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    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Lemony.Boy
    Lemony.Boy

    Player 
    Lineage : Brute of Fiore
    Position : None
    Posts : 189
    Guild : Errings Rising
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 10,343

    Character Sheet
    First Skill:
    Second Skill:
    Third Skill:

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Lemony.Boy 28th May 2019, 9:13 pm

    Job Description::






    What are the odds, thought Zachariah, two trips to the Silent Glaciers...same damn cave.  He bitterly showed his passport and ticket to the conductor and hopped on the train.  Although this mission was quite different than the last one-he wasn’t escorting any old ladies this time-he still detested being out on the tundra.  Though, this time he had a partner who would accompany him on the job.  A woman named ‘Venus Rigel’ would be joining him today, and while he’d never formally met her, he’d definitely heard her name more than once in the Sabertooth guild hall.  Travelling alone was a task he was accustomed to, but even the tundras were too desolate to traverse by oneself.  He came better prepared for the snow this time, wearing a long white parka that reached above his ankles, lined with fur at the collar and stamped on the chest with the Sabertooth insignia.  Unlike his other jacket, it had no collar to mask his scars, but he was gradually becoming less conscious about them.  The train ride felt infinite and more rickety than the last time he rode to the Silent Glaciers and every time he closed his eyes felt like he was free-falling.  Though, it was nice for him to get a job after the break.  He had returned from a training trip with a fellow guild mate only a few days ago, and already felt much stronger than before.

    Zachariah arrived at a different station this time, but still somewhat far from the infamous Cave of the Hitodama.  The quest required that he couldn’t even touch the moss with his bare hands, let alone breathe it in.  So, he picked up two face-masks and gloves, both for protection and to help keep warm.  In the deep pockets of his parka were also a pair of small glass jars to store the moss in for the trip back.  Again, the familiar sun was bright in the morning sky, but was not warm in the chilling tundra, where snow blew across the terrain like ocean waves.  Even with the mask on, the frosty air stung his nose and cheeks, causing them to flush red from rushing blood. Luckily, the train station had a small shack with a fireplace inside.  While he waited for his partner to arrive, Zachariah ignited the wood and sat on a stool by the flames.  He’d never been a fan of the ice or snow, not even when he was younger and trained in the mountains.  Though, he could appreciate the nightly auroras that accompanied these places.  Everything in the station was quiet, except for the white noise of the breeze and the crackling firewood.  While he waited for the arrival of his partner, he huddled by the faintly warm fires and rested his head for a few minutes.

    [WC: 472/2500]
    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Fraag 30th May 2019, 10:31 am

    Venus grimaced once more while she looked at the mission requirements, feeling not a bit displeased that she had to embark on such a mission as this. As matters stood, she felt that missions such as this, that involved merely going to get some stuff, which were more likely suited to a botanist or naturalist, were not her type. And yet, most unfortunately, she had been forced, she chose to believe, by the evil taskmaster known as money. Truth was, the Demon Slayer wasn't at all frivolous in her spending, and yet no matter how frugal one was, expenses had to be incurred, unless you were a spirit, or you were capable of a lot of self-sustaining abilities, photosynthesis being one of them.

    With a sigh, the Sabertooth mage folded the paper in her hand and put it into the pocket of her anorak. While already having arrived at the Silent Glaciers, Venus was still presently in an inn, the one she had found at the edge of whatever scanty activity could be called civilization in these parts. Fortunately, she knew where the train stations which led to, and away from, the region of the caves of the evil moss were located. Rising to her feet, for she had been sitting on her bed all along, Venus focused her mental energies, unwilling to make her partner wait for her too long.

    Oh yes, she was going to have a partner for this quest. A guild member, no less. He was the first person she was going to work with from Sabertooth, and frankly, Venus was eager to meet him. A part of her hoped he would be pleasing on the eyes, but the Demon Slayer decided that what was most important was that he had the right morals and a good heart. Still a nice smile had its benefits, especially in weather such as this.

    Silently, a rectangular portal cracked open before her, appearing as an apparently opaque film hanging in mid-air. She stepped into it, feeling the change in media that existed on either side of the portal. As always, the Abyss was strange. As soon as she had entered, she had lost all sense of direction and bearing, so she walked for a few seconds, then willed an exit portal. As matters stood, she could easily just have stepped in, willed an exit portal, and stepped out, but that wouldn't feel like  she did any traveling. As the portal formed, Venus noted how translucent the door was. Someone staring from outside the Abyss would simply see a rectangular sheet of space distortion hanging in the air. Someone within would see the real world, as through a rectangular door made of tinted glass. The Demon Slayer stepped through the portal silently and looked around.

    The station was empty, save for a figure huddled close to the fire who seemed to be asleep. Walking over to him as quietly as she could afford, Venus leaned forward and said suddenly but gently, "boo!"


    WC: 505 words


    Last edited by Fraag on 7th June 2019, 10:33 am; edited 1 time in total


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Lemony.Boy
    Lemony.Boy

    Player 
    Lineage : Brute of Fiore
    Position : None
    Posts : 189
    Guild : Errings Rising
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 10,343

    Character Sheet
    First Skill:
    Second Skill:
    Third Skill:

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Lemony.Boy 6th June 2019, 12:30 pm

    Zachariah had somewhat of a delayed response, jumping to his feet moments after noticing the Demon Slayer behind him, a testament to his tired state.  In his miniscule rest, he had forgotten where he was and frowned to feel the icy atmosphere around him once again.  He was surprised to see Venus behind him so soon and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t still asleep.  “Hello,” he said with a cough.  “I assume you must be Venus?”  He made himself a bit more presentable, lowering his hood and ruffling his hair back into place with his hand.  He straightened out his coat, too and weakly smiled.  “I’m Zachariah, but my friends call me, uh, Zach,” he greeted.

    The light mage had never really worked on missions with other people before, but he figured it couldn’t be too difficult to cooperate with someone else.  Behind him, the fire still burned, though they were only simmering embers now.  He glanced outside, gauging the weather and time they had before the next blizzard.  As of right now, everything was clear, except for some snowy dust-clouds billowing over the tundra.  In the distance, he could see grey clouds accumulating in the sky and figured they had plenty of time to get to the cave, find the moss and retrieve it, and make it back to civilization in one piece.

    “Have you ever been to the Cave of the Hitodama before?” he asked.  The last time he visited was to escort an old woman and guard her from angry spirits.  It wasn’t the most pleasant experience in the world.  He was sure the cave was safer now that the spirits were at rest, but the thought of returning still made him uneasy.  The blinding white sun gleamed across his face, brightening his eyes and highlighting the scars on his cheek and neck when he stepped outside.  He snapped his fingers and summoned the Starlight Surfer at his side.  The orange surfboard-shaped tablet appeared in a flash and levitated above the ground.  “It’s only a short ride from here, unless you’ve got a faster mode of travel.”

    [WC: 825/2500 (353)]
    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Fraag 7th June 2019, 10:28 am

    Venus grinned brightly as Zach introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Zach," she replied cheerfully. "And yes, your assumption is correct. I'm Venus, or Vee, or whatever you'd prefer, as long as it isn't an insult." From her observation, Zach didn't seem like the noisy, or extroverted type, though he was pleasant enough. It was such a pity that too often, introverts were considered antisocial simply because they weren't as willing to flap their gums as the next fellow. Venus, for her part, had realized that putting on a facade of garrulousness tended to keep the socialization nazis away. And it made interacting with other introverts easier.

    As her colleague stepped out into the sun, Venus noted the scars on his neck but didn't bother to say anything, as she felt it immature to comment on the first thing that one noticed. She squinted at the brightness of the snow gleam, although it wasn't inconveniencing in the least, being a light mage and all that. The Demon Slayer turned to look at Zach as he asked whether she had been to a particular cave.

    "Cave of the Hitodama? Can't say I've even so much as heard of it," came the reply. "Boy does the name sound like a tourist hotspot." Of course, she was being ironic. 'Hitodama' referred to the disembodied soul of a dead person, in Midian parlance. There was nothing fun about the dead coming back to the world of the living. Still, the mission had been about collecting some kind of killer moss, and Venus didn't get any memo that mentioned having to deal with revenants while practicing the horror version of Botany 101.

    "Oooh, your mode of travel looks prettier," Venus replied to her fellow Sabertooth mage's latest question. "Mine might be faster, although that's still up for debate, and it is... unpleasant, so to speak. Besides, shiny is always good, yes?" She walked up to the orange floating construct and touched it. Immediately she sensed it was light magic, thanks to her own affinity to the element. So Zach was a light mage as well. That made three common features shared by the two mages: similar hair color, same guild, and similar magic. The Demon Slayer gave a pleased, melodic laugh. "Light magic, right? One would think we were siblings. So how do we use this?"


    WC: 392 words
    Total: 897/2500


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Lemony.Boy
    Lemony.Boy

    Player 
    Lineage : Brute of Fiore
    Position : None
    Posts : 189
    Guild : Errings Rising
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 10,343

    Character Sheet
    First Skill:
    Second Skill:
    Third Skill:

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Lemony.Boy 11th June 2019, 6:31 pm

    Venus commented on the cave, and Zachariah was almost glad she didn’t know about it, as it was quite the frightening place.  The title made it seem like some sort of haunted tourist spot.  If Zach hadn’t known any better, he would’ve thought so too.  But, his last trip only confirmed his suspicions about the cave.  After all, he’d actually helped put the souls back to rest in the cave.  He chuckled along, carrying on the overall polite conversation.  “I don’t think it would have much success as a tourist spot,” he joked.  “Unless you want to be possessed by a ghost or eaten by a wolf.  I would know, both of those things almost happened to me.”

    Zachariah froze up briefly at her remark about them being remotely related.  He took a better look at Venus, gradually noticing their similarities.  The uncanny resemblance was alarming, but there was no way they could be related.  Though, her comment about them possibly being siblings would not leave his head.  Zachariah half-heartedly laughed and joked, “That’s funny, butttttt I don’t think it’s likely.  My parents died when I was very young,” after a pause, he awkwardly continued, “and yes...I do use light magic, in a way.”

    He counted himself lucky that Venus had a friendly spirit, too.  He didn’t know how long he could last if his partner turned out to be anything but.  As far as he could tell, she was playful and quite lighthearted if anything; qualities he found easy to get along with.  She’d also given him a nickname to call her by, but Zachariah wasn’t big on nicknames.  As kind as she was, he didn’t know her that well yet, having only met a few minutes ago.  She made a remark about his magic too, and touched the Starlight Surfer.  It would be warm to the touch and hard like crystal.  When poked, the board would wobble but remain generally unaffected.

    Zachariah hopped on and offered a hand for Venus to follow.  “It’s fairly simple, actually.  Kind of like a magic carpet, but faster,” he explained.  “I hope you don’t get motion sick easily.”

    [WC: 1182/2500 (257)]
    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Fraag 14th June 2019, 9:09 am

    It was as Venus had expected; the Cave of the Hitodama certainly wasn't a place one would love to spend some downtime. Of course, the possibility of being possessed by a vengeful ghost in a place named after the spirits of the dead was more or less expected, but wolves? That, in Venus' opinion was rather creepy, seeing as animals tended to be less obtuse than humans as far as matters of perception were concerned. With the presence of malicious ghosts about, wouldn't the wolves feel less comfortable in such a place? Then again, maybe it wasn't so out-of place, as she had heard cases in which a malevolent supernatural entity took up residence in a place, and turned the life there into crazed murdering meat bags. The mission detail had said nothing about wolves, but then again, it wasn't strange for people to be dubious when putting up missions.

    Zach seemed to wonder for a moment when Venus quipped about the two of them being siblings. Of course, he considered such a thing unlikely. While the Ascendant Demon Slayer was simply jesting about the possibility of a shared ancestry, she felt a bit bad that her statement had caused Zach to turn towards less happy thoughts, unless his parents' deaths at such a young age had had no negative effect on him, which was highly unlikely. "I'm sorry about your parents," she said, as Zach hopped onto the board. Another similarity. Both of Venus' parents were dead as well... or not. She was certain her mother was dead. Of her father, she could not be so sure. But now wasn't the time to think of such things.

    Venus watched as her partner hopped onto the board. It had felt sturdy when she had touched it, so at least she had a bit of faith in the material's ability to carry the weight of the two mages combined. Taking Zach's hand, she emulated his method of boarding the construct, though hers was a more dainty version. Nevertheless, a perceptive person would note that her movements were those of someone in top physical form. Once aboard, positioned behind Zach, Venus didn't bother to cling to him, sure that she would be able to maintain her balance on the construct, unless it was trying to throw her off. "Never used a flying carpet, though I've seen a few," she said, remembering the days she had spent in Desierto. She was glad those days were behind her, although there was the nagging feeling that she would find herself in the sands again, and not in too distant a future.

    "I think I'm immune to motion-sickness," the girl said with a grin, "having spent much of my formative years on constantly moving vehicles. Let's be off, then!"


    WC: 464 words
    Total: 1361/2500


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Lemony.Boy
    Lemony.Boy

    Player 
    Lineage : Brute of Fiore
    Position : None
    Posts : 189
    Guild : Errings Rising
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 10,343

    Character Sheet
    First Skill:
    Second Skill:
    Third Skill:

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Lemony.Boy 17th June 2019, 11:29 pm


    His parents’ absence throughout his life wasn’t the most joyous thought, but it had happened such a long time ago that the pain was nearly unimaginable.  Sometimes he wondered if they were really even dead, or if they had just left him behind altogether.  All he remembered was coming home one day to an empty house and asking everyone else in the village to no avail.  Since become a mage, he’d retired the thought of ever seeing them again.  As far as he was concerned, they were as good as dead.  After bringing it up, Venus gave Zach her condolences, which was the usual response when he talked about it.  He merely brushed it off as a common courtesy, “It’s alright.  I barely knew them anyways.”

    Zachariah accepted Venus’s hand and hoisted her up onto the board.  Luckily, she wasn’t easily made motion sick.  The board would be able to support the two of them easily and he sometimes pushed the limits on how much the thing could carry with the weight of his travelling luggage.  “Alright,” he said, and tapped his foot twice.  “We’re off.”  The board lightened under his feet and flew across the snow, leaving a misty trail of glowing photons in its wake.  Wind blasted his face and blew underneath his coat, making it billow like a sail.  Though it was a fairly straight path, Zachariah nearly forgot he had another person on board and had to stop himself from doing tricks on the Starlight Surfer.  It was a smooth trip, save for the wind, quite short too.  From the station to the cave was no more than five minutes by this method of travel.  They chased the horizon, eyes searching for the cave until they came across a familiar ridge.  Zachariah gradually decreased his speed as they neared the infamous Cave of the Hitodama.  Surfing over such a blank landscape gave him flashbacks of Desierto as well, a place he’s glad he’ll probably never go back to.

    Eventually, the two fluttered to a complete stop, where Zachariah hopped off and held his hand out for Venus to come down as well.  He stood at the entrance to the icy cave and took a deep breath.  “Here we are...the Cave of the Hitodama.  I hate this place,” he said halfheartedly.  With a quick flex of his fingers, he cast some light into the cave and saw that it was mostly empty.  “Everything looks secure from here.”

    [WC: 1593/2500 (411)]
    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Fraag 19th June 2019, 5:42 am

    Venus was sure that, being the creator and owner of the glowing board of light, Zach probably could control it with his mind. So she left all the troubles of steering the unorthodox vehicle to him, while she spent most of her time during the ride looking for something of interest across the expanse of the vast snowy wastes. Of course, she was disappointed, although that didn't surprise her. The Silent Glaciers were relatively devoid of life, as compared to many other places in Fiore. Idly, she wondered about the details of the mission, and not for the last time. What had been responsible for the disappearances of those sent to the Hitodama Cave? Perhaps there was some beast or specter within that preyed on the living. Venus decided to go with ghost. The cave was named after the souls of the dead, after all. The idea that some poisonous moss was responsible for the disappearances was... absurd.

    As the board flew, Venus saw a landform, a ridge up ahead, jutting up from the snow-buried scape like some protruded vertebrate of some gargantuan ice monster submerged in the snow. Soon the hoverboard began slowing down, leading Venus to realize that the mages had most likely reached the end of their journey. And in good time too. While Venus' clothes were thick enough to keep her comfortable, the starkness of the region was getting to her. A snow clad area could be beautiful, but eventually, too much white had gotten her tired of it. She would rather have a tropical island with the vibrant colors of its flora and fauna any day. Of course, some argued that such warmer climes had many dangerous creatures with their toxins, fangs and claws, but that argument was moot. Frostbite and hypothermia were just as dangerous, if not more so than snake venom, and polar bears weren't as cuddly as they looked.

    Taking Zach's hand, the Demon Slayer got down from the board and looked at the darkened interior of the cave. She could see part of the reason for her teammate's professed hatred of the place. It looked so cold and uninviting. As Zach illuminated the cave, Venus thought she saw something scuttle into a crack. "Something moved..." she said, pulling out Altair, her firearm. "White, and I think it was furry or something. Does this place have furry bugs?" That would be most unfortunate, if it did, because Venus wasn't a fan of a number of insects. In any case, hopefully, they wouldn't be nothing she couldn't step on.

    The cave interior was silent as the Demon Slayer stepped in. The howling wind outside was almost muted, which was an interesting thing of note. She held up her free hand, a ball of light appearing over her palm and glowing brightly. The more the light, the better. As Venus took a few steps into the cave, there was the sound of a crack above her, and she was showered with ice. Fortunately, she managed to spring aside in time, though a falling icicle shredded the sleeve of her jacket. "Well, that was dangerous," she said, exhaling in relief. "Look out for falling ice, Zach... oh, but I guess you'd know. You've been here before."


    WC: 542
    Total: 1903/2500


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Lemony.Boy
    Lemony.Boy

    Player 
    Lineage : Brute of Fiore
    Position : None
    Posts : 189
    Guild : Errings Rising
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 10,343

    Character Sheet
    First Skill:
    Second Skill:
    Third Skill:

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Lemony.Boy 23rd June 2019, 6:11 pm

    How any botanical life could survive out on the Silent Glaciers was beyond Zachariah.  In his experience gardening, snow was anything but ideal.  The idea that moss thrived in a place like this both fascinated and frustrated him, especially in this dense ice cave.  Though, odd enough, he never noticed anything growing during his last visit to the cave.  Perhaps there were multiple paths throughout the cavern, but he didn’t remember any distinct entrances or other exits.  Zach assisted Venus to secure ground and squinted down the cave.  Something unusual was scurrying inside.  He assumed there were more frost weasels, but the shape and size of the creature were unfamiliar.  Venus had noticed it too and asked him if there were any insects inside the cave.  “Not that I know of,” he answered earnestly.  “Maybe some frost weasels or small game seeking shelter from the wind, but I don’t think there are any ‘furry bugs’ here.”  Zachariah proceeded to brighten the cave a bit more and saw the creatures once more.  The Yeti crabs were larger than any shellfish he’d seen before, and certainly more threatening.  “On second thought, didn’t the assignment say there would be crabs?”

    Without thinking, he threw several Prismatic Darts its way.  The neon colored stakes cracked through its shell and immobilized it, but only revealed several more in the cracks behind it.  The rest scuttled away, but Zachariah had a feeling they would be back to bother them later.  Zachariah cautiously followed Venus inside, watching her back as they entered.  She cast her own light as well, and Zachariah decreased his to conserve magic power.  It was surreal to him, honestly, to see another person with somewhat similar magic.  What a small world, he thought.

    The wind outside raged more as time progressed, but at least they had some semblance of shelter.  The icy walls weren’t ideal, but Zachariah found it easier to stay warm without wind constantly sapping his strength.  His footsteps echoed throughout the cave like heels on a marble staircase.  Every now and then, a crackling noise would reach his ears, but he soon figured out why.  Venus leapt out of the way of falling ice at the cost of her jacket sleeve.  Zachariah did the same, though the icicle penetrated the tail of his coat and snapped him back.  He fell on his backside and grunted in pain.  A part of his coat was nailed to the ice, and he tore it free, leaving a rugged edge.  “Damn.” He got back on his feet and held the torn part up to examine it.  “I just bought this jacket, too.”

    Up above, the crystal ceiling seemed to calm, for now at least.  The walls could come crashing down on them at any moment, Zachariah only hoped it was after they were long gone.  Venus made a witty remark when he escaped.  He laughed and dusted himself off.  “Last time I was here, falling ice wasn’t the most dangerous thing I had to face,” he joked.  “But you’re right.” He paused to stretch and straighten out his spine.  “Ice is a pain.”

    [WC: 2112/2500 (519)]
    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Fraag 26th June 2019, 8:42 am

    In response to Venus' question about furry bugs, her companion answered in the negative, pointing out that he hadn't come across such when last he had visited the caves. While Venus would have been minded to agree with him about the identity of the furry mystery creature, she had seen a weasel before, and she knew how such a creature was bound to moved. Whatever she had seen had scuttled the way only a creature with jointed appendages could move. But Zach had been here, and she hadn't so Venus decided that it was likely she had not seen correctly. After all, darkness was good at playing tricks on the eyes.

    Unfortunately, when Zach increased the intensity of his light spell, there was a furry bug-thing. It was a crab. "Eww, a furry crab," the Demon Slayer said as it scurried away, taking note, with a little bit of alarm, of its pincers. "Well, the assignment did say there would be crabs. I just didn't think they'd be this big." Before the crustacean could fully escape, Venus' companion stopped it with a spell, although the effect of the spell illuminated the immediate surrounding, revealing that there were actually a lot more crabs than would make the adventurers comfortable. "Well, I suppose this means that the faster we get the moss thing, the quicker we can get out of here."

    Aside from the falling icicles, there didn't seem to be any immediate threat, and the two mages continued their journey in an auspiciously uneventful stretch of serenity. The sounds of creaking ice above, and scuttling from beyond the shadows was enough to keep Venus' adrenaline level high, but the threat of danger wasn't enough to kill, and so she went on. Venus noticed the river that ran through the length of the cave, and wondered at it. "One would think that this cave wouldn't have anything such as running water, given the temperature we have here," she said curiously, as she drew closer to the river to observe it, wondering why the water wasn't frozen. All of a sudden, from the water burst half a score of yeti crabs, their pincers clacking ominously, as they swarmed towards her.

    "Tenzuki no Rendan!" the Demon Slayer intoned, jumping back and at the same time holding her hands out, palms pointing at the crabs, which were summarily buffeted by the projectiles of her spell. While that spell was sufficient to take out the swarm of yeti crabs, Venus noticed with no little consternation, that more swarms were coming out of their hiding places. She turned and looked at Zach. "Should we be making ourselves scarce? Because as it stands, I'm not sure I know much about furry crab reproductive biology, but if I were to place a wager, they breed like vermin."


    WC: 468 words
    Total: 2371/2500


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Lemony.Boy
    Lemony.Boy

    Player 
    Lineage : Brute of Fiore
    Position : None
    Posts : 189
    Guild : Errings Rising
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 10,343

    Character Sheet
    First Skill:
    Second Skill:
    Third Skill:

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Lemony.Boy 30th June 2019, 8:58 pm

    Zachariah nodded in agreement and slowly backed away from the amassing crustaceans, suddenly regretting his taste for shellfish.  His body tingled from the waist down, warning him to run and flee.  Like Venus, he was surprised to see crabs of this size as well.  He’d never even seen crabs in this magnitude either; he always imagined they dwelled in smaller groups or individually.  Droves of them emerged from cracks he didn’t even realize existed, seemingly infinite.  The clattering of their pointed legs on the ice blended into the echoing cracks, and he wasn’t sure whether the ceiling was about to collapse on them, or if a thousand more crabs were to emerge from every direction imaginable.  Venus made a comment reminding him of the moss, and he figured they should pick the pace up a bit more.  “Yep,” he agreed.  “At this point I’d rather deal with toxic moss instead of shellfish.”

    They made their way through a quiet patch, disturbed only by the sound of creaking ice and skedaddling crustaceans.  Though, as they continued their journey, Zachariah swore there was water rushing, an almost faint waterfall noise.  Apparently, Venus had noticed it too, making remarking that it would be too cold for running water in a place such as this.  “True,” he said, and drew closer as well.  “But, if this water were to ever stop flowing, it would freeze over completely.”  He leaned over the bank and stared into the water just as a geyser of yeti crabs crowded her.  A Morning Star formed in his hand, ready for throwing, but Venus seemed to have it covered.  So, he shrunk it to a negligible size and saved his energy.  The swarm was taken out completely, and Zachariah smirked in awe.

    “Well done Venus!” He cheered and ran to her aid. “Let’s get out of this spot in particular.  And you’re right, it looks like these things populate like rabbits.”  He followed the river down what he assumed was the right way, briskly jogging.  Crabs accumulated down the path, though it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.  At first, he pegged small groups with Prismatic Darts, lighting up the path with a rainbow of neon stakes, but they quickly formed a near impassable wall.  He saw a flash of dark green at the end of the cave, and figured he’d found the moss.  Without breaking his momentum, he formed a Morning Star in each hand.  He launched the miniature suns through the air, and the shot-put sized orbs burst with hot light.  A brief cloud of steam formed, permeating the air with the smell of (nearly) cooked shellfish.  “I see it up ahead,” he called, and slowed his gait as he approached.

    “Take one of these,” he said and produced two face masks and pairs of gloves, tossing one of each to Venus.  The jars were somewhat chipped from the rough travel, but still usable.  He handed one to his partner and prepared himself.  “This is what we came for.”

    [WC: 2612/2500 (500)]
    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
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    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Fraag 1st July 2019, 7:41 am

    "Well, that would probably have been yummy under different circumstances," Venus thought, as the smell of cooking shellfish wafted into her nostrils. She realized at this point that she was somewhat hungry, but the thought of eating yeti crab bisque chased her appetite away. The buggers were revolting to the Demon Slayer, primarily because they had fur. And then to make matters more irritating, they were as big as domestic cats. The more utilitarian part of Venus' mind pointed out that bigger crabs meant more meat, but she remained unconvinced. Yeti crabs, as far as she was concerned, were not edible.

    Noticing that Zach was proffering her some items, Venus observed that they were gloves and breathing apparatus. She deftly caught them and put them on, as she began walking cautiously towards the glowing green moss. Her foot struck something and she looked down, taking a step backwards as she realized what she had almost stumbled over. A frozen corpse. Venus squatted to take a better look. It was human, definitely had been dead a while, with a look of pain eternally frozen on the cadaver's face. Blood stained the lips, but there was no sign of external injury.

    "I think I know why people have been disappearing on forays to this place," the Demon Slayer said, looking up from the dead body towards Zach. She noticed that there were a good deal of other corpses, with similar features to the one she had just seen. "It's the moss. It's much more dangerous than it seems." Well, it was necessary to retrieve some of the stuff, which was the major objective of the mission. Rising to her feet, Venus walked closer, and focused her magic into a fulminating spear, Tenzuki no Yari, which she threw at the wall. Surprisingly, the moss took the attack well, and didn't even seem to have been affected. Unwilling to allow Zach to endanger himself by drawing closer to the moss, Venus threw another spear. Thankfully, the breathing mask kept her from inhaling the miasma in the area, but the impact of the spears made more dangers available, mostly falling ice. Loud cracks could be heard in the walls and ceiling of the cave, and to one end, the ice on the cave roof showered down in a thunderous cascade.

    Feeling somewhat winded, but unwilling to give up, Venus threw the third spear. Its impact drew a network of cracks along the walls on which the moss was growing, then the glowing fell to the ground. "Your call, Zach," Venus said, breathing heavily.


    WC: 429 words
    Total: 2800/2500


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Lemony.Boy
    Lemony.Boy

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    Lineage : Brute of Fiore
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    Experience : 10,343

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    Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss Empty Re: Venus & Zach: The Deadliest Moss

    Post by Lemony.Boy 1st July 2019, 7:19 pm

    The briny scent of shellfish was quickly overtaken by the intense moldy scent of the moss.  Zachariah followed Venus and closed in on the flora, disheveled by the icy corpse.  It was emaciated and nearly unrecognizable.  Black specks lined the nostrils and mouth as well as blood, and Zachariah assumed the cause of death had something to do with the moss.  Even with the mask, the mere scent was nauseating, intoxicating nearly.  He couldn’t ignore the smell of death, either.  The cavern had become quite the cemetery, and these bodies were only collecting dust.  “Definitely don’t want to handle this moss with your bare skin,” he noted and tightened his gloves. “I don’t understand why people would willingly come after this stuff in the first place.”

    He summoned the Bifrost Blade and prodded it at the base.  It writhed under his touch, but nonetheless complied.  Venus’s spears quaked the entirety of the cave, Zachariah could hear cracks from far away.  He waited for a minute, anticipating an avalanche of slush to come crushing them, but the cave’s structure remained stable.  With a fell swoop of his blade, he sliced free a patch of the moss and shoved it in the jars.  The longer his gloved fingers grazed the plant, the more black mold formed on the cloth.

    “Let’s get out of here,” he commanded.  He backed away, gesturing Venus to do the same.  The cave began to crackle overhead, and he instinctively summoned the Starlight Surfer to fly them out to safety.  Thick, column sized icicles fell as they made their escape, zooming out into the tundra, successfully retrieving the moss (mostly) unscathed.  They arrived back at the station in one piece, just as the train’s lights penetrated the distant fog.  Zachariah sighed and relaxed his shoulders upon finding solid ground.  “Say, we make a fairly good team, don’t we?”

    [WC: 2922/2500 (310)]


    FIN

      Current date/time is 5th November 2024, 4:15 pm