SilverPaw

World Beyond the Lexicon

Ankaa Liu

Ankaa arrived exactly five minutes before the supposed start of the lesson, and settled in to wait. She ignored the ongoing murmur of conversation, though she was certainly eager to see what their new teacher would be like. She had her doubts they would get anyone decent; the whole Academy did so love to act as if they were all worthless just because of some supposed curse. A self-fulfilling prophecy, that. And though professor Mavis had been affable enough, kindness did not always lend itself to effective cultivation.

The time when the class was officially supposed to start passed, and Ankaa frowned mildly. A teacher, late? Not the best of signs. She crossed her legs on her chair, set her palms on her knees, and closed her eyes. She was aware of the time passing, and still heard the chattering loud and clear, but was undisturbed by it. At around the 15-minute mark past the appointed meeting time, Ty arrived. If it weren’t for the promise of a new teacher, Liu would have interpreted such tardiness as permission to skip class without repercussion and taken her leave.

As it was, she eased her agitation via some light meditating, until finally, she heard the voice of their new professor quarreling with another faculty member outside. Funny when irritated, she noted, opened her eyes, unfolded her legs, and sat properly. The boom of an explosion resounded, and Ankaa raised her brows expectantly. The astonishingly young professor stormed in, and introduced himself. Powerful but inexperienced. Will he be truly able to pass any wisdom onto us when he likely has none himself? Her thoughts might have been uncharitable, but neither her expression nor her demeanor revealed such. The man was their teacher, and so she would respect him.

His somewhat insulting words were stated so matter-of-factly, Ankaa merely blinked. At least he’s giving us a chance, she thought. She was admittedly confused that he wanted them to refer to him by his title and his forename, but took note of his preference. He asked for introduction, and her classmates obeyed obligingly – though most of them took quite the creative license when doing so. Beginning with the sensible Sophiel, whose transferal to this class had something to do with a lack of restraint. One certainly wouldn’t think of it looking at her. Next was rambunctious Ty, whose brand of arrogance was surprisingly amusing and refreshing, though Ankaa couldn’t tell exactly how seriously he meant what he said.

Next was Kiara, one of her room-mates, and the only student who had followed their instructor’s request to a t so far. Liu silently approved of her conduct. Ah, and next on the list was the poster girl for obnoxious hubris, it would seem. Ankaa side-eyed Alberta, looking her up and down. She was the one put here because she couldn’t handle being beaten, so does not ‘loser’ apply to her most of all? The martial artist was bemused more-so than truly irate at Blumenthal’s words, and so she simply shrugged to herself. She did have to cover up a small smile when Kress cheerfully declined acknowledging her outburst in favor of introducing himself, however.

Last but not least before her turn was the sole male dorm-mate of hers. She recognized him as the one who’d been in the middle of an impromptu welcoming feast when she’d arrived to the academy. Ankaa did not know who those people with him had been, exactly, but the effects of Sekhandur’s revelry were blatant. That’d earn him a day of secluded contemplation at the temple, at the very least, she noted, and couldn’t help wondering how the young professor would deal with all these colorful characters. Straightening up and schooling her face into polite blankness, Ankaa raised her hand sharply. “Ankaa Liu,” she offered curtly, but clearly.

World Beyond the Lexicon

Ankaa Liu

---

P E R S O N A L ◄

_{✦ N A M E}

Ankaa Liu

_{✦ T I T L E S}

of the Iron Palm Sect | (Little) Wildcat | The Sixth

_{✦ A G E}

16

_{✦ G E N D E R}

Female

_{✦ D A T E O F B I R T H}

6th of June

_{✦ H O B B I E S}

Biology | Hiking and climbing | Drawing | Travelling and exploration | Herbalism | Medicine | Self-improvement

_{✦ H E I G H T / W E I G H T}

170 cm | 62 kg

_{✦ A P P E A R A N C E}

Artist - Josh Corpuz

Full

_{✦ P E R S O N A L I T Y}

Competitive. Ankaa enjoys testing herself and believes direct competition is the best way to do so. She is also used to sparring as a daily activity.

Energetic. Liu is active and lively, full of energy, sometimes to the point of restlessness. This is what gets her into the occasional mischief or misadventure. She may even skip a boring lecture here and there, or allow herself to be baited into a fight.

Curious. She delights in anything or anyone new and unknown, though that interest is often short-lived. This trait is not readily apparent, as she is not an openly excitable person.

Down-to-earth. Ankaa is not one given to flights of fancy. She is interested in what she can use or obtain, and not in what she perceives as the unachievable. That is not to say she is not ambitious; she does strive to be better, always, but she is deeply aware of her limits. She certainly wants to rise and reach up, but knows there will be always people above her regardless of how far she comes. The only people she wouldn’t want to disappoint are her adoptive parents and herself, so attempts to motivate her through guilt-tripping usually fail.

Stubborn. Though she has made her peace with never becoming the best of the best, she is not the type to give up easily, especially not if it comes down to a matter of principle. Liu has a rigid set of standards and beliefs, and is resistant to outside attempts to change them. However, she also tries not to enforce her conviction on others. She is not exactly understanding of differences, though she’s working on it.

Wary. Ankaa has learned that not all people have good intentions, and so it will take a while for her to warm up to someone. She’s also watchful of her surroundings, and tends to dislike large and rowdy crowds, especially when people are forced to be packed in limited spaces.

Unforgiving. Ankaa doesn’t forget those who have wronged her, nor does she forgive them. She can hold a grudge for years.

_{✦ H I S T O R Y}

The first five years of her life, Ankaa spent with her parents, two travelling merchants. At that point, they felt comfortable going on longer journeys. It was on one of such trading excursions that they ran into trouble. One of mercenaries hired to guard them sold them out to a bandit group, in exchange for a cut of the profit they’d make off the stolen wares. The merchants were ambushed on a desolate road, and with inside help, the rest of the mercenaries supposed to protect them were felled easily. In a bid to protect her, Ankaa’s mother took her child, and ran with her to the nearby forest, located at the bottom of a mountain.

They were under the illusion of safety for perhaps an hour, but then a few of the more determined criminals showed up on their trail. They were promised some human ‘wares’ after all, and they did not want to let such easy prey go. Desperate, her mother hid her in the hollow of a tree, telling her to stay put and quiet. Then, the older woman left, approaching the bandits willingly, and gave herself up without a struggle, pleading with them to let her daughter be. Not entirely satisfied, the group of outlaws nonetheless departed.

Ankaa was alone, terrified out of her mind, paralyzed with horror and disbelief. However, she was forced to move hours later, due to her thirst and hunger. She wandered the forest, traversing and ascending the terrain. She was in a daze for the next few days, but quickly learned to be quiet and careful. The child survived off of grass, berries, and small ponds of water. As she was bound to with her lack of knowledge, she ate something she shouldn’t have. It was only luck that she was found soon enough by a local, then taken to the temple-cum-village up the mountain, where she was tended to.

She was slow to trust these strangers, though that they offered food, water, warmth, and a roof over her head went a long way. Two temple’s residents chose to adopt her, and became her guardians and foster parents. They were the first people Ankaa revealed her (first) name to, and the ones she chose to tell what had happened to her. A team of adults was arranged and sent to investigate, and though they discovered the victim’s corpses (including her father’s), neither the criminals nor her mother were anywhere to be found. So, Ankaa was taken in by the temple’s denizens.

She was taught by her guardians and the other adults, all of them monks and martial artists. They lived a simple, disciplined life, though the few children there were a bit freer than the adults. Ankaa learned the ways of the community, though it took years for her to lose that feeling of being an outsider. She treasured those who accepted her, and remained distant from those who did not. She took her guardians’ last name as hers, since she did not remember her former one. Ankaa practiced, grew, and matured. Her hatred at her past assailants mellowed, and she instead directed her energies and newly calm heart to bettering herself and the world.

She fancied that she might become a teacher, or a practitioner of medicine, as both healing and combat were precious interests of hers. Though her innate amount and skill for mana was very low, she was talented at channeling what little she had, and used it to supplement her martial arts, as she was taught to do. At one point in her adolescence, Ankaa expressed to her adoptive parents the desire to travel, to see the world, and obtain the wisdom of experience. Agreeing that putting the tenet of open-mindedness to the test was a good idea, they arranged for her to attend Avalice.

It has been a year since she has entered Genelogia – this city so strange to her, though it was (unknown to her) fairly close to her actual birthplace. Ankaa has had just enough time to get habituated to her new life and the academy. It has been much more colorful than she had expected, overwhelming at times. Admittedly, she was disappointed when she learned the Class C she was placed in was considered cursed. Nonetheless, she is as determined to make the best of her situation as she has always been.

---

C O M B A T ◄

_{✦ C L A S S I F I C A T I O N}

Might

_{✦ M A N A C O L O R}

Sky-blue, shrouded by a swirling veil of violet.

_{✦ M A N A C H A R A C T E R I S T I C}

Misty, soft, and subtle at a first glance, but surprisingly sharp and clear underneath the haze.

_{✦ E Q U I P M E N T}

• A sabre. Though she’s primarily a hand-to-hand combatant, a weapon is useful for countering armed opponents.
• A leather-bound journal, which details the theory of self-enhancement and includes notes on how to manifest her magic externally.

_{✦ M A G I C}

Vitality magic: Manipulation

_{✦ S P E L L S}

Gale palm. Projecting her mana outwards, she drives a condensed ball of air from the palm of her hand, which has enough force to knock over, trip, or push back a person.

Rend the skies. Wrapping her mana around the blade of her weapon, she can use her sword to attack from a distance by creating cutting expulsions of wind.

_{✦T E C H N I Q U E S}

Body reinforcement: Ankaa circulates the mana within her body, increasing her physical characteristics. At a nearly passive level, the boost is minor but easy to maintain. Temporary explosive increases in power and speed are also possible, but drain her reserves quickly.

Energizing breath. As long as she keeps up balanced, deep, and controlled breathing, each inhale draws environmental mana into her, and each exhale expels minimal amounts of energy in turn. The result is a rather efficient energy upkeep, increased endurance, and a feeling of refreshed vigor.

Numbing strike. Ankaa coalesces and amplifies the energy within her hands and fingers. Upon contact* with a target, this energy disrupts their life force. The main effect is a short-termed paralysis of the targeted area, hence the technique’s name. Good for disarming, disabling, incapacitating, or (in the most severe cases) even killing an enemy. *Note: The contact doesn't have to be skin-to-skin, so armour generally doesn't mitigate the effects, though that doesn't mean this technique can't be defended against.

Unveiling sight. Enhances her vision, and becomes capable of seeing the flow of mana in an area or within a particular person. Mainly used to search out potential hidden enemies in an environment or to try and predict a particular person’s movements. The latter application is far from reliable, however.

The unmovable mountain. Ankaa toughens her body and closes herself off to outside influence, both physical and magical, vastly increasing her resistance to damage. The drawback is that she must remain nearly still for the duration, reducing evasiveness and maneuverability. Also, she has difficulties switching to the correct stance and mind-set to use this technique mid-offense.

Meditative regeneration. An out-of-combat healing technique in which Ankaa enters a deep trance, directing her mana to heal any and all injuries, starting from the most severe ones.

---

► P A R A M E T E R S ◄

✦ M A N A | 1 / 5
✦ C H A N N E L I N G | 4 / 5
✦ M A G I C | 1 / 5
✦ T E C H N I Q U E | 5 / 5
✦ S T R E N G T H | 4 / 5
✦ S P E E D | 3 / 5
✦ B O D Y | 3 / 5
✦ I N T E L L E C T | 3 / 5

---

World Beyond the Lexicon

AL

---

P E R S O N A L ◄

_{✦ N A M E}

Ankaa Liu

_{✦ T I T L E S}

of the Iron Palm Sect | (Little) Wildcat | The Sixth

_{✦ A G E}

16

_{✦ G E N D E R}

Female

_{✦ D A T E O F B I R T H}

6th of June

_{✦ H O B B I E S}

Biology | Hiking and climbing | Drawing | Travelling and exploration | Herbalism | Medicine | Self-improvement

_{✦ H E I G H T / W E I G H T}

170 cm | 62 kg

_{✦ A P P E A R A N C E}

Artist - Josh Corpuz

Full

_{✦ P E R S O N A L I T Y}

Competitive. Ankaa enjoys testing herself and believes direct competition is the best way to do so. She is also used to sparring as a daily activity.

Energetic. Liu is active and lively, full of energy, sometimes to the point of restlessness. This is what gets her into the occasional mischief or misadventure. She may even skip a boring lecture here and there, or allow herself to be baited into a fight.

Curious. She delights in anything or anyone new and unknown, though that interest is often short-lived. This trait is not readily apparent, as she is not an openly excitable person.

Down-to-earth. Ankaa is not one given to flights of fancy. She is interested in what she can use or obtain, and not in what she perceives as the unachievable. That is not to say she is not ambitious; she does strive to be better, always, but she is deeply aware of her limits. She certainly wants to rise and reach up, but knows there will be always people above her regardless of how far she comes. The only people she wouldn’t want to disappoint are her adoptive parents and herself, so attempts to motivate her through guilt-tripping usually fail.

Stubborn. Though she has made her peace with never becoming the best of the best, she is not the type to give up easily, especially not if it comes down to a matter of principle. Liu has a rigid set of standards and beliefs, and is resistant to outside attempts to change them. However, she also tries not to enforce her conviction on others. She is not exactly understanding of differences, though she’s working on it.

Wary. Ankaa has learned that not all people have good intentions, and so it will take a while for her to warm up to someone. She’s also watchful of her surroundings, and tends to dislike large and rowdy crowds, especially when people are forced to be packed in limited spaces.

Unforgiving. Ankaa doesn’t forget those who have wronged her, nor does she forgive them. She can hold a grudge for years.

_{✦ H I S T O R Y}

The first five years of her life, Ankaa spent with her parents, two travelling merchants. At that point, they felt comfortable going on longer journeys. It was on one of such trading excursions that they ran into trouble. One of mercenaries hired to guard them sold them out to a bandit group, in exchange for a cut of the profit they’d make off the stolen wares. The merchants were ambushed on a desolate road, and with inside help, the rest of the mercenaries supposed to protect them were felled easily. In a bid to protect her, Ankaa’s mother took her child, and ran with her to the nearby forest, located at the bottom of a mountain.

They were under the illusion of safety for perhaps an hour, but then a few of the more determined criminals showed up on their trail. They were promised some human ‘wares’ after all, and they did not want to let such easy prey go. Desperate, her mother hid her in the hollow of a tree, telling her to stay put and quiet. Then, the older woman left, approaching the bandits willingly, and gave herself up without a struggle, pleading with them to let her daughter be. Not entirely satisfied, the group of outlaws nonetheless departed.

Ankaa was alone, terrified out of her mind, paralyzed with horror and disbelief. However, she was forced to move hours later, due to her thirst and hunger. She wandered the forest, traversing and ascending the terrain. She was in a daze for the next few days, but quickly learned to be quiet and careful. The child survived off of grass, berries, and small ponds of water. As she was bound to with her lack of knowledge, she ate something she shouldn’t have. It was only luck that she was found soon enough by a local, then taken to the temple-cum-village up the mountain, where she was tended to.

She was slow to trust these strangers, though that they offered food, water, warmth, and a roof over her head went a long way. Two temple’s residents chose to adopt her, and became her guardians and foster parents. They were the first people Ankaa revealed her (first) name to, and the ones she chose to tell what had happened to her. A team of adults was arranged and sent to investigate, and though they discovered the victim’s corpses (including her father’s), neither the criminals nor her mother were anywhere to be found. So, Ankaa was taken in by the temple’s denizens.

She was taught by her guardians and the other adults, all of them monks and martial artists. They lived a simple, disciplined life, though the few children there were a bit freer than the adults. Ankaa learned the ways of the community, though it took years for her to lose that feeling of being an outsider. She treasured those who accepted her, and remained distant from those who did not. She took her guardians’ last name as hers, since she did not remember her former one. Ankaa practiced, grew, and matured. Her hatred at her past assailants mellowed, and she instead directed her energies and newly calm heart to bettering herself and the world.

She fancied that she might become a teacher, or a practitioner of medicine, as both healing and combat were precious interests of hers. Though her innate amount and skill for mana was very low, she was talented at channeling what little she had, and used it to supplement her martial arts, as she was taught to do. At one point in her adolescence, Ankaa expressed to her adoptive parents the desire to travel, to see the world, and obtain the wisdom of experience. Agreeing that putting the tenet of open-mindedness to the test was a good idea, they arranged for her to attend Avalice.

It has been a year since she has entered Genelogia – this city so strange to her, though it was (unknown to her) fairly close to her actual birthplace. Ankaa has had just enough time to get habituated to her new life and the academy. It has been much more colorful than she had expected, overwhelming at times. Admittedly, she was disappointed when she learned the Class C she was placed in was considered cursed. Nonetheless, she is as determined to make the best of her situation as she has always been.

---

C O M B A T ◄

_{✦ C L A S S I F I C A T I O N}

Might

_{✦ M A N A C O L O R}

Sky-blue, shrouded by a swirling veil of violet.

_{✦ M A N A C H A R A C T E R I S T I C}

Misty, soft, and subtle at a first glance, but surprisingly sharp and clear underneath the haze.

_{✦ E Q U I P M E N T}

• A sabre. Though she’s primarily a hand-to-hand combatant, a weapon is useful for countering armed opponents.
• A leather-bound journal, which details the theory of self-enhancement and includes notes on how to manifest her magic externally.

_{✦ M A G I C}

Vitality magic: Manipulation

_{✦ S P E L L S}

Gale palm. Projecting her mana outwards, she drives a condensed ball of air from the palm of her hand, which has enough force to knock over, trip, or push back a person.

Rend the skies. Wrapping her mana around the blade of her weapon, she can use her sword to attack from a distance by creating cutting expulsions of wind.

_{✦T E C H N I Q U E S}

Body reinforcement: Ankaa circulates the mana within her body, increasing her physical characteristics. At a nearly passive level, the boost is minor but easy to maintain. Temporary explosive increases in power and speed are also possible, but drain her reserves quickly.

Energizing breath. As long as she keeps up balanced, deep, and controlled breathing, each inhale draws environmental mana into her, and each exhale expels minimal amounts of energy in turn. The result is a rather efficient energy upkeep, increased endurance, and a feeling of refreshed vigor.

Numbing strike. Ankaa coalesces and amplifies the energy within her hands and fingers. Upon contact* with a target, this energy disrupts their life force. The main effect is a short-termed paralysis of the targeted area, hence the technique’s name. Good for disarming, disabling, incapacitating, or (in the most severe cases) even killing an enemy. *Note: The contact doesn't have to be skin-to-skin, so armour generally doesn't mitigate the effects, though that doesn't mean this technique can't be defended against.

Unveiling sight. Enhances her vision, and becomes capable of seeing the flow of mana in an area or within a particular person. Mainly used to search out potential hidden enemies in an environment or to try and predict a particular person’s movements. The latter application is far from reliable, however.

The unmovable mountain. Ankaa toughens her body and closes herself off to outside influence, both physical and magical, vastly increasing her resistance to damage. The drawback is that she must remain nearly still for the duration, reducing evasiveness and maneuverability. Also, she has difficulties switching to the correct stance and mind-set to use this technique mid-offense.

Meditative regeneration. An out-of-combat healing technique in which Ankaa enters a deep trance, directing her mana to heal any and all injuries, starting from the most severe ones.

---

► P A R A M E T E R S ◄

✦ M A N A | 1 / 5
✦ C H A N N E L I N G | 4 / 5
✦ M A G I C | 1 / 5
✦ T E C H N I Q U E | 5 / 5
✦ S T R E N G T H | 4 / 5
✦ S P E E D | 3 / 5
✦ B O D Y | 3 / 5
✦ I N T E L L E C T | 3 / 5

---

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Sharon, Shalador

The conversation with Fatima had left Jandar irritated and broody. To call me naïve? When so far, she’s traipsed around as if she were but a young girl? Oh, but perhaps this casual murderous intent of hers was lurking beneath the harmless surface. The Warlord shook his head, knowing that was not the case, and that he was being more than unfair. However, the Queen had accused him of being ignorant, and had either not understood that he was warning her not to mistake necessity or convenience, or had simply brushed him off. At this point, it seemed far likely the latter was the case.

Needless to say, Jandar was rather distant, brusque, and dissatisfied in the time before they finally got packing.

***

Winton

The week on the road did him good, and he was feeling more centered. Honestly, he was worried for having left SaDiablo behind without meeting him again, but he had not been able to risk taking such an action back then. He could only pray to Mother Darkness that he would soon meet the man again – possibly under better circumstances…and with more wisdom. Ha, as if I could gain that so soon, he thought bitterly, with a roll of his shoulders.

The town seemed fairly pleasant at a glance, though Dunny wrote it off as ‘not good’, which made him wary enough. Besides, the people were in too much of a rush, so the façade of normality was just that – a façade. They also passed a group of rich, Aristo females, and Jandar sensed a sort of tension between them and Fatima, though it soon passed. It had him on edge though, and he was thankful for the following reprieve of good ale. The known company, such as it was, was also a bonus – when they weren’t quibbling, that is.

At the moment, some of them were enjoying a game of poker. Not really his thing, but it was better than nothing. Jandar perused his cards with a sweeping glance. Eh, he could probably work up to at least a Straight, maybe more if luck favoured him. “Call,” he stated, matching Dareen and forking over two of chips.

Climbing the Tower-TOG RP

Ha-nul trailed after the Princess in a light jog, clutching an arm across his lower torso. Two injured ribs on his left and one on his right, plus several bruises all over. At least the bones weren’t actually broken. Still, the longer he kept going on like this, the more chance that his injuries were exacerbated. Thankfully, this first test was now over; they just had to find a third person.

And lo’ and behold, some guy sprung from the grass, apparently as surprised to see them as they were at his appearance. “Sure, join up. We need one more as it is,” Ha-nul confirmed. He flickered a wary gaze at Candice, but apparently, she was all too aware that time was running out. So, their trio was formed and they were transported to the inside of a building. They were given a 30-minute recess before the next test.

Rang sighed at the short reprieve. Rose’s commence had him frowning; he hated to admit it, but she was right to be worried. “You’re the one who got me into this state in the first place,” he muttered grumpily. “Don’t worry, I’m off to look for some bandages or something,” he stated soon after, at a normal volume level.

Ha-nul wandered around the hall, from vending machine to vending machine. If they had drinks and food, surely there was such a thing as a first-aid kit? Eventually, he did find a dispenser for bandage-packets and balm-jars, though he winced at the price. “Money mode,” Rang intoned, forming and o with his fingers, and made his purchase. Then he just plopped down plopped down against the nearest wall, removed the shirt, and set to treating himself as best as he was able to.

@King Cosmos@Noodles

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

Asteria

---

---

Asteria curiously peeked at the human priest from within her barrow. She used her Magic analysis skill when he produced a weird white mist to get rid of the smell, and once again when he obviously used magic to manipulate the earth. He buried only the human bodies, while he carelessly grabbed the monsters’ ones and tossed them onto his cart. Asteria cocked her head to the side, suddenly curious what kind of relationship the bandits had or how they’d even come to form such a mixed group. Perhaps such a thing was common with thugs and the so-called proper citizens didn’t get involved with monsters? It was certainly something to keep in mind for any potential future encounters with humans.

Finally, the rat trio journeyed out to the bandit shack. Eerie clicking stilled Asteria in her path. Turning her head to the source of the sound, she saw one of those Myrminor menaces. She sucked in a breath, keeping watch of it. However, the insect did not seem to be aware of them. She’d been only half-listening to Ed, but finally took a moment to respond in a quiet murmur. “Let’s skip it for now. We don’t want to make our presence known to the bandits, or invite more trouble. We can always deal with the bugs later,” she said.

Since Ed seemed to be fine with either option, they decided to pursue the bandits without detours. They approached the shack quietly, and as they closed in, Asteria activated both Muffle and Suppress presence, willing to sacrifice some stamina and mana to remain undetected. The only advantage they had was that they were unexpected attackers, and she wanted to use that fully. She still kept her ears perked, aware of the potential of the Myrminor Scout following them, but also because they should soon start to get hints of bandit presence.

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!”