Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Mon Feb 20, 2023 4:25 am**

Wave of Darkness
Ash 70th, 122nd Year, A.o.S
(Continuation from here)

He had never actually been to such a place before, since generally, Rickter never had cause to really visit the other Great Houses of Kalzasi. But the courtyard that once looked to be the gilded doorstep to House Zatrian now looked to be something out of a nightmare. Maybe not as bad as what the wolf experienced in Zaichaer, but the lack of any real light in the immediate area was already concerning. All this damage done because of a waytower exploding...

It didn't matter anymore. All Rickter could do was hope that those who survived the blast managed to escape, and any who might still live waiting for rescue held on. For now, though, he was pretty occupied with blinking out of the Demon Tide's impact zone. Where the head of the wave seemed to plummet into the ground, or even through structures, there always seemed to be a subtle reverberation Rickter noticed before it would phase through another surface back into the air.

It was likely this entity utilized Slipspace in some way, though, that was a wild guess coming from the wolf himself as he pulled another blink out of the storm's way. Come on!! There's gotta be something else I can do here!! He wanted to generate an opening but against a force that powerful? He'd need a bit more time to generate an anchor to begin with, but even then, could he hope to Overcharge it in time to resist the oncoming waves? Could he Osmose the shadows themselves since he possessed Nyx?

Another blink before he shifted to face the tail end of the storm, before the plume of darkness billowed out the ground and back into the sky above. "Rickter!!" The terror in his beloved's voice sent chills across his skin, but a change in the Demon Tide's behavior warranted him to remain vigilant. Rather than surging back down toward him the head of the cloud slowed, and within five seconds after, an entire volley of shadows was lunged out at him like a rippling wave.

"Dammit!!" He barked as he flexed aether through his aura, and traced it onto the ground around him. The wolf pushed into a jump off from the ground, utilizing Kinetics to lift him three times higher than what an average jump would allow. Using that maneuver to dodge this oncoming wave, he noticed how slow the main body of the storm seemed to act now. Leading him to wonder, is this the chance to strike back?

---

Within the outer perimeter of the courtyard where the dark cloud could be seen hailing Rickter, his companions had their shared mixture of wanting to desperately attempt some kind of aid; while looking entirely frustrated with being unable to keep up. "How the hell are we suppose to hit this thing?!"

"It doesn't go underground at all, from what I can tell it just phases through structures on it's own." The bartender pointed out with the tip of his sword following the Demon Tide's direction. Telion, on the other hand, looked thoroughly concerned as well as engaged with this monstrosity.

"It's not like Traversion. I think it slips through a different sort of dimension..." She noted with a tighter grip on her saber, concern elevating as she watched Rickter's last-second Blinks to dodge its attacks. "There!" The healer pointed to the head of the storm when it slowed, her eyebrows furrowed when she watched Rickter dodge the wave of shadows thrown at him. "It seems to focus more on Rickter, but we'll have to be wary of its attack patterns just as he is."

He did after all buy them time to allow this preemptive planning before charging in, if they were to succeed in working together and taking down this entity. "I counted three dives before the shadow storm spiraled back into the air, when it does this, I think it slows down for a less aggressive assault." Telion informed them sharply with a determined glance their way. "Pay attention to the shifts you feel in the ground when it disappears, and use the same tactics Rickter has to avoid getting hit."

"Good thinking." Hannah agreed as she looked intently at the dark cloud, interested to give it a little payback for ruining her evening.

"Let's go then!" Patrick cheered with forced enthusiasm, still not quite eager to throw himself at the might of their foe. Regardless the three brandished their weapons and soon after, rushed in to join the fray with Rickter as he closed in on the Demon Tide.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Thu Feb 23, 2023 1:50 am**

龍 70th of Ash, 122nd Year, A.o.S 龍

Company: Rickter & Crew | Thoughts: This may be fun | Mood: Excited

龍 He had been in the Jeweled Arches, patrolling the city as shadow beasts were still a threat while this eclipse was still active. He knew that he would be an added boon to the defense effort, and along with his aunt, he would have been among the first line of defense. He looked up into the air as the eclipse raged on, and could see the storm on the horizon. Then the explosion came, and he looked to where it was coming from. "That was in the direction of one of the Great Houses. Are they fighting there?" Yumeko's voice echoed into his ears.

If that was the case then it could mean one of the Great Houses was in danger. He didnt waste any time, massive crystalline wings sprouting forth and making several mighty flaps as Hikami took to the air. He was headed straight for the source of the explosion, unsure of what could have caused it, but given the way it sounded, it could only mean something bad, or a massive shadow beast was on the prowl. The thought of that prospect made him smirk, as it would be the first time he would be able to flex his magical muscle since becoming what he was now.

As he got close he could see it, something massive and in the shape of a worm or serpent. It was an amalgamation of shadows creatures and darkness. He could also see several warriors engaging it. As he got closer he could recognize some of them, one of them being Hannah from their time in the Crucible games, and Rickter. It had been some time since he had seen any of them, and he was glad they were still alive. He would have to save the trip down memory lane though as he had to take some of the heat away from Rickter it seemed to be focused on him.

Calling forth from his arsenal of pact weapons, Fukitsuna Yuki came into his hand, a vibrant cold aura and icicles crusting off of it. He compelled the wind to help propel him faster and began to gather the air and moisture blending them into a torrent of ice. That torrent continued to build and gather until it looked like a frozen comet falling from the heavens. With a mighty swing, his icy halberd came crashing down on it, the frozen torrent he had been amassing colliding with the shadowy amalgamation with great force.

Flying out from after the impact he came to float within earshot of Rickter. "You look like you could use a hand." he jested, his tone calm but brimming with excitement as he began to duplicate his halberd. 龍

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

D R A G O N ' SxxB A T T L E

Posted: **Thu Feb 23, 2023 8:05 pm**

It came out of nowhere from the thick clouds of darkness that loomed before him, a wicked lance of ice that roared through the air. Even the very winds cracked at the speed this projectile launched at, and once it pierced into the storm of the Demon Tide; ice scattered everywhere throughout the air in chunks and small particles. The mounted assault threw off the wolf but nonetheless, closed in to get his share of attacks in at the great big beast. Just the sight of the ice alone was enough to motivate him to attack, whether or not the amalgamation of shadows seemed even bothered by such a strong attack.

Telion and the others halted in their track for only a second, the healer quickly noting the arrival of another once the massive comet of ice struck. "That's-"

"Hyoga! That big beautiful bastard!" Hannah noticed as she glanced at her companions. "Let's go!" She didn't even need to explain at how this would likely be their only window of opportunity, not when such a heavy winded strike would easily prompt the Demon Tide to move quicker. Within the blink of an eye, Patrick's body flashed away into Slipspace, before the Atinoran soon popped right back into view with sparks of electricity surging away from his egress!

The rogue had a similar approach in that regard, and Blinked away to a nearby rooftop where she'd get a good view. She wouldn't be able to do much in midair if she unloaded every clip in her barrels, therefore, opted for the safe tactical distance when she aimed her pistols toward the mass of darkness overhead. Telion on the other hand quickly weaved a negation ward into an anchor she charged, before she tunneled it out toward Hikami to grant him some small protection against the Demon Tide.

As Rickter closed in to hack at the writhing storm of darkness, he performed a counterclockwise rotation with his strike, and landed another hit before raising the tip of Way to Dawn above his figure. Right as he brought his weapon down the wolf channeled the powers of ice through his blade, as he felt the nature of it calling out to him through Hikami now that the warrior had joined the fight. When his blade connected Patrick joined in on the other side of the dark mass, to unleash a combination of lightning-based attacks against the entity.

While the two shared attacks with the Demon Tide and Hannah emptied all her barrels onto it, the rogue focused on reloading while Telion finished casting another protection ward on herself. Once that was done she too jumped into the air using Kinetics, bounding for the body of the Demon Tide as to inflict a few quick blows against it. Through the combined forces of their shared attacks, the Demon Tide itself spurred into action, switching from an undulating motion into another hectic spiral throughout the air. The force of the storm swept at all that gathered near it, leaving little room for Rickter to react once he'd finished unleashing what should've been a devastating plume of light against the entity.

Telion and Patrick moved to dodge the attack; the healer pulling herself out of the storm's trajectory through the air, while the bartender performed the same technique with lightning still shrouding his movement. The wolf on the other hand felt the full brunt of the Demon Tide assail him, knocking him through the air as the storm surged to drop down into Hannah's exact location. Hikami had the chance to dodge the storm's attack in full, but only for a few seconds before it launched itself downward into the structure below. Fire erupted from where the rogue blinked away from, as she dodged the attack in just the nick of time, though the Demon Tide continually surged beneath he surface of the structure.

Rickter groaned heavily but reacted using Kinetics to regain his footing in midair, and pulling himself to where he could see the Demon Tide rise out from below. He couldn't trace the reverberations from the air like he could on the ground, all the same, the bird's eye view bought him ample opportunity to see where the Demon Tide came from next. He looked over to Hikami while he had just the sole moment to glance, acknowledging the man's timely arrival before the shift in wind alarmed him. The Demon Tide quickly back up in an arch, bounding for the pair of them as they lingered in the air above the courtyard.

"Dodge every attack!" He warned with a flux of his Kinetics rune, generating a Seeming current to dash out of the Demon Tide's trajectory as it zoomed right between them. As he did the wolf engaged his senses with the air around him, the residual chill gradually intensifying as ice particles started to dance around his figure. Rickter wanted an opportunity to buy just a bit more time for him and Hikami, alas, they would have to survive the next few waves of the onslaught before the wolf would have that chance.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Thu Feb 23, 2023 10:34 pm**

龍 70th of Ash, 122nd Year, A.o.S 龍

Company: Rickter & Crew | Thoughts: This may be fun | Mood: Excited

龍 Having been in enough battles Hikami could see how this was going to go, but even still, it would be a difficult battle still. The shadowy monstrosity reared up to attack again and the duplicates of his halberds began to spin, ice and wind forming around them in a torrent. All five duplicates launched into the air, Hikami dodging the demon tide along with Rickter as the wolf called out to dodge its attacks, gaining elevation into the clouds. Soaring around he was fighting off the strikes from the thing, its inky black tendrils trying to lash out at him.

He evaded what he could, combating the tendrils he couldn't with his icy halberd. That's not to say that Hikami was unscathed, being battered around when caught off guard, but he did seem to be too shaken as he was covered in some shimmering covering. Looking down he could see Hannah and the other members of Rickter's group, the one woman he met when Fawn was captured and scolded him for burning the body of that villainous noble. It seemed she had grown in power.

Coming around the left side of the demon tide, and with a wave of his hand he danced two of the duplicates down into it, then two more, then the final one. it was an attempt to pin it down, but he didn't stop there. He could feel his ice powers become empowered and took that chance, calling forth a torrent of ice to form around the head of his halberd, flying towards the shadowy abomination. It came charging directly at him causing Hikami to swerve from its path and carved his frozen halberd into it as he flew past it. "Frozen Dragon Scar!!!" he roared as he ran his ice-infused weapon along it. As he did so, he manipulated the ice to expand and explode outward in an attempt to slow it down.

Coming out of his attack he could see the other woman, her name unfortunately escaping him, as a host of shadowy tendrils shot out from the main body to attack her. Being aided by the wind he dashed towards her, coming in behind her, using his wings to let out a powerful gust of wind, and then compelling the winds to rip the tendrils apart in a vortex of sharp winds. Looking down at her he smiled, before looking at the others. "Dont get too carried away, can't lose any able bodies." he noted as he fended off more of the minor tendrils. He was keeping her protected with a combination of wings and wind. 龍

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

D R A G O N ' SxxB A T T L E

Posted: **Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:23 am**

The wolf pulled himself out of harms way with a flex of his Kinetics, seemingly dodging the first wave as Hikami also did the same, but with a bit of a flurry of his weapons as he did so. Rickter had never seen the Avialae use such skillful application of his Reaving weapons before, a sure tell sign of how much the man had really grown in the time the two had spent apart. Regardless, the first wave of the onslaught seemed easy enough to dodge, yet when it rebounded around to rush at them once more, the wind generated by the Demon Tide felt strong enough to tug Rickter from his own aerial position nearly.

"GAH!" The wolf's eyes opened as he quickly looked down past his left hip, noticing that Patrick had been struck nearly with the full blast of the second sweep, however, still quick enough to pull himself into an aerial recovery as the Demon Tide spiraled into yet another surge. Tendrils branched off from the main body of the storm after that, and there was hardly any time for Rickter to process anything before simply reacting in turn. Thus while Hikami took to a higher altitude to avoid the tendrils that assailed him, Rickter pulled his form further backward to unleash a barrage of ice from his left hand.

"Freeze!" He called as the winds around him surged past his arm, feeding into the spell as an array of ice shards barreled out from his hand. Hikami's weapons drove down into the storm of the Demon Tide for a moment, before they worked in unison to pelt the entity with ice-based attacks during midflight. As the wolf regained his aerial foothold, he then brandished his blade over to his side, releasing the might of his aura in full as he charged for his next attack! "You're gonna squirm!"

"Rickter!" A rush of cold wind pulsated next to him and the wolf felt his beloved lunge to his side, cutting her way through a tendril of darkness using ice before she reached his exact position. The very air around them became charged with her aether too, enhancing Rickter's as they both synchronized their attack as one. "Together!" That was the only word he needed to hear, and with an immediate nod, he thrust his weapon upward into an arc from his body. The healer mirrored his exact movements as they generated a gust of icy wind from their position, and in unison, arcs of frost blasted out from the tips of their blades to assail the storm before them.

When the final arc of frost shot from their weapons, Rickter felt the cold settling in the air now as his aether spiked. Using these combinations with his companions, and the support of their magic overall, made it feel easier to manage his own reserves rather than handle things on his own. But there was more to it than that, the very cold itself felt as though it were a part of him, responding to his whims the more frequently he relied on its power. As Hikami declared his next powerful strike and went in for the attack, both Telion and Rickter closed in to assail the swarm in tandem.

The wolf pulled his weapon into a full circle several times, unleashing a pulse of frost with each strike, as the healer unleashed a barrage of ice shards from her position before pulling herself into a twirl. Rickter felt a tendril rush past him straight to her position, however, Telion's sudden pirouette in the air ended with a gust of wind before she disappeared. Gale currents briefly cut through the tendril that assailed her, as the wolf closed in to perform a hectic cleave with more ice radiating from his blade.

This thing... was steadily pissing him off now. And just as soon as Hikami seemed to be in the clear of his range, the wolf unleashed a burst of aether to finish his combo with a brief if not frustrated roar. The winds around him howled with frigid ice particles swirling about, tearing at the storm of shadows before him before he pulled back to see where his beloved had warped to. Telion had landed on the ground near Patrick, as he'd landed earlier to regain his composure before assailing the Demon Tide. Yet while that didn't surprise Rickter, given her disposition as healer of the group, what she performed next certainly caught him off guard.

From where the healer stood she aimed her weapon upward, both hands grasped at the hilt, as she channeled her aether into a current of wind around her weapon. "You're through!!" She declared as the current accelerated to a higher speed, until finally the aether that radiated within it shone with brilliance before she unleashed it toward her target. As Telion stood unleashing the spell she generated from her weapon, a frigid beam of aether surged from her weapon to rush into the storm of the Demon Tide. Chunks of ice rapidly formed and broke away from the main body, as shadows caught in the blast were frozen into black ice before they plummeted toward the ground.

With the release of Telion's spell Patrick moved to clear the gap between their position and the storm, the location the pair standing at briefly lit up by sparks before he jumped into the air with a rush of wind. As he did this Hikami moved to evade the Demon Tide once more, using wind, in turn, to rush toward Telion's side after she'd repositioned herself. The Atinoran performed several inverted flips with his blade, unleashing bouts of electricity with each strike, before he moved into his own set of combos to assault the Demon Tide once more.

As that happened Hannah noticed the tendril of shadows bounding toward her, and reacted with an quickly timed blink which generated a stony structure. Sharp rocks jutted out from the position she warped from just as the wave of shadows closed in, the force of collision breaking apart from the space they came out of; while Hannah herself warped toward another nearby roof to reassess her position. Telion on the other hand had been ready to dodge the next wave that came toward her, until Hikami's timely intervention with the use of wind to arrive next to her. When he applied the same wind around them to generate an elemental barrier, the healer quickly looked up at him from where she stood; surprised but certainly grateful for the quick action.

Carried away? She couldn't help but politely chuckle, even if the tendrils that assailed them started to lessen. Another wave like that and Hikami's defenses would surely be tested, though, from the look of his wounds he was already pushing the limits of the barrier she'd instilled earlier. "Don't worry about me," she expressed between pants, "Stay strong! Try to avoid getting clipped by any more waves." Though she urged him with compassion her spare hand went to his sternum, the branches of cerulean light weaving their way across her skin as she focused on healing.

As another wave closed in the air around Hikami intensified, the wind barrier suddenly strengthened by her own gales she released around them. The icy dragon would quickly notice that the exertion of this power was gradually taking a toll on her also, as she weaved another ward to incorporate a second barrier, underneath the first protection ward that still kept him protected. With a weave of cerulean light in with the ward, the minor cuts and scrapes the Avialae might've suffered started to regenerate slowly over time, as the underlying ward beneath her protection ward encompassed a healing spell within it.

The wind barrier around them rattled at the next clash of the Demon Tide's onslaught, the wave of shadows held back fast by the barrier itself, before the lights across her skin faded and the healer gave a warm and weary smile to him. "Ready?" There would only be a few seconds to react after she timed it, enough to allow Hikami to either fly or dodge the rest of the shadows when Telion unleashed the aetheric repulsion. With a thrust of her weapon into the above them, the healer created a surge of wind from her barrier before blinking out of the impact zone. While it might not have dealt a lot of damage, the window of time it bought them was enough, for her to relocate at least a couple paces away.

After one last hectic cleave of lightning through the air, the Patrick thrusted his blade forward, releasing one mighty current of electricity to blast through the Demon Tide's main body as he plummeted back toward the ground.

With the pull of their triggers she unleashed the first round of caster shells, thunder booming from them as they unleashed fire into the air; but only for a split second before they disappeared. In a near instant they reappeared with fiery explosions within the body of the Demon Tide, the swirling storm lit up with fire before the shells quickly dissipated upon impact. She released the second round and this time, the shells traveled through railways, their velocity allowing the explosions to surge through portals a couple more times before they burned out. Finally, with a lighthearted chuckle, the last of her shots traveled through into a network of railways.

The resulting effect ended with tendrils of fire lashing throughout the shadowy storm above, as the Demon Tide still continued to roil and rush through the air above them. "Damn it!" The wolf cursed from where he stood near the center of the courtyard, Telion and Patrick quick to join his side while Hannah reloaded her pistols from afar using kinetics. They were hurting it quite a bit and even so, the damn thing hardly seemed phased by all their attacks! "Let's go!!" He roared as the wolf tapped into even more of his aether reserves, the nimbus of light finally starting to show above his head as the entire courtyard grew colder from his presence.

Patrick also channeled more of his aether throughout his body, causing the sparks of electricity radiating throughout his aura to turn a brighter red. However, Telion seemed more focused intently on the Demon Tide itself, comparatively analyzing it as they waited for the next flurry of waves to come at them. From where Hikami stood the first tendril of shadows was launched his way, before the next few were sent cascading across the courtyard toward the three gathered at the center.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Tue Feb 28, 2023 8:23 am**

Inside of Ale'Epherium, safely housed within the Plaza of Jeweled Arches, the disturbances in the Cloudhaven District could be felt rather than heard. A slight rumble made the tea in Lyra's cup ripple where it sat on the desk, causing the shop keeper to glance up briefly before looking back down at her work. Every day there were more orders, and were it not for Rean Lyra would likely be far more behind than she already was. The girl had come quite far since she was first hired more than a year ago, and was skilled enough now that Lyra could leave most of the day to day tasks to her and Remus. Emma still took care of the books for the shop, and maintained Ale'Epherium's relations with all their partners, so in truth Lyra herself rarely had much to do when she visited. She did offer her own insight on more difficult projects of course, but it was rare that anything of her skill came across their desk.

The sound of the door opening and the bell chiming drew Lyra's attention to Naila who now stood propped against the wall across from her. The mercenary gave a casual wave before launching into an explanation unprompted.

"Somethings happening over in one of the courtyards of the Great Houses." she said, "I climbed to the rooftops and could just make out something big in the sky, but I can't tell what it is."

"Oh?" Setting down her pen and straightening Lyra turned in the direction Naila indicated, her eyes fixing on the wall as if she could see through the wood and stone to the palaces beyond. Extending herself outward she lifted the veil and gazed through the world beyond, thousands upon thousands of lights blinking into existence. The strongest were the closest to her, the slightly pinkish glow coming from Naila, and soft greens and blues from Remus and Rean in the lab behind her. In the far far distances, however, another soul blazed so brightly that the lights around it grew dim in comparison.

"The pup is there." Lyra mused, resting cheek on her hand which was propped up on the desk. Scanning the area Lyra noticed an odd thing that undulated and wove around Rickter, its soul dark and somewhat deformed. A creature perhaps? A fight?

"The child from the south is there as well." interest grew in her expression as she felt the brand she had left on the Atinaw man. He had been quite easy on the eyes, and she did enjoy toying with his sort. Still if both the pup and the boy were there... It was also likely the bond woman and the rogue were present as well.

"What are you up to..." With a click of her tongue Lyra closed her eyes and let the world return to normal.

"Do you want me to investigate?" Naila asked, the eagerness showing through her attempted stoicism, but Lyra knew the woman had begun to grow restless with so little excitement of late.

Lyra considered, but then stood, "No I shall go myself."

"You sure?" Naila asked, raising an eyebrow, "In your condition?"

Lyra matched the raised eyebrow with one of her own, adding in a coy smile, "I am not bed ridden, child. If you must insist, collect my bag and the usual supplies and meet me there as soon as you can."

The mercenary shrugged, "As you wish."

With a smile on her lips Lyra absently raised a hand, the rune on her chest warming with power as the mage light in the room dimmed slightly. A shadow behind her rose up, and with a fine wave to Naila, Lyra stepped into the Mirror Plane.

*****

The world of the void was vast, but not empty. As she stepped inside Lyra drew in breath, closing her eyes as she let her senses expand, let herself expand. Dark smoke flowed from her skin, hands outstretched as she rose through the damaged roof of the building she was in until she hovered over the expanse of the dark and decrepit city. In the distances, where the disturbance had originated, Lyra could now see something moving, flowing in and out of the void space. Some of her questions were answered as she watched the thing, but still more rose to her mind before being set aside for later. For now she simply had to reach the pup and his group.

Her form further dispersed, but she did not completely dissolve into smoke. Parts of her evaporated and reformed as she flowed down into the streets, streaming quickly between the buildings while periodically passing through shadows into the material plane and back as she made her way close and closer to the destination. She kept the alleyway's and paths normally untreaded by common citizens, but she did see some wide eyes as she formed and disappeared into shadows periodically. This world, this space felt... right to her. It was his plane, his domain, and while within it she felt as if his arms were around her, embracing her, welcoming her home. The thin string that connected their souls seemed to vibrate with more intensity while here, so while she traveled Lyra enjoyed the sensation of the void, though she did from time to time have to slip past the odd monster or two. They were of little consequence to her, and they paid her little heed as she neared her destination. Finally she arrived at a courtyard where the thing blinked in and out of mirror plane. Locating a nearby shadow, Lyrielle stepped back into the Material World.

*****

A thin line of smoke began to rise from Hannah's shadow, which quickly became a billowing torrent as black liquid bubbled up from the ground. From the smoke and slime a hand rose up, thin and pale with long black nails, followed by a head and torso with silver hair and golden eyes. She had abandoned her robes on the journey, but the black lines that moved across her body flared out into a loose dress that covered her nakedness. As she rose full from the other woman's shadow she extended her hands, sending a blanket of smoke to fill the courtyard, and from it came a soft hymn, a calming melody that wove mesmeric threads to relieve fear and unease.

She gave Hannah a smile before looking at the thing they fought, then glanced around at the people present. Most she recognized, though one man she had never met before. She found Rickter quickly enough as his soul was near blinding this close. They all fought with ferocity and intensity, and Lyrielle enjoyed their struggle. Focusing inward Lyra fractured her soul, but did not release the fragments. Instead she sent them out within her essence, and around each person the smoke rose and took the shape of a woman with golden eyes. Their forms were fragile, but they would touch each of the people present and lean close to whisper a simple phrase.

"Grant us permission to touch your soul."

Each person was given the same message, and each were free to agree or disagree. Should they agree the apparition would briefly solidify and carve a brand into the person's skin, an eye with the pupil a curled snake. As the first drop of blood began to seep out the wound would heal, leaving the mark behind before the fragments dispersed and returned to Lyrielle. Hannah would receive the request from Lyrielle herself.

Those who accepted would then feel as Lyrielle reached out to them, the brand growing warm before a small mental pressure as she made a small fracture in their soul and pulled a thin string back to her, pulling the fragment into her soul space where it formed a symbol which represented each person's soul. She had done this once before with Rickter, back when they had met in Zaichaer, but now things were different. Lyrielle was not the same, and her means had expanded greatly. Threads of mesmeric magic flowed outward through the connection, the pressure intensifying until something snapped into place, and all were now linked together inside of her soul space.

Surface thoughts, conscious thoughts with intention could be heard through the link. It was not telepathy, but rather a form of three way communication. Lyrielle captured their thoughts and transferred them into the soul space, where they were then sent out to the group. As time within the soul space was slightly different from the outside world there was a minor delay, but the effects would be effective enough.

You do bring trouble with you wherever you go, little pup. Lyrielle said in feigned mockery directed toward Ricktor.

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Mon Mar 06, 2023 9:06 am**

When a pathfinder of the Dawnmartyrs spotted what was happening at the Voa’ta Angvan, dozens of knights were dispatched to help. No one really knew what was happening, but they sent out anyone who was willing and available.

Iselya happened to be one of them. With armor on and Novuril being the only visible weapon on her, the siltori took off with one of the avialae knights with the rest of the group. From the skies, she had seen the monstrous coalescence of shadows swirling in the estate’s backyard. There were people fighting, but she was too far to actually recognize anyone. They seemed like they were keeping the creature at bay for now, so her order took the chance to help assist the panicked citizens away from what might end up being a bloody battleground.

Once it seemed like most of the people had been evacuated, Iselya asked one of the avialae knights to carry her to where the fighting was. It would be a tremendous risk, but she also happened to be carrying a legendary weapon of light that might prove useful in a battle like this.

It was then she recognized Rickter and his companions. Perhaps she shouldn’t be surprised to find them standing between everyone and a catastrophe. There was also an unfamiliar avialae wielding frozen swords, dealing heavy blows to the darkness. The dawnmartyr then turned her attention back to the nightmarish concentration of shadows. It seemed like it would be able to swallow the estate whole if it tried. In the air, Iselya started summoning Iratallin and Dawnstrife, duplicating them. The mark on her chest warmed as silvery flames began to envelop her blades.

Skirmishes against the shadows had taught her that dawnfire was exceptionally effective when used against them. Of course, Iselya had never wielded it on an opponent as massive as this, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. As her fellow knight started to lower her, she sent her burning duplicates to what she assumed was the center of the thing. It wasn’t the most powerful of attacks, but certainly enough to gauge a reaction and observe its effects.

Iselya landed just as she saw a mysterious woman materialize from the shadows. Her eyes golden and her hair silver. An odd feeling washed over the siltori as she saw the woman’s face but she couldn’t quite name the sensation. At the moment, it did not matter.

The dawnmartyr approached Rickter, taking in the fatigue and injuries hanging from him. “Rickter, how can I help?”

Truth be told, she did have an idea of how to help. It was strapped on her back and humming with energy - even more so than usual. Perhaps it was because of the proximity to the dark threat, or perhaps it sensed her apprehension. Still, there was still a lot she didn’t understand about the sword. There was no guarantee that she would wield it properly.

But if it came to it, she would try her damnedest.

Posted: **Tue Mar 07, 2023 4:06 pm**

龍 70th of Ash, 122nd Year, A.o.S 龍

Company: Rickter & Crew | Thoughts: This may be fun | Mood: Excited

龍 He would allow the healer to do her thing, as he focused on something else that had been lingering in his mind. He could see the combination of healing him and strengthening his wall of wind had become a strain on her and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Save your power for those who actually need it, I'll be fine, this body is nigh indestructible." he urged removing the pendant that had been bolstering his form to reveal his aetherical water and ice form.

Placing the necklace back on, he then turned his attention back to the demon tide. Even with their combined strength, he didn't see a viable way to stop it. For now, he would continue to pelt the abomination with as much as he could. He stretched his wings wide as he lept into the air once more. He took in a deep breath and mixing the aether of his body and the wind and moisture in the air he let out a stream of frozen ice in the direction of the thing. He would pelt it from different angles as he flew around it avoiding its strikes.

As he did so new figures arrived, one from the shadows, and he found it odd no one else seemed to react to her, which could only mean that they knew this woman. He pondered if she was mortal, but he was hardly even in the position to judge. He could feel something worm its way through him and a voice that came with it. It's asking him to let it in, and in his mind, it's not the first time something asked him to allow it entry into his soul. He agreed and could feel a connection, thoughts portrayed across minds.

With that, he focused on doing as much damage as possible, varnishing his pact weapon with a torrent of high-pressure razor winds as he whirled around the demon tide tearing through it with the vicious tempest weapon. 龍

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

D R A G O N ' SxxB A T T L E

Posted: **Wed Mar 08, 2023 4:04 am**

On and on they kept the pressure, and so did the Demon Tide with every sweeping gale it created, along with every pass of a shadowy tendril should it have slowed within the air above. Rickter wasn't sure if he'd just felt a second wind or if he just wasn't lacking in aether like he expected, but he knew, even if he had reserves to spare his companions were in no such position as he were. This had to be ended and quickly, otherwise, everyone might fall on the battlefield due to exhaustion.

Yet Hikami kept the attacks coming strong, his flow of ice and wind attacks clipped at the surface of shadows within the cloud, the layers of darkness only lightly thinning in the areas his attacks landed. Meanwhile Patrick darted across the battlefield like lightning, a crimson red spark seen zipping through the air before each crash of the shadow storm from above. Telion remained cautious with her aether, however, and had taken to darting around and even cartwheeling a time or two; avoiding the shadows with her enhanced agility from her custom armor.

Whereas Rickter generated a barrier dome around him at the first wave, allowing a wicked backlash of aether to surge off it once the Demon Tide came into contact. Not that it did much to its mass, of course, the sheer number of shadows within it was overwhelming alone. But he pushed back on that bastard, ready to blow away that damnable cloud before the presence of another flashed across his senses. He'd know that smell of Her from anywhere by now, and with it the smokey arrival of a wonderfully complicated friend.

Permission?

From where Hannah stood, it nearly half spooked her to see another dark cloud manifesting. Though, the presence of this one she soon recognized, that it had been Lyra who appeared next to her with a smile. Just as she too heard the offer, and those within the rest of the party heard theirs, the rogue next to Lyra couldn't help but grin at their odds now. "Oo, romantic! Be gentle, love!" She briskly agreed with a smirk, as did Telion and Patrick with their fragments of Lyra. Rickter begrudgingly took his eye off the Demon Tide just to side eye her, admittedly strapped for time at the moment to really ponder the decision.

Repercussions be damned, if Lyra was going to help, he'd take it while he could get it. "Take caution." He at least mused before he reached out his hand, the brand soon manifesting on the backside for him to see. Not even he felt sure what it was like to interact with such a thing, considering his soul now had changed for the better... or worse. The nimbus that glowed manifested into an aurora of green and blue, the symbol for Winter radiating with a gentle cold from Rickter's aura. Even he felt himself crossing into uncharted territory now, but just as soon as the action resumed, he felt a connection come through to him the moment he darted back to dodge with Seeming.

And with it the arrival of another helpful companion, one who could significantly turn the tide of this battle; if Rickter wasn't imagining the sword he'd realized was at her back. Iselya had arrived in force with her own power, bringing the might and fury of a Dawnmartyr to battle in full. Once she stood by his side asking how she might help, the wolf looked down to her surprised but also humbly relieved, before his gaze shifted back to the Demon Tide as it launched into an arc from the ground. "Perfect timing!!" He called to her before twisting around to push into a dart, the gentle tackle into her used to embrace her in his arms as he dashed across the ground.

The skid of his boots across the cobblestone took place with a twist of his form, with a smooth ease in motion to allow Iselya back on her feet. Patrick looked to successfully blink out of the impact zone as well, while Telion had to dip further back toward Lyra and Hannah's position. Hikami's moves and stunts were damn near flawless when he assailed the dark cloud with more icy winds, the Avialae's might gaining respect out of the wolf as he gauged the Demon Tide's next trajectory. "We're going to need you once we expose the heart of this thing," Though the wolf had more to add to this improvision, something else led him to glance toward his beloved.

And I think I have an idea on how we can do that! A strange sensation for Rickter and yet, it felt as though Lyra was somehow relaying thoughts, rather intentions, through to him from the healer of the group. It's not a guarantee, but it can give us a chance to destroy it quickly, only if we time it right though!

What do you need us to do?! The wolf inquired as he watched Patrick join Hyoga, hailing more lightning at the places where the ice dragon's weapons struck.

I've got the shieldcrafting part of it down, what you'll need to do Rickter is just charge the wards with your aether! If we get that thing in close we'll have a better chance of catching it with this trick! As Telion shared this she quickly tucked into a jump with a pirouette to follow, aerially dodging a tendril that lashed into a wave across the ground beneath her. The wolf looked down at Iselya then, hopeful to the Gods themselves she'd accepted Lyra's offer earlier; and otherwise got the gist of what was going on.

"Not a lot of time between these intervals," he warned quickly, "and it's attack patterns are getting more frantic! I'm going to draw it in close, and when that happens, time your strikes after whatever Telion has planned!" As he expressed this to the Dawnmartyr, Rickter beckoned for his fellow companions to do the same, that way they all knew to expect a counterstrike to be imminent soon. It would only take a few moments, and with a well-timed attack, they could potentially dispose of this wretched monster for good. The wolf took position near Iselya, with a hand rested on her shoulder for reassurance, before his determined gaze shifted up toward the swirling cloud overhead.

The Demon Tide spiraled into a spring as Patrick catapulted off from the surface, having briefly blinked along the outer layers of the writhing storm. As the mass of shadows plummeted its way back down, there stood Rickter, his blade held by both hands when he thrust the bastard sword forward. With a mighty roar the wolf unleashed the full might of his aura, the generated light of aether swirling like an aurora in the black of night, as the Demon Tide was seemingly repulsed with a wicked aetherial backlash of larger proportion. The entire storm rippled as the head of it continued to clash into the shield he generated, the contact between aether and shadow generating sizzling thunder between him and the darkness.

And in just the blink of an eye, Iselya saw Telion flash into position right next to him, her saber also pointed at the negative energy cast before her. "That's it!!" The crescendo of her cry unleashed the full weave of her negation wards, as the shieldcrafted anchor unleashed a volley of aetheric chains from her weapon. In crossing the threshold between Rickter's negation barrier though, those chains turned into aetheric bonds that glistened with the northern lights. Ten massive chain heads lurched outward from the wolf's barrier, before spiraling around to enclose the body of the Demon Tide overhead.

In ten seconds the chains completely enraveled around the storm, and steadily tightened until the storm became a massive constrained ball of shadows. The chains that bound them already grinded and ached, as if strained by the amount of force they contained at bay. With the Demon Tide secured, however, Rickter's own barrier finally faded away; letting everyone the chance to see the window of opportunity that the binding spell created. The orb of shadows writhed and bobbed about, but the chains still held long enough to buy them time for a coordinated assault.

"Now!!" That was all his friends would need to hear, knowing that they all had their roles to play, and the one chance that everyone needed to inflict serious damage on this entity. To start with his own initiative, Rickter glanced from Telion to Iselya, knowing his beloved would need a moment to catch her breath, whilst moving in for the chance to hit this thing where it hurts the most.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Thu Mar 09, 2023 8:38 pm**

She did feel the foreign touch, but she hesitated to accept the offer. The smokey figure resembled the woman Rickter regarded with familiarity. For now, it was enough to assume that she was an ally in this fight. In the end, she relented and perhaps became the last to receive the connection.

Iselya’s mind whirled as Rickter explained what he had in mind. He also mentioned that it might have a heart where they could strike. But the shadows were thick and relentless. She could try something and try to get in close. Warmth bloomed from her chest as she activated Dominion. Her witchmarks started to glow and expanded from her emblem.

With an idea formed in her mind, the siltori summoned a shield from her collection. It was an old trick. She morphed the thing, forcing it to flatten and resemble a circular disk, just large enough for her to stand comfortably. The dark-haired woman climbed onto it and with dancing she made it carry her. As Rickter and Telion chained the shadows, Iselya rose into the sky and hovered just above the sphere of darkness.

Her eyes met the avialae who delivered blow after blow tirelessly. Strong winds from his attacks blew her hair out of her face. It was spectacular how he managed to keep it up.

The siltori looked down at the shadowy amalgamation once more. With Dominion, landing safely from such a height wouldn’t be a problem. But she might not be able to get out of the creature’s way in time should it lash out after her blow. Iratallin and Dawnstrife were ready and ablaze by her sides, hopefully enough to interrupt any attack that came her way. But no doubt she would still need help.

She gave them all an image of what she was planning to do, but there was no telling what’ll happen. Hopefully, it’ll create an opening for everyone to strike where it was vulnerable. Iselya still didn’t know the powers of the Dawnblade entirely and she doubted any mortal did. This would be the first time the world saw the sword wielded after gods knew how long.

“Now!”

The knight reached back and pulled out the fabled sword. Her entire body buzzed with energy and her marking glowed brighter and brighter.

I am the light that rebukes the wicked.

Iselya leaped down and swung the Sword of Dawn.

Legend of Ransera

[Hazard Event] Wave of Darkness

[Hazard Event] Wave of Darkness

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