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Post by luscen on Mar 2, 2022 23:49:50 GMT -6
"Zavijah," The blonde rolled the unfamiliar name around his tongue, trying to place its origin. He also pointedly ignored the sense of smugness radiating from his other half when the halfling mentioned the notion of a duel. "I'm not here for lessons. I'm here looking for the den of the Mountain Devil. The twisted abomination we fought back at the warehouse."
Casmir took another bite of his stew, gesturing around at the various pieces of stone and wood surrounding the two of them. "If you make this mountain your home, as well, you must be familiar with him, to some degree or another." he observed, returning his gaze to the diminutive, pointy-eared woman. "If you can help me find his lair, then I might be able to figure out where he's gone to, now. And if I find him, I can find that girl's master, the one who took Rhys. I can find Atol."
He could feel the intense interest of Mahu at the mention of the Magus' name. It seemed as though the other entity had knelt down in a waiting crouch, his gaze focused on Zavi, and waiting for her answer. Clearly, Casmir was not the only one with a stake in this.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Mar 3, 2022 0:27:52 GMT -6
zavijah:
She quietly pondered in thought as hunter casmir explained what or whom exactly he was after. . . Something she suspected. . Rather not surprising given where they are. . . She suspected as much at least. . .
She continued to watch as he started to gesture at the carved talismans, the unfamiliar formulas of old she carved and created. . . Known only to her as what they truly are like the inner thoughts of her own mind. . . Her expression remained neutral throughout this askance. . .
Making the connection She would at some level be familar with the ensnared one.
"Yes. This is an accurate assumption. . . .though take heed, I've not step foot within Marchelute's den. . . .I hath seen it prior. . . " she replied. She did follow Ari from a distance to insure he made it home safely after some hunters had gotten to close at one point. . .
"I will aid you in finding it, though I ask you respect his homestead. . . And he must not be hunted when he has been freed. . . . .his presence apon this mountain has played a far more crucial role in keeping those of darker intentions at bay than either of you may realize. " she stated.
"If this aids in the downfall of Atol and the freedom of the captured. . . Then I will aid you in this endeavor. "
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Post by luscen on Mar 5, 2022 7:46:16 GMT -6
"Is that a fact," Casmir replied musingly. The mountains were quite large, here, with lots of places for supers of various types and sizes to occupy space in. It stood to reason that other such things beyond a Wendigo, Storm Dragon, and Djinn would make their homes here. And with the balance of power tipped by having lost two alpha predators, it was likely that a chaotic shift was not long in coming for the mountain and those who dwelt on it. And if it threatened the more peaceful Supers that lived here, what about the hikers and other normal humans down, below?
'Whole place is like a damn house of cards,' Casmir thought, tapping his wooden spoon lightly against the rim of the bowl. 'Take the right one, and the whole thing falls down.'
Just another reason that he had to find Marchelute, get him back to normal- the Djinn, while clearly not the most social type, served an important function in the Mountain's ecosystem. That aside, he was Sjira's father. One of them, anyway; Casmir owed it to the boy to keep the Ifrit alive, if nothing else. On top of that, he'd be throwing a wrench into Atol's plans, and anything that pissed the Mage off was something he was all too happy to contribute to.
"Let's not waste any more time, then," the Hunter grunted, pushing himself away from the table. "How far is it from here to the Djinn's den?"
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Mar 5, 2022 21:28:20 GMT -6
zavijah:
She merely watched as he mused at this revelation. . . .Waiting to see what he did. . . . perhaps he needed a moment to collect himself? . . when he stated he was ready. . . more or less. . . she nodded, before standing as well. . . . "Giellan, lesan éow bitan. (Giellan, gather your bite.)"
There was a noticeable pressure that shot off to the side from below both of their feet, seemingly off into a random direction, off to the side. . . The eye that can see, would see a form seem to shoot off in the direction, before seemingly. . . some dots? started to shift from the trees. . . yet it was not the markers. . . these seemed more hidden. . .
She started to walk away from the tree back towards the treeline "Stay close, this direction is the most forthright path towards his den. . . " She could also go and see if her elderly ally was alright before they crossed into the ensnared one's territory. . . Elder hunter James Wheatly . . . Though perhaps not to bother him with her current company. . . not kind to impose herself apon the elderly man with those he does not know. . . "Tis perhaps 3 or 5 hours walk" she stated.
"Waxaii" she called. . . in a snap, a bo staff came whipping through as if was thrown at her with a violent spin, before she just reached out and grabbed it. . . .This one she will keep on her. . . . no need to terrify Hunter Casmir with any of her other weapons. . .
To Casmir, this weapon just whipped out of one of the trees as if it was leaned against it or merely hiding among the branches. . . it too, seemed to hold a strange energy about it. . .
"We will need to briefly paused shortly after leaving the threshold before continuing. " she added. "I suggest you prepare in the case we encounter the emboldened cowards."
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Post by luscen on Mar 6, 2022 8:21:43 GMT -6
"And what cowards would those be, exactly?" the Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow at the staff. He hadn't seen any indication of magical spell, but then he'd not seen anything like that where Sarkany's little "tricks" had been concerned, either. Did she know something he didn't? And just what had been that mass that had darted off into the trees? He hadn't seen it, earlier, and it had moved too fast for the blonde to get a very good glimpse.
Just where had this little halfling come from, exactly?
He'd decided to broach the question after the first hour in their hike. Having little choice, the Hunter had opted to obediently follow his guide, watching the practiced way she'd picked her way through underbrush, often without bending a branch or setting a blade of grass out of alignment. He had to give her credit for her pathfinding skills, if nothing else.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Mar 6, 2022 10:08:56 GMT -6
zavijah:
she hummed in thought apon the question as they moved. "vampires. . . . rouge were creatures. . . enraged dire creatures. . .the 'deformed'. . . and beings whom hath sold their souls for power or otherwise. " she replied. "With the exception of the 'deformed' . . .not all are evil. . .just the cowardly ones whom see times like these to rise to power are. " she shrugged.
She pondered in thought. . .before continuing. ."an older ally of mine lives near here. . . Should you fall into peril, seek the cabin adorned with three skulls of an elk, a bear and a drake. . . .It would be rather hidden but the skulls are his markers. Do not force your way inside, knock first. . .answer truthfully. "
The Elder hunter may be amused to find another human like himself. . . Though if hunter Casmir is similar to those within the valley of stone, The Elder hunter's humanity may come at a surprise, especially as old as he is.
As they walked through the wooded portion of the threshold, they would both hear a distant moaning. . .pained, yet angered, yet weakening. To the eye that sees many, he would see the energies that seemed to combat one another. . . the invasive energy thrashing around and at something else, as the air around it seemed to corrode and consume it. . . like a rat that had fallen into a vat of acid. . . it was losing. .as time passed, the invasive energy grew weaker and weaker. "That would be a deformed. . . lets keep moving. "
Reaching the edge of the threshold, she wasted no time in looking. For what? it was not certain. . .
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Post by luscen on Mar 10, 2022 23:17:11 GMT -6
The disparity of energy in the distance drew Casmir's eye, and he gazed over at it with a frown, watching the two unseen forces clash within his unique field of vision. He had not been privy to them the last time he'd come up here, so it must have been something exclusive to this portion of the mountain.
"You call them 'deformed,'" Casmir noted, as he stepped closer to the edge of what seemed to be some kind of abandoned military bunker, given the existence of an old sign with worn letters warning people to stay out. "That's not entirely different to what Atol did to Marchelute, but I have a feeling you're not talking about the same thing. What are they? Where did they come from?"
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Mar 10, 2022 23:48:01 GMT -6
zavijah:
". . .They come from Betrayal. . . Fear. . .Rage. . . Guilt. . .Demons born of the scalding of innocence. . . .a twisted corruption given life. " she replied. There was rather unsettling calm as she explained this, like an old song and dance she's fought before.
Whelp, if he believes her, good, if not, she was at least honest. " the term 'deformed' is not too far from what they are. But in the context of current matters and it, completely different entities." She shrugged.
Her gaze found the old homestead hidden in the thicket, considered it as she continued. "Animals, both naturally curious yet aware. . . Will flee and hide from this energy. It preys apon the slow and weak, twisting and melding flesh and bone to create a body. . . . One befitting it's intentions. Highly manipulative and persuasive, very dangerous. "
. . .an unusual collection of fireflies in one of the trees caught her eye. . . She frowned. . .
"Step lively and tread carefully, Hunter Casmir. . . " she warned, proceeding towards the territory of the ensnared djinn. She was not fond of this. . .
But if what the Elder Hunter has seen is still there, this will not be an easy fight.
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Post by luscen on Mar 13, 2022 20:38:38 GMT -6
Casmir listened as he stepped closer to the entrance of the den. "Then perhaps it's best we take care of this and be on our way as soon as possible," he suggested, stepping past the fur-coated halfling to examine the door. There were no signs of magical wards, nothing on the door specifically, at any rate. However, the trees nearby had some rather unique carvings engraved on their surface: what appeared at first to be some simple scratches in trunk were, upon closer inspection, in fact some form of ancient Arabic, applied in distinct fashion and - to Casmir's eye, at least - alight with a dim green glow.
"Wards," the Hunter warned, carefully examining the area. It seemed silent, but if Marchelute had bothered to put these here, it was possible there may have been some surprises in store. Not wanting to take the chance, Casmir withdrew one of his spell scrolls, unfurling it and placing it on the ground before the door, invoking it's power. In his vision, a small gap appeared in the weaves of magic that established the ward's perimeter. This way, they'd be able to bypass the alarms and enter the Bunker without alerting anyone or triggering any defense mechanisms.
"We need to be about this business quickly," Casmir said, taking a rune and using it to unlock the Bunker's massive iron door. He swung it open quietly, appreciating the fact that the Ifrit or whoever else might have lived here kept it well-oiled, it seemed. "There's no telling who might be here, and I don't want to get into a fight if we can avoid it."
Casmir wasn't entirely sure what he expected to find upon entering Marchelute's lair, but the sight of what seemed to be (for the most part, anyway) a rather homely layout was not it. The entrance opened up into what looked to be a living room one might find in a common western home, replete with furnishings and bookshelves and other such things as a normal civilian would have. The bunker itself had been largely "de-militarized," with wallpaper and floorboards and other such things. Further down the main hallway lay a set of stairs, that likely led to some other floors, but Casmir wasn't of a mind to thoroughly explore the place. If the living quarters were here, then perhaps Marchelute's room was somewhere nearby.
The Hunter idly wondered who else might have called this place home, but there would be time for that, later.
As it turned out, the Ifrit's room was the largest, and seemed to have been converted from the Officer's quarters. The room itself was again not something Casmir expected to find, lavished as it was with gems, books, drawings and other memorabilia. An old suit of Persian armor, bearing a set of nasty-looking clawmarks that gouged their way down the front sat in one corner of the room, but atop a desk sat a rather peculiar oddity: a very old, stuffed toy rabbit.
"Strange thing for a maneater to have..." Casmir mused aloud with a frown, drawing closer to it. "Surely this can't be his vessel..."
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Mar 14, 2022 10:46:26 GMT -6
zavijah:
Leading the hunter towards the den, she kept her guard up. . . when they stopped, she said nothing apon him revealing what the carvings held. . . what faint energy came from them. . . .She noticed he produced a scroll, and when it was activated, an opening seemed to form. . . . .was this what it is similar to when she does this with alchemy? . . .
She nodded and turned her back. "I will stand guard. . . .if there is a ward here, Then it would be wise to prepare in case other unwanted guests take notice to the new opening. " she stated. She glanced back as he swung the metal door open. . . grimacing. . . "Take heed to not steal from them. . . take hair that was once his if need be. . . nothing else. " She felt like this was a huge violation of the sanctity of the homestead. She led the hunter here if it meant it would save those captured by Atol and his men. . . free the ensnared one. . . .she could only pray this was not the wrong choice made. . . .She pulled her snake talisman out and quietly activated it, becoming invisible to the mortal eye within a blink.
She kept a watchful eye as Hunter Casmir made his way into the homestead. . . her ear twitching at the comments he made to himself as he spoke aloud to himself. She did not want to know what he was digging through, and hopes he does not take such things from the ensnared. . . .Her focus returned to the area around her once more. . .
God willing, no other uninvited guest takes advantage of the little hole Casmir has made for himself. She held Waxaii at the ready. Giellan moved closer with its teeth. . . she wanted it to be at the ready as well, just incase she was in need of its bite.
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Post by luscen on Mar 19, 2022 17:02:53 GMT -6
Casmir's gaze lingered on the rabbit for a moment longer, before turning his attention to the rest of the room- he had business to be about, here, and he didn't have time to linger. As it was, the halfling was right- Marchelute's absence on the mountain would be felt by other predators before long, and they'd try and take his territory for their own, wards or no. He wasn't the only thing that knew how to get around such things, and the sooner balance could be restored to the mountain, the better- he didn't like leaving a maneater running around, but after having spoken to the Djinn, the pragmatic Hunter knew that simply removing him would likely lead to something worse filling in the vacuum.
'Where is it?' Casmir thought with a frown as he carefully surveyed the room. Djinn were unique creatures in the realm of the Supernatural, being spiritual rather than physical. Their existence in the material plane was often facilitated by the existence of an idol- the foundation for the "magic lamp" in popular culture. In reality, they were talismans that anchored the Djinn's spiritual form to something more physical, allowing them to exert greater influence on the world around them than they could, naturally. For Marchelute to function as he did, he needed to have one, otherwise his form would be too unstable to properly maintain.
And yet, regardless of where the Hunter looked, he could find no object that shared the same magical aura the Ifrit did. Not in the volume he was looking for, anyway- everything else bore faint traces of his magic, but nothing he could use. Nothing except the stuffed rabbit. And yet that couldn't be his vessel. It was too vulnerable, and too difficult to bind with the requisite magics needed to anchor him to the mortal plane.
Still, it was his only alternative, at the moment. Casmir stepped closer to the rabbit, careful not to touch it, and withdrew his tracking talisman. Unscrewing the top, he withdrew the attached clear crystal, holding it to the jade-colored swirl of energy emanating from the surface of the stuffed toy. A tendril snaked its way around the surface of the crystal, causing it to adopt a similar color, and Casmir began to close the phial, only to tense as he felt a disturbance in the air around him. Just off to the side, in the corner of the room, he saw the shadows coalescing, assuming an indistinct shape. He began backing away, as the shade loomed, and began to take note of the various magical items in the room.
"Oi, Zavi," Casmir uttered, hoping her ears were sensitive enough to pick up his hushed tones. "I think something managed to slip by you."
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Mar 19, 2022 19:12:35 GMT -6
zavijah: She stood guard of the opening. . . .there was a sharp incline of aura she felt. . . causing her to rip her gaze around to try and locate the disturbance. . . If that was an spirit, or even a demon. . . then neither Giellan nor Waxaii will have any effect apon it- not at least without risking turning those two into what The Greatsword is. . . .She did not want this to occur. She sighed, moving to summon her Greatsword. This was only confirmed when her ear twitched at the murmurs of the hunter within the homestead. . . She grimaced. . . She could leave the bo staff here but- unless they were dealing with a hallow- even a deer would figure out how to get past it, if they were determined enough. . . As tempting as it was to enter, it would not be wise. . . . .leaving the breach open for more to enter would prove worse just to deal with the one that had slipped past. . . . .She released her Greatsword from her grasp. . .allowing the blade to float. She dug into her butt purse and pulled a bird skull carved from a jade out of one of the inner pouches. . . It was a falcon's skull in apperance. . . .In a flick, glancing her left hand against the edge of her Greatsword, she drew blood, before placing it over this falcon's skull. "áwæcnian (awaken)" she growled. . . she pressed a larger portion of her aura within the skull than she would of normally done so. . . before tossing it to the ground through the opening. . . She was still largely within her own body. . . but this time, Hunter Casmir may need assistance that a normal golem may not be able to aid in. . .
She focused. . . .the skull sunk into the earth behind her before the area turned red . . .as if something burned within. . The swordsman gripped the handle of her Greatsword with the bloodied hand, standing in a guarding stance. The falcon like creature ripped from the ground, fully formed as if made from the very precious stone the skull was, it was close enough to a bird, yet it had two sets of wings, and hind legs no to dissimilar to that of a cat- no bigger than such. . . .
The bird golem shook off residual dirt and ash before it flew into the open door, moving to seek out either the human, Hunter Casmir, or the other intruder. . . either landing on the human's shoulders or moving to grapple the entity. .
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Post by luscen on Mar 25, 2022 1:20:43 GMT -6
The mass of shadows seemed to... unfold, tendrils of smoke and darkness outstretching, an eyeless face lifting, as if it were... scenting something. As Casmir watched, it slowly seemed to lurch forward further into the room. He took an instinctive step back from it, drawing his faschinenmessir, the saber's rune-etched surface alight with a pale blue glow in the presence of what may have been a spiritual entity.
The creature seemed to pause, its "head" tilting slightly as it seemed to regard the Hunter and his curious sword. Its long limbs, fingers like spiders' legs, withdrew to its chest, wringing them uncertainly. The Hunter watched, only momentarily giving Zavijah's bird creature an acknowledging look, but never fully taking his eyes off the shade, which seemed to notice Marchelute's stuffed rabbit.
The thing quivered, then lurched forward, arms reaching to grasp the thing. Casmir's eyes widened, and he swept forward, slashing the air between it and the mass of shadows, which recoiled and regarded him, this time with what seemed to be hostility rather than apprehension, its form quivering angrily.
"We can't do this here," Casmir muttered to the halfling's golem. "This whole room is practically brimming with magical artifacts- a fight might cause something to react badly and this whole bunker could get blown sky high, with us in it." There was also the fact that Casmir could tell the rabbit was important to the Djinn- he couldn't rightly say what significance it held, but if Marchelute were returned to his original form, and came back here to find the rabbit had been damaged - or worse destroyed - he'd likely be inconsolable.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Mar 25, 2022 9:40:29 GMT -6
zavijah:
Again, her ear twitched. . . . Pondering for a moment, as she took in the location through the eyes of her golem. . .seeing the pink rabbit the hunter as well as this shade were keen apon protecting and retrieving respectively. This gave her an idea. . . First, she had Giellan use its teeth to fling sticks, leaf litter, and other materials at her that had the Djinn's magic seeped apon it. . . fallen from the warded trees like a residue to insure it was Marshelute's magic, no one elses. . .She pulled out 3 sheets of parchment as well as a rabbit's fur. . .drawing out one formula before placing the leaf litter, sticks and an ensnarement talisman within the fur and using the transmutation to create a replica of the stuffed animal. . . down to the stitch and button. . . first parchment spent.
All the while, the golem merely hopped up onto the counter where the rabbit toy was placed. . . before taking in the view of the shade they faced. "hmm. . . .a soul capable of magic?" she and the golem muttered. "no body, no natural reserves for magic, its soul is now its source. . . no wonder it haunts for artifacts . . " She placed smaller versions of the talisman she used ontop of a second formula and pushed them in, before transferring the second parchment to her golem. . . it started to prune one of the wings before pulling out the parchment. . . One of the reasons she pushed so much of her aura into this golem. . . The golem seemed to hack up blood onto the parchment before it shook the parchment over the toy. . . the talismans clattering around it and awakening. . .
With the little light that was present, it and the doll seemed to disappear as the golem seemed to exhale some of the aura out . . before disappearing. . . to Casmir's view, it was a creation of the phenomenon he had walked into earlier. . . small. . seemed temporary. using what little light glinted off metals, objects. Third parchment sent, to the unknowing of the shade, before the golem seemed to step out of this small bubble with the toy in its mouth. .
She does not want either human nor shade to know this was not the real one. . . she even went as far as using sticks and leaves with his magic on it to fool the both- knowing she cannot alter the magic, residue or not, from items. Just change the physical form." Step lively, Hunter Casmir. . . .you may not be safe from its hunger, either. . . .I would scorn to see it take the both of you in, before it hunts those you wish to protect to spite you." both she and the golem spoke.
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Post by luscen on Mar 27, 2022 6:19:52 GMT -6
"Is this one of those things you mentioned?" Casmir asked, keeping himself between the halfling's avian construct and the writhing mass of shadows. "A deformed?"
Deformed or not, apparently the stygian entity didn't like being stymied, as its form grew and bristled, a mass of limbs lashing outwards like flailing lashes, a yawning void opening where a mouth might be. It bellowed a silent scream, then; the blonde couldn't hear it, but he could feel it, shaking him down to his boots. The thing rushed forward, flowing like liquid, and the Hunter raised his blade, using the light from the runes to cast his own shadows.
'Mold them,' he thought, trying to recall the small practice he'd had at learning his new ability. 'like clay.' His shadows seemed to hum, before surging upward into a series of spikes, warding off the thing's advance. It seemed to growl in frustration, flailing at the impromptu bars before slipping back again, stretching up to the ceiling and slithering around like an ink blot.
Just then, Zavi's little bird was speaking again, urging him to get a move on. It had Marchelute's toy in it's mouth, sparking some concern within the Hunter. "Hey, wait just a-" Whatever he'd been about to protest was cut off, as the shadowy form shot forward from its hiding spot in the ceiling, ichorous tendrils grasping for the toy in the golem's beak.
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