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.
RANK: Junior LOCATION: lRogue's Forge MIN-MAX PLAYER GROUP: 2-4 OTHER REQS: N/A
Rumors have begun to circulate around Rogue's Refuge, if you are traveling along a certain road to steer clear of the woods in the area because people have been going missing. Though in this area that happens often but when no one took credit for the disappearance and the various citizens and rogues alike were going missing the rumors have reached the ears of even the Magic Knight Squads. The kingdom has sent out a request for anyone with the ability and power to figure out what is causing this disappearances and solve the problem.
[attr="class","dungenfloor"]FLOOR #1
NUMBER OF ROOMS: 3 WORD COUNT PER ROOM: 1,250 FLOOR DESCRIPTION:
Upon entering the forest you will find that there is very little light seeping through the canopy of the high-reaching trees, no matter how you listen you are unable to hear any sort of animal life but you do get the unsettling feeling that you are being watched as whispers can be heard through the trees, but upon trying to find the sources you'll find nothing, eventually, you will come across an opening where it will seem as if a lot of time has passed as moonlight beams down from above and the remains of those who dared to enter could be seen.
These creatures are sentient plants that when disturbed have a wail that has been known to paralyze and even kill those who hear it though those rumors are more exaggerated they actually use their roots and magic to entangle prey and trap them in the ground to use as nutrients. These irritating weeded roots are blessed with ear-piercing element of sound. They are able to use attack creation and restraining
These creatures are the protectors of the entrance of the Cave system and use earth magic to attack and harm those that would dare to enter the Cave. These sentries are able to use both the elements of earth and common metals. They can use attack creation and hex and curse.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #1
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
Monsters: N/A
As you enter the Cursed Forest, it's like being cut off from the outside world, the once open sky blocked by the trees and overgrowth. The air around you seems to become stifling and chilled. Looking behind you the entrance to the woods has seemingly disappeared and only the path in front of you seems guide you further into the woods. Walking along this path you can hear low whispering and noises from things just out of sight no matter how hard you look. Every once in awhile in the distance there seems to be moving lights of blue flames but whenever you try to focus on the source it seemingly disappears the second you it breaks your line of sight.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #2
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x5 Mandrakes per Player
Continuing along the only path you see to have you come to a large opening in the woods. Here you can see the sky and the time of day seems to have completely changed from day to night with moonlight bathing the clearing. Though looking at the moon you might notice that it seems off, its as if the moon has grown in size or was much closer than normal. The whispering you were so use to hearing has disappeared, though it seems that all sound has completely disappeared with the only sound you can hear is the slow beating of a heart. Is it yours or something else’s? Moving through the clearing will trigger the enemies response, the howling of mandrakes known for paralyzing and restricting anyone who hears their wails.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #3
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x3 Earth Golems Per Player.
Successfully making it through the clearing and dispatching the obnoxious Mandrakes has brought you to the entrance to a cave system and something seems to pull you towards it. You can even seem to smell the delicious aroma of your favorite food coming from the cave system. Upon getting closer to the entrance of the cave system it seems like the rocks around it come to life, it would seem that whatever has cursed this forest has deemed you a threat and summoned its golems to stop you from proceeding.
[attr="class","dungenfloor"]FLOOR #2
NUMBER OF ROOMS: 4 WORD COUNT PER ROOM: 2,000 per room / 2,500 Boss Room FLOOR DESCRIPTION:
After defeating the mandragora and earth golems you continue walking down the path, now not only do you hear whispers telling you to turn back before it's too late there are almost ethereal flames that can be seen off in the distance. This time if you attempt to walk off the path you must roll 2d4 if it turns out even you will get turned around and will take intermediate rank damage, however, if it is odd you will find your way back to the path and only take junior rank damage (Ki nor sensory can stop this from happening). Along the way, you will finally come across a strange-looking cave entrance that has almost a protective web canopy surrounding it. Entering the cave you will come across creepy crawlies, but, oddly there's an enticing scent of delicious food in the air as you proceed forward into an unexpected situation.
These overgrown and vicious creatures lie in wait for their prey to stumble into their territory. They use their fangs and legs to deal Int damage to any who get to close and use their webs to entangle and trap prey to be used as a food source for later. These giant spiders are able to use the element cloth and are specialized in restraining, hex and curse as well as sensory.
The Cave hag is a creature that uses Transformation, Sensory and Attack Creation to lure in unsuspecting individuals to kill and butcher for food and to increase its own powers. It will use its Transformation to seem like the beautiful of creatures to whatever your character's preference is. If the transformation is seen through it will use illusions to distract and bewilder its prey and use Attack creations to harm and kill. The elements she can use are Plant and Food.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #1
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
Monsters: N/A
Making your way into the Cave system and past the golems that had been defending it you will realize that the smell of your favorite food has grown stronger though you can’t seem to see any signs of the ingredients or utensils that would lead you to thinking that anyone would be cooking here. The cave system is lit by faint bioluminescent algae that line the ceiling of the cave. The paths in front of you are long and winding, twisting on themselves often and frequently, unless you have a Sensory of 25 or more you must roll a 1d3 in the discord server. If you roll a 1 or 3 the WC for this room is increased by 150 words until someone in the party rolls a 2.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #2
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
4 Cave Spiders Per Player
Moving deeper into the cave systems and finally finding your way forward the smell of food grows stronger but the air seems to grow colder. The already faint light given off by the algae seems to be even less hardly able to use as a light source, the movement of things in the shadows can be heard. If you have a sensory of 15 or more, or Ki you will sense the Cave Spiders that are in waiting for you to come close enough to them for an ambush. They will deal Int physical damage to the first person to come into their range unless you are able to sense them. They can move along the walls and ceiling freely and will try to trap and ensnare people in webs.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #3
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
3+1d4 Monster
Moving past the arachnophobic worst nightmare, you can see in the distance the flickering of light seeming to come off some kind of flame. Once you turn the corner where the light source seems to be you will realize you are in some kind of kitchen like area. There is a variety of cookware and assortment of utensils littering the place, though it seems that no one is here. You notice that there are various bones and meat on the stone counters and looking in the pots you can tell someone has been here recently with the food being prepared. Even though whatever concoction of meal being made clearly isn’t anything you have ever seen it seems exactly like your favorite food. If you hazard a taste it would even taste like it too though it would be highly recommended to not do so. If you do, you will be given a curse that debuffs your movement speed by 2m/s for the remainder of the thread unless cleansed by a Healing Spell.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #4 - Boss Room
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
1 Cave Hag
From the kitchen you can hear a sound coming from farther down the tunnel it seems like it came from the dugout expansion on the other side, upon entering you will find the most beautiful person you have ever seen. They will look whatever your characters preference is, this is an transformation and unless you have the needed sensory of 25 or more or Ki the transformation will stand. The mysterious person will turn on you as you enter but seemingly come off as polite and reasonable, though if you are able to see past their transformation you will see that they are actually a twisted and horrid looking cave hag. A beast that lures unsuspecting individuals into their lair to butcher and devour at their leisure thinking that it will prolong their own life and empower their magic. They use Sensory, Transformation and Attack creation Pure aura magic. They will try to get close first while the transformation is active to get a sneak attack on whoever they can get to close first but if that doesn’t work they will use illusions and ranged spells to deal with intruders as needed.
Upon Completion of this Dungeon players will be awarded the Notable Achievement: The Hag's Bane.
Another day, another potentially violent undertaking.
In the past, which wasn’t saying much given his age, he had been out in the region before for the purpose of visiting the refuge. It was a place where all kinds of dark dealings went down, though it was also a place where you had merchants who were willing to buy just about anything. Whether you’d be able to broker a fair price for it was another matter entirely, though getting to ditch all of your wares and contraband in one spot was awfully convenient for those who had been living like he had. Before he became a junior magic knight, Gawain had been nothing more than an orphan who had survived quite some time as a slave on the islands of Skjaergard. Some time after, he had been freed from his captors and trained by the black knight himself, before eventually being left to his own devices once again.
This time however, he was a lot more skilled as a result of rather rigorous training to more or less hone the seemingly endless capacity of his prodigal prowess. As it were, he had been turned from an explosive into a… somewhat more guided explosive. For someone who had spent several years being a slave for barbarians on a remote island being told how he was worth less than the food he ate, to suddenly go to turning fifteen and being handed a four-leaf grimoire was rather life altering. Had it not been for the training he had received, the likeliness of him having already become a criminal before the age of sixteen was damn high. Instead, he had become the only commoner to be accepted into the elitist Silver Eagles squad based purely on his merit and the promise of being one of the great heroes of this country. He had a four-leaf grimoire after all, with which came an almost mythical status.
Especially among commoners, seeing someone with a four-leaf grimoire meant they were being blessed by a hero’s presence, or that of a hero in the making. He himself did not see it like that. To him, earning a four-leaf clover just established what he believed to be true, that he was destined to become one of the, if not the most powerful mage in the entire country. And to that end, he had been delving into various magic dungeons as a means of testing the limits of his own capabilities, fighting powerful opponents and looting various objects of interest in the process. It was why the rogue’s refuge was such an interesting place for him, as it was a place where he could fence all of the stuff he looted that weren’t of any direct personal interest to him.
Obviously, when he received word that there was some kind of spooky forest that more or less caused people to disappear, his interests were obviously piqued. Whether or not it was the kind of thing that would earn him any actually useful tools or trinkets, if it ended up helping the poorer people of the north by taking care of a threats to their safety, that by itself would be worth it. However, if he could somehow manage to get a bit of training out of it and some interesting things to take with him, that would just make things all the better. Wearing a dark grey Gi with a black undershirt along with a pair of black boots, the boy had traded in his usual loafers due to the obvious reasons that were ‘heading into a forest’. Anyone who would bring out a good pair of loafers into a forest honestly deserved being plagued by leeches and soggy feet.
Standing right at the precipice of the forest, looking in from the outside, even someone with a not overly well-developed sensory skill could feel the mana radiating off of this place. It was a magical, unnatural place after all. And places such as those were dangerous. Just how dangerous would remain to be seen, though figuring that out was exactly what made places such as these fun and interesting to him. With a bit of a smirk on his face, he made sure he had all of his stuff with him while preparing to venture on inside.
Post by Melaena Blake on Jan 31, 2024 14:56:23 GMT -5
Melaena had been a magic knight for a few months now but in the time she had been a knight so far all she had done were basic things such as patrolling the capital and helping people whose cats were stuck in trees. None of which really helped to increase her fame or pushed her closer to the goal of becoming captain of the Golden Dawn. However, it seemed that things were starting to look up for the young Blake as instead of going on her normal patrol today she was instead being sent to the Rouge's Refuge as it seemed as of late people were disappearing in a forest around the area never to be seen again. As such magic knights were being sent to look into that matter and Melaena was one such of those knights. That being said the water mage wasn't being sent alone to try and solve the issue from what she was told she was to tag along with a higher-ranked Silver Eagles mage.
The Blake didn't really mind that she was being sent to tag along with another magic knight. After all, it made the most logical sense as not only was it her first assignment outside of the capital the extent of how dangerous the problem was also unknown. It didn't take long for Melaena to get ready to out after all she didn't really have much in terms of items other than her magic knight mantle which she opted to leave behind when heading to a place known as a refuge for rogues. She wasn't overly worried about leaving it behind as even without the mana she gained from it she was confident that she'd be alright with the natural amount of mana she had which was higher than most others around her skill range.
With all her preparation done Melaena wouldn't waste much time seeking out Elenor and asking her to open a portal to the rogue refuge or at least as close as she could. Upon arriving at her destination Melaena would spend the next few minutes speaking to people to find out the exact location of the forest. After finally managing to get the location it didn't take her long to reach the place in question finding another person already there. "I assume you're the other magic knight that was sent?" While waiting for a response she would glance over the man for a moment and it was clear he was more powerful than she was. It also seemed that at least based on how he was dressed he wasn't of noble birth not that it mattered to the water mage. Melaena's own outfit in question was her signature white blouse that covered her purple crop top and a pair of black pants and boots.
“You assumed correctly! I am Gawain, representing the Silver Eagles!”
Striking a pose as he introduced himself, the boy did not waste a whole lot of time with any further pleasantries. Imagining that the woman would introduce herself to him in due time, he was just feeling excited to get this whole show on the road. Up until now, every magic dungeon he had ventured into had been hidden underground or inside of some building somewhere. That meant that if this was in fact a magic dungeon, it would be the first he got to explore that was actually just out and above ground like this. It made him wonder what kind of creatures they would encounter, as a forest could house all sorts of dangerous beasties. Taking the lead, the young magic knight began moving onward to where he assumed the actual ‘dungeon’ part was going to start kicking off.
Floor 1 | Room 1
“If you get scared, just know that you’re here with the future captain of the Silver Eagles. Anything comes our way, I’ll crush it into a fine paste or cut it into a million pieces!”
Punching his fist into his cupped hand in front of his chest, he did not even so much as look at the woman, keeping his gaze fixated on the path ahead. Then all of a sudden, the sky changed color, along with the rest of the atmosphere around the two of them. What he thought was a sudden nightfall was instead a sudden overgrowth of trees blocking out the sun and most other forms of natural light, leaving just enough for the two of them to make out their surroundings properly. Looking back past the woman, it seemed that the way in had also disappeared, showing nothing but brambles, vines, roots and branches where it had once just been clear. At this point, there was no doubt about it that this was in fact a magic dungeon as nothing about this was even remotely natural to begin with.
But that just made all of this a lot more exciting. If this all turned out to be some lone mage casting illusions or some monster that just ate a bunch of drunks, this would have all been over in a heartbeat. No, what he wanted was something that might be challenging, something that would either pique at his intellect to figure out a way back to normalcy, or something that would be challenging to fight. For the boy, every situation he got dumped into was a learning experience of some kind, an experience that would push him to become stronger, to become better. That was quite frankly all that mattered to him at this point. For with the defeat he had suffered on Skjaergard, getting stronger was perhaps the only way for him to well and truly recover from all the things that he had seen there that day. The things he had been through on that day.
Even when he spoke to the woman, the fifteen year old teen spoke in a tone that was a lot more upbeat than he actually was, though that was something he had more or less taken on as a persona. Not so much as a means of pretending he was somebody else, but to make sure people would see him for what he was now, rather than just seeing him as someone with a big mouth that could not deliver on his promises. Because the fact of the matter was, he could very much deliver on the vast majority of the promises he made, he was simply that strong and capable. But given his age, a lot of people he had worked with ended up seeing him as some kind of overpowered kid that wielded more power than he should realistically be able to handle. The fact that his magic was invisible to the eyes of many just made his feats of strength that much more impressive and scary to the populace.
For him, that did not matter a whole lot, as part of the reason why he had joined with the Silver Eagles was to get a level of respect for being in one of the most elite squads there was. Even when he kept track of the progress of gold stars, the fact that every single one the squad currently owned was his reinforced the belief that he was meant to become Captain some day. And once he was Captain, he was sure the people wouldn’t be afraid of his power anymore. In the end, getting through this dungeon and cleaning out any threats that might spill out into the populace was just another step towards reaching that particular goal of his.
Post by Seron Volari-Blake on Feb 11, 2024 15:15:04 GMT -5
[attr="class","wayb"]
[attr="class","hovbg"]
[attr="class","hovinf"]words #1,026 | total words #1,026
[attr="class","mainb"]
[attr="class","maintex"]Another day. More work to be done.
With one issue done and taken care of, came another, the main issue presented to him as it were. And why he'd been called in to repay a favor to that friend of his in the first place. Frankly speaking he wasn't too concerned, the dungeons he'd delved into years before had not been friendly by any stretch of the imagination. But they had not been even close to the worst or most harrowing of his experiences as a Magic Knight either, certainly not when these things could not be done alone. Individually attempting something of this magnitude was simply out of the question, no matter how much some small youthful part of him insisted that he could manage just fine, that inner voice had led him into trouble in the past. So he wasn't about to listen to it. His pride might remain from his years as a teen, but it would not stay that way if he ended up dead half-way through this place.
Better to play it cautious this time.
With that said, travelling there hadn't taken as long as he'd expected either. While he would usually see such time saved as good fortune, it left little but a slowly growing sense of unease within the pit of his stomach. Good things were repaid in kind, usually but something else. A counterbalance. Few good deeds ever went unpunished as far as he'd experienced, he had just been luckier for longer then most with Liana, but even that had come to an end. While travelling around the Forsake Region from where he had been prior hadn't taken all that long, stepping even near and then eventually into the place known as the Rouge's Refuge set every nerve he had on high alert. He'd been here a few times before, never as a Magic Knight thankfully, but each time he always knew to keep his guard up. A hand kept near his Grimoire at all times, even hidden under his cloak though it was, just as most of his features were.
It was safer that way.
Quickened steps led him through the town and while he'd known the descriptions of the Dungeon seemed strange, he was even more perplexed by just what it seemed to be as he approached it. A forest yes, but this seemed far stranger than the norm. Still as he came near, the other notable strangeness was the fact that there appeared to be only one other just outside of the looming overgrowth. Young of course, but she did not seem to be overly powerful based upon what he could sense, would the two of them be enough? Or had they both been sent to their deaths? Only one way to figure that out, he supposed. "I presume you're here for this as well, is it just the two of us?" He kept his tone neutral and polite, curious of the answer, or at least he would have been had he not heard a voice in the distance. One oddly familiar. A silent gesture made to follow, no use waiting out here to see if his hunch was correct.
Floor 1 | Room 1
As it turns out, he'd been completely right. On both accounts. The once darkened skies above seem to disappear, where once he had witnessed the occasional star glinting high above as he traveled to the correct destination, now there was nothing but overgrowth. A large forest without a doubt, but a far more malicious and magical one then the many he had spent much time in across his lifetime. Vines and trees sealing of just where they had entered but moments before, a frosty touch to his breath as he exhales slowly. "Well, no going back now." A quiet murmur, more for himself, as the mage pulls down the hood of his cloak to let dark locks spill out. Mostly tied back into a high ponytail, given he knew they'd been moving around a lot for quite some time. Still, he was right to be concerned about this potentially being a lot for just two people, and it seemed, the other who had tagged along. One he had met before.
"Everywhere I end up, Gawain, you seem to be. Seeking danger again?" A harmless enough question really, considering all that had happened previously. Even if the outcome at the end of it all had been a mostly positive one, charging headfirst into a dungeon was another matter entirely. Still, he had no hold over the boy and if he wished to risk life and limb by delving into such places, then he would not be the one to stop him. Better to focus on keeping himself alive and getting through this, before he began needlessly worrying about others he had little connection with. A silvery gaze flickering left to right as he stepped a touch further into the room, no matter what he heard, whenever he looked? There was nothing. They were being watched, he could feel that much with every moment they spent in this place. But to what extent, in what amount of detail and how far could such observation spread? Questions that would likely be left unanswered for quite a while yet.
Such sounds aside, there was something else, beyond the room they stood within in, flickering blue flames. There one moment and vanishing even from his periphery the second he dared to not wholly focus on the sight of such a flickering blaze. Was a mana beast creating such a spectacle, or was it something far more mundane in origin? A potential light source further in perhaps? It seemed unlikely, but he sincerely doubted that they were the first to venue in here. Maybe those that had come before them had left something behind. Only one way to figure that out, no matter how much the voices around them seemed to want to cause a general nuisance and distraction. They had no way of going back now even if any of them might want to, so there was only one thing that they could do.
Post by Kingsley Farebrother on Apr 2, 2024 15:53:46 GMT -5
It was bad enough failing to capture the bandit in Kikka, but now Kingsley could add sleeping in to his list of failures. The young mage had tossed and turned all night, thoughts of the thief's wind magic blowing through his mind like a hurricane through a broken window. It wasn't until nearly dawn that he had settled to sleep. The drafty room in the Purple Orcas HQ didn't help to ease his troubles, but he was thankful for it nevertheless compared to the meager shack his mother owned out in the boonies. Only when he had awoken did Kingsley realize his mistake - rather than opening his eyes with the crowing of the roosters at morn, he had awoken around noon as Kikka's pigeons pecked at the bedside window, hungry for food. Pulling his pillow over his face to quell his incoming scream, Kingsley allowed himself one moment of frustration before bounding out of bed and hurriedly changing out of his bedclothes.
Tightening his Magic Knight mantle, Kingsley darted down the castle's halls, eyes scanning every chamber and alcove for one of his teammates, any that possessed the ability to transport him to the Forsaken Realm. He had only gone to the outskirts of the Kingdom once in his youth, and the land seemed to mirror the name given to it by the Kingdom of Clover. Wide swaths of unoccupied land, peppered with villages of Clover's poorest, squashed between various landmarks hiding vicious Mana Beasts and Wild Mana Regions. The citizens would be lucky to see a Magic Knight once a month, and even luckier to see one that actually cared about their wellbeing over their own paycheck. Kingsley continued this line of sympathetic thoughts until he found what he was looking for: a more senior Orca who specialized in Golem Creation Magic. Instinctively bowing, Kingsley spoke with such urgency that his words began to jumble together. "Please sir, can you give me a ride out to the Rogue's Refuge? I've missed my chance to travel by broom and I'd owe you a huge favor!"
The older knight looked up from his book, grunting in acknowledgement. "Don't mention it. We all drop the ball here and there. Just don't make a habit out of it if you want to ever get past Junior Knight." The older Knight pulled his salt-and-pepper hair back into a knot, leaving his reading material on a nearby table. Kingsley made himself upright, following his senior towards the castle entrance and out onto the cobbled roads of Kikka. The Knight's grimoire rose aloft, flipping open to a diagram of a horse-drawn chariot. The air grew frigid as the older Knight conjured a matching vehicle out of ice, a pair of winged horses at the end of the reins. Kingsley's eyes grew wide as he took in the sight, wondering if he should study under his fellow Orca and have a sweet ride of his own.
The older man stepped aboard and looked over his shoulder at the brunet, as if inviting him to follow. Unsure of his footing, Kingsley slowly took a step onto the chariot, making sure to grab ahold of it as he steadied the remainder of his weight atop it. "Hold on tight, kiddo." The senior called out, gripping the chariot's reins tightly before extending his arms, cracking them sharply against the icy pegasi attached to them. The winged horses roared into action, their frozen hooves clicking against the pavement as they began to pick up speed, before leaping up into the air, wings outstretched.
Before long, the castle town of Kikka became a distant memory, and the skies of the Common Realm outstretched before them. The older knight was careful not to go too high, as the already icy chariot would only grow colder as they ascended further and further. Taking advantage of the long ride, Kingsley reached into his small pouch and unfurled the mission directive that had been given to him the day before. The Forests of Rogue's Refuge are infested with monsters. Support your fellow Mages and remove the source of the infestation. The young knight wondered if all missives were this brief, but before he could ask the senior Orca transporting him, the older man called out. Now since it's my day off, don't expect any more help today. I'll kill some time in the nearby village of Aries Garse. Come find me when you want a ride back to Kikka, kiddo."
Hearing the older man call him 'kiddo' brought blood rushing to Kingsley's cheeks, although the sensation of blushing was brief, as the blood rushed back to the rest of his body still touching the chilly chariot's surface. The chariot began to slow, and Kingsley looked overboard to see what awaited him on the ground. Grassy, windswept hills gave way to mire and muck, as a dark foreboding forest loomed over the horizon, before completely dominating the terrain below. The winged horses began their descent, and Kingsley felt his nose instinctively twitch from the smell of bog that wafted up.
The thick canopy of dark trees gave no openings for the chariot, so the older knight settled for the edge of the forest, where a lone path dared to break through the treeline and into the woods. Given his late arrival, Kingsley reckoned that the other mages had entered without him, leaving him to play catch up in this cursed woodland. Hopefully they hadn't gone too far, stranded in an unwinnable battle without him. Leaping out of the chariot's open faced rear, the young knight saluted his superior officer, smiling as the salt and pepper haired man saluted back. Kingsley turned his back to the retreating senior Orca, and gave the forest his full attention. With his paltry sensory abilities, Kingsley could feel the faintest sensation of danger radiating from the woods, a deep ominous feeling like being knocked out of one's boat in the middle of the ocean. And within it, a faint twinkling of hope, three stars in the darkness glinting against the sea of evil they found themselves in. Taking a big step over the threshold, Kingsley felt every hair stand on end as the looming darkness swallowed him.
Floor 1 | Room 1
Three mages were up ahead on the path, two young men and a younger woman. One wore the robes of the Silver Eagles, a fellow Magic Knight. The other, simple robes of brown and black, not bearing the symbols of any Magic Knight Squad. Picking up the pace a little, Kingsley was thankful for his reserves of stamina. The girl wore the distinct yellow mantle of the Golden Dawn, further accentuated against the purple she wore underneath it. Though he wasn't overly quick, the dash to his compatriots would make lesser mages pant and double over. As he got closer, Kingsley immediately sensed a new form of tension, this one entirely mundane. The glances shared by his companions gave him the strong impression that they knew one another, and he was the stranger in this party. "Apologies for my tardiness, fellas. I came as quickly as I could. The name's Kingsley Farebrother, Junior Knight, Grade 5, of the Purple Orcas." He bent forward, solidifying the apology and hoping to put his best foot forward. This was his first team assignment and he wanted it go proceed flawlessly. Or as flawlessly as possible discounting his lateness.
Wandering through this peculiar type of forest, one which he had certainly never experienced before in his life, he tried to listen to his surroundings while doing his best to scope the place out to the best of his abilities. He did not like it when things took him off-guard, so he would always try to keep it up. It was why he had been training his body and mind to the point where he could keep up his extrasensory skills at all times without really expending any thought or effort towards it. So as they wandered about, it turned out that another member of an altogether different magic squad had been sent in to aid them in this endeavor. Wondering whether the higher-ups had underestimated him after sending him in without any other knights aside from Malaena, or if they overestimated the danger level posed by this particular dungeon, it also made him wonder if they had even been aware of Seron being here.
He wasn’t a magic knight after all, so he was always wondering whether or not people knew of such individuals popping into dungeons beforehand, or if they only figured that out once a detailed report was written up after the fact. Regardless, with the addition of this member of the Purple Orcas, Gawain felt like they might have been a bit overstaffed, though he would roll with it regardless. These new magic knights also needed to be presented with their own proving grounds, so it made sense why they would be sent in alongside someone such as himself. He had proven his merit a long time ago, though he would keep proving himself worthy as many times as it took. Still, he would like to know about it ahead of time so he had some time to prepare and adjust to any potential newcomers and latecomers. But, again, he would roll with the punches and keep pressing onward as if nothing had happened.
“A pleasure to meet you Kingsley, and I imagine you’re right Seron. Wherever there is danger, there is usually a strong foe to beat up!”
What he said was, obviously, quite an understatement. There was a reason why whenever a magic dungeon such as this popped up from the works, civilians tended to either get lost, get injured, or get killed. It fell upon the shoulders of the magic knights to handle and moderate the threat level, while civilians with decent magical prowess and rogues alike often wandered into them for the spoils, for the loot. And while he could understand the need for a bit of loot, that wasn’t exactly why he himself had come here. Whenever these kinds of places appeared, he wished to be there on the forefront, fighting whatever these places had to offer in order to see what kind of foes it had to provide him with. He wanted to test himself against him, see how his tactics and magic would hold up against him while making sure his level of stamina was appropriate or if he needed to adjust and evolve somewhere.
And as dangerous as it was to forcefully evolve in the middle of combat, it was very much the best and fastest way of getting things done. He had learned that a while ago, back when he first got his grimoire shortly after his birthday. For this very reason, he would continue to seek out danger. Both as a means of improving the amount of golden stars his squad had to tally up towards the Star Festival, as well as to make himself look better. Because as a commoner among nobles in perhaps one of the most snobby squads on the planet, one had to look after oneself incredibly well and establish a level of dominance sooner rather than later. And he had done just that, and would keep doing just that until there was nothing left to prove to anyone. But as the group was speaking among one another, Gawain noticed something among the trees, primarily by the foot of the trees.
They were small vegetable looking things, but there was more to them, as they seemed to move ever so slightly. Holding up his hand as if alerting the group to stop moving immediately, he looked around with a few fast glances, finding that they had wandered right into an area where these strange plants were all around them. This was problematic, though there was no telling right now whether or not these things were actually hostile. But that was when he noticed something else, something that proved to him that they were all potentially in danger. For he saw clothing along the ground. Clothing that had been torn apart with roots sticking out of them as though holding them tightly. Within these clothing, there were bones. Mostly stripped of what flesh had been attached to it, it was fairly simple for the boy to assume that these were just some of the people that had wandered in and never made their way back out. Whether they had been criminals from the rogue hideouts in the area or innocent civilians, it didn’t matter. These people had deserved better.
Gesturing at the party to keep quiet for the time being while pointing two fingers towards his own eyes before then pointing his fingers towards the ground by the trees, he made sure that everyone who understood him would look towards the tree roots to see the dead bodies. Knowing better than to believe that if they just kept moving on without making any sound, that this potential threat would just leave them be, Gawain took it upon himself to focus instead of getting rid of this threat for the sake of both themselves as a team and any others that might make their way into this place by mistake or otherwise. Pointing his fingers towards a cluster of these strange root vegetable creatures, a blade of pressurized air shot forth, invisible to the untrained eye. To most, it would just seem like two of the vegetable things were just torn in half all of a sudden, though those with a skill at seeing mana saw the blade of mana tearing through them like a hot knife sliding through butter.
As soon as they died, a deafening wail could be heard from all sides as those that had not yet registered new prey entering into the area sprung into action. Seeing the majority of their bodies as they came up from the ground, a quick head count told him that there were roughly thirteen of these creatures up and about, though maybe that was not the right analogy. As it were, these things were landlocked to the point where they could not move their bodies from where they were. However, the long and slender roots they shot out of the grounds as whip-like appendages could reach them all quite easily it seemed. For all intents and purposes, their positioning around this clearing had all of the characteristics of a kill-box. But not a single one of the people that had come in here with him were going to die here today, that much he vowed. For as the roots came up like lashing tentacles, Gawain pointed his finger around, firing bullets of compressed air with pin-point accuracy.
Puncturing decent holes into various of these creatures, a fair amount of the writhing tentacled limbs were falling lifelessly to the grounds, though plenty of them remained active as they began lashing out. With his bullets finding and ending three of the creatures, one of the nearby vegetables threw its limbs at the boy like a whip, trying to wrap around his arm. Noticing this in time, the boy grabbed hold of the appendage at the same time as it wrapped around his forearm. Finding themselves in a test of strength, Gawain could feel that these things were quite strong physically, but nowhere near strong enough. Winning the tug of war with one hard pull, the entire creature became uprooted as it got propelled towards the ashen-haired boy with the speed of a broom in flight. Then, as it got close, Gawain punched his arm straight through it. Turning to the others with his arm still inside of the root creature, its green liquid covering much of his clothing at this point, he tried to get an accurate assessment as to what the situation was.
“Make sure not to get wrapped up by their limbs, try to shoot them down from a distance if at all possible.”
Name of Spell: Slice Elemental Type: Air Pressure Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate | Attack Creation | Sensory (Homing) Range & Speed: 40m | 25 m/s Mana Cost: 20 | 10 Stats Effected: - Applicable Perks: Overpowered | Quick Shot Description: Extending and pushing his right index and middle finger together before flicking them upward in order to activate the spell, a crescent blade of wind roughly five centimeters thick and three meters long is fired into the desired direction, following directly up on this motion. The attack itself is non-lethal, unless direct contact to one's vitals is established, as well as causing painful cuts and bruises on people and breaking most unreinforced walls, dealing Intermediate rank damage. In addition, the accuracy and chance to hit can be further improved by utilizing Homing rules, including following the target in adherence to those same rules. The crescent blade follows the target that was initially pointed at until it hits, runs out of space or hits another object. To those without at least 20 sensory, this spell will be invisible, appearing as a wispy green crescent blade to others.
Name of Spell: Puncture Elemental Type: Air Pressure Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate | Attack Creation | Sensory (Homing) Range & Speed: 40m | 25 m/s Mana Cost: 20 | 10 Stats Effected: - Applicable Perks: Overpowered | Quick Shot Description: Putting his index and middle finger together, Gawain will point his right hand at his target, using the tips of his fingers as a vocal point from which it is fired. This a sphere roughly ten centimeters wide for the purpose of puncturing the target. The attack itself is non-lethal, unless direct contact with one's vitals is established, as well as causing painful cuts and bruises on people and breaking most unreinforced walls, dealing Intermediate rank damage. In addition, the accuracy and chance to hit can be further improved by utilizing Homing rules, including following the target in adherence to those same rules. The bullet follows the target that was initially pointed at until it hits, runs out of space or hits another object. To those without at least 20 sensory, this spell will be invisible, appearing as a wispy green ball to others.
Post by Kingsley Farebrother on Apr 14, 2024 14:47:32 GMT -5
Kingsley Farebrother
He who fears not the blade he wields has no right to wield that blade.
Listening to the two other men banter back and forth was almost humorous enough to elicit a chuckle from Kingsley, who quickly stifled it into an exhale through his nostrils. It wasn't appropriate to laugh in such a serious situation, but the liveliness of the others was refreshing nonetheless. The Purple Orcas Headquarters had been terribly quiet as of late, and a change of pace was just what Kingsley needed. The song of the forest, twisted by the energies of the dungeon, underpinned the voices of his fellow mages. Where one would expect the warbling of songbirds lain over the rustling of the canopy, this cursed forest rang out with the hollow cries of ravens interrupted by the occasional lurching of knotted tree branches. Kingsley had never been to such a wicked place, as the capital held no forests beyond the occasional park, and the hamlet he spent the remainder of his time as an adolescent in was all rolling fields and hills, with little to no trees.
Shaking the looming sense of dread, Kingsley looked back to the white haired mage, who seemed steadfast in his stance. 'Gawain' as he introduced himself, was younger than the Purple Orca, but his Silver Eagle mantle held the wear and tear of someone who had seen their share of service. His turquoise eyes were alert, scanning the treeline for danger. Though the forest definitely held those hazards within, for the moment, they were safe. The same could not be said for those unfortunate civilians who had wandered within. Dungeons rarely were reported as such to the Magic Knights until at least a single life had been lost, and this wicked glade had claimed many in the few weeks since it appeared. The thought of his own parents never returning sent a shiver down Kingsley's spine. Just how many 'missing' citizens every year were the victims of dungeons that the Magic Knights have never found? If these dungeons popped up in the Noble Realm, or even the Common Realm, they'd be cleared within days of being discovered. But out here, in the Forsaken Realm, the Magic Knights were spread thin and peoples' lives slip through the cracks.
Kingsley had taken advantage of the Magic Knights' resources since his admission to the Purple Orcas, and had done a bit of reading on the Mana Beasts and other monsters that the Magic Knights had encountered in the past. Forest dungeons like these would be infested with wicked wildlife, peculiar plants, and corrupted elementals - and like most dungeons, at its heart lay the most powerful monster of them all. If anyone knew what exactly slept at the center of this evil place, they didn't live to tell the tale, given the brief briefing Kingsley received at the Purple Orcas Headquarters. The examples provided from past reports of Magic Knight dungeon runs did not paint a pretty picture either - slumbering giants, howling phantoms, and bloodthirsty dragons often generated the gross phenomena of dungeons with their powerful auras, either creating or attracting the subservient monsters that lurked within.
The thought of fighting immense monsters like those reported by Magic Knights of the past did little to encourage Kingsley, but seeing his new Silver Eagle teammate did bolster his attitude a bit. The other knight seemed muscular beneath his plainclothes, and kept his grimoire at his hip. Kingsley looked at the grimoire hard, trying to ascertain the nature of Gawain's magic from its design - or at least the amount of design that was visible at such an angle. Whatever magic Gawain could wield, it was definitely strong. Even someone with a meager mana sensing ability like Kingsley could tell that. Mana washed off Gawain like waves lapping at a shore, deep and strong, silent but ineffable; merely hinting at the depths contained within.
Civilians had said similar things about Kingsley in the past after receiving his four-leaf grimoire - and now he felt to this fellow knight as they had to him. Something nigh unreachable, but a worthy goal for any aspirant mage. Could the Silver Eagles have a four-leaf grimoire user of their own? Kingsley knew he wasn't the only one in the nation blessed with the four-leaf, but the amount varied from generation to generation. Some history books even mention 'droughts' of the four-leaf, when no one, even the nobility, held such power. Perhaps in time, Kingsley could approach such a mage as an equal, but at his current level he felt like a burden almost, as if he were a child needing a hand to hold to pass through this treacherous wood. Feeling embarrassment at the self-deprecation of his innermost monologue, the brunet mage grit his teeth and steeled himself. This place would not be safe from danger until the dungeon was cleared, and it was his job to assist, not sit on the sidelines like a civilian. If someone like Gawain had been assigned, it must be just as much a learning experience for the less experienced as well as a necessity for the health of the Kingdom of Clover. Besides, if the older mages had imparted anything onto Kingsley, it was that Magic Knights did their best growth in the field. In those riding by the seat of your pants moments, a mage could draw forth an inner reserve of strength that no training session at home could muster. For someone like himself, Kingsley knew that such experiences had the best chance of expanding his grimoire, which at the moment held but two spells fit for a Magic Knight.
Gawain continued on the worn trod that constituted the 'path' of this stretch of forest, though it seemed like it was tenuous at best and that the undergrowth might consume it once more at any moment, leaving them stranded in a sea of verdant shrubbery and weeds. The Junior Knight followed him, watching his footfalls for traps or items that might alert the monsters lurking within. The solemn calmness of the forest's periphery had to be a ploy by the dungeon master's minions to lure in villagers, those unsuspecting citizens seeking a shortcut home from a long day's work, or travelling merchants looking to bring in freshly made wares from their local artisans. Without the proper training or magical ability to defend themselves, those citizens never stood a chance against the forest's denizens.
Floor 1 | Room 2
In an instant, the energy in the air changed, as if the party had crossed some invisible threshold. The previously unnerving honking of ravens disappeared, replaced by an even more unsettling silence. The midday sun extinguished to reveal a sinister crescent moon in the sky. Gawain approached the treeline, his stance changing as he notices something out of Kingsley's line of sight. The senior knight raises his hand, bringing the adventuring party to a halt in suspense. Following the ashen haired boy's glances, Kingsley noticed the remains of some poor travelers littering the forest floor. Silencing his gasp of surprise, the Purple Orca returned his eyes to Gawain, who made several more gestures with his fingers, pointing out the clusters of people-shaped vegetables that stuck out of the ground along the trees. In an instant, one of the vegetables split open, as if a transparent blade run it through, before its neighbor suffered the same fate, bisected by an unknown force.
Kingsley felt the mana roll off Gawain like a thick yet controlled fog, his stance clearly displaying his part in culling the two monsters. KREEEEEEEEEEEE It seems that these gangrenous vegetables didn't appreciate the assault on their kin, and they made it known by screaming with inhuman vocal chords, before flinging their whiplike appendages towards Gawain. More and more of the creatures emerged from the soil, circling the adventuring mages with equal parts rage and hunger. Watching his teammate with rapturous interest, Kingsley counted the tentacles falling to the floor, as more imperceptible energy left Gawain's body and pierced the plant aggressors. The plants recoiled as three more of their posse fell, one brave monster managing to land a tether around Gawain's arm. The plant was like the dog that caught the carriage, unaware of how to proceed now that it had gotten this far. Kingsley watched his teammate pull the vegetable from its post, before dealing a devastating blow to its torso. The senior knight called out with a warning to Kingsley, who noticed the creatures' ire had now been turned to himself.
"Got it! Just leave a piece of the action for me. Spider's Silken Snare!" Kingsley's grimoire snapped to attention at the call to action, floating up and flipping pages eagerly to facilitate the spell. Kingsley raised both hands, open palmed towards the monsters as two rings of rosy runes came into existence. A small smile found its way to the mage's face as he recognized the ease in which the monsters could be dispatched. Twin ribbons of silk emerged from his spell runes, binding the mandrake's limbs to its potato-like body. Looking closely at the bindings, Kingsley noticed the green 'blood' of the mandrakes beginning to stain the underside of the ribbons, their razor sharp interiors slicing into the two demonic potatoes like a serrated kitchen knife. While not enough to dispatch the two, it was a good start.
Kingsley gripped both of the vegetable's restraints by the silken cord that served as the spell's leash, and dug his heels into the mud, knees bent in an attempt at gaining leverage against the mandrake. Hearing the soil give way, the mandrake began to lurch from its perch from the brunet's heaving. "I'm done with you gross onions!" The Purple Orca called out as he twisted his body around, pulling the mandrakes from their position and hurling them towards one of their siblings. The two vegetables popped like spoiled tomatoes against their comrade, spilling emerald goop on its now cracked tuberous torso. Releasing his control over the restraint spell, Kingsley rushed forward to the injured mandrake, swiftly stomping on it before it had a chance to retort. The creature squelched under his boots, staining the leather with green ichor.
Glancing back down at the ground, Kingsley saw there were still quite a few mandrakes remaining, their wicked faces now contorted into rage at watching the mages mow down nine of their number. Sensing their ill intent, Kingsley reached out with both hands, one aimed at Gawain, and the other gestured at his own feet, calling out his grimoire once more. "Spider's Silken Suit!" Another circle of magic text appeared on the ground beneath him, sending twelve ribbons of silk around Kingsley's body, forming his silk gambeson in anticipation for the mandrake's attacks. The rosy armor could take a few hits from these creatures, and every bit would help. This dungeon surely had more challenges waiting, and it wouldn't do to fall to a few plants. A similar circle appeared beneath his companion, as the dozen or so ribbons tied themselves to the Silver Eagle, granting him the defensive gambeson.
The creeping tendril of a mandrake reached Kingsley, attempting to slither around his torso. As the creature tightened its grip, the gambeson seemed to activate, repelling the tendril with magical force. The mandrake recoiled, its vine arm bruised like a tender peach from the magical armor; it brought its arm back to its infantile face, inspecting the wound with alien awareness. Soon, the monster opened its disgusting maw, sharply inhaling before releasing another high pitched screech. Unlike the first screech, which seemed to be more of a war cry for its fellow mandrakes to attack the mages, this scream was imbued with sound magic, creating a bubble-like shockwave that traveled towards the brunet man. The gambeson absorbed the majority of the blast, but it would not sustain many more, its magical reserves draining from the back-to-back assault.
Kingsley swore under his breath, and looked over to Gawain, who had just easily killed six of the monsters. The brunet mage had managed to eliminate three, but only through great effort. Whereas his ashen haired ally had merely flicked his fingers to destroy 5, before punching the final one. One of the remaining mandrakes sent tendrils beneath the earth, its vegetable glare fixed firmly on Gawain. Recognizing the attempt, Kingsley called out to his ally before the mandrake could complete its sneak attack. "Gawain, behind you!" Kingsley just hoped that his warning and spell would be enough.
POW 08
DUR 14
STA 15
SEN 12
CON 12
WORD COUNT: 2065
TOTAL WC: 3345
ITEMS IN USE: Magic Knight Mantle
BATTLE NOTES: Kingsley took down three Mandrakes, defended himself from a couple attacks, and warned Gawain about an incoming strike from beneath the ground.
Description: Speaking the spell's name, the user holds their hand towards the target. A 1m radius circle of pink runes appears, centered in their palm; from this runic circle a 0.5m wide, 3m length white-and-floral-patterned ribbon of silk emerges, slithering towards the target at 10m/s. Once the ribbon makes contact, it begins winding around the target's body, before pulling taut, binding the arms against the torso. Once it has tightened around the target, the ribbon will tie itself, leaving a remainder of 0.5m outstretched towards the caster so they may drag/lead the target using the restraint. After the knot completes, the ribbon also begins to sprout small spikes inwards, damaging the target equal to 1/2 Junior damage with minor cuts to the skin. The restraint interrupts the connection between the enemy and their grimoire, cutting Mana Regeneration by 5. Should the grimoire be targeted specifically, the target's spell usage per post is reduced by 50%. Additional restraints can be created per the ammo rules.
Description: After speaking the name of the spell, a rotating circle of pink runes appears at the user's feet. Twelve pink ribbons of silk emerge from the runes, weaving through one another in basket-like patterns as they wrap around the user. As the circle of runes disappear, the silk forms into a pink 3-layer padded gambeson, a form of cloth armor. By pointing at an ally up to 25 meters away, the spell can instead be cast on them, manifesting the circle of runes under their feet instead of the caster's. The armor can take up to Intermediate damage before failing. If an enemy makes a physical attack that isn't powerful enough to destroy the armor, the silk reverberates with a portion of the original of force, dealing Junior damage and slowing the attacker by 5m/s. Additional suits may be created per the rules on ammo.
Even though he likely shouldn’t be enjoying this kind of thing as much as he did, there was always something about getting to cut loose and just squash and kill a bunch of evil creatures that just made him happy. With the amount of these root creatures he had killed up until now, he did not imagine the remainder of them to be all that problematic. So with his Ki remaining active, he watched as the new arrival used his own magic in order to lash out at what attackers that remained. Interestingly enough, it was a type of magic he had never seen before. Judging by the sound of it, the guy called his magic by the name of ‘spider silk’, meaning it was likely some sort of a cloth magic variation based around the silken substance it created. Given that it was his first time seeing it, he decided to pay some attention to it and its uses.
“By all means, don’t let me get in the way. Go on, kill some things.”
Responding to the knight’s request to not hog all of the fun by killing everything by himself, what little remained seemed like it would be the kind of thing he could hand off to someone else. Normally, he’d prefer to get rid of as many threats as possible so the other mages that were with him would not end up getting overwhelmed. After all, he had managed to build up somewhat of a reputation for tagging along with lower ranking knights so that they might be shown the ropes and have someone to fall back on in case the dungeon proved to be more… troublesome than initially expected. But quite frankly, he didn’t mind all of that. He just liked being in places where he was needed, got to beat the everliving shit out of some truly evil freaks of magic-afflicted nature and earn some golden stars in the process.
Right now, he knew that he had earned a considerable amount of them already, unlike his good for nothing squad mates that seemed more interested in chumming it up with the nobles rather than getting some callouses on their hands from hard work. Continuing to watch the mage fight as he thought to himself how this was yet another member of the Purple Orcas he was helping through some dungeon, he saw how his cloth spell seemingly cut up the mandrakes that came into contact with it. It seemed like a formidable enough spell for a place such as this one, which was good. Knowing that someone could hold their ground without him having to actively babysit them was not the worst thing in the world, as it almost made them feel like partners rather than the aforementioned babysitter and child.
When one of the only mandrakes that remained alive lashed out at Gawain for seemingly just standing there like a statue in the middle of the ongoing fight, the heightened pace of his reflexes and the speed of his limbs would have easily allowed him to respond with violence. Instead however, he saw how this Kingsley fellow was conjuring up a spell that was intended to aid him. As such, Gawain just smirked as he would allow this outcome, knowing full well the density of his mana skin and how it would keep him mostly unharmed even if the attack came from. So as the cloth wrapped around him and ensured his safety with a protective padding, the boy grabbed hold of the tendril that had lashed against his protected arm. With a violent tug, he uprooted the mandrake, spinning it in the air by its tendril before smashing it to bits against the side of a nearby tree. With a loud splat, the creature’s life was ended, allowing the team to move along.
FLOOR 1 | ROOM 3
With the mandrakes taken care of and the other mages staying behind to ensure no one would get to stumble in and get themselves into any further danger, both Gawain and Kingsley pressed further into the seemingly cursed forest. With a good amount of bodies now accounted for, the ashen haired boy was not in a position where he deluded himself into thinking they would actually find anyone else to be alive in here. Even with the magic dungeon being classified as being quite low on the threat spectrum, the creatures found here were incredibly hungry and violent so far. That, and there did not seem to be a clear point of entry as this whole forest seemed to be under the curse, meaning people could enter from any side and accidentally find themselves within the clutches of this place. As such, it was only right that some of them remained behind.
But Gawain had never been the kind to stay behind and redirect any potential influx of people back to safety. He had made a reputation of getting into the thick of things and beating its ugly head in with his own two hands, if not just altogether destroying them with his magic. In spite of his age and the fact that he had only had his grimoire for less than a year, the boy had been training very hard by throwing himself at all sorts of threats that came in the way of missions and dungeons alike: including the kind that was honestly for those of a higher rank than he had been. But through sheer determination and hard work, the kid had managed to make something out of himself in a squad that normally did not just accept any oddball. This fact was particularly true when it came to those who were not of noble blood, proving that the current captain of the Silver Eagles had seen his potential.
And that was the way in which Gawain’s ideal world worked. Picking and choosing members based off of their merit and their determination, rather than going by their last name and the density of their wealth. It was to that extent that he had already rounded up well over eighty golden stars by himself for the sake of his squad, as well as to show proof of just how determined he was as a knight. And though his ideal world was still a ways off, he honestly felt like it was something that could be achieved before long. All it took was for him to keep going and set the example that was needed.
“You use your magic well. It’s a type I’ve never seen before, and honestly I hadn’t imagined it would be the type that would handle offense well. But it seems versatile enough as far as spells go.”
Sharing his uneducated view on the matter of Kingsley’s magic, the silver eagle didn’t imagine he’d be able to tell the guy anything that he hadn’t already heard a bunch of times before. After all, it was his magic, so anything Gawain said was just along the lines of ‘been there, done that’. But him praising Kingsley’s magic uses and the diversity of his spells was not just him making idle chat for the sake of it. No, he knew well enough that for some people, entering into magic dungeons such as these could be a rather hectic and harrowing experience. Up until this point, this dungeon would have been his fifth or sixth so far. And among those, he had seen some rather terrifying stuff, though the amount of civilian casualties and bodies they had encountered after just being inside of this place for a few minutes had already exceeded that of the majority of the others.
But even as he was running his mouth, his senses did not lose their edge. Being the youngest ki master in the kingdom and likely beyond, Gawain had a certain space around his being within which he managed to register most movement, making it extremely difficult to just get the drop on him. So when the party of two came upon what could only be described as a cavern, the earthen golems that rose from the ground in order to bar their entry were registered quickly enough. In one of the most nonchalant manners imaginable, as he was talking to Kingsley, he held out a finger in the destination where some of the golems were coming up from the ground. Releasing various bullets that quickly riddled four of them with bullets, reducing them to mere rock and soil. Seeing as how the Purple Orca had requested earlier that he also wished to do some of the heavy lifting, Gawain would not be the kind of spoilsport that would take it all upon his own shoulders.
So while he would watch closely and keep his ‘trigger-finger’ ready, he waited to see how Kingsley would decide to handle the two golems that remained. Angrily closing the distance between the cavern and the two mages, whoever had summoned them into being was likely not amused that the mandrakes had been killed and that the majority of their golems had been smashed before they could even try to land a hit. And in spite of not seeing anyone, Gawain could feel it. Like some kind of watchful and angry presence casting their gaze upon them as they proceeded onward, likely from somewhere within the cavern. But guesstimating would only do them so much good, as they would figure out what the deal here was soon enough.
Name of Spell: Perforate Elemental Type: Air Pressure Rank & Spell Type: Senior | Attack Creation | Sensory (Homing) Range & Speed: 80m | 45 m/s Mana Cost: 30 | 15 Stats Effected: - Applicable Perks: Overpowered | Quick Shot Description: Putting his index and middle finger together while pointing his thumb up, Gawain will point his right hand at his target, using the tips of his index and middle fingers as a vocal point from which it is fired. This spike is roughly two meters wide with the purpose of puncturing the target. The attack itself is lethal on direct hits, capable of leaving deep cuts and lacerations, broken bones and breaking most structures, dealing Senior rank damage. For every 30 Control, an additional shot can be fired. In addition, the accuracy and chance to hit can be further improved by utilizing Homing rules, including following the target in adherence to those same rules. The bullet follows the target that was initially pointed at until it hits, runs out of space or hits another object. To those without at least 30 sensory, this spell will be invisible, appearing as a wispy green ball to others.
No mana lost due to regeneration overcoming expenditure
Post by Kingsley Farebrother on Apr 17, 2024 14:19:55 GMT -5
Kingsley Farebrother
He who fears not the blade he wields has no right to wield that blade.
Never seeming to lose his composure, Gawain barely reacted to Kingsley's warning about the attacking mandrake. The silk gambeson fit on him snugly, though its coral coloration clashed garishly against the silver haired man's brown and black plainclothes. Kingsley's mouth was slightly agape as the other Knight allowed himself to be grappled, before twirling the mandrake's arm like a lasso overhead. The mandrake could do naught but cry as Gawain swiftly slammed his arm to the side, hurling the horrible horticulture homunculus into the trunk of nearby hawthorn tree. Kingsley's look of wonder quickly turned into one of triumph, counting the squashed corpses one by one to ensure they didn't miss any.
"Okay, that was pretty cool." The young knight admitted. Glancing over both of them, it seemed as though they had escaped from this encounter relatively unscathed, in no small part due to the senior knight's efficiency in mowing down these monsters. Though this particular glade seemed no less sinister, Kingsley did feel a sense of relief washing over him knowing that the citizens' whose corpses littered the forest floor beneath them could now rest easy. They would have to reach out to the Church of Clover after this was all said and done to ensure they got a proper burial. Irritable spirits were a common source of Dungeons just as much as hungry Mana Beasts and cursed objects. The defensive magic Kingsley had conjured would only sustain one more hit, so he hoped the next battle would have fewer enemies rather than many little ones.
Floor 1 | Room 3
The path ahead beckoned the two Knights onward, the depths of the forest still shrouding further danger within. Suddenly Kingsley felt like an insignificant mouse staring into the gaping maw of a hungry lion, the sharp branches looming down like sharp teeth. What they had faced thus far was merely the beginning of the dungeon's strength, the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Still, they had a job to do, and when he heard Gawain's boots against the trod, the Purple Orca did not hesitate to follow suit. The air felt heavy with the silence of the woodlands, and Kingsley felt his baited breath finally escape when Gawain started to engage in small talk. Hearing the other boy compliment him, the brunet boy instinctively put a hand behind his head and stifled a short laugh.
"Thanks. Truth be told, I've only a handful of spells in my grimoire, so until I develop more, I've realized I need to take what I have to its absolute limits." As the topic turned a bit more serious, Kingsley opened his eyes, adopting a stoic visage. "But I know that by throwing myself headfirst into battle like this, I'll be able to progress much faster." The junior Knight had only acquired 4 gold stars for his squad thus far, but that was just the beginning. Once the squad got more intel about that burglary ring in Kikka, he planned on storming their hideout. Such a thing would be quite dangerous, so he'd need to evolve as a warrior before the Captain would approve such a mission. "Most people underestimate Cloth against fancier elements, but when used correctly, it can be as strong as steel." In his time reading through the Purple Orcas' archives, the brunet mage had learned of a few Cloth mages from ages past. One such mage was a master of golem magic, creating massive cotton sheep to wail on her opponents. Though he had no experience with that particular school of spells, Kingsley knew that his own brand of Cloth could reach similar heights if he just kept up with his training.
"You seem on the up and up, Gawain, just how many - " The Purple Orca cut himself off mid sentence as the ground began to incline ahead of them, and the yawning portal of a shadowy cave stood before them. Had the terrain changed beneath their feet, or did they just not notice the cavern? Gawain silently extended a finger, blasting more invisible bursts of his magic towards four stone humanoids that dug themselves out of the soil. Just as quickly as they had made themselves known, the golems disassembled into their constituent stones, leaving a pile of brown and grey rubble where they stood. The remaining two lumbered towards the Magic Knights, their cold eyes illuminated by a sickly yellow glow. With how heavy they are, Kingsley wouldn't be able to pull the same trick as he had on the mandrakes, but his mind continued to race nonetheless with possibilities for dispatching them.
Glancing at the wide stance the golems took, feet as far as their broad shoulders, an idea begun to germinate in the young tailor's head. He held his left hand aloft, open palm outstretched to the golem. "Spider's Silken Snare!" The rose colored grimoire responded, escaping from its position on his belt and flipping to the spell's corresponding page. The familiar circle of runic markings appeared, releasing two bolts of silk towards the first golem. It swung its heavy arm up and outward, knocking the first ribbon away and onto a nearby stalactite above the second golem's head, which it wrapped itself around tightly. The second ribbon took full advantage of the opening, wrapping around the golem's body, binding its arms to the sides of its roughly hewn torso. Kingsley felt a smirk reach his face as he began to execute his plan, getting a small running start and then dropping his body weight to the ground, sliding against the cave floor.
Reaching upwards, he grabbed the meter long leash that the restraining spell created before sliding underneath the creature's stone body, between two massive granite thighs. Standing up from his baseball slide, the brunet acted quickly, grabbing the leash from the failed restraint that was now tied to the ceiling's hanging spike. Looping the leashes together, his muscle memory tied a knot he had done many times before, linking the golem to the cave structure. Though the creature did not recoil in pain, Kingsley knew his razor sharp restraint was doing some work to defeat the creature. What he would need to do is seal the deal. As the first golem struggled against its bindings, the second golem adopted a combat stance, ready to strike now that Kingsley was within reach.
Waving his arms in the air, the Purple Orca took a deep breath and began to taunt the creature. "Hey stupid, would you say a sack of bricks is as dumb as you, or smarter?" The golem's stoic face seemed to radiate hate, and it began to glow with yellow light, using Earth Magic to augment itself for the attack. Its stony arm expanded like a fertilized vine, false muscles swelling as its arm transformed into a large hammer. Tucking its shoulder in like a professional athlete, the golem's feet lifted and it began to run towards the junior Knight, intending on tackling him with its massive hammer arm. Kingsley waited until the absolute last moment before tucking and rolling out of the way, hoping his timing was right.
The tackling golem ran into the knotted leashes, its reaction time too slow to register its target had moved out of the way. The silk cord acted like a clothesline, tripping the twelve foot tall stone automaton. It clattered to the floor with a loud reverberation that carried down the cavern and into the darkness. Before he could bask in his victory for long, the first golem began to glow with the telltale sign of Earth Magic, stone spikes puncturing its silk restraints, leaving them as tattered scraps on the cave floor. The creature approached Kingsley, the sound of its feet against the granite floor like the pounding of a drum in anticipation. The young tailor felt the cold hand of living stone grab him by his Magic Knight mantle, lifting him up off the ground.
"I may have overestimated my ability to handle these guys..." Kingsley said, as the monster pulled its shoulder back and flung him against the cave wall. The gambeson absorbed most of the blow, but Kingsley still felt the wind escape his lungs from the attack.
POW 08
DUR 14
STA 15
SEN 12
CON 12
WORD COUNT: 1365
TOTAL WC: 4710
CURRENT ROOM WC: 1108/1250
ITEMS IN USE: Magic Knight Mantle
BATTLE NOTES: Kingsley attempts to pull a sneaky maneuver on the heavy golems. They are not amused and fling him into the cave wall.
Description: Speaking the spell's name, the user holds their hand towards the target. A 1m radius circle of pink runes appears, centered in their palm; from this runic circle a 0.5m wide, 3m length white-and-floral-patterned ribbon of silk emerges, slithering towards the target at 10m/s. Once the ribbon makes contact, it begins winding around the target's body, before pulling taut, binding the arms against the torso. Once it has tightened around the target, the ribbon will tie itself, leaving a remainder of 0.5m outstretched towards the caster so they may drag/lead the target using the restraint. After the knot completes, the ribbon also begins to sprout small spikes inwards, damaging the target equal to 1/2 Junior damage with minor cuts to the skin. The restraint interrupts the connection between the enemy and their grimoire, cutting Mana Regeneration by 5. Should the grimoire be targeted specifically, the target's spell usage per post is reduced by 50%. Additional restraints can be created per the ammo rules.
Description: After speaking the name of the spell, a rotating circle of pink runes appears at the user's feet. Twelve pink ribbons of silk emerge from the runes, weaving through one another in basket-like patterns as they wrap around the user. As the circle of runes disappear, the silk forms into a pink 3-layer padded gambeson, a form of cloth armor. By pointing at an ally up to 25 meters away, the spell can instead be cast on them, manifesting the circle of runes under their feet instead of the caster's. The armor can take up to Intermediate damage before failing. If an enemy makes a physical attack that isn't powerful enough to destroy the armor, the silk reverberates with a portion of the original of force, dealing Junior damage and slowing the attacker by 5m/s. Additional suits may be created per the rules on ammo.
Even though he had agreed to not be overprotective and give the new guy a chance, there was something about watching his plan not work out the way he wanted to that tickled his funny bone. Had Kingsley not been protected by his own cloth spell, Gawain would have stepped in sooner, though he was a firm believer in letting people suffer their way through mistakes so that they might grow as a person. Because if he knew one thing, it was that one’s grimoire had a tendency of crapping out new spells whenever someone’s life was in danger or when someone experienced feelings of great inadequacy. It had worked out that way for him after all, and it was likely why his grimoire had more or less stopped doing anything since his life was honestly never really in any danger anymore. In fact, it felt as though he had stopped growing altogether for some reason. And that feeling sucked.
“I’m just gonna go on ahead and tap in if you don’t mind. These guys seem to be in a somewhat different weight category.”
Gradually stepping in after he watched the golem pick the purple orca up and toss him into the wall like an angry kid that was done playing with their ragdoll, Gawain stuck his whole arm through the golem’s torso from behind. Twitching for a moment as it began to crumble down to nothing, the other golem witnessed how his compatriot had a hand sticking out of his chest and prepared to come to its aid. However, when it looked down at its torso and Gawain’s hand, all it saw was an extended finger pointing towards its head mere moments before said head exploded.
“It’s a good thing you had that protective spell going for you, or they would have wrung you out and then hang you out to dry. They might not look like much, but golems like these tend to be controlled by someone from a safe distance, so they don’t really have any real thoughts like you and I. So next time, I’d try aiming my insults at the person that’s controlling them behind the scenes for maximum impact.”
Talking as he walked around the two degrading golems, he looked around Kingsley to see if he was alright. And by that he meant making sure there weren’t any bones sticking out of his body and there wasn’t any kind of heavy bleeding. In places such as these, especially lower classed dungeons that seemed so rife with death and violence, up and coming magic knights couldn’t be too careful when facing down unknown variables and threats. Giving the Orca some pointers on what he himself had come to learn about golem users through experience, it felt odd to give people who were older than him such advice. As time went on, a lot of people throughout the country started knowing him by name and reputation, also knowing that he was the youngest Grand mage in the country and was quite close to becoming vice captain of his squad in spite of being a commoner.
But most people never stopped to think about what that was like for him. Truth be told, it was the kind of thing he would never show to the world at large, but he often had feelings of inadequacy himself. Some stemming from the fact that he was struggling with prejudice towards his age and background within his squad, some came from feeling like he was the only one within said squad that gave a shit about exceeding the other squads in terms of reputation, and some of it came from him simply not knowing what to do with himself whenever he wasn’t fighting or killing things. But no one needed to know that, as he did not need nor want the pity. Instead, he just bravely kept wearing his mask as he would try to help Kingsley to his feet and prepare the two of them for the caverns ahead. Continuing the conversation so as to not make things weird, Gawain commented on something the Orca had said before.
“When you said you only had ‘a handful of spells’, did you mean you only have the two at your disposal?”
Not trying to sound like a little asshole, he was just inquiring for the sake of their mission here. Because if his spells were currently revolving around protecting himself and others while also restricting movement, having to rely on him to cut targets to ribbons might be a dumb choice. So the more he knew about what the guy could do, the better it would be for the both of them.
FLOOR 2 | ROOM 1
Guiding them into the caverns once he was certain that Kingsley could continue, he felt a certain kind of angst coming over him. Throughout his life, he had never been inside of a cave before, and now that he found himself inside of one, part of him felt as though the walls were closing in around him. It was something to do with being inside of a place that went deep into the soil, knowing that whatever threat loomed inside might have means of bringing the ceiling down on top of him. And as strong as he was when it came to wielding his magic or running really, really fast, there was only so much someone could do when several hundreds of tons of rock and soil were coming down on top of them. That, and having to also drag someone else along with him made it feel like it was an entirely impossible feat altogether.
On the outside though, his face remained stoic with a slight hint of a smirk as though he was still feeling the same way he did before. And even as his mind kept running through the scenarios that might lead to their demise, there was one thing that stood about all of it, this being the fact that whatever or whoever was down here needed to get in and out as well. So if they were to collapse the pathway leading down to them, that meant that they would remain trapped down there and would eventually starve. And in a way, that too would lead to this threat being buried forever and the area effectively becoming un-cursed, if that was even a word. Believing that the need to survive would beat out the urge to defeat an opponent in an act of mutually assured destruction, Gawain felt his mood change for the better, allowing him to slightly pick up his pace.
When the place suddenly started branching off into various other potential pathways, the boy felt the need to take a break for a bit. The deeper they went, the more difficult it was to really orient himself as well as he would like to. And to be perfectly fair, he believed the same went for Kingsley, as he didn’t seem like the type to go braving into caverns during his downtime. Turning around to see what they were dealing with, his eyes widened for a bit as it seemed as though the path back also had a trick in store for them. For when he looked towards the way back, he saw that there were other winding paths down the way they came, meaning simply backtracking wasn’t even a possibility at this point. For a moment, the ashen haired boy believed all of this might have been some sort of illusions that they had stepped into. But the more he looked around, the more certain he seemed to be of the fact that this was very much real life.
“Ugh, I hate mazes. But the one thing I hate more than a maze is an underground cavern maze. So… welcome to my version of hell.”
In part joking and in part being quite serious, Gawain decided to rely on his extrasensory capabilities. Because somewhere in these caverns, there had to be more enemies waiting for the two of them to walk by so they might get attacked. And while such a thing was troublesome, in this case, it could actually help them ahead so that they might push onward and out of this predicament. For a solid thirty seconds, the boy just stood there as if immobilized, focusing entirely on his surroundings. Trying to sense his way through solid rock and hardened earth, up until he registered the faintest of twitches. Narrowing his focus on it, he felt the twitching again, painting a picture in his mind of some kind of creature awaiting them further up ahead. Opening his eyes, the Silver Eagle seemed reaffirmed in their direction, choosing the left most path and venturing into it.
With the twitching image now locked in his mind, he no longer needed to close his eyes and stay still to keep his focus on it. No, he had it now, he knew where he needed to go if they were to make their way to whatever it was that was waiting to ambush them further up ahead. Turning to Kingsley again, the boy didn’t think the other mage would have issues relying on him after he had proven his capabilities in the forest above. Still, it was worth looking into something while they were making their way down, further and further into the bowels.
“Unless quite literally all of my senses are being tricked by a very powerful illusion, I’m one hundred percent confident that this is the way to go….. you wouldn’t happen to be well versed in illusions would you?”
Name of Spell: Puncture Elemental Type: Air Pressure Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate | Attack Creation | Sensory (Homing) Range & Speed: 40m | 25 m/s Mana Cost: 20 | 10 Stats Effected: - Applicable Perks: Overpowered | Quick Shot Description: Putting his index and middle finger together, Gawain will point his right hand at his target, using the tips of his fingers as a vocal point from which it is fired. This a sphere roughly ten centimeters wide for the purpose of puncturing the target. The attack itself is non-lethal, unless direct contact with one's vitals is established, as well as causing painful cuts and bruises on people and breaking most unreinforced walls, dealing Intermediate rank damage. In addition, the accuracy and chance to hit can be further improved by utilizing Homing rules, including following the target in adherence to those same rules. The bullet follows the target that was initially pointed at until it hits, runs out of space or hits another object. To those without at least 20 sensory, this spell will be invisible, appearing as a wispy green ball to others.
No mana lost due to recovery overcoming expenditure