Obtaining the Elemental's Core

[23:29] {NARRATION} The quicker path, indeed. The group finds themselves pushing up and past the ridge and blizzard. Visibility has gotten grossly difficult and many of them run the risk of being blown off of the ridge entirely. And while it isn't the safest, little by little, this path seems to carry extraordinarily massive footprints.

Like some kind of yeti, or an abnormally powerful beast. Setsuna might just hold the key to this whole ordeal as the snow in front of Tobias and Yandir starts to quite literally shift and rattle like a snake.

Something in the snow starts to slither and rustle, or was it the snow itself..?? One thing was for certain, they were getting close.
[23:33] "Stop!"

Setsuna holds up her balled left fist, before stopping dead in her tracks. Icy blues shift backwards, eyeing her party.

It would do no good to keep going and be caught in some sort of avalanche. She had no idea what the creature could be attempting to do, slithering amongst the snow below.

"There is something here. I-"

She shifted fully backwards, as she lifted her right gauntlet forwards. Not risking to be attacked, she prepared to mitigate any damage that might come from a surprise attack.

"Show yourself at once!"
(Setsuna Ukitake)
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[23:33] {NARRATION} In response to Setsuna yelling, no voice follows. Just eerie, animalistic clicks and hisses.
[23:34] Now that his wings were out, he couldn't exactly waste them, could he? So, he utilized this overflowing energy to take to the skies, attempting to float his way through the path ahead. As he looked down however, the snow seemed to shift beneath him.

"Huh?" he muttered under his breath, before Setsuna's command caused him to screech to a halt. He remained floating in the air, looking around. Completely oblivious, as he was the last time. If only their sextant trick (hehe)
"It must be another ambush. Stay on guard."
(Tobias Ulrich)
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[23:35] The ashen, northbound winds buffet ruthlessly against them as they always have- save for the moment their first foe had been felled. Was this an indication the path taken had been a dire mistake that would cost them sorely?

Perhaps.

Lamenting and relenting over it, however, would not save their lives.

As an ophidian form clumps the snow before them and Setsuna urges the group to take caution, he pauses, eyes bulging and a mouth briefly agape in alarm.

"Again? Whe-"

As the clicks continue, the confirmation of their endangered circumstances only affirms itself furtherly. He magnetizes the chakram across his back to his side, hovering it just an inch above the ground.

"Perhaps it is dormant."
(Yandir)
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[23:39] Slowly trailing behind the better-trained part of the team, the navigator would hover just a few feet over the actual ground, yet still low enough to leave a trail behind him, much unlike Tobias' majestic flight.

There was a something alright, something that would surely come across their path. Though the slithering and rustling noises were alarming, they gave no reply to Setsuna's inquiry. Perhaps it was time to whip out the trusty old mythril sextant once more.

Looking through it, Adar attempted to catch a glimpse of the rough path once more in pursuit of the threat.

"I doubt it… If it were, Setsuna's warning would've woken it. Tobias is right, be on guard…!"
(Adar Gutt)
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[23:42] {NARRATION} This is important. Those of you that don't have fly. Roll a D20.
[23:49] {NARRATION} The snow below all of your feet suddenly starts to burst upwards with razor sharp spines of ice! Yandir notices it first, leaping and rolling to the side as the ice spines just narrowly evaded piercing his legs and feet. Those in the air need not worry, though it is a problem as Setsuna is a little too slow to avoid whatever icy barrage had just assailed her.

Her ankles and feet are locked and stabbed now, frozen over in the collection of razor sharp spines as pain shoots through her body.

[4 Day Temp will be assigned after the next battle.]

Though the real issue here is just how fast the snow itself starts to move as Setsuna, with her legs locked down as such, is rapidly being tugged and pulled deeper and deeper into the blizzard.

Whatever was shifting below them was hunting. It was going to separate the group. Divine, then conquer. Likely feast.
[23:50] Setsuna is being pulled at approximately this speed.
(Frozen Elemental)
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[23:51] Tobias erupted forward as his wings swung down, racing to catch up with Setsuna.
(Tobias Ulrich)
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[23:54] There was little to do to avoid the icy grasp of the elemental. One moment she was standing upright, preparing herself for a blow, just to be swept off her feet and dragged along into nothingness.

The only sound that emitted from her mouth in that moment was a scream. Wide, blue eyes stared dumbfounded, as she was dragged away from her companions.

Yet she did not simply go without a fight.

As she was dragged, she poured her mana into the ground, vines cracking and creeping up through the icy ground. In hopes of rooting herself away from the elemental's grasp.

An attempt to fight the beast on equal footing, if anything.
(Setsuna Ukitake)
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[23:56] In Baukdengrad and beyond, dangers were truly unending. Tribulation after tribulation, the group found themselves targeted by a myriad of creatures under the guise of a thousand breeds- be they either nethradin, or the feral forces of nature, coerced to hunt for them driven by an unfathomable hunger.

"Its assault too is coming from below! Clear the ground!"

With a stomp, Yandir sent a wave of cascading stone blocks spooling across the ground, in an attempt to push the deep layers of snow beneath them and provide proper vision of what could very well turn into a battlefield very soon.

Following this surging burst, he connected a pair of digits to the ground, accompanying the first concentric clear with a surge of spikes that not only erupted on the surface, as they did spread underground, with luck skewering their newest attacker.
(Yandir)
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[23:58] The shifting snow beneath them was concerning. Not for him, but for the ones on the ground. He wasn't fast enough to swoop down and save the two from harm, he was too high up. Luckily, Yandir was able to roll out of the way and evade capture. His Qilin friend? Not so much.

He saw her feet begin to freeze, locked into place and stabbed with razor sharp spines. Immediately, his instinct was to shout dramatically. "Setsuna!!" he exclaimed. But, this wasn't the time to be dramatic. This was the time for heroics.

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

Tobias was lucky to have these wings, because they granted him an incredible burst of speed when they swung down. He could be seen rushing forward, diving into the fray. Subsequently after, an immense wind pressure erupted from where he once stood and blew back the hair of the two onlookers.

He swooped in low, his arms wrapping around Setsuna's waist and pulling her up off of the ground. Luckily, this would be done just in time for the Qilin to free herself from the elemental's clutches. She'd be given the high ground in this moment, as Tobias carried her to safety.

He definitely wasn't taking her back down to the snow. Not while that threat was still on the loose. "Take a look around, we need to spot it and strike." he told her, surveying the area himself.
(Tobias Ulrich)
[00:02] As warned prior, the threat came from underneath! How stupid of him to not have realized earlier. The snow itself had become a compromise, as it'd start to tug away at Setsuna's figure, dragging her away from the group.

Being faster than the navigator, Tobi flew in to swoop the Qillin off the ground and bring her to safety. Though as the blizzard's aggression perked up, the modus operandi made sense suddenly! Thankfully, the scholar's affinity would be a worthy counter.

"Tobias, this is an ice elemental!" Adar strained, evoking a jet of flame forward from the lens of the telescope and in the direction of the beast once the stellar mage had successfully retrieved their comrade.
(Adar Gutt)
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[00:05] Escaping Light [DM] whispers something.
[00:07] Escaping Light [DM] whispers something.
[00:12] It was unlike anything she had seen before, and boy, she had seen a lot. Large nethradin, archons, bulged corrupt beings. But this was a beast that had taken the cake, in a sense.

Utilizing nature magic, she poured her mana into the cold ground. Quickly, vines sprout up all around her, tangling around her body and pulling her from the serpent's grasp.

The ground proved to be quite dangerous, given the build of the elemental.

"Tobias, I-"

There was little time to chat, as he quite literally scooped her up into his grasp, pulling her off the ground altogether. Light blues focused on him, before she spoke in a hurried, rushed tone.

"We need to get back down there. It's like a snake, Tobi. Slithering along the snow and ice, unseen unless it wants you to see it. It's using the snow as its shroud."

The Qilin focused on Yandir now, watching closely, before patting on Tobias altogether.

"We need to get back down there, and fast! Yandir remains in danger. The only thing we can do is face it."

Luckily, the Qilin had kept her gaze on the beast, and hopefully didn't lose its location. Preparing herself to fight it alongside her group, if they were to fall back to the ground.
(Setsuna Ukitake)
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[00:18] "You want to get back down there?!" he asked her in this moment of panic, eyes frantically shifting from side to side. She was right, it was what needed to be done in order to ensure the safety of Yandir. He let out a sigh, before nodding his head.

"Then, so be it."

And, her wish was his command. They made a quick descent from the skies, before softly landing onto the shifting snow beneath them. He'd gently place the Qilin atop her feet, and reach for his own staff. Golden flames began to encase his form, and he looked to Adar.

"Let's melt all of this snow, until he's forced to show himself."
(Tobias Ulrich)
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[00:19] Tobias Ulrich exclaims, ".. Or she! It could be a she!"
[00:20] Tobias shouted that, as if anyone cared.
(Tobias Ulrich)
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[00:23] {NARRATION} /vit
[00:25] {Item} You drop Mythril Trauma Kit.
[00:25] {Item} You picked up Mythril Trauma Kit. Dropped by Adar Gutt. .
[00:25] {Item} You drop Stone Skin.
[00:25] {Item} You picked up Stone Skin. Dropped by Adar Gutt. .
[00:26] {NARRATION} Injuries suffered specifically for this fight are DOUBLED. A -10 perm will turn into a -20, a 12 day will turn into two etc.
[00:27] {NARRATION} People -can- take injuries for one another, too. Only once per person, though.
[00:41] {ITEM} Traded item with Yandir: Lax Essence
[00:41] Adar chugs that one thing he forgot he should've chugged.
(Adar Gutt)
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[00:48] {NARRATION} KOs out of 5:
- - - - - - - -
Tobias: 3
Setsuna: 2
Yandir: 2
Adar: 2
- - - - - - - -
Everyone walks home without a perm IF Tobias rolls above a 2 and the others don't roll 1s. Please roll a D6 now.
[00:51] {NARRATION} Tobias: Two 10 Vit Perms. Someone may take one, otherwise it's a -20.
Setsuna: Two 5 Vit perms. Someone may take one, otherwise it's a -10.
Adar: Two 4 Day Temps.
Yandir: Two 12 Day Temps.
- - - - - - -
Will anyone be taking injuries for one another?
[00:54] {NARRATION} Feel free to RP your victory!
[00:56] ** Escaping Light [DM] has inflicted an injury upon Adar Gutt. ("Frozen Arm", "Adar's right arm has become entirely frozen in a stream of permafrosted ice. The limb itself is in tact below the dangerous and frozen ice, though removing it without a medic or potion is extremely ill advised.", "Temporary", "Duration: Medium (4 days)") **
[00:57] ** Escaping Light [DM] has inflicted an injury upon Adar Gutt. ("Broken Wrist", "Adar's left wrist has been shattered into four pieces. Use of his hand has been lost.", "Temporary", "Duration: Medium (4 days)") **
[00:59]
{LOAD GAME}

[01:06] As the trio rose into the sky, Yandir had been left to fend off the ophidian elemental's advancing strikes through desperate measures. Hitting and running, evading- and even taking cover under environmental obstructions. Nothing was beyond what it would take to survive.

At some point, however, his companions finally swoop back onto the fray, joining an once solitary effort and turning it into a tide of spell volleys.

It felt more like facing the very embodiment of the snowstorms that riddled the mountaintops they journeyed through with tempests- but no hazard or distress would overcome the joint teamwork of the four who, after innumerable strikes of adversity and the occasional misfortune, had overcome the odds time and time again.

The lad shoulders through the horrible, lancinating strain put on his broken leg, catapulting himself forward and onto the elemental's back with the propelling push of an earth column risen from the ground.

An energy bind erupts from one of Yandir's hands, is laced along the elemental's enormous circumference and then connects to its opposite peer, lassoing the frozen viper in deadly style.

He would continue to assault it with periodic energy bursts that seemed to erupt from the center of his chakram, which continues to hover and gyrate violently beside him- but the objective of this maneuver was to expose its belly the three braves below and allow them the final strike.
(Yandir)
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[01:12] The party returned to the ground, and commenced their epic battle against the frozen elemental. The snow beneath their feet was melted away by Adar and Tobias, revealing the demon in all it's glory. It was another sneak attack. Was he angry for being deceived in such a manner yet again? Absolutely. Was he going to fight back?

He didn't think twice.

A fierce and deadly battle, one that would forever change the four warriors that stepped in. This was the type of fight that someone stepped out a completely different person. Seemingly insurmountable odds, a bloodbath. If they were to win, there was to be sacrifices.

And there was.

The frozen beast wielded a terrifying array of arcana. Water, wind, and ice converged on their group and nearly froze them to death. One wrong move could mean a lost limb, or a lost life. He had to be deft, whilst also ensuring the safety of his teammates. Healing magic was employed on the fly, searing the wounds of both him and his allies. Cauterizing them shut. It hurt. But, they needed to keep their blood inside of their bodies.

Wings may have delivered him from the soil in an almost angelic fashion, but there wasn't a time in his life where he felt more mortal. A glacier collided with his shoulder, shattering the bone into six different pieces. Pain flooded his senses, even with all of the magic he wielded. He forcibly coughed up blood, shaking. His cosmic wings flickered.

There were a few times where he completely lost consciousness in this fight. His grip on reality was waning, and it would all fade to black every so often. Then, the world would come back to him in a rush of colors and noises that assaulted his senses. But, there was a guiding light that kept him holding on.

His patron star imbued him with enough confidence to keep moving. Without him, he'd be dead on the floor. But, Tobias took another especially severe blow. The elemental rushed towards him, the beast's fist colliding with his face and clocking him. It was a blow that rattled his brain against his skull, but the effects were more than just that.

Ice lingered, freezing his jaw shut. He found it hard to breathe, and the bones and joints became completely numb. It would trouble him in the future, but not now. For now, he could keep moving. Right? He weakly persevered, laying down flames and continuing to haphazardly stitch up his injuries.

Eventually, they had won. He had succeeded in defending his friends! But, he was in a horrible state. Bone fragments were digging into the inside of his body from his right shoulder, and he could hardly let out a whimper of pain. Talking was extremely difficult with what had happened to his jaw.

"We.." he tried to swallow. He couldn't. "did.. it.."
(Tobias Ulrich)
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[01:14] With a combined use of energy, time, and nature, Setsuna stood against the ice serpent alongside her comrades. The Qilin's leylines flared brightly, her eyes turning an unnatural blue.

"Watch out, guys!"

Its combined use of ice and storm magic left the group reeling, the blizzard intensifying as they fought it off. Despite their combined efforts, they all retained several injuries.

Nothing which would keep her down seriously, at least for now.

"Are you all alright?"

The Qilin's gaze lingered on each person, the pain from her injuries rising to the forefront of her mind.

Setsun's left hand had been immobilized, stuck close to her chest all the while. The back of her ankles had several long gashes, each step bringing more and more pain with it.

More arcanium, as well as the frozen core of the beast itself. Yet none of that seemed to interest Setsuna. Rather, the coins that had come out of the beast itself.

Seeing how much they meant to Agartha's culture, she knew she could further the Emperor's interests with them.
(Setsuna Ukitake)
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[01:15] {NARRATION} Finally.. Silence draws over the group. The blizzard dies and it seemed that as the serpent finally fell to its demise and slowly stopped causing storms all around, that it was the true cause of the ruinous weather to begin with. Now they're left on a trail that it had obviously been defending.

... A small flight of stairs rest in front of them, though Setsuna can see something at the peak.. Something almost resembling a person.
[01:18] {Item} You picked up Frost Core. Dropped by Yandir. .
[01:20] The first thing which the Qilin did was drink an elixir, the injuries gained up until now healing up quite quickly. The pain lingered, however, but was a phantom of what it once was.

Splitting up the coins between the group, she offered them each a bright, white smile, before her attention shifted back up to the peak.

A person?

"I think this is it, guys. We need to keep moving."

Taking the lead once more, she practically raced up the path. This was what she had been searching for, the fruit of all the strife they had been through.

Illuminating the path once more, with the use of her energy magic.
(Setsuna Ukitake)
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[01:22] The elemental's imposing virtue of size could only be paralleled by it's massive girth of mana, every flurry of wind, every blizzard, every shard of crystal stung like a million needles.

The team fought back against the bizarre creature of nature's grand climatic-destruction with their lives on the line. By the end of the

Perhaps it was the fear of death that propelled him forward, but for whatever reason, the navigator's instinct wasn't ordering him to flee and preserve himself, but to overcome the obstacle in question.

His heart raced, flooded with adrenaline. Fighting off nausea, as well as the fever-pitch pain coming from both his then frozen arm and broken wrist, as well as his strained, overexerted circuits, Adar's left side was engorged in a violent, causing all snow around him to immediately melt.

Now, in tune with his polar opposite, the occultist drew a connection to his ego. His impulse of 'want' had become bigger than his idea of 'should'. This drove him to see the Qillin's wishes accomplished, regardless of the toll. They had understood each other. Benefitting from the opportunity created by Yandir, both fire magi blasted the creature with a combined barrage of fire, both holy and occult came into contact at the point of impact, creating a feedback, which violently erupted around the creature's core.

With a loud, piercing scream, Adar fell on his knees, hanging onto his mangled arm, yet sprouting a sly smirk of self-realization. It had been done - the beast was no more, though to the expense of their physical wellbeing.

This was fine.

This would do.

"Let's… move forward."
(Adar Gutt)
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[01:22] Tobias lifted up a healing elixir to his lips, but.. his jaw couldn't quite open up to drink it.

"I.. can't.." he muttered, still finding it incredibly difficult to talk. Well, this sucked. And, his shoulder was killing him. If there was any solace in this horrible moment, it's that he could pick up all of the arcanium and keep going.

".. let's."
(Tobias Ulrich)
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[01:23] {Item} Picked up a bag of 1200 dropped by Setsuna Ukitake.
[01:25] Yandir started to think of the many, many implications of this journey's conclusion as they neared the end of this... very, very metaphorical road, considering the ridges and ranges they had suffered through all up until now.

"You think this is it, you say? I can do little but wonder how the way back home will be."

But alas! No crying over the spilled milk. With a hand clad in holy magic, he would wave it from one side to the other, not only aiding Setsuna's efforts to light the way, but signal on to the individual that lingered on their destination.

Hopefully this one, out of all things found an confronted, would not hostilize them?
(Yandir)