Fantasy MTTS ◘ IC

[Lekiel]

The demon was quick for its size, barrelling down the gardens and crushing a leaning ruined pillar in half as it charged towards Saverio howling its unearthly wail. As it neared, nearly upon the hapless young noble, bolts of silver flashed out from the side aimed unerringly from Faen's rifle. For a moment, it seemed as if it might at least distract the raging abomination. But as they struck the worduken's sinewy hide, the silver flashes all but faded to no effect as the beast charged on, not even noticing the attack.

Encumbered by the rifle, Faean could not complete his spell in time, and could only watch as the beast lunged towards his classmate. But at the last moment, the Raestraguc leaped out of the way. Despite his best efforts, the tip of the demon's claws caught his calf, digging into his leg and drawing blood. Deep enough to be keenly felt, but not enough to maim. The force of the strike sent Saverio's dodge into a full on tumble, rolling head over heals until he came to a stop scant feet from a ruined pillar. Adonis flung several bolts of magic at the Worduken, but it served nothing more than to enrage the greater demon further. Blackened smoke billowed as it roared intent on its prey as it gathered itself to end its first victim, turning clumsily as it lumbered to its feet it began another charge.

"Saverio!" A shrill voice called out to the noble. Enn rushed over and tried to shake him up, but she knew there wasn't time. Eyes wide with sheer terror, she managed to hold up a hand, her lips tremoring as she chanting a spell. But her fear threatened to overtake her, causing her words to slip as the spell took way too long to cast.

"I-Icebolt!" The runes of power floating around her outstretched hand finally flared, as a trio of long crystalline spears of moisture froze out of the air, coalescing before they abruptly shot forwards. Two of the spears shot wide, but the third thudded into the shoulder of the worduken, and it let out a roar of pain. Its charge slowed for but a moment, as it slapped at the shard of ice, shattering it.

"No..." Her spell had harmed it, but it wasn't enough. Enn tried to help Saverio to his feet, but she knew it was futile. They wouldn't make it, Enn screamed as the worduken attacked. But just as the demon drew back on its haunches and leaped, runes of power flared all around it, and from each one, an iridescent thread of pure magic short forth, quickly binding themselves to the raging demon and jerking it back from its attack. The monstrosity roared and pulled at the magical threads, violently tugging as they dug into its folds of peeling flesh and rotten leafy hide. With light flashes, the threads began to snap. Their tenuous hold strained to the maximum, though they held the demon in place for the moment.

--Anne would feel as if a great force was trying to rip her arms from her sockets, as an intense pressure weighed down on her mind. Letting the spell break would release the pain and pressure.

 

[NewAgeBlack]

And so the test began, and as the shackles surrounding the demon weakened, the behemoth immediately made a beeline towards one of the students. Live bait. Wonderful. At the very least that would give her enough time to come up with a strategy. Serverus was the male's name, if she remembered correctly. Something like that. The young woman made a note to ask about it later. It was then where three other students hopped into the fray to the young man's rescue.

That was when the attacks began, and from there she decided to observe for now in order to see what worked against it. A golden eyed male shot a round from one of the provided imprifles which appeared to do nothing at all. It seemed that the rifles didn't serve much purpose against the demon, but in that case why were they provided in the first place? The second attack was from the woman from the selection ceremony, who desperately dove in order to protect the monster's target. Clumsily weaving an Icebolt spell, three spears of ice were summoned and flew towards the demon. Only one of them hit, with two of them missing completely. Maybe the woman was nothing special after all. That being said, the attack that did hit its mark was able to do some damage to it. Ignoring the woman's cry for help, Velvet watched for Anne's attack. Soon a flurry of spellbinding chains wrapped themselves around the target. She recognized the spell from the Conjuration tree. It seemed to be effective enough at keeping the demon at bay. Taking mental note of the effectiveness of each attack, she went on to take her next course of action.

Seeing the ineffectiveness of the imprifle first-hand, the young woman saw it best to keep the weapon slung over her shoulder for the time being. Her mind went back to the words of the instructor just moments ago. "Have more faith in your own abilities.", the woman said. Very well then. Walking away from the commotion, callously leaving the other students to keep the monster at bay, Velvet catches Nathaniel from the corner of her eye. Her right side of her lip curled upward ever slightly as she approached the red-eyed male. "Nathaniel, darling." She waved to him. "I know you may be thinking about helping these people out but before you do, listen to what I have to say."

"I may have a plan that could help us stop that monster in it's tracks. Best case scenario, we can slow it down long enough to follow up and put it down for good. It would be in our best interests if we put an end to this test before we suffer too many casualties this early on in the trials. But to do so, you'll need to turn a blind eye to the other students and provide cover for me." Her arms were crossed as she stared blankly at Nathaniel, awaiting his decision.

Matt l ttaM

 

[Kabochamp]

Nero watched her professor's reactions to her choice carefully and looked down at her selection thoughtfully for a moment before looking back up to meet her eyes, letting a little smile break onto her lips for her reply. "Thank you, I'll give my all to bring out the best of this weapon" she said, holding the rifle on her shoulder, then feeling a little sheepish "Ah but, if you have any tips on how to improve my performance later, I'd love to hear them." She said, nodding respectfully and leaving to rejoin the group of students.

She followed the group over to the area that the test was about to take place and stared into the barrier at the creature contained within. The demon was much larger than any that she had faced before and that caused a few butterflies to flutter in her stomach but she shook her head and pulled out an impcanister to prepare for the fight. As the teachers prepared to set the beast free Nero focused on the canister, her hands shining with a gentle white light for a moment.

The mistress conjurer's call to begin snapped her back to the present and even though she wanted to jump right into the frey, she held back to finish her work. Watching the fight unfold carefully, taking note of the attacks used. When she finally felt that her work was complete, the Ignifer was loaded into Silversling and she moved to a position slightly to the side of the others and taking aim at what seemed to be the neck of the demon. "Lets see if this can make a bigger dent than the canister fired earlier!" She said as she pulled the trigger.

While she observed the effects of her attack she addressed Lontano "If it comes this way, try to distract it" she said in a low voice. "Yes mistress" he said, being uncharacteristically obedient.

 

[Matt l ttaM]

"There... is. But it is a long arduous process and requires many resources. Such methods are better saved for more powerful items which you perhaps might encounter in the future. The easiest way would be to fragment your sword, you may speak to me later or ask your fellow chosen to help you with that; Miss Nero and Mister Iron-eyes should be quite capable. Fragmenting it would, of course, destroy the weapon setting the spirit within free..." The matter appeared close as Regalia was about to look away, but she paused turning back to Nathaniel.

"But if I may give you a word of advice, see it is no more than a tool if you do not wish to free it... Your partner is the one beside you." She glanced at the closed-eyed cat sidelong, an amused smile on her lips before turning to attend to another student.

Nathaniel smirked for a moment, his thoughts flooding with information. Of course, I've a partner, he thought to himself as he reached a hand up to comb through Nihil's fur as he sheathed the blade to his side. That doesn't mean I cannot have more than one. He looked at the hilt of the blade, thinking about what the professor had said. To fragment the blade and learn of the one within or to preserve the one true memory of the last time he saw his parents? He shook himself as Nihil bunted him gently from his shoulder, "Other things matter now, Nathaniel. Focus on your goal, nothing more." The noble child sighed and gave himself a small shake before nodding, "Indeed. First things first..." He walked over to prepare for the test before him, his eyes on the beast within the cage, "You must fall first."

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His blade drawn and stance ready, he felt Enn to his right and the others around him, all of them fidgeting, nervous or jumpy, even he could feel his hand shake so slightly. The want to succeed fighting against his fears. Carefully, he closed his eyes and took in air and as his lungs filled, his thoughts, his emotions, his stress and worries all gathered to the forefront. What about injury? What of death? Even more so....what of failure? At that moment, all of his negative and stress-inducing emotions stood on the tip of his mind. He let the breath go...and with it, all of his stress, all of his worry. He opened his eyes, a calmness flowing through his form, a sense of concentration that ignored all else but the goal befell him. He was ready...

"BEGIN!" came the shout and at once the test began. The creature was swift and dangerous. At the first sound, the demon was off like a bullet and its features only proved to increase its intimidating form. Antlered head, darkened fur, claws and rancid body. All of this only served to induce its fearful appearance. Even now, Nathaniel could tell a majority of the students were caught off guard by this thing's power. It dashed toward one of the students, the vain one from before was all Nathaniel could think before the thing had already torn through the boy's leg. He saw Enn rush to the boy's side with a shout. She fired a spell, weakened from her deprived state. He also heard the fire from various rifles around the field. Little seemed to work, and yet massive, ghoulish chains appeared, wrapping themselves around the beast, halting it.

He heard her before he saw her. That cruel, vile woman. "Nathaniel, darling." She waved to him. "I know you may be thinking about helping these people out but before you do, listen to what I have to say." He said nothing in response, letting her continue. "I may have a plan that could help us stop that monster in its tracks. Best case scenario, we can slow it down long enough to follow up and put it down for good. It would be in our best interests if we put an end to this test before we suffer too many casualties this early on in the trials. But to do so, you'll need to turn a blind eye to the other students and provide cover for me." Her arms were crossed as she stared blankly at Nathaniel, awaiting his decision. He looked at her as if looking through her for a moment before shaking his head slowly, "Must you always arrive at an ultimatum, Valentia? Do as you wish. I shall not allow those defenseless and scared to fall into depravity. Knowing you, you seek a way to draw the things attention away. I shall give you your distraction."

He looked out across the field, seeing Anne Basil go rigid from her spell, yet see her face contort from the pain. He held his blade steady and charged as he called across the battleground, "Everyone! I'll keep the thing at bay. Enn, get the boy out of harm's way and do what you can! Miss Basil, drop the spell in ten seconds! Everyone else..." He gave a grin as he came closer to the creature, the rush of looming death giving him a fool's confidence, "Let's give it all we got!"

...10...9...8...

Nathaniel came as close as he dared, pulling his sword up in one hand, the other resting flat against the blade. His eyes didn't leave the creature's he faced.

...7...6...5...

Lightning arched from his fingertips as the blade's enchantment was enacted on. Nathaniel raised the blade and paused for a moment...

...4...3...

He brought the blade down, a lightning bolt ripping into the demon before him, hoping its attention would be on him.

...2...1...

Nathaniel turned, his free hand already readying his next spell in case his legs weren't fast enough.

...0...

"Now!" he yelled as he sprinted back, having readied Mirrorwall to help slow the beast down as he trained it around the yard.


Lekiel NewAgeBlack revior

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Ignoring the other teacher butting into a conversation that did not include her, Iron-eyes relented and gave a nod, his demeanor much calmer as he relinquished Vindication. "I am serious about wishing to observe and learn from you. Even in Ivory Tower, you are spoken of among our fellow enchanters with great esteem." He said accepting one of the heavier Imprifles. The barrel much longer and wider in an oblong shape. While the wooden frame and stock were rather standard, the stain and polish used gave the wood a pleasing luster. A touch of a smile could be seen on the young lord's face as he hefted the weapon.
"If possible, I would very much like to purchase this rifle." he muttered to himself. The weapon just felt right.

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Taking up ranks beside Nero, Iron-eyes dropped to a knee and trained the Imprifle on the the cage. His breathing slow and measured, as his aim became steady, the iron-sights lined up perfectly on the target. As soon as the teacher released the spell encasing the cage and daemon, he exhaled slowly, his finger squeezing the trigger. Channeled mana and Silverite exploded out the barrel and rocketed towards the towering daemon. Impacting it's ankle, the creature simply ignored the strike as it continued to barrel towards Pretty Boy. Looking to his ally, he saw her hand aglow with mana as she focused it into the canister. "Brilliant idea kid. Dangerous but it might just be what we need to piss it off." Renoux said to Nero, Mimicking her, and turning the canister into an Ignifer.
Slapping the Ignifer into the rifle, he took aim and controled his breathing once again watching the shot Nero fired at the daemon before taking aim at the same spot she fired and firing again, hoping to compound the damage in that area.
"Aim for the legs and ankles! Try to bring it down! Then let the melee and Evocation Mages do the heavy hitting! Enchanters, use Ignifers the cause damage. But be careful!" He barked to the other Imprifle weilding mages. Hopefully they'll see reason and understand the plan.... he thought

Kabochamp Lekiel

 

[Lekiel]

The billowing clouds of umbral smoke swirled and swelled, clinging low to the ground as if it were some formless nightmare made out of shadow. They poured out of the demon's hide, where its flesh peeled and rotted. And where it had been, the shadowy smoke trailed after though a peculiar phenomenon seemed to be happening. The grass and weeds appeared to wilt, curling in as their once green leaves turned ashen black. A taint of the most vile seeped into the ground, corrupting all that it covered. But as the smoke undulated in eddies, luminescent flowers seemed to bloom. Their pitch-black vines creeping out over the fallen pillars, twisting amidst the ruins. Small star-shaped glimmers that stood in stark contrast to the rot and shadow of their twisted origins. One that was even now thrashing in frenzied rage against the arcane shackles that struggled to bind it, while the odious puny humans rushed and shouted all around attempting to take it down.

Written by: revior ​

It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! These were the thoughts running rampant within Anne's mind as she desperately tried to maintain her spell through the sensation of her arm being ripped off. She didn't know that there would be such a feedback. She never had to bind something so strong before. It wasn't just her arm either. There was also an uncanny force pressing upon her mind, so much so, she felt as if something might be squeezed out her ears any time soon. It was the worst she had ever felt, maybe even more so than that fever she had so many years ago.

"Mistress, let go! If you want to keep your arm, let go now!"

She was tempted to. At that moment she would love nothing more than to do just that. However, she knew that she shouldn't. That Demon was as fast as it was strong. Anne was pretty sure that she was only able to restrain it due to it being preoccupied by the other two students. She wasn't sure if she's going to get a second chance. And if she did release that foul creature, what would happen to the students it was targeting? Nothing good, she presumed.

"That's..." Anne forced a smile, one so forced it looked awkward, as she spoke through the pain. "That's why...... I have two of them..."

"Mistress, you are insane!"

She was glad, glad that during the first test, the trial by the Ardenstone, she had been faced with the dilemma of having her hand trapped. if that hadn't happened, she wouldn't have steeled herself for the loss of an arm. It didn't happen, of course, but she was ready to do it and that readiness stuck with her till this point in time. She will keep the spell going, for as long as it takes. After all, if this were a real fight rather than a test, would she have the leisure to just back off? No, she wouldn't, she would have needed to hold on to it no matter what. How ironic, she thought, I was ready to lose an arm to free myself, and yet now I find myself preparing to lose it to bind something else.

However, just as she steeled herself for the worst, the man with red eyes, Nathaniel, he called out. 'Ten seconds,' he said. She must be rather pale in her face for him to say that, otherwise he would have told her to hold it for as long as it took. In response, Anne simply nodded, unable to find the strength within herself to give a proper reply. She was ready to hold for as long as possible, till either the Demon goes down or her arms get torn off. However, being given ten seconds granted her great relief, and having her goal post moved closer than she expected granted her the will to see those ten seconds through.

Anne Basil will hold, if only for those ten seconds.

But even then... Enn was worried that her fellow chosen could not bear it any longer. Nathaniel had rushed into the fray, shouting something as he was wont to do. She vaguely heard her name but whatever was said was drowned out by an ear-splitting howl, so loud she almost let go of Saverio for instinctively wanting to cover her ears. But she did hear the request for Anne to sustain her spell. The worduken's attention was diverted at least, focused entirely on freeing its wretched form. Each flash of light a sign that it was closer to being free. The magical threads bit into its blackened hide, so deep it cut into rotting flesh. Vile stinking liquid of what could only be its blood had began to drip freely but it did not seem to care.

"Come on, let's go!" Enn bade Saverio to move, they had to seize this opportunity to get clear or risked having the demon return its attention to them. Or perhaps they might even end up being trampled, as it grew increasingly frantic in movements. Saverio wasn't particularly of a heavy build, but the height difference was more weight than the young Velahl could manage. Thankfully, he appeared conscious, if winded. She clutched at one of his arms with both her hands and tugged him upwards. Somewhere at the back of her mind, she thought of contributing a volley towards the bound demon. But being so close to it inexplicably scattered her thoughts into tiny fragments, and just thinking about what spell she would use took immense effort. But helping her friend up was something she could do on instinct, so she did it.

She was positively terrified, though she did her best not to show it.

--Enn would follow Saverio, helping him to move. Should he say he can stand on his own only she would let go.

The countdown had already begun, as whatever the students could muster was thrown at the raging demon. But as the second neared zero, there was an explosive BANG as a stream of intense magical energy blazed across the arena, it was followed almost immediately by another shot. Fired from Nero and Iron-eyes, the first shot struck at the worduken, searing a hole right through its thick neck and exiting out the other end. Black blood sprayed across the grass staining it with its stench. But the effect of the shot was instantaneous. The demon reacted in frenzied instinct. Its shriek of pain was even louder than before as it snapped its head back with immense force. And like a slow cascade of events, Enn watched as the battle escalated into high gear. The reflexive movement of the demon caused Iron-eyes shot to go wide, as he had aimed for the same spot. His volley of intense silver singing the leaves off the worduken's shoulder, knocking off one of the branches on its back. And as the demon recoiled in manic agony, the magical threads that bound it snapped all at once. The young Vasilli for all her grit and determination, even with the help of her foliot, was forced past her limit before the appointed time.

Limbs free and frantically flailing, a large clawed hand swung out as Nathaniel went in for his lightning strike. There was another BOOM as thunder crashed and fur singed, but the claw flailing claw was unstoppable. Though prepared for something else, the faint glimmer of his mirrorwall spell winked into existence though it was shattered as soon as they formed. Despite the surprising turn of events, the back of the worduken's claw struck at the sword, meager as it were in width, yet managing to take the brunt of the blow which would've surely crushed the Magician's chest. Even then, the force of the backhand sent the young Cryvere hurtling backwards like a ragdoll, hitting the ground at a haphazard angle as he tumbled head over heels to land half-submerged in a pond.

The worduken was in a frenzied rage, crashing and toppling columns. The hollowed eyesockets burning with a red glimmer, as one of the many crow skulls caught sight of Faean causing it to howl in rage as if he were to blame for its pain. But instead of charging, the demon crouched as the branches on its back quivered and then turned shadow black tendrils. Suddenly, they shot forwards with deadly accuracy, hooked tips seeking out to rend the young dea'Aria's flesh.

-- 1. As Anne stubbornly held on till the end, the shattering of her spell temporarily but severely affected her. A sharp snap like that of a whip would be heard, and she would black-out for five seconds. When she comes to, she would feel as if both arms had been literally ripped off, though they are still very much intact. The agony would assail her for close to a minute before slowly dying away. Nevertheless, she would feel extremely weak and have severe splitting headaches. She is incapacitated, incapable of vigorous movements and spellcasting for one post. Spellcasting may be possible after that. Choosing to extend beyond her limit while siphoning her foliot also has negatively impacted it. Lok is unable to perform in any magical capacity for the rest of the battle. Anne gains +1 Transcendence for her decision. Add it to your Status Effects.

2. Nathaniel was close to becoming a squash. Nevertheless, by sheer luck or perhaps skill, he was saved from such a fate. Nevertheless, the blow from the crazed worduken on a mere human who thought to venture up close still impacted him greatly. He is currently winded and stunned. A rib might even be cracked. He will be unable to make any vigorous movements or spellcasting for one post. But he is aware that he should at least be able to manage spells after a little rest. Nathaniel gains +1 Insanity for his decision, add it to your Status Effects.

3. Though the tendrils are swift, the distance was relatively great and Faean has had time to contemplate the situation. He is allowed to make one collected decision. As he is afforded less distraction, his perceptiveness has revealed to him a couple of observations.

4. After firing the Ignifer, both Nero and Iron-Eyes are now left with 2 Impcanisters each. They would also feel the expended ignifer rapidly heating up the whole Imprifle until it starts to become unbearable to hold, should they detach it?

 

[NewAgeBlack]

"Must you always arrive at an ultimatum, Valentia? Do as you wish. I shall not allow those defenseless and scared to fall into depravity. Knowing you, you seek a way to draw the things attention away. I shall give you your distraction."

"Playing the hero as usual, then." Velvet mocked as she rolled her eyes. "Very well. I won't be able to stop you anyway. If you're not dead by the time I'm finished making preparations, I'll give you a signal to lead the beast to me. Hopefully you can do that much." She watched as Nathaniel charged into battle. Shaking her head, Velvet began her preparations. In one quick and fluid motion, the noble woman's index finger flawlessly traced the rune pattern for an evocation spell. "Earthbolt." A long spear made from the earth below her shot upwards, leaving a hole in the ground and eventually landing and hitting the ground next to her. "One hole should do." Kneeling down while the battle kicked into high gear, Velvet picked up the spear. With the sharp edge she began to etch out a rune circle with the newly formed hole at the center.

"I'll be casting at least two more spells for this. One of them being Font, as you can see from the circle below. Three, if Nathaniel is too injured to continue the plan. I'm sure you know the drill."

"But of course, Lady Velvet. My mana is yours to siphon as you please." Montague responded as Velvet picked herself up, having finished the circle. As she began to cast the next spell, her head turned to see Nathaniel face down in a nearby pond.

"That fool." Velvet shook her head as her focus returned to the demon. It appeared that it was capable of ranged attacks as well. It would take a while for him to recover, and another student was now in danger. Though that wasn't her main concern. Positioning herself between the drawn rune circle and the demon in a manner so that she could retreat behind the circle if need be, Montague fired off a bolt of fire that flew towards the demon's blind spot. Whether or not the spell could hit before its attack on Faean was completed didn't matter to Velvet, but hopefully she could catch the beast's attention. If not, then she had no choice but to wait for Nathaniel.

 

[Feyrie]

[import]9420182[/import][div class="body"]

[div style="font-size: 4vh; margin-left: 3vh;"]saverio vaillancourt[/div]
He was too busy trying to save his skin to have noticed Faean’s attempts to save it as well. As he tumbled away to escape, the claws of the demon managed to draw blood from his calf. Saverio hissed in pain. In the corner of his eye, he could see Adonis make attempt at the beast though it did nothing. He was grateful that loyalty was not dead yet. He managed to get away as of this moment but before the young noble could make any form of protest, he was not completely out of the picture yet as the demon seemed to set his sights on him.

"Saverio!" A shrill voice that he recognized to be Enn called out to him. His mind was processing faster than his body that he couldn’t tell that he hadn’t managed to move after he managed to escape. The monster was fast approaching and he found that he couldn’t move. His body became like lead and though he tried, he couldn’t move no matter what. His eyes widened as death loomed closer once again. His heart palpitating. Enn’s magic was useless. Was it the end?

The monster was suddenly stuck in place. A spell that was probably conjured by one of the fellow chosen. There was too much information loading into his senses that he couldn’t follow the movements of the rest as they tried to subdue the monster that was their trial.

The gaze. His knees shakes. The predatory gaze of the monster was finally moved. Saverio allowed Enn to help him move. As they moved out of the way, his brain started to function normally that made him all the more aware of his calf that was bleeding.

He never experienced such a thing before. He was never abused in this manner. His own father had never slapped him in his entire life. Neither did Deepwaters nor Mistress Conjurer, no matter how mad he made them. Saverio was shell-shocked. “You do not deserve to harm my precious body! My father never even slapped me! What makes you think you’re deserving to!” he yells out on top of his lungs impulsively.

Under tremendous shock, he recalled the weight of the imprifle that he carried on his right hand. Normally, he wouldn't join such battles but he needed to at least air his grievances. What he was he supposed to do if it scarred his precious body? Upon the realization, he prepared himself to fire both lightning and firebolts to the beast after he had aimed the shot to head. "Don't. You. Know. How. Precious. My. Body. Is!" He yells, accentuating each word as he continuously barrels his spells as much as his mana was able to. "How does it feel to be harmed?! Oh, wait. You're too ugly so it wouldn't even matter no matter how beat up you become." Seeing his master going crazy again, Adonis helped supply him mana while shaking his head. Must he remain so childish even after he experienced a life threatening situation? It didn't seem to be the best moment to address such a thing but Saverio clearly felt the need to.
tags: Lekiel revior
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[OSWonder]

Watching as the shot fired from his Imprifle dissipated into useless sparks, Faean gained a newfound understanding of the beast’s strength. He wondered why the students had been given the guns at all, if they were bound to fail against the creature they were fighting. Unless, of course, the intention had never been for them to beat it down. There had to be one. A method far more efficient than hoping to wear out what was most likely an Insurgo-class spirit quickly with their collectively not-so high level of combat.

But what?

Faean struggled not to disengage from the ongoing chaos of his surroundings as he wrecked his brain, trying to remember the significance of that name: Worduken. Enn and Basil’s desperate bid to protect their fellow mage, Cryvere’s crazy decision to lunge at the beast with nothing but a sword and the grand blast from the Ignifers from the two Enchanters ⁠— all of it registered, just barely, in his head as he threw his rifle to the side and began to build a rune for Hardened Armor to allow himself enough peace of mind to think.

As he did, however, something caught Faean’s eyes: flowers. His concentration slipped. His rune flickered.

What a great time to be fascinated by nature, indeed. Except these were flowers that hadn’t been there before. Not on this ground. Which could only mean that they had risen from the monster’s shadow. Flowers. The Worduken. A more solid image began to form in his head of the spirit they were dealing with. Those fragile blooms held some meaning. At least, they were more important than mere decoration to show off the demon’s power. Why? How? He had no idea. Faean was quickly growing frustrated with himself.

Just then, a loud resounding roar ripped through the air and he looked up to discover that, in the half of a second he had failed to pay attention to the ongoing battle, after ravaging through the room in pain, the beast had decided that Faean ⁠— despite having caused the least harm of all its opponents ⁠— should answer for its injury. Of course. Spirits always seemed to have it out for him in fights, reacting as though he was especially threatening even if he did zilch to assert that; case in point. Something about his mana, a professor had commented once, though they never bothered to explain further.

The monster’s clear intent to attack him forced Faean to rush the completion of his now misshapen rune and cast it, though he held little hope for the resulting shell holding on against even one swipe of the Worduken’s claws. Yet, it was not a howling, rage-fueled lunge that the beast chose to use as a weapon but the branches off its back that spasmed and twisted into terrifying, tentacle-esque ammunitions.

Dark, eerie tendrils shot at him like elongated bullets chasing after his soul. The surprise from the unexpected attack made him stumble backwards, hitting a cold column. The best thing he could do right now was to throw up some Mirrorwalls before running the hell out of the tendrils’ trajectory. That would, of course, mean he would have no time to ponder on the mythology of the Worduken. Except to sit there and think about how to defeat the beast instead of protecting himself would get him in the same awful situation as his insane fellow Chosen. Faean was not insane. He was the furthest thing from insane. He was raised on the principle of keeping sane, anywhere, all the time.

He stared at the tentacles made out of shadows charging toward him.

Well, he supposed to himself, this warrants some madness.

In the midst of the tornado of thoughts that was his head, Faean looked deceptively calm, only his grip on the pillar behind him betraying his true state of mind. The stone structure was icy to the touch, giving him a- wait. There was something warm. Suspicion arisen, Faean turned to look at the corner of his gaze at what his hand had just run over. A rune. A recently activated one, clearly. For what? To summon something? The Worduken? No. It couldn’t be that easy. Something to do with the cage that had fallen? Perhaps.

Sura, his brain provided, infuriatingly cryptic as though it were a wise old man guiding him on some journey of self-discovery rather than a part of himself, Kareesha.

Sura. Kareesha. Flowers in the fog.

He pushed his back against the pillar, sliding down as if to make himself small so the tendrils would not reach him. He kept one hand on the rune as the other discreetly reached out to pluck a flower from the ground.

“Sura Kareesha,” he said, mostly to himself, gaze focused intensely on the flower in his hand. He probably looked completely mad to the people around him. At that very second, he heard a crack of his rather half-hearted Hardened Armour and his eyes flickered up to see the large, sinister tentacles racing menacingly right at him. His heart skipped a beat.

Lekiel

 

[Lekiel]

Weakened from recently having its mana siphoned off, Montague's firebolt was but a feeble shot of kindling that sputtered out with barely a noticeable hiss as it struck the worduken's side. Faean was on his own, for the moment at least, just as his classmate had been scant moments before.

But a little time was on his side, precious time bought with the sweat and blood of desperation by his fellow chosen and it was a currency spent in rapid contemplation. Perhaps it was sheer chance that bought the accidental touch, or mayhap it was because he'd been trained to be subconsciously more aware of his surroundings, or a little of both. As fingers brushed against olden stone, long resting magic was resurrected to life. Indiscernible words whispered into the recesses of his mind, like scrawled words of a forgotten language written over and over on chalkboard until it became indelible by time. But the young Magician's perceptiveness caught on to two, and he gave voice to them even as the plucked pellucid bloom withered and disintegrated into wispy black smoke in his hands.

"Sura Kareesha"

His wretched shield of earth and stone shattered, barely an impediment to the deadly tendrils that raced to end his life. Then the ancient rune burst into flame, scalding fingers. A blinding flash of light. A sharp ring of metal followed an agonized roar. When Faean could see again, tendrils of shadow dropped to the ground, melting and shifting until they appeared once more as mere branches.

OSWonder

Spoiler

Faean would suddenly be keenly aware of the looming presence of another entity. He'd get a glimpse of a large heavy golden sword. But even then the vision lasted a scant second as the colour rapidly drained from the blade, until it too appeared nothing more than a faint whiteish outline like the armored warrior that gripped the heavy blade in a single hand. The ephemeral being wavered and flickered for a moment, so indistinct in features that for a moment, Faean might not have realized he was actually looking at a towered armored warrior's back as it stared at the writhing worduken. Another flicker and shift and a helmeted face titled curiously towards the slumped Magician. Except for two tiny pinpricks of faint light, nothing but hollow shadow stared out from the depths of the elaborate helm's visor.

Nok danor, sen`ra Kareesha? The thing seemed to question, now staring intently at Faean. The voice was deeply masculine and seemed to speak directly into his mind.

Nok danor, sen`ra Kareesha!? It quizzed again, the pinpricks of its pupils suddenly flaring brighter than the rest of its ephemeral body. It appeared to grow increasingly frustrated, not receiving any answer it deemed satisfactory from Faean. Tension wicked off the ephemeral warrior in waves and it stalked closer. All of a sudden, it snapped its visored helm off to look to one side, as if something unseen and unheard caught its attention. Then ephemeral form collapsed into shapeless smoke, vanishing as quickly as it had arrived.

And if the worduken wasn't already gravely hurt before, it surely was now as a silverish flash fizzled against the one of the crow-headed skulls. It was immediately followed by a barrage of low level, but nonetheless, potent (in numbers) spells flung from the denigrated young noble of House Raestraguc as he flew into a hissy fit disgruntled rage. And as he shrieked his complaints, the sudden display of bravery shook the rattled flaxen-haired girl out of her stupor, and she joined him in flinging even more magical bolts at the increasingly overwhelmed demon. Though her magical output was much slower, each flung bolt was considerably larger, crackling with power. Under the concentrated barrage from the two frazzled Magicians, the worduken continued to wail and screech, each hit a staggering blow as it stumbled backwards. Eventually, even the two Magicians tired themselves out as their spells slowed, until finally, the pressure on their minds was too much to bear and they had to cease their attack.

--Adonis is now unable to take action in any magical capacity for the duration of the battle

The abominable demon stood, tottering on its feet and still smoldering from the barrage of spells. Then with a weak moan, it wavered before toppling to the ground with an earth-shaking boom. The shadowy fog billowed upwards from the rush of air, appearing thicker as it covered the misshapen mound of rot. The stench of rotting leaves and carrion was even more palpable than before as the fog continued to drift about the arena. Those that ventured too near the fog will be assailed by near uncontrollable nausea and will have to retreat or risk losing consciousness.

--By this time, everyone should be aware of the faint fragile blooms that seem to cover more and more of the ruined garden. From where she was, Anne would come to a sudden realization.

 

[revior]

Anne Basil​

Something had snapped. She wasn't sure what it was but she had definitely felt it, something that was stretched to the limit and ultimately snapped. That was the last sensation she had before everything sunk into darkness. She did not know how long, but within that murky darkness, she felt that something was off, that something had gone very wrong, but her mind could not come up with an answer, or rather, it's questionable if her mind was even functioning at that point. However, slowly, the murkiness would fade away and as the sounds of battle, of screams and magical explosions, reached her ears, Anne regained her cohesion and pulled herself from the darkness.

The first thing Anne wondered about when she woke was her arms. She vaguely remembered the sensation of them being ripped off right before she fell unconscious. For a moment, she couldn't feel them and feared the worst. One arm was one thing, but two was obviously unacceptable. However, upon the moment after, she wished that she couldn't feel them, as the moment she tried to feel for them, she was quick to realize why she felt that something was very wrong while partially unconscious. She became aware of it, the pain rushing up from her arms.

She cried and yelled in a voice that would be frowned upon should they be heard from even the lowest class of ladies as she arched backward. The pain from her arms was so overwhelming that she couldn't even stop to catch her breath and soon her cries were reduced to silenced screaming as her lungs ran out of air.

"Breath, mistress! Breath!"

She heard the voice calling out to her and made an attempt to fight back the pain, willing herself to stop screaming as she desperately sucks in the air through her mouth till her will could hold out no more and the waves of pain assaulted her once more. She would fight back, and she would breathe for a moment before the pain broke through, and the cycle repeated for about a minute before the pain finally subsided. But, as one pain faded, another took its place, as her arms fell limp by her side, she became aware of another, lesser, yet still painful sensation.

Anne curled up on the ground, her shaking arms held against the sides of her head in an attempt to fend off the headache that felt as if something was trying to break out of her skull. She would have resigned to just staying there till the pain had faded if not for the raging battle around her. She had just enough will power to tell herself that she needed to move, though her body could hardly do so. All she could really accomplish was forcing herself to lift her gaze and observe the battle.

Drench in cold sweat, locks of her hair was stuck to her cheeks. Her face was pale, she was already somewhat pale to begin with but this was beyond that. If she were to remain still, people may mistake her for a corpse. She felt a tugging at her collar, she couldn't see it but it was Lok, trying to drag his mistress somewhere safe with his small body. He did not have much success.

As she watched the battle, she noticed something. The flowers, the sprouting luminescent flowers blooming around the wretched creature. They appeared to be created from the Demon. How is it that a creature of rot and miasma create something so beautiful? she wondered. As her mind wondered, however, the battle seemed, at first glance, to be concluded as the Demon fell over onto the ground. She was bitter that she had to sit it out, hating her own weakness. That bitterness would soon turn to dread as she then took notice. The Demon, it's healing. Somehow, it's healing. Is it magic? Did it cast a spell? No, it didn't seem like it, she saw no flashes of runes. This must become this else, something more inherent to the Demon. What is it?

It's the flowers, she concluded. When the Demon fell, it created more miasma, and what did the miasma create? Flowers, more of those luminescent flowers. She wasn't absolutely sure, but that might be the creature's method of defense, that each time it was hurt, it would release its miasma into the surroundings and create more of those flowers, which in turn, allowed the Demon to heal somehow.

"...... Lo... k......"

"Mistress?"

With what little strength she had, she whispered something into Lok's ears, and in response, the Foliot nodded.

"The flowers!" Lok yelled to the Chosens. "Destroy the flowers! The Demon will rise again if you don't!"

Lekiel NewAgeBlack Feyrie HighSanguinaryPriest Kabochamp Matt l ttaM OSWonder

 

[Kabochamp]

Seeing the damage that the ignifer wrought on the beast before them, Nero grinned and quickly ejected the used cartridge. She took a moment to wonder at the heat coming from the expended ammunition but ultimately decided that she needed to keep up the attacks “Lontano, shoot a blast at this to propel it to the demon!” she said, throwing the cartridge as high into the air as she could for him to aim at. It might not explode but the heat it was giving off might still cause the thing some damage and she wasn’t one to waste resources. While her foliot did as directed, she prepared another ignifer to shoot out, again paying attention to the battle as she waited for her work to complete.

She saw Faean get hit and gasped, he had seemed preoccupied by something even as he had been attacked and she frowned slightly before the growing heat in her hand alerted her to the task at hand. Pushing her concern aside for now she loaded the newly prepared projectile and took aim at the head where her fellow students were concentrating their fire, just about to loose the shot when the beast seemed to fall.

The new grin didn't last long as she heard Lok's call and sighed, quickly bringing the rifle back up to aim at the place the beasts feet had been moments ago in the hopes of burning up some of the flowers with the explosion. Taking a deep breath to concentrate her aim, she tightened her grip on Silversling and pulled the trigger just as the creature covered the area around it with its miasma.

She hoped the other students in attendance would be able to cause more damage to the flowers as all she could think to do with the spells she had access to was swipe at them with astral hands. Before she took action she decided to move away from the ominous fog spreading across the field, taking up station near her collapsed schoolmate. "Lok, if you wouldn't mind, please assist Lontano in keeping watch" she said as she reached them.

revior

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Renoux grit his teeth in both annoyance and pain as his shot missed and the overheating Ignifer. Working quickly, he tore off his cravat, one of his favorites mind you which only put a further damper on his mood, and ejected the cartridge, setting a new one into his into the cloth accessory. Laying the overheating imprifle on the grass to cool, he gauged the distance of his foe. He could smell the cloth of his cravat staring to singe. "Nero, if I were you' i'd eject the canister. In fact, start overcharging it. I have an idea..." He said taking hold of the cravat turned slingshot and began adding a small trickle of mana, rapidly causing the ignifer to heat up and begin to meltdown.

Getting to his feet, the young lord began to swing his makeshift slingshot, the air around the ignifer catching fire. That was when he heard the Foliot named Lok cty out.
"The flowers!" "Destroy the flowers! The Demon will rise again if you don't!"

Doing a quick survey of his surroundings the enchanter spotted the otherworldly flora spreading across the battlefield. Taking aim, and praying to whatever gods were out there it would work. With a snarl, Renoux loosed his shot, the unstable ignifer catching the air ablaze around it, as the canister tumbled. As it closed in on his target Iron-eyes quickly drew His Vengeance and sighted in on the canister. Despite regular ammunition being useless against a daemon, it would prove useful enough to crack, even break the cartridge. His aim was true, as his revolver rang out, the round traveling at high speed, as the brass jacketed bullet struck and detonated the ignifer. Fire, and mana exploded out as it engulfed the unnatural flowers and miasma nearby, filling the air with heat and a deafening boom.

Nero Lekiel revior

 

[Lekiel]

The fog grew thicker than ever, creeping out over the ruined gardens like a living amorphous sludge. Where their smoky tendrils stretched, the green of wild weeds and grass seemed to darken with corrupting taint, leafy stems curling in on themselves as if they doubled over in agony. The stench of decay tangible, invading the senses of those who were too close and threatening gag reflexes. All the while, the pellucid blooms gathered. Their pearlescent gleam almost tauntingly innocent, as if unaware of the utter wrongness that permeated their very existence. Then at an unheard cue, all of the flowers suddenly began to gently pulse. The faint glows brightening and dimming in perfect synchrony. Like the beating of a heart. The respite gave the Chosens a breather, but they rested not on their laurels as one of them cried out through her faithful familiar. A realization that the worduken had not truly been defeated, but was regenerating itself!

A flash of silver streaked out from Nero's imprifle, like the slash of a blade cutting a swath through the fog. The was no great explosion like she might've expected, but the shot nevertheless decapitated several of the thickening flowerheads from their viny stems. And just like the first fragile floweret that Faean plucked, they disintegrated into shadowy smoke. This was followed by a clink of metal against stone, as the overcharged ignifer was hurled by Iron-Eyes into the smog, clattering the remnants of a crushed pillar. There was barely a moment's notice before his second shot rang out, and the ignifer exploded prematurely, though it would've eventually.

A thundering boom was heard, as blue flame flashed. For a moment, the azure fires seemed to clear a large section of the ground as wretched grass and shreds of vine rained down from the skies in the aftermath of the explosion. Scores of flowers were destroyed in an instant. But even before the echoes of the ignifer had faded, the destroyed flowers puffed out the dastardly miasma even greater than before. Like the spores of some hellish fungus, each decimated flower seeded the foul air with even more black fog, out of which even more flowers seemed to appear. They grew rapidly, each one pulsing ever brighter.

Just then, dark shadowy tendrils shot out of the fog at the two Enchanters. It came out of nowhere, under the cover of the damning smoky shadows. Both were quick, reacting defensively to get out of the way. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough. Like whips, the tendrils of shadow snapped at the two, tearing through clothing and drawing blood. And before they could recover, even more shot out of the fog entangling them and knocking them off their feet before they were slowly but inexorably dragged into the shadowy haze.

--1. Both Nathaniel and Anne can now move, albeit slowly. Nathaniel finds that he is now able to cast spells at his normal capacity. Unfortunately for Anne, she still suffers the effects from brutally breaching past her limit. She is able to cast spells, but only at Level 1 for all Magical Schools for the duration of the battle. Matt l ttaM you may post outside of your normal turn to catch up.

2. Both Nero and Iron-eyes are caught by the worduken's shadow tendrils. At least two limbs are tied up, and while they are still fully conscious and no doubt struggling, they might find out that the tendrils are extremely tough and resistant. How will they attempt to free themselves? Are they even able to get free?

3. Anne's sudden remark (through her foliot) has jogged Faean's memory. He now remembers even more about the enigmatic demon.

 

[OSWonder]

Nok danor, sen`ra Kareesha?!

Dazed. That was the only way to describe how Faean was feeling, loathe as he was to admit it. He had expected something to happen when he had recited those words. The fire flowing through his hands and the destruction of his shadowy attackers didn’t surprise him nearly as much as it perhaps should have. The flickering knight in front of him, though, was on another plane of shocking.

Nok danor, sen`ra Kareesha?!

The spirit repeated, sounding as though it wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake an answer out of him if it could. Its eyes, if they could even be called that, bore into his intensely. Faean blinked. He wanted to reply, truly. It was just that he couldn’t even begin to figure out what in Empyrea it might be saying to him.

The creature stalked toward him with something like determination, each step making Faean increasingly nervous. Yet, just as it was a step away from reaching him, it turned away suddenly, like it had seen something in the distance. As abruptly as it had appeared, the spirit dissipated into the growing mist, as though it were merely part of his hallucination.

"The flowers!"

The call from where Basil was crumbled in the corner pulled Faean back from the mystical plane the glimmering knight had his thoughts wandering into. Right. Whatever that was could, should wait. His fellow Chosen were still metaphorically dying over the Worduken.

“Destroy the flowers! The Demon will rise again if you don't!"

The Foliot’s words brought a frown to Faean’s brows. Indeed, he knew they had to be important. Were they healing the monster? Probably. The thought refreshed his memory of what he knew about the spirit. Right. Of course. He’d been thrown off because they weren’t facing just a normal Worduken. Three crow skulls for heads and a field of flowers that bloomed wherever it tread. They were witnessing a Greater Fogbloom Worduken.

“Stand up, master,” Jinx reminded timely, sounding uncharacteristically concerned for him. He must look really out of it, he realized. It brought about an untimely mirth that he tried his best to swallow.

“Dear master?” The swan called out hesitantly, worry now thick in her voice. But he didn’t care to respond. He finally got it. The answer to the mystery of this beast. The answer that he’d known since he was a tiny kid reading picture books about famous beasts. It had been a secret present from his grandfather and perhaps his first book about magic. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten, when the melody of the Worduken’s rhyme was still a familiar echo in his mind.

Wolves a'howling into the night,
The Moon - her face - all red - and shy,
Hasten your steps, swiftly and light,
Lo the fog, hear the Worduken's cry.

Crush them flowers....

The flames of the ignifer lit a blue light in Faean’s eyes and he watched as it devoured the field of ethereal flowers like a hungry beast. In the wake of the destruction, however, the beautiful blooms rose again like an undead foe.

Still doth it rises,
No, not fire…

“But cold, cold ice,” he whispered to himself. Jinx shot him a look that said she thought he’d gone mad. Faean rose to his feet and drew another rune in the air, this time carefully and confidently.

“Cast any ice-related spells you know, Jinx,” he ordered as he finished his own spell. A field of crackling ice, so cold it seemed to boil, spread and devoured the translucent flowers. If there had to be one advantage Faean could claim over other training magicians it would be the power of his spells, once cast properly.

Nearly half of the class was down and out from the fight but there were still some who could fight. He prepared another rune for Creeping Ice, just in case, as he yelled out to the others — a shocking action to those who knew him, “Attack the beast as hard as you can! Now!”

@basicallyeveryone

 

[revior]

Anne Basil​

Reflexively, Anne clicked her tongue while cursing under her breath. The flowers, no matter how many were destroyed, more grew in their place almost instantaneously. Can they not be destroyed? Or do the students here simply do not possess the sufficient firepower?

"Mistress!"

"I know."

Slowly, Anne crawled to her feet. Her body still felt weak and her head still ached, but she was able to move. At the moment, whether than wondering about how to deal with the flowers, it's best to move out of range of the encroaching fog.

With stuttering footsteps, Anne slowly draws away from the battle all the while keeping an eye on the situation, feeling rather helpless and lost in regards to the situation. She had no more moves to make, none that she would consider effective. The only thing she could do was drag herself out of the way and endure this sense of desolation with gritted teeth.

While moving away, Anne caught movements from the corner of her eye. From the dark fog, tendrils lashed out at the two Enchanters near the front, ripping their clothes and tearing their flesh, even wounding up entangling them in their sinister snare and dragging them into the dark fog.

"Mistress, one of them is Miss Nero!"

"I know!"

"Aren't you going to do something?"

"It's not as if we're friends. We just went to the same school. We were hardly even in the same classes."

Despite what she was saying, however, Anne turned completely around to face the fog, her finger in the air, ready to trace a rune. But, which spell will it be? She thought, rather troubled. It didn't look like those tendrils will break easily. She had to chose an appropriate spell, one that is capable of breaking the tendrils in one or two hits, else she may not make it in time to prevent those two from being dragged into the fog.

Then, on her skin, she distinctively felt it. A rather nostalgic sensation she had not felt since leaving the Northlands. It was a breeze, a chilling cold breeze. Upon the bed of glowing flowers, shrouded by dark fog, she could just make out a field of ice, spreading and devouring the flowers.

"Ice? Is that how it is?"

She had no time to confirm it. She could only act to the best of her knowledge and instincts and intuition combined. And so, she traced it, the runes for 'Ice Bolt', and aimed it at the tendrils dragged away Iron-Eyes and Nero.

Kabochamp HighSanguinaryPriest

 

[Kabochamp]

Her decision to wait and watch the effects of her attack turned out to be less than wise as the beast’s tendrils shot out of the fog towards her in retaliation. As she made to dodge them their direction changed suddenly and they wound themselves around her legs before she could react. The curse on her lips was interrupted as she felt herself being dragged forwards into the fog. Instinctively she dug her heels in to the ground to keep herself in place but she could feel it beginning to slip beneath her. Quickly trying to pull herself free, she felt the strength of her bindings and stopped to instead turn her attention to her next move, should I try to get free or continue to attack? She asked herself even though she already knew which to choose.

As she came to her decision, ice spread out from one of her classmates and coated a large area of the flowers. The attack seemed more effective than hers had been and prompted a change of targets.

With a sigh and a smile, Nero quickly ejected the used canister and loaded her last shot as Lontano started a futile attack on the tendrils holding his mistress in place. Not having time to prepare an ignifer she simply decided to see what Silversling could do without the explosive ammunition. Lining up the barrel of the rifle to match the direction of the tendrils wrapping around her, she fired and hoped that she would at least hit some part of the demon.

 

[Feyrie]

[import]9420182[/import][div class="body"]

[div style="font-size: 4vh; margin-left: 3vh;"]saverio vaillancourt[/div]
His chest rising and falling as he tries to catch and breath. The battle appeared to be mostly finished and in the place of the monster was sprouting more and more strange flowers. Saverio found it rather strange that a thing of beauty would be created from such hideous creature. He was still very bitter about the fact that he had gotten injured by the monster. He would need to use his special cream to make sure it wouldn't scar. However, if it were to scab- wouldn't it be a blemish to his otherwise still perfect appearance still.

Anyway, he was still rather a bit curious about the flowers. There was something rather unsettling about it. He was just about to get closer to reach for it when someone- he didn't know who it was but it was one of the persons who possessed red eyes' familiar who shouted to do something concerning the flowers. Something about the monster rising again. The idea seemed to have come from his friend, Faean. Saverio found it great that he was proving himself useful. If he had to deal the whole thing again, he wouldn't know what he would do. It didn't take long for that to prove it's point as the dark shadowy tendrils attacked the pair who had an obvious preference in using Imprifles. Enchanters, he thought. Saverio shuddered. Better them than him. He wiped his sweat with his handkerchief as he composes himself. It wasn't as though he could help immediately after he had barraged a large amount of spells earlier with the help of Adonis. However, his foliot would not be able to help now.

Still, seeing the sudden increase of ice spells, Saverio couldn't help but shake his head lightly with a scoff to himself. Making use of creeping ice was one of his main ideas prior they had started but for some reason, he ended up using fire and lightning instead. He was more overwhelmed than he thought. Now that he had taken a better look of the beast, it was obviously better to encase it in ice where it could become a statue- an ugly one though. He wouldn't be able to perform as many spells as he had earlier but he could at least help contribute by helping the pair who had become victims to be beast as well. He chanted the spell of creeping ice towards their direction in order to help make their escape easier but join the battle directly again and risk becoming the victim? No way. Saverio can't even be sure if his appearance was still enchanting. If he wasn't that worried about the monster coming after him again, he would already pulled out his mirror to check.

"I'd really like it if we can end this already." Saverio grumbled, "I am in a dire need of medical attention and a shower." He complained though, his injuries are all very superficial excluding the one in his calf.
tags: OSWonder revior Kabochamp HighSanguinaryPriest
[/div]

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

As Inky black tendrils shot out and ensnared both Nero and Iron-eyes, The first thing that came to mind was "I am so going to have words with that enchantress about relinquishing Vindication..." Followed by him drawing his rather mundane blade and fruitlessly began hacking at the tendrils that had latched onto his left arm and ankle. Seeing the futility in his efforts, Realization hit the enchanter. "Well fuck me running... looks like i get to be the one to test the Hyperion model after all..." He thought with grim humor as he raised his blade, prepared to sever his own arm. Moments before his attempt at field surgery, a blast of frost crept across the area, severing the the tenebrous tendrils.

Free from his brief captivity, Iron-eyes leaped to his feet and turned to help his companion, firing shards of ice at the tendrils latched to her heels. It was quite pleasing watching the vine-like appendages wither and die from the cold. With that task done he quickly hauled the girl to her feet. "I have an idea, but i'll need your help and the other enchanters and conjurers. Think you're up to helping me bind this bastard to this blade?" He asked Hefting the finely crafted heirloom. Taking a look around he spotted one of the needed Conjurers. "Lady Basil, Would you be so kind as to bind this abomination so that Ms. Nero and I might attempt to bind the bastard to this blade?!" He shouted, sending another ice shard into the shadowy mass.

Kabochamp revior Lekiel

 

[Lekiel]

"KALA--*cough*!!" She was desperate, slate grey eyes wide and searching for the tuft of snow-white fur. The palpitations of her heart were frantic, and she would've called out her hysteria if not for the choking smog. Each call ended up with a mouthful of rank strangling foul air. In the chaos of the moment the fennec fox had bolted from her mistress' shoulders in terror. The last Enn had seen of Kala had been a brief flash of white amidst a pile of ruins. One that even now had been swallowed up by the billowing dark smog.

How could she have run off just like that? What had frightened her so? In its initial death throes and subsequent lashing out with its shadow tendrils, Enn had been hit by a glancing blow and was sent spinning to the ground. Luckily for her, her head narrowly missed cracking against a buried rock. But the attack had caused Kala to bolt away. Mind racing as her vision seemed to blur to a point, Enn stoically trudged into the black mist. But for all that she could endure, even going waist deep was too much. A sudden wave of stench overwhelmed her senses causing the girl to swoon, stumbling on her feet.

"Ka--la..!!" She stubbornly called out, trying to peer into the murky gloom almost beyond care for herself. But a sudden commotion behind caused her to turn around, finally realizing that both Nero and Iron-Eyes were in deep trouble. She had to help them! Enn was torn. But the choice was obvious. Resisting the urge to hurl, she escaped the smog and rushed to their aid.

The shimmering crystalline field caught her by surprise. Like a wide cone of azure blue, strong and powerful almost as a stormy blizzard, it spread out over the ground from the fingertips of the Chosen of Highover. And where they spread, the pellucid blooms froze over in an instant, fragile stems turning to scintillating films so fine they appeared as silkthreads. Trembling even the slightest wind, before they eventually shattered into mist. But clear mist this time round. The effects of the spell was almost instantaneous. A large clearing dispelled of the choking mist within Faean's immediate reach. The spell was beyond Enn's ken, but she immediately realized the significance of its effect encouraged by Faean's call for them to use the freezing element. A whispered incantation was on her lips, ready to help free her captive colleagues, but others beat her to it.

Another blast of cold, albeit slightly smaller, gust in waves from Saverio's outstretched fingers. This one aimed for the dark tendrils that ensnared their friends. Flecks of ice crusting the tough and oily appendages. Nonetheless, unlike the flowers that quickly shattered soon after they were frozen over the shadow tendrils would not give up so easily. They movements slowed, though their grip remained strong. That was until the weakened Ladies Vassili and Velahl cast in their lot. Sharp bolts of ice, edges and tips keen as any blade struck against the tendrils. More and more until some were severed completely as even Iron-Eyes joined in, having been partially freed from the worduken's grasp. Then with admirable coherence Nero loaded her final impcanister into Silversling and aimed towards the center of the receding fog. A trigger was squeezed and Nero's Enchanter Tracers lit up along her skin. The imprifle hummed to life as multiple bursts of brilliant silver zzing-ed out towards the shrouded demon.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then a familiar roar assailed their senses and suddenly the tendrils relinquished their hold and they were freed!

--As the remaining students gathered themselves, they will find that the once overwhelming shadow fog had receded due to all their efforts. Exhausting as it were, their attempts finally seemed to have a significant impact on their foe. Much of the flowers were destroyed in the sustained icy blast and the fog has receded to a small spot where they can just make out the hulking form of the injured worduken. Low moans and pained howls could be heard as the demon floundered weakly about. Its rotted skin seemed to be peeling off in large disgusting flaps, exposing vile black blood and bone within. Multiple grapefruit sized holes of burned flesh bore into its chest where Silversling had scored hits. Its exposed flesh even seemed to writhe with uncanny movements, as if they were made up of tiny critters that made Enn's skin crawl. But in between the rotting and peeling sinew, they could see the creature's pulsing core. A heart perhaps. Humid steam or perhaps smoke seemed to emanate from the vile center as black oily fluids seemed to gush from the Fogbloom Worduken. Eyeless sockets stared back at the chosen students, faint lights weakening.

"It's... begging?" Enn would utter in bewilderment, as she stared unmoving at the demon. Though what she meant exactly by 'begging' was unclear. Should they end it now? While the creature appears weak? Though it is quite clearly injured, the branches all along its back threaten. Coupled with its size, a final dying rampage could still be devastating.

 

[revior]

Anne Basil
​

As the creature finally falls, hopefully, this time for good. Anne allowed herself to relax. She'd let herself plummet to the ground and just fall unconscious on the cold stone, but knowing that she wouldn't be able to get up for a good long while if she had gone and done it, she refrained from carrying that particular fleshly desire. From the distance, from the Enchanter who was with Nero, the one with eyes grey like iron, came the mention of her name, prompting Anne to approach.

"Quite power-hungry aren't we?" said Anne upon hearing the request. She understood the desire and was, frankly, rather impressed that he could even summon up the will after such an exhausting fight. However, he was asking for the impossible. No way no how was that going to happen.

"I'm spent... Sir..." she paused, realizing that she didn't quite catch his name, either that or didn't remember it. "There's no spell left in my I'm afraid, even if there is, there's no way us three can bind that 'thing'. You should realize by now, the gap between our power is too great. This is not a being whose existence is something we can handle just yet. Rather than being greedy, let's be prudent and finish it off, alright?"

Anne turns to check on Nero, and despite herself, felt relieved that she does not appear to be too hurt. In her most secret of hearts, she admired the younger girl, who was able to break through her limitations by sheer hard work and determination. That being said, if she were to be asked which emotion was stronger, it'd most definitely be jealousy. Both Anne and Nero both began studying at a young age, yet Nero was able to reach the top of the school and was able to be chosen for the Reckoning at a younger age. But, of course, never to be the one tied down, even by her own heart, Anne never showed it and she intends to keep it that way.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Anne called out to the girl, Enn she remembered. What prompted her to call out was Enn mumbling something along the lines of the Demon seemed to be begging. Anne was under the impression that the girl was hesitant and got annoyed by it.

She was curious about Enn, seeing what she had done at the trail of the Ardenstone, but now she's annoyed more than anything, and in spite of herself, that emotion came out more than she had intended to let it. Since Anne was in the furthest back, she had the widest of views, and from there, she was able to observe the Chosens . Enn, though she had contributed to the fight, during the last stretch, she was stumbling around haphazardly in the dark fog and appeared to have little control over her Demon. Seeing the was she used her spells, spells that were basic, but was used with great control and skill, she was by no means incompetent. However, if felt to Anne that Enn lacked focus and her brilliant mind went to waste because of it.

Speaking of incompetence, there's that other one. What's his name? Anne couldn't remember and she didn't bother to. All she remembered was how flamboyant he is, with the only thing beating that out was his worthlessness and detriment to the rest of the students, Enn getting the worst out of them.

"If you're going to pity it, then put it out of its misery. Demons suffer the most when they're on this side after all," said Anne after slowly making her way to Enn. She'd do it herself, putting the Demon down, but she afraid that she's too weak. She could have gotten Nero or the gentleman with her to do it, but for some reason, she had her eyes set on Enn. Somehow, there's something about Enn that attracts Anne's eyes towards her, a strange sense of nostalgia that continued to stir Anne's curiosity.

"Really now, why are you even here?" Anne finally muttered, under her breath though not impossible to be heard by those with keen hearing. She knew Enn wanted to be Chosen, badly enough to break rules, but apparently not enough to keep her focus during the fight, and at that, she felt disappointed. Of course, she wasn't just talking about Enn. She's talking about the flamboyant one as well, eyeing him like the insect he was as she spoke.

Lekiel Feyrie Kabochamp HighSanguinaryPriest

 

[NewAgeBlack]

"It's begging, you say..."

Velvet approached the group, with her black rabbit held snugly in her left arm, the expression on her face clearly showing a mix of contempt for the creature that seemed to grovel before them her vexation at her own lack of contribution. Her eyes scanned the group of magicians before they fell on Enn. Judging from the look in her eyes it seemed to Velvet that Enn was planning on sparing the beast. Doing so made no sense to Velvet and because of that, the crimson eyed woman wasn't having any of it. That being said, she couldn't help but feel a brief sense of admiration for the group that managed to take the beast down while she stood on the sidelines. For as long as she could remember Velvet always respected the strong, and such a feat surely took some amount of strength. Strength that she didn't have on her own. Swallowing her pride, she addressed the group.

"I must admit that I've gained a bit of respect for the lot of you. That being said, I agree with dear Anne here. Killing that... thing right here and now before it gets a second wind is the best course of action. In the current state most of us are in, I doubt we'd be able to successfully bind it." Her mind traced back to Anne's previous attempt at binding the creature. Velvet knew that it wasn't worth it when there was a more efficient and risk-free alternative. If a situation similar to this were to happen during a real attack, taking such an unnecessary risk would be foolish. "While I suppose it would be amusing to see you try and fail, it's been a long day and I'd very much like to move on with it. Though if the lot of you are too squeamish to finish the beast off then I suppose that I can do the honors. It's the least I can do, after all."

Without hesitation, she extended the index finger of her free hand towards the now fallen Worduken and began chanting and weaving the rune for the Icebolt spell. With a clean shot to the head, Velvet planned to end the trial right here and now.

Lekiel revior Feyrie Kabochamp HighSanguinaryPriest

 

[Kabochamp]

Having focused so hard on ensuring that her shot would connect, even as the tendrils restraining her legs were pulling her towards the repulsive fog, Nero didn’t notice her allies’ attempts to free her. As she let her breath out along with her tension, she brought her attention back to her situation to try and find a way to escape, only to see the efforts of her fellow students flying towards her. Gasping in surprise and attempting to step back to avoid the attacks instinctively, she lost her footing and fell backwards to the ground.

The tendrils retracted after their combined efforts and a sigh of relief followed as the threat of being engulfed in the unnatural fog was removed. Once she relaxed, her eyes turned to the weapon in her hands and she looked at it with the makings of a grin after seeing the effects of her attack. I’ll have to be sure to thank Professor Loftgarden for letting me use this rifle later she thought and hefted the Silversling to her shoulder and gave Lontano a moment to climb to the other before she made to get up.

Before she could stand, Iron-eyes was above her and helping her to her feet as he explained his ambitious idea. With a smile she brushed herself down and nodded along with Anne. “As satisfying as it would be to bind such a creature, I don’t believe that we have the capability to do so, especially after this fight” she said, looking around at the exhausted students scattered around “It’s annoying to admit but we should try to finish this as quickly as we can.”

The sight of the beast appearing to peel away and rot even as it stood before them turned her stomach but Enn’s reaction to it raised her curiosity. Her grip tightened on Silversling as she felt the gap between her own abilities and the demon and she nodded to Anne yet again. “She’s right, the beast may be wounded but it isn’t finished yet. This situation isn’t one that allows for a merciful heart” She said, not taking her eyes from it as she eyed the tendrils with suspicion.

Velvet’s comments caught her off guard and she looked away from the Worduken for a moment, smiling slightly as she managed to look back. They did seem to have a good group for this reckoning but the excitement that came with that thought could wait for now. If they were to finish it quickly, they would likely need more than one attack. “I’m afraid that I can’t contribute to the ice based damage” she said as she wove the rune for Punitive Jab, activating the spell as she paused between words “but I’ll do what I can with this!”

Lekiel revior HighSanguinaryPriest NewAgeBlack

 

[OSWonder]

Faean joined the group of Chosen, lingering at its edge as he studied the situation quietly with a frown. While he, too, wished for their ordeal to end as quickly as possible, there was something about Enn’s reaction that unsettled him. Indeed, the beast seemed to be in quite a sorry state. But, begging? Why that choice word? He had never thought of Enn as anything special among his classmates but, ever since that dream, she’d been catching his attention more and more. Faean stared hard at her before his eyes flickered back to the fallen spirit. He wanted to hear her out but… it didn’t seem like they had much time for that. Not just because the Worduken might start another rampage, given enough time, but also because it seemed the others had already steeled themselves to killing it.

Should he speak out in Enn’s favor, according to his instincts? Or, agree with the women who had spoken, according to his logic? Or, perhaps, keep silent and watch how this plays out? He’d already undeniably contributed quite a bit to this assessment and there was no practical need to take action. Faean pursed his lips.

“Wait,” he finally said, before Velvet and Nero could let loose the spells they were preparing, “this is a rare type of Fogbloom Worduken, quite a precious spirit.” He knew talking about sparing it would not be taken seriously if it seemed to be coming from the heart. But, what if he could provide at least a somewhat logical reason to consider alternatives?

“It would be a waste to just kill it, if we could avoid that,” he continued, walking toward the middle of the group. Though he disliked pulling attention onto his person, he’d done enough in this battle to feel confident that people would, at the least, listen to him rather than dismiss him like they had Enn.

“That’s a big ‘if’, though, of course,” he obliged with some apology in his gaze as he looked toward the Chosen who were already prepared to take the beast’s life.

“But, still, I’d like to know if anyone has other ideas on hand.” Then, he turned to Enn with a piercing look, as though speaking only to her, “or any insights they’d like to share.” He paused for a bit before pursing his lips, “otherwise, please, feel free to end this.” ​

Lekiel Kabochamp revior NewAgeBlack

 

[Feyrie]

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[div style="font-size: 4vh; margin-left: 3vh;"]saverio vaillancourt[/div]
Oh Dear Empyrea! Empyrea! The Sevens! By the Sevens! What- For the male who lived his entire life in splendor, the foul smell was heart wrenching if not death-inducing. Was their professors not sure that the stench was actually the trial? He covered his aquiline nose and perfect rosy lips with the handkerchief. The male felt like gagging. What in Empyrea was that scent? Even with the perfumed handkerchief, it couldn't completely guise the foul smell. Saverio was too busy trying not to vomit to bother with Enn and her troubles with her familiar in spite of practically the closest one next to her. It was the sudden crash that he was jotted back to attention. He quickly moved over to help the female with one hand, in spite of his own physical facilities were not doing so well since the smell was just so awful. He would probably retch if he had not been in a public area. No matter how bad the stench was he could not possibly compromise his image by vomiting all over the place.

Seeing the pitiful state of the monster, Saverio snorted. It suited him, her, it, that- How could it dare to attempt to harm his precious body. Though pitiful it was, there was some part that still portrayed it to be abominable. As a lover of beauty, he couldn't help shiver in disgust. His nose all scrunched up. A word that he hadn't expect to hear made him turn to Enn who stated it and back to the monster. What part of it exactly could be classified as begging? The monster shouldn't had tried to attack him and now it had the guts to beg? Beg for what? Automatically, one's mind would process to it's life but killing it back to the other-side would be the greatest mercy that they could grant it. It was exactly just as the red-eyed female who casted Stricture stated. So what was it exactly begging for?

However, Saverio's lips couldn't help but curl up. Even with what had happened, he can't believe he still managed to charm others. He runs his fingers through his hair. He couldn't help but notice the fiery eyes that was being given by the red-eyed female from earlier. Why else would she look at him with such passion? Saverio knew he was handsome but sometimes he was so handsome that he even shocks himself.

Although, let's face reality once more, there was an undergoing discord regarding the words of Enn and the issue of what they were going to do with the monster. So far, three of the females had spoken up in simply just killing the creature. It was his classmate Faean, who ended up supporting Enn from the same school. He kept stating useless facts that he didn't really care of. Ignoring the strength of his spells, Saverio recovered easily. He just needed to get some time to rest before he was able to cast again. Of course, if he was fully rested then that would be another story. However this fact is not often observed, in his professor's words, due to him being lazy. There hadn't much avenue or opportunity for him to actually take these things seriously which had potrayed all the things that he lacked in the trial today. "Let's trap it." Saverio speaks, "If it's as special as Faean says it is, I can probably keep it cage for us once the trial has finished." For once, he had appeared to be taking things seriously. "We just need need it to encase in ice, right?" he was making it simpler than it actually was. "So once we trap it, I can teach it the consequence of harming my precious body." he revealed his actual thoughts. Saverio didn't really care what creature it was or something. What mattered especially to the male was the fact that they were going to killlet go of the creature just like that after it had scarred his precious body was going to leave a bad taste in his mouth. Though there isn't any evidence that the scar is there or it was going even permanent. He wasn't even sure of the size of the wound. He was judging sorely the fact that he bleed and he lost a rather amount of blood to actually stain his vintage pants that it was a serious problem. No, the fact he even had any kind of injury was a serious problem.

Still, he couldn't help but scrutinizing the creature. His eyes narrowing as he observes it. "So, basically, hmm. This disgusting sludge is known as the Worduken, which I have no idea how Faean even knows it. You should really get a life, Faean." he couldn't resist commenting in between. "- and instead of blood, it bleeds flowers that is actually dangerous and creates the most by Empyrea! disgusting stench known to man but according to my good friend, this thing isn't just any Worduken but a Fogbloom Worduken." A tiny part of Saverio that loves anything rare was being incited. He was starting to think about it more clearly, pondering. "I actually don't really care what happens to it, honestly, however." He glances at their esteemed professors who haven't made their presence known since the trial started. Thanks alot for leaving him to die like that, he rolled his eyes mentally. "Among you, I think I know them best and I don't think the Worduken-orwhateveryoucallit was a fluke or brought here randomly no matter what they say." Saverio was using his silver tongue in order to convince them, "Everyone, let's think clearly regarding the instructions that was oh-so-clearly given to us by our brilliant, Mistress Conjurer, Madame Delacour." he threw a glance at her once again, still pouting slightly over what happened between them earlier "She had stated and I repeat, you'll use whatever means you have at your disposal to banish, trap, or defeat this demon. It's as straight forward as that." He repeats with accuracy though he clearly appeared not to be listening earlier. "You're all smart people, so I won't be discussing what those words meant but let's think. Killing the demon would be the easiest option, wouldn't it? We aren't as skilled as our Master Magicians who could easily bind the demon down and yet," he pauses, "They had provided that option." Saverio wondered if he should discuss it further as he looks at each one of them while careful not to become victim of the demon again. "And I hardly doubt that they would choose a demon in our first trial without ensuring that we would be capable of dealing with it. There is a clearly a reason behind this, and with this," he bowed, his body accustomed to forming theatrics naturally, "I leave the choice on what should we do. To Kill~" He glances at those who was more inclined with that decision in mind, "Or to not?~" He takes a glance at Enn and Faean with a mysterious smile.
tags: Lekiel revior NewAgeBlack Kabochamp OSWonder
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