Malevolent Reverie

-bump- Hope you are doing alright, Naifu.

Stay safe.

Warlock Dar

"Hmm...an interesting proposition but I'm running an errand for my teacher. If you'd be so kind to point me to the Elder tree, I'll make sure that I can get you the souls that you desire next time I visit as a tutor fee." Dar said after some thought. The prospect of learning from a being that seemed magical appealed to Dar but Akta seemed stronger & more knowledgeable somehow. If she'd have to choose she'll pick her over this weird uncle merely because of her proximity in the village. But it was not in her nature to discount an opportunity when it arose. She wasn't the sharpest knife in the cabinet but she wasn't dumb either.

Now all depended on how this entity responded to her counter-proposition.

Warlock Dar

The golem seemed to say something before they eventually got moving. Dar felt that either she was being too foolish or the golem was strangely a scared entity, an anomaly considering how powerful Akta seemed. 

As they went into the forest; filed with assortments & delicious delicacies, Dar was confounded by the whole projection made by the golem. By what she had been through to get the Embereyes, this situation seemed strangely tame until the chief architect showed up.

Despite his smooth words he oozed malevolence or maybe that was just Dar's rationality acting up. Something didn't add up, Dar was certainly not wise in the ways of the world but even she could tell something was amiss in the situation. As he prompted her to speak about her desires, Dar decided that it wasn't necessary to be hostile until she had a hint of the intentions that the strange, barely clad entity had. 

"I want to learn the magic of perpetual combat. Of self repair & healing so that I can enjoy battles to my heart's content. Could you grant this, uncle?" she repeated in her innocent voice. She wasn't cunning to make multiple ploys and see them through but she was intelligent enough to discern whether she could try & figure out his motives. There was always the way of duking it out. It had worked for her till now, she hoped that she can turn a new page to not resort to her modus operandi.

I think the plain naming scheme is good enough. I feel that if we stick to naming like the series then Darork would be a better one since Ogarou applies to Rou even if he is a special sub species.

Warlock Dar

"My mind is already made up, I wanna stay and see this creature for myself. If teacher found it right for me to face it then so be it. Now quite babbling and stand tall, we either live to tell a wonderful tale or die making one." Dar said with a resolute smile as she shifted the hammer on her shoulder. She was itching to face this new opponent, she was hyped to see an existence as terrifying as the Golem had described. She just hoped that her wait would fetch something worthwhile.

I'm 27, so yea, i think they'll be fine lol.

 

Wooo, still got a month left, so depending on how fast we post and update, I can still post for rend until then.

 

 

That's the idea, yea. xD

 

 

I'm not moving until September either the 10th or 14th....so I got a month left, i'm not leaving now lol.

Still got plenty of time to post.

I was just asking for an eventuality xP

I hope they get a hi speed wi-fi for you to not miss a beat ;D

Warlock Dar:

As she heard the mirth in Akta's voice she felt happy to have met the expectations her new teacher had off her. As a gift for her good work she was awarded with a wisp of power. Whatever it was, it was still beyond her understanding but it served to pique her interest into this parallel world of magic even more. She congratulated herself on choosing this path, whatever she had done till now certainly left a pleasant experience with her.

As the hidden power guided her to the next stone, she came upon of a large being of earth & stone. It was a creation of her teacher as he constantly referred to her in his little introduction, but he also highlighted the fact that their next task was certainly more difficult than her last. This challenge would be the one of body as the last had tested her mind. He warned of an unbeatable foe, certainly someone who had put in some fear into an animated being & he advised her to join forces with her to escape this place.

But Dar was interested in meeting this new foe. She wanted to feel what challenge it presented. She was reminded of her encounter with the King Spider and the momentary rush it all had given her. If she was to follow the path set out by her teacher, she knew that she'd be tested on every checkpoint. This was certainly the next one, with a confident tone to her voice she replied calmly to the Golem, " I have come here to face the fear rather than shy away from it. If we are to join forces, I request you to aide me to overcome this terror that haunts these woods rather than trying to run away from it. Teacher certainly would want that."

Dar

As she went about seeking the ritual stones that eventually revealed the giant tree she was greeted by a familiar voice. It was clear as a whistle & lovely as a song, it was the voice of her new teacher, Akta. In her limited dealings with Akta, Dar was certain that she liked mysteries & exploring the arcane. To her magic was something more than a mere powerful trick, it was an other world. One that Dar was slowly waking up to, the lead up to the tree had been dumbfounding, she crossed the bones of something massive. Whether this all belonged to one creature or many, she won't know unless she searched for skulls but it was certainly a thing that brought perspective.

But this was not the only thing to greet her, her teacher was fond of riddles, they served an easy purpose to separate the curious from the capable. She had seen something in Dar & Dar was confident to make her proud. As the questions were put forth to her, she stressed her mind to find a meaningful answer.

 I can be found on a mountain, yet you can hold me in your hand or walk over me. I will outlive you. Name me.

She wracked her mind to list all the things that could be found on a mountain. They lived in a somewhat hilly area so she made that her reference point. There was grass, rocks, water & animals. Grass was certainly something that can be held or walked over but if you pluck it, it won't outgrow you. All animals can't be held. Water can be found nearby but she wasn't aware if it was available on a mountain. Leaving rocks. Rocks filled all the criteria that the riddle asked for.

She thought for a moment before she said "Rock"

The next one though was tougher,

Using me, battles are never fought alone. With me, bonds are never broken. Reveal my identity.

This was something that needed some thought. We fight with anger but it is not something that is extra, same can be said for bravery & skill. Maybe coordination can be one but it can be easily broken if we are hasty or unsettled, the same for friendship. Dar was thoroughly confused about the answer. What would she do to fight alongside Brix. She was infatuated by the grey one or maybe it was the love for his strength, 'might makes right' this was something that Dar strongly believed. Loyalty to the strongest. Loyalty certainly seemed appropriate as answer. She was under pressure to be right but she wasn't sure. It would suck to come so far & be chosen unworthy. 

She almost mumbled "Loyalty" as her second answer.

As if impressed by her answer, the third one was relatively simple, or maybe it was Dar's naivete.

Consume me and you will choke, but within me is the key to life and growth. What am I?

It seemed simple enough, it wasn't meat or plants as you won't choke simply if you take a small quantity. But this thing wasn't tasty yet held the miracle of life. Dar only knew of one such thing. 'The Earth', not only it gave us trees & vegetables but also grass for the herbivores that we usually hunt. It was the originator of the whole cycle of life.

"Earth!" she said confidently. She hoped that she got all the correct answer but it was in magical voice to judge her.

Dar

Once she had scoured every nook & cranny of the house that was the lair of the beast& thanked its earlier occupants for hoarding some valuables like clothes that fit her new larger form, she tried and feel her way towards her mission. It was a faint throbbing, a warm, gentle hum that beckoned her forth. She knew it was the stuff she was after but strangely it wasn't in the damp basement. Following the strange mana she found the thicket where the embereyes were.

After harvesting them & placing them in her new bag, she thanked the long dead humans & proceeded to her next search. The wood for the staff that was to be her initiation into the world of magic & wonder. She positioned her hammer to rest on her shoulder as she went about. Still following the valuable lesson she had learned the first day in the forest, 'Stealth meant survival' 

She kept herself near the dense undergrowth that covered the forest floor & sneaked her way through the forest. The quest was important but if she was dead, then so was the quest. She would avoid an unnecessary encounter if she could. Slowly, through the foliage she made her way to the beach, only to be mesmerized when she came near the shore. What lay before her was equally awe-inspiring as it was frightening. The expanse of water that lay before her eyes was a sight she'd remember for the rest of her life, the flow of waves both physical & magical hit her in conjunction. She realised for the first time in her short life, how small she was in the scheme of things.

Dar quit dawdling & started searching for the magic stone that Akta had described. It was the key to the wood that she sought.

Dar v2.0

Dar

Her blow rang true as the escaping arachnid let out a loud screech before its abdomen got crushed by the blow of Dar's mighty hammer. Was it her own hidden power or the fact that Akta had awakened something in her, she could see a large dark mist of devoured souls emanate out of the carcass. She instinctively tried to feel the swirling mass & commune with it. She could feel a sort of connection with it, something like the magic of the potion earlier but different all the same.

As she got into a temporary bout of drowsiness she felt something change within her, she started to felt constricted by her armor suddenly so she took it off. She could feel a new found energy within her but she was still wobbly from the commune. She sat besides the dead hunter and took some time to steady herself passing into a short nap.

Moments later when she woke, she was surprised by the changes. It was nothing like the changes that she had felt on her second day of birth. Her frame had broadened & grown at the same time. Her hair were even longer now & her bosom was certainly larger than Mocharr & probably Akta too. Her muscles became more defined than before & her hammer felt certainly lighter in her hand now. But for starters she had to find new clothes, her old armor was unusable seeing her spurt of growth. She took out her skinning knife to cut the breeches along the sides to enable her to move & then she proceeded further in search of her reason to be here. The Black Cohoosh had to be here somewhere.

Dar 

Face to face with a hairy abomination with multiple eyes & dangerous fangs looking at her, Dar froze for a bit. She had expected something malevolent down in the basement but she wasn't ready for this. The miasma that she had sensed when she had entered the forest this morning only intensified in the damp basement, it reeked of death & though Dar wasn't much for a warm & welcoming environment she didn't like stuffy hellish holes either. 

Thus in an effort to overcome her situation or die trying, she left caution to the wind & lunged forward trying to establish initiative. But the spider was rather quick for its size as it side stepped just enough to avoid her overhead smash on its large abdomen, her swing only catching its hing leg as it prepared for a counter. As shot of webbing that hit her square in the chest & sent her flying across the room into the wall. She felt the life drain out of her from the impact. 

If the Fey wolverine was a hair raising experience, then this was on an other level. She called onto her survival instinct as adrenaline gave her enough strength to break free but not before her side step was a bit off & the sharp fangs of the oncoming spider punctured her sides.

She quickly downed one of the potions she had found. Hoping that it was still potent as she tried to establish some distance between herself & her hunter before winding up another swing at its broken hind leg. Her motive was now to cripple her nemesis. As the hit stuck true a loud screech denoted the displeasure of the spider. It spun faster than she anticipated & spit a venomous blob at her torso. Catching the full impact of the blow, Dar lost her balance for a bit before that sharp sting from chest denoted the damage she had suffered. Her armor had a large hole & her open flesh sizzled. The pain was almost maddening but she realized that luckily she had another potion.

The six legged anthropod had taken this opportunity to retreat but Dar wasn't letting this chance go. She took a minute to catch her breath as she chased the bug before going for perhaps the telling blow on its abdomen hoping to crush it with her strike.

You can say that the sudden rush of pain gave her the strength to break free of the webbing. And one potion is enough to get her back to full health.

 

I think after she breaks the leg/legs, the spider will have to resort to spitting it venom at her. So we get Scenario A, and another potion used. The spider will then try to retreat and Dar can go in for the killing blow.

Okay thanks for that. I'll get a post up tomorrow. Down with the flu currently.