Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Story Forum - The Past Enshrouded: A Tale of Schwa and Corona
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Koneko
Posts: 255/256 |
Old Ashra rushes towards the copy of Nira, intent on wiping out what could become the most deadly threat to the paty's survival. He comes within striking distance when suddenly he finds that he can no longer move his feet. Looking down, they're both covered in the blue crystal that the floor is made of. He has no time to gasp as it expands suddenly, encasing his entire body in sapphire. Ashra immediately sets to work finding a way to break out, but for now he's stuck. The copy Adric is standing on the other side of the room, cackling. Most of the team is stuck watching helplessly as Sapphire Nira racks up another turn of charging.
Corona is having a tough time. He's a magic caster more than a fighter, and it's starting to show. He's starting to take little cuts here and there from the faux Ashra due to the need to concentrate on stopping his own fake from getting off a spell. However, something seems wrong... It's almost as if Corona is holding back, and trying not to deal any damage. Suddenly, it's obvious; There's a different sigil pattern on his staff than before. Every time it gets close to the crystals, a slight smoke can be seen rushing off of his hands, and his face screws up in the agony. This room was designed to stop Corona in his tracks... And it has also become apparent that his main goal is keeping the targets away from Schwa. He's taken a few hits here and there to grab whichever clone tries to sneak by him.
Whatever Schwa can do, it had better be enough... |
Schwa
Posts: 2208/2214 |
"Aw, I gotta attack again, and fast... Spiritual energies drained..."
Schwa finds himself unable to conjure up a Tech. So he kneels and begins charging what little energy he has at this moment.
"I'll be there to help in a moment, Corona... Hold them off a little longer." |
Koneko
Posts: 254/256 |
Ashra: "...Psi energy? Wow... Well, there's no time for a long fight. Nira!"
They nod to each other. Nira floats higher into the air, and becomes less and less opaque while giving off progressively brighter pulses of light. Ashra rushes towards her and leaps, drawing several symbols insanely fast with the help of the blessing. The two of them collide, and after a flash of brilliant white light that cascades around the reflective surfaces of the room, Nira is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Ashra's clothing has morphed from black leather to green robes, and his sword is no longer covered in runes. It's instead wreathed in nature energy manifest as iridescent green flames, and has a blue aura about an inch away from its edge. Old Ashra is ready to battle.
Meanwhile, Corona is using the staff (which once again appeared out of nowhere) to fend off the crystal versions of both Ashra and himself. It's tough work, and no damage is being inflicted on either side, but the copies seem to lack many of the abilities attributed to the original. The copy Corona isn't morphing, and the Ashra is using a sword made of crystal, not the runesword or the avatar blade. The copies of Adric and Nira seem to be charging up energy to use later.
And, incidentally, the hole in the roof has disappeared. The crystal repaired itself... |
Schwa
Posts: 2200/2214 |
"Eesh!" Schwa takes battle-stance formation. "Looks like ol' Mr. Dark wants to delay us. Also looks like he didn't plan on my presence when he set this up. Alright, lets clean this with speed and grace."
Schwa focuses rainbow ether into his palms...
"Psi Blessing!" (echo effects)
...and shoots it all over Ashra! The ether is to swirl around Schwa's ally and flow into him, increasing Attack and Defense and also supplying him with a turn of pre-charged energy! Catch: This was a mighty maneuver to pull off, and Schwa is incapable of pulling off a Tech next turn.
After using his high-level Tech, Schwa step-glides back to Corona's side, ready to defend him if necessary. Solaris and Pingo have secretly come along for the ride right behind Schwa, to help if needed. Both Solaris and Pingo are absolutely alive with energy right now-- Solaris because the better Schwa does, the better Solaris does, and Pingo because they're underneath a forest radiating with natural energy. |
Koneko
Posts: 252/256 |
The four of them are now standing in a room shaped like a giant dome, made from triangles of a shiny blue crystal. Up at the top there's a spherical hole surrounded by cracks in the ceiling; the entrance Corona blew open. The sunlight is reflected at odd angles by the uneven floor, casting greenish light across all the visible surfaces. It's really, really cold in here, as if a huge beam of sunlight hadn't just immolated the air. At one edge of the dome, there exists a circle cut into the crystalline wall, obviously a door of some kind... But it's surrounded by a red aura, keeping it magically locked.
Nira: "It's sacred because... it's where everything began. The forest is where nature first entered our world. A group of spirits were exiled from their own dimensions for crimes they did not commit, and began again here. All life is the direct result. Just think of how much power is stored here... There's enough for someone with a mind for it to create their own dimension, and populate it with creatures. It's the backup plan of the gods. But this power could also be used to turn this dimension in upon itself, resulting in absolute nothingness. That's what would have happened, you know. The Disciples of Destiny had no idea that their demon wanted to end everything. They would have used the power to enslave the world, had they got their hands on it. So it's vitally important that we protect the forest, and in return we are granted a small part of its magic."
Just as she finishes speaking, a loud grinding noise shatters the silence. Between the team and the door, the blue crystal begins to rise up in the shape of... the team?! A sapphire version of each hero stands before them, with the exception of Schwa, for whom the level of causality would snap for another clone to appear. Instead, the fourth figure is recognizable as Adric, spellbook and all. It seems that our villain was expecting the raid to consist of the usual squad... Perhaps having Schwa along will tip the balance.
Both sides square off for battle... |
Schwa
Posts: 2191/2214 |
"Damn, that sucks," Schwa says at Ashra's story. "Hey, you made it through, though... and it really does show the bond you and Nira share for her to help you like that. Wait a minute... The Psi Warriors could've easily taken out ol' Voidflare D, given the notice, and Sensae DEFINITELY would have been able to sense it's presence..." He thinks it over, travelling into the pit at the same time. "What probably happened is that the dragon incident was over with before the Psi Warriors could come into play... Even if you knew we were coming, the forest would've been obliterated by the time we appeared. And they planned it that way! Dammit!"
Schwa studies his surroundings once inside the pit.
"Now, you mentioned that the forest is sacred... I'm interested in why. Is it an ancestor thing? Ever since I've been here, my arm has tingled like crazy, and that's the Ma Pingon DNA part of me going nuts because the forest's spiritual energy is so strong. That would have to explain it..." |
Koneko
Posts: 249/256 |
Corona smiles as he walks away from the group, signaling them to stand back. He's been waiting for a while to do something like this... The staff materializes in his hands with a shower of red sparkles, and he thrusts the tip into the soft ground. Holding it with both hands, he concentrates, and slowly the patterns on his skin begin to grow through the staff onto the grass. It takes time, but eventually there is an enormous magic circle inscribed on the soil. Removing the staff, he stands in the center himself, and snaps his fingers. An identical circle becomes traced on the clouds, which slowly morphs into an enormous lens. It can't be seen, but hundreds of these have been created on a direct line from the sun to this patch of ground. Corona holds his right hand up to the sky, and a pulse of fire is sent upwards. A mere instant later, a gigantic column of super-intensified solar energy impacts the earth, carving its own entrance tunnel with impressive efficiency. The disks disappear as Corona is suddenly standing right next to Ashra, who has been talking throughout this display to Schwa about his past.
Ashra: "My curse... it began a long time ago. Once, I was one with the forest, as Nira is. We fought together to defeat those that would harm it, for this ground is sacred to all of existence. Over the years, we did battle against armies of humans, flocks of wyverns from the mountains, and a dragon. But the day came when the Disciples of Destiny decided to make this land their own... They summoned, no, created an immense demon with ritual magic. They called it the Voidflare Dragon, and it could have eaten cities with a single bite. There really was only one way to save the forest... I channeled it into myself. The most powerful demon the world had ever known, reduced in one ignoble moment to dark energy. The force of it nearly killed me. I lay dying on the ground. Nira prayed to the spirits of the forest for a way to save me... And she became the forest. She literally split her soul in two to replace mine. So I'm half darkness, half light." The big column of fire happens. "Well, that wasn't very subtle, but I'll take it. Come on, let's go."
And with that, Ashra, Nira, and Corona each jump forwards and into the giant pit... |
Schwa
Posts: 2178/2214 |
"Yes..." Schwa says to both of them, "...Thanks for the apology. I feel better. Now we should all-- Hey, Ashra, did you just say you're cursed? Tell me about that, and you Corona, lead the way to wherever you feel this cave may be."
Schwa prepares to follow Corona and listen closely to Ashra. He hopes that, in the end, Schwa will be able to do something about it... but from the sounds of things so far, it'll be a little more complicated. |
Koneko
Posts: 245/256 |
Ashra: "...Your suggestion would be true if I had not just slain upwards of fifty trolls with this weapon. It absorbs part of the life force that is released when a creature dies, and channels it into energy to increase the runesword's power. I can't control this. It takes days for the energy to decay, and if I had used the weapon you would be engulfed in the sorrow of the forest. I would have attacked both your physical state and your mental state.
That I use this weapon is regrettable. However, it is part of my curse. Any other implement falls through my hands, replaced immediately with the runesword. I have to fight to protect this forest, but as I fight my blade becomes more evil. There is nothing I can do.
Also, there was no way to know if a physical attack could have stopped the trance in the first place. Many forms of concentration exist that transcend the material body, and I had to go straight for the mind. I'm not trying to get you to forgive me, Schwa. I'm merely explaining what went through my mind as I looked for other options.
I do understand what you're trying to say. What I did was not the best choice, and I know why. The reason I paniced instead of acting rationally is that for years upon years, Nira's spirit was too weak to survive any sort of scanning. It's grown in power recently, due to an incident which I am reminded too clearly of by your example. My instinctive reactions need to be changed... I've never had such an imagined threat come from an ally.
Also... You're the first person to ever be personally offended by the laughter curse...
... I suppose I'm sorry, Schwa."
Corona: "Schwa... I know this is important to you, but we need to catch our chaos-infused madman sometime soon. Please don't lose focus." |
Schwa
Posts: 2175/2214 |
Schwa doesn't turn around, but instead is thoughtful... Sure, Ashra was only trying to help, but to completely humiliate Schwa in the process?
"Honor," he begins in a low voice, "is the MOST important thing for a Good warrior to retain. In your shoes, Ashra, I would've found another method of disabling someone. The most effective way isn't always the 'best', after all...
"For example..." he turns around and walks back to the group, slowly, "...There was this one time when I was fighting alongside a Dryad to kill some Elementals in a sacred forest-- and you, Nira, could probably understand this scenario the clearest... Against the Fire Elemental, my ally was powerless, but even more important was the safety of our surroundings, for any damage the forest took, so would the Dryad. Recklessly I used the Sunbeam of Desert Sentinel right from the start, which would cause the Fire Elemental's internal energy to grow super-high, overload, and kill it. However, this caused the flames it emitted to shoot out of control and engulf the area, critically wounding my ally. I could've easily finished overloading the Elemental to kill it, but that would kill the Dryad, too, so I was forced onto the defensive instead to save her.
"In this situation... You humiliated me, Ashra, to save your friend. What you could've done was disrupted my trance with a blow to the ribcage with the blade of yours, hurting me physically-- but not emotionally. And no matter who you are, it's the emotions that you must protect more than any other aspect of war, for one with a pure heart will always, ALWAYS win against one without. So it makes sense that I would've preferred the physical pain rather than a fierce blow to my heart and soul. Any questions?"
By now, Schwa is back at the group, standing with his arms crossed. Sure, he's calm, but at the same time angry... though it's a righteous anger. Strong as he is, Ashra needs to learn this lesson today. |
Koneko
Posts: 244/256 |
Ashra: "Would YOU bother to think of dignity if the life of the one you loved was in danger? If you had continued for more then a few instants, she would have died, absorbed into the Psi Energy. I'm not going to touch the sorcerer comment, because if you're THAT stu-"
Nira: "Stop it. He didn't know, and you didn't know the most likely outcome of using that curse on a Psi Warrior. And I'm stronger in spirit than you think. I couldn't have died easily from such an accident. And you, Schwa. It's easy to tell he didn't mean to insult you so badly. If you're going to hold a grudge against this, I'll probably have to kill you both to save us all from the stupid drama. Damn it, men have no balls." |
Schwa
Posts: 2169/2214 |
What happens to Schwa is obvious, yet painful for me (Hunter) to write about, so I'll let any readers decipher for themselves...
Schwa gets up after the curse wears off, his face beet-red.
"I apologize for that, then... but THAT wasn't right. You stole ALL of my dignity from me in those moments." He flicks a forceful sphere of ether in Ashra's direction hostily, the equivelent of a push. "Don't do that again. I didn't know."
He storms off in a random direction, his hands suddenly flaring with red fire. "SENSAE!!" he telepathically screams.
"Oh man, that was funny to watch. You should've been on guard!"
He stops walking 50 feet away and kneels in agony, still in his telepathic conversation with Sensae. "How could you let that happen? You SAW that, and you just stood by and laughed as I made a fool of myself at the mercy of that Sorcerer!" Unintentionally he speaks 'Sorcerer' out loud, which is easily in earshot of Ashra. This could make for some controversy. |
Koneko
Posts: 243/256 |
Nira screams. She drops to the ground, and holds her head with her hands. She's whimpering... Ashra immediately rushes towards Schwa, and draws a symbol in the air...
Ashra: "Ensaitan: Curse of Laughter!"
The intended, immediate effect of this is to cause the target, in this case Schwa, to burst into rabid, uncontrollable laughter. It's impossible to keep control of any kind of ability that doesn't work on its own while the curse is in effect, which is only a few seconds. It's just about the absolute fastest way to stop anyone from doing what they're doing. However, before this curse is activated, Schwa is able to tell that there are no natural (water-eroded) caves nearby.
Ashra: "Don't try that again. You're hurting her. She IS the forest, and you're going places you weren't meant to go. I respect your power, but you must use it with care. There's too much Psi Energy mixed in with your Ma Pingon ability." |
Schwa
Posts: 2168/2214 |
"Well said..." Schwa says, noticing a tingling feeling surface in his right arm. "Uh... Heh, let... Let me try something."
Schwa holds his right arm in the air, which is now a soft, misty purple and smooth like plant matter. "Flow Tracker..." (echo effects)
Ether coats his arm, flaring brighter by the second as there's a high-pitched yet soft hum in the air. Schwa's mind fills with a map of anything nature-based within a quickly-growing radius... He attempts to locate anything shaped like an underground network and lock on to it's X Y and Z location. But he's not sure if he'll find it...
As Schwa concentrates and his mind clearly displays the map of the land, he feels highly in tune with the forest spirits, and a familiar character... Pingo... but it's impossible for him to describe in words. |
Koneko
Posts: 242/256 |
Ashra finishes up the remaining few at his end, and rushes back to the main group. He hasn't had a chance to speak yet, but as he does now his voice is deep and strong.
Ashra: "Well, Schwa, it's nice to meet you too. Thing is, if we had the time we would have worked individually... But we could not risk any of them entering the forest. There hasn't been any rain here for weeks, and a single strike from a flaming weapon could set the whole works ablaze. Most of the time Nira and I are alone in the defense of these sacred lands, so we are unused to fair competition." He smiles. "But really, it's been a while since I've seen a Psi Warrior in action. If time wasn't so precious right now, I'd be interested in a duel. Now, we're not quite sure where the Dark One is right now, but if Corona leaves the forest he'll lose the memories again. That's something we can't afford."
Nira: "Well, Corona has a weak ability to track people with soul fusions, like Psi Warriors and our opponent. So when he concentrates," A gesture to Corona, who seems lost in thought, "He can determine where we need to go. I think we'll have around two hours before he can adapt his defenses to Schwa's... abilities." Corona 'wakes up.'
Corona: "I can't believe it... He's right beneath us! There must be a cave in the mountains that leads down below... Well, now we have to find the entrance tunnel. Come on." |
Schwa
Posts: 2165/2214 |
"GAH!! Well, I guess we know who won the game... Ah well, I still got a move left." He releases an ultimate attack. "Alpha Gamma Omega!!" (epic blast)
He lets loose a triple combo. His first attack are two red beams that he sweeps over the trolls, lowering their Defense stats. Then, out of his shoulders shoot two white wisps that home in on the few trolls that avoided the beam, paralyzing them. And finally, Schwa takes a second to wind up and releases a HUGE sphere of energy forward (56 feet in diameter) that envelops all the trolls left as it shoots ahead, and the unbelievable-damage attack is more than enough to incinerate them completely.
But even still, he looks sad. "You guys cheated... I didn't count on team attacks! Now look, I only got 10 points. Gah."
Takes games too seriously, maybe? |
Koneko
Posts: 241/256 |
Ashra's holding back three columns of trolls with sword combinations alone. He's not getting many kills at this point, but mostly trying to instill terror into his enemies. The voidflare from his initial attack remains burning on the ground, serving as a moat of sorts that many of the trolls fear to cross. Nevertheless, several dozen of them work up the courage before Ashra can disable them.
Corona turns to look at Nira, who is already looking at him. They both nod. With a childlike mischievous smile, Corona pulls back his staff and runs forward a few steps before hurling it like a javelin. It soars off into the sky above the trolls, and disappears entirely. Meanwhile, Nira is pouring time energy into the staff. Just a few seconds later, it has completed its trademark journey around the sun and hits the ground in the center of the approaching trolls. An explosion of fire and arcane energy erupts outwards, completely annihilating most of the nearby trolls. However, several trolls merely lost body parts, which regenerate instantly as they continue running. They're now halfway across the field, and there are ten of them left. |
Schwa
Posts: 2162/2214 |
"Beautiful! But I'm not gonna stand back and watch..." *TWEEEEEET!!*
Schwa whistles shrilly, and a small time-space opening appears nearby for a tiny moment as Solaris reappears. Having not been in the Chao Dimension but at the Psipalace, he was easily able to return to Schwa's side without wasting two turns. Right as Solaris enters the scene, he divebombs Schwa, then stops instantly and barely taps him in the back, sending an energy ripple effect and causing Schwa to light up and his ether flare brightly. Solaris's particular special ability sent Schwa a free turn of charged energy.
And he keeps charging, too! By the start of next turn, he'll have two turns of charged energy, and he knows the perfect way to use it...
Meanwhile, Solaris flies backwards and lands right next to Pingo, who, for some reason, is 10 feet behind Corona and Schwa.
"You think Schwa will go Satelite Unity or A.G.O?"
"Chaaa!!"
Pingo chuckles a little. Schwa's gonna have some wondering to do pretty soon. |
Koneko
Posts: 240/256 |
(ooc: For clarification, I'm going to start using the whole "name: speech" style for talking. Otherwise, things could get very very confusing...)
Nira: "Sounds like fun. Hopefully you can deal with these... See that mark on their axes? The litle star shape means this is the Diamond Clan, and their advantage over most trolls is that they can regenerate any damage they take. No weakness to fire or acid, I mean. You have to take them out all in one shot."
She barely has enough time to finish speaking before the trolls charge. Simultaneously, Ashra runs forward, blade at the ready, as Nira begins concentrating. Corona brushes aside the outermost robe, pulling out a long black staff that couldn't possibly have fit inside the pocket he took it out of. He holds it in front of him, and it begins glowing with red energy.
Nira finishes casting. What appears to be a black bolt of lightning rushes out of the sky, colliding fiercely with Ashra's runesword. Every single sigil lights up with violet fire as Ashra continues his mad dash forwards. He speeds up exponentially with the addition of the flames, and reaches the foremost troll before he's taken twenty steps. He leaps high into the air, holding his sword above his head as he twists through the sky. A beam of voidflare shoots out from the end of the sword as it spins laterally, causing a wall of darkness to envelop and destroy the first line of attackers. As he falls from the sky, he slices right through another troll.
Corona is still storing energy... |
Schwa
Posts: 2160/2214 |
"Always pleased to meet a new ally," Schwa says, bowing slightly in respect. That may be the Psi Warrior's greeting; a slight bow. "Now, in all seriousness... Trolls there," he points to the trolls, "Us over here," he motions to the little party that consists of Schwa, Corona, Ashra and Nira, "...I assume by 'party', it's us versus them? Seems a little one-sided, actually..." Pause, "...Poor trolls!" He grins really quickly. "I personally am going to enjoy this. Let's see who can rack up the most KO's!"
For clarification, Schwa has been having a lot of fun recently, for he knows that a positive attitude is very intimidating against Evil, ANY Evil. |
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