Fantasy Freecasters IC: Chapter one

[Spoiled Bread]

Shuuri​

"I knew it's all fake from the first sight! Me zapping the machine was intentional." After she saw the orc got vomitted out of the machine, Shuuri regained her confidence and started acting proud of her action while standing on the crates. Not that anyone listened to her but the monologue was more to boost herself anyways.

After watching through a few more participants the lion girl was happy that she still hold the highest score among all the performers. What? Faulty fake machine?? This and that were irrelevant! She kept watching the show until her ears picked a roar in the distance. Her eyes transformed into slit-shaped as she eyed the direction the noise was coming from. She didn't hear much of what Cornelius said before she used the crates and one unfortunate person's face as stepping stones to jump onto the nearby house rooftop.

"I heards your challenge. Let's see who has the last roar." A wide grin bloomed on her face before she leapts from house to house and headed towards the monster.

 

[Kloudy]

---

Attack On Merryvale - A Freecasters Collaboration
(Valora - Merryvale Marketplace)​

As the booms and roars took hold of the very atmosphere, shaking it like the hateful tremors of devils living below, Kandor was snapped out of attempting to relax on the bench and jumped to his feet. Adrenaline coursed through his half-elven veins and he immediately assumed a readied stance as if an attack was imminent. When nothing came, Kandor looked over toward the source of the widespread panic that was now breaking out everywhere and saw the rising plume of black smoke.

“Hmm…” His brows drew together, his brain turning over the possibilities.

Relaxing his posture only slightly, Kandor strode back over to the stage in time to watch Cornelius tumble rather ungracefully out of his machine and attempt to rally everyone to action. The crowd seemed to take to it, but it was really a question as to whether the other mages present were up to it as Kandor doubted Cornelius was the type to face whatever threat lay ahead personally.

Leaping up onto the stage himself, Kandor cleared his throat and attempted to gather the attention of the now-fired up crowd by waving his arms and calling to them. Undoubtedly they would try to watch the ensuing fight with interest at Cornelius’ whims of ambition, but that was not the safe thing to do. What they should be doing was evacuating to somewhere safe, or at least to the safety of their own homes while the situation was being dealt with. From the force of the last tremor, it was not unlikely that some kind of large creature capable of throwing around chunks of building debris was nearby. Minimising civilian casualties should be the priority.

“Damn!” Kandor cursed, realising that time was wasting and he was not getting anywhere.

“Hey!” A cry pierced the bubbling clamor from the stage. The masked participant had her hands cupped to that carved smile. The audience tore their gaze away from the commotion over yonder back to the stage. Pi waved them off. “I don’t think this is part of the contest! Clear away!”

Matters had apparently escalated since her dive into the stage. Coming to after being dragged to the back was a lot of shame to swallow. Roughed up and unneeding of the aid a young boy was getting from a verdant haired freecaster, Pi had stepped out to apologize for the display and concede defeat to the brigundish. She waited through the acts of Dahlia and a particularly fierce freecaster of a deep purple cloak before the chaos interrupted any conclusion to the competition. Regretful. A small one which may grow if it were sullied further with actual casualties to top off the morning.

“Go on! All magically deficient Merrivalians clear the markets now!” Pi’s shouts carried across the markets punctuated by a toss of the arm away. More of the lingering shuffled off warily if not outright flee. Many gawkers still lined the place but at least the center wasn’t so crowded. Those who remained could be chalked up to the foolish or capable. Which one was she, exactly? She’d find out after most likely. She stretched at a crick in her neck left by the fall and was about to trot off the stage to join the showmen when a naridian stopped her.

“Good thinking.” Kandor nodded to the masked beastkin, placing a hand on her shoulder before pointing to the smoke.

“We should move quickly and scout how dangerous our opponent is. If you could…” The noble hesitated for a second, remembering Pi’s performance, “If you could create another sail, we should be able to get up somewhere high and assess the damage.”

Kandor grit his teeth as he stared off past the buildings leading deeper into town. As far as he was aware, that was in the direction of the Old Town District and the heart of the city. Normally it would be standard practice for citizens of the city to retreat there in the case of a serious attack. The fact that some kind of monster or villain had penetrated this far past the city’s walls was cause for major concern, so it was in his opinion that moving fast and acting decisively would prove vital to preventing further casualties. The beastkin that had helped him fortunately seemed to possess magic that could achieve this much more effectively than his own spell set could provide.

Pi gauged the man. He had to have seen her first attempt. Confident? Or foolish? Either way, “Quickly then.”

The studded warclub was whirled before being smacked on the poor stage again, a black magic faux-plank breaking its cohesion to the befuddlement of Pi. But she shrugged and sidestepped to a better plank to continue with her cast which would take some precious seconds.

“Are you both insane?” A new voice came from the side to interrupt her. The white-haired mage from before approached with arms crossed, having overheard their intentions. “That performance of yours was enough of a mess, and I’ve had to stop one spell gone haywire already. Unless you’re planning on suicide diving into whatever’s out there too, you should use your heads and come up with a better plan. Like leaving it to the authorities, for one.”

Pi turned to the warning voice as she wrestled with intangible tethers. “Oh, I’ll keep it stable this go-round. Urhk… But it is true you’ll most likely need to jump than land!” She refocused in time for it not to fizzle away.

Kandor’s eyes darted to the new voice, distracted by the steadily rising smoke.

“We don’t have time to stand around and strategise, if we don’t go there now more people may be lost.” He gestured towards Old Town.

“Monsters never show up randomly this far into the city’s centre. Something else is happening here and I don’t intend to wait for the local law enforcement to arrive too late.” Kandor responded not unkindly, but with firm zeal. Now was not the time to debate.

In the face of his words, the girl did back down somewhat, and yet bristled all the same. “You… You’re being reckless too. The very nature of strategy is to prevent casualties. Rushing in without a proper plan will just as likely get you killed too, and then nobody will be saved. I’m telling you, just stop for a moment and think-”

Through strain and concentration, “Almost ready over here.” Pi had made room on the weapon turned standing board for Kandor to hop behind her.

Nodding to Pi, Kandor paused for a moment, frowning to himself and thinking, “This is true…”

Then an idea stuck on his realisation-borne expression and he turned to Ramona, oddly cracking his knuckles in a practised fashion.

“We’ll fly to a tall building and observe what we’re dealing with. From there I’ll communicate with you on the ground and we can come up with a strategy.”

The knuckle-cracking stopped and Kandor took a deep breath. Magical energy had begun to pool and flow between the dark-elven naridian and the spirit-caster. When he next spoke his voice permeated into Ramona’s mind.

“Is that agreeable?”

The only noticeable indication that she’d been caught off guard was a slight widening of her eyes. Otherwise, the girl kept her composure and those same eyes fell shut a moment later.

“Hrrg…” A displeased noise left her lips as her brows creased. “Mmnnngg…” Her shoulders steadily rose, and her teeth gritted as the noises increased in volume, until she suddenly exclaimed, “F-Fine! It seems like you’ve at least thought this out a bit, so I guess I can help out. Let me ride with you too. As dangerous and idiotic as it is, the masked one’s spell is an effective means of transportation, and with my barrier spell I can minimize the damage caused by any… accidents.”

She held a finger up quickly to interrupt any counter-arguments, then leveled it at the masked mage. “But. Evacuating civilians is our absolute priority. I swear, if you try and dive into whatever’s causing all of this trouble I’ll jump off and leave you to die on your own. No matter how strong you may be, I highly doubt there aren’t people better equipped to deal with the threat than we are. Are we clear?”

A fully formed sail formed overhead, Pi straining below it. “As… day… now if you would?”

"Agreed." Kandor nodded, looking away to the smokestack in the distance again. He stepped onto the sail with an uncertain sway but managed to steady himself.

“Khh…” Another displeased noise, but her insistence brought the girl over to reluctantly climb aboard as well. She wobbled despite still being on the ground, and in an anxious, yet hesitant move wrapped both arms around the woman’s waist.

“H-Hey…” Her voice was shaky and low. “I’m asking just to be sure, but you really do know what you’re doing here, ri-”

"Okay! Tight about the waist now. Feet firm on the Kanabō. I just realized this might be difficult for first ti-iii!" The last note of the ryooku tore away with the taking off of the red magic sail: them along with it.

Merryvale was a blur as they ascended. Pi corrected a near collision with a bakery only to lose air with an over-correction. Lo and find out, weight differentials made steering that much more delicate. The added weight of the not two but three freecasters at least helped tame the energy of the sail which constantly fought to go skyward. Adversely, that meant Pi was having trouble getting them above first story height. The spell fresh on her mind, she could keep them steady as they banked in a curvy path toward the commotion more than fly in a straight line. Cornelius's dash was overtaken quickly. The billowing smoke was about to as well here shortly!

Pi swung the tethers about her giving grunts of effort. It was enough to steer the sail level as they banked into a wide pass above.

"See anything?"

---

Collab:
cokemonster Flashwolf96
Mentions:
AtlannianSpy

 

[Nellancholy]

Any further opportunities for the remaining aspirants to show their skills were swiftly cut short as the rumbling and quaking split the air. And Cornelius didn't miss an opportunity to jump into action. That is, action that involved calling for help, stroking the egos of any uncertain participants present and giving them the opportunity to appear as heroes, offering them unconditional membership. There was the hook. When the smoke cleared, few would reject the opportunity to join after receiving the adulation of the grateful populace.

But...the sound and fury that had triggered the commotion...how could it have occurred? At this distance, Valla could sense no blue magic...and the use of explosives in a populated place, causing severe environmental damage? No one could get away with that in a city like this, least of all a two-bit shyster like Cornelius. Which meant that by all indications...this mysterious assailant was real. And Cornelius was, if nothing else, a sharp opportunist.

This would usually be her cue to clear out. People recovering from disaster, trying to rebuild their homes...it left a bad taste in her mouth to try and take advantage of them, even with her abilities of "construction".

Just then, Valla felt someone brush by her.

"Sister Dahlia!" It was...the child she grabbed during Ramona and the fire mage's almost disastrous demonstration. "You gotta help them!"

This meant little to her. She could just turn and leave like she often did...but the kid wasn't wrong, in a way. Somehow...it seemed like it would be a good idea to have "Sister Dahlia" seen as helpful, self-sacrificing even, in front of everyone.

"Fear not, little one." She tapped their shoulder. "But you should keep out of the way. It appears things are about to get...rough."

She needed a vantage point, see where she could insert herself into the situation. Turning aside, she noticed...a trellis running up the side of one of the intact houses. In no time, she was jogging across the rooftops.

The Old Town...several bridges connected that part of the city to this, but they were mostly packed with evacuating citizens. That was fine, but without a means of moving over them...

Valla closed her eyes, opening her mind. This was her gift, whether she liked it or not. To see the unseen, whether that was the darkness in the heart of man, or the myriad beings, great or small, that dwelled beyond the veil.

She murmured under her breath. "Grant me sight unseen. Show me what lies before." Several translucent, tiny wisps, flickering with white light, appeared at her request. Their senses joined to hers, they flitted above the tide of anxiety and shock reverberating from the people below, dashing into the Old Town in their efforts to spot whatever it was that was wreaking havoc, and maybe a path she could use to get inside and deliver what "help" she could.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Merryvale- The Old Town District

Whether from the ground or the air, Merryvale's Old Town district was a handsome site. The buildings here were constructed of sturdy, reliable brownstone and decorated with ornate facades and pillars intended to lend an air of gravitas and permanence the relatively new city might not really have claim too. From the air or through the eyes of a sprite it was a trifling matter to pinpoint the exact location of the disaster: the pyre of smoke was clearly rising from the Eastern wing of the Merryvale museum.

Built only a few years ago thanks to donations from a cabal of Merryvales wealthiest and most prominent citizens, the museum was the pride and joy of the city, housing a varied collection of artifacts and treasures of historic and cultural importance. Though relatively modest by the standards of more established institutions or royal treasuries, the Merryvale museum was one of the few such collections open to the public, with anyone able to pay the modest ticket fee able to peruse the collection and play at being cultured for an afternoon at least.

The Museum itself was a sturdy building with stone walls, but most of the inner walls and and furnishings were wooden so fire was not out of the question: a section of the Eastern wing's outer wall had been demolished and chunks of the stone blocks used in its construction were splayed out around the nearby footpath and road. It was from this breach in the wall that smoke and fire were billowing out from: at least a room sized fire was visible from the sky through the breach, but further down the eastern wing the windows glowed orange like embers, hinting that the fire might have spread further than the single source of smoke would have suggested. A scraggly line of figures had formed a bucket line to try and combat the blaze, likely museum staff, but their brave efforts were having scare effect on the raging inferno.

But what had caused such a tragedy in the first place? A trail of destruction leading away from the museum might contain answers to that. A wake of smaller fires, overturned carriages and damaged buildings lead Northwards a few blocks to terminate at the feet of the obvious culprit. From the head down to the waist, the creature was a crude, enormous parody of a humanoid, with elongated, ropey arms and torso terminating in a sloped, boulder like head marked with bony ridges. One of its simian-esque arms wielding a crude but mighty spear, its shaft seemingly formed from an entire tree trunk and topped with a shard of boulder. From the waist down however the creature had the body of an enormous spider! Eight hairy legs the size of trees scrabbled erratically to carry the creature on an erratic path through the unfamiliar urban environment and behind its back it carried an enormous abdomen terminating in a pair of spinnarets dribbling half formed strands of silk. At the front of its waist the creature had a spider like set of pedipalps and fangs with which it might feed more efficiently than with its smaller humanoid head.

An arachnittarius! A fearsome denizen of the deep forests, contact with these terrifying creatures was thankfully rare. Though foolhardy loggers who ventured north in search of rarer hardwoods were sometimes caught up in their webs and Arachnittarii were reclusive ambush predators and it was rare for them to invade civilisation. This particular specimen however was clearly erratic, its busy legs carried it not straight down the road but on an erratic, zigzagging, lurching trajectory back and forth across the road and sometimes up the side of nearby buildings only to leap back to the ground. A small crowd of civilians travelled ahead of creature, screaming and running as fast as their legs would carry them. Just as the mages overhead were closing in on the creature one of these pitiable evacuees, a young boy perhaps elvish or human, seemed to stumble or trip and he sprawled out on the cobblestone road underneath him, immobile as the arachnittarius closed in on him, its giant spear held at the ready.

 

[cokemonster]

"Oop. Never mind, I see the problem." The flyer might not have seen the exact details following out from the Museum's breach, but the painterly blurs below could be summarily interpreted as an pretty poor day. A single glimpse at the horrid silhouette coming up was all she could manage while maintaining control. That glimpse had honed on the end of that of that weapon, a giant's spear, and its cowering target about to meet it. Whatever was wielding it was gargantuan compared to the boy! Hardly a fair fight, a predator in a prey's den. There was hardly time for thought passed that.

Just brushing above the brownstone building's tops, Pi shouted. "Hold onto these. Keep them straight!" She ripped the white-haired girl's wrap around her waist easily free with one hand, shoved the sail's tethers into her frantic grip. The spell was nearing its end, energy waning. Soon it would fall a part but hopefully not before it sailed above a building at the end of this street. Pi wouldn't be onboard to find out. She was vaguely certain there'd been a promise made to not do exactly this, but she hadn't been paying enough attention to the white-haired heartlander's warnings to pin down exactly what they'd been. Sorries, if deserved, could come after. She waited half a breath, then leapt.

The sail and it's two occupants' shadow swept over the horrified boy and snarling, manic arachnittarius as the trunk was primed. It was thrust with inhuman strength just as Pi collided with the creature's simian half. The stone street broke a part at the spear's puncture thrown wide of the boy. Pi bounced off into a heap while the monster's bulk wobbled away in confusion from the momentum smacking into it. It backed off enough for Pi to right herself, white teeth baring tight from the intense tingling pain where her shoulder had made contact. Thankfully everything still worked as she shook it off, and immediately regretted doing so. "Ow ow..." Hurt mighty more than if what she'd wanted to have happen happened. Pi had imagined mounting the beast to wrestle it into submission. Now, seeing it for what it was in all its deadly detail, she wished it doubly! Maybe she could still get around its incredible reach by smacking its weapon away.

Pi reached for her Kanabō to do battle. Oh yes, it was still forming the base of that sail flying away. Bracers it would have to be, then. One pricked ear angled to the boy's panicked sniveling, but she kept her attention trained on the arachnittarius as it trotted in sporadic circles. It reoriented to face her. "Best you flee. Yes. You. Off!" The moment Pi glanced to find if he was moving at all is when the spider legs clicked into a clattering fury. It came like a master of drunken brawls, attempting to disorient where the strike being raised would land. Pi had time to prepare one spell as it zigged and zagged. She incited the clan's virtues, its unyielding values that gave strength to every forbear. Strength of Will. Commitment to the Clan. Honor in all Promises. She honed it all into an arm she punched out with. The left fist burst with a shine of magic before being coated in black metal.

A moment was not spared. Sleeve to the shoulder, the steel coated arm was raised to meet the arachnittarius' spear tip. It was huge enough to have burst her skull like a melon if her strengthened arm didn't deflect it off her forearm. That didn't stop the monstrous force causing her stance to slide. Pi kept it together, reeled back to lob a punch at one spider leg when its other elongated arm swiped upward. It sent her careening a long ways into the scrambled ruins of a side-turned wagon.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Shuuri​

Leaping above the buildings, Shuuri was rushing towards the cause of the chaos. She had been itching for some actions and didn't even think about why such creature suddenly appear in the middle of the city. She reached the place just in time to witness a figure who just got launched by the monster. It's the kanabo wielder, but without the kanabo.

Shuuri didn't let the sight of it distract her as she continued to run towards the monster while chanting for her next action with her daggers ready. She didn't bother running around or covering herself for a sneak attack, no. She actually wanted the monster to see her, and it did. The arachnitarius raised its spear and prepared itself to swoop down and turns the cheeky beastkin into bloody gore.

"Got you!" Shuuri leapt forward and an invisible explosion suddenly occur beneath her feet, propelling herself at high speed towards the monster's humanoid's face before she used the opportunity the slam both of her daggers into the creature's eyes. A painful screech boomed from both the monster's spider and humanoid mouth as it was caught off guard by the manouver. It was forced to abandon the spear or else Shuuri would be able to freely attack its now blind humanoid part. So it dropped the trunk and started using both of its now free hands to flail around its head like a human trying to hit a mosquito. The beastkin was so small that she got swept away by the wind wave of its flailing and fell onto the spider abdomen, gripping its hair as the arachnittarius continued lashing around in its blind rage.

 

[Hanarei]

Jade Evergarden​

Jade had elected to stay behind, at least for the moment. As... 'messy' as the various mages seemed to be in terms of their demeanor it seemed as if they would at least be capable of doing... something for the rampaging monster. At the very least she could rely on them being a decoy for her until she might be able to show up herself. Ideally without getting themselves harmed in the process. Given even some simple as a little 'demonstration' looked to be a bit over their their capabilities for some to do without hurting themselves or others in the process. Her attention shifted to Juhani giving the orc a quick look over.

"Still breathing... a bit singed from the explosion though I don't see any signs of any serious burns. It seemed your clothing and hair took the brunt of it and your body is quite durable at least in the outside." She spoke more so muttering to herself. She sat upon her knees lifting the front half of the orc onto her knees to have her somewhat elevated hover over her. The girl snapping her fingers as she tried to jostle the orc woman awake.

"Come on now, open your eyes. You are well enough to grace your eyes with the warm glow the sun is more then happy to provide you with. I need you to tell me how many fingers am I holding up." The green haired woman spoke holding up three fingers looking down upon her as she attempted to observe and see her reactions to better judge if there might be any sort of internal injury she couldn't see.

"I'm more then certain someone such as yourself willing to take a job from such a sketchy looking individual such as this Cornelius fellow to get in a very sketchy looking machine you would be the type more the eager enough to throw yourself at a ravenous beast... at the very least for the chance to get paid for doing so."

Interacting: AtlannianSpy

 

[Nellancholy]

The spirits spoke, and Valla's heart sank. An...arachnittarius had somehow gotten into the city. This was more and more suspicious. She'd seen enough on her travels to know these creatures were ferocious if provoked...but also reclusive and unlikely to stray into populated territories. And yet, here it was, in the middle of a great city in the light of day. It was a small comfort when the spirits also revealed a mechanical drawbridge under the nearest footbridge, the kind used by builders and businesspeople to transport their materials when they arrived by river. Or for more...covert pursuits by the shadows of night.

Valla shook her head, returning to consciousness as the wisps dispersed. Well, now she had a destination. She sat down on the edge of the roof, and then allowed herself to fall feet first onto a stack of crates before trotting down a stairway that led to the bridge, and in turn, the square where the arachnittarius was. Already, the more boisterous aspirants to the guild had engaged the monster, one disarming it before being flung away, another now hanging onto it for dear life. Now, Valla was no monster slayer, and her gaze turned aside as she climbed up from beneath the bridge, falling on...a few younger-looking folk in robes, cowering by one of the alleyways. They seemed to be lower-ranking attendants of one of the temples in the area, a local sect. Valla wasn't too sure which one, but the quality of their garments made clear it was a well-supported one, while the lack of other adornments showed that the ones before her didn't hold much status or experience. Nevertheless, Valla found herself striding quickly, closing the distance to them. Clearly, whatever bishop or canoness led them had abandoned them to save themselves.

One of them, a furred beastkin, let out a yelp of hope as Valla stood by them. "Sister, you came back- oh." The hope turned to disappointment as they realized that Valla was a stranger.

"Yes, yes..." Valla sighed. "I'm not a local. But look..." She exhaled, weaving her blue magic into something almost like a blanket, spreading it out and draping it over the group. The veil would not hinder any direct scrutiny from the arachnittarius or any other aggressors that might be in the area, but if they didn't do anything boneheaded to draw attention directly to themselves, they wouldn't be noticed in the first place. "This'll hide you as long as you stay quiet. Go, find a good hiding place!" She waved them off.

"T-thank you, Sister!" Soon the shuffling of the feet of the altar boys and girls had faded, and they vanished even from Valla's perception. Good. Well, it'd disperse in a few minutes even if they didn't remember to cast it off at least...

Now for the other mage. A white light shimmered before Valla's eyes as she projected her consciousness into...a pair of glowing hands, floating over to grab Pi and help her out while hopefully staying out of harm's way. "Hehe, still got some fight in you, fox?"

cokemonster

 

[Flashwolf96]

"Hold onto these. Keep them straight!"

"Huh? Hey-!"

Ramona had scarcely had the time to even survey the situation before she suddenly found herself being thrust the reins of a vehicle she had no experience with, while the culprit unceremoniously abandoned her and the other passenger to their fate. "Y-You absolute moron! What do you think you're-, w-wah?!"

The sudden drop in weight from the masked mage's departure had brought with it a sudden surge of lift, driving the aircraft higher as it swerved over top the buildings of the Old Town District. That, in turn, sent Ramona's stomach plummeting down, and a nauseating sense of vertigo numbed the back of her throat, threatening to return to the surface the light breakfast she'd had earlier.

But with the tethers in her hands, instinct had her attempt to regain some control before they went flying off to another part of the city entirely. The good news was that she'd watched the girl's performance earlier with rapt attention, so she had a rough idea of what kinds of movements it took to maneuver the sail. The bad news was that it seemed even the original driver had a great deal of trouble maintaining control, so the chances of her doing well were miserable at best. Plus there was no chance for her to cast her barrier spell without letting go of the tethers, though it wasn't like she'd be able to cast with her concentration barely hanging on as it was anyway.

So instead, she did what she always did when anxious, and took a deep breath while doing her best to ignore all outside distractions. It was next to impossible to completely calm down under these circumstances, but once she forced herself to stop panicking and think more rationally, she quickly came to an epiphany:

This thing was a lost cause.

As expected, piloting a rickety death trap like this was impossible. She was barely keeping them afloat just by following the woman's earlier instructions to keep the tethers as steady a possible. Not to mention that her arm strength was nowhere near the level of the brawny masked mage that could carry around her enlarged warclub with ease. Fighting against the wind pressure slamming into the sails with raw strength alone was not quite the same as stopping a raging fireball using magic.

"Khh...! I don't understand that person at all. What was the point of learning... ngh... such a bothersome, barely-functional spell like this...?"

Still, owing to her perhaps being a quick learner, she managed to narrowly avoid slamming into a building with a hasty yank to the side. But with the aircraft not-so-steadily losing altitude, it was clear that a crash was unavoidable. With that mind, finding a suitable place to land that would minimize their injuries while avoiding outside casualties was the most optimal choice.

But it was no use. Keeping her cool amidst the perilous flight was difficult enough, but if she let her concentration slip for even a moment to scan for a landing area she was sure things wouldn't end well. That was why she did the first thing that came to mind and pleaded for help.

"Please, show me th-, the way," she called not to the young man still accompanying her on the death ride, but to seemingly nothing at all. And yet, with those simple words a fist-sized ball of light appeared beside them, then quickly elongated into a path that drew towards a nearby rooftop that seemed to not be far from the site of the battle. Ramona let out a brief sigh of relief that the spirit understood her intentions without even having to go into detail.

"Excuse me," she spoke to the passenger, briefly attempting to recall the name he'd given just before his performance but failing to under the stress. "I'm going to attempt to land on that building, but there is a high likelihood that we'll be injured from the crash. Please brace yourself and try not to fall off of the other side."

She meant to add that she would heal any wounds they sustained afterwards, but she was already banking them around for another pass at the path of light and chose to focus on that instead. The sails fought to veer off course, but Ramona put every ounce of her strength into keep them as steady as possible all the way until they collided with the lip of the building's top. Ramona was immediately flung forward across the moderately-spacious roof, but did her best to tuck her body in and roll to stop her momentum, thankfully coming to a stop just before the opposite edge.

She let a few seconds pass to catch her breath, then glanced up to see that the weapon they'd used as the impromptu aircraft hadn't stayed with them, but instead went falling to the street below not far from where its original owner had been flung by one of the creature's earlier attacks. Ramona ignored the fact that they were effectively stranded several stories up for now and checked herself over for injuries, finding some scrapes, bruises, tears to her overcoat and also that her arm creaked a bit as she moved it, but the pain was minimal and there was nothing major worth worrying about. She stifled a few choked breaths with her hand as she scanned for her companion.

"Any... Anything serious?"

Kloudy cokemonster

 

[AtlannianSpy]

The Arachnitarius

The Arachnitarius gave a bellow of rage and pain as its tormentor clung tenaciously to its abdomen. From her position Shuuri might be able to notice that she wasn't the only source of the creature's frustration. Right between the Arachnitarius' shoulder blades, where it would be most difficult for the creature to reach, was an inflamed area of skin, surrounding what seemed to be a foreign object lodged in the monster's flesh. The object was only just visible, being mostly submerged in the arachnitarrius's body, but as the creature shifted a ray of light caught the object and it shone brighhtly, revealing a deep red, crystalline form.

Unfortunately Shuuri would not have too much time to ponder this development. The hairs coating the lower body of an arachnitarius are, like those of most spiders were in fact highly sensitive and once the creature processed the pain from its eyes it was able to sense her location fairly easily and reach back with a ropy arm to swipe Shuuri away like someone swatting a fly: sending the beastkin flying away in the direction of a nearby storefront.

One irritant temporarily disposed of, the arachnitarius wheeled on skittering legs, searching for more threats as it wiped the blood from its wounded eyes. Perhaps the bony ridge of the creature's forehead had protected its eyes from more grievous damage or perhaps it was relying on other senses, but the arachnitarius seemed to be able to sense Pi and Valla standing by the wagon and its enraged state it slotted them neatly into the category of foe. Squaring up, the arachnitarius drew back its shoulders and sucked in its stomach is if inhaling a deep breath. Suddenly the arachnitarius opened its mouth and exhaled, releasing a flood of sticky spider silk that expanded like a thrown net a it extended towards the two mages and the bystanding wagon. If the mages did not react they would be pinned down by the sticky web, but the arachnitarius was not done yet! From the the creature's mouth came a flash of light and it emitted a gout of flames which caught up to the trail of web. The Arachnitarius silk turned out to be highly flammable and the flames raced across its surface faster than they would have travelled through the air, growing in intensity and heat as they devoured the web leading to the wagon and mages!

cokemonster Spoiled Bread Nellancholy

Juhani
"Nrrgh, five more minutes mother," The Orc Jade was tending to muttered incoherently, shifting slightly in unconsciousness. "Or maybe like fifteen, or half an hour eve-" suddenly green eyelids fluttered open to reveal wide, amber coloured eyes alight with curiosity and confusions as they regarded Jade from below. "Wow an angel," said the orc with awe. "Didn't think I'd end up going that direction that's for sure," The orc blinked and then suddenly sat bolt upright looking around quizzically, taking in sounds of screams and running footsteps; the scent of smoke on the air and the sight of Cornelius, whose valiant attempt to lead the charge had been greatly stymied by his short legs leaving him not very far away from the stage at all.

"I guess I'm not dead after all," said the orc cheerfully. "Nice. I'm Juhani by the way, I think I more or less understand the situation," Juhani lay back, coiled her legs up like springs and then launched herself up to her feet. "Alrighty! Let's go be heroes!" she shouted cheerfully, taking off at a sprint towards the pyre of smoke rising from the oldtown district. Juhani's path took her past Cornelius and instead of slowing down to talk to her employer Juhani simply crouched as she ran and scooped the diminutive man up, placing him on her shoulders and taking off again. "C'mon boss you'll miss out on all the fun at that pace!" Juhani said cheerfully as Cornelius spluttered out a string of protests and expletives.

Hanarei

 

[cokemonster]

One beastkin impacted a storefront as the other was hoisted up to a stand from her crash, as if on shift rotation for being punted. Well Pi was ready for her turn once more before the formidable foe came into focus much too far away to do or be punting. The warrior caster took this respite to thump her chest despite the pain, magically invigorating herself even if it did nothing for her mounting pains. At least she found the breath to thank those helping hands. "I-" She started, but found the hands to be disembodied and glowing as they propped her by the shoulders. Pi found the one named Dahlia peaking out from the alley none too far. That woman on her very own pilgrimage much the same as she should be tending to as stoically as this one had appeared on stage. The helping hands must've been from her, surely as the goading question which roiled the fight simmering in Pi.

"Ah- fight?" Pi clenched her arm still coated metal as proof. "Plenty! Mana..." Mana was a different story, as her tone waned into a perilous chuckle. This spell would dissipate soon enough and with all she'd exerted, the ryuuko might have to turn tail. Yet given the circumstances of lives at stake and nary a garrison in sight for relief, Pi knew she'd have to hold her ground. Even the thought of retreat fueled her resolve to do battle! About until the fiery-silk came spewing her way.

The bulk of it smacked and clung to the wagon in a mess of sticky silk, only to be ignited the next instance into a wicked, sprawling bonfire trailing all the way back to the arachnitarius. Pi lay on the rode opposite Dahlia where she'd dove to some success. Stringy flames clung to her calves up to the knee, cloak fabric singed, but the metal there would take the brunt of the agony. Still hurt. Like her ribs. And yet fortune smiled on the persevering. Her kanabō lay fallen from the skies. Where were its riders? The fast thinker and quick worrier? The angle wasn't great to check the rooves, nor the time, so Pi chalked it to more fortune that they too were not discarded on the ground before her.

She was up again. The monster was readying something else just as nefarious, perhaps another round of today's special. Pi held her weapon with the intention of enacting a very simple plan. Stop it. And beat it. The monster roared and so did she did. The studded rod was whipped up and smacked to the ground, sending a raw red magic to ripple. The quake upended the brickwork in the road in a circle starting at Pi's feet, just ending past the monster's multitude. Its jaw snapped shut as the ground became a tumultuous effort to even stand on, its spider legs becoming a flurried dance to stay fixed. It did not, one side sinking to the ground as legs became entrenched in upturned road. The simian top half planted its palms to right itself, and by then the spell was over with aftershocks bouncing away. It was all Pi needed with her lacking speed to close the distance with the broad intention for violence and restart their close quarters foray.

 

[Nellancholy]

Having wisely kept her distance from the fray as she weaved a spell to help up the beastkin, Valla was able to avoid the ferocious and surprisingly devious attack from the arachnitarius that loosed a net of viscous, coarse silk across the square and then set it alight in a fearsome conflagration. The wave of heat hit Valla from where she was, and thankfully the silk quickly burned away, though anyone caught anywhere close to it would have been fried without any protection.

The resolve of the fox was rather encouraging as she let out a yell, charging with what remained of her strength to engage the beast. Regardless of the courage of those present, the fact remained that they were the only ones on the scene at the moment. Would Merryvale really be so slow to rally their defenses against such an attack? Unthinkable. It appeared nothing short of some kind of bombardment or a single, incredibly powerful blow could take out the beast before any more damage could be done.

Valla wasn't the type to call upon such power, and unless someone who was showed up soon, she got the feeling that this part of the city (and maybe beyond) would be eventually reduced to rubble. She couldn't strike the decisive blow, but what she could do...

She clasped her hands and closed her eyes again. "Spirit of silk, hear my call..." The sunlight above her seemed to coalesce into the shape of a spider with thin, spindly limbs and an abdomen gleaming like a gem, about the size of her head. If she saw it with her material eyes instead of her spiritual one, even she might have shaken for a moment.

"Weave a thread that quenches the fire, let the bestial rage tire..." Against a more...sapient being capable of concentration and dispelling, this ruse was unlikely to be as decisive. But here, it might be just what was needed. The spider seemed almost to nod as she spoke, dissipating into coils of barely-visible gossamer that wove themselves among the hairs of the arachnitarius, meshing themselves with its sensory faculties. The physical manifestation of the spirit's interference was all but perfunctory, the true effect of it being upon the arachnitarius' perception. While nothing bound it physically, the senses it relied on might soon dull and its vigor slow, just enough to create gaps in its attacks and erratic movements and give someone else a chance.

The vision beyond the veil was almost blinding to Valla, and with more of her mana spent, she backed herself against a wall to catch her breath.

 

[Hanarei]

Jade Evergarden​

Jade watched as Juhani seemed to shift around in her unconscious state. The young woman blinking as her worried gaze seemed to be shooting daggers ever so briefly at the mention of being called 'mother'. Not exactly perhaps a fair response given she wasn't really in a solid state of consciousness. It wasn't usual for patients to have a very vague idea of things around them, inserting them into their dreams. It didn't stop her as well with the mention of an angel muttered from her lips from having a small smirk on her lips. A much better thing to be called that her ego would only naturally enjoy to hear. It was enough to at least dull the curiosity about what bad things she might get up to for now as she suddenly propped herself up seemingly revived back to life.

"Be careful you just were... ah... you ignoramus..." She muttered as the Orc seemed far too eager to jump into action sprinting ahead running far ahead into the action. Seemingly another buffoon who if she worked with would end up getting themselves hurt over and over again. Some people just didn't seem to understand what the idea of self preservation was. After all, you weren't much help to others if you ended up getting yourself killed in the process before they even got saved. Not that someone of her profession didn't mind the extra money it was sure to get her, but any monetary gain wasn't worth the idea of someone not getting to witness the dawn of another beautiful day.

Jade began to run forward attempting to catch up to the orc, who now forcefully had taken Cornelius upon her shoulders. Not quite the most ideal way to bring your employer along but she supposed it was something. She would of opted to use her vines for the same process but this way made it easier for herself. No need to worry about draining herself more then she needed to, not that running towards the action was exactly a relaxing trip in itself. If anything it would make it a bit easier to catch if anyone was injured along the way.

"Keep an eye open for anyone hurt along the way." She spoke towards the two now a bit ahead of her. She wasn't exactly a quick runner though she would do her best to keep up and keep her eye out along the way. Hopefully the others were doing the best to drag it away from the town rather then further into it where more people would be at risk of danger.


Interacting: AtlannianSpy

 

[Flashwolf96]

Ramona had waited for her companion to report on any injuries, but froze when a groan was his only response. She glanced his way, and found him sprawled a ways away from her on the roof, only vaguely showing signs of movement.

Well, at least he was alive.

Ramona got to her feet, ignoring the aches in her own body to approach his side. A name, Kandor Aurelius, finally came to her as she gazed upon his form. A vague sense of familiarity hit her in that moment; a sensation not unlike deja vu that made her think she'd heard a name like that somewhere before. However it's true meaning unfortunately eluded her much like the name itself had at first. She cast the matter aside and knelt next to him.

"...Nothing bent out of place. No major bleeding. No visible contusions. Seems like you're just dazed."

Her assessment was quick and did not account for any internal injuries he might have sustained, but he didn't seem to be favoring any area in particular, so there was likely no need for her healing magic.

"Try to relax and control your breathing. You may be mildly concussed, so just take it easy until you recover. If anything feels serious, please report it to me and I'll heal you with magic," she told him before leaving to check the current situation down on the street below. What she saw was the violent melee between the masked mage who'd tried to get them killed and what was clearly the threat that had everyone in such a panic.

"Arachnitarius?" Ramona blinked, not having expected to see such a creature this far south. Her home kingdom of Morvanis saw them in greater number, as they were often hunted for sport or for combat practice, and their rarity made their silks a rather expensive commodity. But never had she seen one within the walls of a settlement, at least not one that wasn't bound by chains or the bars of a cage. In any case, having been somewhat unsettled by their uncanny appearance in her youth, she was suddenly glad to be so high up and away from the action.

But that relief didn't last long, as she quickly spotted trouble in the form of a collapsed storefront just across the street, a clear casualty left in the wake of the creature's earlier rampage. It was still quite close to the battle, and Ramona could easily see the figures struggling to remove the rubble from inside, as well as others who worried over what looked like the beastkin girl who'd casted lightning back in her performance earlier.

Right, her introduction was brief enough to have slipped by now, but she was the one who ran off ahead on her own once news of the attack had reached them. It seemed whatever initial assault she'd launched had resulted in her being flung towards the store and collapsing its entrance with her impact. Ramona almost shook her head in scorn at the blatant result of the girl's reckless behavior, but figured it was better to focus on keeping her and everyone else alive for the time being. After all, the recent damage to the building had it looking worse for wear, and the shocks from the battle certainly weren't helping its stability.

Ramona took a knee at the edge of the roof and removed the bow from her shoulder. It was made of strong material, so she had full confidence in its ability to survive the impact of the crash and wasted no time in loading an arrow from her quiver. Like with her barrier spell, the incantation she recited in her head was one she'd practiced hundreds of times over with no variation. It was an excerpt from a research paper, and fifteen or so words in she pulled the arrow back, and with a respectful plea watched as its head glowed white with magic. She chanted a second time, moving further down the page for twenty or so more words, and the light grew.

Deeming that enough to destroy some of the rubble, she offered her thanks to the benevolent spirit and fired. Her aim was true, though it was hardly the most difficult shot she'd ever taken so it came as no surprise, and struck the pile of rubble with a brilliant flash. She'd measured the power of the spell perfectly, as it had only been large enough to remove the lowest outer piece of debris in order to collapse the pile, reducing the amount that blocked the entrance without harming anyone inside. Unsure as to whether the beastkin girl was in any condition to help get the rest of it cleared, she prepared to fire a second shot just as a small group came into view at the end of the street. She recognized their colorful appearances immediately even at a distance.

The suspicious man, Cornelius, riding the shoulders of the Orc girl who'd briefly made an appearance from within the applause-o... whatever, with the young woman who called herself Jade Evergarden on their heels. Ramona more or less understood that the former pair were something like partners in crime, so it was mildly surprising to see them rushing towards the battlefield so brazenly. Still, their help along with the self-proclaimed healer's talents would come in handy. She did not fail to notice from the latter's earlier performance that she was something of a showboater herself though, so she hoped the woman's bite was as good as her bark when there was no time for applause and pageantry.

She waited for them to get a bit closer, then called out with hands cupped. "You three, the others are keeping its attention, so please help those people escape! And look after the beastkin that's with them too, as it's possible she may be injured!"

AtlannianSpy Kloudy Hanarei Spoiled Bread

 

[AtlannianSpy]

The Arachnitarius
Partially embedded in the unstable ground beneath the cobblestone streets and with its finer motor control and perception being hampered by spider silk the Arachnitarius was a cornered beast: immobile but still deadly. At some point in its melee engagement with Pi, the creature had switched to a much lower, one handed grip on its spear, sacrificing what little precision it possessed in favour of striking range and power. Now the creature warded Pi away with wide, sweeping blows that would surely send the beastkin flying if they connected but that left noticeable openings between swings that might be exploited by the especially daring individual. All the while the arachnitarius was keeping Pi at bay it seemed to be focusing most of its limited brain power on finding it's footing: seven free legs thrashed and stomped as they worked to pull loose the trapped eighth one.

Just as the creature found firm ground and began to properly pull its leg free, a jet of oily black liquid collided with the creature: covering the arachnitarius and forming a large puddle underneath and around it. Whatever the liquid was, it was a potent lubricant and the arachnitarius' legs immediately begin slipping and sliding across the ground without purchase, causing it to collapse again, its abdomen slamming heavily into the ground below.

The arachnitarius let out a savage bellow of frustration and pain, shifting its gaze towards the source of this irritant: a green skinned figure with a smaller person riding on her shoulders, her hands held together in front of her as if she had just thrown something and a cocky grin on her face revealing two small, pointed fangs.

cokemonster Nellancholy


Juhani
"Nyaha! How's that big guy? Slippery?" Juhani crowed as she ran towards the arachnitarius with Jade in tow. Meanwhile Cornelius was still stuck to Juhani's shoulders and rained a flurry of blows down on her head that the orc merrily ignored.

"Idiot! Put me down before you piss that thing off!" Cornelius yelled, swaying madly as he clung to Juhani's shoulders.

"Oh Right!" Juhani said suddenly, holding up her hands towards the Ramona on the rooftop and giving her a double thumbs up to acknowledge her instructions. "Good thinking boss! You guys go help the people in the store! I'll help the Ryuuko lady keep the big guy busy!" Juhani said, unceremoniously reaching up to lift Cornelius off her shoulders and toss him at Jade, the dwarf beastkin hollering wildly as he soared through the air towards the healer.

With her load lightened, Juhani put her hands together to cast another spell, gathering up black mana in her hands and running through a quick series of simple handsigns. There was a subtle pulse of energy as the spell took effect and then suddenly thick, billowing smoke began pouring out from Juhani's hands, spreading and advancing to form a thick wall of obscuration between the arachnitarius and the store front and its occupants.

"That should keep it out of your hair," Juhani called cheerfully over her shoulder as she ran over to join Pi. 4

Hanarei Flashwolf96


Arachnitarius
The arachnitarius had had enough. Just like before the creature sucked in a huge lungful of air and then exhaled, releasing a torrent of flame from its mouth that it used to burn away the slippery liquid coating its legs and the ground underneath it. Even as some of the hairs on its legs began to catch fire and glow like embers the creature ignored the pain, maintaining its flamethrower like attack and lifting its head to direct its flames towards Pi and Juhani.

"Whoah!" said Juhani, skidding to a halt and then leaping backwards with more energy than grace to avoid the oncoming flames. "I've never heard of an arachnitarius doing that!" Juhani explained as she came to a stop after rolling a few times and got back to her feet. "You okay Ryuuko lady?"