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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 26, 2023 11:03:36 GMT -5
In the hustle and bustle of a fight, it is hard for Fish to communicate. Their hands are full with a crossbow and Del is busy dodging attacks so she wouldn't have time to really read and decipher Fish's signs. It was a difficult situation for certain. They'd need a second to regroup and readjust now that they have seen the enemy and can plan accordingly.
Fish pulls a flask from their pack and hastily attaches it to a bolt. Taking a moment to adjust for the weight of the flask, Fish aims and fires the flask at a tree. Upon impact it shatters and sends out a smoky ichor that starts to fill the surrounding area. The bird and the monk can still see the bugs thanks to the soft glow of the abdomens, and Fish's specialized training but that's another story.
The kenku ducks under the smoke, Del will feel a pull on her hand as Fish passes to lead her out of the smoke and behind a tree where they can hide for the moment.
"We should be out of sight....Fish doesn't remember any types of firefly-like creatures building hives, but these could be different given the size....Trapping them will be difficult without a net, they have manuverability that we do not.....Fish is open to ideas that is more efficient than picking them off one at a time."
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Feb 27, 2023 15:37:06 GMT -5
There's an explosion of something that billows smoke into the air and distracts the insects, long enough for the pair of them to move. She can see in the darkness, a... relatively new realization, as she spends more and more time within shadow. Feeling the tug on her hand, Del moves to follow, until they are behind a tree. She touches her shadow and broadens it, casting her and Fish in even deeper darkness. They would notice that Del herself is invisible in the dark, though they know she is still there, as she speaks.[1]
"We can either drive them back into their hive and try to smash it all at once," She replies, whispering, "Or, I can make a net, or some sort of bag. There are plenty of vines around here; it would take some time, but it's doable. That smoke... potion you have worked wonders."
There's a subtle shift in the shadow itself as Del looks beyond the tree, still hidden, at the insects as they flurry about in agitation. "Or, we find out what they hate, make it a poison, and put it on their food source so they eat it and die. Though I am not confident that wouldn't also taint the plants themselves." There were some natural herbicides that could do the trick in that regard, probably, but Del was no botanist or alchemist.
[1]One with the Shadows
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 27, 2023 20:17:00 GMT -5
"Fish would rather not risk an unknown pesticide that Fish does not know the risks." It seemed the bird did have something that could be construed as a concious. They at least didn't want to hurt indiscriminately without cause.
"Fish is not against burning them out at the source....perhaps they have a queen like bees. Killing that could cause a colony collapse or force them to relocate else where." Fish will unclip their bandolier of throwing knives and offer them over to Del. "For range.....Does Del know how to throw knives?"
The sound of buzzing slowly disappaites as the smoke clears, the bugs fleeing the scene as they lost their prey. The pair has a moment to recollect themselves in peace and make better plans.
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Feb 27, 2023 23:45:19 GMT -5
A faint smile crosses her face as Fish declines using poisons to try and kill the insects off, a little proud of the Kenku. "I think that's more than reasonable." she agrees. Sighing quietly, she clicks her tongue against her teeth. But now what would they do for their plan?
Within the shadow, Del looks touched and conflicted as Fish hands her the bandolier of throwing knives. "I-- no, I can't." she shakes her head... and then pauses thoughtfully, her eyes widening. Maybe there was a way around that. "But yes. I can, under the right conditions." Hearing the droning fade, Del moves from cover a little so Fish can see her better. Her eyes are bright, an idea illuminating her irises. "If you throw the knife at me, or fire a cross-bow bolt, I can redirect it."
Smiling enthusiastically, she reaches down to put a hand on Fish's shoulder. "I would trust you to do that. I've seen first hand how accurate you are, and I am able to do that from cover of darkness easily. Or, if you have a better idea, I can run distraction, like we did with the cave fisher. How does that sound?" She looks down to Fish with interest, to see what their plan might be and how her idea might mingle with it.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Feb 28, 2023 16:29:41 GMT -5
..... "That sounds more complicated than just having Del through them in the first place. Fish's aim is likely better on its own and the loss of force from redirecting it would lessen the lethal capabilities."
Del's lack of ranged abilities was difficult to go around if she was not willing to use weapons. Once more, the bird enters planning mode. They go still, eyes flicking around as if looking at equations floating past trying to come up with something.
"Del needs to make a net, the vines should provide enough weight to pin down the insects. Fish can throw the knives in tandem and use the knives to anchor the net down. The queen likely has guards, this net can take care of the guards. Fish can then get a clean shot on the queen."
Fish nods firmly before looking to Del expecting them to agree.
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 1, 2023 23:28:12 GMT -5
As Fish takes to her earlier idea to make a net, Del does agree, readily. She wished she could explain to Fish her own reticence for weapons, especially bows-- odd, considering she made weapons as part of her vocation-- but if she could understand it herself, perhaps it wouldn't weigh so heavily on her. Perhaps discovering why that was, would be something she could focus on at some point... but after. After this.
She starts pulling down vines and reedy branches, twisting and knotting the chords of vegetation together to make a sizeable, flexible net. It doesn't take long to construct, simple in its design, but Del does take some extra time to tie small rocks to the ends, to make it easier to throw in an arch, and make it less likely to budge from a swarm of angry insects when Fish pinned it down with their throwing knives.
When she finishes, Del shows Fish her handiwork, allowing them to get a good look. "I think this should do the trick. So, how to proceed?" She folds the net along her arm as she looks to Fish. "Sneak up and toss it on the hive before they come out, or lure them out first and get them irritated?"
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Mar 2, 2023 15:14:18 GMT -5
Fish tugs on the net to check the knots and nods seemingly confirming that they are solid. It will do, they don't need the net to hold for long. It just needs to be long enough that they can kill the queen and escape.
"Sneak first, we don't want them to spread out and surround us, they are more likely to be lower to the ground inside their hive, making the odds of success much higher."
Fish turns to start heading in the same direction as where the bugs flew out of. The sound of buzzing and humming would be easy to track, if it's getting louder then they are getting closer and vice versa. The bugs didn't seem to be nesting too far away, Fish quickly notes down that they are territorial it seems. They must have stumbled into the territory and the bugs were defending in. They could really be a problem if allowed to nestle down.
Ahead of them is a cave structure, it's shallow, but wide, the paper-like structure of a hive already embedded in the walls. A few more bugs drifted in and out of the area, but with the pair taking care to be quiet this time they are not noticed. Fish looks back to Del with a nod, loading their crossbow and ready to follow the elf up.
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 4, 2023 1:31:00 GMT -5
Del nods and takes up the vine constructed net, carefully held in front of her in both hands as they sneak across the carpet of forest floor. Their footsteps are silent on the mossy ground, more so than it normally would have been The droning hum of a hive in communication reaches their ears quickly; it is quite a large nest, made to accomodate the abnormal size of the insects no doubt. Del remembered how large they were when she and fish had been swarmed, and tried to make the gaps in the netting small enough so that the insects couldn't slip through. Though, if they were mad enough, used their apparent acidic venom....
Del signs to Fish, to maintain their quiet approach; 'We'll have to be fast. I don't know how long the net will hold considering their acid.'
As they settle in to their ambush, and Fish loads their crossbow, Del stands. The net is lifted, moving from front to back behind her shoulders to generate momentum. When it comes around to the front again on the other side of her, the impromptu vines are thrown through the air, casting the net up and over her head and onto the hive.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Mar 4, 2023 11:26:35 GMT -5
Fish had overlooked the acid for a moment, but they still seemed confident in the plan. The vines were thick and the acid, while corrosive, was not very fast acting. It was meant to slowly liquify, not quickly destroy, plus the bugs themselves might not be resistant to it on the outside. Still, Del was right, they needed to be fast.
The kenku trails after the monk so that they don't get in the way of Del's throw. There is a quick uptick in buzzing that only gets angrier when the bugs realize they are trapped. Quickly behind the tossing of the net, Fish throws out their knives in a group[1] each hitting a different side of the net to pin them down.
As the bugs thrash, a much larger and angrier looking bug with thick wings and a wicked stinger starts to come into view. That would have to be the queen, Fish had an improvised plan to help ensure her destruction.
Fish quickly draws an explosive cask and tosses it forward, unlit for the moment. It couldn't explode until it was close enough to deal the maximum amount of damage. Del will feel a gentle static in the air as the birds feathers ever so slightly floof out, a strange thing the fellow monk can recognize as ki being utilized.[2]
At the exact moment the cask starts to drop in front of the queen's face, lightning wreaths Fish's bolt as they pull the trigger. A searing bolt of lightning fires out causing the cask to explode while burning the queen on the way past as well. The explosion takes a significant chunk out of the queen, it buzzes angrily but the fury is short lived as it collapses into the ground dead.
1. Volley Shot 2. Art of the Storm Bow
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 5, 2023 3:08:15 GMT -5
Del claps her hands together, once, as their plan goes off without a hitch. As the weighted net drags the hive off the tree, and Fish secures it to the ground with their throwing knives, her thought was that, of course, Fish would throw one of the many potions at their belt at the hive and that would be the end of it.
The last thing she was expecting was the surge of ki that flowed from the little kenku.
The cask when it hit the ground did not explode, thrown with its fuse unlit. By the time she turns to Fish to see what they should do about the error, she finds Fish overflowing with a buzz all their one, one that drowns out the insects and crackles with an internal energy flow Del knows well. Lightning crackles against Fish's crossbow and then, they fire.
Thunder echoes through the trees, sending flocks of birds skyward in shock. The explosion that follows is lethal to the insects within the net, and the net itself, detonating with the impact and incinerating its occupants and the hive. Del looks down at Fish in surprised wonder, beaming. "Fish! Ash and dust, where did you learn to manipulate your ki like that!"
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Mar 5, 2023 12:22:06 GMT -5
"Ki?" Fish tilts their head at Del as they already turn to start heading out of this area. After just killing their queen, Fish did not want to be the first thing any surviving Acid Wasps saw. Also Fish had decided they would be calling them Acid Wasps.
"Fish's bow is made of a special wire and material. It can gather static electricity that Fish can accumlate if needed...the bolt then acts as a connecting point to conduct the lightning." A perfectly reasonable explanation, but it doesn't explain the field that briefly surrounded the bird, nor the precision with which Fish controlled the lightning.
"Fish has never trained under anyone, Fish knows what to do from reading and watching." Well if Del wanted to help guide the bird, this might be a good in. The discipline and structure of monk training might give the bird a bit more stability.
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 5, 2023 19:32:56 GMT -5
Quickly walking alongside Fish as they depart the immediate area, watching their hands. Their explanation of the bow and how it worked made some sense, but Del shakes her head. That was only a small part of it. "That's what I mean; you're the one generating that static, that field. I saw it move through your feathers before you pulled the string back."
That Fish had not formally trained under anyone was a surprise... and another clue as to how old they were. Del's brow lowers slightly in concern, but doesn't address it just yet. "Well. Hmm. Ki is the energy of the body. It's our innate connection and power that flows through every living thing. Being able to harness it and use it is usually a skill that needs to be trained, harnessed, and nurtured. That you've learned how to do it without any aid so far is pretty remarkable, much less using your crossbow as a conduit for your energy."
A small smile moves into place as a thought occurs to her. "I could train you a little, if you like. I don't have to head out for a couple of days, if you intend to stay in the area. Just some basic fundamentals to carry you through learning how to harness what you are utilizing. If you would like of course. I don't want to keep you here if you have other places to be. ...Although, I have to ask; how old are you, by the way?"
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Mar 6, 2023 18:39:19 GMT -5
Fish considers Del's words for a second. They hadn't ever really thought about it before. This was just another one of those things Fish just seemed to have a knack for, they never really thought about the extra stuff. Sometimes it was easily explainable by science, other times Fish didn't have a full explanation but science is a good crutch.
"Fish comes and goes as Fish pleases....Fish could stick around." They don't seem to mind the idea, their footsteps turning to little hops as they grow more relaxed and perhaps even excited.
"Fish is 8 years old."
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Mar 6, 2023 20:25:10 GMT -5
Del balks, stumbling at the number, signed with such casualness. EIGHT! As an elf she had a poor understanding of how other species aged, but she knew enough to know that Fish was a child, and a young one at that. She wheezes softly as she recovers, looking down at the hopping little bird.
...they could stick around? And they seemed so happy about it. A slow smile spreads over her face and she nods. She still feels rather uneasy about it all, torn between wanting to offer Fish something better and more stable, but knowing she couldn't-- at least not now-- and knowing that Fish had been on their own for long enough to become so fiercely independent. She couldn't force them anywhere, or do to anything against their nature; anything more would have to be earned and given freely. And they had this... Morrigan and Kvasir's place too to go, if they needed. She couldn't guarantee how stable that was, but she hoped they at least cared for the little kenku.
"Of course. We can start training before we part ways, then, but you are always welcome to stay as long as you like. We have eachother's backs, yes?" She leans down slightly, offering a closed fist for them to bump their own against.
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