Amaterasu had a lot of things to think about, as she wandered the halls of the Avenger. From her remembering of her past to her worry about if the situation in the hinterlands would resolve itself to this new quest to take down a false god of light, there were many important things that should have been on her mind.
She was not thinking about them.
Instead she was following her nose, following the faint wafts of a seductive seafood scent trailing through the corridors of the ship.
Since the destruction of the dead zone, the divine wolf had not had a single properly prepared meal (that was work for people with hands). As such she had been living like a wild animal. Scrounging for sustenance, consuming raw fare. It had been barely enough to fill her belly, let alone start to restock her astral pouch.
Knowing how that felt was very much a big part of why she went out of her way to feed said wild animals whenever she could, irregardless of the Praise she got for doing so.
Right now, however, she was going to feed herself, and any who got in the way of that would suffer her celestial wrath. Which could have presented a problem for everyone given that she couldn’t exactly order food herself in any sort of straightforward manner.
Despite this flaw in her plan, while Harry went to try and loot the kitchen, she padded her way between the tables of the mess itself and towards the serving hatch, with the intent of popping up to it on her front paws and more or less hoping the server would give her all the food she desired.
Which was a lot of food.
Unfortunately, the feast had really cleaned out the Lost Numbers’ larder. There were enough leftovers that Bracket’s kitchen staff could bring out a fairly satisfying meal for Harry, Amaterasu, and whoever else might need a bite to eat, but any gluttons would have to ration themselves. Aside from what little crab remained, the only fare fit for an obligate carnivore the kitchen team had in abundance right now was juvenile sandworm meat, obtained from Martira just that morning. Even that would need to be cooked, though, and even if Bracket has the energy after preparing the feast, sandworm was no ordinary foodstuff and would need special care.
Fortunately, Amatarasu was an omnivore. Unfortunately, she would have great difficulty communicating this, given she could not speak. Such was her perpetual curse, which was now stabbing her in her weakest spot.
If there was anything to motivate trying to find a solution to this, it was her stomach, and so after pondering the subject for several moments, she came up with a plan.
The wolf grabbed a napkin in her teeth, padded back to the counter, raised herself back up onto it before pausing time so she could paint onto reality.
There she scrolled her view around to face herself, zoomed in on the napkin, and then expanded her three ink pots with only a breath in between pauses, causing a message to appear on the napkin in neat cursive writing.
Three words was not a lot to work with, and the divine being was frankly embarrassed to be communicating so crudely, but she had needs, and she would see them fulfilled, hits to her ego be damned.
Though inelegant, her method did work, and the kitchen staff scattered to find a wider selection of foodstuffs that Amaterasu could choose from. Still, supplies were limited, so this would hardly be a meal worthy of divinity, but hopefully it could satiate her for the time being.
While her Divine Retribution wasn’t meant to be used as a serving platter, the hovering disk did end up being used as such as the divine wolf popped stuff onto it via jaw grabs, and then carefully floating the whole thing onto her back before padding off to go find somewhere to eat her scavenger’s meal. It also helped keep her food warm while doing so, the divine flames licking at, but not actually hot enough to ignite, her precious cargo
Naturally, the cafeteria, eating wise, was built for bipeds (very rude of them) which resulted in her ending up in the one corner of the room that was fit for four legged friends. As it turned out, however, it was already occupied. After traipsing through the Avenger for a good half hour, Gillian had brought Caesar back to the cafeteria for a treat. He wasn’t leashed, but the majestic Great Pyrenees was calm of temperament and absolutely trustworthy. He’d already smelled Amaterasu nearby, but when the wolf approached Caesar perked his head up, his floppy ears about as raised as they could be (not very) and his tail wagging.
The divine wolf halted for a moment, anticipating the worst in terms of overenthusiastic dog greeting, but this one seemed incredibly well behaved and respectful. Her signal of discomfort with being approached was read, and only taken with a little sadness, which was a farsight better than being bowled over by some foolish pup. Especially when she was carrying her food.
That could have been a disaster.
As it was, she took her time to set down her meal, and only then signaled she was ok with being greeted.
For all that Amatarasu was a divine being from a higher plane, she was also a wolf rather than simply something wearing the shape of one. As such, of all the things she found indignant, the traditional bout of butt sniffing was not one of them.
Proper greetings and rapport established, scents based ‘names’ acquired, Amatarasu settled down and got down to business of eating, doing her best to maintain some decorum even as she scarfed down the delicious meal. It would be enough to fill her stomach, but not her astral pouch, leaving her far more vulnerable than she’d like for the upcoming mission.
She’d just have to find a way to offload her treasures and buy a buffet’s worth of food. Somehow. Three words at a time. Assuming she could even find paper to write on in that moment
Things had been so much easier with Issun about, despite his prickliness and perviness, she mused, before wondering where the tiny wandering artist who’d accompanied her throughout her second life was right now.
She hoped he was alright.
A ruff from her side brought her back to the current life, prompting her to glance at Ceaser, who she assumed was going to be begging for food, but instead was politely inquiring what had her down.
It must have come across in her body language.
That was how she found herself talking with the only being on the ship that shared her native tongue. Or, well, talking was of course a humanism, as 90% of canine communication was nonverbal. It also wasn’t exactly complex, both between her convastation partner’s lesser intelligence, and the ‘language’ they were using being far less complex but still.
It was nice to be understood, and to communicate in a way that felt, that was, entirely natural, for once.
Miss packmate from before. Small-strong. Worried still she began, leading to a little flurry conversation between the two.
Sympathy. Relatable. Big light. Then pack leader gone. Forgot. Found new pack. Remember. Then lost new pack too. Now here. the hound explained, before assuring her that Sure leader is fine. Same as small strong pack mate
She communicated her thanks, and then enquired Where second pack go?
Big flying thing. Lots of not friend humans come. Many pack die. I escape
Sympathy she offered him, before inquiring New pack stronger? Still danger?
Now pack smaller. Maybe small strong. Uncertainty
That was concerning. The details were very unclear, of course, but she did not like the news that the Seekers had apparently been attacked and weakened before. Something to dwell on, and then look into.
Loath as she would to sit through it all without falling asleep, but she was probably going to have to convince someone to exposition dump all of the additional context of the situation to her somehow. So far she’d gotten the reason everything was a mess, the false god of light Galeem, and how they needed to take down its guardians in order to face it, and that progress had been made on that. With this she was entirely onboard, such a great evil needed to be fought, but beyond that?
Lots of gaps to fill in.
Caesar wasn’t exactly going to be the one to answer them, but still, she was happy enough to keep communicating with him.
Also lost new pack. Different big light. Smaller. Make wasteland of shiver things. Wander away. Now here. New place. New pack. How is?
Pack mates good. Food good. Mostly. Sometimes less than want. Also need more outside
Supply issues then. Also not a lot of going out of the Avenger for its regular inhabitants or so it seemed. Whatever the Avenger actually was.
She’d need to find out that as well. Some sort of thing like the moon people’s arc was her impression from the brief description they’d gotten, but she hadn’t exactly seen it, having been left entirely out of it as a result of the fulton pack. It was fairly disconcerting now that she thought of it. She was inside of something, yet had no idea what it looked like.
She’d need to have a look around it to get a feel of the dimensions at least.
In a sense, the same sort of went for the world as well. She knew what the mortal realm of ehr home looked at from above, she was a celestial and all that, but what was this one like? Entirely unknown.
She wondered how anyone ever lived with that ignorance.
Maybe they got used to it.
She decided to endeavor to not get used to it.
Food good she agreed, entirely unrelated to all her internal thoughts. It wasn’t a lie or anything, mind. The food was very good (though maybe that was just because absence made the stomach grow fonder in much the same way it did the heart), and she’d already absolutely demolished the leftovers she’d gotten her paws on.
With the mean out of the way, all that was left was burning a little time before she felt a need to sleep. She’d need to find a spot to do so, maybe take that wander around to scope out the ship’s insides in general while she was at it.
With that in mind, she stood herself up and requested that Caesar act as her tour guide via Show round?
He was interested, but was unsure if his minder would be ok with that.
Said minder was, incidentally, a sentient slime living inside of a diving suit.
Amatarasu didn’t bat an eye at that, the world of light was strange after all, and instead repeated her napkin trick, informing Gillian the janitorial slime that.
To her credit, Gillian was only momentarily taken aback by this show of divine intervention, and was then 100% onboard with this, becoming a third member of her impromptu little walk around the Avenger, bubbly asking Amatarasu questions or just talking at her as people tended to do if she let them.
Normally that might be annoying, but the slime had a charm to her, and was pleasant enough company as the divine wolf went snooping around her new home.
wordcount: 7651 (+8 rapport/exp) Edward Portsmith: Level 6 (16 cells) (1 level up benefit stored) ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (21/60) Location The Avenger (ft. Ace Cadet)
While Miss Fortune’s words about people having nothing to say about the dead due to them not knowing each other hadn't quite panned out as poorly as it had initially seemed it would, they did still stick in his mind. Enough for him to make a decision regarding an idea he had been dithering on, which resulted in him seeking out a plus one for his premiere visit to the Mysticenter.
”Ace” he said, as he caught the Cadet in the corridor outside of the bar, the man having just finished being handed something by Bowser Jr, which turned out to be the spirit of a burrowing monster from his home reality.
”I was wondering if you’d like to follow up on our previous rain check?” He enquired, before explaining ”I’ve found out the details of a facility called the ’Mysticenter’ which would suit my crafting purposes perfectly, if you’d be interested in joining me?”
Normally rain checks weren't called in on the same day, but Ace didn't mind. At least he wouldn't have minded, but the place Edward proposed... It was all in the name, really. Mysticenter. So where normally the hunter would easily agree to some quality crafting time with a new friend, this time he actually had to pause and consider it.
He let out an audible hmm, tossing the spirit Junior had given him between his hands. He could use this time to prepare for deployment tomorrow, restocking on spent ammo and coatings, maybe mess around with making a few blade oils. He could do that in any of the mundane workshops on the Avenger. He could also try and get a better hang of that beetle-bow in the range. The option of spending some more quality time with Nadia before they were split up again was there too, an option that very much appealed to Ace.
Ultimately though, after just coming out of a memorial service with loss fresh on the mind... preventing more of it seemed like the most important thing at the moment. The short time he'd already spent with Edward rationalizing magic had helped Ace, and if he could cram in more of that, get even just a little more comfortable with it, then if it came down to do or die against the Highlands' Guardian Ace could make damn well sure no one was going to die. He'd better be able to react, and protect everyone, himself included.
So he nodded at Edward, somewhat forcing a grin onto his face. "Sure, that sounds good. We should make sure everyone's geared up before tomorrow."
He held up the spirit of the balahara as well. "And if we're lucky then we'll get a new bowgun to tinker with too."
Edward smiled back encouragingly, somewhat aware of Ace’s position on magic and hoping that this might be an additional step on becoming comfortable with it. As for the luck, he replied ”We can hope” before considering and then adding ”But when we can also tip the scales in our favor, we should do so” as he flicked open an armory screen and summoned the symbol of avarice into his hands. The mimic hat was an ugly thing, but, as he’d explain, it did tip the odds of a good outcome in the favor of the spirit crusher.
”Naturally I can if you do not wish to use it personally. It is a rather unpleasant artifact all things told”
Ace eyed it with suspicion. He actually had pretty decent luck with crushing spirits so far - maybe he had some kind of affinity for it, or something. And he didn't really want to use the crazy looking helm. But, he had already decided to get out of his comfort zone. His grin turned into a grimace.
"I can handle it," he said. Probably, he privately added. "...but let's do it somewhere else."
He steered the two of them further down the hall, more than happy to let Edward carry the symbol of avarice as they walked. Even if there weren't maps of the ship's interior to check, the both of them had a rough layout of the Avenger. Ace slowed down as they approached the Mysticenter, and finally gestured for the hat outside of it.
It was as unpleasant as Edward had warned, to say the least.
Item obtained: Balahara Alpha] A set of low-rank armor formed from Balahara scales, shells, and hide, with a durability and texture much like metal, covered in metallic teeth like a giant mining drill. It acts as an alternate costume and will conform to the wearer, but can only be equipped in its entirety, replacing other pieces of armor. It confers Evade Extender lvl3, Hunger Resistance lvl1, and Quick Sheathe lvl1. It takes less damage from water-aspected attacks, but more damage from electric-aspected attacks.
It wasn't a bowgun, or any type of weapon - instead a whole suit of armor fell into the Cadet's arms, though it was folded over slightly, not at its full mass. The hunter's eyes brightened up at the sight of it, the experience with the mimic hat quickly forgotten as it was passed back to Edward.
"Oh, radalos," he said, turning the attached suit over and back. The leather work, the sleek metal plates...! This was good quality! Unfortunately it did seem that each piece would stay attached, the entire thing staying in one piece so he wouldn't be able to mix and match with his own armor, but it was still pretty great. Being in one big piece like this did have its benefits, in the case that someone else could get some use out of it or just quick swapping equipment.
”It really is interesting how much or how little comes out of a spirit, mass wise. Then again that did seem to be a large creature?” Edward said, as he set about banishing the hat back to the armory while Ace looked over the armor. It certainly seemed good quality to him as well.
”Is it an upgrade?” Edward enquired, as they proceeded to make their way into the Mysticenter.
"I dunno," the hunter replied honestly. "It looks like Guild-made armor so it'll be sturdy for sure, but without having fought that monster myself I have no idea what kind of resistances it has or what skills could be built into it."
He did look eager to test it and find out though.
Ace went to stuff the armor into his square pack. He wouldn't mind sharing but he did want first crack at trying it out, so in there it went. He looked back up at Edward as he did. "Junior was saying something about me maybe being familiar with it. It looked like a leviathan, but not one I've seen before. Back in Hammerhead Little Miss-- er, Gemma mentioned they'd sent an expedition party into some forbidden lands back in my world, so it might be from that area."
He was really curious about it. As soon as he got back home and the Fifth Fleet's own expedition into the Hoarfrost Reach was completed, he was going to request to travel there too. But that was something to consider in the future; there were much more pressing matters to think about.
Ace waved his hand in front of his face once, like motioning away those thoughts. "I'll figure it out later."
Edward nodded in understanding, and then as his head came up he beheld that ”ah, it looks like we’ve arrived”
Tucked away in the guts of the sophisticated, futuristic, and highly technological airship lay a small oasis of fantastical magics, the air itself glutted with arcane energies. Magic came in many forms, after all, and this one room had to house all of it. Petitions had been raised in the past from certain Lost Numbers to expand the Mysticenter into an adjacent chamber or two, but magic and technology didn’t always get along. While the Mysticenter was far enough removed from vital pieces of Avenger infrastructure like the engine room, the potential for interference with the ship’s systems was simply too great.
That all meant that the place projected a rather thick magical aura. If Ace managed to push through it and get inside, he’d find the reason for the anomaly quite place: the place was quite cluttered. Along one wall stood a row of elemental spellcraft altars crammed next to one another. One corner featured bookshelves arranged around a magic enchanting table, with barely any room between the volumes and the arcane workbench itself. A mystic pedestal nearby was home to a scrying pool the size of a bird bath, and against the wall behind it stood a heavy desk with shelves full of potions and jars of magical reagents. Right now, the potion master seemed to be the only other person here: a large, stocky, green-skinned ogre in simple attire, intimidating at first glance until one happened to catch sight of the little spectacles perched upon his broad nose. There were plenty of other stations, knickknacks, and storage shelves, but there was some open space at least, mostly in one of the corners. It wouldn’t be hard for an onlooker to imagine that any sort of magical mishap in here might spark a chain reaction strong enough to knock the Avenger itself out of the sky; clearly, this place was for professionals only.
Fortunately, Edward was one such professional, with academic training to his name and everything (not that his diploma had survived years of war). Unfortunately, he intended to add to the clutter.
Arcane Item Forger: Edward gains proficiency in crafting/breaking down magical artefacts of various stripes, as well as the renaissance and earlier levels of equipment for the purpose of making enchanted artefacts in their stripes. This also allows the creation of an Arcane Item Forge, a facility dedicated to breaking down magical artifacts into ‘Binding Essence’ and ‘Binding Fragments’ which can then be used to forge new magic items.
Items are split into 5 tiers though only ones up to level 4 are craftable. Those below tier 3 require only Essence, while those at or above that level require Binding Fragments, which can only be gained from other tier 3 and above items. Naturally there are losses in breaking down the items, with a tier of items producing only 50% of the resources needed to hypothetically forge it. Each tier is also worth twice as much as the tier below it. So it would take 4 tier 1 items to make one tier 2 item. Meanwhile a tier 5 item could be used to make 2 tier 4 items.
A (non craftable) tier 5 item would be a flaming sword that can apply 5 different basic status effects at once. A tier 4 item could be a wand which allows a one use per battle chance to dominate a foe for the duration of that battle, a tier 3 armor one that provides 20% damage reduction against both magic and physical attacks, a tier 2 a set of boots that lets the wearer move 30% faster, and a tier 1 hood would give 20% increased ranged accuracy.
And as for Ace, well, he was the exact opposite. Just the feeling emanating from the room was enough to set him on edge. He felt the unfortunately familiar skin crawling feeling, which only got worse when he stepped through the doorway, and it didn't take long at all for beads of sweat to form on his brow. He stood near the exit, a stilted nod of greeting towards the ogre his only movement.
After marveling for a moment, Edward glanced back at Ace, noted his condition, and endeavored to do at least something about it. Well. And serve his own purposes.
It was, after all, his opinion that the best way to counter fear was knowledge.
”Good afternoon” he said the ogre with perfect cordiality, not put off by the potion master’s form for a moment.
The Dreadnaught was rather familiar with Ogres, as it happened, having both allied with and fought against the giant-kin on numerous occasions. As such, he was well aware that their base appearance could be deceptive, and, indeed, that it was entirely possible for the sageness of their world-forging ancestors to shine beneath their heavy brows.
Not too often, admittedly, but if nothing else it was simply courteous to treat people as people.
”I am Edward Portsmith, and this is Ace. We were hoping to learn about and make use of the facilities here. I don’t suppose you would be able to help educate us on the wide manner of workstations you have here?”
The ogre paused in his work and turned around, giving the strangers a polite nod of the head. “Hello. I am Gronk.” He had a deep, gravelly voice, and his manner of speech was slow but deliberate, without any trace of hostility or broken English. “Lots of stuff in here. I just do potions. But I can try.” He seemed very perplexed by the forge Edward set up since his back was turned, having never seen anything like that before. After a moment, though, he pointed out the Mysticenter’s amenities one by one. “Potion table, mostly mine. Mona’s scrying pool. Enchanting table, also used for alchemy. Altars for making spells and spell ammo.”
He then pointed out a couple features of the room that might not be immediately obvious for the uninitiated. “Magic plants. Watch your heads” He indicated a number of flowerpots hanging from the ceiling around the room, low enough that folks as big as Gronk would need to be careful not to hit one. Gronk pointed toward a half-cute, half-ghoulish clay figure sitting in an alcove where one might expect to find a fire extinguisher. “Pot boy. A fire source, good for heating cauldrons. He likes coal.” Unfortunately Gronk could not demonstrate since he’d already treated Potboy to all the coal he brought with him. Beneath Potboy was a hefty-looking arcane device. “The crucible, for reducing things to arcana.” Finally, he indicated a blackboard near the door with a rack of different chalks and wands next to it. “That’s for rituals and pictos. Pictos are like magic tattoos. Still in research stage though.”
”Fascinating. Thank you” Edward said, having tapped away at the armory without even really looking at it while this explanation had been given, and in doing so summoned a straight up anvil into the room, which he’d ‘borrowed’ from one of the conventional workshops. Given how old tech it was, it probably wouldn't be missed.
”This is, or will be, an arcane item forge. With it I will be able to break down magical items into binding fragments/shards, which can then be used to fuel the creation of new magical items. It is an inefficient process, but it allows for the conversion of excess, or ill fitting, matical times, to be reused in the creation of something more suitable for our specific set of heroes” he explained, as he retired several halos halos from a pouch and placed them on top of a nearby workspace.
He then turned to Pot boy and said ”Now then I am in need of a, well, a forge. I am afraid I do not have any coal, but would this be to your tastes?” before summoning an entire barrel of liquid morkite from the armory.
The little guy flared to life and stared down at the barrel of alien fuel in awe. “Huhuhuhuhuhu!” He rubbed his little clay hands together as he prepared to dive right in.
Gronk’s eyebrows shot up as his jaw dropped. He’d learned a lot of lessons throughout his life, most of them the hard way, and what happened when one exposed flame to flammable liquid didn’t need reinforcement. “Wait! Don’t-!”
Potboy leaped toward the barrel of morkite.
Edward tried to drag the barral away, but, well, oil was heavy. Which left Ace the only one in a position to stop the imminent explosion that even he could see coming.
He had just been letting Edward and Gronk talk, passively absorbing the information while attempting to keep his composure when surrounded by all of the mystical artifacts and ingredients, up until the little clay figure leapt out. Fear and uncertainty had never stopped the Ace Cadet from acting before -normally it was the opposite- so he lurched forward to intercept.
The hunter caught Potboy out of the air, swinging the little guy away from the barrel while holding him at arm's length.
"Probably shouldn't be fueling around in here," he joked lightly.
”I, ah, yes” Edward replied, before asking/asking ”I suppose that is what I get for placing an entire barrel of treacle in front of a child?” as he dragged the offending container away from the potboy.
”Would he have survived that?”
That hadn’t been what Gronk was worried about. “Him? Probably.” The ogre wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Us? The Avenger? Probably not.” With all of the magical energies and items stuffed into the Mysticenter, there was no telling what kind of arcane chain reactions a point-blank explosion could kickstart. After settling down, Gronk picked up a ladle from beside his potions cauldron and scooped out a draught of liquid morkite from the barrel. Carefully he tipped it into Potboy’s mouth, who squirmed with delight as he licked his dry lips with a tongue of clay. His flame flared up, and he jumped around in excitement, ready for action. Gronk nodded and stepped back, bumping Mona’s scrying pedestal in the process. “Good to go.”
Ace shuffled backward a little, giving Edward plenty of space to set up his station. It really took all of his willpower not to excuse himself after the close call and leave the room as quickly as he could. The mana thickly permeating the air in the room made him feel anxious, restless, and uncomfortable, but he knew he needed this. There probably wouldn't be a better time to just immerse himself in his kind of low stakes (well, normally, assuming the pot boy behaved), magic rich environment to try and get used to it.
"A forge, an anvil... how close to actual blacksmithing is your process?" Ace asked Edward after a moment, partway between Gronk and the door. He was working on stamping down his nervousness, and though slow going it was enough that his curiosity could come through.
”Both more and not as much as you think” Edward replied as he picked up a halo in a pair of tongs and began to heat it over pot boy’s fire. As he did this, he unclipped the tome of pyromancy from his hip, which floated up into the air above the fire and unfurled its pages. Spell circles formed between the source of the fire and the book of flames, and then the fire leapt up into one set of pages, and then out of the other set to stream back down to the source, causing a swirling vortex of flames who’s heat was contained by the magic.
Within, the halo glowed first red and then white with heat, which was the point at which the man was satisfied. He detached the tome of enchantment now in turn, which hovered over the anvil surrounding it in more spell circles, at which point Edward transferred the halo to it and began hammering it not into shape, but into the anvil itself. As the tome of chanting contained the sparks flying off of it, the magical metal of the halo not so much warped into a new shape as atomising as it was expended in the process of crafting the new crafting station.
Then he did this again, and again, and again, till the anvil and hammer both where aglow with a white-gold light, as if permanently superheated and yet at the same time being almost unnaturally cold to the touch.
”And there you have it, one arcane item forge” the man declared with winded words, stepping back and wiping his brow as the tomes of magic returned to their spots on his belt.
It looked like it hadn't taken much at all to set up, but Ace figured it was only deceptively simple. And now that the arcane forge was ready, he did want to see how it functioned. At a distance.
"Heat to say it, but it is kind of groovios," he said. The glow it gave off gave it an epic look that even the hunter couldn't deny. "Are you planning on making a totally new bowgun instead of repairing the magelock?"
”Indeed. I will be extracting the essence from it and the musket, with which I should be able to make a slightly improved replacement. With a few more, something even better” he said, before explaining ”However, I am also able to create many, many more kinds of items than just rifles. Swords. Crossbows. Helmets. Magic rings. Wands. Empowering Trinkets. All these and more. I could even try my hand at enchanting a non-magical item to improve it further, though odds are technology and magic will not mix to well”
”If you are interested, I could make something for you. Something that you know exactly what it does, and how it was made” he offered, hoping that this might be a helpful step towards alleviating the other man’s fear of helpful magic.
Ace's eyebrows shot up in surprise. It was a generous offer considering that items needed to be sacrificed in order to make the new ones. He easily caught on to Edward's thought process though, and... would having something like that help him? He had worn the mysterious accessories melded by wyverians plenty of times, and logically he'd know more about whatever Edward made except for the crucial magic parts. The Cadet already had a small bit of magic lodged inside him thanks to Aphrodite, but since it had been there before he'd developed his aversion it was easier to live with, even if it did still make him uncomfortable and he hadn't used it since. A piece of equipment that he could take off at any time if his feelings got too strong would definitely be better than suddenly being drenched in an ally's spell, the same way knowing that he could just exit the Mysticenter made it easier to be inside it.
"That's- really kind of you," Ace said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Carrying something like that around probably would help me feel less spell-shocked in the field. Maybe... something small, like a charm?"
He blinked then, making sure to add, "I am kinda broke, though. No cents in making it unless you'd take an IOU or a trade."
"A charm I can certainly manage. As for payment, an IOU would be fine, but hands on help with the magelock construction would also be a boon. I have a candidate for gutting that having someone with more hands on experience with more advanced weapons take a look at would be a great help" Edward replied, before summoning the MGR-M1 Bishop from the armory, and offered it to Ace.
"I have no idea how they strange coils within are meant to function, but if removed it would leave plenty of space for placing the magical mechanisms in their place"
When Ace took the weapon, he was confused at first. It was more advanced than what the Cadet was really used to, including his experience with the Breechshot he'd taken to using, but... just from the look of it he could tell the weapon was a little odd, probably even in the world it came from. The gun was long but its barrel was comparatively short, and to compensate the scope seemed shorter too, yet pushed farther forward than he would expect on a weapon meant for very long range. Was it meant to pack the power of a sniping rifle at a closer distance? Then why did the action look like it was made for more rapid fire? And what were the coils for?
"I'll definitely help out if I can. Last time went well, so this is just... like a rank up," he said, mostly trying to convince himself. He still moved a little stiffly given where they were, but handling the distinctly non-magical gun was loosening him up some.
He quickly found the magazine release, and after ensuring there was no ammunition in it or the chamber, he popped it back in, flicked the safety off, glanced a little nervously around the room, and once more took a few steps away to make sure he wasn't too close to... anything. Then, he simply dry-fired the gun. With no ammo there shouldn't have been any combustion, and thankfully there wasn't. What did happen though was that the coils wrapped around the barrel emitted a very specific noise: the sound of electricity. It was one that the Cadet was very familiar with, whether conjured up by monsters or manifested from weaponry. He stared at the coils for a moment, trying to piece together their function. They had to electrify the barrel, but why? He ran his hand over the barrel, and when he felt the metallic parts of his glove lag ever so slightly it all clicked into place. His eyes lit up.
"I think I fulgur'd it out. If I'm right, it's pretty rado-cool," he told Edward, glancing up at the other man with a real smile this time. "Do you know what a Magnet Spike is? I don't know if they have them in other worlds, they're already kind of rare in mine. They're these huge weapons that use magnetism to offset the weapon's weight. The hunters that get really good at using them can move around really fast.
“I'm thinking these coils do the same kind of thing. They must pull the bullets through the barrel and speed them up at the same time."
"Now that, that, is fascinating." Edward replied, having immediately started making notes when Ace had said he’d figured it out. He then went on "I hadn’t heard of a magnet spike, no. Magnetism yes, but only really for compases and the like. That it has uses with weight management could lead to all sorts of developments… and of course weaponry"
"It almost seems like a shame to dismantle those parts now. Hmmm. Perhaps if I modify the round generation so that the projectile can be influenced by magnetism… and I heard the sound of low level lightning magic so maybe if we" he began to say, scribbling design notes, before stopping himself.
"Ah, my apologies. I offered to make you something, let’s stick to that first. I believe I have acquired enough magical items which can be broken down to satisfy both our needs" he informed Ace, gesturing to a small pile of items all of which seemed magical in nature which where: his broken magelock, the dismantled Charr Pirate Musket, the machet and pistol combo weapon, the Illumina Baton, the wand dagon, and finally the Berserker's Barrage.
"All that remains is to work out what sort of trinket you might find useful. I have a few suggestions: A charm that will increase your on foot speed by about 20%, or another that will speed everyone with your way through forests, snow and caves. I could also make a ring that produces an anti projectile barrier of wind around you, or another that will make you hard to spot at long distances and let you slip through walls. Finally, I could make a wand that will create a simulacra of a beast native to the local train for 30 seconds, or that will let you breath flames once during a battle"
"A ring that grants great resistance to fire, cold, lighting, spirit, or blight damage is also an option, or a lesser resistance to three of those is also an option" Edward added as an addendum.
If Ace wasn't holding the Bishop he probably would have raised his hands to signal Edward to slow down. "Let's not get Kut-kurazy now..."
There was absolutely no way he wanted something that would make him breathe fire or walk through walls. Sure, conceptually it was kind of interesting, but he could just imagine the kind of powerful spell needed for something like that, and he didn't like the thought of magic altering his body more than what he was already stuck with. That was easy enough to read on his face, as the hunter paled slightly.
He was a little tempted by the wind barrier though, even though he figured it would be magically produced wind surrounding him. He'd be like a mini Kushala Daora.
"Something easy like a resistance charm would be fine," he said eventually. It was also something he was already familiar with from his own world, just made with the element producing organs of monsters rather than a mystical force. Not to mention it would be handy in a lot of situations. "Maybe as a bracelet though." It would be easier to remove in a hurry.
"Rings are better for resistances unfortunately. Hmmm. But perhaps…" Edward said, before opening and flicking through his journal till he came across a sketch of a rather sinsiter looking charm.
"The Halo of Nekron" he called, it, before explaining that "it is an amulet that can, every 10 seconds, create a short ranged pulse that steal the strength of foes around you and grants it to yourself instead"
"Not exactly simple, I admit, but it's the best all around defence I can grant without crafting armor instead"
Ace weighed the pros and cons of the offer. On paper (literally in this case) it sounded very beneficial, and Edward was right that it would work well for general defense. For offense too, if it powered the wearer up. And as an amulet, removing it in a pinch would be as simple as yanking it off. However, it also looked pretty... evil. A just heart shouldn't go around wearing something like that, but maybe the menacing appearance was just superficial? Edward wouldn't be giving him something that was actually cursed, right?
There was also the way he described the effect. A pulse that would sap strength away from opponents and grant it to the wearer. Ace had endured the spells of allies washing over him plenty of times before, and every time it felt bad. He wasn't thrilled about the prospect of that happening so often, but on the other hand since he would be traveling with several magic users in the Highlands then the quicker he got over it the better, and being somewhat in control of when it happened with the amulet would probably help.
The Cadet shifted the gun to prop it against his shoulder, a freed hand coming up to rub at his face as he thought it through. Then, he suddenly went rigidly still as something he hadn't considered about the Highlands expedition before occurred to him.
Edward, Geralt, Blazermate, Sectonia, Sandalphon, Roxas, Ganondorf... and him, the Ace Cadet. Was he really the only one out of the entire group that wasn't a magic user of some kind?
Ace cursed under his breath. Should he switch destinations? No, really wanted to see the events they'd started in the Frozen Highlands through - and he was still sort of lousy as a duelist against other people besides. His choice was the right one, but man... he would really be throwing himself right into the deep end. No mundane comrades to station himself alongside when fights inevitably broke out.
"This giggisux..." he murmured to himself. Getting used to all the magic as soon as possible was now even more of a priority. Ace finally dropped his hand from his face, and though he seemed even more deeply uncomfortable than just minutes before when he met Edward's eyes again there was determination buried in his expression, only just visible beneath what was probably nausea.
"It's gonna be one hell of a hex-perience but, okay," he said, agreeing with the dreadnought's suggestion. "Thanks. And if it doesn't work out, at least someone else is sure to get use out of it, right?"
Whether it did or not, the hunter was planning to keep his end of the bargain regardless and help Edward build the most radalos bowgun possible.
"Then let us begin. First things, first: destruction, and only then, creation" Edward declared, before setting to work dismantling the magical gear, It was a process that mostly mirrored the creation of the forge, only instead of beating the magic into the anvil itself, he functionally beat it out of the objects. It also involved far more precise strikes, the Dreadnaught delivering swift blows to the points in the artifact where the magic was most concentrated, causing shimmering dust like binding essence or shard like building fragments to burst forth, only for spell circles to catch the essence and consolidating it into packets of power.
Specifically, he started with the Berserker's Barrage, which resulted in a veritable bounty of shards and essence, as well as leaving them with an entirely mundane axe. One which hosted a veritable bounty of valuable metal for forging with.
"Such a shame that it seemed to have apparently languished unused since it was acquired, at least according to the armory mistress, but at least it will now serve a perouse in covering the costs of both our major projects" He explained, before setting to work on just that.
He extracted the red gems from the now magicless axe, salvaged dark steel from its blade, and from this forge an arrowhead shaped amulet for Ace. Unassuming in nature, for it had yet to have power poured into it.
That step came next, the essence swirling around Edward as he channeled the magic, the item rising up into air as 7 slots formed around it. Edward pointed to a single one of these magic circles forming around his hand, causing a storm of essence and a flurry of shards to shoot into that one singular slot as he chanted "Strength from the unworthy, power to the bold! The master of his own destiny stands alone, surrounded by foes, and yet even in the face of this adversity they stand strong, while their foes who shall wither and weaken in the shadow of their divinity!"
Power flowed and pulsed, till the essence had all been crammed into that singular infusion of power, at which point all of the slots shrunk towards and then into the amulet. A slight redundancy given only one held power, but still, the system worked, and the magical power was infused into the artifact, which floated for a moment before slowly sinking down onto the anvil.
Ace watched for a while, but by the time the magic circles expanded and levitated the amulet he had to avert his eyes. Getting used to all of this was easier said than done, and he was already fighting the impulse to get as far away as possible just being in the room. Instead he turned his mind towards a more mundane task, not only hoping the distraction would help but also just to get it done while the dreadnought worked.
He moved over to a (relatively plain) looking table after throwing a look Gronk’s way to make sure it was alright, rooted around in his bag for some of the tools he'd borrowed earlier in the day, and went about dismantling the weapon that Edward planned to use for the base of his new gun. Taking things apart was always way easier than putting them back together, but he kept a mental note of which bits went where. Once it was in pieces he could more easily see how the coils actually worked and where they drew their power from, even if the actual science was a little outside of his scope. He gutted the modern firing mechanism, and after a moment of consideration set the coil's power mechanism aside too. If Edward wanted to leave the coils themselves in, maybe it would be better to power them with some kind of magic too? Otherwise he had no idea if the electricity would interfere with the conjured ammo, or vice versa.
Which left the new power source. The pieces of the broken magelock were already there, it wasn't inconceivable to just see if and how the crystal could fit into the new base. Ace glanced over at it, understandably hesitant. He reached over and took the fixture that was intended to hold the magic gem in place instead, figuring he could get everything else set up and leave the actual spell work to Edward.
"And there you have it" Edward declared, as he picked up the amulet by its chain and presented it to Ace. Within its gem, rather than a human skull, there hovered the vision of a wyvern skull, dark red mist swirling around it, its jaws open and moving ever so slightly, expressing a feral hunger.
"Form is somewhat less important than what is inside, so I customized it to be a little less macabre. As much as I could anyway. Nekron was not, as you might imagine, the most pleasant individual" He explained with more than a little contempt for the described man, before more evenly saying "Still, it is entirely functional, and the only danger in this item represents is over committing to it. Becoming entirely surrounded might be the fastest way to power, but don’t let that get in the way of sound strategy"
The Halo of Nekron (Tier IV amulet): Within the gem of this amulet lurks a ruby hued aparision of a bone wyvern. Once every ten seconds, during combat, at the start of its wearers “turn” the amulet can release the wyvern that swoops around the wearer, sapping strength foes in melee range and then returning it to the user. Mechanically this means it has a 60% chance (magic/status effect resistance reducing) to apply a weakness debuff (lasts 30 seconds, reduces damage output by 10%, and can stack up to 5 times) and for each foe it successfully weakens in this way, it grants a buff of strengthened (lasts 30 seconds, increases damage output by 10%, and can stack up to 5 times) to the wearer.
Ace carefully took the new accessory by said chain, watching the charm as it spun slightly while dangling. It definitely looked a lot more appealing than the original drawing, the hunter would give him that. As far as magic items went, seeing the entire creation process from start to finish did lessen the mystery and made it less off-putting than all others so far.
Even so, Ace didn't hold it for long after dropping the amulet's face into his palm and getting a closer look. He tucked it away into his bag, to be worn later. Tomorrow. He felt like he was still covered in goosebumps and didn't want to press his luck by wearing it right now.
"Nice work," he said. The craftsmanship looked good, though he'd just have to trust the man when it came to the magic part. Speaking of, he turned to grab the scout rifle he'd been working on from the table and held it out to Edward by the barrel, the only pieces missing from it now being the ones Ace didn't care to touch. "And I think, after your inspection, you could probably fit this thing with your own firing mechanism and end up with a really groovios gun."
"Much appreciated" the Dreadnought replied as he took it by the stock and then flipped it over to hold by both palms as he inspected Ace’s craftsmanship
"Hmm. Yes. I see" he said to himself, before telling Ace that he’d done "Excellent work" and that "You really do have quite the knack for adapting, don’t you" as he set the rifle down on the forge’s anvil.
"So I've been told," the Cadet said. Ever since he was young.
Edward performed a few minor adjustments to add the basis for the magic, mainly by inserting and modifying the core of the magelock rifle, tinkering such that the magic circles that it produced alongside the inside of the barrel interleaved with the coils in the gun.
Then he stepped back, and went to work.
"Fire and lighting, energy unbound, strike my foes with thunderous sound. Leap fourth and leave nothing but ash!" he chanted, filling the large slot on the left of the forge’s interface, before filling three of the slots below.
Two fifths of the power he was invested streamed into the first as he said "Lighting linger, fire burn, ignite the land and set a storm in the soil!" before the other two were filled with "Strip their resistance, let them feel magic’s sting, and its lingering bite" and "Shock them, sting them, leave them convulsing before your sorcerous might" resulting in a gun who’s barreled softly smoked and who’s internals cracked with electricity.
Electrifiying, Resistance Stripping, Electopyre Igniting, Magelock Gause Sniper Rifle of Archfire (aka the Smiting Bishop): A MGR-M1 Bishop with its unique penetrating ammo system removed and replaced with the magical components of a Maglock, causing smoke to trickle from its barral, and electricity to permanently crackle within it. The coils of the railgun remain however, and are incorporated into the new firing system, interwoven with hovering spell circles. The scope, rifling, and railgun system give the weapon increased range over a conventional magelock.
The gun fires high powered rounds that do an even mix of fire, electric, and physical damage, which ignores 50% of an enemy’s armor/resistances. These rounds, upon impacting with a target, release a shower of sparks that then ignite the ground beneath them, producing an electrical napalm like effect over a two meter diameter area. This effect persists for 30 seconds, and inflicts burning and electrified (fire/electric damage over time effects that last 30 seconds and stack up to 5 times) onto targets that pass through or stand still on the effect (a unit standing on it will then receive an extra pair of stacks every 10 seconds). The ignition takes a moment, giving the shot target a chance to move out of the effect before they count as standing in it.
The rifle also has a 90% chance to apply electrified on hit, and another 90% chance to inflict sundered resistance (reduces magic and status resistance by 10%, lasts 30 seconds, stacks 5 times).
The weapon has infinite ammo and automatic reloading, but does take 10 seconds between shots. It is also fairly inaccurate if hip fired at anything but close range. Stabilizing runes need to be activated, anchoring the weapon in place for a few moments, in order to deliver a properly accurate shot over long range.
"There, I think that will do nicely" Edward declared, as he lifted up the warm to the touch weapon, before saying that "I can’t wait to test fire it" and then adding after a moment "outside" because it was, after all, a fire hazard if used indoors.
Even with his nerves starting to really fray, Ace chuckled. He was hoping to see the results too, at a distance of course, but they'd probably get a chance soon enough after touching down in the Highlands tomorrow.
"By the way... are all those words necessary? Some kind of in-vocab-ation?"
"Yes it-" Edward began, before giving a chuckle at the pun that he had taken just a moment to process, before going on "Magic is an act of will, of telling the world that this is how things so it better start acting like it. Much of the fine complexities of that are performed with mind and pre-prepared instructions done in complex notation, but the ‘drama’ as it where, of the vocal incantation really, well, hammers everything home, so to speak"
"Gestures and such are fine for temporary magic, but if you want something to stick, then you have to nail it to reality as hard as possible. Hence the rather blunt instrument of the spoken word"
Somehow that actually made a lot of sense following the explanation that casting of a spell was like rewriting reality. Though to be fair, just because it made sense didn't make it any less unappealing. The magic itself at least - the words themselves tickled some unique parts added to his personality.
With a whole crafting station newly added to the Mysticenter and two projects served to break it in, the night seemed like a success. The Cadet couldn't honestly say he felt good at the moment, but maybe a little accomplished. And eager to say they'd done it and leave the Mysticenter behind.
"Anything else we need to tackle?" he asked.
He technically did, they had in the end only broken down one of the magical items after all, but sensing the Cadet’s mood he replied "Nothing that can’t wait till later. I need to mull over what to use the rest of the materials for anyhow"
That worked for the monster hunter. He clapped his hand on Edward's back a few times. "Well alright then. Thanks a lot Edward, I mean it."
"No problem at all" the man replied, feathers ruffling as he re-settled his wings.
Slow and steady progress was progress all the same, and Ace hoped his appreciation showed through. That said, he was quick to make for the door - throwing a nod and a short wave as he passed Gronk's potion station. Was the process of brewing a magic potion as dramatic as forging a magic trinket? Maybe he'd find out eventually.
Stalker wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, but she did know that she was very very lucky to have not had her face melted off. Or rather that she had not had to blow her cover in order to prevent her face being melted off. At least she was pretty sure that was what the burning man had been holding her in a headlock and pointing his flaming fist at her head had been threatening to do in order.
Possibly whatever that high pitched sound just barely at the edge of her hearing that had occurred had addled his brain enough to not go through with the implied threat.
Whatever the case, she was free now, and the local who’d been responsible for all this was on the ground unconscious. The flames on his face hissed under the fall of the sprinklers, but rather than be snuffed out they suddenly leapt into the dying banknote bonfire, which released one final puff of smoke before going out all at once.
Said smoke cloud ascended into the sky with surprising cohesion, leaving behind a nondescript business man laying on the floor. Though this body had been captured, the spirit of Pyrojack still burned free.
Stalker only paid a little attention to whatever supernatural nonsense was going on with all that, as she was mainly busy being annoyed at the sprinklers soaking her hair and clothes, while also wondering if she could take advantage of the situation. She had come here for the bits of fabric needed to acquire food from the locals, and she’d rather not leave empty handed.
She glanced left and right, and then, with the regular locals seeming mostly interested in getting out of the wet and smoky bank, and the locals who’d taken down the fire guy busy with each other, she made her choice.
She ducked down, pulled one of her several inch long hair pins out of her hair, and began to use the point to sift through the ashes of the banknote bonfire for anything that had at least somewhat survived the fire, before stuffing the salvage into her pockets.
She’d be quick about it, grabbing only the choicest of fabric notes before preparing to make her exit.
wordcount: 334 (+1) Amaterasu: level 8 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (17/80) Location: Dead Zone Hinterlands - Witch’s nose
Amatarasu’s growling aggression ramping up the likelihood of a fight breaking out was interrupted by Harry placing himself between the divine wolf and the guards. For a moment she mistakenly believed that he was trying to protect them from her, and was thoroughly appalled at that prospect, until he turned his back to her and made it clear it was she he was trying to protect from them.
An absurdity.
The celestial was quite sure she could rip through these foul smelling scum with ease. She did not need protection from them.
This brief redirection of her ire gave the level heads time to talk something out, though Amatarasu wasn’t exactly sure she liked simply letting the guards go. Even if their boss wasn’t in on their deeds, that only meant that they would try and remove him from the equation rather than actually reveal their crimes, which wasn’t going to solve anything.
As such she was entirely onboard with going along with the plan of checking out the place the monster supposedly lurked.
The rest, it seemed, were onboard, including Heismay, which would be interesting. She wasn’t quite sure what sort of power he’d activated, and seemingly neither was he, but the resulting armored figure had certainly seemed like a powerful figure indeed. Given his pre-existing speed, she was very interested in seeing it in action.
Speaking of, perhaps it was time she allowed them to see her in action as well. It would at the very least dissuade Harry of the foolish notion that she of all beings needed protecting.
Of course, neither of those things were really what was important, as Kit reminded them as they exited the cave. If there was fighting to be done, it was, first and foremost, fighting for the sake of the children. The wolf giving Kit an acknowledging glance for his words, before she set off, leading the way as she followed the trail of the guards back the way the way they had come.
By way more or less of momentum, Jr and Rika had ended up at the lost moment’s bar anyway, despite the former’s reservations about how it would feel pointlessly sad, and the latter’s lack of really getting it.
In contrast Edward got it in spades.
The military man had attended, and led, numerous funerals and wakes. War had its casualties, this was inevitable, but that did not mean those deaths did not matter, that respect should not be given.
The commonwealth’s manuals had emphasized the importance of last rights being given from a purely strategic standpoint, and given guides about how to perform them in a manner that bolstered rather than broke morale. Sometimes in times of extreme stress Edward had had to fall back on the thinking of these things, when his spirit was not in it, but the needs of the campaign demanded it. Ultimately however it was his firm belief that these things genuinely mattered, and not just for those who were left behind.
The dead deserved respect, those who had died because they dared to fight for a noble cause even more so.
Thus, when it came time to speak, he did so both with practiced oration and from the heart.
”In the short time I knew her, I came to owe Midna a great deal. From bringing me up to speed on many of the ways this world worked in ways that no doubt saved my life in the battle I was awoken during, to being generous with her supplies and wisdom of the arcane. Even had she lived, I would never have been able to repay her, either for her kindness or her easily given companionship”
”From what I saw of her leading her unit in skyworld, she was also the kind of leader all should aspire to be. Brave, cunning, and compassionate for those who served under her, willing to put herself on the line to preserve the lives of her troops, when a lesser general would so casually expend those same lives for even a slight advantage. She, was, ultimately, in the end, selfless to a fault”
”That last can without a doubt be said for both the fallen. I did not have a chance to make Goldlewis’ acquaintance, but I do know that his final act spoke volumes of who he was. Who they both where”
”We owe them everything. Let us not let their sacrifices be in vain” he declared, thumping a fist to his heart in salut, before stepping back into the crowd
As he did so, he caught sight of two figures who were, it was fairly clear, not in any way as used to funerals as he was.
Buried in the crowd that towered over them were two children, who absolutely should not, in his opinion, have been put in the danger that had killed Goldlewis and Minda.
And yet, they had endured it better than him, and might have been the reason that Consul A only took two lives, thanks to their powerful transforming ability.
He still needed to look into that, but now was not the time, because both children were runny nosed and tear streaked, though it was a quiet, sniffling kind of sadness, rather than ones involving any outright bawling. They also both looked to be varying levels of confused, annoyed, and embarrassed by this fact. This latter heightened as Bowser Junior noticed him looking, the prince rubbing his face with a sleeve and making a right mess of it in the process.
For all his multi-planner experiences, Edward was not, he would, admit, exactly experienced with children. Such youths belonged nowhere near a war camp after all, and even when he had ruled he had rarely been out of one. But if he were to hazard a guess, it was that right now, being treated as children would only make them more angry about their own emotions.
So he stepped closer and silently offered the pair a handkerchief each (he was going to need more at this rate) and a curt nod of understanding/respect, making sure that his expression and actions could not have been seen as either pity or judgment.
The girl, Rika, started at these with confusion, prompting her Brother to grab both and to then whisper that she should use it to ”dry your tears” speaking said words in a cadence that belonged to an elder koopa Edward had never met, before seeing to himself. The prince wiped down his scales and then rather loudly blew his nose into it, prompting his sister to do the same.
”Thanks” the prince mumbled after he was done, handing back the now snotty and tear stained handkerchief, with Rika following suit a moment later.
Edward suppressed a grimace, and instead nodded to them again, before bundling up the handkerchiefs in a random spare bandage he had on him (he was now out of clean handkerchiefs, and would indeed need more).
He then turned away from them, keeping his checking on them far more subtle than his first look, but fortunately the situation had been stabilized.
As the funeral continued, Edward, in the back of head, debated on what he should say to the children after it was over, but in the end that choice was not his to make. When the wake ended the two would manage to weave their way between the legs of the crowd and away from him, in order to avoid exactly the kind of conversation Edward himself was not sure how to have.
He was silently thankful for this for a moment, and then admonished himself for the thought. Still, it was out of his hands now, unless he could catch the pair at some other time for a quiet, no doubt awkward, talk.
They did at least have their own talk of sorts, with Rika asking her brother ”Why do I feel better, but also worse?” to which the prince had no real answer. He, after all, only really felt worse. About the deaths, about the mess he’d been, about not talking about he and Midna had made that cool goop cannon that one time because it felt silly and pointless when compared to the other’s fancy words.
All he could really do, think of doing, was try and let this never happen again. As if responding to this desire, this mental statement of will, the metal on his hand began to reshape a little, preparing to bloom forth new life giving power.
Secret of the Lily (B’giotahmo Bravha): Part of Jr’s metal tattoo lattice on his shoulder transforms into a healing gauge that can fuel certain spells. The Blue lilies are gained every 20 seconds of combat, and up to 3 can be full grown at once. The singular blood lilly meanwhile will bloom after 3 lillies have been expended to fuel spells.
Blue lilies can be used to cast Afflatus Solace, which is a 30 yard ranged single target instant cast cure spell (60% stronger than cure) or Afflatus Rapture, which is a 20 yard aoe instant cast cure spell (25% weaker than cure). The blood lily meanwhile can be used to cast Afflatus Misery, which is a 25 yard range high damage spell (2.5 cures worth to be exact) that also hits all foes in 5 yards for 50% of the damage dealt to the primary target.
It was, in a way, he felt, all on him if people died. Such was the healer’s burden.
A terrible thing to allow a child to place on their own shoulders, and yet there it was, clear as day.
wordcount: 825 (+2) Amaterasu: level 8 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (16/80) Location: Dead Zone Hinterlands - Curien Mansion
Amaterasu’s internal thoughts on the situation mostly mirrored Big Band’s, with one added focus. The kids were not getting any sunlight stuck in a cave all day, and that was a travesty. The solar celestial wasn’t even being self important on that front (mostly). She was simply instinctually aware mortals life needed sunlight to live, even if she was not aware of the specifics of vitamin D production that was the reason for this
At least the kids had been spared from whatever other thing they had been kidnapped for, but what that fate exactly was wasn’t initially clear. None of them had seemingly seen where they were or why they were being taken before being rescued, or had been rescued from wherever they were getting taken.
Which was concerning.
The receiving of further information had to come from the woman who had kidnapped them, and she did not, in Amatrasu’s opinion, give the best first impression. Skulking around unseen, while also clearly being absolutely massive came off as an attempt to be intimidating, which she did not appreciate. Plus her arrival put an end to the petting session. Not that she could really hold that last thing against the woman, the attention of children was a fickle thing after all.
After being more or less dragged outside by the kids and placed in front of some kind of miniature stage, she found herself sitting on her hindquarters and watching a play, which turned out to have an answer as to what the kids were being saved from.
She didn’t like what she saw.
Not the puppet show, to be clear. She liked that, and it was a novel (for her) experience to be sure. But the macabre subject matter touched a core part of her being that struck a cord even if she did not remember it, for sacrifices being made to terrible monsters were a core part of the original Amatarasu’s tale.
Not that she needed that memory to be appalled by this information of the existence of a child eating monster. If it was true anyway. It could be that the titanic invisible being was spinning an elaborate tale, though she was not, it seemed, inventing the part about the children being kidnapped. Assuming there was no mental manipulation going on of course. For all she knew the kids were simply being convinced that they had been saved when this had not actually been the case.
There were only really two courses of actions here, she thought: get the answers out of the guards, or stalk them till they were caught in the act.
Helpfully, or unhelpfully, it soon appeared that the very same guards had followed them here and begun throwing accusations around, while Molly revealed herself to stand guard over the children. In doing so, she revealed herself to be absolutely massive and, indeed, of a spider like nature.
Which raised the question of why she would need to kidnap the children, if she could simply crush the offending guards in one hand. Maybe she didn’t have a proclivity for violence? Certainly, even when cornered, she didn’t seem inclined to go on the attack.
Or were these men more dangerous than they appeared?
Questions upon questions, and the words of mortals were not making anything clearer as accusations and denials were tossed hither and thither, much to the divine’s annoyance. Had she not been worked up and affronted by the deaths of children, she might have taken a lie down till they finished yammering on.
As it was, she sought answers where only she among the team could find them
Amaterasu stalked closer to the accused guards, and raised her snout to audibly sniff the air, before suddenly flinching back as her nose caught a whiff of a repugnant, aberrant odor on the accused guards. Something human and alien at the same time, and all together wrong.
That sold it for her on who was in the right here, because what else would a giant baby head with monstrous appendages smell like? Even if that wasn’t the source of the smell, for all her monstarouse size and form, Molly merely smelled of what she was, not of anything inherently ‘wrong’ and so only one group was passing the sniff test here.
She couldn't communicate this, but she could communicate the side she was choosing. She did so by lowering herself into an aggressive pose, before stalking around the guards, growling at them as she did, before putting herself defensively in front of Molly and the children.
Given her own (misbegotten) reputation in the town, this was maybe not the most convincing argument for a peaceful resolution. Then again, it wasn’t meant to be one. Unlike Molly, the Galeeming Goddess very much had a proclivity for violence, and this was everyone’s one warning to either find a peaceful solution, or else she was going to take matters into her own claws.
Origin: Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess Appearance: Consul M wears a set of armor reminiscent of the Fierce Deity Armor upon her body, along with a pair of matching gauntlets and armored knee length boots. Her head is covered by an hooded cloak, a vaguely M shaped Maskand Twili style tiara in her true form, while her imp form sports the fused shadow, which has been partially repaired so that covers both her eyes.
In body she has the form, or rather forms, of Midna, princess of twilight.
Personality: Consul M is not exactly the picture of princessly grace when she can avoid it. She can put on the airs of royalty, but would much rather tease and taunt, to joke and play around, than to act with self-serious dignity. She’s also often ruled by emotions as a result, and especially her anger, as she isn’t one to easily forget a grudge.
Despite all this, she cares deeply about others, be they subjects, friends, or innocents and will fight tooth and nail for their safety, even if she will also sometimes act as if she knows what is best for them. She’ll also go to lengths that others might not, be it in self sacrificing ways, or in the use of ‘dark’ power to reach her end goals, because she is sure she can handle it (which, to an extent, she can due to her experience in wielding power and powers gained her own people’s dark past).
Background: Consul M was once Midna, the princess of twilight, heir to the throne and future ruler of the Twili, a race of beings who lived in a shadow realm their sorcerer ancestors had been banished to from the light world of Hyrule. Upon the death of the previous ruler Midna was chosen to succeed them, but was soon overthrown by one of the failed claimants to the throne, Zant. Using powers gained from his new “god” he conquered the twilight realm, transformed its people into monsters and cursed Midna with an impish form before banishing her from the realm. Rather than sink into obscurity or die in disgrace however, Midna aimed to rebuild the Fused Shadow, an ancient artifact of shadow magic, and use it to reclaim her throne.
She recruited the aid of Link, who had been transformed into a wolf, a sacred beast of her people, and together they embarked on a quest to first reassemble the fused shadow, and then, once its pieces were stolen from them by Zant and Minda is almost killed, the rebuilt the Mirror of Twilight which they would use to take the fight to Zant in the twilight realm.
Together they overcame first Zant, and then (with the aid of princess Zelda) Gandorf, who, as he is want to do, had revealed himself to be the man behind the man of Zant’s usurpation. Midna died in the process of defeating the villain, but was revived by the light spirits into her true form. She then returns to her home to claim her throne, but as she does so she destroys the twilight mirror to prevent the two antithetical realms from ever coming into conflict again
Then Cia, former gaurdien of the triforce, tears time and space apart because of her crush on Link, re-implifying Midna, reviving Zant and chucking her out of her kingdom again. After a brief misunderstanding she teams up with the Hylians to successfully regain her kingdom, beat Cia and then return to her own time, only to come back to Linkle’s time for a final battle against Ganon who pulled another true final boss maneuver and before finally returning to her kingdom for the third time. She did not get her true form back this time however. She was just getting into the swing of being the imp sized queen of an entire dimension when reality got torn apart for a second time.
In the Now:The final Midna was one of the many heroes who had resided in "Smash City" Alcamoth taking part in the fighting tournaments there. When freed by the Seeker’s slaying of the ender dragon, she joined their quest, traveling east into the desert.
Within it she slew Urbosa for her crime of being unwillingly partnered up with a shadow of Ganondorf, something she would later come to regret despite having built much of her current fighting style around that spirit's power. Beyond that she traveled north, losing and gaining friends and allies, till she ascended the split mountain and slew its guardian.
She then traveled to twilight town, learned to drive, was part of the seekers meet and greet, before traveling to Midgar, where her portal placement ability proved vital for swift navigation around the city, and their eventual dive into its heart to slay its guardian. Having left the city without power by accident, those seekers escaped the city, only to be chased by a consul and be saved by the Lost numbers, who they then joined. After that, they regrouped with the rest of the seekers in carnival town, where she learned the other team had recruited Gandorf of all people.
She swallowed her pride and agreed to work with him, but will never turn her back to the man as long as she lives.
She did not, in the end, live very long. After fighting in the war in Skyworld ad defeating the demons and false angels there, she traveled with the rest of the seekers to the deadzone, climbed the demon tree at its heart, and faced down the foes found there, only to perish at the hands of Consul A (the Ancestor) when she volunteered as the one of two to die to his call onto your maker attack. Rather than re-enter the system and forget, she was offered a choice to become a Consul herself by Consul T, who was, it seemed, a good man who believed that the World of Light could be changed for the better. Midna was not entirely convinced this was the case, but accepted nonetheless, because the only way to find out if this was true would be to investigate.
And thus, Consul M was born of this and every other Midna that has ever been.
There will not be another.
Job: War Mage Specialty: Close range spellcasting and minion/army summoning/supporting Inventory:
Fused shadow (1/4)Worn by Consul M as a helmet this physical manifestation of Shadow magic gives her the ability to transform her ponytail into a large prehensile limb tipped with a large hand. This hand has immense strength, capable of smashing foes aside, grabbing and hurling people or things and wielding large weapons. The force of blows or weight of lifting is not applied back to Consul M, which is convenient as otherwise usage of this artifact would likely break her neck. The fully completed artifact is many times more powerful than its component parts. Despite its appearance it does not damage her depth perception.
Inheritance of untold lifetimes: Consul M remembers the locations of all her past titration’s stashes of items. Time has claimed much of the contents of these, but the most important, generally magical, objects have endured. As such the princess has access to a dizzying array of weapons and equipment, though it is hideously unorganized in its distribution, scattered between a dizzying array of secret stashes located across her realm.
Money:
4100 Zenny
Biteturn Charm - a charm of human bone with a touch of the Stranger’s power. Whenever a bladed weapon strikes the holder it will take massive durability damage, enough to shatter conventional weapons. When this happens, however, one of the wearer’s teeth will turn black and fall out. The tooth cannot be regrown via healing.
Cursed Sword - a strange blade imbued with fell sorcery. It deals extreme damage when used as a weapon but is difficult to grasp and use effectively. While equipped, any damage taken by the user will result in an instant kill
X-Naut Uniform: An Alternate Costume that, when applied to a person, near-instantly clothes them in a perfectly tailored version of the comfy red and poofy white suit, gloves, shoes, and hood of the X-Nauts. Includes goggles. In addition to being comfortable and warm, it also pretty much completely masks the wearer’s identity
Sharpnened Volcano Fragment Deals less damage than your average axe on hit, but will light the target on fire, causing the target to take damage over time until the flames are quenched or 7.5 seconds pass
Sun on a Stick Deals less damage than your average bat on his, but will deal a critical hit to a burning target without putting the target out. Also grants 25% protection against flames while in hand
Clubba Club:A heavy weapon of solid metal. Its weight makes it a pain to use but a whole lot more pain for anyone it’s successfully used against. Just picking it up and dropping it is more practical than actually trying to swing it
Freindship bracelets: A simple metal bracelet sporting a heart shaped emblem made from a red stone. When worn the two ‘lobes’ each gain their own stylised icon representing the two people wearing the matched bands. When the bands are close together (so in the same general area sucha s a room, small building or garden) each half of the stones will glow softly, with the light intensifying the stronger the bond is between the two wearers.
At a base the band increases damage by 5% and movement speed by 6% even when the wearers are not around each other, but it can raise it by up to a maximum of 15/18% respectively for incredibly close friends. This the current owning pair most certainly are not, but they still gain a decent 7.5% damage and 9% movement speed boost, and could easily raise this to a pleasant 10%/12% by spending a bit more time with/around each other.
Comes with an instruction pamphlet that attempts to translate the glow intensity to various stages of friendship (from simple acquaintances all the way up through BFFs and Ace life partners) and effect efficiency, but fails to deliver the above information to the wearers particularly effectively.
The bracelet can also prevent the wearers from being forced to fight each other via various mind control or enrage effects, the effectiveness of this effect again being based on how close they are.
Mordant Dew: A whole vial of the nasty, toxic venom that Stingers inject into their victims. While underwhelming at first brush, it is actually a very valuably magical and alchemical opponent, as well as one of the requisite ingredients of the Grim Talisman, a charm that -when equipped- allows the user to build up his or her special resource with every landed attack
A boat load of survival rations of various kinds.
A now rather small amount of wooden crates stollen off the back of a truck (empty)
A bottle of blood themed shampoo
Treespear: Golden spear with tree-like design. Hits are infused with yellow lightning, their strength dependent on the wielder's Faith. Requiring superior dexterity to wield, this greatspear can perform consecutive thrust attacks despite its larger size.
Prometheus Torch type 1: A torch researched thoroughly to allow. a pyrokinesis psionic to unleash their full potential. Damages the taget with fire and bashing. Lakcing pyrokinetic ability, Consul M uses this less refined and bulkier version of the torch purly for bashing
Power Cell: A cartridge loaded with electricity. Its built-in converters mean that it can be used to fully charge almost any device that runs on electric power
Orange Gel: A sweet medicinal jelly capable of providing 33% instant healing when eaten
Commando auto-pistol (x2): an auto pistol able to fire off 3 rounds a second, as well as firing a piercing phase round every 6 seconds. Unlimited ammo and no reloads necessary.
Erendira‘s Gun-lance: a long lance that, along with being able to be used for stabbing, can also shoot small purple aura bolts, or swept to the side to launch a wide angle projectile. It must be charged by supernatural energy to use projectiles
Eliacube: A mysterious artifact. Under normal circumstances the cube is dark and closed, with a texture like jade, and it never opens. It seems to hold some sort of restorative ability, and it can hold a seemingly limitless amount of energy, but how -and perhaps why- it works is an enigma. It's rather interesting and gives off an important feeling. Probably warrants further study. Could it have some sort of psychic effect on those who own it? Or is it just a mirror, reflecting your own uncertain face back at you, and its magic is all in your head?
Ice Shield: A somewhat cumbersome medium shield, decorative and heavy. It nevertheless provides great defense, especially against ice, water, air, and slash attacks.
Ice Geode: Smithing material that's great for ice enchantments or making ice-themed weapons, though it'll take a master to put it to good use
Psi Stone of Dissonance: A crystalline pyramid that can be used to launch a conical energy wave that deals mental damage, applying high stagger. It takes a long time to recharge, however, and can only be used effectively once every five minutes. It darkens after use and starts glowing again when ready to blast
Serrated Knife: A large dagger most infamously wielded by General RAAM of the Locust Horde. Although it is a knife in the hands of RAAM, by human standards, it is a short sword.
Royal War Fan: A fan outfitted with blades and usable as a versatile dexterity weapon. Its attacks are supplemented with minor wind damage, which can also create gusts or small wellsprings, or allow it to be thrown like a sawblade Daora Gem: An organic gemstone formed from gradual deposits of impurities deep within the bowels of a Kushala Daora elder dragon. Its glow is breathtaking, and it could be used to forge Daora weapons of highest quality
Dead End Express: A pair of huge, heavy mechanized clubs forged from the remains of Wartrain Gouon, six feet long and a thousand pounds apiece. Each miniature locomotive boasts eleven grinding sawblade wheels that spin at high speed. Though nigh-impossible to wield, they boast terrifying destructive power, and can even be straddled or otherwise ridden and used as a vehicle
Lv: ∞ EXP: ∞ Abilities:
Minify (Mobius Ability): Midna gains control over the curse that has dogged her for so long, and the ability to turn it on others. Namly, she can switch beings between regular and chibi versions of themselves. She can do this in an AoE around her, the size of which is entirely down to her. As such she can change just her own form, or she can chibiify an entire battlefield, bringing everyone on it down to her imp level where she, knowing how to fight this way, has an advantage. This also applies to other already chibi creatures, such as, say, the humble goombas, or the all powerful kirby.
It can also be used defensively (by suddenly changing her hit box) or as a buff by un-minifying beings who could already be described as chibi, something that makes them more dangerous as a result by bringing them up to their non-cutsie foe’s level.
Generally this makes them more humanoid, for example a Twili would become more similar to midna herself, but naturally there are expectations. A koopa would gain more bowserlike size and proportions, for example, as it was turned into a ‘not small and cute’ version of itself.
Mobius form: Consul M transforms into a red and purple armored being with two massive mechanical twintails which, while wearing the fused shadow, can be used to form empowered shadow hands. It also gives her an all around stat boost.
Summon Wolf Mount: Consul M can summon up to one of threeTwilight Wolfos, a wolf-like creatures which are definitely not a retextured Wolf Link with an added head decorations. These Wolfos are summoned from the twilight realm via a small portal when Consul M is in need of a mount, and can be sent back there just as easily. Fast, agile and armed with sharp fangs and claws, the Wolfos makes an excellent mount for the diminutive Consul M. Each of the three is a unique and living being, and thus they are all capable of both absorbing spirits and being killed outright.
Call of the pack allows her to shift the size of her mount to suit any size changes she herself incurse from Spirit absorption or other sources.
This wolfos has now evolved into a flygon, crossed with a saboquill. The disk on its head has fused with its chitin, giving it a dark metallic crest, one with the wider fronds of the Saboquill. Its green hues are much darker, and the reds on its wings and eye protectors have turned teal. Its arms are more akin to the Saboquill, with wide spiked shoulders (which sport circular teal twilight markings) and larger claws. Its thighs are similarly spiked, and its feet have gained small clawed toes. Its fan-like tail tip sports a metal band/shackle at its base, has been filled with a darker red and has gained several more segments, making it look like a 2d dragon fruit.
Powers: Moves: Dragon Breath: breaths a blast of purple energy that will paralyze the target 30% of the time. Bug Buzz: Buzzes it's wings to create harmful sound waves and will increase vulnerability to non-physical moves 10% of the time. Dragon Claw: The user slashes the target with purple energy wreathed claws Earthquake: The user sets off an earthquake that strikes those around it. Technically a physical attack, as they need to touch the ground to perform it.
Strengths: Hit Reflect: which causes 50% of all damage dealt to the host to be inflicted to the attacker as well, calculated prior to defense modifiers and immunities. This also applies to the vibrava’s owner if both are together. Damage delivered via retaliatory volleys of cactus needles/spikes.
Ground/Dragon type resistances: Immune to electricity, half damage from poison and rock moves.
Levitate: able to fly, and immune to ground type moves as a result.
Physical attacker: Its physical (melee) attacks are 25% more effective than special (ranged) attacks
Weakness Ground/Dragon type weaknesses: quad damage from ice, double from dragon and fairy
Plant Property: increasing the host’s fire weakness to 4x
Appearance: This wolfos has become considerably more draconic in shape akin to that of Maridon, with a longer serpent like neck with a glowing throat pouch, and thicker, sturdier hind legs that sport a wider stance. It has also become more mechanical, with the nest of black ‘hair’ turning into metal cables that extrude to where the forehead plate, which itself is now fused to the flesh rather than floating above it, and its eyes are now those of Maridon. Its snout is wider and bulkier, its lower jaw is metal rather than flesh like the rampaging cyborg and its gullet is distinctly cannon shaped.
Its back sports a metal plate shaped like a motorcycle seat, while a second around the base of the neck provides 2 extensions that can be used as handlebars, as well as sporting a hatch in between them that can be used to load ammunition. Its tail is medium length and made up of the same energy filled tubing of its throat.
Its legs are the most drastically cybernetisised, coated from head top to bottom in Maridon blue metal, and sporting several jet thrusters. The front ones are akin to Khan’s with their attachment to the legs and blade like wings, only they stick out a 45 degree angle out and away so as to not simply burn it’s rear legs or it’s rider, while the rear ones are akin to Maridon’s with two Kahn ones attached on the outside acting like auxiliary thrusters. Each ankle has an extension holding a hubcap of a wheel on it, and when brought together with its twin on the opposite leg, it will cause maridon’s tyre to form between them, transforming the beast into a motorcycle. Finally its feet now consist mostly of three large razor sharp claws.
Powers Metal Wolf Chaos(rampaging cyborg):: granting a cannon on its back. The cannon can fire projectiles loaded into it at high enough speed to explode on impact. If not manually loaded with actual ammunition, it will extract a chunk of the host's flesh at the cost of HP to use instead
Thunder(Maridon): which drops a shower of 6 thunderbolts in an moderate area. Each one deals appreciable damage, but they have low individual AoE and fall randomly, so smaller targets can evade them.
Point-blank Shot(Khan): a high-damage, low-range, single-target projectile condensed from the host's primary element. If it's a critical hit, it's even stronger than a normal crit.
Weaknesses:
Powered (rampaging cyborg): If not powered by an energy cell, the host's cyborg parts remain inert, rendering the gun unusable and lowering its movement speed
Bog Standard(Maridon): decreasing the power of standard/normal attacks (such as biting) by 30%
All-out Attacker(Khan): decreasing defense and resistance by 15%
Equipment
Spit: A sticker that, when applied, allows the user to spit damaging projectiles that fly in a slow arc. They deal damage of whatever single element most closely matches the wearer (in this case shadow/dark)
Deegahla Hide Scale Mail: a set of light, durable armor, that also has a saddle with stirrups to help Consul M fight from it's back, as well as two holsters for pistols, and saddle bags modified so it is easier for Consul M to open portals in them.
Dark energy zone: Consul M projects a growing ring of dark energy around herself and her mount. This ring starts out small but gradually grows to a significant radius. Once activated Consul M makes the power held in the ring lash out at enemies within its dark interior, stunning them with an electrical attack and allow her mount to quickly lunge between all targets stunned by the field
Call the pack: Consul M can temporarily summon her other two wolfos into combat at the same time as the one she is using as a mount. The summoning window is brief, a few seconds at best, making it optimal to use them as part of attacks that act as permanent troops. The wolves can pinwheel like spinning blades, spin dash like drills and even run circles to create vortexes that draw foes in or keep them in place, as well as use any other abilities they might pick up.
They wolfos can also be larger than the one being used as a mount, though whether this is indicative of their true size or a magical buff is unclear. Whichever is the case, the hulking beasts can be devastating to groups of enemies, careening through them before vanishing back to the twilight realm only to reaper from another angle a number of seconds later.
Passively, this power also lets Consul M adjust the size of the wolfos she is riding to suit any shifts in size or proportions she herself experiences.
Twilight Inventory: Consul M can open portals to the twilight realm to send and receive objects to and from it, in much the same way she summons and banishes her wolfos. She does so specifically to hidden stashes across it.
Twilight warp: Consul M can set down gateways (at her own location) that allow her to fast travel between them by skimming along the boundary of the twilight realm. This hop does not go deep enough to expose the traveler to the mutating energies of the twilight realm, and so it can be used to safely transport light-worlders as well as the princess herself.
Twilight volleybomb: Consul M can charge up large translucent-green spheres of energy from her shadow hand, the maximum size which can be quite astounding which she can then ‘serve’ and then ‘spike’ at her foes. Most of the sphere can phase harmlessly through solid matter except a solid core. When that core impacts with something, it creates an explosion the same size as the sphere, which can, again, be very large.
There are a couple of downsides. First off, charging to max size takes a few seconds, is incredibly obvious when being done, and has a lot of friendly fire potential due to the size of the explosion. The ball also has a kind of weight, causing larger balls to travel slower, resulting in lower ranges. Finally, the volleyballing attack method is not proclivity to the greatest accuracy or attack speed, also limiting the effectiveness of smaller balls.
Whirlwind Wolves: Consul M’s woflos can run in tight circles to produce a localised tornado that drags in surrounding foes and batters them against eachother.
Twilight Darknut: Consul M adds a reanimated Darknut to her roster of creatures she can summon from the twilight realm. As with the other’s it is its own entity (one cobbled together from spare Consul M discovered in the equivalent of a dusty broom closet in her twilight storage room, having used a few of these as captains of her short lived personal army during the time war) capable of both death and fusion.
The darknut itself is a towering figure, close to twice as tall as the average human, and clad in thick metal armor. It is also equipped with a large round shield that it is highly capable at blocking blows with. Combine these defenses with its undead nature, and it is safe to say that Twilight Darknut is an incredibly resilient combatant, at least when it comes to physical damage.
Its main weakness is a very slow movement speed, the armored warrior able to at best advance at a walking pace, although its turn speed is comparatively nothing to be sniffed at. High caliber weapons, electricity, heat, and other types of attack that counter heavy metal armor are also natural counters to the towering knight, as are holy, light and other undead killing damage types.
Offensively, it is armed with a hulking broadsword and a lighter longsword as a back up, which it wields with impressive skill and speed despite its armor. It can be equipped with other weaponry, though it’s proficiency with new gear is related to how closely it matches the starting gear.
Roadblock The host is now a hulking seven-foot titan of yellow and black metal, futuristic in make and fantastical in style. Nigh impervious to slashing, and resistant to practically anything else, it is an immovable object on the battlefield that foes are forced to play around, although its slow speed and short range make it somewhat one-note. This spirit confers the Power Obstacle, allowing it to project a large rectangular energy barrier from the shield on its left arm. Allies can move and shoot through it, but enemies cannot do either, and it can take some serious punishment. This spirit also confers the Weakness Mighty Glacier, making the Darknut unable to jump or run
Consul M's Forces: Consul M can raise armies of undead army consisting of masses of Stalchildren lead by Stalfos officers, and overseen by a few skeletal Darknuts. The hordes are not the most dangerous, but Stalchildren are easy to spawn en masse, and can be used to bog down foes. Areas where many have died, or that have thematic resonance such as graveyards, make it easier to summon these forces. As magical constructs they can’t fuse, nor do they drop spirits.
Telekinesis: Consul M can surround objects of considerable size in a golden aura, and then bind their motions to her hand, allowing her to use siad objects as oversized weapons such as an entire wooden bridge or a giant stone fist as a weapon.
Midna’s lament: Consul M cries a single shining tear, and then flicks it forwards as a small slow moving projectile which can shatter almost anything, including the fabric of space itself, into a million pieces (the fabric of space gets better, things in the blast radius do not).
Skills:
Twilight Princess: Consul M has regal authority over the denizens and beasts of her realm such as other Twili and Shadow Woflos. She also has the ability to claim command over beasts or beings corrupted by that realm, like the twilight Kargarok, and some affinity for other creatures of shadow not from her universe/dimension.
Shadow Magic: Consul M can float in the air, hide in shadows and teleport short distances. Entering and exiting shadows takes a moment, as the Consul’s body grows or shrinks into them, leaving her briefly vulnerable/unable to strike.
Monstrous Cavalry: Consul M has a talent for mounted combat using unusual steeds such as Wolfos and Kargarok. She can easily command her strange steed and fight at the same time and is able to adapt to new mounts with relative ease.
Lifetimes of experience: Consul M has been many things over many short lives. Warrior, sourcerer, general. The princess has great experience in many arts of war.
Weaknesses:
Light Based Attacks: While mere sunlight is no longer enough to damage her, as a Twili Consul M still has a weakness to light based weapons or attacks (lasers, light magic, etc.). On top of this bright light is uncomfortable for her to bear and she is more vulnerable to being blinded/stunned by flashes or high intensities of light.
Scholarly Physique: for all her magical power and experience, Consul M has a leith physique that isn’t particularly strong or durable compared to that of a traditional warrior.
Last life, burning bright: If Consum M dies, that’s it, no more Midnas.
wordcount: 1962 (+3 rapport/exp) (+10) Edward Portsmith: Level 6 (16 cells) (2 level up benefit stored) /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (13/60) Location The Avenger
”I’m sure it's more common in other places, but in the worlds I knew, vanilla ice cream was quite the rare delicacy. Ice magic practitioners and climates where tropical flowers grow do not generally mix” Edward commented in response to Nadia’s calling Sandalphon vanilla ice cream with bacon bits in it, before adding what he considered an amusing anecdote ”I recall a Frostling Queen who was ever so proud of the opulence being able to serve it en-mass during a diplomatic conference. She would have been appalled by the idea of putting meat that can be fattened on almost anything anywhere near her pride and joy”
The man in question had sat himself near Sandalphon mainly for the purpose of getting to know their/his new commander better, and that seemed as good an in as any.
Sandalphon absorbed the new information with pursed lips, which was a remarkable amount of visible emotion for her. Edward painted ice cream -or perhaps vanilla in particular- as much more of a rare and valuable commodity than Ms Fortune did. From what she seen of both allies so far, the feral wasn’t one to sweat the details, so she was more inclined to take the strategist’s word to heart, but who could know for sure? If he was right, though, finding the dessert might be too much of an endeavor to warrant the diversion. Still, she could keep an eye or ear out for it. “I would venture to guess that you two come from rather different worlds. Not as disparate as, say, Edelgard and Blazermate, but nonetheless so distinct that the existence of ice cream in parallel is somewhat remarkable.” Studying what she could of the natures of different worlds had become a hobby for her lately, after all. “It seems like the majority of worlds might not be as different as one might imagine.”
At the moment, Nadia was more concerned about working her jaws than her two brain cells. “I dunno,” she said through mouthful of crab. “If I was somewhere hot, ice magic would be pretty cool!”
Although Sandalphon saw the value of building rapport through idle conversation, she also saw the chance to cross another item off her evening to-do list. “Mr. Portsmith,” she began. “I was hoping to speak with you. I understand that those on the scavenger hunt managed to requisition a number of firearms today. In my spare time I have been researching a phenomenon that seems to confer subtle benefits when individuals use equipment that matches their ‘flavor’. I have tentatively called this phenomenon ‘affinity’, and in order to run some tests, I was hoping to procure a weapon with certain characteristics.”
“One: it is magical or fantastical in origin, or at least not overtly technological. Two: it requires ammunition.” It would take a lot more than that to create ideal testing conditions, so these experiments wouldn’t be scientifically valid, but she could at least get a feel for the difference through field tests. “If possible, a precision-based and/or ice-aspected weapon would be even better. I don’t suppose you’re aware of any acquisitions that meet these criteria? I would be willing to offer monetary compensation in exchange.”
”While I won’t be saying no to additional funds, I have to say, I am intrigued by your hypothesis in and of itself” Edward replied after a moment of thought (and chewing/swallowing) before anecdotally adding ”I certainly feel like I’ve encountered the opposite, where a set of technological firearms gained from a fusion were incredibly unreliable”
He put down his cutlery, raised a hand, and called up an armory menu, begging to scroll through the pile of guns he’d acquired, seeking one specific item.
”Let me see, I believe I might have something that fits… here” he said, turning the menu around and displaying the weapon he’d found.
Hexagun: Created by a vengeful Gunjurer, the stock is formed from what was once his staff, and each piece of metal was enchanted thrice before assembly. In the hands of a mystic, its rounds have the chance to transmogrify targets. A semiautomatic precision rifle that fires extremely fast, piercing arcane rays. It comes with 75 magic rounds, but it’s single-shot and takes 1.2s for an expert to reload. With a horn instead of an actual scope, it demands exceptional aiming ability. Can be replenished via universal/long gun/sniper pickups
”A somewhat awkward configuration, it seems, what with the lack of sights, but the form certainly implies it is a precision weapon. I’ve not had a chance to fire it to find out if that is actually the case” he explained. ”I had intended to try making use of it myself, arcane firearms are also my forte after all. However I am hoping I to be able to set up an Arcane Item Forge to salvage and then construct a replacement my broken magelock rifle before we set out again”
Sandalphon read the description at a glance, so she ended up pretending to read for a while longer while Edward finished speaking before she could reply. “This meets most of the specified criteria. It does appear to be a marksman rifle, and the lack of sights wouldn’t be an issue for me since my eyes provide a high degree of accuracy. If this rifle is compatible with spell bullets, I believe it would be a perfect candidate. Would twenty-five thousand zenny be an acceptable offer? You would still be welcome to borrow it for your own tests, as well.” It took only a moment to process the other tidbit Edward mentioned as well. “There is open space in the Mysticenter if your Arcane Item Forge is not too vast. With the spellcrafting altars in the vicinity it would be ideal for magical craftwork. It sounds like a thematic fit as well.”
”How generous” Edward replied, not quite hiding his surprise at the number well enough, before adapting and lowering the value to ”Fifteen thousand will be more than enough however.” He had little interest in making the new leader of the seekers grossly overpay him for this single weapon, particularly given how personable he found her and how helpful she had been, so the loss was hardly that much of a sacrifice.
With that in mind, he requested to know ”These spell bullets you mentioned, what can you tell me about them?” seeing as he had found another weapon, Odin’s pinkey, that might well run off of them.
“Deal,” Sandalphon agreed. Her somewhat excessive proposal had been genuine, but also meant to gauge Edward, so she appreciated the lower offer in addition to the tactician’s disposition. A good weapon was invaluable, but there were upsides to not splurging all her funds as well. As for spellcrafting, she was happy to relate what she knew. “These altars allow magical reagents like special stones, wood, or animal parts. Different materials can be combined at different altars to create spell bullets with a variety of effects. These include basic elemental effects, like fire, lightning, and ice, but also accelerant effects like oil and water, and more esoteric categories such as poison, disease, physics, life, and order. I have crafted a few types so far, but have lacked magic weapons that accept them until now.”
”Fascinating” Edward replied, before noting it was ”all the more reason to investigate this ‘Mysticenter’ you mentioned” and then inquiring ”Is there a lost number in charge of its operation?”
Sandalphon shook her head. “It’s general-purpose, though I believe Lakota has the most experience with the shrines. He crafts magic arrows.”
As he spoke, the man spun the armory screen back around and summoned forth the weapon they’d been bartering over. It dropped into his hand and then offered it over the table to Sandalphon, saying ”Here. We can work out the change after dinner” given that that would be far more convoluted than simply passing her the rifle.
The archangel had not been expecting to receive the weapon now, but she could adapt. She stepped back from the table in order to not interfere with the meals of her neighbors, quickly examined the Hexagun, and then set it aside. After the night’s events concluded she could get a feel for it in the firing range. Hopefully she could also find an easy way to carry it, but if she couldn’t summon it like her gunstaff, it could simply be slung across her back instead of the Eye of Sol, which could now go to someone else. “My thanks.”
”A pleasure doing business with you” Edward replied, before taking up his cutlery again and resuming eating on and off between speaking.
”While I have your ear, I was wondering what your intent was in terms when you hop over to the other team? Command structure wise?” He inquired, that situation having been a reason he had voted against the angel, and one that, in his opinion, one that still needed resolved.
Sandalphon nodded in acknowledgement of the important matter as she sat back down. “Such visits would be uniformly brief, and ideally not in times where my primary team is in need of leadership. I don’t expect that an extremely hands-on approach would be either prudent or necessary to begin with, so I see no issue with leaving you to your own devices when I am away.” Of course, she had her own ideas about who else would be fit for a leadership role within the group, but she imagined that it would happen naturally in her absence, without further need for formal definition of the command structure.
Edward didn’t seem too convinced this was the best approach, but didn’t want to be too pointed about it, replying evenly as he could. ”As you say, this is not a group that needs to be tightly controlled, or would allow for such things, but having someone designated as the one who makes the snap decision in, say, an ambush, could be the matter between life and death. You never know when a crisis might strike”
”Not that this needs to be formalized, of course. The closer we get to a military command structure the more disgruntlement is likely to arise, but it is something to keep in mind if nothing else”
“Of course.” The amount of control that should be leveraged over the group was a fine line to walk, but the issue of unexpected situations like that warranted further consideration. Hopefully she would never need to leave and the other team could just call her if they needed to speak to her for whatever reason, but situations tended to evolve, and plans to change. She took a sip of coffee, and continued to nibble at her meal.
Edward simply nodded back, glad his concerns had been heard, and returned to his own meal. He could have attempted to engage in more conversation, but quite frankly the meal was too good to let it get cold. Plus it was certainly novel, to have a meal consisting of such an absurd amount of crab.
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