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+---- Thread: [Training] In breath, life (/showthread.php?tid=9773)
In breath, life - Hadama - 07-10-2024
They had come seeking Rae's Lilies, those purifying flowers said to bloom amidst the hot springs, but their meeting at the Miana Pool had clearly been playing through the Tidebreaker's mind as they waded through the hot, shallow waters.
"Aside from your constellations, do you have a means of defending yourself?" The question was solemn, and though there was no judgment in it there was genuine concern for the young woman who was an artist rather than a soldier. He was quietly glad that her mother did not seem to have any intention of flinging
He reached down to gently shift aside a floating leaf upon the soothing waters but it belonged to a normal lily, white as snow but lacking the turquoise veining that he had read about. With a slight shake of his head he moved a little further on to continue searching as they spoke.
RE: In breath, life - Seren - 07-11-2024
Balancing along the edge of the water, Seren's gaze slid over the lilies, letting her gaze unfocus so that she could remember the blend of colors, the way the light illuminated petals and greens and caused the ripples to dance and break their reflections across rocky walls.
[say]"Does evasion count as defense?"[/say] Lightening herself with a gravity pulse, a quick stomp sent her shooting up towards the cavern roof. There she remained, drifting slowly in a state of near weightlessness; plucking a rock from the roof she dropped it playfully at Hadama, sure he would be able to dodge it. [say]"If this doesn't count, and escaping to my island doesn't count... then no. I don't."[/say]
Pushing against the rock, she came drifting down like a feather, stepping down onto the ground with a reluctance that was palpable. [say]"Do you?"[/say] she wondered, cocking her head aside like a curious bird.
RE: In breath, life - Hadama - 07-11-2024
In spite of the gravity (pun intended) of their errand and the seriousness of the topic, Hadama had to hide a smile at Seren's playful demonstration. Instead of dodging her rock, however, he reached up to catch it in one large hand, tossing it thoughtfully for a moment. "Safrin granted me armor," he revealed after a briefer pause than usual. Perhaps because as he spoke he activated it with a thought, the starlit feathers of the owlbear down cascading over his torso to provide protection. "And I am working to strengthen it."
With a gleam in his emerald eyes as the only warning, he tossed the rock back at Seren where she now stood upon solid ground once more. "And I can cause my opponents some... inconvenience." He moved farther through the springs, the slight currents from his legs causing the water lilies around them to bob and sway. "Make it harder for their attacks to land. For a short time, at least." A skill he would do well to improve, and soon, if Ronin's letter was any indication.
"Do you wish to train to improve your defense?"
RE: In breath, life - Seren - 07-12-2024
Laughing as the rock came flying back at her, the lazy lob made it easy to duck beneath. [say]"Sure,! And I will help you test your armor in return!"[/say]
Backing up until her feet found perch on a smoother patch of ground, the starchild brought her gaze habitually to the ceiling in summon. If a star fell from the skies it was not visible, but as per usual a pair of softly gleaming wolves coalesced beside her, issuing a soundless howl. Pointing at Hadama, a thought from the young demigoddess had the star wolves leaping at the king, as dense and forceful as any living thing.
Part of her always felt bad about using her critters to fight. But she also knew that they were magic, a realized fragment of her mother's powers, and that made up for the twinges of guilt and grief. And it wasn't as though charming was all they could do.
Magic: Star Critters | Can conjure 2 medium or 5 small creatures composed of stars. Creatures have physical mass/presence and cast starlight in their wake. Can also heal one character at basic level. Cannot move more than 20ft from Seren.
Type: Light | Rank: Upgraded
RE: In breath, life - Hadama - 07-12-2024
"Indeed?" Hadama's emerald eyes twinkled with laughter and the corners of his mouth lifted in the hint of a smile as Seren's bright energy lit the young woman up with a vivacity that had been lacking of late. She ducked easily, but her next move was no laughing matter as the celestial wolves took shape at her side. The Tidebreaker braced himself, trusting in the armor to take the brunt of the attack from the starry canids.
It was instinct, pure and simple, that had him reaching for the Water magic that was no longer his to command. Not, at least, in his current form. He grunted as his defense failed and the wolves hit, one clamping jaws around the armor at his shoulder and the other sinking sharp teeth into his armored forearm on the other side.
He moved consciously, then, to call upon his ability to Turn the Tide, shaking the Star Critters off and freeing his trident from his back as he faced them within the water where he was still strongest, even without being able to manipulate it.
Magic: Turn the Tide | Can cause a moonlit mist to rise in a 15 ft radius that heals allies while causing enemies to roll with disadvantage for one round. May be used 1 times per thread with a 3 post cooldown.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
RE: In breath, life - Seren - 07-13-2024
Her wolves were fragile things, alas. All bite and no durability, they shattered like night old ice when Hadama shook them off. A gasp of lingering light, then they were gone, leaving Seren with a slew of options to consider.
What she went for was more of the same, in the end. But though the meant to summon more wolves, what came to her aid this time was only birds. Two instead of the three she had imagined, little starlings that swirred towards the merking on fast wings, to blind him and make him focus on defense instead of attacking her. Seren watched the glowing mist with some wariness, but if it did anything she couldn't quite figure out what it was.
[say]"Did you make this?"[/say] she asked, too curious not to; it wasn't as though they were fighting for real, anyway, what was the harm in learning while they were going at it?
RE: In breath, life - Hadama - 07-13-2024
He was surprised when the wolves came apart so swiftly, but he turned his attention to Seren immediately, cautious of attacking too swiftly in case the shattering of the star critters had been a ploy rather than an inherent weakness in the magic. The starlight seemed to fade from the feathers of his armor, leaving the plumage thick but no longer so divinely touched. The mist also dispersed into the steam of the cavern, its moonlit twinkle dissipating.
"Mmh," he confirmed with a nod. "It heals my allies. And it changes the luck of my opponents."
The birds she summoned next were less dangerous but far swifter as they dove towards him and Hadama raised his arms to protect his head, ducking as he attempted to evade their attacks.
But he also moved towards her while shielding himself, and she might have caught the gleam in one emerald eye before he suddenly crouched low into the hot springs and scooped a spray of water into the air with one large hand to douse the birds and splash Seren in the bargain.
RE: In breath, life - Seren - 07-13-2024
[say]"Ah, so that's why my wolves did not come back! That is very clever."[/say]
Controlling the birds did not take much effort, which let Seren pay attention to Hadama at the same time. Water rippled around his feet as he sloshed closer to her, hidden behind his armored arms so that the birds couldn't peck his face.
Choosing to stand her ground, she waited to see what he would do. When water splashed up around her she laughed with giddy delight. Whilst the birds once again shattered like the thinnest crystal and faded out of existence, Seren extended a gravity pulse around herself. Even as droplets of water came splashing her way, they were caught up in her flow and became suspended in mid air, hovering breathlessly just like her hair.
Light as a feather she spun a tight circle in the air, and landed - and in one fell swoop she brought the full force of that same gravity down onto Hadama, but in reverse. Heavy, oppressive, like the very mountain and all the air of the world was pressing down against him, in an attempt at rooting him to the ground.
Magic: Gravity Pulse | Can increase or decrease gravity within 30ft of her body. When used on herself she can jump higher/take larger bouncier steps/hover 20ft off the ground /etc, or root herself or something/someone else in place (Must have a str of +15 to move her/the item). Not effective against large structures like houses.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
RE: In breath, life - Hadama - 07-13-2024
Hadama did not spend the breath to answer since the birds took all of his concentration to fend off. They were swift and sprightly creatures, and even the pragmatic Tidebreaker hesitated to actively strike at them with any real force. But no part of their impromptu sparring needed to be actively violent so long as they improved some aspect of their offense or defense. He chose water as his next weapon, and was gratified when the birds were defeated without need for greater force.
Seren's clever use of her gravity saved her from a drenching, however, and emerald eyes gleamed with appreciation of the quick-thinking. "That is also clever," he acknowledged in approval, but the demigoddess was not yet done. She spun and suddenly the gravity was turned back on him, pressing against his limbs and causing him to stagger beneath the sudden exponential increase in weight upon him. The Tidebreaker grunted as the air was pushed from his lungs but he set his jaw firmly and resisted, pushing his body up against the invisible force. It was a fight just to move against the overwhelming pressure, but Hadama's muscular body was not just for show. He called upon his prodigious strength and forged forward to reach out and attempt to tap Seren's forehead with his finger.
"Effective," he rumbled, even the words feeling heavy as they dropped from his lips. "How long can you maintain it?"
RE: In breath, life - Seren - 07-15-2024
Openly impressed that he was able to move under the weight of her powers, Seren grinned at him without any sign of strain. [say]"Oh, a fairly long time,"[/say] she chirped, [say]"my stamina has always been good."[/say] That wasn't how she intended to let things end, however.
When Hadama extended an arm to poke her forehead, the starchild nimbly ducked off to the right and abruptly reversed the gravity field around Hadama. From bearing the forces of the world on his shoulders, they would suddenly disappear altogwther, making him light as a feather.
Considering the strength he put into charging forward, well... Let's just say Seren anticipated the result with an impish gleam in her cerulean eyes.
RE: In breath, life - Hadama - 07-15-2024
It was a good thing that her gravity had prevented him from building up any true momentum as he had worked his way towards her, slogging through the water as well as against the force that pressed him down towards it. When it suddenly lifted he stumbled forward, splashing water droplets into the air that shimmered as they floated and a rare expression of unhidden surprised flashed across his broad features as his feet lifted from the hot springs, leaving him momentarily hanging a few inches above the water without traction before he wafted delicately down.
"Fascinating," he rumbled, utterly bemused by the experience. His feathery armor retracted to the bangle around his bicep as he brought his feet back under him to land gently in the water. He brushed his fingers through the floating droplets on their slow trajectory back down and then looked over to Seren with laughter in his eyes. "An ability with many uses." And he dipped his head respectfully in acknowledgment of her victory.
RE: In breath, life - Seren - 07-21-2024
[say]"Are you alright?"[/say] Coming over to ensure that she had not injured him, Seren made sure to release him from her gravitational pulls[say]"It is, yes. It was the first gift my mother gave me, the one I was born with. It is second nature to me."[/say].
Case in point, barely had he returned to his feet before she had lightened her own, until her soles barely touched the ground. Twirling a lazy pirouette, her eyes went distant for a moment.
[say]"Umbra says he found a purple thing up on the surface,"[/say] she related. [say]"Let's head back? There doesn't seem to be any lilies here at the moment."[/say]
It had been a good trip though, and Seren thought returning later might be quite interesting.
[Fin]