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Post by Althea on May 10, 2017 19:31:42 GMT -6
They really needed to make these mountains shorter.
An afternoon of hiking hadn't sounded too bad - she had spent plenty of time outdoors after all! Granted Althea was not exactly a fitness buff but by the standards of a researcher or even mage she was reasonably fit, ish, sort of, probably. She hadn't spent much time in Bern though, on account of that whole 'civil war' thing, so the mountainous regions here were new to her. Her idealism had been left about three miles down the path and her hopes and dreams had just gone plunging off the cliff back at the last turn, so right now all the shaman really had going for her was a wonderful mix of physical exhaustion and crushing depression at the thought that it didn't actually matter if she went up or down, she was going to be miserable the whole way either way. Feeling VERY sorry for herself, Althea leaned against the cliff face to feel even more sorry for herself.
Okay, to be fair, she wasn't like, dying. Yet. But the thought of dying up here on top of a mountain, in the middle of nowhere, where no one knew that she was, or worse even falling off the side of the mountain and having a few minutes to contemplate her life before being turned into a wonderful contrast of white and red, was not doing a great deal for her mood. Or her plans for the day. The observatory she had been tracking down was still at least... actually she had no idea how far up it was honestly. But it was probably far. Could it be a mile off? Did the mountain even go up that high? Maybe she should jump off. It would be a much faster way to get down, and perhaps she could come up with some kind of... magic... spell to slow her fall... oh gods she should have just learned wind magic instead so she could fly up and then back down. Anima mages really did know everything. DAMMIT. What good was magic that you could kill people, but not fly with?
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on May 10, 2017 21:39:28 GMT -6
Shara...never really gave Bern a fair chance. The first and only time she'd ever set foot into the nation, until now that was, had left a rather poor taste in her mouth. Upon reflection with her fresh mindset, she supposed Aria and Qarrad hadn't been bad people by any means, but they ah, hadn't been her favourite company she'd encountered throughout Elibe.
Either way, it wasn't fair to judge an entire nation based on two people, one of whom wasn't even a native.
Plus Shara admittedly wanted to travel far, far away from the Western Isles. Bern was about as far as she was going to get. She didn't want to run away from what happened at all. Rather...she wanted to find that thing[/s] as soon as possible. Morrigan already had the west coast covered, so Shara thought it best to take the eastern side of the continent.
But finding one particular silver haired woman wasn't exactly going to be easy, not if Shara had just waltzed through the trails. Rather the dragoness was forced to travel through some towns and scope around, ask some people if they'd seen anything suspicious. Along with a young lady with long, silver hair. It took a few days of searching but eventually Shara hit the jackpot. A town based near some mountains, which were just about everywhere in Bern mind you, had apparently suffered attacks from...gargoyles.
On top of that, some townsfolk said they had seen a lone woman with long silver hair. It...was a long shot, but Shara had seen what that woman was capable of. And...and besides, she could not ignore their plight with the gargoyles. If the old Shara would have done so, than the new one needed to make sure she didn't. Though she was certainly far from excited to embark on this endeavor.
Shara had ah...never seen a gargoyle before. She knew the basics: winged monsters, sometimes used spears or scythes. Smarter than the average monster and twice as fast. That knowledge was only so helpful, though, and Shara was...admittedly nervous. Her last encounter with beings related to or outright OF the nether had ended in a catastrophe.
...And there was a chance the direct cause of that catastrophe would be up the mountain as well.
So it was with a cautious mind, and an admittedly nervous heart, that Shara had begun to ascend the mountain. Aside from the odd mountain goat, and birds of prey, there was little else up the cliffside. Shara hadn't expected to be assailed by the winged monsters immediately, but it was almost unnerving that she hadn't seen any as she climbed...
Though further unnerving still was when she reached a certain point up the mountain trail, and saw a silver haired woman leaning against the face of the cliff. The dragoness felt her entire body tense and, for a moment, her stone began to burn against her neck...but it only took a second for Shara to realize that it was indeed an entirely different individual. What a relief...
Though with relief came further questions...but more important than even that:
“Excuse me.” Shara stated, walking towards the woman slowly. While she was clearly not the monster from the Isles, Shara still had some cause to be cautious all the same. “This trail is dangerous. Been stories of monsters leaving closer to the peaks. I'd advise you head back down.”
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Post by Althea on May 10, 2017 22:08:42 GMT -6
Ah, an angel had come to whisk her away to - wait, did Eliminism actually claim there was a heaven or was she thinking of Zoroastrianism? Slightly out of it, Althea nearly got lost in the vagaries of myriad religions before remembering that the blonde... lady... approaching her was... yea she was definitely hallucinating. Or perhaps she was very, very, VERY proud of her legs. Actually, maybe that was proof that she wasn't hallucinating because she definitely would not have thought of that outfit. It did actually look fairly interesting though. Like some sort of uniform. It was too coordinated to be some sort of stripper dress. There had been no hiding her clear up and down of the blonde but Althea was too tired to even pretend to make an expression, positive or negative, in its wake.
Regardless, the blonde woman's attire was none of her beeswax and rapidly ceased to be of much interest to Althea as she focused more on the topic of... peopling. Oh! That was quite nice actually. Rather than being a bandit or soldier, the nice lady was just worried about her. Almost brought a smile to Althea's face.
Almost.
"Oh, that's quite alright," she responded brightly, at least as brightly as she could manage to sound which was about as bright as a guttering torch and half as long lived. "I sort of expected that. Most likely they will be quartered solely in the observatory. If I make it there sometime this week I will endeavor to deal with them." What could possibly go wrong? After all, every other encountered with bandits, pirates, and monsters had gone WONDERFULLY for her, doubtless this one would too. But for now she did her best to sound positive and not make the nice lady worry at all. She had been kind enough to show concern about her and Althea, as much as her calves were threatening to break off and become cows, wanted to respect that sort of human outreach. Not actually do it herself of course, she would have just walked past while staring pointedly over the edge of the cliff until out of sight.
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on May 10, 2017 22:20:29 GMT -6
...So, the woman knew about the monsters and still had no qualms about heading up to the observatory? Ah, the pieces fell together quickly for Shara. She had to be a researcher...and if she had come this far with no bodyguards or hired help, then perhaps she was a mage? There was clearly no armor on the woman, and Shara doubted she was hiding a weapon at all in the folds of her dress.
Which immediately served to remind Shara that she didn't exactly have a weapon on her either. Oh boy, and this lady wasn't concerned about the monsters at all, then. Um...this wasn't how this was supposed to go. Shara was supposed to tell the lady to go home, and she was supposed to nod her head and do just that. Then nobody would be around to ask questions when she dislocated a gargoyle's jaw with her fist.
Still, it was too late to back track by this point.
“I...see.” Not the savviest reply, but Shara just needed another second to think. The woman seemed a bit exhausted. Well, for a woman dressed as she was to hike up a mountain, yeah, Shara couldn't blame her. She supposed that her natural stamina was another facet of dragon...hood...that Shara had just come to take for granted over the centuries years.
“Well I plan on heading up to the peak in order to rid the observatory, and the village down below, of those monsters...” This was still awkward. Shara crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Althea curiously. Well, if this was going to happen the way she now thought it would, she might as well cut to the chase. “How well can you fight, if at all? If you can't then I'm sending you back down until I clear the observatory out.”
...Okay, so she was kind of desperate to not have to deal with the whole “Geez lady, how come you can crack boulders with your fists?” deal that was inevitably to come, but it would also help Shara come up with a base strategy going in to the observatory. Gargoyles were going to fly. So if the lady was a competent mage, Shara could just play body guard for the majority of the brawl...she hoped.
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Post by Althea on May 10, 2017 22:46:05 GMT -6
"Oh. There's a village?" Trying not to look too discomfited by that revelation, Althea suddenly felt a great deal of regret for not just crashing there for the night, or possibly forever, the mountain wasn't going anywhere nor was the observatory. And she was, um, she was not really feeling the climb up right now. BUT in for a pence, in for a pound, as the saying went. She wasn't sure what one was supposed to pound but it had sounded better in her head. As many things did.
Speaking of things that had doubtless sounded better in one's head, Shara's apparently well meaning worry quickly turned unpleasant when the blonde nonsensically threatened to send her back down the mountain if she couldn't fight. How - uncouth. Too angry to be tired, Althea crossed her own arms, looking infinitely less threatening than Shara - the blonde did, uh, have some muscles, it seemed, Althea finally noticed the toned limbs but still not willing to back down. Where had she been? Oh, right! Backing down, and the not doing so. "I- I will do no such thing! There is - knowledge up there! Maybe. Perhaps even useful!" Yeah, try not to sound too optimistic there hun. Really Althea hadn't been expecting too much, just the idea of a pre-Scouring observatory that had been abandoned pretty much ever since had caught her attention and she was idly hoping for some star maps or something similar.
"If it truly does predate the Scouring, comparing star maps from that era to current constellations may reveal movement, or perhaps the fall of magic changed the very sky." Also not super likely but hey, it had sounded like fun, and at this point she couldn't exactly admit that this had been a really stupid idea and she regretted it incredibly. "And besides, I can defend myself," Althea added at the very end, providing very little of value but still somewhat defensive. If anything she was... eager to try out one of her new ideas, assuming she didn't keel over from exhaustion when the monsters showed up. Her little adventure with Talus had REALLY driven home the sheer weight of her failure against fast moving foes - her magic was simply not fast enough to keep up, and so she had been experimenting ever since with what could at best, VERY kindly, be called varying results. But DAMMIT she would discover the darkest secrets of the Nether and make them her bitch if it killed her.
Which was, admittedly, seeming more likely by the day.
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on May 10, 2017 23:10:05 GMT -6
Knowledge that pre-dated the Scouring? Now, Shara had to be quick to remind herself that the woman didn't exactly confirm that was the case, but rather that it COULD be the case. Still, it did speak to Shara's inquisitive nature. Of course she had certainly planned to take a look around the observatory once the actually killing of the gargoyles had been finished, but even then it had been more of an afterthought.
Now Shara didn't want to let her curiosity cause her to go easier on the woman, who claimed she could defend herself but hadn't elaborated on how she went about doing that, but at the same time the woman seemed rather adamant. Shara REALLY didn't want to actually force the woman down the mountain by...well, she supposed she'd have to carry her. Mhm, sounded like a recipe for disaster. As well as a massive waste of valuable time. Shara had really meant the best for the woman, to remove her from the danger all together, but alas...
So, with a small sigh, the dragoness nodded. “All right. Fine. We'll go up there together...but in return I want to know everything you know about this observatory...and anything you may know about gargoyles, as well.”
To Shara's credit she didn't just ask the woman so that she could feed her inner nerd, but she had asked in case there was any valuable intelligence that could be used to their advantage for the fight. If Shara could get even a vague layout or shape of the observatory, especially of the interior, than that would help a great deal. The dragoness didn't get her hopes up, though...
“I'm not entirely sure how close we are, but if you stick to the same path as me, you should be able to make it without too much of a hassle.” Now Shara was talking out of her ass. She really didn't have any measure to compare how taxing the mountain path would continue to be for the woman. The path didn't tire her out much at all and, by dragon standards, she wasn't even in excellent shape. No, that would be Nayru, wouldn't it?
Shara was about to step past the woman, carefully at that, shuffling her boots along the rock face to move down the smoother path that cut up through the mountain. Shara was just thankful the incline wasn't too steep.
Though as she passed the woman by, she paused.
“...My name is Shara, by the way.”
Right, if they were going to do this, would probably best to be on first name basis.
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 16:08:44 GMT -6
"O-oh."
Visibly deflating, Althea wasn't really sure how to react to Shara... NOT arguing the point further. She had been trying to get herself all hyped up to argue the point and then... didn't have to. It wasn't a BAD thing exactly, she didn't like arguing anyways, she just wasn't really equipped to even try so when she did try and then it turned out to be wasted it was just - anyway. She should probably try to see it as a good thing. Less time spent arguing meant that they could spend more time waltzing blithely to their deaths after all! Or, er, possibly knowledge, but more likely a horrific agonizing extermination at the hands of gargoyles. And whatever else was probably in there too, because now that she knew there were gargoyles there, the universe would warp and twist to add something else ten times worse just so she could still be surprised. Althea decided not to mention that part to Shara. The lady might be understandably unhappy about that, and the shaman didn't want to get into another argument about getting sent down the mountain again.
"Then... I'm Althea," she ventured in the hopes of a harmonious relationship, shrugging off her tiredness - or more accurately pretending it didn't exist, no way was she actually removing it that fast - and following Shara at a more sedate pace. It hadn't been an especially long rest but just the chance to catch her breath and regather her resolve had aided her greatly, and the newfound fear of Shara throwing her off the side of the cliff was, uh, a rather good motivator as well. "Gargoyles are, um, flying monsters, right? From the City of Heroes. I read about them. Apparently they have very durable skin. And a tendency to lift people high into the air and then drop them. Another argument in favor of Excalibur I suppose. It's just unfair, you know? Flight magic should be much more common. I'd never have to climb a mountain again!"
Nnnnnothing personal there. She was obviously just worried about the best for Elibe in general and not at all simply concerned about herself. "As for the observatory. Little more than I told you. I primarily intended to investigate it, confirm its continued existence, and spend a day or two looking for star maps or other useful materials. Science may not always be as exciting as dark magic constructs and traps, but I know an Etrurian astronomer who would LOVE to hear about this kind of thing. And evidence of the Ending Winter's lasting effects on the very skies would be fascinating to explore as well."
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on May 11, 2017 16:35:02 GMT -6
Shara noticed that her pace was a touch bit fast for her impromptu ally, if she could be called that. Well she COULD be called Althea, that much Shara knew. Regardless the dragoness decided to slow down a bit. It wouldn't do to reach the observatory and have the poor woman be winded...though spending all this time around human mages, even if Morrigan was a touch more fit, did have Shara feeling pretty good about her own stamina.
Not a fair comparison at all, but these days, she had to take the ego boosts wherever she could. With every dragon she meets outpowering her, and random nether monsters OHKOing her...yeeeah. This little battle with the gargoyles was definitely at least a little personal. They weren't on the level of an Arum, but they'd have to do for now.
Anyway, for a woman struggling with climbing the mountain path, Althea still seemed quite capable of chattering away. Shara didn't mind, she'd asked the questions in the first place, but she was at least slight amused at just how...vibrant the probably-a-mage's responses were. Seriously, she couldn't confirm, but she both knew deep down...and prayed...that Althea was a mage. It was either that or she expected to “defend herself” with her bare hands.
...Oh god, there WAS the slight chance this woman was a dragon, wasn't there? “I can defend myself” was the old vague response Shara used to give. That would make things simpler, but, also more complicated. However, she mentioned the “Excalibur” tome, and also talked about dark magic...hoo boy, this Althea was all over the place it seemed. So Shara shelved that thought for the moment, as only time would tell.
Ignoring Althea's woes about the rarity of flight magicks, Shara decided to talk about the winged monsters first. “That fits in with what I know about gargoyles. The only thing I will add is that, outside of being weapons in of themselves, they're intelligent enough to wield man-made weapons as well.” Just a small emphasis to remind Althea that, if she COULDN'T defend herself, she was in for a bad time. Also a reminder to Shara to prepare for anything. Either a rusty lance or filthy, leather hands trying to drag her to the edge of the cliffs.
Granted if that happened, the dragoness uh, DID have a fail safe. But then she'd have some explaining to do for Althea. More than she already would.
“As for the observatory...I've always been curious about that. We know the Ending Winter helped lead to the draining of magic in nature across Elibe, but the lasting harm and change it brought to our skies and environment aren't entirely conclusive.” At least, when last Shara read on the subject. Which had been a good century and a half ago. But Althea didn't need to know that.
“But since you don't know the shape or design of the observatory, we're going to want to study it a bit before simply running in. The gargoyles are going to be more familiar with the interior than we are, and that's not a disadvantage we want to exacerbate.”
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 17:22:51 GMT -6
Interesting! So this... Shara... knew of gargoyles. Well. That wasn't ENTIRELY surprising given that she had come alone to protect a village from them. But it sounded like she was actually familiar with their abilities. She couldn't tell if the blonde was speaking from personal experience or just reading, as she was, and that bothered Althea slightly. Not out of distrust or jealousy so much as the feeling of simply not knowing. "Yes, I have read about their use of lances. I imagine them somewhat like much more mobile Bonewalkers, but without the concern of so much empty space between bones rendering targeting difficult." f**k bonewalkers. f**k all of those spindly rickity walking - Althea caught herself before she actually got carried away with the whole haterage thing and transformed into death itself, or at least a vaguely angry looking skinny lady.
Investigating the observatory before running in was sound logic. Althea decided not to note that she probably would have just walked in if not for that, it wasn't really anything Shara needed to know. Obviously. Since it wasn't happening. "I would prefer to bombard them from range but the risk of damage to the ruins is far too high. Luring them out might be a viable strategy if possible. I do not relish the idea of close quarters combat with the beasts." Of course, the actual subject of combat was about as interesting as watching paint dry and half as exciting, so Althea wasted little time in moving to another track of conversation based on the other woman's words. She clapped. "And yes! No one has ever flown high enough to touch the stars, even the sturdiest pegasi eventually return to earth, their riders complaining of difficulty breathing and intense cold. How far up in the sky are the stars? Could they be miles up? Even tens of miles? Perhaps such altitude inured them to the terrestrial effects of the so-called death of magic and creation of spirits - though there are several theories - but the idea of the ancients seeing the same sky as us is oddly romantic. As if there were a connection transcending time and space."
Uh, probably not. "Well, that or I've spent too much time in musty old ruins. But it could help quantify the objective differences between then and now."
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on May 11, 2017 17:53:29 GMT -6
Bonewalkers with added mobility. That was one way to describe gargoyles, Shara supposed. Unfortunately the dragoness had never encountered bonewalkers either. Mauthe Doogs were the only monsters she'd personally fought, though she'd heard many things about the re-animated skeletons. Among monsters they tended to be rather common, much like revenants. From what Shara had heard, though, was that the danger of Bonewalkers was their intelligence. They did not run purely off of base instincts, like revenants and doogs. Gargoyles were similar to them in that regard, given their penchant for wielding weaponry...but they could also fly.
This was going to be dreadful, Shara could already tell.
Althea briefly spoke about battle strategy before going into an, admittedly fascinating, tangent about the distance of stars from the earth. Shara WAS interested in such topics, she was, but she couldn't let herself get side-tracked from what was important. Which was the possibility of imminent and painful death.
“I could try to lure them out, if that helps. I'd rather not damage the observatory either, especially since it could negatively impact the mountain. Possibly even result in a rockslide...” Which could destroy the village, and defeat the entire purpose of Shara coming to the top of the mountain. Gah, protecting others was an infinitely more complicated task than she'd initially given credit. If Shara could just transform and smash things it would be much easier...
Suddenly the shared desire to do just that among her old tribe members was slightly more appealing. Unfortunately, Shara couldn't afford to resort to such a primitive solution.
Throughout her chatter, Althea had continued to give hints at utilizing magic, so Shara decided to settle her worries once and for all and ask her outright. “I take it you're a mage, then? Dark magic perhaps? Or maybe anima?” Though Shara had given up her old facade as a “mage advocate” her fascination with magic hadn't been quelled in the slightest. So even with the slight anxiety about the battle to come, Shara had curiosity regarding Althea's magic as well as curiosity regarding the observatory to look forward to as well.
Her curiosity didn't end with Althea's magic, though. The woman looked to be some sort of researcher, or archaeologist. She'd mentioned spending time in musty old ruins, and had some questions Shara herself had once sought the answers too. When this was all said and done, Shara wouldn't mind having a more relaxed discussion with the woman...but frankly, she was too nervous about the fight. Her last battle with monsters taught her that she wasn't nearly as prepared to deal with them as she'd once assumed she was. Shara also had the advantage of a skilled mage and TWO other dragons, both of whom had been stronger than her, to serve as a sort of safety net.
Even if Althea was as skilled with magic as Morrigan, which for the moment was not confirmed, Shara effectively had half the fighting force as she did against those Doogs...and Doogs didn't fly.
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 19:03:35 GMT -6
"I am allergic to rockslides." Althea stated it with the absolute truthiness of simple fact. And it was kinda-sorta true but she still wasn't comfortable with acknowledging the idea that she made... jokes... ever. Best to hide behind the veneer of seriousness. Or insanity. She wasn't sure which was worse. "But regardless of our actions they will have some manner of advantage, whether in mobility or terrain familiarity. It thus falls to us to minimize that advantage while maximizing our own." By no means was she an actual studied tactician - war was dreadfully boring and she had made it through few books on the subject before considering blowing her brains out with Flux - but the last few months had if nothing else forced Althea to recognize that there was SOME value in making sure more of your guys survived than the bad guys. It uh, it became especially relevant when you were one of the guys in danger of being dead. Or girls. Whatever.
Hm. Had she not actually answered that? Althea actually couldn't remember, she had been so offended by the idea of walking all the way back down the mountain that she must have forgotten. "Oh, yes, I wield Elder magic in combat. Primarily projectiles and streams. Though I have been working on some new developments involving radial and pure energ-" right no one ever liked hearing about magic. Except Drei, but what was why she spent time with him! And also because they always ended up in the middle of the worst possible crap together. "Would I be correct in assuming you some manner of mage as well? To fight unarmed and unarmored precludes any typical warrior class, leaving only the question of ranged offense or some form of melee magic, perhaps using strength magic."
It was offered as more of a statement than question, if only because the alternative - that Shara was just some random chick who liked walking up mountains half naked so she could commit suicide by gargoyle - was so stupid that even in her worst moments Althea would generally not assume it of another human being. Well... usually. She had her moments.
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on May 11, 2017 19:23:59 GMT -6
...Allergic to rockslides? If the line hadn't been delivered so seriously Shara may have laughed, but she had to actually glance back at Althea to confirm if that'd been a joke or not. The dragoness decided to take it as “she really didn't want to be caught in a rockslide”, since Shara herself could relate to that. Granted she more just didn't want the VILLAGE to be crushed by one. They weren't exactly far from the base of the mountain, after all.
Still, Shara was glad to see that Althea understood her line of thinking. Obviously the gargoyles were going to have an advantage regardless. They were in a tactfully advantageous position, and they could fly. The less that was piled on top of that, the better. There wasn't much point in Shara stating that she was getting exactly at that point, so instead she decided to put her brain power towards the rest of what Althea had to say. The air was growing cooler and thinner as they continued to hike up the path, so it was likely they were nearing the summit.
Which meant time wasn't really on their side.
“Elder magic, hmm?” That wasn't great for flying opponents. From what Shara knew, mostly thanks to Morrigan, was that elder magic was not the fastest to cast. Certain spells had a phenomenal radius, however, and no magic had a punch quite like dark. Shara could confirm...though she'd rather not. “Projectiles, like Flux or Ruin, would likely be best against the gargoyles. You mentioned pure energy in particular, though...perhaps Mire then? I've never seen it in action though. Regardless, our targets fly and they'll likely be quick. Bringing them down out of the sky with quick cast projectiles sounds like the safest strategy.”
Not that Shara wanted to tell Althea how to fight, per se, it was more that she was musing aloud at this point...
...And stalling having to reply to Althea's own question. Yes, the risk of asking how another person fought meant opening the door for them to do so in kind. However, as Shara looked up and began to see the path open up before them, she simply decided to roll with that.
“And yes. I'm a mage. My style of casting is...unique, but it mostly relies on close range. So I'll take point in the fight. Stay behind me.”
At least her strategy was true, regardless of the reasons why.
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 20:01:16 GMT -6
"Ah, I've a friend who specializes in physical magic but never had much of a knack for it myself. It's physically exhausting even by the standards of the discipline. He uses them more like grasping tendrils than projectiles though. It's quite interesting to watch. From far away." Yea... growing or not, Althea had a feeling that if she and Drei were to ever seriously fight, neither of them would end up very happy, but she REALLY didn't want to imagine those void spikes piercing her flesh and threading through her body. What he'd done to those bonewalkers wasn't pretty and they didn't even have flesh, or pain receptors, to worry about.
Then again, being melted alive was pretty low on the list of ways she'd wanted to go. The thought served to sober the mage a bit. She... still remembered what she had done to those bandits in the desert. It had been a mercy kill, of a sort, but there was little merciful about dying in that manner. Certainly not something she wanted to revisit. Whether or not the victim was deserving.
Regardless. It served her ill to focus on the past and the darkness within. It was merely an unpleasant moment, nothing more, and she had taken other lives since then that did not weigh heavily on her spirit. For now, best to focus on the subject at hand - less she and Shara end up just as dead. "You need not worry about the speed of my magic. Only the cast time." Ok that wasn't COMPLETELY true, she was still... working on it, but suffice to say that Althea was fairly confident in her new project. Ish. More or less. Though Shara's own response was... curious. It reminded her of something else she had seen. "A melee 'mage' with a close range focus." She stopped short of actually doing the finger thingy but there was more than a hint of bemused sarcasm lingering in her words. "Seems to be all the rage these days." It didn't outright BOTHER her. Jalid, despite his oddities, had been a courageous and kind man who had risked his well being to protect her. Althea did not understand what manner of magic he used, nor did she know for sure if Shara was the same, but her only real interest was academic. If Shara wished to be vague that was her right. "But yes. I will gladly remain behind you Shara. I simply wished to better understand optimized combat dynamics."
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on May 11, 2017 20:32:42 GMT -6
“I'm aware of how...uniquely fascinating Ruin magic can be.” Shara didn't mean to be curt, but she'd seen the results of that Arum's work. There was murder, and then there was butchery. Shara doubted even the most cruel of monsters could do what she had seen that night. It served to cement what Nayru had told her about the Arum all too well: they were beyond dangerous.
Swiftly pushing that point aside, Shara noted that Althea sounded...familiar with the casting style that Shara had described. Granted Shara knew there were mages who focused on close range. Some of the anima mages from the Convent were apparently well-versed in a style that relied on basic magic mixed with martial arts. According to Morrigan, she herself had some training in that style, and implemented it a bit into her casting of Elder Magic.
“Mhm, that's likely our best dynamic, then...” Shara trailed off as she began to reach the top of the path. As Shara took her first step off the slight incline and onto...mostly level ground, her gaze fixed dead ahead at the obstruction before her. First came two flights of stone steps, which led to a large, cylindrical building with a dome top. There looked to be a single door into the building, with only a few small, empty spaces amongst the stonework to serve as windows.
On further inspection the dome top had a narrow, yet flat surface as well. There looked to be a wall of sorts atop it...perhaps atop there would be the instruments used to map stars...
And likely at least a few of the gargoyles.
“Looks like the building has at least two floors. Second one is atop the roof. On your ready, we'll take a look around the building, since we'll want to be fighting the enemy up here. Keep a wide berth...and tread lightly.” That was Shara's only order. The dragoness wanted to give Althea the opportunity to catch her breath, as well as take in the sights. It was best if the woman was at peak strength, and her mind as clear and focused as possible, before they engaged the enemy.
Shara took a few steps forward to give Althea some space, and nodded towards her. “Whenever you're ready.”
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 21:12:13 GMT -6
Oh, fantastic! She had managed to find a way to piss off Shara, and so quickly too! Althea considering the efficacy fo biting off her own tongue in the name of ritual suicide but realized she should probably at least help kill the gargoyles first. Whatever the reason for Shara's cold response was for was unclear, but it appeared that - surprise surprise - someone wasn't a big fan of Nether magic. That was so very rare and uncommon that the druid could hardly hold her surprise back. Though she also noted that Shara's response seemed more aimed at Ruin specifically rather than dark magic in general, unless she had misread the blonde, which suggested... what? Some manner of issue with the tome itself, or its usage, rather than a direct hatred of all Elder magic?
Or maybe she was just looking too deeply into this. The simplest explanation - that Shara simply disliked or distrusted Nether magic - was much more likely given the world they lived in. And while Althea could not pretend to be... excited about it, neither could she blame the blonde for following the beliefs of nearly an entire continent. She could only hope that, given time, her actions, and those of shamans like her, like Drei, could help bridge the gap. Actions spoke louder than words after all, so it would probably be a good start to NOT accidentally magic Shara off a cliff or anything. Uh, not that she had been planning to do so, just - "Yes, so it seems." On the... on the building observations. Which they were talking about. Right! That much she could do.
"I do hope that at least some of the equipment remains intact... an armillary sphere would be ideal, or even an antikytheran mechani-RIGHT gargoyles. That are probably - yes." The dark mage coughed, having the decency to look at least vaguely ashamed of her momentary outburst. "Sorry." In the meantime without anything to really... do, exactly, Althea settled for in fact actually trying to be ready for the fight. Probable fight. Maybe the gargoyles had all just left to go move to Vinland forever or something. For now, she could do little more than feel the soothing energy of the Nether wash over her, trails of inky shadow wending their way across her arms as she analyzed her magic circuits and exhaustion, trying to separate physical tiredness from magical levels and better adapt for actual combat - the gargoyles were unlikely to be particularly concerned about her physical state when attacking.
Lazily drawing a shape in the air that glowed and pulsed for a moment before dissipating - yep, she could still make circles, how exciting - the druid paused and took a deep breath for a moment before nodding to her counterpart, about as ready as she would ever be. "Lead on."
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