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 Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:59 pm
It felt like they’d been traveling in a labyrinth of ice for hours, but any time Beira checked his phone, only a few moments had passed. Something about the sheer, icy walls was both beautiful and unnerving. If the walls of the cave had ever been stone, it was impossible to tell. The ice made everything look blue, and sometimes seemed to come from nowhere, casting cool, eerie colors along their path.
A thin layer of snow stopped the ground from being too slippery, but they’d had their fair share of hardships just to get to what seemed like the end of the map.
It had been a good time; Beira was in good company, and after a while he’d forgotten the chill. Or, his mind had just gotten tired of reminding him. His teeth were no longer chattering, maybe because his body was tired of expending the energy.
The deeper into the cave they got, the heavier everything felt. He’d noticed what looked like frozen specks of light trapped in the ice that glowed of their own accord. He didn’t think it was an intentional lighting source but he was glad to have them, even if the group had come prepared with flashlights.
Some of the passages had frozen over and been blocked off. Water had dripped from the ceiling in a few places, and the deeper they got, the greater the icicles became. Some were so large that they created pillars down to the ground.
They’d had to get creative about how to pass through some areas, but most of their issues had been resolved by brute force and fire.
It was impossible to tell if they’d followed the map exactly, but Beira had every reason to believe that they’d made the best effort possible.
Except, there was one last obstacle between them and the final room.
Beira could see a very distinct glow through the icy arches before them.
There was just an icy, fast moving river carving through their path.
He didn’t know where it was coming from or where it led, but the waters churned rapidly and caught on ice and rock as it swept from one wall to the other. Beira grimaced. It was too far to jump without worrying about being swallowed up by the water–and the map didn’t show a river at all, so it was impossible to tell where it might take them.
Beira didn’t want to accidentally drown them. He didn’t know if it was possible to teleport out if you were asphyxiating and he didn’t want to set anyone up to find out.
He wasn’t willing to give up just yet, though. Mindful not to stand too close to the icy ground–just in case there was any threat of it crumbling–he peered down into the darkness. He was half tempted to crack a glow stick and toss it in the water but he doubted it would reach the bottom before it was swept away.
Cold spray chilled him as he shined the flashlight into the river, but the light only disappeared before he could make out any details.
He put the map away to keep it safe and dry and then sighed heavily. “All right. I’m pretty sure that room past the river is our destination. I didn’t bring anything to make a bridge. I don’t suppose any of you have magic that could do that. Mine…”
Well, it was risky to even try. “Mine…does what it wants. It’s unreliable. I could try, but. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 8:29 pm
“Unless there’s a dam further up river with a console I can use my magic to override, I don’t believe I’ll be able to offer much assistance here. My weapon’s cables can reach up to 10-feet. However, if can locate a narrower spot, I could try to anchor it to something.” It’d be more like a tightrope wire they could hang from and slide across.
“Alternatively, if there is an area that has a low ceiling we might be able to swing across.” Each proposal carried its own risks, notably the uncertainty surrounding the cord’s capacity to bear their individual weights and whether she could ensure a secure connection at both ends to prevent them from unexpectedly plunging into the swiftly moving river.
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 8:51 pm
“I think we should reserve testing our acrobatic skills as a last resort,” Alcor remarked, confident in her own abilities given her athleticism, especially in figure skating, but felt some reservations when it came to her sister. Her kneecaps had been shaking for a long while now which might make it difficult for her to pull herself across the rope.
“I can try my Cone of Cold,” basically the elemental opposite of what Eleonora used to melt a hole through the entryway earlier. “If I chain all three together, I might be able to make a bridge.” Ideally, it could last long enough for the four of them to cross safely. Then again like Rainier’s options, it posed its own level of uncertainty. It could end up being either too thin to cross or break away with the moving currents.
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 9:18 pm
Eleonora pinched the fabric of Beira’s sleeve to get his attention and motioned with her head to step further away from the edge since it made her uneasy watching him peer down into the darkness. “I think it goes without saying that there’s nothing I can really do here to help out.” She considered the option of using her Touch of Heat on Rainier’s weapon to aid its drip on a chunk of ice across the way. However, Eleonora felt it was best to reserve this suggestion for if the Squire’s initial attempt failed, as she was uncertain whether her magic might damage the woman’s weapon. “I wonder if your magic might be more stable here since this is you world.” A possibility maybe, but she wasn’t sure it was worth the risk to test that theory. “I think we should try Alcor’s method first. Maybe tie Rainier’s weapon around her in case it doesn’t work so we can pull her back.” Eleonora felt a sharp pang of guilt for going along with her sister’s idea since it felt like she was volunteering her as a tribute. ”Ultimately it is up to you, which option do you want to try first?” Having journeyed this far already, the idea of giving up without attempting something first felt inherently wrong.
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Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2024 4:22 pm
“Ah, sorry,” Beira said, and at Eleonora’s insistence, he took a step back. Better to be safe than sorry, especially after coming this far.
Beira glanced at the ceiling, and it was low enough that Rainier might have been able to use a ten foot rope to swing across, but he wasn’t sure if there was any way to safely break into the ice and then trust it to swing across. He nodded with Alcor’s observation about the matter.
Eleonora had been a massive help getting into the cave but it stood to reason that her fire had no application here.
With the options on the table, Beira inhaled. He rubbed his hands together as he thought. They were cold and dry; the cold was a bit biting.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “If I use my magic, there’s a chance it might backfire. But I suppose I’ve never tried it here.” Maybe it would work.
He shifted his weight from one foot to another. “...Magic is temporary, and these waters are fast. If we’re able to make any sort of bridge, we’d all need to move fast. Alcor, if I cast mine, do you think we can time it to use ours at the same time? Mine makes a gust of wind, it might be enough to spread your cold further without you needing to use so much of your magic at one. Do you want to try?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 1:01 am
“I think we can if someone counts down for us. But we’ll only have about fifteen seconds at best to get to the other side before I have to use another Cone of Cold.” She hoped that if they were successful in making an ice path that it would be thick enough to hold all their weight.
Watching Beira shift his weight from one foot to the other, Alcor sensed that he was struggling with the idea of pressing on, weighing the dangers of his magic and the swiftness of the river against the rewards ahead of them. With a tender expression, she stepped towards him and touched his arm reassuringly
“We’ve made it this far without incident.” A few bumps and bruises from slipping, sure. But at least they put ice directly on it. “Trust in yourself and your connection to this world. I’m certain your magic will work as intended.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 1:41 am
Rainier, on her part, took Eleonora’s suggestion to heart and found a place to sit on the ground where she began extending the two cables hidden within her weapon until she was met with resistance.
At its maximum length, from one end of the cord to the other, there was about a total of 20 feet for her to work with. It took a couple of minutes for her to finish tying four non-slip loop knots for each of them to hold onto, which reduced the total distance between the first and the last to about twelve feet.
She then got up and joined the other three where she handed one end to Beira, the second loop to Alcor and the third to Eleonora. “You can slip your arm through the loop since I assume you’ll need the use of both of your hands.” If her cone functioned the same way the Senshi of Heat’s did, then it seemed to reason that Alcor likely wouldn’t be able to hold onto anything while using magic either. “It should be strong enough to hold Eleonora and or myself if the path starts breaking apart prematurely.” Alternatively, if it didn’t support their weight at the start, then they could pull the two of them back.
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 1:52 am
For a fleeting moment, Eleonora considered offering to stay behind on the side they were currently standing; however, the possibility of them facing another icy obstacle made her reconsider since her magic might be needed again. “I guess I can do the countdown if you’re all ready.” She turned to Alcor, receiving a nod as she threaded her arm through the loop she’d been given. Rainier also nodded, positioning herself right behind her, ready to form a line Her gaze then fell upon Beira for the final go-ahead.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 5:40 pm
Fifteen seconds should be enough. The river wasn’t that wide, and if they moved quickly enough–
Alcor’s hand on his arm surprised him but he didn’t jump. Instead, he lifted his brows a bit in thought as he faced her. Finally, he nodded. Her words were genuine and reassuring, and he found peace in them. It was easy to doubt, easy to worry.
If something happened here, they'd already talked about their options to make sure they got out safely.
“Thank you,” he said to her, and then slipped his arm through the loop as Rainier instructed.
He was glad he hadn’t come alone. Maybe he wouldn’t have worried so much about what might happen if his magic malfunctioned if he alone was the only one it put in danger, but with the others he was more cautious.
With the others, he had someone to watch his back. Four minds were better than one. He looked across the river and drew in a breath to calm himself. He cleared his mind and then nodded.
“On the count of three, then?” He tilted his head so he could see Alcor, and once he saw her nod he did the same. “One, two…”
He prepared his magic and hoped for the best. Now, of all times, he needed it to work.
“Three.”
Quote: Super Sailor Scout Attack: Lonely Bite Sailor Beira gestures to up to two targets within his line of sight and a chilly wind surges towards them. The wind does no damage, but the chill is uncomfortable and clings to them, seeps into them, and pierces their heart, leaving them suddenly feeling alone and unwanted. The loneliness is piercing, as if icy spikes are being driven into their heart; the level of pain is up to the player. This magic will last for 25 seconds, after which the sensation will fade along with the cold, piercing pain that accompanied it unless the player chooses to have any sensation persist for longer. This magic can be used two times.
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Posted: Tue May 28, 2024 1:06 pm
Ok, maybe not. Perhaps she should have spoke up a bit more.
A drop of disappointment caused her to advert her gaze to the river ahead. At least she was able to perform her role at the entrance so they could begin the expedition. However, as they traveled through the tunnels to this point, the silence felt heavy like a tangible weight upon her shoulders that she lacked the energy to push away.
In the beginning, she had a purpose for being here but until this point, there had been no other obstacles and it was beginning to feel like her usefulness had neared its end. Normally this would not bother her but seeing as her magic and sphere were the exact opposite of these three, and Beira and Rainier were both new faces, Eleonora was beginning to feel a bit out of place.
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Posted: Tue May 28, 2024 1:06 pm
On his mark, Alcor brought her hands together, which began to glow a brilliant blue, and summoned her Cone of Cold.
Aimed initially near their feet, frost bloomed out over the river and was being forward by Beira’s magic. The area was narrow, two feet wide at best, but when she moved her arms out a bit further, it widened to a more comfortable width.
One thousand one… she began to count the seconds in her mind as she tentatively stepped forward and tested her weight on the brittle-looking shelf. It shifted slightly like a floating dock stretched out into a lake, so she reinforced it with a second more frost to make it more stable. One thousand three…
“I think it’s good now, we should go…”One thousand five… Alcor looked back at her sister and gave a reassuring nod feeling like this idea would actually work especially seeing that Beira’s magic was successfully pushing the cold from her magic further than she could have otherwise achieved. Seeing as his Lonely Bite hadn’t malfunctioned, she felt confident that his world wanted them to find what was hidden on the map he carried and would help him across safely and by proxy, the three of them as well.
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Posted: Tue May 28, 2024 1:06 pm
As Beira and Alcor steadily formed the icy bridge, Rainier lingered at the edge, her feet firmly planted to brace for any potential collapse under their combined weight. Once the weapon’s length was fully extended, and she was sure the sheet of frost was stable, she cautiously took a step forward, tentatively testing the ice while keeping track of how long the path was expected to hold. She prayed they could reach the opposite side quickly before their bridge became an unsteady surfboard or a paddleboard with no oars since the first part to melt, or start to disappear, would be the end she was currently standing on. While she could swim well enough, the shock of falling into the cold water would make it hard to keep her head above the surface and unless someone was on the other side to help pull her out, she'd likely pull the rest of them in with her.
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Posted: Fri May 31, 2024 6:19 pm
The four passed across the magical bridge with surprisingly little difficulty. The spray from the water was a little chill but they moved quickly enough that it wasn’t anything to worry about. The plan was effectively executed and after the group was on the other side, Beira gave a quick check to make sure they were okay. They didn’t have to worry about the same magic working to get out; ideally they could just teleport back out. If they found what they were looking for.
The icy room across the river was strange, with a brighter illumination than other parts of the cave despite it being far deeper and more isolated. Empty steel braziers line the walls, and a strange, pale blue gem was fitted to a pedestal in the center of the room.
Beira had entered first but there was plenty of space for the others to explore, though there wasn’t really much to examine. The room wasn’t particularly large but it matched the dimensions of the map, though he wasn’t closely scrutinizing it. He was just happy to have made it here.
The room felt like it was submerged underwater. The pressure was subtle, and while it might have been in part because they were so deep underground, it was also worse the nearer they were to the blue gem.
Beira noticed this after only a few seconds of exploration.
The rest of the room was fairly simple, with a few odd artifacts on display on the pedestals that lined the walls between braziers. Though Beira wanted to examine the odd items, which ranged from stone sculptures and odd bones, he instead circled the gem until he couldn’t help it.
He stood before it for a few seconds, and as he gazed into the blue depths his mind began to swim. The feeling was comparable to jumping into a pool of water–neither hot nor cold. He felt like he was floating just as much as he felt like something was speaking to him, just beyond his consciousness. There were almost images, almost words.
He couldn’t quite make anything out.
And then, without any thought, he reached out for the stone.
The second he touched it, white light exploded across the room, carried with a gusty wind. It was cold, but not for long–as soon as the light hit the braziers, they illuminated with an ethereal, white and blue flame. It was warm but only magic; it heated them but carried no risk to the icy walls.
The chill that had been eating away at Beira was burned away. Something cold, gnawing his chest–his starseed–had been burned away. He couldn’t explain it if he’d been asked. He didn’t know what this was or what it meant.
All he knew was that it felt right.
He looked at the brightly dancing flames and felt comfort.
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Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2024 6:06 pm
Once safely to the other side, Rainier gathered the extended cords from her companions and undid the handhold knots so she could return her weapon to its more normal, and easily portable, state. She remained in the back, occasionally looking over her shoulder to where the fading roar of rushing water fell into a backdrop of darkness as they moved further away from it and towards the room marked on the map.
So far they’d been lucky, no injury or incident like the Blight that had appeared on some Senshi’s worlds, and even her wonder. However, there were a few precarious moments that required a more cautious approach and it seemed that Alcor’s words of comfort had been, thus far, true; that Beira’s connection to his world is what has kept them safe.
At least, that’s what she thought until the area ahead grew noticeably brighter and the pressure around them increased almost to the point of feeling like she needed to pop her ears. The others didn’t seem to notice, or mind as much as she did, but Rainier had always had a higher sensitivity to such things.
Flanked on either side by the twins as the small group entered the room, the Senshi of Heat split off to the left to examine a statue while her sister moved to one of the unlit braziers meanwhile Rainier proceeded close behind Beria as if she were on security detail.
For several moments there was silence and in the few seconds she had turned her attention from Beira, who had been observing a glowing stone that had drawn him towards it, the room erupted in a bright light. Pushed off balance by a gust of cold wind her hand immediately went to her right hip but quickly realized that the weapon she sought was part of her other uniform.
There was a startled sharp cry from her right, but seeing the Eleonora rush over to her sister Rainier made no move to attend to them just yet and turned her attention back to Beira, where the source of light and wind originated. “Are you ok?” she asked cautiously seeing as he looked perhaps a bit dazed, or stunned, by what happened.
“Beira?” Stepping towards him, Rainier placed a hand on his forearm in case he suddenly collapsed from what she hoped was only shock.
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2024 9:32 pm
Of all the things she’d come to expect, one of the near last ones Alcor would have ever considered was being suddenly shoved toward an empty brazier only for it to erupt in a flame the color of the hottest temperature mere inches from her face. The suddenness of it all pulled from her a startled yelp as she reeled backward away from the ethereal white and blue light that hovered against the wall like something she might compare to a will-o-wisp with its gentle warmth instead of scorching heat. Dazed, and unable to see past the the yellow and black floating spots that clouded her vision, Alcor stumbled and fell in an unceremonious heap on her side. She heard her sister’s voice and moved to push herself up so that she was at least sitting where she seemingly stared at the floor for a long moment before rubbing her eyes with the heel of her palms. Within seconds Eleonora fell to her knees beside her sister and placed one hand against her back and the other on her knee. “Alcor. Are you hurt?” Without waiting for a response she grabbed her sister’s wrists and looked at both hands for any signs of burns. “No, no- I’m fine. I was just startled.” The only pain she felt was the blow to her pride if anything. Her side might be bruised from falling, but she’s landed harder on ice from skating routines for this to be seen as anything other than normal. “I just need a moment, that flame is no joke, it was really bright.” Especially when coupled with the fear of falling into it. Interesting how when an inevitable disaster approaches all anyone can do is stand and watch even though their minds tell them to look away. “Is Beira ok?” Alcor asked as she tried to turn toward where thought he was last standing. Though her vision was slowly returning, it was hard to tell a statue apart from a human with everything still blurred. Eleonora glanced over in his direction, perhaps a bit dazed from the light maybe… but seeing Rainier mostly calm beside him seemed reassuring enough. “Yeah, I think so. Here,” she moved to stand, brushed the bits of ice that clung to the coat off, and then held a hand out to her twin. “Let me help you up and I’ll take you over to them.” “Thank you,” Alcor raised an arm and was glad to see the details on the hem of Ele’s skirt come slowly into focus.
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