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Post by Noa on Dec 22, 2021 22:53:12 GMT -6
What he hadn't expected was for all the toys to turn their attention to him as soon as he stepped inside the shop. It was as if his entering their space had triggered something, and for a moment they simply stared at him. He stared back, waiting for any sign of... Well, anything, really. He didn't know what would happen. Maybe they would all deactivate without him needing to do anything.
... As if it would be so easy.
The first thing to break the stalemate was a neon pink teddy bear. It launched itself from the shelf it had been standing on, probably with the intent of latching onto Noa's face. With a slight sigh, he sidestepped it; as he did, Rhys burst into the air in a flutter of wings, knocking the bear aside with his telekinesis.
Noa didn't bother to see if the other toys were moving too.
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Post by Noa on Dec 22, 2021 22:56:15 GMT -6
He knew they'd be coming for him, and he had to move fast. He darted between two rocking horses to make for the lane that led all the way to the back of the shop. It should have been a straight shot from the door to the button, but he hadn't even seen the thing for all the toys and clutter in his way.
At the periphery of his vision, he saw something else hurtling toward him, and put on a little burst of speed. A chair crashed into the spot he had occupied scant seconds ago. A stuffed elephant, much larger than the neon pink bear, appeared to block his path, glowering menacingly at him -- though frankly it was hard to take anything it did seriously when it was blue with white polka dots. Noa tried to duck around this one too, but its size allowed it to blockade the lane more effectively.
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Post by Noa on Dec 22, 2021 22:59:46 GMT -6
Noa hit it with a blast of ice, freezing its feet in place, then squeezed around it as it tried to take a swipe at him. He managed to get past it, but his trick was used against him a moment later, when he looked down to see jump ropes latched to his feet.
He knew he couldn't go on like this. He had a lot of nodes, but his power was finite, and unfortunately most of his spell repertoire wasn't suited to wide area control. "Rhys," he said. "Tie these down for me."
{A little busy here!} said Rhys, who was presumably dodging his own assailants. {Just give me a -- ow! A second!}
"I don't have a second," Noa said sharply, though if Rhys didn't help, he had no choice but to fend for himself. With a sharp huff of displeasure, he summoned wind to himself, preparing another spell.
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Post by Noa on Dec 22, 2021 23:03:13 GMT -6
The wind burst outward in a series of tiny razor bursts, which cut off all the ropes in one go. Freed, he sprinted further into the shop, dodging more toys as he went. Another of the elephants loomed before him, flanked by a swarm of toy soldiers, and Noa was scrambling to think of a spell that would disable the lot when a flood of green burst out from behind him and flattened them all.
Rhys, breathing hard, alighted on his shoulder.
"Took you long enough," Noa said. He had wanted the words to come out even and unfazed, but he was also breathing hard.
{This place is terrible,} said Rhys. Noa didn't respond, but privately he agreed with the sentiment.
The vines would only last so long, so Noa ran the rest of the way to the button. He still had to weave between the tangled toys, but it was a lot easier to do now that they weren't moving.
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Post by Noa on Dec 22, 2021 23:05:47 GMT -6
The fact that they weren't actively trying to impede him helped too, of course.
It almost felt too easy once he actually reached the button to push it, but this was what the person working here had said to do. Noa didn't necessarily trust him, but if this didn't work, then Noa could decide what to do once he saw that for himself. He slammed the button with a fist, and watched in mild surprise as the struggle went out of the toys.
"Just like that, hmm? Almost makes the ordeal feel like a waste of time, if you asked me," Noa said. Failsafes were important in designing magical arrangements, but he didn't know that he would make his own spellwork so easily neutered.
Still, at least it was over. Now it was just a matter of getting paid and going home.
This hadn't been a relaxing excursion at all.
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Post by NPC on Feb 23, 2022 21:00:08 GMT -6
Congratulations, you have successfully completed the quest! Your QP will be added to the bank and your prize will be sent out shortly.
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