Villamvihar

Grimoiric Heart

The rifles of her sailors cracked, bullets biting into the Pageless before them, but Wilhelmina found her focus wandering despite her best efforts. Normally, she had no trouble with it, but that distant feeling kept brushing against her soul, almost as though it called out to her. Lurking within the clouds, twirling around her when the winds picked up their pace, it seemed intent on disrupting her no matter the cost, so she did the only thing that seemed logical: she closed her eyes to concentrate on it. Putting her trust in her allies, as well as the sailors arrayed around her, the golden girl tried her best to shut out the outside world and reach out to the sensation.

It did not come easy. She could tune out Olivia's chattering as Wilhelmina was used to blocking out similarly strong sounds, but the painful howl of the creautre almost sent her flying off Thyerg again, heart threatening to burst from her chest. The blood-curling sound had a shiver run down her spine then reach for her throat, but her light held strong as always. After all, the greater the storm, the greater the hope.

The Greater the Storm, the Greater the Hope.

The sentence repeated itself in Wilhemina's mind and she could tell that the mere thought altered the flow of wind around her. A subtle, almost silent thing that wrapped itself in countless layers of stealth, she barely noticed the shift, almost thinking it a natural consequence of them fighting up on high, but... no. It could not be, for she sensed that it moved along a pulse of her magic. Perhaps even Lumiére could feel it, attuned as she was to all things that bore light and hope. Her other team-mates would also be able to tell that something shifted, the steady stream of power from Wilhelmina becoming less potent.

Indeed, the Captain's magical senses honed in on the environment around her along with the light burning in her soul as she repeated the phrase, much more deliberate in her intent.

The Greater the Storm, the Greater the Hope.

A definite shift in the pattern around her. The wind howled differently all of a sudden, almost as though she had commanded it to be more fierce. Fortunately, Xolys held her strong, but the gale probably caught Olivia's dress or perhaps even buffeted Nessie aside on her broom. Wilhelmina would not know as she held her eyes closed, her sailors slowly fading out of existence. At the same time, the girls around her could sense a buildup of power that seemed to increase in ferocity exactly as the crack of gunfire faded from existence.

Her thoughts raced as she called upon her knowledge of her Grimoire, quickly identifying the chapter that most fit this situation: having had a safe travel so far, a proud captain's ship now nears the southern trip of Africa. However, instead of seeing land, the lookout can only spot the dark clouds in the distance, looking down upon the sailors with destructive contempt. The captain lowers his spyglass with a worried frown of his brows, then wisely calls out to alter the positions of the sails - but it is too late. The winds are far too strong and they buffet the ship towards their doom.

"The Cape of Storms," whispered Wilhelmina, barely audible over the gales around her. And yet...

Without warning, her Grimoire appeared in front of her, floating and enveloped in golden light. Shining with the brightness of the very heavens themselves, the tome's overwhelming display did not blind the magical girls around Wilhelmina, but it did deepen the Pageless' wails, the very idea of hope, of magic, too much for it to bear, however, this was not the end as it reached out a metaphorical hand to its owner, who accepted without hesitation.

The clouds roared in response and Captain Goodhope's face distorted, nearly all of her magic swept up into a grand gesture - she could barely keep the links towards her allies - in the blink of an eye as the winds picked up, all but ripping the Pageless into shreds. Such proved to be their force that they ripped into its non-existent flesh via sheer pressure, flaying it while throwing it off Lumiére and deep into the menacing clouds; whereupon the vile creature found itself assaulted once more as a thunder roared between the clouds.

This time, the flash of lightning did blind any who looked at it. Nature, after all, did not discriminate between the targets of its wrath, even when harnessed for a purpose as noble as fighting the devourers of stories.

Grimoiric Heart

Yes, I will. I apologise for the delay, but I should be done within a couple of hours.

Grimoiric Heart

I will post soon, probably tomorrow.

Grimoiric Heart

And here we go! Next round, Wilhelmina is going to figure out that she can do something with the storm!

Grimoiric Heart

That Pageless towered over all of them. It revealed its massive, gaunt form that seemed almost ephemeral as a wraith from humanity's many ghost stories, yet it clearly held a physical presence and it drove an icicle of a shiver deep into Wilhelmina's heart. For a second, she even forgot about the monstrosity beneath him or her circumstances as something primal and ancient in her reacted to the appearance of the thing, curling up into a tiny little ball and screaming into its invisible hands at the top of its lungs. But-

Light met that fear. Her grimoire pulsed once more as she saw Lumiére interpose herself between her and the attack, sparks flying as the long, gnarly claws met the golden forcefield and much like in the myth of the Flying Dutchman's Kindness, hope along with determination soared in the most unlikely of places. Despite the raging storm, despite the visceral repulsion she felt towards Thyerg along with the otherworldly grip of the Pageless' dark nature, Wilhelmina found a steady heart beating within her chest. The core of a true hero echoing within her. Giving her courage to go on and face the massive threat before her.

She swallowed. The world seemed to turn, but Wilhelmina reached out towards the trust she had in the people around her, reaffirming her connections to them and then giving them a pulse of magic through her link. Almost as though she were squeezing their hands in reassurance, letting them know she watched over them.

"W-we s-shouldn't get close!" The Captain's voice still trembled, but it felt more steady with the backing of her Grimoire. "I-I could summon my s-sailors but... there isn't enough space." She needed a platform of some sorts so they could stand on it and use their muskets unless she wanted them to fall into oblivion. Fortunately for her, Thyerg'Xolis acknowledged her request and her eyes went wide when the creature changed its shape. Flesh moulded itself as though it were hot metal poured into a receptacle, shifting in ways that made her want to squirm.

Pushing the urge down her throat, Wilhelmina let loose a loud, somewhat forceful 'thank you' before she shifted her focus and summoned three of her sailors, the finely dressed men immediately going for their muskets and aiming. The rifles exploded with small cracks of thunder, digging into the titanic Pageless' flesh. They would not cause much damage; offense never came easily to the Captain but... Why did she feel a nagging feeling in her mind, the mark of a possibility etching itself into her magical senses? And why did she feel it had to do with when she fell from Thyerg's back? Confused by the feeling, she kept her eyes on the battlefield while loosening a little bit of her focus to search for its source. It seemed too important to ignore.

Grimoiric Heart

My post will be up in a couple of hours, I just need some sleep.

Grimoiric Heart

@Ponn

I can do a post tomorrow if that is all right with you!

Grimoiric Heart

<Snipped quote by Villamvihar>

Well, he can shift his size quite a bit, but at his largest, he could probably grow to perhaps something like this size.

That said, he can also morph his body to create foot/hand holds, raised barriers, and other such things, on his back, for the sailors to make use of (he could also hold a few in his hands/tentacles).

I'm actually working on an Olivia post now, but if you'd like to post for Wilhelmina first, I don't mind waiting.

@Ponn

That is pretty big, though for now I am imagining he is only about twice to thrice as big as a human. Would Thyerg or Olivia offer the opportunity for Wilhelmina to give her sailors a stable platform? Because if so, then I would imagine she would summon them so they don't have to go too close to the hueg Pageless.

Grimoiric Heart

@Ponn Come to think of it, how large is Thyerg? Would Wilhelmina's sailors be able to find steady footing on him to pelt the Pageless with their bullets from afar?

Grimoiric Heart

The Pageless loomed high in the sky. Like a titan or a giant of mythical origin riding a cloud, it hid itself in the folds of darkness that now patterned the skies, far away from the reach of... well, Wilhelmina. Though the Magical Girl boasted quite a bit of power, she had not figured out how to make herself fly or if she even could fly, which presented quite the dilemma: either she remained here, vulnerable and unable to help her allies or she would have to impose on one of them. But which one could she inconvenience freely?

Lumiére could not be it, as she needed her mobility in order to fight effectively. An extra body would just weigh her down and make her more clumsy and even if the magical girl could fight fine with it, that would likely not be enough against an opponent of this size. Likewise, she could not make herself easily at home on Nessie's broom, as it looked quite fragile. Which meant that only one option could transport her reliably.

The realisation almost made Wilhelmina drop her focus.

She swallowed as she felt her comrades take up oaths one by one - even Olivia, so she could move her power to her in case the ethereal maiden required it - pouring her magic into the bonds between them, letting her blessing flow free exactly like the warm, golden glow radiating from her. Not just on the outside, but on the inside as well, the story along with the characters of her grimoire making up for the shortcomings she knew she had. The dread she felt when she looked at the distorted form of Olivia's summon being chief amongst them in this case.

"Y-y-y-es, y-you're fine," Wilhelmina responded to Olivia's question, trying to put a brave front on as always. It did not succeed. "Y-your oaths are all good. I can only give it to three p-people a-at a time, s-so... Thyerg'll be the one to recieve it! B-but oh! D-don't worry, if y-you're in danger, I-I'll be able to shift it over to you, so you won't get hurt as easily and your power will rise and you can do m-more t-things and ohgodI'mrambling." Frankly speaking, the thought of having to ride on Thyerg made her shiver, the very idea lancing into her soul with a cold, serrated edge. She would have much preferred if she could get slowly used to the creature's appearance along with the disturbing feelings it left with her over time, but they were pressed for time. And the option of abandoning her team-mates never even crossed her mind.

The golden magical girl took a deep breath, her blessing fluctuating as she calmed her emotions. Metaphorical hands digging into the story of her grimoire, she found solace in the fact that even the Cape of Storms could be peaceful, that all storms along with ailments would eventually end. With this thought, she steeled her heart.

"Okay. Okay!" Her determination wobbled, yet remained upright. "I'm ready, so let's go!" With her eyes refusing to look at Thyerg'Xolys, it took a while for her to find appropriate handles on his skin. Even then, she could not bring herself to grip the flesh completely tight, the sensation of it under her fingers proving more than enough to remind her of what she rode on despite her best intentions. Fortunately, she had allies to keep track of, with her powers being best at healing along with support, however, her hesitation did prove to be her downfall.

A gust of wind swept her off her perch and for a moment, Wilhelmina felt weightless. Helpless. Buffeted by fierce winds which always raged up here, catching her clothes in a gale. Her scream stolen away from her in a cacophony of noise. Eyes closing as she felt gravity make its inevitable claim. The ground closing in on her like a relentless wall. Moments of her life flashing before her eyes, even her connections shattering for a split second as chilling terror turned her veins into ice. Eyes closed, reaching out in desperation for something, anything that could help her survive this.

She found something.

Even as Thyerg reached back for Wilhelmina with his horrid tendrils, the winds around her resonated with an aspect of her Grimoire, responding to her will. The winds, which had been intent on tormenting her skin just a second before, became docile, then gathered beneath her in a supporting cushion to give her rescuer a crucial moment of still waters, so to speak. And even though she lost the feeling when the squirming tentacles grasped her and pulled her back, the golden magical girl's heart remembered it vividly as it echoed with the very same beat that she felt when she first got her powers.

Of course, the things which now wrapped around her body to keep her secure, gave Wilhelmina a more... immediate concern to think and shriek about.

"I-I really, really, REALLY a-appreciate y-y-your protection, but c-c-couldn't you d-d-do it in a l-less c-creepy way?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, clearly distressed at the prospect of being gripped by Thyerg's unsavory appendages. "I-it's i-i-i-i- u-unpleasant! I-I-I wish I could summon a s-ship for real!" Naturally, it only took a split second for Wilhelmina to realise she was being ungrateful towards her comrades and hung her head, making sure to close her eyes lest she give herself another reason to heighten her heart rate.

"S-sorry. I-I... u-ummm... E-even if it's unpleasant you're s-still a good... man? I-I will apologise properly later, but Pageless first, p-please!" Goodness, this was going to be such a strange fight.