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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 5, 2022 18:13:40 GMT -5
After a relaxing trip to the Sludge Pits, the last thing Astrid planned to do immediately afterwards is trek out into the Ice Fields looking for some merchants who haven't quite made it home yet. What is it with merchants and getting lost or stuck out in the wilds or needing protection? At least she's not alone in this task however, because Miss Kamille is along for the journey with her. And also Charles. And also Spicy Pawsage. In fact, the fiery hellhound is the only reason Astrid isn't quite chattering while they walk across in the barren tundra. He's a spikey, walking space heater in times like these. A perfect and not at all offputting gift from Bellighul. It's been a long, tiring journey, and she recalls the time she went on her first adventure with Zarius. Luckily, they're not in the mountains, so there probably won't be any threat of an avalanche.
Charles, the BlixtbotTM leads the way, eyes unimpeded by the wind and able to see without having to squint. They're all on this mission together, but maybe they really should have gotten a horse or something. Astrid pulls her cape made of the skin of a Displacer Beast close across her shoulders to protect from the wind. Perhaps her next armor upgrade will include something to keep warm from the cold. She's sure she can find a use for Spicy Pawsage's powerful flaming burps. Instead of chatting Kamille's ear off, she murmurs to herself about ideas for this warm armor. Besides, Kamille probably got enough earfuls from her at the Sludge Pits. What a weird trip that was with Bellighul... she's not complaining, but the strange connections of this budding family tree have her confused.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 7, 2022 9:29:45 GMT -5
The last several days have been a ride. There was the ball, and then the pits, and now this quest in the god forsaken land of frost and unhappy people. Between Zarius, Caedes, Veliky, Vasilia and Bellighul.... a small smile curved her lips. Such interesting encounters....
And now there was Astrid. She didn’t know where she came from, but she mentioned Cantio being her father and Kamille couldn’t help but quickly attach. It was still new and strange and surprising, but even the Witch was weirded out by the way she quickly grabbed a more motherly mantle to wear. The fact Bellighul and Veliky seemed to be already vouching for this child also made her want to chimme in. Not.... that she was doubting their abilities or intentions. She eyed Charles and Spicy Pawsage with mixed feelings. For one, she was glad to see both Veliky and Bellighul were capable of such generous acts.
Astrid shivered and pulled her cloak closer. Kamille took her own feathery cloak and wrapped it around Astrid's shoulders. The Witch wasn’t even shivering, certainly one of the perks of being a Pyromancer. She knew it would have a toll on her, since it slowly ate away on her pool of mana - like it did when she was last venturing around the Frost Gale.
Astrid also was presented to Edgar, Allan and Poe, who followed the group even further away, trying to help looking for the merchants. Edgar was the tall, big one, while Allan was slightly smaller, slender and carried a bow. Poe was a small woman who, more often than not, preferred to remain invisible. All of them had very few words to spare.
"We're gonna find them soon."
Mischief was coming back from his travels. The raven's flight was severely impaired, and she had feared he would not return. The storm would be upon them soon. Mischief first went to Kamille's shoulder, but soon went to Astrid, trying to hide inside the hood of the feathery cloak.
"Caaaawww.... Help! People! Rocks!"
Turning their sights to the general direction Mischief came from, by "rocks" he probably meant the small hill that rose by the side of a small clump of frozen vegetation and low trees.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 7, 2022 10:06:05 GMT -5
It should be noted firstly and foremost that Astrid absolutely adores Mischief. Finding the raven diving into the freshly donned feather cloak makes her feel more warm and fuzzy than even Spicy Pawsage's presence. (Not actually, but she does feel some sense of pride and accomplishment with any amount of attention from the avian.) In fact, she carefully picks up the raven and cradles him in her arms under the cloak, giving him the warmest nest she can away from the wind. She also deigns to pet the bird, stroking his back down to his tail and smiling to herself at this gift of his presence. Most birds don't allow for this. They would squak in fear and fly away. Mischief is not like other birds.
Instead, Mischief crows about rocks in the distance. Astrid tries to make out what he means and pulls her goggles over her eyes to shield them from the cold wind. There's a hill with some... semblance of vegetation. The bushes look more like snow puffballs on the tundra.
"That's where we need ta go?" she ponders, then she looks at the bird and gives him some affectionate scratches. "Good job, Mischief! Such a smart bird!" She reaches into her pocket and offers him a bit of jerky then gives some to Spicy Pawsage when he looks left out and sad. Ruffling, the hellhound's ears, Astrid strides ahead with more vigor than before. If she's cold, surely whatever merchants are out here are too!
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 10, 2022 8:07:43 GMT -5
It should be noted that Mischief loved the attention, and would happily remain comfortable in Astrid's arms as she fed him some jerky. Kamille knew that should they be anywhere else but this goddamned piece of iced land, Mischief would be bringing Astrid useless shinning trinkets as gifts. But alas, the icy winds and deserted landscape prevented him from doing so thus far.
Kamille looked happy seeing how Mischief and Astrid came along naturally. But upon seeing the small mount, she did start to hurry through the snow.
"They'll need our help, come on."
As they approached, indeed they would notice hurried voices and worried exclamations. When they came into sight, first thing they faced was a double edged axe, almost the same size as its wielder. A ferocious dwarf with a gorgeous beard hidden under a layer of ice greeted them enthusiastically:
"YA STOP RIGHT DER! Who're ya?! Whatcha doin' round 'ere?"
Kamille raised her hands to show she had no weapons. As if it meant anything... She still had, quite literally, claws. Kamille spoke up, trying to project her voice over the howling wind.
"We heard of a lost caravan of merchants that are thought to be lost around here. We came to help."
Behind the dwarf, who seemed to be the bravest of them all, all the others kept quiet and hidden behind piles of snow and frozen goods, waiting for the outcome of the interaction. They were clearly wary, weary and afraid.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 12, 2022 18:02:35 GMT -5
Suddenly, a glimmer of hope crosses the leading dwarf's face, and his shoulders relax slightly. The pair before him seems the odd one -- actually, the group he decides is strange once he makes out the rest of the party through the icy wind. "Ah, thank Ginma and the ancestors," he breathes. "We thought we'd be stranded out 'ere, we did." The dwarf with his icy beard turns to the rest of his companions and says in dwarvish, "Goth ekk dezezz, kvannr. Theza thjarl thurv thja ur bjuttagur ilv arzavaz! [Not te worry, louts. These folk say they're 'ere te help!]"
One of the other dwarves peers around the cart and looks extremely perturbed at the folks who have come. "Tho monmur en gevikund, en slok karn, en slok gebork, enth avor ta murmal kvannr, oz ukur oolgrik appearing thjarlar ilv vok? Tho vurthurkon hef hloradur joth bethund, thargun! [Ye want te trust a witch, a demon child, a demon dog, one of them metal men, and some assassin lookin' folks te save our asses? Ye must've lost yer marbles, Thargun!]"
Thargun, presumably the most confident leader of this group, looks back at the rescuing group with more concern only to see Astrid smiling brightly at him.
The child, to his surprise, quips back to them in stunted dwarvish, "Goth ekk dezezz avok obur. Woth ur bjuttagur ilv arzavaz javnung fji tho beth voth skuld tsung joth zylvum! [Don't ya worry about us! We're here ta help even if ya think we'd sooner snatch yer souls!]" She says it with such cheer that it catches Thargun off guard. There's no hint of sinister intent on her face, though her words cause some alarm. Astrid's dealt with superstitious dwarves before. It seems common in their culture to be so worrisome of strangers. In fact, she almost wonders if that's why her interactions with other dwarves were minimal even when she was a younger child.
Thargun, thoroughly humbled and now feeling awkward, clears his throat and returns to common tongue. "Er, right, well we appreciate the assistance. Me name's Thargun, these are me crew Dolf, Wigmund, and Tybult. Pleased te make yer acquaintance."
"Nice ta meetcha, Mister Thargun. Me name's Astrid Stormstone. This is Miss Kamille, and alla our companions: Spicy Pawsage, Charles, Edgar, and Allen. Poe is somewhere around here. And this is Mischief!" She proudly gives the raven a scratch and a nuzzle. There seems a slight recognition of the name on Thargun's face, but Astrid doesn't notice and continues, "Seems like yer cart's good and stuck. We'll help ya get it out!" Astrid releases Mischief and warms her hands on Spicy Pawsage to ready herself for whatever must be done.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 16, 2022 4:53:10 GMT -5
Kamille was pretty ignorant of dwarves customs and language, which always sounded rough and exalted to her half-elven ears. She could only look from one to the other, trying to draw conclusions from their body language, but it was tough. The Witch can only assume all went well when Astrid begun introducing them all - even Poe suddenly made her presence known, out of good manners. Mischief remained happily on Astrid's arms, quietly enjoying her warmth. She gave Thargun a quick nod of the head as she stepped closer to the cart and their goods to assess their situation. " If you'll allow me, Master Thargun... If a couple sandstorms taught me anything is that there is no use running from them. And if snow storms are anything like those, we'd better brace ourselves for it while we still have a good spot to protect ourselves." Their cart seemed to be needing some repair, on top of it all, but it would be hard to do so while it was all frozen, the wheels barely moving as the ice covered most of the lower half of it. A couple of boxes and crates were stacked on one side, while they were trying to clean off the snow and frost from others. While they were handling things on one side, the frost started to get at the other. It was really ungrateful job. Kamille stood more or less on the center of it all, raising her arms for a moment. There was no denying her connection to Ginma as the temperature started to rise. Rarely ever there was an opportunity to see how much mana Kamille truly commanded, and while that was still not one of those times, a glimpse at her potential could be seen. A wave of heat pushed forth from the Pyromancer, and while the promising storm arriving around them didn't allow it to get truly warm, it was heat enough for the ice and snow to melt. Should they be anywhere but not in Frost Gale, such heat wave would've been opressing and cruel on anyone's bodies. While the warmth was enough to defrost the area around them, it wouldn't be there for long, as evident in Kamille's weary look. "We should probably gather closer and protect ourselves from the storm."
Sweltering Aura: The pyromancer is able to push forth the heat in their own body outwards to affect the world around them. You can channel a wave of fire within your body, causing the area around you to increase in temperature. The area will increase by twenty degrees, getting so much hotter than it was before. Those in the area will find it hard to breath, breaking a sweat with the smallest of actions. This heat will also kill minor plants, causing them to shrivel up and will evaporate small bodies of water like puddles or spells. This heat wave will remain for three post and can only be used once per topic.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 18, 2022 18:07:45 GMT -5
Astrid and the dwarves watch the snow around them melt away with awe. Then the girl turns to the dwarves with an amused smirk. "Miss Kamille's pretty incredible, huh?" she says, setting Mischief on the cart. Looking around, she notices the snow on the edges of the aura is already freezing again, however it's rock hard instead of fluffy like snow. That might be good for them. The sparse vegetation around here won't be any help keeping them covered. Maybe they could pile up under the carts? But they need to get the cart free first. Luckily it seems like Kamille's spell is drying the soppy ground too.
"Now's our chance te free the cart, boys," Thargun cries. The dwarves rush around the cart and heave and ho trying to lift it from the drying muck. Astrid steps over to the most trapped wheel and helps lift. With her help, they bring the cart just a couple inches into the air and shift it to drier ground where it won't be buried. This won't last forever though. Kamille looks tired already.
Astrid looks at the dwarves. "Yer dwarves, we're good at minin', let's dig inta the hill and give ourselves a bit of cover, yeah?" she shouts over the wind.
"That's thinkin' with metal in yer bones, lass," Thargun says. "Shovels up, boys! We've got a bit o' respite from the storm!" With that, he collects a few shovels from the back of the cart. One of them walks the mule back slowly to let Kamille's aura continue to cover them. The digging begins, but the storm is already worsening.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 20, 2022 15:35:29 GMT -5
The Black Quills were quick to help them with the cart too, carrying some of their crates around to where it was dry and safe. While her Sweltering Aura wouldn't last for long, they had time to protect themselves. She smiled at Astrid for proposing the digging - indeed, very fitting of a dwarf! Playing with the hand that got served her. Astrid sounded like a resourcefull little one, she could only imagine what she would become a few years from now. " That's some quick thinking, little Astrid." While they were on it, she stepped aside for a moment to do the second best thing she was good at. As first and foremost, Kamille was a mage gifted by Ginma, whether she wanted or not. Despite being a Pyromancer, she also commanded earth quite effectively, so she stepped aside and, at the edges of her aura, started to slowly lift some kind of barrage or wall that could prevent the howling wind to cut directly to them even further. Between the dwarves lowering the ground and tha mage lowering the edges of the camp, they would have a nice little hole to hide during the storm. For a moment, she squinted her eyes at the sky. She thought she saw something different amidst the endless white of the hurricane around them, but it must've been her imagination. She turned to the group once more, as Mischief flew back to her shoulder once it got warm again. "Are you people used to making this way? Have you caught this kind of storm before? I wonder how much time will it take for it to go away...."
A sandstorm didn't cause her that much anxiety, she wondered. Was it truly just a snowstorm around them? She gathered a few pieces of wood that laid around their place to build up a fireplace and keep herself busy, knowing her spell would soon come to an end.
"Have you ever been around these lands, little Astrid?"
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 20, 2022 16:55:48 GMT -5
Praise! Oh, the serotonin. "Thanks!" Astrid says cheerfully with a grin. Her red nose and rosy cheeks seems especially warm in the current predicament. She works with renewed vigor from the praise and also the additional help from Kamille's earth magic. With the whole group working, they make quite a lot of progress.
Thargun hears Kamille asking her question and takes a quick break, leaning on his shovel. "Aye, these storms happen from time te time," he says breathlessly. "We've plenty of supplies te hunker down an' wait it out if necessary. Hope ye've got yer own too."
"Aye, we've got some," Astrid says, having packed many, many snacks into Charles' backpack. She looks to Kamille when she asks if she's been to Frost Gale, and she nods. "Yup, I've been ta Frost Gale before, but mostly ta the border. I've got a friend in Bleakfort I think. Haven't had a chance ta visit him yet, so I figured I could with this trip. What about ya?" She continues shoveling dirt as fast as she can and helping them dig a protective grotto. It's grueling, but the progress they make is worth it.
"Ye don't s'pose it's frok hljanrjiak, do ye, Thargun?" one of the dwarves cautiously asks. This sends nervous murmurs amongst the rest of them.
"Pray te Ginma 'tis not," Thargun says grimly. With that, he lifts his hammer and gets back to digging. It's a life-or-death situation, and they all know it.
"Frok hljanrjiak...?" Astrid echoes. "Ice storm? 'Course it's a snowstorm." She seems especially confused about what the dwarves are referencing.
"Frok 'imself's a dragon, lass," Thargun says. "Pray te yer god he don't descend upon us durin' this. Stories say he's capable of bringin' storms like these upon the whole of Frost Gale just with a flap o' his wings."
Astrid's look becomes especially concerned, and she turns towards Kamille. In most other situations, she'd love to run into a dragon. In a situation where they can't see, it's cold, and they have folks to protect... That's another story. "How d'ya feel about fightin' a dragon..?"
It's about this time that a sharp roar can just be made out over the howling wind.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 25, 2022 4:28:20 GMT -5
Frost Gale didn't bring good memories to the Witch. At a time where her magic wasn't as strong, it was Frost Gale that nearly saw her end, seemingly by just existing. It was there, too, she found Mayhem imprisioned. Kamille did make the mental note that Astrid wanted to go to the Bleakfort, but then something among the dwarves' talking caught her attention.
"I'm sorry, what?"
....A dragon? They must be joking. For half a second she had almost chuckled it off, in the hopes of it being just a tale, something passed on around campfires at night; but the roar made her stomach sink. A dragon. Even during her travels, she had never met a dragon before. She had never hoped to meet a dragon, if she made the right choices in life - which apparently didn't happen, and she kept on choosing the path littered with monsters and... dragons?!
Even Astrid was concerned, and despite not knowing the girl nearly enough yet, she knew her to be brave. If it was just them, they probably wouldn't be as worried, but having a position to hold and people to protect was much harder. The options ran through her head, but they hadn't many. They were in the dragon's territory, in the dragon's element. The hand that was handed them was a poor one.
Frost Gale did seem to have something personal against her, huh?
Kamille frowned to Astrid.
"Are you talking like someone about to fight a dragon?! How about you stay here, while I try to figure something to drive the dragon away? Poe, with me. Edgar, Allan, keep them safe."
Edgar and Allan exchanged some worried glances that seemed to say "this was not in the job description", while Poe approached Kamille. The Witch seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then gave Poe a flask, which she put away for the moment being. The air shimmered around the assassin, like the surface of a lake suddenly disturbed - and in the blink of an eye her image became blurry, until it faded completely. Her footsteps led her away from the group and into the storm, even before Kamille herself. Truth be said, there was no plan, but she didn't feel like sitting and waiting for the dragon to attack the dwarves. There was a small mount nearby she could climb to - hopefully - have a clearer view of the dragon should he come. Which was a moronic idea, she knew, because all she saw was white and snow and ice. But maybe, if the dragon saw them before, it wouldn't attack the dwarves.
......And then what?
One step at a time.
Kamille left, determined, without looking back. Some part of her knew that there was no avoiding Astrid to join if she wanted - Kamille could've asked Edgar to keep her there, but that would just result in a small Astrid dragging Edgar's fully grown up ass together as he clutched her by her ankles.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 27, 2022 1:44:08 GMT -5
The roar in the distance gives Astrid a bit of pause. Looking toward the dwarves, she sees what little color is on their faces drain away. With even more swiftness, they dig into the ground and pile snow to hunker down from the coming storm. Then she looks back at Kamille and sees the genuine worry (with some amount of dread) on her face. The words out of her mouth neither surprise her nor please Astrid.
"Are you talking like someone about to fight a dragon?!"
"'Course I'm talkin' like someone about ta fight a dragon!" she says with a huff. They were hired to help the merchants, no matter what it takes. Her foot nearly stamps, but she's too busy digging.
"How about you stay here, while I try to figure something to drive the dragon away? Poe, with me. Edgar, Allan, keep them safe."
"Wha-? No!" Astrid looks around while the adults suddenly make decisions around her. "Hang on just a minute!" Edgar and Allen start hunkering down and getting ready for a dangerous situation. "Ya can't just go take on a dragon by yersel-" When she turns her head towards Kamille, the Witch of Moonglade already has her back turned and is making her way towards the mount. Without another word, Astrid shoves her tools into Edgar's arms and gives him a look that says not to stop her.
After maybe a hundred or so feet, Kamille can hear the loud sounds of metal clattering over the wind as Astrid summons forth her war hammer from Charles' storage bin just behind it. It reaches the girl's hand, crackling with electricity and glowing a pulsing, vibrant blue. Astrid says nothing as she storms through the snow alongside Kamille; she only has a determined look on her face. If they're about to face the living embodiment of a blizzard, it's going to be together. Both of them will make it home to their strange, makeshift family.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 30, 2022 16:18:13 GMT -5
Kamille wasn’t in the least surprised by Astrid's determination on being a part of this dragon slaying job - so much that when they were out of sight of the dwarves, the storm spiralling around them, she turned to Astrid.
"I may as well be utterly irresponsible for letting you come, but at least they won't know it. And rebellion suits you. Here, take this as you are about to strike."
The Witch handed the child a small flask [1]. While she would rather have Astrid be safely kept away, she had a feeling this wouldn’t suit her well and she would come anyway. And she certainly wasn’t willing to keep a dragon and an angry Astrid at bay: Kamille didn’t have that much power.
"If I said I had a plan I-"
Her remark about not having a plan was suddenly interrupted by a roar that shook the air, making the very ice gathered at their clothes shatter and spin around them. And amongst the howling of the wind and the sound of their own, hard breaths, Kamille stopped to pay attention.
The flapping of wings.
Whether she knew what was to come or just guessed, her reaction was quick: staying close to Astrid, she rose her hands before her, and what appeared to be sand materialized before them, in a maelstrom of gold flickering, almost dark against the white, ice storm around them[2]. A wall made of living, shifting sands was interposed between them and the whiteness above, just in time for another half roar intersected by a gurgle sound, and then...
Cold.
Wind as sharp as knives, a cold mist so intense as to instantly freeze upon touch - all spiralled around them, for a brief second obstructing whatever was left of the sun. Ice shards cut at their clothes around the edges of their cover, and as the sand dissipated and the ice shattered, they had a glimpse of a thorny, scaly tail above them, the flutter of its wings powerful enough to create smaller windwhirls on their own.
The storm was upon them.
[1]Bulls Strength potion [2]Sand Shield
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 3, 2022 0:44:09 GMT -5
It's obvious that Kamille is a bit frustrated to see Astrid at her side, but the half-dwarf knows little fear, and she came out here determined to save these merchants. If that happens to be by fighting a dragon, then that's what it is. Kamille stops and turns to her, handing her the flask, which Astrid takes with a curious look. "Rebellion suits me, eh?" she asks with a grin. Another roar interrupted them, along with shrill, air-piercing screeches from icicles and the breath of the creature. Astrid tries to take cover with Kamille, but the sand shield whips up to protect them narrowly in time.
Welp, now's as good a time as ever to drink whatever this is! Popping the cork, Astrid downs the potion. Her insides feel warm as a feeling of more strength and power trickles out to the rest of her limbs. She was already quite strong1, but now she feels like even her battle hammer is as light as the weightless, bonded warhammer2. Oh, she's ready to tussle with this thing.
Bursting forth from the blizzard, the monstrous white dragon with fur lining his jowls and four twisting horns stretching back along his head makes his appearance. His wingspan is at least thirty feet across, the webbed wings speckled with holes. While he hovers by the mount, each flap of his wings sending a powerful wave of cold wind. His deep voice bellows, "Foolish mortals, you dare believe yourselves capable of conquering the domain of Nidhogg and his kin?! You will make a fine snack."
Astrid, feeling particularly emboldened by this new additional strength, Astrid ducks out from behind Kamille. "Oi! Ya big frosty jerk! Ya wanna fight? Let's GO!" There's a pulse of energy when she shouts, and her eyes lock with the glowing blue eyes of the frost wyrm3. His head shakes in annoyance, and the half-dwarf seems to have captured his full attention. She crouches down, then with incredible power from the potion launches herself into the air. Wings of both feather and leather flare out from below her cape4, and she catches herself midair, pulling both her hammers out and ready to tussle.
"Tiny girl who smells of smallfolk, you will be my appetizer." The dragon Frok rushes towards her, mouth agape and ready to eat her in one fell swoop. Instead of becoming a bite, Astrid dodges aside and throws her war hammer full force at the dragon, striking him in the side of the snout. Electricity crackles off the weapon and the crater it left in the dragon's maw5. He snarls then lets out a roar, and the hammer flies back to Astrid's hand6.
Astrid certainly has his attention now, leaving an opening for Kamille.
1 Bull's Strength Tattoo 2 One With the Blade 3 Challenging Mark 4 Bat Wings 5 Arcane Soul - lightning 6 Always There
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 4, 2022 18:13:36 GMT -5
......Was this girl for real?!?! How was she supposed to keep her safe if she ran up to provoke a dragon?! Kamille never thought of herself as spineless, but she wouldn’t, at the same time, be the one buying a beef with a dragon, if she had the choice.
But she didn’t have a choice. Astrid already flung herself forward, sprouting wings and provoking the beast whose thunderous voice still rang in her chest. It was no wonder Bellighul took an interest in caring for the girl - her bravery was unparalleled.
"Poe! Go help her!"
While she could see the footprints on the snow, they were quickly erased by the storm raging around them. At this place in time Kamille questioned herself what choices she made that would lead to her fighting a dragon, but she recognized it was not the time for half measures. The environment was the least favorable for her fire magic, but that only meant she had to go big. As big as she could.
With Astrid safely locking the dragon's attention, Kamille focused until fire started to crack at her fingers. Her timing would need to be perfect there, as her main strategy as of now was to take the dragon out of the sky. The storm swirling around them, she tried to guide herself by the sounds of its gigantic wings and stirring roar, with little margin for error or hesitation. The magic ready at her palms, she waited for the moment the dragon would attack next.
The icy winds clouded even their hearing, as it muffled the sounds and confused the direction of their source. But Astrid's strike made for a very angry Frok, so when it flew overhead in a half circle to attack once again, she was able to pin his general direction: joining both of her hands in front of her, she joined her spell in a big fireball that shot through the spiralling ice and snow once Frok's muzzle came into sight[1]. Focused on little Astrid right there, the fireball cut through the storm, but rather than hitting the sturdy, scaly belly or snout of the beast, it went a bit sideways to hit one of its wings. With its mouth open and another icy breath caught between its sharp teeth, Frok missed Astrid by just a couple inches as fire grabbed one of its huge wings and ate away at the leathery membrane[2].
The Pyromancer didn’t wait to see the result of her attack as she had already started to prepare another magic, the dragon's shriek filling the air. The ground shook when, a bit ahead of them, the dragon either landed or fell - it was hard to say which one. Fiery runes started to shine around his landing site, though it was hard to see with the storm. She knew it was hard, sometimes impossible, for any creature to remain in the air with one damaged wing, but the conflict was far from over. Her fight there was against time itself too, and as she hurriedly finished the summoning, Frok had already recovered from his forced landing, looking angrier than ever. Kamille clasped her hands together, high above her head, with a few last words of power.
Who were this damned mortals to take a storm out of the skies?!
And then, earth and lava fell from the sky, in a giant chunk of stone some good ten feet large. It cut through the whiteness of snow and melted the ice away, landing somewhere around the dragon and causing the ground to shake even more than the dragon's landing itself[3]. Through the white curtains of spiralling snow, it was hard to say if the meteor hit the dragon on its back or merely landed beside it, a new wave of wind and vapor hitting them in the face and pushing them back slightly. A painful, angry roar rose to the skies again, as lava spilled over the icy beast and fire still consumed its wings, rendering it unable to take flight once again.
[1]Massive Fireball [2]Extended Conflagration (1/3) [3]Kamille's Summoning Pact: Mayhem
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The Tinkertons
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 4, 2022 23:25:18 GMT -5
Crashing down against the ground, Frok roars in anger and pain. To be felled by two mosquitoes and reduced to walking the earth like a powerless ant! Then a rain of lava falls upon him, pressing him against the ground and surrounding him in a cloud of steam. What's left of his wing barely avoids being crushed by the massive golem that comes thundering down. Frok pushes himself up, magma slaking off his scales and falling into the dry tundra grass that was once buried beneath snow. His whole body steams in the cold wind, and his injured wings flare out as he charges up a blast of icy breath and fires directly upon the golem. The dragon will crush the hot rock creature, but first it must be cold enough to touch. The breath makes contact with Mayhem, and he considers the foe felled.
Suddenly, Astrid's war hammer slams down on top of his snout from above with almost enough force to break the sound barrier. His head is forced to the ground from the impact, his ice beam cut off. Then the hammer flies back to the half-dwarf, and she dives down, whipping her other hammer, silvered and attached by a cord, against the dragon as she does. Enraged, Frok whips his tail at her and catches her by surprise. The tail hits her dead center, and Astrid is sent rocketing away in the snow. Finally, the mosquito is swatted.
Astrid tumbles back through the snow, flying a good hundred feet or so and leaving a ditch in the snow. That hurt, a lot. Not even the afterimages of her Diplopia Armor could help her dodge the sheer speed and power of a fully grown dragon. She's got no wind left in her and lies in the snow to try and catch her breath. As fast as the snow falls in the blizzard, her trail is quickly erased, and she's already getting buried underneath a dump. "Ow..." she groans.
Diplopia Armor [1 hit prevention] Bat Wings [post 2/3]
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