• PM To Join • [Sweetsong] A circular problem

[Winston]

30th of Vhalar 722

Frizby anyone?

**CLAAAANNNNNNG!**RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE**SPINNY-SPINNY-SPIN**

The metal disk fell to the floor with a racket.

Joe

winced as the sound rang out around the forge. "Just a suggestion, you know me, don't want to interfere, but do you recon this would be something better-tested OUTSIDE? On, say, I dunno, GRASS?" Winston rather sheepishly nodded. "Yuh, Joe. Dat might be a gud idea."

He had been trying to distract himself from the cooking competition by literally hammering out some ideas for Kisaik's shield. If he wanted something like a shield to be throwable, then it had to be balanced correctly and apparently, Winston had not yet gotten it right. He picked up the tiny shield, checking it for damage, of which it did have a little. "Lets try outside." He said as he and Joe made their way out of the Forge, right into the path of Angela."Oh! Winston! Is everything OK?" She had flour and pastry dough all over he apron and her hair was tied up in a tight bun. "I just came down for some flour and heard an awfully bad noise."

Winston smiled apologetically. "Sarry Angela, me didn't mean tuh bodda yuh. Me just ..." Joe interjected suddenly. "... He just decided it was better not to throw things indoors." Joe eyeballed him accusingly, as if the workshop was in fact his.

Angela tilted her head to one side, by way of a shrug of sorts and relaxed again. If living even temporarily with this ferret had thought her anything, it was that he had a tendency to learn retrospectively. She smiled. "Well just you watch yourself. You'll have someone's arm off with them things." She scolded playfully as she turned and made her way back into the kitchen upstairs.

"Wat yuh makin'? Somtin' far de competition?" He called after her, playfully. "That would be TEEEELLIIIIINNG!" She called back, in a teasing tone. Of course Winston didn't expect an answer, but after a short period of adjustment, Angela and he had rediscovered their sense of competitiveness over the past few trials. Which was something that he very much loved.

"C'mon Joe. Let us see 'ow dese fly outside." Joe rolled his eyes as they set off. "Me tink me will need tuh make da shield lighta ef et's going tuh be thrown." He mused as he passed his kitchen, which now had a door for added privacy. Angela and Winston had agreed not to intrude on eachother's efforts in the competition, of course and Winston was currently playing with the use of Sugar as a construction material. He currently had several casts containing liquid sugar cooling into rock-hard construction material to see how well this worked.

He had tried making some sugar-glass shapes, by blowing the sugar, like glass, but this had thus far only resulted in making big blobby messes. It wa a skill, that if he rented to master, would need a lot more practice.

They stepped out into the cold of the outdoors and looked around for somewhere out of the way where they would be of least inconvenience to passers-by.

He gave it a good throw and it careened off into a bush. "Hmmmm.... Me might need tuh find someone wid some actual skill en dis throwing malarkey ef me gonna test dis." He really needed some feedback from someone that knew what they were doing and as such, headed off, back into the settlement to seek out some advisors.

[Kisaik]

Enter Discus World

Kisaik was merely enjoying a little stroll through Sweetsong proper, venturing out from beneath the branches of his Sweetstone tree. He'd not spent too much time away from it since growing it, and that was understandable. He was afterall grieving his grandfather's passing as part of the tree's outgrowth. And it would be the focal point of a growth in tunawa population around these parts, which was cause enough for his overprotectiveness. Even so, he enjoyed a little venture out from its radius from time to time, and that's where he found himself, walking a while, when he heard a familiar voice. It was Winston Miller, the cadouri craftsman, and Kisaik's newest good friend.

They'd hit it off from the start, after brainstorming some ideas for a magical shield, which was as good a way to get in Kisaik's good graces as any. He loved to talk shop, and rarely had anyone other than Vega to talk to about the finer points of alchemy. Particularly his brand of alchemy.

The tunawa happened upon a rumbling of a brush, which he went to investigate, stealthily. He sneaked into it, and saw the disc that the cadouri had thrown. Hmmm, is this a prototype? Hah, I know what to do! Winston will get a kick out of this!

.So having decided on a course of mischief, Kisaik took up the discuss, and with a swift toss in the air the discus dragged against the very fabric of reality, creating a porthole with a resounding RIIIiiip. The discuss was pulled into the porthole, and out the egress which Kisaik set some distance from Winston, aiming it downward and pushing the discuss out with as great force as he'd exerted on the pull. The discuss appeared out of the portal, depositing on the ground.

Kisaik had some experience in throwing things, although he wasn't as much an expert with thrown blades as he was with wielded. But his aim had been more or less helped by the inclusion of portals and their ability to redirect the path things took.

Kisaik then took his shadow shiv out of his shadow, and with a swift motion, blinked into a cut portal, depositing the shiv back in his shadow before reappearing behind Winston. Kisaik then tapped him on the shoulder, and grinned, "Hello Winston! What have you got there?"

If Winston showed any shock or horror at what he'd seen, then Chip would certainly put on a look of concern and contrition, "I'm sorry if that startled you. Just saw you were test throwing some discuses, and thought I'd have a little fun!"

[Winston]

I can hammer MAGIC into things!

As he was about to se off to get the disk back, it suddenly appeared a short distance away from him, as if out of thin air and embedded itself in the ground. "Hu? Wat de..." He did not catch exactly where it came from, but was sure it had not flown into the air. "'ow did yu... AHHH!" The ferret leaped into the air. If this was a combat maneuver, it would perhaps have been the most obscure one ever, as his top half folded over his bottom half and twisted a full 180 (in the way only a ferret could) before his feet flipped over his head and he fell to the floor in a bit of a heap. He sprang back up, his face turning from surprise to relief as he saw it was Kisaik.

Joe

, whome was floating just beside the Cadouri and had just had a few of his friend's limbs pass through him at random, turned, laughed and exclaimed... "Again! Again!"

"Vri be visitin' me soon ef yuh keep dat up." He said with a broad smile as his adrenaline worked it's way out of his system. His demeanor, despite the surprise, was good natured and he held out a hand in welcome. "Well played, Sir Chep." The disc that Kisaik had returned was not the only one the ferret had. He had a few more beside him, each one a little different in shape or appearance.

As his breathing returned to normal, he began to explain. "Me 'ave been workin' an some prototypes far yuh shield." He replied plainly. "Me want tuh test out 'ow tuh make shar et es throwable, bot me neva done dis beffa, so me 'ave a few test-runs." He gestured to the pile. If Kisaik inspected them, he would find each shield to be slightly different, including shields that were:

• Heavier than the rest
• Completely flat
• Shallow-domed with no lip (like a discuss)
• Deeply-domed (like a bowl)

And then finally, the one that Kisaik had returned which was Shallow-domed with a lip (like a frisbee).

"Et's OK." He replied. "Me take et as a challenge." He said with a cheeky smile. "Cun yuh 'elp me out dough?" He held out a shield-sized disk. "Cun yuh trow dis any betta den me? Me want tuh make shar et flies straight an' true, but me 'ave no skill wid trowin'."

[Kisaik]

Sometimes Kisaik, although he was on the whole a polite and well-meaning tunawa, overstepped with a prank or two that wasn't always well received. In these instances though, Kisaik always righted his course and took it as a learning experience. He would make sure not to scare Winston, as the poor cadouri seemed rather excitable at the sudden magic he'd displayed. Kisaik smiled at Winston, "Sorry if I scared you! Was just a little prank." Kisaik chuckled and winked at Joe. But then their attention turned toward the matter at hand, which was the fact that Winston had begun to make good on his experiments in smithing a full metal shield and discus for Kisaik. He frowned thoughtfully as he looked over the pile of different samples.

"Well, I am somewhat familiar with aerodynamics and physics thereof. I know what it takes for a thing to take flight, as someone who frequentlyl flies my Phee and Aquarius... And I have thrown blades. But a discus is an animal of a different shape entirely. But I take it as a challenge!"

Kisaik smiled to Winston again, as he picked up the domed version, with the wide lip. "I think this one, maybe made just the right weight, would serve well. It would have good glide, a space inside to have a handle that won't interfere with the aerodynamics... and a lip for stability. This is ideal I believe. The flat one will fly fast and swiftly, but may be unstable. As well, a curved shape to the shield will bode well for deflecting attacks!"

Kisaik nodded his approval of the ferret's explorations of crafting, and giving several examples rather than settling on one. It was important to try as many things as possible when inventing, so Kisaik supposed, and Winston was a natural by all appearances.

So saying, Kisaik thought to demonstrate. And so he would. He took up the flat disc, and thinking he would demonstrate how its stabaility was affected by its shape, nodded to Winston, to give him some room. Thus, Kisaik took the discuss carefully in hand, and with an athletic spin, gained momentum enough to throw it quite farther than most would assume a tunawa capable of. He let go at the last moment, and the flat discus flew somewhat wobbly, but then spun out and flipped forward, hidding a nearby tree with the flat side of the disc.

"There you see? If I was more skilled at aiming, maybe it'd go better. But now let's see how much better my choice will perform!"

Kisaik took the second discus, the one that was domed and lipped, and slightly heavy. He took it and did the same maneuver, spinning acrobatically and then let go.

It flew straight, and mostly true. It didn't seem to go as far as the flat one, though. However, it's flight was stable, only wobbling a small amount as it flew like a saucer through the air, and impacted with another tree with the blunt edge of the lip. "Eureka! I think we have a winning design!" Kisaik clapped Winston on the shoulder by way of congratulating him.

[Winston]

Yay! New Friends!

He patted his friend on the shoulder. "Tis OK, bot me naw owe yuh one." He said with a sly wink.

Winston actually paid a great deal of attention as Kisaik explained his thoughts, that the curve of a shield deflected attacks and the lip of it might provide stability. The talk of there being room inside for a handle suddenly reminded him of something and he scrabbled around in his belt and produced a piece of chalk. "Cun yuh show me where yuh would want de shield mounted? 'ere" He said holding the domed one he had selected. 'Stick yuh arm en, like..." If Kisaik was willing, the budding armorer would size him up for the shield and its handle, drawing in the prototype with the chalk, around his arm.

As he threw the shield off into the distance, Winston let out a little cheer. "Wow! Gud throw!" He exclaimed as the disk flew through he air. He had been watching Kisaik's technique closely as he released the shield. He was about to make an observation about the weight when it fell to the ground and clattered against something hard and, of all things, echoey. There was a moment of silence before, from a hole in the ground, half a dozen bats burst out and start flying about.

The creatures were obviously unhappy about having been woken and had taken the projectile as a sign of attack and were responding in kind.

Winston leaped for the ground, grabbing one of the other prototypes and passing it to Kisaik. If he took it, there were a few more, which Winston would either skillesly hide behind or hand to Kisaik, one after the other until they were all gone.

[Kisaik]

It took some physics knowledge to figure where the ideal pivot point on the shield was, compared to Kisaik's strength to hold it rigid, and giving him the area of cover that he desired. Being a tunawa, his most vital and indispensable life systems were in his upperbody. his heart in his upper torso, and his brain in his head. These were essential to preserving a tunawa's life, and were they damaged such as by a sharp weapon or tooth or claw, he would easily die. Thankfully, he had full plate armor that was fitted perfectly to protecting him, but even so there were enemies that found ways to wound him. He couldn't entirely rule out the possibility that someone would cave in his lidded helmet and manage to pierce just a little bit into his amber brain.

So a sturdy shield would be a boon, but not only for his defense. He could better defend others as well. That was the main reason for his investing in the idea of a shield.

He showed Winston where he wanted to grip the shield, around toward the bottom, leaving a little more of the 'pie dish' of the shield above the arm than below. He spoke his thoughts to Winston, "That'll make it easier to thwart any upper body blows, and also give me immediate leverage for throwing the shield. Throwing it from a handle right at the pivot point won't get as good a spin, see..."

He demonstrated, throwing another discus toward the forest floor for good measure.

Unfortunately, his throw seemed to disturb a hidden nest of bats. Oh no!

Kisaik's arm extended reflexively about four feet to nab the nearest shield prototype. He didn't fuss over its dimensions, but only thought of Winston's protection. As a tunawa, he was sure the carnivorous-looking bats wouldnt' bother with him, but Winston on the other hand was a juicy meal.

Kisaik invoked the Serpent's Hood of Ethelynda to make himself appear a greater target. Once he had their attention, he drew the shadow shiv from his shadow. It radiated a sense of cold dread as Kisaik squared away against the nearest bata to swoop down. He blocked the way to Winston, and thought he could scarcely see beyond the shield, his rupture sight ensured he was able to stay abreast of a radius twenty feet around himself at all times. He didn't really need to see physically in order to defend effectively.

That was another consideration for Winston's shield-making, Kisaik idly realized, but for now, he defended, zipping this way and that through a combination of acrobatics, blinking teleports, and athletic flips. At all times deflecting the bats from Winston, until they lost interest.

[Winston]

In the eye of the storm

He studied how Kisaik stood with the shield carefully, making note of where his arm would be placed and marking it on the shield with some chalk, which he produced from a small pouch on his belt.

"Dat sounds gud. We cun 'ave an 'andle 'ere an' a strap dere, tuh counta-balance." He said, pointing at where Kisaik's arm would tuck in and then hold.

As the bats approached and Kisaik took the shield from him, Winston scrabbled to keep his brave friend between him and the bats and kept the other shiled held above his head. It was not fear motivating the ferret, it was pragmatism. He was a Hunter himself, so dealing with animal attacks was not something he was a stranger to, but Kisaik was far better equipped to provide the muscle in an actual confrontation.

The bats first headed towards the two of them before Kisaik seemed to become a much more appealing target as they turned on him. Between them, with Kisaik trying to block them and Winston co-operating by staying behind him, the bats swarmed a swooped, but the ferret was spared most of the attention.

With so many bats around them, it was next to impossible to avoid defending against one, without leaving himself open to another, but Winston stood at his back and Kisaik's 360 sense of his surroundings served well to ensure he was never caught off-guard.

As Kisaik fought them off the two of them, Winston began to summon the power of the wind from his

Song-forged Twister ability

he had been gifted by Sweetwine. Concentrating on the ground around them and feeling for the back of his companion behind him he spoke as he summoned the tornado. "Stay close!"

Meanwhile, Kisaik's attacks managed to catch some of the bats, sending them reeling away screeching in pain. One of the bats was caught firmly across its wing, sending it tumbling to the ground, still flapping and struggling in pain. The others still flew around in almost unpredictable circles above his head.

If Kisaik remained close to the ferret, he would find himself with Winston, in the eye of a tornado. It rose up from the ground, taring at the grass and creating an obstacle that sent the bats tumbling away from them.

He was unable to keep the tornado up for long, but it had the affect of scattering the creatures in all directions before it faded.

No longer gathered in a single coherent flock, their bravery seemed to be waning, though there might still be the chance they might rally.

[Kisaik]

Frightening with Lightning

Kisaik kept his chin close to his chest as he buckled in with Winston at the center of the Tornado, allowing it to scatter the flurrying of emperor bats around them. Kisaik had never seen such huge bats before, they were almost large enough to serve as a mount.... Which gave him ideas, but he wasn't sure how suitable these feral things were to domestication. Perhaps a experiment for another day!

In the meantime, he had to protect Winston as the tornado's strength was waning. Winston wasn't the only one blessed by the Induk of Sweetwine, and thus Kisaik sought to conjure a lasting impression upon these bats, to scatter them for good and all. There was a crippled bat on the ground, flouncing and flapping around painfully. It would be a shame to let it suffer, so Kisaik lifted his free hand, reaching for the sky. With a conjured ephemeral energies coalescing in the atmosphere, a solid lightning bolt came whirling down upon the crippled bat, zapping it still instantly, although it was unclear that it was dead at the moment. The smell of burnt flying marsupial flesh singed the air, and the rest of the bats scattered at the thunderous noise that crackled in the wake of that lightning blast.

Then, the tornado's winds were dying down, and soon they were left with only the sounds of the bats shrieking as they flew off toward another place where they might nest.

Kisaik patted Winston on the shoulder, to make sure he was still solid and healthy. "Alright Winston? I think that dead bat over there... It'd be a shame to let its body go to waste."

He went over toward where it's singed corpse was, and inspected it, noting that the blood coagulated very swiftly around its wounds, before it'd died. Indicating that it had a fast healing factor. "Hmmm, this is an interesting specimen! We should see if something can be made of it alchemically!"

But then, the day was getting long, and the people at the admin tent would wonder where they'd wandered off to. "Shall we return to Sweetsong, Winston? Chest? I think this is enough excitement for one day, and we've found a good prototype of those discs. Wouldn't want to risk scaring up another flock of bats... Or the others coming back to rally."

This said, he hefted the large bat on his shoulders, doing a fire-man's carry of the large flying creature (relatively). He'd follow along with Winston until they got back.

[Winston]

Bat-healing

Winston let out a little 'eep' as the lightening bolt came from the sky and its target fell limp and the rest scattered, rather wisely, from the area. "Wow, mun. Dat was pretty shockin'." He offered with a wry grin and a chuckle as his breathing returned to normal. "Me gonna rememba dis place far next time. Per'aps me will pick a betta location en future for lobbin' ting's around de place."

As they collected themselves, the shields and the bat to set off, he agreed with a nod. "Yeah mun. We might as well. Wates nat want nat. Me wonda wat bat tastes like? OOoooooo... Dat's clever." He replied, as it became apparent that the creature could heal itself. "Chuck et en Chest. Dem cun luk afta et till we get back an' den we cun 'ave a play wid the remains."

He looked at the now empty sky as Kisaik pondered on whether they would return. "Nah, bat's are nacternal. Dem will seek shelta now until night. Bot we should 'ead back anyway, yeah. Per'aps me cud make some healing Chews wid watteva makes de bat 'eal?" He said, as they set off towards Sweetsong once more, to rejoin their fellows. "Dere are a lat af books at Saiore's Dream an Alchemy. Me will 'ave tuh see ef dees guys ar menchond at al."

Whether his friend took him up on the offer for chest to carry the bat or not, he'd pat him on the back and set off.

All template credit, love and admiration goes to Kisaik

[Winston]

Rewards Requested

Notes/Warnings: None.

Thread: [Sweetsong] A circular problem
City/Area: Sweetwine Woods

Renown: Nope
Wealth Points: None
Collaboration: Yes
Local Language Thread? No

!	Message from: Kasoria
	Done!