SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Break the Ice
Participants: Two or more
Location: Frost Gale (Pale City)
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: Despite the absence of Vulcadreaus, the world is still feeling his effects. The weather patterns around Charon have become unbalanced, with most weather across the continent becoming more extreme than normal. With winter quickly approaching, the ice, snow and frost in the north have become more dangerous. The ports around the Pale City have frozen over, months earlier than normal. In order to keep trade and commerce flowing, the city is asking for help in breaking the ice and freeing the harbors. This includes warming the ice, breaking it into smaller pieces, and removing in from the city.

"We'll be splitting you up into teams," rumbled the burly dwarf taskmaster to the crowd of dock workers, engineers, and sailors standing at attention. They were tightly wrapped in warm clothes to ward off the icy wind that blew across the docks. "Crews have already been assigned. When your name is called, step forward! Thulgrim, Ilgruf, Marik..."

The old, grey-bearded taskmaster kept calling names while Tatalia stood off to the side, her hands tucked in her pockets as she shivered. She really didn't like the cold of the north.

The goblin's archaelogical expedition had been well underway, but the little explorer had been met with a small snag in her plans: she didn't have any money. In better times, she would probably have tried just, say, stealing the resources she needed from some wealthy jerk that didn't need half the goods he had. However, that didn't feel nearly so good when the citizens of the city she had stopped at were all suffering from the devestation left in the wake of a dragon god's return.

So, instead, Tatalia had signed up for repair work in order to make some cash. The day's task was simple: carve up and move massive quantities of ice away from the docks so that ships could safely take harbor again. Unfortunately, Tatalia wasn't really a heavy lifter, so she had signed up for the role of an engineer. It had taken more than a little convincing before the dwarves of the city accepted that the tiny foreigner bundled up in layers upon layers of clothes could do passable engineering work.

So, there she stood on the edge of the docks, staring out at the ice covered piers and the huge ice floes even beyond those. Snow was falling still, and the wind seemed to tear through all the layers of clothes the poor disguised goblin was wearing. She sorely missed the warm, humid swamps of her home.

"...Viktor, and Boris will be assigned to the eastern docks. And finally," the old dwarf continued, reading from the scroll in his hand, "Tatalia, you will be the engineer of the far west pier. Your crew will consist of..." The dwarf scrunched up his nose and stared at the page. "Katsandra," he finally finished.

Tatalia blinked. She stepped forward and raised her hand. "Just one person, sir?" she called out.

"That's right," the dwarf responded. "Now, all of you know your duties, so get to it, then!"

The poor goblin couldn't help but boggle at the implication. One worker and one engineer? That wasn't a crew at all! That was a duo, and all the other teams had at least five people per crew! Why exactly did she get singled out to work with just one person? Moreover, what did the other person do? It seemed like a cruel and unusual punishment to expect two people to do the work some crews had ten people to do...

The disguised goblin sighed, then looked around the docks to see who, exactly, she'd be paired up with. It wouldn't be some sort of cat person, surely. That was too on the nose!

A shadow detached itself from the bustling throng of dock workers, a splash of vibrant purple against the grey canvas of the storm. Katsandra, her hair a wild halo of sun-kissed amethyst, marched towards Tatalia with the kind of confident swagger that only comes from a life lived on the edge of possibility. Her light blue eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, held a flicker of concern as she surveyed the scene – the hulking ice floes, the biting wind, and shockingly enough... BINGO, Yeah, she was a cat person, fluffy soft cat ears sticking out from her hair, both with the same purple hue as well as a tail tucked around her waists to keep it warm with her body heat.

With a grin that could melt glaciers, Kat stopped before Tatalia, offering a hand that looked surprisingly strong for its slenderness. "Katsandra Infini at your service" she declared, her voice rich, light and warm like sun-warmed honey on a winter day. "Guess we're partners in this frozen fiasco, eh?"

Her laughter, a cascade of tinkling bells, cut through the icy air, chasing away a sliver of Tatalia's apprehension. It was a laugh that spoke of excitement, of tumbleweed escapes and bonfires under starry skies. A laugh that promised camaraderie, even in the face of impossible tasks before switching to a face of realization and confusion.

"Wait... Where are the others?"

She looks around, besides the other already separated groups, in this section of the docks was just her and the little goblin and now realizes what is going on.

"They expect us to do the same work of 10 or so people as a duo?"

Her eyes glares coldly towards the dwarf as she scoffs, this must have been the punishment she got for eating most of the food supplies. Taking steps closer towards the goblin and bending over analyzing her from top to bottom with a finger on her chin.

"You're an interesting one. I can tell that you're quite akin to magic, and you must be pretty talented in terms of constructive thinking, you must be an engineer, perhaps an alchemist?"

Her nose twitches ever so slightly and her ears popped up.

"The scent is slightly covered by the smell of snow and ice but... Earthy, Musky, Briny and the scent of rotten eggs, did you come from a swamp perhaps?"

She shook her head and regained her composure; she was getting too out of context.

"Oops! Sorry about that!"

A giggle followed by a cute laughter escaped from the feline's mouth, Is this weirdo of a cat person really this genius engineer's only fellow worker? 

I really should've known she'd be a cat, the little goblin thought to herself as Katsandra approached.

Honestly, the difference between their appearances couldn't be much bigger if someone had actively tried to make draw two incredibly different people. It was becoming a common theme in Tatalia's travels. She kept stumbling upon tall and pretty people with nice clothes and she had to walk around wrapped up like a mummy under a pile of scarfs and rags in order to pass more as a weird old bag lady rather than as a goblin. It was more than a little frustrating.

Nevertheless, the bespectacled little alley mummy adjusted her goggles and prepared herself to greet the stranger properly... only to be caught off guard several times in a row.

"You're an interesting one. I can tell that you're quite akin to magic..."

Well, that was surprising, but Tatalia was glad that her magical aura was palpable even under so many layers of clothes! She puffed her chest out and prepared to speak, but the purple haired catwoman just kept going.

"And you must be pretty talented in terms of constructive thinking! You must be an engineer, perhaps an alchemist?"

"Erm- Yes, that's-" Tatalia sputtered, finding the accuracy of Katsandra's observations to be uncanny. She tried to wrap her head around how the other woman knew that- oh, but she did have her backpack on, and she had various pouches and tools on her belt, not to mention the potions. Yes, that was a fair assumption, though-

"The scent is slightly covered by the smell of snow and ice but... Earthy, Musky, Briny and the scent of rotten eggs-"

"Rotten eggs?!" gasped Tatalia, choking through those words. The poor goblin paused and raised her arm to sniff her own armpit, just in case.

"Did you come from a swamp perhaps?"

"I beg your pardon! I absolutely beg your pardon!" the alarmed goblin snapped back, throwing her arm back down with vigor,  her yellow eyes gleaming beneath her rose-hued goggles. The indignant glow from the goblin's eyes cast an orange light through them. "Miss, I'm- you shouldn't just- this is indecent speech!"

But the other woman was already apologizing. Tatalia was still a little peeved. No, actually, she was incensed! But she closed her eyes, took a very deep breath, and by the time she opened her eyes she just temporarily buried all that anger, deciding that rage would be a problem for tomorrow's Tatalia.

"Oh, there's nothing to apologize for!" the goblin lied with incredibly convincing cheer in her voice.¹ "I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly, miss! And don't worry about it just being the two of us," the definitely confident engineer added, raising a finger. "For I am Tatalia, explorer extraordinaire, and it's no secret that I'm the best adventurer at thinking my way out of problems! Compared to my previous escapades, this will be easy as pie!"

Perhaps she was laying it on a bit thick, but Tatalia believed her one and only laborer would sorely need a confidence boost if they were going to get the job done by themselves. She threw up a big, flashy thumbs up and a goggled wink.

"Come, come!" the goblin suggested with a friendly wave, marching off toward the farthest pier as she beckoned the violet haired woman after her. Despite her size and her many layers of clothes, the three and a half foot tall engineer moved quickly across the frosty ground, seeming to have just a bit of hop to her step that kicked her along. She was quick and nimble, that much was plain from her walk.

"Tell me a little about yourself! Your name is Katsandra, yes? And I'd wager from your accent that you're from... the west of here?" Tatalia peered curiously up at the other woman, tapping her index thoughtfully upon her chin. She was sure the woman came from the Crescent Isles specifically, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. "Since you guessed so much about me, I think it's only fair you shed some light on your own personage! It'll help me better assess your abilities physical and otherwise."

As she spoke, the little goblin started digging about her pouches and holstered equipment. She was taking measure of her various supplies: her rope, her spider silk wires, her widgets and anchors, and all sorts of other bits and bobs that comprised her utility kit. Really, she seemed to have a tool for just about everything, as if she was trying to be ready for any possible scenario by having every possible device at hand... or, at least, the means of making whatever device she needed!

Seeming satisfied with her check of her gear, the goblin looked back up toward the demihuman and tilted her head in a quiet, expectant sort of manner. Clearly, she was expecting Katsandra to start speaking.

---

_{1. Smooth Talking}

"Miss, I'm- you shouldn't just- this is indecent speech!"

The purple haired feline continued to laugh hysterically from the little green ones' reaction, tearing up from her broken sense of humor. "M-My apologies, I tend to be blatantly honest most of the time."

"I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly, miss! And don't worry about it just being the two of us," the definitely confident engineer added, raising a finger. "For I am Tatalia, explorer extraordinaire, and it's no secret that I'm the best adventurer at thinking my way out of problems! Compared to my previous escapades, this will be easy as pie!"

Katsandra chuckled softly at the goblin's confidence, she reminds her of herself, she wipes the tears of laughter from her eyes, breathing softly before regaining her composure. "I like your confidence!" the feline was already quite confident herself but seeing her quest partner confident made her more confident now too "Yeah we can do it! Who cares if it's just the 2 of us!"

"Come, come!" the goblin suggested with a friendly wave, marching off toward the farthest pier as she beckoned the violet haired woman after her. Despite her size and her many layers of clothes, the three-and-a-half-foot tall engineer moved quickly across the frosty ground, seeming to have just a bit of hop to her step that kicked her along. She was quick and nimble, that much was plain from her walk.

Katsandra giggled as she followed the goblin behind, dashing through the snow and frosty ground with amazing footwork, just like engineer, she was quite quick and nimble herself but with more power on her steps.

"Tell me a little about yourself! Your name is Katsandra, yes? And I'd wager from your accent that you're from... the west of here?" Tatalia peered curiously up at the other woman, tapping her index thoughtfully upon her chin. She was sure the woman came from the Crescent Isles specifically, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. "Since you guessed so much about me, I think it's only fair you shed some light on your own personage! It'll help me better assess your abilities physical and otherwise."

The feline perks up and smirks before striking a cool ass pose while taking off her cloak at the same time, revealing her orange and blue colored martial arts gi "About me? Well then, prepare to be astounded, for I am Katsandra Infini! The Honored One, as for my origins, you're right, I am from the west, you must already know that I'm from the Crescent Isles, I can tell based on your expression, pretty observant too, aren't you? In the Crescent Isles, as you know, is filled with people who are experts in Martial Arts, especially In the Teishin Shudan, but unlike them, I don't solely rely on martial arts."

Her grin, mischievous and dazzling, was impossible to resist as she raises her palm and creates a blue sphere of magical energy on top of it before dissipating. "I'm also a mage, in short, I'm a Magic Martial Artist."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but notice the goblin's efficient movements, the meticulous way she inventoried her tools. There was a quiet power in her small stature, a spark of ingenuity that mirrored Katsandra's own. Perhaps, just perhaps, this unexpected pairing wouldn't be a punishment after all.

"Interesting Equipment and Gear you have there..." she observes the gadgets and tools that the little goblin placed on her oversized bag, in awe at the green girl's personality and ways, this is her first time meeting an engineer outside of Crescent Isles after all.

"I'm curious on what plan you have in mind, because... Mine is quite simple, I'll do it after you do yours of course!"

Looking at the pier and checking how much ice is blocking the area, before looking at the lil goblin, she finds her intriguing.

"A magic martial artist?" the goblin woman repeated, stroking her chin as she led the other woman down the docks toward their destination. "That's not an easy combination of things to be! Mastery of body and mind requires considerable willpower, or so I have been told. You must have a pretty unique talent to be able to have such abilities as yours!

"Were your mentors also magic-wielding fighters? Or did you, perhaps, have to learn from separate masters?" The little engineer seemed awfully curious about the cat woman's history, glancing back over toward her to inspect her through those rose-colored goggles. "Or is that something you'd prefer not to talk about? I don't know all the rules of your society; of all the places in Charon, the Crescent Isles are the one place I have no travels of which to speak of!"

Ah! Perhaps that was why the goblin was so curious about the martial artist's background? Perhaps it was because she didn't really know anything about the Crescent Isles in the first place?

"Can just anyone become a martial artist or spell user in your homeland?" the goblin continued, still brimming with more questions for her feline friend. "Or do you need to have certain conditions of birth? Wealth, status? Forgive me if these questions are too numerous; it's in my nature to be overly curious!"

Finally, the pair had arrived at their assigned pier. It was absolutely frozen over, and there were sprawling chunks of ice that presented a seemingly insurmountable task. But Tatalia just looked to her companion nevertheless and asked her one last question:

"Could you demonstrate your abilities on that icy obstacle, please?"

"A magic martial artist?" the goblin woman repeated, stroking her chin as she led the other woman down the docks toward their destination. "That's not an easy combination of things to be! Mastery of body and mind requires considerable willpower, or so I have been told. You must have a pretty unique talent to be able to have such abilities as yours!

"Were your mentors also magic-wielding fighters? Or did you, perhaps, have to learn from separate masters?" The little engineer seemed awfully curious about the cat woman's history, glancing back over toward her to inspect her through those rose-colored goggles. "Or is that something you'd prefer not to talk about? I don't know all the rules of your society; of all the places in Charon, the Crescent Isles are the one place I have no travels of which to speak of!"

"Ah! Perhaps that was why the goblin was so curious about the martial artist's background? Perhaps it was because she didn't really know anything about the Crescent Isles in the first place?"

Katsandra slightly blushes from the compliment and questions, her tail unwrapping itself as her ears popped up, embarrassingly as she rubs her right arm, it's a habit she got whenever she feels this way. "Well learning both magic and martial arts was very rare in Crescent Isles and in other lands too, since you're right, the concept of both body and mind are different and requires a lot of willpower, but since I was young, I found both of the concepts to be interesting and possible, so as a self-study routine since the age of 5, I started reading countless books about magic in the library and making my own theories of it in the morning, and during the afternoon until night, I bring a martial arts book and sneak inside the training grounds of the "Teishin Shudan" the primary fighting force of the island, watching the freshmen, seniors and the highest ranking officers practice their Martial Arts which as well as other traditional ways and tricks in fighting, this got me to start making my own fighting style, a combination of both magic and martial arts which I simply call, "The Infini Magic Martial Arts" and soon once I reached the age of 18 I was finally caught by the leader of the "Teishin Shudan" Sir Yokai Monokaliki, he took me in and started raising me and helping me hone and perfect the fighting style I made from scratch, 2 years have passed and my training was finally done and I decided to leave Crescent Isles to become an adventurer!, so to summarize everything for each of your questions, I guess I really am quite a talented one aren't I? Kidding! I worked my fucking ass off, and nope, I only had one master and he only exalt in martial arts. I learned magic and martial arts as well as the theory on how to combine them all by myself! He only helped me polish it and bring the theory to life!" 

"Can just anyone become a martial artist or spell user in your homeland?"

"Yup! But majority of the people there decide to be martial artists, I rarely see any mages or spell users in Crescent Isles, most people tend to follow tradition rather than their dreams sadly so in short, I think I'm the first Magic Martial Artist in the entirety of the Crescent Isles! Muweheheheh" The feline crosses her arms with a smile on her face and eyes closed, she was obviously proud of herself since she feels like she had accomplished something unique.

the goblin continued, still brimming with more questions for her feline friend. "Or do you need to have certain conditions of birth? Wealth, status? Forgive me if these questions are too numerous; it's in my nature to be overly curious!"

Katsandra's face went from an embarrassed one to a sad one quick, "Well In a sense yeah... For birth, I'm not really sure since I never delved into that area of knowledge but based on what I've watched the birthing ceremony takes place in the white beaches at Crescent Coast, Wealth? Ever since I was 4 my parents died from an accident and I was left alone, I had nothing left to do but roam around Crescent Isles, I was glad it was a place filled with people who are willing to help but it didn't feel like a happy life being all alone, so I had to live off asking for food from different dark violet roofed houses in Starlight City or hunting for food around the forest and maybe fishing in the surrounding flowing rivers, The culture is very much steeped in helping one another, sharing, and providing for one each other. While a peaceful and gentle people, they are also determined, diligent, and devoted, never backing down or allowing anyone to walk over them so I had no choice but to learn how to diligently live alone., in terms of status, I guess it's based on how strong your family alliance is, which is done by marrying other families in Crescent Isles, sadly mine wasn't strong at all since my family was quite new so in terms of blooded connections, I had none, Sir Yokai was the closest person I had to family"

Finally, the pair had arrived at their assigned pier. It was absolutely frozen over, and there were sprawling chunks of ice that presented a seemingly insurmountable task. But Tatalia just looked to her companion nevertheless and asked her one last question:

"Could you demonstrate your abilities on that icy obstacle, please?"

Katsandra smirks and looks at Tatalia with the same confident expression the goblin engineer had a while ago, giving her a thumbs up as well as a wink "I knew you would were gonna ask me that, well I hope you're ready for a show!" she walks forward, tying her cloak around her waists and stretching her arms and legs before standing back up, inhaling and exhaling, she raises her left hand and palm, tapping into The Domain of Fire, creating medium sized orb of flaming raw energy, , Chromatic Blast, a magical technique that allows the user to draw forth a different elemental energy into the palm of their hand to release a beam of magic, but it seems that people tend to underestimate it's potential a lot, the description only mentioned a single palm but what if you used both palms? She then raises her right palm, tapping into The Domain of Wind, creating another medium sized orb, one that was like a swirling sphere made from a cyclone.

"Infini Martial Arts Magical Theory: Elemental Fusion"

She then combines both orbs by stretching both of her palms forward pointing towards the chunks of ice, making both orbs slowly dense and concentrate towards each other creating a synergy between domains as well as a concentrated orb of raw magical energy, a combination of flames and wind was dancing around her body like an aura, it was a beautiful sight, she took a deep breath before letting out a battle cry that echoed throughout the area as she sends a large beam of flaming and cyclone like energy all synced into a fusion of both elements towards the icy obstacles.

"PROMINENCE FLASH!!!"

Tatalia had to admit, it was nice to speak with someone who was so eager to share so much about themselves! The cat-like demihuman was truly an open book, which gave Tatalia plenty of time to listen to her and develop a better understanding of what sort of person she was... And she came to the conclusion that her assigned partner was proud, talkative, and spoke whatever came to her mind. That definitely lined up with previous evidence, too!

What was more surprising to Tatalia as she and Katsandra walked through the snowy streets along the docks was the curious similarities between their personal histories. Sure, they weren't exactly the same, and they certain had encountered different circumstances following tragedy. However, there were enough echoes of Tatalia's own past in the other woman's that it made her wonder if fate was playing some strange game.

Well, fate's a load of bullocks, anyway, Tatalia reminded herself, dismissing that childish notion. It was the stuff of fables and fairy tales, and she was much too busy to worry about that!

Nevertheless, there was a fair bit of useful information to be garnered from her companion's speech. Tales of the Crescent Isle, information about local traditions, and a possible tutor of martial combat...? Those were important details. Tatalia made a mental note to record that information later. 

But it was time to watch Katsandra's demonstration! Tatalia had to admit, being a little bit of a mage herself, that she was looking forward to seeing what sort of magical methodology the maestro would bring to the canvas! The canvas was the ice block, of course, and Tatalia imagined it would be some very destructive display of power.

Well... she wasn't wrong, that was for sure.

The little scholar-adventurer watched through her goggles as the Magic Martial Artist started preparing her attack, conjuring both flame and wind together. The goblin tilted her head at that development, but what really caught her attention was the moment Katsandra shouted out her attack's name:

"PROMINENCE FLASH!"

For some reason, that stood out most to the goblin. No, it wasn't the destructive firepower levied against the ice; it wasn't the spellcaster's form or the particular stance she took. That shout, that was what had the goblin's attention.

Have... have I been doing magic wrong? the goblin wondered.

Tatalia thought back to how many times she had cast a spell, performed some acrobatic maneuver, or otherwise pulled off some incredible stunt. She'd done a lot of such things during her escapades! Yet not once during her adventures had it ever occurred to her to call out the names of her attacks. It certainly seemed really cool... Did it, perhaps, help with channeling magic?

That was yet another note to be added to the document later. Really, it was starting to sound more like a dossier. Much useful information was being gathered.

Well, useful or not, that particular piece of information didn't get Tatalia closer to her most immediately goal: getting rid of the ice! The demonstration, however, did show Tatalia just what sort of magic her companion was wielding. Sure, Katsandra had been a bit too enthusiastic with her demonstration and it wasn't going to be smart or efficient to blow up every block of ice. If it was, there'd be armies of fire wizards lined up along the shore, not teams of laborers.

So, Tatalia nodded at the display, and then she started inspecting the nearby terrain. There was a lighthouse by the docks; very useful. There were the massive ice floes as well, and those would need to be dealt with. And, of course, there was some reduced visibility due to the light snow, but that wasn't an insurmountable challenge to overcome. In fact, it was barely a hazard at all.

A plan quickly formed in Tatalia's head. With the right angle from the lighthouse... and if she applied her- yes, yes... She only needed to make sure that Katsandra's magic was deployed with just a teensy bit more...

"Precision!" Tatalia exclaimed, finishing her thought aloud. She smacked her fist against the palm of her hand and grinned up at the demihuman. "Your power is good, but we'll need a little more precision with the next few blasts, preferable with more cutting wind and less flame." The goblin turned back toward the ice, reaching up to grab Katsandra by her jacket to pull her down to eye level, the better for Tatalia to make her point.

"I need you to blast here, here, and here!" the appointed engineer explained, gesturing with her fingers to certain weak points on the ice block. "That should, in theory, separate the ice into four distinct chunks. I have a plan to move the ice myself, but never you mind that!" the goblin added cheerily, rubbing her hands together in what was either a devilish gesture or a means of keeping her hands warm. Maybe both? "Just start blasting while I get myself into position. That will minimize your expenditure of magic while maximizing the effect! And if it - when it works we'll have a blueprint for how to deal with the remaining ice!"

"Precision!" Tatalia exclaimed, finishing her thought aloud. She smacked her fist against the palm of her hand and grinned up at the demihuman. 

The purple haired feline looks at Tatalia back seeing the look of realization in her expression, a grin that made Katsandra realize herself that a plan was about to be set in motion causing her to grin back at the goblin. "The stage has been set for you milady."


"Your power is good, but we'll need a little more precision with the next few blasts, preferable with more cutting wind and less flame." The goblin turned back toward the ice, reaching up to grab Katsandra by her jacket to pull her down to eye level, the better for Tatalia to make her point.

Katsandra simply let herself get pulled back towards her eye level, looking at the direction of where Tatalia was looking towards, her eyes widen noticing she thinks Tatalia noticed, she was too focused on looking cool that she didn't notice, of course pure firepower wouldn't be enough, they need proper and precise changes towards the ice in order to completely remove them. 

"I need you to blast here, here, and here!" the appointed engineer explained, gesturing with her fingers to certain weak points on the ice block. "That should, in theory, separate the ice into four distinct chunks. I have a plan to move the ice myself, but never you mind that!" the goblin added cheerily, rubbing her hands together in what was either a devilish gesture or a means of keeping her hands warm. Maybe both? "Just start blasting while I get myself into position. That will minimize your expenditure of magic while maximizing the effect! And if it - when it works we'll have a blueprint for how to deal with the remaining ice!"

As the goblin's words echoed in her mind, she imagined the scenario in her head based on where she was pointing, crafting two spheres of magic once more. One pulsed with the crackling energy of raw flame, the other, however, thrummed with the howling gale of wind, its power a tangible vortex within her grasp, a cyclone stronger than the fire from the other side. Holding them cupped in her palms.

Taking a deep breath, she focused, channeling her will. With a swift, resolute motion, she brought the spheres together, their contrasting energies melding in a dance of creation and destruction. A blinding pulse of yellow light erupted, momentarily eclipsing the air with its brilliance. When the vision cleared, a magnificent sight met the eyes.

Above her palms, shimmering like a captured sunset, hovered a razor-thin disk of pure magical energy. The fiery essence, subdued but potent, wreathed the edges in a corona of incandescent heat. Within, the wind raged, swirling in a miniature cyclone, its edges tinged with an ethereal gold. The air around the disk crackled with anticipation, humming with an almost predatory power.

"Infini Martial Arts Magical Theory: Elemental Fusion" Her eyes narrowed, focusing on the ice block before her. She remembered the goblin's whispers, her map of vulnerabilities etched in her mind. With a flick of her wrists, she casted her spell "DESTRUCTO DISK" It flew not like a flying saw, but as an extension of her will, slicing through the air with ethereal grace. Its path, guided by her keen awareness, deviated subtly, tracing the invisible fault lines within the ice.

The impact was silent yet devastating. The disk met the first weak point like a searing kiss, the fiery edge melting and slicing through the ice faster than a blacksmith's forge. As it passed, the wind ripped through the weakened area, expanding the incision into a yawning chasm. The process repeated, sending a barrage of the same disk towards the rest of the weakspots.

Tatalia was halfway up the lighthouse's side, having climbed on up using her incredible talent for getting up to high places,¹ when she heard her companion start shouting out a spell attack again. The goblin paused to look down from her high vantage point and watch the show down below. The awesome display of magical talent, however, made her lift her goggles and reveal her glowing yellow eyes just long enough to admire the deadly and dramatic dance of the magical blades that swept into the ice.

"So cool," the goblin whispered to herself. Then she shook her head, slipped her goggles back on before anyone could spot her green skin, and started climbing again.

Thankfully, Tatalia's coworker was making short work of the icy blocks. Tatalia wondered if perhaps a chunk of ice had killed her grandmother when she was young or something, because she was really going at it. Like, she seemed to have a vendetta against the ice! Either that or she was just that used to casually releasing spells with impunity and shouting at her targets. It was definitely intimidating, and Tatalia kept taking notes. Maybe there was something to be learned! She just needed a way to put the idea into practice...

The little goblin scaled the final bits of the wall, then perched herself on the edge of the lighthouse. She eyed the broken chunks of ice down below, stood up on the railing, and decided to emulate her unofficial teacher.

Taking a deep breath, Tatalia lifted one foot and put herself in a fighting stance. Her eyes were closed, but she snapped them open for dramatic effect, then pointed directly at the nearest block of ice, glaring at it with fury!

"Cunning Spider Style: Grasping Webs!" the goblin shouted at the top of her lungs.

In a very undramatic fashion, a little cord of spider's silk flew out from her wrist² and struck the large, floating chunk of ice... and that was it. It just sort of stuck to it. Then Tatalia gently gave the ice a few tugs, encouraging it to float away from the docks.

"Why didn't it work?" Tatalia asked herself in annoyance, very upset with how decidedly uncool her own signature attack was.

---

_{1. Surface Scaling; 2. Spider Silk Tattoo}

The little goblin scaled the final bits of the wall, then perched herself on the edge of the lighthouse. She eyed the broken chunks of ice down below, stood up on the railing, and decided to emulate her unofficial teacher.

After slicing the last bits of Ice, she panted heavily from the number of times she used Chromatic Blast in a row, she's starving, looking towards the top of the lighthouse watching her unofficial student climbing the last bits of wall before reaching the top, she waves at her from below "You can do it!!!" Katsandra cheered loudly for the engineer, watching her with anticipation on what she will do next.

Thankfully, Tatalia's coworker was making short work of the icy blocks. Tatalia wondered if perhaps a chunk of ice had killed her grandmother when she was young or something, because she was really going at it. Like, she seemed to have a vendetta against the ice! Either that or she was just that used to casually releasing spells with impunity and shouting at her targets--

The latter was correct, Katsandra just normally shows impunity and tends to go all out towards anyone or anything she sees as a target and enemy <3

Taking a deep breath, Tatalia lifted one foot and put herself in a fighting stance. Her eyes were closed, but she snapped them open for dramatic effect, then pointed directly at the nearest block of ice, glaring at it with fury!

"Cunning Spider Style: Grasping Webs!" the goblin shouted at the top of her lungs.

In a very undramatic fashion, a little cord of spider's silk flew out from her wrist2 and struck the large, floating chunk of ice... and that was it. It just sort of stuck to it. Then Tatalia gently gave the ice a few tugs, encouraging it to float away from the docks.

The feline was both in awe at what she just watched and heard "So cute..." but then realization strucked causing her to be embarrassed beyond belief, was that how she looked like? Her face turns red from the embarrassment, shoving her face against a patch of snow to cool her down, taking her face out and panting softly, standing and looking up towards the goblin.

"Why didn't it work?" Tatalia asked herself in annoyance, very upset with how decidedly uncool her own signature attack was.

Katsandra yells out for the little goblin engineer to hear "TATALIA! Listen to my words and keep them at heart, Power comes in response to a NEED! not a desire, don't just want to use special attacks with names, you must NEED TO! Create that need!"

Tatalia stared down at the woman down below that had suddenly become her mentor in all things cool. She offered her sagacious advice, and Tatalia absorbed it. She stared at her hands, and then at the ice below, and then at her hands, and then at the ice.

One of the chunks of ice had already been dealt with. It was floating safely away from the harbor and out to sea. The other two chunks floating in the water down below, however, offered Tatalia an opportunity to redeem herself! She could prove that she was cool, too. She could find her inner cool and channel it...

What was it that Katsandra had said? Something about "creating a need" to use special attacks? Creating a need...

Necessity breeds genius! Tatalia realized. And what is a greater necessity than DANGER?

The goblin stepped back onto the edge of the lighthouse again, then drew her sword, glaring down at the offending block of ice, her chosen enemy. She narrowed her eyes, and then... she hopped off the side of the lighthouse and started sliding down its wall!

The goblin's descent was rapid. She kept herself relatively upright as she fell, one hand on the wall behind her, the other on the sword! Faster and faster she fell, coming ever closer to her intended point.

"Almost... almost!" she said in as desperate a tone as she could manage, teeth gritted for her battle against her IMPOSSIBLE FOE, the block of ice. Then, the moment she was low enough, she used her magical boots to hurdle forward through the air like a graceful jumping spider leaping at its prey! It was a reckless move! And as she flew ever closer to her target, she swung her sword...!

"CUNNING SPIDER STYLE: GUILLOTINE BLADE!" the little goblin shrieked at the top of her lungs.

And her sword, being a thrusting weapon and not a slashing one, bounced off the ice. Tatalia let out a little "O-oh," then fell backwards into the water with a splash. Little bubbles rose to the top where she fell.

At this point, several crews of dwarven workers were taking breaks from their own labor on the docks and had set up a series of chairs to watch the chaos with some popcorn.

Necessity breeds genius! Tatalia realized. And what is a greater necessity than DANGER?

The goblin stepped back onto the edge of the lighthouse again, then drew her sword, glaring down at the offending block of ice, her chosen enemy. She narrowed her eyes, and then... she hopped off the side of the lighthouse and started sliding down its wall!

Thinking her advice worked, Katsandra's eyes widen as she watches the goblin hop off the lighthouse. "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!!" she starts running towards the falling Tatalia as fast as she can, boosting herself forward with another beam made of wind propelling her with incredible force.

"Almost... almost!" she said in as desperate a tone as she could manage, teeth gritted for her battle against her IMPOSSIBLE FOE, the block of ice. Then, the moment she was low enough, she used her magical boots to hurdle forward through the air like a graceful jumping spider leaping at its prey! It was a reckless move! And as she flew ever closer to her target, she swung her sword...!

"ALMOST..." she was flying towards the lighthouse at uncontrollable speed, making her realize a bit too late. "Oh... OH FU"

"CUNNING SPIDER STYLE: GUILLOTINE BLADE!" the little goblin shrieked at the top of her lungs.

And her sword, being a thrusting weapon and not a slashing one, bounced off the ice. Tatalia let out a little "O-oh," then fell backwards into the water with a splash. Little bubbles rose to the top where she fell.

Katsandra crashes onto the lighthouse wall, her body splattering like some kind of cartoon character as she then fell backwards into the water as well with a similar splash, now there was 2 bubbles rising up to the top of the water right next to each other.

At this point, several crews of dwarven workers were taking breaks from their own labor on the docks and had set up a series of chairs to watch the chaos with some popcorn.

The feline, despite being... basically a cat, didn't give much mind to the cold freezing water, probably due to her being used to water from fishing and also her martial body? Taking a deep breath before grabbing the little engineer and swimming the 2 of them back up to the surface, panting heavily as she brought the 2 of them back to land. Looking towards the dwarves and pointing a middle finger at them.

Tatalia was dragged out of the water by a very helpful feline friend, and she was grateful. She had answers to many problems in her life, but water was not one of them, and neither was the cold.

The goblin fell face first upon the shore as soon as she was released, and she groaned and flipped herself over. She glanced up at her rescuer, then at the dwarves howling and slapping their knees in laughter nearby, and then finally up at the ice they were supposed to get rid of. Only it was... it was... gone?

Tatalia blinked. She sat up, rubbed her forehead, and cleaned her goggles. Only then was able to to confirm that the ice was indeed gone!

The ice wasn't destroyed, to be clear. Tatalia hadn't managed some sort of super special dangerous move by screaming at the ice. She had, however, hit it with juuuuust enough force to send it swirling away from the shore along with the other remaining big chunk of ice, leaving only a miniscule amount by the pair's assigned pier. In other words...

"T-T-Task failed successfully!" Tatalia cried, her teeth still clattering from the icy water as she stood up to her full height. She nodded vigorously all the while and looked to Katsandra with a veiled grin. "I'd s-s-say this is a job well done! The ice has been dealt with, and I am thoroughly done with this particular bit of work. What s-say you we get paid?"

Tatalia really didn't want to stick around any longer than she had to. She'd done her job and had no intention of fussing further, not after getting soaked to the bone. She needed to dry off somewhere!

Katsandra, her fur still dripping wet from their daring escapade, stood firm beside Tatalia, her determination shining in her eyes as she nodded vigorously in agreement. "You truly outdid yourself, my little goblin companion," she remarked with an air of amusement as she let out a giggle "I've witnessed countless problem-solving techniques in my lifetime... Well it hasn't been that long, but despite you failing to look the Katsandra way cool, You were awesome!"

Emboldened by their successful performance, the feline carries the goblin confidently approached the group of dwarves, who were now wiping tears of laughter from their eyes. It was a comical sight, watching these typically stoic and stern creatures reduced to fits of hysterical giggles. One dwarf, presumably their supervisor, valiantly tried to regain his composure as he stood up from his chair, clapping his hands merrily with an infectious laughter still bubbling within him.

"Well, now, that was quite the spectacle indeed, my lasses!" the supervisor exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Never in all my years have I witnessed someone tackle treacherous ice with the grace and agility of a goblin perched atop a lighthouse. The ingenuity and resourcefulness you both displayed is nothing short of remarkable. And you! It's my first time ever meeting a feline demi-human before, you're an interesting one, using both martial arts and magic coefficiently is quite rare you see!" Pausing briefly to catch his breath, he gestured towards his companions who were now recovering from their laughter, each dwarf sporting a mischievous twinkle in their eyes as he gave them their pay.

Katsandra sighed in relief, she used up a bit too much mana today, she will have to start controlling the amount she let's out, but besides that she, placing the rewards inside her cloak pockets then looking towards the goblin with a smile on her face. "Let's go somewhere warmer-"