((This thread is created for the convenience of anyone who wants to do a story post and feels too apprehensive to create a whole thread for themselves, yet also doesn't want to clutter up the main thread for claiming points. All story posts are welcome here, even ones that connect together. If you want to create a story thread for yourself, you are still welcome to do so! But if you want to post a story, and you're not sure where, you are welcome here. <3))
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Trinity Siempre is an adventurer of decent renown. Upon moving to the Gloaming District, she had to start rebuilding her clientele, but her role in the fracas nicknamed "Wolfamania" got her name out there. An apparent human standing up to protect Twilight Isle among the likes of the Avatar of Gluttony, a demigoddess descended from Olympus, and many other supernatural Rhy'Dinians of fame? And her services are for hire? Her clientele was rebuilt and then some after that.
She can afford to take a day or two off to take care of her new home, Twilight Isle, after all the stuff that has been happening to it, but a good samaritan actually went out of their way to hire her to spend time helping the Celestial Druids. So we join our lost valkyrie in journeying back from the Dead Scar after having gathered some petrified wood. It's not visible on her; she is keeping it in some mythical, magical item space that she accesses anytime she reaches behind her back all magician-like.
She has decided to trek through the mountain range between the Tower of Fire and the Tower of Air, so that she can gather elemental boundary moss. She reaches behind her back to pull out a photograph of the moss for this area. It looks like it grows in formations that resemble lightning bolts. That makes sense; some schools of elemental thought regard lightning as being a combination of fire and air. The photograph goes back whence it came, and she looks around for the moss.
She's not finding any... maybe she needs to go higher. If the moss looks like lightning, maybe it is formed by lightning. So she needs to find the highest point... there! A nearby peak. The normally difficult terrain is of little difficulty for her agility and dexterity, and she hops from crag to spire like it's nothing, ascending toward the peak. Once she gets there, she easily finds what she's looking for: moss grown in a lightning formation, bearing a soft purple glow as it teems with both fire and air mana. Score!
She reaches behind her back and pulls out a jar and some tools for gathering the moss. She squats down to get started, but the incline and the terrain make for some pretty poor footing. Sure would be a shame if something were to try and interrupt her.
Nothing comes to interrupt her, and she manages to gather up a good deal of moss into the jar. She holds it up above her head triumphantly. Hooray!
Then some vulture swoops in and knocks it out of her hand.
"Oh, crap!!" The jar hits the ground and starts rolling. It's fortunately sturdy enough not to break, but it's getting further and further away from her by the moment, and she's going to lose sight of it soon. Not to mention the vulture... she looks over at it, and when she focuses on it, she can feel dark energy radiating from it. It's been influenced by the Dark Hunter, and is likely there explicitly to cause her trouble. This isn't the first fauna she has encountered and cleansed today; she's ready for more.
Trinity looks down at the escaping jar of moss and decides to give chase toward it first, knowing the vulture will follow her. She begins a rapid descent, hopping down crags and spires, and sliding down the incline. Her shoes are sturdier than they look! The vulture tries to swoop in toward the valkyrie, but she ducks underneath. She catches up to the jar of moss, snatches it up, and puts it behind her back. She then pulls out her Spectrum Smasher, a gift from Julia Winters that she has been using extensively. The other hand would normally be on shield duty, but instead, she reaches behind her back to pull out an absorption prism. The vulture comes in again, and Trinity raises the mace-wand to catch its talons when it tries to strike. She flings the bird away, and it comes in to attempt another strike. This time, she positions the mace-wand with its prismatic glass head facing outward, letting the vulture bonk itself on it. The impact releases particles of light energy.
She pulls back the mace-wand and puts the prism into the lingering energy, which activates its enchantment. It begins to pull the Dark Hunter's influence out of the vulture and into itself. The vulture screeches in objection, and moves to fly away, but the valkyrie pantomimes a whip crack with the wand-mace, releasing a thin tendril of pale blue light that strikes at the vulture's mind to momentarily stun it. Long enough for the prism to finish its job, pulling out all of the malignant influence.
The vulture comes out of its daze just after the prism completes its task, and then flies away. Trinity breathes a sigh of relief, and then looks at the prism, which has become clouded with thick darkness. She sticks it behind her back, and it disappears to who-knows-where. It looks like this day of adventuring on the isle has been very fruitful: she has cleansed some of the local fauna, and gathered several materials for the Celestial Druids' spell.
The Venturing Valkyrie makes her way home after a job well done.
Shadows of the October Moon - Stories
Moderator: Staff
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Lost Valkyrie
- Adventurer
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2024 6:36 pm
- Location: Flats at Gloaming Heights
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Ellie Luisante
- Adventurer
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:04 pm
- Location: New Prism
- Contact:
Re: Shadows of the October Moon - Stories
For a couple of days now, there's been rumblings of a long retired duelist with Disney princess vibes visiting the Isle during off-hours to help cleanse the wildlife. Rumors of fluttering, voluminous skirt fabric caught in sight periphery as she dances and twirls through the Isle's various areas, leaving happy wildlife in her wake.Pesterlog wrote:seraphicAzure began pestering sillyFlower at ??:??
SA: Hey there. Got a quest for you.
SF: you don't say? whatcha got for me? 🙂
SA: Feel like visiting Twilight Isle? You don't have to duel.
SF: what's going on at the isle? 😯
SA: Stop by HQ and I'll brief you.
SF: okay, see you soon! 😊
seraphicAzure ceased pestering sillyFlower at ??:??
The rumors are true, of course. You know this because you're that retired duelist.
Your name is Elina Luisante, but most folks call you Ellie. You've been retired from dueling for a little over two years now, but the time it's been since you've last been on Twilight Isle is much harder to quantify; you never stopped attending Sheridan Driscol's mansion parties, and you always come through here to visit Rhy'Din thanks to the Twilight Market's portal to your hometown, New Prism. Your best friend lives in Rhy'Din, and one of your lovers runs a delightful cafe there as well.
You are a dancer, baker, seamstress, and adventurer. You dance through life with a sunshine disposition, ready to help with a problem or create joy at a moment's notice. Regarding the latter occupation, you work for the Seraphim Knights, led by another former duelist with much more renown than you.
In the two-plus years since you retired from dueling, you have endured some difficult trials and tribulations, to put it lightly, and you have grown considerably more powerful. You are wielding a closed Yellow Umbrella almost like it's a weapon as your vibrant turquoise eyes look around behind gold-rimmed glasses for any malfested wildlife.
(Do you see anything, Anais?)
> Yeah, actually. Glowing eyes in the trees at 10 o'clock.
The voice in your head giving you suggestions belongs to an alternate timeline version of yourself who goes by your middle name, Anais.
You look over in the directon indicated, and catch sight of the glowing eyes. You smile and start heading in that direction, hearing a growl as you approach. (Oh, this is a big boi.)
> Probably good you found it before anyone else did, then.
(Agreed. What's the move?)
> Pic-a-nic basket!
(Lovely idea!) You grin and then do a single quick spin. The motion sends your long, abundant skirt lightly flaring and flying, and when you come out of the rotation, you're holding a closed basket emanating delicious fragrances. "Want some food, big guy?"
An egg bear comes out from the trees and roars. He then starts to lumber toward you.
Magically-sensitive beings nearby might have noticed at this point that there is a faint aura of chaotic mirth coming from you. "Ooh, that's a yes! But I need you to say please!"
He stops in front of you and roars right in your face, blowing the pancake-colored hair of your fluffy bob cut backwards and forcing you to shut your eyes with a sour expression. When you open your eyes, your expression is chiding and matronly. "Hey! That's not please!"
You then bonk the bear over the head with your umbrella! He boggles in bewilderment at this development, and cartoon-like stars swirl around over his head. He shakes his head and then suddenly takes a swipe at you! The swipe finds purchase and sends you rolling backwards a bit, ending with you sitting on the ground blinking a few times. It seems like nobody took any real damage from this exchange, but it did look awfully silly.
You jump up onto your feet, puff up your cheeks, and steam blows from your ears. "Whyyy, I oughtaaaa~!"
> Engage Trickster Mode at 25%.
That's just what you were thinking. The mirthful aura emanating from you intensifies as you dial up the activation of a chaotic power called Trickster Mode, from 10%--where you keep it most of the time--to 25%. If activated at full bore, you become an inconsiderate candy-blasted asshole, but with partial activation, you can use cartoon powers!
Accordingly, you drop the umbrella and the basket, and start stomping towards the bear. He somehow understands that he has absolutely stepped in it! And once you reach him, a cartoon fight cloud erupts to life, complete with "pow!", "biff!", "bam!" onomatopeia bubbles and various limbs poking out of it here and there.
The cloud suddenly disperses, and the bear is sitting on the ground, dazed and confused, but otherwise still entirely unharmed. You slap your hands together to dust them off with a gentle, satisfied expression. "I told you to say please, silly." You smooch the bear's cheek and then start patting his head.
> Sylph of Heart: Purify.
In your tribulations, you inherited a role and its associated powers from yet another version of yourself, one who participated in the creation of a universe. That role is known as the Sylph of Heart, a combination of a class and aspect. Most relevant is the Heart Aspect, which concerns souls and identities, especially splintered or multiple identities. This is more relevant to your state of being than most could possibly know. The Sylph Class is a healing class. So your role could be reworded as Healer of Souls.
And with this poor bear, that's exactly what you start doing. Your physical contact with him allows you to reach into his soul. You can feel this depressing, deathly pall hanging over it, clinging to it, weighing it down. As you pat the bear's head, you simply remove the pall from his soul. You then reach out and give the bear a big hug! As you do, you begin to squeeeeeze the sadness and darkness out of his soul, like wringing out a sponge. You give him affectionate nuzzles with your cheek for good measure.
The bear cannot entirely comprehend what is happening to him and why, but he realizes that he just lost a fight to you without getting hurt at all, and now he's feeling much, much better. So he reaches out and gives you a hug as well!
"Awww! I'm glad that you're feeling better, big guy."
"Rowr?" He makes a little growl and motions to the basket.
"Of course, sweetie. It's all yours; thank you for saying please!" You hand the basket over to him. He opens it up and begins to chow down on the goodies!
Meanwhile, you pull out one of those prisms that absorbs the Dark Hunter's influence; a convenient receptacle for all the darkness you just squeezed out of that bear's soul, and it looks nicely saturated. You toss it from one hand to another, and then spread your voluminous skirt wide in a curtsy toward the fourth wall, as if celebrating your accomplishment.
> Another job well done, Ellie. :D
(Thank you! But it's only a part of the work we have to do to protect this Isle and everyone here! Hopefully the rest of the work will be much more enjoyable.)
You reach through the waistband of your skirt to grab your cell phone from the butt pocket of your dance shorts, and dial someone up as you start to head back toward the portal to New Prism.
"Bonjour, chèrie. What's the status of Operation Shindig Revival?"
Last edited by Ellie Luisante on Wed Oct 30, 2024 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Lost Valkyrie
- Adventurer
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2024 6:36 pm
- Location: Flats at Gloaming Heights
Re: Shadows of the October Moon - Stories
Trinity walks out to the dueling area from the Twilight Market with two large bags packed full of... ...stuff. It's not clear what's in there looking from the outside in. She sets the bags down next to the rack of practice weapons and opens them up.
In one bag is a bunch of materials and tools for building something, and inside another is a whole bunch of crystals of some sort. These crystals were pretty expensive, but that over-extended quest that caused her to miss the Archmage Tournament paid her a bunch of extra money for all her trouble. It's time to pay it forward.
She reaches into one of the bags and pulls out a set of blueprints. After taking a few minutes to make sure all the materials and tools are right, she gets started building something. She's handier than she looks, though she's still wearing one of her usual A-line dresses, so she certainly doesn't look fit for the job. A few goblins stop by and ask her what she's doing. She explains it, and she suddenly ends up with a few helping hands.
Once they're done, they have created a rack with all of those expensive crystals mounted into it.
"Thank you for your help," she says to the goblins. "Now... watch this."
She places a hand on one of the crystals, reaches into herself for all the energy she can spare, and begins to yell powerfully as she channels all of that it into the crystal. It begins to glow with a pearlescent light. Once she's got it all squeezed in there, she spends a few moments catching her breath, and then moves over to the practice rack.
First, she chucks a practice dummy into one of the rings. Then, she grabs a sword from the practice rack, and takes it over to the crystal rack. She holds the tip of the sword up to the crystal she charged. It glows briefly, and releases some of its energy onto the sword. She then moves into the ring with the practice dummy and begins to attack it swiftly and fiercely. Every strike releases a burst of pearlescent light, along with tufts of light feathers. The goblins watch in awe, and a small crowd has formed to watch. They applaud Trinity's technique and grace.
She watches the ring absorb the unique combination of dispersed kinetic energy and valkyrie-brand magic with a smile, and then moves out of the ring to set the borrowed sword back. She then moves back over to the crystal she charged up, and this time, she fist bumps it. The crystal again releases energy onto her fists and feet. She moves back into the ring and unleashes a very rehearsed sequence of punches and kicks upon the dummy, again releasing bursts of pearlescent light and feathers.
She jumps back and grins, extremely satisfied with the result. "Yesss!!"
She hops out of the ring and looks over to the rack of enchantment crystals she has built, and adds the finishing touch: a sign explaining what the heck it is!
In one bag is a bunch of materials and tools for building something, and inside another is a whole bunch of crystals of some sort. These crystals were pretty expensive, but that over-extended quest that caused her to miss the Archmage Tournament paid her a bunch of extra money for all her trouble. It's time to pay it forward.
She reaches into one of the bags and pulls out a set of blueprints. After taking a few minutes to make sure all the materials and tools are right, she gets started building something. She's handier than she looks, though she's still wearing one of her usual A-line dresses, so she certainly doesn't look fit for the job. A few goblins stop by and ask her what she's doing. She explains it, and she suddenly ends up with a few helping hands.
Once they're done, they have created a rack with all of those expensive crystals mounted into it.
"Thank you for your help," she says to the goblins. "Now... watch this."
She places a hand on one of the crystals, reaches into herself for all the energy she can spare, and begins to yell powerfully as she channels all of that it into the crystal. It begins to glow with a pearlescent light. Once she's got it all squeezed in there, she spends a few moments catching her breath, and then moves over to the practice rack.
First, she chucks a practice dummy into one of the rings. Then, she grabs a sword from the practice rack, and takes it over to the crystal rack. She holds the tip of the sword up to the crystal she charged. It glows briefly, and releases some of its energy onto the sword. She then moves into the ring with the practice dummy and begins to attack it swiftly and fiercely. Every strike releases a burst of pearlescent light, along with tufts of light feathers. The goblins watch in awe, and a small crowd has formed to watch. They applaud Trinity's technique and grace.
She watches the ring absorb the unique combination of dispersed kinetic energy and valkyrie-brand magic with a smile, and then moves out of the ring to set the borrowed sword back. She then moves back over to the crystal she charged up, and this time, she fist bumps it. The crystal again releases energy onto her fists and feet. She moves back into the ring and unleashes a very rehearsed sequence of punches and kicks upon the dummy, again releasing bursts of pearlescent light and feathers.
She jumps back and grins, extremely satisfied with the result. "Yesss!!"
She hops out of the ring and looks over to the rack of enchantment crystals she has built, and adds the finishing touch: a sign explaining what the heck it is!
(( Thanks to Twilight's Isle's wealth of magical residents, an element your character might want to use can be presumed to be available, even if a post charging it hasn't yet been written. However, if someone does want to come by and write a post charging it, that is wonderful and welcome!! ))Crystal Rack Sign wrote:ENCHANTMENT RACK
Take some magic, or leave some magic!
Twilight Isle still needs your help to repel the Dark Hunter! Every bit of magic and energy generated inside the rings counts, no matter how. You can enchant your weapons and limbs by touching them against any of the charged crystals to generate extra magic energy during your Swords and Fists duels here on the Isle!
You can also leave magic for people to use. Simply touch any fully translucent crystal and release energy of whatever element or type you wish. Cardinal elements, non-conventional elements, anything and everything counts!
Thank you all for your help!!
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Lost Valkyrie
- Adventurer
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2024 6:36 pm
- Location: Flats at Gloaming Heights
Re: Shadows of the October Moon - Stories
Trinity sits in her apartment, working on one of her puzzle books. It feels like all of the efforts to fight back against the darkness have been going really well.
...So why is it that she hears the sound of thunder outside? It takes her by such surprise that her attention is suddenly ripped away from her puzzle.
When did the skies get so dark?
She drops the book and looks out the window. "...No!" She rushes out of her apartment and straight outside.
She can feel the darkness in the air even without focusing on it. So she does focus, and uses that to determine where the strongest concentration is, where it might be coming from. She rushes out to the Dead Scar. Once she gets there, she sees a crowd of people further out, most of whom seem to be celestial druids. The crowd is pretty dense. There could be people she knows in that crowd, but she can't see them. There's also a smattering of local residents at the periphery.
There's a rift tearing in the air. It's plain to see. The druids are concentrating as hard as they can to keep the seam closed, but they're struggling. So Trinity gets to helping them, reaching out with her unique brand of valkyrie light to try to hold the door closed. It definitely seems to help... but it's not enough. The door opens with a force that throws the valkyrie and the druids onto the ground, throwing shards of voidsidian all over the place.
Trinity sits up, rubbing her head, and looks at her immediate surroundings. There are about three druids next to her. One of them appears to have been hit by one of the voidsidian shards. She grimaces and runs over to help. She takes the shard out, decides to keep it to give to the druids later for analysis, and immediately casts healing magic to close up the wound. "You should probably get out of here and find out if there are additional ill effects to being hit by that." The druid nods and then retreats. She stands up and addresses all the murmuring onlookers at the periphery. "You all need to get out of here and go home, now! It's not safe here!" Her voice seems to carry an authority that the onlookers are happy to abide by; they all get going too.
And then she turns and faces the door. ...There she is. The Dark Hunter herself.
"What in Lenneth's name?" Trinity is in utter awe at how imposing this monster is. Mounted on that shadowy steed, she's more than twice as tall as the valkyrie. She and her presence seem to absorb light in an uncanny, unnatural way.
The remaining two druids closest to her appear to be in fighting stances, so she joins them, bringing out the Spectrum Smasher and her shield of pale blue light. The Dark Hunter seems to have been looking around at the welcoming party. She may have addressed others while she wasn't paying attention. Once her gaze falls on the valkyrie, it lingers for a bit. "I didn't think I was coming to a valkyrie timeline," her deep, harsh voice rasps out.
Trinity sneers up at her and replies. "This isn't a valkyrie timeline. I'm a transplant."
"How troublesome," she bites back. "But you don't even have Einherjar."
Her eyes narrow. Einherjar are departed souls that have been recruited to fight alongside valkyries. "I've been fortunate enough not to encounter any departed souls since arriving here."
"That's not as fortunate as you think it is," the Dark Hunter hisses.
The welcoming party and the unwelcome guest enter a staredown for a few seconds that feel endless...
And then suddenly, her bow is readied in a flash, and an arrow pierces one of the druids' shoulders. Trinity can barely see her take aim at the next one, and just barely arrives in front of him with her shield raised to deflect the arrow. The Dark Hunter and her steed disappear in a cloud of shadowy smoke, reappearing behind the protected druid. The steed kicks the druid away. Trinity barely turns around in time to block the incoming strike from a dagger that's more like a thick short sword with the hunter's overwhelming size. She pushes it away and begins to take swings with the mace-wand, hoping to whack the hunter or her horse with the prismatic orb on the business end. Due to their size, every movement they make creates a lot of space, and Trinity can't correctly adjust to land a hit.
Then out of nowhere, the druid Trinity defended lands a leaping superman punch on the side of the Dark Hunter's head, knocking her clean off of the horse. And what's more, pearlescent light and feathers burst forth from the point of impact. The Dark Hunter flies off toward the other druid, who isn't good for punching with that arrow in her shoulder. In fact, she doesn't look good for much at all. She looks utterly sapped of willpower. She somehow manages to power through it to hopkick the Dark Hunter, and the same impact effect occurs there, too. Trinity's eyes widen and sparkle slightly as she realizes these druids stopped by the Enchantment Rack for a little extra juice.
The rest of the crowd moves to try their hand at the airborne Dark Hunter while Trinity moves to take care of the arrowed female druid. She pulls out the arrow and tries to cast healing magic. But the druid doesn't seem particularly hurt, more like... depressed. She takes a moment to think, and gets an idea. Suddenly, she wraps the druid up in a big hug, and then pulls back and clasps her shoulders with a smile. "I'm glad that you're here." There's a spark of a smile on the druid's face. That must have been the healing she actually needed, but she's probably still out of the fight.
Suddenly, a bunch of druids get thrown on their back from a wave of power. The Dark Hunter is back on her steed, and even under her shadowy pall, Trinity can tell she is being glared at something fierce. She must have figured out that the valkyrie is the reason for the enchanted strikes. Not that the feathers give it away or anything! The male druid immediately begins to rush her down with a flurry of unarmed strikes, and like Trinity, he can't adjust to her movements. The female druid, on the other hand, still looks completely drained, but not grievously harmed.
Trinity decides to use this opportunity to channel great magic. She begins to glow with bright white light. "Ye must desire respite from thy empty existence. Thou shalt have it! Celestial Star!!" A flurry of bright white beams shoots down from the sky. The male druid jumps away in time to let the spell focus on the Dark Hunter, but she scowls and dodges every single one as the shadowy steed carries her up to the troublesome valkyrie with alarming speed.
This time, the hunter is on the attack, and the valkyrie is the prey. Her attacks have no business being as fast as they are for how big she is, and she's thrusting out with that scaled-up dagger again. If that hits, she'll be in trouble. But Trinity is a warlord, and she is not to be underestimated. That critical thrust is sidestepped, and the valkyrie capitalizes by leaping up as high as she can with a fierce swing from the Spectrum Smasher, finally landing a harsh blow right on the Dark Hunter's shadowed head with a burst of prismatic light.
"Ugh!" The Dark Hunter staggers back, and then spits out some blood. Strangely, one of the druids is there to catch it. The Hunter sees that and gives the druid an otherworldly scowl. But she also sees that she is surrounded by two druids and a valkyrie, who would all rather be the setup for a joke than be in this situation. Not to mention the rest of the crowd... what other gifted individuals are part of this welcoming party, whom she just happened not to notice?
The Dark Hunter has nothing to say for a bit, until... "Let the hunt begin." And she vanishes in a dispersion of black smoke.
Trinity's eyes widen, and she looks around. She can't detect any trace of the Dark Hunter. She groans exasperatedly. "I'm guessing that's one of the reasons we wanted to stop her from getting here in the first place." Both of the nearby druids look at her and nod. They also look exasperated about her disappearance. Trinity then looks to a specific one, and asks, "Why did you catch the Dark Hunter's blood?"
"We need to focus on banishment now," replies the druid. "The blood of her and her minions will be helpful for that spell."
"I see," replies Trinity. She reaches behind her back to retrieve that voidsidian shard from before, and hands it over. "Maybe you can use this, too. Hopefully your comrade suffers no ill effects from being hit by it, and hopefully it is of use. May her presence be banished promptly from here."
"So mote it be," say the valkyrie and the druids in unison. They then part ways.
On her way home, Trinity glances over to the Enchantment Rack in the dueling area. Her eyes widen in surprise to see that it is already full of many sorts of elements, including the four cardinal elements and a few varieties of light. And there are plenty of empty spots for others to charge up, too. It looks like the arrival of the Dark Hunter has spurred the Isle's residents into action, encouraging the empowering of all duelists who visit.
...So why is it that she hears the sound of thunder outside? It takes her by such surprise that her attention is suddenly ripped away from her puzzle.
When did the skies get so dark?
She drops the book and looks out the window. "...No!" She rushes out of her apartment and straight outside.
She can feel the darkness in the air even without focusing on it. So she does focus, and uses that to determine where the strongest concentration is, where it might be coming from. She rushes out to the Dead Scar. Once she gets there, she sees a crowd of people further out, most of whom seem to be celestial druids. The crowd is pretty dense. There could be people she knows in that crowd, but she can't see them. There's also a smattering of local residents at the periphery.
There's a rift tearing in the air. It's plain to see. The druids are concentrating as hard as they can to keep the seam closed, but they're struggling. So Trinity gets to helping them, reaching out with her unique brand of valkyrie light to try to hold the door closed. It definitely seems to help... but it's not enough. The door opens with a force that throws the valkyrie and the druids onto the ground, throwing shards of voidsidian all over the place.
Trinity sits up, rubbing her head, and looks at her immediate surroundings. There are about three druids next to her. One of them appears to have been hit by one of the voidsidian shards. She grimaces and runs over to help. She takes the shard out, decides to keep it to give to the druids later for analysis, and immediately casts healing magic to close up the wound. "You should probably get out of here and find out if there are additional ill effects to being hit by that." The druid nods and then retreats. She stands up and addresses all the murmuring onlookers at the periphery. "You all need to get out of here and go home, now! It's not safe here!" Her voice seems to carry an authority that the onlookers are happy to abide by; they all get going too.
And then she turns and faces the door. ...There she is. The Dark Hunter herself.
"What in Lenneth's name?" Trinity is in utter awe at how imposing this monster is. Mounted on that shadowy steed, she's more than twice as tall as the valkyrie. She and her presence seem to absorb light in an uncanny, unnatural way.
The remaining two druids closest to her appear to be in fighting stances, so she joins them, bringing out the Spectrum Smasher and her shield of pale blue light. The Dark Hunter seems to have been looking around at the welcoming party. She may have addressed others while she wasn't paying attention. Once her gaze falls on the valkyrie, it lingers for a bit. "I didn't think I was coming to a valkyrie timeline," her deep, harsh voice rasps out.
Trinity sneers up at her and replies. "This isn't a valkyrie timeline. I'm a transplant."
"How troublesome," she bites back. "But you don't even have Einherjar."
Her eyes narrow. Einherjar are departed souls that have been recruited to fight alongside valkyries. "I've been fortunate enough not to encounter any departed souls since arriving here."
"That's not as fortunate as you think it is," the Dark Hunter hisses.
The welcoming party and the unwelcome guest enter a staredown for a few seconds that feel endless...
And then suddenly, her bow is readied in a flash, and an arrow pierces one of the druids' shoulders. Trinity can barely see her take aim at the next one, and just barely arrives in front of him with her shield raised to deflect the arrow. The Dark Hunter and her steed disappear in a cloud of shadowy smoke, reappearing behind the protected druid. The steed kicks the druid away. Trinity barely turns around in time to block the incoming strike from a dagger that's more like a thick short sword with the hunter's overwhelming size. She pushes it away and begins to take swings with the mace-wand, hoping to whack the hunter or her horse with the prismatic orb on the business end. Due to their size, every movement they make creates a lot of space, and Trinity can't correctly adjust to land a hit.
Then out of nowhere, the druid Trinity defended lands a leaping superman punch on the side of the Dark Hunter's head, knocking her clean off of the horse. And what's more, pearlescent light and feathers burst forth from the point of impact. The Dark Hunter flies off toward the other druid, who isn't good for punching with that arrow in her shoulder. In fact, she doesn't look good for much at all. She looks utterly sapped of willpower. She somehow manages to power through it to hopkick the Dark Hunter, and the same impact effect occurs there, too. Trinity's eyes widen and sparkle slightly as she realizes these druids stopped by the Enchantment Rack for a little extra juice.
The rest of the crowd moves to try their hand at the airborne Dark Hunter while Trinity moves to take care of the arrowed female druid. She pulls out the arrow and tries to cast healing magic. But the druid doesn't seem particularly hurt, more like... depressed. She takes a moment to think, and gets an idea. Suddenly, she wraps the druid up in a big hug, and then pulls back and clasps her shoulders with a smile. "I'm glad that you're here." There's a spark of a smile on the druid's face. That must have been the healing she actually needed, but she's probably still out of the fight.
Suddenly, a bunch of druids get thrown on their back from a wave of power. The Dark Hunter is back on her steed, and even under her shadowy pall, Trinity can tell she is being glared at something fierce. She must have figured out that the valkyrie is the reason for the enchanted strikes. Not that the feathers give it away or anything! The male druid immediately begins to rush her down with a flurry of unarmed strikes, and like Trinity, he can't adjust to her movements. The female druid, on the other hand, still looks completely drained, but not grievously harmed.
Trinity decides to use this opportunity to channel great magic. She begins to glow with bright white light. "Ye must desire respite from thy empty existence. Thou shalt have it! Celestial Star!!" A flurry of bright white beams shoots down from the sky. The male druid jumps away in time to let the spell focus on the Dark Hunter, but she scowls and dodges every single one as the shadowy steed carries her up to the troublesome valkyrie with alarming speed.
This time, the hunter is on the attack, and the valkyrie is the prey. Her attacks have no business being as fast as they are for how big she is, and she's thrusting out with that scaled-up dagger again. If that hits, she'll be in trouble. But Trinity is a warlord, and she is not to be underestimated. That critical thrust is sidestepped, and the valkyrie capitalizes by leaping up as high as she can with a fierce swing from the Spectrum Smasher, finally landing a harsh blow right on the Dark Hunter's shadowed head with a burst of prismatic light.
"Ugh!" The Dark Hunter staggers back, and then spits out some blood. Strangely, one of the druids is there to catch it. The Hunter sees that and gives the druid an otherworldly scowl. But she also sees that she is surrounded by two druids and a valkyrie, who would all rather be the setup for a joke than be in this situation. Not to mention the rest of the crowd... what other gifted individuals are part of this welcoming party, whom she just happened not to notice?
The Dark Hunter has nothing to say for a bit, until... "Let the hunt begin." And she vanishes in a dispersion of black smoke.
Trinity's eyes widen, and she looks around. She can't detect any trace of the Dark Hunter. She groans exasperatedly. "I'm guessing that's one of the reasons we wanted to stop her from getting here in the first place." Both of the nearby druids look at her and nod. They also look exasperated about her disappearance. Trinity then looks to a specific one, and asks, "Why did you catch the Dark Hunter's blood?"
"We need to focus on banishment now," replies the druid. "The blood of her and her minions will be helpful for that spell."
"I see," replies Trinity. She reaches behind her back to retrieve that voidsidian shard from before, and hands it over. "Maybe you can use this, too. Hopefully your comrade suffers no ill effects from being hit by it, and hopefully it is of use. May her presence be banished promptly from here."
"So mote it be," say the valkyrie and the druids in unison. They then part ways.
On her way home, Trinity glances over to the Enchantment Rack in the dueling area. Her eyes widen in surprise to see that it is already full of many sorts of elements, including the four cardinal elements and a few varieties of light. And there are plenty of empty spots for others to charge up, too. It looks like the arrival of the Dark Hunter has spurred the Isle's residents into action, encouraging the empowering of all duelists who visit.
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Mairead Harker
- Expert Adventurer
- 'Baby' Baroness
- Posts: 788
- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:02 am
- Location: Twilight Isle: The Canopy in the Gloaming
- Contact:
Re: Shadows of the October Moon - Stories
"And those who have not swords can still die upon them." - Eowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan
-
Ellie Luisante
- Adventurer
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:04 pm
- Location: New Prism
- Contact:
Re: Shadows of the October Moon - Stories
You are Ellie Luisante, and you had been feeling like everyone was making a lot of progress in repelling the darkness. You occasionally cross paths with other do-gooders doing good on the off-hours like you are, exchange pleasantries and notes, and get right back to it. Ingredients gathered, wildlife purified... And yet the skies are the darkest they've been since you've been making your rounds.
What the heck happened???
You take out your phone and start messaging someone who would be in the know.
You gulp down a knot.
You happen to be in the dueling area, and a collection of gleaming crystals catches your eye. That wasn't there the last time you were here. You walk up and read the sign. "Ohhhh!"
You have access to several types of magic, and wonder what type you should leave for others to use.
> Well, pretty much all of your magic represents some type of positive emotionality. Such energy will prove especially helpful if anyone happens to use it.
"Hmmm..." You ponder out loud, and consider your options. The Heart Aspect is out; soul magic is too delicate. Trickster Mode might be risky; you're not sure how that chaotic mirth would manifest if left on its own. You could use dancing magic. That would definitely be safe. Or maybe you should use your personal essence, wrapping many of your aspects together in an interweaving, unified package.
You begin to reach out for an empty crystal...
> Pop your umbrella!
Just in time, you press the button to unfurl the Yellow Umbrella, and an arrow dinks off of its indestructible surface. You look down at it, and it's a really weird arrow. It looks coated in shadow. Or more like it's weirdly effective at absorbing light?
> Look around.
You look around for someone who would have the audacity to just try and shoot you out of nowhere. You don't see anyone who loooks suspicious, but you see a really tall lady on an oversized horse who seems to be absorbing light.
> Uh...
You decide to vent to her. "Can you believe the nerve of some people, just... shooting at folks out of nowhere like that? I swear, they could really use a lesson in manners."
The huntress doesn't respond. She's looking at you like you're a big plate of pancakes.
"Uhhhh... I know I'm a snack, but you gotta rizz me, with your words!"
Still no response. You close your umbrella and blink a few times.
> Ellie, I'm pretty sure that's the Dark Hunter.
(Oh. ...Does that mean she shot me from right there and you didn't see it?)
> No, that shot came from somewhere else entirely. I actually didn't even see her walk up. She just sort of... appeared? This doesn't make much sense.
"Are you the Dark Hunter?" you ask with a goofy smile.
The huntress merely narrows her eyes. But that's enough to tell you that she is. Actually, you can barely see that through the ever-present shadow around her. ...Maybe that should have told you she was the Dark Hunter, but you don't want to be prejudiced against shadowy folks or tall folks!
"Uh huh... and that was you who shot me, right?"
Her brow furrows, which you can barely see through her helmet. She keeps giving herself away with every little facial cue. You have particularly gifted emotional perception, and it's only gotten stronger. You can use the Heart Aspect to cheat at this, but you don't like doing that, and you don't need to right now.
However, something isn't right here. You feel an additional presence somewhere nearby. You can feel their eyes on you, and you feel a powerful hunger in that gaze. You can't feel the precise location, though.
> I see... this is a copy. The real Dark Hunter is watching from somewhere else.
(That's troubling.) You manage to keep your poker face on, though. It is likely to your advantage if she doesn't know that you know you're dealing with a copy. "Right, right, okay... So... what, are you here to rob me of my joy and light?"
Again, her facial cues give away-- no, wait, it's the bow she's pointing at you with an arrow nocked. That's a little less subtle.
"Well, that's not very nice."
> Peace offering?
You smile and reach into the Coin Band of Holding draped over your right hip to pull out a popsicle. You hold it out to the Dark Hunter Copy, who will be abbreviated as DHC for brevity. "How about a popsicle instead?"
She seems uninterested. So you brandish the Yellow Umbrella in a fencing-style ready stance.
STRIFE!!
> Pop the umbrella again.
You pop the umbrella open once again, and this time hear multiple plinks off of its surface as it deflects a flurry of arrows.
> Nine o'clock.
You glance out of your left periphery to see DHC there. The smile is still on your face as you point at the inside of your umbrella with the hand still holding the popsicle, and release a gust that carries you away. It's a very sudden movement, and she tries to follow you, but you're gone.
"Wheeee~!" You suddenly come in from the complete opposite side, still flying by the grip of the gale-powered umbrella, and fly right into DHC, knocking her off of her horse and bowling her over despite her being much larger than you. It's almost like the utterly silly nature of your attack is super effective against her. You idly wonder if the horse is a copy, too... no matter.
You then fly up into the air, and then begin to float there lazily, as if you're sitting on the air itself. "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" DHC jumps up onto her feet and scowls in frustration, only to catch the popsicle you throw down to her, which looks comically tiny in her hands. She grits her teeth and holds it in a fist that she shakes at you.
> The seed is planted. Just keep messing with her!
She nocks the bow again and shoots you, but your movement is erratic, chaotic, and unpredictable; you keep floating to and fro, and she misses.
So she fires again. And she misses. And she misses again. And then she fires again. And then she misses. And then she fires and then she fires and then she misses. She misses both times. And then she fires and she misses. This goes on for several hours roughly ten to fifteen seconds. And then she fires and then she misses. And then she's out of arrows, and then she gets sad. She has the popsicle and then she passes out in the sand.
> The good old knockout popsicle trick!
The real Dark Hunter, still concealed in the trees somewhere, boggles vacantly at these shenanigans. Sure, a copy of her is less potent, but the fact that you're clowning on her this hard is still very disturbing!
And then DHC wakes up! And then she reloads! And then she fires! And then she misses. She misses again. She fires. She hits something! But it wasn't what she was going for. So she guesses she missed.
> She knocked the coconut right out of that swallow's talons! At least he's unladen now.
She passes out again; had another lick at the popsicle. She has a dream that she was firing at something. She missed.
You float on back down to solid ground, wondering if there's something you can do in the brief period of time in which she's unconscious.
> Can we bury her in the sand?
(Anais, have you seen this dame? She is the tallest drink of water I've ever seen! She's gotta be at least two Miras tall! I don't think I can pull that off even with all the nonsense I have access to. Given that she's this tall, it's even more disturbing that the real Dark Hunter is hiding so well.)
> Then what if we do a Gulliver Tie-Down?
(The scale dichotomy isn't quite right, but I'm still down for it.) You reach into your Coin Band of Holding with a grin and pull out a whole buncha rope. You then zippity zip all around DHC and tie her down while she's still out.
> Hey, what about her horse?
The steed just watches you engage in your shenanigans completely nonplussed; he doesn't seem to give a heck about what you're doing at all. You suppose it makes enough sense. You're just messing with a copy, after all.
Once you're done with the tie-down, you pop a squat right on her torso, leaning forward on her chest.
VICTORY!!
> Whoa, this isn't a win! This is just a copy, and the real Dark Hunter is still watching you!
(Yeah, she's watching me defeat her copy with shenangigans and chicanery! I hope it ticks her off!) You wait for DHC to wake up, and then wriggle your fingers at her with a goofy smile. She scowls at you, then she looks around at her situation. She then looks at you like you're an idiot.
Suddenly, DHC disappears in a puff of black smoke, causing you to drop down onto the sand underneath. You look around and find her back on her horse, now looking at you with a perturbed expression.
> Wait! I think that's the real one!
(Good! Let's work our shenanigans on her, too!) You jump up, close your umbrella, and brandish it like a sword again. You're ready to keep going!! But she doesn't seem interested. She and her horsey turn around to walk away.
> Huh? Go after her!
"Hey, get back here!" You run after her, and she and her horse disappear in another cloud of black smoke. You end up running right through it and then skidding to a stop. "What the heck! Why'd she leave?"
> Well, the element of surprise is long gone, and she got some information from you fighting her copy. She probably wants to get the jump on you.
"Ugh, that's annoying. So we're probably not going to see her again, are we?" You don't even care that you're speaking out loud to Anais and look kind of kooky to the goblins watching nearby.
> No, probably not. That was just a copy, but it's possible that you'd give the real one a comparable amount of trouble. All of your moves are powered by happiness, compassion, and chicanery. She wants to take it, but after what you just did to her copy, she may not want to face it. I think she's just going to try to take hidden shots at you from now on, and just leave and try again later if she misses.
"That makes sense and I hate it, ugh. That's going to be so annoying to deal with!"
> As long as I'm with you, she's gonna fire, and she's gonna miss. ;)
You giggle and then look over to the Enchantment Rack, deciding that it's time to make your contribution. You wind up and begin to spin over to it as fast as you can, sending your ankle-length, hem-weighted, fully circular skirt aloft in a giant, rippling disc of fabric about your waist. You experience a profound, ecstatic elation in response to the joy of dance in and of itself, your passion for your favorite move, and your infatuation with its effect upon skirts, especially the really long and really full ones. A smile spreads wide across your lips, and happiness flutters in your heart. You grab hold of that feeling with your soul and concentrate on it. And when you near the array of crystals, one hand snatches your skirt out of the air to wave it about, while the other hand reaches out to touch one of the empty crystals.
You will the entirety of that feeling into the crystal, which causes a bright cyan glow to emanate from the point of contact, and build up inside of the crystal. You have imbued one of the enchantment crystals with Love Essence. A specific form of quintessence that is embodied and empowered by what it is that makes you who you are, and all the interconnected powers that empower your sense of identity. To try and condense all of that down to one word, it's love.
> You've chosen to put the element of yourself into the crystal? What do you suppose it will do if someone tries to use it?
"I don't know. Maybe it will make them want to dance as they fight. Or maybe it will make them fight with extra compassion. Maybe it will give them a dose of my cartoon powers, or maybe it will just help them to feel happy. Maybe it will just emit energy in the presence of someone they care about. It may have a more specific effect on anyone who has met me before. The package deal is kind of the point. There's no way to know if it's going to be some of it, none of it, or all of it."
Now that this is done, you decide to look around for ingredients for that care package before going back home.
(( Thanks to the Gatito's player for collaborating with me on this! <3 ))
What the heck happened???
You take out your phone and start messaging someone who would be in the know.
You look in the direction of the Tower of Fire, and see its fire snuffed out. You frown sadly.Pesterlog wrote:sillyFlower began pestering goldiSpots at 3:14 PM
SF: hey, what happened on the isle? the sky is so dark! D:
GS: The Dark Hunter broke through after Fire went dark.
SF: oh heck. that's no good. fire went dark, huh?
> Oh... that bodes poorly.Pesterlog wrote:SF: i remember seeing some fire wolves when i was here last, and that explains why they're gone. :c
GS: Oui, unfortunately. They helped keep the darkness at bay.
SF: so now that she's here, what does that mean for us? 🤔
SF: is there anything in particular i should know about her?
GS: Danger. She's hunting us. The more light in a person, the harder she hunts. Magic, joy, divinity, etc.
GS: The Druids are working on a banishment spell.
GS: I don't know her entire nature and can only speculate on her origin.
GS: But I think you should watch your back while you are here.
You gulp down a knot.
You open up the picture, and find a hand-written list of ingredients. You take a moment to consider them.Pesterlog wrote:SF: oui, you're probably right. magic, joy, divinity... i have all of those!
SF: i bet she would just see a big juicy steak if she looks at me!
GS: Oui, indeed. Or a favorite pastry.
SF: oh yeah, i'm definitely more of a pastry kinda snack 😂
GS: Oui. Sweet and bright. The lure would be great.
SF: i don't even want to know what is in etc. 💀
GS: Many things, I think, in etc.
SF: okay so i will definitely watch mon derriere while i'm out here, merci for that warning!
GS: De rien.
SF: if you or anyone else need some bait for something, please reach out!
GS: Merci. I think we have a lure set for her, but I will let you know if we need you.
SF: so, banishment spell.
SF: would i be correct in guessing that will need a new list of components?
GS: Oui. Hang on. I will get them for you.
-- goldiSpots [GS] sent sillyFlower [SF] the file "Banishment Ingredients.jpg" --
Okay, so the Dark Hunter is here, and you are probably a big plate of pancakes to her. That's not great. You sigh and look around.Pesterlog wrote:SF: hmm... 🤔
SF: you know, it does kind of seem like some these ingredients might be easier to find???
SF: definitely not the shadows one.
SF: but stardust being all around, and portal essence, those seem pretty easy, and i bet that's a good thing.
GS: Oui, I think it is. It increases our chances of having enough, soon enough.
GS: Archdruid Aelia likened it to invoking a threshold. Drawing upon the Isle itself to send her away.
SF: people who hunt joy are not allowed in our cool treehouse!! 😤
GS: Right? The audacity!
SF: this is very helpful, merci!
SF: do we still need the warding components?
GS: De rien. Et non. The warding is over. We must banish her now.
GS: If we need warding later, I believe the Druids will let us know.
SF: d'accord; makes sense to me~!
SF: i will make sure the next care package i bring you is packed with the new set of goodies! c:
GS: Merci! I appreciate it. We all do.
SF: i'm so happy to be able to help!! 😊🫂💖
SF: au revoir, chaton~! 👋
GS: À plus mon amie! 💖🫂
sillyFlower ceased pestering goldiSpots at 3:29 PM
You happen to be in the dueling area, and a collection of gleaming crystals catches your eye. That wasn't there the last time you were here. You walk up and read the sign. "Ohhhh!"
You have access to several types of magic, and wonder what type you should leave for others to use.
> Well, pretty much all of your magic represents some type of positive emotionality. Such energy will prove especially helpful if anyone happens to use it.
"Hmmm..." You ponder out loud, and consider your options. The Heart Aspect is out; soul magic is too delicate. Trickster Mode might be risky; you're not sure how that chaotic mirth would manifest if left on its own. You could use dancing magic. That would definitely be safe. Or maybe you should use your personal essence, wrapping many of your aspects together in an interweaving, unified package.
You begin to reach out for an empty crystal...
> Pop your umbrella!
Just in time, you press the button to unfurl the Yellow Umbrella, and an arrow dinks off of its indestructible surface. You look down at it, and it's a really weird arrow. It looks coated in shadow. Or more like it's weirdly effective at absorbing light?
> Look around.
You look around for someone who would have the audacity to just try and shoot you out of nowhere. You don't see anyone who loooks suspicious, but you see a really tall lady on an oversized horse who seems to be absorbing light.
> Uh...
You decide to vent to her. "Can you believe the nerve of some people, just... shooting at folks out of nowhere like that? I swear, they could really use a lesson in manners."
The huntress doesn't respond. She's looking at you like you're a big plate of pancakes.
"Uhhhh... I know I'm a snack, but you gotta rizz me, with your words!"
Still no response. You close your umbrella and blink a few times.
> Ellie, I'm pretty sure that's the Dark Hunter.
(Oh. ...Does that mean she shot me from right there and you didn't see it?)
> No, that shot came from somewhere else entirely. I actually didn't even see her walk up. She just sort of... appeared? This doesn't make much sense.
"Are you the Dark Hunter?" you ask with a goofy smile.
The huntress merely narrows her eyes. But that's enough to tell you that she is. Actually, you can barely see that through the ever-present shadow around her. ...Maybe that should have told you she was the Dark Hunter, but you don't want to be prejudiced against shadowy folks or tall folks!
"Uh huh... and that was you who shot me, right?"
Her brow furrows, which you can barely see through her helmet. She keeps giving herself away with every little facial cue. You have particularly gifted emotional perception, and it's only gotten stronger. You can use the Heart Aspect to cheat at this, but you don't like doing that, and you don't need to right now.
However, something isn't right here. You feel an additional presence somewhere nearby. You can feel their eyes on you, and you feel a powerful hunger in that gaze. You can't feel the precise location, though.
> I see... this is a copy. The real Dark Hunter is watching from somewhere else.
(That's troubling.) You manage to keep your poker face on, though. It is likely to your advantage if she doesn't know that you know you're dealing with a copy. "Right, right, okay... So... what, are you here to rob me of my joy and light?"
Again, her facial cues give away-- no, wait, it's the bow she's pointing at you with an arrow nocked. That's a little less subtle.
"Well, that's not very nice."
> Peace offering?
You smile and reach into the Coin Band of Holding draped over your right hip to pull out a popsicle. You hold it out to the Dark Hunter Copy, who will be abbreviated as DHC for brevity. "How about a popsicle instead?"
She seems uninterested. So you brandish the Yellow Umbrella in a fencing-style ready stance.
STRIFE!!
> Pop the umbrella again.
You pop the umbrella open once again, and this time hear multiple plinks off of its surface as it deflects a flurry of arrows.
> Nine o'clock.
You glance out of your left periphery to see DHC there. The smile is still on your face as you point at the inside of your umbrella with the hand still holding the popsicle, and release a gust that carries you away. It's a very sudden movement, and she tries to follow you, but you're gone.
"Wheeee~!" You suddenly come in from the complete opposite side, still flying by the grip of the gale-powered umbrella, and fly right into DHC, knocking her off of her horse and bowling her over despite her being much larger than you. It's almost like the utterly silly nature of your attack is super effective against her. You idly wonder if the horse is a copy, too... no matter.
You then fly up into the air, and then begin to float there lazily, as if you're sitting on the air itself. "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" DHC jumps up onto her feet and scowls in frustration, only to catch the popsicle you throw down to her, which looks comically tiny in her hands. She grits her teeth and holds it in a fist that she shakes at you.
> The seed is planted. Just keep messing with her!
She nocks the bow again and shoots you, but your movement is erratic, chaotic, and unpredictable; you keep floating to and fro, and she misses.
So she fires again. And she misses. And she misses again. And then she fires again. And then she misses. And then she fires and then she fires and then she misses. She misses both times. And then she fires and she misses. This goes on for several hours roughly ten to fifteen seconds. And then she fires and then she misses. And then she's out of arrows, and then she gets sad. She has the popsicle and then she passes out in the sand.
> The good old knockout popsicle trick!
The real Dark Hunter, still concealed in the trees somewhere, boggles vacantly at these shenanigans. Sure, a copy of her is less potent, but the fact that you're clowning on her this hard is still very disturbing!
And then DHC wakes up! And then she reloads! And then she fires! And then she misses. She misses again. She fires. She hits something! But it wasn't what she was going for. So she guesses she missed.
> She knocked the coconut right out of that swallow's talons! At least he's unladen now.
She passes out again; had another lick at the popsicle. She has a dream that she was firing at something. She missed.
You float on back down to solid ground, wondering if there's something you can do in the brief period of time in which she's unconscious.
> Can we bury her in the sand?
(Anais, have you seen this dame? She is the tallest drink of water I've ever seen! She's gotta be at least two Miras tall! I don't think I can pull that off even with all the nonsense I have access to. Given that she's this tall, it's even more disturbing that the real Dark Hunter is hiding so well.)
> Then what if we do a Gulliver Tie-Down?
(The scale dichotomy isn't quite right, but I'm still down for it.) You reach into your Coin Band of Holding with a grin and pull out a whole buncha rope. You then zippity zip all around DHC and tie her down while she's still out.
> Hey, what about her horse?
The steed just watches you engage in your shenanigans completely nonplussed; he doesn't seem to give a heck about what you're doing at all. You suppose it makes enough sense. You're just messing with a copy, after all.
Once you're done with the tie-down, you pop a squat right on her torso, leaning forward on her chest.
VICTORY!!
> Whoa, this isn't a win! This is just a copy, and the real Dark Hunter is still watching you!
(Yeah, she's watching me defeat her copy with shenangigans and chicanery! I hope it ticks her off!) You wait for DHC to wake up, and then wriggle your fingers at her with a goofy smile. She scowls at you, then she looks around at her situation. She then looks at you like you're an idiot.
Suddenly, DHC disappears in a puff of black smoke, causing you to drop down onto the sand underneath. You look around and find her back on her horse, now looking at you with a perturbed expression.
> Wait! I think that's the real one!
(Good! Let's work our shenanigans on her, too!) You jump up, close your umbrella, and brandish it like a sword again. You're ready to keep going!! But she doesn't seem interested. She and her horsey turn around to walk away.
> Huh? Go after her!
"Hey, get back here!" You run after her, and she and her horse disappear in another cloud of black smoke. You end up running right through it and then skidding to a stop. "What the heck! Why'd she leave?"
> Well, the element of surprise is long gone, and she got some information from you fighting her copy. She probably wants to get the jump on you.
"Ugh, that's annoying. So we're probably not going to see her again, are we?" You don't even care that you're speaking out loud to Anais and look kind of kooky to the goblins watching nearby.
> No, probably not. That was just a copy, but it's possible that you'd give the real one a comparable amount of trouble. All of your moves are powered by happiness, compassion, and chicanery. She wants to take it, but after what you just did to her copy, she may not want to face it. I think she's just going to try to take hidden shots at you from now on, and just leave and try again later if she misses.
"That makes sense and I hate it, ugh. That's going to be so annoying to deal with!"
> As long as I'm with you, she's gonna fire, and she's gonna miss. ;)
You giggle and then look over to the Enchantment Rack, deciding that it's time to make your contribution. You wind up and begin to spin over to it as fast as you can, sending your ankle-length, hem-weighted, fully circular skirt aloft in a giant, rippling disc of fabric about your waist. You experience a profound, ecstatic elation in response to the joy of dance in and of itself, your passion for your favorite move, and your infatuation with its effect upon skirts, especially the really long and really full ones. A smile spreads wide across your lips, and happiness flutters in your heart. You grab hold of that feeling with your soul and concentrate on it. And when you near the array of crystals, one hand snatches your skirt out of the air to wave it about, while the other hand reaches out to touch one of the empty crystals.
You will the entirety of that feeling into the crystal, which causes a bright cyan glow to emanate from the point of contact, and build up inside of the crystal. You have imbued one of the enchantment crystals with Love Essence. A specific form of quintessence that is embodied and empowered by what it is that makes you who you are, and all the interconnected powers that empower your sense of identity. To try and condense all of that down to one word, it's love.
> You've chosen to put the element of yourself into the crystal? What do you suppose it will do if someone tries to use it?
"I don't know. Maybe it will make them want to dance as they fight. Or maybe it will make them fight with extra compassion. Maybe it will give them a dose of my cartoon powers, or maybe it will just help them to feel happy. Maybe it will just emit energy in the presence of someone they care about. It may have a more specific effect on anyone who has met me before. The package deal is kind of the point. There's no way to know if it's going to be some of it, none of it, or all of it."
Now that this is done, you decide to look around for ingredients for that care package before going back home.
(( Thanks to the Gatito's player for collaborating with me on this! <3 ))
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Lost Valkyrie
- Adventurer
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2024 6:36 pm
- Location: Flats at Gloaming Heights
Re: Shadows of the October Moon - Stories
Tonight is the night.
November 1. The Archmage Challenge. The new moon. This is the best opportunity to banish the Dark Hunter. Thanks to residents and visitors to the Isle, all the components are gathered. All the ambient energies that can help are at their highest, and Colleen and Doran are about to generate much more. It's time to show the Dark Hunter the door. Trinity is not watching the Archmage Challenge from the dueling area. She's actually protecting the druids, a small distance away from where they are beginning to cast the banishment spell. She's not in view of the dueling area from where she is.
And she has been kicking shadow creature ass for the past thirty minutes.
The shadows must have caught the memo about tonight's plans, and have been coming out toward the dueling area to try and rain on the parade. The Venturing Valkyrie is not having that nonsense. And for that matter, she is almost certainly not the only one. She imagines there are others contributing at other parts of the isle, as well as even just other locations near the druids.
She is outlined by the same vibrant pale blue light--complete with wings of pale blue light feathers--that she brings out to punch above her normal weight class in various endeavors, such as being able to slug it out toe-to-toe with Takai's berserk wolf form. She's bringing out all the stops she can to make sure this goes well.
This power-up is a lesser form of a state called Trance, where emotions and energy synchronize to awaken a dramatic surge in power. This is an ability that the three divine sisters--Lenneth, Silmeria, and Hrist--never had access to, but the society of valkyries that Trinity came from had many tricks up their sleeves, expanding upon the techniques of their goddesses. However, Trinity has not been able to access the true power of Trance. Her emotions and her soul aren't quite in sync; there is a barrier she hasn't been able to break through, try as she might.
But that doesn't really matter. Right now, semi-trance is enough to kick all these shadows' asses. The Archmage Challenge is getting started, and everything is going just fine.
Until suddenly, it's not.
The rumbling of hooves. She lookes up and sees the obsidian steed of the Dark Hunter ride directly overhead, right toward the dueling area. "What the--?! Get back here, you cocky little freak!!" She screams at the Dark Hunter's absconding back while shaking her fist.
"Trinity!" shouts one of the druids working on banishment, "She is literally fourteen feet tall!" In fact, this is one of the druids she fought beside when the Dark Hunter arrived, the one who took the arrow. She's been in much, much better spirits since then. "Focus on the shadows!"
"R-right! Of course!" Trinity turns and focuses on the crowd of shadows, which has suddenly grown to twice its size. "...Oh, shit."
"Might Reinforce!" shouts the female druid, and as Trinity feels magic wash over her, she feels her ferocity increase.
"Guard Reinforce!" Next is the male druid from back when the Dark Hunter arrived; this one increases Trinity's fortitude.
She is very surprised that the druids know the valkyries' restorative magic, but she appreciates it all the same. One more druid chimes in: "Curaza." This druid seems to be one of the coordinators for the banishment spell; Trinity is very grateful that they took some time to not only completely heal her, but also completely restore her stamina and energy.
Trinity glances back toward the dueling area, worrying for just a moment. The Dark Hunter is there... but she now has to contend with the defending Archmage Colleen, and aspiring Archmage Doran. Not to mention all the spectators for the challenge who have no shortage of ways to provide support. Right. The challenge itself, and the dueling area, will be fine. But the druids have to be protected, and the shadows have to be prevented from reaching the dueling area to provide support for the Dark Hunter. This is an important battle, too! It deserves her full attention and full effort.
She turns to focus her attention back on the crowd of shadow creatures, and she gets back to kicking all their asses with various combinations of mace whackings and spell castings with the Spectrum Smasher. Every successful hit releases a burst of prismatic light. Not only do they help in vanquishing the shadows, but the druids dutifully pull that energy in to fuel the banishment spell. Everyone wins here, except the shadows.
And they all realize they are losing. They need to try something more drastic. They start to pile on top of each other, and they start to move in unison, as if sharing one mind, one will. They become a moving wave of shadows: a Demon Tide. The two druids who fought with Trinity before see this, and decide to focus on conjuring a barrier.
Trinity gulps down a knot and twirls the Spectrum Smasher. The Demon Tide, in combining their form and power, have also combined their hunger. They know they need to defeat the druids or support the Dark Hunter, but Trinity, with her vibrant pale blue aura, is so appetizing. So they promptly begin to bully her, crashing into her repeatedly and knocking her to and fro. She brings up her shield to try and hold them off, but they're like water; they simply pour around it to knock her down anyways. She can't keep her footing, even in semi-trance.
She finds herself on the ground, groaning, and then staring up at the Demon Tide swirling above her. She tries to get to her feet, but she's lost a lot of strength. It's not enough! The Demon Tide descends...!!
"Stopza!!"
The Demon Tide freezes in the air. It looks like the senior druid has offered a hand once again. Trinity struggles to her feet and looks back to them. "I... I need a hand. I can't do this on my own!"
"We cannot offer you any combat allies," says the senior druid. "The only thing I can give you is time, but I believe that time is all you need. Search inside yourself and you will find the key you need to open the door."
She seems to catch the drift of what they are alluding to. "I can't access the full power of Trance. My soul and my heart are not in sync."
"How long have you been procrastinating your own grief?"
"...What?"
"The loss of your home, and the loss of the life you used to have."
She can't believe it, but that wise senior druid has actually hit the nail on the head. Procrastinating grief? ...Yeah, actually. She's been procrastinating her own grief ever since she arrived in the realm. She had to survive in a strange new world in a mind-boggling future. Then she met her other self, her teacher. And she started to focus on learning and growing as a warrior and adventurer. And the grind hasn't stopped, even when she went from her last town to the Gloaming District. She focused on dueling and growing stronger still.
She really has been procrastinating her own grief. Her soul has been so determined to march forward, while her heart aches for all that she has lost. Every once in a while, she would remember that she is, in fact, horribly wounded. She'd remember it whenever she spends time with Harlee, remembering that her baby cousins are gone. She'd remember it on horseback with Maggie, remembering that her aunt who taught her how to ride is gone. She'd remember it when she enters a ring and raises her fists, remembering her amazing older sister who was the best martial artist the valkyries have ever known. Also gone.
They're all gone. They're all dead. The entire Siempre family. The entire valkyrie society. They were all destroyed by Vacía Siempre, the rogue valkyrie who went mad with power. Her own gods damned cousin. Trinity watched Vacía kill them all, herself wounded and near death, helpless to stop her. Thanks to her sister, she is the only one who escaped.
Trinity Siempre is not just a Lost Valkyrie in a strange new time and place. She is also the Last Valkyrie.
She's the last one left from her timeline. She had never really paid attention until now, just how heavy that fact is. It's not just her heart that's broken, but her soul that cracks under this weight. And she hadn't realized until just now... how truly infuriating some of the words are that she has heard from others... Takai. Especially Takai. "You all have silver spoons. You have never known true pain." A sentiment that some of his peers seem to share. That has to be the true reason she hates Takai. She never realized that every time he opened his mouth to act like his own pain was the only one that counts, that her heart was banging at the front of her ribcage, screaming out an enraged desire to tell him what true pain is. But her mind knows that pain olympics never truly helped anyone, so instead, she told him everything but the thing she wanted to tell him the most.
In the relative eternity granted to her by the senior druid's Stopza, thanks to their wise words, Trinity turns her gaze inward and sees the grief of the Lost Valkyrie for what it truly is. In its complete, agonizing entirety.
She falls to her knees and begins to sob uncontrollably.
The two other druids see this and start to kind of freak out. They look to the senior druid, whose stoic expression is cracked by the smallest phantom of a smile.
Time begins to flow again.
The Demon Tide crashes down upon the inconsolable valkyrie.
But a light begins to shine from within the Tide. It starts to lift up, pushed up by something. Gales of force blow outward from underneath it, and a blinding, pale blue light shines from beneath. Trinity is pushing the Demon Tide up, and she is transformed.
The feathers of her wings have spread wider, grown sharper and bolder. The vibrant outline of pale blue light is bigger and brighter. And as she hoists the Demon Tide up above her head, one can see pieces of valkyrie armor made of pale blue light, including pauldrons, gloves, grieves, and a visor with feathers attached. The most striking feature, though, is her hair: it's still in tied twintails, but now it is the same pale blue as the goddess Lenneth Valkyrie herself.
Trinity has opened the door. This is Trance.
With a powerful yell and a surge of strength, she uses her shield to shove the Demon Tide into the air. It swirls about and reorients itself, then gazes down at Trinity.
She takes a defiant ready stance with the Spectrum Smasher, whose head is now continuously gleaming with sparking, pale blue light. "I am Trinity Siempre, the last of the valkyries! By my honor, and the honor of my family and my sisters-in-arms, and for the sake of the happiness that they have allowed me to grasp, you will not get past me!!"
The Demon Tide releases an otherworldly scream and surges back down toward Trinity. With a ferocious scream, she swings the Spectrum Smasher directly into what passes for its face, and sends it flying. Other shadows join in to try and make the Tide stronger, but Trinity chases down and with whack after whack, continues to send the Tide flying. A much larger crowd of shadows consolidates into the Tide, and it releases a roar at Trinity. With the din of the Archmage Challenge and their fight against the Dark Hunter, it's probably not audible to anyone but her.
Trinity stands upright, ready for the charge. The Demon Tide surges forth, and slams up against her shield. It starts to push her back, but she remains upright. Then she starts to take steps forward, grunting with the effort. With one surge of power, she shoves the Tide away, and reaches into her soul for ol' reliable. "It shall be engraved upon your soul!" She delivers a quick combo of hits to the Demon Tide, ending with an upward swing that throws it up into the air. It is then impaled by three spears of light. "Divine assault!" She jumps up into the air, her wings spreading wide. The almighty spear appears above her head, bigger and brighter than ever. "Nibelung Valesti!!" She throws it down into the Demon Tide, and it causes an explosion of light on impact that completely eradicates it.
She takes a few moments to breathe and make sure that it's completely gone. Still floating in the air, she turns back to look at the druids. The banishment spell is about to go off! She looks over toward the dueling area, and can see Doran and Colleen's battle with the Dark Hunter reaching what appears to be a climax. She can just barely hear Dris's voice calling out: "Can you feel it? Don't let up, everyone! Pour out your love! Pour out your light! Lend your magic to Colleen and Doran's fight!"
Her love, her light. Her happiness. That is what has been holding her together ever since she lost her home and her family. She found friends and mentors. She found a new place in this new world. She has experienced love, light, and happiness. If she hadn't, the grief that she had been refusing to face would have already consumed her. Her soul and her heart were not that far out of sync. But it was a heavy step to take to truly sync them up.
She looks back down to the druids casting the banishment spell. Semi-trance can be held for a relatively long time, conveniently. But full-bore capital-T Trance is brilliant and fleeting. Her time is about to run out. When they give the Dark Hunter the boot, it needs to be as hard as they can. So she concentrates all of the power she has left into one brilliant, gleaming, sparkling ball as she floats down to solid ground. She won't be able to fly once she's out of Trance. And now that she is, she walks over to the druids and hands the ball to the senior druid. Though not a single word is spoken, a wealth of gratitude and complex sentiment is packed into that ball along with all her joy and all her power.
Her own power appears to be far from the only thing contributing to the climax of the banishment spell. There is energy coming in from all over; from the spectators at the challenge, other residents of the isle, and other unique individuals doing their part as well.
The druids finally fire off the banishment spell, and Trinity watches the wave of brilliant energy sweep across the isle and up into the sky, tearing open the Dark Hunter's exit. She doesn't have to go home, but she can't stay here. She watches the Dark Hunter get sucked into the rift, screaming the whole way. It may be kind of sadistic of her, but that cocky freak's screaming is music to her ears. Trinity's been through a lot, she can have this.
"The work isn't over," says the male druid from before to Trinity. The valkyrie looks over to him. "There's still darkness to cleanse. But it can't be understated how significant of a win it is to have banished the Dark Hunter. The remaining darkness already feels much less heavy."
The female druid continues, "Thanks to you and the many others who protected us while we were casting, and contributed to our power, the Dark Hunter is gone. I hope you excuse my sappiness to reprise your own words..." she moves over to Trinity and claps her hands onto her shoulders. "I am glad you are here."
Trinity smiles in response. The smile is subtly different from its usual. Her heart, strangely, feels heavier now, but at the same time, it feels like it's actually carrying the weight of her grief, rather than dragging it along and trying to pretend it isn't there.
For the Isle, its visitors, and its residents, especially Trinity... now is the time for healing.
November 1. The Archmage Challenge. The new moon. This is the best opportunity to banish the Dark Hunter. Thanks to residents and visitors to the Isle, all the components are gathered. All the ambient energies that can help are at their highest, and Colleen and Doran are about to generate much more. It's time to show the Dark Hunter the door. Trinity is not watching the Archmage Challenge from the dueling area. She's actually protecting the druids, a small distance away from where they are beginning to cast the banishment spell. She's not in view of the dueling area from where she is.
And she has been kicking shadow creature ass for the past thirty minutes.
The shadows must have caught the memo about tonight's plans, and have been coming out toward the dueling area to try and rain on the parade. The Venturing Valkyrie is not having that nonsense. And for that matter, she is almost certainly not the only one. She imagines there are others contributing at other parts of the isle, as well as even just other locations near the druids.
She is outlined by the same vibrant pale blue light--complete with wings of pale blue light feathers--that she brings out to punch above her normal weight class in various endeavors, such as being able to slug it out toe-to-toe with Takai's berserk wolf form. She's bringing out all the stops she can to make sure this goes well.
This power-up is a lesser form of a state called Trance, where emotions and energy synchronize to awaken a dramatic surge in power. This is an ability that the three divine sisters--Lenneth, Silmeria, and Hrist--never had access to, but the society of valkyries that Trinity came from had many tricks up their sleeves, expanding upon the techniques of their goddesses. However, Trinity has not been able to access the true power of Trance. Her emotions and her soul aren't quite in sync; there is a barrier she hasn't been able to break through, try as she might.
But that doesn't really matter. Right now, semi-trance is enough to kick all these shadows' asses. The Archmage Challenge is getting started, and everything is going just fine.
Until suddenly, it's not.
The rumbling of hooves. She lookes up and sees the obsidian steed of the Dark Hunter ride directly overhead, right toward the dueling area. "What the--?! Get back here, you cocky little freak!!" She screams at the Dark Hunter's absconding back while shaking her fist.
"Trinity!" shouts one of the druids working on banishment, "She is literally fourteen feet tall!" In fact, this is one of the druids she fought beside when the Dark Hunter arrived, the one who took the arrow. She's been in much, much better spirits since then. "Focus on the shadows!"
"R-right! Of course!" Trinity turns and focuses on the crowd of shadows, which has suddenly grown to twice its size. "...Oh, shit."
"Might Reinforce!" shouts the female druid, and as Trinity feels magic wash over her, she feels her ferocity increase.
"Guard Reinforce!" Next is the male druid from back when the Dark Hunter arrived; this one increases Trinity's fortitude.
She is very surprised that the druids know the valkyries' restorative magic, but she appreciates it all the same. One more druid chimes in: "Curaza." This druid seems to be one of the coordinators for the banishment spell; Trinity is very grateful that they took some time to not only completely heal her, but also completely restore her stamina and energy.
Trinity glances back toward the dueling area, worrying for just a moment. The Dark Hunter is there... but she now has to contend with the defending Archmage Colleen, and aspiring Archmage Doran. Not to mention all the spectators for the challenge who have no shortage of ways to provide support. Right. The challenge itself, and the dueling area, will be fine. But the druids have to be protected, and the shadows have to be prevented from reaching the dueling area to provide support for the Dark Hunter. This is an important battle, too! It deserves her full attention and full effort.
She turns to focus her attention back on the crowd of shadow creatures, and she gets back to kicking all their asses with various combinations of mace whackings and spell castings with the Spectrum Smasher. Every successful hit releases a burst of prismatic light. Not only do they help in vanquishing the shadows, but the druids dutifully pull that energy in to fuel the banishment spell. Everyone wins here, except the shadows.
And they all realize they are losing. They need to try something more drastic. They start to pile on top of each other, and they start to move in unison, as if sharing one mind, one will. They become a moving wave of shadows: a Demon Tide. The two druids who fought with Trinity before see this, and decide to focus on conjuring a barrier.
Trinity gulps down a knot and twirls the Spectrum Smasher. The Demon Tide, in combining their form and power, have also combined their hunger. They know they need to defeat the druids or support the Dark Hunter, but Trinity, with her vibrant pale blue aura, is so appetizing. So they promptly begin to bully her, crashing into her repeatedly and knocking her to and fro. She brings up her shield to try and hold them off, but they're like water; they simply pour around it to knock her down anyways. She can't keep her footing, even in semi-trance.
She finds herself on the ground, groaning, and then staring up at the Demon Tide swirling above her. She tries to get to her feet, but she's lost a lot of strength. It's not enough! The Demon Tide descends...!!
"Stopza!!"
The Demon Tide freezes in the air. It looks like the senior druid has offered a hand once again. Trinity struggles to her feet and looks back to them. "I... I need a hand. I can't do this on my own!"
"We cannot offer you any combat allies," says the senior druid. "The only thing I can give you is time, but I believe that time is all you need. Search inside yourself and you will find the key you need to open the door."
She seems to catch the drift of what they are alluding to. "I can't access the full power of Trance. My soul and my heart are not in sync."
"How long have you been procrastinating your own grief?"
"...What?"
"The loss of your home, and the loss of the life you used to have."
She can't believe it, but that wise senior druid has actually hit the nail on the head. Procrastinating grief? ...Yeah, actually. She's been procrastinating her own grief ever since she arrived in the realm. She had to survive in a strange new world in a mind-boggling future. Then she met her other self, her teacher. And she started to focus on learning and growing as a warrior and adventurer. And the grind hasn't stopped, even when she went from her last town to the Gloaming District. She focused on dueling and growing stronger still.
She really has been procrastinating her own grief. Her soul has been so determined to march forward, while her heart aches for all that she has lost. Every once in a while, she would remember that she is, in fact, horribly wounded. She'd remember it whenever she spends time with Harlee, remembering that her baby cousins are gone. She'd remember it on horseback with Maggie, remembering that her aunt who taught her how to ride is gone. She'd remember it when she enters a ring and raises her fists, remembering her amazing older sister who was the best martial artist the valkyries have ever known. Also gone.
They're all gone. They're all dead. The entire Siempre family. The entire valkyrie society. They were all destroyed by Vacía Siempre, the rogue valkyrie who went mad with power. Her own gods damned cousin. Trinity watched Vacía kill them all, herself wounded and near death, helpless to stop her. Thanks to her sister, she is the only one who escaped.
Trinity Siempre is not just a Lost Valkyrie in a strange new time and place. She is also the Last Valkyrie.
She's the last one left from her timeline. She had never really paid attention until now, just how heavy that fact is. It's not just her heart that's broken, but her soul that cracks under this weight. And she hadn't realized until just now... how truly infuriating some of the words are that she has heard from others... Takai. Especially Takai. "You all have silver spoons. You have never known true pain." A sentiment that some of his peers seem to share. That has to be the true reason she hates Takai. She never realized that every time he opened his mouth to act like his own pain was the only one that counts, that her heart was banging at the front of her ribcage, screaming out an enraged desire to tell him what true pain is. But her mind knows that pain olympics never truly helped anyone, so instead, she told him everything but the thing she wanted to tell him the most.
In the relative eternity granted to her by the senior druid's Stopza, thanks to their wise words, Trinity turns her gaze inward and sees the grief of the Lost Valkyrie for what it truly is. In its complete, agonizing entirety.
She falls to her knees and begins to sob uncontrollably.
The two other druids see this and start to kind of freak out. They look to the senior druid, whose stoic expression is cracked by the smallest phantom of a smile.
Time begins to flow again.
The Demon Tide crashes down upon the inconsolable valkyrie.
But a light begins to shine from within the Tide. It starts to lift up, pushed up by something. Gales of force blow outward from underneath it, and a blinding, pale blue light shines from beneath. Trinity is pushing the Demon Tide up, and she is transformed.
The feathers of her wings have spread wider, grown sharper and bolder. The vibrant outline of pale blue light is bigger and brighter. And as she hoists the Demon Tide up above her head, one can see pieces of valkyrie armor made of pale blue light, including pauldrons, gloves, grieves, and a visor with feathers attached. The most striking feature, though, is her hair: it's still in tied twintails, but now it is the same pale blue as the goddess Lenneth Valkyrie herself.
Trinity has opened the door. This is Trance.
With a powerful yell and a surge of strength, she uses her shield to shove the Demon Tide into the air. It swirls about and reorients itself, then gazes down at Trinity.
She takes a defiant ready stance with the Spectrum Smasher, whose head is now continuously gleaming with sparking, pale blue light. "I am Trinity Siempre, the last of the valkyries! By my honor, and the honor of my family and my sisters-in-arms, and for the sake of the happiness that they have allowed me to grasp, you will not get past me!!"
The Demon Tide releases an otherworldly scream and surges back down toward Trinity. With a ferocious scream, she swings the Spectrum Smasher directly into what passes for its face, and sends it flying. Other shadows join in to try and make the Tide stronger, but Trinity chases down and with whack after whack, continues to send the Tide flying. A much larger crowd of shadows consolidates into the Tide, and it releases a roar at Trinity. With the din of the Archmage Challenge and their fight against the Dark Hunter, it's probably not audible to anyone but her.
Trinity stands upright, ready for the charge. The Demon Tide surges forth, and slams up against her shield. It starts to push her back, but she remains upright. Then she starts to take steps forward, grunting with the effort. With one surge of power, she shoves the Tide away, and reaches into her soul for ol' reliable. "It shall be engraved upon your soul!" She delivers a quick combo of hits to the Demon Tide, ending with an upward swing that throws it up into the air. It is then impaled by three spears of light. "Divine assault!" She jumps up into the air, her wings spreading wide. The almighty spear appears above her head, bigger and brighter than ever. "Nibelung Valesti!!" She throws it down into the Demon Tide, and it causes an explosion of light on impact that completely eradicates it.
She takes a few moments to breathe and make sure that it's completely gone. Still floating in the air, she turns back to look at the druids. The banishment spell is about to go off! She looks over toward the dueling area, and can see Doran and Colleen's battle with the Dark Hunter reaching what appears to be a climax. She can just barely hear Dris's voice calling out: "Can you feel it? Don't let up, everyone! Pour out your love! Pour out your light! Lend your magic to Colleen and Doran's fight!"
Her love, her light. Her happiness. That is what has been holding her together ever since she lost her home and her family. She found friends and mentors. She found a new place in this new world. She has experienced love, light, and happiness. If she hadn't, the grief that she had been refusing to face would have already consumed her. Her soul and her heart were not that far out of sync. But it was a heavy step to take to truly sync them up.
She looks back down to the druids casting the banishment spell. Semi-trance can be held for a relatively long time, conveniently. But full-bore capital-T Trance is brilliant and fleeting. Her time is about to run out. When they give the Dark Hunter the boot, it needs to be as hard as they can. So she concentrates all of the power she has left into one brilliant, gleaming, sparkling ball as she floats down to solid ground. She won't be able to fly once she's out of Trance. And now that she is, she walks over to the druids and hands the ball to the senior druid. Though not a single word is spoken, a wealth of gratitude and complex sentiment is packed into that ball along with all her joy and all her power.
Her own power appears to be far from the only thing contributing to the climax of the banishment spell. There is energy coming in from all over; from the spectators at the challenge, other residents of the isle, and other unique individuals doing their part as well.
The druids finally fire off the banishment spell, and Trinity watches the wave of brilliant energy sweep across the isle and up into the sky, tearing open the Dark Hunter's exit. She doesn't have to go home, but she can't stay here. She watches the Dark Hunter get sucked into the rift, screaming the whole way. It may be kind of sadistic of her, but that cocky freak's screaming is music to her ears. Trinity's been through a lot, she can have this.
"The work isn't over," says the male druid from before to Trinity. The valkyrie looks over to him. "There's still darkness to cleanse. But it can't be understated how significant of a win it is to have banished the Dark Hunter. The remaining darkness already feels much less heavy."
The female druid continues, "Thanks to you and the many others who protected us while we were casting, and contributed to our power, the Dark Hunter is gone. I hope you excuse my sappiness to reprise your own words..." she moves over to Trinity and claps her hands onto her shoulders. "I am glad you are here."
Trinity smiles in response. The smile is subtly different from its usual. Her heart, strangely, feels heavier now, but at the same time, it feels like it's actually carrying the weight of her grief, rather than dragging it along and trying to pretend it isn't there.
For the Isle, its visitors, and its residents, especially Trinity... now is the time for healing.
-
Rachael Blackthorne
- Expert Adventurer
- The Professor
- Posts: 655
- Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:26 am
- Location: Current: Number 6 Willow Way, Canopy District, Gloaming. Former: a beach house in Arcadia.
Shadows of the October Moon: In Search Of Moss
Safe within the confines of the large tree house located at Number Six Willow Way, the Adult Council of the Blackthorne Household convened a meeting regarding the encroaching darkness on Twilight Isle and how to respond to the call for help from the Celestial Druids. After much discussion, the task decided upon was assigned to be performed by Mayflower Katz who would be accompanied by Rachael Blackthorne’s Familiars Moneypenny, Bond, and Cinder.
Mayflower, decked out in her customary clouded leopard fleece beanie, trotted along the borders of the Elemental Towers with her Feline Entourage close behind. The little yellow tabby kitten sniff sniff sniffed the air when she reached the first border between the Earth and Fire Towers. Her little yellow-furred tail went straight up, and she pointed her right front paw toward patches of red and green moss. “There it is!” she cried out.
Cinder, the large black Cat, kept watch on the group while the yellow tabby Cat’s tail twitched to gather in the moss samples and deposit them in the black silk-lined wooden boxes that Bond, the tuxedo Cat, brought with the gathering party.
The process was repeated in turn for the rest of the borders between the Elemental Towers. Once the task was fully completed, the Quartet returned to Number Six and presented the boxes to Rachael for later delivery to the Celestial Druids.
Mayflower, decked out in her customary clouded leopard fleece beanie, trotted along the borders of the Elemental Towers with her Feline Entourage close behind. The little yellow tabby kitten sniff sniff sniffed the air when she reached the first border between the Earth and Fire Towers. Her little yellow-furred tail went straight up, and she pointed her right front paw toward patches of red and green moss. “There it is!” she cried out.
Cinder, the large black Cat, kept watch on the group while the yellow tabby Cat’s tail twitched to gather in the moss samples and deposit them in the black silk-lined wooden boxes that Bond, the tuxedo Cat, brought with the gathering party.
The process was repeated in turn for the rest of the borders between the Elemental Towers. Once the task was fully completed, the Quartet returned to Number Six and presented the boxes to Rachael for later delivery to the Celestial Druids.
-
Rachael Blackthorne
- Expert Adventurer
- The Professor
- Posts: 655
- Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:26 am
- Location: Current: Number 6 Willow Way, Canopy District, Gloaming. Former: a beach house in Arcadia.
Re: Shadows of the October Moon: Of Resin, Stars, Twilight, And Shards
On the twenty-sixth of October, after a fine Saturday morning breakfast of ham, steak, bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, and biscuits prepared by Cook and Cook, Rachael Blackthorne gathered Mayflower, Moneypenny, Bond, and Cinder together to discuss the next round of gathering items to assist the Celestial Druids.
“I have already gathered the Essence of Twilight’s Threshold and the pure starlight that is required for the Banishment casting. They are in their proper containers,” Rachael related.
“An’ I helpeded with the starrys!” Mayflower piped up.
“Oui, you did indeed, petit.” The Mage Emeritus’ bare left hand’s fingers fondly scritched the little yellow tabby kitten under her yellow furred chin and the kitten purred happily.
“Cinder and I have a lead on the Leyline Shards, Mistress,” Bond stated confidently. Moneypenny pawed her brother’s red bow tie back in place.
“That we do, Mistress,” Cinder agreed. “They’re a bit spicy to sniff out, but we’ll do ‘er right proud.”
“Oui, very well.” She gave her Familiars fond scritches under their furry chins in turn and they purred contently.
“We shall be accompanying young Mistress Mayflower to seek out the Elemental Harmony Resin, Mistress,” the Nanny Cat primly stated.
Rachael’s scarred features showed deep concern. “The… Darkness is growing.” She looked down at Mayflower. “I ask a lot of you, petit. Will you be brave?”
The little yellow tabby kitten nodnodnodded and puffed out her tiny white furred chest. “Uh-huh! I gots to helps the nice nice Druids an’ makes things bright again!” The kitten received more fond chin scritches from her Gramma and she purred.
“Bonne.” Rachael turned her attention to her Familiars. “You know what to do, then.” She phrased it as a statement of fact.
“We’ll give ‘em what for if need be.” Cinder punctuated his statement with a bit of paw boxing in the air.
“That we will, Mistress,” Bond declared. Moneypenny nodded in agreement with her brothers.
“Very well. I will await your return.”
The Quartet trotted out of the tree house at Number Six Willow Way in the Gloaming and headed out to complete their assigned tasks. They returned, thankfully without incident, and presented two more boxes containing samples of the Resins and the Shards to the Mage Emeritus who then delivered the triplet of magical artifact-filled boxes to the Celestial Druids.
“I have already gathered the Essence of Twilight’s Threshold and the pure starlight that is required for the Banishment casting. They are in their proper containers,” Rachael related.
“An’ I helpeded with the starrys!” Mayflower piped up.
“Oui, you did indeed, petit.” The Mage Emeritus’ bare left hand’s fingers fondly scritched the little yellow tabby kitten under her yellow furred chin and the kitten purred happily.
“Cinder and I have a lead on the Leyline Shards, Mistress,” Bond stated confidently. Moneypenny pawed her brother’s red bow tie back in place.
“That we do, Mistress,” Cinder agreed. “They’re a bit spicy to sniff out, but we’ll do ‘er right proud.”
“Oui, very well.” She gave her Familiars fond scritches under their furry chins in turn and they purred contently.
“We shall be accompanying young Mistress Mayflower to seek out the Elemental Harmony Resin, Mistress,” the Nanny Cat primly stated.
Rachael’s scarred features showed deep concern. “The… Darkness is growing.” She looked down at Mayflower. “I ask a lot of you, petit. Will you be brave?”
The little yellow tabby kitten nodnodnodded and puffed out her tiny white furred chest. “Uh-huh! I gots to helps the nice nice Druids an’ makes things bright again!” The kitten received more fond chin scritches from her Gramma and she purred.
“Bonne.” Rachael turned her attention to her Familiars. “You know what to do, then.” She phrased it as a statement of fact.
“We’ll give ‘em what for if need be.” Cinder punctuated his statement with a bit of paw boxing in the air.
“That we will, Mistress,” Bond declared. Moneypenny nodded in agreement with her brothers.
“Very well. I will await your return.”
The Quartet trotted out of the tree house at Number Six Willow Way in the Gloaming and headed out to complete their assigned tasks. They returned, thankfully without incident, and presented two more boxes containing samples of the Resins and the Shards to the Mage Emeritus who then delivered the triplet of magical artifact-filled boxes to the Celestial Druids.
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