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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 23, 2016 18:07:01 GMT -6
Nayru would have to be lying with a skill far superior to her own if she said she wasn't at least a little satisfied to see Remus's childlike reaction. It was infectious as well, not enough to actually make her feel happy per se, would need a couple lobotomies or at least a sledgehammer to the skull to actually fix that side of her, but it did do well to... somewhat lift the crushing fear of repercussions that had begun to set in as soon as the words had left her mouth. The greatest secrets, after all, were those you could share with others - but they also tended to be the most terrible, in one way or another.
Still, she couldn't help smiling a bit, midway between joy and mischievousness. Maybe a little more on the demon child Nayru. And this time it wasn't JUST at the prospect of messing with Remus! Wouldn't that be a first. Um. Anyways. "Yes," she began, slightly more uncertain than she had expected to be, but in fair it's not like she really talked about Arcadia like... ever. "It was my home as a child. I left about three hundred and fifty years ago. As for what it was like-" The dragon trailed off for a second, trying to put the visions into words. "I don't know that I could do it justice with words. You eventually get used to all the dragons walking around though, at least the ones who are paying attention to where they're going?"
Hm... not a good start so far. She was making it sound more like the ground zero of an avalanche of wagons than a mystical wonderland. So she tried again. "It's very... laid back. The only ones really in a hurry are the young, usually." And now it sounded like a retirement home. Which wasn't... entirely inaccurate, but still. "Look, uh, how about we just let the details be a surprise for when we get there, yeah?" SMOOTH, Nayru, spinning it like a f**k**g champion and not at all because she was a braindead buffoon. crap if she was actually half this smart, none of her problems would actually be problems in the first place. "It's in Nabata, my next destination after our little island adventure."
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Post by Remus on Dec 23, 2016 22:08:30 GMT -6
Three hundred and fifty years ago. So we had a time frame. ...sort of. Remus wasn't exactly sure he could comprehend just how long that must've been to be away from home. Then again he wasn't shocked that he couldn't comprehend much involving draconic norms. Such as evidently living literally until the end of days. Still, the prospect of the place Nayru called home housed an interesting series of mental images he hadn't quite been ready for. Trying to imagine A city of hidden super ancient dragons and humans that lived with one anotherr, coexisting in a peaceful place? Truly the world was a strange and mysterious place.
The very thought of well...child Nayru briefly sent chills down his spine. He was suddenly even more thankful he'd met her at the age he had and where his journey may have stopped.
The priest tilted his head once she mentioned Nabata. Suddenly..the placement made great sense. Nabata was a desert where anything that others didn't want to be found would often remain that way. Wrapped with sandstorms and burning heat that could make anyone resign to travel another time and in another direction. Remus had never directly been there, but boy did he imagine. He'd imagine being in the rich city of Khan Yunis. The difference in climate. Though he'd heard poor things about the heat he also knew that it was a by-product of the heat that could truly end up. Dehydration. So he imagined they were near an oasis or maybe the ocean?
Though since these were older and powerful dragons that resided with him...maybe that was a power of theirs? To simply make water appear? He couldn't truly speculate but kept that big dumb smile of a look plastered to his face. She then mentioned Arcadia being a surprise to him. Though he nodded his head in agreement, eager to see this "mystery" to it's end, he knew it would take time and preparation. He knew they were heading there because of negative reasons and emotions, but that didn't stop him from asking the first question that came dominantly to mind.||
"Ahhh. Um, so are you excited to go back orr..just going for the sake of trying to better control your powers? Or to visit family orr..?"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 23, 2016 22:23:13 GMT -6
"It's a... complicated feeling," Nayru admitted wryly in response to her friend's question. understatement of the year right there. Of course she was, on at least some levels, excited to see Arcadia again. She had grown up there after all. It might not be her true home, but it was as much of a home as she had ever known. She had known humans and dragons alike there, seen them mature and grow and in some cases eventually die, as humans eventually did. She recalled all the structures she had climbed and swung off of and the inevitable scolding in the wake of her misdeeds, the pranks she had pulled, the countless memorable individuals, many of whom were doubtless still alive. Shopkeepers, researchers, retirees, mages and manaketes arguing about magic... and the friends she had possessed there. Few of them admittedly, but a far larger circle of acquaintances, men and women and dragons and manaketes that she would love to see again, even if the realities of time did mean that the humans there at the time were likely all dead by now.
But so too was there a dark side to all those truths. For she HAD left without warning, left them all behind, and more than three centuries later could she really expect the eighth generation of little Rolf's family to recognize her for her friendship with a long dead human boy, or even her draconic friends to not have moved on? Few had approached Erim or desired to step on her toes so to speak, so despite Nayru's old outgoing ways she had been somewhat isolated. And the few friends she had had, well. They could be forgiven if they did not still hold her as dear as she might in return. She was, after all, the one who had ditched them.
"It seemed at the time as though nothing ever changed there, a bubble utopia trapped in time, but I fear that by now many of the faces have changed, and I left without warning. It may not feel as homey as before." Though at least she had no enemies that she knew of. Nayru had been a bit of a gobshite as a kid, but never intentionally, nor had she been cruel, so the worst that could really happen was that no one remembered her. "Erim is the only family I've ever had. I just, um, hope she's willing to talk to me again. I- I did wrong by her when I left, and... it's time I tried to make it right."
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Post by Remus on Dec 24, 2016 15:00:31 GMT -6
Remus beamed excitedly towards Nayru. If warmth could literally permeate from his body beyond the standard body heat then even Nayru would be sweating from the literally glowing look that the priest had. He was simply happy and excited. However, the priest tilted his head while shifting in poise to speak up quietly. Being back in his territory, familiar concepts and what not, this conversation was not generally too different from one's he had before. A brief chuckle parting his lips before he smiles warmly and tries to keep her spirits as positive as she usually kept his(whether she knew it or not).
"Well Nayru...if you are sure you want me to come along just know that I will! I think though....while I don't know Erim or have any fair calls of judgment, that you may find people usually are more welcoming than not when someone from their community is gone for a time. If you consider her family, I am sure she will be happy to see you! After um...so long I definitely think we'll see that!"
He nodded before tapping his staff on the ground lightly in excitement. The notion of meeting wise old powerful dragons made him realize that he was going to have an opportunity that no human had likely had...well...ever. It was only now truly sinking in. The priest flashed a bright grin before laughing quietly, still visibly giddy. However he tilted his head as he observed Nayru and lightly tapped his chin in thought. He'd have loved to drown Nayru in questions. Excitable as always, was he, and in such moments when he was being informed that towns of secret ancient dragons living along side humans existed that was doubly so. However he also needed Nayru's help.
"Hey Nayru..I was wondering..."
He turned to look at her brightly. Confidence through the roof and eagerness twice so.
"Can you help me test my barrier magic? Um...I need to know..what it's capable of. What it's truly capable of. I would really really like you to help me test it's limits, if it has any. Because..that's the thing. I don't know if it does. I want to know more about how it works. Since I do..want to stress test it if you will, and since your the strongest person I think I'll ever know...welll....yeah..."
His hanging silence implied what he was asking and his smile and hopeful expression were plain as day. The priest leaning on his staff slightly having leapt up prior in excitement while still slightly giddy from her invitation.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 24, 2016 15:43:43 GMT -6
"There's no one I'd rather have with me," Nayru responded simply and honestly, with all the guile of the average three year old. It was less flattery as a statement of fact; it wasn't to say that she trusted Veigue any less, but she didn't think he'd be nearly as interested in the first place, nor would he be as likely as Remus to turn what he saw into reality. Remus was the one who wanted to change the world; her and Veigue's job was simply to make that possible by slaying evil in their path, whether it be born of man and monster. In that way, she and Veigue had far more in common, but the dragon was... grateful that she could at least share this much with Remus, despite their differences in inherent goodness. After all, she'd dreamed of saving the world as a child - even if it wasn't quite what she'd dreamed of so long ago, in a way it was still quite similar.
Remus's question caught her somewhat off guard though, not necessarily in a bad way so much as simply unexpected. Was it related to her earlier eruption or simply something he had been meaning to test? She could... understand wanting to learn one's limits of course, but had never really thought of a valid way to test her own. At least not in full power. Her body was the limit, not the power, she didn't need to test too much to know that. "Well," Nayru responded, chuckling as she hefted herself upright. Took a little more effort than she was used to, maybe she actually was a little beat after her adventures today and a couple high-octane halfshifts. "I can empathize with that, so sure."
Rising to her full height, not actually impressive anymore but that was another story entirely, the dragon crossed her arms with a slight smile. "But what brings this on?" Her smile turned a bit more mischievous as she continued, her mind wandering into the realm of things that should not be and would never happen. "Trying to figure out a way to keep Lafiel off of you? I'd suggest a vial of snake oil, personally."
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Post by Remus on Dec 24, 2016 16:14:34 GMT -6
The priest burst into a sudden laugh. An unrestrained, healthy laugh that shook from the stomach and boomed in the chest. His mood made him far more open but her comment had caught him off guard. In truth, he didn't get the innuendo behind getting Lafiel off him. He was just imagining Lafiel hissing and pawing at a bottle of oil, or snake tonic of some kind. Such a thought was one he'd obviously not been ready for, and when he flashed a grin at Nayru he had to briefly steady himself and catch his breath.
"Heh, that's funny. Ahh, well honestly..."
The priest's expression became far more contemplative while he and his hand rose to comb through messy lapis hair before he turned thoughtfully to Nayru once more. Hand idling with arms folded over his chest and upraised palm clasping his pale chin before speaking; clearly trying to determine the adequate phrasing and pushing on only when he'd weighed his options.
"I'd noticed after the incident with the traps in the temple that well..my barriers haven't ever been breached. They only fade if my stamina can not sustain the magic past a certain point or a threshold of strikes is reached. It's always the number though that seems to best them. Not the severity though! Just the threshold."
The priest nodded while quietly tapping his staff on the ground in thought. The priest flashed a sheepish grin towards Nayru while rubbing the back of his neck and trying not to sound like he was blatantly sucking up to her. He wasn't but his words in truth sounded like it.
"And well..I've literally never met someone as strong as you or as um...willing to help me. So I know you wouldn't try to kill me if you broke my barrier and I know your strong enough that if my barrier can withstand you going all out with that um...half shift...I think you called it? If I can handle that, then I feel as if I can handle anything thrown at me!!"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 24, 2016 16:56:39 GMT -6
Pfft. Nayru had the feeling that she and Remus weren't quite laughing at the same thing, but the mental image of Lafiel screaming 'I'M MELTING, I'M MELTING' was amusing nonetheless, even if it did get a little... dark when one thought of what it would actually entail. Uh, wow, damn Nayru what the hell? Actually feeling slightly bad in the wake of her overactive imagination, Nayru resolved to put those thoughts to rest and focus on something, anything else possible, still slightly feeling like she owed Lafiel an apology but quite certain that this dark moment would never come under the scrutiny of light.
"Hmm." So Remus spoke of... layers, of a sort, if she understood him correctly. Of a defense not measured in actual durability, in a quantity of damage or power that it could absorb, but in how many assaults it could absorb. She certainly hadn't been paying as much attention as him to the number of hits, or seen him cast barrier as many times as he doubtless had given his other adventures, but it was an interesting concept nonetheless. Nayru wasn't sure if it was superior or inferior to a more quality-focused type of defense, but she supposed both approaches had their benefits. "An intriguing proposition. Very different from how my own defenses work, to be certain."
But from what she had seen of his barrier, it wasn't... what was the word. Consistent? In the temple, it had survived multiple traps, but popped when no longer immediately necessary without intercepting the final one that had missed, if she recalled. The one he had cast on her, when fighting the gargoyles, had only lasted a single hit, and not an especially strong one at that. Not to say she disagreed with his conclusion. But Nayru was curious if there was more to it than that. It just seemed a bit inconsistent. Nonetheless, that was no reason to refuse his request; it wasn't exactly safe, but at least it wasn't suicidal to the point that she would have to yell at him about it. "...Understood. I'll try to give it a fight." The dragon couldn't honestly tell if she was being humble or sarcastic, if Remus's idea WAS correct than her just punching it once might very well just go splat, but it simply didn't make sense that it was TRULY unrelated to the power of the strike. That would imply that it was truly independent of the magic used to cast it - that all barriers were the same, that even the rankest newbie could make themselves immune to all damage from any blow no matter how great, and that simply didn't gel with what she believed was the case.
Starting the flow of magic through her arm though not quite ready to transform yet, Nayru nodded with a more serious look on her face than usual. "Your move, professor."
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Post by Remus on Dec 24, 2016 17:22:50 GMT -6
Remus smiled brightly, before he took a few swift steps backwards. He was excited to see what he could really do!
Okay. Okay Remus, focus. This was going to test the quality of his shield. The gusto. How much "unf" it could handle!
The priest held his staff aloft, and closed his eyes to steel himself internally. All back-ground noise faded. All distractions whited out. All other thoughts turned to dust before his mentality that usually best enforced his magic. The single unyielding, unfaltering thought. "Protect,". The priests expression became far more serious. Determined. His eyes snapped open and his gaze bore into Nayru while he let the magical essence within rise outwards and swirl around him. Robes billowing wildly and shaking from the energy that churned about him. Trails of light and brilliant blueish hues kicked up while his staff began to glow with the gem atop like a beacon. The light atop a lighthouse tower. Small segments of energy began to solidify around him in preparation. The priest kept his gaze steely, and spoke as energy infused within and around him. Magic certainly filled the air near the priest.
"Don't hold back Nayru! I need to know my limit. I need to feel the drain. The stress. If I don't, I won't know what I am capable of and may over-estimate myself in battle!"
Honestly, even if he knew his limit it would likely never impede him from trying to save someone's life even were it beyond those limits. This however was a moment in which he did not need fear for his own safety. His own well being. The priests pale hand gripped at the staff tightly, and he further sculpted and guided the brilliant blue light around him. A stark contrast to the standard barriers he casted that were brief and infused the body. The energy was palpable this time, at-least to the magically sensitive. Remus dredged up every ounce of will power he had. He had to put 100% into it, or it was meaningless. The priest spoke out a simple brief word but with all the weight and urgency as if a life depended on it. For in this mind-set, he had to believe that one did.
"Ready!"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 24, 2016 22:37:26 GMT -6
Nayru let her right arm drop down to her side almost, but not quite, curled with her fingers half closed and her palm forward as she started to pour magic into her arm. One-limb shifting was nothing new to her, but she hadn't practiced it as much lately, not since... actually, since that fight against Zarius, with Veigue. Wow, it had been a while. Still. It was like riding a unicorn. Once you did it, you never forgot. It was just a matter of turning that arm into the circuit rather than using both arms for it, a little finer work but not too difficult, as golden scales began to crust over the human flesh accompanied by the crackling of electricity.
Remus was certainly making an effort to take this seriously though, spirals of white and blue surrounding him as he cast what she was pretty sure was the biggest barrier she'd ever seen out of him. Definitely a colossal investment of magic, frankly a lot more than she had expected seeing given his past barriers. She had known he was serious, but not to this degree, to the point that he was actually legitimately putting all he had into it. She hadn't seen him do that before. Nayru was half tempted to smack him for not telling her she could do that, but the irony of HER chiding others about hiding their power level fortunately kept that from happening.
Still. Seeing that much magic? She couldn't help but take it as a bit of a challenge. The idea of just love tapping the shield pretty hard to satisfy him was slowly warping into something else, a certain level of actual curiosity of what it could take and a bit of a primal urge to throw herself against it and see what happened. Nayru didn't have a great deal of pride as a dragon per se, for a number of reasons, but that didn't mean she didn't have at least some level of confidence in her own skills and want to see what they could manage.
Almost unwittingly gold turned to black as her transformation heightened, the bulky golden arm shrinking, solidifying, to the familiar but unnerving black-red of the next level up. A jet of molten plasma ejected out the back of her hand as power continued to grow, electricity coursing through the transformed arm. So Remus wanted to see how far that shield could go huh? Well, turned out she kinda did too. Seemed they were on the same wavelength. But she wasn't sure if they were both gonna be entirely happy with how it went, one of them was bound to be disappointed.
Time to see which it was.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
With a resounding shout, Nayru threw herself into the strike fully, the rough equivalent of a right hook with several tons of force behind it to slam into the blue barrier with an explosive crack that sent leaves rustling from the trees and birds screeching into the skys, followed by a delayed electrical detonation that sent an expanding eruption of obsidian and crimson in every direction around them, a huge backlash of magic smashing into the foliage and bending trees behind her as even more force crashed into the barrier. The second explosion was far louder than the first, less a loud crack and more of a proper roaring boom that woke up anything within a mile.
As it died down, one of Lafiel's louder snores could be heard amidst the sound of silence.
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Post by Remus on Dec 24, 2016 23:15:53 GMT -6
Nayru began to transform. Remus was almost...sad that he had to focus so intently. He would've loved to simply observe her transformation. See the nuances that went into it and the differences. How her body shifted. Instead, the tone was far contrasting to such moments. The surge of plasma was his cue. Remus instantly let every facet of his internal power flow out externally. The wind kicking up around him further, energy burst with flowing radiance and brightly began to shine like a light punctuating the darkness of twilight. His lips tightly pursed together, before slightly parting in a look of pure concentration. His body began to ache. Almost as if burning from excess energy. So much gathered, and woven into the fabrics of his command that his very core felt like it would burst. Limbs burning, ablaze with spiritual power while he felt the weight of lead upon his limbs. Still, that didn't stop him.
Each hand extended to the side entirely, Remus clasping his staff to his palm with his thumb. Beads of sweat had already formed purely from the process of accruing as much magical power as he possibly could. Holding it. Storing. Channeling further. Until the moment he saw Nayru cock her arm back. At which point the priest let all that welled up energy explode outwards. The external gust of wind admittedly paled in comparison to the bombastic power that his female companion wielded. However in an instant, a perfectly spherical crystalline dome of protective magics expelled outwards from his hands. A glistening pristine shield that had served as his will to protect manifested into the physical realm. A corporeal shell of his desire to stave off danger for those he loved.
Sound was slightly distorted within the barrier. It was an odd sensation. Visually, he saw the burning light flashing brilliantly. Audibly he could hear the muffled impact and roar of the energy crashing with the barrier. He could hear it...but he couldn't register it. The moment Nayru's palm collided with the priests protective dome, the etrurian's legs nearly buckled. The muscles in his neck and shoulders strained and his calves ran taught from the overwhelming strain his body went under. His hair flailed wildly from the gusts of clashing powers and his barrier rippled as he attempted to retaliate with a pulse of magic further enhancing the dome. The punch alone nearly throwing him for a literal loop as the priest released an involuntary snarl from the effort.
"Gaaah! Ngh...GRRRAAA!"
He threw his hands further outwards and stood as tall as he could. His body under such immense pressure and his mind straining so hard, that a small thin crimson line of blood began to slide down his left nostril. The warmth of it barely distinguished to him while he tried to hold the barrier for the entirety of the shockwave. Nayru's blow had made a second feel like an eternity. A moment felt like a life time, and his body was not immune to this as the priest's entire figure strained to remain standing.
The last trail of light faded from sight. The final blast and back-lash of her punch. Dust began to clear. For a brief, ever so stationary moment the sight could be discerned of Remus still standing there; eyes locked and even wincing in pain from the strain while dedicated to simply maintaining his poise. The trail of dark crimson blood running down his nose and now overlapping down his lips and to his chin had become much more distinguished. Then, in that hanging moment it all shattered.
Blue energy magic burst and collapsed before the priest also collapsed. Legs giving out and falling, barely able to push out one hand in time to barely keep him from face-planting into the ground as a coughing fit seized him. He'd been holding his breath in that moment and felt as if he hadn't taken a solid breath in months. Specks of crimson dotted the leaves inches from his face as blood from his nose and that'd been covering his lips was forced out by the cough, before he wearily tried to struggle upwards. He didn't even have the strength to smile, but he certainly felt like he was smiling. Internally it was barely clicking that he was alive. Which mattered. He knew Nayru wouldn't have tried to kill him, but the danger felt very real.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 26, 2016 6:19:11 GMT -6
It was hard to tell at first exactly what had happened. The... sensation transmitted through super-reinforced scales was generally dull at best, even without enough power flowing through her to addle her mind, and visibility wasn't ideal either, what with the blue and black and red and general smoke and dust. Glancing behind her she could see the scorched earth immediately behind her, rapidly fading off into singed and flattened grass, burns seared and flecks ripped away from trees, a few of them bent backwards.
Before her... the brilliant blue of the barrier came into view, almost unscathed, and Remus still upright within it. She couldn't see him clearly but the result was clear, and Nayru found herself... strangely conflicted.
On one hand, she couldn't help but be a bit impressed. Throughout her long life, Nayru had found very few physical problems that enough power couldn't solve. Oh, she had quite a few mental ones that took more than just power, but she'd never really had to think about actually needing more strength, more power. The Bael, perhaps, but even that she'd been able to do damage to, it was just much bigger. And while she did truly care for humans, at the same time Nayru did suffer from the sin of pride, and... ironically enough, trivializing their abilities, despite her belief that the race as a whole was inherently valuable. She had been bested in speed and magic of course, and been hard pressed by magic weapons, but never beaten in raw power. Remus... had done that. He had taken a serious punch from her, one fueled by her pride as much as her trust in him, and the barrier still stood seemingly unscathed.
On the other, a deep, almost primal... anger burned in her, directed at anything and everything in her path. At herself, for her failure to break it. But most of all, shamefully enough, at Remus. She almost felt as though she had been challenged. As though he had set her up to fail, knowing that she would by trickery or sleight of hand, wanting to make a fool of her. It didn't matter that Nayru the self knew that was false; Nayru the instinct wanted to try again, to keep battering it until his barrier broke and he knelt before her power and recognized his inferiority. It was a horrible, ugly line of thinking, not even thinking so much as feeling, her emotions still not exactly flawless in their control despite her growth, and yet she could not deny that a small part of her felt that way nonetheless. It was a... lessening of the self to even realize it.
But when the barrier cracked and shattered, when Remus was revealed battered and broken, kept upright by failing willpower and hardly even that? Nayru found that she didn't actually care about any of it. It all disintegrated as quickly as her partial transformation, a trail of shadow following in her wake as the panicking dragon charged Remus about as quickly as she'd ever moved, rushing to catch him as he collapsed entirely. All thought of Self evaporated for the mind as she focused entirely on the kneeling priest, holding him somewhat upright with hands she didn't even realize were almost imperceptibly shaking. "Remus, what the f**k-"
She had seen him in danger before. It was never a good feeling, but she had... managed to trust him enough to let him handle it, or step in herself, as appropriate. At times, she had even come close to losing him. The fight against the gargoyles, the trap in the ruins, the labyrinth. But... Nayru had never really had to face the prospect of actually losing him before, and most importantly, it had never been HER fault. She had done this. Not some ancient evil, not some crazed beast, not some mere bandit, not even an inanimate, but... her. The crazy lady who was supposed to be his friend, who in turn had very few friends other than him. And she did not like losing friends.
"Remus, I'm so sorry, I - I didn't -"
Didn't what? Hit the barrier as hard as she could? Try to break it? Try to break him? Use her full strength knowing that it was her god damn FRIEND in there? She couldn't keep the stuttering out of her halting words, overwhelmed by myriad emotions in the wake of what had just happened and nowhere near capable of sorting them all out at once.
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Post by Remus on Dec 26, 2016 10:07:42 GMT -6
He was weightless? The priest leaned into Nayru's grip almost as the female dragon moved to assist him. As much of his weight as possible had shifted to her, though that was not much admittedly. He was also slightly delirious. The priests head bobbed slightly before he shifted onto his side. Were it not for Nayru's support he would've simply flopped onto his side and laid there. How his lungs burned. Each breath becoming faintly less ragged, but still an effort none the less and one that his body instinctively struggled for. The interval between breaths had quickened and the duration of each one shortened, but he was just barely cognitive enough to register that he was in-fact breathing. Skin had gone pale as the body fully processed the experience and the strain finally set in entirely. The priests pupils were dilated, as if a great light had shone upon him. Though the blinding clash of her plasma infused punch and his energy shell was indeed a brilliant one this had not been the cause.
Pulse hammering wildly in his chest, Remus looked to Nayru with his cheek brushing her forearm, and as he turned his head feeling the back of his scruffy blue head resting against one of her out-reached arms. The contrast between sanguine trails from his nose and down his lips to his chin, of which there were now two, and the snowy white skin became more stark. His lips twitched into a smile though as the shell-shocked etrurian spoke in a slightly quivering tone.
"You hit really hard...you know that?"
His head swiftly darted towards his shoulder as he buried his face against lapis robes to cough. Crimson blotches stained it, and the smear of it along his face looked more like smudged berry juice or paste as opposed to actual blood once it did smear. The darkened shade lost as it spread. He chuckled, still not able to fully register to the experience. Unable to comprehend why he felt so giddy. The subconscious weight of his success booming through out the halls of his mind despite his lack of coherent thought.
Remus reached out with shaky hands. His staff clung by tightly gripping fingers that knew not else what to do. As if his brain hadn't quite figured out to give them other commands. The priest wrapped his arms around Nayru's neck and hugged her tightly. Soft chuckle barely staving off another cough as he mumbled quietly, as if unable to fully process the rest of the world around him and thus had to focus on individual aspects.
"I did it. Nayru. I did it. I did it..."
Face buried against her at the crook of her neck as weariness hit him like a truck. His body instantly felt several thousand times heavier. Like his clothes had turned to lead. With a nice trim of iron and a lace of steel for full effect. The priest's grip expressed this. As if the fear of falling had set in. However color did slowly begin to set back in. His coherence not quite back, but returning enough for him to recall the sight of her transformation. The distortion of a blue veil barely masking it clearly. His concern for her and the effects of it his first sensation.
"Your not hurt, are you?"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 27, 2016 0:23:16 GMT -6
"Yeah, you did it."
Nayru found that her emotions hadn't exactly gotten any less complex in the last few moments, but she couldn't really think of anything more intelligent and helpful to say than simply agreeing with Remus's claim. He HAD done it. She wasn't entirely sure if the cost to him had been worth it, but it didn't diminish the accomplishment a whit nonetheless; the walking blueberry had accomplished what even she had thought impossible, no matter how hard he had had to push himself to pull it off. Nayru hadn't fought many mages before to really be familiar with their capabilities, but he had helped her understand, in a way, how the Scouring 'Heroes' had functioned - even the seemingly frail Elimine must have had a mastery of defensive magic on par with or above Remus's, along with the tremendous offensive power of Aureola to burn the wicked to ash.
If nothing else, it had at least allowed her to comprehend how human mages were perhaps not as weak as she had always kind of assumed, given their tendency to fall apart when struck hard enough with blunt objects.
Trying not to think too hard about whether or not Remus was happily bleeding all over her shoulder like a human faucet, Nayru wrapped one arm around him hesitantly, then added a second for good measure as he tried to pull himself together. He certainly seemed happy about it at least, and worried about HER for some reason in a typically... Remus flavored way. Seemed like kind of a waste of time to her, but then Nayru wasn't Remus after all, was she? "Yeah, I'm fine." Her response was a touch wry but carefully kept clear of any obvious sarcasm; even for her it seemed a little gauche to respond to genuine care with childish petulance. "How about you? Did we uh, learn any lessons today?"
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Post by Remus on Dec 27, 2016 14:15:11 GMT -6
The world was much more tan, when his face had partially been buried into Nayru's neck, where all he saw was neck and shoulder skin. That was, until the priest gazed above him and the color of the world around came rushing back to him. Sights. Smells. Sounds. The ability to crisply perceive sense of touch even. His eyes wildly darting around while the priest instantly began to slightly spasm. Gasping audibly, the priests gaze re-focused and his pupils started to return to normal size while he struggled with an attempt to comprehend every sense. Though Nayru's embrace kept him steady, and the priest slowly started to shakily move himself up. His left hand latching onto her shoulder while he tried to lock his feet onto the ground.
Knees shook, but he got his bearings soon enough. It was only then that he distinctively noticed the wet sensation upon his face. Remus wiggled his nose slightly at the confounding feeling before lifting his right sleeve to wipe his face upon it. Brushing his face right to left as large swathes of dark sanguine stained his bright blue robes. This was not the first time his robes had been stained his own blood. Nor the first time it'd happened around Nayru. It would likely not be the last either. The only difference was he didn't have to endure getting stabbed or slashed at this point. Nor were his robes torn. That was always a bothersome circumstance.
Though there was still a bit of red smudges along the priests face, and he now smelled the thick musky metallic scent of blood while also being able to still taste that coppery hint on his lips, the priest was beginning to fully regain color in his complexion. His staff now propped against the ground as he stood up and blinked quietly, looking at Nayru with a sheepish expression before thinking back on with a faint chuckle. His voice had grown stronger and steadier while he used his left hand now to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, having released her from his grip.
"Ah. Sorry I um...er...bled...on...you."
Because that was something you did on your friends. Some people leaned on friends. Some cried on them. Remus bled on them. Edge-master in training to be sure.
"Okay. So. I think I need to grow and become more proficient with barriers before we try that again. Ah-hah..good thing you weren't practicing your um..one two combo so to speak."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 27, 2016 15:34:53 GMT -6
"It's alright," Nayru responded in a long suffering voice with just enough pseudo falsetto to sell it, "I was looking for some moisturizer anyways. Vinland air is murder on my skin." Hm. Well, at least he'd had the decency to bleed on her right shoulder, which was mostly just skin, and not the left, where there was valuable fabric that she would have had to towel-whip him with if he'd ruined that. She wasn't actually joking. She totally would have. Best for Remus if he never got between a girl and her hobbies, he'd have better luck with getting Lafiel to admit boys were icky.
On the bright side at least Remus hadn't gotten any too crazy ideas from their little adventure, which was good. Also probably a first. She had been worried that he was going to respond with something VERY optimistic or idealistic or otherwise likely to give her an aneurysm. "Ok, you don't want to try it again RIGHT NOW, that's a start." Nayru chuckled and patted him on the back. "I'll take what I can get. Propose this again without a better solution and I'mma slap some sense into you though, just a heads up."
She grinned at the goofball, not ENTIRELY serious in her threat but still a little emotional after the moment of horror a bit ago. Still wasn't sure how she felt about his barriers actually being able to take a hit though. "Well, uh, guess you were on the money about the duration component to your shields though. Wonder if it's actually a timing thing or a hit count thing, though? Like, if you got hit by a million arrows simultaneously, would it break after the first couple, or stay up long enough to deflect them? If it still costs you personally to deflect bigger things, what happens if a dragon just lands on you or the Scouring heroes show up and casually just Forblaze all over your face?"
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