Clear Water Assault{OPEN}

A call goes out to aid a major fishing village

The Jewel of the Northlands

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Ivar
Posts: 161
Joined: Sat May 13, 2023 6:50 pm
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?p=24709#p24709
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Ivar's eyes darted around frantically as he tried to keep track of his comrades and allies, who were doing some seriously flashy magical stuff. It was like being in the middle of a wild storm of spells and sorcery. He wanted to take it all in, to be amazed and learn, but there was no time for that. The shadow creatures swarmed around him, gnashing and clawing, and all he could think about was how to stay alive. He could barely keep up with the chaos, his heart pounding as he struggled just to breathe and not get taken down by the Voidsent.

“Can do!” Ivar said when asked to conserve aether. He let his portal die and grimaced at the sight of all the creatures.

Then his attention was drawn to the katana he had in his possession, and the shard. Patrick's advice echoed in his head, and Ivar's fingers, though shaky, managed to follow through. His katana hummed with the dawnlight, a beacon amidst the darkness. As the light infused his weapon, Ivar swung with desperate determination. Each strike was clumsy, but the light compensated, tearing through the shadows with satisfying sizzles. The creatures recoiled and dissipated with every swing, even though Ivar's form was far from that of a skilled swordsman.

Ivar shouted, “Got it!” when asked to cover the front, blinking a few times to get into position before the shadows could swarm through.

As the battle wore on, Ivar's arms ached and his breaths came in ragged gasps. But with each passing moment, the confidence from the dawnlight imbued in his blade and from the concerted efforts of his allies spurred him on. He witnessed Rickter’s awe-inspiring invocation, the spell powerful enough to stir courage in the most fearful heart. Ivar's own resolve was bolstered by the show of might, and he found a rhythm in his movements that echoed the cadence of the spellcasting around him.

Ivar silently wondered whether it would all be over soon. They’d gathered many dragon shards and he now knew just how effective they were against the shadow creatures. If Rickter could obliterate them in one fell swoop… then they’d be back home in time for supper.
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Moon Jae-Seong
Posts: 121
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2022 7:17 pm
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=3722
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TIMESTAMP: -
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► Show Spoiler
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For much of his life, Jae-Seong was intent on relying solely upon his mundane features; what he could do with his body and weaponry alone. This was largely regarded as a rather odd choice, given that Kalzasi was a city-state steeped in the arcane. He did, eventually, cave, accepting two runes of his own, and it was in moments like the present where he could truly appreciate how wrong he had been before. Magic was magnificent, and without it, he doubted the slithering shadows of the Eclipse would be able to be repelled at all.

Those around him, in particular, wove water, wind and ice beautifully– he could only hope to persevere with his own crafts long enough to some day wield the elements in a similar fashion. For now, however, his Elementalism was focused on keeping himself safe from the magic of others as well as streamlining his movements with currents of wind. But even so, the experience was exhilarating; he was in the heart of a storm, and there was no other setting he’d rather be.

The gleaming barrier a gruff looking mage had set up was an arcane marvel; he lacked Negation himself, but he could recognize it when he saw it. Whoever that was that wove those wards must be brilliant with the craft, he thought. Surely, if he stayed nearest to him, he, too, would live to see another day, no?

Though he could not speak himself, he was perfectly capable of listening– the Negation mage gave commands to his two allies, one was to take front guard, the other rear. Solid coverage, but incomplete; the sides were still vulnerable. Determined to help, Jae-Seong would float between the two others, allowing them to stand their ground while he covered the angles they could not. If the nobleman was nothing else, he was exceptionally fast, making this role ideal for him.

Armed with twin longswords, his blades were subtly curved and slightly shorter than a more standard Kalzasern sword like a katana; it would be evident that his armaments had been forged specifically for the style he exhibited. His weaponry also carried a dawnlit glow; he'd Varnished them with the power of the illumite he, too, possessed. Using wind and wings of his own, the swordsman moved with a preternatural swiftness, striking shadows down with quick, whirling bladework. And so arm over arm, wrist over wrist, he'd fight on, his movements possessing a deadly sort of elegance, sometimes resembling the unfurling petals of a flower in bloom.

Jae-Seong fell into a rhythm, his focus and wits sharpened; and while his avian features were not exceptionally expressive normally, they were even less so in moments like this– all one could glean was the cold, austere determination reflected back in clear, blue eyes.
- - -

'Thoughts'
"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"
word count: 574
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Hikami
Posts: 394
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:38 pm
Title: The Iceborne
Location: Kalzasi, Karnor
Character Sheet: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=835
Character Secrets: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=20& ... 3686#p3686

龍 13th of Glade, Year123, A,o.S 龍


The avialae watched as Rickter worked his magic to shield Mizu Village, and was impressed with the display. He was always curious about that magic but he felt it was one he would have to study it from afar. As he went to help shield the Rathari, he felt something grip his waist, a sharp and forceful yank down onto the beach. A loud thud could be heard as he crashed into the ground. As the dust cleared Hikami could see the creature that seemed to want to confront him. Feminine in figure but otherwise otherworldly in appearance, it took slow measured steps toward its prey, only to recede away at the arrival of a whirlwind.

► Show Spoiler


On his feet, Hikami looked at the creature, the monstrosity letting out an ear-shattering roar, the spike tentacles protruding from its back flexed and prime to strike. The chill of his pact weapon came into his hand as he twirled in and got into battle position. For a moment neither monster nor avialae moved an inch, but with the crashing of a wave onto the beach both lunged at each other. All four of its barbed tentacles clashed with the iceborne as it leaped around, trying to skewer the iceborne from every angle it could.

Loud visceral roars echoed as it bounced around as both Hikami and his arch element fended it off. Duplicates of his pact weapon formed, aiding in his defense as the two danced across the beach. The tentacles really laid into the iceborne, and for each one he would cut off, another would grow in its place which turned this into a battle of who could fall first. With the combined force of all four tentacles, Hikami found himself being slammed against the frozen wall he had erected.

He watched as it secured itself into the sand, its shielded maw opening abnormally wide, and unleashing a concentrated beam of energy at him. He quickly gathered a torrent of water and wind, commanding it into a destructive maelstrom of ice around the blade of Aoi Ryu, slamming it against the stream of corrupted energy. He could feel the immense strength behind its attack, forcing him back against the ice wall. He needed to divert the attack away from him and the village. Sending his aether out, a surge of it went into the ocean, and the waters responded in kind.

Tendrils with the grip strength of an octopus began to latch onto the monster mainly its neck and head, forcing its head upward. The beam of energy shot up and into the air, devastating the parts of the ice wall along the way. Chunks of destroyed ice flew in all directions and those that went into the village would turn into glittering dust as Hikami ensured they couldn't do any more damage to the village.

Hikami watched as it wrestled with the tendrils of water trying to free itself.



"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Capricious Wind]
Last edited by Hikami on Sat Jul 27, 2024 1:35 am, edited 2 times in total. word count: 577
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Rickter
Posts: 909
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:10 pm
Title: Dabu
Character Sheet: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=578
Plot Notes: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=815
Character Secrets: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=761
Letters: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=816

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While the wolf could afford himself easy pride in having a near impenetrable defense, the reliance on his companions made for that fact easier to manage in short. Having less angles to worry about weaving with a barrier was easier in that regard, nevertheless, the aid their other arrival provided had been a welcome addition all the same. Rickter was able to fully focus on the spells he intended to weave, the incantation he had spoken reaching the very patron he had sought to invoke. Through his Emblem the power of Dawnfire flowed with earnest ease, as the vibrant and familiar warmth of his dear companion soon embraced him completely.

Rickter felt the calming serenity found in that usual embrace, the certain that always came with the guarantee his dearly beloved companion remained ever close. Even now. That feeling did more than just flow through Rickter, more than fill him with the everlasting sensation of hope deep inside. Power on a much greater scale coursed through him in that moment, as the shadows within town threatened to teem at their location now. But it was too late for them now, they were too late to prevent the outcome of what was to happen next. The radiance that shone brilliantly off his forearm and bicep flourished, as more rays of silver sunlight poured out from the cracks of his pressed hands.

The might of the spell, Salvation, surged from where he stood and outward all around him. In the mere blink of an eye the darkness of the Eclipse which loomed above changed, and the light of Dawn poured downward over the village almost like a second sun.


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I am here, love. I am with you, always. Rickter promised his dear Talon with no question regarding the man's presence. In his core, it was indisputable that the wolf felt his beloved embracing him, fueling his desire to restore the hope that had been shattered here today. Thus the silver light above the town flared with intensity, as the luminance bathed more than just the village and the denizens found within. From the lakefront of Kalzasi's port on Udori to even the peaks of Cloudhaven themselves, the warmth of that light remained distinctively visible from where it took place.


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From where he stood the rest of his spell had been cast, the very ward that Rickter weaved into the space surrounding the village gradually sweeping across the terrain. Such a large-scale barrier had been one of the first few he'd ever attempted, but with a village as small as this the attempt hardly remained challenged like he expected it to be. All throughout the streets and lanes of the town, the radiant rays of Salvation burned away every shadow caught in the scope of the spell.

Those immediately within the vicinity around Rickter bore witness to the Voidsent shrieking. Their corporeal forms dissipated out of existence entirely, as any and all traces of darkness were literally burned away from the area around the caster. Extending further out of the village and toward the lakefront where Hikami had been wrenched away by the beasts that lingered, the pouring radiance from above town shone with just as little mercy. Every dark and corrupted beast found on the shore, within the water even, soon found that they would all be assailed by this same endless light. Salvation's range encompassed the entirety of the village just as the barrier Rickter erected swirled into complete fruition.

From every perceptive angle of the fisher town's outskirts, a transparent bubble shimmered with silver light as Salvation's radiance appeared refracted through the wall of aether cast up. Rickter's second act of preserving this town from further danger had come to fruition, as every manner of Voidsent within the barrier quickly faded just as the others before them. The chaos found in the initial wave that attacked had suddenly stilled to an absolute silence, as that same sense of serenity Rickter felt just moments before now filled the entirety of the town. Those who had still scrambled to find safety, or to fight off the shadows in desperation for their loved ones; all found the very hope they sought to preserve within the light that graced them above.

The wolf never once broke his concentration even after his casting, as the luminance of Salvation still burned through him for just a few moments longer yet. When he felt the coursing fire within him wane though, and the light of both his Negation rune and Eminence emblem dimmed completely, he briefly staggered forward with Patrick there to catch him at his side. Not that he appeared too weary from casting such a grand spell, but as the light of Salvation finally died out in the darkened skies above, Rickter's gaze opened back to rest upon those that had gathered before him. Ivar was there still as was Moon, as he finally recognized, and the remaining villagers that were now protected by the outer barrier. Yet Hikami...

"You gonna be alright??" Patrick inquired warily as the wolf regained his footing completely, the shift of his gaze directed to the walls where the lake rested beyond them. Hikami was still fighting it seemed, yet, with the blessing of Salvation he should've pushed back against the Voidsent horde easily. Whatever rested in the lake however had not risen, which told Rickter that they'd only cleared the first wave of those beasts.

"I'm fine," the assurance came with a couple of pats on Patrick's hand that held him by the shoulder, "Still roaring for the fight that remains ahead."

"Wait, what? We're not done?!" Patrick remarked with a baffled expression, his eyes to the sky where Salvation burned just moments prior, only to behold the Eclipse once more as the sun remained blocked in the clouded sky. Rickter could only slowly shake his head with almost a chuckle, before he focused intently on the other two that remained present.

"At this moment, the peace here remains fleeting. We've successfully protected this town, however, there's something in the lake itself we must face." The icy glow in his eyes drifted back to the town walls once more. "I sense Hikami and... some of his intent at least. He yearns to cleanse the lake." And while he hadn't any ideas as to how as of yet, Rickter knew he couldn't allow the Iceborne to carry such a struggle alone. "Venture forward and we'll most certainly brave greater danger, but I intend to help Hikami achieve this goal. I cannot guarantee your safety, but then you all know the risks, so the choice is yours in the end."

"Then let's go, big guy!" Patrick quipped with a passing swat of his hand on Rickter's shoulder, quick to eagerly jaunt down the lane to head for the main road of the town. The wolf chuffed before he pulled the bastard sword from the ground, and rested the flat of the blade over his right shoulder before he started to follow after the Atinoran. Whatever awaited the group at the lakefront itself, well, that is what remained to be discovered once the wolf and his pack arrived at Hikami's location.

"Dialogue" Monologue
"Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
word count: 1285
"Dialogue" Monologue
"Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan" "Vastian"
Noble House
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Hikami
Posts: 394
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:38 pm
Title: The Iceborne
Location: Kalzasi, Karnor
Character Sheet: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=835
Character Secrets: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=20& ... 3686#p3686

龍 13th of Glade, Year123, A,o.S 龍


What ever rickter had done to shield the village seemed to harm the creature before it, as it writhed and hissed from the light of the shield, before disintegrating into dust. With it dead and gone, Hikami rose into the air to assess the situation. The village had been evacuated, which meant he didn't have to fear the villagers being harmed if the fight had to come to the shores of Mizu Village. However, the swirling mass of darkness and black that pooled in the waters before him was cause for concern. He wasn't sure what to expect.

It wasn't till the mass finally broke free of its icy prison that he finally saw what he was dealing with. Multiple heads rose from the watery depths of Udori lake and its surrounding waters. Each head writhed and thrashed about until the main head seemed to reign them all in. There where seven in total, in each one looked at Hikami with disgust and prejudice. Without missing a beat, Hikami switched his pact weapons from Aoi Ryu to Fukitsuna Yuki. Twirling the frozen halberd in his hands he waited to see what would come next. He could feel Rickter's approach, which meant he would have ample aid in defeating this creature.

As he stared it down the beast wasted no time, several of its multiple heads lunging at the avialae as he ducked and dodged, smashing his icy pact weapon against its scales. Taking to the air he decided that it would be best to engage the beast on the water, where he could manipulate and bombard it with water and ice, as he waited for his help to join him. He soon after began to synergize with the water that was prevalent as he was going to contend with the void beast as best he could on equal terms.



"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Capricious Wind]
word count: 384
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Rickter
Posts: 909
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:10 pm
Title: Dabu
Character Sheet: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=578
Plot Notes: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=815
Character Secrets: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=761
Letters: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=816

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While the light of Salvation had lessened to that of a glow above the barrier it soon died out, leaving only the arcane ward that had been instilled over the town that Hikami sought to protect. Rickter was not keen to let the ice elemental's work be in vain, and while erecting such a massive barrier ensured the village's safety; there remained a greater threat yet. It seemed like those that accompanied the wolf and his companion did not follow, though, Rickter's warning to them should've indicated enough the peril that remained ahead. Ivar had done exceptional and of course, Moon's involvement helped pave the way for the pair to a secured victory.

A small one, but one that counted when compared to the larger foe at hand. Both Patrick and Rickter had considerably substantial reserves of aether left within them, surely enough to help end this battle against whatever dark beast lurked within Lake Udori. Something within the wolf cried through him in desperation, although, he hadn't the capacity to identify what as he pursued after his companion. Patrick had a minor head start after all, and he was the first of the duo to arrive on scene, before pausing in his tracks in sheer terrified awe at what he beheld. One. Two. Four. Now Seven. "You've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me!" He nearly bellowed out as Rickter rushed passed him, his bastard sword brandished from his shoulder into a downward arc past his waist.

"Stay light on your feet, Patrick!" The wolf urged his companion as the realization suddenly hit him, the desperation he felt just moments before, the sheer cry that seeped deep into his very soul. The lake... the water... it all deeply yearned for cleansing, for purification from whatever corruption had afflicted this beast.

"You're one to talk you heavy-footed lard ass!" The Atinoran quipped as he resumed his charge, though, not before he noticed Rickter's sudden pause to shift into a leftward maneuver. Both of the men managed to avoid the lunge of another head, with Rickter already curving his strike upwards to cut against the scales of the beast before him. Yet it did not cut through, merely, damaged the surface of the beast's thick armor in just one slice. Damn! Weaponry alone won't cut through this?!

Right away the head of the hydra he struck writhed away to recoil backward, while another looked ready to lunge at Rickter during Hikami's flurry of ice magic against the beast. The wolf braced to strike Way to Dawn at an angle with a deep breath, the air within his lungs filled with aether as he channeled it's current throughout his being. Through a combination of Kinetics and Elementalism, he had intended to attempt a reprisal once the mouth of his current head came to a lunging close, but before that extension of the Hydra could reach him a loud rumbling surged past the wolf's figure. Crimson lighting barreled with intensity through the sky, emitting bright flashes before the impact of aether surged into the beat's mouth.

The head fixated on Rickter immediately recoiled away, as sparks danced and sizzled their way off fangs and soft tissue, leading Rickter to near glare at his rear in gratitude. His hearing could've done without the intense boom of the spell his partner cast, however, Patrick soon caught up to him as the Hydra's heads started to fixate on the flying figure that was Hikami. "Point made yet?!" The Atinoran quipped in between his brief gasps for breath, having run as much as he did in the short amount of time.

"You know if you'd put as much energy into combat as you did with that mouth, we'd likely have found a way to tear this beast to shreds already." The wolf lowly mused as he fixated his stern gaze on the beast, intrigued by Hikami's flight patterns and combinations with spells and acrobatics. "Hikami is directing this battle onto the surface of the lake," he quickly determined with another glance to Patrick, "you've been working on your control with Kinetics, no?"

"Eh..." Patrick swiveled his hand to gesture as in 'so-so' as he focused on regaining the pace of his breathing, which led Rickter to rest a hand on his shoulder as he looked back out onto the battlefield before them.

"Utilize Seeming so that you can run across the surface of the water, and focus on your aether control with your output into Elementalism." Patrick looked over to him quickly as he immediately felt what soon came over him, as Rickter sent a single wave of aether throughout his companion's structural integrity. Using Acceleration to increase the flow of Patrick's own aether, he gave his lightning-throwing companion a boost in speed, however, hadn't the time to instill the ward he wanted over the man since the battle ensued. "Don't push your body beyond physical limitations," he quickly warned as Rickter moved several steps ahead of Patrick, "and conserve your aether for when we've found a flaw in the beast's defenses!"

"Hang on! Did you just-" Yet there wasn't such a thing as time, not when Hikami's life hung in the balance now. As Rickter stood atop the shallows of Lake Udori, he soon bent his knees and arched his back forward in preparation for a lunge. Not a physical one but certainly an arcane one.

Talon... Continue to share your strength with me. He reached out not just mentally but spiritually through their Bond with one another, as the light of Eminence burned through his emblem to activate the power of Dominion. With one brief push of his muscles, the waters around Rickter rippled and pulsated upward, spraying against Patrick even once the wolf surged forward across the surface of the lake itself.

"Real macho, big guy!!" The Atinoran snapped but clearly on deaf ears, although, not so much as he would've expected given Rickter's excellent hearing. Nevertheless, Patrick focused on the act of channeling his aether as instructed, and created two small Seeming currents beneath his feet. Utilizing this ability to allow himself the ability to run across water, he soon zipped after the wolf that rushed toward the main body of the beast at a rapid pace. "You're not the only one that can move fast!" He then quipped to himself as he first got the hang of running across water, before the air started to crackle with static all around him.

In the meantime, Rickter closed the gap between him and the beast, practically swooping in to cleave into the neck of another head, only to knock the Hydra's trajectory with that limb further off kilter. This allowed Hikami more freedom to move and find mobility in turn, but now, Rickter was just as exposed since he had to move in midair. Naturally, a push of aether with his Kinetics allowed him to kick into another trajectory, avoiding another head as he tumbled into a somersault to bounce off the scales of another neck of the Hydra's many heads.

word count: 1226
"Dialogue" Monologue
"Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan" "Vastian"
Noble House
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Hikami
Posts: 394
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:38 pm
Title: The Iceborne
Location: Kalzasi, Karnor
Character Sheet: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=835
Character Secrets: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=20& ... 3686#p3686


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When his synergy was complete, Hikami put his plan in motion. He was taking a risk, synergizing with wind and water all at once, but this was a dire situation that called for drastic measures. From the sky a massive vortex of wind engulfs him, forming a waterspout. From there dragon heads of the vortex water protruded from the watery tornado, before launching themselves at the beast of corruption. Each head was latched onto by the watery dragons, save for the main head of the hydra, as it blasted the water dragons with a beam of dark energy.

From within the waterspout came a large humanoid figure, resembling Hikami except there were clear draconic touches to its appearance. When it appeared the main hydra head roared, the sound and reverberation from the warcry shook the area and those within it. In the watery avatar's hand came a massive halberd that resembled Aoi Ryu. With the other hydra heads tussling with their watery counterparts it was just Hikami and the main head now. He knew he didnt have much time, as he could feel the effects of overstepping encroaching upon him. He had to make this blow count.

Focusing all his magical strength into the avatar it raised its halberd high as the water around it began to churn and spin at high velocities. In seeing this the main hydra head began to charge a sphere of dark energy within its mouth. At the same time, both massive figures attacked, the avatar slamming down its halberd and the hydra firing the beam. Both attacks collided causing a massive shockwave to blow through the area. Unfortunately for the hydra, the avatar's attack cut straight through the beam sending a powerful wave of pressurized water hurdling at it. With a loud slicing sound, the main hydra head came crashing down into the lake, causing the rest of the beast to rip away from the watery dragons that held it in recoiling pain.

The main body began its retreat, but not before giving Hikami and the others a stare of death. Then in an instant, it was gone beneath the waves of the waters. Unable to chase after it, Hikami's watery avatar fell apart, as the avialae fell into the water himself, exhausted from the amount of aether he used to wound the creature.


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"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

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Rickter
Posts: 909
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:10 pm
Title: Dabu
Character Sheet: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=578
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Letters: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=816

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This isn't good... The wolf realized as he kicked off the scales he'd momentarily Seemed his boots to, pushing into the air with Kinetics once again when he felt the head he'd practically bounced from writhe and undulate in tandem. The beast's many heads were scattering outward now with no veritable pattern, leading the wolf to pull into a rotation that allowed his physical body to feel the rush of another hissing mouth zoom right past him in midair. Brute force won't cut through the thick scales. The wolf surmised as he gripped the hilt with both hands while still in the air, as he heard the sizzle of aether cackling toward another head that turned beneath him.

An application of Kinetics then, he started but not before realizing Patrick's timely jump resulted in the man spiraling over the head, determined to throw down an arc of red lightning from his fingertips as he continued propelling himself in that same arc. Yet despite that trajectory, and the moment in time Rickter had to consider his next move, the alarming smell of aether was palpable as the entire area surrounding the Hydra became thick with it. Hang on! A spell of this magnitude?! The wolf's eyes immediately shifted from the heads below, Patrick's lightning already zapping one of them with little to no avail as he barrel-rolled through the air.

With good timing in fact. The momentum that maneuver carried him allowed the Atinoran to pull himself further off kilter, perhaps due to the fact he hadn't accounted for the accerelation spell still effecting him. Regardless, it guaranteed safety and just enough timing for Rickter, as the wolf's shocked eyes realized both Hikami and the Hydra were on the move. Damn it! The space around him rippled with his own aether for a split second, and his gaze shifted to Patrick's location as the crimson mage barely stuck his landing on the surface. In one mere Blink of his eyes, the outline of Rickter's aura closed in to blanket him, seemingly pulling him into Slipspace so that when he exited; he came out knelt down in the process of landing beside the Atinoran.

"The hell-"

"Get back!!" Rickter roared before the rush of both wind and water became a turbulent force of nature. Pulling his arm outward to protect Patrick, the wolf also pulled himself further back to avoid the possibility of both of them being sucked in by the spell that Hikami had decided to cast. It was far too late, and he was far too gone to be stopped at this rate. "That damned bastard!" Rickter cursed as he felt the waters of Lake Udori come rushing around, before they were pulled into a spiral that led both wind and water to dance powerfully as one singular form. If only for a moment.

"Holy fuck! Is he insane?!" As Rickter felt certain Patrick and he were no longer threatened, he weaved another slight pulse of aether across Patrick's own form; slowing down the acceleration to the Atinoran's aura once more as they were both left to watch what unfolded.

"Beyond a doubt." Rickter's face had reddened slightly as a result of what he saw, and deep down, he felt a fury deep within him that wanted to take over right now. What Hikami was doing... was impressive. So much so that the wolf wanted to admire it, except for the fact he could also feel what the spirit inside the iceborn felt in the moments that transpired. Pain wracked through it. Through Hikami. Unsure how exactly he knew at that moment, Rickter felt that pain to a degree, and it downright infuriated him to a point he nearly struggled to understand. "The idiot's putting everything he's got into this! He probably doesn't even realize it's killing him!" Not at this rate at the very least.

Thus as the great watery avatar that served as Hikami's will came into manifestation, and the roar of the Hydra led to a build up of incredible aether across the body of water they fought at, Rickter released his bastard sword to allow it to levitate behind him as he prepared for what was soon coming next. "You've gotta be fu-" Patrick's entire expression dropped to sheer awe as the energies before the two men were immense, leaving only just the moment Rickter had to weave his own aura outward with a ward that would hopefully save them. To help reduce the tantamount shockwave that also followed, he proceeded to exert his own Kinetics to resist the force that assailed them upon the collision.

Damn! Damn! Damn! Patrick practically held onto Rickter for dear life as the wolf himself continued thrusting his anchor forward, propelling his own aura through it to exert as much force as he could to resist the blasts that thundered chaotically across the lake. The initial shockwave soon finished its surge, the rushing wind and water accompanying it parted into separate streams as Rickter and Patrick were both heavily doused by the aftermath of the turbulent fallout before them. As waters stirred frantically from the blast the lake itself felt rocked entirely by the repulsion of Hikami's blast against the Hydra, the air thick with a mist-like vapor that took several minutes just to finally lighten into a slow and gradual clear.

The air felt ripe with aether now, enough that Rickter could sense the dangers of a Dread Mist storm brewing overhead. The signs were all completely there, the smell of burning ozone, the oversaturation of aether into the environment from the hellish scene that unfolded before he and Patrick. They were both lucky. The shorelines even more so considering they were far out across the lake by now, rather than still near the shore where their battle with the hydra first took place. With his aura weathered down from such a blast, Rickter felt the clench in his muscles loosen as he finally staggered forward, gasping for air even as he managed to hold off against such absurd amounts of magic. Hikami on the other hand...

Now that the Hydra had been mortally wounded to the point of retreat, the iceborne warrior had reverted to his original form above the water; only for a brief moment. "Eikaen's balls! That... was... wild!!" The abject terror in Patrick's tone before swiftly became jovial, as he was clearly ready to celebrate the sudden victory they shared against the great beast that fled.

"Aye, now look." Rickter nodded toward Hikami as his form gradually seemed to just melt aware, the iceborn slowly turning into the very basic form that his body could only maintain... and even that was slipping away from the iceborne Kathar. "Get to his side immediately Patrick," he started with a determined glance to the Atinoran, "use your elementalism to manipulate the water surrounding his body."

"Oh- Shit! You got it!" The bartender remarked with a bit of apprehension, quick to move closer to Hikami as the wolf shifted his gaze from Patrick to Hikami, and then from his dissolving body to the brewing clouds that loomed over their battlefield. With a sense of exasperation in his heart, the wolf could only sigh before he brought his hand out from his side, allowing the floating Way to Dawn behind him to tilt in a brief whirl until the hilt rested in his hand.

"I can't believe you're going to make me do this..." the wolf murmured as he resolved to attempt what he deemed the only viable solution to their predicament. A Mist Storm threatened them from above, a friend with a spirit somehow unusually familiar to the wolf was both dying. In dematerializing the blade he held, Rickter felt the whirlwind of pain that assailed him up from his arm and throughout his chest and gut. The fight with the Hydra would've only worsened such things, so luckily, the weariness didn't take as steep of a toll as it could've had things been prolonged. Even so...

Rickter had exerted a rather substantial amount of aether up to this point. From weaving that grand barrier to protect the township, to inducing minor yet advanced spells such as acceleration and air dashing with Kinetics. His body wasn't worn down but exhaustion was threatening to seep into him, and yet even so there still only remained one option. After gritting his teeth through the pain that tore through him, Rickter stumbled forward into a weary jog to accompany Patrick's side once more. The Atinoran had done exactly as he asked in trying to keep Hikami's body together, well, at least uniform as the iceborn was steadily losing both himself and the will that burned within.

The ice spirit was dying. But it could be saved. So could Hikami. It only required one excessive toll on behalf of the Lord of Frost. "I- I-" Patrick's voice already trembled as he doubted his efforts, but Rickter quickly gave the man a slight pat on the left shoulder in turn. "This is about the best I can do." As the Atinoran continued weaving his aether into the water, he fed what little he could into the orbs of liquid that continued to orbit the confines between his hands. Rickter could quickly tell how Patrick felt himself struggling, seeing how water wasn't typically an element the Atinoran used or communed with regularly. He was also holding together what remained of Hikami's literal body.

"You're doing fine," he commended with a sense of calm in his tone, "I'll need only a moment to prepare, and then we'll get him back together in no time."

"And how is that, exactly?" His companion sounded heavily troubled, perplexed, even strained as the quiet after the battle seeped into their souls. Patrick was undoubtedly just as exhausted, if not more, than Rickter felt but that didn't stop either of them just yet. Not when the would be Lord of Frost had something that could potentially alleviate the situation.

"With nothing short of a miracle," the wolf replied as he brought his hands close toward the globs of water that were Hikami, "an overdose of some magic as well." Rickter new all too well how he could apply his Negation to mitigate what he could, even so, Hikami's condition meant he would be in for a rather severe case of Overstepping. With that in mind though, the best the wolf could guarantee was a second chance, something that Hikami and the ice spirit within him both deserved after what he'd seen.

Slowly but surely, the wolf's aura pulsated between his hands, coaxing aether to saturate and coat the globs of water Patrick kept melding back together.

It would be a hefty toll but one that could ultimately save Hikami.


 ! Message from: Chronicle
I'm just going to be upfront and transparent here and say that, after extensive usage of aether, Hikami has severely Overstepped his limitations to the point where he shouldn't even be alive at this point in the thread. However! There is a saving grace to this that will come in my next post, along with a review that will fully elaborate on the extent of everything that has led up to this situation he has fallen into.

In your next post, please close it out with Hikami dealing with the fallout of his actions, as well as the process of him fighting to remain alive while Rickter prepares this one last spell to save his life.
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Hikami
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Title: The Iceborne
Location: Kalzasi, Karnor
Character Sheet: https://ransera.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=835
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Silence Thats all that accompanied him just after watching the corrupted creature flee. His body...well lack thereof hurt, the burn and pain of going beyond his own limitations echoing like a heavenly chorus, thunderous as he faded. The spirit..he could barely feel it now, but he knew it hurt as he did. He could hear his aunt now, "You reckless fool, you need not be so brazen in your actions." He knew what was coming now.......death.

He knew that he had endangered his life in an effort to save others, he just didnt think it would be like this. It was like the first time he had overstepped, but far far worse. He began to wonder how he would be remembered. He began seeing those who had made an impact on him, everyone he had come to know and love, his friends, his family. Could he look back at his life up till now and say he was happy with what he accomplished?

It was in that moment that he saw him, Valkonyn. In an instant he found himself standing on a pier at Udori Lake in the city. "I'll give you an A for effort kid, but damn was that a foolish plan." he turned to regard the Iceborne, a smile on his face, but the look in his eyes was that of a disappointed parent. Turning he gestured for Hikami to join him as he came to sit on the pier, his feet dancing just above the waters of the lake.

When he had come, the Dragonborn placed a reassuring hand on the Iceborn's shoulder. "You are probably wondering why we are conversing, why everything is so clear and doesn't feel like the brief visions you are used to." he paused for a moment as if trying to find the right words to make what he was about to say more digestible. With a sigh, however, he came right out with it. "It's cause you are dying. That spell caused overstepping so severe, that there was no way you could survive."

That news hit Hikami like a kinetic blast from a master practitioner. He was actually dying. Tears were running, no sprinting down his cheeks as he wrapped his mind around what had been said. Taking him into a hug, however, snapped the Iceborne back into reality. "Luckily for you though, Wreaden won't be coming to usher you into the afterlife just yet." Water blue eyes looked up at the man as he could hear the faint sounds of voices as if they were right behind his ear.

"You have work to do, and your friends are fighting to keep you alive. But none of that will matter if you give up now. So go and continue the fight. Fight to live, fight to survive, fight to do what you have been doing. Protecting all that you hold dear to you." With those words Hikami watched as Valkonyn pushed him into the lake, which in turn brought him back into reality where he found Rickter and his companion trying to keep him stable.

The pain and anguish of overstepping wracked his body as he splashed back to life. "That was one hell of a fight aye Rickter?" he gurgled, putting all his effort into remaining in the mortal plane. He wasn't ready to die yet, and he wouldn't. He had to hang on until he saw certain things through. His will was strong enough to get him through the first brush with death, it would get him through this one too.


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Chronicle
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Patrick's expression had to match that of anyone who would be the first present in watching a miracle. It would be nothing short of that if Hikami truly did live, yet even so, Rickter had just enough idea of what to do to help overcome the immediate danger. It would also come with no small toll on his part, for the forging of such anchors was always heavily taxing on the wolf, and Rickter had only just enough aether in his reserves to pull this off once. At least for a while anyhow, recovering the aether would be it's own tedium, requiring banquet after banquet of food just to aid the recuperation period.

Aether pulsated and shimmered from one of his hands toward the aether, as layer upon layer of it saturated what was now forged as the core that would keep Hikami intact. For a time anyway. Even as a Grandmaster no anchor would remain permanent without influence or intervention, but the purpose of it had remained fresh on his mind as Rickter poured every bit of aether he needed into it. The air around the two men thickened with weight as shimmers of lights danced all around them, the power exuded throughout his entire aura gradually becoming more visible with each passing second.

There came a moment when Patrick glanced up to the sky, realizing the faint traces of thunder that shouldn't have cracked above them. "Uh, hey, big guy?"

"I know," the wolf regarded as the clouds overhead loomed but only stirred slowly, "don't worry about the storm overhead. It brews but we'll be out of here before it manifests." Patrick glanced over to the wolf now as he wondered how Rickter could surmise such a thing. But the wolf knew with the amount of power he was releasing, with the sheer intensification behind the Rune he channeled through it, the Dread Mist storm would only come slower than usual.

"Right now, I'm releasing so much of my power into this anchor, and as it's radiating into the air above from my own aura... It's keeping the dangers of the storm at bay." Perhaps because of the secondary effect this anchor would have once he finished forging its perimeters. That was when he heard it, the faint calling of the ice spirit he had hoped to desperately save.

Lord... Re...

I'm here. I've got you... The wolf mentally reached out with his thoughts to the spirit, feeling his core burn with the fury he felt earlier, but with a fury that did not scorn nor threaten to overwhelm him like before. A Divine Nimbus soon crowned Rickter where he'd knelt, with the aetheric patterns and symbols dancing across the aurora borealis shining over his head. Powers of Frost soon bled into his aether as he sought to supplement the spirit within Hikami's liquidated form, imbuing a taste of the Northern cold into the anchor as the wolf imparted the final touches onto what now served as the core. Yet it did not help the poor spirit within Hikami, the final traces of it dissipating out as the wolf could only clench his jaw to aid his efforts.

It almost remained impossible and much to his chagrin, Rickter only had the stamina left to save one life in the end. The ice spirit would have to return to Aedrin's fold and be reborn later on, if such a thing were possible at this point, which only left Hikami to strive to save after the absurdity he'd demonstrated.

The overcharged anchor he'd created soon turned into a crystallized ball of ice, with the interior of it still a liquid form of Hikami housed inside. Across the surface of the icy sphere formed pictograph inscriptions, intricately akin to the Synskrit language in written form, they glowed with the same Northern Lights which briefly crowned Rickter. But with the finality of the task complete, the icy orb soon rested in Patrick's hands, and the lights around Rickter died out with a flourish into the waters of Lake Udori. "There..." He muttered through sheer exhaustion as sweat beaded down his drenched forehead, his hair slightly caked with powdered snow even, as the wolf's weathered eyes fell upon Patrick next.

"Release it... into the lake. Hikami... will have to bathe in its presence so that he can recover." Looking upon the sphere Patrick did as he was instructed, lowering it into the waters beneath them which caused the inscriptions to brighten in response. But the orb sank within the water, slowly descending to the lakebed that remained far beneath them where both Hikami and the spirit would rest. "We'll... have to write to... Hikami's family. Once we're back in the city."

"You got it, leave it to me, big guy." Patrick assured him as he reached around to try and help lift Rickter onto his feet, which, posed a challenge until a bit of Kinetics from the Atinoran made the effort easier. Once they were able to Blink to the shoreline together, Hannah would stand waiting for them, providing them a quicker route back home to reassess the situation of today's battle.

Hikami, on the other hand, would remain in a dormant state for a while. Until the time came when his aether replenished and his strength was enough, to begin recuperating from the excessive toll that he had wrought upon himself.


Review Time
 ! Message from: Chronicle
All participants will receive 10 XP for the participations involved. With that stated, the following conditions are the results of what has transpired in lieu of this thread.

Rickter has utilized what remained of his aether at the end of this fight to forge and Overcharged anchor. As incredibly powerful as these are this one is specifically catered to Hikami's recovery period, with a few integral caveats to the anchor itself. They will be explained further in my review of Hikami's section. As a result of his actions Rickter is going to have to spend the next ten days constantly eating just to replenish his reserves. Having said that, the timing of this thread is so long ago, that those ramifications are considerably well made up for at this point.

Now to Hikami's portion of the review.

I'm going to elaborate on every point that has led up to the conclusion that had to be made for Hikami here. Starting out you have had him utilize ice magic for a couple of things, erecting a wall of ice suggestively massive enough to stall the entire horde from the shoreline. Now I'll cover the semantics involved in Hikami's quirk and the benefits of the ice spirit accompanying him, but let's break these actions down to provide a general outline of the powers demonstrated here. Hikami created this ice wall which its sheer size alone would require that of an expert Elementalist at least, followed with a few more Elementalism tricks prior to the battle of the hydra bit.

A normal elementalist would have visibly taxed himself at this point, as even a master would've felt a minor chunk of his aether depleted from this high-level casting. Carrying this a bit further into the bits where Hikami had combined elements like water and wind, and then also utilizing the waters of the lake to act like tentacles when he was pinned against his ice wall, that would've surely been the breaking point and led into overstepping for said normal master elementalist in turn.

Combine the fact that during the Hydra battle, Hikami took matters into his own hands and went... well, way beyond the limitations that were imposed even on him. Enacting Synergy which is a master-level ability of an Elementalist, and using it on not just one but two elements (Water and wind all at once) which focusing on one Element alone is meant to be very taxing on the Elementalist who uses this ability. By all accounts, Hikami literally should've been dead at this point.

But that's only the general outlook from this thread, involving the other details that tie him with the spirit in question, and then we have just a bit more wiggle room to work with.

Lake of Udori spirit
► Show Spoiler


Let's go over the cliff notes of this here:
Resistance 8 (Novice)
Hikami's resistance skill is abysmally low in comparison to the rest of the skills involved here. One key detail that is noted is that staying in his liquid (watery) form expends no aether, but retaining any semblance of his physical form before that requires aether to keep it consistently held in that form. Novice level indicates this to be incredibly taxing, regardless of the stability found in the relationship between Hikami and the spirit housed within him. Then there is the fact that Hikami has consistently demonstrated the active usage of ice appendages in thread, which is also stated that it requires sufficient amounts of aether just to activate. We'll cover that in the next section though, as the point of Resistance is to mark Hikami's ability to endure taxing situations that require him to exert sufficient aether for his flagrant usage of draconic features with the ice spirit.

Leadership 75 (Expert)
The development of his leadership skills allows Hikami to engage with powers that make him appear more draconic in turn. It's stated in this section "It should be noted that activating these aspects does cost a high amount of aether, but costs no aether to stay in the form once active." which implies already a high level of aether consumption, and while it does suggestively bolster Hikami's personal power, it does not double down on the amount of reserves required to feed into that power. Using high-level spells when you've already exerted a substantial amount of aether to alter your form will only result in faster if not total nuclear burnouts for your PC, especially when correlated skills revolving around Endurance aren't there to back up the excessive use of power displayed in thread.

Meditation 35 (Apprentice)
Going over this faucet of his quirk, Hikami is an apprentice of meditation which does help stabilize his relationship with the ice spirit to a degree. Having said that though, he's gone well beyond the threshold of limitations that no mere 24 hour recharge period would bring him back. It's clearly stated in this section as well; "If anything, have access to much more Aether than one's natural form allows, it can cause him to overstep far worse than thought possible" which is exactly what Hikami has proceeded to do in this situation.

The ice spirit at this point has very well been consumed by Hikami's careless and exuberant usage of aether by this event's conclusion. By the looks of everything expressed here, the limitations that have been visibly written have not been taken into consideration in the slightest, leading up to what should've very well been the death of Hikami with no point of return whatsoever... Having expressed this, however, there is and will only be one final chance before Hikami is permanently lost for good as a PC. Thanks to the intervention of the Lord of Frost, he may continue to live beyond the loss of the ice spirit; which originally served a part in acting as his power source and medium. The journey he is about to embark on is going to be incredibly long and difficult, therefore, the following caveats are to be considered as a result of this event:

For the next 30 days beyond this thread
Hikami is in a catatonic state as he is resting within Lake Udori. During this time he cannot functionally do anything until this period of recovery has passed, and beyond that, will not be able to maintain even his regular physical form without experiencing excruciatingly agonizing pain. This is when the rehabilitation period for himself (mind, body, and soul) is crucial in that he has to remember who/what his appearance is.

The spirit of Lake Udori has been entirely consumed by Hikami's excessive use of magic. He now loses all the forms that he possessed as a benefit of that spirit, and instead, will now have a new core to serve as his life force during his recovery period. Because of the grand scale of his severity in Overstepping, casting spells and techniques above Journeyman level is going to be a challenge to manifest. It will still be possible to do so but the cost of a mid-grade spell (journeyman level) is going to be twice as taxing, making high-grade+ spells even more difficult to perform or maintain.

He also gains a very temporary buff thanks to Rickter's intervention:
Auriel's Benediction which is the overcharged anchor that is now serving as Hikami's core during the recovery process. The caveats of this buff are the following:

  • The length of time this boon lasts is a full year from the date of this thread. The primary function of this boon will no longer work prior after that date.
  • Auriel's Benediction is charged with two functional tasks, the primary task being that it serves as an aetheric battery to Hikami. Combined with the natural aether residing in Lake Udori, this significantly helps bolster Hikami's depleted aether, gradually bouncing back at a steadier (but not accelerated) rate compared to most severely Overstepped individuals.
  • In lieu of the first task, Hikami can maintain the basic Kathar form he possessed after a full season spent in recovery. It will still be painful to maintain for extended periods of time, but since he's essentially rebuilding his endurance from scratch, water can hold memory to a degree that allows this simpler form to remain easier to maintain.
  • The secondary function of Auriel's Benediction is to serve as a failsafe to warn Hikami. By no means is this aetheric battery a literal booster to his aether, its primary function is to draw in ambient aether that helps gradually wane the taxation of Overstepping so severely.
  • Should Hikami ever come at risk, even so much as cross his limitations into Minor Overstepping, this will damage the lingering ward of the second function; serving as a final warning of the limitations that Hikami is beginning to breach. Further overstepping will see this ward completely depleted, in turn, destroying Auriel's Benediction which in turn will cement the death of Hikami.
  • Masters of the Negation rune can recharge the secondary function of Auriel's Benediction, however, the primary function can only be recharged by the original caster (Rickter) alone should it ever become a necessity.


Given this happened a year and a half ago, Hikami would be moderately recovered to where the primary function is no longer needed at all. Having said that, his recent actions in current threads are already displaying risks of damaging the second function of Auriel's Benediction. The point being; that the writer in question needs to remain astutely aware of the content that he is writing.

It's perfectly fine if you want your PC to go on rampages or write them unleashing powerful, super cool magic techniques that reveal more about their character. What isn't fine is failing to consider the limitations involved with that character, and then expecting the results of their actions to not be far-reaching in return. You even said it at the end of your closing post, Hikami had already nearly died once, and this time he would've for sure died without the intervention of another power.

You're well within your right as the writer to show your PC demonstrating varying levels of magic and their mastery over it, but thematically speaking, when you express the extent of that character's ability with words like "massive," "powerful," and anything else suggesting high-level casting; you're literally burning your PC out to the point they shouldn't even be able to keep up because of these epic displays they're putting on. Please reacquaint yourself with these limitations firsthand, explore them on a minor scale, and then work your way into unleashing these high and mighty spells once the PC in question actually has the skill points in place to back everything up.

And also, don't think of this as punishment for Hikami's actions. These are consequences meant to help him recuperate from his choices, and are meant to guide you (the writer) on his path of recovery and proper mastery over their abilities.

With regards, Chronicle
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