Venturing into Nasiim's Tower - Ch. 1 (Quest)

[Euripides]

Something about that stung. Rationally, the prince himself had not been at her trial. He would not have known the deal of what all she had faced and what had lead to her march toward the Warrens. Or even of what had happened when she’d found her way out. But it stung. The show of compassion had never been extended to her once in the last two years of her life and yet — a nameless stranger, bound in impossible chains was far more important. Only made worse by the intimacy of the pair. She knew of the prince, but not of the other man who had who seemed so connected with him.
Intertwined. Tangled. A sharp intake of breath and she knew as easily as she breathed that they were in love. And that great bloom of unrest sitting her chest threatened to steal her breath because she was in love, but she was alone. Alone with a wraith and a ghost of her own creation who could not love her. Not the way Jieun had. Not the way she did. One breath turned into two into three as the pace of her breathing picked up once more.

Turning her gaze away, she looked to the man that the great prince had been so determined to free. Only, he wasn’t there entirely. Not anymore. He fell to pieces like a crumbling cookie. Smaller still, sifting through the floor like grains of sand falling to the other side of an hourglass. She blinked, brain sluggish as the panic clawed deeper into her.

Perhaps, really, the man had never been there. Perhaps he had just been another part of her imagination and this whole thing was her mind trying to escape from the Warrens. Some slithering, slimy thing was likely taking chunks out of her right this very moment and her mind had fled to some distant fantasy to preserve herself in this single, dying moment. Beyond this delusion, she was breathing her last and being turned into something’s meal. The sputtering start of a giggle left her as she turned, a grin stretched out over her lips.

“He was never real.” The words were said with awe, the way a child might react to a magic trick for the first time. “He was never here.” How else would one explain what she had just seen? That she was crazy? No, she didn’t believe that. She was sane — had always been sane. Had been sane when she’d seen those wraiths following them and even when Feia had pushed her off that cliff and they’d chased her down. Because she had been sane and right and if she were dying now, this would make all the more sense.

It could only mean, then, that she was right and that beyond this — through to the chest — was the way out and the way home. It hummed within her that, oh yes, she would open the chest and all would be right again. That Jieun would be right there waiting for her and that blathering, scummy man would never have married. And it would just be the two of them. Her giggles turned into full-blown laughter as she hurried to the chest and threw it open.

[Talon]

T A L O N

Shock colored Talon’s expression as he stared in horror at the man that was no longer there. It had felt as though something had grabbed a hold of the power inside of him and yanked it and twisted it into brutal motion. The fact that such a thing had occurred angered him but there was no time to react as the man was gone. Utterly and completely. Followed by one of the chests that was situated in the center of the cell. Disturbed as he was though, Talon braced himself for what may have awaited him as he opened the chest that felt strongly of his Rickter. When the chest jumped to life, Talon braced himself but ended up not having to take any action. The chest sniffed at his extended hand and then ceased its aggression, opening peacefully. Talon stared at it cautiously but then looked at Rickter.

“This one is yours, my wolf. Be careful.” Moving aside, Talon kept a close eye on the chest whenever Rickter moved toward it. When Rickter was close enough to interact with it, Talon brought a hand down to cover his shoulder, ready to snatch his bondmate away from the thing at the first sign of danger. After a tense moment, Talon turned his attention to the remaining chests. He watched as the woman laughed hysterically, throwing open the chest that had popped open of its own accord. He was worried for her. She did not seem altogether in her right state of mind but he did not know if he could help someone in that state.

Talon examined the remaining two chests, he knelt before the one that resonated with him. Putting in a key, he opened it, bracing himself for any activity. When nothing occurred, he looked inside inspecting to see whether or not his belongings were within. Upon seeing them, he quickly began dressing himself into his gear. He slid on his pants, aided himself in putting on his torso garb through the careful application of kinetics then tugged on his boots. He was getting the featherlight bag situated and inspecting it for the items that he had placed inside when he turned himself to the path leading up to the surface. He looked to Rickter to make sure his bondmate was sufficiently dressed then to the woman.

“Come. We need to find a way out of here.” Taking to the stairs, he pulled himself up to the surface of the ship. Turning, he extended a hand to Rickter to help his bondmate up to the surface. He then helped the woman up if she was so inclined. Once that was finished, Talon stood up to his full height and stretched his wings, breathing in deeply. He hated cramped spaces. Looking around, he found took stock of what was laid out. The odd situation of a ship jutting out of the sand. The weird predicament of originally having felt as though they were drifting on the ocean waters and then suddenly finding they were aground? Nothing about this place made sense. He scanned the surroundings, noting the harbor town and the darting shapes moving in the distance. Talon then found Florian.

“Florian.” He called out for the Lysanrin’s attention before tossing the keys to him. “The chests contain our belongings. I would have retrieved yours but when I opened my partner’s, it nearly bit my hand off. That was not the case when I opened my own.”

Talon walked forward until he was at the edge of the deck of the ship. He folded his wings behind him, still wanting to stretch them after having been confined but he would wait.

“We will wait for you, if you would like to go collect your belongings.”

[Rickter]

The wolf's blue eyes widened as the magic Talon used flared in an unexpected manner, the guy he was attempting to help suddenly gone as his remains dissipated into the air. The madwoman beheld a look of wonder at the scene, warranting a deeply concerned stare from Rickter as he quietly shifted closer to his beloved. Of the the two that remained with them she seemed the 'less' centered to be left with, which somehow already led the wolf to look at where Florian had wandered off to in thought. Perhaps it was just the generosity behind his actions earlier, but the wolf would've rather kept that one close than... well, her.

He didn't know what it was about the Kalzasian woman that put him so terribly off exactly, but her behavior alone was proof enough to merit a cautionary eye from the wolf. Yet he felt odd when Talon had moved to investigate the chests, mainly, when the one he reached out to test reacted in an unusual manner. The box mimicked that of a rabid mutt right away, hostile as if someone had trespassed within his own personal territory. Immediately his gaze fixed on the chest as he watched Talon's interactions, before a tilt of his head revealed an utterly confused expression. A sniff of the hand showed the chest associated with Talon's scent, and upon recognition began to recede into a peaceful state once more.

The wolf's blue eyes met the prince's own when they looked toward one another, a gentle curl of curiosity felt brushing down his spine after hearing it was his. "You mean, that chest resembled... me?" Likely because of his own damn Rathari blood, which he would've easily cursed once before. It was strange to see though honestly and made him wonder what the meaning or intent of the connection was. He felt a warmth tug at his core though when he meandered closer to the chest, a steady kneel before the container soon revealing that his stuff happened to be intact within. "... This place is fucking weird..." He murmured to his soulmate without looking away from his gear.

The wolf paid a mindful glance to the waiflike woman as she cackled her way to open her own chest, concern present in his eyes as he considered Negating the space around her. He wouldn't be up to force her into her own bubble necessarily, but what could one expect when a madwoman was about to open her own footlocker? What mad horrors could await within its contents? Talon moved to investigate the other chests likely in search of his own, Rickter glancing at him affectionately before peering down at his own chest once more. Well, everything looked preset at least, he would certainly feel more at ease once all of it was back on. He started with trousers to slip on before the sight of Talon readying up led him to grin, the wolf's ears reflexively tucking with his grin as he reached out with his aether.

Coaxing everything within to float and gravitate around him, he reassembled the rest of his raiment's garb patiently, until the last article of armor was strapped along his forearm. He felt the thick heat of the humidity no longer pester him, and for once he felt as though the air was a bit more breathable where they were. Yet he grew curious when Talon suggested they find an exit, which seemed like a capital idea that the wolf could agree with quickly. Thus he followed alongside his Bondmate with a careful stride, the share of his lover's hand accepted with a hearty grip of his own as they moved. Though the ship remained at a bit of a slant, something felt off about it that the wolf couldn't place. He hadn't ever actually piloted sailboat class vessels before, but from what he knew, water generally had a different feel when it came to rocking the boat.

Sure enough, their arrival to the deck outside revealed it all, a sea of sand surrounding them as marine life squirmed at the surface. His gaze fell on Talon and noticed the direction of the prince's gaze, leading the wolf to peer as well toward what loomed in the distance. A harbor village? Was that where they were supposed to go? The wolf paid a glance to Florian when Talon spoke to share about the chests, a near gentle smile nudged at his lips as he focused more on the village in the distance. There was a good possibility he could spacial map his way over, and attempt a long distanced blink between his location and the harbor. Yet he couldn't help but ponder... The sand around them was wet, no? Was that to rule out that maybe they were meant to dock this ship at the harbor?

The sails looked to be in perfect order, and while there were no crew members aboard, there were three good men to handle the majority of the work. "I can't work with portals yet, but, I've an idea on how I can get us across while you fly Talon." That was if they were intent on ditching this vessel of course, with it being anchored in place already. "If we wanted to try we could power the vessel toward the harbor with magic, I can manipulate the sand since it's wet, and you can fill the sails with wind. Or..." Here came the other idea that he wasn't sure about, but worth mentioning since it was a faster method of travel. "While you fly overhead, I'll take on beast form to carry the two on my back, while I do a quick ice run across the surface of that sand."

He nodded toward the open sea of sand in general, curious as to whether they could actually traverse across it. It was a tough call to say really, but regardless of what Talon and the others chose, the wolf remained ready to respond in whatever manner was appropriate.

► Show Spoiler

Oops... As per forgetting to do this in my entry thread, here is the total inventory that Rickter has brought along:

-Skyforge Raiment
-Triple-barreled pistol
-Castor Shells (10)
-Iron-based lantern

"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter"

[Florian]

gIf there had been water and it had receded, it would surely come back. Florian watched the harbor town in the distance, his mind yet to confirm that everything he was experiencing was real even as he moved and acted as if it were the case. Seeing and feeling was believing, but his thoughts lagged behind. He was still staring at the harbor town when his path was followed first by Talon and then by Rickter, and while he caught the keys offered to him, he made no move to return below-decks. He reached a hand up and clutched the necklace around his neck.

"I've got nothing else worth retrieving." He listened to Rickter talking to Talon, again with magic as the solution to every problem they faced. He figured they could just walk, though the Avialae was particularly blessed with wings. It would be when the water returned that he would face the issue of being unable to swim, but so far, only the woman had seemed to desire to harm anyone. The man who remained chained up was inconsequential, but the other two spoke and acted cooperatively, even if they approached their circumstances differently. That was workable, though he couldn't offer much assistance in any of these matters. Florian wondered if he would end up being useful at all.

He turned around to face Rickter. "We could always walk." He posited, but everything he suggested did seem faster, even if it made him uncomfortable. But he was no stranger to pushing past discomfort for the sake of, well, anything if it was necessary enough. "But I don't mind either of those suggestions. I'm not much help myself with this issue."

Florian looked back at the city in the distance and squinted. "Do you think they're friendly?" He was silent for a moment. "Not that it matters, we've no other landmarks to head towards."

[Talon]

T A L O N

Talon canted his head as he considered what Rickter was proposing. He only barely managed to suppress the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. He shook his head.

“We can just walk, Sorumeito.” He said, echoing Florian. Talon was not about to go through the logistics of trying to move a ship. It would be quite a feat, even for him. He looked to the harbor town. From their current distance he could not make out much beyond the buildings that surrounded the waterless harbor. Speaking to Florian, he spoke honestly.

“There is no way of knowing until we get there.” Nevertheless, Talon tried to remain optimistic. It struck him as supremely odd that they had been confined to a ship, on a vessel that had no crew, in the middle of a sea with no water. When he had first awoken, it had seemed that there had been water from the movements of the ship. That begged the question of whether or not the water would return. He would not linger on that. If the water suddenly decided to come rushing back out of nowhere, there was not much that he could do about it. Stepping up to the railing of the deck, he flexed his wings then looked at his companions. Assessing the drop from the deck of the ship to the sands below, he turned slightly and extended a hand to whomever would take it.

“I can carry you each to the ground. Come. We best get moving. Perhaps there are answers to be found at the town.” Talon spread his wings, preparing himself to become airborne. If his hand was taken, he would wrap an arm around the waist of his new passenger and take to the skies, ferrying said person to the ground to set them gently upon the surface of the sand. If all was well, he would return to the deck of the ship to repeat the movements for whomever needed it.

[Euripides]

A remarkable enthusiasm she had had, truly. Only for her hopes to be dashed as she opened the chest. Stuck in place, she stared down at the guitar, letting loose an odd chuckle. Of course, yes, well — she knew that Jieun had always loved her songs, but like this? To the point that it would only further fuel this game she was playing? The woman just wanted — quite desperately — to go home. All the same, she wrapped her arms around the guitar. It would lead her home. Otherwise, what would have been the point of it. Under it lay her clothes, which if she really thought about, were no more hers than the ones on her back. And while she had never wielded a gun, a machete couldn’t have been too different from an axe.

Despite the sorry state the guitar was already in, she set it down with as much care as she could. The Warrens had taken her modesty, among other things. She stripped the sailor’s uniform from her body; she would appear as skin and bones, limbs awkward and jutting. At the very least, she would be in a better state than she had been in Searing, less deathly but malnourished all the same. And under her breath would be continuous prayer. A prayer as she slipped her shirt on, another as she fit her legs into her pants. One more for her boots, and as she considered the guns and the machete before hanging on her hips, she said a prayer for them, too.

The guitar was once more cradled in her hands when she turned to where the others had gone. And as she did so, she was met with the prince extending his hand. She froze. She had said some rather...unkind things — which she had meant; for a system to work, it had to start from the top-down, didn’t it? — and this could be a trap. Another moment of her being sacrificed for someone else’s good.

But she could not see the same decisiveness she caught a glimpse of on Feia’s face. She looked away from his face, to his hand once more before taking it. As they reached the deck, she squinted, blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted to the outside world. The sun shone down on them, a watchful eye in the sky that she took a moment to consider before she could stand looking at it no longer. Hunched, she stooped down to fall further into the shadows of the prince and his wolf’s frames, enough of a shield from the sun. She would be of no use to anyone if she keeled over from sunstroke.

That was what the stories used to say, when she read about the adventurers that would set out to find treasure and riches. She’d wrote a song about them once, an experiment that had left her and Matthias red in the face with laughter because it had been so horrid. But the humor of it was lost just as little Matty was and she was alone with a winged prince, his wolf lover cum guard (et guard?), and a horned stranger. There was a song in that, too; but maybe later.

“No city is truly friendly. They’re civil, until they don’t need to be.” There had been plenty of ‘friendly’ people in the Warrens, just as Jieun’s husband had ‘friendly’. And when it was all said and done, that friendliness had fallen through. There was a certain focus to her gaze, her thumb toying with the string of a guitar until the trance she’d pushed herself toward had broken as Talon extended his hand to her once more.

This was civility. They needed, for the most part, to work together. Or maybe it would merely be a stain on the prince’s reputation to let one of his citizens die on a sea of sand. That felt more plausible; she offered them nothing to add to their apparent arsenal of skill. Much less than Florian. And, as she stood once more, she limped. Nothing to be ashamed of, but a liability all the same. Head down, she took the prince’s hand.

Maybe she shut her eyes firmly as he carried her down. Maybe she clung to the guitar as if her life depended on it. He could certainly drop her now, say it was an accident; one less obstacle in their getting him. But her feet met the ground in a soft landing, not an explosion of pain. Maybe they would keep her a little longer.

[Rickter]

The wolf's eyes slightly widened at the decision that horned one made, having heard that the Zaichaeri had nothing of value that they wanted to retrieve. While he hadn't overlooked that detail about Florian, his character lacked a certain noticeable pride that they possessed. Perhaps because he was one of the lesser minorities, in which, the wolf spitefully willed against the possibility. Those fascists wouldn't be above treating the other races as lesser beings, and deep down there was a part of himself that Rickter didn't want to recognize. Some things were better left believed as nonexistent, if only to preserve the values he cherished the most.

Admittedly when his eyes had fallen toward the sand beneath him, he had an underlying suspicion about the fact the sand seemed wet. What if it was an actual trap in Gods knew wherever? What if they were drawn at the moment their feet were planted into the sand? Yet it seemed that Florian had a much simpler approach in mind, one that brought the wolf to raise an eyebrow toward the fellow. Really then? As if the simplest plan wasn't enough, even Talon seemed well confident that they could easily tread across. The wolf couldn't help but inadvertently avert his gaze with a near blush. "...Or that." He remarked with a bit of a soft grin, his gaze lifted slightly enough to peer down over the rail.

Well, he could at least handle a drop from this height well enough, he just needed to make sure his timing was correct. He heard the light thumps of footsteps gradually join them from below, and then Rickter turned to see the state that the waiflike woman was in now. She had retained her own gear as well, only, she looked more forlorn, rather than her manic behavior displayed earlier. He saw the guitar and knew well enough there had to be an emotional connection because he did, after all, have such a connection restored for a love in his life. He knew the true value in sentimental things such as instruments, therefore, took on a more sympathetic gaze as she lingered within their shadow. She was no real threat to them, of that he could tell, whereas the rest mattered only where it could be helped.

He would have to remember the Kalzasi woman once they were out of this tower, if not to seek her out and perhaps meet with her in the city for once. Talon's generosity with helping the others down off the ship led Rickter to smile, a genuine look of adoration rising in his eyes as he rested his hands at his hips. "Right, I can help one down too if need be. You needn't carry everyone below, Sorumeito." He offered as he allowed a hand out to Florian as well since it seemed the woman would descend with Talon. Of course, the offer had been given with the intent to allow Florian to choose since Talon could easily ferry these two down on his own. He had little doubts when it came to his Bondmate though, enough to where some would consider him biased about it.

Once the decision was made, Rickter would then look over the railing once more, gauging the amount of drop there would be before they'd hit the dirt. If Florian went with Rickter, then he would be swept up bridal style, as the wolf carried him into the leap over the side of the ship. Once he'd hit the air and felt that rush of wind, Rickter pointed his feet down first to generate aether. Just before his body reached the ground, a lift slowed his fall as he landed firmly into the sand, the lift gradually dispersing as he straightened from a half bend of the knee. Thus he peered toward the harbor yet again, before lifting his gaze to see Talon drifting down to join him.

"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter"

[Aegis]

After the various chests had been looted, aside from the one that remained unopened, nothing happened until after everyone went topside. The chests that had been raided slowly faded away. However, the final one remained. And the key ring grew lighter, subtly so, perhaps not even detected, as the associated keys to those vanished chests joined them in obscurity.

Euripides was ferried to the sand and landed with a squelch. After all, this was the sand at the bottom of a bay, and she was quickly sucked down til the sand reached her thighs, where she stopped. In the distance, toward the village, one could see significantly less people, though those with more keen hearing would be able to make out faint, indistinct shouting carried by the wind.

Then came the low, slow, deep and powerful rumbling. It was distant, but it carried a weight, a pressure that moved through them all. For those more sensitive to magic, by ability or trait, they would feel the pressure twofold. And then, a small tide came in, just a little water, six inches or so, came rushing back into the bay, splashing against any who had landed within the sand.

But looking further out into the water, in the opposite direction of the harbor, Florian's thought was proven correct. The water had left, and now the water was returning. In the form of a tsunami, massive, hundreds of feet high, huge even from this distance, and it was racing toward the group and the village. Those who had any experience at all in ocean coastal towns would know the fears and dangers of such a phenomenon, but those who had remained in the safety of Lake Udori, or had been land locked for their lives, would not likely know it at all.

After all, a sudden draining of a bay was always the precursor to a tsunami.

Those tuned to magic, and particularly those with elementalism favoring water, would be able to feel the thrum of magical power emanating from the massive wave, even from this distance. Every few seconds, another pulse of magic burst through them, as the wave hurtled forward. At this distance, it appeared that the group would have approximately sixty seconds until the wave was upon them. There was the village, there was the sky, there were the many other boats stranded at a distance in the bay, there were an unlimited number of directions one could go, should one choose to do so.

And the roaring would just grow louder.

► Show Spoiler

Next post from me on Sunday morning, December 5th

[Euripides]

As close to such a great body of water as Kalsazi was, she’d not been to Lake Udori often. There were fleeting memories of plans for trips that came to mind, but her experience of the lake was limited to a few excursions to the fish markets in the area with Jieun and her father on business. She’d not been enticed by the waves so much, enamoured with the girl that had invited her along and the heavy stench of fish. And even those memories were tained by a queasy undertone as she was made to swallow oysters to the tune of various people laughing as she nearly spit them back up. While fond, she’d not ventured onto the sand much, and thus her expectation of what would happen was colored by inexperienced and played out to a short wail from the woman as she sank.

Her grip on the guitar tightened — because, yes, it certainly did matter a whole lot. More than herself; it was her ticket to Jieun and home. It didn’t stop the thud of anxiety as she kept sinking, deeper into the sand until she was thigh-deep. The pressure around her legs was no more uncomfortable than it did cause her more panic. She was stuck. Her fingers latched onto the demigod beside her, coiled as much as they could around his calf. There would be a surprising amount of strength, but she would be easily shaken off. She raised the guitar above her head as the water came in, splashed up toward her mouth.

The brine of the water landed on her lips. She sputtered, some getting into her mouth. The salt of it was no more pleasant than the experience of being splashed by it, and somewhere in a distant lakeside memory she considered that she didn’t care much for water in this capacity. Not then, and not now as she felt the vibrations of something coming. She had no real knowledge outside of third or fourth-hand accounts of a massive wave of water rushing toward you was like. But, even through the sand and the water, she felt it coming. A rumbling that coursed through her frame and forced tears into her eyes as looked up to see the wave heading toward them. The waters were not the domain of any god she had worshipped herself, but she knew this; her mother had made it so and she would continue it to any other. Because how else would she have made it this far? Sheer luck? Unlikely.

While she did not drop the guitar, she did let go of Talon, if he had not already removed himself from her grip. Her palms came together, cradling the guitar awkwardly in her arms before she turned her hands upwards. “Thultu, forgive us our trespasses. Know we not where we tread.” Her memory of the prayers were vague, at least where they concerned the seas. But she’d heard others in the Warrens make similar pleas, had seen the way they prostrated themselves toward their god, even if it were a spare few who still clung to that hope of making it out. She wondered if they ever did. So, all the same, she bent as far forward as her awkward hold of the guitar would allow, flicking water over each the opposite shoulder, left over right and right over left before repeating the prayer again. Her voice cracked a little more each time.

[Rickter]

Whether Florian went down with Rickter or not, the wolf's boots hit the wet sand with as slurp as the ground caved beneath him. He felt the fabric of his trousers become swallowed up to the shins when he landed, the aether used to soften his landing dispersing around him as he nearly staggered from where he stood. Though his feet only shifted the sand somewhat he was anchored enough to keep his balance, with a look of aggravation toward the ground as he felt sand slip into his boots and up his ankles. Wonderful. Regardless of the landing he didn't need to worry about sinking at least, and the shift of a leg allowed him to pull up one of the two boots buried within the sand. Once pressed into the surface once more, the secondary ability of the boot activated to keep from sinking back within the ground.

Using that as his leverage he practically walked his way atop the surface of the seabed they were on, his eyes on Talon as the prince descended to bring the other passenger down with him in turn. Yet the woman wound up sunken even deeper than he did, perhaps due to the fact the wolf's gear safeguarded him, otherwise, his landing would've resulted in the same just from his own weight alone. He noticed the way she treated the guitar when the first of the water rolled in, the wolf's eyes narrowing on the event as he looked past Talon and Florian toward the direction he'd heard a noise. A low-grade rumble that he felt beneath his feet at first, but then, it gradually rose higher into his core as his eyes fell on a sight none would ever dream to behold.

A colossal wave looked to be amassed in the opposite direction of the harbor they were intending to visit. Just from the mere sight of it Rickter's eyes widened in pure awe, as he felt the pit of his stomach drop anxiously in response to the event. He had lived as a fisherman along the shores of Lake Udori a good chunk of his life, and though he'd only heard stories, never had there been a time where waves that enormous threatened to assail the shores around. Gazing at it now he felt minuscule, practically helpless by the sheer immensity alone, and whatever the power he felt emanating from within was... felt largely different compared to anything he'd experienced.

Water acting in a singular entity such as this perplexed him greatly, once he acknowledged the pulsations he felt stemming within his being. It felt as though pure magic vibrated off his skin, as the roar of the incoming tsunami merely grew into a crescendo in its approach. Though the dread in his eyes likely made it obvious enough, Talon would surely feel the welling of uncertainty that rose within the wolf, yet it was with a narrowed gaze that he looked back to his companions first; and then the harbor second. Time was short, and there was no guarantee that Rickter's own power would be enough. Not against something this massive...

Nevertheless, he would try.

"Talon! Take to the sky as high as you can! And as fast as you can!" He barked without looking away from the oncoming tidal wave, his hands brought together to clasp almost in the form of a prayer. "If you can, protect Florian and the girl, I cannot guarantee their safety!" He warned as the clasp of his hands parted, aether shimmering brightly like the northern lights as the runes beneath his raiment hummed vibrantly. It was already strange to feel his Elementalism rune reacting to the water as is, but when he felt great amount of aether he channeled respond to his whim, a wary moment was spent assessing the situation as he faced his enemy head on.

But water shouldn't be his enemy here... Not if he was naturally drawn to it through his Arche. He didn't understand it quite yet, however, he didn't bother trying since they were all pressed for time. Thus he created two anchors within each of his hands, hopeful that the flap of Talon's wings would mean that he was flying away to safety soon. Whether the other two went with him or not, he didn't know yet, for all he knew the prince likely had to pull the woman out before even taking off into the air. Either way he brought his hands back together, the left palm facing his target with the right palm resting at the backside of the hand. With his fingers pressed between each of their grooves, the wolf grit his teeth before pushing his aether outward into a spiral.

He willed the first anchor to exert its barrier dome in the surrounding area, large enough to cover the group if the other two were still with him on the seafloor. The barrier flourished with a ray of blue and green lights, before the aether hardened into a flat structure to generate a transparent bubble dome over him. Water and ice will not come through! He emphasized that specific thought as he set the perimeters of the shield, the second anchor lingering just underneath the first one floating above him. Immediately the water within the dome was pushed outward, from the center toward the edges where it'd trickle past the base of the shield itself, while he continued to channel aether through his Negation rune to power both of the anchors as much as possible.

He started to feel a bit light-headed from the amount of consumption he did, but the runes still continued their vibrant glimmer, as his witchmarks spreaded across the visible patches of his skin such as his face, neck, and fingers. Rickter felt his Elementalism rune thrum as he pointed a foot toward the coming tsunami, his heart dropping at the sheer immensity, even though he faced his challenge without any falter to his thoughts. With a growl he stopped hard on the sand, his aether surging out toward the dome before the barrier shimmered in response, before the water rushing around it sloshed and wavered against the current direction it flowed. The wolf focused hard as he put more aether into the intent, the water surrounding him rushing upward from an angle off the ground and toward the menacing roar of the tsunami.

It was almost loud enough to drown his own thoughts, even so, the wolf lifted his right hand up to point the palm at the second anchor. His other hand went out toward the incoming tidal wave, the aether and water surrounding him thrust into a rising water wall as the air surrounding him rapidly dropped in temperature. With the rush of a cold breeze, ice spikes plumed from the base of his shield toward the risen crest of water he'd manipulated with aether, generating a wall of ice approximately twenty feet high and ten yards thick. Yet he was just about out of time at this point, the barriers having been constructed to ward off the water that came, while the ice would possibly deter the initial impact on the shields by a small amount.

Yet he felt more. More aether than what he thought he possessed, more channeling through him than what his reserves called for. Thus he threw caution to the wind and brought his hands back together once more, all his aether constantly channeled into the barrier as he started to generate layer after layer, each tasked to keep water and ice from ever crossing its threshold. By now he knew he would be tired, and yet, he still felt aether pouring into him somehow. Then he realized what it was.

Talon was helping him through their Bond together, channeling his own aether as well to further empower the wolf, while the emblem of Eminence on his forearm felt searing within his skin. Thus even with his breathing drawn and heartbeat erratic, the wolf put everything he had, all of it, into the act of negating the water that threatened to bulldoze and drown him. In the moments that the tidal wave drew closer to his ice wall, the wolf's aura burned brilliant around his figure, the witchmarks as well as his eyes aglow a bright silver hue as he roared at the coming tide.

"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter"