In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
It had been about a week since he, June, and Eve's foray into Daemon hunting. June was dealing with family affairs, things that he knew all too well she'd prefer to have avoided. But it was something that had to be done. For now he wanted to ensure that these new dungeons didn't hold the same corruption that the Leylines had before their interference. With June busy, and plenty of Dungeons to explore now he figured it was a decent enough time to bring Eve along.
She'd expressed interest in scouting for them prior, and when he promised her safety to come along with him, she seemed willing enough to come along. The money she was after to support her family was understandable. A single Dungeon run, even in one of weak mana, was worth well more gold than anything a normal job could pay. It would also give her plenty of room to grow from in a safe environment.
Both June and Eve had expressed a desire to get stronger after the battles with the Daemon. If nothing else, this was going to give Even that opportunity. There was no better teacher than a Dungeon run. It was how June had acquired such strength so quickly, and where his own magical power had stemmed from as well. His tribe may have honed his physical power, speed and combat experience. But before he'd begun diving into dungeons and working on his magic, his mystical prowess had been weak.
A trial by fire was efficient for many things.
This Dungeon, apparently, had only recently formed. Criminals were known to use it, in conflict with various knights. Thankfully, Eve wasn't a known criminal even if she had connections. Furthermore, Bengal was well known. It shouldn't be difficult for them to enter and handle the place properly. He fully intended to let her do as much as she could on her own... with a bit of help from his magic, at least.
For now, he was standing in the town center for her home. Waiting for Eve to show up as he tugged up the fur-lined hood of his jacket against the cold air. To most it was freezing out, but it just felt pleasantly chilly for Bengal. His instincts told him this one was worth the time and effort. Plus, this would give him additional information on one of the new dungeons. There was no negatives for this situation.
WC: 407 TWC: 407
Statistics
Rank: Grand Fame: Tier 4 Strength: Intermediate Speed: 25m/s
Mana Skin: 24/24 Health: 20/20 Mana: 420/420 Mana Regen: +55/60
Post by Eve Darkkon on Nov 26, 2020 6:18:17 GMT -5
It was pretty amazing how much could change in a week.
A week ago, Eve had just been a pretty face that could take what she needed, obtaining the bare minimum to not have a growling stomach and support her father when his work wound up running out from time to time. Then she had run into Bengal and June, and her entire world had been turned upside down. She discovered how much of a small bubble she had been living in, and how much she didn’t know, despite having more than enough street smarts to survive most things. Daemons… terrible creatures… they were far closer to home than she realized.
Once she found out how precarious things were, she insisted that her father be protected. The only living family she had left, while he told her to leave him behind and making something more of herself. Bengal had seen some sort of hidden potential in her, and he wanted her to make the most of it and better the world… and after some pretty bitter arguments and plenty of venting, they agreed to travel together. Gideon would go stay with Bengal’s clan, the Ryuutei, and learn about their culture and try to find some way to apply his carpentry skills to make ends meet, and they would protect him. Upholding her part of the bargain, Eve was going to work with Bengal and see if she could discover for herself what it was that he saw in her.
Only time would tell, but their adventures thus far had produced more coin than she had seen in her lifetime, and she could feel the results of their training and experiences; she was a bit stronger, faster and more powerful than before. She could feel it in her skin, muscles and mind. Maybe there was something to it after all. So, as agreed, she moved to the town center where Bengal was likely waiting; he had some sort of sixth sense, and always knew when she was coming, even when she was being her most stealthy, so for the moment, she didn’t bother, and simply walked straight up the small road to where the massive man was perched and waiting.
“Good morning Satori,” she started, taking special care to ensure she pronounced it properly, although a fair bit of practice the past week made it a pretty simple task. She had her normal outfit but with a small backpack that had some food and other essentials for their Dungeon Mission, and gave him a wry smile as she cocked a hip and waited for him to rise. “Ready to do some hunting?” she asked, rhetorically of course. It never seemed like Satori was ever not ready for much of anything.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Nov 26, 2020 6:39:04 GMT -5
Bengal's lip curled upward into a smile that many would call savage at her question. The woman was attractive. Sassy was a good way to put it perhaps, June and her seemed to have their... issues, but nothing that made them unworkable together. More importantly, she was a fast learner. As he smiled at her he would slowly haul himself up from his seat, dusting off the slight amounts of snow that had accumulated on his shoulders before nodding once in response to the greeting.
"Morning, Eve," he replied simply. Feline like eyes glanced over her once, briefly lingering on her hips before shifting his gaze back toward the pack she had with her. Decently stocked by the size, but not to the point of being unwieldy. He hummed once in satisfaction, clearly pleased with her decision.
"I'm always ready for a Dungeon," he agreed with an amused rumble. Turning and motioning for her to follow after him. He knew the direction they were going, but that was it. "You'll have to lead," not that it was a bad thing. It was a nice view letting her lead, after all. June was certainly aware that he enjoyed the view as well, but he hadn't made any actions based on it. Such a thing was unprecedented. Ryuutei did not simply "take new wives". It was something that all of the wives agreed on and discussed along with the husband.
It was the same for any of the matriarchal houses where one of the women had multiple husbands. Partners were just that, partners, lovers, trusted companions. If he decided he truly wanted to make any such moves, he'd be waiting until June was alright with the idea. Emily was already partially claimed and she was still uncertain about that. Let alone adding more faces to the mix.
As they began to walk he would stretch his arms above his head, mana beginning to slowly flow through his limbs as his gaze slid down toward her. "Ready for a little boost?" He inquired with an amused expression. He could carry her, but there was no reason to, really. Though it did beg the question...
"Do you want to try flying, or stick to what we did last time?" The physical enhancement had jumped her speed several times over. But it was still traveling along the ground. Things got in the way, flight was faster and more efficient. Though learning it was... different. She had good instincts though, he was fairly sure she'd get the hang of it.
WC: 424 TWC: 831
Statistics
Rank: Grand Fame: Tier 4 Strength: Intermediate Speed: 25m/s
Mana Skin: 24/24 Health: 20/20 Mana: 420/420 Mana Regen: +55/60
Post by Eve Darkkon on Nov 26, 2020 6:53:29 GMT -5
She smirked as he claimed that she would need to lead. “That is sort of what a Guide is supposed to do… although I’m not certain that title fits me much anymore. I have come to do more than point you in the right direction… not that you had anything to do to orchestrate that, now did you?” she said, being coy. Obviously he had pushed her in the right direction and she had done more than her fair share of handling problems, but she had grown immensely as a result of it; it was obvious that she was not complaining in the slightest. Thus far, she had felt his eyes on her from time to time, but he hadn’t tried anything, so it was more or less the same with many from the village. They liked to look, but knew better than to try to touch, although with Bengal that wasn’t what was stopping him.
It was the fair June, if she had to wager. They seemed to be a couple, although there was something there that wasn’t your normal energy you got from a monogamous pairing. She didn’t pry; it wasn’t her business. She was paid to do a job, she did the job to the best of her ability, and that was that. She was growing fond of the massive man simply because he was a man of his word, which was something that wasn’t all that common in today’s society. He was immensely strong, and could bolster her as well, but as enjoyable as that added strength was, she wanted to be that strong without his help, so she would continue taking him up on these jobs to help get herself there. Experience was the most important; handling situations that she had never run into before using her quick wit and natural instincts.
He asked about a boost, and then quickly changed it to possibly using Flying, and a smile spread across her face once again. “Flying? That should be interesting. Why not; if I can handle it, I would be able to take a significant amount of time off of traveling. Let’s see if I can’t figure it out.” Turning and cocking a hip again, she waited. Like most other times that he taught her something, a small bit of instruction would be immediately followed by him making her do it over and over again until she got the hang of it. Another thing she appreciated about Satori was that he didn’t treat her with kid gloves; she wasn’t some dainty thing that needed constant coddling, and he treated her far better than she felt she deserved sometimes.
Eve owed the man quite a bit in a non-monetary way, and that was something she was not used to. It would take some time to adjust and figure out the best way to pay him back for his kindness and sharing his experience, but she would find a way, she was certain of it. She wouldn’t rest well until she did.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Nov 26, 2020 7:10:42 GMT -5
Her words caused a low rumble of amusement to fill his chest. "Strength is worth it," the retort was simple. He was fully aware that she didn't mind the idea of him pushing her to be stronger. The potential he'd sensed in her Ki hadn't been proven wrong in the slightest. In fact it had been proven by how quickly she absorbed information and adapted to combat. For a casual pickpocket, she'd adjusted to bloody battle quite easily. There was likely a reason for that, but it wasn't his business.
As they walked, he glanced down at her as she agreed to the idea of flight, eagerly in fact. A laugh rumbled from him once more before he slowly rotated his arms in a final circle before straightening. Mana pulsed along his hands, before electricity began to spark and flicker around them both. Static energy gathering as a glowing silver energy began to flow from his body. A large hand extending to take her shoulder as that energy flooded into her body.
"May feel odd," he stated off-handedly, understating the fact as she felt her body itself beginning to shift and change. Suddenly both their flesh began to shimmer as bright white fur began to spread along Bengal's arms and legs, trailing up as his goatee began to thicken and sideburns extended lower along his jaw. His hair turned stark white, and his eyes a brilliant yellow before two massive batlike wings burst from his back. Covered in soft white fur ending in foot-long talons as he flexed his hands a few times. The transformation was identical for her, but instead of the silver-white hues her own was purple and black.
"New limbs will be... interesting, to control. Test them out a bit, first. We'll go from there." A chuckle passed between his lips, clearly not affected by the drain the spell put on his mana, if at all.
"You can carry about three people in this state," he advised idly, "It'll raise your base speed a good amount but it has its limits. I'm faster than the spell's enhancement, so this mostly just gives me casual flight nowadays," he grinned, long fangs now being even longer. "That and some natural weapons, anyway." His own wings extended, flexing once as several eyes looked at the both of them in confusion at what was going on while his mana finally died down. Thankfully she was a native of the town, and he was well known at this point here.
He waited until she'd practiced moving the wings for a bit before tilting his head to the side curiously. "Ready for step two?"
WC: 441 TWC: 1,272
Statistics
Rank: Grand Fame: Tier 4 Strength: Intermediate Speed: 25m/s
Mana Skin: 24/24 Health: 20/20 Mana: 420/420 (420-30+55= No Loss) Mana Regen: +55/60
Name of Spell: Chimera's Wings [Multicast via Ammo to Eve as well] Elemental Type: Lightning Rank & Spell Type: Senior (Transformation + Healing) Range & Speed: 80m & N/A Mana Cost: 30 & 15/Post Stats Affected: Speed Applicable Perks: Predators Mutation, Combat Aid Description: Bengal floods his own body or the body of another's following [Ammo] rules with raw magic, altering their physiology to that of something new. White fur sprouts from their shoulders, causing two massive bat-like wings to burst from their shoulders. Covered in a soft white short fur with its tips ending in curved foot-long talons. Their arms and legs gain elongated claws, allowing the user to now hold greater speed and mobility. Their base physical speed is now [20 m/s] unless their base speed is already higher than such, and they gain the ability to [Fly] while supporting up to [3] passengers. In this state the body's magic has amplified gaining [9] Power.
Last Edit: Nov 26, 2020 7:10:59 GMT -5 by Satori Ryuutei
Post by Eve Darkkon on Nov 26, 2020 7:35:52 GMT -5
Strength. It seemed to be a more important currency to Bengal than actual money, but she could start to see why that might be the case. The things she had been able to accomplish were something out of the storybooks, stuff that she never had thought possible until recently. She had, like always, adapted extremely quickly, picking up what she needed and figuring things out on the fly, and trusting her instincts to know what to do. It had been tough, certainly, but thanks to Bengal’s and June’s help, she had come out on top and better than ever.
Eve had always been the type to learn quickly, and with an innate curiosity and hunger for knowledge. More than that, she had a habit of taking all information she learned, combining it with her experience, and making something more than she started with from the get-go. She felt the electricity and power course into her body as the spell took hold, and felt more natural with it as it went than she probably thought she should, likely because her own magic had Transformation essence built into it. She closed her eyes and felt the transformation take hold completely, noting how natural also the electricity felt, an element they shared. They were alike, magically, in far more ways than one, and it was nice to have that commonality when it came to Satori teaching her things.
Once the transformation was complete, she looked down at her hands and feet, flexing the new talons and stretching her wings, literally, getting her new center of balance and spreading her stance. “Shouldn’t be a problem…” she said, taking a moment to dig her talons into the ground a bit, and then beating her wings to propel wind forward, causing her to lean backward with the force, getting a feel for the strength in the wings. After she was satisfied half a minute later, she changed the angle of the wings, and released her talons, propelling herself upwards.
There was a moment where she staggered, tilting sideways just a bit when she was about a foot off the ground, but after a quick skip along the ground, Eve quickly corrected herself, and then seemed to be able to hover just a few feet off the ground for about a minute before touching back down. Stretching once again and rotating her shoulders, she nodded once. “Alright… let’s try it for real…” She flapped the wings again, once more hovering just a few feet off the ground, but then with some added exertion, propelled higher and higher into the air, constantly looking at the ground to keep herself balanced before finally starting to look around.
This was one of her dreams… the idea of flight. Her eyes were wide with almost childlike wonder as she all but was giddy and giggling, slowly turning through the air as she kept herself roughly fifty feet off the ground and barely able to contain her glee, not to mention the million-watt smile spread from ear to ear. It didn’t matter what the town thought of her; she was on her way to becoming stronger for the town, and that was all that mattered in the end. After they had put that immediate threat to rest, most of the townsfolk looked to them both with hope rather than bewilderment nowadays. Floating next to Bengal, she asked, almost laughing as she did, "Alright... so what's step two?"
WC: 575/1539
Last Edit: Nov 26, 2020 7:40:19 GMT -5 by Eve Darkkon
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Nov 26, 2020 7:45:55 GMT -5
She was excited, and a quick learner as always. Chuckling softly, Bengal watched her suddenly shoot into the sky after just a bit of testing. Within a few moments, she was making circles around the air above them. A bemused smile played at his lips as he watched her fly before floating down next to him. Offering a coy remark that made a rumble of amusement fill his chest.
"Well done," he mused, while his own wings slowly stretched out from his back, before the muscles clenched once and he shot into the air with another beat of his wings. Faster than her as his own wings appeared more muscular, a translation from his own base physique and speed. The burst of wind settling as he halted at about a hundred feet in the air, grinning slightly down to her.
"Step two is keeping up without hitting anything," he replied in an amused tone, before lifting a hand. Motioning for her to lead the way. At this height, they wouldn't be in too much danger of hitting trees but there were still a few this high up. At least the risk of buildings was nonexistent. Only the main cities had any buildings tall enough to be in the way at this height. Amused, he would wait for her to take off before his own wings beat twice and he lurched forward.
Now flying alongside her, with her just slightly ahead of him. His Ki allowing him to predict her movements and follow without causing any risk of collisions. At their new speed, it shouldn't take them long to arrive at the fringe, though what came after that would be interesting from the few rumors he'd heard. Apparently, it was a jungle-like section of the fringe that stood out, understandably.
WC: 299 TWC: 1,571
Statistics
Rank: Grand Fame: Tier 4 Strength: Intermediate Speed: 25m/s
Mana Skin: 24/24 Health: 20/20 Mana: 420/420 Mana Regen: +55/60
Post by Eve Darkkon on Nov 26, 2020 8:02:31 GMT -5
As he propelled himself upwards with a few beats of his wings, she did as well, although for her it required more than a couple to reach his altitude. With his blessing, she began to lean into the air currents, using them to help keep her aloft as she got a grasp of the landscape by the air; knowing the route from the ground was different, and it took her a moment and a few small turns before she began to beat her wings with purpose, soaring in the right direction. She swayed to avoid a particularly tall tree, not deviating too much, but still unable to wipe the smile off her face.
It wasn’t long before they reached visual distance of their destination; the clear line between the natural foilage and the plants that had been twisted by the dungeon were extremely obvious from the air. “There it is… should we circle a bit and get a lay of the land, or touch down? I’ve never come at one of these from the air.” She was cautious because she knew that most Dungeons were protected by magic in some way, and the last thing she needed was to have her inexperience cause her a very bad and abrupt stop to what had been thus far an amazing flying experience.
She had dreamt of this kind of thing since she was a child, and couldn’t be happier that she had a teacher who was willing to show her the true capabilities of what her magic was capable of. She would certainly need to grow stronger, and hopefully get some spells that would help her not only do the same, but do it better, and faster. She wouldn’t dream of being as strong as Bengal, but she did desire the speed to outpace him one day.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Nov 26, 2020 8:23:32 GMT -5
She didn't take long to adapt at all. As soon as she had a basic grasp on the situation, she was ready to go. Amused, Bengal beat his own wings and kept up with the woman. His gaze lifting forward as she led the way over the trees and brush. Within a few minutes of the rapid travel, they had fully entered the fringe. The devastated wasteland was easily noticeable, but even more than that was what stood out.
The large stone gate that rose from the earth, bound in thick vines leading into the depth of the dungeon itself. Bengal released a grunt of recognition, and her question caused him to glance toward her as they hovered above the exotic spot. It was an intelligent question, she wasn't afraid to ask instead of stumbling into situations unprepared. Another good trait.
"It depends on the Dungeon, since we don't know, it's better to be safe and land a bit of a distance," he chuckled softly, allowing himself to fall from their altitude rapidly. After several long moments, he fluttered the wings twice allowing him to land unnaturally lightly for his size. The large wings folding to his back as a hand lifted to rub the back of his neck, examining the entrance.
Thick vines blocked their path. The stone was ancient, and the scent of tropical flowers native to his homeland filled his nose. It caused him to pause, blinking once in surprise at the familiar, lush jungle scent. Smiling briefly, before shaking his head and stepping forward. Trailing a hand along the vines slowly as his head tilted to the side slightly. The ki was weak, but solid. Nothing would bite back entering this place.
"Mn," he mused, before the long blades adorning his wings suddenly tilted. Slashing downward and cutting the vines away like hot knives through butter as his hands remained on his hips. Keeping the spells up for now as he glanced back toward her and opened a hand. If he enhanced her too much this would be far too easy. But she'd need a bit of a boost to do this safely alone.
"This is your show, I'll help as needed, but this is the only way you'll get stronger," he explained this simply before snapping. Causing the electricity to burst along them both, and instantly jumpstarting both their speeds to entirely new levels as well as infusing her body with a burst of raw speed as the world slowed around them.
"That should be enough for you to handle this place, easy." He stated simply with a slight smirk, before his own wings and transformation disappeared, but he maintained both their forms without the wings. As the wings slowly flowed back into her body, as they'd get stuck on the tunnels. Her claws and the enhanced speed remained.
"Ladies first," he stated simply, motioning with his hand as a bemused smile played at his lips.
Name of Spell: Chimera's Wings [Maintained] Elemental Type: Lightning Rank & Spell Type: Senior (Transformation + Healing) Range & Speed: 80m & N/A Mana Cost: 30 & 15/Post Stats Affected: Speed Applicable Perks: Predators Mutation, Combat Aid Description: Bengal floods his own body or the body of another's following [Ammo] rules with raw magic, altering their physiology to that of something new. White fur sprouts from their shoulders, causing two massive bat-like wings to burst from their shoulders. Covered in a soft white short fur with its tips ending in curved foot-long talons. Their arms and legs gain elongated claws, allowing the user to now hold greater speed and mobility. Their base physical speed is now [20 m/s] unless their base speed is already higher than such, and they gain the ability to [Fly] while supporting up to [3] passengers. In this state the body's magic has amplified gaining [9] Power.
Name of Spell: Raijin's Cloak: Lesser Elemental Type: Lightning Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate (Physical Enhancement + Healing) Range & Speed: 20m AoE & N/A Mana Cost: 20 & 10/Post Stats Affected: Speed Applicable Perks: Full Blitz Description: Bengal infuses his body or another's with flowing mana causes electric static to crackle along his body. This magical energy energizes the body, mending the body as well as amplifying speed and reaction time. Increasing speed by [15m/s] and healing the user for [Intermediate] damage following standard healing rules, per post.
Name of Spell: Raiju's Strength: Lesser Elemental Type: Lightning Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate (Physical Enhancement + Healing) Range & Speed: 20m AoE & N/A Mana Cost: 20 & 10/Post Stats Affected: Strength, Power Applicable Perks: Combat Aid Description: Bengal cloaks part of his body or another's in glowing silver lines that cross over his body in tribal stripes. These stripes solidify around his hands, feet, and mouth into semi-solid claws and elongated fangs. This energy amplifies his body buffing his Strength with [Intermediate] power, as well as buffing his actual power by [6].
Name of Spell: Raiju's Health: Lesser Elemental Type: Lightning Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate (Physical Enhancement + Healing) Range & Speed: 20m AoE & N/A Mana Cost: 20 & 10/Post Stats Affected: Speed Applicable Perks: Full Blitz Description: Bengal floods his own body or the body of another's following [Ammo] rules with raw electrical energy that focuses on jumpstarting their immune system, purifying the body and amplifying raw speed and mobility. Buffing speed by [15 m/s] and removing any [Debuff/Curses] to the target following the standard rules for such, per post.
Statistics
Rank: Grand Fame: Tier 4 Strength: Senior Speed: 55m/s
Mana Skin: 24/24 Health: 20/20 Mana: 420/420 Mana Regen: +55/75
Post by Eve Darkkon on Nov 26, 2020 19:46:00 GMT -5
Eve’s yellow eyes took in everything they could from their ariel viewpoint, even trying to identify what buildings looked like what from the outside and creating a mental map of what she might expect inside. Granted, this was a dungeon, so it was completely possible that anything she might gain from it would be completely worthless once they were inside, but there was an equal chance that it could literally be as simple as the layout that they saw before them. Either way, once she had a grasp of it, she deferred to Bengal’s wisdom.
She descended far more slowly and more controlled than he did, mostly simply due to inexperience, something she hoped to rectify sooner than later; Eve found that she truly enjoyed flying and would have loved to practice with it more, but they were here to do a job, and that was what was going to happen. She landed softly and almost instinctively folded her wings close against her back, allowing her center of mass to become somewhat normal. Satori, as she had learned his true name was, busied himself examining the entrance while Eve did a quick check of her personal gear to make sure nothing had shaken loose during the flight. Finding everything secure, she looked up as he opened a hand in her direction.
The first time he had done this, it had not gone well; she had felt threatened, but now she understood and didn’t shy away even slightly, merely rolled her shoulders in preparation of what was to come. She was leading the charge? That was interesting. “I always did like to take the reigns…” she said sarcastically, knowing full well that she was going to need to keep her wits about her. She knew even with the buffs he would provide her, a wrong step or getting a big head would get her killed, and she wouldn’t allow that to happen.
She felt the electricity course through her body and the world slow. She took a moment to stoop down and grab a stone, tossing it into the air and catching it, then squeezing it for a moment, then relaxing and dropping the stone. So that was the level of enhancement; the stone felt almost too slow, too light… but that was the purpose of the spell, to bolster her strength and speed. She felt the wings retreat into her back, rolled her shoulders again, squared them to the front entrance, and then began to work her way towards the doors, her eyes turning to golden steel as she got serious.
Her footfalls became silent as a ghost, and she slipped to the door, opening it just enough for them both to get through and stepping inside. She didn’t know exactly what it was that they were going to be dealing with, but she would make sure that the trust that Satori had placed in her was not misguided or taken advantage of. Slipping into the shadows, she did her level best to vanish and assess what was going on in the first room, ready and waiting to react to contact and doing her best to sense her enemies before they were aware of her presence.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Nov 27, 2020 12:35:32 GMT -5
Bengal allowed a brief grin to spread across his features while she checked over her things. Good reactions, as usual. She would do just fine, even with her sarcastic remark in regards to taking the reigns. He allowed an amused rumble of reply at her words before his gaze slid toward the entrance into the large cave that had once been hidden by the vines he'd cut down. The familiar scents that wafted from the Dungeon caused an amused smirk.
"Don't sniff the flowers, and don't drink any water down here," he stated idly before shifting his gaze back toward her. She was currently testing the difference in her reaction times and speeds now. Understandable, it was a large jump from wat she was used too after all. Once she was satisfied by the difference her mana pulsed, and she seemed to focus on what was before her. Grunting once in approval before he stepped forward after her as she slipped into the shadows.
Bengal sensed no life signs within the nearby area, but that didn't mean the threats were non-existent. Traps, natural energy, unfriendly terrain were all feasible within these Dungeons. In fact they tended to be more deadly than the monsters in his experience, the Lava Palace and Krampus both hindered movements, drained stamina, and made long-term combat much more difficult than normal as once went diving through the floors.
This one proved similar, and as they stepped down, following the tunnels he relied on his Ki senses and combat awareness to keep an eye on the surroundings. She was being stealthy, and he could respect that. Though it wasn't really his own style. the heavy footfalls of his feet hitting stone filling the air. The sounds echoed, as the entrance gave way to a stone tunnel coated in moss and vines. The floral, hot, tepid scent of semi-rotting vegatation, swampy water, and exotic flowers filled the air. Jungle scents, so unfamiliar to this country.
The low glow of his own electrical energy filled the air, even if her own died down with her desire to remain hidden his own seemed to brighten in response. He'd happily be a target, though there didn't seem to be any sentient threats at the least. Instead, as they both entered the first large floor they found their feet sinking into the swampy undertow. Sinking lower to the ankles, then the shins, and then to mid-thigh for Eve and just above his own knees. A grunt filled his chest. It was akin to quicksand, slowly sucking you in. But the magical amplification allowed them to stomp through it as if it were simply water. A hindrance, but nothing too severe.
However, beneath... well, that was something a bit different. "There's ten signatures beneath us. Be careful not to burn too much stamina pushing through." To him the swamp was nothing. For Eve he knew she could get through it without sinking, but it was a vast difference. That was good. It would push her, train her stamina and body to hold up against constant pressure.
WC: 547 TWC: 2,604
Statistics
Rank: Grand Fame: Tier 4 Strength: Intermediate Speed: 25m/s
Mana Skin: 24/24 Health: 20/20 Mana: 420/420 Mana Regen: +55/75
Post by Eve Darkkon on Nov 28, 2020 0:27:36 GMT -5
Now that she was done horsing around, and they were actually in the dungeon, Eve was all work and no play. If she was strong enough to casually wade through the place like Satori could, it might have been a different story, but she wasn’t… and despite the enhancements that had been bestowed upon her, she knew that these places could easily warrant a surprise that could turn nasty if she wasn’t careful. Vigilant, she slipped through the shadows, pausing at the edge of the nigh swamp on the floor, and decided that she wouldn’t be wading through that mess if she could help it. Yellow eyes caught support pillars and various vines hanging from a poorly lit ceiling, and she mentally carved a trail that would get her to the stairs without issue.
She took a single step back, and then launched herself forward, putting the extra strength and speed to use in combination with the claws she had on her feet, running along the wall for a moment and then grabbing a vine long enough to yank and send her sailing through the air. Another vine, and this time she threaded her entire body with a carefully timed bend to slide through a loop and onto another vine. Another leap and she was running along with one of the pillars for a couple of steps, another jump, launch, and sticking the landing at the end near the stairs, all while not getting her feet wet. All the while, she maintained near-perfect silence, the one slip up being some gravel that had fallen when she had jumped off the support pillar about three-quarters the way through.
She then turned to watch to see how Satori, who was nearly glowing with power, would handle the same thing. She had certainly heard what he had said; don’t smell the flowers, don’t trust the water. There were ten creatures on the level below, and that was probably the right direction to find the center. Once he had made it across in his normal, brute force manner, she paused before they continued, knowing all too well he was going to be the one who drew attention. “I hope you don’t mind being bait… my goal will be to kill them before they touch you. You shouldn’t have to lift a finger if it goes right…” she said quietly before slipping back into the shadows and fading from sight.
Already her mind was working on different strategies she could employ based on whatever the creatures were that she was going to encounter, and how the area was set up in combination with how they were positioned inside. Her eyes open for traps and threats, she slowly took the stairs ahead of him, hoping to slip in and use his grand entrance to draw whatever creatures were down there’s attention. She wasn’t making a bold statement earlier; she was going to make sure that he didn’t have to do a thing if she could, and take them out her way before they realized that he wasn’t the only person down here. Every one dead was one less threat in the world to those she cared about, and that was the only thing that she needed to lose all hesitation when killing them without mercy.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Nov 29, 2020 0:37:38 GMT -5
Bengal was... less than concerned about the muck. The electricity that burst along his body soon explained why, the raw power from his mana was so potent that steam was rising from around his legs. The muck wasn't even making contact with him as he stepped through it all, sinking deeper and yet being unaffected. A glowing beacon in the darkness of this first room that felt as though it was naught but a test. The closer to the exit tunnel downward they got, the more life signatures he detected.
Good, that would give Eve plenty to work with to push herself and these new limitations of hers.
She suddenly flickered her ki next to him, and Bengal's gaze slid toward her. Following her energy despite the stealth, she was imploying while he nodded his head once in agreement with her request.
"Do your best. If you manage to make sure none of them get to me, I'll treat you and your old man to a meal," he grinned slightly, long fangs flashing in the light of his magic. The food that his mothers prepared were delicious, but hard earned due to the clan's outlook. He didn't mind giving them both a treat in return for Eve's hard work.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew, though. My ki can detect surface emotions and life force. But it can't detect threat levels, so don't rely on it. Looks like there are ten in the next room, then another ten. Then just one monster. At a guess it's going to be strong enough to dominate an entire room without needing others. I can't feel beyond that yet, I'll keep you updated." He took the next step, slamming it into the stone as he exited the muck of the swamp. Glancing down into the dark tunnel that led further into the dungeon as the familiar floral scents filled his nose.
Grunting once he glanced over toward her Ki, before stepping down and following the long lines of stone that began to rapidly expose thick moss and vines. A dimly lit cave, full of roots, fungus, and moss. Humid and damp, the faint scent of rot clinging to the area before the signatures of ki triggered. Moving toward them as his eyes narrowed a bit, making out the faint shape of... shells of some sort? His power pulsed, causing them to pause. Hesitating. Detecting the power he radiated in fear.
WC: 442 TWC: 3,046
Effect: Monsters suffer -5 to all trainable stats from intimidating presence. All ten snails are now at:
Post by Eve Darkkon on Nov 29, 2020 1:36:04 GMT -5
Eve didn’t verbally reply, only slightly nodding in acceptance to the information being fed to her. Satori was very good with intel, and she had already requested that she be taught how to sense Ki like he could, but she wasn’t quite ready for that level of training just yet. Soon, hopefully, she would be able to do the same thing, but even without the skill, she was learning quite a bit about it as it was, including a few of its limitations. Still, it was an immensely powerful skill she needed to make sure she got a firm grasp of as soon as possible, which was one of the reasons she was here; to get stronger.
But to add fuel to the fire, he promised to give her and her father a full meal, hosted by his family, in return for making sure that Satori himself didn’t need to lift a finger. That was all the extra motivation she needed, her golden eyes the last thing visible as she slipped into the shadows. His mana pulsed, getting the attention of the ten creatures in the room, and the uncurled out of their shells, looking in the direction of the obvious threat, not even noticing the black panther slipping through the room and getting into position. She would need to be quick to make sure to get them all, but she was certain she would be able to manage it with her enhanced speed… aside from that, they were only snails after all and their base movement speed wasn’t all that fast to begin with, and they were uncertain about approaching Satori off the bat.
The one furthest from Satori suddenly stilled as she dashed past him, grabbing the entire head by its neck and ripping it from the snail’s body without even slowing down, slipping into another shadow and out of sight. Then the next furthest as she moved her way towards Satori progressively, their attention pointed in another direction and she was taking full advantage of that as she picked them off one by one. But the last one almost reached Satori, and Eve pushed herself even further, fueling her movement with the motivation, but she wouldn’t be able to silently kill this one. The last one, however, was on the receiving end of a vicious spinning kick straight to its shell, lifting it off the floor and sending it into a boulder, but even then, her viciousness didn’t stop as she pushed off, her right hand taking advantage of the cracked shell and ripping into the creatures organs, her hardened nails shredding through and dragging the entrails onto the floor.
Taking a deep breath, not seeing any more threats, she smiled back at Satori, her hands covered in blood. “Going to hold you to that promise… let’s go see what’s next. Ladies first...” She then presented her hand to let him lead the way, smirking at her joke.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Nov 29, 2020 2:01:31 GMT -5
Bengal remained relaxed as he watched the snails be torn to shreds from the shadows, monitoring her movements carefully. She was improving in great strides from the last time she'd done battle. She had gone from a street rat with acrobatic skills to an assassin quite quickly. He'd only call her an adept in the field, and she'd need some proper weaponry likely. But that didn't change the efficiency of what she was doing considering her current skill level.
They fell quickly, and when she was done he idly leaned down and grasped one of the shells. Gripping the snail's body where the ichor began to drip and ripping it from the shell's root with a sickening sound. Lifting it up to his own light as its various hues caught the flickering electricity. It gave off a nice shine, it'd be a good material. Grunting he turned and moved forward before and glancing down at Eve as she spoke, chuckling.
Then... smashing the shell against the wall. The pieces falling in all directions, as he caught one long piece. Lifting it up and examining its length, about two feet. The spinal section, so it was fairly straight. Idly wrapping the cloth around it, be tossed it to her as her hand lifted in her joke, smirking.
"Use that for now. We need to get you a knife." With that, his gaze slid toward the opposite side of the cave, another tunnel that gave off a faint light. Approaching it, feeling the heat radiating through the air. A low grunt was his only response before he stepped out and entered into the main floor, this time open air greeted them. A steaming lake surrounded by lush foliage and thick vines. The roof was thick, explaining why they hadn't seen through to it from above.
Leaves woven together barely allowing light in. Magma was likely the reason that the lake was so hot, and the rooms so muggy. Stepping forward he glanced down at her.
"Ten more. They're fast... surrounding us, like a pack of wolves." As he stated this, the rooms shook. Causing him to blink once slowly and glance in the direction of what he now felt, two powerful ki smashing together. Hm. He'd inform her of what that was once they were done in this room.
