[ He raises his hand, calling for them to pause their trek through the wastelands, and the reason should be apparent: there, merely meters away, a plum of misting, shadowy.. something wisps upward from a small dune.
They should be cautious, for this smoke means it's either one of the crystals or a noctaere in hiding exhuming a dark aura. Fortunately, there is a way to differentiate between the two. The crystals, apparently, are noted to cause excessive warmth-- none of which appears to particularly affect Somnus given his present, spectral form. So for this, he lowers his hand, addressing Kisara. ]
[She's quick to nod, looking a little uncomfortable, though she is managing it well. It feels somewhat like Calaglia, the last time they'd visited the area. Oppressive, muggy, prone to make one sweat before too long. She's sure it'll be useful at some point - it always is - but in the moment she's feeling some regret in going back for her armor.]
It is. Feels a bit like a desert. Can dark energy bring heat?
[ The aura only seems to grow erratically, but unlike ordinary smoke, it appears to remain condensed near the crystal protruding from the scorched sand. Somnus remains cautious, but as soon as he takes a step closer, the energy ripples inward as if alerted to their presence, morphing into another form. ]
This one, yes. [ This energy seems to bring excessive heat. As for other types of dark energy of different worlds? Somnus is not an expert. This is certainly unlike anything on his own.
....By now it's becoming clear what form the energy is taking, that of small dragons with three red eyes upon their heads. ] These creatures mean to protect those crystals. [ Somnus summons a guilded halberd, no doubt for its longer reach against beasts with long necks and giant maws. ]
[Kisara doesn't sound too bothered by it, admittedly; it's been too long since she's been in a proper fight, and it wouldn't do to get rusty. She calls out her shield, pulling her mace from its back attachment, and takes a few steps towards the dark dragons. They snarl and hiss, curling around the crystals - protective, just as Somnus had said - and before they can draw too close several of the creatures lunge forward, closing the distance lightning-quick.
She's dealt with this before, and with a shout she thrusts her shield towards them and summons a huge wall of blue light, forming up between she and Somnus and the attacking creatures. A few of them smash into cloudbursts of smoke, hissing like steam as they begin to reform back into physical being, momentarily stunned.]
[ The giant, illuminated shield that appears prevents him from immediately warping into the fray, but Somnus is nothing if not adaptable. He side steps the barrier and throws his halberd forward, vanishing in a stream of light after it for a definitive warp-strike.
Dismissing the arm so that the weapon doesn’t remain stuck inside the monster, he follows up with a second strike, a third. The fourth hit is caught by the beasts’ jaw, during which it releases a burst of dark mist. Somnus phases away, calling back his halberd. Although he hadn’t been hit, he’d rather not take his chances with an unknown energy while in a phantasmal form.
Raising his arm, he calls lightening to his fingertips, but waits before releasing the magic should Kisara be in the midst of the brawl. ]
[Her conjured shield is short-lived, just enough to halt the creatures in their tracks. She can't warp like he can, so by the time he's finished his flurry of blows she's just begun to enter the fray, smashing her real shield into the head of the first dragon that lunges towards her, batting aside its head and long neck, exposing its now-undefended chest. She twists around and slams her mace into it with incredible force, tossing it aside like a ragdoll. She won't be as fast as him, but she makes up for it by hitting hard and making it count.
She glances over at him to check in, and when she spots the crackling of energy on his fingertips, she kicks another dragon towards the one she'd knocked aside and jumps backwards, out of the way. She's worked alongside Dohalim and Rinwell long enough to know when to move to avoid getting an astral arte to the face.]
As soon as she steps back, Somnus unleashes the lightning from his hand as if throwing a javelin. The power pummels into the chest of one beast, then ricochets and catches the others unawares, electric light sundering through shadow and smoke. Their wounds bleed a fine, hissing mist into the air.
With the dragons rigid and jittering from the shock the lightning brings, a new opportunity arises. Somnus calls back his weapon and warps into the midst, leaving both crystalline sparks and a silhouette of his person behind. Assuming she can hold her own, he focuses on his own shadow-dragon to finish off. He fights efficiently, and ruthlessly, all flourishes of light countered by the dark whip of his cloak behind him. ]
[Much as she'd love to watch how he fights - it's always interesting to experience magic when she isn't on the receiving end - she has a part to play as well. While he's dueling with one dragon, she tackles another, batting its attacks aside with her shield and slamming it into the ground with a mace follow-up. The few hits it manages to get past her shield are noticed but shrugged off, shadow-claws dinging noisily against her armor yet unable to tear through. Between the two of them it doesn't look as if it'll take long to make short work of those defending the crystals they're currently seeking, though she is keeping an eye out in between blows for more that might approach. It wouldn't do to get ambushed mid-fight.]
[ There’s no need to waste excess magic, and with the momentum he’s built between his attacks, Somnus finishes his opponent off efficiently, moving swiftly on to the next. If battles have rhythm, then he strikes precisely on each beat, affording the enemy no quarter. His weapon acts as a shield, offensive to permit no opening or recoil. Magic follows the arc of his warps and the impale of his pole arm, kicking up dust and dirt from the parched ground around them. The debris passes through him, leaving him untouched as he cleaves the weapon through the beast.
Somnus ends the next dragon quicker than the first, and the battle concludes without celebration. The dark crystals, now unguarded, continue to pulses with their mysterious glow. He straightens, looking them over briefly before turning to Kisara, checking for her well being. ]
[A respite it seems, after the last dragon falls to their weapons, though whether it will be brief or last a while is anyone's guess. She shakes at her mace and shield to ensure none of the dark whisps of energy linger on them - you can't be too sure, with how strange the magic of this world can be and how mysterious these crystals are - and when she glances over to meet his gaze, she nods. She has a few light scuffs here and there, areas where claws might have grazed or where an impact might cause light bruising later, but otherwise she's fine.]
There we are. That wasn't so terrible, but let's not drop our guard.
[ Sword dismissed, he paces in a semi-circle around the dark crystals. She says to remain on guard, and he agrees. Physical objects might not impact him much, given how he has no corporeal form, but the mysterious energy of these crystals is something to handle with caution. Perhaps in this form, his soul is more vulnerable.
However, first-- ] For you.
[ He offers a potion. Little scruffs or light bruising? Not on his watch, apparently. ]
Oh... I've seen this before. [He'd pulled one out of his magic armory before, hadn't he? And she's seen them on display at the smithy...] So I drink it?
[It looks like it would be a normal bottle, if not for the... glowing. It reminds her of the bottles and elixirs of home, so she's assuming it's something similar.
She's a little surprised he'd offered it, considering how light her injuries are, but maybe they're easy for him to make. She's used to everything being so much more expensive.]
[She cracks the vial easily between her fingers, trusting his word, and watches as the magic wisps around her, mending what little wounds she had. It's a curious but familiar sensation, not unlike being soothed by a gel or healed through Shionne's artes. Warm, and soothing.]
My world has magic bottles a little like that, but they're rare and very expensive. We'd never be able to use them on scrapes. Thank you for that.
[Even gels were outrageously spared for the worst injuries when the Renan parties were out of magic or otherwise occupied. They weren't made of money. It feels a little wasteful, but she's not about to tell him that when he's done her such a courtesy. Kindness is encouraged!]
[ It is possible for dreamotion to be used in lieu of healing magic, or so he's heard. Somnus himself hasn't attempted it, and it seems that she hasn't practiced with it, either.
This world remains dangerous, with a great many mysteries yet to be solved. There will be more encounters with dangerous beasts, noctaere or otherwise. ]
These cost little magic to make. You are welcome to any of the stock.
I'll keep that in mind. Though it's not quite as easy for me to carry them as it is for you.
[Her smile is slightly teasing as she says it, though after a moment it fades and she dismisses her shield, taking a few careful steps towards the crystal. Back to business, while things are quiet.]
Well, we've found them. Now what? They look dormant enough with the dragons gone, but...
We must bring them to those would study them. [ He looks from her to the crystals jutting out from the sand, and after a brief moment of consideration, Somnus approaches them, crouching down to their level. Between him and her, it makes far more sense for him to take the risk of handling them.
...Luckily, whatever magic they hold does not overtly affect him. Perhaps slaying the smoke-dragon guardians reduced their power-- or maybe this is not nightmare energy at all. He turns one of the crystals over in his hand, then dismisses it into his armory. ] May these be enough.
[Oh- oh, he's just going to go right ahead and grab them. Well then.
She watches him for a moment, giving him a thorough once-over to watch for any signs of problems - both through his handling and the transfer to his magic hammerspace - before she relaxes, just a little. He seems alright, at least.]
How did they feel? Could you sense anything from them?
[ Somnus, although he is literally a ghost, does not have much in the way of "sensing" other magics unless they're extremely overt-- like a god speaking to him and resulting in a migraine. But with this, he can definitively say: ]
Not like nightmare energy.
[ He stands, turning towards the town. ] Whatever it is, let us hope that it does to regain its power quickly.
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songerein
no subject
Hold.
[ He raises his hand, calling for them to pause their trek through the wastelands, and the reason should be apparent: there, merely meters away, a plum of misting, shadowy.. something wisps upward from a small dune.
They should be cautious, for this smoke means it's either one of the crystals or a noctaere in hiding exhuming a dark aura. Fortunately, there is a way to differentiate between the two. The crystals, apparently, are noted to cause excessive warmth-- none of which appears to particularly affect Somnus given his present, spectral form. So for this, he lowers his hand, addressing Kisara. ]
Is it hotter, here?
no subject
It is. Feels a bit like a desert. Can dark energy bring heat?
no subject
This one, yes. [ This energy seems to bring excessive heat. As for other types of dark energy of different worlds? Somnus is not an expert. This is certainly unlike anything on his own.
....By now it's becoming clear what form the energy is taking, that of small dragons with three red eyes upon their heads. ] These creatures mean to protect those crystals. [ Somnus summons a guilded halberd, no doubt for its longer reach against beasts with long necks and giant maws. ]
no subject
[Kisara doesn't sound too bothered by it, admittedly; it's been too long since she's been in a proper fight, and it wouldn't do to get rusty. She calls out her shield, pulling her mace from its back attachment, and takes a few steps towards the dark dragons. They snarl and hiss, curling around the crystals - protective, just as Somnus had said - and before they can draw too close several of the creatures lunge forward, closing the distance lightning-quick.
She's dealt with this before, and with a shout she thrusts her shield towards them and summons a huge wall of blue light, forming up between she and Somnus and the attacking creatures. A few of them smash into cloudbursts of smoke, hissing like steam as they begin to reform back into physical being, momentarily stunned.]
no subject
Dismissing the arm so that the weapon doesn’t remain stuck inside the monster, he follows up with a second strike, a third. The fourth hit is caught by the beasts’ jaw, during which it releases a burst of dark mist. Somnus phases away, calling back his halberd. Although he hadn’t been hit, he’d rather not take his chances with an unknown energy while in a phantasmal form.
Raising his arm, he calls lightening to his fingertips, but waits before releasing the magic should Kisara be in the midst of the brawl. ]
no subject
She glances over at him to check in, and when she spots the crackling of energy on his fingertips, she kicks another dragon towards the one she'd knocked aside and jumps backwards, out of the way. She's worked alongside Dohalim and Rinwell long enough to know when to move to avoid getting an astral arte to the face.]
no subject
As soon as she steps back, Somnus unleashes the lightning from his hand as if throwing a javelin. The power pummels into the chest of one beast, then ricochets and catches the others unawares, electric light sundering through shadow and smoke. Their wounds bleed a fine, hissing mist into the air.
With the dragons rigid and jittering from the shock the lightning brings, a new opportunity arises. Somnus calls back his weapon and warps into the midst, leaving both crystalline sparks and a silhouette of his person behind. Assuming she can hold her own, he focuses on his own shadow-dragon to finish off. He fights efficiently, and ruthlessly, all flourishes of light countered by the dark whip of his cloak behind him. ]
no subject
no subject
Somnus ends the next dragon quicker than the first, and the battle concludes without celebration. The dark crystals, now unguarded, continue to pulses with their mysterious glow. He straightens, looking them over briefly before turning to Kisara, checking for her well being. ]
no subject
There we are. That wasn't so terrible, but let's not drop our guard.
no subject
However, first-- ] For you.
[ He offers a potion. Little scruffs or light bruising? Not on his watch, apparently. ]
no subject
[It looks like it would be a normal bottle, if not for the... glowing. It reminds her of the bottles and elixirs of home, so she's assuming it's something similar.
She's a little surprised he'd offered it, considering how light her injuries are, but maybe they're easy for him to make. She's used to everything being so much more expensive.]
no subject
Just magical. ] The magic will act as soon as you do.
no subject
[She cracks the vial easily between her fingers, trusting his word, and watches as the magic wisps around her, mending what little wounds she had. It's a curious but familiar sensation, not unlike being soothed by a gel or healed through Shionne's artes. Warm, and soothing.]
My world has magic bottles a little like that, but they're rare and very expensive. We'd never be able to use them on scrapes. Thank you for that.
[Even gels were outrageously spared for the worst injuries when the Renan parties were out of magic or otherwise occupied. They weren't made of money. It feels a little wasteful, but she's not about to tell him that when he's done her such a courtesy. Kindness is encouraged!]
no subject
This world remains dangerous, with a great many mysteries yet to be solved. There will be more encounters with dangerous beasts, noctaere or otherwise. ]
These cost little magic to make. You are welcome to any of the stock.
no subject
[Her smile is slightly teasing as she says it, though after a moment it fades and she dismisses her shield, taking a few careful steps towards the crystal. Back to business, while things are quiet.]
Well, we've found them. Now what? They look dormant enough with the dragons gone, but...
[She's not sure they're safe to touch.]
no subject
...Luckily, whatever magic they hold does not overtly affect him. Perhaps slaying the smoke-dragon guardians reduced their power-- or maybe this is not nightmare energy at all. He turns one of the crystals over in his hand, then dismisses it into his armory. ] May these be enough.
no subject
She watches him for a moment, giving him a thorough once-over to watch for any signs of problems - both through his handling and the transfer to his magic hammerspace - before she relaxes, just a little. He seems alright, at least.]
How did they feel? Could you sense anything from them?
no subject
Not like nightmare energy.
[ He stands, turning towards the town. ] Whatever it is, let us hope that it does to regain its power quickly.