Xaltwind

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Let's-a go! :D

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Me'n Da Paw did a collab too~

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Kikka - Common Realm

--- Coliseum Interior ---

@SilverPaw, @Zeroth

---

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As Nephertys floated high up in the arena, watching the chaos unfold below, safe behind her bubble-like shield, she also made sure to keep ready. The group of contenders who she had snatched the sphere from earlier were quickly approaching from below, and their insults and spells were being slung with equally reckless abandon towards the desert-dwelling beauty. Unfortunately for Nephy, the human body only has two eyes, and when you're focused on looking at something in a particular direction, you don't often tend to see stuff that's coming at you from an entirely different one... Such as a crazed drunk flying upside down on her broom, being chased by the world's angriest dentist wearing a tiger head...

Only when the draconic drunk shouted her warning of something being on the way in, Nephy turned her head to her side, looking at the peculiar sight. There was a girl, flying very... Wobbly? While clinging to her broom and holding onto a golden ball of her own, and also wielding a sword... While being flipped around... That... That couldn't be good for your head... More pressing though was the person behind this new arrival, which was the aforementioned tiger-headed dentist, who came charging forth with a whirring spear/drill while roaring like a savage and wild beast. Under normal circumstances, Neph would've simply moved out of the way, but the joint attack from below and this new flanking assault left the girl pincered and unable to react or respond in any real way. Basically, there were no good options to her in the amount of time she had to react.

With a mighty crunch, the spear-drill slammed against Nephy's Binary Bulwark, and sent the caramel-skinned girl into a horizontal spin, sending her floating off in a direction away from the spear-woman. The shield only barely held up against the kinetic force of the blow, and it was a good thing the spear had been made out of magic, otherwise Nephy would've been eating dirt.

Speaking of eating dirt though... Remember the pack of assailants moving in to nab Nephertys orb? Well, they all suddenly found themselves charging into the path of the wild amazoness and her dental drill of doom. A cacaphony of 'arrgh' and 'noooo' and cinema-licensed Wilhelm-screams followed, as the cluster of competitors were caught by the circling weapon. The spear-wielder herself didn't fare much better though, as she'd moved into the exact spot where multiple spells from below had been aimed - as that had been Nephy's location prior - and she now found hersself in the litteral crossfire of water ribbons, giant plant thorns and metal spikes, along with other bits and bobs being flung at her.

Meanwhile, Nephertys had to lean forward on her broom, wrap her free arm and legs around the broom handle and cling on for dear life, letting out a sound that was a mix of excited amusement and terrified confusion. What the heck had just happened!? With that one question in mind, she kept spinning away from the clusterf*ck that was now going down at where she'd been just mere moments ago...

Only to slam into another body, shield and all. There was a muffled yelp as Solveig was nearly bowled off of her broom. She clung on just as desperately as her unlikely rescuer, somehow managing both to keep in flight as well as keep her hold onto her sphere and sword. If nothing else, the extra weight and resistance was enough for Nephertys to finally stop rolling around. "Oouch..." the fiery haired girl complained. When the star mage next caught a glimpse of her, Sol had finally managed to turn herself the right way up - possibly, the rotating shield-encapsulated Nephertys had even managed to aid in that effort. "I feel sick," she blinked dazedly. As the noble went to rub her face, she stopped with a blink as she gave her hands a slightly confused look, as if she was surprised to find them both full.

"Oh, right," she blinked some more, and shook her head, frowning. Bright magical scales still shimmered around her body as she took her time looking around. "Huh, looks like they're all gone." She tilted her head at Nephertys. "Thanks? And sorry. There was this liquor mage..." she smiled awkwardly, then winced. "Oooh, I have a hell of a headache." With a grimace, she rubbed her temple with her left hand, unintentionally mimicking how a cat would clean its face with its paw since her hand was still balled around her target.

Having now stopped, thanks to the living speed-bump that was Solveig, Nephy finally managed to slowly rise from having been clinging onto her broom. Buuuut, she was looking kinda dizzy, with the whole big swirly eyes and tweety-birds flying around her head... At least until the exotic sorceress shook her head just like Sol had previously, and then blinked a few times to regain her senses. Which was just in time to catch the dragon-damsel's delivery of her apology and explanation.

"N-No worries! I've never gotten to be spun like that before while in the air. It was a most splendid new experience!" Nephy replied, all smiles and starry eyes, and completely ignoring the horrible screams and pain that her and Solveig's respective pursuers had just endured due to this kerfuffle. Then, the star mage used her free hand to briefly cover her mouth, letting out a small gasp.

"Please, pardon my manners! I am Nephertys Setet of Sankrah, a pleasure." She gave a slight bow with the upper part of her body... Since, y'know, she couldn't exactly stand and give a proper one while flying. Still holding onto her sphere, Neph began to pour magic back into her shield-spell, slowly repairing the 'cracks' that had been left by the iron tigress. Hopefully, this half-drunken girl wouldn't get any sudden ideas of trying to procure an additional orb for herself out of the blue.

"Oh! Yes!" Solveig suddenly nodded which she immediately and visibly regretted. She queezed her eyes shut, waited a moment for the world to stop spinning, then opened them to give Nephertys a proper greeting. "Solveig von Brandt, from Zagros," she introduced, mimicking the bow. "A pleasure to meet you...even if it was under very strange circumstances!" Noticing her fellow mage repairing her shield, she grinned. "Hey, that's a great idea! Mine was also..." with her left thumb, she traced her jaw and mouth while her other fingers remained clutched around her prize. This was how she discovered there were still traces of sick there from when she'd previously vomited, so she cleaned herself off as best as she could. "Hm, yes, damaged," she concluded, making no mention of the messy state she'd found herself in. Instead, she channeled just a slight boost of magic through her body, and wherever the shimmer had previously been dimmed or lacking, scales formed anew.

"There!" She hmmed and looked around. The great and terrible clash of multiple magic knight aspirants who had been promptly felled from the sky seemed to have served as a deterrant for any others. "I think..." she tilted her head this way and that. "I am starting to feel better." In all this time, Solveig hadn't so much as glanced at Nephertys' sphere, so the star mage's worry seemed to be misplaced. "I would rather get a check up just in case." Better didn't mean she was fine, after all. "How have you fared?" she suddenly questioned, zeroing in on Nephertys. By her rambling, it did indeed appear the von Brandt heiress was still somewhat affected by that one spell.

Nephertys ceased her repairs of her own bulwark when prompted by Solveig's question. The girl with heterochromia smiled brightly, extending her arm and hand that held her prize, while at the same time puffing out her - rather ample - chest in a display of pride and self-satisfaction.

"I've fared most excellently, for behold! The coveted prize is mine!" She loudly and proudly proclaimed, followed by a genuinely warm and honest little laugh. She then looked at Sol once more. "It seems you've always performed most splendidly, Lady Von Brandt. Splendid performance." Although she said that, Nephy likely hadn't seen or witnessed any of Solveig's various escapades and tribulations during this exam. It was more of a 'Oh, you managed to get your hands on a ball too? Good show!' sort of compliment, rather than an actual, factual comment on the dragon mage's skills or abilities.

"Ah, but we must remain vigilant. There're still those who'll try to challenge us for our balls!" Her choice of words could've been... Better... But at least Neph had the right idea. Things had - hilariously - worked out in both their favor this time, but who knew when the next wave of angry, ravenous sphere-seekers would come knocking to take what was theirs? To that point, Nephertys tapped her chin momentarily, seeming deep in thought, before looking over at Solveig yet again.

"May I suggest a proposal? If we join forces, we can aid each other and help retain our hold on these golden globes. As true knights and shield-sisters, we can fight side-by-side and display both chivalry and camraderie! What do you think?" Nephy said this with great enthusiasm and a big sunny smile, eyes sparkling and twinkling with even more stars in them now than before.

"Congratulations!" Solveig smiled kindly at Nephertys. Her sunny disposition was cute and infectuous. "Thank you. It has been more eventful than I'd initially bargained for, to be honest," she admitted. "I would rather this than simply flying, though." Saying so, she braced herself on her broom with her forearms, attempting to stand up. She was unsteady, but did pull herself up. "Still a bit unbalanced..." she commented but remained standing. Nephertys' unexpectedly humorous comment caused her to laugh, shaking her whole body and the broom with it precariously. "Yes, indeed, we should keep ahold of them," her lips twitched but she didn't give into the juvenile impulse to make more jokes about balls.

She nodded at Nephertys' proposal. "If you hadn't asked, I would have," she smirked. "Of course, I accept. Getting through the rest of this trial with our spheres will be much more agreeable in a team." Solveig tightened her grip on her sphere and the sword. With an incantation, curling flames sparked into existence around her left hand. The riotously swirling flames would serve as yet another layer of protection for her sphere. "Let us cover each other's backs."

With a goofy big smile and a cheerfully lyrical 'huzzah', Nephy performed a joyful swirl on her broom, in celebration of Solveig's aceepting of the proposed alliance. When she was done though, her head tilted and she had a slightly confused look on her face.

"Are you certain you should be standing like that? You look a bit... Wobbly... And it's much easier to keep your hold of your broom if you're actually holding onto it, yes?" Nephy asked, out of sincere concern for her new partner. After all, if you didn't have a hand on your broom, it was that much easier to get knocked off.

Still! Regardless, the Von Brandy lady had made a good point. They needed to watch each other's backs, and watch it she would! With great motivation and determination, Nephertys adjusted her position on her own flying stick, fixed Solveig in her vision and took to position herself so she could always keep an eye on both Sol and any incoming enemies from most any direction! Well, except from behind herself. 'Cuz she didn't have eyes in the back of her neck.

But with the unified forces of the Setet heiress and the Draconic Maiden of the Von Brandt-family, any opponent would have their work cut out for them if they wished to challenge this powerhouse of a duo now!

"My hands are full," Solveig chuckled. To demonstrate, she shook her flaming fist which held the sphere, while artfully slashing the sword through the air with the other hand.

"I do prefer standing, because it makes melee easier. Besides, if I fall, and the broom is close enough, I should still be able to call on it. Do you know, there was this boy - Alwin Dawnthorne - who controlled his broom from afar while throwing himself into freefall?" As she explained, Nephertys inexplicably positioned herself in such a way that she could only really see her allied mage. Confused and baffled, Sol just stared at the star mage for a prolonged moment.

"Oh!" she then exclaimed, realizing the Setet noble must have misunderstood. Was the girl clueless about basic tactics? That would be rude to ask, so instead, Solveig repositioned herself, flying behind Nephertys. The two were soon back to back and looking in opposite direction. "This is a good way for two people cover each other's backs on the battlefield," Solveig explained while adjusting where she was facing. "Like this, each of us can see what the other wouldn't, we just have to trust that we will both alert each other about incoming enemies, and deal with them. Don't forget to look above and below every once in a while."

"Indeed!" Nephy exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

---

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TL;DR

Actions & Interactions:
- Nephertys' Brilliant Binary Bulwark was struck by the Iron Tigress chasing Solveig, which sent her flying. The shield held, but just barely.
- Nephy and Sol collided in the air, then watched as the Iron Tigress and Nephertys' own pursuers collided in a massive mess, resulting in multiple KO's and wizards getting punted off their brooms.
- After the two regained controlled of their brooms, they engaged in some light conversation.
- Nephertys proposed to work together as a team, to which Solveig agreed.
- Solveig helped a rather clueless Nephy by giving her some basic battlefield tactics when it came to "watching another's back".
- The two are now defending each other and work in conjunction to retain hold of their respective spheres.

Relevant People:
- Solveig (@SilverPaw)
- Iron Tigress NPC
- Nephy's Contender NPCs

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Sweeeeeet~
Thanks muh mengs. :)

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@Th3King0fChaos
Illios gonna hafta get a move on if'n he wants to catch one of those spheres methinks. :o

@Zeroth
Speaking of catching spheres...

How much longer is the third trial going to last, give or take? While I can appreciate giving everyone time to (try and) catch their own gold ball, it'll start to feel a bit dragged out if things keep up for anothe 4-5+ GM posts (imo). So, just wanted to see if you had any sort of set "time limit" at all for this particular part of the RP?

Iskah And The Incubus Knight (Xaltwind and PaulHaynek)

Southern District

Outside Wayland Keep

@Paulhaynek

---

Vanessa was grateful for the help in walking, and she probably. When As they plotted along, and the lizard-girl commented about how great the Lot Knights were at expelling monsters, Vanessa wanted to make a comment on how there'd actually only been one of their rank who was good at that... The rest had been quite useless, to be frank... Which made her worry slightly about this nation's future, if their supposed great knights couldn't even handle a lone, rogue intruder... But, she decided to keep such comments to herself for now.

Nekhay Tavern

Sitting down at their tavern, Vanessa felt the fagigue in her body. The black-haired sorceress removed her large hat for the first time since she and Iskah had met, putting it on the table infront of them. She made a tired, elongated stretch and 'hnnnnngh'-sound, arching her back in the ... moderately comfortable... wooden chair. Thankfully, Iskah had been the one to put in an order, as the dark mage hadn't even noticed the portly woman in the chef's attire who'd strolled up and talked to the lizardman.

And the floodgates opened and Iskah began to talk.

A lot.

It was remarkable in a way... The dark mage couldn't recall the other girl ever being this chatty during the entierty of their travelling together thus far. Maybe she was the type who only liked to talk when it was something that directly related to herself in some way? Or maybe she was just really excited about getting her man? .. Wait... Getting...? She hadn't... Gotten him...?

Vanessa sat up as straight as she could on her chair and looked at Iskah, a face full of weary confusion, as she held up a hand in a 'stop' or 'hold it' kind of manner.

"Woah, woah... Slow down there, honey... You said... YOu said you fought and lost... And you're only now going to propose?" Vanessa's words and voice were tired and labored, as if trying to talk after having run as fast as she could for a 100 meter dash or something. "I thought we came to the keep to get you your man, right here and now... But, now you're... Saying we'll have to do this all over agagin...?"

Though tired, exhausted and enfeebled, there was an unmistakable tinge of irritation to Vanessa's tone. The kind of annoyance one might have when taking a child to a candy store, but the kid couldn't make up their mind and just spent minutes upon minutes waffling back and forth and never actually picking something... Until the shop closed. And you had to leave. And the kid started crying because it didn't get any candy, because they spent too long deciding... She wans't angry or furious or anything, but Nessa definetly didn't look amused by this revelation.

But perhaps she was just grumpy because of the lethargy and she'd perk back up when food arrived...? Maybe? Possibly? Hopefully?

Or, perhaps Iskah would do well to consider her response... It didn't seem her dark mage companion had even heard the part about possibly staying the night though. She was, understandably, more concerned with the whole; Not actually getting hitched with the incubus-deal at the moment.

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

And there we go, my first post with the new character. I hope one/some of you will enjoy it. :)

Now to decompress by watching people with VoiceChat play Town of Salem 2... xD

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

Kikka - Common Realm

--- Coliseum Interior ---

@Zeroth

---

---

The first two trials were done and dealt with, and the third had begun and was now well under way. Almost as soon as the tiny, golden Angel Spheres™ had been released, complete and utter chaos had erupted. Rather than try to display their prowess in using their magic to fly and obtain the small, flying treasures, the vast majority of the candidates had instead opted for the 'eat or be eaten' approach, in where if you didn't sock someone in the face first, you risked getting got yourself. Fires raged, lightning flashed, water splashed, ice cracked and even weapons of steel and rock clashed and smashed into each other, or the protective barrier around the coliseum's on-lookers.

Of course, not everyone had jumped straight into the big, messy and pandemonic dog fight up in the air above. There were a few applicants still stuck on the ground - either because they weren't able to figure out how to fly their broom, because they were plotting or scheming what their next move would be and when to strike, or because they were just enjoying watching the great big spectacle above. There was even a pretty blue-haired girl who graciously sailed down from the mayhem and offered a quick little lesson to another girl. It would seem that even in the most turbulent storms, there were still some flowers that bloomed beautifully.

But now was not the time for waxing poetry, or whatever that one really smart-sounding phrase was! The number of Angel Spheres™ that remained free in the air was rapidly decreasing, and if one didn't hurry, they might end up ball-less! sphere-less!

Thus, a pretty young lady with an exotic air about her, looked up at the unfolding turmoil above. One eye blue as the sky, the other golden yellow like the sun, watched with a mix of intrigued curiosity but also childlike wonder and amazement.

"So, this is what a proper melee looks like...? Fascinating." She spoke aloud, seemingly no nobody but herself. Her lips had a smile on it... For some reason.
"But I won't be outdone, oh no! Prepare yourselves, for Nephertys Setet of Sankrah
will now join the frey!"

She announced her intention and her presence! ... As if anyone up in the air could actually hear her, or pay her any attention. But, nontheless, she stood there for a while, pointing dramatically at the mass of magic knight-applicants abov, before dramatically flicking one of her stray low twintails back over her shoulder and grabbing onto her broom with gusto and a firm hand. Once the magic mount was properly straddled(?), she effortlessly began to imbue the rool with her miagc and before one could even blink, her soles left the ground and the girl began to hover higher and higher into the air.

Once a suitable height had been reached, her heterochromatic pair of eyes began to scan the battlefield. Truth be told, Nephy had never been in a skirmish of this size before. Sure, she'd had mock battles with the household guards and excersises with her father and mother, but nothing quite on this scale. It was all so... So... Exciting! So many people, with so many different types of magic, from different walks of life from all over the kingdom. All here, all vying to showcase what they could do. Wonderful wasn't it? That people could come together and demonstrate what they could bring to and offer the nation as one of its stalwart and most valiant defenders.

"Ah, goodness, Nephy, stay focused now." She shook her head and spoke to nobody but herself again, shaking the thoughts and feelings of admiration for her fellow applicants free from her head.

There was no shortage of action to be had though. A blast of wind that blew several people away, a large cloud of steam taht buried a great many in a foggy veil, tendrils of fire, a giant orb of glass, volleys of arrow and... was... Was that a giant airborne jellyfish!? No, wait... That was two boys, one seemingly controlling some sort of gel-like.. Thing... And the other was pumping it full of purple... stuff... Oh, and there came a girl, and she... Crashed... Into the gel-making fellow. Perhaps she wasn't so good at flying?

... Wai- What!?

"That brute!" Nephertys gasped as she witnessed the uncouth and uncultured swine punch the poor, hapless girl in the face!

Of course he was in his right to be angry. After all, the girls hould perhaps have been more careful when being unfamiliar with flying, but still! There was no cause for resorting to such barbaric means. With a deep scowl on her face, Neph was about to fly on over and set that poor excuse for a boy straight with a good old fashioned scolding...

.. But then she rememebred why she was here... Or rather, her mother's words echoed in her head.

"If you fail to be picked by any of the Captains, you're to come straight back home, understood Nephy?"

"Guh..." She let out a pained, whimpery sound.

She wanted to. She really, really, really wanted to fly over there and give that uncivil jerk an earful, and to check if the poor girl was alright. But... She couldn't. Not right now. Not yet. She still had something to do first. And that was to acquire one of those Angel Spheres™ for herself. But once she'd gotten her hands on one, she was definetely going to come on back! She swore it! ... To herself. Internally. With a clenched fist and determined face and everything.

Then it was quickly back to looking around.

While she could spot several people who'd already acquired their own golden (s)balls(/s] spheres, it didn't feel right to try and poach those. After all, Neph could plainly see how hard everyone was struggling to catch one of those little menaces, so it just felt wrong to try and steal them. Instead, she looked around, and spotted one that hadn't been claimed. It was being chased and hunted by a decently sized pack, including a girl who had black hair and was wielding some kind of water magic. And she was making quite the splash, hah!

Crickets chirped.

... Nephertys set off, now with a goal and purpose! That particular sphere was going to be hers. Yes, indeed. Feeding more mana into her broom, the caramel-skinned young woman increased her speed bit by bit, racing headlong into the messy brawl of prospective future knights. Weaving, rising, falling, curving, she bobbed and weaved past other riders and iincoming magics and spells of all kinds. Before very long, she'd caught up with the rest of the menagerie who were aiming for this particular prize.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like most of the other hunters had noticed her just yet. Very well, if they haadn't seen her arrival, there was but one thing to do!

"I, Nephertys Setet, have arrived! And that sphere shall be mine!"

... Completely shattering any and all eleemnts of surprise she might've had, Nephy annoucned her join for the hunt with a loud and vigorous voice. A few heads turned, followed by a few spells aimed in her general direction.

Ho-ho~! Testing to see if I can keep up? Very well!

She narrowly evaded a spiked ball of metal that came hurtling towards her head. She made a graceful ascent to avoid a small swarm of what looked like oversized thorns. She then made a swift and quick dive, closing in on the leader of the pack, the one closest to their collective target. The boy - who was infront of everyone else and the closest to the sphere - leaned forward, stretching his arm out, fingers reaching as far as they could... Grazing, touching, poking, just barely feeling the surface of the metallic little wing-thing... So close... So very, very close... He almost had it now! Just. A little. Mo--

Zwhip!

"Huh...?"

A diagonally diving damsel delivered the daydreaming dandy from his delusions of daring ... victory.. With eyes as wide as dinner plates, he whipped his head around and his eyes followed after the girl in flashy, but minimalistic, clothing who had just snagged his prize right from his fingertips. She smiled and looked back, holding the little golden orb inbetween her dainty fingers, waving with it at the poor lad. She let out a confident 'Hah!' and then took off upwards, rising towards the upper parts of the arena.

... And she was followed by quite the outraged entourage, who slung spells, foul language and toxic glares at this new arrival who'd swooped in and snatched their treasure away. That included the poor boy who'd just been moments away from obtaining it for himself, mind.

"Brilliant Binary Bulwark." Nephy spoke in a calm and soft voice.

Soon, a pair of spiky clusters, always in motion and always mirrored in location, appeared around her. As they began floating around her upper body, they soon formed a translucent sphere of glittery light. It appeared Nephertys had taken to cast a little bit of shielding around herself. Which was probably a good idea, considering there were still plenty of spells being flung at her, and trying to dodge every single attack from other wizards wasn't really a feasible strategy....

Hopefully, it'd be enough to preserve her hold on the little gilded monster.

---

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TL;DR:

Actions & Interactions:
- Nephy observed the chaotic brawl unfolding in the arena from the ground for a bit.
- She eventually got off the ground and spent some time in the air just hovering, observing the various scenes playing out around her.
- She witness Parin get sucker-punched in the face and was about to fly over and interfere... But then remember her mother's ultimatum and decided - against her own wishes - to ignore the situation for now.
- Nephy spotted an Angel Sphere being chased by a gaggle of other applicants and joined in the hunt.
- She swooped in just as another candidate was about to grab the orb and snatched it from him, then took off upwards to higher elevation within the coliseum.
- She porceeded to cast her only defensive spell; Brilliant Binary Bulwark - to keep herself and her prize safe.

Relevant People:
- The black-haired NPC girl with twintails who uses Water Ribbon Magic.
- Some other nameless/featureless NPCs.

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@Zeroth
Nice post, and thank you for the permission to swap characters. :)

I'll start working on a post soon (tonight).

@Duthguy
Nice collab thar, friend. :D

Black Clover: Fool's Arcana

@Expllo
Hikari is not cool. >:T

@ERode
Go, Kreszenz! Electrocute that water-vapor-cloud and paralyze erryone inside! .. Especially the bully. Plus, y'kmow, he's got two spheres, and you got none.... So... Yeah. ^^;