper — who was actually smilin' too, would ya look at that! — approached the matter with logic and tact and reason and a bunch of other things that hardly mattered when the compass was shiny and inscribed with the runes of her people!

Garnet grimaced at the word pricey — and as the man finished his request, realization visited her expression, if briefly. Her eyes narrowed at the man's changed tone. This man, he was...

He was asking for stuff for free! How weird was that?!

"Nah," Garnet said simply, cheerily, her expression unchanging, seemingly none the wiser of the magic that had tried to take a hold of her.

Then something swooshed past her. Garnet turned to find a flurry of feathers clouding her vision for a brief moment, as something glided past. A bird? As the goblin blinked after the creature, her eyes focused on where the thing landed — and what it dropped in Melvin's hands. The compass. Her compass.

And it was smug about it too-!

Garnet blinked once, twice, jabbing out a finger in surprise. "Yer--- yer a thief!" she gasped, her widened eyes seeming to take up most of the space on her tiny face. "'N..."

Her grin returned, laughter spilling past yellowed teeth as she doubled over to slap her knee. "N a damn goo' one at tha'!" she straightened, wiping at her nose and resuming her pointing at her new archrival. "Ya got me! Ya got me — t'is time. But ain't a Dwarf a'ive who fo'ets a debt! 'S on now, fowl t'ief! Ya be'er sleep with tha' fluffy head o' yours tu'ned 180 degrees, ya hear?"

Then, as if she hadn't just tried to steal from him and refused his request to return his belongings, Garnet turned to the shopkeep and asked, casual as any customer, one hand already in her coin pouch: "So 'ow big a dis'ount we talkin' on that the'e c'mpass?"

Planescape: Search for Tir na Og

Gonna post in a few now, just need some food first.

Symphony on High

💀

20 | Female | Maverick Alternative | So(ME)thing On Your Mind
Kiss & Make Up | Handgun | Physical | We Are But Dust and Shadow
Hellspawn | Streetside Devil
Friends on the Other Side | Shadow | Abyssus Abyssum Invocat
[Obfuscate, Intangible] Damage X (6), Restrain (4), Blink (4), Minor Heal (2), Summon (2), Enhance (2), Powerful (0), Homing (2), Avoid (2), AoE (2), Bend (0), Construction (4)

[Gold Touch][AoE*][Intangible] = -120

*just in case, because the train is beeg, even though it is just one creature (= one "target"?).

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: E | 1000

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: E | 438

"Guess you were right!" Ciri shouted triumphantly over Regina's howl, her own pained face twisting into a grin underneath the flames. Being on fire actually hurt marginally less this time, be it because she was jacked up on adrenaline or because she knew her enemy was hurting more for fucking once. "Hitting definitely isn't your style, so how 'bout you give the running part a go?!"

Though she was talking smack, Ciri's heart felt like it was actively trying to beat our her chest — since, much as her melody had done, she was painfully aware that the fire bitch wasn't quite dead yet. And she wasn't sure if her little intangibility trick would work twice in a row.

She took a hasty step backwards to avoid Regina's desperate swing, only then realizing that her foot wasn't sinking into mass of sinewy shit anymore. Come to think of it, the train's pitiful wailing was gone too — or maybe she'd just gone fucking deaf from the screaming. So did that mean their job was... done? They'd come here to help, and if Crazy Train was healed, presumably by the aura of the other Train that passed them earlier, then wasn't—

Once again, she was denied the chance to think, as It materialized to shove her adversary down once more, only to have to avoid a slash from one of the nuns. Ciri's eyes flew wide, relief she refused to show seeping into her voice. "Was about damn time! Where the fuck were you?!"

Then the party really started. It and the nun weren't the only guests to show up; in an instant, a dude who looked strikingly like Regina — some sort of siscon freak, probably — descended upon her. Ciri had little time but to swing her arm out to try and guide her partner to intercept it, when someone else did so for her. Someone unexpected.

Ciri fell unceremoniously on her ass, both literally and figuratively.

"Blue?!" she gasped, not having expected hired help to put herself in between her and a giant incoming shield so willingly.

"Can you please do something about that stupid smoke instead!?"

... Oi! Just 'cause she saved her didn't mean she could start barking orders at her!

"Man, would you give me a sec?! Been a little preoccupied here!" Ciri snapped out of reflex, gesturing towards Regina just as the other Esper's eyes seemed to land on her as well.

Apparently, Blue knew the dude too, trying to talk some sense into him while she tried to parry his shield with a goddamn kitchen knife. A big kitchen knife, but still. The nuns were still around too, and Ciri was still not a close quarter combatant. At least It was here, but—

It was a little desperate, and needed her to trust two monsters she really didn't know she could, but it was worth a try. She really couldn't do anything but try.

"Boteg!" She shouted telepathically, desperate to reach him. She wasn't sure where he was exactly, but he was supposed to be nearby - no, she knew he was. And she hoped that was enough for her words to reach him. "You're goddamn dragon, start acting like it! If this shit works, we'll be, uh, free-falling in a sec, so you'd better catch us. I'll buy you all the melty gold you want!"

She did the telepathic equivalent of hanging up on him before he could reply, if he had even heard her — then glanced down at the train underneath her. "Hey, Train. Just Train, cause calling you Crazy is a little tactless, huh? Look, us Maverick, we came here to help you, and it looks like apart from this fire ant infestation, you're all good now. So... wanna help me get us all off your back? Right now? All you gotta do is not fight what I'm about to do, a'ight?"

Ciri pushed herself on all fours, pressing both of her palms into the train's back, and tried.

P2e - Threshold of Knowledge - [Ended]

I'm still here as well, regardless of how we continue!

Planescape: Search for Tir na Og

'Tis next on my list!

P2e - Threshold of Knowledge - [Ended]

Finally managed to read up on what's been going on and post! Here's hoping I didn't trigger a fireball trap or something first thing after coming back.

P2e - Threshold of Knowledge - [Ended]

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Well now, it seemed their eventful morning was far from over. From catching repulsive fish to pacifying even more repulsive bugs to what appeared to be a manhunt and a rescue mission both, they sure had their hands full. Still, as they left Teacher Ot's office behind to follow the watery trail, Elaeshor couldn't say he minded this new turn of events. He was quite interested indeed to see what it was the assailant's had wanted with Ot. The man himself, or something of value he possessed? An artifact, magic, or simply knowledge? Perhaps he could find a way to benefit from whatever it was, were they to find it.

But first, they had to find it.

The watery footsteps, suspiciously easy to follow, eventually led them to a gaudy door and a reflective clock that accompanied it, its numbers corresponding with the position of the various symbols. Fleur confirmed as much, magic apparently telling her the two were indeed connected.

Before Elaeshor could take a step to investigate further, his little companions went ahead and started pushing the symbols. He watched as they lit up a symbol for each of the clock's hands, lighting up gems, with Fleur encouraging them. On the right track, she'd said, yet something appeared to still be missing?

The kitsune took another gander at the clock. They'd matched the hands, yet... his eyes trailed to the map. They needed something more. The only thing that still corresponded to anything on the clock face, apart from the mundane numbers, was— another face. The one in the middle of the door, where the map was on the clock.

"Excuse me, if I may," he mused as he strode forward, reaching out a hand to try and press a finger on the portrait in the middle, hoping he was indeed correct and not about to be zapped by whatever magical defense this thing held. Otherwise, this might end up being the second worst moment of today, right after the whole fishing ordeal.

Symphony on High

💀

20 | Female | Maverick Alternative | So(ME)thing On Your Mind
Kiss & Make Up | Handgun | Physical | We Are But Dust and Shadow
Hellspawn | Streetside Devil
Friends on the Other Side | Shadow | Abyssus Abyssum Invocat
[Obfuscate, Intangible] Damage X (6), Restrain (4), Blink (4), Minor Heal (2), Summon (2), Enhance (2), Powerful (0), Homing (2), Avoid (2), AoE (2), Bend (0), Construction (4)

[Silver Self][Intangible] = -48
[Gold Projectile][Damage X] = -144

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: E | 1000

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: E | 558

A lot happened in a matter of seconds, and for once, Ciri found no time for sarcastic quips, mental or otherwise. From the moment she straightened in her new position, disoriented and pissed off at the loss of another summon but so far fine, all her focus was on her new surroundings. Shit. Shit, this was pretty bad.

As she saw the flames descending from the sky, for a split second, Ciri's heart jumped, and her thoughts went to avoiding it — but then she remembered the crazy bitch was too close for comfort, blades in hand. She knew what was coming, and wasn't willing to try her luck at close combat. So, no, if she avoided this, she'd lose the element of—

She'd yet to make up her mind, when the nova was already upon her, and the decision was made for her. A scream tore from Ciri's throat as fire engulfed her once more, and she slipped out of her coat in a reflexive attempt to put it out. She knew her Esper form would heal with no burn scars left behind or whatever but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch. In her mind, in a place removed from the pain, she could feel It was here somewhere, as usual, despite their differences earlier. If It wanted to help, now was a damn good time. Soon it might've been too late.

She was vaguely aware that something was going on with the train underneath her, and of the other train passing by, bringing with it what felt like a soothing, healing breeze — but Ciri had no time for second glances, because the redhead was coming straight at her. Figured. Teeth gritted, Ciri counted down. She'd taken the fire, so this bitch likely didn't expect her to have a way out up her sleeve. Three, two, one, and—

Just as the blades would've made contact, Ciri became intangible, pushing forward a single step to take her further through her enemy in the brief window of intangibility she had. And, as her assailant passed through her, Ciri whipped around upon rematerializing, shoved her palm forward, and fired straight at the back of Regina's head, point blank.

Payback. She fucking hoped it hurt more than literal fire.

P2e - Threshold of Knowledge - [Ended]

@digizel @patientbean @clanjos @rush99999 @vertigo

Hullo again! Just taking a quick pulse check! I've seen a few of you log in recently, but the puzzle is dragging on a bit, so I thought I'd ask: are people interested in just moving on?

Yay or nay won't hurt my feelings. Happy to keep things moving. If I don't hear back by tomorrow I'll short the puzzle and we'll get moving again.

@wanderingwolf

Meant to catch up earlier this week, but my writing got interrupted and had some IRL stuff to catch up on first - should be all done after today though, so posting tomorrow most likely!