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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 1, 2023 0:23:42 GMT -5
It was midday in the Crescent Isles, and Taki had been training with her companions most of the day. Teaching them to coordinate their attacks against a pair of her earthen golems. They had stopped for lunch when Rina came buzzing in with a messenger in tow. The man introduced himself and asked if Taki would be willing to help his village near the Coldwood. Apparently they were under assault from a group of mischievous Ice Mephits, making even travel and hunting difficult by conjuring up snow storms and otherwise wrecking homes and goods. After a bit of deliberation, she accepted the task and considered for a bit who she might get to help her. While she was pondering, she decided to bring several companions with her on this journey. Shuna, Yukina, Kamina, and Hanehiko all prepared themselves for a journey out to Frost Gale as Taki checked over her own traveling gear.
The group loaded onto the beautiful Celestial Manta, except Yukina who preferred to soar along side them. Taki still wasn't sure who to try and enlist for help, but there were many miles of journey ahead and she would probably stop off in several places between. The messenger departed shortly before Taki had, though it would be several days' journey for them to return.
Stopping off their first night in Sol City, Taki unharnessed Hanehiko and gave her leave to roam the seas for the evening. With her other companions, she found an inn for the night and bedded down. The next morning, she had a quick breakfast and decided who she would message for assistance. One, it would be good to see a certain purple charlatan again, and two, it would be interesting to see how much growth and change had happened since they'd endured the trials of the Ash Ruins. Stopping off at a messenger service, she wrote a letter and had it sent off before continuing her journey northward. They loaded up and took off once more about mid morning, flying across the ocean until they reached Frost Gale and the afflicted village.
A messenger arrived at the wagon the shaman had described a few days later, carrying a scroll with a message. After delivering it to Ceres and confirming they were indeed associated with Morrigan, the messenger departed again. The letter, once open would read: Dear Morrigan,
Would you care to assist me in an intriguing endeavor to rid the Coldwood of a group of pests? If so, please meet me along the southern coast at your nearest convenience. Look for a large Manta swimming or soaring in the sky, my camp will be nearby.
Sincerely Shitakibo, Jinsei no Seishin
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Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jul 1, 2023 14:04:41 GMT -5
Morrigan hated the cold. It was only partly due to their Zeinavian complexion. The cold was a foreign thing; but they’d been to the north enough to know how to bundle with layers and keep themselves warm with food and drink. But it was difficult not to feel the biting cold of hail and be reminded of the sting of holy magic along their backside, and the wicked smirk of a god who’d preyed upon their weakness and nearly left them for dead. It had been the price to pay for admittance to the Golden Consortium, but oh, it had been a steep one. It was not the reminder of the attempt at Morrigan’s life that they hated. It was the fact that they’d learned of the divine smug bastard residing in their dear friend’s head that soured them to the cold of the north, that not even memories of the aftermath and Kvasir’s ill-placed faith in them could soothe. Their own personal feelings notwithstanding, Morrigan had received a summons - one they couldn’t ignore, given the nature of their relationship with the one who’d sent the letter. It admittedly hadn’t been too long since their rendez-vous with the reptilekin shaman in the Ash Ruins while searching for the elusive phoenix. It hadn’t been too long since Morrigan put a hold on their usual line of work while they worked through their muddled brain. When they killed that mirage of themselves, Morrigan had thought it would make the path ahead more clear. But unfortunately, knowing who you weren’t didn’t make it any easier to understand who you were. They’d spent their time with their head down, selling their wares where they could - just their regular stock, no snake oil - and aimlessly wandering the desert. Change did not easily happen overnight. But even at a snail’s pace, progress was progress, and perhaps sitting and taking it slow was what Morrigan needed right now. They’d spent so much of their life in motion, running from whatever they didn’t like. Maybe it was time to stop. … Oh, who was Morrigan kidding? Idle hands were the devil’s playground, and this listlessness had been driving them up the wall. That was why they were all too eager to jump at Shitakibo’s offer of help. Ridding the Coldwood of some pests? That was right up Morrigan’s alley. At the very least, it would be putting their skills in alchemy and the blade to something productive. Elated at the prospect of a new venture, they gathered up their pets and followers, setting off through Dragon’s Cradle to the north. And it was here, at the coast, that they waited for any sign of the manta Shitakibo described. On the surface, they didn’t look any different than the last time the two had seen one another. They wore a fur-covered long overcoat that looked a bright affront to anyone’s eyes, standing out amongst the white, snow-capped coast, but the casual grin that played on their face while they shuffled cards in their hands seemed perhaps a bit warmer. Gentler. A bright bird with feathers made of cascading rainbow flame perched on their shoulder, and a small, scampy creature scuttled around at their feet while Morrigan watched the horizon. The phoenix, who had been granted the rather inelegant and ridiculous name Nugget - but could not argue as she had promised Morrigan full reign at picking her new moniker - scanned the skies, with infinite patience that Morrigan clearly did not possess, if the way they fidgeted listlessly was any indication. “When was she supposed to get here again?” Morrigan turned to Nugget. The phoenix merely fixed them a look that said, stop asking me and be patient.“Fine, fine!” They resisted the urge to roll their eyes, and instead shoved their hands in their pockets while petulantly kicking a bit of snow at their feet. Luna Rose latched onto their leg and started biting at their pants, clearly bored with the lack of activity. Morrigan sighed and bent down to cradle the bright pink moth in their arms. “Perhaps she has been waylaid, like the last time.”They hoped that wasn’t the case. The last time Shitakibo had been held up during travel was because she’d lost one of her animal companions. As Morrigan was lost in thought, though, they spotted something in the distance. A blot in the sky that didn’t seem quite like a cloud, but too big to be a bird. Was this what Shitakibo had meant by watch the skies? Curious, they raised one of their arms and waved at the approaching figure, hoping that it contained the very shaman they were waiting for.
Bringing Minions Ceres Celestia, Witch in Training (Earth Domain Apprentice) Bringing Pets Luna Rose (Mephit, disguised as a Rose Maple Moth - Beastmaster I, doesn’t count against pet cap) Nugget (Phoenix - Beastmaster III, counts against pet cap) Adult Form Bubbles (Adult Drake, counts against pet cap) Clawdius (Gargoyle rook, doesn’t count against pet cap) Quest Name: Little Frost Bite Participants: Two or more Location: Frostgale Post Requirements: 6 post per person, 200 words per post Reward: +1 Renown, +1 Ice Catalyst, +1 Wind Catalyst Description: A group of cold weathered Mephit's have been terrorizing local villages up north, causing blizzards and snow storms to batter the area more than normal. Ice and wind Mephits are flooding the region and causing all kinds of mayhem. These are tricky, devious creatures that love to cause trouble and mess with people. While they are not super dangerous alone, they can be a handful when in large packs, and we are in desperate need of a solution before they populate beyond our control.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 1, 2023 20:17:59 GMT -5
Soaring along the coast, Yukina looped back from her scouting to meet up with Taki and the others. "Ahead, a small group with someone dressed in bright colors waiting on the beach." Said the snowy owl, who moved to fly just above the group. Taki nodded, then directed Hanehiko down closer to the shoreline until she spotted the group herself. Swooping down from the clouds, Hanehiko's wide fins carried the group gently down to the shoreline and the waiting group.
Hovering just above the sandy, wintery beach, Taki and her companions unloaded, and unstrapped Hanehiko from her tackle. The shaman gave the Celestial Manta a pat on her forefin, and a treat from her bag. As she and the others walked toward the waiting Morrigan and company, Hanehiko banked high with great sweeps of her fins before plunging into the frigid seas to gobble great mouthfuls and rest for the return journey.
Taki's clothing morphed into a winter outfit as they strode down the frosty coastline. Shuna and Kamina played about in the snow, the pixie attempting to ride the cat's back in the same fashion as her surrogate mother. A few times, a quick twist or sudden dip in the snow tossed the young fae from her 'mount' and into the soft white pile. Chuckling, the shaman scooped her up and helped brush her off only for Kamina to go right back to trying. She could only smile and be glad they were all getting along, even Yukina was enjoying the spectacle, gliding on a current of air that rushed up from the sea just ahead of them.
Walking over to Ceres as they approached the group, Taki surprised the young mage while she seemed lost in thought and hugged her, smiling and laughing heartily despite the bitter chill. "It's good to see you all made it safely, and hello again. Have you all been well? Who are your other companions?" Said the shaman, excited to meet other beings that chose to live alongside an adventurer. Yukina, Shuna and Kamina all gathered around, just as curious but each in their own ways.
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Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jul 2, 2023 12:17:46 GMT -5
Ceres Celestia was nervous to say the least.
She’d never been this far north before - before her apprenticeship under Master Moonweaver, she’d not even left Sol City. But since traveling with the fellblood, Ceres had learned and seen all manner of new things. The good, the bad… the ugly. Master Moonweaver’s last meeting with Miss Taki had been an intense one to say the least. Magic golems, ancient creatures from the depths of the earth, spirits of infinite power and wisdom. And ever since then, Master Moonweaver had been quiet, more withdrawn then she’d ever seen them. Whatever they’d encountered in that temple, it hadn’t been pretty.
And then there was what they’d said to her in the aftermath.
“We’re not going to tell the Mage’s Guild about this, understand? This is off the books. Our little secret.”
Ceres had nodded in confirmation, but she hadn’t understood why Master Moonweaver felt the need to keep their discovery secret from the high mages. Perhaps if she’d been a bit more cautious or intuitive she would’ve understood that Morrigan was just trying to keep Nugget safe from discovery so that the wizards of the guild didn’t try to make use of her the way they’d been planning on.
But Ceres was excited to see her friend again. She and Miss Taki had a connection through the earth, and though Master Moonweaver tried their best to teach her, it was easier with Taki, who could give her the practical experience her master couldn’t. She fidgeted listlessly with her staff all the way until Taki caught her by surprise, wrapping her in a warm hug. Ceres let out a little squeal in shock before erupting into giggles, returning the hug.
“Miss Taki! I’ve missed you!”
Morrigan huffed and swatted at their apprentice playfully with their tail. “No love for your Teacher, eh? I don’t see you get this excited when I’m around.”
Ceres puffed out her cheeks, sticking her tongue out at Morrigan. “That’s because I see you all the time! And at some point… the glitter routine gets old…”
Morrigan gasped, pressing a hand to their chest. “You wound me! This is betrayal of the highest caliber!”
Ceres ignored their theatrics and turned back to Shitakibo, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She bounced on her heels, running back to Morrigan’s side. “We’ve been good! Though not much has happened in the past few weeks. Master Moonweaver’s mostly been moping.”
“I haven’t been moping!” Morrigan protested, crossing their arms. They turned pointedly to the crystal ball that was hovering around their shoulders, making it a point to stare into its colorful depths, as if addressing it directly.[1] “I’ve been focusing on myself and my career goals. But we’ve been doing a lot of traveling in the interim. How have you been? I trust you’ve been taking care of yourself?”
They blinked at the mention of their menagerie of pets. They weren’t expecting Shitakibo to address them so directly, but given that the shaman’s own companions were more like friends to her, they supposed it made sense.
“Well, you already know Nugget!” They said brightly, gesturing towards the Phoenix on their shoulder. Nugget dipped her head respectfully in greeting, still looking rather put out at her new adorable name. They held up the squirming, pink moth creature in their arms next. “And this scamp is Luna Rose! She’s a rosy maple moth.”
Though Shitakibo, in tune with animals as she was, would likely notice that something was decidedly off with this moth. Namely, it wasn’t really a moth at all, but a trickster elemental in disguise. Morrigan seemed utterly oblivious to this fact, though.
“And the dragon is named Bubbles!”
Bubbles let out a little proud puff of hot air at the mention of his name. Morrigan leaned over and pet his snout, earning an affectionate nuzzle from the red-scaled Drake.
“I wasn’t quite sure what pests we’d be facing, but given the frozen nature of most of the beasts here, I figured a little firepower wouldn’t hurt!”
They set Luna Rose on the ground and put their hands on their hips with a satisfied nod, as if proud of themselves for reaching this conclusion. It felt… oddly freeing just being able to present themselves to someone in earnest, rather than come up with excuses as for why they weren’t able to cast magic that day. It was different and scary, but Shitakibo didn’t seem to think any less of them for what she’d learned so far. Time would tell.
Meanwhile, Luna Rose had ambled up to Shitakibo’s legs, curiously pawing at this new stranger.
“Careful.” Morrigan warned. “She bites.” 1. Crystal Ball
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 2, 2023 14:37:22 GMT -5
"Bubbles, Luna, it's nice to meet you both." She chuckled at the drake's proud display, then looked down as Luna came over to her leg. "Now Morrigan, surely you understand I only bite things that try to bite me first." Leaning down, she picked up the tiny creature carefully and was surprised by it's weight. She gave the creature an intense stare for a moment, her eyes taking on a gentle misty glow. She tilted her head to one side, then the other before holding them close. "Oh, I see you're teaching your pets some of your more... curious tendencies. Well go on then, your glamor is cute as could be, but your spirit cannot lie to a shaman..." Her companions all looked to the creature as Taki spoke, wondering what it really was she held in her hands.
While awaiting, she pondered what Ceres and Morrigan had said. Moping... perhaps the mountain had impacted the fellblood far more than Taki realized, but there would be plenty of time to pluck those strings later. Perhaps Nugget would be able to sneak away and give the shaman further insights. Looking about their surroundings, she gave a soft whistle that signaled Yukina to check the area. The Snowy Owl spread her wings, crouched and launched into the sky. Spiraling into the cloudy sky, she started searching the area while the group carried on their conversation.
"According to the messenger from a nearby village, there are a group of Ice Mephits causing most of this unusual weather, along with all manner of other mayhem... so we're supposed to be performing some pest control if you will. I personally am not terribly familiar with such creatures, but they don't sound very reasonable from the studies I've researched in the past. If you think we should try to convince them to leave, please say so... otherwise I'm planning to go in with force." The shaman addressed Morrigan, partly to get their input on the situation, partly to see how they would react to Taki discussing hunting creatures instead of taming or reasoning with them.
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Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jul 2, 2023 22:17:59 GMT -5
Luna Rose tilted her head as Shitakibo pierced through the veil, her training with spirits and the ethereal making it easy for her to tell what the moth really was. But if the trickster spirit seemed upset at being discovered, she made no indication of it. And Morrigan, who was watching the pair with unconcealed confusion, clearly had no idea what she was, either. The truth was that Morrigan had met the creature under disguise, and Luna Rose had taken to them sending a kindred spirit.
She shouldn’t bite someone who was clearly intelligent and serious. But maybe just a nibble. That was how Luna Rose showed affection after all, and the purple one seemed to like the scaly one. As the scaly one held her, Luna Rose reached down and gave a half-hearted chomp to her wrist as a sign of acceptance.
Morrigan watched as Shitakibo sent her own companion - the owl, Yukina - up to the air. They nodded along while Shitakibo described her conundrum. Luna Rose wriggled out of Shitakibo’s grasp, hopping back into the snow and scrambling up Morrigan’s pant leg and into their arms. They half-heartedly pet her wings while their tail flicked behind them thoughtfully.
“Mephits? I’m not quite as knowledgeable with creatures, even in my breadth of information regarding the alchemical and the arcane. But I’m fairly certain they cannot be tamed.” They said with complete confidence, all while hiding a tamed Mephit in their arms.
They offered her a grin, as if letting the shaman in on a shared joke. “Though if you want my advice you can’t reason with tricksters. If you want them to leave you just have to convince them that there’s something even more shiny and entertaining to turn their attention to so they forget what they were currently doing.” Ginma knew they’d certainly lost interest in scams in the past for something newer and more exciting to chase. More coin, better risks.
If they could turn the attention of the Mephits to something new to torment…
It was a long shot. These creatures were doubtlessly comfortable where they were terrorizing village folk, and in a place as quiet and sleepy as the Coldwoods they doubted that there was anything interesting enough to catch the attention of malicious pranksters.
“Force might be the best way to deal with them. I’ve got a new explosive I’ve been toying with that might be of service!” Their eyes brightened at the prospect of getting to use the glitter bomb. A deadly explosion of shrapnel and sparkles was hardly a fireball, but with the pressurized mechanism and unstable chemicals crammed inside it held all the power of one.
Oh, yes. If those Mephits wanted to play, Morrigan would play. And they’d bring all of their diabolical snake oil concoctions and wicked poisons to take care of the job. For once, they’d be the one scamming the scammers!
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 3, 2023 0:23:27 GMT -5
"For this one personally, I've got little experience trying to trick creatures into leaving... plus that just pushes the problem on others, which I'm not keen to do." Taki said, her voice shaky from the frigid weather. She made a gesture with her hands, whispering in druidic. Over each of her shoulders, a mote of flame appeared and slowly started circling the shaman. She needed the practice with this new spell anyway, and what better targets than elusive ones to practice with them. She knew she'd have to wait a few moments before trying to summon more of the Flame Sprites, but the eager primal grin on her face relayed her satisfaction.
Yukina banked, climbing higher as she searched the forest. Something about the way the snow was falling disturbed the owl, so she tucked her wings and dove low towards the source. As she neared, she noticed several light blue creatures shoving and jostling each other. Before she got too close, she unfurled her wings and flew over the group hiding in the flurry. Banking away as she got out of sight, she rushed back to the group.
Swooping down from above, she nearly crashed into Taki. Skidding to a stop in a spray of snow, the owl's chest pumped heavily as she caught her breath. The shaman waited patiently, though Kamina came bolting over concerned.
"Easy girl, what'd you see?" Taki said, trying to soothe her companion.
"A group, probably the Mephits... trying to kick up another serious snowstorm. I'll guide the way as far as I can, but they're in a clearing." She said, huffing between breaths. Nodding, she fed the owl with a treat and gave her a small dish of clean, cool water.
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Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jul 4, 2023 10:32:35 GMT -5
“Force it is, then!” Morrigan was more accustomed to settling situations with a silver tongue and a trick or two - and they secretly delighted at the idea of a challenge against the paragon of trickster spirits. But Shitakibo probably wouldn’t approve, especially given that she’d pointed out that moving the Mephit situation somewhere else would only put those people in jeopardy rather than solving the problem.
Ugh. Morals. Was this how people felt all the time when trying to solve problems? It was utterly exhausting! Was it simply not enough to foist the problem onto other people and let those people try to deal with it instead?
They didn’t have the chance to complain any more, as Yukina returned from her scouting once more, seemingly panicked over something. Morrigan didn’t understand the words that were exchanged, but when Shitakibo repeated what her animal companion had seen, a reckless plan had already sprung to Morrigan’s mind. The spirits wanted a storm? Morrigan could give them a storm.
“I’ve got just the remedy for this!” They reached into their bag, searching for a familiar pouch containing a handful of enchanted prank chocolates left over from their Hearth’s Day sale. The alchemical brews in the chocolate packed a punch, but maybe a punch was what they needed right now. Mephits wee malicious creatures, and perhaps the best way to deal with spite was spite with equal ferocity.
An impish grin on their face, they turned to Shitakibo. “Race you there!” They challenged, a facsimile of the competition Shitakibo had started back on the mountain. They didn’t give her a time to process what had been said before they sprinted in the direction Yukina had come from, closer to the mass of writhing spirits and snow being whipped up to a storm.
They plucked one of their chocolates from the bag.
Morrigan might not have had magic, but they made up for their shortcomings in other ways. You had to make a hell of an impression if you wanted to stand out in a world where people could summon lightning at their fingertips and cause earthquakes with a thought - and that’s exactly what they set out to do with their alchemy. It helped that Morrigan had the audacity to do utterly ridiculous things, like summon a tornado in the middle of a blizzard to break up the swarm of Mephits.[1]
Yes, this was going to be fun.
From the grin that played on their face it was impossible to determine, for a moment, who the real trickster spirit was. 1. Storm Chocolate - Call Tornado
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 4, 2023 12:06:10 GMT -5
Her companions were only a few paces behind as a wide, fang filled grin spread across her face. She launched herself after Morrigan, taking great strides across the snow. She chuckled to herself, remembering pulling the same trick to motivate them not so long ago. With a flourish from each hand, she cast her newest spell simultaneously in each cardinal direction. Four floating Flame Sprites appeared in a rough ring around the shaman and began to orbit her just out of reach. She knew they were charging headlong into a fight, so she drew her shuriken after the spell was complete. Kamina and Yukina were having little trouble keeping up, but poor Shuna would occasionally get bogged down in the deeper snows.
"You can wait with Ceres, Shuna. Keep an eye on things with Hanehiko til we get back." Said the shaman to her struggling companion. As the fuzzy Jungle Cat turned around to rejoin Morrigan's companions, Taki doubled her effort and started gaining ground on the fellblood. With a nod from Taki, Yukina rolled and scooped Kamina onto her back before soaring off again towards the gathering of Mephits. With a smirk and her breath making little fluffs of steam as she sprinted, she had nearly caught up to Morrigan. Thankfully, her Geomagnetic Sense kept her away from deeper snows and hazards, letting her gain most of the ground Morrigan had already cleared with their head start.
The pair hit the outer edge of the brewing flurry ahead, and she did her best to keep pace but had to pick her way through with her summoned spirits in mind. The Flame Sprites were useful, even powerful, but also fragile. Ducking a branch, she smiled to herself and hopped off the ground and into a nearby tree. The leaves had cleared away from it's thick, twisted branches from repeated exposure to the frigid cold so early in the year, which drew a hiss from the shaman. It did have the secondary effect of giving her clear lines of sight as she slipped, slithered and hopped through branches with far greater speed than she had on the ground. Catching up to Morrigan, she called down from the branches as her path carried her directly above. "Oh?! Is this the famed Wizard of the Wastes, claiming to be able to beat an Orochi in a footrace through the woods? My my, whatever to do..." Her voice was coy and full of taunting sarcasm as she purposely landed hard on a long branch covered on it's outer edges with snow. It shook free and cascaded down on the fellblood in frosty lumps of glittery white as the shaman started pulling ahead.
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Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jul 6, 2023 14:37:21 GMT -5
“Ah-ha! I have emerged victorious, and taken care of the problem of the pesky Mephits!” Morrigan cheered, raising their hands in the air in triumph. “No one can say I’m losing my touch BLARGHMPHMLEBFJS.”
Their exclamations were interrupted by a mouthful of snow that fell from an overhead tree, all over their face and straight into their open mouth. Or, correction - the snow fell all over their face and into their open mouth, but Nugget, who was on their shoulder, was spared the sportsmanlike carnage from Taki’s provocation as the snow melted before it could even touch her. But Morrigan was left utterly drenched and pelted, and lagging behind as the shaman pulled herself closer to the brewing maelstrom and Morrigan’s tornado.
They huffed, spitting snow to the ground.
“Oh, so that’s how we’re playing it, are we?”
It was not untrue that Morrigan lacked the physicality to match the orochi in speed or power. She’d summoned fire to her very fingertips, and her athletic build made it easy for her to pull ahead. But Morrigan wasn’t down for the count just yet. They were driven by a desire to be the one to win this time, to be the one to show her up on their own merit. That was a challenge, and they relished the idea of being the one to win. After all, Morrigan had never specified that this had to be a race carried out on foot.
“Hold on, Nugget!” Morrigan cried, pulling a small object out of their bag and setting it on the ground. With a flick of their hand and a spark of flint, the fuse of the projectile was lit, counting down the seconds to its explosion.
Ten… nine… eight…
Not wasting any time, Morrigan pulled an enchantment-reinforced umbrella and popped it open. They swiveled, propping the top of the umbrella and bracing it between themselves and the projectile.[1]
Five… four… three…
“Fire in the hole!”
Two… one… and Morrigan flipped, bracing their feet against the side of the shield, weightless only for one second as there was a soft click and a BOOM, and the entire world shifted around them.[2]
The pressure generated from the shrapnel of the explosion sent Morrigan soaring through the air in a diagonal direction, braced against the umbrella while they gripped the handle for dear life. They rocketed past Shitakibo with the speed of a crossbow bolt hurtling through the air, zooming past her with no signs of stopping.
The good news - it was probably safe to say that this gambit had won them the race.
The bad news - they were now hurtling right towards the Mephit-blizzard-tornado combination, and they had absolutely no way to slow this umbrella down. They let out a screech, bracing themselves as they flew ever-closer to the storm. 1. Umbrella Combo 2. Goblin Slag Bomb
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 6, 2023 16:41:34 GMT -5
Having pulled ahead, she was quite elated as she went bounding between the branches of the trees. Then she heard an explosion from behind, looked back, and saw Morrigan come rocketing by... what in the realms were they thinking? Taki kept running but had little hope of matching such speed. As the fellblood soared past, Taki realized they had zero control over their path. Careening towards the chaotic maelstrom that the mephits were whipping into a frenzy, the shaman had only a few moments to make a move before their friend was swept up in the mess.
She summoned Ryu to her side, the serpentine spirit appearing like a mirage in the blinding snows. She dropped from the trees, landing knee deep in the snow to press her feet to the ground. She had one chance to catch Morrigan safely, otherwise this was going to turn into a rescue and not an assault. Two options came to mind, but one was less than gentle... She let out a deep breath, flung her hands forward and conjured an earthen golem in their path. This one made of soft dirt and grasses, in the shape of a plump, stuffed bear came rising up from the ground covered in soft snow.
With outstretched limbs, the golem-bear caught the fellblood on it's rotund belly, sliding across the snow a few feet as Morrigan sank into it's cushioned composition. She let out a sigh of relief and caught up to the screeching purple charlatan.
"Well, I'll concede this win to you, but perhaps next time consider what you're about to do for the sake of a silly contest. Well played, Morrigan..." She let her voice trail off, even though she was chuckling to herself. As she was helping extricate her friend from the golem, one of her sprites opened fire on something at the edge of the howling storm. She thought she could hear a shout but it was hard to tell in the gale. Another sprite fired and this time a wild and raging Mephit came screaming from the snows with a pair of burnt holes punched through it's torso. A third sprite launched a firebolt that struck true, and it fell to the snow with a soft gurgling.
"No time to shake it off this time, here they come." Taki said standing and preparing for a fight.
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Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jul 11, 2023 13:03:11 GMT -5
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHH- OOMPH.” The sound of Morrigan’s screams gradually grew louder as they soared through the air, their panicked shouts resonating with the roar of the wind as it very quickly dawned on them that they had no way to bring their flight to a halt. No way of stopping them from flying straight into the mess of enraged trickster spirits that were being swept away in the tornado of their own design. With one hand, they blindly groped through their bag for a potion that might help them in their endeavor, but they didn’t have the time to look through their stock. Fearful, they squeezed their eyes shut and braced for impact -
Only to hit something more solid and softer than they expected.
They fell to the ground with the summoned golem that Shitakibo had brought forth to their aid, hitting the snow. Morrigan shook the snow off, bracing themselves against the howling winds that threatened to sweep them off their feet. The charlatan stomped one of their winter boots into the snow, roots bursting through the ground and wrapping around their ankles and legs. The wind threatened to knock the tiny fellblood off their feet, but the enchantment held strong.
They shook their head with a triumphant laugh, seemingly unconcerned for the danger in front of them that they’d nearly thrown themselves into. “There’s no risk I’m not willing to take for the sake of some good fun!” They retorted, though they doubted that Shitakibo heard them through the storm.
Above them, the mephits churned. Snow and chunks of hail rained down on them - Morrigan lifted the umbrella, protecting themselves from the onslaught of frozen debris chunks. Some that made it past the shield cut at their arms and legs and tail like little blades, the force of the air turning the innocuous weather into a deadly force.
One of the Mephits leapt for Morrigan -
SHINK! The sound of a blade protruding from their wrist gauntlet rang through the air as they pierced the elemental straight through the gut with the scorpion’s stinger.[1] They flung their arm to the side, throwing the Mephit corpse off the blood-stained blade to the ground by their side. A second one of the malicious spirits tried to catch them by surprise, until Morrigan’s tail whipped around, slashing the creature’s neck with the tail attached to the very tip.[2] A third - Morrigan reacted with their other hand, detaching the curved handle from the base of the umbrella and jabbing it downwards, pinning the creature to the ground with the blade. Though Morrigan lacked any spells of their own, they more than made up for it with a sheer recklessness with the blade, and the cunning of a scorpion.
But even they were getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of creatures - physical strength alone wasn’t enough to combat the mephits. Morrigan needed firepower.
They needed a gamble.
With their tail protecting themselves, Morrigan tucked the blades in their hands away, reaching for their bag of wonders. With any luck they’d get something useful this time.[3] As they’d made readily apparent, Morrigan was more than willing to take risks to win. 1. Desert Stinger 2. Knife with Pale Ice enchantment attached to prehensile tail 3. Yasaka’s summer beach bag 4A5bT79d
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 11, 2023 22:26:20 GMT -5
Each of the Flame Sprites fired off a bolt of flame that struck true, empowered by the Guardian's aura they were faster and more powerful than a typical firebolt. The golem turned and grabbed another as it flew by trying to get at Morrigan, slamming it's bulk down on the creature's wings with a resounding thud and the wet snap of bone as it sank into the deep snow broken. With another gesture, a second pair of Flame Sprites appeared and took shots at the first two targets, finishing them off. Screeches and shouts from the rest of the group of Mephits preceeded their reckless charge.
They began to fling shards of ice at the golem, impaling it from several directions at once. It collapsed under the assault, burying the corpse of the crushed Mephit beneath. Ryu moved forward, putting themselves between Taki, Morrigan and the Mephits, who hit the edge of the aura like a wall of water. Too slow now to keep flight, and too weak to try to backpedal on failing wings, they hit the snow and stared in confusion at the spirit. The snowstorm above them had begun to diminish without the concerted effort and concentration from the group, and slowly the battlefield cleared of the hazy white blanket that had partially concealed the creatures. There were still 10 Mephits to deal with, but seeing their front line halted without cause had them keeping some distance to plan their next move.
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Post by Morrigan Moonweaver on Jul 13, 2023 20:55:55 GMT -5
Shitakibo summoned flame spirit after flame spirit, her concerted effort and her spirit’s protection finally - finally - slowing the blizzard. Morrigan clutched the bottle of sand in their hands they’d grabbed from the bag of wonders. They were steadily decreasing the numbers of the mephits, breaking down the swarm. But they needed more firepower. They needed to take care of the survivors that had returned to the ground without the wind to keep them airborne.
Morrigan popped the cork on the bottle, tipping the sand over into the snow. The earth swirled around in the air, coalescing into a castle-shaped construct that creaked and groaned, towering over the remaining spirits. Morrigan put their hands on their hips, as confident as if they’d already won this battle. “Come on, sand golem, let’s rock their world!”
And the sand castle golem let out a groan, and tremors began to wrack the ground.
The mephits let out a chorus of high-pitched squeals as they were thrown every which way, disoriented by the unstable ground. One of them broke from the pack and lunged at Morrigan - the charlatan let out a shriek, raising their hands above their head to protect their face, but the ring on their finger reacted on instinct, ready to protect the wearer. A bolt of pure magical light emanated from the emerald-green gemstone, nailing the Mephit right in the chest.[1] Another one of the spirits latched onto Morrigan’s back, but the fellblood stabbed it in the back with their tail before it could maul them.
Below, Luna Rose had caught up with the group, only to stop when she saw the other spirits that were wreaking havoc in the ice fields. The not-moth tilted her head, surprised to see her cousins having such fun. Fun that was hurting the big sparkly purple human. She liked the big sparkly one. They were fun to nibble on and they were always pulling pranks. And her cousins were harming them.
Luna Rose couldn’t let that happen.
While Morrigan and Shitakibo were in the thick of battle, Luna Rose pounced not unlike a cat on one of the injured, straggling mephits that had broken from the pack. She tore into it with a delighted grin and her little claws, proud that she’d done her part and protected the big shiny friend. 1. Kvasir’s Eternity Ring - Purity Bolt
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 13, 2023 21:59:40 GMT -5
Taki rolled through the thick snow as a trio of icy projectiles went sailing past. Each shot needed to count from here on, so she switched to her shuriken. Pulling out a patterned steel spike with each hand, she gave a mental command for her sprites to follow up on each of her targets. Morrigan and company had taken 2 more, though the fellblood was soon to be caught by one of still bold spirits. Pressing her feet into the soft ground, each wrist came snapping forward with incredible speed. She landed the first shot on the Mephit trying to assault Morrigan, which was soon lanced down by the first of the Flame Sprite shots. With a twist of her hips, the next three each slammed into the Mephits that had shot at her just moments ago, and was followed up with a volley of firebolts a split second later.
Four more down, four more left. Two were fleeing the battlefield while their comrades stood ground. Taki understood they couldn't let the pair get away so she charged the eager and enraged creatures. As they each launched in her direction, she ducked beneath one and pivoted on her left hands before springing up and over the lower strike of the second. She tucked her legs with the momentum and carried through into a rough somersault with a smirk. The Mephits careened into each other, one slamming head first into the other's side. Taking a steadying breath, she felt the four could steel spikes come sailing back to her hands and prepared herself for the next volley.
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