Fieldtrip gone wrong

Job Info:

Of all the places that would hire him for a day of playing security guard, a zoo was not what Caelestis had expected. Sure, there were a lot of crowds today because of their little opening event, but did that really warrant hiring several mages to keep the crowds in check? Assuming nothing happened, this would be a pretty easy job. Though it was annoying pushing through the crowd, at times, given his height. If he really needed to he could easily fly above all their heads, at least. All he had to do was look around the crowd every once and a while to make sure nobody was doing anything stupid.

That was when he noticed the person in the lab coat. His eyes narrowed, something didn’t seem right as they checked on the animals. His eyes couldn’t help but track the suspicious person, and his suspicions were only confirmed when the screaming began. It seemed like it had come from the direction of the wolves’ exhibit, and Cael sprinted through the crowd running in the opposite direction. He was pushed around a good deal by the time he made it there, a few people having even tried to purposefully shove him between them and whatever the hell was going on.

The problem was quite obvious when he got there. The few patrons of the zoo who hadn’t fled were now trapped with their backs against a wall, being advanced upon by the now grossly mutated wolves. Their screams were loud and piercing to his ears, but he ignored it and instead placed himself steadily between the civilians and the wolves. He’d been hired for security, like hell was he letting some mutated animals get away with chasing everybody off and risk losing his pay. He needed that jewel, how else was he supposed to find his nomadic lifestyle?

There were more wolves than he could easily take out with his arrows, though he doubted the arrows would take them out if the were separated anyways. Those hides looked tough, which left only one option. Gathering his magic, wind seemed to converge all around him and gather in his mouth. His cheeks puffed out comically large, a screaming roar seemed to rush from his mouth, the winds so strong that the creatures were blown backwards quite a bit. It wasn’t enough to subdue the creatures, but it did get them further away from the group of people, who seemed like they couldn’t or wouldn’t move.

WC: 416
Total WC: 416
MP: 170/200
HP: 200/200

Spell Used:

Goethe was the epitome of indifference, as he leaned against a stone pillar and watched the rowdy crowds at the zoo. It would be utterly foolish for him to expect that this location would have been any quieter, given the circumstances. For one, it was a weekend. Everyone just loved to come out on Saturdays and Sundays, since they had sacrificed the weekdays trying to scrounge up a living. He couldn't blame them; a day off was always good for the mood. Another thing was that this was some sort of special event at the zoo: there were new animals brought in, and naturally, the public wanted to see them. More naturally, the zoo owners could use this as a special event to make more money, which they did. Well, good for them. Money was a necessary evil, so one way or another, everyone had to do whatever they could to make ends meet.

Beside him, Bayne, his curious ally, stood, seeming more interested in a smoking pipe in his hands. "Here I was, thinking you were here to make some quick dough, and instead, you're moping..." He looked up at Goethe, a mischievous smirk on his face. "Oh! I get it: you're looking for that special someone." His other ally, Arnoba, in her usual manner, stood silent behind the both of them, crimson eyes watching.

"Right..." the white haired youth answered distractedly. He had suddenly felt that something was wrong... no, to be more accurate, something was about to go wrong, and in the next instant, screams justified his precognition. The entire place was thrust into chaos, as the animals somehow had been freed from their cages, and to add to that, they didn't look so normal anymore. Bayne looked up, and stuffed the pipe away. "I don't suppose gorillas look like that in this corner of the universe..."

"You know it, Bayne," Goethe replied, but he was striding in another direction. As he marched quickly, he threw forth a hand with extended fingers ahead of him, and the massive wolves which were bounding back towards the short teenager that had managed to blast them backwards slowed to a halt and slowly floated into the air. They clawed, yowled and snapped at the empty air, but they were bound in an invisible grip. Goethe made a gesture with his other hand, and the pen which had housed them prior to their escape opened of its own accord. The wolves floated into the metal contraption, which slammed shut with a clang of finality.

He let out a breath, then turned to the boy, as Arnoba and Bayne trailed behind him, guiding and pointing people to safety and away from the rabid animals. "You okay, kid?"

Bayne chortled, and said under his breath: "'Kid'? Really? How old are you, even?"

He would pause to address the teenager (who might just be a few years younger than he was), and make sure that the people here were safe. But he couldn't linger long. There were still others in danger, and wild animals on rampage that needed caging.

Spell Used:

The relief Caelestis felt when the wolves were suddenly lifted into the air to put back in their cage was quickly outweighed by the person responsible for putting them there. A quick glance over at his so-called saviour revealed a white-haired youth, who apparently had the audacity to call him a kid. Irritation bubbling to the forefront of his mind, he fixed his eyes on the next group of animals and completely ignored looking at the other. He didn’t respond right away, pointedly looking in another direction. ”If you’re going to call me a kid, at least have the decency to look older than a teenager yourself.” There was no real response after this, Caelestis instead letting his feature morph and change. His body may be 15, but he could look like an adult when he damn well pleased! If the other boy was looking he would notice the twin braids getting longer, and a bun replacing the short choppy hair at the back of his head. His face becoming less round and his height seeming to grow by an inch or two. In short, he looked far more like an adult than he had a second ago.

It was only after this transformation was complete that he looked at the other, bright turquoise eyes glaring. ”Now, as much as I appreciate the help with the wolves, there’s more escaped animals to get back in their cages. Seeing as you’re a mage and helped me I’m sure you don’t want these animals mauling someone on your watch either.” He didn’t bother waiting for a response, instead favouring striding towards the next closest group of mutated animals. The gorillas were massive, and looked tough enough that Caelestis was honestly a little worried. If the gorillas were this bad, what if the elephants or rhinos mutated, too? He didn’t fancy dying today, or seeing anybody else die for that matter.

As he strode towards those massive gorillas, a simple, nearly transparent short bow seemed to materialize in hand. He doubted this would do much damage to the gorillas, but it could potentially immobilize at least one long enough to get more of these people to safety. Never mind that the bow had always felt more natural in his hands than any of his other spells, it was a matter of safety. Careful hands gripped the windy creation, drawing the string with an ease only a practiced archer could manage. His aim at the gorillas was steady, he eyes fixated only on his targets. He took a deep, steadying breath as his mind tried to calculate the shot, and fired. Surely that arrow would hit one of the large primates, right?

WC: 448
Personal WC: 862
TWC: 1,379/5,000

MP: 150/200
HP: 200/200

Spell Used:

It was obvious the teenager Goethe had just gotten out of a pickle did not appreciate being called a “kid” by him. It took a moment for him to reply; probably he had decided to bite down on a scathing response against Goethe, but his answer showed his displeasure. Goethe held up his hands, an apologetic smile on his face. ”I didn’t mean...” Whatever he wanted to say in the way of an apology quickly evaporated, as the “kid” seemed to ‘age’ into a more adult form. Goethe stared for a second in shock, then went very red in the face. He felt very embarrassed right now, having addressed an adult as a child. Looks could be deceiving, something that was very true in this case, and Goethe had gone and acted all stupid in the name of trying to be cool. The young man finally acknowledged his help, but his response was brusque and devoid of pleasantries. It could be because they weren’t out of the woods yet, and there were people to rescue, but it would be foolish to think that was the primary reason for the curtness. Goethe kicked himself mentally as he followed to face the gorillas that were the nearest and greatest threat to anyone so far, though thankfully, they had not managed to hurt anyone seriously, yet. Three of them there were, and they seemed to be made of much more durable stock than the wolves. A little violence might have to be involved. Beside him, Baynard had an amused smirk on his face, but fortunately for Goethe, he did not laugh. Perhaps he knew that laughing at that time might be offensive to the teenager turned man, even if it was directed at Goethe. He did chuckle, though, and say in a hushed voice:

”Smooth move, cool guy.”

”Ugh! Shut up!” came the exasperated reply.

Goethe watched quietly as the other made formed a strangely ethereal bow. Perhaps this person was a sort of Magic mold/make type wizard, but the first technique he had used against the wolves did not look like Molding magic. He wanted to apologize, but he knew that speaking at this time when the young man was concentrating on aiming his bow was going to probably be a distraction, and would thus be more harm than good. Perhaps when the man was less busy, he would try to express his regret, and hope that the other would be forgiving. And if he was not, well, Goethe would probably just secure the remaining animals in silence, and then make himself very scarce.

The projectile was released, and the arrow went true to find its mark. The gorilla in the middle groaned as the arrow struck it in the back of its head, just as it was about to snatch up a fleeing child. The other two, who had been advancing, stopped and looked at it, then turned towards the source of the attack. Interesting. It looked like that arrow to the head was not fatal, but it seemed to have confusticated the ape to no small degree. This was an opportunity that could not be passed up. It was Goethe’s turn to take action.

He bolted forward, quickly closing the distance between himself and the oversized simians, and with a jump, threw two quick but powerful kicks against the head of the paralyzed gorilla. It lurched forward, unable to stop itself from falling, as it was stunned. The other two, completely unhandicapped, attacked, roaring as they drew their massive fists to strike in tandem.

”As if!”

The air rippled around Goethe, and all three gorillas were viciously flung away, struck by an unseen power. The one that the bow armed mage had shot crumpled into a heap, down and out for the count. The other two... well, they might have been hurt, but now they were really angry. Still, there would be a little moment before the battle was joined again. Goethe took the opportunity.

”I’m really sorry for calling you a ‘kid’, especially seeing that you’re actually older than I am. It was foolish of me, and I repent in dust and ashes. Let’s start again. I’m Goethe. Pleased to meet you.”

The two gorillas were back on their feet. With roars brimming with animosity, they charged.

Spells Used:

Caelestis grinned when the arrow struck true, confusing the gorilla to no small degree. It seemed stunned for the moment, and just as he moved to shoot at it again, the other mage chose that precise moment to come steal his thunder. He seemed to take down the already stunned ape with ease, and knocked all three back with a surprisingly vicious force. The first gorilla seemed to be out cold, but the other two... they seemed quite angry. And they were coming right towards them.

Electing to ignore the apology for a moment when they weren’t being attacked by giant angry gorillas, Cael decided it was his turn to show off. As he concentrated, striding past the other boy, an orb o wind seemed to take shape in his hands. It quickly reached a size of 1 foot in diameter, and once it had reached it’s max size he quickly sent it off towards the angry animals. It struck true on the chest of the first, harsh winds whipping up in an instant after contact and drawing the other ape in along with the first. The winds having immobilized both targets, Cael ended up smirking like a cat who’d gotten the cream. “Don’t you know a dragon will always beat a simple ape?”

If his words were confusing to Goethe, the teen would understand a moment later when Cael’s cheeks began to puff comically, gathering the forces of the winds. Only once they seemed to have reached their maximum capacity did he open his mouth, a screaming roar and strong burst of winds following his attack to blast directly at the still-trapped animals. If that didn’t take them down it would at least weaken them considerably, Caelestis thought with a triumphant smirk. Taking these apes down would mean one less group of horrific mutated monsters to deal with, at the very least. Though there was certain to be others to deal with.

Once he was certain the gorillas wouldn’t be able to move for a little while, knocked out or not, he turned back to face Goethe once more. ”Call me Caelestis. And... I suppose you weren’t entirely wrong. The body you saw is 15, though I am much older than that.”His response was short, his tone tone still clipped, but he was no longer outright ignoring the person before him. It wouldn’t do to ignore him when everything was going to shit around them, Cael certainly couldn’t take on a zoo’s worth of mutated animals by himself! (The fact that he was surprised he was doing so well this far remain unspoken, and kept far from the forefront of his mind.)

He didn’t linger his gaze on the other long, though. While all of the civilians in the area seemed to have scattered or escaped, he was sure there was more to do. The longer they hesitated the more likely it was for someone to get hurt, and he couldn’t have that. Not on his watch, anyhow. He still wanted his pay. (And maybe, just maybe, he hated the idea of any of the kids that had been out in droves getting hurt or killed because of whatever freaky magic this was.) “Come, there’s still more to do.”

MP:100/200
HP: 200/200
WC: 540
Personal WC: 1,402
TWC: 2,635/5,000

Spells Used:

Goethe's eyebrow twiched, and a vein popped on his temple, when the young man seemed to ignore his apology. And he had really put a lot of thought into it, too. It would not be wise for him to react negatively to that perceived slight, though; people had different durations at which they cooled off. Then again, Goethe noted, as the young man strode past him, perhaps he was reading too much meaning into things. What with the magic being generated, and the look of purpose on his face, it was more likely; no, certain, that the man was concentrating on the assault on the apes. It would be nice to see what his magic was capable of, so Goethe watched.

Goethe raised an eyebrow in quiet questioning, when the man broke into a sentence that sounded quite dramatic, and maybe a little poetic. However, he would not have to question for too long as the answer would reveal itself in the older mage's next attack. Inhaling deeply, followed by a powerful breath attack... that was definitely some slayer magic in action. And seeing as the magic was not tinted in a dark or light hue, it was very likely dragon slayer magic at work here. Wind... no, Sky Dragon Slayer magic.

Walking up to the man as he introduced himself, Goethe nodded as he watched the unconscious forms of the large gorillas. "Caelestis. Pleased to meet you, then."

As he used his telekinetic powers to move the gorillas into an empty nearby cage, he wondered whether Caelestis was an older spirit inhabiting a youngster's body, or something else. That question might prove impolite to ask, since they barely knew each other and had got off to an awkward, albeit salvaged, start. Maybe he would know later. For now, action was important if the endangered bystanders were expected to get out of this mess in one piece.

"You're right. Let's go!"

"Arnoba, assist me with your Spirit Arms!" Heeding the mental summons, the spirit bonded to him (in her elegant woman form, so as not to frighten the bystanders any more) stepped in behind him and kept pace with him, herding off animals back into their cages as they began making a sweep of the area. Goethe suddenly stopped, a surprised frown on his face, then jumped a full ten feet into the air. There was a sound of beating wings as a creature swept low, raking claws outstretched, missing him by a few inches. With an agility surprising for its size, the flying beast twisted and returned. It was a tiger... no, it just looked like one. This was surely something else.

"You're kidding me...!"

There was a flash of purple light, as a large shield suddenly appeared between him and the flying creature. As it smote the shield, Goethe spun around the defense and delivered a powerful kick to it, sending it a good number of meters away. With a graceful twist peculiar to felines, the monster landed on its four feet and growled deeply.

"Tigers with horns. And wings. Who is even responsible for this?"

"You forgot to mention that there are two of them," Baynard pointed out. Goethe looked over his shoulder and noticed an identical beast to the one he had kicked, standing above on a huge rock and watching, poised to take flight. "Oh? Isn't that just lovely? Better they want a piece of me than some other person, anyway."

Spells Used:

”How the everloving hell did they manage to give tigers wings? This can’t possibly be real.” Caelestis commented as his companion was attacked, looking rather annoyed with the whole situation. What would they run into next, a house sized elephant? This definitely didn’t make any sense. Nothing here was logical, it almost felt like some kind of cruel joke. Who the actual f*ck thought to attack a zoo, of all things? It wouldn’t really accomplish much, unless the magic council was hiding somewhere in the crowd. Really, there was no point to attacking these civilians.

”I’m starting to get annoyed, and there’s only so many more spells I can cast before I run out of magic, so let’s just get rid of these tigers fast, okay?”

Really, he didn’t want to have to use this ability, but if he wanted to hit these things hard enough for them to go away, he’d have to use all of his abilities, and/or possibly rely on Goethe. With a sigh that seemed to exhale all of his breath, the surrounding area was lit up by a brilliant glow and the smell of... was that flowers? At first, nothing seemed to happen. The are remained blank concrete and empty cages. But then, moments later, a beautiful garden would seem to spring to existence from absolutely nothing. Goethe and his companions, as well as any civilians still in the area, would feel a homey warmth, healing magic at work. The tigers, however, appeared visibly distressed by the garden, unearthly shrieks arising from their mouths. It wasn’t terribly damaging, but it would be very painful to them as enemies of Caelestis.

“This is the garden of Eden. These flowers shall heal my allies, and do harm to my enemies! Let these tigers feel the wrath of an angry mage.”

Turquoise eyes seemed to fix on the two tigers, who were no longer ready to pounce. In fact, the first of the two, who’d already been injured by Goethe, looked afraid if anything. Caelestis may not have been some high ranked mage, but for someone new to having magic of his own he was powerful enough. He had no doubt that the pain the tigers were feeling was real.

MP: 100/200
HP: 200/200
WC: 372
Personal WC: 1,774
Total WC: 3,584

Lineage Ability Used:

Looking over to Caelestis, Goethe nodded when he made his intentions known to take down the tigers as quickly as possible. Not only was it in the best interests of the general public, but running out of magic power wile fighting these things was definitely going to put them in a very unfavorable situation. It was still possible that there might still be some other creature apart from the tigers to contend with, but they were the biggest nasties about, so they would be focused on, for the time being.

Was it a floral fragrance that Goethe's nose had just picked up now? He looked around, a hint of confusion evident on his face, but he could not see any source of the pleasant smell. However, in a short moment, he found himself surrounded by a garden with lush verdant grass and vibrant flower colors. He had not seen any vegetation such as this in all of Earthland, and apart from the unnatural beauty, there was something else about the garden, something calming. Goethe smiled and took in a deep breath, while Arnoba drew closer and stared curiously at Caelestis. If this was not a battlefield against deranged, mutated animals, he would have very much liked to lie down in the soft grass and take a nap. He was sure it would do wonders to his health and wellbeing. Alas, there were people to save, and heroes to become.

"Arnie thinks your garden is really something. And coming from someone who knows the ins and outs of forests, I'd say that's some high praise," Goethe noted to Caelestis, as he opened his eyes. "It's a really useful ability, being able to distinguish ally from enemy, and deal opposite effects on them." He began walking towards the  cowering tigers. "Let's wrap this up quickly, like you said."

There was no need for him to waste his energy; he was conserving it just in case something really heavy showed up... there weren't any elephants in this zoo, were they? The tiger that had not been kicked let out a menacing growl, and despite its discomfort, it prepared for a pounce. The other tiger, the one who had been kicked, only continued with its terrifying screams. Goethe actually felt sorry for them. Besides, this was not their fault; it was whoever had mutated them who was responsible.

"Arnie! Scan the entire zoo area. I want to find the person responsible for this." Silently, his companion departed. "Now, where were we?"

Goethe held out both hands, and both tigers ceased movement immediately. The howls they let out were nothing short of hideous. Looking around, and noticing a very sturdy looking cage, Goethe reached out and opened it with his mind. "Very sorry about this, but I can't let you guys go breaking out and running amok again. Gotta knock the steam out of you..."

So saying, he clapped, striking the tigers together three times, then launching them with considerable force into the cage, which slammed shut after them with a loud clang. He had noticed that beating up the animals reverted them back to their normal states, and while he was not pleased with that development, that was what he had to do, for now.

"I think our striped tabbies have been taken care of," Goethe announced, dusting his hands together. he suddenly frowned. "But I have a feeling that things are about to get rather intense, Caelestis."

Spells Used:

“The garden isn’t mine. It’s borrowed power I’ve pulled into this world.” Caelestis explained, watching as Goethe advanced on the tigers and took care of them with a decisive sort of swiftness. The aim was to finish this battle as quickly as possible. For a moment, it felt like that was the end. Surely no more animals had been mutated, right? They’d taken care of a good few animals, and all of them were back in their cages. But as the older spoke, Caelestis found his eyes drawn to a rapid-moving dot in the distance, closing fast. “I get the feeling you’re right!” He called, summoning another wind bow to his hands.

The monster, though he couldn’t tell what it was yet, would be upon him in seconds. He had to move fast, and this he took aim without a hint of hesitation, eyes fixed firmly on his target. The speed it was moving at was horrifying, and it was headed straight for him! He wouldn’t be able to compete if he let it get in too close. With that thought in mind, he took another look at the fast-moving creature, now revealed to be a winged lion upon closer inspection, and let loose with the transparent wind arrow. The arrow didn’t move as fast as the lion, but with the lion’s momentum it was unable to avoid the shot and was seemingly stunned by the small hit.

It wouldn’t be nearly enough though, seeming to hardly pierce the hide of the creature at all. Had it even done any damage to the thing? He couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that it seemed at least temporarily stunned by the direct hit, and they had to make this chance count. With a deep breath, the wind Magic gathered in his mouth in an instant, expelling a second later in another one of those powerful screams that kicked up intense winds. The magic seemed to hit the beast head-on, hitting it hard enough to blow it back a fair bit. This gif seemed to do some more damage, though the lion was tough. Caekestis alone wouldn’t be nearly enough to take on this lion by himself, and he prayed Goethe would be able to take it out with the window of opportunity Caelestis had given him.

WC: 386
Personal WC: 2,160
Total WC: 4,544
MP: 50/200
HP: 200/200

Spells Used: Sky Dragon’s Roar, Gale Arrow (Descriptions in spoilers in previous posts)

Perhaps it was his Precognition, but Goethe’s “bad feeling” proved to be rather accurate. All the animals around had been subdued and put in cages, but just one remained, and it decided to reveal itself just now.

It was a lion.

Or, at least, that was what it had been before, or was supposed to be. It was now more like a manticore, complete with wings and a stinger. And no one needed to tell Goethe that that wicked point at the end of its tail was little more than a goading tool, devoid of any poisons whatsoever. Maybe it was the symbolism of it being the king of beasts, coupled with the fact that it had opted to show itself last, but Goethe was very sure that this one was going to be tougher than any of the others they had faced. As he readied himself, he caught another premonition, one that was very vague, but it told him that this battle needed to be swift and decisive, unless he wanted everything to turn to one big mess. For him, it wouldn’t be any biggie. None of the animals was yet to cause him to break a sweat. However, he had to consider the bystanders, who could not protect themselves from the beasts. For their sakes, he would end this quickly.

He would end this with one punch.

As Caelestis fired off his bow, Goethe took in a deep breath, then said: ”Initial Limiter Break: Drive I!” Anyone watching the young man would see a noticeable bulking up of his muscles; indeed, he suddenly seemed to take on the build of a body builder. But he wasn’t done. The amount of energy he needed for such an attack required a little more juice. ”Final Limiter Break: Drive II!” This time, the effect was a little more violent. The sheer physical pressure blasted a dent in the earth on which he stood, the air around him buzzed with energy, and his hair seemed to be a thick flame of fire, waving in the wind. Glowing eyes focused on the flying lion as he interposed himself between Caelestis and the monster, just after the demon slayer’s breath attack. As he had guessed, the creature was powerful; the powerful gust of wind was only sufficient to slow it somewhat, but its headlong flight continued. Even though it was stunned, it would surely recover its wits quickly, once it crashed into the ground or some other obstacle... unless that obstacle was Goethe.

He threw forward an open palm, as the lion came within range, striking it in the forehead and then crashing it to the ground with a downward thrust of his arm. The impact of the blow stopped the manticore completely and knocked it out, though Goethe was sure that it would suffer a nasty concussion, even though he had held back a little. ”Arnie, are all the animals accounted for?” he asked, as Arnoba approached him from behind. She nodded, although there was a disapproving glare in her eyes. Goethe smiled slightly. ”I know, I know... I’m not supposed to use this technique anyhow, right?” He walked over to a stump and sat down heavily, as the glow dissipated and his hair dropped back to its usual constituency. ”That big cat might need a bit of healing, no?” he asked as he glanced at the unconscious lion, which had reverted back to its normal form. He felt sorry for having to knock it about like that. Perhaps when he got his breath back, he would find out who was responsible for this and bring them to justice. But for now, it was sheer strength of will that kept him from collapsing to the ground like an idiot robbed of his senses. Arnoba shook her head with a scoff. ”Silly! Look where your showing off has got you!” Goethe grinned sheepishly at her, then turned to Caelestis and raised a hand in a thumbs-up sign. ”Good work, man. I think we got them all, yeah?”

Spells used: