Fantasy ~ Ⱳƴℓɖ ~

[RikuXIII]

Isa had her kukri and karambit out in an instant when Vells called out the warning, but then froze as the problem of casting finally hit her. Her instinct and training were to draw upon the Seed for tainted growths, but could she do that without giving her wyld magic away? Her mental quandary distracted her long enough for a bit of the flying debris from Tayu hit her square in the nose. The former assassin dropped a knee, her weapons hitting the sand beside her as her hands shot up to clutch her nose. After a moment, she moved her hands away to see blood.
“Lucky snot..” Isa grumbled as she gingerly felt her busted nose.
Skedar appeared on the ground before her, doing his wheezing version of a snicker.
“Laugh it up.” Isa growled as she wiped off some of the blood from her nose.
Getting to her feet, the Viera took a moment to get her batting’s before charging in.
“That’s quite enough of that!” She yelled up at the assailant still trying to pepper the beach. “It ain’t helpin’ nothin’, and you’re just pissing us off. We ain’t looking to hurt your friend.”
With that message sent, she whirled on Avanok.
“You” she said, leveling a finger at the necromancer “Not happenin’, owl face. Keep that shite to yourself.”
Isa’s gaze fell on the ape girl, causing her face to soften.
“You a Symyan, little one?” She asked, trying to sound calmer than she felt. “Heard about them back before my Viera pride was taken south. Look, we’re not looking to hurt you.”
Isa have an appreciative look to Thys for heading up the diplomatic approach.

 

[Dest]

Serena gazed around the beach in wonder, the dark sand drawing her attention and plucking at her mind to discover why it was that it was colored as such. For now though, she had another task. She had to get her tent set up, her books laid out, and her journals ready for all the new discoveries after all!

"Right then, where did this go again?" The young mage muttered the words as she looked over the pile of equipment that her tent had quickly become, a small sheet of parchment with handwritten notes on the 'best' way of putting it up held at level with her eyes. "Was it the big pole first? Or the small pole?"

Even as the other around her erupted into action the alchemist remained focused on her task, continuing to mutter to herself as she slowly pieced together her tent. It was only as she finished that she finally bothered to look up and realize that the others were confronting a duo of natives to the island. With an excited grin she seized up a new notebook and began to rush over to the group, questions already forming within her mind.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Mitsunari Seikatsu

​

From disappointed commanders to first contact with creatures from the Wyldwood, their situation was progressing rather quickly all of a sudden. Mitsunari plucked his fan from his obi and popped it open as he moved a few steps closer to the rest of the company. Everything had happened so fast and was so unexpected that he missed a chance to examine Thys and/or Vells use of their particular magics, something he'd personally been looking forward to since he didn't know either of them.

One thing that caught his attention was Avanok's pitch that the two adolescents be turned into undead puppets and used as tools, or made into lunch. The proposal brought a half grin to Mitsunari's face and he hid behind his fan as he chuckled softly. It was not surprising that a creature like Avanok would suggest such tactics, but to hear it be so boldly spoken was humorous if nothing else.

Observing the foreign creatures from afar, Mitsunari found himself growing more and more curious as to their origins and their existence. He wanted to know of their relation to the Wyldwood and how the magic here affected their bodies and their lives. He found himself wanting to agree with Avanok now, for different purposes of course. "A chance to study and learn..." The fox whispered as he thought of what these two could do for their expedition.

"Perhaps we should only release one and keep the other as...insurance?" He suggested to Vells. "If we release them both they may return with whatever passes for a military for their people and they have the home turf advantage." He didn't want to use the word 'hostage' but it was the best plan in his opinion. Well...second best plan.

Eccentric_Undead Arai SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Vells listened to Hew patiently. He had a point.
She glared at Avanok. "They might not be subject to Krowne law but as academy graduates you are. What you're suggesting, Avanok, is murder of a sapient creature and this will be the last time I entertain talk like that, am I clear? If you want bodies to play with, I'm sure there are some left in the sand of this port town."

Vells' attention was diverted for a moment when Hawthorn's magic exploded beside her, showering everything in fine black sand. She looked over at her peer in wide-eyed and furious disbelief. The reaction was overshadowed however, when she was alerted to the injury she had caused. Vells swore under her breath.

Thys chose diplomacy, and she was grateful for that. Isa too, followed up in her gruff but fair way.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Vells admitted with half a smile.

Vells played off of what they said:
"I'm sorry for the bad reaction. The wood is dangerous and you caught us off guard." Vells knelt beside Laxi slowly, offering up both her palms in a gesture of peace.
"If you let me, I can heal that for you."

To Mistunari, her tone was only slightly less harsh than the one she had gifted Avanok. "If we hope to make it through the wood alive, gathering enemies where there might be allies is a wholly foolish thing to do. Thys is right, if they live here they can traverse the wood safely, they might even know where we can find what we're looking for."



joshuadim Zazz Arai RikuXIII Eccentric_Undead LadyOfStars Goonfire

 

[Eccentric_Undead]

Avanok the Necromonger​

All of these creatures he was working with made no sense to him. The massive owl looked around as they talked about diplomacy and other such things. There was far too much risk with that. So many things could go wrong and he could not prepare for all of them. Baffling to say the least. However, he understood that these creatures, the ones he was tasked to work with, lacked the fundamental understanding of how the world works. They always want to fit things into their own laws, make the world small enough for them to understand. He couldn't hold their ignorance against them. They had not had the life he had. They didn't understand. The one, Vells if he wasn't mistaken, posed problems. All of them did but that one specifically he knew he would have to keep an eye on. She was much more of a risk than she would care to admit. Then again, he didn't trust a single person here. Trust was not in his DNA.

Despite knowing that this was a bad idea, he figured he might as well play nice. Better to keep this mission peaceful, that was the only logical way to approach the end without too much damage.

"Do as you please, but I can't protect you from an entire village. It's easy when it's just two children."

The owl suddenly stopped, turning its head and looking at Vells "I'm a sapient owl that practices in necromancy. Rules are meant to be broken and I am living proof of that. Children or not, it was safer to kill them." Tell another word he turned his head and leaped into the air. Only flying a few dozen feet to his perch where he landed. Despite the fact that most of them have probably seen it on several occasions, it was still baffling how such a large flying creature made no noise during flight. It seemed inconceivable, but that was just another law that he broke. There was a reason he was given the name necromonger. He was unafraid, unlimited and unencumbered. Unlike the people he traveled with who grew up limited by societal rules, he was beyond them. He lived in a cutthroat world. One where you eat or be eaten. The fact that they thought that the rules of some society scared him was ridiculous. However, he had made the decision to play nice with them, so he simply shook himself a little bit, his feathers fluffing out as he looked around, making sure that no others had followed and they would not have to deal with more problems.

 

[joshuadim]

Laxi was on the verge on complete panic when Avanok made his intentions known, but it seemed that the other outsiders weren't keen on turning them into a meal just yet. In turn, this managed to stem the tide of fear from Laxi while Tayu seemed to run out of material to throw at the newcomers. A small bridge of trust, as flimsy as it was, had started to take root as Laxi's demeanour turned less from helplesness and more towards wary caution as her eyes continued to scan the newcomers to the wyldwood.

"It's alright little one, he won't eat you. But we do require some help from you in return for your freedom. We're hoping to make an excursion into the forest soon, and could use help, especially if permission is required to pass through your village's territory. If you were able to tell your Elders of our intentions, perhaps everything works out better for everyone, wouldn't you agree?"

Hesitantly, Laxi gave a slow nod: "I-if y-you won't eat me or m-my sister..." she started to say, before swallowing nervously. "I... I'll t-tell them." But the thought of Bayi re-entered her mind, realizing just what mind ensue due to a lack of knowledge. Would the village panic upon learning? What would the Protector do? Because of her brother's haste, something was bound to erupt with the travelled news. She remained silent on this matter, however, in belief that everything would turn out well.

“You a Symyan, little one?” She asked, trying to sound calmer than she felt. “Heard about them back before my Viera pride was taken south. Look, we’re not looking to hurt you.”
Isa have an appreciative look to Thys for heading up the diplomatic approach.

Laxi blinked twice when Isa spoke, somewhat confused as to *how* this outsider knew what she was. But she also gave a slow, wary nod towards this inquiry: "Y-yes... how do you know?" she asked, wondering how an outsider would know of them. Was it because of the Protector's travels beyond their little bubble in the world? She wondered as her gaze remained affixed towards Isa before turning to Vells again - the one who had dragged her away.

"I'm sorry for the bad reaction. The wood is dangerous and you caught us off guard." Vells knelt beside Laxi slowly, offering up both her palms in a gesture of peace.
"If you let me, I can heal that for you."

Laxi hesitated, again, when the naked ape woman made her offer. To heal her? Didn't she just pull her out of the tree moments ago? The trust there was a lot more shaky compared to the rest of the woman's company. But, as Laxi pondered in the moment, she relented and slowly nodded again. "Leg hurts... when I fell." she said, looking towards her left leg.

SilverFlight Arai RikuXIII

---

Bayi had, until this point, been rushing back home as fast as his natural agility could take him. Swinging between branches, he was taking leaps farther than he was normally comfortable with due to the urgency of the situation. At one point, he nearly missed a branch and almost plummeted to the ground had he not caught himself at the last second. As a result of his hurry, he was covered in scrapes and felt bruises form around his chest and ribs due to a few impacts. But, following what he remembered the trail that Laxi had taken the three of them on, he had passed by Tom's farm and was quickly making the path home.

He was already winded, and when he reapproached the village's outer periphery he had barely any stamina left in him as he huffed and wheezed. But he would have no rest as his father and several others who had gathered near the town's exit now saw one of the three on approach. His father, a silver and black haired Symyan, had a look of fury on his face due to the worry that his children had caused. "BAYI! Where have you been!?" he shouted angrily as he approached his only son, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. "Your mother and I were terrified! We were about to venture out with some others to look for you!"

"F-father, I-" Bayi managed to get out in between breaths, "Outsiders! Outsiders on the beach!"

A tense moment of silence passed, as the adult Symyans looked at one another with confusion before Bayi's father gritted his teeth: "Where are your sisters?"

"Still there! Watching! She told me to run back!" Bayi said, which in turn led the hand on his scruff being released.

The elder Symyan among the troop that had been assembled shook his head, before muttering to himself under his breath. It was then that he realized what this entailed; "I will speak to your uncle. Stay here."

Kyro was, like any male Symyan, well respected among his community for being an accomplished hunter as well as having a strong family. But he was also overshadowed, knowingly, by the esteem of his brother. As he ventured towards a residence that situated itself near a gentle waterfall and had the very strong presence of aromas emanating from it: particularly that of wine. He just hoped that Jirin was at home currently as he pounded on the door. "OPEN! THERE'S A CRISIS!" Kyro shouted, demanding entry into his brother's dwelling. But he didn't wait for a response as he barged in to see his brown and silver haired brother staring at a canvas of plant dyes.

He almost didn't seem to register his brother's presence until he was right next to him. "Jirin." Kyro then said.

Jirin shook his head to snap himself out of his trance before looking around with confusion. "Hm? What's the matter dear brother?" he asked, "Need another eldbeast chased away? I was busy just pondering this..."

The "Monkey King", or rather the Protector as he was more known, motioned his hands towards... whatever it was he had painted. An amalgalm of random colors in a mishmash of patterns that seemed to have no discernable order. It was obvious that Jirin seemed almost... disconnected from the world at large. Content to simply remain in his little bubble surrounded by his own kin. It was like someone who had lost their passion and was trying to replace it with something else. But Kyro was wholly unamused and without patience as he snorted.

"My children. They're in danger. Bayi was send by Laxi after they spotted outsiders on the beach."

It was this news in particular that suddenly shifted something in the air. Jirin immediately perked up, and his whole demeanour changed as he turned to Kyro to blink a few times. "...outsiders? Here?"

Kyro nodded, but before he could speak further it was as if Jirin knew what he was going to say. There was visible joy and anticipation laced across Jirin's grin that had now taken root on his visage. An old spark that had once been there in years past had seemingly been rekindled.

"My brother, if you believe them to be a threat then it will not be just me going." Jirin then stated, standing upright to collect his armor - something he had "borrowed" from the Jade Empire's Courtier General - and his staff. "Gather the troop. We shall rescue my nieces! And I will find out exactly why these outsiders dare intrude on my domain."

Kyro simply rolled his eyes as Jirin made for the door before kicking it off its supports with great force.

"That's the third door this month you've broken." Kyro said flatly.

"It's sacrifice will not be forgotten." Jirin said with teary eyes as if to mourn a tragic loss. But he quickly reconstituted his emotions towards that of a daring go-getter: "A casualty of this great quest! Onwards!"

 

[thinking]

Lata Ramos.
They coiled themselves around the perch that impossibly held such an enormous bird steady. Murderous designs of a fully capable predator; those razor-edged talons and that bladed beak that clicked as he nonchalantly threw out concerning statements. Unease instinctively wrapped its body around her throat, choking any possible reaction to such words. Lata was always taught to never judge but those fair lessons were distant, overtaken by an insatiable desire to cut interaction with Avanok completely. It was completely unfair judgement however the urge to flee and perhaps even abandon mission coursed through her, electrifying even her fur on edge. She just knew she wouldn’t get far across the empty, vast sand… It was extremely ridiculous to even comprehend that Avanok was truly dangerous; the Academy would never have allowed him to graduate if they detected any sort of malice...

Luckily the voices of authority from Thys and Vells relaxed the situation and she returned from nightmarish thought. The ape-people were peculiar but Isa's guess of their species made them seem a little less primitive. Symyan… She’d never heard of such a race through textbooks or journals; however, they were obviously there, considering they were tangible and right in front of them…

 

[Arai]

Thys

Laxi joshuadim Hawthorn Zazz Vells SilverFlight Avanok Eccentric_Undead

"Thys is right, if they live here they can traverse the wood safely, they might even know where we can find what we're looking for."

A quiet sigh of relief passed from Thys' mouth as the tension between the spies and the tresspassers settled. Vells was mercifully not without sense for this landscape as it seemed, as she reprimanded 2 of their...less ethically inclined operators. Avanok seemed to care little about the concept of right or wrong (somewhat unerving) but the irony of Thys calling out the unethical wasn't lost on him. Plus when it came down to it, Avanok would provide practical results without hesitation.

The creature seemed amicable to their offer, which Thys nodded his confirmation. Absently he poked at her thoughts, but found little he could reach in the moment. Memories and fears for another Syman, as they were apparently called. Likely the second creature. His quite relief at Vells' eagerness to help was dampened as he saw Hawthorn was raising her hand to weave already. The woman used magic for everything. Not that that was usually a problem but in a place like this, and the evidence he'd seen already...

Thys tried to, as politley as he could, lower Hawthorn's hand. "This place is having some effect on your magic it seems," He suggested to Hawthorn with a nod. "Perhaps for a delicate task, a more stable touch?" Thys asked, raising his own hand to Vells. Let her pick for herself. Regardless of her choice, Thys knelt at the ape's side awaiting the healing to begin. "No eating today, you have my word. I'm Thys. May I have your name?"

 

[SilverFlight]

"And when the entire village comes looking for the two?" Vells returned the to the owl. "Breaking rules worked where you came from perhaps, but break any of mine and we'll be having words."

She could not afford insubordination here, not when it could bring an entire clan of Wyld-touched monkey folk down upon their heads. She was surprised Isa had heard of these people. They certainly weren't in any of the briefings.

Vells focused on healing when she was given permission. She looked at both Hawthorn and Thys and a laughing smile touched her lips.
"The two of you are as fair as each other, I can take you both to the ball, don't fret."
Vells focused and tapped into her will, letting them both into the weave as she drew on her magic. Their echoes were light as a touch of sunlight: Hawthorn's familiar prickly chill of ice, and Thys' strange sensation of feeling pulled but weightless, and the ever-looming shadow of some secret thing...watching.
If she had been less experienced Thys' magic would have unsettled her, but the academy teacher drew on both without faltering.

She touched Laxi's ankle, which was warm and swelling already, commanded the blood to bend to her will. Speed the healing. Flow.
There was a soft light then, coursing through the vessels under the skin. It pulsed with Laxi's heartbeat, and slowly, the swelling began to recede.
"You can stand on it now." Vells said as she drew back, satisfied with the result.

"My name is Vells, and, in earnest, we are not looking for enemies, only a way to help our people."

A soft tremor began shivering up from the earth. Vells paused, putting her hand in the black sand and feeling the vibrations.
"I think..." but before she had a chance to finish her thought, the sea erupted.

Art by Karol Jaźwiński

Water sprayed in every direction, something massive had breached the surface. One wide tentacle coiled out from a central mass, snaking its way through the water to the galleon moored outside the reef. In a heartbeat and a sickening crack of wood, it snapped the main mast clean of. The ship rocked like a toy in the waves, pitching sailors overboard in panicked screams faded with the distance.

Vells took only half a second for shock.
"Partner up! I want a volley at the creature now! Anything that pierces its hide! Draw it away from the ship! Mitsunari! Do you think you can hit it's eyes with your fire once we get it to surface?" The creature was far, but with enough force their spells could reach it. Of course the angle was to get it to com closer.
She looked desperately at the children in their midst. "Get our guests as far away from here as possible, I don't want them underfoot when that beast comes for us!"

Vells had never seen the like before. She knew the Wyld could spawn monsters, but this...she wasn't sure if they could beat it, but she had to try something to rescue their ship, and the people trapped aboard it.




joshuadim Zazz Arai RikuXIII Eccentric_Undead LadyOfStars Goonfire Dest thinking

 

[Zazz]

Thys tried to, as politley as he could, lower Hawthorn's hand. "This place is having some effect on your magic it seems," He suggested to Hawthorn with a nod. "Perhaps for a delicate task, a more stable touch?" Thys asked, raising his own hand to Vells.

"Touch me again and you'll find yourself frostbitten," Hawthorn snapped, looking pointedly below Thys' navel.

She looked at both Hawthorn and Thys and a laughing smile touched her lips.
"The two of you are as fair as each other, I can take you both to the ball, don't fret."
Vells focused and tapped into her will, letting them both into the weave as she drew on her magic. Their echoes were light as a touch of sunlight: Hawthorn's familiar prickly chill of ice, and Thys' strange sensation of feeling pulled but weightless, and the ever-looming shadow of some secret thing...watching.

The weather mage closed her eyes as the soft warmth of feathers tickled her senses. Her sense of calm, however, quickly turned into a rather unpleasant churning of her insides. Skies, she hated the oracle mage's echo. Despite her earlier comment, she reached out for his shoulder and grimaced at the top of the treeline, doing her best to stay in the weave.

She was eternally grateful for its end. But just as she let go of Thys, the ground trembled. Hawthorn followed Muir's gaze to where their ship sat, and her eyes widened. Partners. They would definitely need partners.

Hawthorn set her feet in the sand, ready to work up a storm. She began her spell, gathering the wind over the water to blow the ship out of the creature's reach. "I could use a hand!"

 

[Dest]

The cracking of the ships mast made Serena whirl around, her mind already falling away from the thought of the children just behind her as she stared at the giant creature that was now attacking their ship. Shaking away the doubts that clawed at the edge of her mind, the young alchemist strode forward and took a position near the Dean of weather. Taking a deep breath, she drew upon her own magic and placed a hand on the ground so that she could focus on the beings she was trying to create.

"I could as well, I have an idea for both guardians for us as well as an escort for the children!" Serena's voice contained excitement mixed with nervousness as she spoke, the young woman having barely ever left the safety of the academy after she had joined it. Inside her mind Golems of sand took shape, holding spears and shields and ready for battle.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Mitsunari Seikatsu

He had nothing against a bit of diplomacy between them and the people of this land, but Mitsunari preferred to air on the side of caution rather than blind faith. But their commander chose to trust these beasts and trust in the kindness of others, it was admirable. Val and Cora would approve and perhaps even like Vells. He cast a side glance at Avanok after the man was so roughly shot down, but he kept his thoughts to himself for the time being.

His mind was forced to turn elsewhere, the seas and the ship that they sailed in on as a monster burst forth from the ocean. In awe of the behemoth Mitsunari found himself stepping forward, watching in amazement as it rent their vessel asunder. "Another beast born of the Wyld?" His tails danced around behind him in a jubilant fashion, countering the fixed and focused expression on his face.

It was the commands of their leader, her voice ringing out over the beach and the screams of the sailors as she issued orders for the members of their party. His was to attack the creatures eyes. "I can do more than that." The fox teased with a grin that made his excitement and intrigue visible to the rest. "Join me, Commander."

The Kitsune took a deep breath and felt his mind and body steady. He had not weaved with anyone since he lost his family, but he had been rather good at it. Time to shake off the dust.

As he opened himself to allow others to weave with him faint threads of a ghoulish green hue started to swarm around Mitsunari. The thin lines of magic swirled through the folds of his kimono and through his black hair.

The smell of burnt fur would permeate the noses of those who chose to weave with him and as the sand churned at his feet, his green flames would start to take the shape of abstract humanoids. Their bodies danced about in the wind as the five forms manifested. "Gauge out its eyes, blind the beast." Mitsunari's hands had been tight fists, but when he threw them open the five elementals charged forth, flying over the raging sea to the beast in the distance. Abused and mishappen by the winds they still managed to form arms with claw like hands just before nearing their target. By the spell's design they would sear through the creature's eyes if they landed successfully.

SilverFlight

 

[RikuXIII]

Isa smirked at Laxi's question.
"Like I said, little bit." She replied. "My people used to live in these parts. Never met one of you before, but my Da told me stories. Just glad to see you're still around."
Thoughts of how the Viera could have probably survived as the Symyans had in the Wyld Wood if they had just been left alone entered Isa's mind, but she pushed them away as she turned attention back to her fellow mages. Avanok had backed down, but wasn't going back on his suggestion. Isa didn't like it, but she grudgingly had to admit he had a point. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. As Vells and Thys saw to the young Symyan, Isa pulled back to let them work there magic. Her eyes scanned the treetops for the child's buddy, but who ever it was seemed to have scampered. That would mean trouble, though if fortune was with the merry band, one that could also be solved diplomatically.
Isa's watch on the trees was intruptted by something touching her toes. She looked down to see Skedar pulling her karambit behind him, the circle of metal at it's hilt firmly in his jaws.
"Oh, thanks, Skedar." She said, reaching down and taking her weapon from her familiar.
The Viera was about to go retreave her other weapon from where she had dropped when her ears twitched as the sound of the water took on a discordant note. She whirled to see the ship the party had traveled on be turned into splinters by something out of nightmares rising from the deep. As Vells barked out orders, Isa reached out with right hand, calling on her magic to sprout vines from her limb to pull her kukri back to her. But nothing happened.
"Shite!" Isa growled.
She had avoided doing any magic on the trip out here to avoid questions. Now, like a limb that had fallen asleep, she would need to massage life back to her magic. She took off at a hop to grab her weapon. She was wondering what she could do against something like that when a chittering from Skedar had her look back. The squrriel, seeing it had his master's attention, pointed his nose at Lata.
"Oy, Strips!" Isa called over her shoulder, understanding what her familiar was getting at. "Know anything about talking to sea life? I can give you a boost!"

 

[Zazz]

"FORGET THE CHILDREN!"

The ship was moving; the crew that was still aboard had adjusted the remaining sails to work with the magic wind. But at this distance, Hawthorn knew it wasn't going to be enough. The other mages were casting their own spells, save for Vells and the kitsune, it seemed. She was alone.

The Dean of Weather left the ship for the moment; she had to get closer. Hoping the magic would not waver, just this time, she ran towards the water, imposing her will upon the surface. When her boots didn't sink into the water, relief flooded her and she kept running. The grips at the bottom of her boots, meant for this purpose, kept her from slipping across the twenty foot layer of solid ice. As she came to the end of the run, she set out another ice sheet.

But her luck had run out too soon. The second she stepped foot on the second sheet of ice, it grabbed hold of her boot, water solidifying around her leg. There was a resounding crack as her momentum fought the rigid ice casing, and Hawthorn fell to the ice with a loud, bloodcurdling scream of pain. Her calf, just below her knee, was bent at an unnatural angle.

Hawthorn's vision blackened, but even as the sheet of ice she was trapped on floated away from the shore, she reached out with her magic one last time to blow the ship to safety.

 

[joshuadim]

As the kraken in the water made itself known, and began to violently assault the ship that the mages had arrived in, Laxi looked on in terror as all the outsider's attention was turned towards this threat. Tayu had scampered down the trees and rushed towards her elder sister, and tugged at her arm in fear. Thanks to the efforts of Vells and Hawthorn, Laxi could stand now - much to her disbelief - as their magic had done their work. She too looked on at the beast ravaging the shoreline with fear and she huddled her sister back towards the nearby brush to take cover. She had heard the stories, especially from the Protector, about the dangers here. And why no-one should travel to the beach... to see it firsthand now only resolidified that fact in her mind as she hugged Tayu's shivering form.

I'm never leaving the village again.

But it was then that she saw a familiar sight swing through the trees nearby, setting himself up on a branch that protruded over the waters and began to snack. Her eyes widened in excitement, realizing that she and her sister were no longer alone.

---

A large cohort had set out from the village, nearly two dozen warriors in total, which had been unprecedented until now. Outsiders had come and gone before, but never to this degree or numbers. What Bayi had described was all the more concerning for the Symyans, save for Jirin himself as he led them on through the woods towards their destination. On the outside, he was rather cheery and seemed uncaring - but in reality, deep down, he too was concerned. The beach itself was dangerous, as he had forbade anyone from being there in the first place. The great beast under the waves would have already been stirred by now, and his suspicions were confirmed when he heard the distant sounds of conflict.

For a moment he, and the others in the troop, halted as he took the moment to take in the sounds. Kyro quickly went to Jirin's side and looked worridly: "What is it?"

Jirin snorted and shook his head: "They've stirred the beast." the Monkey King said flatly, "...fools don't know the dangers here. Rushing headfirst and knocking down all the peace."

Kyro's eyes widened: "Laxi and Tayu... they're in danger!"

"Likely not. I doubt they've went for a swim." Jirin said to reassure his sibling of his children's fate. He gave Kyro a pat on the shoulder and nodded, "Come. We must see for ourselves."

The sounds of chaos grew louder as the Symyans made their approach, until they found themselves in the canopies overlooking the beach. As spectacular as the spectacle was - outsiders and the water beast fighting - the main concern on their minds were Laxi and Tayu. The two younglings were spotted near the shrubbery on the ground, right at the very edge of boundaries on the trees. "There they are...!" Kyro whispered with a sigh of relief. His joy was palpable as he saw his two children be safe, but Jirin was more focused on the actual fighting. This was bound to attract too much attention from other things that lay in the Wyldwood.

"Collect them." Jirin said, "I'll... confront these intruders."

Kyro gave a nod as he scampered down the opposite side of a tree, to stay out of view as much as possible from the outsiders. Jirin then turned to the other Symyans in their gathered cohort and nodded. "Set yourselves up in the trees. Stay hidden. Bows ready... just in case. But I doubt we'll need it." The other Symyans all nodded as they dispersed into the shadows, climbing up higher and higher on branches to gain vantage points to watch from for the time being. One could call them "primitive", given their reliance on stone tools, but they were still dangerous in the long term. There was hope that this deterrence was enough.

Jirin himself made his way over towards one of the trees whose branches stuck out over the waters themselves, grabbing a large glowing mango along the way, before settling at the edge. He'd at least watch this debacle unfold in comfort, as he stuck out a hand towards the branches below to turn them into a comfortable hammock. [Roll 1d6 = 1] However, his magic flickered and dissipated just as quickly as he had summoned it. The Monkey King snorted and rolled his eyes in annoyance: "Out of practice, it seems." he muttered to himself before resigning himself to sit and chew on his snack.

It was a tasty mango, for sure, as blue juices covered his lips and a bit dropped down onto his furred chin. These outsiders would provide a good show for him before he'd question their presence.

SilverFlight RikuXIII Zazz LadyOfStars Dest Arai thinking Eccentric_Undead Goonfire

 

[Goonfire]

Hew Thalassan

There were many practices which Hew could not judge, but the idea of killing and eating a sapient creature unsettled his stomach—especially a young one begging for its life. It raised some interesting moral questions, none of which he felt needed to be addressed at the moment.

Any open debates were cut short as the water roared and surged behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood before he swiveled around to view their ship engulfed in tentacles. All was frantic as the mages scrambled to weave for offensive spells... but what was a necromancer to do? Even if he had brought humanoid skeletons from the school, they wouldn't have made a difference versus a sea monster of such proportions. He needed something larger.

As Hew's eyes scanned the beach, they landed first on several shark and whale carcasses strewn along the beach, then on the horrific sight of Dean Hawthorn falling victim to her own magic. Her leg had twisted at an unnatural angle; ligaments were undoubtedly torn. "Hells!" he cried out, rushing forth instinctively to rescue the weather mage. Hew waded into the waters after the floating ice sheet. With his mace drawn, he pounded the ice, chipping away until cracks formed across its surface. "Remain calm. Give me your hands," he demanded, glancing between her and the monster looming over them.

Interactions: Zazz

 

[Zazz]

With all available focus put towards the ship, Hawthorn only noticed Hew when he started smashing up the sheet of ice she was trapped on. With each pound of his mace the ice wobbled over the water, and the weather mage bit down hard on her lip to refrain from crying out in agony. Every vibration felt like a dozen hot knives in her shin.

At last, her foot came free. "Fuck this day," she breathed, reaching out to take Hew's hand. Had she not been in so much pain, she likely would not have been happy about being rescued by some boy like some damsel in distress. She knew Vells would rip her a new one later, and she dreaded it.

 

[Goonfire]

Hew Thalassan

As hard as Hawthorn tried to keep the noise to a minimum, her contorted face said all that was needed. "Fuck this day," Hew echoed breathlessly. His heart pounded as he used every muscle possible to drag her. He wasn't very strong, so the process was painfully slow. His back was starting to hurt from his poor form. "Almost... there...! Push with your good leg!"

He looked back to Vells and the others for help, then noticed a larger ape-like creature observing from above. Was this all some sick show to it? The way it snacked on that fruit so casually breathed fire into his soul. "We must weave, before our audience takes delight in someone's death." It was high time to make use of the carcasses, so he opened his shadowy, whisper-filled channel for weaving.

Interactions: Zazz
Mentions: SilverFlight joshuadim

 

[Eccentric_Undead]

Avanok the Necromonger​

From his perch he took it all in. The ensuing chaos after a kraken appeared. Not to mention one of his companions getting taken down by her own Magic. Interesting to say the least. The mashing waves and tentacles bombarding the ship was clearly a situation that needed to be handled. However, his head whipped around and his dark eyes landed on this Simeon that had arrived. Clearly it was awakened as well. Not only that, but Avanok could tell this one is different. There was a certain sense that wild animals got from other animals. Basically, instincts that have been built into a body and species over millions of years are so finely honed that they can tell who was not to be messed with at a glance. Of course, since this monkey was not putting out any negative connotation, he couldn't get a clear picture of just how strong this monkey was. It was at the very least a fair fight between them.

After a moment of his pitch black orbs gazing at this new person, he decided that his energy was better spent on the kraken, though he would be keeping an eye on the audience.

"I do believe there is necessary need for some companions in this fight, preferably of the aquatic kind."

The massive owl silent Wing beats landed him just behind Hew and Hawthorne. Of course on the short flight over he took notice of all the corpses that littered the beach. Perfectly set up for a necromancer to fight. Of course, given the size of the whale and the number of sharks, a weave was necessary. The massive owl stepped through the sand, stopping just between his two companions.

"Enough fooling about."

Opening his massive wings, then slowly engulfing the other two inside of them. His eyes, normally pitch black pools, now spark and leak a sickly green energy. The other two would be able to feel the cold and rigid embrace of death as he initiated the weave. Silhouettes of souls long lost surrounded the three, reaching towards them as if the grasp at the life that they once lost. The cold of his magic was not disinviting, but it enveloped the other two and radiated off of his wings as a covered them like a shadowy clue. With one Swift and powerful motion, his wings unfurled again, sending the Icy and dead magic out in a shock wave of power, charged by three.

A single moment floats by on the wind and it seems as though nothing happened. Then there was a snap. Allowed and thunderous cracking. The gurgle of long dead flesh breathing back into unlife, moving despite how decayed and rotten the flesh around the bone was. Crabs and other scavengers flee as the dead bodies of the whale and the sharks begin to stir to life. Pieces of them falling to the wayside, rotted away for separated by the scavengers eating the flesh. The corpses making garbled and horrific noises as they struggled back from the grave. A few were beached, so they struggled back to the water. As the zombified aquatic life began to swim around, the waters filled with the rotten blood that still ran through their cold bodies, polluting the water around them with death. The whale leaking its decomposing blubber all through the sea.

Avanok held his wings open, watching steadily as the rotten corpses stirred back to life, seeming to defy nature in the most putrid way possible. Finally he leaned forward, screeching at the new found army of marine zombies. Without a single moment of hesitation, the whale turned, making a beeline for the kraken. The whale was almost immediately covered by the pack of tiger sharks, moving in formation towards the massive creature. Avanok was never one for sitting back in the middle of a fight. So, with a silent flap of his massive wings and a gust of powerful air, he launched himself into the air, flying straight towards the massive octopus creature. At the very least, if a tentacle got cut off, he had another weapon to use.

Interactions: Goonfire Zazz

 

[Zazz]

Hawthorn collapsed onto the black sand with relief. Her lungs barely had time to settle before a giant bird of prey enclosed them in its wings- Oh, just Avanok.

Weave. She could weave.

The Dean of Weather rolled herself to a sit, her bum leg out in front of her. As she opened herself up to the collective weave, the uncanny feeling of cold, creeping death made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She swore she could hear the dead whispering all around her. It almost made her miss Thys' dizzying echo.

As long dead carcasses were commanded to unlife, Hawthorn breathed through her pain and focused her will on the waters; the surge at the edge of the shore reached for the undead creatures, inviting them, helping them ease back into the waters. Hawthorn could feel how wrong the water was as the reanimated bodies littered it. But, the idea was ingenious. She remained in the weave with both Hew and Avanok as both their battery and their anchor.

"Go," she said to Hew through gritted teeth. "I'm fine here."

 

[Arai]

Thys

Laxi joshuadim Hawthorn Zazz Jirin joshuadim

Though he would've liked to, Thys found himself unable to dwell on the Weave with the two women for very long, pulled from his trance by the cacophany of shouting and roaring coming from the water's edge. The beast was large, larger than any he'd seen before of a similar...origin. Twisting tentacles brought picutres of Kraken from storybooks to his mind, but he pushed them down. As the others formulated plans, he moved back against the treeline. Thys was many things, but a fighter wasn't one of them. Plus, with the amount of elementals currently pulling their way out from the beach, creatures of balck sand pushing forward into the water, Thys felt they had it handled.

He hard Hawthorn's roar of pain as she fell to the ground, thankfully retrieved quickly by another of their allies, still throwing magic left and right as she did so. Even if it was...wild...Thys couldn't help but admire the natural instincts she had for it. The two children seemed alright, and were looking back into the treeline with relief. Thys didn't know exactly what they had seen, but the change in the two young creature's demeanour was enough to tell him they were no longer alone. Between them and the beast, he'd identified the current bigger threat. Thys stretched out with his magic [roll=6], eyes a deep yellow, unaware of teh few trees in his vicinity following suit. His intention had been to read the creature in the water's intentions, perhaps identify a reason for it's attack.

In an instand, he felt the feedback in his mind. A strong and powerful presents, one of rage and desire to protect it's home, remove intruders as it saw fit. The emotions were so strong, he felt himself lose his grip on them, unintentionally projecting them out to his compatriots, each of them feeling the creatures fury as if it were their own. He muttered a curse under his breath. There may be questions later. Electing to do what he could regardless, he offered his shoulder to Hawthorn, offering her own pride to allow her to get up without assistance. "Here, if that thing comes ashore you'll need to be further make, especially if you're not mobile on that leg,"

 

[SilverFlight]

Vells couldn't help but smile as Mitsunari's spell took form. She nearly choked on the scent of burnt fur, and his will was rigid and almost unwilling, but years of practice had made her magic pliable. She would manage.

The humanoid fire creatures swarmed across the water, began to craw up the side of the kraken. Steam rose up from everywhere they touched, but the beast's hide was so thick it didn't notice them until they had reached its eyes. Vells saw the creature jerk back in pain, release the boat to coil several tentacles around its eyes. It sank slowly back into the water, destroying a handful of the flaming apparitions, but it's eyes were smoking badly and thick, blue liquid seeped from them both.

Vells had seen Thorn attempt her magic alone again, and again it backfired. Fury swept through her so quickly that she nearly faltered in the weave.
Her eyes darted around quickly, looking for something to help her with, and that was when she saw Hew wade out to retrieve her.

The anger was apparent in her eyes. "Almalexia Hawthorn! You're a damned fool!"
There was no time for a more thorough berating though, as the creature turned towards the direction its attackers had come from. They now had its attention.
Just then, the undead creatures hit it in a wave. The kraken recoiled, thrashed, crushing two shark carcasses with one sweep of its massive arm. Then four more tentacles shot out of the water, latching onto rocks just beneath the waves, it hauled itself up onto the reef, throwing still more arms out.
These were long and thing and to Vells' complete horror, they could reach the land.

Suddenly the limbs were among them, waving and grabbing, lashing and coiling. The creature was hampered by the undead sharks and the whale, but still it came for the people on the beach.

One tentacle flew straight to the tree Jirin rested in, set to splinter it to kindling with Jirin still in it's bows.
Another made a grab for Vells and too slow, she tried to leap clear.
The thick, slimy thing coiled about her middle and hauled her into the air so quickly she thought her neck might snap. The waves rushed past underneath her and suddenly, she was suspended three stories in the air, being drawn ever closer to the mouth she could see waiting just beneath the blue water.

This wasn't good.



joshuadim Zazz Arai RikuXIII Eccentric_Undead LadyOfStars Goonfire Dest thinking

 

[joshuadim]

Jirin had, thus far, been content with observing the ensuing battle with the tentacled depth lurker as he continued to chew on the mango he had plucked. Thus far, it had been rather enjoyable seeing these outsiders attempt - and fail - to ward off the creature's onslaught. One of them even managed to practically break her leg on the ice she had summoned, which

made the symyan chuckle aloud. Incompetent, the naked apes seemed; and so brazenly they arrive on the shores. It was then that he barely noticed one of hte tentacles lash out towards his perch. With a hard smack, the appendage collided with the wood, shattering it into splinters and threatening its inhabitant with a plunge into the depths.

But, given his natural agility, Jirin had managed to reorient himself in time as he kicked himself off from the creatures appendage and managed to just barely grab onto another nearby branch. And, using his momentum, he swung back towards the beach and landed on the sands with a dramatic flair. It was then that, mockingly, he clapped: "Bravo! I must say. For disturbing the one thing I battled before to its slumber, only to now reawaken it!" the Monkey King said without any hidden snark, before turning his attention briefly to Laxi and Tayu - who were watching as they were frozen in place.

They were safe, and unharmed it seemed on closer inspection, as he then turned his attention towards the insanity on display. The monster was rampaging wildly, and Jirin let out annoyed snort. He knew its weakness, as he had exploited it once before in their first confrontation, but it was doubtful these intruders knew. But, there was also the issue of his own magic; given how he had failed a simple trick earlier, he rolled his eyes towards the possibility of having to ask them for help. His pride almost overpowered him, but he swallowed it down when he conceded that the tentacled terror needed to be stopped.

He looked over towards the others on the beach and pointed towards them: "You there! Outsiders! Conjoin with me!"

SilverFlight Arai Zazz RikuXIII LadyOfStars Eccentric_Undead thinking Dest Goonfire

 

[Zazz]

The anger was apparent in her eyes. "Almalexia Hawthorn! You're a damned fool!"

The berating came sooner than anticipated. Almalexia cringed at the use of her full name; the only people who used it were her parents. A surge of anger and the need to protect herself washed over her unexpectedly, and she was about to snap back at Vells when Thys appeared by her side, offering help.

"Here, if that thing comes ashore you'll need to be further make, especially if you're not mobile on that leg,"

Angry and trying to focus on the weave with the two necromancers, Hawthorn took out her overwhelming frustration on Thys. "I SAID I'M FINE, DAMNIT." Heat rose to her face as she immediately regretted snapping at him. The weave with both necromancers had her on edge, and she hated feeling so uncharacteristically out of control of both her magic and her body. She took a slow breath and said to Thys, "I'm sorry. Thank you." Careful to remain connected to Hew and Avanok, she let Thys help her to her one foot and hobbled further up the beach.

The splintering of a tree branch made her turn, and to her horror, Vells was being pulled by a giant tentacle to her demise. Her face paled; her heart felt like it fell through to her stomach.

She yelled across the water to the massive owl. "AVANOK, GET VELLS!"
Eccentric_Undead

 

[Dest]

Cursing, Serena looked around desperately for something to help their leader out of the trouble that she was in. She quickly glanced at the rest of the mages, most of them either busy or involved with weaves of their own, before grimacing and making a decision. Pushing herself back to her feet off the sand, she rushed towards the Symyan, her mind whirling as she pieced together bits and pieces of alchemical equations which could help the situation and not hinder it.

"Whats your plan?" As soon as she got close enough, she threw the question out to Jirin with more following in its wake. "If you don't have one, I think I can change the air around the tentacle to form a cutting edge that could sever it. Or maybe I should turn it into a metal blade with a sharpened end so she can just slide down the end of it and get away? Oh, but that might not form uniformly and could lead to more injuries on her, and we need her in tip top shape! Maybe I should try to change the structure of the tentacle itself? But if I do that I could accidentally go too far and cause it to crush her, and then Hawthorn would kill me if the squid didn't. Is it a squid? It could be a kraken or an octopus I guess, I haven't really seen it enough to figure that out yet." The stream of words continued on as the alchemist's mind wandered away from the topic, getting lost within her own stream of thought.
joshuadim