White Winter Solstice (Event w/ Amalie)

How did it come to this ... again? A question the Ambassador couldn't help but ask himself with a deeply defeated internal sigh. What was supposed to be a day best described as cozy and relaxed, the winter had arrived on Amber Island, after all, had quickly turned sour.

The silver-haired man, messy, argent-hued strands covered under the hat that complimented his uniform, had found his way to a park within Port Amber, the heavy, black cloak blocking some of the admittedly still mild cold. Despite the bearable oceanic temperatures, the grasp of winter had not spared Amber Island, a light blanket of snow and frost covering the cobbled streets of the port town. An arguably, despite the ever-present chill, beautiful environment, fluffy flakes of snow floating through the air in an almost gentle manner, warm, festive lights occasionally breaking through the dull twilight. The townspeople had already long put up their decorations for the Winter Solstice Festival that was set to begin shortly, and despite the deep winter, the crowds were beginning to gather in the streets to celebrate the end of the year together in a jolly and cheerful way. It was an occasion that was not only not to be missed, it was also best to be enjoyed as a pair.

Or so the Ambassador had thought, at least. If only it would ever be that easy.

He had left a message for Amalie at the guild before embarking on a mission, only returning a little earlier today, finding himself at the spot he had set for their date, hoping the other had received it or was even available for such a thing, let alone in the mood. Still, despite the short notice, it had been worth a shot. Upon arrival at the park, though, the space still relatively empty, he had felt the strange surge of magical energy. Without giving the Rune Mage much time to contemplate the meaning of this phenomenon, a strange, ice-blue portal ripped open before him. From the same, a monstrous furred creature charged forth, accompanied by several smaller beasts, unleashing a piercing roar that immediately alerted the Ambassador. He had swiftly drawn his sword, finding annoyed irony in the fact that, once again, he would find not just another festival interrupted by mysteriously magical invaders as he readied himself for a skirmish, but yet another Christmas as well, all the while making his frustration known by mumbling under his breath,

"... Can't ever catch a break".

At least, he caught himself thinking as he scoffed, this year's invaders would be fought with a significant increase in clothing on his body.

---

Word Count: 439
Word Count Total: 439 / 1,500

Winter Event

Amalie's WC: 598 | 1500 | Tag: @Johann

His back straightened, blade stretched outwards in the direction of the creatures, the Ambassador nearly flinched when the woman appeared at his side, his eyes darting over towards her for just a second before returning to the monstrosities, a smirk spreading across his face. "Impeccable timing, Commander. Thank you", he chuckled, his tone more amused than anything as he stretched out his free hand, Amalie promptly pressing the cup containing a steaming hot drink into his grasp, watching as she dispatched of the smaller critters in an almost casual fashion. Amalie lost no time in eliminating the nuisance that hindered them, and neither would the Ambassador, his primary concern, however, now consisting of retaining the integrity of his drink. He would have emptied it then and there, but a massive monster, seemingly comprised entirely of snow and ice, charged towards them with a bone-shaking roar. He would have to be careful, lest he spilled it. With hot chocolate in one and sword in the other hand, he would have to fight in a manner that was more cautious than usual. It would prove to be an interesting challenge for sure.

With the slow, deep hum of increasingly powerful magical energy, Johann slowly stepped forward, the ground shaking with every stomp of the snow monster as it barreled towards him, swinging its arms wildly and leaving deep imprints in the snow behind itself with every second. Luckily for the silver-haired Ambassador, the creature was slow, uncoordinated, and seemed generally lacking in intelligence. A slow, wide punch was easily sidestepped, Johann paying attention to keep his drink balance while dragging the blade of the weapon through the creature's round form, separating it into two halves cleanly before it crumbled to nothing more than soft snow in a puff of white, giving the man a second to breathe and, finally, take a sip from his drink. The warming, filling sensation of the hot chocolate was delightful, tickling the Ambassador's sweet tooth while simultaneously containing a little bit of punch from the liquor, frothy hints of coffee and vanilla giving the beverage almost dessert-like qualities. The perfect thing, considering the season.

Finally setting down the drink on a nearby table, the rest of the unexpected trouble would be dealt with quickly. Magic surging through his body, the Ambassador vanished in a blur of lightning-fast motion, an explosion of white powder scattering through the air where he had stood. With a pulse of force, he emerged once more, his blade slamming through the form of an ice-blue humanoid that exuded considerable cold, the creature crumbling away into shards of ice. Two more of the same kind rushed forward and attempted to grasp Joh within their icy clutches, two swift strikes dispatching of these creatures as well. The only thing left now was a bigger, ape-like monstrosity that towered over the Ambassador, even from this distance away.

With a heavy, deep grunt, the Yeti slammed its fist into the ground and ripped open it's massive jaws, jumping forward in an attempt to snap the silver-haired mage in half with a single, massive bite. Before the creature could reach him, though, the Ambassador raised a hand, a burning, orange light flaring up around it before shooting forth a ball of roaring flame, smashing into the Yeti and, under screams of pain, consuming it entirely, leaving behind only its now blackened and singed horns.

As if nothing had happened, the Ambassador walked back over to the table, snatching up the cup of hot chocolate to take another sip and return to Amalie, only now getting a chance to look at his date with anything more than a quick sideways glance. As always, Amalie's sense for fashion, contrary to his own, carried with it a distinct, characteristic charm, the man's expression shifting into a gleeful smile. "I'm glad you've found the time to join me", he beamed genuinely. It had been a little while since he'd gotten to see her with guild business interfering in their personal matters more often than not. It was, of course, to be expected, but it wasn't ideal nonetheless. Still, he was glad they would get to spend time together on this day, despite the previous little interruption. "Shall we go ahead and see what the festivalgrounds have to offer? I heard they set up some interesting things to see", he spoke, stretching out a hand for Amalie to take, should she feel like it.

---

Word Count: 741
Word Count Total: 1,180 / 1,500

Winter Event

Amalie's WC: 575 Amalie's WC: 1173 | 1500  Tag: @Johann  
Monsters/Tokens: All Monsters Killed / 1 Token [Hot Choc]

Delighted that she would take the hand he offered, the Ambassador promptly joined Amalie at her side, moving through the fairgrounds along with the woman. It didn't take long for the two to reach something that resembled more of a battlefield than a fairground, however, a space within the park marked as an arena with a fierce battle already in progress, snowmen and festivalgoers skirmishing using what appeared like modified paintballs that fired snowballs at each other in some kind of festival game. Amalie turned to him, a smile on her lips, Joh returning the smile in the form of a grin. "Are you sure that you'll be able to keep up?", he teased, turning his head over to the arena. "It doesn't hurt to try, hm?".

With that, the Ambassador moved towards the space to participate in the festival game. It appeared that, apart from the fact that the participants were handed both snowball guns to fire at the other contestants and "heat grenades" to deal with the snowmen, there weren't a whole lot of rules to this contest. It was nothing short of a free for all battle, something Johann should, at least in theory, excel in. In theory, that was. The fact remained that, despite everything, the Ambassador was still anything but a good shot, heavily doubting that he could deliver accurate fire with the provided weaponry. He would've much preferred using a sword or another close-quarters weapon, but in this situation that was hardly feasible, meaning he would reluctantly settle for the only options he was provided with.

It wouldn't take long for the next round to start, Johann taking position behind an improvised wall of snow before the signal sounded and the fight began. Peeking his head from his cover, shapes of compressed snow already began whizzing past his head, fired by a group of animated snowmen who operated with shockingly efficient accuracy. Quickly, Johann reached for one of the heat grenades that had been provided now stored within his pockets, unceremoniously throwing the device that, with a flash of light, vaporized not just the snowmen, but also the ice and snow around them, leaving a large hole in the ice sheet that seemed to cover the majority of a frozen lake inside the arena. Grinning to himself, Johann felt like he could perhaps enjoy this game more than he had initially anticipated. His head instinctively swerved around, his gaze wandering over the arena to see if he could spot his date and see how she was doing.

---

Word Count: 423
Word Count Total: 1,603 / 1,500

Winter Event

END

Amalie's WC: 613 Amalie's WC: 1786 | 1500  Tag: @Johann  
Monsters/Tokens: All Monsters Killed / 5 Token [Hot Choc & Snowball War]