Defying Gravity

Mon Jul 24, 2023 12:46 am

Defying Gravity
Glade 10th, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

Midnight had struck when the moons had reached their zenith in the night sky, the black orb of the Eclipse still trying to blot out all forms of light wherever it would've shone. Regardless, on this night when it would take them a few hours to reach the peaks, the group of three had assembled and left straight through the portal that Rickter had created. Their point of arrival had been as intended, the Hot Springs being their only brief respite from the cold, before the trio were upward bound for the very Astral Peaks of Astralar itself.

Though, even as prepared as Rickter had been for the trip itself, the amount of resistance he accounted for had not let up easily. Voidsent were rampant within the night as they came from every source of shadow, only to be hindered and easily dispatched by either the Alpha himself; or the trusty packmate that had tagged along with him. Patrick had dressed warmly for the trip in fur-padded coats and trousers, with a torch held up before him to illuminate the passage of the slopes ahead.

Rickter, still dressed in his own fur-padded vestments and leather trousers, walked alongside him as if the cold hadn't even the slightest effect on him. Truth be told he felt rather warm even at this altitude, but for the sake of his companions, he extended the radius of his own Deference to allow the heat to keep them from freezing along the way. "You weren't kidding when you said there'd be shadows almost all the way up here!" The Atinoran remarked with a steady huff, his sword still in hand as he halted near a jagged ledge where the slopes jutted out.

"And to think you doubted me." Rickter mused as he fondled the greater Illumite shard in his hand, a wary look cast behind them to make sure no more Voidsent were encroaching upon their position. He'd brought the dragonshard for extra protection, knowing that he'd need to limit the amount of personal aether he'd expend along the way. Now that they had nearly reached the very peaks of the mountain range itself, it was easier to see where the location for their quarry dwindled above.

"How are you holding up, Ivar?" The wolf checked when he looked back forward, seeing Patrick offer the man a hand once he'd climbed up the rocky slope himself. Whether or not Ivar did accept the aid, Patrick would wait until the wolf climbed up himself, before lending a hand to help hoist Rickter the rest of the way.

"Well, pretty sure that's our destination overhead." The Atinoran remarked as both men looked into the sky, the outlines of Terra Nimbus silhouetted by starlight as well as the dark of night. "Think we timed it just right?"

"We're nearing dawn as is, it shouldn't be much longer until the Illumite starts to glow." He reasoned with a look around the surrounding peaks as well, his nose curling a few times as he noted the scent of aether throughout the range. He'd recognize their smell anywhere at this rate. Make no mistake there were clusters waiting to be discovered, but first, the wolf wanted that first Light to shine from Kalzasi before they made their first move.

"Dialogue" Monologue
"Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"

► Show Spoiler

Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:36 am

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Ivar learned what fear really was when they were attacked by voidsent. Their dark forms shifting eerily in the shadowy patches of the mountain made Ivar’s hairs stand on end. His fingers stayed curled around the hilt of his katana, feeling the familiar handle like a welcoming old friend. His eyes narrowed, studying the enemies moving in the periphery of their vision, their formless shapes dancing like smoke on the wind.

Ivar could hardly hold his own against these creatures. He had mainly spent his efforts blinking around and confusing the creatures while the other two finished them off. Not to say he didn’t contribute at all though. There were a handful of opportunities he took advantage of to allow his form to disappear only to reappear instantaneously behind an unsuspecting voidsent.

It was in these moments that he was able to attempt a slash or two before fleeing. He was learning the fluid elegance of teleportation combat. He was nearly entirely focused on surviving and looking over his shoulder that he hardly had time to keep up with how his companions were killing the enemies.

When they weren’t being attacked, Ivar was main painfully aware of just how cold it was. The chill of the night air clung to Ivar, yet within him, an inner fire burned, fueled by the thrill of the adventure and the purpose of their mission. As the magical deference encompassed them, Ivar wondered just how terrible things would be without its help.

When addressed, Ivar looked back at Rickter, his breath visible in the cold air as he responded, "Still in one piece, I think." He glanced at the offered hand from Patrick. Pride urged him to go on without help, but he understood the importance of camaraderie and assistance. Gratefully, he grasped Patrick's hand, allowing the man to help him up the rocky slope.

“You two certainly know how to handle yourselves against those things back there. To be honest I’m kind of jealous. Alls I can do is teleport. Hopefully when I’ve gotten my second rune I’ll be able to hold my own.”

He panted and did his best to catch his breath. The blinking, the walking, the environment… it was all very taxing on Ivar. No doubt if he’d taken a portal up here alone he would have long since succumbed to nature. He almost wanted to vault back home and rest in a hot bath.

“So what’s the plan again? We find the shards then we hit them with a pickaxe, and then we catch them with a net?” He felt like it was a little more complicated than that now that he was up here.

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Mon Jul 24, 2023 3:41 pm

Patrick might've honestly chuckled at the response Ivar gave Rickter, but even so, the wolf took it as a valid sign the man was getting along well enough. Out here in the cold harsh environment of the mountains, it was easy to allow fear to take over one's mindset, especially when there were more than their fair share of threats looming around every corner. Though they hadn't encountered as much wildlife as he expected, the fact shadows from the Void sought them out was nightmare fuel enough.

Regardless, the fellow Traverser had been doing rather well for himself, even if he wasn't as combat-hardened as the other two he accompanied. The wolf wondered if he might be able to help with that later on, if Ivar ever decided to keep in touch with him after all this had come to pass. Rickter knew quite a few people who were excellent at swordplay, and one who would ruthlessly teach Ivar how to use that katana properly if anything. But the wolf wouldn't even wish such a tough mentor on anyone, at least, not unless they were passionately serious about learning the art of the sword.

After the thread had finally made it to the top though, Rickter observed the eastern horizon after locating Terra Nimbus overhead. He was sure that if they left by midnight, then the venture up here would take long enough to await the coming dawn. That was when Ivar admitted his personal feelings on their combat prowess, leading Rickter to note that he intended to bear another Cardinal Rune somewhere down the road. "Yeah," Patrick remarked with another soft chuckle, "teleportation magic isn't all that bad though."

"Besides," Rickter weighed in with a soft but still alert gaze in his eyes, "you haven't lived as a warrior like Patrick and I have. Our paths enabled us to get this strong, in some ways required us to, if we wanted to press on and continue to fight for what we believed in."

"But really, we just had a few tough mentors helping us along the way." The Atinoran humored as he held the torch up high for a moment, before lowering his arm to make sure he didn't step on an icy slope. Not that he'd be in any real danger if he slipped, but it never hurt to be cautious when you were this high in elevation. "The first Rune I picked up on was Masquerade, only because I loved the way my mother told stories with it. My younger brother took to it quicker than I did though."

For once Rickter thought Patrick had an excellent idea, considering he too felt the same as Ivar did with his own magic. "Reaving for me." He admitted with a raise of his eyebrows, and a rather amused expression thereafter. "Believe me, it's not an easy Rune to master either. I used to share the same exact sentiments you have now, in fact, until I came to possess Negation; and then Elementalism later."

"Yeah, you're just covered in Runes though." Patrick pointed out as he rested the torch down on the rocky ground, taking a moment to relieve himself as his back remained turned to the other two. The trickle down the jagged spikes of the mountain could still be heard though, even if Rickter didn't have his excellent perception of sound to pick it up.

When Ivar inquired as to what the plan was, the wolf looked back over from where the city lights were visible, before his gaze dropped from Ivar down to the featherlight bag that hung from his left shoulder. "Soon as we see the Light of Dawn from the city, I'll set up a pair of scrivened lodestones I made yesterday." He saw the pale hues of light waiting to beckon over the horizon already, as the black orb of the Eclipse already started to hug the edge of it where the sun threatened to shine over. That was close enough in terms of time to go ahead and reach into his bag for them anyway, since it should be minutes from now that Arcas' light would shine across the mountain.

"We have two sets of these lodestones here, one to generate an antigravity field around us, and the other to protect that field while we work." When he pulled the scrivened crystals of ice out they looked to be akin to Frostlyth shards, refined by the Pictograph markings he'd scored into them once they'd been made. "Once these are activated, I'll generate a lift that'll tunnel us through the air, keeping our ascension safe from any potential threats." Patrick had finished his little call for nature's break earlier, and rejoined Rickter by standing beside the wolf as he held the lodestones over.

The Atinoran carefully held each of them with a hand to inspect one, then the other, while Rickter pulled out the hempen rope he brought along for the trip. "To make sure we all float up there together, I'd like for us to tie the ends of this rope around ourselves. Doesn't have to be expertly done, just a general knot that'll keep you both secure once I lift us up."

"Hannah wasn't kidding, you really thought this through, huh?" Patrick remarked with a smirk at the wolf, leading Rickter to glance at him with a light grin of his own while he wrapped the rope around his waistline.

"Honestly, I only came up with half the plan, which was how to get us up there." After he'd wrapped the rope around a few times, he took one end and held it out for Patrick to trade with the lodestones, a playful pat on the Atinoran's shoulders when Patrick started to look a little nervous suddenly. "The rest I'm just making up as I go."

"Heh, great..." Patrick chuckled as he made the exchange with Rickter, taking the one end of rope he had while securing it around his waist like a lifeline. Rickter looked to Ivar next as he held the other end of the rope out for the Traverser to take, his expression still intent with focus before he shifted his gaze back to the sky above.

"Once we're off we'll land on the underside of Terra Nimbus. The air may feel thinner up there than it does here, so just remember to breathe deeply and slowly once we rise. After we've landed, that's when the other lodestones will be used to secure us there."

"So we'll be hanging out, upside down, while mining exceptional dragonshards from floating islands over a mountain. What could go wrong?" Patrick retorted as he too looked to the sky, which Rickter couldn't help but sarcastically remark in turn.

"A lot, if you're not as prepared as I am." He got a side-eyed glare from the Atinoran, leading the wolf to actually chuckle a bit, before checking on Ivar to make sure he was ready. "Sun's likely bound to rise, are you ready for the ascent?"

"Dialogue" Monologue
"Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"

Mon Jul 24, 2023 6:19 pm

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Feeling somewhat safe now, Ivar turned his attention back to Patrick and Rickter, a small smile playing on his lips. The former's chuckle was contagious, spreading warmth that was welcomed in the biting cold of the mountain's peak. Rickter's words, however, were ones that made Ivar pause and reflect.

"True, I've lived a relatively peaceful life," Ivar admitted, his gaze drifting across the rugged landscape stretched out before them. "I know I should be grateful but I feel like I should be doing so much more with my magic than what I do at school.” He honestly had no plans for what he would do after he was done with school. Hell, he didn’t even know if he was ever going to get good enough to take the oath. He rarely reflected on the distant future since there was always something for him to focus on in the short-term.

As he listened to Rickter's and Patrick's tales of their first Rune and their mentors, Ivar couldn't help but remember his own past. His first encounter with magic, his first success with teleportation. He remembered how it felt like a door opening to a world he had never imagined before. A world full of possibilities and danger in equal measure. His school wasn’t exactly lacking in excellent teachers but he wouldn’t say he had a very close connection with any teachers there. It struck him that he didn’t actually have a mentor.

At the mention of reaving Ivar said, "wow, that’s awfully brave of you. I hear if you fail your initiation you’re stuck in a weapon forever. That sounds worse than death. Also, masquerade sounds like it would be very useful in the hands of a clever mage. Wish I could say I was one,” he chuckled.

At times he hated school but one thing he thought they’d done very well was help him figure out which magics to pursue. He’d always been good at route memorization and doing things methodically so naturally scrivening came to mind and his aversion to danger had him learn Traversion. Summoning was another one they thought he could excel at and was likely something he would pursue later in the season.

In a strange way Ivar felt that it was nice to hear that these two had their own share of difficulties. It really put their strength into perspective. Ivar had only started his magical journey a few years ago. He had so much room to grow and he felt like hanging around people like this was a good way for their greatness to rub off on him.

Ivar glanced at the lodestones when they were pulled out. Sure enough, they’d been scrivened. It was to his knowledge that lodestones were kind of like dragonshards, but not really. He recognized some of the pictography and could get a general idea of what the intentions of them were which matched up to what Rickter’s explanation. It was hard to know specifics without being able to examine them up-close.

Ivar did a double take when it actually sunk in that he was going to fly. Or, at the very least, float. Although he was accustomed to a multitude of bizarre situations by now, the notion of defying gravity this drastically felt intimidating, to say the least. “On the small off chance that this doesn’t work…” Ivar said nervously, “should we teleport back to this spot?” The last thing he wanted to do was to go falling to his death. If they started free falling he wasn’t entirely sure he would have the guts to trust them to save him. If anything he’d likely phase out of the restraints and vault back to where they were standing.

An overwhelming surge of vertigo momentarily caught him off-guard as his imagination started conjuring vivid scenarios of them ascending towards the city, dangling helplessly in mid-air. Ivar took a deep breath, steeling himself against the sudden wave of anxiety. Still, he took the rope that was handed to him and tied himself snugly.

"I’m as ready as I’ll ever be," Ivar said with a wave, “let’s hope the sun rises before I have second thoughts!”

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Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:17 pm

Ivar was starting to sound a bit of an interesting sort to Rickter, only because he lived a relatively uneventful life, but wanted to be someone that could do more with himself. In retrospect the wolf felt differently before his life ever truly began, wanting nothing but the simplicity of it all more than anything else, but all the same, he'd grown to accept the ups and downs thrown at him. Rickter had found a family after all, one that he could call his own and another he grew to belong to after.

"The funny thing about magic is, when we look at it as though it could fix so much, we never think about what it could be doing to hinder or damage things in the process." He ruminated on that little fact after experiencing a taste of war firsthand, and how hellbent he had been on retrieving the two most dear people that'd been taken from him. "You're young yet, Ivar, never rush yourself on the journey you're taking. With time you'll find ways of not just doing more with your art, but making it something more than what others already perceive it as."

It wasn't often he found himself offering nuggets of wisdom, perhaps Rickter had finally reached that age in his life. Although it felt he was still certainly far too young for it, having not even been reborn a Demigod a full year. Having regaled the Traverser of their first Runes, the wolf softly grinned in response to the compliment. He certainly was brave at the time, but bravery was a concept he hardly dwelled on also. So much of his life prior to ascension had been spent only feeling 'in the moment' so to speak, and then reactively applying himself in whatever manner was the strongest at the time.

Time had certainly changed his perspective on that, however, and while he may have grown a bit more patient with himself; Rickter couldn't deny the times when he still felt his heart driving his actions. "Aye, those are called soul cairns. Whether it becomes weakness of mind or weakness of will, one slip with the weapon and your soul joins it in turn. It's why Reaving is a magic not to be taken lightly or without consideration."

"It's also why many that practice it are complete badasses." The Atinoran remarked after the wolf paused. "When you see a Reaver in real-time action, they make a battle look like art with their powers." At the comment of Masquerade and the versatility of it with a clever mage, Patrick clicked his tongue with a finger pointed to the man in turn. "You bet, it's gotten me out of a pickle a few times."

Rickter could only chuckle softly at that remark, wondering how often 'a few times' might've meant when Patrick expressed it. After the wolf relayed the logistics of his plan and how they'd be soaring to the heavens, he could hear the uncertainty rise in Ivar's tone, leading him to calmly pat the man on the shoulder when he started to respond. "In the event something does go wrong, I'd say yes, focus on warping back to this location if possible. The lodestone with Kinetics here will be emitting a continuous lift, so even if you were to fall, you'd land softly so long as you remain in the zone of magic." He assured the man before he looked back out over the city, expecting the glow of Dawn at any moment right about now.

"Remember, I would not have accounted for your safety if I didn't think you weren't capable of handling this." A statement that went to show how much Rickter believed in not just Ivar but his companion as well, leading Patrick to raise an eyebrow before he smiled at what seemed like a compliment for him. "Any moment now." The wolf assured their comrade as the first Light started to glow from Kalzasi, soon bringing out a radiant Dawn not even a full minute after it started to pour across the mountains.

One by one across every visible peak, the Dawnstone shards that could've been found visibly started to glow, and then right after the Astral Peaks themselves glistened; so too did the underbody of Terra Nimbus that dwelt in the sky. "Okay... It's time." He assured the two men next to him, the wolf kneeling down to place the first lodestone on the rocky terrain. With a light press into the stone the magic within his Pictography activated, causing the lodestone itself to freeze to the surface, while aether danced and sizzled out in a radial boundary which stretched beyond their position.

For about twenty-five feet from their position, a golden aura shimmered into the form of a barrier, one that hardened as he pressed the other lodestone down and repeated the same gesture. As both stones were lit up all three of them felt the weight of gravity lift from their shoulders first, and then, their feet would just barely touch ground where they stood. With the first set of lodestones in place, Rickter looked at his companions to grab for their lifelines at the back, before he channeled his own aether across the ropes to generate another lift spell using his Kinetics. "All right, brace yourself, I've only ever attempted this one."

Though back then it involved a great deal of more work with his negation magic, intricately weaving Abjinurium stones into the makeup of his shields; all so he could carry someone into the very heavens that were torn asunder. This time though he only needed to generate one shield over his aura, tasking the outer layer to ward off any physical impacts that might come their way. He could actively layer another bit of aether over it if he needed to, but for now, the main task had been set in place. Thus, they were all ready for a rather steady lift-off. "Wait, hang on, what do you mean you've only ever attempted this once?!"

Rickter didn't really leave enough time to answer, not since they had only a small window of time before the Dawnlight would fade. Rather he wanted to just show Patrick and Ivar what it was like, so instead, the three of them rocketed into the air briefly from the peak they floated off of. Using the power of Tunneling to carry himself through the air, Rickter's aura reduced some of the air resistance felt against them in the process. And from there, it was a steady climb straight up to the glowing underside of Terra Nimbus.

"Whoa!!" The Atinoran yelled out rather terrified, if only at first, before he started to actually enjoy the climb up into the sky. "We're actually flying?!"

"Told you. Kinetics can get you anywhere if you're crafty with it." The wolf assured them with a quick glance down, making sure his hold on their waistlines remained snug and secure. It helped that they were both weightless at the moment, so long as he kept them close enough to be caught within the lift he generated around them. By now they were already fifty feet higher into the air, and with a climb as steady as theirs, it wouldn't be but another hundred feet or so before they neared Terra Nimbus.

"Dialogue" Monologue
"Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"

Tue Jul 25, 2023 10:26 am

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Ivar appreciated the words of encouragement that he was given. He honestly couldn’t find anything to complain about with these two. Their words seemed to be genuine and he even thought they cared about him as a person which was very unusual for him. The sort of people he usually worked with didn’t give a crap about his personal growth.

"Brace myself...right," he repeated, nodding his head as he glanced at Patrick and then back at Rickter. "It's not every day that you get to float in an antigravity field. I can safely say that this is going to be the highlight of this season."

Ivar still wasn’t quite sure he was one hundred percent confident in the plan but he pretended to shelve his fear and just go with the flow. He tensed his entire body as he started floating off of the ground and did his best not to pay attention to the fact that this had only been attempted once before.

“Ahhh!” Ivar shouted as he moved his legs in the air. This caused him to rotate in space but he was able to wiggle his way back to a standing position. It was a scream of freight but he quickly followed up by calling out, “nevermind, I’m okay!”

Ivar looked around as they soared ten, twenty, up to fifty feet in the air. He fought very hard to resist the temptation to barf out of fear that it would be suspended in the air with him. Having the smell of vomit right in his nose was exactly what he did not need. However, by the time they got to fifty feet his initial fears had subsided. His body relaxed a little and he didn’t feel like vaulting back home anymore.

“Hey, we don’t have to worry about anything knocking us out the sky do we?” he asked. It was about the only thing he could imagine going wrong, assuming the magic didn’t falter before they got there. “No aggressive birds… or other people trying to get there first?” He assumed they were the only ones crazy enough to pull of this little stunt but he wasn’t certain.

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Tue Jul 25, 2023 10:19 pm

Though the setup was nothing compared to what he worked with the first time, Rickter felt ever more confident that the processes considered were well thought out. He could honestly 'fly' any other time he wanted to what with Kinetics already, but for whatever reason, the act of soaring to heights few ever dared to explore exhilarated him. While he could admit the sight of the earth shrinking beneath him was unnerving, the wolf also knew full and well he had the power necessary to save him and his companions... If anyone should fall that is.

Nearly twenty feet in the air Ivar seemed to flounder a bit, even with the secure grip Rickter had on his lifeline at the moment. Needless to say, the Traverser straightened himself back out in just a few seconds, time enough to actually enjoy the rising into the sky as the wolf's aura carried them all ever higher. The floating mountains of Terra Nimbus weren't just in sight but approaching steadily, proving to Rickter that the idea to fly up to it remained as sound as he hoped.

"Not much farther now!" He encouraged with a call above the wind, now that their ascent remained strong and true. After a bit Ivar had the inquiry of their trajectory, and if anything might contest that during their climb to the heavens. To a degree, the wolf had accounted for such things. But, only because he knew what might lurk about in the skies of Astralar itself.

"What? Seriously man?" Patrick remarked as he looked to be having the time of his life. "I don't really see anyone trying to contest us in attempting this first. Do you?" There was a look of second-guessing when he glanced up to Rickter, who kept his gaze on the islands overhead so that he might gauge when to decelerate their ascent.

"People not so much. I did mention that I accounted for every threat I could conceive up here though." The wolf answered above the rush of the wind, as he felt the air start to thin now that they'd reached even greater heights. "That doesn't mean we're out of danger just yet, just safe from it until we reach the top. Remember," He called with a few deep breaths taken before finishing, "breathe slower and deeper to pace the oxygen in your lungs!" Right after he said this he heard the reverberating flaps of wings in the air, multiples of them as he guessed there would be.

It wasn't hard to recall the several times he'd run into these creatures, the vile vultures that they were when they scoured the mountaintops for prey. Sure enough, coming from their left on Patrick's side there was an entire flock of Vulcans flying their way, their screeches heard as a cacophony through the air as their flock soared through the air. "Uuuh, Rick!!" Patrick called out with a tug at the wolf's pants leg, eager to garner his attention as Rickter already weaved his aether throughout the aura.

"I know! Just breathe, and clench if you have to!" He assured them with a clench of his jaw, determining the impending lending to be slightly rough once it finally came time. Being nearly a hundred feet in the air already, they had already started to pass by some of the smaller islands that hung lower than the first main body. All across the underside he could see the glowing of Illumite clusters, but before he could concentrate on his landing there, he needed to keep the Vulcans from shredding at them in midair... Or at least, veering them slightly off course. "Physical resistance, kinetic rebound, and aetheric backlash."

The words he muttered to himself were the key tasks hewn into the integral layer of the outer shield his aura generated next, creating a ward that flashed like the northern lights all around them briefly, before numerous screeching imps came barreling at them. Almost immediately, more lights flashed and danced with each and every collision, bouncing the creatures off with loud pops and bangs fairly reminiscent of fireworks in the air. "Rickter!?!" No doubt his companions were about to get worried, except Rickter was determined to stick their landing, for they were close enough now that he could finally decelerate the flow of his aura; causing the Tunnel effect to slow as they drew near the underside of Terra Nimbus.

"Pull your feet up, now!" He demonstrated by tucking his lower half into a mid-flip, the flats of his feet ready to plant first into the rocky terrain as he released the lifelines he held onto. Gripping his featherlight bag to keep it from tilting in the air, his were the first pair of feet to hit rock before Patrick and hopefully, Ivar followed after. No sooner did they all land, the Vulcans continued their erratic screeching before resuming their assault on the group. Rickter's shields would hold undoubtedly, but against such a horde they'd be pressed for time. "Are we all good?!"

As the wolf checked he saw that Patrick had landed on his knees and hands, basically holding to dear life in the event the Lift spell didn't keep him there. As Rickter looked to check on Ivar next, he reached into his bag with the flap only partially opened, and pilfered around for a moment until he felt the two lodestones left within tuck into his grip.

"Dialogue" Monologue
"Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"

Wed Jul 26, 2023 6:32 am

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With his heart lodged firmly in his throat, Ivar forced a weak laugh at Patrick's words, gripping tighter to his lifeline as they ascended higher. "I certainly hope not," he managed to call out against the wind, his voice strained. His gaze flitted anxiously around the vast expanse of the sky around them, half-expecting some monstrous creature to swoop down at them any moment. All things considered, the journey thus far had gone pretty smoothly. It was the exact moment where he just felt in his gut that something had to go wrong.

He half expected anything from gargantuan birds to magic-fueled airships, and despite Rickter's nonchalant confidence, Ivar couldn't shake off the gnawing worry. He was a scrivener, not a warrior. His magic was a tool for creation, not destruction. The thought of facing unknown dangers in such a foreign environment was daunting, to say the least.

Then his attention snapped back to the rapidly approaching Terra Nimbus, the enormous floating mass of earth and stone looming ominously overhead. He craned his neck back to keep it in view, a fresh wave of vertigo threatening to tip him over the edge.

His mind scrambled to devise contingency plans, strategies, any hint of a tactic that could aid them if his fears came true. But the rushing wind and the adrenaline pumping through his veins made it hard to think clearly. Instead, he pinned his hope on Rickter's experience and determination, praying silently that they wouldn't encounter anything hostile on their daring expedition.

The sudden rush of wind and the echoing squawks of the incoming Vulcans did little to soothe Ivar's already frayed nerves. His grip on the lifeline tightened, his knuckles turning white as he braced himself for whatever came next. He didn’t have any experience having to fight one of these things before… and he was pretty sure his katana was going to be useless. He curled into a ball and shook visibly in helpless freight as the creatures swooped closer.

Ivar saw a flash of light and he buried his face in his hands. He heard strange sounds but he dared not to look until someone shouted for him to pull his feet up. Well, he was already curled into a ball so that was easy. Ivar lowered his legs a little and the next thing he knew his feet were touching rock.

"Yes, I'm okay," he called, "not going to lie, I thought we were done for!" He opened his eyes and saw that the birds were still nearby. If their numbers were fewer he might have suggested to simply open up a portal to warp them away… but he doubted they could pull that off against a horde like that. He felt himself get lightheaded and then returned to focusing on his breathing. The last thing he needed was to pass out up here and become a burden.

“We start mining now?” he called with a sense of urgency in his voice.

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Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:20 am

The wolf was utterly relieved to find that both his companions had landed with him, as it would've not been favorable to have scrambled to correct the possible hitches found in his plan. Truth be told he wasn't lying earlier when the rest of the venture up was literally being winged, as he could only predict so many possibilities before his mind went stir crazy from dwelling on them. No matter. Their successful landing was all that remained important, and so, as Ivar expressed his thoughts on their arrival beneath the floating peaks; Rickter set in place the last two lodestones that would provide them shelter.

Almost immediately the flash of golden light pulsated from one of the lodestones, brandishing another dome shield that would soon repel the oncoming wave of the Vulcan horde. Stragglers were keen to swoop in as the boundaries were set in motion though, only to be blasted back by the obnoxious pop of aether that flashed like the northern lights. Moments after the rest of the horde halted their advance, as nearly a hundred of the vultures started screeching among one another. Those that were rebounded by his shields earlier had likely recovered by now, if only put off from attempting another swoop in toward their position.

Vulcans were crafty if not intelligent creatures, and they usually knew when they were better off chasing prey elsewhere. "Honestly," Patrick started with deeply drawn breaths, "I felt the same a moment ago." The Atinoran was panting but he did so with long-paced breaths, showing the wolf that he was trying to regulate the flow of air in his lungs just as Ivar hopefully was. Rickter himself had to keep to the same principle, releasing long plumes of moisture from his nostrils as the antigravity lodestone shimmered to life. That was around the same time that the light of Dawn also receded, leaving them on the underside of Terra Nimbus where clusters of Illumite shards still glowed.

There were several clusters all around them in fact, and while Rickter was keen to give Ivar the go on mining right away; there was a shift in the air that his ears did not particularly like at all. The screeches of the Vulcans died down when it seemed like they were flying away, beaten as they were, but in truth, Rickter could still hear the beat of their wings in the airspace below the mountain peaks they were now Seemed to. "Just about..." He agreed as he carefully reached his left arm out, flexing his hand open so that a few marble-sized orbs materialized above his palm. "Take one of these, and hold it away from your chest before you crush it."

He held the palm out for Patrick and Ivar to take one of each, the Atinoran looking sharply at the glowing orb before his eyes focused on Rickter. "What is it, big guy?" He inquired as he directed his gaze to follow Rickter's into the darkened skies below. "What do you hear?"

"Nothing good. The shields will hold against them though. We just need to focus on getting those shards. Now." He urged with a look at the nearest cluster which lingered a mere five feet from them. The wolf gave the marble-sized anchor in his palm a firm squeeze, causing the orb he crushed to pop and release the stored pickaxe he'd kept inside. Patrick looked at his and did the same, remembering to hold his hand away from his chest so that when he crushed it, the pickaxe directly appeared in his grip a second afterward.

"Whoa!! Okay, how'd you think up that?!" The Atinoran remarked with awe and his face full of delight once more, even though they were admittedly still at the face of danger.

"Traversion wards to store them in anchors. I wanted us to be able to use them right away." The wolf explained as he dipped his left hand back under the flap of his bag, shortly rummaging within until he felt the aether net slip into his grip. "Now comes the fun part." He added with a look at the cluster once more, noting the credible size of dragonshards they'd be harvesting. Just this one cluster alone was almost as tall as he was, and to think, if they had more time to mine the underside of this mountain; they would be bringing home a rather large haul of them.

Rickter did not want to get greedy though, not when he'd already tested Fate a few too many times today. "We'll break this cluster down, and if the shields hold, then go for one more if we're able." The wolf explained as he brought the net out to allow it to float above him, technically below since they were all upside down, but in this circumstance, it looked to linger above them within the gravity well his lodestone generated. "Let me just prep-"

Another pop against the barrier overhead, leading Rickter and Patrick to look up at whatever caused the reaction. What they saw was that of what used to be a Vulcan, only before the figure was rebounded back into the darkness. Screeches of a lower magnitude soon echoed throughout the airspace of the mountain, leading to confirm that the Void had now corrupted the entire horde into shadow creatures. "Fuck!"

"That can't be good!" Technically it wasn't. His shields would still hold of that he held full confidence in, but the fact they now had Voidsent Vulcans coming at them? Rickter wasn't going to waste any more time at this point, bringing his left hand to hover near the Illumite cluster he stood close to.

"On my word, strike!" He instructed them as more aether flourished from his palm and fingertips, the fluorescence of northern lights dancing across the Illumite cluster before he generated a layer to suppress the aether within into dormancy. "Now, strike!" He called as he then gripped the handle of his pickaxe with both hands, Patrick did the same as he took up a spot near the wolf, and brought his pickaxe downward from overhead to crash into the cluster of dragonshards.

"Dialogue" Monologue
"Patrick"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"

Thu Jul 27, 2023 8:20 am

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Each time the screeching Vulcans hurled themselves against their shielding, Ivar could feel a jolt of apprehension surge through him. The resilience of the barrier was not in question as he trusted Rickter's aetheric expertise implicitly… but he was acutely aware that every collision, every resonating thud, was ticking away at their borrowed time. He watched as the ethereal barrier shimmered and rippled with each impact, an unsettlingly vivid reminder of the precariousness of their position.

The alien environment, the high altitude, and the relentless flock of avian assailants, all combined to create a ticking time bomb. Ivar knew that the longer they remained suspended here under the floating mountains of Terra Nimbus, the more the odds were stacking against them. Then the sounds of the birds faded away which Ivar knew was either a really good or a really bad sign. With his luck, it was probably the latter.

Ivar accepted the orb and it shimmered against his hand. Ivar watched as the other two crushed the orbs. Ivar didn’t really remember this part of the plan but he copied the other two and saw that somehow the orbs produced a pickaxe. He had no clue how this was possible even with the explanation given but he was willing to put aside his preconceptions to get this all over with as quickly as possible.

With the pickaxe in his hand, Ivar let the unfamiliar weight settle in his grip. It was heavier than he expected, but well-balanced, offering a comforting solidity in the face of their precarious situation. Tentatively, he began to move, swinging it in a practice arc to familiarize himself with the heft and trajectory of the tool. His muscles tensed and relaxed in response to the pull of the pickaxe as it cut through the air, and he could feel the growing confidence with every swing.

“You haven’t spent too much aether have you?” Ivar asked. He didn’t think he’d ever in his life seen so much aether used in such a short period of time. He was somewhat worried that the mastermind of the operation might pass out and then they’d really have a problem on their hands.

He hadn’t given much thought to the popping overhead until he noticed they were looking up, so he also looked. He wished he hadn’t. "What the fuck?" he shouted before tearing his eyes back to the cluster.

Ivar didn’t need to be told twice to strike. When Rickter gave the signal, Ivar squared his shoulders and tightened his grip around the handle of the pickaxe. A deep breath filled his lungs as he focused on the gleaming cluster of Illumite before him. And then, with a mighty roar that echoed across the landscape, he swung.

The pickaxe connected with the crystalline cluster with a resonating thud, sending a shockwave up his arm. Despite the strain on his muscles, a triumphant grin spread across Ivar's face. They were doing it!

“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!” he’d cheer.

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Defying Gravity

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