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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 5, 2023 15:15:03 GMT -5
Fish was excited to be doing something that seemed a bit more dangerous and exciting. Chasing after fire elementals would be a lot more fun than just picking plants. Plus they had a few theories about what could be done with the essence of a primordial fire itself. That could make some very potent explosives that Kvasir definitely shouldn't know about.
The bird figured the Ash Land's would be the easiest place to find one. They didn't need to find something overly powerful or rare, just a little mephit or two should be enough....Maybe just an elemental itself. Oh if Fish caught one whole, maybe they could just farm it for free cores. That would be difficult.
They hopped towards the ridge, pausing a moment to check on their companion. The first time they met, Fish nearly toppled over trying to lean back and see all the way up to Beist's face. That was a long way to go....this guy probably offers a better view than Izzy. Fish must resist the urge to climb the large furry man. Focus on the job. They shake their head and then nod firmly to themselves.
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Post by Beistmild on Feb 5, 2023 17:37:09 GMT -5
When Beist was told he'd be working with someone named "Fish", he had expected maybe a Triton or someone along those lines, so when he was introduced to the tiny black bird, it had been a bit of a surprise. However, he didn't mind it at all. Actually, he found Fish to be adorable! He happily travelled with the sneak, eager to go find the fire elemental with them and acquire the materials needed for some potions he wanted to craft.
He had forgotten how much he hated the heat. His large, furry body just wasn't suited for hot places at all as he had learned multiple times now but always seemed to forget in his excitement to acquire alchemical components. First a volcano, then the desert, and now they were headed toward the lair of a fire elemental!
Beist climbed the ridge behind Fish easily, his extra pair of arms and his strength making quick work of the climb. After stepping safely onto the stone, he pulled a paper from inside his robe and looked at it for a moment before glancing around and spotting a cave.
"Ah, that should be it. Are you ready, Fish? Fire elementals, well, any elemental is an exceptionally difficult opponent to face, so we are here to find the residue and get out, yes? No fighting!" Beist asked, sounding like a concerned parent.
Bringing Pets Griffon (Sleigh Bell) in pet pocket Woolful (My Best Friend) in space pocket Lightning Mephit in space pocket
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 5, 2023 19:08:35 GMT -5
Fish was similarly not well-suited for hot spaces, but they could fluff out their feathers a bit to get air going. As a fellow humanoid-ish creature, Fish could sympathize with their traveling companion's discomfort. Two tiny taloned hands fit around a finger of Beist's to help pull him up though it likely meant little to his effort.
"Fish did not have time to make a fire elemental catching net...How does one catch an elemental?" They tilted their head up towards Beist, it seemed like he knew a bit about these creatures.
The kenku is happy to hop along the ground towards the cave, no sounds coming from each little movement. It was quick to learn why Fish earned their last name of The Sneak. As stoic as they had been on the trip over, the bird was excited now. They were on the cusp of doing a science again, one of the few non-crime things the bird actually enjoyed investing time in. It might be because some potions let them crime better, but it's a start in a different direction kind of.
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Post by Beistmild on Feb 6, 2023 13:14:44 GMT -5
"A fire elemental catching net...?" Beist repeated curiously, an eyebrow raised. What was Fish talking about? He'd never heard of that before. How did one catch an elemental, a being of pure energy? He'd like to know that himself. But, one thing was clear. He and Fish had very different ideas of what they were here to do!
"Wait, we're not here to catch one, we're just gathering the materials! We don't even want to see an elemental!" Beist half whisper, half yelled as Fish was already hopping away. Oh dear. "Well, actually, maybe I would like to see an elemental... but I wouldn't want it to see us!" He mumbled under his breath as he followed the sneak into the cave.
Fish's quietness was impressive, their hops not making a single noise as they made their way through the cave. In contrast, the giant beast man's steps were not stealthy at all. Beist stopped and took a bottle from his waist. It was tiny, and even tinier in his hand, filled with a dark purple liquid. "Just a moment, this potion will allow me to be a bit quieter." He whispered to Fish before drinking the potion in one gulp.
Thanks to the potion, Beist's steps became just as silent as Fish's, though his large size was still quite noticeable. He likely wouldn't be able to get too close.
The heat slowly rose as they went deeper and deeper into the cave until they could see a reddish orange glow ahead.
Potion of Shadows
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 6, 2023 13:46:34 GMT -5
“But if we catch one, then it can continually provide its essence.” They pause the hopping to turn and tilt a head at Beist. They surely did have different ideas for why they were here. They watch the man drink a potion and suddenly get quieter……Alchemy sure was powerful. Fish’s mind teemed with ideas, many illegal, about what could be done with alchemy.
When Beist seemed ready they would resume hopping along once more. Fish was unsure what they were looking for. Did elementals have feet? Could they leave tracks? How do you find soot marks in a place that is on fire? Would they have to dig in magma? That seemed unwise.
They slowed their pace to not get too far from Beist, wanting to hear if he had any ideas or solutions. He certainly seemed to know a lot, or at least Fish assumed. Bigger people tended to know a lot and he’s huge so it stands to reason Beist is one of the smartest people Fish has ever met.
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Post by Beistmild on Feb 7, 2023 14:18:26 GMT -5
Fish's wish to capture an elemental and farm it for essence was concerning to say the least, but Beist couldn't reply. They were nearing the lair and he didn't want his voice to echo through the tunnels and alert the fire elementals of their presence. He'd have to talk to Fish about morals a bit later, once they were finished here. For now he settled with giving Fish a concerned side glance every now and then.
The tunnel opened up into a much larger cavern with a high ceiling covered in stalactites and a rocky, uneven floor with several stalagmites. Thankfully, there was no magma in the chamber, this wasn't a volcano, but somehow there were fires burning around the room without any fuel to see. The flames simply licked across the stone, sustained by some unknown source. It was rather fascinating and Beist immediately wanted to take a closer look, but caution was necessary.
Beist stayed as hidden as he could with his huge frame, peaking into the chamber from the tunnel. Inside the cavern, their glowing silhouette broken up by rocky pillars of connected stalactites and stalagmites, was an enormous creature of pure fire. A serpent with scales like magma and a mane of burning flames around its head. If it travelled through the tunnel that Beist and Fish were currently in, there would be no room to either side of it whatsoever.
Thankfully, Beist's clothing made no sound as he tugged on his robe to cool himself, both from nerves and because the heat in the room was so intense, it was like they had stepped into an active kiln.
He put a finger to his lips and looked down to Fish, pointing a claw toward some of the strange fire closest to the tunnel. That was likely a good residue for them to take, hopefully without the serpent's notice.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 7, 2023 15:23:27 GMT -5
Fish did not need to be reminded to be quiet, they were a professional thief.....but somewhere in there they do find that tinge of appreciation that someone is looking out for them. Their eyes scan the room to search for an easy way to get access to the material they need......This would be difficult. The room was too wide open for them to just slip into, grab a scoop, and go. Beist didn't seem like much of a fighter and admittedly Fish wasn't exactly one either. They were just young enough to still believe they were invincible until confronted with danger. If only they could lure it out....
Fish has a sudden Idea.
Fish turns to Beist with an excited hop, signing with excitement, "Does Beist have magic? What do elementals eat? What if we make it chase some food? Fish can mimic any sounds. Food goes down another tunnel, we sneak in, get what we need. Fish thinks this plan can work. Fish just doesn't know magic."
If Beist does not seem to understand sign language, Fish will go to their tried and true method of chalk and slate. It takes much longer and Fish is always a bit annoyed at having to do something so laborious, but this was their curse.
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Post by Beistmild on Feb 8, 2023 17:41:04 GMT -5
Beist crouched down to listen to Fish as they signed to him. Thankfully, the old man was familiar with the language enough to understand what they were saying well enough even if he wasn't fully fluent. Just another study he'd dabbled in in his time.
He nodded and began to stroke his beard, trying to think of how he could go along with Fish's plan. He did know a little bit of magic, including a spell to, quite conveniently, summon some food. But, he wasn't sure a giant serpent of flame would be very interested in fruits or vegetables. Perhaps it would chase after some animal it saw as an intruder in its lair. Yes, that was exactly why Beist and Fish didn't want to be seen by it, but maybe that was exactly how they'd lure it out.
The massive elemental didn't seem to be moving much. It was probably resting. If they wanted to lure it out of its lair with some distraction, they'd first have to hide themselves very well. A task much easier said than done for Beist. It'd be much easier for him to hide if he wasn't so big. Wait a moment. That was possible!
Beist smiled and nodded again to Fish and held up a finger to gesture to wait a moment. He reached a hand up to the fur around his neck and pulled out a tiny white snake with golden-feathered wings. He held it in his hand and the two seemed to have some silent conversation between them. He set the snake on the ground and it waited by the entrance to the tunnel.
Next, Beist looked to Fish again and signed one word. "Hide." The next moment, Beist began to shrink, his body rapidly shifting its shape as he did. In seconds, the giant beast man was gone and instead a little grey squirrel stood in front of Fish. Squirrel Beist follow Fish to hide somewhere while the tiny snake was prepared to be chased down the tunnel by a much bigger, much more terrifying serpent.
Ginma's Familiar Shape Change
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 8, 2023 17:53:32 GMT -5
Seeing that Beist was trying to understand, Fish did slow down their signs to make it a bit easier on him to try and understand. Sometimes Fish forgot that not everyone was like Kvasir who was fluent or Izzy who just knew Fish well enough that she understood regardless of the actual signs.
Fish did not need to be told to hide twice. They slink back into the shadows, climbing up and between a few of the jutting rock formations. A nice mid point that they could scramble up or down out of the snakes way depending on which direction it went.
From the shadows they curiously watched their massive companion and who suddenly was not so massive at all. Still very furry, but a more manageable size to be sure. As the snake starts to wriggle out into the tunnel, Fish opens their beak to mimic some scurrying and hissing sounds.[1]
The sound would seemingly come from the right direction, but it was hard to see if it was working from their spot around the corner. It was a tense few seconds, but they eventually heard the soft wriggling of the lava snake making its way down the wall. The elemental was heading straight for the tiny snake, ready for an easy meal.
1. Sound Throwing
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Post by Beistmild on Feb 8, 2023 18:16:14 GMT -5
"This is most definitely not a task fitting of the glory that is- aaaaaaaaaah!" Beist heard in his head as the tiny snake began to fly down the tunnel as fast as it could, the giant flaming serpent chasing behind it.
Beist, of course, was a very responsible pet owner who would never put any of his babies in danger. However, Pretzels the winged snake wasn't really a pet. As just a little spiritual manifestation of the celestial being living within him, they couldn't die no matter what happened to them. They would just pop back up soon enough, so Beist didn't worry. Pretzels would probably be a pit angry though, but he was used to the snakes attitude.
The fire elemental was extraordinarily long to say the least. Several minutes passed by, and the serpentine body still hadn't fully left the chamber. Over half of its body was still coiled in the center of the cavern. Beist's transformation into a squirrel came to an end, the fluffy giant reappearing.
"Well, I suppose we should just start gathering the residue. This could take a while." Beist whispered to Fish and began to pull some bottles and tools from his bag.
Sticking a wooden stirring stick into one of the strange fires showed that it didn't spread. The stick was entirely unharmed by the flame. Maybe gathering this stuff wouldn't be as easy as he'd thought.
Alchemy Kit
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 8, 2023 20:46:46 GMT -5
Fish excitedly dropped down and skittered around the corner, almost drifting around it with how fast they moved. Thankfully it was still quiet. Fish lacked the precise alchemical tools Beist had, but they have a few vials and jars to start collecting things.
Collection definitely was hard, it wasn't as hot as magma or lava like the body of the snake would make you think, but it was certainly hot enough to burn if touched. It was a careful act of funneling things into vials without any overspill. An act that was easier said than done.
The kenku mimics a little sigh of relief as they fill up two vials, looking up to Beist. They hold up their vials as if to ask is this enough? The snake did sound like it was retreating a bit either done or bored with its chase. They had to make a decision quick. Fish was ready to go at a moment's notice. Fire is bad for living things and snakes are bad for bird so a fire snake is just about one of the worst things Fish could think to face. It was probably best they didn't capture this one for catalyst farming.
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Post by Beistmild on Feb 8, 2023 23:22:25 GMT -5
It became apparent that the snake, still only about three quarters out of the cavern, had stopped and begun to pull back into the cavern again. The lava-like scales were moving in reverse, the coil in the center of the room growing larger. From how long it had taken to make its way down the tunnel in the first place, they would have a few minutes before its head pulled back into the cavern.
"Eh, maybe just one more bottle for each of us and then we definitely must hide." Beist spoke quickly as he immediately got to work scooping some more of the flame into one last container. He couldn't help but get just a little greedy, wanting to take advantage of this opportunity as much as possible while he could. It wasn't often one adventured into the lair of such a humongous elemental! Thankfully, his hands were practiced and he had the proper tools for the job, letting him accomplish the task quickly.
With the two of them both having two bottles of... fire? in their bags, Beist moved to hide in the same place as before, motioning for Fish to come over and join him. He could only turn into a small animal once more before having to wait a while, and the transformation didn't last very long. He'd have to be careful of the timing, transforming before, but not too long before, the snake's head reentered the cavern.
By his estimates, it shouldn't be long now. How long had it been...? Five minutes? No, it was longer, wasn't it? Oh, that's flame! That's the snake's mane! Now!
Beist hurriedly transformed into a squirrel again and hid, just before the head of the snake emerged from the tunnel.
Shape Change
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 9, 2023 16:20:59 GMT -5
Given Fish's lack of proper tools, they decide one more mostly filled bottle is more than enough. They make sure it is securely and safely stored in their bag, don't want to risk it breaking and lighting their bag on fire.
Hiding would, for once, be difficult for Fish as they lacked the magic that Beist had. They relied on shadows, but in a room full of lava and fire there were few shadows to find. What Fish does have though, is tricks.
Fish pulls out an inky black bottle and waits. Just before the snake gets into the tunnel, the bottle is thrown and smashed against its face causing smoke to billow out and cover its face. As the snake hisses and smoke fills the room, Fish is dashing out.
Thanks to their small frame they can slip past the snake with only a few charred marks on their cape from getting too close to the body. As soon as the kenku is outside, the turn and climb to the top of the outside of the cave. Get out of immediate line of sight and tuck back into the shadows. In the panic they did admittedly forget about Beist, but they were small and very bite sized so that took priority. Beist was smart, Fish trusted him to escape.
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Post by Beistmild on Feb 9, 2023 17:04:19 GMT -5
Well, that wasn't what Beist was expecting. Fish had suddenly thrown a bottle of something that burst into a smokescreen when Beist had expected them both to hide! That was absolutely not hiding! In his surprise and panic, Beist was nearly left behind in the cavern as Fish suddenly dashed away. Thankfully, the little grey squirrely managed to get it together in time to leap up and cling onto the inside of Fish's cloak.
Outside the tunnel, back in the cool, fresh air of the mountainside, the squirrel dropped out of Fish's cloak and transformed back into the giant beast man who immediately looked down at Fish, his hands gesturing in panic as he spoke, his face covered in fear and concern.
"That was not hiding! We need to get out of here!"
Beist reached up to a feather-shaped charm on his horn and tapped it. The yellow gem in the center became white as a huge griffon suddenly materialized from thin air next to them. Dora could easily fly them away. There was one problem though. Beist was far too big for her to lift! If he could turn into something small for a little while, or even just turn into a bird himself to fly while Fish rode Dora, it would have been fine. However, he'd already changed shape twice. He couldn't do that again for some time, and they needed to leave now.
There was really only one option.
He hated to use it, since it was still a bit experimental, the formula not exactly perfected or tested, but it was better than trying to run down a mountain on foot with a giant snake made of magma chasing him! He pulled a bottle out of his bag filled with a liquid whose color and density seemed to keep changing at random and chugged it.
Beist clutched his stomach as it suddenly hurt, but the pain quickly diminished and a strange feeling spread from his stomach to the rest of his body. His body started to change, his size growing smaller. His horns shrank and then vanished into his head. His fur became shorter until it also vanished, leaving his skin exposed. The scaly parts of his arms changed into matching skin which changed in color to a warm, rosy skin tone.
Beist looked as if he had changed into a human, his clothing now a bit oversized for his no longer massive frame. He was nearly half his previous height and no longer covered in fur or scales. However, it seemed just about everything else remained the same. His face was still beastly, and his second pair of arms and his tail had remained. The transformation was far from complete, but there was no time for him to inspect the changes or write notes. They had to go!
"Hop on, Fish! Dora, let's get out of here quickly!" He said as he climbed onto the griffon's back, his lower pair of arms holding his oversized pants and belt up. Maybe he should be thankful the transformation wasn't perfect yet!
Beist's Transmutation Tonic -Wings -Drake Gland (Water) Pet Pocket -Griffon
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 9, 2023 19:33:24 GMT -5
"Fish does not like snakes, snakes eat birds." They look up to Beist as he seems to have a plan in mind. They carefully watch everything the other does, just to learn what they can do and if Fish can steal any of these tactics.
A curious head tilts to the size as Beist takes a confusing potion. Seemed an odd choice to poison yourself given the situation.....oh it wasn't poison. That was good. They squint for a moment at the other man, trying to see if it was some sort of illusion or strange magic, but it seemed to be him. This was a very powerful potion to pull off magic like that, changing a person right down to their very skin and height.
They almost don't notice the griffon at first as they do take their own notes on the transformation, but soon snap out of it and scrambles over to griffon. Fish launches themselves into its side to then scramble up and sit on its back. They tap Beist's midsection to let him know they were ready to go. The snake thrashed against the walls as it started to spill out of the cave looking for its lost prey.
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