Fantasy Island of Heroes (Open)

[Melon Bomb]

"The water..." Chioran repeated to herself quietly, kneading her forehead. "The water... leads to a village? Not sure if I follow. You always were ahead in studies, huh? Maybe you should lead the way?" Speaking of leading the way... "And where are you going, little matchstick?" She rested her hands against her hips and huffed from a safe distance, aiming her words at the wandering half-genasi. "We're supposed to stick together. You could at least wait until the other half of us wake up!"

She picked up a twig and crouched down, prodding the face of a sleeping a snake man. "Hellooooooooooo?" She tilted her head. This guy looked kind of familiar. Some years ago, there was a rare lick of trouble back on the island, and she vaguely recalled that a certain snake lady was involved. Her son, maybe? Or grandson, it was hard to tell with these types. The bird woman laying next to him was decidedly more familiar -- Yrshta. She made her rounds on the island pretty frequently, so it was hard not to know her name.

Anyway. Chioran breathed into her numb hands, cupping a cloud of foggy breath. It really is cold out here, even though it's so sunny. That's got to be illegal somehow.

***

A young girl with dark hair ducked out of sight as Konan approached, silently observing the group's movements from a different spot behind the bushes. Not exactly a master of stealth as the top of her head was entirely visible, but she seemed pretty confident that she couldn't be seen from where she was hiding.

-

Kassandra Vol egglover obscured_light

 

[egglover]

Bib awoke slowly, squinting at the human girl who had woken him up. He sat up tenderly and tried to gather his surroundings...where was he? Who was she? It all came back to him slowly. Well, he still didn't know who she was, but then he was never very good at remembering names or faces.

"Hello," he replied with a soft tone and stood, towering over her by at least a few feet, "Where uh, where are we?"

 

[Topless]

"I guess you can say that, but other than that, how certain are you if that leads to a village? It might leads us to a large lake for all I know." Luna said in response to Bhara before turning to Konan who had just fled. "I'm sure he'll be back. Just need to survey that all." Luna hoped before turning her attention to Chioran who had just woke up the snake man that is Bib. "Hello!" She greeted as she approaches him "Don't know where we are, but we can't stay here for long. Also..." Luna turns to Chioran and ask "Chioran, would you still be okay if I can be your servant? Please, I've already grown used to serving people and I can't be left without anyone who knows how to fight...just like my old master."

Melon Bomb Kassandra egglover Vol ​

 

[Vol]

IT'S FREE ARSON
Location: Somewhere in Fhouajan Woods
Interactions: Chioran / Unknown girl Melon Bomb
​

Konan let out a shaky breath and the air came out as cold rather than it's usual (yet above average than a human's) warmth. His brows knitted in frustration and he forcibly exhaled onto the palm of his hand. He sighed in relief when it was back to the fierce temperature, and the stinging sensation eventually dissipated. This wasn't the first time this happened. Like something resetted his thermostat. He assumed it was normal, something to expect as he grew up as a half-genasi. Not a full one.
A distance behind he heard the swordgirl call out to him, and he couldn't help slap his own face again. Not out of irritation or anything, just because he wanted to whenever Chioran tried to order him around.

"And where are you going, little matchstick? We're supposed to stick together. You could at least wait until the other half of us wake up!"

"Why the fuck would I wait? Some of them might've died when they landed or something, waste of time!" The fire vessel barked back and he pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on.

Maybe he should wait though, strength in numbers and all that jazz. In Makuran, he was better off by himself for a multitude of reasons and of personal preference -- but this was down below. The true unknown; aside from the textbooks he tried to read.

More fuel for the eventual hellfire that'll desecrate this foreign land.

Konan rolled his shoulders, allowing the suggestion pass by without much of his own opinion on it. As if he did have time to muse on it, as a sudden movement caught his eye. He straightened his posture and squinted at the area he thought he saw a blur.

Suddenly his fists were engulfed in a fire that crackled noisely, with tendrils that tried to reach for the shrubbery and trunks of the trees.
"Oh hell yeah, food." Konan muttered as he bared his teeth into a sharp grin, assuming it was an edible prey. A rabbit, maybe. A rabbit with dark fur and almost a roundish head...

He threw a punch towards it.

 

[obscured_light]

The sound of voices was the first thing Yrshta was aware of. She slowly roused from her slumber, expanding her wings to give them a good stretch. She looked up at the group of somewhat familiar faces and noticed the perplexed look on some of them. Beyond that was a forest with the sound of a stream nearby.

Considering all of them were new to the area, it wasn't hard to piece together that they had no idea where they were. Before she could say anything, she noticed a light in the distance. Fire?

"Let me see what we have here," Yrshta said before she took to the sky for a better look.

 

[Kassandra]

Bhara appreciated hearing that an idea of hers might've held weight in this new environment, especially from their group's natural figurehead, but Luna had a point. She really didn't know what the terrain was like after the several centuries their ancestors spent in the sky, or if the people of Alatoa even depended on the triviality of the natural flow of water for agriculture anymore. Her shoulders sunk inward a little, but without a road or guide, or landmark to follow, the stream was as good a route as any, wasn't it? "Still... It makes sense to establish villages by lakes, if that were the case. For fishing and stuff," she attempted to reason, before realizing Luna's attention was heavily divided. She too saw Chioran as their mascot, of sorts, if not their unestablished leader, and felt it prudent to resume her duties as servant, even down here. Latching on to someone capable of defending her and themselves, Bhara could understand, but why squander this supposed opportunity at a new life by so eagerly remaining dependent on others? She supposed it wasn't her place to judge. She didn't join the others for exactly the right reasons, either.

The issue concerning which way to go solved itself as soon as the rest of their gang revealed themselves. Yrshta and her strange friend, the snakekin with the deceptively plain face. It occurred to her he might have some animal instinct that would be helpful in this strange place, but also that he might have more trouble than most in the cold. He was cold-blooded too, right? There was a reason she heard of reptiles sunbathing on rocks all the time. Without paying Konan's antics much attention, she called out for his assistance. "Konan! Quit messing around, reptiles need heat!"

Her attention turned to Yrshta for the brief moment she was still on the ground, but Bhara had to make an effort to shift her eyeline once the demihuman was already several feet up in the air. Good thing we brought her along, no need to argue about directions with eyes in the sky. "Yrshta, do you see any landmarks? Someone might've noticed us landing, they must know what time of year we have the festival by now."

- obscured_light Vol

 

[Melon Bomb]

"We've touched down," Chioran answered the snake man, rising to her feet. "No idea where, we'll have to figure that part out ourselves. And sorry, Luna. I don't think I can be your master -- I've got my hands full just looking out for myself." Behind her, she was hearing quite the sass from their local ill-mannered genasi.

"Myself, and this troublemaker... Okay, now listen here--" She stopped in her tracks, suddenly sensing movement at roughly the same time as Konan. Her hand closed in on the hilt of her sword but by the time he had approached to investigate with a fist full of fire, she realized what they were both looking at. "Wait, that's not--!"

A tiny body barely scrambled out of the path of an incinerating strike that reduced her cover to a smoldering crater. The surrounding grass immediately caught fire, conflagrating across the forest floor like a heavy spill. With no hesitation, she outstretched her hand and unleashed a concise but powerful burst of wind. A shower of leaves popped off the ground like confetti, extinguishing the wildfire before it could spread any further. She wiped nonexistent sweat from her brow. "Whew..."

"If you were hungry, you could've just said so," Chioran sighed, flipping over the flap of her bag and passing Konan a round apple. She turned her attention back to the child, who... disappeared, unsurprisingly. If someone walked up and tried to fire punch her without warning, she'd run away too. The girl made no effort to cover up her tracks so her messy footfalls were still printed into the dirt. It was possible that following the trail could take them to whatever community she was a part of. Not that they made the best first impression.

"Great! We've traumatized a child." She folded her arms and stared up at Yrshta. "Any roads? I'm thinking we should maybe avoid contact with the people around here. Just saying. No thanks to a certain somebody." Her gaze flickered to Konan for a split second.

-

egglover Topless Vol obscured_light Kassandra

 

[obscured_light]

Yrhsta watched as the small conflict was swiftly resolved by the disappearance of the child. She tsked disapprovingly and called out below to Konan, "While I understand the passion of youth burns within you, please do mind the locals! Mothers do make very fierce opponents!"

She then looked around, taking in the surroundings. There seemed to be nothing troubling yet.

"Coincidentally, there are some roads!" Yrshta called back down to the group. "They're rather far off though. They lead to some kind of city. However, we do have a closer option. The rivers do lead to a lake! And next to the lake there's a village! They do seem close enough to see where lights of the fallen have gone."

egglover Topless Vol Kassandra Melon Bomb

 

[Vol]

IT'S FREE ARSON
Location: Somewhere in Fhouajan Woods
Interactions: Chioran Melon Bomb / Bhara Kassandra / Yrshta obscured_light
Honourable mentions: Bib egglover​

The rabbit -- no, person, ran when they had dodged the strike. He couldn't exactly see her through the explosion of the devouring flames, but he did catch a reflection of long dark hair and uneven steps as they escaped. Instinctively he had dug his heel in in preparation for a chase but a blast of chilly wind doused the bushfire, as well as "the hunt" right out of him. Konan stood confused and shocked for a moment, before shaking his head vigorously and turning to the source of the windmaker; he hated that she could put out his flames that quickly. Everytime. She didn't even need water.

Before Konan could shout obscenities at the swordmaiden, an apple smacked into his cheek and he caught it before it fell onto the forest floor.

"If you were hungry, you could've just said so."

"Hunting's more fun, killjoy." The fire vessel grumbled as he bit down onto the offered morsel. His tantrum somewhat avoided. He wasn't hungry -- but something else within him was. However he found himself walking slowly back to the group after he glanced dismissively at the tracks left over by the escapee. The juices of the apple dribbled down his chin and was evaporating already to a fine mist.

"Great! We've traumatized a child."

He rolled his eyes at this but said nothing. Conflicting emotions of remorse fought against the understimulation of the fire core within him. The way she said it made it sound dismissive despite the seriousness of the concept...

"While I understand the passion of youth burns within you, please do mind the locals! Mothers do make very fierce opponents!"

Konan frowned and raised his head to the sky where the other voice seemed to resound from. Above him was a flurry of flapping feathers -- a birdwoman. Oh so they had one of them as a falling star; a constant eye from the heavens. Speaking of the heavens, what she said struck closer to home than Chioran's scoldng, and he almost choked on a swallowed piece of apple.

"Okay, shut your traps! I get it, I'll wait for them to throw the first hit." He huffed in irritation as he kicked away the apple core. Depending on the situation though, he most likely won't keep that promise.

"Konan! Quit messing around, reptiles need heat!"

He had wanted to slink away again but cringed when the shieldmaiden had spoken out and actually ordered him to do something. The worst first impressions to him kept going. Konan scowled, balling his fists tightly...then grumbled the whole while as he carefully stalked up beside her. Oh a wonder how he managed to miss the giant snakeman from before. Well, technically the half-genasi thought the reptile was dead, with just how slow his chest heaved up and down, indicating poor breathing. Maybe it was just a snake clan thing.

"None of you know how to make your own fucking fires?" Konan muttered as one last attempt to convey how much he really detested doing this, before igniting one hand and hovering it near the snakeman's body. "This isn't gonna do shit for a cold-blood, you know. I'm not a sun."

Some day you will be.

"Coincidentally, there are some roads! They're rather far off though. They lead to some kind of city. However, we do have a closer option. The rivers do lead to a lake! And next to the lake there's a village! They do seem close enough to see where lights of the fallen have gone."

His ear twitched attentively to the information the aerial surveyor relayed to the rest of them.

"A village? Probably where the rabbit ran off to. See, if I had knocked them out we could've just asked." Konan piped up, not realising that he had forgotten to keep holding up his fire palm, which now rested against the scales of the snakeman.

 

[Topless]

Luna frowned when Chioran declined her offer of servitude. "I see, then maybe some other time then." However, she will still pursue her acceptance regardless, just not the right time...and indeed it is not the right time when Konan throws a fiery punch on some greenery where a figure stood. Luckily, that figure ran away before the flames touch her. Now he's in a fit of rage, or at least what Luna sees. "Calm your nerves, Konan. We'll get out of this soon." She assures.

Luna turns her attention to Yrshta who suggests about a lake village. "I never thought of that one before. I'm sure the locals there are nice when we arrive." Luna spoke positively before asking "Can you go even higher though? Just in case."

Melon Bomb obscured_light Vol ​

 

[Kassandra]

Bhara nearly rolled her eyes out of their sockets at Konan's temper. How he was going to be any help outside of a fight was beyond her, and even in combat, he gave her the impression that he'd just be dead weight. Then again, maybe he just needed some structure. Nobody was beyond reason, if her disciplinarian teacher parents' stories of rebellious pupils were any indication. And he did, however begrudgingly, respond to being given a direct order. Luna took the initiative and attempted to cool him down, but Bhara predicted a touch as gentle as hers would only stoke the flames further. Bhara moved in for damage control, walking up to both Koman and the snakeman she assigned him to. His muttering about missing the opportunity to nearly deck a little girl across the chin wasn't gonna fly.

"Simmer down, Konan," she advised, nudging some distance between his palm and the reptile's skin with a corner of her shield. "Listen up. The other ladies are still on an explorer's high, and they don't get what kind of danger we might be in. Something tells me you and the big guy here do. Take point with me on our way to the village. Someone fucks with us, you'll get first dibs on sauteing them. Sound good?"

- Vol egglover

 

[Melon Bomb]

"We're supposed to be making a good name for ourselves down here!" Chioran pouted. "How are we supposed to do that if we-- if we go around, knocking out children!? Sheesh! Besides, holding back isn't exactly your forte. You're used to tussling with toren like us, a regular human kid is going to break in half if you shove them a little too hard." That last part was ingrained into her from experience. Not that it ended that badly, mind you! He came out of it okay in the end. Mostly.

Bhara was giving him an earful as well, again. She felt kind of bad that everybody was starting to lay into the guy, but she had to admit, he really did bring it upon himself. For now it was fine, nothing wrong with a few jabs here and there, so long as everyone understood each other. She ushered everyone over with a wave of her hand. "Everyone's up now so let's just get moving, we've drawn enough attention to ourselves already. And not the good kind."

The party followed Yrshta's guidance, deciding they may as well chance it with the locals for proper directions, and maybe to resupply while they were at it. If that didn't work out, they could simply move on to tracking down the roads. But their trek through the forest was eerily silent. No sign of animals anywhere, not even chirping birds. If it had been night, Chioran would've been thoroughly creeped out. And for some reason, it just kept getting colder, and colder, and colder...

She kept up at a brisk pace, rubbing her hands together as she walked. They began to tread carefully down a steep incline, but a snag on a hidden root sent her bowling head over heel down the slope, and a miniature dirt slide of debris crumbled down after her. Groaning more out of annoyance than in pain, she shook out her dress yet again and pulled herself up with the support of a nearby trunk. She may possess superhuman physique, but her footwork was still as clumsy as ever. Awkwardly peering out from behind the tree, she expected to see more of the same. Not... whatever this was.

Everything was frozen. This was no winter. An ice spell -- a powerful one -- had transformed this entire neck of the woods into a frozen field of death. Birds poised mid flight scattered the forest floor as broken statues. Further in the distance, humanoid figures trapped in ice could be seen attempting with futility to shield their bodies against something that was likely no longer here. Slowly, Chioran backed away, an overwhelming sense of dread sinking into her as her mind registered the aftermath of this fatal encounter.

"What is this... ?" She looked over her shoulder, a frightful look on her face. "G-guess we'll have to go around, huh guys? Haha... ha..." Chioran laughed nervously.

As they gathered around the spectacle, there was movement in the shadows. Just out of sight, dozens of bodies crept up on their position noiselessly, becoming one with their natural environment. Expert hunters trained their weapons on the unsuspecting group of torens, awaiting the signal to strike...

-

Vol Kassandra Topless obscured_light egglover

 

[PiePillager]

He had been prowling in the background, stalking with the kings of the forest. Yellow eyes dwelling in the dark. He followed them, stalking through the wood and observing through the branches. They were Sky-People. Curious as to what they want he followed and learned. Perhaps they sought the same thing as he. He did not understand all of what they spoke. His knowledge of the Sky-People's tongue was slim. But gleaning what he could, he knew they sought to unravel the mystery of the false-frost.

But they were about to be caught unawares! Amidst the trees, there were other watchers. Trained eyes of hunters, killers. It would not do if the targets of his observation would fall prey to an ambush.

"MOVE! LOOK!" a voice called out from the frosted trees. "THEY HUNT! FLEE! FIGHT!"

 

[Vol]

ICE & FIRE
Location: Somewhere in Fhouajan Woods
Interactions: Luna Topless / Bhara Kassandra / Chioran Melon Bomb
Honourable mentions: Bib egglover / Tepeyoll PiePillager
​

"Calm your nerves, Konan. We'll get out of this soon."

Flames spouted at the edges of his hair as crimson pupils snapped towards the woman that lived to serve. Nerves? Did she really think he was scared? Worried? Fearful? From just what had his previous displays of recklessness portrayed a sense of discombobulation? The destructive train of thought was cut short when he felt some pressure on the hand that was supposed to be warming up the snakeman -- a shield.

Konan quickly withdrew his hand as if he was the one that got burned. The fire went out with a harsh pssh.

"Simmer down, Konan. Listen up. The other ladies are still on an explorer's high, and they don't get what kind of danger we might be in. Something tells me you and the big guy here do. Take point with me on our way to the village. Someone fucks with us, you'll get first dibs on sauteing them. Sound good?"

Good save.

His apprehension towards the shieldmaiden lessened quite considerably at her suggestion; finally he was given a task he definitely could get behind with. He hated being left behind or being clustered in a group, so scouting ahead sounded more to his preference. This one agrees with incinerating foes first, then ask questions later. A good fuel, she will burn brighter than the self proclaimed wind princess.

Konan rubbed the nape of his neck and muttered something, probably a form of agreement, and nodded in earnest.

"We're supposed to be making a good name for ourselves down here! How are we supposed to do that if we-- if we go around, knocking out children!? Sheesh! Besides, holding back isn't exactly your forte. You're used to tussling with toren like us, a regular human kid is going to break in half if you shove them a little too hard."

"I didn't say anything about sucking up to those who live below, Chio. Sounds like a you's issue," Konan stated a matter of factly as he started to walk forward. Twigs cracked underneath his bare feet and each step left a singed footprint. "You don't know that, none of us no how these things really work down here. The rabbit ran away before it could show us how strong it was. Don't underestimate stuff down here."

He wasn't sure exactly why he was spouting such advice; he assumed that the folks that lived in Alatoa were strong, or atleast not stupid, from his recollection of the textbooks his father helped him study. And a worthy challenge; the better they are, the more satisfying the pyre.
Konan sometimes wondered why he -- was it really he? -- was so obsessed with finding things to set alight. Thoughts like that didn't seem like his own, but it felt too familiar for him to really question.

Soon enough, the fallen stars set off to finally venture deeper into the woods.
Here he finally noticed, during the trek, the steam that steadily arose from his skin. He quirked a brow in amusement; this only occurred when he was very furious or during the cold winters of Makuran. It must be seriously freezing down here...

"Wh--Chio?!" Konan cried out as he watched her tumble down the slope, and past him. His initial reaction was quickly replaced with mockery, a bitter laugh. "That's one way to get down, damn klutz."
He quickly started hopping after her, sliding down the last few metres and grabbed onto another tree adjacent to Chioran's own.

"What is this... ? G-guess we'll have to go around, huh guys? Haha... ha..."

The fire vessel raised a brow at her sudden timidness -- where'd all that adventure gung-ho go?

Oh. Probably because of the frozen wasteland ahead of them; figures and corvids alike encased in timeless ice. And there was no sign of snow at all. He breathed deeply, not in an act to calm down, but in awe. This was eerily beautiful.
Burn, BURN, BURN THE ICE.

He clutched his chest suddenly and gritted his teeth. His eyes suddenly seeing the morbid scenery through a strange orange filter; and he wanted to ignite it all.

"MOVE! LOOK! THEY HUNT! FLEE! FIGHT!"

Konan blinked, the environment before him returning to its original forlorn colour, and he started to fall back alongside Chioran, eyes darting to and fro the unknown. Weirdly enough, the half-genasi was grinning; the fight was being brought to them after all.

 

[Topless]

It was finally time to move. But as they venture further in the forest, the air is starting to get colder by the distance. Luna could feel that this atmosphere is not natural. It's something else. It's something more magical. The group stopped at a slope just as Chioran fell. "Chioran!" Luna cried as she rushes down carefully to her ally. "You should be very careful next time. For a moment I thought you'd be dead and there. Please don't die in front of me." She said worriedly, though the last part was a bit too exaggerated.

The group continued on until they arrive at a frozen graveyard. Statues of ice encasing corpses and scattered pieces of what was birds lay on the ground. Luna sensed dread in this place. "I don't think we should be here. I don't know if these people are still alive or-" Luna gets cut off when she saw figures from a distance. Hunters looking for game. They might think of them as prey, but to Luna, she thinks they're of help. Without having a second thought, Luna yelled "Hey! Can you help us out?! Do you know where the nearest village is?! We're lost!"

Luna shouldn't have done that.

Melon Bomb ​

 

[Melon Bomb]

Several camouflaged tribesmen emerged from the trees, brandishing bows, axes, and curved blades.

"Leave our home! You bring death! You bring death!"

Voices echoed in the clearing, but Chioran didn't understand their language. She unsheathed her sword just in case and held it defensively in front of her, glancing back to her group. "U-uh... we're not trying to hurt you! We just have some questions!" Chioran looked to their resident shield maiden with an urgent expression. "Bhara, do you understand what they're saying?"

Before she could get a response, an arrow suddenly whistled through the air -- which she snatched mid-flight with her bare hand, its serrated tip inches from her face. Her gaze narrowed. That was aimed between her eyes. She snapped the shaft between her fingers and threw it aside, feeling her pupils begin to glow hot with divine power.

"I said, we're here to talk," she said coldly.

"Leave our home! "Leave our home! "Leave our home!"

Dozens upon dozens of arrows rained down over their heads. Chioran deflected them easily with her blade, swiping left and right as they neared. A normal human would have been skewered many times over, but something like this was child's play to a toren's reaction speed. She watched in both confusion and anger as the masked natives descended upon them in droves, stone weapons readied in hand. Huh? They still wanted to fight? Couldn't they see that their difference in strength was night and day?

She definitely wasn't going to kill them, but she wasn't sure exactly how much she needed to hold back to incapacitate--

A flood of smoke filled the area without warning, and Chioran was suddenly blind. Coughing and wheezing, she swung her weapon aimlessly around her as she tried to squint through the pale gas. I can't see anything! A smoke bomb? As she tried to gather her bearings, a searing pain shot through her body as a knife carved into her side. Her blade swung back around and hit nothing, her attacker already vanished in the mist. A second strike slashed under her left shoulder -- an involuntary hiss escaped between her teeth as she swung and missed again.

I'll just blow this smoke away! Gripping her sword with both hands, a torrent of wind began to fiercely circle around her blade. With a single heavy stroke, a third of the fog instantly scattered, revealing two warriors on opposite sides of her. There they are! I've had enough of this, down you go!

One of them charged headfirst into her -- she responded with a forceful pommel strike aimed at his temple, but her attack missed by an embarrassingly wide margin. She blinked. The warrior backed off at the last second... it was a feint? From his crouching stance, the man lifted his wooden mask up and spit something into her face. Gah!? I can't open my eyes! Chioran clawed at the sticky substance fastening her lids shut, but it was stuck fast. A nauseating vertigo filled her as she was abruptly tackled, flipped upside down, and bound by something she couldn't immediately break out of.

Torens were powerful. Their strength, speed, and magical prowess were entirely unparalleled, even in their adolescence. And yet, she had never been so blindsided in her entire life by ordinary human beings. She was certain... she was certain! In a fair fight, she could've single handedly defeated them, even if they came at her all at once. This shouldn't be possible... Forget incapacitating them, she couldn't even land one hit!

Chioran could only pray that the others were faring better than her...

-

Vol Kassandra egglover obscured_light Topless PiePillager

 

[Topless]

The figures emerges from the shadows and they seem to be a hostile group that wanted them to leave. They speak in a language that they don't understand. "Hold on, we just got here! There's no need to raise your arms against when we clearly don't mean any harm." Luna tried to explain, but then an arrow was fired at Chioran. Luckily she caught it, but then came a rain of arrows to which Luna screamed as she ran behind Bhara for protection. She's got a shield anyway. She ducks down and prays that none of them gets killed. Suddenly, the group is surround by a thick smoke which obscure their vision.

"I can't see! Bhara, are you behind me?! Anyone?!" She panicked, moving her hands around until she can get a hold is something. Thankfully, Chioran blows the smoke away by a mighty swing, though it was partial as she was surrounded by two warriors. One of them manages to blind her by spit. "I can't afford to see any bloodshed, not when we just came here." Luna said as she stands up and yell "Everyone cover your ears!" Once her allies do that, Luna clears her throat and begins to sing a calming tune, a lullaby of sorts that soothes the senses of the attackers and makes them feel drowsy. The same happens if one of her allies did not listen to her.

This is the Song of Rest, a melody that's puts anyone into a deep gentle sleep. Hopefully this should calm things down...at least a little.

Melon Bomb Kassandra Vol obscured_light egglover PiePillager​

 

[Vol]

NATURAL ENEMY
Location: Somewhere in Fhouajan Woods
Interactions: N/A
Honourable Mentions: Chioran Elgorah Melon Bomb / Luna Topless / Bhara Kassandra​

If Konan had time to scoff at the attempts of negotiation that the swordgirl and Luna offered to the hunters, he would've. Hell, he probably would have said his own piece -- if it weren't for the hail of arrows that rained on their parade.

From the corner of his eye he spied his occasional sparring partner, Chioran, deflecting and catching the projectiles with ease. If the shieldmaiden was attentive, she probably would have blocked out the majority of the blows herself for the others that lacked cover. But just like Chioran, the arrows were nothing to him as he slapped away the few that managed to not disintegrate upon entry of his burning presence. Was it him being a toren or half-genasi that allowed him to be so intense with heat? Maybe both; the core of a genasi was their element...so perhaps being blessed as a Toren meant it enhanced his elemental affinity despite being not having a whole core. Either way, it was a real help right about now.

A real challenge approaches! The pyre beckons!

"Leave our home! "Leave our home! "Leave our home!"

"Dunno what you're saying but you struck the first blow! Let's fucking go!" Konan roared with an animalistic howl as a battlecry, and charged forth at them with flames ablaze. In the ears of the soldiers, however, his undecipherable words sounded guttural.

_______

The fire vessel definitely fitted the trope of horror and destruction that they had been told of the doom that descended upon their land.

So they fought with even more vigor, as each of Konan's blows were met with wooden shields that splintered and burned on impact. The tips of their spears were caught alight, which they thought would help with the damage, but instead seemed to just bounce off harmlessly the Toren's skin.

About four hunters were concentrated on Konan when the smokescreen was activated behind them. A hunter, a lithe rogue-ish man quickly took advantage of the Toren's moment of distraction from it, and suddenly threw their flask of water towards him. Fortunately he managed to blast it apart with a quick arrow before the 'fire made flesh' could've have grabbed it. The other three's minds clicked in unison and understanding at the tactic and also threw their flasks of water. Two of them brought down their sword at the same time to shatter the flask, as well as strike the Toren, while the other tried to jab their spear to his side.

______

Konan hissed in pain as he caught the two blades with his extinguished hands, and the spear managed to make its way home. The pain was...excruciating. His fires doused by simple water; the core within him raged and that made him madder. The half-genasi's hands bit deeper into the steel and began a tug of war between the two swordsman, while dodging an arrow to his head by simply tilting his head to the left. The spear was no longer an issue either as the rock tip melted into him, making it hard for the spearman to pry it free.

However, of course there was more of them, and another flask slapped against his face -- but it did not shatter. The shock of the impact made him stutter for a bit and he felt another spear dig deep into his side; the water blurring his vision made this fight almost...scary.

No, no! NO! Incincerate them all, burn them! Weak, weak, your core is the weakest of them all.

That was the first time he'd thought that -- or was it someone else? He never thought of himself as weak, or atleast the minimum, uncapable. His advice earlier rang across his head as the pain of multiple stab wounds seemed to pulse with his own heartbeat. He wasn't weak, he can burn them all. He could, he was --

Then show me, show all of them, that you are naught but just but an ember in this dying pyre.

Konan's vision turned white and the next thing he felt was a hard encasing around his whole being. He could not move.
________

The group of four hunters screams were cut short as they died from a fire they couldn't seem to extinguish. The last things they saw were a great chunk of their surroundings burning alongside them, and they hoped that the others managed to atleast kill or capture the Toren before such destruction such as this could spread to their village.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Several adjacent hunters kept their distance from Konan's petrified form -- he appeared immobilized, but they erred on the side of caution after witnessing the explosive blast. Many still waited on the sidelines surrounding the natural arena, watching the battle unfold on lower ground; a tactical decision, made to avoid scenarios where they could be taken out in large groups like the genasi had demonstrated. With two down, that left Bhara, Yrshta, Bib, and Luna left standing.

For the bird woman, multiple pairs of bolas were swung in place, waiting for the moment she attempts to take flight. For the shield bearer, a whistle called forth mastiffs to their side. For the singing spell caster, the tribesmen in the backline beat upon hide drums and commenced their own war chant, the unison of their voices completely drowning her out. And the snake man... well, they had a couple of guys on him. He was pretty big after all.

Four of them had perished so far. Against toren, such casualties were almost inevitable. But one thing was certain; their coordinated movements and attacks showed that they were no stranger to dealing with foes more powerful than themselves. A testament to humanity's strength and cunning. Had Chioran admired their skills from afar, it may have very well been inspiring. But her face was pressed into the dirt, with her arms behind her back and spit in her eyes.

She felt scared. And she felt angry. Bhara was right. She should've listened.

-

Vol Kassandra Topless obscured_light egglover PiePillager

 

[Kassandra]

I fucking knew it. Bhara's shield came up to deflect a handful of arrows, but the gas prevented her from effectively taking the brunt of the opposition. Or was there even a right place to be? It suddenly felt as if they were beset on all sides, and getting turned around even a little bit felt like a death sentence. People were calling her name, and she couldn't even see them. Bhara wanted to call out for Chioran to brush more of the gas away, but before she could, a blunt weight to her midsection knocked the wind out of her and sent her on her back. Someone was climbing onto her, and the knife that cut through the gas was telling of what they were planning. "Get the fuck off!" she narrowly covered her chest with her shield before the blade came down and barked, barely registering that Luna was about to sing.

"Alright... You asked for it," Bhara hissed, whipping her arm forward and cracking the assaulter's chin. She planted her boots into the frozen earth, trying to make a mental connection with the layer beneath the ice and loose dirt. As soon as she found it, she stamped down with her soles and did the same with her open palm, wrenching the stone out toward the surface. Before Luna's singing could get to her, a dome of rock trapped Bhara and her attacker and encapsulated them in the dark, where she was free to beat on them senselessly.

When the dome came down, Bhara pushed the stranger to the side to find that the gas had faded further. However, the benefit of eyesight only made her come face to face with the trained beasts at both her flanks.

 

[Topless]

Luna continues to sing. Some warriors that are within hearing distance should have fall asleep by now, but then came the loud sound of drum beating and chanting, overtaking Luna's sweet melody. Sees as putting them to sleep won't help, Luna decided to do the same as the drummers; performing a war chant. Hopefully this boost in morale will give her allies some edge in this situation. There has already been casualties, leading Luna to reluctantly agreed that violence may be their next option if they are not willing to listen.

Luna takes a deep breath before she sings a high pitched tune that completely erases the fear, worry, sorrow, doubt, and everything else negative from their minds and replace them with the will to fight back. Her allies could feel their muscles grown a bit, making them much more stronger than they where. Luna needs to keep this up though, not helped by the fact that she is still out on the open. Someone should get near her or she'll get hurt.

Melon Bomb Kassandra Vol obscured_light egglover PiePillager​

 

[egglover]

"Woah, woah, hey now friends!" Bib swung around violently as two of the locals decided to jump on his back whilst the others surrounded him, "We mean you no harm!"

The large snakeman span around, and one of the warriors on his back span with him and was flung off, accidentally knocking another warrior to the ground. Bib span again with a look of worry on his face. "O-oh! Are you okay?" he asked, but tripped with the sudden weight on his back and fell backwards, sitting and squashing the remaining warrior on his back by accident, "Oops."

The warriors surrounded him with weapons sticking into his green face.

 

[obscured_light]

Yrshta's view was limited and as the battle commenced, she couldn't figure out what to do first. Normally, she hunted or trained in a group. The flock of birdwomen were stronger as a group since the air allowed for many opportunities if one of them wasn't careful. However, in this case, she had never really fought with any of them. Bib was the one she knew best but he was surrounded as she was being targeted.

Bolas were prepared and as Yrshta tried to dive in to help her comrades, they were launched at her directly. She changed course midflight and with a powerful flap of her wings and threw a lot of the projectiles back. However as she reeled her wings back in to do a gust of wind, they were already throwing more. The speed at which they launched them caught her off guard and she cried out as they hit her wings and body. With an angry shriek, she sent another powerful blast of wind at her attackers, intending to send them back a few feet.

 

[Melon Bomb]

The sun gleamed off the polished stone axe as it was raised above the warrior's head, set to crash down onto Bib's skull. "Begone, war bringer! Your ancestors curse us!"

Before he could execute the oblivious snake man, a steel bolt drilled into his temple from across the clearing. He fell over, dead, the weapon never leaving his rigid hands. Heads and ears perked up to the sound of galloping horses tearing through the dirt. Mounted cavalry steadied their crossbows and opened fire on the tribesmen, shooting them down with barrage after barrage of deadly volleys.

"Secure the objective!" barked Lieutenant Ariter, cutting down one of the warriors with his sword and circling his horse back around the perimeter. "I don't want to see a single scratch on those toren!"

Sensing a losing battle, the masked fighters swiftly retreated back into the woods, a handful of their number picked off by stray bolt fire as they turned and fled. Though Chioran could not see what was happening, relief washed over as she felt a pair of sturdy hands sawing away at her bindings and steadily helping her to her feet. She scratched away enough muck to get at least one eye halfway open. Thoughtlessly picking away at the remnants under her fingernails, she came face to face with a squad of about sixteen or so men, all dressed in uniform. These must be... soldiers? Makuran had no military, so this would be her first time seeing any in person. Her heart fluttered a little as she gazed upon her saviors. So cool...

A few scouts pushed further ahead to check for any lingering hostile movement while the rest of the men tended to their battered group.

"Who's in charge here?" Ariter asked, lifting the face plate of his helmet and squinting at Bib. "Is it you? We're here to escort you on behalf of the empire. There is no time to waste so we implore that you come with us quickly and quietly -- if you have any questions, we can answer them along the way. Can we expect your cooperation?"

Chioran sat cross-legged in thought as one of the soldiers dressed her knife wounds with gauze and bandages. She wasn't really sure what was going on, but it seems like they've been bailed out of a messy situation by troops from some unspecified empire. In all the books she read, she recalled that the empire was typically always full of bad guys... maybe it was rude to think like that. These guys did save her and everyone else, after all.

"Sir!" An officer rode up to Ariter's side with a firm salute. "Enemy movement spotted over the hillside, full speed. Riosen's soldiers are here."

"Fast-acting son of a bitch..." he muttered under his breath, biting his thumbnail. Ariter looked back down. "Well? Will you come with us? Or stay here and deal with these blood-thirsty savages? Your choice."

-

Vol Kassandra obscured_light egglover Topless PiePillager

 

[Topless]

Luna kept singing, but she knows that this is already hopeless. But then came an army that drives out the enemies away. Seeing as they retreat, Luna stops singing, removing her allies off their buffs. She lets out a sigh of relief as she looks at her saviors. She walks over to the one interrogating Bib and spoke. "None of us are leaders, good sir. We are but travelers from a distant land. We thank you for your save though. We will be more than glad to cooperate with you." She said before turning to her side to see Chioran being treated by a soldier. Luna was too busy singing, not noticing that she was stabbed.

"Chioran!" Luna cried as she rushes up to give her a tearful hug. Out of all her comrades, Chioran is the one that Luna is most worried of. Granted though, she wanted her to be her master. "Chioran, are you alright? I didn't noticed you got hurt. I was singing, hoping that my magic can help. You got me SO very worried. If I would ever lose you, then-" Luna suddenly gets cut off when one of the soldiers informs Ariter of incoming forces heading their way, prompting him to ask the group if they can come with them or not. "We'll come with you! Let's get out of here!" Luna said in panic before getting Chioran's arm around her and help her get up. "Can you walk? We need to move fast or else!" She asked.

Melon Bomb Kassandra Vol obscured_light egglover PiePillager​