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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 27, 2023 13:10:13 GMT -5
Taki had spent the last few days researching the libraries of the Arcane Academy, on recommendation from the Mage's Guild. As biological studies were a large part of the Academy's study, it was a wonderful place for her to learn more about the world at large and it's many denizens. In addition to this, she agreed to speak to students about her life as an adventuring mage. The first day had been full of skepticism at first, but ended with bright and thoughtful questions from many of the students. In her off time, she poured through the vast libraries and research materials gathered by budding mages and acolytes. The knowledge was extensive, and Taki already had filled up a pair of volumes with information she thought would be useful.
An alarm began to ring at the forward gate, drawing a rapid response from the various guards around the complex. Taki stood and conjured a pair of Flame Sprites, striding from the building with a determined look about her face. If anyone had come to harm the Academy, she would see they learn a terrible lesson. As she crossed the courtyard, she spotted a familiar massive hammer and it's tiny but mighty owner answering the call as well.
"Fancy seeing you here again Astrid. I hope you've been well, and we have a good opportunity to give these fools a thrashing." Said the shaman, glad to see someone she knew and could trust in battle.
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The Tinkertons
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Dragon's Cradle
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Aug 3, 2023 22:57:08 GMT -5
Despite having put in a lot of effort to get into the Mage’s Guild, Astrid hasn’t spent a whole lot of time at the Guild hall itself. However, after recently having made a friend who is a living suit of armor, her interest in enchanting and the runes required to do so has grown. A lot of the books here are a bit too advanced for her, so she often makes use of Charles to help break things down in a way she can understand. She’ll figure this stuff out somehow, darn it. When an alarm catches her attention, Astrid jumps at the chance to do something active, so she rushes outside to the courtyard to see what the issue is. Unfortunately, a lot of folks are out, so whatever this is, she’s gonna have to put her best foot forward. Luckily, there’s a familiar orochi woman outside! “Good ta see ya,” Astrid says with a grin, hefting both of her hammers to be ready for whoever decides to come through the gates. “Guess someone wants ta see how we handled the king troll, huh?”
Quest details: Quest Name: Here comes the Vanguard Chapter: One Description: A full frontal force of mage slayers have landed on the island and are now assaulting the academy. Halberds tip has been notified, however you are being asked to help defend the school while enforcements can arrive. A group of 30 enemies are just outside the gate, attacking students and trying to force their way in. You can assist in anyway possible, you can fight off the attackers, help fortify the building or even attend to injured students who are being brought in. Regardless of your skill, any help is appreciated. Requirements: - Requires at least two people (you and one other, the other does not need to be interested in the guild) - You must make at least 5 post with each post being 150 words to complete the mission. - You must defend the academy, helping to fight of enemies or protect the grounds - Once you complete this mission you gain access to chapter two. (which needs to be a separate topic)
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Post by Shitakibo on Aug 7, 2023 5:33:15 GMT -5
"Pity the poor souls who devised this baffoonery... let's go cut loose and show them the error of their ways." Replied the shaman, her eyes flaring with a misty blue light as her Spirit Guardians shimmered into view.
"Ryu with me, Keta keep Astrid company. Let's show our guests some... hospitality." Taki said, excited about giving her body some exercise and her mind a break from the academia. Heading towards the gate, she could see the various guards manning posts and preparing for an onslaught.
Nodding to one of the many guards, they let the shaman and her entourage through the small side gate for foot traffic. Outside the wall was a regiment of defenders, outfitted with fine armor, light shields and various weapons. Opposite them appeared to be a force more lightly armored, wearing darkened robes over their black attire. Taki couldn't see any weapons at first, but it didn't take long for the first volley of bolts to come pinging off shields and pelting into wood and stone fortification alike.
With a nod to Astrid, the shaman smiled and made a gesture with her hands. A pair of Flame Sprites appeared over each shoulder and orbited around the shaman in gently bobbing patterns. Once complete, Taki positioned herself near between the forward defenders and the lighter, ranged units in small groups behind. Ryu floated beside her as she strode across the field, Keta keeping pace with Astrid to help support her. The intruders charged the field, moving fast and fluidly across the fairly open grounds. The first to come close to a wooden barricade was struck by a pair of burning beams from the Flame Sprites, their clothes igniting and causing them to panic. As they flailed about, the flames went leaping to anything nearby and flammable. Two of their companions joined in the panic and wild dance of heat upon their person, before suddenly falling. Taki was close enough to see gleaming crossbow bolts sticking out of their backs... something was off about this attack, but the shaman wasn't sure what it was just yet. The enemy were keeping their goal close at hand, but Taki now watched the battlefield closely for any strangeness.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Aug 8, 2023 18:43:34 GMT -5
Astrid gives a nod to the little creature Keta then watches Taki make her way out a side gate. Instead of that, Astrid decides to go over. Lightning gathers around her form, focusing in on her feet as she crouches down a little, then she raises her hammer to the sky, and a bolt of lightning strikes down and seems to consume her. Fully wreathed in lightning, Astrid rockets into the air, reaching a crest, observing where the enemies are focused, then flies down to the ground in the center of a gathered group. Lightning and thunder explode out from her in all directions and knocks assailants to the ground, sparking with electricity and groaning in pain.
When the smoke clears, Astrid looks around at the people still standing on the edge of her explosion and cocks a hip out to the side. “Hiya, fellas.” Little does she know, the attackers are Mage Slayers.
Astrid's Valkyrie Strike [two post cooldown]
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Post by Shitakibo on Aug 11, 2023 5:13:58 GMT -5
With Keta at her side, those within 25 feet of Astrid and the guardian's aura were painfully slow to move, their bodies and spirits sapped by the aura while her own magic seemed much more potent. It was the same for Taki as she focused her senses, extending them far out across the battlefield. She could feel the tiniest tremors and changes against the ground, and knew Astrid only had a brief moment more before she was the focus of several attacks from beyond the treeline. To either side of the young warrior, a pair of earthen golems rose up from the ground. Shielding the lass from a flurry of crossbow bolts, the hulks of earth and stone pinged and thudded for a few brief moments before crumbling into large heaps.
"ASTRID FALL BACK!! THEY'VE GOT ANTI-MAGIC!!" Shouted the shaman to her companion, her flame sprites opening fire on a pair of shooters who'd moved up closer to the battle for a better shot. Blue-white lances of fire hit one square in the chest and left a smoldering hole through their body, the other slamming into the figure's weapon and melting it to slag and burning tinder. They cried out in pain as the scalding implement seared into the tender flesh of their hands, only to be silenced a moment later by another bolt from within their own rank... this was no ordinary attack by mercenaries or military... These mage-slayers were behaving like assassins from some of the historical tales she'd read on the Isles. Taki moved closer to the front lines, wanting to cover Astrid as the battle started to shift focus to the brazen half-dwarf. Snapping up shurikens from their pouch at her waist, the shaman loosed them almost as quickly from each hand. The four assailants closest to Astrid dropped, gleaming spikes finding soft spots with pinpoint precision before hopping back into the shaman's hands a moment later.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Aug 11, 2023 22:38:25 GMT -5
Things suddenly break out into chaos around Astrid. Anyone outside of the range of her radial lightning explosion move toward her at a slowed pace, something she realizes must be coming from the companion Taki sent alongside her. As she prepares to fight them, a hail of crossbow bolts rains down toward her, but the earthen golems protect her before crumbling into nothing. She figures that must be something expected until Taki yells about anti-magic.
Oh. Shoot. Suddenly, this situation feels a lot scarier. It hasn’t been very long at all since that kidnapping attempt in Darkveil had Astrid in anti-magic shackles! The very concept of wielding magic was foreign to her only a year ago. Functioning without it now seems impossible!
Astrid quickly looks around and sees a plethora of dropped weapons and shields from everyone she zapped around her on the ground still sparking with electricity. With her control of lightning, she pulls on the remnant charges to make them more powerful, and two blades and one shield raise into the air under her control. With her hammers in her hands, she sends the blades forward to clash with charging enemies while the shield flies around either clobbering slayers in the head or absorbing attacks, doing everything she can to avoid being affected by the mage slaying abilities, however those work.
Electrical surge charges - 3 gained from Valkyrie Dive used for Magnetism
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Post by Shitakibo on Aug 13, 2023 6:49:16 GMT -5
Finished with their preparations, the guard returned fire. Spells of every major domain came flying over the battlefield, scattering the would-be assailants and putting them on the defensive. The front lines took advantage the moment the first volley ceased and charged, their armor clattering as the line came pushing forward with shields and spears. Both sides clashed, blades scraping armor as bolts and arrows and spells from the backlines found any flawed defense and punished it on both sides with impunity. The one difference was in teamwork, The guard had spent their careers making sure they knew exactly how to handle this type of situation. Their opponents on the other hand seemed to be less organized...
Taki conjured another pair of Flame Sprites, tucked her shuriken away and concentrated on their surroundings. She slowed her breathing, clearing her mind and letting her senses flood the area. Without a word, her sprites opened fire on four more shooters with withering fire. Concealed in shadow, their surprise was as quick as their fall. Another deep breath, another pulse of the earth beneath her feet as she let it out slowly... there... something. Looking to the young half-dwarf, her eyes flaired with a misty glow once more.
"We need to wrap up this distraction and get to the real party... it'll be awaiting us inside." Said the shaman, whose senses were keeping track of the battle around them as it started to turn in favor of the guard. She reached over and pulled Astrid behind her, an enchanted bolt plunging into the spot she was standing a moment later and sizzling as if dipped in some kind of alchemical substance.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Aug 13, 2023 18:44:29 GMT -5
Fireballs, lightning bolts, icicle spears, everything of the like rain down toward the assailants. Some spells that blast onto the battlefield seem to disappear, having been absorbed by the mage slayers’ magic-countering abilities. It’s hard to keep track of, but Astrid does her best not to rely on spellcasting in this situation. That might just get her completely sapped and unable to do what she does best: smashing things with her hammer.
She manages a glance at Taki when the orochi mentions a party inside. “Eh?” she sputters, managing not to lose concentration of the flying weapons and shield that the slayers somehow can’t stop. It’s a different kind of magic than spellcasting, that’s for sure. “Party inside?” As someone charges forward toward her and Taki, Astrid sends her war hammer careening through the air. It slams into his chest and downs him.
There’s shouting from the gates, not the kind that command armies, but something more panicked. “Someone’s managed to get inside! We need to make sure the teachers are safe!”
Oh, maybe that’s what Taki noticed.
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Post by Shitakibo on Aug 13, 2023 19:02:53 GMT -5
A captain of the guard came jogging over as the last of the attack was being dealt with. Grisled with age, his well polished armor bore the passing of many battles, managing to pick up more than a few new dings and cuts from this one as well. The guard gave the pair a detailed report, apparently four assassins had breached the perimeter and were headed for whereabouts unknown within.
"I only managed to sense them when they were on the attack, so we must be cautious. While this fight is clearing itself up, the next one is waiting for us already. Shall we begin?" Questioned the shaman, who was eager to discover the reasons behind this mad and foolish assault. So many wasted lives, and she was keen to make sure the one responsible enjoyed a hole in their own back when Taki caught up to them.
Turning to the captain, she nodded as he led the way through the hectic crowd of guards and captured attackers. Somewhere beyond the wall were four more mage slayers, far worse than the fodder they'd used to slip past the defenses. Out of the pan, into the fire as it were thought the shaman, a grin working across her features at the prospect of hunting the hunters.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Aug 13, 2023 19:09:57 GMT -5
As if on cue, a grisled guard rushes up to explain the situation inside. Shoot, everything happening out here must have just been to take the focus of the main force. That means there are few guards if any inside to protect the people inside the academy! Astrid turns and flings the magnetized weapons back toward the battle, panting heavily but not too worn out for something more focused.
“We’ll take care of ‘em,” she says with confidence. “No one’s getting past us!” With that, she collects her hammers and her self and carefully follows the captain and Taki back through the gates, doing her best not to focus too hard on all the injured and dying on the battlefield. There’s a new task at hand. Shaa's words play back in her mind, reminding her to focus. He's an interim leader for a completely different and rival guild, but even still, those words come back to help Astrid now. There are things to do.
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