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Post by Nerius on Sept 9, 2019 11:38:06 GMT -6
Schism Level: 40 Loyalty: 28 Stats: Sta: 7 | Str: 7 | Res: 5 | Dex: 4 | Ment: 2 Abilities: Fly, Hardy Moves: Climb, Gash, Bite, Phase Out, Headbutt Training: Name, Sit, Come, No, Stay, Hardy, Rend, Fly
[1]
'Seasoned Quester'. Yes, sure, absolutely. This was definitely not his first visit to the board hosted by the Questing Inquisitor. Though in all fairness, this wasn't the first time Nerius had done something that might be labeled as a 'quest', but it was the first time he'd done so at the Labs. From what he'd heard, it was a newer 'shop', at least compared to many of the older buildings in the city. He hadn't been entirely sure what to expect, but, retrieving an item? That sounded about right. The walking tree was a new one though, and after speaking to the elderly woman, had visited his kennel to pick up an accomplice.
'Accomplice', because Nerius was going to take advantage of Schism's ability to turn invisible to steal the crystal back. That was the plan, at least, though if things went wrong, he could always set the nyssa on fire. And a sarane was.. probably.. able to take a hit from the giant tree. Not that he'd ever seen that matchup in the Pit, but it had to be better than bringing something fragile like an izer. Schism also had the advantage of having a telepathy ribbon ribbon attached, it would be useful to actually be able to communicate what he wanted. Of course, that meant the drake could also communicate.
<Are we really going into that?> The pair had reached the abandoned garden, and Schism was not thrilled at the idea of exploring through the massive tangle of plantlife. Not that Nerius could really blame him, this was even more overgrown than the mess of a garden plot he'd recently acquired.
<No Schism, I brought you here just to stare at the entrance.> Nerius wasn't surprised by the drake's complaining, he'd done that since he'd first been given a ribbon.
(Nerius: 1/20) (Schism: Lv: 40, 152/155 | Lyl: 28, 142/145)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 10, 2019 9:35:10 GMT -6
[2]
<Of course we're going in there.> The eye roll was lost on a sarane, but the sarcastic 'tone' through the ribbon was not. Sure, one usually went 'down' a path, not 'in' to one, but things were so overgrown that it was as much a tunnel as any mineshaft. They were even looking for crystals too, or Nerius was, at least. He hoped the woman's crystal cluster had some sort of magical resonance, or this could end up being a very long hunt. Sarane weren't known for being trackers, and he doubted Schism would be any help in that regard.
He was also not keen on being the first one to head down the tangled path, and Nerius had to be the first to start the journey into the mess of a garden. Schism followed without further complaint, at least, though he still wasn't happy about it, and fidgeted his wings, trying to pull them as close to his body as he could, trying to avoid the scraping branches of the overhanging trees. Brown sarane were natural forest dwellers, but Schism clearly hadn't inherited that. What was a purple sarane's preferred habitat? The other breeds preferences were well known, but Nerius couldn't remember ever hearing or reading of a purple's habitat.
That was something to look into later, perhaps, but right now the large tangle of thornbrush in the middle of the path was more of an issue. Nerius stopped, and Schism, who had been more focused on 'protecting' his wings, almost walked into him. <Why are we stop- oh. That's why.>
It was a bit of a roadblock, and Nerius would be lying if he said his first idea wasn't 'burn it'. Thankfully, he also realized that was a bad idea, mainly because of the possibility of creating a large, uncontrolled forest fire. He'd also rather conserve magic in the event that he did have to fight the tree, but a raging forest fire was the main issue.
(Nerius: 2/20) (Schism: Lv: 40, 153/155 | Lyl: 28, 143/145)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 10, 2019 10:15:34 GMT -6
[3]
Nerius hadn't brought any tools for hacking through brush, he didn't really own anything usable for that purpose, and it was questionable if he even had the strength to use it effectively if he had. But what he did have was a drake, with some nice, sharp claws. Nerius glanced between the thornbush and Schism's forelegs. The bush wasn't actually growing out of the center of the path, it looked to have been planted to the side (which made more sense), and without tending had grown outwards to cover the path. Overgrown branches would be much easier to clear than digging up the whole bush, and he was sure the drake was capable of it.
<I need you to claw through the brush, like when you use rend on another drake.> Nerius instructed the sarane, stepping aside to get out of the way. It wouldn't be pleasant to be hit by either thrashing drake or thornbrush.
<But it's covered in thorns! Drakes aren't covered in thorns!> Schism complained, which didn't surprise the humanish in the least. And some drakes were covered in thorns, but that wasn't the way to handle this.
<You have big strong claws, and sturdy scales. You're not really worried about a bush, are you?> Playing the drake's ego was the way to handle it; worked on people sometimes too.
<I'm not afraid of a bush!> For a bloodthirsty dragon, Schism could sure sound like an offended diva. But sure enough, playing his ego worked, and he dug his claws into the thornbush. Branches were thrown about, and Nerius had to back further out of the way to avoid being hit.
(Nerius: 3/20) (Schism: Lv: 40, 154/155 | Lyl: 28, 144/145)
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Post by Renathan on Sept 10, 2019 11:08:22 GMT -6
You have rolled a success! Your QP is added to the bank, and your prize/s will be sent to you shortly. Feel free to continue roleplaying if you wish.
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Post by Nerius on Sept 10, 2019 12:25:58 GMT -6
[4]
After ripping into the bush for a bit, Schism paused, possibly to rest his claws. <Is that enough?>
Or he just wanted to be done. But the path was mostly clear now, and it didn't need to be perfect, just enough to get past. <Yes, that's good.> Nerius patted the shoulder of the sarane, who was now looking proud of himself. The ground wasn't completely clear, but it was easy enough to step around the remaining branches. He was glad he'd worn boots for this trip, now was not one of those times when fancy clothing was appropriate.
That was one roadblock down, and who knew how many more to go. Hmm, that was an idea. Nyssa were big, larger even than thundergugs, and wouldn't have fit through a tiny, overgrown path. Where ever it had gone, especially this recently, it was sure to have left a large, trampled path. That was something to look for, though not something the pair had encountered yet. If anything, the path seemed to be getting more narrow, and the canopy overhead even thicker, and Nerius hoped the path wouldn't disappear entirely.
<Keep an eye out for anything shiny,> he told Schism, Nerius was hoping the crystal cluster would have some kind of detectable magical aura, but if not, it didn't hurt to have another set of eyes looking for anything shiny.
(Nerius: 4/20) (Schism: Lv: 41, 155/160 | Lyl: 29, 145/150)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 10, 2019 13:17:29 GMT -6
[5]
But as it turned out, it was neither magic nor shine that helped find the crystal, but the trampled trail of foliage that cut through the overgrown path they were on. As Nerius had expected, a nyssa on the move left a trail even the most inexperienced tracker could follow. Not the neatest trail, however, and he had to fight through quite a lot of smashed plants. They caught on his cloths, and there were now leaves in his hair, but finally Nerius reached a clearing.
<It's bigger than I expected,> Schism had been informed a nyssa was a tree, but like many drakes often expected things to be smaller or less impressive than himself until shown otherwise.
And, well... <They're not usually that big,> Nerius admitted, when the hermitess had called it 'the grandparent of all nyssa', she hadn't been exaggerating. It was still asleep, at least, and he could see the shine of the crystal cluster nestled under one of its clawlike forelimbs. Claws that were about as long as he was tall. Yikes. But he'd brought the drake along for a reason. <I need you to turn invisible and grab the crystal cluster.>
<You want me to.. what?> Schism was part hesitant, and part plain confused. This probably would have gone smoother if the sarane had actually been taught to phase out on command.
<Turn invisible. I've seen you do it.> Or, not seen him, rather. But he could confirm that yes, Schism had inherited that ability from his purple mother. The trick was getting him to do it consciously.
Schism just stood there a few seconds, and wiggled his wings in an odd sort of way. <Am I invisible now?> asked the still very visible drake.
(Nerius: 5/20) (Schism: Lv: 41, 156/160 | Lyl: 29, 146/150)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 20, 2019 0:52:00 GMT -6
[6]
<No Schism, I can still see you,> really, Nerius wasn't surprised it hadn't worked. <Try.. erm...> How did one explain to a drake how to become invisible? It was, technically, a magical ability, but the engineered abilities of the Labs creatures didn't work the same way as node based magic. It was more instinctive and innate, rather than something external that was tapped into.
<Try what?> the confused drake asked, not having any better an idea of how to turn invisible than Nerius did.
<Uh, focus on not wanting to be be seen.> It was bad advice, and Nerius knew it, but a master trainer he was not.
Schism, for his part, at least tried, and sort of.. scrunched himself down into the ground cover. <Now am I invisible?>
<No, no you're not.> he frustratedly ran a hand through his hair; note to self, teach the creature the ability before trying to use it on a quest.
They were both then startled by movement from the nyssa, and the groan and creak of its branches. Nerius froze, eyes locked on the massive tree creature, but after a few tense seconds, it didn't seem to be moving anymore. Maybe it was just shifting in its sleep?
(Nerius: 6/20) (Schism: Lv: 41, 157/160 | Lyl: 29, 147/150)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 20, 2019 1:07:54 GMT -6
[7]
With the nyssa seeming to not be moving anymore, Nerius spared a glance at his drake. Or, tried to. There was an odd dent in the brush where Schism had been, but there was no sarane to be seen. The nyssa's movements must have startled him into disparaging. There was no knowing how long it would ask, best to take advantage of it while they could. <Schism, now! You're invisible, grab the crystal!>
<I am? Oh!> The drake was even more surprised by this than Nerius, but also sounded pleased with himself. Thankfully that also meant he was willing go for the crystal cluster without further prodding. While Nerius couldn't see the sarane himself, he could track Schism's movements by the ground cover he either stomped down or brushed aside.
Closer.. closer..
<How do I grab it?> Schism asked, judging by his path through the plants, the drake was right next to the nyssa.
Hmm, drakes didn't have hands, but, <Use your jaws. Carefully.> If it could survive being grabbed by a nyssa, he figured it was sturdy enough to handle the sarane's teeth. Hopefully the woman wouldn't mind a little sarane drool on her crystal cluster.
There didn't seem to be anything happening for a moment, then the crystal appeared to wiggle itself free. Interesting. The invisibility didn't extend to the crystal in Schism's mouth, but that at least made it easy to track the progress.
(Nerius: 7/20) (Schism: Lv: 41, 158/160 | Lyl: 29, 148/150)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 20, 2019 1:53:41 GMT -6
[8]
It took only a few moments, but by the time Schism had reached Nerius, his invisibility was starting to break up, and patchy bits of drake were beginning to flicker into existence.
<Good job S-> Nerius' telepathic 'words' and reach for the crystal cluster were interrupted by the groan of branches. He froze, as the tree begun to rear up, unrooting itself as it reached its full, terrifying height. <S***.> It was terrible timing, as Schism was becoming more and more visible, and the flickering caught the nyssa's attention. Which meant it also spotted the crystal cluster, and seeing that its prize had been taken, bellowed in anger.
Schism reacted in a very drake like way, dropping the crystal (which was luckily cushioned by a small bush), and roared back. It was a tree, not another drake, but it still triggered his fighting drive, and to instinctively take flight. He was sure he could take the nyssa, but Nerius wasn't so sure. He'd have to rip through at least a foot of solid wood to get to anything internal, and he wasn't even sure nyssa had internal organs. That didn't stop Schism from swooping down, dodging around the slow moving but massive clawlike branch, to rip his own claws into the bark.
Or, try to.
His claws did tear up a bit of bark, but it was a minor surface wound at most. And worse, Nerius could already see it starting to knit back together. A lot of plant like creatures could regenerate a little, and nyssas were unfortunately one of them.
<Nerius, this isn't working!> Schism whined, barely dodging another swipe from the nyssa's claws.
(Nerius: 8/20) (Schism: Lv: 41, 159/160 | Lyl: 29, 149/150)
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Post by Nerius on Sept 20, 2019 3:52:22 GMT -6
[9]
<I know. Get out of the way.> Many people would have assumed he'd brought along the drake for protection, but that wasn't the case. That didn't stop the drake from grumbling, but he did as told, climbed higher into the air, out of range of the nyssa, and friendly fire. The nyssa, finding the flying target out of reach, turned back to the one still on the ground, and started to lumber toward him.
Drawing the tree's attention maybe hadn't been his best idea, but Nerius at least had a way to damage it. Tapping into his node's power, summoning a fireball, flames twisting in his hand for a moment, before sending it flying at the nyssa's face. It bellowed again, this time in pain, and reeled back, the smaller branches in flames.
It was pawing at its face now, trying to put out the flames, and Schism took the opportunity to land beside Nerius, as the latter snatched up the crystal cluster.
<Now what?> Schism asked, unsure if he should keep fighting, the nyssa had been weakened, but it wasn't down.
<Now we get out of here before it puts that fire out.> Nerius wouldn't be able to summon another fireball like that, and Schism still didn't have any effective way of harming the tree. It was still distracted, thrashing around, and dragging against the ground to try to put the flames out. But who knew how long that would last, and having found what they came for, Nerius and Schism made a break for the overgrown paths, leaving the angry nyssa behind.
-END-
(Nerius: 9/20) (Added) (Schism: Lv: 42, 160/165 | Lyl: 30, 150/155) (Added)
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