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Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 9:44 pm
by Rickter
Closing In On A Roadblock
9th of First Bloom, 122nd Year, A.o.S. (Glade 39)
He awoke as daybreak had already filtered over the distant horizon, and the campfire from the night prior was nothing but hot ash within the pit he'd made. Rickter had an old church just beyond the river next to the rails he could stop at for the night, and in doing so, he'd setup a few wards to keep himself safe from any potential dangers in the immediate vicinity. Not that he'd smelled of any threats when he arrived, it was just a place he thought would serve as a minor shelter, even if sleeping within it gave him the willies throughout the night.
When he'd awoke within his tent though, he got up and started to pack everything away. Soon as he was gone the wards would lift as well, though, he wasn't keen on setting off on an empty stomach. Truth be told Rickter didn't expect to cover so much ground the way he did, and when he'd felt his stamina reserves drained from constant aether consumption, well the old church was thankfully as good of a place as any to seek shelter for the night. After he dug out rations from his bag, Rickter started to multitask by nibbling as he moved, his hands kept busy with packing everything as he gradually filled his gut over the next five minutes.
Once he finished his preparations the wolf gauged his surroundings once more, considerate of the landmark before he started his walk back toward the river. It was an easy thing to cross for someone such as him, after all, so when he reached the riverbank and hopped across; Rickter's boots hit the muddy ground with a firm squish beneath his feet. At the top of the hill next to the river, the train tracks he had ridden by just application of Kinetics. Honestly, he'd never thought he'd be doing shit like this out in the wilds... yet here he was.
It was his determination to reach the city of Zaichaer alone if feasible, knowing that when he arrived, he'd have other friends to help get him inside somehow. But that was for another day, for now, he just needed to get there. Thus as the wayward warrior approached the rails, he stood on the same line he rode yesterday, with boots pointed toward the center of the tracks also. Not much further from here I think... Given that he'd covered nearly two hundred miles in one day, he felt that if he really wanted to, he could push himself harder and hit Zaichaer before the night's end. Of course, knowing that overexerting himself before he even arrived was never a good option.
Therefore, Rickter took it upon himself to cover just the same general amount again today if he could. His aether reserves had plenty of time to rest overnight after all, and after the experiments with Seeming yesterday, he knew he had a good hour or two before he'd need to take a break. Alright. Time to move. He told himself for the lack of companions in his vicinity, somehow feeling both comforted and anxious by that fact at the same time. Would they be okay without him? How long before they would come searching? No matter how much his mind wanted to wonder, he remained fixed on the obstacle before him rather than the ones he left behind.
They would be fine, of that he had to believe. Thus with a deep breath taken in Rickter shifted his stance, his knees bent as he adjusted the alignment of his toes. With a slow wave of his left hand before him he channeled aether, activating his boots as well to enable their Seeming properties, before he felt the air around him slowly stir into a constant breeze. The wolf started out slow as he did yesterday, gradually picking up speed as he slid along the rail, before he reached a pace quick enough to feel the wind rushing against him once more.
"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter" Rickter
Re: Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:10 pm
by Paragon
The sizzling pop of aether burning through the air was the only thing that announced the coming explosion. Fire burst into being all around Rickter, scorching the tracks he was sailing along with stunning intensity. As one of those explosions began to rise up in front of him, a form materialized out of thin air right beside him and full body slammed into him, knocking him completely off the rails of the train tracks that he was running along. Immediately, Rickter would be able to feel the arcane defenses of his Skyforge Raiment activate in order to protect him but that did not prevent him from careening off course and bashing into the ground, bouncing off the ground upon impact and sent spiraling further away from the exploding train tracks. It was several moments before Rickter would be able to get control of his momentum and when he was finally skidding to a slow stop, the world was spinning.
As Rickter was getting his bearings, the sound of booted feet dropping to the ground nearby and the distinct click of a gun being cocked into position came nearby. Looking up, there was standing a masked figure wearing distinctly Zaichaeri fashions. In the distance behind him, both the train tracks and the landscape around him burned hotly.
“Get up.” The masked figure had his gun pointed squarely at Rickter. “No sudden movements. I’ll make this quick.”
The sound of more explosions pounded in the distance.
Re: Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 1:09 am
by Rickter
It happened so sudden that only one thing registered the incoming danger he had rushed into. A trace of aether signaled across his ears as soon as he smelled it, the sudden burn in the air suggestive of something awful about to happen. He tensed up to brace for the moment to come next, his aether ready to react at a whim before something else took place. An unseen force suddenly plowed into him from the right, and the explosion of flames before Rickter engulfed the rails in the same moment it happened. The wolf didn't understand what had happened exactly, only that his control was suddenly thrown of track. Literally even.
He felt a moment of soaring within the air before his body careened from the momentum he carried. Panic washed all over his thoughts, as he felt his outfit radiate aether in response to the duress. Just as the arcane defenses kicked in he reacted as well, exerting an aura of his aether to compose a single layer over his form. When he felt his body crash into the ground it had been left shoulder first, the force of the impact causing him to tumble onward until he finally stopped. After a few rolls, the wolf took a moment to recompose himself, the thump of boots heard over the dull ringing in his ears as his eyes came to open.
The fuck just happened?
Fire engulfed his surroundings as someone he could only label as Zaechari approached, gun pointed, with demands for the wolf to follow without question. Rickter's eyes widened a moment when he finally realized, he'd crossed too deep within enemy territory carelessly. He hadn't risen yet so, naturally, he raised his hands up to show surrender to the man. A proper soldier he must be, to want to slay his enemy where he stood. The wolf took note of that as he slowly turned over to lift himself off the ground, a wary look in his eyes toward the gunman as he started to press up with his arms.
"Big mistake, Zaechair scum." He muttered lowly before his fingers clenched into the ground. Without warning spikes of ice jutted out from between his fingers, accumulating into bigger and bigger cones as they soon engulfed the gunman. Rickter saw him pull the trigger in response, but the aetheric shield he'd cast on himself moments ago responded. A dome warded the shell with a flash of the northern lights, before their fluorescence washed over the wolf, and caused him to vanish the moment he cast the ice on his enemy.
With explosions pounding the earth nearby, it was difficult for him to tell where to Vault to. A retreat would've been plausible yet he wasn't sure which direction of the tracks he came from. How badly he would've wanted to drown out these damned fires they were creating... The wolf snarled and merely remained locked within his refractile barrier, generating another layer of aether over his body as he surveyed his surroundings cautiously. He knew he was minorly hurt from that crash on the ground, but it could've been so much worse without the aid of his Raiment. Almost subconsciously he pressed a hand over the chestplate he wore, deeply thankful for the depth of care its creator put into making its design.
Keeping his breathing long and deep, he opted to keep calm as he observed, first to make sure he'd finished off that bastard properly. Then to see if his friends, however many they would be, lingered close enough to see what became of him. When Rickter solidified the second layer and focused on his environment, he provided it with the task of warding off the heat and flames. Chances were he'd be assailed by another one of those blasts as well, therefore, he'd want to be ready to engage with a new spell he'd been pondering for a while now.
"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter" Rickter
Re: Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2022 3:49 pm
by Paragon
“Shit!” That was the only exclamation as the spikes of ice jutted out of the ground. The assailant fired his caster shell. The projectile boomed forth from the gun and in its wake the world crackled with fire. The spikes of ice shattered in the wake of the explosive shell before slamming into the barrier that Rickter had erected around himself. It was of no consequence, the strengths of both the armor that protected Rickter and his own aetheric fortifications was enough to protect him from the blast. Just as the flames of the blast were clearing, there came a shift in the air beside Rickter. A powerful kick hit Rickter’s torso. It was enough to send him stumbling back. While his wards certainly protected him from any obvious damage, the force of the kick was still enough to move him.
Before Rickter could collect himself from the kick, his assailant vanished and then rapidly reappeared behind him. The cock of a gun was all that was heard.
“You picked the wrong day for a patrol, Order bastard.” The voice that growled out those words were spoken with an intense passion. The click of the gun firing announced the release of another explosive caster shell. Burning heat gathered in the air as fire exploded into existence in the wake of the shell plowing through the air behind Rickter.
He had but a split second to make a decision.
Re: Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 1:32 am
by Rickter
He had a spark of relief in knowing his defenses had no trouble in shrugging off the flames that assailed him, though, quickly cursed the fact his ice plume had practically missed the target. Whoever the hell his enemy was had fast reflexes and faster movements, as a quick punt to his right ribs sent him rolling across the ground once more. Fuck!! Was the only word that crossed his thoughts as he rolled to a stop, scrambling to regain the footing he'd yet again lost as the surrounding flames remained at large. His heart pounded louder than drum inside the cavity of his chest now, his thoughts spurred into a race as he felt no real injury from the kick.
His armor and shields were likely taking a beating from this though, and that thought alone terrified the wolf into the fight or flight response. He had no knowledge of what was going on around him, no idea how many forces might be waiting to assail him at once, much less whether he would be hailed by multiple gunfire... or bombarded by whatever the fuck created the field of flames around him. It was in that moment he heard the click of a gun, realizing that the bastard had managed to zip behind him once more. A Traverser?! “You picked the wrong day for a patrol, Order bastard.” The statement caught him off guard when he turned to face the man, the click of the gun his only warning of another imminent shot that would test his defenses.
The wolf wasn't keen on letting that happen.
Try as he might he hadn't the time to pull any fast stunts, in the blink of an eye the pop released a thunderous boom before fire bolted outward. The wolf's eyes widened as he quickly twisted his body around, reaching out with hands close together to clutch at the air. It had been a spur-of-the-moment last time, just as it was this time, but somewhere deep down Rickter knew he had the capacity to pull this off again. Just as fire and heat lashed out at him Rickter's aethers rippled to ward the two, before the spread of the flames slowed and then receded into a coalescence. Though he had been protected from the scorching heat and flame, that didn't mean Rickter still felt threatened by their presence.
Thus with a swirling aura that shimmered like the northern lights between his hand, the flames continued to swirl into the epicenter as his Negation absorbed them. It had been just like last time. When faced against the dark mage during the expedition, he had felt the sickening corruption of darkness when it had entered his veins. This time, however... it was literally like his blood was on fire, almost to the point where it boiled beneath his own skin. Lights shimmered and sparked frantically from between his hands, as the last of the flames were siphoned and absorbed within his own aetherial aura. Seeing the same veins in his forearms glowering a bright orange, he grimaced hard before they started to turn into an icy blue hue, and the runes on his skin began radiating with intensity.
There was no warning, no real time to process what he had fully done, just the surplus amount of energy he felt radiating in his body and soul now. Thus with a desperate roar, Rickter's clenched fists were slammed into the ground before him; the aether he absorbed unleashed into one relentless burst just as he had done before. No darkness spurred from the impact of his slam though, instead, a wave of ice surged out to coat the ground around him, spreading further and further out to freeze even the flames in their place. He released everything he collected into this one burst, causing a wave of ice shards to pulse out all around him, while a shell of ice formed where his barrier had been forged before.
Still feeling his runes vibrating in response to the aether he'd been radiating, the wolf's eyes opened to look beyond the surface of ice he'd encased himself in. Inside the ice shell, the Black Wolf was essentially glowing a vibrant blue aura within.
"Common" "Synskrit"
"Speech" Thought
Re: Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:36 pm
by Paragon
“Enough!” A woman’s voice called out in the pause of the destruction being wrought between the two fighters. She dropped down from one of the tree branches, wearing the attire of a humble traveler. Immediately, Rickter’s attacker appeared beside her, apparently having teleported away from the vicinity of his devastating attack.
“What are you doing!? You need to--” She walked right up to the man and thumped him on the head. “Ow! What the hell!? What was that for!?”
The woman rubbed her temples.
“Because you’re an idiot. That’s what. Can you not see that he’s not a Reconciliator?” She gestured to Rickter then shook her head. She turned to Rickter. She was an ebony skinned woman with braids that hung down to her shoulders. Some of them were tied back but they appeared to have fallen loose in whatever commotion was unfolding.
“I apologize, traveler. Truly. You…” She pursed her lips. “You were not the target of our efforts here. Please. Just…” She made a placating gesture.
“Calm down. No more harm from us will befall you. But we need to leave. We need to leave now.” She stepped back. The man was still rubbing his head and looking slightly embarrassed. She extended a hand to Rickter and gestured back to the forest. Behind her, a team of roughly seven more people could be seen. Some had their hands on weapons. Some were staring at Rickter’s display of power with shock.
“Please.” She cast a glance back at the train tracks, clearly anxious.
Re: Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:38 pm
by Rickter
It was hard to believe that in just a single moment everything, literally everything, could suddenly turn into shit before your very eyes. Rickter admittedly felt this was another case that applied, though that only stemmed from the fact that he was about to go all out on his enemies before him. As his aether collectively built within the cocoon of ice he'd made, the voice of another reached him through the shell as somebody else intervened. There were more of them now, which suddenly made the hairs on his neck stand on end. More fucking assholes to put into the ground then, although from what he could see beyond the glassy surface, it looked like the ebony-skinned woman was the one calling the shots.
And she... apologized?! Wait a fuckin' tick... He glared at her through the dome that protected him, the look made obvious by the glowing eyes within his protected bubble. So far none of the others had made a move against him, and given that he'd just practically froze a chunk of the fields around him, he was beginning to wonder if there was any further action that needed to be taken at all. They could be lying... He warned himself as he cracked his fingers and knuckles, a slight breeze chilling the air toward them as he thought long and hard about what she had to say. They needed to leave? What on Ransera made them think he'd just walk away with them after what just happened?
Yet even when he felt the strongest of inclinations to not take that chance... somehow, someway, there was a voice in the back of his mind telling him that maybe they weren't. Maybe they were confused and had the wrong impression, either way, Rickter wasn't keen to trust them even if they offered peace now. Besides... They might've reeked of Zaichaer, yet, it was their leader that had decided to parlay with him. Thus with just a momentary brush of wind from where his shell was, the ice that covered him cracked and started to crumble away. All around him shards of ice fell onto the frosted ground, and the world no longer beheld the blue tint seen through the frigid lens he stared through. The aura that veiled his form lessened until it finally came to a cease, and standing warily before them was nothing more than the lone wolf their Traverser had assaulted.
"...You say we need to leave. To where? What exactly are we hiding from?" He questioned stoutly before turning his eyes back toward the railroad, and the city that loomed just on the horizon as well. Lowering his arms a little less defensively he still kept his hands balled, ready to throw more magic out in case anything else had been tried on him. Against all odds though, Rickter reluctantly paid the traveler enough mind to nod and follow along.
"Common" "Synskrit"
"Speech" Thought
Re: Closing In On A Roadblock
Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 11:46 pm
by Chronicle
Name: Rickter
Knowledge:
Points: 15
Magic: These points can be used for magics.
Injuries: Nothing to report!
Loot: Nothing lost, nothing gained!
Comment: Wow that got exciting at the end there.
Welp, that's everything I'm sure! If you have any questions, or feel that something actually was missed; please do pm me so we can talk!
