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+---- Thread: [Training] when they grew their fangs (/showthread.php?tid=10952)
when they grew their fangs - Deimos - 03-23-2025
Between meetings, poems, and the marketplace, the yesteryears blurred and blended. It was difficult to believe that some years ago, a collective unit of them had stood amidst the Fae woods and all their menace, but it sat within the Sword’s memories like another page turned; a wrinkle to his nose on an otherwise nonchalant canvas.
But then he maneuvered further down the lane and the pit, the fixtures, the whispers of tulmhainar and sacrifices were just other figments – the village now seemed to be almost a tourist attraction. Outlines of others, clearly not of Fae endorsements, moved about, glancing around here and there – some perhaps a little too obvious on their overt tours – but perhaps he was simply grateful all of them were trying. Eventually something would be found, and they could make a move. Presently, his eyes scanned the random crowds for one individual.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Sunjata - 03-23-2025
From Frey’s Breath, back to the Greatwood, Sunjata feels as if he hasn’t quite caught a break yet. But, burning the candle at both ends meant that he didn’t need to be so concerned with the idle time for anything voidy or purple to come into his sight. So for now, he’s level headed, focused, reading a letter that’s just arrived now that he’s back on solid ground.
Stuffing it into his pocket, he drifts through the village toward the outskirts, about to head out and get back to searching when he spots the figure of Deimos and immediately perks up, picks up his pace to meet the warden halfway. “[say]Hey, sorry. Just got back from the Climb.[/say]” With no luck, he might add, but he would’ve prefaced it with excitement rather than the brief flick of annoyance through the attuned bond at the lack of lilies.
At least on his end, it seems.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Deimos - 03-23-2025
Seemed Sunjata had spotted him first anyway, and he nodded his head at the arrival. Already beginning to maneuver along the outskirts, and avoiding the wandering stream of people not even glancing upwards, the comprehension and understanding through the bond was enough. [say]“At least you have had time to try.”[/say] Which could not be said for himself, but he couldn’t help narrowing his eyes at the ground from time to time either, just in case.
As they meandered out of the way of huts, homes, kiosks, and anything else save for the wide open forest, he unfurled another breath. [say]Hadama and I had a meeting with Jack. Some good ideas came up, and I have already passed some on to Dantalion for regional quests.[/say] Thereafter, in case anyone else pressed into their portions, he’d have to resume some manner of discussion that seemed normal. [say]“Did you have anything you wanted to work on?”[/say]
RE: when they grew their fangs - Sunjata - 03-23-2025
It’s certainly been a challenge, that’s for sure. Something that the Flood is mentally exhausted about more than anything. But he takes the hint and follows the warden out towards the outskirts of the village and away from everyone else, toward a little clearing in the offshoot of the pathway directly to the village toward an open space they might be able to get the training over with. So he nods to the first comment, before he hums a note through the attuned bond that’s a little more open. [say]Great. That’s helpful. I just got Hadama’s letter.[/say] He’s sure that Deimos has already read it, but if not, he can happily provide.
As for what he wants to work on, he puffs a breath and loosens his arms a little. “[say]I wanted to ask you.. your water magic, when you make it ice do you add any other kind of magic to it?[/say]” He asks, letting his steel gaze flit toward the Warden in pure curiosity. “[say]I’ve never really tried to make mine cold but I’m wondering if I could.[/say]” His nose wrinkles with thought before he shakes his head a little. He hadn’t wanted to try without talking to someone about it first, having more of a penchant for drowning rather than ice spikes.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Deimos - 03-24-2025
[say]Likewise[/say] and he nodded, figuring there’d be time for sharing Jack’s device with the Flood, as well as meeting before the eventuality of their current missions. Hence why he was here at all – despite every yearning and longing to simply go home time and time again.
Once they arrived at the clearing, out of sight and out of mind of the locals, he turned back in Sunjata’s direction, brow arching. He hadn’t expected the inquiry about water incantations – but maybe the other man had never tried. [say]“I do not. I can change it naturally. I cannot see why you would not be able to.”[/say] Unless his demigod enchantments came with restrictions.
Unfurling his own Creation threads, his hands glowed for half a moment as they contorted and manifested a moderately-sized target – out of habit, he made sure to not make it seem as though it embodied Sunjata’s own effigy. Instead, it might look something like Dahlia, if in the right light. [say]“You can try on this,”[/say] he offered, stepping out of way and out of range. [say]“You should be able to alter temperatures in varying degrees.”[/say] Enough to make ice. Steaming, boiling rivulets. Anything in between.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Sunjata - 03-24-2025
Nodding to hear Deimos answer him, it’s with some relief to know that it wasn’t something extra added in. That meant that it would be possible for him, provided it worked similarly to an abandoned’s magic. Which… he doesn’t see why not, but he’s never quite pushed the borders of it, choosing volume over more cunning moves of ice or boiling heat. “[say]Okay.[/say]” He says at first, loosening some of the tension in his tattooed shoulders.
He watches with curiosity — as he always had when Deimos used his crafting magic — to see the effigy come to life. Unaware of what the targets in Halo looked like, he turns his attention back from the training dummy to Deimos before twisting it back. “[say]Do you just imagine it?[/say]” He asks, summoning water from thin air in a large quantity of a couple of gallons just to have something to play with.
Glancing back toward Deimos before he tries, the orb itself wavers where it hovers, before he thinks about ice and cold. Shivering lightly to see the orb begin to harden in ice, a lopsided grin blooms on his face to see it work. “[say]Oh shit.[/say]” Comes the accented chuckle, clearly pleased already.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Deimos - 03-24-2025
[say]“More like control.”[/say] That the water bent to his whims and demands because it was layered and lacquered to his veins, chiseled and at the ready for whatever command he ensued. He watched as Sunjata summoned the element, waiting as it wavered and hovered, then eventually solidified.
Snorting, Deimos did the same, and rapidly. The incantations filtered then altered swiftly, rapidly, a chain of bloodlines and ancestry and everything else sodden in the history of his lifetimes. From there, sauntering above the target, they conformed to icy spikes, and shot downwards, straight into the target’s features. [say]It is unfortunate that ice is not effective against the void, but still, amusing[/say] he conjured in return, and left the shards to sit within the target while the Flood took his time. Hordes more could be broken and mauled by the elements just the same.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Sunjata - 03-24-2025
Control. That he can do. It’s a different kind than what he’s used to – prone to flooding and drowning as opposed to utilizing different temperatures. Though, in Korofi, there was very little amounts of varying tempered water. It was the floods that always destroyed, not ice or snow, never hot water. So perhaps, emboldening his abilities would make him more versatile, and he takes the snort from Deimos as he manages to get the orb of water to ice over as a boon to keep trying.
Mimicking Deimos, he makes the orb dissipate, crafting more ribbons of water and icing them into spikes that he launches at the effigy as well. [say]Better than what I’ve been doing, I think..[/say] He admits a little ruefully, huffing a sound as the shards partially meet their target. It arcs in an arch where the middle portions of ice strike the training dummy, while the rest clatter and break upon the ground.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Deimos - 03-25-2025
He watched with the same kind of instructional prowess he utilized with his soldiers – challenging, thinking, wanting them to be capable of implementing notions by themselves in eventuality. Sunjata already could – it was just different tactics and attempts now.
[say]“See if you can melt them,”[/say] he jutted his jawline towards the icy spikes still left embedded into the effigy and on the ground, not yet dissipating into the warmer folds. Simply to try and test, he bolstered their components again, the Flood’s own descended shards included, until they were sharpened and honed to finer points, solid and staunch ice, as if they’d come from Halo themselves.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Sunjata - 03-25-2025
Melting was a different kind of feeling. It wasn’t cold, it wasn’t hardening. It was anger and frustration and rage, fiery and too warm. So with the instruction, the Flood’s steel gaze focuses on the spikes still sticking out of the training dummy, following the Warden’s guidance, changing and controlling and bending the water to his will.
The spikes harden, to such a glacial cold that he realizes Deimos has taken control over it. So he loosens his own hold of the ice and presses into the hotter side of things. It’s a fight against Deimos to melt the spikes, trying to balance for control over it. The glacial cold begins to thaw slightly, but not quite enough. Cold enough to still retain its shape, but far less glacial than Deimos had made it.
And already Sunjata feels like he might break out in a sweat. “[say]Gods, that’s tough.[/say]” He grits out to Deimos, focusing harder until the ice spike cracks from the differing heat.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Deimos - 03-25-2025
Snorting, he released his own thresholds over the ice. [say]“Sorry.”[/say] He hadn’t meant for it to be that challenging; only for the Flood to have practice in the art. So it would likely come as no surprise, that as soon as he snagged at the contortions back into himself, the ice would begin to melt, into droplets, then pools. Eventually, the target looked like a sopping, wet mess, and though it had clearly been pierced several times, not that much worse for wear.
Content with it all, his eyes flickered to the melted portions, stilling the evaporation process so that it would remain there for a moment more, anyway. [say]“Now see if you can make it back into ice.”[/say] A back and forth exchange; so Sunjata would have to volley through rapid temperature alterations.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Sunjata - 03-26-2025
Once Deimos’ own thresholds over the ice lessened, Sunjata had applied so much of his attempts to regain control over it from the other man that it melts almost instantly, soaking into the fabric of the training dummy. Huffing a soft laugh of agreement, Sunjata takes a deep breath, withdrawing his power for the moment to let it drip along the ground before he loosens his broad shoulders.
Nodding to Deimos at the instruction, he aims to grab the water with his magic, controlling the pools of it beneath the effigy and within the frame of it to carve it back into ice. He watches as the pools on the ground work first, hardening into slick sections of what would otherwise be puddles, before it starts to freeze on the outsides of the dummy, and with each passing success, Sunjata can’t help the lopsided grin from growing on his face.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Deimos - 03-27-2025
Watching again as the water went willingly into frozen shards, Deimos nodded, content with the exercise. Should the Flood feel need to repeat and practice it in his own time and leisure, he’d be able to recall the motions and maneuvers necessary. [say]“Good.”[/say] Drawing his own incantations away from the dummy entirely, he opted to show another, sometimes necessary, arrangement.
[say]“You can use the ice as a shield too.”[/say] Whipping his own contorted elements again, the water extended rapidly, stretching outwards, until he solidified the veneer into a thirty foot expansion; not unlike times in the Fangs, when they’d had to evade a dragon and grab dragons’ forms. He figured Sunjata could use the boiling water to his own orchestrations as well – the Warden wouldn’t be able hurling it at an enemy.
RE: when they grew their fangs - Sunjata - 03-27-2025
“[say]Oh yeah?[/say]” Sunjata asks, lessening his hold on the ice shards of water to watch as Deimos shows him his own mastery. The water rises, expanding out, but before it could fall as traditionally it would, he watches as it hardens in a thirty foot expanse – a really interesting shield. His thoughts flicker to the different possibilities it could be utilized for before he nods and settles on focusing his own thoughts down to imagining what all he could do.
He already had a dome of sorts, but what if he used the water in a similar aspect without drawing from that section of power, hardening the ice around him until it creates a thick exterior that would need to be chipped at in order to break.
It works, despite it being horribly cold, and the Flood flashes Deimos a lopsided grin as he wills the water away with a nod. “[say]Thanks. I owe ya. Wanna go grab something to eat?[/say]” He asks, turning on his heel back toward the village, feeling a little more prepared for everything they’d have to face.
- FIN