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.
Now you know the truth all of the strange happenings have been caused by someone who has not been seen in a few years. A madman who once called a frigid cave his home, but was presumed to be dead after several groups of Magic Knights invaded his home, to purify his evil spirit. However, due to the machinations of Mr. Frost, all of the death he caused in Nairn has forced the malignant Krampus to be revived. Bruised, and battered, you must now make your final stand to save Yule from the clutches of the deranged Krampus. Still in the center of Nairn where you defeated Mr. Frost, how will you handle this foe without losing more lives?
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]Details
Maximum Number of Players: Max 4 people [break]Minimum Word Count: 4,000 [break]Location: Nairn [break]Special Requirements: Must have completed Ice to Meet You. As with before, everyone will start with Intermediate damage to their health and mana skin.
[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 here.
Health Limit: Grand [break]Physical Speed: 15 m/s [break]Physical Damage: Senior [break]Magic Element and Types: Snow (Ice Oddity) [break]Combat Style: Krampus is angry that he was defeated before so easily, and his anger has manifested in him being stronger, and more wanton to destruction than before. A blizzard constantly surrounds Krampus within an area of 20 meters. It acts as both a shield, and deterrent, fending off attacks while slicing those who enter it for Senior Ranked damage. If you do not completely destroy the Blizzard Shield it will simply regenerate back to full health (it has Grand health). Within his blizzard, Krampus will hurt snowballs at his enemies, flinging them at an incredibly fast pace (for the purpose of range and speed, the snowballs are Senior rank). Those who are hit by these take Senior damage, and suffer a -2 m/s speed debuff. As the snow melts, it then freezes into ice around their bodies, slowing them down. This debuff lasts until they are cleansed by a healer, or if they take an attack from a mage with heat-based magic (the rank of the attack doesn’t matter). Krampus prefers to fight not up close, and personal with his enemies preferring to stay within his shield, and just batter them with his snowballs. How will you defeat this foe?
[break]Additional Information: Stats: Power - 90, Durability - 120, Sensory - 50, Stamina - 50, Control - 60
The words were hardly out of her mouth when a strange aura started to come from the frozen corpses. Or at least, that was what it appeared. Were they not frozen dead already? Suna blinked and looked closer. "What’s that?" She asked Hans, assuming he was next to her. Her voice with tinged with a hint of fear, and she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She could feel a presence slowly coming...or was it being formed?
Her hand gripped onto the mercenary’s arm. Or if he was not close enough, would grab the hem of her skirt, trying to calm her trembling. It was partly from exhaustion, partly from dismay. There, in front of them, the swirling force began to gather in the center, to form a figure that was said to be dead.
"That’s...that’s..."
The Krampus.
The legendary madman of Nairn.
She felt its chilling presence sweep throughout the entire area, penetrating even into the marrow of her bones. Whatever that frost man had done earlier, it had somehow activated the mana or spirits of those frozen souls, and all their auras were fusing together. Now, it was as if the rumored madman had been summoned back to life...and he did not seem too happy.
"ARGHHH!!" He roared. It shook the entire town, and Suna could even feel the ground tremble beneath her. His gaze roved around him, until they landed on the two mages. Instinctively, she ducked and attempted to pull the mercenary back behind a house. Like that would help. But at least it gave her a moment's peace of mind, until they could figure out what to do.
The Krampus was enormous, and as she peeked around the corner, she saw his eyes turn a shade darker. The snow had started to pick up around him, and like before, the temperature seemed to plummet. "GRRR!" He did not seem capable of speech, besides roars and unintelligible grumblings. However, he was able to form a blizzard almost instantly, whipping snow around him like a shield.
He roared again, and Suna heard a loud thud! and a shattering of glass. She winced. From the sound of it, it seemed to be a snowball. A large one at that, too. If they did not move fast, this deranged creature could easily destroy the entire town in just a few minutes. Such destructive power must be stopped.
The elf took a deep breath. This must be the final enemy they had to fight. She dearly hoped it was, as she was quickly nearing her limit. There was only so much she could handle in a day, after all. The blue-eyed femme faced the dark mage and forced on a small smile. "Let’s get this over with..." Her blue aura shimmered weakly around her, but they formed into two of her Coda swords that hovered by her side. Now to see if they could somehow break through this raging blizzard and get to the madman within...
She peeked around the house that was temporarily serving as a barrier between them and the angry snow monster. With a flick of her hand, she launched one of her magical swords at the enemy. She watched as it sailed through the air, aiming straight for the snow mage...before getting shredded in that raging blizzard. Whatever damage it may have done seemed to have been negated, and she had to duck back as a torrent of snowballs came flying towards their direction.
It seemed like this was not going to be a quick fight.
NOTES & STUFF
Battle: Automatic INT damage to mana skin and health due to mission reqs (-2 on both). Launched out one of her SR Coda swords at the shield, but it got shredded and the shield has regenerated back to full health.
- Cast Coda, -30 mana - Quick Charger & IC Regen, +30 mana
Elemental Type: Pure Aura Rank & Spell Type: Senior | Attack Creation Range & Speed: 80m | 40m/s Mana Cost: 30 | 15 Stats Effected: +6 Power Applicable Perks: Apex Predator, Vampiric Magic Description: Suna shapes her aura into a double-edged sword that is 52" / 132cm total in length, its semi-translucent blade 2" / 5cm in width and 42" / 106cm in length. Its cross guard boasts of gorgeous curved designs before shaping into a narrow, rounded grip. This weapon is able to deal senior damage to its opponents, and its wielder will draw a +6 Power buff from the connection. The sword will dissolve when broken by a higher-tiered spell or weapon. Suna may choose to control it by hand (melee) or with her mana tether (long range). As long as it is kept within her range, an ally may wield it if wished. Another sword may be formed for every 30 Control Suna has, as per ammo rules.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
"I..."
Hans wished he could've had an answer to Suna's question...but even he couldn't predict how long this would last. The couple was pretty bruised up and winded from the previous fights, having little to no time for rest. This was going to be no different for them, unfortunately. Hans watched closely as the frozen corpses had their remaining mana, what little was left of their life force be drained out of them. They all started to merge together, and the different auras all started to feel the same...sinister. Was this that Frost being's parting gift...or was this the true culprit finally revealing themselves?
Suna asked another question, and just like the first, Hans had no real answer. The dark mage instinctively placed a hand over top of Suna's as he felt her grip, but did not take his eyes off of this unholy event. Even though he had no answers, Hans knew one thing for sure...That this was going to lead into another fight, with no way out of it. The being from the combined aura finally took shape, and as it landed in the center of town, Hans' eyes widened just as Suna spoke up...
"That’s...that’s..."
"Krampus..." the merc finished her sentence, his expression in disbelief. The merc has heard about this malevolent being before...but he thought that it was slain by some Magic Knights a long time ago. Did that Frost being resurrect Krampus somehow? Was this the same Krampus? Whether it is or not, there was no mistaking how powerful it was. The mana coming off of it, it was just like those deer, those yeti, the candycane titan, and even Frost, but it was far stronger....and wicked. Like Frost, the temperature fell again, but it was far lower than before. Hans' breath grew more visible as a result, and he could feel himself shivering a bit. Thankfully, this didn't appear to be the result of it trying to steal the warmth from the couple's bodies...but that didn't make things anymore reassuring.
Krampus had a beast-like roar that covered the entire town, loud enough to shake even the very ground! Hans took that as his cue to raise his greatsword up just as the enraged being set its eyes on the couple, but then he felt the elf tug at him, wanting to hide. Hans looked down at his woman and nodded before retreating behind a house with her. Just as they did, the snow would begin to pick up, quickly turning into a blizzard which was at its strongest around Krampus. It sort of reminded Hans of the blizzard that surrounded Rudolph...but he doubted that they could talk themselves out of this fight....
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, the evacuated citizens of Nairn were all together, talking among themselves about what was happening, some being fearful, some curious, while others held onto their loved ones tightly. The Azure Deer mages were making sure to keep these citizens as far away from the town as they could. They couldn't completely see what was going on down there, but they could see the blizzard...and feel that mana. "It...It can't be..." One of the Knights said while clenching his fists. "Why is that monster...back?" He gritted his teeth before looking back at his comrades. "We may need to work on evacuating them further away." He said to them, making sure to keep his tone low to not cause anymore panic. He then looked back at the town, remembering about the two mages that said they would handle that titan. "May the spirits be on your side..." he mumbled before turning around to begin the evacuation.
Back in town, Hans peeked from behind the building with Suna and as he heard that loud thud of something crashing against the building, the merc instinctively pulled the elf back to make sure she wouldn't get hit. They couldn't hide behind there forever though and needed to handle Krampus before it destroys the entire town. Suna appeared to be fully aware of this as well as she looked back at the merc with that smile of hers.
"Let’s get this over with..."
Hans nodded before leaning over to steal a kiss from the elf....for good luck. "Right." As Suna summoned those aura swords, Hans summoned his Corvi Armis around the both of them again, coating the couple in that protective dark armor. The merc watched as Suna threw one of her swords at Krampus...but it was shredded to bits by the blizzard surrounding it! "A defensive spell?" Hans questioned just as he ducked back with Suna from the snowballs. Hans stood there and started to think. Suna's sword was able to do some damage before being destroyed from the looks of it...but the blizzard quickly repaired itself afterward. Wanting to test this as well, Hans looked at his greatsword and a dark aura started to coat the blade. With it, he summoned two of his Raven's Bite golems and they both stood there by the couple.
With his mana tether, Hans made one of the golems fly towards the blizzard, but instead of flying directly at it, he made it extend one of its sharp wings out to start cutting against this blizzard before flying away from its range. It did damage to this "shield" as well, but like before it regenerated. Krampus roared once more as it had its sights on the raven and tried chucking snowballs at it, but the golem avoided them with its superior speed. As Hans watched this, he nodded before turning to face Suna. "Its defenses are durable...but like all defenses, it's breakable. We'll just need to bombard it with attacks before it can regenerate." the merc claimed, knowing a thing or two about defense magic. It was sort of like how they handled Frost in the end as well. Hans then hopped on his other golem, and if Suna wanted to, she could get on with him, or he could call his other golem back for her unless she wanted to take her broom again instead.
The merc was now taking to the air, ready to bring the fight to this supposedly dead monster!
[attr="class","hansheader"]N O T E S
(140 - 30 - 23 + 55 = 140 Mana)
x1 Int Dmg dealt to Hans' Mana Skin and Health
Placed Corvi Armis on himself and Suna.
Corvi Armis currently has 185 Durability.
Summoned Raven's Bite and dealt x1 Senior Dmg to Krampus' shield but it regenerated back to Grand Health.
Using their grimoire, the user forms an armor of darkness around themselves and/or others for defensive purposes. Through the dark feathery smoke surrounding the armor, the user can pull out a sword crafted from darkness for him or for others to use. The sword can be wielded like an ordinary weapon by anyone, but only the conjurer is capable of controlling them with their mana. The amount of armor and swords that can be summoned follows the ammo rules (Defense Buff will decrease to +6 Durability if more than one armor is summoned) (Spell gains +10 Durability)
A predator based Golem crafted from the darkness of the blade. Just like the previous spell, these golems take the form of a raven, but appear more menacing with their sinister red eyes and dark colored armor, standing up to six meters. They are mainly used for offensive purposes, striking with their sharp wings, talons or beak, but can be used for a bit of information relay and transportation purposes as well (reducing its speed to 20 m/s, and capable of holding up to three people) Additional golems can be summoned as per the ammo rules, capping at three.
It was alive, that deranged man who was rumored to have gone into a killing spree. Though she had not been around Clover when the crazy guy had been defeated, she had heard stories of it. Now, she got to see him in the flesh. Or whatever he was constructed of. It did not cross her mind that it might be some other unnatural revival—all she knew was the Krampus, and it seemed to fit the description well. It was more fearsome than she imagined, more chilling than the previous enemies.
The mana-infested reindeers were like an experiment gone wrong. The yetis were a tad smarter compared to the deers, as they knew how to defend themselves instead of just fighting on the offense to death. The candy cane titan was ferocious, doing massive damage to the town of Nairn. Then there was that frost man they had just barely defeated, due to its regenerating ability. And now this, a killing monster gone completely crazy, utterly unrestrained, and badly berserk.
What a trail of events.
At least the innocent citizens were safe. Hopefully. They should be, with the Azure Deer knights who were supposed to be escorting and evacuating them to safety. Honestly, the elf sometimes forgot that she herself was a mere civilian, and after her fights, would think back on the event and be quite surprised when people, even knights, allowed her to fight in their stead. Was it just her mentality being shifted, or was she overstepping her role as a civilian?
Regardless, if there were people who needed help, she would be there. If there was an immediate need to eliminate a threat, she would be there. What official title or role or position she may have did not matter too much. What mattered was that innocents were kept safe, and that the danger was taken care of. But now it was time to figure out how to defeat this new enemy.
Suna felt herself being pulled back out of harm's way, courtesy of the mercenary. Not a moment too soon, as a torrent of snowballs were being flung at their direction. If it were not for the house in between, they would have surely been bombarded. She was about to get into the fight, but felt something warm on her lips. It was totally unexpected...but not unwelcome.
"Hans!" She said in a chiding voice and slapped his arm...but it was not hard, nor she was not really mad. How could she, with such a sweet and endearing man who kept trying to steal kisses from her? She made a mental note to repay him on that later.
But for now, she had summoned two of her Coda swords and had ‘tested’ it out against the blizzard. It was more of a shield of some sort, really, as she soon found out. Hans had stated that it might be a defensive spell, and had also sent one of his raven golems to fly towards the whirling snowstorm.
"Its defenses are durable...but like all defenses, it's breakable. We'll just need to bombard it with attacks before it can regenerate."
"So hit it fast and furious before it can heal itself. Like with that ice mage earlier." Her man was a mage of defense, as indicated by the magical dark armor that they both now wore. Of course he would know something about these types of spells. If it was similar to how they dealt with the previous enemy, then it should not be too difficult.
Now she formed another one of her swords that she had used for testing purposes, and also hummed for her harp. If Frost was affected by her sound magic, there was not harm in trying something similar with this new enemy. With her protected by her man’s armor and weapons ready, she was set to go in.
The sound mage took a deep breath, and took a single step towards the street, so she had a clear line of sight to where Krampus was howling and growling in his cold fury. For one so powerful, he did not seem very intelligent. At least so far. She launched one of her swords again towards the swirling mass of snow, and followed it up with multiple Accents, one after the other, in quick succession. Nine in all.
With all her sound projectiles spent, Suna grabbed the other aura sword hovering by her side. With a battle cry, she ran towards the monster. If her previous attacks had not completely finished off the shield, at least it would make a crack so she could go in and deal with the madman inside. With all her feelings of tiredness and frustration from before, it had only fueled her to go attack Krampus herself...which may or may not be a reckless move on her part...
NOTES & STUFF
Battle: Received Corvi Armis from Hans (+6 Durability), dealt SR + 9 JR damage to shield tired brain can't math right now but Suna's going in regardless if the shield is broken or not heh
- Sustained Coda, -15 mana - Cast Accent, -10 mana - Quick Charger & IC Regen, +30 mana
Elemental Type: Pure Aura Rank & Spell Type: Senior | Attack Creation Range & Speed: 80m | 40m/s Mana Cost: 30 | 15 Stats Effected: +6 Power Applicable Perks: Apex Predator, Vampiric Magic Description: Suna shapes her aura into a double-edged sword that is 52" / 132cm total in length, its semi-translucent blade 2" / 5cm in width and 42" / 106cm in length. Its cross guard boasts of gorgeous curved designs before shaping into a narrow, rounded grip. This weapon is able to deal senior damage to its opponents, and its wielder will draw a +6 Power buff from the connection. The sword will dissolve when broken by a higher-tiered spell or weapon. Suna may choose to control it by hand (melee) or with her mana tether (long range). As long as it is kept within her range, an ally may wield it if wished. Another sword may be formed for every 30 Control Suna has, as per ammo rules.
Elemental Type: Sound Rank & Spell Type: Junior | Attack Creation Range & Speed: 25m | 10m/s Mana Cost: 10 | 5 Stats Effected: +2 Power Applicable Perks: Apex Predator Description: As Suna plays accented notes on her instrument, her sound magic forms a 1m by 1.5m musical accent, a V-shaped projectile that may be launched at the target of her choice, dealing junior rank damage upon impact. Following ammo rules, she may form another projectile for every 10 Control she has, as long as the spell is sustained.
[Optional] Summoning An Instrument: If Suna does not already have an instrument on hand, she may summon her harp by humming a C (262hz). Her harp is 33"x19"x6" / 83x48x15cm.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
"Hans!"
Even in the current state he was in and the situation, Hans couldn't help but smirk at Suna's little flustered behavior. As time went on Hans may have gotten a bit more playful, mostly due to his lady's influence. Despite that, he has still been able to remain alert and prepared, still fully aware of the issue they are in. But nothing, not even a raging ice monster like Krampus will keep Hans from trying to make his woman smile.
"Exactly." Hans nodded before looking back at Krampus. It seems that Suna was on the same page as him about how to deal with this beast. That raging blizzard surrounding Krampus was a defensive spell, a very durable one at that...but that didn't discourage the dark mage at all. As someone with pretty durable defenses himself, Hans has also been learning how to pierce through other's defenses...find their weak spots and such. In the case of Krampus', it just needed to be struck down with enough force which Hans believes that he and Suna have enough of...together.
With the plan settled, Hans got on top of the other raven golem he had standing with them, but before he could ask if Suna needed a lift, Hans watched as the woman stepped forward into the streets, harp and magic sword at the ready. It looks like she was about to attack, which was Hans' cue to get into the air to make sure he attacked with her simultaneously. Now in the sky once more, Hans looked back down at Suna before looking over at his second raven golem which was still dodging some of Krampus' snowball attacks. The merc then sensed Suna's mana and saw her launch one of them swords followed by that other spell she used to bombard Frost with. While this happened, Hans used his mana tethers to command the other raven golem to dive beak first at the blizzard! With both spells and golem striking roughly at the same time, the blizzard around Krampus started to falter. It was still snowing all around, but that defensive blizzard was no more, leaving Krampus more visible...and exposed.
Success!
Hans didn't doubt that this would work, but he still couldn't help but feel proud about this, like he had done something thought to be impossible. But unlike Frost, this was only the beginning....and Suna was running right at the monster like some kind of angry dwarf...which was almost amusing.
With its defenses gone, Krampus took a look around at its weakening snow, and roared angrily! So much for its attempts at fighting from afar. But then its fierce eyes set upon Suna, and just like her, the beast started running at its blue-haired foe, both amazingly running at similar speeds. Taking advantage of this, Hans sent his second raven golem down at Krampus while he was supposedly distracted...but the monster was very alert. It stopped in its tracks and looked up at the incoming raven before jumping up into the air! It grabbed onto the golem with its icy claws and brought the golem to the ground where it started to rip it to shreds, even sinking its teeth into what was left of it until the golem was completely gone, its remains forming into dark smoke before dissipating.
Hans flinched a bit at how savagely Krampus dealt with that golem, but the merc had no time to be upset about that. Once Krampus was finished, it looked up at Hans and attempted to leap at the golem he was riding on next, but the armored dark mage commanded his raven to fly up a little higher, barely getting out of Krampus' reach!
Krampus growled frustratingly at Hans but then it placed its attention back to Suna instead, assuming she was still on the ground. She was an easier target in terms of reach, so instead of standing around and trying to figure out how to get to Hans, the beast ran towards her and used its claws to perform an icy flying slash attack! Watching this happen, the merc gritted his teeth underneath his helmet before commanding his golem to dive down at Krampus. The attempt started off similar as with the last golem, but the merc had something else in mind....
Once close enough, Hans would jump off of his golem, and command it to fly back up while he landed on Krampus' back! The beast nearly fell over but was able to stop itself and glanced angrily up at the mage that was on his back. Hold his greatsword with both hands on the handle of his greatsword, Hans was planning on plunging the blade into Krampus' back, but then the monster started to buck about like a wild bull, and the merc fell off since he didn't have a grip on it! The man landed on his back, feeling a little shaken up, but not hurt thanks to his armor. His greatsword landed right beside him, but instead of using it again, Hans slid a magic sword from the dark smoke surrounding his armor and bore that instead. Unfortunately, Krampus has already pounced on top of the dark mage before he could fully get up from where he landed and knocked that sword out of his hand too!
Krampus was trying to tear Hans apart just like he did to that one golem, but much like Frost's attempts, it was pointless. Not even a scratch was left on Hans' dark armor...but the merc could still feel more pressure and power behind these attacks compared to Frost's. Krampus then coated all of its claws with ice and attempted to impale the merc's chest with them all which again did nothing....but give Hans an opportunity to grab onto Krampus' wrists and use this opportunity to headbutt it twice with his armored helmet! Krampus hissed and growled before staggering off of Hans who then bounced back up to his feet and kicked one of its legs out, making Krampus fall onto one knee before gripping its shoulders and kneeing it in the face!
With those strikes, Krampus fell to its back...but it was boiling with anger...so much anger that it let loose another shaking roar, and got back to its feet. Its eyes were bloodshot, anger fueled by its humiliation. With its ice magic, it summoned two spiky ice clubs which floated on both side of him....and glared back at Suna once more.
[attr="class","hansheader"]N O T E S
(140 - 15 - 12 + 55 = 140 Mana)
Placed Corvi Armis on himself and Suna.
Corvi Armis currently has 185 Durability.
Destroyed Karmpus' shield through the simultaneous effort of Suna's spells and Hans' golem.
Krampus dealt Senior Dmg to one of Hans' golems, destroying it.
Dealt x4 1/2 Junior Dmg to Krampus, leaving its Health at Senior + Intermediate
Using their grimoire, the user forms an armor of darkness around themselves and/or others for defensive purposes. Through the dark feathery smoke surrounding the armor, the user can pull out a sword crafted from darkness for him or for others to use. The sword can be wielded like an ordinary weapon by anyone, but only the conjurer is capable of controlling them with their mana. The amount of armor and swords that can be summoned follows the ammo rules (Defense Buff will decrease to +6 Durability if more than one armor is summoned) (Spell gains +10 Durability)
A predator based Golem crafted from the darkness of the blade. Just like the previous spell, these golems take the form of a raven, but appear more menacing with their sinister red eyes and dark colored armor, standing up to six meters. They are mainly used for offensive purposes, striking with their sharp wings, talons or beak, but can be used for a bit of information relay and transportation purposes as well (reducing its speed to 20 m/s, and capable of holding up to three people) Additional golems can be summoned as per the ammo rules, capping at three.
They could be in the middle of a fight against a madman, and he was still capable of stealing her breath away. Well, what stole her breath away was probably her exhaustion, but it might also partly be because of how good he looked fighting the Krampus like that.
She was going to have to do something about it.
Yet, she was also being reckless, charging in on foot like that. The smart thing would be to attack from the sky, from a long range. Her earlier feelings threatened to overwhelm her, and her emotional pendulum swung from one extreme to the other. It was just as her mentor had been trying to teach her—she was still a long way from being able to control her emotions. Then again, she could never completely turn her emotions off like the glass mage. She felt too much, hurt too much, loved too much.
It would be the end of her one day.
As she charged in with her Coda sword in hand, she saw Hans flying above her, also attacking the shield with his raven golems. The blizzard shield was faltering, and she took that as a sign that it had been weakened. Then the gust settled, and she knew it had been broken. It seemed like their bombardment had been effective. She turned her focus on the figure in the middle. Now for the monster himself.
However, the Krampus was not finished yet. Exposed, but not deterred. He roared in fury, stomping and causing the ground to shake. He was just a tad taller than the average human being, but the power that radiated from it was definitely inhuman. She had been running towards him, but he was also starting to charge towards her as well. Just a few seconds, and he would be within her sword’s reach...
A flicker of black overhead. A swooping sound. Suna did not need to look up to see the mercenary attack from above. It stopped the charging Krampus for a few moments, as it grabbed onto the raven and shredded it to bits. At this, the elf felt a tinge of dread. It was so savage, so bloodthirsty—if she was not careful, she would be next. That made her check her emotions back a little.
Then Krampus leapt and aimed for the other flying golem, and Suna took this time of distraction to set up her magical bounds. She had thrown her sword besides her, making it hover while her hands got busy on her harp. Rallentando. Thick cords shot up around the madman’s legs. However, somehow, it broke free from her restraints and was now about to send a spray of ice towards her. She grabbed onto her hovering sword and used it to block those incoming attacks, cutting through those ice shards and flinching when some stray pieces hit the armor. It did not harm her, but it still sounded frightening.
Now she bent her knees and prepared herself to go in, more than ready to end the monster now and for good. However, she had not expected the mercenary dive for Krampus...much less to jump off of his ride and right onto the enemy’s back. The madman started to buck, trying to get its visitor off its back. Then it succeeded, throwing the dark mage off and sending him flying through the air.
Her heart nearly stopped when Krampus lunged for the fallen man. It seemed to happen in slow motion. It knocked Hans’ other sword out of his hands and pounced on him. She could see the icy hands—more like claws, really—attempt to slash at Hans. Thankfully, the armor seemed to hold up against the brute’s wild scrabbles, though it did not stop the fear from suddenly coming over her. At least Suna knew that the magical armor could withstand an attack. But since when had Hans suddenly become so strong? It was almost as if he had strengthened and hardened up overnight.
She watched in a mixture of awe and alarm as her man snagged its wrists and headbutted it twice. This was a new style she had not yet seen before from the mercenary, and wondered where he had gotten it from. Was he not more of a sword wielder? But now it seemed like he was not afraid to get right in the midst of danger and take the enemy on face to face. It was like he had turned into another type of beast, with his wild and ferocious attacks. For a heartbeat, she wondered if a wolf had not suddenly stolen her man away and was now fighting in his place. But just for a moment.
Krampus had fallen back, but was immediately back up on its feet. Two spiky ice clubs were summoned, and with an angry roar, lunged for her. Suna dropped to a guard, Coda in front of her. Was he tired of fighting with the dark mage? Was that it? But wait...an idea formed in her head. As it neared her, the elf jumped back and started running...away.
No, she was not running away out of fear. She was trying to lure it away from town, as there were too many buildings around them. Fighting it on the outskirts would be a much better idea, with less damages to the residential houses. She just hoped that Hans would know what she was doing and allow the Krampus to chase after her.
As Suna ran, she could feel the thump thump thump of heavy footsteps behind her. Good, it was following her. For someone so big, it was surprisingly agile. She could even feel its cold breath as it heaved and bounded behind her. She even heard the woosh of those ice clubs that it attempted to swing out at her, but it has not thrown any at her...yet.
The blue-haired mage headed straight for the outskirts. She was grateful for all the running exercises Lydia forced her to do now, as she could now hold her own pace against his enemy. However, it kept its pace steadily behind her, neither gaining nor losing. She could have easily jumped onto her broom and fly out to safety, but she needed to keep its attention on her, staying just barely out of reach. Just a bit more, and they would be there in the open...
NOTES & STUFF
Battle: Still has Corvi Armis from Hans (+6 Durability), Krampus still has SR + INT health left
- Sustained Coda, -15 mana - Cast Rallentando, -30 mana - Quick Charger & IC Regen, +30 mana
Elemental Type: Pure Aura Rank & Spell Type: Senior | Attack Creation Range & Speed: 80m | 40m/s Mana Cost: 30 | 15 Stats Effected: +6 Power Applicable Perks: Apex Predator, Vampiric Magic Description: Suna shapes her aura into a double-edged sword that is 52" / 132cm total in length, its semi-translucent blade 2" / 5cm in width and 42" / 106cm in length. Its cross guard boasts of gorgeous curved designs before shaping into a narrow, rounded grip. This weapon is able to deal senior damage to its opponents, and its wielder will draw a +6 Power buff from the connection. The sword will dissolve when broken by a higher-tiered spell or weapon. Suna may choose to control it by hand (melee) or with her mana tether (long range). As long as it is kept within her range, an ally may wield it if wished. Another sword may be formed for every 30 Control Suna has, as per ammo rules.
Elemental Type: Sound Rank & Spell Type: Senior | Restraining Range & Speed: 80m | 40m/s Mana Cost: 30 | 15 Stats Effected: -10 m/s, -10 mana regen Applicable Perks: Tightly Bound, Vampiric Magic Description: As Suna performs a slow piece, thick strands of sound magic will appear from underneath her target's feet and wrap themselves around their legs to bind and slow movement speed by -10 m/s. Following ammo rules, she may choose to restrain another target for every 30 Control she has. Tightly Bound automatically deals intermediate damage to all those caught in the spell. Restraining magic naturally binds a mage's grimoire and their allotted spell usages by half per post, and this senior spell also interrupts their mana regen by -10. This spell will dissolve when dealt damage equal or above the spell's rank, according to clashing rules.
[Optional] Summoning An Instrument: If Suna does not already have an instrument on hand, she may summon her harp by humming a C (262hz). Her harp is 33"x19"x6" / 83x48x15cm.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
Hans was able to deal some well-placed strikes against Krampus, and get the savage ice beast off of him. Hand to hand combat...The mercenary was never a stranger to it, but preferred fighting with his sword over his fists...since it reminds him a bit about his father. Hans' father was the one to teach him how to fight in hand to hand while he learned how to use a sword from his late mentor, Barrett....but recently, the merc has been finding himself fighting with his fists more....trying to adapt in situations where he cannot reach his swords. There was some guilt in doing it, but at the same time, it felt necessary.
As Krampus summoned two spiky ice clubs, Hans picked up both his greatsword and dark sword that he dropped, duel wielding them as he faced his monstrous foe. Hans was prepared to continue this battle despite his heavy breaths....but Krampus on the other hand had other ideas. The beast glared at the dark mage at first but then it glanced over to the equally armored sound mage, starting to bare its bone-chilling fangs. Hans looked over to Suna then back at Krampus as he put together what was about to happen. Even though she was well protected, Hans couldn't help but still feel concerned about this. Krampus lunged at the elf who then jumped back as a response...before running away.
Krampus was now chasing after Suna, while the merc also tried chasing after the monster. He wondered to himself why it decided to go after her instead of continuing the fight with him? Perhaps Krampus was getting fed up with not being able to deal any damage to the dark mage that it switched its "prey" instead? No...Krampus had to at least be smart enough to notice that they were both in the same kind of armor. Maybe it didn't like getting its butt handed to him by Hans and thought Suna would be an easier target? As far as magical attacks are concerned, Suna was just as strong if not a bit stronger than Hans in that department. She could just as easily slay this beast.
However, these little thoughts Hans was having were cut short as he noticed that Suna continued to run. She didn't appear to be attacking in any way...So what was she doing? Hans then started to notice where they were all running to, and the merc nodded a bit. "I see." he muttered to himself. She's trying to take Krampus away from town most likely, so it cannot cause any more damage. It was smart, and something he'd very much expect from his lady. Hans on the other hand would probably not have done this unless the mission required it. He didn't care much if most things get damaged during a fight, believing that it could always be repaired. When it comes to people or certain things though, that's probably when he'd try to do something like this. With what was going on now confirmed, Hans looked up at his raven golem which was flying overhead. He commanded the raven to swoop down and pick him up before heading back into the sky. Hans wanted a better view of the surroundings, get better openings on Krampus when needed.
But as he flew above...Hans' attention quickly went elsewhere. "No..."
The citizens who were evacuated out of town...were currently being guided in the same direction by the Azure Deer, completely unaware of the incoming Krampus! At this point, both sides would collide and it could potentially result in a bloodbath. Hans gritted his teeth as he thought of what to do. He looked down at Suna, considering on telling her about this situation if he hadn't already figured it out...but it would also make Krampus aware of this, and the merc wasn't sure how intelligent this beast was. He couldn't risk it, so the dark mage needed to handle this on his own...and fast. With that, Hans flew away from the two and went over towards the citizens.
"Hey look. It's one of the mages." one of the Azure Deer members said as he stopped and pointed up at the incoming dark mage. "Hold on!" Hans yelled out, causing them all to stop. The citizens and most of the knights were now talking among themselves. "What happened? Have you two managed to stop...it?" the Magic Knight asked, making sure not to refer to it as Krampus. The citizens and the rest of the Azure Deer were not aware that this was Krampus, and this Magic Knight wanted to keep it that way in fear of having the people freak out even more than they already were. Picking up on this, Hans flew down towards that particular Magic Knight to speak with him quietly. "If you continue to head the way you're going, you may end up putting these people on...the monster's path." Hans claimed. Now the Azure Deer member was gritting his teeth, thinking hard on what to do. "I suggest moving further outward instead. It'll be less likely to see you all then." the merc suggested, and the knight nodded.
"Everyone, change of plans!" The knight turned around, gathering everyone's attention. "We're going to be moving outward now, come on!" After saying that, some of the folks started talking among each other again, wondering why the sudden change of direction. "H-hurry up! We do not have time to waste!" As the knight said that, a woman within the crowd had screamed, catching everyone's attention. "I-I-It's..." She shook in fear as she pointed out towards the town...catching sight of a certain beast.
"IT'S KRAMPUS!!!!"
The woman yelled, and everyone else turned to where she was pointing...before the sound of various screams erupted from the crowd! People, including some of the knights were starting to panic more, running about every which way and that, causing chaos! "Shit...." the Azure Knight muttered before looking back at Hans. He couldn't see the merc's face under that helmet, but his expression was just as equally concerned. "Try and get them under control." Hans said before heading back into the sky with his golem. He looked at the panicking crowd then over to Suna and Krampus. Whether the beast took notice of this or not wasn't clear yet, but either way, Hans was going to be ready to handle this.....
Using their grimoire, the user forms an armor of darkness around themselves and/or others for defensive purposes. Through the dark feathery smoke surrounding the armor, the user can pull out a sword crafted from darkness for him or for others to use. The sword can be wielded like an ordinary weapon by anyone, but only the conjurer is capable of controlling them with their mana. The amount of armor and swords that can be summoned follows the ammo rules (Defense Buff will decrease to +6 Durability if more than one armor is summoned) (Spell gains +10 Durability)
A predator based Golem crafted from the darkness of the blade. Just like the previous spell, these golems take the form of a raven, but appear more menacing with their sinister red eyes and dark colored armor, standing up to six meters. They are mainly used for offensive purposes, striking with their sharp wings, talons or beak, but can be used for a bit of information relay and transportation purposes as well (reducing its speed to 20 m/s, and capable of holding up to three people) Additional golems can be summoned as per the ammo rules, capping at three.
Her knees shook a little at the terrifying roar. Suna would not deny that she was just a tiny bit scared, at the sheer ferocious actions of the Krampus. But having the dark armor fully clad around her whole body did comfort her, if even mentally. Besides, it was not like anyone could see how her hands were shaking. The armor hid all of that, and hopefully her fear as well. She knew that predators often attacked their prey when they sensed even a tinge of fear, and she dearly hoped that the Krampus did not pick up on that.
However, as soon as she burst out into a run, all her nerves went flying out as well. Adrenaline coursed through her, giving flight to her feet and speed to her steps. Before, she had felt this type of rush only when she was flying on her broom, up high in the sky, surrounded only by wind and sunshine. Of course, she was still mindful of why she was running, but now she needed to concentrate. There was just too much at stake for her to mess up now.
A snowball whizzed by her, just barely missing her side. Then another one, and another one. So it was trying to attack her now, as it probably realized that it was not gaining or losing ground. One snowball barely caught her left leg, and it nearly threw her off balance. Perhaps she should try running in a zigzag motion, to lessen to risk of getting hit?
But it was a good thing that Krampus was following her. She was afraid that it would just let a fleeing prey go, but even if it did, she would have come right back and provoked it into chasing after her. But there was a small problem, as she would soon realize. Only as she reached the outskirts did she sense a large group of mana up ahead. As she drew closer, she recognized that it was the civilians and the Magic Knights who were helping them evacuate.
"Bakabakabaka…" That was as close to cursing as the elf would get. She should have thought better of which route she was heading. Out of all the directions, she could have picked any other way. But no, she did not. She was leading the monster right towards the inhabitants of Nairn. She had made a mistake. A grave mistake.
Well, guess her original intention of not harming the nearby buildings would have to go. Not when there were people who might be hurt. What could she do now? From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow overhead, and could feel the dark mage’s mana overhead. He must have seen everything. Hopefully he could warn them or something and get them out of the way. The raven flew on ahead, so she would just have to trust that he could warn the people to get out of the way.
No. It was too late.
She could hear the terrified screams of the people, and fear in their cries. The elf bit down on her lower lip. This was not going to work. She had messed up, and she had to get rid of the Krampus. Now.
Suna twirled around to face the incoming enemy. Blue aura swirled and materialized into her two Coda swords. With a flick of her wrist, she sent one spirling towards the crazy monster, while she grabbed onto the other one and ran in for it. She had noticed earlier that it did not like close combat fights, and much preferred to throw snowballs from a distance. Well, she would not give it distance then.
Her first magical sword had caught the Krampus one of its legs, momentarily hampering its run towards her. It roared, then pulled the blade out and snapped it in half like it was a twig. No time to shudder and regret her decision, she was already halfway there. With a battle cry, the sound mage rushed in with all the speed and momentum she has. Her sword sank right into its chest...but so did the icy claws that slashed out at hers. Those sharp claws scabbled at the dark armor, and she did not want to look down to see if they had broken through or not. She needed to finish this off. She had to.
Suna pulled her sword free from its chest, then lunged back in with a sideways swipe right at its neck. The head plopped off and rolled on the ground. Its fury-filled eyes never lost their expression, even when the light of life faded from its orbs. The blue-haired female stood there for a moment, panting and staring at the dismembered body in front of her. Was it dead? Was it? Are they safe now?
Her aura sword dropped to the snowy ground. Oh spirits above, had she...had she really just killed a human being? She started to tremble. Well, it had surely been possessed in some way, but it used to be a person. It used to be. It used to be...
Her first kill.
Suna backed away slowly. Her mind was in a whirl, as she stared at the lifeless eyes in front of her. She really just killed the Krampus. She did. But there was no feeling of victory in that, no elation. Just...dread. And fear. Of what she has done. Of what sin she had just committed.
"No, no, no..." She whispered, then her knees gave out. She sank into the snowy ground, her entire body starting to shake violently. Her hands were now covered in blood. Not literally, but it was just as damaging. Tears would not come. They would have been a welcomed release, but no. She could only shake and whimper, as she knelt there in the snow.
Her first kill.
She could never go back.
Far off in the distance, she could dimly hear what seemed to be like cheers. However, her mind was too numb to hear that. All she could hear was...
Your first kill.
It seemed like that was the end of it. The unnatural chill has lifted, and she could feel some warmth return to her bones. It was as if an invisible weight in the air had dissipated, and she could breathe easier again. Everything felt somehow lighter, freer. She tried to relax, but she could not. Where was Hans? She needed someone to hold right now, someone to tell her that it was all going to be all right, someone to assure her that she had not just committed a murder.
It was not a murder, but it sure felt like it.
There was no going back now.
Where was he?
Then, assuming he had come by, she would sense his presence. "Hans..." She whimpered, then forced herself to get up to her feet, though unsteadily. Her blue eyes were marked with various emotions—of fear as to what she had just done, and what she was becoming. "I just killed...it..." She almost said ‘him’, but had to remind herself that it was no longer a human being. It was an enemy that needed to be taken care of, otherwise all those people would have gotten hurt. But it was still hard on her soft and innocent soul. They may have won, but at what cost? She felt so weak...and sick.
"I...I..." Words were starting to fail her. "H-hold me?" If he would allow it, she would throw his arms around him, and only then would the floodgates open. She did not care if anyone else saw. She needed the release. There was no loud bawling, just a continuous stream of quiet tears that quickly dampened her cheeks and possibly the mercenary as well. She wept in silence, as all the fight and adrenaline in her crashed and burned to the ground. However, the tears did help, and she could feel herself relaxing more.
After a few minutes, she pulled herself away to look at Hans. If it was not for him being by her side, there was no way she could have gone through this alone. She probably would not be alive right now, if his armor had not protected her like how it just did. This was not the only time he has protected her, nor would she hope the last time. She would not even be standing now if he was not holding her. She realized that she needed him...and something else as well, something she had been thinking about a lot recently but never mustered up the courage to say it.
"I...I..." Her lips formed her words before her voice finally made them out. "I love you, Hans..." She murmured, rising up to her tiptoes and pressing her lips softly against his mouth. It was a brief kiss, soft and sweet. Then she burrowed her head into his chest again, tightening her arms around him. It was finally over, and she just wanted rest. She wanted to get away from all this, away from all this fighting. She just wanted him to hold her. She just wanted to go back home.
"Let’s go home?"
- fine -
NOTES & STUFF
Battle: Still has Corvi Armis from Hans (+6 Durability), killed Krampus but at what cost?
- Sustained Coda, -15 mana - Quick Charger & IC Regen, +30 mana
Elemental Type: Pure Aura Rank & Spell Type: Senior | Attack Creation Range & Speed: 80m | 40m/s Mana Cost: 30 | 15 Stats Effected: +6 Power Applicable Perks: Apex Predator, Vampiric Magic Description: Suna shapes her aura into a double-edged sword that is 52" / 132cm total in length, its semi-translucent blade 2" / 5cm in width and 42" / 106cm in length. Its cross guard boasts of gorgeous curved designs before shaping into a narrow, rounded grip. This weapon is able to deal senior damage to its opponents, and its wielder will draw a +6 Power buff from the connection. The sword will dissolve when broken by a higher-tiered spell or weapon. Suna may choose to control it by hand (melee) or with her mana tether (long range). As long as it is kept within her range, an ally may wield it if wished. Another sword may be formed for every 30 Control Suna has, as per ammo rules.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
It was too late. Hans attempted to get to the evacuating citizens in time before they could notice the existence of Krampus...but he wasn't quick enough. Now the citizens were scrambling about and screaming about Krampus' return. Folks were running all over the place, shoving and even trampling over some of their own all to just try and get away from this monster. The Azure Deer knights were trying their hardest to control the situation but even they had no power now. The Magic Knights tried getting in the way of the citizens, attempting to steer them onto the path they planned, but most of them just ended up getting knocked on their asses. Things were not looking good....
Hans was watching all of this unfold from above on his raven golem with a stressed look on his face, covered by his armored helmet. He then turned his attention to Suna who appeared to still be running with Krampus behind her at the time. The monster appeared to still be unaware of the citizen's presence so there was some good with that...but the citizens were still putting themselves in danger. The merc's mission is to take down the threat to this town, Krampus, and only that. If this were the old Hans, he would've not cared much about what happened to these people, and only about his mission, but he has changed so much since then. Seeing these citizens trample over each over and stampede like wild animals...and especially the children that were being put in danger....Hans needed to act.
"P-people, settle dow-" The Azure Deer in charge of the evacuation tried yelling out but instead got shoved over by some of the incoming people. "We will get you all to safet-" He continued to try...but his words would continue to be drowned out by the even louder yelling. He couldn't even get in contact with his comrades through communication spells because it was near impossible to focus. The squad members were all just as caught up in this chaos with no way out. Even trying to use some of their other spells may put the citizens at risk, so they were helpless. The guy was frustrated, but he tried yelling out orders one more time...before ending up getting thrown to the ground! He instinctively went into a fetal position, covering his eyes with his arms to try and protect himself as best as he could...but then something happened.
A loud raven's kaw filled the area above the citizens, grabbing all of their attention. The people had stopped, questionably looking up at the armored raven and equally armored male riding it with looks of fear as well as confusion written all over their faces. Once the kawing had stopped, Hans would stand up on his golem, clenching his hands tight against both his greatsword and dark sword. "Are you all insane!?" The merc yelled out, something he rarely does. "I understand that your all terrified, but running around without any sense isn't going to save you. In fact...you're all doing more harm than good to each other." Hans claimed before pointing his greatsword down towards the Azure Deer knight who was currently on the ground. "These Magic Knights are trying to evacuate you all in a safe and orderly fashion, but instead you decide to just run about...trampling over each other." Hans lowered his sword and went silent for a bit. In one of these rare instances, the man was letting his anger get the best of him, a silent fury starting to boil under his armor.
Hans then angrily threw his dark sword down in front of the crowd, the blade thrusting into the snow-covered earth, making some people flinch and jump back. "You are all citizens of Nairn...citizens of Clover! Act like it...and help each other out." The crowd of people was silent, some whispering among each other...but eventually they got the picture and started to help those who had been injured, including that Azure Deer member. Hans' anger was slowly starting to fade, feeling both a sense of relief...and accomplishment. They heard him out, and were no longer going wild. A sigh of relief escaped his lips...but then he remembered about the monster itself, and...
"Suna!"
Without wasting a second, the merc flew off to where he last saw them, following Suna's mana signature...but he noticed something missing at the same time...Krampus' signature. Once he made it, the merc gasped lightly at the sight of a decapitated Krampus...and a certain sound mage down on her knees. "Suna." Hans said once more as he commanded his golem to fly down. He jumped off then ran towards his lady who also called out to him in a whimpering tone. Even with her face still covered, Hans could still tell how upset Suna was. The merc stepped closer to Suna, dropping the armor spell from both of them as she tried speaking up again.
"Suna, look at me. You had no other choice..." the merc claimed, placing a hand gently against the sound mage's cheek, trying to wipe any tears away with his thumb before slowly sliding both hands down the elf's arms. "More people would've been hurt...or worse if the monster weren't stopped." His tone was gentle, caring, the same as the expression on his face. Hans may be used to killing, but he wasn't proud of it...nor did he ever want Suna to experience this...follow down a similar path.
"H-hold me?"
She didn't need to ask. The merc smiled softly before wrapping his arms around Suna. The merc ignored the cheering of the crowd, seeing nothing but the woman crying in his arms. He then closed his eyes and lovingly rested his head on top of the woman's blue hair, rubbing her back softly. Whatever pain, regret that she needed to let out...Hans will always be there to support her...and be her pillar.
"I love you, Hans..."
Those words....
The dark mage slowly opened his eyes and moved back just enough so that his lips could meet with hers. "I love you too, Suna..." Words that he needed to hear...that he wanted to say. The man's heartfelt heavy with both love and sadness. Like her, the merc wanted to get away from this as well, and so he nodded to his lady's request. "Of course." With that, Hans lifted Suna up bridal style, and climbed back onto his golem, commanding it to fly away while the crowd continued to cheer from below....
Using their grimoire, the user forms an armor of darkness around themselves and/or others for defensive purposes. Through the dark feathery smoke surrounding the armor, the user can pull out a sword crafted from darkness for him or for others to use. The sword can be wielded like an ordinary weapon by anyone, but only the conjurer is capable of controlling them with their mana. The amount of armor and swords that can be summoned follows the ammo rules (Defense Buff will decrease to +6 Durability if more than one armor is summoned) (Spell gains +10 Durability)
A predator based Golem crafted from the darkness of the blade. Just like the previous spell, these golems take the form of a raven, but appear more menacing with their sinister red eyes and dark colored armor, standing up to six meters. They are mainly used for offensive purposes, striking with their sharp wings, talons or beak, but can be used for a bit of information relay and transportation purposes as well (reducing its speed to 20 m/s, and capable of holding up to three people) Additional golems can be summoned as per the ammo rules, capping at three.
