Vystari's eyes sparked with each clash from above. She shook her head at the foolishness on display.
"I can't believe it... that fool thinks he can do what all of us together could barely do..."
But much to her disbelief, Dwynn was able to do what seemed to be the impossible. If not for a dire price. She could barely recognize the man falling anymore, nor the beast, the shredded upper body spewing, cluttering, and ejecting all sorts of foulness.
The falling debris concerned her greatly, her eyes tracing the outline of the great rocks plummeting down at the party. To her, she was more worried about the safety of her allies than what sort of threat the beast would prove. She turned to the others, to see what they would do. The first to move was Irosane, who moved ahead without mention. She shook her head again. His eyes were aimed for the falling monster, who let out a weak scream as it coughed out a stream of blood. Perhaps he thought that finishing the beast now would be the best option. In most cases, she would be inclined to agree. But doing so alone was far too dangerous. Did he not see what happened to Dwynn? Irosane was nimble, as always, moving between the boulders with his silvered blades extended. Then, he did something that shocked her. He was planning on using the chains of his twin swords to swing one of the boulders into the beast itself. If one thing she learned, it is to never take the danger present by the beast for granted.
It would be difficult to change the momentum, given their strength. But she could only hope he succeeded, turning now as Niatiel pushed underneath the hail.
[Irosane would strain his body from the act of near-superhuman strength and dexterity. The rock would fly, swinging like a pendulum flicked fully round. But it would not make contact. Not because he missed, but something had interfered with his action. Suddenly, bursting from the pale flowers that were falling all around him, a darkness swept over and altered his course. The black mist appeared identical to the looming presence before, if not weaker, pumping the very life from Irosane's lungs as it swirled and swirled around the lone wisp.
The gurgling, dying beast, with one great, heaving lurch, grasped the side of the stone which it paralleled in a desperate attempt. A violent spray of rubble can only be seen as the monster was lost in a great plume that exploded afterward. It appeared shortly again, hanging like a ominous cloth pinned to the side of the cracked stone. The long hairs that draped off its back were literal hairs out of reach from Irosane. The flayed skull hissing as the wisp passed underneath, dragged away by the black tide. Its eyes locked onto his for a brief moment, and he could see something swirling deep within. It was not yet finished. Not yet.
Unfortunately, for Kyo, this also meant she would not have her revenge. For the time being.]
Vystari followed along, amazed by the scenario unfolding.
She was even in more shock at what Niatiel suggested. To save that fool, who brought all this trouble, quite literally, raining down upon them? Her heart truly was made up of something pure. But it was a dangerous thing. As it was now. Vystari had seen it, probably because she was more concerned for the girl than she was of herself. It was falling, and it was falling very, very fast.
"Nia--!"
But as she reached out a hand towards Niatiel, the large shard came between them. The impact splintered the stone flooring, sending grass and chunks of rock caving up and around their feet. The sudden impact caused her to stumble backwards. Then another, and another fell. The floor beneath her began to crumble and crack, breaking under the very weight of the falling sky.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her, and Vystari bobbed her head to see the kind face of Niatiel. She grinned, mostly because she was happy that her companion was still safe. But Vystari wouldn't be smiling for long. As she stepped forward to join Niatiel, her footing began to falter as the ground gave underneath from another stray impact. What appeared to be an inch of ground rapidly extended to a feet, then two. It was like seeing a string going taut.
Vystari began to slip away, the force of gravity prying her hand away from her dear ally.
The area around Vystari was breaking away beneath her. It will begin to spread, starting at the center of the arena. Those who remain within this growing crater for just one round, including those who act just after this post, will fall into it without exception.
...
Dwynn could only feel the coldness. He no longer felt his own heartbeat, nor the pain that once enraptured his chest. The very pain that swelled up and burned his every fiber, that stubbornly inflamed his veins and viciously soaked his flesh. It was all fading away. His mind was swirling in the expanding numbness. The only thing he could feel now was the lingering sting of failure that nagged at his mind. If only he was faster, stronger even, then this would all be over. But at least it was not complete failure. He managed to show those hesitant slow-footers the true potential of their abilities. When they pushed past their known limits and reached for unexpected greatness. But alas, all great things come at a price.
He can feel the looseness, the unhinged part of his chest. Or something around there. How badly was he injured? He couldn't tell. It felt like he was losing weight, mysteriously. He wasn't able to see through the smog that clouded and invaded his vision and mind. There was only one thing he can do now. Fall.
Falling... Why does this feel so familiar...
Suddenly, the image of an ocean popped into his mind. The speck of far-off light fading as he plummeted down farther and farther.
Yet it was not waves... it was snow.
...
As Harmony moved into position, it was more difficult than she expected to catch Dwynn. He was like a mere splinter in the storm of rocks and falling ruin. All manner of things flew in the way, obscuring his trajectory, and not to mention the commotion of the other wisps themselves, making standing still in order to catch him an arduous task of dodging and guesswork. It was a wash of dirt, chunks of rock, and jumbles of moss and uprooted pale weeds that poured from above. A dangerous downpour, where one stray stone might pierce her skull and end it all. It was a miracle that she would even emerge unscathed by the onslaught of the elements. Yet she did. Everything seemed to miss, landing in large piles of chaos around her. Was this the work of the gods? Or the actions of the other wisps displacing the torrent? Whatever the case, she was able to focus on her task uninhibited.
However, just when Harmony thought she had caught something vaguely similar to a large goat-man... turns out it was just a large, hairy root.
Where had Dwynn landed? Was he buried somewhere in the crumbled, ruined aftermath that surrounded her?
...
"I can't believe it... that fool thinks he can do what all of us together could barely do..."
But much to her disbelief, Dwynn was able to do what seemed to be the impossible. If not for a dire price. She could barely recognize the man falling anymore, nor the beast, the shredded upper body spewing, cluttering, and ejecting all sorts of foulness.
The falling debris concerned her greatly, her eyes tracing the outline of the great rocks plummeting down at the party. To her, she was more worried about the safety of her allies than what sort of threat the beast would prove. She turned to the others, to see what they would do. The first to move was Irosane, who moved ahead without mention. She shook her head again. His eyes were aimed for the falling monster, who let out a weak scream as it coughed out a stream of blood. Perhaps he thought that finishing the beast now would be the best option. In most cases, she would be inclined to agree. But doing so alone was far too dangerous. Did he not see what happened to Dwynn? Irosane was nimble, as always, moving between the boulders with his silvered blades extended. Then, he did something that shocked her. He was planning on using the chains of his twin swords to swing one of the boulders into the beast itself. If one thing she learned, it is to never take the danger present by the beast for granted.
It would be difficult to change the momentum, given their strength. But she could only hope he succeeded, turning now as Niatiel pushed underneath the hail.
[Irosane would strain his body from the act of near-superhuman strength and dexterity. The rock would fly, swinging like a pendulum flicked fully round. But it would not make contact. Not because he missed, but something had interfered with his action. Suddenly, bursting from the pale flowers that were falling all around him, a darkness swept over and altered his course. The black mist appeared identical to the looming presence before, if not weaker, pumping the very life from Irosane's lungs as it swirled and swirled around the lone wisp.
The gurgling, dying beast, with one great, heaving lurch, grasped the side of the stone which it paralleled in a desperate attempt. A violent spray of rubble can only be seen as the monster was lost in a great plume that exploded afterward. It appeared shortly again, hanging like a ominous cloth pinned to the side of the cracked stone. The long hairs that draped off its back were literal hairs out of reach from Irosane. The flayed skull hissing as the wisp passed underneath, dragged away by the black tide. Its eyes locked onto his for a brief moment, and he could see something swirling deep within. It was not yet finished. Not yet.
Unfortunately, for Kyo, this also meant she would not have her revenge. For the time being.]
Vystari followed along, amazed by the scenario unfolding.
She was even in more shock at what Niatiel suggested. To save that fool, who brought all this trouble, quite literally, raining down upon them? Her heart truly was made up of something pure. But it was a dangerous thing. As it was now. Vystari had seen it, probably because she was more concerned for the girl than she was of herself. It was falling, and it was falling very, very fast.
"Nia--!"
But as she reached out a hand towards Niatiel, the large shard came between them. The impact splintered the stone flooring, sending grass and chunks of rock caving up and around their feet. The sudden impact caused her to stumble backwards. Then another, and another fell. The floor beneath her began to crumble and crack, breaking under the very weight of the falling sky.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her, and Vystari bobbed her head to see the kind face of Niatiel. She grinned, mostly because she was happy that her companion was still safe. But Vystari wouldn't be smiling for long. As she stepped forward to join Niatiel, her footing began to falter as the ground gave underneath from another stray impact. What appeared to be an inch of ground rapidly extended to a feet, then two. It was like seeing a string going taut.
Vystari began to slip away, the force of gravity prying her hand away from her dear ally.
The area around Vystari was breaking away beneath her. It will begin to spread, starting at the center of the arena. Those who remain within this growing crater for just one round, including those who act just after this post, will fall into it without exception.
...
Dwynn could only feel the coldness. He no longer felt his own heartbeat, nor the pain that once enraptured his chest. The very pain that swelled up and burned his every fiber, that stubbornly inflamed his veins and viciously soaked his flesh. It was all fading away. His mind was swirling in the expanding numbness. The only thing he could feel now was the lingering sting of failure that nagged at his mind. If only he was faster, stronger even, then this would all be over. But at least it was not complete failure. He managed to show those hesitant slow-footers the true potential of their abilities. When they pushed past their known limits and reached for unexpected greatness. But alas, all great things come at a price.
He can feel the looseness, the unhinged part of his chest. Or something around there. How badly was he injured? He couldn't tell. It felt like he was losing weight, mysteriously. He wasn't able to see through the smog that clouded and invaded his vision and mind. There was only one thing he can do now. Fall.
Falling... Why does this feel so familiar...
Suddenly, the image of an ocean popped into his mind. The speck of far-off light fading as he plummeted down farther and farther.
Yet it was not waves... it was snow.
...
As Harmony moved into position, it was more difficult than she expected to catch Dwynn. He was like a mere splinter in the storm of rocks and falling ruin. All manner of things flew in the way, obscuring his trajectory, and not to mention the commotion of the other wisps themselves, making standing still in order to catch him an arduous task of dodging and guesswork. It was a wash of dirt, chunks of rock, and jumbles of moss and uprooted pale weeds that poured from above. A dangerous downpour, where one stray stone might pierce her skull and end it all. It was a miracle that she would even emerge unscathed by the onslaught of the elements. Yet she did. Everything seemed to miss, landing in large piles of chaos around her. Was this the work of the gods? Or the actions of the other wisps displacing the torrent? Whatever the case, she was able to focus on her task uninhibited.
However, just when Harmony thought she had caught something vaguely similar to a large goat-man... turns out it was just a large, hairy root.
Where had Dwynn landed? Was he buried somewhere in the crumbled, ruined aftermath that surrounded her?
...
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