Curious to see more.
SilverPaw Member
- Last Seen: 2 hrs ago
- Joined: 7 yrs ago
- Posts: 1119 (0.45 / day)
- VMs: 0
-
Username history
- SilverPaw 7 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Potter,
puddingpunter,
Urizen,
redhood,
FulgrimLives,
Lucid Dreaming,
Expendable,
Kero,
Tim the Yeti,
rush99999
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
Jandar Varan
Winged Boar Inn, Askavi
Jandar did not expect Fatima to insist to try and prevent any bloodshed. Worse, she looked genuinely disappointed, perhaps even embarrassed or ashamed of him. He grimaced as she stepped into his personal space, endangering not only him, but herself as well. Nonetheless, he vanished his sword and shield reluctantly, though his hunting knife remained sheathed and in view on his back. “Very well, but if they–” his pointed warning against the rowdy bar patrons was cut off by a confident female’s entrance. The Eyrien warriors retreated before the female, not out of fear, but respect. Jandar couldn’t help but wonder who the blackhead was. Besides though she wore the Blood Opal (as did he), he felt that her Jewel of Rank was darker, perhaps even a Red just as he had?
Despite his concern, the Warlord sat down at a table his Queen chose, and accepted whatever the innkeeper – Randalvar, the mysterious Eyrien female had greeted him as – brought to the table. Unlike Jassen, he did not believe the bar owner would try poisoning them, not when he simply had to wait for the Eyrien lady to leave. Surely, whenever she did, the hotblooded Eyriens surrounding them would decide to have their fun again. If and when they did, he would be ready. He mentioned his concerns to his Queen. “Fatima, the warriors here…they might not be amenable to peaceful discussions,” he was frowning as he scanned the bar, trying to get a read on the Eyriens still there. Would they, after all, still want to test the mettle of who they saw as a pesky intruder? Or would they head that unknown female's warning and not bother them for the rest of their stay here? Jandar did not know, and this discomfited him to the point of tenseness, a restless state wherein he was rather over-vigilant and ready to react to the slightest disturbance.
Asteria
Though she'd done her best to gouge out the rock, she'd made a very shallow indentation at best, destroying her rudimentary knife in the process. Creating a proper bowl/mortar would take hours. What she’d done so far would have to suffice. Fetching the Bugward. Kilm and Nullven plants, she set to work. First, she examined the Healing herb Ed had given her, so she’d see its full properties. She found a decent sized oval-shaped rock, and first ground the whole Bugward flower into paste. Next, she added the Kilm’s sap and roots, mixing it with the previous paste thoroughly. Before proceeding with the last plant, she tested the mixture of the two she’d combined so far. Asteria nicked her own tail slightly with a tooth corner, then put the paste on it, observing the effects. Finally, she added half of the Nullven to the paste, made another cut on her tail, and tested the final product on it again, noting whether the Nullven had changed the paste’s properties in any way despite in not quite having been an extract. The remaining half of the Nullven, she ate, though she’d have preferred to make a tea out of it.
When her medical dabbling was done, she settled in front of the hole and spent the remaining of her time on guard meditating. She closed her eyes, choosing to focus on the nature’s sounds, breathing deeply. Thinking it might speed up getting the meditation skill, she activated mana sense, letting the natural mana surrounding her permeate her being, actively draining a part of it. If at any point she got the feeling of having too much mana, she would also attempt to reverse the effect and return some of what she’d gained back into the earth, air, and to whatever metaphysical presence the energy-mana might have taken shape as. When Ed tapped her to trade turns, she gratefully joined mother rat in their temporary hide-out and fell asleep.
Early morning dawned sooner than she’d preferred, but nonetheless, she heeded Ed’s call and woke up, stretching all muscles a bit. “Will do, let me just try and get mother rat to stay here. Or at least make sure she won’t be concerned about our whereabouts…” saying so, she went to the still sleeping dire rat, touching a paw to her gently. She closed her eyes and concentrated on what she wanted to convey. Over the telepathic link, she sent feelings of reassurance and safe, but laced with her desire and expectation for her mother to be patient, calm, cautious, and to wait for them at home until they returned. Then, she followed Ed in the direction of the shack, muffling her sounds as she did so.
@UndeadSpartan Aww, too bad. Yeah, sure, shoot me a mention if a spot becomes available.
@UndeadSpartan So, just checking because I think I got a neat idea: could I have Zorua or Zoroark as my character's poke-buddy and use their illusion ability for deceit-based criminal shenanigans?
Asteria
Observing the unknown light spell unfortunately hadn’t reveled any new information, but Asteria’s other endeavors were more successful. Mother rat had physically inspected her after her telepathic probe, but otherwise seemed unperturbed. Good. This meant she could gradually acclimate the non-human in their party to telepathy and perhaps spark her cognition into evolving. Surely if she had evolved there were ways for her to induce something similar in mother rat. Now she only had to remember to communicate with mother rat daily, perhaps focus on actively teaching her, even…But for now, there were also the parts she’d collected to consider. She was considering making the bloodingfly’s stinger into a weapon but concocting a medicine out of the unknown plants was still a priority, since those things could wilt. While collecting the monster parts she’d been successful in knapping a flat rock into a blade, and she used that as inspiration for further crafting.
First, she dug around for a rock large enough that she’d have to hold between both paws and was a tad larger than a head. Asteria then used the rough stone blade as a chisel, using another rock to hit against it. It was a slow and grueling process, and she cut her hand against the blade several times. Out of curiosity, she used her own teeth at one point to try and gouge pieces out of the large rock. She considered using the stinger for the job, but didn’t want to damage something so precious. So, she continued her efforts with the rocks and occasionally teeth in an attempt to craft something akin a stone bowl. As long as the final product at least vaguely resembled a mortar, she’d attempt to smooth the insides by patiently grinding a rock at the irregularities left behind the blade and teeth. For the pestle, she’d just dig around until she found a long oval rock that she’d only have to alter a little to make the handle part.
At one point, Ed brought her some food outside. “Oh, thanks, I was a bit busy with these,” she said, accepting the bug meat and gobbling it gleefully. “Early morning sounds good, hopefully more of the people will go sleep by then. Just let me have the first watch, because I want to try combining those flowers into a salve that would be similarly effective to the healing herb. Mind lending me one of those by the way?” as she said this, she peaked into the hole for long enough to use Plant Analysis I on each of the plants she’d picked up on the plains earlier.
Jandar Varan
Winged Boar Inn, Askavi
So either they are rebels or just a bunch of disgruntled Eyriens, Jandar thought sarcastically to himself, though he was also well aware Terreile hadn’t been how it should be for a long while. And at least these people saw the root cause of it; certain people’s corruption that had spread almost throughout the whole land. It was a wonder there was still a Queen such as Fatima left – one that seemed to actually care for Terreille, something that was apparently a rarity in this Realm.
“Be careful if you do go,” Jandar warned Fatima, though he was fairly certain she would go, and already knew to be cautious. But really, all that coating a mountain in blood was dramatic. It wasn’t as if Fatima had an army, and while there were plenty of Eyriens, there were only Jassen and himself to go against them. A small barrel worth of blood at most, that. It was a morbid consideration, but if these warriors were so eager to spill blood, Jandar would oblige them. “So that’s how it’s going to be, after all,” he commented, rather peacefully – perhaps resigned, even. He vanished the bow and arrows with a touch – they’d be useless in such close quarters – and summoned his sabre and shield. Fighting multiple opponents alongside a stranger who had a dislike for him wasn’t going to be pretty, but Jandar hoped Jassen was aware that in such a situation watching each other’s back was not only optimal but necessary.
“Show me what Eyrien warriors are made of, then,” Jandar called out to the group, admittedly getting fired up about testing his mettle in a real fight. The tournaments he’d been in so far might have been ferociously competitive and a good way to better his own skills, but this would be something else; a real battle, though a small-scale one. There was also the fact that Eyriens weren’t as common in Kaeleer and were said to be fiercer in Terreille. He supposed he’d get to see exactly what they were like. The thought of going against such a well-known warrior race made him grin as he took a fighting stance, eyeing each opponent. He’d start on the defensive, not only because they were outnumbered and he had to learn a bit about the warriors he was about to face, but because Jassen, a technical ally of his, was also an unknown.
Jandar Varan
Winged Boar Inn, Askavi
When Jandar woke up several hours later, washed his hands and face in a basin, dressed himself, equipped his dagger, bow, and quiverful of arrows while the sword and shield were Vanished. He shouldered his backpack before making his way down to the main inn room, paid for some bread, cheese, and even a fill of ale for his leather flask for the way, and finally went to saddle and rein in Teo as well. Jandar thought he saw the thief watching him as he left alongside his new travelling companions, though it might have been someone else. Jessen, Fatima’s other companion hadn’t been pleased at Jandar’s presence, but the Warlord ignored the other male, while he reciprocated Fatima’s gesture in getting to know each other. He realized she was keeping him in the dark regarding the details of where they were going and why, but as far as he was concerned, that was simply a sign of a good dose of sense and cautiousness.
The fondness with which Fatima spoke of her rambunctious youth seemed to hint that she was still a mischievous, energetic, perhaps even slightly childish woman. Though he by no means knew her well enough to draw sure conjectures as to her character or judge her. Actually, the only thing he could ever possibly judge her for was foolishness or injustice, and she’d not shown an inclination to that so far. In exchange for her stories, Jandar shared a bit of what it was like for him to live in Kaeleer. He told her of his grandfather and father, of memorable hunting trips, exhilarating tournament wins, and his research interest. He hinted at the frustration that grew in him due to having evidence of strange things befalling people from Kaeleer who went to visit the courts in Terreille, yet being unable to do anything officially. He was vague on certain details so Jassen would not be alarmed further, but otherwise honest with Fatima.
Thus, the time till they arrived at another inn in what was apparently a village dominated by Eyrien warriors passed pleasantly. There was something off about the inn’s patrons, but Jandar couldn’t discern what exactly that something was before the inn-owner, a grizzled Eyrien Warlord Prince approached them – rather offensively, he couldn’t help but note. Could these be some sort of a local rebel group? Though he was dubious of such a conclusion based on the information he had, Jandar still considered this situation to be a potential opportunity, though certainly a dangerous one. He waited curiously for Fatima or Jassen to react, though slightly tense at the possibility of swift and unfortunate escalation of hostilities.
Thankfully, Fatima seemed fairly well versed in de-escalation and mediation, though he couldn’t help but turn to stare at her in surprise at her…explanation. She mentioned weaving, webs, visions, and a person who dealt in those, and who else could she be referring to other than a Black Widow? He turned back to the inn-owner, assessing the male’s mood. How would he respond to that? Would he be prepared to hear them out? Or was that input of Fatima’s enough for him to turn them all away? In any case, Jandar did not believe that him responding to the inn-owner until the Eyrien said his piece would help right now. The Eyrien had had most of an issue with Fatima, so even if Jassen or himself chipped in at this point…it would most likely be unnecessary.
Asteria
Asteria's attack was successful! She’d landed on the fly and tore into its wing and back forcefully, ripping off a part of its wing. Mother rat’s attack injured it even more, and though it attempted to escape, the fly only managed to destabilize Asteria and throw her off with its trashing. The insect managed to tumble onto Asteria, exposing its belly in the process. One of her other companions took the opportunity to deliver the killing blow, and Asteria wriggled out from underneath the dying creature. Its legs continued twitching a while after, as was common with insect. Asteria inspected herself for injuries thoroughly, just in case the tumble had caused some sort of sprain or break. It was also possible she’d got scratched while under the insect, which could be a danger if the bloodingfly was venomous.
Just then, her attention was redirected to a blinding flash which was shortly followed by two others, all originating from the forest. Asteria closely observed the lights, wondering as to its purpose and effects. It disturbed the soil and put out the fire, and this made it all the more apparent this was some sort of magic rather than the product of technology. Who could have cast such a thing? More importantly, she had to get information on the spell itself! It was perhaps a larger scale one than she’d ever witnessed before, so there was merit in trying to figure it out. Mana analysis! Mana sense! She activated her skills, but beyond that, she focused intently on the lights, observing them carefully and trying to actively feel the residual magic that was surely present.
When the spell was done, the fire put out, and the plains saved, Asteria blinked, regaining awareness of the rest of her environment. In the distance, villagers were shouting, the sight of such grand magic awing them as much as it had her, and it seemed they were now on the lookout for more magic. The sun had also set, and their night-time vision was better than the humans’, so if there was any sneaking and stealing to be done, now would be the time. However, Asteria had some things to do before that.
Firstly, there were her skills to consider. She was almost tempted to not invest them into anything yet, but according to the system, she was close to another level up. I should get something I’m not likely to level up by myself…One of those heal skills could be useful, but we do have leftover herbs and the unknown plants. For now, then…7 points into Telepathy, 3 points into Plant Analysis. She tested one of her skills right away, still remembering how Jason had used and trained it. Not only could she and Ed communicate unobtrusively with it, perhaps even Mother Rat could be taught, just as she’d seen Mother Slime had been.
With that in mind, she approached Ed first, touching him with a paw. She closed her eyes and focused on transmitting her thoughts, getting a feel for the spell. “Got telepathy. Will train. Could help. With Mother. And stealing,” she sent the five short thoughts in intervals, though doing so felt embarrassingly similar to a senior unused to technology trying to use a phone for sending messages. When she was done, she removed the paw from Ed, and opened her eyes. “I hope that worked. I’d like to get it to level 2 soon, maybe even before we get near the humans, but I don’t know if I have enough mana for that. Let me just try this with Mother rat, to see how she responds,” she trailed off, and approached her Mother. She nuzzled up to her, so they were touching, but this time, instead of transmitting words, she used the telepathy to send her feelings of affection, calm, soothing, and slight concern. She hoped the other dire’s rat reaction would be positive rather than bewildered.
When she was done testing her new spell, she went over to the bloodingfly, examining its parts. There were two things she wanted from it currently; its stinger, the hollow needle-esque end to its proboscis, and the wings. Asteria took her time to carefully dislodge the stinger, the needle, and the remaining wing from the corpse. If her claws and teeth proved futile, she’d sharpen a small piece of rock to help with the removal. She also closely inspected the fly’s antennae and claws. Examining one corpse this reminded Asteria there was still the dead ant to consider. The most obvious part she might be able to use were its antennae, and she plucked them off carefully. It had a hard, tough chitinous exoskeleton, but Asteria wasn’t confident she could harvest, or more difficult yet, use it to craft anything yet. Just in case there was something she’d missed about the ant, she used Monster Analysis on it as well.
Lastly, to prevent further incidents, she stored all the plants (and monster parts) she’d gathered deep into the hole they’d dug, making a small niche for them. “When we get all the parts that we could use from these two,” she indicated the insect corpses with a nod, “We should either eat, store, or burry them. Just so no other monsters are drawn to us because of the smell,” she noted. "Then...we can rest a bit and wait till the humans are asleep, or try do the heist right away," she added, curious for Ed's opinion on the matter.
Asteria
After the bloodingfly – and really, that thing was a fly of all things? – was hit by her rock, Asteria stayed where she was, still, silent, crouched low to the ground as she had been. She observed the insect and Ed in turns, to find an opportunity where she could deal a better attack. Mother rat had leaped at it once, but was driven away by the stinger. So, either they’d have to break that off somehow or attack it in a way that prevented the bloodingfly from being able to sting them. There was also the alternative of risking a sting and killing it in that moment, but based on the insect’s description, that would be incredibly risky. Asteria kept watching as the insect dove at Ed, stinger pointed at him, while Ed called out to it. He was ready to keep its attention on him, then.
Asteria creeped closer, until she was within leaping distance of both the insect and Ed, and got ready for a jump. She crouched as low as she could, tensed all muscles, building power in every single fibre of her being, until the right moment. Then, when the insect was entirely focused on Ed, its trajectory set to attack him, Asteria released all the energy she’d been able to store, shooting off in a manner similar to a coiled spring, only she had more weight behind her, and had added some of her own force by pushing off the ground as she jumped. She flew at the insect, claws and teeth ready to grab onto any part of the insect, bring it down, and claw and bite into it, specifically targeting its wings.
© 2007-2024