[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/C7nwoGY.png[/img] [b]Words:[/b] 2,000 (+65) (+3) [b][color=ea590c]Edward Portsmith: Level 10 (28 cells)[/color] [/b][color=ea590c]////////////////////////////[/color]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (31 /100) [b]Location[/b] Frozen highlands - The Midnight Walk [/center] Edward lowered his throwing arm, saving the last Flasks of strong Turpentine he’d been given, having thrown the other at face stealer Fred after the frost lock had ended. He’d been intending to suggest using them as a ‘test’ to see whose form ran, but logic had dictated a solution to the problem before that had been needed. He stashed the last anti-paint being weapon, and then lowered a hand down to pet Loona, the spectral wolf having re-frozen face stealer Fred as soon as he’d unfrozen, the Seeker’s combined firepower more than enough to chewing through the regen her own freezing power caused. [color=ea590c]”Well done”[/color] He also offered the hulking snoruyo he’d gathered up before their exit a nod as well as an [color=ea590c]”and you”[/color], though the impossible creatures didn’t react much to praise. The SomnaDrix hadn’t gotten close enough to get involved. Notably absent from the man’s little army of creatures were the Taffy the traffikrab and the unnamed Chillanth, which he was rather disappointed in himself about. He could only hope that they would be able to group up with Tenna and somehow escape the maze, or had been evacuated by Ace’s friendly feline familiars. Still. The man was sadly used to losses, and so he focused on the here and now rather than dwell on the past. There’d be time for that later when they weren't standing on a freezing mountain top and needing to get themselves prepared for climbing even higher. First off, there was the offer to get a duplicate of an item, and for that, Edward suggested his Frozen Heart, as it was a powerful magic item that he expected other mages in the group might be able to make use of its mana capacity, cooldown reduction, armor boost and attack speed slowing aura. Having put thought into what he had on his person made him more aware that he was rather overloaded at this point, prompting some inventory management. His excess melee weapons like the war scythe and infected rainfall were stored now that he had the spellcaster suiting Arche’s guardian blade first and foremost. Then he came to the bundle of papers on deadra he’d found and kept a hold on just in case they were relevant to the maze. They had not, but before he got rid of them he decided to have a quick peruse once more. This research prompted two things. The first was when he came across the description of a Cold-Flame Antonarch, a demonic fire elemental that burned with cold instead of heat. It caused him to pause, glance around the frigid peak, and consider. [color=ea590c]”Perhapse. Perhaps I have been a fool to fight these elements, instead of embracing them… hmm… yes perhaps if I-”[/color] he said, before holding up the sheets to the mountain top high above and channeling magic, drawing in the desolate cold from around, and also drawing down the power of the moon that loomed above. The magic and essence pooled, forming a sympathetic link with a vault of magical tomes. The one he had reached for, the [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/a29e82c41a32.png] Tome of the cold dark[/url] did not come, but still the powers of shadows he claimed, forging from the deadric scribblings the [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/702001d1f88b.png]Tome of the Looming Frost[/url]. The second was the triggering of a memory, spurred on by this magical creation, as he reached out his other hand towards that same said vault, and claimed what was his from within, forging the [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/588bbb116e23.png]Tome of the Dreadnaught[/url] in his other hand. [hider=level up] [list] [*][url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/702001d1f88b.png]Tome of the Looming Frost[/url] [list] [*][url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ef85e7d66603.png]Frigid focus[/url]: (tier 2 enchantment) magical attacks gain a chilling tinge, adding extra first damage and having a 60% chance (30% on fast attacks, 90% on strong, magic/status resistance reducing) to apply status vulnerability. This reduces resistance to status effects by 20%, stacks up to 5 times, and lasts 30 seconds. [*][url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/910cacabde90.png]Cold-Flame Antonarch[/url]: (tier 2 summon) derived from notes on deadra combine with Edwards own magic has created a squad of three elemental battle mages whose freezing flames can apply the slowed debuff (slows movement speed and ability to counter attack) [list] [*]Cold-Flames: shoots out a stream of cold-flame to strike nearby foes. 30% chance to slow per second. [*]Cold-FireBolt: charges and shoots a longer range concentrated bolt of cold-flame. 60% chance to slow. [*]Freezing Blast: attempt to freeze the air around a target, dealing light frost damage and having a 90% (resistance reducing) chance to freeze the target for 10 seconds. 20 second cooldown. [/list] Stated as frost-fiend units, which have +15% crit chance, 20% frost resistance, 40% fire weakness and 40% spirit (holy) weakness. Affected by hellish sorcery. It also comes with an alternate [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/032fd13adafe.png]wolf form[/url] which act like the various inferno hounds except they are frost-fiends, deal frost damage and apply slow instead of burn. Finally the squad can be mounted on these steeds, increasing movement speed and durability but sacrificing their ability to levitate over hostile terrain, and naturally benign harder to fit into buildings. [/list] [*][url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/588bbb116e23.png]Tome of the Dreadnaught[/url] [list] [*][url=https://minionsart.github.io/aow4db/PreviewsAvif/ironclad.avif]Ironclad[/url]: (tier 4 unit) The Magitech engineering’s solution to the desire to transport even more guns around. Large enough to be ridden at top of, this tank sized construct is capable of crushing obstacles and laying waste to fortifications and troop formations alike with its multi purpose cannon array. Its top mounted triple barreled cannons can be used to deliver a powerful directly fired broadside that knocks the impacted foe back. It can also fire a (somewhat inaccurate) triple barrage of high explosive shells every 10 seconds. It can also be loaded with the following specialist ammunition (each usable once per battle) which causes the next barrage to have additional effects. [list] [*]Shrapnel: inflict a two bleeding dots (30 second duration, max 5 stacks) [*]Incendery: leaves burning patches of ground in the explosion area (apply burning if stood in/moved through) [*]Sundering: inflicts two sundering defenses (see sundering strikes) and ignores half the target's armor resistance. [/list] As constructs they are highly resistant to physical ranged attacks, resistant to physical melee attacks, fairly resistant to magical strikes, but weak to electricity. It's also rather vulnerable to being ‘boarded’ by enemies due to its lack of articulation, which can prevent it from firing. [/list] [/list] [/hider] With a self satisfied smile he added two tomes to his collection, which was now rather full of the books. It was good that they were magical enough to negate their own weight, more floating with him than being carried. With the collection assembled, he got to work, first and foremost summoning forth his own creation, reading allowed from his work furthering the work of the commonwealth’s Dreadnaughts utilizing the powerful magic that had flowed in the wake of the linking of words [color=ea590c]”Dreadnought technologies are unmatched on the battlefield. Envision a fusion of steel and craftsmanship, dominating everything in its path. Explosions shatter the earth and rain down fire on your foes. An astounding sight to behold. Truly, when an Ironclad rolls into battle, the fight is already over.”[/color] And roll the ironclad did, a veritable tank of a machine, hissing steam and heat, a plow on the front ready to sweep snow and obstacles aside, and large enough that it could transport a few seekers, albeit rather uncomfortably. By the time he’d finished inspecting the machine’s engine and climbed aboard to inspect its weapon, it turned out he already had a passenger: one [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/1c49c4f551a6.png]curious kitty[/url] with a metal patched eye. Edward could hazard a guess how it had lost that eye, given the cat was in the middle of trying to steal one of the munition charges out of the ironclad’s triple cannons. It was certainly giving the impression that the cat was smarter than a mere animal, though, again, given its attempt to handle volatile minions with paws alone, perhaps not that much smarter. He didn’t interrupt it during this process, and only after it had got its hands on the glowing core of magic and combined with a bunch of junk to make a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/f321577d947b.png]bomb[/url] out of it that he cleared his throat. [color=ea590c]”And what might you be doing, hmm?”[/color] He asked, prompting Loona (who’d hopped up beside him) to growl at the cat till he waved her off. The cat in question tried to hide its bomb behind its back and put on its best ‘im innocent’ cute look, neither of which were very effective. This did, however, reveal the [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ef5febbd701c.png]tag[/url] on its collar, which Edward recognised from the collection he’d acquired from the late Satori Komeji. A look through the ‘eyes’ of the ironclad he saw that several other seekers had already had adopted, or rather been adopted, by some of the woman’s cats as well, which caused Edward to decide to forgive the thievery and see if he could make use of this scoundrel instead. [color=ea590c]”I’m not upset, just curious. Do you mind if I see the fruits of your labor?”[/color] He asked, prompting a thought from the cat, followed by it pulling the bomb out from behind its back… and then hurling off to the side where it exploded quite impressively (and fortunately away from any friendlies). Apparently it had interpreted that as ‘may i see it in action’ Or maybe it just thought that was the best way for him to see it. Certainly the cat itself seemed very happy with its kaboom, having watched it with glee as its ears flapped back from the blast wave. [color=ea590c]”I see. Most impressive. But is that all you can do?”[/color] he asked, having taken this blast in stride, and was rewarded by a little demonstration of it making a (smaller) bomb out of scraps, before using what was clearly (to his eyes) magic to form a number of fire crackers that it threw rapidly if haphazardly. It was certainly a novel little display of skills, and he suspected that it might be capable of more if mentored. [color=ea590c]”Care to join me? We do seem to have similar areas of intrest”[/color] he offered this fellow magical tinkerer, prompting it to amble over in what he took as agreement. A crouch down, pet, and inspection of its collar revealed the cat to go by ‘Scrumpy’ which he guessed was a male name. [hider=Pet acquired: Scrumpy] [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/1c49c4f551a6.png]Tinkerer Cat:[/url]: Raised intelligence but with slightly lowered charisma and luck Abilities: [list] [*][url=https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Craft_Weapon]Craft weapon[/url]: Forges a weapon from spare parts. Having tech changes allows for better weapons to be made. [*][url=https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Throw_Weapon][/url]: hurl the weapon, dealing physical damage on impact + setting off the weapon’s effects (if any) [*][url=https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Demo_Man][/url]: always craft bombs at 0 and 1 tech [*][url=https://mewgenics.wiki.gg/wiki/Firecracker][/url]: Spell that hurls a trio of explosives in a wide spread. Inaccurate but cheap to cast. [/list] [/hider] Loona didn’t seem incredibly pleased by this, the wolf moving to a spot to the other side of him from which to eye the cat with suspicion. Both she and Skrumpy were pleased, however, when Edward took out the Tome of the Looming Frost and chanted an incantation from it, enchanting them, and the other spellcasters, with a shimmering aura of frost that would empower their spells with extra frost damage and the ability to increase the odds of status effects taking effect. This boon also applied to the pair of Cold-Flame Antonarchs squads he summoned atop their freezing steeds, intending to use them as outriders for the group. The man also put back up his two martial enchantments as well, ones which would be helped in their application of their status effects by the spellcasters’ own. Finally he forged several squads of scout drones and sent them out to survey the surrounding area. He then headed over and reported in to Sandalphon, his cat and dog padding along after him, informing her [color=ea590c]”The ironclad won’t be as comfortable as the stage coach was, especially with no road available, but unless we need to start climbing they’ll be more than capable of plowing through any obstacles in our path to make our own way forwards. You are welcome to use one as transport, if you wish, or I could provide a summoned steed or the SomnaDrix as a, ah, debatably qualified mount”[/color] After he was done he intended to stick around to keep her appraised of whatever his scouts found. He kept an eye out for any unclaimed spirits that could be converted into items.