Fantasy Mountain Magic Mayhem (Luc/Sazz)

[St. Clover]

"Then the scroll vanishes, and a doorway opens. Lasts for about... I wanna say six seconds? Something like that," Milianor explains, glancing down at the scroll. She turns it over in her hands, caressing it with a thumb claw. "Teleportation and similar stuff isn't an exact science where I'm from. We've got some idea of how it works, but overall it's still really new. On the mass produced scale, I mean. Personal stuff for wizards and magicians have always been around, but that's all old, old stuff. We still haven't figured some of it out, actually."

 

[Anshelical]

"I see," Lier nods. "If only the time could be extended. That'd be something we'd need to know."

"Is six s-seconds even enough?" Iso said.

 

[St. Clover]

"Should be, usually these things are meant for personal use above anything else." Milianor shrugged. "Never tried using it to transport multiple people, so we'd need to use it when everyone's close by. But, like I said, I've learned to make due with what I've got. Worst case scenario you guys have to pop it and I'll draw the dragon's... fire. But that's neither here, nor there. Right now we need to get some more stuff down. Like, where did you last see this guy before he went down? Was he... Sorry to ask, but was he torn to shreds or what?"

 

[Anshelical]

Iso's shoulders tensed, remembering every moment. And then Vine ticked. "Not really torn to shreds, but his leg was definitely severed on the way down the ridge. It was just about over there," Vine pointed to some valleys covered in fog nearby. "Yeah. Down that trail and into further."

"It's pretty cold down there," Lier rolled his shoulders again. The potion's effects were finally kicking in at full swing. "But if the dragon is still down there brewing some fire, it might be warmed up a bit... And thus he could have a lot of burns by now."

 

[St. Clover]

Unable to help herself, Milianor frowned deeply. "Shit... So we're probably looking at charred body with at least a few missing parts," she said grimly. She rubbed her cheek. "Not the best thing to try and recover, but it's better than nothing. Do you all have anything of his still around by chance?" she asked.

 

[Anshelical]

Iso shut his eyes tight to reject the thoughts of his love's form torn apart. "H-Hm... I have his... I have his log." He shoved his shaky hands down the satchel he swung to his chest, mouth trembling. "H-He wrote in this all the time when he was o-out measuring things." He pulled out a leather journal with sewn patches of textile, holding it up.

"When did you get that?" Vine said. "More like how?"

"H-He dropped his satchel when... when the Dragon hit him."

"Oh."

Liernoine glanced at Erro put his canvas away, considering the moment when he attempted to distract the Dragon with the reflection of his dagger, the moment when, yes, the beast shoved its fist to Diger and pushed him to the rock wall.

 

[St. Clover]

Eyeing the journal for a moment, Milianor thought how best to respond. Eventually she just sighed and shook her head. This really was a shit situation. "Well, as much as I hate to say it, that might be all you can bury for him," she said. "If the body's in too bad a condition, we won't be able to transport it by hand. Could cremate him, if it came down to it," she offered. "I know it's probably the last thing you want to hear, but with my fire I could at least make sure that thing doesn't get a meal out of him."

 

[Anshelical]

"If it's not too late already," Vine said. "The gods only know what that beast's doing now."

"T-Thank you, M-M"--Iso lowered the journal in his hand, holding it tight--"Milianor."

Liernoine prepared himself, going over to himself some of the spells he could contribute if he could or absolutely had to. "And if we do confront the dragon, we have to make sure we strike its more vulnerable areas; it's the only way to cut down time. That way getting the body would be easier."

"How long are we going to discuss this?" Vine said. "We can go get 'em now, can't we?"

"We should think it through, 'leader.'"

"And we've thought it through."

"Have we?"

 

[St. Clover]

"Not really," Milianor groused. "We're getting there, though. First thing we need is a plan of action. What can each of you do, skill wise? Anything that's useful in a fight, trade skills, labor, whatever. Improvising can be a lifesaver, taking stock of everything you've got is a key part of it, too."

 

[Anshelical]

"Well, Lier's really the only one here who can effectively use damaging spells," Vine said, "But Iso and I know a few healing spells that require some repetition to work and then some followup restoration time, too. Makes us tired."

"I haven't gotten full control of my magic yet," Lier said. " There's a ton of things I need to learn, especially on how to control how much I use before wearing myself out. But, good news is that I have experience with a variety of hand weaponry: daggers, swords, axes, you name it. Typically I mix the spells and strikes together to even out attacks."

"I'm an archer," Erro said. "Can make poison arrows if I had some. Used to use a gun, but don't have it with me."

 

[St. Clover]

Milianor creased her brow and scrunched her snout, thinking. She liked the fact they had healing magic, for what it was worth. "So we've got a Spellsword in training, a couple of apprentice level healers... And an archer. Doubt we'll get any real use out of the healing magic mid fight, but having it for aftercare will definitely be a plus. I can provide a weapon for Lier, assuming you know how to use a longsword. Will be counting on you a lot with this, since you're the closest to my style. Just need someone watching my six, my own magic can get us most of the way. I hope. Said you know how to use a gun, right?" She looked to Erro. "Any good with a pistol? How about a submachine gun?"

 

[Anshelical]

"Yeah, I can use semiautomatics," Erro said. "But you all would probably have to be out of my way or give me a cue -- once I load I go."

"I can watch you from behind," Vine said.

"A-And I can prepare any healing a-afterward," Iso said.

Lier nodded. "A longsword'll do." He held his shoulder and moved his arm about. "And what about you? What are you going to use?"

 

[St. Clover]

"Boot knife," the dragonborn said simply, producing a survival knife from a hidden sheath in her boot. She held the razor edged blade up for emphasis. "Given that our main goal is to get your friend's body back, offense isn't really our primary goal. Giving you guys a better method of defending yourselves improves our odds of getting everyone out alive."

She motioned the knife towards the nearby path.

"Between my own experience and magic, I can make due with just this. If push comes to shove I'll set it on fire and use my holdout sidearm. It's not much, but I've worked with less. Like, killing a werewolf with a table leg and just my magic less."

Her attention then turned back to the group. "Back to the plan, though. I've got my Two-Tone, Custom Whirlwind, and Curveblade on me. Two-Tone is the sidearm I keep around for general self defense. Nothing special, decent magazine size and it's already loaded with hollow points. Not sure how well it'll do against armored scales, so we'll be a bit in the dark there. The Whirlwind is a bit more specialized. 's a silenced machine pistol I had my friend Charles trick out for me. Suppressor, forty round magazine, recoil absorption, red dot sight and laser assisted aiming, even got an ammo tracker on it. Doesn't do shit against thick armor, but it's good for harassing and putting down a lot of lead.

"Then there's the curveblade. Elven longblade, curved a bit towards the end, sort of resembles a scimitar 'cept it's made mostly of mithril. Nothing too fancy too it, save for the fact it channels magic pretty damn well. Also boosts the strength of defensive wards of the person holding it, so if you got anything like that, abuse the shit out of it."

 

[Anshelical]

"Yeah, that channeling's just what we need," Lier said. "I'll make good use of it for sure, considering my body needs it right now."

Erro thumbed up.

"Hey, I have no experience with hardcore guns like that," Vine pointed at Milianor, "But I really wanna see all these in front of me." If we can just get those... at least we'll have something to bring back to the city. At this point, I don't think we'll have time to explore the ritual site, he thought.

"T-That's a l-lot of weapons." Iso said. "Y-You carry all that at once?"

 

[St. Clover]

"All at once, sometimes even more if I've got something specific that needs doing," Milianor nodded. She reached into her coat and produced a small black, which she held up to them. "Storage Cube. Modern day equivalent to the old Bag of Holding from back in the day, holds way more stuff than its size through magic. Really helpful when you need to pack for a trip, huh?"

 

[Anshelical]

"Oh," Iso gaped to the cube.

Liernoine imagined the various glories he could achieve with not only the cube, but also with this new information. When he would return to Huujar, the first thing he would do is tell his sparrers about the new equipment they could practice with and arrange consistent magic resistance and hold training. And, for the writers, about the Shadow Dragon, the prospective big story of the trip.

"Aye, that's pretty neat," Vine said. "We would need something like that for our town. Where'd you get it?"

"Can that cube channel magic too?" Lier said. "I guess I mean, can it transport active magic through it?"

 

[St. Clover]

"Bought it at a shop a couple years back," Milianor explained as she turned the cube over in her hand. "They're pretty common, relatively speaking. Only cost a thousand Shimmer or so for a low end one. Paid... Four, I think, for this one. It's one of the mid tier ones that can store a lot of stuff. Keep a lot of random junk and personal belongings in it." She raised a brow at the question, then shook her head. "It's got some magic in it, if that's what you're asking. Some sort of dimensional closet spells woven into it, or something. I never really bothered to look into how it works exactly. Why?"

 

[Anshelical]

"Well, particularly I was thinking we could use it to launch magic into it, let it linger, then let it out when we're ready to use it," Lier said. "But it depends on how the physics are in there. If the magic deteriorates within this closet spell, then never mind."

"I don't think it would matter anyway," Vine said. "If we're going to attack this Dragon, it'll have to be direct, depending on how it treats us."

"It could matter in the future, though." He wiped some of the sweat-dirt grease drying on his cheek. "Hey, can I get a look at that longblade you were talking about? Gotta get a feel for it."

 

[St. Clover]

"Sure, one second..." Sticking her tongue out, Milianor turned the cube over and thumbed its side. The cube hummed and came apart, separating into eight smaller cubes hovering around a swirling black sphere. She reached inside the sphere and rummaged around, soon withdrawing a slender blade. Glinting in the light, despite the clouds, the bastard sword sized weapon seemed to radiate a silvery reflection onto everything around it. A quick smack to the blade dimmed the effect.

"Here we are, by far my most prized possession... Short of Hector's Grimoire," the dragonborn announced, presenting the blade to the man. "Careful, thing's sharp. Magically sharp."

 

[Anshelical]

"Haha," Lier held his hands out in close watch as the sword went into his hands. "Very careful."

"Damn," Vine's eyes scanned the sword's form, its size. "Think you can handle that one, Lier?"

"Surely. I've used one of these types before. Shouldn't be too difficult." He circled the sword by the handle, keeping in mind of its distribution of weight and its feel for magic insulation, watching it redden with the fire spell's contact. "How sensitive is it? To spells, I mean."

Iso stared at the fire spell humming from the sword, thinking about Diger. He still could not trust Lier to perform it right again, especially considering he could be still injured. Erro was uninterested in the sword, adding to his panorama art.

 

[St. Clover]

"Should be pretty easy, the enchantment on it's sensitive enough to let even a novice get some use out of it," Milianor explained, holding her knife up. She squeezed the handle and the blade was engulfed in green fire. "The spell I use is easy enough to pull off, that thing makes it even easier. Feel free to give it a whirl, should find generating whatever effect it is easier than usual."

 

[Anshelical]

"Ah," Lier experimented with an ice spell, watching the corners fill with sleet. "It is pretty sensitive."

"Mmm..." Iso considered some of Diger's explanations. "If we want this as simple as possible, can't we just maybe have the Dragon disappear and g-get Diger from where he was left?"

"If he's still there," Erro said.

"Or is it that the Dragon'll be too heavy?"

"Well, since it is a Shadow Dragon," Lier twisted the blade, "It probably wouldn't allow simple spell gates. I don't know any dark magic as of yet -- requires a hell of a lot of focus."

 

[St. Clover]

"Try using black magic around me, and I'll smack you silly," Milianor warned, gesturing her knife in Lier's direction. "Don't trust that stuff as far as I can throw its users. Had enough of that shit in the Zone." She grunted. "And no, the scroll wouldn't work on something that big. Most it can handle is ten people of about medium height. Meaning us. Anything larger would take an actual teleportation spell, or a legit gate. This is more of a... Shortcut, a backdoor."

 

[Anshelical]

Iso didn't understand what was funny when the rest of them chuckled. Then Lier heated the sleet on the sword. "Yeah, can't really trust it much, either."

"So we can't," Iso thumbed the tip of his nose. "An evacuation plan, then."

"So..." Lier squinted to the sword's glare. "Who's going to carry him if we find him?" Perhaps he asked the wrong question, as they were all quiet at first. He turned the shine away and met eyes with Iso.

"I-I'll do it," Iso swallowed. "A-And..." He felt at his ruffled collar.

"Well, Scales just said that box can hold people," Erro said. "I don't think it'll be necessary to have to carry him. Just put 'em in there."

 

[St. Clover]

"That's an option, yeah. But I've never tried sticking someone inside the thing, just a forewarning," Milianor added quickly, before that train of thought went any further. "If we can do it, great. Otherwise we're gonna need someone to grab him if we can." She looked to Iso. "Are you up to it? Like, really up to it? Last thing we need is for you to freeze up out there, no offense."