Ronove' - A Blue Queen [Ani/Zadi/KILL VIABLE]

Three paths came the trio's way. However, Zadi didn't get to think long about the choice due to Ani's genius. She had taken something from within the windmill that seemed to match a symbol representing one of the paths. However, Zadi still couldn't totally agree with taking such an 'obvious' path. Perhaps the symbol meant taking this path wasn't the proper choice? Either the symbol meant to take the matching path or the symbol warned of the matching path. Quite the dilemma but Ani seemed confident enough for Zadi to just follow her advice. That is, as long as Ani heard Zadi's side of the dilemma;

"Or the stone indicates which path NOT to take..."

Then again, Zadi didn't want to bog Ani's head with trivial thoughts. Zadi overthinks many simple decisions which is why he only wears simple clothing...sometimes. There are exceptions but the decision remains; Zadi spared Ani his mental strain and simply floated the trio over the floating rocks using Social Group Gravity Lift, Stage 2 at 5 m/s. Zadi continued to keep a watchful eye, even more so due to his Cautionary Sense. Zadi would respect Ani's decision and follow it.

100 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Slow Bro - 2 posts
Gravity Lift, Stage 2 - 2 posts
Spriggan's Aura - 4 posts
Nature's Focused Healing - 5 posts

Social Tech(s):

Profession Tech(s):

Zadi and Ani would continue to follow the make-shift path set up by the stones with purple runes on them, the floating rocks taking them in and out of several clouds as they moved. It would be slow going with Zadi’s cautionary speed, and no enemies seemed interested in them. As they continued, a lightning strike above the group would result in them hearing a loud squawk before an owl would fall, helpless onto a stone, fried by the lightning. It would be the first creature the trio would notice that was not immune to the magical nature of the dungeon. It would not take much longer for them to come to a large impasse, the stones leading them to the side of a cliff, with no seeming direction beyond it.

It would seem Zadi’s words about the stone had been correct, the path had led them to a dead end. The pair could choose to go back the way they had come and try another path or follow the side of the cliff in hopes of finding more clues.

OOC Note: Players will have 48 hours to respond. If within an electromagnetic field, all movement speed will be halved (this includes with the use of any mounts, biological or otherwise). If struck by lightning, the player will suffer disorientation for two posts (C-tier).

Looking around Ani felt as if something was wrong, and then looked to the cliff. It just didn't seem right that this was the end. "Well I believe we should follow along the cliff see if it leads us anywhere." She said nodding softly while patting Hoyo before seeing the bird wanting to help the creature.if it was still alive. "Zadi can you use clairvoyance on that bird?" She asked tilting her head slightly. If the bird was alive and harmless she would ask Zadi to float the bird with them, but if it wasn't harmless she would ask Zadi to float past it and continue to follow the side of the cliff.

A one-dimensional "dead end" hit the trio at the end of the path. Ani seemed to have the same gut feeling as Zadi; following the side of the cliff could prove effective rather than backtracking and causing more confusion.

"If there's a dead end, open it...neat concept."

Zadi liked the idea and kept it in mind, whether this situation proved effective or not. Anyway, the fallen owl looked obviously hurt, unlike the earlier harpy. This time the lightning strike was visible with proven injury. Granted, magic is tricky. Any visible trick is possible through the use of magic, and Zadi knew that as fact. Zadi may not see any trick being cast with magic, but Zadi just couldn't shake his Cautionary Sense. At this point, Zadi's Cautionary Sense could be compared to paranoia; the owl may be harmless to the group, "No worries Ani, the owl is harmless," but Zadi just couldn't trust the helpless owl. In fact, Zadi's Cautionary Sense may not trust Zadi's Cautionary Sense!

Circular logic aside, Zadi licked one of his fingers, gently swiped said finger across the owl's wound, ingested the "owl residue", and used Decipher. The spell would be used to figure out what made this owl special compared to the other creatures of this dungeon. There was a strangely normal crow at the beginning of the dungeon so perhaps this owl was strangely normal in the same way.

No matter the results, Zadi used Social Group Gravity Lift, Stage 1 to make up for the previous gravity magic. Zadi floated not only the trio but also the owl along the side of the cliff at 5 m/s. Whether Decipher wielded any decent results or not, Zadi would share said results with Ani as they floated along.

Meanwhile, Zadi also tried not to predict anything; all of Zadi's cautionary predictions within this area of the dungeon have come true thus far. The harpy was bait for an ambush and the stone Ani possessed indicated which path not to follow. Zadi would not kindle the fires of fate any longer! Granted, perhaps Zadi was just that great at playing a detective, tehehe.

90 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Slow Bro - 1 posts
Gravity Lift, Stage 2 - 1 posts
Spriggan's Aura - 3 posts
Nature's Focused Healing - 4 posts

Tech(s):

Zadi’s decipher spell would only show that the bird had at one point had a life outside of the dungeon and had someone been sucked into the other world, though it was unclear whether it had simply been unlucky and flown into the Gate or if it had, at one point, been a pet of another adventurer. The dungeon itself was foreign to the bird and it had nothing of note to reveal, the time the bird had spent in the dungeon occupied purely with trying to find a way out and failing.

The pair continued to search along the side of the cliff, hoping to find another way through rather than backtrack and try a different path with hopefully more promise. The edge of the cliff spanned in each direction with no seeming end in sight, but visibility was fairly low due to the clouds moving and shifting around, ready to strike out at any moment.

OOC Note: Players will have 48 hours to respond. If within an electromagnetic field, all movement speed will be halved (this includes with the use of any mounts, biological or otherwise). If struck by lightning, the player will suffer disorientation for two posts (C-tier).

As they traveled Ani figured that this was going nowhere so she sighed and pulled out the rune showing it to Zadi. "I wonder if this might help." She said lifting the stone into the air biting into her lower lip a bit. "If this does nothing let's go back, and take the blue path." She said waiting for a moment while rubbing Hoyo's head softly. If the stone didn't help them at all with going down this path Ani would have Zadi float them all the way back to the path selection and go back down the blue path. Maybe Zadi was right, and they weren't supposed to go down the purple path.

Zadi waited a couple minutes to see if Ani's purple stone did anything. If nothing happened, Zadi would sigh and take the trio plus owl back to the fork in the road and go down the blue path as Ani wished.

"I had a feeling the stone was strange. I should have told Ani what I thought rather than keep the thought to myself. Oh well, fate."

Again, only if the purple stone did nothing to aid in the groups travels would Zadi turn the group around. The blue path and yellow path didn't actually seem like much better choices to Zadi. After all, it made too much sense for the purple path to be the proper path, what with Ani's stone being purple, too. The owl Zadi floated along with them didn't seem to be conscious still. It wasn't dead but it certainly wasn't awake either.

90 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Slow Bro - 0 posts (usable next post)
Gravity Lift, Stage 2 - 0 posts (usable next post)
Spriggan's Aura - 2 posts
Nature's Focused Healing - 3 posts

Tech(s):

Ani’s stone remained inert, there was no magic in the stone to activate anything. As the group would head back towards the other path, the owl would wake up from its unconscious state, angry and disoriented, before pecking at Zadi and flying off.

The blue path would seem more stable, though the clouds hung much lower, making flying nearly impossible. As the group traversed, though, the clouds would slowly begin to lift and, in the distance, the image of a cave could clearly be seen carved into the side of the cliff. It would be up to the adventurers to decide if they wanted to explore the possibilities of the cave or to keep searching.

OOC Note: Players will have 48 hours to respond. If within an electromagnetic field, all movement speed will be halved (this includes with the use of any mounts, biological or otherwise). If struck by lightning, the player will suffer disorientation for two posts (C-tier).

Seeing the new path and where it led made Ani only more anxious about what was to come. She wasn't sure if this cave was the best decision, but she knew for sure that there was always a possibility of this being the right place for them to travel through. "We should check out this cave, it might hold something useful." She said nodding softly as she turned to the cave hoping that Zadi would agree with her on this. If he indeed held no objections she would enter the cave in hopes that they would soon find their way to the next area.

Zadi was pecked a few times by the suddenly conscious owl. This annoyed Zadi almost to no end. Zadi had a patience threshold and the owl almost crossed it, similar to the wolves earlier. Anyway, with the plotless owl gone, Zadi focused his attention to Ani and her words. The blue path seemed to yield much better results than the oddly incorrect purple path. However, Zadi's patience threshold was cooling down so anything easy to decide is very welcome at this point. Zadi didn't sustain the gravity spell as there was no need for it. The gravity was stable enough to walk again, not to mention Ani and Hoyo's healed wounds.

"Alright, cave it is, but no more floating. We were lucky nothing attacked while you and Hoyo were injured. Couldn't have sustained the floating spell otherwise."

Zadi walked into the cave with Ani in hopes of finding something of worth somewhere along the path. Perhaps an exit towards the next area? Or perhaps another dead end...only time could tell. Hopefully Zadi's Cautionary Sense would help, but only if necessary.

90 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Spriggan's Aura - 1 posts
Nature's Focused Healing - 2 posts

As Ani, Zadi, and Hoyo would enter the cave, they would find an area ten meters across with only a single creature inside. Zadi’s Cautionary Sense would immediately alert him to the fact that the creature was not friendly and would not allow them to pass beyond him, where an exit led to the next area of the cave. The creature showed intelligence in its eyes and bore a resemblance to the Young Harpy the group had encountered before, though apparently older and better equipped to handle the task of invaders to the dungeon.

The Mature Harpy was immediately alert upon the entry of the trio and would waste no time with pleasantries, releasing a Shocking Wave towards the trio. It had no desire to toy with the non-native adventurers, its only goal was to cease their progression.


Combat Details:
Mature Harpy: 10 meters from the group, using Shocking Wave.

Mature Harpy:

OOC Note: Players will have 48 hours to respond. If within an electromagnetic field, all movement speed will be halved (this includes with the use of any mounts, biological or otherwise). If struck by lightning, the player will suffer disorientation for two posts (C-tier).

The cave ended up leading somewhere after all! However, being a cave within a dungeon meant an enemy was bound to rear its ugly head; a larger harpy seemed to guard this area, triggering Zadi's Cautionary Sense. Zadi's memory of the other harpies allowed him to deduce the large harpy's general actions. It would attack the trio, but being alone meant using an efficient attack to cover more targets, such as an Area of Effect ability. The other harpies had AoEs to use and therefore this harpy must have something similar. Without thinking twice, Zadi formed a plan of action to get the trio out of harms way.

Zadi used a single Flash Step to move in front of Ani/Hoyo and then used Horror's Soul to clash against the harpy's Shocking Wave. With Horror's Soul AoE-like, the two abilities ought to clash leaving not only Zadi unharmed but also Ani and Hoyo safe. However, Zadi's scheme wasn't done yet. Zadi strained to say "Run!" in hopes Ani would follow Zadi's lead and try to reach the exit on the other side. This harpy was just too strong and therefore required just too much magoi/stamina to finish off.

Anyway, Zadi strained to say "Run!" because he was pushing off his other foot in order to continued using Flash Steps. He tried not to use the next step until his one-word speech was completed. After yelling "Run!" Zadi continued onward with 3 more Flash Steps while raising his sword above his head, flexing his measly muscles, activating Savage Ruby's ability, yelling "RAAAAAAAGH!!!" and finally swinging down with Rukh Slayer in an attempt to brazenly attack the large harpy's left wing with A+C-tier basic damage. Zadi made sure to put his wand away in order to focus on being a warrior rather than a magician. After that initial strike, Zadi yelled "RAAAAAGH!!!" again while moving from side to side using 4 final Flash Steps. He also added in a full-power strike per sidestep in order to distract the harpy further.

Zadi hoped to distract the harpy while Ani ran or dashes in whatever direction she chooses. As long as Ani and Hoyo's destination was the exit of the cave, Zadi would be fine with Ani's direction. In this case, either direction around the harpy made just as much sense as another direction. On one side, Zadi acted at a meat shield while on the other, Zadi acted as eye-candy to lure the harpy's focus. If Zadi didn't die, he would then attempt to follow behind Ani. If this didn't work out, Ani would have to step in and save the day.

Unfortunately, throughout the entirety of Zadi's actions, he was having trouble moving and seeing. His magoi and stamina had far too depleted so he moved half as fast with bleeding eyes obscuring his vision. Zadi was able to see the harpy and the exit, but he wouldn't be able to see Ani.

20 magoi/stamina [halved movement speed, eyes bleeding]
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Spriggan's Aura - 0 posts ("usable" next post)
Nature's Focused Healing - 1 post

Tech(s):

Item(s):

Seeing Zadi going into action surprised her a bit as she wanted to help out her partner. She soon figured what Zafi was wanting to .Ani thought it was risky. Though she understood the value of it and soon enough began running for two meters before she picked up Hoyo and used a summer breeze to propel herself and Hoyo passed the harpy. When Zadi was attacking she watched not sure what to do. She then climbed atop of Hoyo to get ready to escape. As Hoyo began to run towards the exit Ani let out a ghastly howl directly aimed at the harpy to try and hurt it. She fired to make sure that it wouldn't hurt Zadi.

Ani felt slightly bad, but she was turned to watch the fight to make sure that Zadi was okay. If needed too Ani would plan to run back and save her companion from dying. After all Ani isn't to sure how'd she feel about herself if she were to leave a person behind to their death What kind of leader would that make her? For now she was choosing to believe in her partner, but she was ready to move if the time were to come.

70/200 magoi

Abilities used:

Zadi’s Horror Soul effectively stopped the progression of the Shocking Wave, protecting the entire group from the devastating effects. When he reached out to lash with his sword while activating the effect on his Ruler Gem, the Mature Harpy reached up with its claws to intercept the blade, keeping itself from harm, though its talon was now bleeding. It did the same with his next swing, both of its talons now dripping with blood but otherwise leaving the Harpy unharmed. This did give Ani the opportunity to dash beyond the Harpy, though her spell would only move her at the increased speed, Hoyo would have to make the movement on his own.

Ani’s Ghastly Howl would come as somewhat of a surprise to the Harpy, as it had been too busy dealing with Zadi to notice her movement beyond him. Unfortunately, Ani did not consider that in the small confines of the cave, and her being on the other side of the Harpy and Zadi, her spell would also hit her companion as well. The Mature Harpy gave a cry of pain, flipping in the air to glare at Ani, diving towards the Imuchakk woman and pecking at her face. This would give Zadi a small chance to recover, though he would be moving much more slowly and his vision would be obscured by blood, it did take the focus off of him.


Combat Details:
Mature Harpy: Blocks the basic attacks from Zadi using basic attacks, taking only C-tier damage to each of its claws, for a total of B-tier damage. C-tier damage from Ghastly Howl, for a total damage accumulated of B and C tier. (requires one more C-tier damage to take down). Basic attack to Ani (A-tier)

Zadi: C-tier damage from Ani’s Ghastly Howl.

Mature Harpy:

OOC Note: Players will have 48 hours to respond. If within an electromagnetic field, all movement speed will be halved (this includes with the use of any mounts, biological or otherwise). If struck by lightning, the player will suffer disorientation for two posts (C-tier).

As Ani saw the harpy attacking at her she gulped slightly and sustained her ghastly howl firing it at the harpy as it got close to her. She thought this was the best she could do at the moment, since she was mostly focusing on distracting the harpy. Right now getting all three of them out of this battle was the most important thing. Ani stared down the harpy as she was attacking hoping that Zadi would be able to recover from the condition he was in at the moment. All the while Hoyo was standing there ready to help out if it was needed of him.

Magoi: 60/200

Ability used:

Zadi's attack seemed to nick the harpy twice, causing a good chunk of damage. However, the harpy being large meant the harpy was tough. A couple slashes didn't do the trick. However, Zadi was low on energy and therefore didn't know if he could do much else and just let Ani and Hoyo get far enough away. Zadi was alright with death, as long as it was glorious! Granted, this state of mind never occurred to Zadi. He'd died twice during combat, but both times weren't all that "glorious" and so the thought of death never crossed his mind. Before his second death, Zadi was admittedly arrogant and unwilling to admit his fondness of "glory". He thought the idea of glory was for the foolhardy, yet Zadi didn't realize that he, too, was foolhardy. A hypocrite if there ever was one.

Anyway, knowing now that he found enthusiasm beyond dungeoneering uplifted Zadi. That is, until Ani distracted the harpy. Zadi was hit by this distraction but it helped the foolhardy Zadi come to his senses. He was about to let himself die for someone he'd only just met! Finally realizing his error in judgement allowed Zadi to pull out his Potion of Rejuvenation and drink it with one, painful gulp. Zadi could feel his energy restore quickly. Hopefully the harpy hasn't killed Ani or Hoyo yet because Zadi wanted his revenge! The harpy forced Zadi into a stupid frenzy and Zadi wanted to make up for said stupidity. If Ani didn't finish off the harpy, then Zadi would sustain Horror's Soul towards the harpy, run towards the harpy, not yell this time, and attempt to stab the harpy repeatedly using the power of Rukh Slayer's Savage Ruby for A+C-tier damage until is was dead. Zadi's original plan to run wasn't all that feasible anymore. The harpy now blocked the way, not to mention Zadi's revenge.

160 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Nature's Focused Healing - 0 post (usable next post)
Flash Steps - 4 posts

Tech(s):

Item(s):

The Mature Harpy kept an eye on Ani as it approached her and, after having felt the effects of her previous attack was prepared as she went to use Ghastly Howl again. It responded by quickly wrapping its wings tightly around itself, using Mature Shield to protect it from harm. Consequently, this also protected it from Zadi’s Horror Soul, though Zadi would, once again, feel the effects of Ani carelessly using spells within the vicinity of her partner, the magician taking another blast from the Sound Magic. Ani would not be lucky enough to be shielded from Zadi's spell, though.

The tight shield of its wings would protect the harpy from the first of Zadi’s strikes, but not the repeated infliction of damage, its wings finally deteriorating and leaving it without a shield so that Zadi could finish it off. The path was now clear.

With the Harpy now bleeding out on the floor, Ani would be suffering the effects of Zadi's spell while Zadi would be suffering the damage from his partner, as well. If they decided to press on, they would find the path of the cave led them to a small room, similar to that of the Windmill. In the center of the room was a small table with another small rune on it, this one a twin to the first Ani had received, a small purple lightning bolt on it. The significance of the stones had still not revealed themselves, but what was quite obvious was the door on the other side of the table.

The pair would each need to place one of their hands on the door to unlock it.


Combat Details:
Mature Harpy: Blocks the attacks from Ani and Zadi using Mature Shield, dies to Zadi's repeated strikes with his blade (deceased)

Zadi: B-tier damage from Ani’s Ghastly Howl.  (Now a total of A-tier damage to Zadi due to the effects of Savage Ruby increasing amount of damage taken) - Possibly hit self with Horror's Soul (Room is 10m in diameter, spell is 25x25x25)

Ani: Suffering from Zadi's Horror Soul

Mature Harpy:

OOC Note: Players will have 48 hours to respond. If within an electromagnetic field, all movement speed will be halved (this includes with the use of any mounts, biological or otherwise). If struck by lightning, the player will suffer disorientation for two posts (C-tier).

Things went well enough for the trio, or at least Zadi thought so. Zadi was barely able to finish off the harpy with his wounds, but managed in the end. He healed himself using Nature's Focused Healing. If Zadi hadn't directed Horror's Soul to stop creating itself, Zadi would have been hit by his own spell and that wouldn't have been pleasant. With Ani and Hoyo out of commission for the time being, Zadi let the healing process take its time and simply sat down, talking to the immobile Ani and Hoyo.

"Finally some time to relax. Sorry for forcing this on you, but at the pace we are going, we WILL die. So, just relax as best you can. The nightmares created by Horror's Soul aren't pleasant, but you will come out of them with a better grasp of 'fear' to say the least. Once I'm healed, I'll float us into the next area."

The fight with the harpy in such a confined space put things in perspective for Zadi. Zadi too advantage of Ani and Hoyo's immobilization in order to give himself and them some much needed rest for a little bit. Hopefully they won't be too upset with the cheeky magician...

"I'll wait to thank her later. If it wasn't for her, I would probably be dead, hahaha!"

140 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Flash Steps - 3 posts
Horror's Soul - 6 posts

Tech(s):

Luckily everyone was safe, Ani thought to herself as she laid on the ground slightly in pain. She layed there listening to Zadi as her mind was attacked with nightmares of her own beast being brutally murdered and tortured infront of her very own eyes. After Dantalion she was able to figure out this was fake, but it was still painful and she couldn't move. She couldn't say anything, but she gave Zadi a pained smile telling him that it was alright. It had been a reckless fight, but Ani did what she had to, and so did Zadi. She was just happy that they were able to defeat the harpy together, and they would get to continue onwards together.

"Phew...feeling better already, but we shouldn't move until you and Hoyo can move. Too dangerous otherwise, not to mention the disorientation you'll feel after the nightmares wear off. Hang in there, Queen, patience is a virtue after all."

Zadi tried to pass the time by chatting away the clock. Horror's Soul was quite good at immobilizing foes when necessary, not to mention allies. Ani seemed fine with Zadi's business, but Hoyo may tell a different story once mobile again.

"Just a few more minutes and you two'll be walking again. Again, sorry for the nightmares..."

140 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Flash Steps - 2 posts
Horror's Soul - 5 posts
Nature's Focused Healing - 6 posts

Hoyo was curled up next to Ani snuggling into her while shivering slightly from his own nightmares. He could tell his trainer, his mother was fine so he just tried to keep close and show her he was there. Ani was tearing a bit from nightmares as she tried to speak back to Zadi only letting out soft groan. She was trying to tell him that she was fine, and it was okay. She understood that they needed the rest and was somewhat appreciative of it. Though while Ani was going through the nightmares they made her feel a little stronger as she tried to deal with them in her mind..

Zadi was now fully healed up, but he kept silent about that fact. After all, even if Ani and Hoyo could be floated along, who knows what lay in wait for them. Waiting for the immobility to wear of is best in this case, or at least Zadi thought so. From what Zadi has noticed, Hoyo uses melee combat to get things done while Ani uses magic. However, Ani doesn't actively use magic like Zadi does so perhaps she only uses magic tools. No way to know for sure unless Zadi snooped around for a wand.

"I'll try considering Ani and Hoyo in our upcoming battles. Going in without consideration of Ani's power is stupid and I've been doing so until now! I kinda deserve all that has happened to me in this dungeon, don't I?"

140 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Flash Steps - 1 posts
Horror's Soul - 4 posts
Nature's Focused Healing - 5 posts

As the nightmares went on Ani layed there in thought. She could feel Hoyo closing his eyes and curling up a bit next to her from his nightmares. As time went by the nightmares became a little less intense, but still painful to the young Imuchakk. She figured that it would end soon enough, but was still surprised at the length of this magic. She'd ever dealt with something like this before, and it gave her the insight that she should try to get a magical item that could combat things like this, or get something that had similar properties. It seemed extremely useful in her eyes.

"Almost done. Just another minute and those two will be mobile again. Perhaps I should consider lowering the length of Horror's Soul. Quite the powerful spell to begin with, but with the long immobilization period, I'd probably be able to finish off a target four times, hahaha!"

The trio continued to sit in silence and everything went by. The immobilization wouldn't last much longer so the relaxation would have to come to an end soon, too. Zadi got up from his sitting position and began to stretch a little. The healing was well done at this point, but muscles needed to be stretch in order to retain their strength. Anyway, Zadi stretched and waited for Ani and Hoyo's immobilization to wear off.

140 magoi/stamina
Borg Destroyed

Cooldown(s);
Flash Steps - 0 posts
Horror's Soul - 3 posts
Nature's Focused Healing - 4 posts

Ani let out a soft groan as she finally able to speak after all those horrifying nightmares. She laid there for a moment before looking up at Zadi with Hoyo who was flicking his tongue out at the moment. She stared at Zadi for a moment before breaking the silence. "Do you use that on all the girls?" Ani said before chuckling softly making a joke to ease the situation a bit now that it was time for them to move once again. She felt a bit dizzy as she let out another soft groan looking up at Zadi. "Let's get going to the next area, we've rested for enough by now." She said giving her partner a confirming smile.