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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jul 16, 2023 10:49:12 GMT -5
Poe was a small woman, compared to the other Black Quills - but it was clear she was the brains among the three. She was also the one that arrived afterwards, with a letter from the Mage's Guild. It was pointless to ask where she was before or what she was doing, since the Black Quills were often all about Charon on Kamille's orders.
It's been a while since she received word from the guild, and not surprisingly when she did, it was because there was trouble: this time, close to home. Ever since she stepped into Moonglade, supposedly the land of her mother, she took it upon her hands to protect it, and has been taking the role very seriously.
What surprised her - even if it shouldn't - was that Zak was coming with her this time, when he took notice of the guild's letter. There was so much to talk, so much to discuss... She could feel a different gravitas to his gaze, something different and cloudy going on behind their sparkly luster. There would be time to discuss that eventually, but.......
Now was the time to act. Zak would be introduced to yet another one of Kamille's mismatched entourage, Kalaf. The black drake surely was an imposing presence, with its flaming ruby eyes and black mirrors for scales, but... The weight behind his eyes shone through, the age of the giant beast giving a hint to his patient and careful demeanor most of the times. Rider and beast seemed to understand each other in more ways than the average trainer and animal could, and when she spoke to the drake about taking them back home it was with a respectful stance of one speaking to their equal. Kalaf agreed to take them both to the Shadewood forest, and on drake back, off they went.
Besides the rough take off and landing, the flight was as pleasant as it was boring. The old drake was experienced enough to take the right wind currents and make the travel as swift and safe as he could. Mischief safely tucked away inside her own feathery cloak, he was the only one truly miserable during the experience. Kamille often found that the flight experience was not one for her, spending so much time paying attention to the earth as she did, but Kalaf showed her it was possible to be of the earth and of the skies at the same time.
Landing on the border of the forest, Kalaf crouched slightly to let them dismount.
"Are you sure you are okay on your own, little one?"
"Don't worry, Kalaf. I'm not alone."
The drake eyed Zak for a moment, black smoke escaping his nostrils. Taking a small sniff of the man, Kalaf wasn't held back by most human conventions of politeness, and just puffed a bit of black smoke in Zak's face.
"I'll wait for you here."
Kamille smiled at Zak, finally releasing a very inconvenienced Mischief from her cloak.
"The letter said there were sightings of these... things... at the Shadewood forest, but didn't mention anything else. We'll have to test our luck and wander around a bit, I guess. Mischief, I heard there were some shinnies in these forest, why don't you go fetch them?"
"CAWWWW! Shinnies! CAWWW!"
The raven happily flew ahead, scouting for them without even taking notice of it. Mischief was proficient in bringing her trouble, so she was certain he would find what they were looking for soon.
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Post by Zak on Jul 16, 2023 11:19:13 GMT -5
Dismounting the large drake, Zak looked around. The darkness within the Shadewood Forest felt much different than the Kingswood he had grown up beside. More menacing. Some would say that Kalaf was menacing and Zak was pretty sure that the drake was not too fond of him. But Zak was fascinated. Soaring over the landscape on the large drake's back had been exhilarating. Glancing at Kamille, Zak got the distinct feeling the two of them were speaking with each other. It must have been something Kamille said, because suddenly the drake stared right at Zak, moved closer, and took a deep sniff. Zak chuckled, hoping his scent passed muster. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, a puff of black smoke hit his face. Kalaf had spoken his mind. Zak could understand the drake’s attitude. Who was this human with his lady? Zak smiled at the drake, shrugging as if to say, ‘you’re stuck with me’. At least Mischief approved of him, knowing instinctively that Zak would never harm his master. Zak's smile disappeared as he watched Mischief fly ahead into the dense forest. Take care my feathered friend, Zak thought. We're in unknown territory.“So what kind of ‘things’ are we looking for?” Zak asked as they entered the depths of the forest. Walking along the path, it felt as if night had fallen. Sunlight barely made its way onto the path. The sounds of birds no longer could be heard. An eerie silence greeted them only interrupted by their own footfalls. Where was Mischief?
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jul 16, 2023 11:45:49 GMT -5
A songless wood, a bit different than what she was used to. Moonveil forest looked so different in contrast, even if it was a twin of Shadewood. With a few rays of sun peeking through the thick foliage of the tall trees, mostly it felt as if the night fell upon them. She took one last look on the letter from the Guild.
"Uhhh... I know I shouldn't be surprised, but... They said there's some disappearances around here, and some weird animals being turned into... I mean, is this right? Random objects? Why would someone waste so much energy to do that?"
Without even noticing, her voice had gone to a soft whisper as they wandered in, as if thinking someone could be watching. Shadewood always gave her that feeling, the hairs of her scruff standing up. Truth be said, it was known for being a den of bandits....... and spiders. And she didn't have the friendliest relationship to those.
"By the way... Thank you for coming along... I try to keep this place safe, but there is only so much I can do. I'm not alone - the druids are a huge help, but they have their own problems to deal with."
An eerie suffocating feeling seemed to fit the woods, but she could never shake off the feeling they were being watched. As for herself, she wasn't trying to be stealthy - she couldn't, even if her life depended on it - sticks breaking under her feet, and at some level she hoped that would attract the attention of whatever was roaming that place. She curiously glanced over to Zak, allowing herself to forget the quest for a moment.
"So...... What you've been up to, Zak? It's been quite a while since I last saw you... I mean... I hope everything is good."
While it could be argued that arrogance was expected of such a mage like Kamille, she could make it a point that it was actually carelessness - for while she could feel small tapings to the ground in a good distance from where they were, she didn't take notice to those. Too gentle to be a menace, right?
Right?
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Post by Zak on Jul 16, 2023 12:06:02 GMT -5
Random objects? Zak wasn’t surprised by much in this life, especially recently. Chaos was running rampant in Charon. One must expect the unexpected. But this was quite strange. What was going on? Dark magick? Zak's musings were interrupted when Kamille turned to him.
...everything is good? Zak repeated to himself with a wry chuckle knowing that this was not the time or place for that conversation. He was still deciding how to reply when suddenly loud growls could be heard, seeming to come from all around them. Zak spun around, searching for where the sound came from. Among the trees, he could vaguely make out movement several meters away.
“Something’s coming,” Zak grunted out the obvious, needing to make sure Kamille heard as well. With no time for further discussion, Zak readied himself at Kamille's back, and prepared for an attack. The growls continued, oddly quieter now, accompanied by large shadows that took form as the creatures moved closer. What came out of the darkness didn’t feel right. It was just wrong; misshapen and grotesque. Vaguely in the shape of a wolf, the creature had no fur. Instead it appeared to be made of a patchwork of gingham-like material. The beast's muscles rippled under the cloth making the pattern of the fabric waver and transform with every movement. Before Zak could make sense of what he was seeing, a second creature appeared. This one was...? ...shiny? Made of metal of some kind?
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jul 21, 2023 16:13:56 GMT -5
....beg your pardon?
Whatever it was that she expected from that weird quest, nothing could have prepared her for that sight. Sure, she'd seen talking objects before, sentient doors and stuff, but... that was new.
One of the wolves seemed to be made entirely of ceramic, or something like that. The other was a grotesque figure patched together of what looked like a gingham tablecloth, and... After the surprise of their sight wore off, she couldn’t help but think they were kinda interesting...
But the growls kept her mind from wandering, shooting a shiver up her spine and keeping her alert. Zak's presence at her back made her think of a tactic she liked to use.
"On the count of three, blink away."
As she spoke it, he could realize that what she was weaving was not her characteristic flaming, destructive spells, but something rather unusual... As she extended her palms by her side, it looked like the ground around them started to soak in a sickly green, sticky substance. A gelatinous goo that was certainly to be a trap for the wolves that circled them, clearly wanting to flank them as much as possible.
"....one........ two...."
Kamille patiently waited, until they could see their slow approach stop for a second. Their eyes focused on their prey, both mages waited, the air around them brimming with tension, and then....
Beneath the fabric, the wolf's muscle rippled.
"THREE!"
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Post by Zak on Jul 24, 2023 9:38:47 GMT -5
Green goo bubbled up from the ground, drenching the dirt around them. Kamille and Zak stood back to back waiting, tension building; the bait for this trap. Studying the creatures while they slowly approached, Zak found himself fascinated yet also deeply disturbed. He had always had an affinity with animals and these certainly were not animals. No souls shone from behind those eyes. Someone or something had created these abominations, and it needed to be stopped.
Beads of sweat peppered Zak’s forehead, not from the heat but from keeping his mana in check. Patience was never one of his strong suits. Waiting for the beasts to charge felt like an eternity.
Kamille had timed it perfectly. Zak snapped his fingers and blinked, disappearing a mere moment before the muzzle of the fabric covered wolf reached him.
Kamille and Zak reappeared 30 feet away from their previous position. The scene before them might have been comical if it had not been so dangerous. Two misshapen wolf-like creatures charged the mages, expecting victory, and instead found themselves without any prey and stuck in the muck. Strange sounds came from the beasts, a toneless unnatural guttural whine. The more they struggled, the further they sunk into the goo.
“Well, your plan worked,” Zak said as he glanced around. The two beasts might be trapped for the moment, but Kamille and Zak couldn’t afford to let their guard down now. Normal wolves traveled in packs. These might too. “What we gonna do with ‘em? More could be close by.”
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Aug 26, 2023 6:42:33 GMT -5
Their image shimmered and reapeared some feet away, leaving the strange creatures to dive into the sticky goo that Kamille had set up for a trap. It worked well, and the confusion of the creatures soon turned to anger as they tried to get out of the goo, growling and barking at them. But the more they moved to try and get away, the more they got entangled and their movements were restricted.
Good, it worked.
Kamille thought about the options.
"How about we leave them here for now? They can divert attention towards them, with the noise they make. And if we finish them, I wonder if their Master can know it. If we leave them here, we have time to arrive unsuspected at the place they come from..."
Assuming it was close by, that is. They entered the forest without a solid plan, but so far they were handling it just fine. She also wondered that if the creator of those things was to be suddenly put to rest, if their creations would instantly also loose the mana that held them together?
"CAAAWWW! House!"
The Witch looked up, as Mischief flew by and perched on the lower branch of a tree. Mischief didn't have the reputation of being the brightest, but when it served him, he certainly wasn't stupid. He looked at both mages and then turned to fly off into the woods, possibly hoping to be followed.
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Post by Zak on Sept 13, 2023 21:03:52 GMT -5
Shadewood was living up to its reputation, creepy and dangerous. Zak had made a point of not visiting the infamous forest in the past, and imagining the source of the strange struggling creatures in front of them had only confirmed that decision. “Good idea. But which way?” Zak replied to Kamille’s suggestion that they leave the beasts as they were and try to find where they had come from. No sooner had Zak asked the question, a caw could be heard from above. Mischief had returned. “Did he say ‘house’?” Zak asked rhetorically because both he and Kamille had already begun following in the raven’s wake. The two mages tried to walk without making noise, but the silent forest surrounding them made their footsteps audible as they stepped down the leaf-strewn path. Snap - rustling noises from their right suddenly broke the silence. Zak stilled and looked toward the sound, his body alert for trouble. Even though they had just left similar abominations, Zak still found himself dumbfounded by what he saw. Slinking towards them out of the shadows of the deeper woods, a large rectangular form emerged.
Was that a cabinet? Zak thought, incredulous. A wooden cabinet with light emerging from two slits as if the thing had eyes. Fire, Zak thought, his hand rising, instinctively shooting out a ray of bright green flame(1) directly at the creature. The cabinet reared back a few steps, a large section of its wood engulfed in flames. Before Zak could strike again, another movement caught his eye. To the left of the cabinet, a smaller figure came into view. What on Charon was that?
(1) Chromatic Blast
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Sept 30, 2023 5:01:46 GMT -5
Given Mischief's talent for fetching her trouble, Kamille seemed pretty confident that the house the raven found was the one that they needed to see. Either way, she assumed few honest people would chose to set their house deeply into the Shadewoods, right? The place didn't become a known hub of criminals for nothing...
"What the-"
They didn't walk much before a huge wooden cabinet interjected in their way, and she couldn't help but go back to that time that a giant wardrobe kidnapped her in a haunted house.
Maybe she should be reviewing some of her life choices if she was being constantly assaulted by animated furniture... Next she wondered if her own broom would sweep her legs.
She quickly joined in Zak's attack, hurling a giant fireball at the cabinet [1], and the impact caused it to fly back a few paces, black smoke rising and adding to the green flames from Zak's previous attack.
"Did I tell you of the time a cabinet locked me inside of it and ran around a haunted house? It was- WOAH!"
Apparently, Kamille didn't see what Zak perceived with the corner of the eye, and next thing she knew the world was upside down. Something charged against them - it was small, and had four legs, right on the perfect height to sweep the legs under them both. Looked like the kind of bench that should belong before a lady's vanity. Unlike their more aggressive counterparts, it was quick to disappear inside the woods again, even if they could hear it close.
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Post by Zak on Oct 1, 2023 19:51:06 GMT -5
Cabinet? Haunted house? Oomph, Zak grunted, not able to respond to Kamille’s intriguing comment, being too busy trying to keep his balance. Having reacted to the furry stool’s charge a moment too late, Zak was knocked off his feet. Zak watched helplessly as the mutated bench scurried into the woods faster than one would expect from a normally immobile piece of furniture. Zak quickly climbed to his feet and followed after it, still able to hear it as it disappeared from view. As he entered the denser foliage, Zak stilled, slowed his breathing, and listened closely, not able to see the creature at first glance. A small rustle whispered nearby. Zak went on alert, directing his attention to his left. Part of one leg, and the small stool’s ragged fur could be seen peeking out from behind a broad tree trunk. Zak gathered his mana, his hands circling in the air. Vines sprouted from his fingers, winding around each other, growing thorns before manifesting into a thick whip (1). Moving to the side of the abomination’s hiding place, prepared to blink out of the way if the creature tried to ram him again. As soon as the furry stool came into view, Zak whipped out the thick rope of thorny vines, wrapping it around all four legs. Pulling with all his might, the bench fell over, legs pointing straight up. Zak moved in and quickly wrapped the vines as snug as possible. This close, the creature’s features became clear. Experimentation appeared to have combined biological, seemingly mammal, parts interspersed with wooden material components. Zak took no more than a brief moment on the thought though, prepared to focus on the next threat now that the bench had been dealt with --at least for the moment. He made his way back to Kamille.
(1) Thorn Whip
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 2, 2023 18:08:57 GMT -5
While Zak was pursuing the wild bench, Kamille grunted and quickly put herself back to her feet. With another huge fireball, she made sure the flames would take care of the cabinet, and no piece bigger than a dorknob would survive. She groaned as the black smoke rose - surely the noises and vestiges of their fight could be heard and seen from a mile away. They could approach the house now, and would probably be expected. They might need a plan... " Mischief, I will need you to lead the way to the back of the house. Can you do that? No one can see us approaching." Sometimes she felt apprehensive on giving Mischief complex tasks - she wasn't quite sure how smart the bird truly was, and how devious. Surely he was smart enough to understand some fetch quests, but when he croaked happily, she was concerned whether he would actuall guide them properly. Kamille was about to follow Zak into the woods when he came back, and she looked relieved to see he was well and unhurt. "I hope that thing didn't give you much trouble... I guess it would be wise to try and approach the house discretely from the back... I... think Mischief can guide us? What do you think?"
Mischief was happily dancing up and down the branch he was perched on, waiting for them to follow them.
"CAWWW! This way! CAWWWWW!"
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