• Solo • Ruby Blood on Emerald Grass

5th of Ymiden 720

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Praetorum
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Posts: 1425
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:08 am
Race: Ithecal
Profession: Mercenary
Renown: 1020
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Ruby Blood on Emerald Grass


Date: 5th of Ymiden, Arc 720
Status: Aggressive

Weapons: Tower Shield, Scythe
Armor: Plate-like Leather

Current Magical Effects
Rune of Focus on head
Chained Runes of Strength/Endurance on limbs and tail
Taithir's Serpent's Hood
Taithir's Nobility's Endurance
Sapping Speed from 4 foes
Continued from Here

With the creature behind him burning to death, Prae was able to dodge away, buying him a moment to take stock of the situation. He'd used a substantial amount of ether already, though not a dangerous or even concerning amount; still, he wanted to conserve his energy to keep omnivision active.

Omnivision, Praetorum had found, could be tremendously powerful when combined with the rune of focus, allowing him to keep track of everything that was happening around him at once without getting overwhelmed. It wasn't appropriate for every situation—its range was limited, its ether drain was continuous, and keeping omnivision active while moving required a steady, constant calmness from him—but in cases like these, with a limited number of opponents relatively close to him, it was a combination that let him quickly assess, and then seize control of the battlefield. 


Two creatures still trapped in the dirt; three up and approaching, but clearly weakened; one heavily bloodied by Ricky, near death; one dead and smoking; two slowing slightly as they regrouped for another attack on Prae; and finally, two pushing Clarissa hard. 


The poor yari had drawn the short straw in terms of enemies; Ricky had gotten one slowed by Sap, while Clarissa was facing down two at full strength. It seemed like it was taking all she had just to fend them off, and hadn't been able to injure them at all yet. Still, Prae knew how good she was; all she needed was a slight edge.

Twisting around, Prae mimicked his opponent, and charged, eyes focused on one of the creatures harrassing Clarissa. His shield caught it along the flank, the impact jarring Prae's arm hard, and there was a sound somewhere between a click and a screech as the creature stumbled and fell—a moment later, Prae darted away, wincing at the ache in his shoulder. Fates, he'd underestimated just how damned heavy the thing was; slamming into it had been like trying to knock over a wall with his shoulder. That was to say, painful, but possible, for a runewright with some skill. A moment later, Sneabru popped out of the grass, and managed to get a rune onto the creature before it got back to its feet and resume its attack on Clarissa, much more sluggishly this time. 


Satisfied, Prae turned back to his own battle. The two creatures that had been regrouping had not yet started to attack: apparently, they had decided that there was strength in numbers, and were waiting on the three weakened enemies to get their feet under them before they tried to take down Praetorum. Not a bad plan, but now that he was no longer on the defensive, there was fire and violence thrumming in Prae's veins, and he had no intention of letting this pack of creatures launch a coordinated attack.

Prae stepped forwards, and his scythe vanished from his hand, replaced a moment later with a massive halberd. It was a weapon Prae didn't usually have a reason to use, but against creatures such as these, a polearm as heavy as this was perfect. Prae wrapped his tail around the lower part of the shaft, supporting the weight of the weapon, and then leaped into the creature's midst, halberd coming down onto one of their heads with a crunch.

Prae had expected the thing's head to cave in immediately, and was more than impressed that it was not only alive, but conscious after that blow. It seemed their skulls were surprisingly sturdy. Which was why Prae's next attack was lower, a wide, heavy sweep that caught one of the creatures across the flank, and another across the throat before any of them could react. Sap's powers might not have had the speed and flexibility of umbral hone, but that didn't matter to Prae. Because as his enemies grew weaker, Prae grew stronger—or in this case, faster. 


Movement behind him—Prae twisted out of the way, but not quite fast enough as a thick tail clipped his side, knocking the breath out of him. Prae stumbled, and the wind caught him, dragging him out of the way of a pair of snapping jaws. He swung his arm outwards as he went, and the corner of his shield smashed into the thing's jaw, stopping it in its tracks. The moment Prae found his footing on the solid earth, he was leaping forwards again, this time bringing his halberd in a diagonal swing. 


The sharp edge of the halberd sank deep into the side of the creature Prae had caught in the jaw, toppling it over—Prae wasn't sure if it was downed, but he didn't have time to consider it, shifting his grip to more easily tear the blade out, before swinging it in the other direction, catching another creature hard in the leg with the back spike. 


Now, the spike opposite the blade was not particularly sharp, more hooked to deal with mounted opponents than anything else. 


The one that capped the weapon, however, very much was—something Prae demonstrated easily. That spike sank deep into the underside of the creature's chest, dragging a bloody squawk out of it, before Prae shifted his weight, and plunged it deeper, into what he hoped was the thing's heart for a killing blow.
word count: 953
Let's play 'What's Weird About Prae'

Head

  • A fiery rune shines under his right eye
  • A firey glow in the back of his mouth

Arms

  • A ring of blue runes floats over each of Prae's wrists
  • A silver shield marks the back of his right hand
  • A ring of light around his left forearm

Misc

  • His tail is about eight feet long, usually knotted around his waist
  • His body temperature is uncomfortably high

Surroundings

  • Wind gusts with every step he takes
  • The area around him is slightly more static-y than normal
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Praetorum
Approved Character
Posts: 1425
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:08 am
Race: Ithecal
Profession: Mercenary
Renown: 1020
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Wealth Tier: Tier 5

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Re: Ruby Blood on Emerald Grass


Date: 5th of Ymiden, Arc 720
Status: Victorious

Weapons: Tower Shield
Armor: Plate-like Leather

Current Magical Effects
Rune of Focus on head
Chained Runes of Strength/Endurance on limbs and tail
Taithir's Serpent's Hood
Taithir's Nobility's Endurance
Sapping Speed from 4 foes
Praetorum had never been much for anatomy. 


Still, he had clearly punctured something—when the spike slipped cleanly from the wound, the blood gushing out was a bright cherry red, and the creature stumbled and fell, Umbral runes and blood loss proving to be a potent combination. 


Ricky had Clarissa's back against her last opponent, which just left the two in front of Prae. Omnivision had drained much of his ether reserves—Attunement being the least experienced of his three sparks by far—so he dropped it, trusting his natural instincts and battle awareness would suffice against only two enemies. 


One of them charged, far slower than it had at first, and Prae dodged aside easily—since Sap was still draining that one, Prae would leave it alone so his diri could have a full, satisfying meal. The other.... Prae swiped at it experimentally, leaving a shallow gash along its side as it tried to dodge. This one was not so much slow as it was sluggish, exhausted. A twist of shadow flickered at the base of its tail: a rune of fatigue, diffused as always. 


Prae smiled. In a fight like this, Sneabru's runes could decide a battle. And they'd had plenty of battles to learn how to best use them. 


Another swipe, and the creature crashed to the ground, one of it's legs cut down from underneath it. Prae had been aiming for both, but it seemed the creature still had energy enough to dodge, for all the good that did it.

Prae started forwards to finish the thing off, then thought better of it, repositioning so he had a clear view of the other living enemies—fighting with omnivision active had instilled some bad habits in him, it seemed. 


As Prae started to raise his weapon to execute the struggling creature, he caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to look just as the slowed creature came in to try and run him down. 


Shifting his weight, Prae pivoted on one foot, and brought his halberd down on this one instead, relying as much on the weight of his weapon as on his own strength. The blade of it bit into the creature's back, striking bone, and Prae was sure—as he heard what might have been the sound of its ribs cracking—that that would be the end of this fight. 


But nothing survived in the plains of Gauthrel without tenacity and a will to fight to the last breath. Even with Prae's halberd half lodged in its back, the creature let out a vicious screech, thrashing furiously enough that Prae started having trouble holding on to his weapon. So he let go, the shaft of the halberd slipping from his grip, mere moments before disappearing into thin air. Blood gushed from the open wound along its back, and still it staggered towards Prae, eyes fierce. 


Through what Prae could only assume was sheer force of willpower, it approached a now unarmed Prae, step by step.

One..


Two....


Three......

These creatures were heavy enough that when it finally collapsed, barely a foot away from Praetorum, he felt the earth vibrate beneath his claws. 


By the time the dust settled on the blood streaked grass, it was all over.
word count: 602
Let's play 'What's Weird About Prae'

Head

  • A fiery rune shines under his right eye
  • A firey glow in the back of his mouth

Arms

  • A ring of blue runes floats over each of Prae's wrists
  • A silver shield marks the back of his right hand
  • A ring of light around his left forearm

Misc

  • His tail is about eight feet long, usually knotted around his waist
  • His body temperature is uncomfortably high

Surroundings

  • Wind gusts with every step he takes
  • The area around him is slightly more static-y than normal
User avatar
Doran
Peer Reviewer
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Posts: 3567
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:43 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Alchemist
Renown: 1162
Character Sheet
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Wealth Tier: Tier 10

Re: Ruby Blood on Emerald Grass

Image
Prae:

Knowledge:
Attunement x3
Polearm x3

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 10, for fighting the creatures.
Magic XP: Yes, for Attunement.
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10
- - -
Comments: I really enjoyed this thread. Combining Attunement and Hone is a clever idea (I had no idea that Prae was such a powerful mage, by the way!). The battle itself was well-written, exciting and easy to follow. I also appreciate that Sneabru made another appearance in this thread. I have to admit, I’m kind of fond of him!

Enjoy your rewards!
word count: 91

Mutations

N/A

Blessings

N/A

Worn Items

Ring of Reversal
Ring of Immunity
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