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.
[attr="class","shadowsHead"]Subjugation of the broken
Yersina the queen of the damned has made her way to Hage...while not completely near the old leyline, she found an interesting piece in the small village. A well of energy condensed into a stone connected to the leyline. So after taking the villagers of Hage and using them as cattle she now holds the broken village under siege...It is time she is shown the door back to her own realm and removed from ours.
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]Details
Maximum Number of Players: 2 Minimum | 4 Max [break]Minimum Word Count: 3,500 [break]Location: Hage [break]Special Requirements: NA
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]NPC Information
What NPCs are in this mission? Please fill out the template for any notable NPCs. While those you have to socially interact with during the mission are not required any enemy that is presented in the mission must be listed in here. [break][break] Name of NPC: Yersina the Queen of the Damned
[break] [break]Health Limit: Grand [break]Physical Speed: 20 m/s [break]Physical Damage: Grand [break]Magic Element and Types: Ash | Golem | Transformation [break]Combat Style: Lilith will try to trap her foes in their own spells before swarming them with golems until they are nothing but the ash she uses in her magic. [break]Additional Information: Yersina is dressed seductively and acts as though the world bores her to no end, but she will always be attracted to strong alpha males that appear before her, looking to break them and turn them into her slaves of pleasure.
[break] [break]Health Limit: Senior [break]Physical Speed: 8 m/s [break]Physical Damage: Senior [break]Magic Element and Types: Ash | Physical Reinforcement | Attack [break]Combat Style: They work together to overwhelm their foes so that the Queen never has to dirty her hands. [break]Additional Information:-
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Dec 18, 2020 19:34:18 GMT -5
It had been several weeks since the trio had done their first job together, none had been in quite the right mindset then. June had been empty, spiteful, and pained. Bengal had been ridden with guilt and self-loathing, a desire to slaughter and train and punish himself. Eve had been a greenhorn with no guidance and only the power Bengal had granted her out of thin air. The combination had been less than effective, but it had at least been a start.
Now things were different. June had calmed and regained her composure and focus, her bond with Bengal had grown even stronger. Bengal had re-focused his goals, set down his loathing, and focused on what he'd intended to from the start: his growth and the growth of those around him. Finally, Eve was no longer the uncertain greenhorn. Though she was certainly still new to it all, she had grown exponentially in this short amount of time.
The ball had helped them all find their places a bit more. Would Eve join them in marriage? He wasn't certain. But she at least understood a bit more, now. The jobs they'd taken on and Dungeon's had also given her clarity into what kind of life he and June led on a daily basis. Today, he had finally settled enough to feel safe returning to the front line. He now knew how strong these so-called Daemon were. That they weren't anywhere near as strong as he had feared they would be.
He could handle them all on his own if it came to it. But he didn't want to. No, he wanted June and Eve to grow stronger as well. Both had made great strides and he wanted to help them make that much more progress as well. June had begun reaching even greater heights with her magic, gaining great power and mana well beyond anything most were capable of. The defensive and utility prowess of her magic was baffling in comparison to his own raw power. Teaching her how to utilize physical reinforcement wasn't a terrible idea at all.
Eve had begun to dabble in her own spells as well, but the progress was slower. It was to be expected. Her magical power had jumped so quickly to acclimate to multiple life and death situations that her grimoire hadn't caught up just yet. He had a feeling that the spells would rapidly begin forming along her pages quickly once it had re-balanced with her new fountain of mana that she had in comparison to before. She had effectively gone from an average commoner to being equal in raw magical energy to an introductory knight. It wasn't something to sniff at as growth within a few weeks, it took most years.
It reminded him quite a bit of himself. Eve didn't have some powerful grimoire. Her genetics weren't anything special magically. Not a drop of so-called "noble" blood, yet her potential was beyond anything he'd seen in most of the nobles. Especially after visiting the ball.
Today, Bengal stood at the center point of his Clan's home. At the edge of the Forsaken Region. The exotic trees towered over him, the thin blanket of snow covering the last of the cherry blossoms that had bloomed in the month before the harshness of winter set in. Grey feline eyes glanced over the various Ryuutei going about their daily life, but there was a slow change. It wasn't just Ryuutei here now. Other commoners intermingled from various other towns and villages nearby.
A few had even moved to these lands seeking out his clan for protection against the wilds instead of putting up jobs within Clover. His home was slowly evolving, becoming the diverse land he had desired it to be. He wished to open the minds of both his own clan, and the people of Clover. Understanding did not have to mean acceptance, simply the lack of ignorance. Both sides needed only to understand the other to intermingle and work together for the benefit of all. That had been his goal since childhood, and the first steps had finally begun.
His clan brought back to the power that they had been unlawfully stripped of in Hino. A country, a land they could once again call home. Wanderers and caravans no longer. Here, he had invited Eve and her father to live and earn their keep. Here, June stayed with him more often then not now. Here, Emily occasionally came by to pay her respects and enjoy dinner... slowly returning to her old self, if slowly. Though she had yet to interact with June and Eve too much.
But today, he had asked the girls to meet him at the center of town not to enjoy the view, but so they had a common location and could travel toward the point of their new job. He hadn't told them the details just yet, only that it involved more Daemon hunting, and was the next step in the job they'd started when the trio had just met.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Dec 24, 2020 2:49:38 GMT -5
Eve couldn’t help but be in absolute awe of Satori’s home. Just outside of the Forsaken Region, much like her hometown of Zendikar, but completely different in climate and atmosphere. She had arrived the day prior, visiting her father who was staying here with Satori’s people, and finding out more information that he had gathered about the clan and what it meant to be a part of them. Apparently he had taken part in their naming ceremony a few days ago, having made the decision to join the clan properly, and didn’t just succeed, but absolutely blew away the opponent that he was up against. She had always known he was strong, naturally, but it was easy to forget how strong he could be when he had been stuck in grief for so long.
The fact that her father was now Gideon Ryuutei was something that was going to take some getting used to, that, and after his amazing display of raw power, there were even more admirers that were trying to create a proper Ryuutei family with him now, something that he was taking slowly and trying to get a sense of balance with. The fact that he was considering it at all was a massive step, and all this growth from him inspired her to be better and grow stronger as well. What really made her head spin, however, was the fact that it was Eve’s growth that inspired him to be able to move on in the first place. Meeting Satori and getting out of Zendikar was probably the biggest life-changing moment for Eve and her father that she could ever think of outside of the actual loss of Lilliana.
And then there was this little nugget of a surprise that she discovered while she was eating breakfast at her father’s hand-made home, a massive upgrade from the previous shack, had actual walls and rooms, nothing really out of place. Gideon had been busy, and it was amazing to see how prosperous he had become, but the real shocker had been when she was reading through her Grimoire while eating breakfast; she had nearly spit perfectly good food onto the floor when she read through her available spells. She had heard that many times, life or death scenarios forced the Grimoire to respond by creating spells, but these were something completely different. They were powerful in their own right, and the fact that she was able to use them meant that she too had grown that much stronger.
She had so much to share with Satori and June, who she was meeting for a new mission, she hoped there was time to get through it all.
She had left out a bit earlier than the time necessary to get to the mission purely because she was hoping to create the time necessary to catch them both up. Satori, most likely, already knew about her father’s ascension into the ranks of the Ryuutei, and also likely about his apprehension for taking on any of the many possible wives that were interested in him. Eve wondered if that was because of Lillianna’s memory, or because he felt awkward with the idea of having more than one wife to begin with. Hell, it was even possible he was merely not sure about giving Eve several new mothers at the same time… and how that would change their dynamic. Despite being his daughter, Eve had not taken on the name of Ryuutei yet, and likely wouldn’t unless it was by her own power through the naming ceremony. And that would only happen if she decided she wanted to join Satori, June and Emily, who she had not met yet, in that family.
There were so many possibilities it made her head spin, but for the moment, she was going to focus on bringing her teammates up to speed on her new capabilities so that they could better be equipped to handle whatever this mission was all about. It was fair to say that it was likely another one of Satori’s infamous ‘I sit back and let you fight to get stronger’ type scenarios, but that wasn’t always the case. Finding out more information about exactly what they were doing would be very important as well. Seeing Satori in the distance, waiting for her, she casually raised a hand in greeting even before he turned to recognize her approach; she had long gotten used to his ability to sense her no matter how stealthy she had become, so she had stopped trying.
As she got near, dressed regularly in her orange shirt, form fitting pants and a small backpack of basic supplies, she came up and stood next to him, instantly pulling her Grimoire, which was tucked into her shirt, out and flipping open the pages. Her grimoire was not like the others; it was not rigid, and instead very flexible and thin, but still contained a great many pages inside. It was the absolute definition of ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. “Good morning, Satori. I have some news. I have several new spells in my Grimoire, and I’d like you to look them over. I am fairly certain I know how to use them properly, but just in case you might have some ideas I haven’t thought of I thought you should take a look.” She sounded excited, and she hadn’t even gotten to the part about her father yet; she wanted to wait for June for that bit.
Post by June Silva on Dec 24, 2020 19:48:49 GMT -5
June lay in the bottom of a tub of now lukewarm water, eyes open and staring through the liquid above her. She held her breath while she lay there, her chest beginning to burn from the need to inhale. Was this how her mother had felt? Pressure built up in her skull and the small woman's body fought to suck in air. The ever stubborn noblewoman remained under the surface until she began to gasp on reflex, sitting up sharply.
The Silva coughed and gagged, nose and throat burning from the water that had rushed in. Wet hair stuck to her face, neck, and shoulders. June reached up and pushed the hair from her face with an equally wet hand. The hair slid across her skin, sticking to itself as it piled atop her head.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Miss June?"
"I'm fine, Autumn. Just having a soak before I meet up with Bengal and Eve for a mission."
The maid entered the bathroom, giving June a once over. "You'll be late if you don't get out soon. In fact, you're already wrinkled!"
With a quiet chuckle, the noblewoman stood and allowed her maid to wrap her in a towel before herding her to the bedroom. June sat patiently while Autumn brushed out her hair and braided it, scolding her all the while.
"I know you like to bathe, but you really should be more considerate, Miss! If you'd started your bath earlier, there would have been time to air dry your hair before styling it." Autumn's grip on June's blue and silver locks tightened as she arranged the braids into a high bun before securing them with several pins.
"You barely have time to dress properly."
"For a mission I can dress in plain clothes," June reminded her maid.
"That doesn't preclude your underthings! I know you may be growing accustomed to other traditions but a Silva lady does not cavort around town with no skivvies!"
"That was only one time Autumn."
Despite her half hearted protests, June was quickly bullied into a chemise, drawers, and corset followed by a few layers of petticoats. By the time the Silva escaped Autumn's clutches, she had been shoved into a dark pink dress with black trim that matched her boots.
"This isn't a social outing, Autumn!"
Her protests were to no avail as the maid unceremoniously shoved June out the door with her grimoire, sword, and a waistcoat buttoned up over her dress.
"I swear she puts on an extra layer for every day I'm gone," the short noble woman grumbled before summoning River Step. The transport spell took on the form of a stream of water that surrounded June's boots and whisked her away as she strapped on her grimoire and sword. After using her magic to pull the excess water from her hair, the short woman tugged it free of the large braids it had been done up in before pulling it back into a simpler bun.
By the time she reached the center of the Ryuutei's territory, June felt more prepared for the mission and less like a doll. Holding up her skirts, the Silva allowed the transport spell beneath her feet to fade away before walking towards Eve and Bengal. Catching sight of Bengal's smirk --her fiancé knew how Autumn could get, she sent him a sharp look.
"Not a word on my appearance," June told him.
Then, her attention turned to Eve. "Good day, Eve," she greeted the woman simply, lowering her skirts an inch but not enough to let them drag on the ground.
By now, Eve would be able to tell when June had dressed herself and when she'd been dressed by her maid. Autumn always put her mistress in as many layers as the Silva would tolerate and insisted that the short noblewoman dress more ladylike. When she could get away with it, June favored simpler and more practical outfits. On days when Autumn could be reasoned with, June managed to avoid being wrapped in quite as many petticoats.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Dec 25, 2020 0:27:32 GMT -5
Bengal grinned as he felt two familiar ki approach, but unsurprisingly Eve was first to arrive. Considering she was now living here amongst his clan it was to be expected. June often stayed here for a few days but as they had yet to be officially wed, she had yet to properly move here. A part of him was waiting.
Waiting to ask her for a proper marriage until he had founded his clan's new home. Until he was what the Clover Kingdom considered 'Lesser Royalty'. Steps above high nobles, but still 'beneath' their own royal line. Though if he had enough powerful mages even then they couldn't say they were lacking. At that point he would hold more power than the Silva family. More power than any of the high noble families of Clover. His eyes narrowed slightly as a slow breath passed between his lips.
June also had expressed interest in 'proving her worth'. That she could become a proper member of the Clan, and as such have earned the right to be wed to him instead of just him putting his foot down and laying claim to her. Closing his eyes, he pushed such thoughts away. They were for later ponderation.
"Eve," he greeted instead as she approached, turning and lifting a hand in greeting to match her own as she excitedly dashed up to him. Pulling her grimoire free from her clothing to show it to him quickly. It was entirely different from his own, held within a leather holster on his left hip bound in place. Heavy and plated with bone, coated in the leather made from his first human kill. Beautiful yet ghastly to many, expertly crafted around the standard Clover Grimoire. Bengal's eyes closed as he offered a slight smile toward the young woman.
"New spells hm? I told you the runs would bear fruit," He mused, reaching out to carefully take the grimoire she was offering. The books were part of you, handling them had to always be done with care. Bengal's gaze trailed over the spell pages quietly,
"Oh, you've developed physical reinforcement magic already?" He mused, looking over the spells specifically. They were familiar. Not too far from his own he'd made when he'd first begun awakening spells of his own. Chuckling softly, he would close the book carefully.
"The transformation spells are quite useful for stealth and subterfuge, though be careful. Decent sensors will see through you as you are now, and any user of ki will see through you if you get close. Still, for the average job that's a potent ability you've obtained." Reaching up and rubbing his chin he contemplated the other spells.
"The rest is fairly straightforward. Raw physical enhancement is always easy, to begin with. If the spells evolve as time passes you'll need to be a bit more strategic with them, but for now..." He chuckled, shrugging. "Enhance yourself and blitz them, then hit them fucking hard." He grinned. "Just like what I've been training you to do. Those illusions are potent though. For a bit of mana you'll be able to completely stun and confuse most normal mana beasts due to the clones." At this point, June would enter the conversation and a wide grin split Bengal's lips seeing his woman dressed in such frills and eloquence.
But, she was making it clear she didn't wish to hear his words. A laugh rumbled through his chest as he instead leaned down and kissed her, biting her bottom lip playfully as he pulled away. "How could I say anything about my beautiful fiance?" he inquired instead, smirking before he straightened.
"Eve's managed to awaken her proper spells. She's got a few proper sensory spells. We finally have someone that doesn't need to rely on my own or your ki in the group." he chuckled softly, "Which is good. Proper sensory magic is superior to ki in most ways." Ki was a useful, potent tool. But it was also a handicap in comparison to real detection and sensory magic. He nodded toward Eve, offering her back her grimoire. Clearly silently stating Eve should share the spells with June as well but not doing it himself.
Spells and the grimoire were incredibly important to the individual, and part of them. It was intimate knowledge. It was the same reason he glanced to June, a silent question on if she wished to tell about the new spells she herself had learned as well since their last little job.
"I've managed to learn a bit more as well," Bengal mused, glancing down to the grimoire at his hip. "I've found I have a bit of talent for Golem magic," as he explained this he patted the book idly with a low rumble of amusement.
Eve waited patiently, noting the care he used when handling her Grimoire, and awaiting his reaction to reading the spells that it contained. As he started the analysis, the dark-skinned woman listened carefully, nodding occasionally; most of it she had already pretty much figured out for herself, although the bit about using the illusions to trick the enemy was an interesting idea. She had originally thought its usefulness would be limited to gathering information without actually putting herself in harm’s way, but now that he said that bit, she could think of several scenarios where she could use them as a diversion, allowing her to make the critical strike needed to eliminate the enemy. Lost in her thoughts, she shook her head as Eve saw that June was arriving, carefully eyeing her Grimoire for a moment, but not reaching for it quite yet, as he let them greet one another.
Eve flashed June a bright smile as she was greeted. “Good morning,” she said simply, not making any comment on the smaller woman’s apparel. She looked like she was ready to go to a ball rather than on a mission, but that was just because Eve’s own standards for such an affair were more linear and function over form. She still looked nice, and the golden-eyed woman waited patiently as they did their little greeting kiss and everything else, only stepping forwards when she noted that Satori was telling her about the spells that she had managed to unlock. Accepting her Grimoire back, and hearing the subtle hints towards sharing what she had learned thus far with June and acting on it quickly, opening the page once more and turning it around, offering it to the shorter woman for her to look over.
Hearing the praise given to her in regards to the usage of actual sensory magic, she nodded and crossed her arms under her chest, assuming that June took the Grimoire to look over. She still wanted to develop something that would allow her to sneak past someone with Ki Sensory though, and finally sneak up on Satori one of these days… her desire to be able to do so would hopefully transpire into the Grimoire, but perhaps she simply wasn’t powerful enough yet. But that was why she had been blitzing through the dungeons and getting more experience at every opportunity; she wanted to prove herself to be useful to Satori, and that required her to be stronger.
Hearing that Satori had begun to use Golem magic made the dark-skinned woman sigh a little bit; chances were that the golems were stronger than she was, and that stung a bit. It was just an example of just how powerful Satori was, but it made her goal seem that much more out of reach. Suddenly her thoughts shifted to the ball, and thinking about what she wanted. He had told her to pursue it as hard as she could, as strongly as possible… she wanted to be strong enough to be useful.
But then the other thoughts from the ball began to filter through, and she could feel a little bit of heat in her cheeks as she thought about the time June had taken to familiarize her with the various foods, and the possessive nature that she had towards Eve in that evening. Was it just the alcohol talking? It could easily have been, but part of her wondered if that was just the woman’s inhibitions coming down and how she truly felt without a filter or not. She knew that Satori said that he was interested in her too, but he had been treating her more like a student than a potential mate, and with all the other flux in the mix, she wasn’t sure how she fit into that puzzle that was the Clan Leader’s family. If at all.
Hearing that June was ready to get things started was a welcome awakening from those thoughts, and it wasn’t long before Eve was shaking her head a little bit, dispelling the heat in her face and the weird train of thought all at once, moving on to what the task at hand was for the day. She wouldn’t deny that she loved to fly, but part of her wanted to ride on June’s air-water-boat-thing again. She really needed to learn the proper name for that spell instead of improvising all the time. Quickly Eve checked over her gear one more time, ensuring that she had everything, it was all properly secured, and she was ready to go before turning towards them both and nodding. “Good to go here. What’s the task today?” she asked, wanting to hear more details if possible.
If there was one thing that she had learned the value of above all else, it was information. She wanted to be prepared for what they might face, and maybe even devise some strategies while they were en route to the target area. Well prepared ensured an increased chance of survival for all of them, after all.
Her fiancé's obvious amusement caused June's eyes to narrow a bit.
"Spare me your feigned innocence, Ben."
Even if he didn't say it aloud, the mirthful look on his face spoke for him.
Then, the short noblewoman noticed the grimoire in Bengal's hands when he mentioned Eve's progress. Her brows rose delicately. The tome in her love's hands was obviously not his own judging by the lack of bone.
"That is impressive…" the silvery-blue haired woman mused.
It was unusual for someone to develop spells so quickly as well as taking on a secondary magic specialization. Had Bengal sensed that Eve was capable of growth somehow? Or was her rapid growth due to exposure to so many high level missions with the man? People tended to grow exponentially when exposed to her love's influence. June had experienced a similarly rapid change once she started following Bengal through dungeons and on missions.
Only a handful of other up and coming individuals could lay claim to such an increase in power and most of them were associated with Bengal.
The hint from Bengal didn't go unnoticed, though June was a bit unsure why he wanted her to talk about her own growth. It was less impressive than what Eve had managed. After giving her betrothed a short look of confusion, she turned to the commoner.
"It's a continuation of our first mission together, though we'll be going to Hage this time. There are more daemons that need purged. We can talk on the way."
June set a hand on her grimoire, an intricately decorated tome that was silver and blue, held in place by leather straps. The book glowed with a soft silvery light while water formed around her and Eve's feet as River Step materialized.
"You should tell me about your new spells. Sensory magic will be particularly useful against enemies that aren't very intelligent. You could easily drive weaker mana beasts to run into my shields to kill several at a time with illusions. Depending on your new spells we can develop a strategy to take down the lower level enemies more efficiently than those beasts we encountered last time."
By the time she finished her sentence, both women floated atop the river the Magic Knight had conjured. June's magic made River Step dense enough that they could stand on its surface with ease.
Once Bengal sprouted his lighting wings, they took off after him. Unlike their first mission, the Silva didn't ignore Eve during the journey to their destination. She sent the taller woman an expectant look, waiting to hear more about the commoner's new spells. If June's opinion of Eve had been impacted by their interactions at the Yule Ball, it was barely perceptible. The most obvious difference was the lack of frosty politeness or barely concealed distaste that had been present before. Then again, that could have been because the short woman wasn't as devastated from the fresh loss of her family.
Unfortunately for Eve, June wasn't the most forthcoming about her feelings when she felt any sort of uncertainty. Bengal had the benefit of being so forward that the noblewoman hadn't been able to disguise her thoughts. The sensory mage standing on her spell didn't seem to be the type to take the lead, leaving June plenty of space to dither and be unclear about her intentions while she figured things out.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Jan 2, 2021 16:30:15 GMT -5
Bengal rumbled in deep amusement at June's snipping when he had chuckled at her, leaning down as her water began to swirl around her feet.
"You are beautiful though, Flower," he murmured simply, pressing his forehead gently against her own in a soft nuzzle before straightening and allowing them to discuss the magic. June was, understandably impressed. He'd known that Eve had talent, he could sense it in people. Like a sixth sense for those with the potential to be something greater. He knew how they moved, the personality types that were useful, traits that benefited growth. The real question was if Eve realized how explosive her progress was.
Bengal glanced down to her, offering a slight smile. "Eve, you've made progress that puts most nobles to shame. I've seen knights train for years to make the progress you've made in two weeks. Well done." The words were firm, and sincere as he patted the woman on the shoulder. It seemed June wanted to properly converse with her now, that was positive progress as well. White fur spread across his shoulders before two large wings burst from his back once more. Nodding in agreement with his fiance's words.
Beating his wings once to send himself into the air, he stuck to the same speed that June was capable of casually while his gaze remained facing forward. Leading the way toward the Hage while keeping in communication distance.
"I'd like to hear about the ideas as well," he explained simply with a grin toward the pair. "At her current growth rate she'll be able to help me in combat as well. If all three of us can reach a level that we all match well, handling a Grand Dungeon after this wouldn't be out of question at all." His gaze shifted forward, beating his wings once more to send him propelling across the treetops alongisde his love and their new addition.
Eve was finally sprouting her own wings, and he was immensely pleased by that. "June, don't discredit your own progress either," he added simply. "You've become stronger than Riley ever was. You're coming close to the level of Yuurei, and you've continued to grow." It was true, her growth wasn't as explosive as Eve's. But June had already had that explosion of growth. It was natural that as one grew stronger, it became more difficult for them to reach new heights. He'd noticed that confused look his fiance had given him at his mention of her own progress.
He didn't want her to sell herself short. Not when he'd seen her training with his own eyes after the death of everyone that they'd care for so deeply. Not after their promise for both of them to keep growing stronger. He wouldn't let her discredit the hard work she'd been putting in on their missions and training.
"Both of you are incredible." His final thoughts on the matter given, he focused on the travel while Eve talked about her spells, and hopefully so too would June.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Jan 3, 2021 12:06:56 GMT -5
Hearing that June was impressed with Eve’s progress was enough for her breathing to catch, something that was almost impossible to notice unless you were paying close attention before she resumed her normal breathing as it was before that little incident. She didn’t notice that the dark-skinned woman was blushing slightly, something that could be easily missed with her darker complexion, but then Satori commented on it as well, and it became more pronounced as she shifted from foot to foot. She wasn’t used to being praised, and having that happen to her at all was something that was going to take some getting used to. “I’m going to do my absolute best to prove that you weren’t wasting your time working with me… the both of you.” It was the best thing she could think of in the situation at the moment, and her tone held some of her awkward embarrassment before she could shift the subject.
Before they started on the mission properly though, she wanted to take a moment and address the other bit of new information that would probably be news more to June than to Satori, but she wanted to hear their opinions on. “So… Gideon Blackblade Ryuutei… my father. He’s officially joined the clan, and he absolutely dominated the Naming Ceremony. Apparently he’s got quite a few people in the clan interested in him as well. He’s pretty overwhelmed but…” she paused, half-smiling, but there was a bit of heaviness in her voice too. “The fact that he has finally been able to move past his grief, even a little bit, is more than I could ever ask for. You two are the reason that all happened. From the bottom of my heart… thank you.”
Eve outright denied the fact that her eyes were trying to shed a few tears, willing them to stay in the bottoms of her eyes and even forcing herself not to blink so they wouldn’t fall. Gideon was extremely important to Eve, and no matter how she felt about the decision he had made to save Eve over her mother, Lillianna, she had always loved him and wanted him to be happy. The steps he was taking weren’t small ones, and she finally had seen him smiling recently, and that was something that she would never forget, or ever be able to repay them for. A quick wipe of her eyes on her sleeve, the dark-skinned woman took a deep breath, focused herself, and listened to what was being said in regards to the mission itself.
A continuation of the Daemon hunt. Hopefully this time Satori wouldn’t need to reshape the entire forest to defeat his enemy, and she could feel that they were much better as a group now as far as working together. The River Step materialized below them, and she was now back to her normal self, her surface emotions carefully stowed for the time being. Work was neither the time nor the place to be emotional like that; it could be a distraction, and as the weakest member of the trio, that could spell instant death if she let herself lose focus on the task at hand.
“Two of them are physical enhancement spells, just strength, speed and such. Another one lets me look like someone else completely… useful if I need to not be recognized… probably won’t be used in this mission. The other two though, one of them lets me map out an area, right down to a visual representation of where the enemies are and the terrain, even how strong the enemies are kinda… and then the other lets me make static-clones of myself to gather information or serve as no-risk bait and distractions.” It wasn’t the most in-depth analysis of her new spells, but it would certainly suffice for the moment and allow them to collaborate and come up with ideas for how to best put them to use.
“So once we get close, but they don’t see us yet, I can use my Cityscape spell to mark where the enemies are so we can take them out the most efficiently… I know Ki is good and all, but this will make it to where I can see them too.” The biggest boon to her technique was that people without sensory would be able to see a visual and plan accordingly. Eve still wanted to learn how to detect Ki, but for the moment, this would suffice. The additional praise from Satori didn’t have as large of an effect on her this time; she was in the ‘work’ mindset, and all emotions were being carefully categorized and stowed unless they were needed. She waited for feedback from the pair on the plan, which was essentially to gather information and then form a strategy based on that information.
Bengal's encouragement was accepted quietly. It was good to know he was pleased with her progress as well, though it hadn't been very impressive compared to Eve's. Still, once the three of them were somewhat evenly matched in power, they could form a rather formidable group.
Eve's words were unexpected, earning her a brief surprised stare from June. Aside from acknowledging the tall, dark-skinned woman (when she felt like it), the noblewoman had done little for her. Her mouth opened, words to deny the thanks and shift it to Bengal ready on the tip of her tongue, but nothing came out.
She had, under the influence of several glasses of whine, given the purple-haired commoner her word. Drunk or no, the word of a Silva was worth gold. Regardless of her personal feelings towards the family that had raised her within a gilded cage, June wasn't going to sully their reputation or her own by going back on her promises.
The news of Eve's father successfully completing the Ryuutei's Coming of Age and Naming ceremonies was easier to respond to.
"I shall have to congratulate your father when I see him next," the short noblewoman mused aloud. "Though you can't properly thank us for that. He overcame those trials by his own strength. Perhaps you could thank Bengal for extending the opportunity, but I had little to do with that."
June wouldn't fully reject Eve's thanks on Bengal's behalf --it wasn't her place to do so-- but she could certainly explain that Gideon's accomplishments had nothing to do with her. No self respecting Silva or Ryuutei would accept credit for someone else's achievements.
Fortunately, the commoner focused on the upcoming mission after that. The Silver Eagle nodded in response to the update on Eve's new spells.
"Your plan has merit," June said evenly, "an ambush allows us the advantage. Your Cityscape spell will also be useful to myself. Bengal is the only one of us whom can effectively use Ki. Once we approach, your static clones should be useful, particularly for crowd control."
A short pause settled between them while the Silva thought about how best to integrate their newfound abilities.
"They would make good decoys for the weaker enemies. My newer defense creation spells can deal more damage than the ones I used on our last outing. Provided these mana beasts are at the same level as those mongrels, anything low level creature unfortunate enough to attack my new defenses will die. It should not take long to defeat the weaker enemies this time around. If necessary I can summon a golem to assist us in that task."
June spoke of her achievements as though they were a given, new tools that she had acquired over time. Nothing more and nothing less. The noblewoman didn't lack confidence in her new abilities so much as she wasn't satisfied with them --no, she wanted to climb to greater heights. These latest spells that accompanied her increase in power were simply a stepping stone. There was still so much more to be done. If June had been ambitious before the Shattering, the petite woman was bordering power-hungry now.
The trip to Hage wasn't terribly long even with the limited speed of her transport spell. She would have to work on a new transport spell in order to cut down on time wasted on travelling. As they neared their destination, June got a strange feeling. Something was wrong. It wasn't enough to pinpoint the cause or any details, just a sense of wrongness.
"Something isn't right. Are we close enough to map out the area?"
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Jan 4, 2021 20:41:16 GMT -5
Bengal grunted as he listened to the strategies. June's hunger for power caused his lip to twitch upward. Not good enough, hm? Well, that was to be expected with her focus on such things really, especially after the Shattering and return to Clover her ambition had skyrocketed along with his own. They both wanted power to protect what mattered to them, as they had little left. As they shot through the air, Bengal's brow slowly furrowed however.
The air here felt... wrong. The ki was twisted, swirling, wrong. As if it had been tormented. Corrupted. He beat his wings once, halting as June did as she commented that something felt wrong. Her own ki was greatly undeveloped by comparison. But it was proof she had begun to sense things, at least on a bare minimum level of connection to the world around her. Closing his eyes and releasing a slow breath he reached out to the edge of his ki but... they were too far away. Grunting in annoyance he shook his head once.
"Beyond my range. Probably beyond Eve's as well, but her's will be far better for this situation. The ki here is wrong. Twisted. Corrupted. My instincts say we shouldn't land." His gaze slid down toward Hage, the town was deserted. Abandoned. Doors hanging off hinged, some slammed shut, windows broken. But not a single enemy in sight. His eyes narrowed slightly in concern as his mana slowly swirled around him. Shifting his gaze toward Eve his wings beat twice as he came closer to the pair so they could talk more quietly.
"Try to lower us within about... thirty meters from the ground, June. I'll keep my ki open so we aren't ambushed. Eve, can you try to map out the area once we reach that point?" Glancing toward the dark-skinned woman he began to lower his own altitude, going slowly. Keeping a sense out for the nearby ki, he didn't want to risk them getting ambushed. Yet he still didn't sense anything even as they grew near. His eyes narrowed slightly, where the hell was everyone?
Then he felt it. A distant blip of energy, twisted, gnarled. His eyes narrowed as he glanced back toward the girls.
"June, can you enhance the three of us?" he inquired simply, his own grimoires pages rapidly spinning as several spells were cast at once, this time once again infusing the energy into himself and the two ladies. White fur sprouting across his own body entirely, as well as silver tinged with blue along June, and black tinged with purple for Eve. The wings bursting out, as the electricity crackled across their bodies. Amplifying their speed and reactions that much higher while Bengal himself shifted his gaze toward the ki he'd sensed.
"I found one," he informed them simply, "It's a single humanoid. I'll rely on you for specifics as we get closer, Eve," he glanced toward the woman before he began to move forward slowly. Giving June time to properly enhance them both as well.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Jan 6, 2021 15:58:05 GMT -5
Eve nodded to the knowledge that June hadn’t been directly involved with the invitation, but that was only because of her current way of thinking. She shook her head. “If you hadn’t been with Satori, I would have fled immediately upon seeing him. You were the only reason that the conversation itself happened in the first place, even if you were unaware of your influence on the situation.” She gave the young blunette a smirk, but the truth in her words was not something that could be contested either, but that topic was finished now, and they were transitioning to the mission.
Eve smiled as they not only accepted the idea she had for a plan but built upon it and used her spells as a foundation for the strategy they were going to make. She was certain that she wasn’t holding them back anymore, which was an amazing feeling in itself, and she had a newfound focus on living up to the expectations she had imposed on herself. An ambush always worked better when dealing with superior numbers, even so much so that she was certain that her own skills, the ability to get in, annihilate an enemy, and get out before she was noticed, would be more potent this time as well.
But that was when she noticed that they were sensing something with their Ki, an ability she still wished that she had, but would likely not be something she could obtain anytime soon. If she was being completely honest with herself, part of why she wanted to learn it was because she wanted to learn how to circumvent it and hide even from Satori. Maybe then the dream she had of sneaking up on the big man would finally come to fruition. Hearing that they shouldn’t land made Eve nod, her eyes losing their warmth and becoming golden steel instead as she shifted into a work-mindset, and nodded again at Satori’s instructions as they got a bit lower and prepared to scope out what was going on below. The fact that the town was razed, by the looks of it, was indicative that there weren’t any survivors, but if for some reason there were, and they could be rescued, she would be able to find them.
Both Satori and June would feel the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end for a moment as she activated her spell, and a golden three-dimensional image began to take shape, showing the lay of the land and the things in it. Hovering in the center above it all was three blips, one large red one for Satori, a smaller blue one for June, and the smallest gold one for Eve. Below them, a dark blip presented itself, showing its exact location and anything else that her spell could reach. The only reason that Satori and June had sensed her making the spell was that Eve had wanted them to as an indication that she was using her spell; the thing below them would have no idea. Also, it’s energy blip size would indicate how strong it was, even as their own grew a bit as the enhancements they both used took hold on the trio.
The fact that she was able to get a judgment of their power level from this spell was strong, but the fact that it was so basic meant that they could have various means of concealing their power and she wouldn’t be able to tell using the spell. She would need to work on it and improve it to give the spell any sort of true-sight. Now that she had the spell ready though, and the enemies below were exposed, she waited for Satori and June to make the plan. Eve was simply the one who was providing the information.
June frowned, but didn't reply to Eve's words. Bengal might have been an imposing figure, especially to a stranger, but her presence didn't change that. Assuming one might be safer around a strange man simply because a woman accompanied him was erroneous in her view.
Those thoughts were pushed to the side as they approached Hage. Bengal's inability to clearly sense their enemies highlighted one of Ki's biggest weaknesses --its range. Still, he'd been able to detect one presence.
The noblewoman twitched at the crackling of static that came with Eve's spell mapping out their surroundings. Based on the location of the red, blue, and gold dots, they represented the trio hovering mid-air. The dark mark below them could have been whatever it was Bengal sensed.
June's sensory skills were limited, even more than Eve's. Fortunately, the visual representation allowed her to pinpoint a few smaller marks on the "map". There were several scattered across the spell, tiny pinpricks. Some were clustered around the larger, dark mark on the map. Others were spread across the rest of the area, moving in patterns that resembled patrols. Mixed in with these dark grey smudges were other colorful dots.
"I can't distinguish between Hage's citizens and the enemy, though judging by their positions it's likely that the smaller dark grey marks are the underlings of that larger dark mark."
The Silver Eagle gestured towards the ring of smaller grey dots around the larger mark before gesturing towards the matching pinpricks making their rounds in other parts of the map.
"We could easily eliminate the pairs of dark grey dots, assuming those are patrols. Based on the size of the markings, they're weak. Still, we'll have to hold back in case there are any civilians in the area. This map is an excellent tool for planning a series of ambushes. We need to get closer to confirm what each marking on this map represents."
June paused for a moment.
"We won't even need to touch down if we use a golem to target them. We can guide it from above as we clear out the weaker enemies while Bengal fights the stronger one. The only worry with that plan is collateral damage. If the large one can't be drawn away from the village and civilians in the area, I may need to stay near Bengal to use my defense creation spells to limit damage to the surrounding area."
Time spent with Bengal had sharpened June's tactical and strategic skills, allowing her to assess information and think of different approaches that could be successful. Although her husband-to-be typically did the planning, June had learned to anticipate what strategies he might employ.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Jan 6, 2021 17:20:51 GMT -5
Satori listened quietly to the information, and as the map extended further to map out the buildings and patroling dots his eyes narrowed slightly on the information.
"This makes things so much easier," he mused to himself quietly, before his hand lifted as suddenly the armlet around his shoulder pulsed once with mana. The air around them crackling, before a deep crimson mist began to slowly flow from it. Compressing and swirling before taking the form of a tall, thin Ryuutei male with pale skin dressed in an elegant crimson haori and pants. A bit gaunt looking, with long wild crimson and black hair as amber eyes glanced between each of them before focusing on Bengal himself.
"If you called me out, you need help for detection? You haven't attuned to me well enough yet, Satori, so my abilities are limited." The man stated this bluntly as he crossed his arms over his chest, hovering in the air next to Bengal while the man grunted and shifted his gaze down toward the crackling map that Eve had created. The floating man now appeared on it as well as a glowing red orb slightly larger than Eve. His eyes slid down toward it as well, and grunted.
"Her sensory is about the same as mine. I'm only at about a tenth of my original power right now." The words caused Bengal to nod, before pointing toward the small patrols. The man's brow slowly lifted upward, and his lips curled up in a slow grin at Bengal's next words.
"I need you to work with Eve and June to protect the civilians while they focus on taking out the patrols. I'll amplify your movement speed. Can you do it, Chi?" The man's head tilted to the side before opening a hand himself. Suddenly the air around him rapidly swirled as cold, dead mana reacted to the wraith's long-passed command. After a few moments, his eyes closed as a wide grin spread across his lips. "Yeah. I can protect the kids. Shouldn't be an issue, though Ko would have been better for a defensive mission like this." Bengal grunted in dry bemusement.
"Ko is too hotheaded for something like this. She's too loud even if her defenses are decent. June is more powerful and far more level headed for this job." Bengal's words caused the wraith to cackle in amusement, before turning toward June and Eve, placing a fist in his open palm and bowing his head.
"I am Chi. One of the three Ancestral Heroes of the Ryuutei. A pleasure to meet you both, leave the citizens to me." As he stated this, the crackling electricity of Bengal's spell suddenly expanded. Enhancing the Golem as that electricity cloaked across his body, before spinning and... simply dissapearing from view. Even on Eve's map, he simply seemed to cease to exist. Yet, within a few moments, small gatherings of the weakest glowing orbs on Eve's map began to slowly be moved one building at a time through the town. Avoiding the grey patrols perfectly. Bengal grunted.
"That's the civilians handled. We still don't want to destroy the town if we can help it, though. Flower?" He glanced toward his love, his meaning obvious. If she can Eve could handle the patrols, he would head toward the primary threat.
"I won't engage," he stated simply, and suddenly for the first time, Bengal's immense mana signature... completely disappeared. His immense control causing the large glowing orb of light on Eve's map to simply disappear into thin air before his gaze shifted back toward the direction the largest orb was resting.
"I'll just try to get an idea of the threat. Once the patrols are handled and civilians are evacuated by Chi, we'll begin. Sound like a plan?" he glanced back, making sure everyone was on the same page before they split up.
Name of the Ability: Blood Ties Type & Uses: Flow ¦ 3 Uses ¦ 2 Recharge Rank & Specialization: Junior ¦ Golem Creation Mana Cost: 8 ¦ 4 Range & Speed: 25m ¦ 10 m/s Stats Affected: N/A Description: This wraith seems to fluctuate between a wraith-like state and who they once were giving them an almost foreboding ethereal appearance as he seems somewhat transparent with a deep blood red aura coming from his body. This wraith was one of the last people who wore this armlet, he appears to be around eighteen years old and stands at 6'4" tall, has black hair with bright red streaks, canine teeth and sickly amber eyes filled with contempt. He wears baggy black leather trousers, an armlet on his right arm, black boots and a loose red kimono top. His death is said to have occurred within the blood rings but it was believed he was poisoned the night before and his own pride wouldn't let him back down from the challenge ahead. Only one of these can ever be summoned at a time and due to their personality they will refuse to act as a mode of transportation.
Spells created for this wraith must use the element 'Blood' and be either use the Sensory or Healing specializations. The mana pool of this wraith is 390 and can not be altered.
Buffed via Armament Perk using speed buff+debuff immunity.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Jan 7, 2021 12:05:14 GMT -5
Eve heard June’s concerns and quickly explained what they were seeing. “These white marks here, here and here,” she started, pointing to a few clusters of white static marks, “are the civilians. The reason that the others are darker is because of the Daemon Taint, so that’s how you can tell them apart.” She couldn’t help but smile widely at the praise she got from the Blunette though, only solidifying her theory that she finally had become an asset that could be useful to the group as a whole. She also nodded enthusiastically as the woman stated that they wouldn’t need to engage directly.
“We can act as support from here. I can dash in and handle anything the becomes a problem with my speed, and it allows us to react to the entire battlefield dynamically.” Eve knew that this was where her Senses were truly going to shine; she was going to be their eyes and ears, and considering that this was her training focus, only falling short of stealth and raw power, she was extremely pleased that she was making steady progress towards that goal. Even Satori commented on the helpfulness of this single, simple spell. Eve made a mental note to train this skill as much as she could until she was able to map out a huge area, allowing them even more versatility, but that was for a later time.
Satori summoning another minion, apparently one who was called Chi and was one of the ancient guardians of the Ryuutei, Eve only blinked and nodded towards the summon in respect. She had long since gotten used to Satori pulling some absolutely insane shenanigans most of the time, so much so that it wasn’t often that she was all that surprised anymore when he did so. The fact that this ancient being considered Eve on par with his own sensory abilities made her blush a little, considering it an honor even at a tenth of the spirit’s power, but shook her head and listened as Satori laid out the plan.
If he was handling the evacuation of the citizens, she could focus on eliminating the guards with June and making the job as easy and simple as possible, and she looked towards Satori. “Wings, please. Just in case.” There was no telling if June and Eve were going to need to separate at times, and the added versatility and mobility they provided was important for what was going to happen next. Eve blinked twice as Satori all but vanished to her senses, narrowing again at his superior skills in that regard out of jealousy before sighing and relaxing. He was going to perform recon while they cleared the danger area.
“Chances are, if the enemy has any sensory, they will notice when we eliminate their patrols. If they start moving on us, just release your mana and I’ll know that we need to get the hell out of dodge.” Now that they had a solid strategy, she looked towards June. “How do you want to handle the patrols?” she asked, looking at the map as well, watching for patterns. They had a lot of options on how to work it, but there was absolutely no denying the fact that June was the stronger of the pair. Sure, she wasn't winning any arm-wrestling contests, but her magic was absolutely devastating. From her description earlier too, that had only grown more potent; she didn't mind playing decoy or hit and run, but they needed to do this as quickly and efficiently as possible to ensure that Satori had all the time in the world to handle the strong enemy.
They could even handle them and then back him up if they were quick enough, something that would make Eve a lot more comfortable with the situation. It wasn't that she didn't trust Satori was strong enough to handle the enemy; she knew that without a shadow of a doubt, but she didn't like the idea of not being able to see it with her own eyes and be able to react. Something in the pit of her stomach warned of an unusual danger of some sort, and she always trusted her instincts.
WC: 714 TWC: 3987
Last Edit: Jan 7, 2021 12:34:04 GMT -5 by Eve Darkkon
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