SilverPaw

Oblivion: A Story Forgotten

Alnaera grit her teeth as she continued powering the spell, restraining the dragonfly. Sweat beaded on her brow and the nape of her neck as she watched the monster struggling. Thankfully, one of the other strangers took her cue, and sprinted at the insect, yelling that she got it. Alnaera didn’t quite know why the green-haired female had chosen to attack from close up with a bow, but the resulting thwack was impressive enough that she nodded in satisfaction.

After one of the creature’s eyes got destroyed, however, the flying menace broke free and was more enraged then ever. Alnaera dropped into a crouch, bracing against her staff as she prepared to defend. It was mainly by chance that she still had the other female within sight. The archer was struggling with the gunk sticking to her. As such, she had no way of seeing or avoiding the attack their opponent was preparing for.

Muttering a low curse, the horned mage dashed in front of her, sweeping her staff wide once she skittered to a stop. Light and dark comingled, and a transparent yellowish rectangle appeared floating before the females while a shadowy smog rolled up to their waists, protectively undulating against them. The defense had been put up just in time, however the hastiness of its construction proved to be its undoing. The wind slices struck at the thin shield, cracking then breaking it apart. The dark grey tendrils rose to eat up the rest of the attack, but slowly, and as a result only managed to shave it down a bit.

As such, the leftover force of the attack bit into Alnaera, resulting in two long, though relatively shallow cuts. The mage hissed at the damage to her left hip and right shoulder. Still, it was lesser than it would have been without the barrier. She was thankful that the insect hadn’t chosen to physically ram them, which is what she assumed it was about to do to the archer. She was about to dish out as good as she got, the wolf-man started a dance of blade and magic, using the opportunity to greatly damage the dragonfly. Alnaera kept track of his progress while she healed herself, an ordeal which left her pleasantly warm and even slightly energized.

Then, using her remaining reserves, she began channeling energy up into the sky, slowly constructing a lightning cloud. The very moment the scythe-bearing male finished with his part, she directed the gathered forces towards a purpose. Lances of sparking blue crashed down into the dragonfly, spearing and shocking it – and only it. The ground directly underneath it and perhaps half a meter around it was charred, but the rest of the surroundings (and more importantly, her provisionary allies) were left unaffected. Alnaera was left panting with the effort that had taken. Surely, that was it for the creature? If it recovered, or if more came…it didn’t bear thinking about.

World Beyond the Lexicon ~Legends Aren’t Born, They’re Made!~

Mm, I'm a fan of the underdog who may or may not become the dark horse concept, so I'll keep an eye on this.

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

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The ping of a level up disturbed her, and Asteria blinked her eyes open groggily. “Ugh…I need a nap,” she muttered. She heard Ed’s tired reply, nodded, and retreated inside. She cooked some meat, and ate it till she was full. She also offered some of the cooked meat as a snack to Mother Rat, sending a pleasant mental reassurance as she set the pieces in front of her. Asteria wasn’t sure if the animal had ever had the occasion to eat cooked food before; the goblins in the cave did use fire, but the lone dire rat likely hadn’t risked stealing anything from them, not even a good smelling delicacy.

Then she set to wandering around the barrow, seeking a water source. She tried to scent out something concrete, but was too tired to go far, and ended up just chewing on some of the known plants to get whatever moisture she could out of that. She then headed back into the barrow once again, and curled up to rest. She closed her eyes, though did not fall asleep, rather simply laying down to relax. She took the time to consider her stats and invested some of her points in new skills.

System, allocate 3 points to Slash and 4 to Suppress presence.

Then she meditated, occasionally drowsing, until she was fully rested and her stamina and mana were at full levels. Asteria then stood up, sighed, and stretched. “Alright, then, let’s go.” She nudged Mother Rat to get her moving, and rewarded her with another positive mental affirmation once she got to following them. She let Ed lead them, as he was the one who had the position of the bandit shack best memorized. Asteria was attentive, and cautious, keeping note of their surroundings as they moved. She focused on the auditory part of her beastly senses, trying to discern any sounds that weren’t just an innocuous part of the environment while keeping her eyes forward on their path.

Oblivion: A Story Forgotten

Alnaera raised a questioning brow at the Pillar. “So, we’ve worked together before,” she deduced. “Well, that’s good to know you’re reliable,” she stated, and offered Vassa a pleased smirk.

The entity’s scriptures finally burned out, the remaining sparks flying to her staff. The horned female received a significant power boost, and she suddenly felt rather full, but content. Her whole being buzzed with power, and the natural high had her grinning widely.

She did not have the chance to indulge or contemplate her regained abilities for long, however. A thrum of something absolute resounded within the very fabric of reality, and Vassa’s prompt only confirmed Alnaera’s inklings as to what it signified. “Yes…I recall,” she murmured. “Lead me to her,” she ordered with a sharp nod.

As she was led through the vast landscape, Alnaera considered the situation. One Goddess had been ended – or rather, had ended herself – and another had gone mad. Was the solution to bring down Lisami, then? But how would such a thing be accomplished? Bargaining, perhaps? Attempting to restore the balance? What’s the supposed Equalizer doing, even? Damned Leshura…

She didn’t have the answer, but perhaps simply meeting the Goddess would open up new possibilities. Before long, she came up to a hedge, and after forcing her way through it, found herself in a garden. But she was not alone; there were two other strangers there – a green-haired, pointy-eared female and a wolf-eared, gray-maned male. Alnaera blinked at the duo. Before she could ask who they were or what was going on, an obnoxious buzzing distracted her. It was just as well that it did, for its source was an enormous dragonfly getting ready to strike. She barely ducked in time, and saw that so did the two strangers.

Alnaera sent a fireball at the insect, which it easily avoided. The male, after recovering a weapon which had been buried in the garden, fared no better with his lightning strike. The Arcane Voyager narrowed her eyes at the enemy, observing it for a moment. She quickly concluded that its moments would need to be restricted.

She waited till the dragonfly showed signs of swooping once again, readying a counter-strike. Channeling her innate energy through her staff, Alnaera unleashed several tendrils of darkness through the tip of her weapon at the approaching insect. The shadowy coils stretched upwards, wrapping around the enemy one by one. They did not harm it; that was not their purpose.

Rather, its wings would be confined for a moment. Unfortunately, she could not reel the huge thing in, and as it struggled in her hold, Alnaera was in danger of getting lifted off the ground. She swiftly utilized the bottom of her staff to gouge the earth’s surface, drawing a quick but crude anchor symbol upon it. Then she slammed the top of the staff onto the drawn circle (representing the head of the anchor), and transferred the already existent chain of darkness upon it. This freed her from the physical part of the struggle against the creature, though she still had to continuously power her spell and sigil, neither of which would hold for long. As much as it frustrated her to do so, she had to rely on the strangers for help.

“Now!” she roared, then quickly added a hissed, “hurry and attack it!”

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

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A fast of skill progression, hm? Haven't seen that one in a while, Asteria thought. Well, if doing more of the same would get her level ups, she would by all means repeat and try to advance her training. She’d found out that slashing with the knife was more than possible, though stabbing unfortunately wasn’t feasible. Thus, she concentrated on improving the accuracy of her slashes, designating certain bunches of grass stalk to be ‘eliminated’, which she attempted to cut down without ‘harming’ the nearby ones.

Her regular rolls and jumps had proven to be reliable, so she tried some more advanced gymnastics. She first practiced jumping up as far as she could. Asteria crouched on all fours, tensed her body, then pushed off and into the air. After several repetitions of that, she tested her body’s flexibility. Once again, she attempted to push herself to stand on her hind feet. She crouched low, then pushed off the ground with just her front paws, using her tail to balance.

After that, she very carefully tried to do a handstand. She didn’t expect to do a full one, so it was really more of a half-flail as she pushed her hind feet into the air out of a crouch, but it was something. Finally, it was time to try a somersault. Not a move that she’d ever use in a battle by any means, but she was curious if she could accomplish it at all. She dashed off in a direction, accelerating to full speed, then jumped into the air with all might, and flipped over, hoping to land back on all fours.

The resulting thump as she met the ground was unpleasant, but Asteria did not think she’d harmed herself. Or maybe I’m just not registering it yet, she considered, somewhat dazed. She walked back to where Ed had been practicing, rather tired after going all out as she had. “Yes…yes, the shack would be a good guess. Once I rest a bit, I will be ready to go, though we can also wait a few hours more,” she replied.

Withdrawing to lean against one of the barrow’s walls, in a shade, Asteria closed her eyes, and simply breathed for a while. Now was a good as time as any to finally get that mediation thing down. She focused on her breath, inhaling and exhaling mindfully. She knew she was supposed to let her thoughts wander but not focus on any of them, which was rather tricky to get a hand on. Still, she persisted. Inhale…exhale…The light breezy ruffled her fur and the various smells prickled her nose. Her muzzle twitched. Asteria simply felt and existed for a few precious moments.

Oblivion: A Story Forgotten

Alnaera

Character reference

The female variant (right).

The artist, Moriartea-chan

Name: Alnaera, The Arcane Voyager
Weapon: Staff
Combat Orientation: Magical

Element:

Primary:
Given by GM. Your character will have significantly higher resistance to these elements, and the aptitude to learn spell/ skills of these elements

Fire - The embodiment of primordial power. It specializes in both destruction and self-empowerment. A highly offensive element.

Secondary:
Hand-picked by the players. Your character will have marginally higher resistance to these elements, and the aptitude to learn spell/ skills of these elements

Light - Having an all-embracing property, it specializes on wide-spread effects, be it healing or damaging. A very well-balanced element in terms of offense-defense-support spell / skill availability.
Lightning - A variation of Fire element. Whilst Fire element's effects are often rough and unrefined, Lightning put the full power of fire, and direct it in surgical precision. Requires affinity to Fire element.
Darkness - Having an all-consuming property, it can absorb and/or negate other's skills and defenses. Though it has many utility spells and skills, there are not many that involves direct attacking.

Skills:

Innate:

- Weapon Summon: The ability to materialize your weapon of choice at will
- Superior Intelligence: Your character starts with increased memory and cognitive ability, and has higher aptitude in increasing this stats
- Superior Willpower: Your character starts with increased mental fortitude and resistance to magic, and has higher aptitude in increasing this stats
- Blessing of the Prophet: When outside of battle, the energy "Vassa the Prophet" exudes will repair the damages done to your physical body. Greater wounds take longer to heal, but anything short of missing limbs and/or organs should heal given enough time.

Tier 1:

Sigil magic: The use of symbolic representations (e.g. glyphs, monograms, pictorial signatures) to practice magic. Such symbols must be inscribed upon a surface and infused with the caster’s intent, willpower, and magical energy. The uses are various, though at this tier fairly simple (e.g. barriers, traps, minor wards). This type of magic can be used in the quick, dirty, and rough variant, or in a complex, highly specific, and time consuming manner.

Oblivion: A Story Forgotten

Alnaera

Character reference

The female variant (right).

The artist, Moriartea-chan

Name: Alnaera, The Arcane Voyager
Weapon: Staff
Combat Orientation: Magical

Element:

Primary:
Given by GM. Your character will have significantly higher resistance to these elements, and the aptitude to learn spell/ skills of these elements

Fire - The embodiment of primordial power. It specializes in both destruction and self-empowerment. A highly offensive element.

Secondary:
Hand-picked by the players. Your character will have marginally higher resistance to these elements, and the aptitude to learn spell/ skills of these elements

Light - Having an all-embracing property, it specializes on wide-spread effects, be it healing or damaging. A very well-balanced element in terms of offense-defense-support spell / skill availability.
Lightning - A variation of Fire element. Whilst Fire element's effects are often rough and unrefined, Lightning put the full power of fire, and direct it in surgical precision. Requires affinity to Fire element.
Darkness - Having an all-consuming property, it can absorb and/or negate other's skills and defenses. Though it has many utility spells and skills, there are not many that involves direct attacking.

Skills:

Innate:

- Weapon Summon: The ability to materialize your weapon of choice at will
- Superior Intelligence: Your character starts with increased memory and cognitive ability, and has higher aptitude in increasing this stats
- Superior Willpower: Your character starts with increased mental fortitude and resistance to magic, and has higher aptitude in increasing this stats
- Blessing of the Prophet: When outside of battle, the energy "Vassa the Prophet" exudes will repair the damages done to your physical body. Greater wounds take longer to heal, but anything short of missing limbs and/or organs should heal given enough time.

Tier 1:

Sigil magic: The use of symbolic representations (e.g. glyphs, monograms, pictorial signatures) to practice magic. Such symbols must be inscribed upon a surface and infused with the caster’s intent, willpower, and magical energy. The uses are various, though at this tier fairly simple (e.g. barriers, traps, minor wards). This type of magic can be used in the quick, dirty, and rough variant, or in a complex, highly specific, and time consuming manner.

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Sharon, Shalador

“Well, as long as you keep that in mind,” Jandar said to Thom.

He sighed at the tension between Xandar and Mikhail, but chose to comment only once the former left. “Mikhail, I know that you know this hapless duo is an information risk. So, was that taunting truly necessary? It’s terribly…inefficient.” The Warlord shrugged to shake off the mild disappointment. “As the Queen has suggested, let us just all go eat,” he commented, then put a gentle hand on Thom’s shoulder, and guided him in the direction of the camp.

Jandar was surprised that the mouthwatering smells were the result of Xandar’s cooking. “This is delicious, thank you, Prince,” he offered to Markov once he took a serving of his own and ate a spoonful. He ignored the Sceltie’s antics, but kept an eye on Thom, curious whether the boy could adapt to the environment. Given how much they’d discussed his potential doom in front of the lad, perhaps not. Once his meal was finished, the Warlord simply whiled away his time, sitting and watching, half in thought. He was surprised to see Fatima approach him with a terrifyingly serious expression on her face, but stood up immediately. He raised an inquiring eyebrow, waiting to see what his Lady needed from him.

Climbing the Tower-TOG RP

Ha-nul jogged through the fields, back bent forwards a bit, so he blended more easily within the wheat. He had seen some people killed from afar, and though he’d already checked the possible snipers’ positions, he didn’t want to get careless. Just as well that he did not; he heard a swoosh and saw death coming at him in a horizontal direction. Rang ducked, concentrated on the Shinsoo within him, and manipulated it in the familiar Body Reinforcement technique. He felt a zing in his head, and a responding hum from his muscles.

Ha-nul could now process information quicker, more efficiently, and also react more promptly. His opponent, a hulking male in leather armour was already rising his weapon – a spear with a long thin blade at its tip; an odd choice that he hadn’t thrown it – but Ha-nul was already closing in. The ruffian redirected his attack course with ease, Rang jumped over…his opponent grinned toothily, attacking from below, but the slim youth was already aiming with the hook–

And the black curved weapon was plunged into the muscle-head, ripping through the neck. Ha-nul sailed past the enemy, his jump losing power, and descended into a forward roll. There was a loud thud behind him, and Rang turned to watch the unknown Regular as he gurgled to death. He released the hold on his Shinsoo control, and panted, a minor headache forming. His body trembled very lightly, but he clenching his weapon to stop it. He had killed before, and would have to do so again. This was the simple nature of survival. He couldn’t deny the sheer rush of adrenaline at the action was pleasant, either, though he didn’t take joy in the killing part itself. However, Ha-nul knew very well that hesitation would just doom him, and he couldn’t afford that.

So, without another look back, Rang proceeded. He took a look at the Pocket, and was surprised how swiftly the numbers of Regulars had plummeted. I did a good job surviving this far. Less and less should be targeting me, now. Still, Ha-nul remained on the lookout as he traversed the terrain. Not long after, he came upon a grisly scene – a group of people slaughtered. A group? Why were they working together? And why? Were they against someone who’d teamed up too? A careful inspection of the scene denied that possibility. The wounds on the corpses were all physical, and not too disparate. More importantly, there was only one set of bloody footprints leaving the scene.

“Whew,” he whistled, half-admiring, half-horrified. There weren’t many individuals who were capable of such a thing. But these folks had made a mistake whenever they had targeted whoever they had; even numbers hadn’t helped them. He kind of wanted to see who they had been so eager – or desperate – to kill. Oh, Ha-nul, no, no, no, don’t let the curiosity get to you, you know what happens when you do… Even as his internal monologue warned him against such an action, Rang moved to follow the trail slowly.

He froze after advancing only three or so meters, a sudden thought striking him. Wait, shit, what if whoever it is thinks I’m trying to ambush them? I gotta make them know I mean no harm somehow… Ha-nul pondered on a solution for a moment, then decided to announce his presence. It was a risky act, but he thought it has less chance of backfiring than just sneakily following the mysterious powerhouse. “Hey, competent slayer person?” he shouted the question as he let the tracks lead him once again. His gaze flicked left and right. Being loud like this was bound to attract any nearby others, which would be decidedly bad. “Want to team up?” he shouted. There, this would give anyone at least a moment’s pause, right? “If you’re looking for apprentices, I’d like to be yours!” he proclaimed.

Though his black hook was sheathed at his side, Ha-nul kept one hand on it. No matter who he was facing, he wouldn’t just roll over and die for them. Though he did hope he didn’t have to fight…that…person. Ha-nul halted as he finally caught sight of the likely perpetrator. They were ominously familiar. Of course, it’s a Princess. Fuck my life. Don’t they just kill any commoners in sight willy-nilly. Dammit, Ha-nul, why’d you have to follow… The tense Rang peered at the redhead, unconsciously taking a step backwards as he kept his eyes on her. He knew instinctively that he shouldn’t turn his back on someone so dangerous, nor let them out of his field of vision.

Oblivion: A Story Forgotten

Channeling my energy into the shadow-bound being worked; I felt an answering hum vibrate throughout my body. Memories of a story, part of my former knowledge began playing out in my head. It was thrilling at first; finally, I was recovering what should be mine. This was part of what I have forgotten, and it felt right to have it returned to me. However, I was not used to such an overwhelming assault of information, and soon I was screaming, clutching at my head, violently shuddering.

It was as if I were experiencing several vivid dreams – painful nightmares? – all at once, the only reprieve the possibility of falling unconscious. However, I did not faint; the barrage of visions did not allow me to do so and nor did I truly wish to miss this. I gritted my teeth against the pain, enduring. Even when my own flames engulfed me, from within and without, I weathered the agony.

“Oh, this…is,” I muttered. I recognized that what I had seen was my world. It was where I belonged. The pain and the flames abated, and I fell to the floor, breath laboured. The air had never tasted sweeter, though the sweat clung to me, uncomfortably sticky. Wait, sweat? I queried myself. Was I not a being of shadow, unaffected by such mundane concerns?

I looked down at myself, and saw the surprising changes. I was not made of darkness, after all. Perhaps I should have realized how odd it was to possess such a distinctly material staff while I myself was such a vague existence. Robes adorned my body, and I blinked at the curved chest and hip area. Female, I recalled. The little glimpse of flesh I saw wrapped around my palms was mocha with an undertone of gray, and somehow, I knew that so was the rest of me. I patted my face, my mouth, my sharp teeth, the short black hair upon my head, and the pair of horns curling forward from it.

“Alnaera! I am Alnaera!” I exclaimed, exhilarated. This was my name. My name. I couldn’t have suppressed the beaming smile even had I wanted to.

When I turned to the creature I had released, fires were raging, tall and wide. Within it were piles of unburning scriptures. I identified the entity in front of me as one of the Pillars. It spoke to me, introducing itself, and I nodded in response. “Yes,” I stated, unhesitatingly. I did not truly know whether I had mastery over such a being as this, but why refuse its offer? “Who are you to me, then? A servant? A follower? An assistant or an informant?” I queried it in return.