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Post by blackghoulmon on Jul 15, 2017 14:32:15 GMT -5
Pleased with Chupe's answer, Urasina moved to the passage the mares had come through and set up a pair of sentry wards. They had a very long range and would alert her to anything hostile that may stray too close to the group. But she was feeling that this passage, this lower floor, was much smaller than the labyrinth above them, and they wouldn't be down here much longer once day arrived. "That reminds me of the time I was on a patrol flight and spotted an older Kougra being attacked by bandits," she spoke up after Liin's outburst. "After I saved him, I asked him how long he'd been traveling. He gave me this look and said 'Time flows neither forwards nor backwards. Time is but a lens of perception.' Apparently he was some kind of philosopher/mystic/whatchamacallit. He seemed a bit on the odd side." She stepped around the other mares and placed another pair of wards in the passage in front of them, then raised her head as one of the baby dragon spirits returned, carrying a lump of ecto. It set the vial down and flew back through the ceiling. The ecto melted away to reveal what could only be one of the dark magic vials. "Doe, if you're not sure you want to drink that, maybe I will. I already told you three that I'm immune to dark magic."
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Jul 18, 2017 13:42:51 GMT -5
Chupe waved the draconic mare off. "There are two vials, and it would prefer that each of you used one. Spraypaint, remember?" It paced up and down the corridor, its feet making 'ts ts ts' as its feet fell. "I still do not like interfering. But as you two are the only ones in the room that will actually have any benefit from the Lich's magical resistance..."
"So I'm also immune? Good to know," Doe said quietly, not opening her eyes. The mare's great head was resting on the very large, very comfortable pillow the little cretin had brought for her. She did open one slightly, the blue glow illuminating where she lay. "But seriously, Chupe, no spoilers. I hate that crap." She didn't waver when she saw the brilliant amethyst vial.
It desperately wanted to say the big mare had nothing to worry about, that she was as immortal as the draconian unicorn and had been through far worse, but also knew it wasn't the right time. Really, the big mare hadn't experienced THAT thing that would tell her pretty much all she needed to know. It would have bitten its tongue, but doing so would sever it. "As you like." It turned to the dragon spirit, bowing. "If you do not mind a suggestion, O Noble Dragon, the second vial should be among the next ones you grab. I would prefer both mares drank them at the same time. Even immunity has a chance to... go badly." Doe squinted at the nightmare creature, trying to ascertain whether or not that was a hint or the creature was just being a massive jerk and trying to make it harder for her to get to sleep.
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Post by blackghoulmon on Jul 18, 2017 13:53:16 GMT -5
The baby dragon looked over at Urasina, tilting its head in a silent question. "I'm inclined to agree," she said, both to it and to Chupe. "See if you or one of your siblings can hunt down the other dark vial. Make it priority one for now." The dragon chirped and flew up through the ceiling again. The mare, for her part, moved back into the middle of the area and planted her hooves, locking her legs and lowering her head a little before closing her eyes and reaching out with her Light magic, turning herself into a magical radar station, so to speak. With her eyes closed, her other senses were heightened, allowing her to pick up any minute sounds or smells that could mean trouble was nearby. She could also feel the movement of the sun and moon; it was a bit early, and the sun had only just set, so her Light magic was fading a bit as her dragon magic built up strength. She was heavily linked to the day/night cycle, and that had been part of the problems that had led to her immortality.
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Jul 18, 2017 15:28:58 GMT -5
Chupe scanned the area on a different frequency. Something the green and white one said struck a chord with it, about needing to know if the magic was drawn from the Lich Lord or if he was attacked with it. It could teach the large blue one how to repolarize the magic she'd ingested to turn it into a weapon, if this magic had been removed from the Lich. It, however, had a strong suspicion the vials were not, as the mare had said earlier in the day, 'magic resistance.' It sensed no blood in the vials, so it could not have ever been inside the Lich. It retrieved a silver vial on its own, careful to not destroy it just yet. "This one hates not being able to access things outside its own timeline," the creature said with derision to no one at all.
Doe watched the other two in the night, having found it difficult to sleep. "You mean to tell me you can just blink in and out to grab those stupid blood vials, and you're letting the baby dragon spirits do it?"
The odd creature didn't miss a beat. "I figured they needed something to do. This one does nothing for free, Doe." Unless, of course, it needed its curiosity sated, as it did now. But it didn't mention that. It also knew that if it simply let everyone in the room die or become permanently embedded in the rock, as the two Unis could, it wouldn't be getting future payment for anything. There was also the distinct possibility that if it let anything happen to Aerlliin, the tiny pyromancer child of its mistress would utterly destroy it.
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Post by blackghoulmon on Jul 19, 2017 16:33:22 GMT -5
Urasina flicked an ear at the conversation, but otherwise did nothing. Two ripples in her magical radar told her that two of the baby dragon spirits were returning. A short time later and they flew down to drop off their globs of ectoplasm before heading back out to continue the search. She opened her eyes and couldn't help but grin a little when she saw they had brought back both air vials at the same time. "So, we've retrieved one fire, one water, both Light, one dark, and both air," she mused quietly. "We're ahead of the game, then. Seven found, five to go. And the night's barely started."
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Jul 21, 2017 18:12:45 GMT -5
"Nifty," Doe said, obviously impressed. She kept her eyes closed, however, zoning out in what counted as sleep for her. She ignored Simitra's whimpering snore, and at some point in the last five minutes, Aerlliin had fallen asleep, as well. The smallest mare's steady breathing in a telltale rhythm was relaxing, in itself. "We should be prepared, as well. I know you've got wards up, but with everyone asleep or in a resting state, it's the perfect time for an ambush."
Chupe chuckled, a hollow, almost mechanical sound. "The angry one does not need to worry. There will be no ambush tonight." It closed its eyes for a moment, feeling even further than perhaps the baby dragons could reach. Doe kept her eyes open while the hobgoblin's were closed, and she watched it carefully. It could feel her eyes on it, and it knew she had realized it was reaching through time itself to find answers to questions only it had. "This one itself needs to retrieve the second water vial. It is behind spirit warding. Perhaps to ensure the lich could never fully gain its powers back?" it asked of no one in particular.
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Post by blackghoulmon on Jul 23, 2017 15:59:39 GMT -5
Urasina didn't open her eyes. "There's sure a lot of weird hoodoo going on down here," she grumbled, mostly to herself, but she knew Chupe and Doe could hear her. "Traps, wards, shadows, undead, redead, skeletons..." She snorted. "My kind of place." This last line was delivered so dryly that it could have evaporated a small pond. Another ripple in the radar as the first dragon returned, and as requested, it had the other dark vial. This time, the draconic Uni opened her eyes and raised her head, but didn't move from her spot. "Four left now." She looked over at Chupe. "What will grabbing the other water vial cost us, then?" she asked. "If it's a Neopian spirit ward, the dragon spirits can get through it. They're not from Neopia, just like you aren't from Neopia. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's actually non-Neopian in origin... Nothing down here seems to make sense." Again, the bone-gratingly dry deliverance of that line.
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Jul 31, 2017 16:56:36 GMT -5
Chupe chuckled, its voice raspy. "It is a spirit ward. I imagine it started off as an exit- like so many of the traps down here, it is meant to keep things in. Dead things." It rolled its eyes into the back of its head (because Liin couldn't see it do that) and came up with an answer. "The price is not yours to pay, young one. For this, I only wish to sate my curiosity." It vanished in a puff of black magic.
"I'm impressed," Doe admitted. "That darn goblin would have asked me for a vial of blood." She grinned, her mouth outlined by the soft light of her eyes. Her ears twitched as though she were nervous. "I think it went back in time to get the vial. If it felt that the vial were present in this time, Chupe would have been back already with a smug grin on its stupid face." She, too, would have played with the threads of time, had she the ability. Mostly because she wanted to see how the stupid Lich was really defeated.
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Post by blackghoulmon on Aug 1, 2017 17:52:48 GMT -5
Urasina was about to tell Chupe that the dragon spirits could get through a ward of that kind, but the goblin-like creature was already gone. "Curiosity can be a wonderful motivator," she admitted, glancing at Doe before closing her eyes again. "But I'm thinking he's a bit unsure about me, just like I am of him. I mean, you and the others can travel across the dimensions, while I can't, but how often have you heard of Neopia being invaded by extra-dimensional monsters? I can think of only one time... from personal experience." She grunted. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm even a Neopian Uni anymore... I don't know anything about the Rathian's home dimension, but I do find myself curious if I have... I dunno, a 'link' to that realm somehow?" It was a thought she had been toying with ever since the dragon's assault, though she never felt any call to act on it. She couldn't feel the dimensional barriers, nor manipulate them.
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Aug 1, 2017 19:28:47 GMT -5
Doe pulled a dried carrot from one of her metallic packs, chewing on it as she did the question. "You are Neopian by birth. That's something that can't be changed. Where we're from is as much of our identities as our names or the color of our pelts." The tiny carrot vanished between her big lips. "I'm still a Thunderiron unicorn, even though I've been on Neopia longer than you've been," she said gently and with a softer tone than she usually used. Liin called it her "mom voice," even if Doe couldn't actually remember if she'd ever been a mother. "You'll always be a Neopian at heart, even if you take on an alien appearance." She said the last bit with a bit of amusement, as though poking fun at herself.
The goblin popped back in, this time in a flurry of sand, still warmed from the desert sun. Doe thought for a moment that she heard the cacophony of war from the portal, but it fell silent once the portal closed. The goblin was rather crispy and dead looking, but still held the vial. She sighed, and stood up to gather the vial from the small corpse.
"It happens sometimes. It'll disintegrate and appear at Rayneance's feet, like nothing happened." She sniffed Chupe's cremains, gathering intelligence. "The magic was definitely pulled out of the Lich. I can smell where Chupe took a full elemental blast to the face." She stepped back to allow Urasina a glance at the remains. "This gives me an idea on how to use my share of the vials. I'll let you do what you do with yours, since you know how to handle your magic better than I do," she finished with a wink.
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Post by blackghoulmon on Aug 3, 2017 13:46:35 GMT -5
Urasina shrugged. "I guess you're right," she sighed. When Chupe reappeared, she was concerned, but Doe's explanation helped her feel better. "I hope you're right about that," she said, eyeing the corpse. "I can heal injuries, just not fatal ones, and I can't resurrect the dead. Nor would I want to." She had to smile a little as Doe seemed to clarify her question about the Lich and the vials. "Well, if it was pulled out of him, then hopefully we can turn it against him somehow. But I was only planning on drinking one of the dark vials; I don't know how the others would affect me. If you don't want to drink them all, I can give them to my Faerie friend and she can at least keep them safe." That brought up another question. "Doe, you've still got the urn 'key,' with the Lich's heart and liver in it. Do you think we even need that? It held the illusion together, but now we're going to kill the Lich, so we don't really need it, do we? Should we just destroy it?"
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Aug 7, 2017 17:11:20 GMT -5
Doe looked at the urn, still encased in the silvery metal of her armour. "I'm likely going to use it, somehow. Even though the lich can't use it to see us, it could technically be used as a distraction. If we get Chupe version 10,047 in here, it can take the urn to another part of the labyrinth and we'll be able to get somewhat of an advantage on him. It's a diversionary tactic, and of low cunning, but since neither of us play fair, I don't see much of a problem with it." She gave a half grin. "Chupe can destroy it, or if it's indestructible, get it out of this dimension. I hate to say it, but if the lich has the ability to reconstitute himself, I'd rather he be another dimension's problem and not ours." She watched as the corpse caught fire, the ash vanishing before it hit the ground. "The thing will probably have showed up at Ance's place yesterday. I hate this time magic stuff."
Chupe appeared where its corpse had vanished only moments before. "I should have charged you for that, Doe. Dying sucks." It quickly relayed what it had seen back when it got the air vial, confirming Doe's theory, and in turn she told it her plan for the mummified heart. "It is a good plan. This one is impressed. As for you, Miss Urasina- I was not here for the conversation in this timeline. But I do advise you partake an air vial, a light vial, and a fire vial. It isn't particularly needed, but it'll look AWESOME."
Those familiar with Doe's facial expressions would have noticed that her eyes rolled in their sockets.
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Post by blackghoulmon on Aug 10, 2017 16:36:51 GMT -5
"Good plan," Urasina agreed with Doe's idea of redirecting the Lich's attention with the urn. "And most likely it can be destroyed, should it come to that." She counted the vials they had found so far. "So we're missing one fire and both earth. Given that the baby dragons haven't returned yet, they're probably on the farther side of the labyrinth." When Chupe returned, she listened quietly to its conversation with the other Uni mare. When the goblin addressed her, she tilted her head a bit. "If it's not really needed or important, then I'd really rather not," she admitted at length. "My stomach isn't very strong; even a tiny bit of meat in my food will make me feel sick. The dark vial shouldn't be a problem, as I'm immune to dark magic, but any other vials might put me out of green frog for a bit. And I know none of us want that. If worst comes to it, I can probably stomach both dark ones."
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Aug 18, 2017 21:10:52 GMT -5
The goblin merely shrugged its shoulders, knowing the group would be fine. "Then Dovesi should take the ones you do not." It wasn't a question, and to Doe it felt more like a command.
"I hate that name. And I'll be fine with the half dozen bits of blood magic I'll already have horked down. Probably." If she were annoyed by the goblin, she didn't show it, and instead narrowly dodged a pink hoof that Simi sent flying towards her head in sleep. "Gods, I couldn't imagine sleeping like this. Do all Neopets sleep like this- go unconscious for hours at a time? I feel like that sort of vulnerability would be dangerous."
Chupe didn't answer, and ducked to avoid a sleep spell cast by Liin. "It's dangerous to observers, at least."
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Post by blackghoulmon on Aug 20, 2017 14:32:24 GMT -5
"That's sleeping for you, Doe," Urasina said with a shrug. "As far as I know, very few creatures can go without sleeping. My mate being one of those few. And throwing kicks in your sleep happens every now and then. But casting spells? That's downright dangerous. I didn't know you even could cast spells while asleep..." She looked down at Liin, then nodded to herself. "Not only is that potentially dangerous to you and me, but it's likely to wear her out if she keeps it up. I have just the trick, though." She muttered something under her breath, an arcane phrase, and a strange-looking mirror appeared, floating in the middle of the room. It turned and rotated slowly and randomly. "That will keep Liin's magic locked down until I dispel it," the draconic Uni remarked. "It won't affect me, because I control it, and it probably won't affect you, Doe, since you're not a Neopian. And it certainly won't affect you, Chupe." She gazed at the mirror for a moment. "It's called Helios' Mirror, though I have no idea who Helios is. Several of my more tricky spells are attributed to Helios."
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Aug 20, 2017 18:07:34 GMT -5
Chupe only grinned at the name. It knew the reference, and would likely explain to the mare, had she the wherewithal to ask. It certainly wouldn't offer the information for free, though it felt the dragon mare knew it had the information. It had inferred that it had the potential to know everything, had it the desire.
"Liin has been sleep casting since she and her sister in law killed her brother. Dude was a real piece of work, from what I hear. All I know is that she was almost powerless before the incident, and she came back she looked like she'd been through Moltara without protection during a lava storm." She paused for a moment, recalling the event. "She also came back Light-aligned and glowing like a lighthouse."
Chupe added to that."She'd been earth aligned the week before, and barely. Her abilities were limited to petpet care and some gardening, but this one thinks that wasn't magic. Miss Aerlliin just likes pretty things."
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Post by blackghoulmon on Aug 23, 2017 15:42:14 GMT -5
Urasina caught Chupe's grin and knew what it meant. But she didn't feel like bothering it about it, merely raising an eyebrow before returning her focus to her radar. She heard what Doe and the little goblin had to say, but had nothing to add. Instead, she sort of tuned out everything around her, almost merging herself with her Light magic, though no physical change could be seen on her body. In this semi-aware state, nothing could get into her radar range without making an obvious ripple, even if it had stealth or cloaking at its disposal. Entering this state was not something she'd do while alone, but since Doe didn't seem to be able to, or interested in, going to sleep, she had backup in case something went wrong. She gradually pushed her radar's outer reaches further and further outward, not surprised to see that the passage the four mares were in was rather short; it was more of a shortcut to get from one side of the labyrinth to the other. They'd be heading back to the main floor in the morning to continue their task.
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Aug 28, 2017 13:13:51 GMT -5
((ooc: AH FREAKING PHOTOBUCKET I didn't know the forum's owner had used it for the forum background image XD I'll fix it after this is posted, that's... really distracting))
Doe sensed the change in the other mare, but only because she was 1. Fully conscious and 2. Very sensitive to the magicks around her. She had to admit to herself that she was impressed, as this kind of radar took a lot out of someone. It was something she herself employed on a subconscious level, and something Jariev said was from her 'life before,' a battle magic honed into a second instinct over several decades of practice. She thought a lot of what the old mare said was hokey, but something about that had resonated with the young-looking mare. It unsettled her to think that she might be several decades- or even centuries- older than she felt, and wondered if her extended lifespan was natural or was brought about by some more sinister practice, like her reaver abilities had been. She knew Urasina had to feel that something was off about her, and perhaps it was the green mare's dragon blood calling out to her own. The difference was that the big blue mare had done the blood ceremony willingly, while the smaller green mare hadn't been.
From somewhere in the eastern part of the corridor, Doe felt a shock of energy, tripping up her own radar. She got the sense it was at least as large as the monster-sized wraith they'd battled before, and it'd taken three of them to take that big bastard down. She looked at the other mare, noting that her eyes had been closed the whole time. She knew the other mare's light magic would have felt it. "Uh-oh." She stood up from her bed of pillows, putting them off to the side and turning them into a sort of pillow fort over the other two mares. "I'd rather they not get involved with it. Aerlliin's mana is still pretty depleted from using Guardian of the Night for so long and I can sense Simi's muscles are sore from just getting here." Her voice was a low whisper, which sent even the hobgoblin into a deep reverence. She peered down the corridor and her eyebrows shot up so far they pressed into the metal plate of her mask. "And this is probably a bad thing? I can see it."
"Likely because you've been drinking all of the magic that came from the Lich's blood, Dovesi. Consider this a practice run," the hobgoblin said with an almost cheerful demeanor. "And even though neither of you asked, they called these particular wraiths 'juggernauts.' This one thinks it sees why, now."
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Post by blackghoulmon on Aug 28, 2017 19:00:43 GMT -5
The incoming wraith tripped Urasina's radar just as it tripped Doe's. Since this was a threat, the draconic Uni came fully back to consciousness instantly, with no ill effects. "Keep Liin and Simi safe, Doe," she whispered to the other Uni, having heard what she had to say. "I'll go take that thing down." She dismissed the Helios Mirror, in case it came down to a firefight, then headed down the passageway. She found it about thirty feet away from where the other mares had settled down, and quickly blocked the passage behind her with a searing wall of Light magic. "It's you and me, smoky," she spat at it, summoning her new beam sword and charging at half speed. The big brute hadn't expected her sudden counterattack, and before it could line up a strike, Urasina had slashed one arm right off. Said arm dissolved into smoke the moment it hit the floor. The wraith shrieked, but luckily the Light wall muffled the sound, so the sleeping mares wouldn't be woken up. Then it brought its other arm around to try and hit the Uni, but she parried with her beam sword, knocking it off balance. Urasina then proceeded to land a swift slash across the brute's legs, staggering it, but not cutting the legs off.
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Aug 28, 2017 19:50:44 GMT -5
She felt the presence of the other wraith as soon as Urasina engaged the other. Caught like rats in a trap, Doe thought to herself. She sent a pleading look to Chupe, not wanting to alert the other Wraith to her presence just yet. She felt relieved when the creature nodded, cocooning them with a magic so dark that it blotted Aerlliin's light aura out fairly soundly. What bothered her was that she'd been so focused on the first one, she hadn't even noticed the second as it crept into the area. But perhaps that was its idea, a giant assassin sent to eliminate the threats that were being posed to their masters.
She chose to get to the big wraith in fly form. She could see, now, the thing's nostrils. That would be her entrance point. She zipped into the now grossly solid creature's nostril, where it soon began panicking at the intrusion. She was pleased that her intrusion would, at least, stop it from moving further and hurting her friends. The deeper she went, the more foul the smell became. She suddenly wished she had chosen a fly species that wasn't so sensitive to things like this, but it was quick and she easily reached the chest cavity. She only took a moment to look around before deciding she wouldn't be using any of the new toys she'd picked up by drinking the lich's resistances. Had she been able grin while in this form, she would have once she realized exactly what form she'd take to end this monster.
From several yards away, Chupe watched. It was rather impressed when the wraith exploded into thousands of fiery bitsies and a spiked metal ball fell to the ground with a sharp 'tink.' It watched as the pieces dissolved into nothing, the hallway once again going dark. "Dovesi, that was really showy. Even for you," it said as it padded over to the spiked ball. It squinted, attempting to peer through the darkness and the light wall to see what, exactly, the dragon mare was doing. Chupe figured the other mare must be about done by now, and was glad that those it looked out for were safe and that there was more than one battlemage in the area. Had it only been its own friends, things might not be going so smoothly. It wasn't an avenue it had looked at, having realized long ago that watching its friends die repeatedly was depressing at best, and self-destructive at worst. It decided to keep the black magic shell over its friends until the first wraith was defeated- just in case.
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