Despite everything that was going on, Ekstrom couldn’t bring herself to not still do her part with patrolling and whatnot. It felt even more needed given the dangers the storm presented, with how it could affect the youma out there. Not to mention whatever else the Negaverse was doing when it came to the storm. Even if she believed they wanted to save the planet and were on the same page as Order was with regard to that, she wasn’t so naive as to believe that was all that they were trying to do.
Not that she had proof, of course, so she chose to focus her patrols mainly on getting rid of any youma that were targeting civilians.
Tonight had been only slightly eventful. The youma had been slightly charged up by the storm, but thankfully had yet to find any civilian targets, so she dusted it, alongside two more of its friends that were nearby, before she started on her way home.
That was when she sensed another aura nearby, and upon turning the corner she spotted its owner. As it happened, it was a familiar someone that she saw in the short distance, and she couldn’t help but smile as she made her way over.
“Evening!” she called when she was within earshot.
lLP
Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2025 12:54 am
its_ p a o
Niflhel's head perked up when he heard the voice, he recognized who it belonged too, feeling as if it hadn't been that long since him and Snowball had assisted Ekstrom. He'd felt the energy signature but he'd stayed still, chilling in a tree of all places looking at the Meteor hammer his code piece had upgraded him to.
He frowned heavily as he'd been thinking about the things that had transpired on the moon and on his wonder. The code piece was safe, but it sounded as if he and everyone else was in a lot of danger. What if they couldn't beat the great world devouring serpent?
He debated before finally moving from his resting spot, "Good Evening Ekstrom, how've you been?" The chain to the meteor hammer was resting across his shoulders, and one hand still holding the ball that was the hammer.
”Same, same, all things considered,” she replied, stopping short of fully closing the distance when he hopped out of his perch. A quick glance over her friend told her something was…different, though she couldn’t quite place it. She might have kept wondering about it had there not been a rumble in the distance, reminding her of the storm and all that came with it.
Ekstrom let slip a little sigh as she glanced skyward for a second, before setting her eyes on Niflhel again.
“How about you? How’s everything?” And she gestured toward him, her expression quickly turning into one of curiosity. “I feel like…something changed since we last met, but I can’t place it.”
LP
Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2025 11:36 pm
its_ p a o
Niflhel nodded as she said the same with all things considered. "I'm doing as well as can be." He looked up towards the sky as the storm rumbled in the distance.
"I hope one day we can just rest and not face one of many big bads." He sighed as he turned back towards her when she mentioned something felt different.
"Yeah, the code piece on my world said I must be in great trouble and upgraded my weapon." He held up the Meteor hammer, "It's a Meteor hammer."
There was a pause, "I think my magic might've changed too, it feels unfamiliar but I haven't tried it." He explained as he leaned with his back against the tree. "It concerns me if my weapon and the code senses trouble..."
Ekstrom moved closer to get a better look at his new weapon when he presented it, her expression similar to a kid walking into their favorite shop–candy store or otherwise–to look at all the neat, new things. “Meteor hammer,” she repeated, as if trying to memorize it so she could put a name to the weapon type in case she came across anything similar in the future.
When she was done she stepped back, taking in his words with a little nod of her head. “Yeah, I think it definitely says something if it even gave you a new weapon and new magic,” she said, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Not that it’s great news that something’s going on with the storm and all, but better ready than not.”
She nodded toward him before continuing. “That said, do you wanna try and test your new magic out?”
LP
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2025 11:03 pm
its_ p a o
The smile on Niflhel's face as Ekstrom looked at his weapon with child-like wonder was brief and probably missed by anyone who didn't know him. But when she commented that it did say something if the code gave him a new weapon and magic to the situation they were in.
"I know, I'd rather this not be the circumstance in which I get a weapon upgrade." He admitted as if he wasn't worried enough already.
"Sure, just. . . I don't know what it does so let me know if we need to stop and find something else to experiment on." He had a feeling it wasn't his normal magic of just binding people straight out. "Should we be in a bit more open space or is this area good?"
He wanted to make sure she was ready before he did anything.
She had missed the smile, though she could swear he looked a bit…lighter…if that made any kind of sense.
“That’s true, I guess,” came her reply, a little frown settling on her face when it finally clicked in her head what he meant. She imagined she’d have mixed feelings if the Code had given her something like that considering what was happening all around them. She’d take it, of course, but it’d probably throw her for some kind of loop. Her experience kept her from outright panicking, but still.
It wasn’t a comforting thing, either.
At his question she took a brief look around to assess the space, ultimately shaking her head. “Small space is probably fine? I’m not gonna be trying to dodge or anything since we wanna find out what your magic does, so.” With that, she put her shield on and got into a comfortable fighting stance.
“Whenever you’re ready,” she said, then paused. “Or…maybe I should come at you first?”
LP
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2025 12:59 am
its_ p a o
He shrugged softly, "Won't be first or the last time I'm sure."
He fell back into a more serious tone as he took a stance, "Well then. Lets make this useful training shall we? Come at me first. Show me what you've learned."
He motioned with his free hand while giving the meteor hammer's head space on the chain in order to swing it in a circle beside him. He wanted to see how strong she'd gotten since their last meeting and this was a perfect opportunity to do so.
Not to mention it'd give him a chance to work on how the weight of his weapon had changed instead of jumping right into using the magic.
She grinned at his offer, and promptly nodded her head and waited until he was ready.
As soon as he was, she made a dash for him, opting out of using her forcefield this time around. Seeing as the goal was to find out what his new magic did, she didn’t feel the need to use it. Thankfully, she’d done plenty of training using her shield as her weapon, in tandem with what bit of fight training she did have, so she didn’t feel that magic was her only option when it came to fighting.
Without knowing how much reach his weapon gave him, Ekstrom dashed straight toward him, aiming to ram into him with her shield.
LP
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2025 10:36 pm
its_ p a o
He watched as Eskrom charged, feeling only slightly bad because the squire didn't keep a distance but that was fine, how far could the chain really reach on the meteor hammer?
The knight wondered if he could channel his magic without having to throw the meteor hammer and if it's work. But he did swing the weapon towards her to try and slow her down in order to channel the magic. If he managed to wrap the meteor hammer around her as well, well. He couldn't help that.
The knight worked to concentrate on getting the magic to manifest.
♱ Knight Weapon - Meteor Hammer
Niflhel channels his magic into his single headed meteor hammer and upon channeling his magic the area around him begins to change. The area around Niflhel in a 20-foot area shows the illusion of a dark misty world and causes those inside the area feel as if they have died and ended up in a strange underworld left to wander. The longer an enemy is trapped in this illusion, the colder they will get. Their muscles may tense, as if going into rigor mortis, and they may find it difficult to move. They may feel building aches and pains, or an extremely unpleasant hollowness, as though not only have their bodies died but also their spirit. This can be incredibly disorienting and painful. This attack can last up to 60 seconds but players can choose to have lasting hollowness or aches and pains. Length of chain is 6 foot.
She managed to dodge the weapon as it came at her, but the sudden darkness that surrounded him slowly stopped her in her tracks, and Ekstrom lowered her shield as she watched the illusion take root, effectively sucking her in. The feeling of death quickly crept over her, though it wasn’t the cold that struck her so much as the sudden stiffness in her body. And then, soon after, the soul-crushing emptiness followed.
It was…beyond her capacity to comprehend, really, but she felt it in her very bones. And it brought the Knight painfully to her knees, causing tears to well in, and eventually fall from, her usually bright and lively blue eyes.
lLP
Posted: Mon May 05, 2025 11:58 pm
itspao_
Niflhel saw Ekstrom when she fell to her knees and he released the illusion. Looking at the other knight before closing the gap and offering his hand to help her back up.
"I see..." He said softly. Looking as his meteor hammer before dismissing it "We'll leave that magic for when I need it then." He seemed concerned but dismissed it, "Perhaps it'll help with the dangers we will face soon."
He also produced a handkerchief and offered it to Ekstrom to dry her eyes.
Ekstrom took in a breath when the illusion faded, and along with it all the emotions that hit her almost all at once. She heard Niflhel and snapped her attention to him to try and ground herself. Taking his offered hand, she got to her feet and quickly wiped at her eyes and cheeks with her gloved hand. It wasn't as effective as a handkerchief, but it worked well enough.
At least, she could politely refuse the one he offered.
"Thank you, though," she said with a little shake of her head. "I'm glad we're on the same side. I don't think I wanna be on the receiving end of your magic again. It's…a lot. At least for me."
LP
Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 12:04 am
itspao_
Niflhel watched their surroundings carefully as Ekstrom gathered herself and nodded, "No problem."
He said softly as he heard her said she was glad they were on the same side, she didn't want to deal with that magic again and made a mental note this wasn't something to just play with. "Yeah, sounds like this is getting saved for the negaverse."
There was a pause, "Do you want to continue training without magic? Or would you like to stop for the night and grab a drink and treat as my apology to you for that?" He didn't know his magic had changed that much but it could still be useful for those moments that it was needed.
"I think I'll pass on getting hit with that again," she said with a light laugh. For all the tears from just a moment ago, Ekstrom seemed to have quickly bounced back to her usual cheeriness. "So definitely the second one! No need to apologize for it though. I'd be happy to grab a drink and a treat, maybe get to know a fellow knight a little better."
Really, she wanted to be more intentional about that kind of thing. Especially considering what all was happening now.
"There's bound to be at least one cafe that's open late, maybe around the university. What do you think?"
