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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 17:22:09 GMT -6
Then there was a mighty snapping of twigs and movement in the bushes as that same plant creature charged out, flowers waving. Kamikaze style! Maverick was ready this time, even for the speed at which this thing traveled, and he sent a burst of fire its way before it got too close. This time, the fire engulfed it and set it ablaze. It whined and hissed, but it was already dying. Within a minute, it was a smoldering pile of ash in a scorched area of ground. No more of that thing thankfully!
'OW! What was that?!' Maverick whipped his head around, nearly slicing Ashe with his horn. He'd felt something like needles in his flank and thought for a second Ashe might have done something. Logically, there would be no reason for Ashe to hurt him at all, but his first instinct was to get it to stop. And despite almost decapitating Ashe, it didn't stop. Alerted to the pain of his steed, Ashe, too, whipped around.
Maverick: + 3 1/5 Ashe: +0 16/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 17:30:39 GMT -6
There was another one of those plant creatures right there behind Maverick, and one of its flowers was stick on his flank. Ashe reacted on pure gut instinct and reached out, grabbing the 'stem' neck and giving it a jerk, like he would ripping up weeds. It popped off of the body and the creature let out an odd hissing sound and jumped back. The flower in his hand wriggled and died, wilting like a plant. With this thing in his hand, he was able to look it over briefly- there were some sort of fangs in the flowers, arranged in a circle like a leech. It had been these things digging into Maverick that had hurt him, but thankfully they were small, and the wound on the Equillion wasn't gushing blood or anything. He should be fine, assuming they weren't venomous or paralyzing. Ashe tucked the flower head away in case he needed it later. The creature, now joined by two others, swarmed around them.
Maverick: + 3 2/5 Ashe: +0 17/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 17:35:52 GMT -6
Now that he had the foes in his sight, Maverick wasted no time in sending flames their way. They scattered as he rounded on them, and as the flames licked at their roots while they ran, he charged after his prey. One caught flame and from there, it wasn't long before it dropped to the ground in a smoldering mass like its friend had. The other two split and ran, and Maverick had to make a choice. He darted to the right and picked up speed. Instead of simply roasting this one, he trampled it, his hooves easily cutting up the plant body. He made sure it was in pieces, all of the flowers stamped into oblivion, and ran after the third one. It was running into a thicker part of the garden, but Mav didn't care. Ashe leaned low over his neck to make sure he didn't get knocked off by branches and the like, holding on for dear life but also trusting Maverick not to do anything stupid.
Maverick: + 3 3/5 Ashe: +0 18/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 17:40:43 GMT -6
Maverick caught that flower monster eventually, too. He reached out and grabbed at a root as it ran. He skidded to a halt, teeth firmly planted in that leg, and he jerked his head up and back. The monster was lifted off its feet and dangled, but this position was dangerous. The flowers were tall enough that they could reach around and sucker onto his neck, if he didn't act fast. The plant creature had the same thought Ashe did, and it was already moving toward the warm body holding it, ready to latch on and do Mortavos knew what. But the Equillion was quicker than that and he whipped his head to the side, bashing the flower thing against a tree. Stunned, the flower necks drooped and hung still, but the roots still tried to move. Maverick bashed it again. And then a third time severed the body. When it was quite obvious that the monster wouldn't be getting them again, ever, he finally dropped his prize, and stamped on the flower half, severing many of the flowers.
Maverick: + 3 4/5 Ashe: +0 19/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 17:45:48 GMT -6
Maverick was breathing slightly harder than normal, after sprinting after those flower things and taking out his anger on them. He, like many other living things, became angry when dealt pain. But the extent he went to get rid of plant creatures sort of surprised Ashe. Not in a negative way, perhaps more in a positive way... He simply hadn't seen Maverick do too much, violence wise. And he was now sentient, so that limited gut instinct even further... Life was complicated.
'You alright, big guy?' Ashe asked, patting him on the neck. Maverick gave a snort and a nod. Ashe got the impression through the ribbon that it was akin to a scoff or an eyeroll. Like, obviously he was fine, and he felt quite good about what he had done. No problem with that!
'Alright, let's go find the flower we're looking for.' He urged Maverick on, and they walked through the garden, more relaxed, thinking that they had faced and defeated the 'dangerous plants'. But had they....
Maverick: + 4 0/5 Ashe: +1 0/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 17:54:23 GMT -6
They walked through and emerged in a clearing. This had to be it - if he wasn't mistaken, they had arrived at a field of the flower they were looking for. But he noticed a different color - while the flower they had been looking for was pale, almost white, there was an odd sickly green flower that sprouted between where they stood, and the field of pretty flowers. It appeared to go all the way around, like a ring guarding the plants. That was weird. But Ashe and Maverick were both riding high on having defeated those creatures that they didn't pay too much attention until they were walking into the green ones. The reaction wasn't immediate, but Ashe became aware of something floating in the air around them, almost shimmering. He blinked his eyes a few times, shook his head, trying to clear his vision. And then his stomach dropped and vertigo hit and the length of the field expanded almost in a cartoon like fashion.
Maverick: + 4 1/5 Ashe: +1 1/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 11, 2021 23:42:48 GMT -6
Ashe felt himself sway in the saddle and he grasped at the saddle itself to keep himself upright. Maverick staggered, too, revealing that it wasn't just Ashe affected by this.
'What is going on?' Mav asked Ashe in their mind link. He spread out his four legs to try and keep standing, but his brain was spinning, his nerves didn't know up from down. Ashe felt the same way. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps he should dismount in case Mav fell over on top of him, but his gut instinct said stay together and don't lose contact. They had to keep going, the flower they needed to complete this was right there in front of him. He knew it was right there, not as far away as it seemed now.
'I think... I think the flowers, the green ones.... Gah, I think they let out some sort of spore or something... Disorient us. Perhaps it's a guardian flower... Not those monsters.'
Maverick: + 4 2/5 Ashe: +1 2/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 0:06:02 GMT -6
That sat heavy in Ashe's stomach. If those monsters weren't the guardian plants that got out of control... They might very well just be that Fae's pets. And they straight up killed them all. Mercilessly. His stomach churned, and it wasn't all the spores from these flowers. He couldn't think about that now. If he did, he'd be distracted from simply making it the next two feet. Eyes on the prize. The flowers had to be right there...
'Can you move?' Ashe asked Maverick. He stroked his neck, and watched his fingers warp. He shut his eyes, wondering if maybe this was like being drunk. But it wasn't. Shockingly, it was very different and in the best of ways. When he closed his eyes, the vertigo stopped. It was like something was attacking his eyes, his sense of sight, and not his nervous system altogether.
'I don't know...' Maverick said. He hesitated, then lifted a leg and moved it forward. As soon as he put it down, he swayed dangerously.
Maverick: + 4 3/5 Ashe: +1 3/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 0:25:32 GMT -6
'Whoa! Easy, easy... Hey, I think I have an idea. Close your eyes. Erm, shut them off. Or whatever you do. Can you?' He added the last part as an after thought. He didn't know if those robotic eyes could turn off, but surely they could... It must be weird, come to think of it, to not blink like normal eyes.
'I have never tried before.' Maverick's careful reply was. Almost like he was holding his breath, even in thought form. He went quiet, distant, for a few moments as he tried different things, willing his sight to power down. By the time he responded once more, Ashe was almost back to normal with his eyes squeezed shut.
'I am able to.'
'Good. Close them. Turn them off. The darkness doesn't spin,' Ashe told him. He held still while he felt Maverick struggling with this concept. Closing your eyes to hide or think, that was a human thing. This was an Equillion, the concept was foreign to him, but if it worked for Ashe, he had to try.
Maverick: + 4 4/5 Ashe: +1 4/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 1:19:05 GMT -6
Ashe felt when the woosiness started to go away. Maverick felt steadier underneath him, and the confidence was starting to return. He must have been able to turn those eyes off and keep them off. With his world still black, Ashe opened up his mind to his stallion and urged him to take a step forward. Trust him and take that step into that void, trust that he wouldn't fall or trip or hurt himself. Maverick hesitated only a second, then he walked forward, eager to get out of here. One step, then two. When he didn't topple over, the confidence started to surge and he walked easier. Step after step followed and, after three minutes of walking, or thereabouts by Ashe's estimation, he opened his eyes just a crack. He felt the surge of vertigo shoot right back into his eyeballs and the pit of his stomach and he slammed them shut again.
'Keep going. We're not in the clear yet! I'll try again soon.' Maverick kept walking.
Maverick: + 5 0/5 Ashe: +1 5/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 1:44:12 GMT -6
A few more minutes later, Ashe was turning into a bundle of nerves. He didn't want to overshoot the circle and end up in the green flowers on the other side! So he peeped once more, cracking his eyes open. He could barely see the colors of the flowers but this would still let him know; if his stomach dropped like it had previously, or if he was more normal. He was teetering on the edge of slamming his eyelids shut again when he realized he was... okay. This felt normal. He looked under Mav's feet - over his shoulder and down - and saw they were in the pale flowers circle.
"Stop!" Ashe said, out loud because he was so startled. Maverick halted, alert, expecting some new danger. The tone Ashe used in his voice made him instantly concerned. "We're out of those green flowers. I think we're safe. I need to get some of these flowers for the quest now..." And without further ado, Ashe slid off Mav's back.
Maverick: + 5 1/5 Ashe: +1 6/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 1:53:39 GMT -6
Maverick activated his eyes again and gazed around at his feet. It was kind of peaceful, being in this circle of flowers, normal life. He, and Ashe too, had a new appreciation for normal life. Who knew a little bit of topsy turvy vertigo could make you appreciate the little things in life? Ashe knelt by his stallion and started picking some of the flowers. He wasn't sure how many the fae man needed, or what he was going to do with them so he couldn't even estimate. Ashe started picking. One hand filled up and he started on the other one. He had two large handfuls when he was done, and he didn't really have anywhere to... put... those flowers. He frowned in concern, then shrugged. He managed to climb back into the saddle, still holding onto those flowers in both hands. He was sure he could stay on his back no problem under normal circumstances... But the only way he really saw out of this, might take a little more than just sitting in a saddle.
Maverick: + 5 2/5 Ashe: +1 7/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 2:15:18 GMT -6
"Alright, bud, I think there's only one real way out of here. We can't go back through that mess... And the sky is open above us! How about we just fly out of here and go back to the city? What do you think?" He asked, out loud. It felt good, normal, to talk out loud, now that they had completed the task they were assigned.
"Hang on," was all Maverick said in response. He gave Ashe a heartbeat to obey, then he took off. He cantered to the edge of the circle and flapped his wings as hard as he could, getting as much height as equillion-ly possible before he crossed into the green flowers. Ashe crouched over the saddle, keeping his center of balance as low as possible since he couldn't hang on. They took to the air and soared high above the gardens, leaving it a green speck. Maverick flew toward the city, his wings stretched out fully, his head high and his flames whipping around him.
Maverick: + 5 3/5 Ashe: +1 8/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 2:24:14 GMT -6
It felt so good to have the wind in his hair, fresh air all around him, and none of the dizziness. He reveled in simply feeling alive. All too soon, they were nearing the city and Maverick began his descent. He landed just outside the central streets of the city, where all the shops were located and more importantly, the quest board. It was too crowded to really land in there, after all. The stallion trotted, and then slowed to a walk when they got to the busiest of streets. It was evening now, and the shops were bustling with people making last minute trips or going out to eat. Mav and Ashe navigated through it all and approached the questing board. There was a familiar shape of the fae waiting for them. He seemed surprised, but pleased.
Ashe hopped off of Maverick and held out his hands with the flowers. "Here you go, sir! Sorry if they're a little, ah, windblown. We had to make a quick exit."
Maverick: + 5 4/5 Ashe: +1 9/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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Post by Ashe on Mar 12, 2021 2:35:21 GMT -6
"They will do, you have the flowers for me and that was the part I needed!" Right there in front of Ashe, he plucked the petals and dropped the stems.
"Let me guess... They make a potion, or something, to keep you from being all dizzy and shit, crossing that field of green flowers?"
The fae let his attention falter from the flowers at hand and he looked up at Ashe, then his expression softened into a sly smile. "Perhaps. Or perhaps something else. You did the quest as asked, and you will be rewarded - but I must keep my secrets." He waggled a finger at him.
Ashe chuckled. "I suppose you're right. Well, if you need another quest run, just post it and I'll be there."
They said their farewells and Ashe climbed back up onto Maverick's back, and together they took off into the city, heading home at last. They might go for a gentle trail ride, but Ashe honestly just wanted to stretch out and relax for a couple of hours after that!
Maverick: + 6 0/5 Ashe: +1 10/20 * Ashe is using Sever Bond at the cost of 4 MP
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