|
Post by Arashi on May 12, 2017 20:09:07 GMT -5
Silver watched as the ice wall turned in to a giant boulder, impressed by this tactic. What an interesting spell that was. Obviously, this person was fairly powerful to be able to pull that off.
She then noticed some blighted creatures heading towards Aqua from behind. Unsure if the woman would notice of not, Silver ran towards these beasts and quickly swiped them down with her claws. Better safe than sorry, right?
"Hey, keep it up!" She shouted to Aqua, before taking to the skies once more. She scouted just ever so slightly above the battlefield, swiping at the beasts below her. Something quickly caught her attention though; Rion was using light magic. So that is what it was! She had lucked out on meeting him more than she thought; he could help her with the blight immensely. Though, she began to think...it would take more than just the two of them for such an ambitious mission. Hm..
She then heard Rion tell her to attempt to scout out a crystal. Good plan. She landed near him for a moment, swiping away a few blighted beasts with her claws as she did so.
"I will do so. Please, keep defending the people, and our new fighters here!" She spoke quickly, then nodded as she unfurled her massive wings once more and took to the skies, heading off to find the source of this. Though, even if she did find the source, she would need help. She knew she could...try something on the crystal, so long as it's small, but she would need protection.
|
|
|
Post by Swim on May 13, 2017 18:41:56 GMT -5
"Seems like the wrong question to ask in the middle of saving a town, doesn't it?" The man had replied.
"On the contrary," Boltin replied, "This is fine timing. You see, my research suggests that...!"
Boltin and Rion were both forced to dive away from the ice bolder and after it crashed by and Lucas picked himself up the man was already distracted, his attention drawn away by the dragon which had suddenly appeared. Lucas supposed he'd have to approach him another time and see if he'd consent to electrocution. He had a good feeling about this one.
|
|
|
Post by Sorrum on May 14, 2017 8:29:13 GMT -5
"Hrraah!" Aqua swung Sharksbane down with an overhead swing, bisecting a blighted human. As the monster fell, another took it's place lunging out at her. It managed to swipe at her face and smack her back a bit, but she responded with a quick smack with the other end of her staff. She spun the pole around and stepped forward, placing herself behind the blighted human, and cleaved it's head from it's shoulders. Two down.
Then she heard thuds behind her. She spun around to see the dragon, standing above some creatures with her blades drawn. "Hey, keep it up!" She shouted, then flew off. She landed and shouted something to the man who leapt over the wall earlier, now joined by another man using lightning magic, then took off once more.
"There are a lot of powerful people here," Aqua thought, "but there's still more of these monsters showing up. Where are they coming from, anyway?" This was getting dangerous. Aqua had spent a lot of mana battling these monsters, but they still weren't letting up. "The dragon must have flown off to find out what was going on." Was the plan to hold out until then?
Aqua approached the man the dragon had spoken to before leaving. "Hey, do you know where that dragon flew off too? And what are these things anyway? They're not.. blight, are they?
|
|
|
Post by Bloodbane on May 14, 2017 22:51:49 GMT -5
Rion narrowed his eyes as the man attempted to defend his original statement. Something's not right about this guy... I can't tell if he's crazy or just stupid, asking something like that at a time like this... Before the man could finish speaking, the two of them were forced to vacate their position as the boulder came through.
Once he was back to his feet, Rion looked into the sky as Silver took off in search of the source of this wave of undead. By now, the force that had approached the town was dwindling, and though there was some minor damage to the town of Aldur, it was nothing that couldn't be rebuilt once the townspeople returned. However, if the source of the blight was close enough to the town, all it would take is for whoever put it there to return to potentially cause another group of undead to attack the town. However, what mattered now was making sure those that stuck around to fight the undead remained safe. As Rion prepared to strike down more of the undead, he paused as the woman who formed the ice wall and boulder approached him. He said nothing as she spoke, though it was clear from the way he frowned what his answer was going to be.
"There's no doubt... these creatures are undead formed from the blight. Which means whatever created them has to be close by, or that they were led here by a mage who may also be somewhere close." Rion explained to the water mage, before looking in the direction of the other armored female who had been using fire. Forming light in his armored hand, he brought his other hand close and took hold of the forming energy before pulling back, at which time the energy extended outward like a stretching bow and arrow, before releasing the formed light arrow and tearing through a blighted minion that had been coming in close. "There aren't many left here, but if we're going to stop them for sure we'll need to find what brought them here!" He called out, noting that most everyone fighting was within earshot as he called out, though until Silver returned all the warriors would really have to do is whittle down the remaining numbers.
|
|
|
Post by Arashi on May 14, 2017 23:48:43 GMT -5
Silver scouted out the surrounding area, strangely...not seeing much alarming yet. There was no blight to be seen just outside of town, so perhaps it had fallen upon a very small, rural village that was near Aldur. She had flown over this village during her trip to Aldur, and it was in the same direction the beasts had come from; the west, so maybe...
She headed towards the village, and before long she had found the source. She was right in her assumption. As she looked at the village from a distance, she could see a circle of blight spreading from what looked like a pretty small, weak crystal. It was barely even visible from the air. It also appeared to be spreading very slowly, but it was far too late for the village; it was entirely consumed. No survivors were in sight; in fact, nothing was. It appeared fairly desolate now; all the blighted people must have gone to Aldur. Judging by its distance away from Aldur though; the city would be safe for at least several days, if not forever; she was not sure if it could possibly spread that far, or if it was even meant to. Wouldn't be worth risking it though, in her opinion.
Silver landed on a very large, tall cluster of trees a decent distance away from the blighted village; keeping more than enough distance to keep her safe. She looked at the village for a few moments, in some despair.
Why couldn't she notice it in time? All those people...
She snarled, clenching a clawed paw tightly around a branch. She then sighed. It was too late for them, but...not too late for the others back in Aldur. This would be the time to use her knowledge. But...it was far too risky, even for her. She needed someone there to at least drag her out in one piece...and perhaps several others to guard her. It was quiet, but too quiet. There had to be other blighted creatures lying in wait somewhere in there, and perhaps even whatever made the crystal. Those that fought back in Aldur were strong, and Rion had light magic...maybe...just maybe she could work something out..
After a few moments of thought, Silver jumped upwards with a beat of her massive wings and flew back towards Aldur.
~
Upon arrival there, she spotted Rion and Aqua, landing down next to them. She shifted back in to her human form and quickly pulled her cloak hood up over her head.
By the time she got back, the undead forces had stopped coming in. It seemed as if the fighters had successfully taken them all out.
"Good job guys, I didn't see any more coming in. I think you got them all...," There was a slight tinge of distress in her voice as she spoke. She hated to think that those were all once innocent people...but she couldn't afford to think about that right now. More important matters needed to be dealt with. And as hasty as this thought was, she had to do something.
"I have located the source. It is a small village to the west, walking distance, but not close enough for us to have to worry about it right now. The crystal was small; one of the smallest I have seen in all my years. Aldur is safe for tonight...but...," She trailed off for a moment, "Let's not risk it. I have a plan, but I need help. I cannot do it by myself. Rion...would you assist me? And...", she paused, looking at the elf lady, "Perhaps you could as well? You appear strong and we will need strength. All of the strength we can get."
She then looked to Rion, "Perhaps...the others that fought too, if they would be willing to assist in possibly saving this town...of course, after some rest. We have time."
She waited to see what they would say. Hopefully her hasty plan wasn't too weird. Did humans do that? Oh well.
|
|
|
Post by Swim on May 17, 2017 0:04:20 GMT -5
By the time the dragon girl had returned most of the blight creatures had been defeated and most of the fighters, a surprising number Terra noted, had gathered around to hear her report. From the sound of things the creatures they'd just slaughtered had been the denizens of a neighboring town and now that the entire population had been slaughtered it didn't sound likely that many more would come shambling to Aldur. Still, Terra didn't like the idea of sitting idle now that they knew the source of the corruption. She clapped her fists together, generating a little wisp of fire which quickly faded out and decided she'd say her piece.
"You can count me in," Terra said, referring to Silver's suggestion that they band together. "But I don't like the idea of just waiting around while the Blight covers up more area, corrupts more people, animals land. I've seen firsthand what one of those crystals can do to a town, you could say the subject hits me where I live. Used to live. Doesn't matter. What matters is that we get rid of it, and whatever spawned it. I've been preparing all day long for a fight and I'm still ready to go. Let's not waste anymore time."
A blonde man in a lab coat stepped forward. "I would also like to travel with you and examine the Blight Crystal for myself," he said. "My name is Lucas Boltin and I'm researching the Blight phenomenon. I believe I may be able to help out."
Terra nodded, satisfied that others were coming forward to help out. This man Lucas didn't look like much of a fighter but not every problem could be punched into submission. She crossed her arms and waited to hear if anyone else would speak up.
|
|
|
Post by Sorrum on May 17, 2017 1:07:05 GMT -5
"Perhaps you could as well? You appear strong and we will need strength. All of the strength we can get."
Aqua had already trekked many miles to this town, from sun rise to sun down. She'd only had a moments rest when she finally got here, only to become disenchanted with her first impression, then attacked by ancient horrors all in the first day. She knew that stopping to rest would only give the enemy forces time to recover their numbers. If they were going to attack it would have to be now. However, she wasn't in the best condition to continue fighting. Good thing she was still feeling the adrenaline from the fight.
The two warriors before her knew what was going on here, obviously. She didn't. That had to change before she agreed to anything. Despite being in foreign land and awed by the rare sight of both light magic and seeing her first dragon, whom she had confused for a bestia, she had questions. "I need to know some things before we can continue.."
Aqua disengaged the energy stored in Sharksbane, causing the ice on either end to lose stability. Within moments, the ice fell from the staff and to the ground below. With a click of a button, the staff folded up into thirds, which she then secured to her right hip. She planned on asking questions, but would use the time to catch her breath.
Aqua removed her helmet, revealing her sharp elven features. Her eyes squinted slightly in the sunlight, no longer shielded by the visor. She sized the two figures up in front of her, taking in their posture, their facial expressions, the clothes they were in, and especially their condition after the fight. This was similar to how she used to look at someone boarding her ship for the first time. Neither looked injured. The man looked stoic, while the dragon's gaze shifted. She would get a better impression of them while they answered her.
"First, let me introduce myself. I am Frida Nyharllothor, but you can just call me "Aqua." It's a nickname from back home." This wasn't the whole truth. Aqua was the code name she picked upon receiving the rank of Captain, effectively making her Captain Aqua of The Mirage. It had been her mother's before her. She had picked this name despite her mother's element being water and her's being ice, her father's. Not all approved but found it troublesome to argue against her record and spear.
She continued, "You both seem to know a lot about this Blight. This is my first ever coming across it when it was active. Can you tell me what is going on here?"
Two more warriors stepped forward. The lightning mage and the fast brawler utilizing fire magic. They voiced their consent to the plan. With this force there would be no debate that they could take on another wave, but they raised a good point. "..If time is a concern, let's take care of the crystal now." She resolved to ask more later.
|
|
|
Post by Bloodbane on May 17, 2017 19:17:43 GMT -5
Before too long, Silver had returned to confirm that while there did not appear to be any more undead approaching Aldur, the source of the undead was due to a smaller village being converted. At hearing that, Rion frowned, crossing his arms as Silver announced she had some sort of plan to ensure the crystal could cause no more harm. To destroy a crystal would be risky, even using Light, but depending on what she's learned from the book, then just maybe... He thought, putting his unarmored hand to his chin as Silver looked to him first. "There aren't many people out there crazy enough to get anywhere near one of those things... but if you've got a plan, I'll do what I can to help." He said to Silver, lowering his hand and nodding.
Before long, the other fighters had announced their support, including the man who seemed more interested in zapping Rion more than anything involving the Blight. As the introductions came from around him, with the one known as Aqua removing her helm to reveal her elven features before asking more information of he and Silver. "... Silver, Aqua, Lucas... I don't think we got your name..." He said, trailing off as he looked over to the fire-based armored female before looking back to Aqua. "I've similarly seen what can happen to a town when the blight takes hold, and with powers like mine, you tend to pick up a few things along the way when it comes to dealing with it, regardless. The name's Rion." He stated, briefly forming an orb of light in one hand before the light dispersed into particles that drifted and faded away around him. At hearing that everyone seemed fairly eager to get this crystal taken care of sooner than later, he looked back to Silver.
"Looks like everyone wants to get this over with, and I can't say I disagree. There will be plenty of opportunity to rest once we know Aldur will be safe. Lead the way." Rion said, before looking back over in the direction of Lucas. "And you. Save the 'experimenting' for the monsters, got it?"
|
|
|
Post by Arashi on May 18, 2017 0:11:12 GMT -5
Silver smiled a bit upon realizing all of them agreed to her plan, and was a bit surprised they refused rest. It was a long fight, she figured they may need it...but they seemed to want to take the threat out now, rather than later. While not necessary, it wouldn't hurt anything to just get it over with...and perhaps the darkness could help her conceal what she was planning to do. Perhaps not the best idea, but...it could work.
"Glad to meet you all...and have you all on board. I am Silver. This is brave of you." Silver said, as she looked around at all the adventurers turned potentially heroes over night. At least, she considered them as such for taking on such a dangerous mission. Maybe they didn't know...?
Silver then looked to Aqua, who had asked what the blight was. What a difficult thing to answer. Also, she wasn't expecting such a pretty elf in there. Interesting.
"...Well, I can't explain all of that now. It's a complicated mess. But, the basics are...it is very, very evil and its spread needs to be stopped at all costs. The blight aims to destroy our world and cover it with death. It's a horrid thing...." She trailed off for a minute. They didn'tknow. Hm.
"It is also very dangerous to enter blighted land...it will sap out your energy, depending on how strong you are...and it could kill you if you are in it too long. That's...the basics of it anyway." She sighed and looked away from Aqua, expecting them to potentially back out after that statement. She didn't want to go in to full detail, but that was enough. It was only fair to let them know.
She then looked to Rion. She couldn't let him, or any of these other brave adventurers, know about her secret yet. It would turn them away from her for certain. But...maybe she could quietly formulate some sort of plan, and Rion's light magic would be her best bet for her somewhat reckless plan of action. Besides...he was the only one that knew about the book, and she was afraid it would scare off the others. Didn't think this through very well, her powers would be potentially painfully exposed from this.
"..Excuse me though. I need to discuss some things with our light magic user, if you all don't mind. Will only take a short moment, then we can head out if you all still wish to do this." She said hastily, then looked to Rion in a questioning manner, hoping it would be okay to talk to him aside for a moment.
|
|
|
Post by Bloodbane on May 18, 2017 23:43:18 GMT -5
Rion listened to the explanation that Silver gave on the blight and what it did to the land around it. However, once she had finished, he was surprised to find that she seemed to want to talk to him about something in private. Must be something about the book, I can't imagine she wants to let everyone know she has it; too many questions... And yet, she's going to need that for whatever she's trying to do, I'm sure. He mused, before she looked over to him, at which point he shrugged before nodding. "Sure... we should also let the people who escaped know they can head back home." He explained, before looking to the others. "We should be back soon, if it's as bad as she's making it sound I would recommend at least a little break for everyone before we go trying to do something like this." He added, before he began to walk off with Silver in the direction that the town guards had led people out when the undead attacked.
For a few moments, Rion remained silent, simply walking along with Silver before finally turning his head toward her as they walked. "So what's all this about, hm? I can't imagine you'll be able to hide the fact you have the book for long..." He noted. If what she was going to do involved reading from the tome, then she was going to have to let the others in on the fact she managed to acquire one somehow. Perhaps this was something else, then...?
|
|
|
Post by Sorrum on May 19, 2017 9:06:40 GMT -5
The dragon girl, named Silver, gave Aqua a rather brief explanation of what they were to deal with. It wasn't much but she could wait. Those around her seemed to know more about it than she did though. Scarcely did humans know more than elves, she thought. Back home the wise men, elves who'd outlived the thousands of seasons, could recall much information.
Her favorite was the elder who had told outrageous stories, such as that of a mythical forest that they made camp in, only for it to disappear at sunrise. Not those of the one covered in scars that never healed right, who'd weave the lengthy yarn of the battle it was attained in, followed by the combatants, the reasoning, the might and magic of the forces, the stakes, and so on. Perhaps that type of enlightenment would have served her better in this place.
Rion and Silver walked away to discuss something in private. Finishing their lovers quarrel from earlier, maybe. She didn't know why she was still thinking that. The idea seemed hastily labeled, foreign, and dismissive. She didn't actually know anything about these characters, other then their names and they were proven capable fighters.
None around her seemed worn by the battle, and neither did the pair who walked off. Aqua pursed her lips. She had spent a decent chip of mana. Mana returned with relative ease, but the sight of corpses all about made it difficult to relax. She could fix this, though. Before the battle started, a vendor nearby had lit a campfire on the road to draw attention to his stall. The fire hadn't been destroyed in the mayhem, so she walked over and sat on the ground next to the small fire.
She motioned the others to join her with a wave and a small smile. A bunch of strangers around a fire. How quaint. Aqua kicked a corpse nearby after it had twitched. Her tension slowly waned as she watched the flames dance.
|
|
|
Post by Arashi on May 20, 2017 0:12:57 GMT -5
Silver waved as she walked off, after simply nodding to what Rion said about letting the people know they were safe now. She seemed temporarily lost in thought. Normally, she would be very hesitant to socialize with others in such a manner, let alone travel with them, but the situation called for it this time around. It had to be done, for the sake of, well...the world, pretty much. This was important.
She stayed quiet as they walked for a bit, thinking. She couldn't tell Rion of her secrets yet...she was certain he would react badly to it; this was the only logical reaction to learning of what she can do, after all. So how could she tell him of her plan? This was not a friendship she could afford to lose; not only was he a light magic user, he also stood up for her. She just couldn't get that thought out of her head. Not only that, but if he told the others...what would they do to her? Not to mention, she would possibly have to deal with the blight alone again.
Upon hearing Rion speak, Silver looked at him, slightly startled. She had gotten so lost in her own head for a minute that the sudden speech caught her off guard. She hoped her face mask and hood hid that.
Well, she had better come up with something quick.
"Oh, uh...yes, it is about the book. I...need to use it, and I need to ask a favor of you. Well, a few favors." She took a deep breath before continuing, "The book...taught me how to make those crystals not work any longer; essentially, putting it in to stasis. It would be hard on a large one, but this one was so tiny that...it should work. However, this has complications...obviously..."
She looked away from him a bit as she continued her explanation. She had to be as vague as possible, but still get the point across. Hinting towards her abilities was not an option.
"The book is one such complication...sort of. I do not need it out to do what I have to do so they do not need to know yet...and for as long as possible. I read the passage over many times and remember what to do for this. However, I um....would rather no one see me whilst I do this. I don't know what they will think of me, nor can I do such dangerous work with distractions that close." That may be simply just an excuse, but it has some truth to it. It was dangerous, and she did need to focus for this. She looked at Rion once more before continuing.
"So when I get to that crystal, I need you to keep them away from me, to the point of where the darkness of the night will hide me. Also, it would be very dangerous for anybody to be too close to me while I do this. I can handle it fine, but I have no idea how whatever happens will effect the others." She paused for a moment after that sentence. To her, it sounded like it made sense.
"On a similar note; I need protection. It will take me several minutes before it is deactivated and I need no interruptions, so if you and the others can lure the beasts away from me, that will speed things up greatly. As for my last two requests...they sound strange, but please, just trust me on this. I am pretty sure deactivating the crystal is going to take a lot out of me and render me knocked out for a bit. I will be fine eventually...just um, please if you don't mind, get my unconscious body out. I trust you with that. And...grab the blight crystal for me. It will not be able to hurt you any longer. Can you trust me on that?"
She completed her rather long explanation of her plans, wondering what Rion would think. Asking him to touch a blight crystal was a bit intimidating, but she hoped he would be willing to do this. She had a pretty good use for that blight crystal, after all...
Though she hoped Rion would be able to keep everyone out of sight of her, including himself. Nobody could find out about her powers. It was imperative.
|
|
|
Post by Bloodbane on May 20, 2017 1:36:21 GMT -5
Rion couldn't help but tilt his head slightly at how Silver looked in his direction when he finally spoke up. Was she not expecting such a question? Her manner of speech also seemed somewhat... off. Not that she wasn't already with the book... but what else is she hiding? He wondered as the half-dragon explained her plan to him, which even if she did know entirely what she was doing sounded simply insane. Again, he had to wonder what the point was in going to such a length to hide what she was doing; if this did work then chances were good they would be finding other crystals to eliminate, and eventually whatever she was keeping from the others in regards to what all she knew would likely come to light. If she was so afraid of something, why call for the others to join them? In fact, the whole idea sounded so odd to him that he even narrowed his eyes slightly, unsure exactly how he wanted to approach this. To make matters even stranger... that almost nagging feeling was still there, to a point where he once again looked around, as if scanning the area for any further signs of undead.
"... You did say no other undead were here, right...?" Rion asked, looking over at her for a few seconds before making one last visual pass, only to shrug his shoulders. "Just... being careful, that's all." Needless to say, if he could even really explain what the feeling was, it was best not to try and bring it up if possible. After all, it was hard to mention having an unusual sensation or uneasy feeling when dark magic was nearby when it was not only hard to prove, but typically was only heard of in cases of tainted individuals. He looked back to Silver, pausing for a moment before finally speaking again.
"This is quite a tall order, mostly because I think you're crazy for trying to handle this alone... but if you think you have a way to completely render a Blight Crystal inactive, then I'll do my best to leave you to it, and trust that you at least know what you're getting yourself into." Rion finally said with a nod, before proceeding ahead to where he had seen people gathering, more or less herded out of the city by the group of town guardsmen. "The undead have been cleared out. You all should be good to head home. We're looking into where they came from now." He said after approaching the person who, judging by the somewhat fancier armor they were wearing, appeared to be a higher-ranking guard, who simply nodded and proceeded to pass the word along so that the group could be led back to town.
|
|
|
Post by Arashi on May 20, 2017 2:00:30 GMT -5
She looked at him, awaiting his reply, though his expression seemed about as confused and concerned as she expected. At least she expected this sort of reaction; otherwise it may have been a bit concerning to her...though it was slightly saddening none the less. She had to hide this; she would not make that mistake again. It was too risky to let anybody know, and she feared if any of them found out, she would get abandoned...again. Rightfully so, at least in her mind, but she needed to make this work for the sake of the world at least.
"I am certain, yes...I-I don't blame you for being careful. Don't want whoever created that sneaking up on us and all...," She trailed off a bit. What an odd question...did he know somehow? No, that's not possible. He was a light magic user, he wouldn't be able to sense it within her; she was just being paranoid, that was all.
"I am probably crazy, but I also promise you I know what I am doing...and I understand the risks involved. I have studied this for a very long time. I want to take the chance...for the sake of the people here, and I want no harm to befall any of you helping." She went quiet for a few moments, looking at the people ahead. Time was running short; they were almost to the crowd, and she didn't know what else to say in the matter. She started to feel bad for hiding things, but this was not an option. Nobody could find out. She thought ahead a bit...if they saw, she would most certainly be left to face the blight alone.
"I...just can't do it alone. Please." She said very quietly. That last bit kind of slipped out by accident based on her previous thought; he said he would help, and that is all she needed.
Then, they got to the crowd; Silver let Rion do the talking as she stayed behind him a bit and just stood there. Thoughts were racing in her mind at this point, but she needed those to go away. The important thing is that at least there is hope for this town.
After the townsfolk were heading back, Silver followed Rion back to the group, staying a bit further behind. She couldn't afford these thoughts; she had to focus on what she will soon have to do.
By this time, it was getting pretty dark.
|
|
|
Post by Sorrum on May 20, 2017 2:27:43 GMT -5
Aqua stared into the flames and thought about her journey. She was ferried across the waters in the north at least a week ago. The countryside was bountiful for hunting and gathering, so she left the road at some points to take paths less traveled. It was only a few days ago that she remembered a clearing in the woods. Barren, like the forest cleared itself in a wide range. There was nothing there, not even an insect in the ground, which rose like ash from her footsteps. She felt a drain on her abilities after having passed, and made effort to put distance between herself and that place.
Her eyelids felt heavy. This was no time for a nap, a battle would soon begin with the beasts again, this time defending a crystal of Blight magic. She shook her head and stood up, just when Silver and Rion were returning. It was time.
|
|