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Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 20, 2011 23:06:15 GMT -5
"Huh, guess that's a sign to walk back in."
The solace Franz found in gazing at the crystalized moon was soon interrupted by the loud thud from the core of the mines. Franz's train of thought more or less faltered and he figured he had little else to stand around for. His focus shifted back into the cavern, it seems. Franz decided to move back in and do some more sightseeing from within, before the chill got to him or something.
He couldn't help but notice the same beastkin he spoke to earlier beside him, though. He didn't have much else to say to him, but before he turned his back and walked back into the mines, he nodded at Sael and spoke, "Yeah, I agree, the moon is pretty beautiful."
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Post by Jisui on Aug 21, 2011 0:42:39 GMT -5
"Yes... I agree." Franz' words earned him a slight smile from Sael, who nodded as he turned around and started to head back towards the mine as well. For a human... this man was easy to agree with. Absentmindedly grabbing his pickaxe from his belt once again, the beastkin started to head back into the mine, his thoughts slightly eased by the cool night air. For once today, he didn't have to think about Kigan pirates or conscription or anything of the like... what had actually bothered Sael the most today was making Valyria worry. He knew despite her attitude that she was worried over what had happened a few moments ago, and really he hated making her worry about him. A friend like her was too good to make worry about someone like him. Walking back over to his station, he wondered if Valyria had seen that moon when she was going to go look for him...
BOOM-
A sudden explosion of rock and fire came from his left, fragments and showers of stone exploding over Franz and Sael as the beastkin dove for cover from the projectiles. W-What the hell... that was an explosive charge... those were outlawed!
A huge multitude of crashes began to echo out throughout the mine, random bursts of stone being split asunder by a multitude of explosive charges around Sael. Around him, he heard multiple screams of pain as the charges bit into the miners in mass, the entire mine beginning to quiver and shake under Sael's feet.
"W-What the hell..." The beastkin muttered in shock, his eye's wide open as in front of him, a fellow miner was caught under a giant boulder that was caused by the explosions.
Suddenly, a flash of brown hair darted past him, nimbly the falling rocks as the figure sprinted out of the mines quickly.
Wait...
That was...
"IT WAS VALYRIA! SHE SET OFF THE EXPLOSI-" A miner began to scream in rage before an explosive charge caught the roof above him, engulfing his body in a mass of rock and stone. Where... where had all of these explosives come from all of a sudden?! How did the miners not spot them...?!
Wait... what had he said? It was a lie. It couldn't be true... that the smiling, innocent elf he knew would-
No. She of all people couldn't have done this... and he was an idiot for even doubting her for an instant! Quickly standing on his feet, he attempted to sprint towards the exit after the elf, before a massive tremor knocked him to the floor, an explosion of rock and dirt erupting in front of him.
Coughing, when Sael opened his eyes, a massive beast made of dirt and rocks was before him, it was like a giant snake almost ten times his size made of dirt, gravel and sand... its entire body and head resembled something like a sea serpent, a mythical monster he had read in books before this. Yet, when he should have felt absolute fear, he only felt rage that this thing would even dare get in his way when Valyria was behind it!
"...Get out of my way!" Sael growled, pulling his swallow off of his back as he grasped it with both of his hands. Behind him, the few surviving miners cowered behind the beastkin, attempting to keep themselves from being hit by the now crumbling mine. Tch... if this thing wanted to be in his way, so be it!
Boss Fight
Sand Serpent
Class: Ground Serpent
Rank: Hardy - 24
Attributes: Strength - 8 Agility - 6 Mana - 0 Endurance - 10
Elemental Affinity: Earth
Attacks Sand Burst: The Sand Serpent can absorb the dirt and rocks around it naturally through it's body, grinding them up until it is small enough to be ejected out as sand in large quantities. This attack can seriously injure less agile and durable foes, as well as protect the Sand Serpent from projectiles.
Damn it... they were too far away from the exit to make a sprint for it. This mine wouldn't hold forever too. Sael needed backup, or none of them would be able to get out of here alive.
Time until Ferin Mine collapse ~ 10 Posts
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Post by Jisui on Aug 21, 2011 22:25:35 GMT -5
[[My apologies for the wait. I had to go to a birthday party today and I got home later then I expected. I have school tomorrow, so I promise I'll get back on this as soon as possible tomorrow.]]
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Post by Jisui on Aug 22, 2011 16:09:03 GMT -5
"Sael..." Sael looked at Franz for the first time since the explosions began, a grim grin on his face as he readied his swallow, getting down into a fighting position. So this man would help him get out... looks like he was getting conscripted, at least for a short time after all. "Sael Leras...!" Lunging at the Sand Serpent with surprising speed, he growled as he sprinted past it, slashing past the monster's right side with his swallow in an attempt to pierce it's rocky flesh.
Franz's attack worked- almost too well in a way. As the mysterious stranger passed through the serpent with odd claws that Sael had never seen before, purple-ish blood sprayed out from the serpent's sides, the beast roaring with enraged pain as it trashed about the mines, slamming into the rock walls and knocking down a few rocks from the ceiling at Franz. Before Sael's eyes, there was a slight hissing sound from the serpent before the wound began to be covered up, rocks and dirt immediately patching up the wound from the ninja's attack... On Sael's side, his slash attack was suffering from the same fate, the slash attack regenerated by the very stone and earth that the miners had dug. Damn it... this thing was rather durable it seemed. Sael cursed as a flurry of sand began to spiral around the serpent's mouth, the monster screeching in rage as it shot out a huge burst of sand and rocks at Sael and Franz. Leaning back, the beastkin flipped backwards, attempting to avoid the projectile that would seriously injure them both if it connected.
[[Sand Burst: The Sand Serpent can absorb the dirt and rocks around it naturally through it's body, grinding them up until it is small enough to be ejected out as sand in large quantities. This attack can seriously injure less agile and durable foes, as well as protect the Sand Serpent from projectiles.]]
Time until Ferin Mine collapse ~ 9 Posts
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 22, 2011 19:56:50 GMT -5
Franz's attack landing incurred a subtle sigh of relief in the ninja. However, not all was was gravy when it regenerated. Then having to avoid the burst of sand, Franz regained his posture immediately after the dash and leaped to the side in the air, returning back down promptly.
"Hm...so it regenerates. We're going to need to do enough damage in one blow to silence this thing." Franz muttered as he gained ground again. Turning to Sael, who seemed to be on the opposite end, Franz doubted the creature had much intelligence to decipher the human tongue. He then spoke to Sael, "Yo, Sael. Lower the bottom blade of your swallow. I have an idea, and it's gonna hurt."
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Post by Jisui on Aug 22, 2011 21:09:45 GMT -5
Sael raised an eyebrow, glancing at Franz from behind the Sand Serpent, who was getting rather angry at the pain the two small figures were causing to it. Sooner or later, it would start thrashing and it might even accelerate the collapse of this mine...
Since when did even trust the human enough to battle with him like this... his idea might be something that killed them both.
"Yeah, I agree, the moon is pretty beautiful."
...But then again... he seemed different from the rest. Maybe this was one he could trust after all... but regardless, this was no time to start being picky about his friends and allies. Lowering the lower half of his swallow blade, he went down on one knee, semi understanding what Franz needed him to do. Actually, he really didn't understand at all. But, this once, he needed to put his trust in this person, stranger or human alike...
"Better hurry up..." He grunted, glancing at the Sand Serpent, which was still thrashing about in a blind rage. Thankfully it hadn't come close enough to them to do any serious damage yet...
Time until Ferin Mine collapse ~ 8 Posts
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 22, 2011 21:45:34 GMT -5
"Smart kid." Franz nodded, with a hearty grin on his face. Suddenly, his claws illuminated, along with the rims across his cyborg exoskeleton. His claws began to expand to massive proportions, and soon radiated an aura of iridescent whiteish blue energy. Wind seemed to collect around Franz before briefly dispersing into the atmosphere; his psionic energy was coursing through his veins at untold levels.
Franz immediately took advantage of the opening left behind the serpent's anger. He dashed at Sael and leaped onto the lower end of his swallow. His claws raised, he made his point clear; he was about to launch the finishing blow.
"Launch me!" Franz shouted at Sael, turning his head to him for a brief moment before lowering his knees for release.
[[Psionic Arts ~Overdrive: An incomplete overclocking mechanism was grafted into Franz's exoskeleton. The mechanism was later abandoned because the amount of stress it would place on Franz's muscles would cause the armor to overheat and eventually decommission Franz's body; however, the prototype of the mechanism is still accessible as a part of Franz's weapons. Regardless of the weapon Franz is using, he can exert the full force of his psionic energy beyond what they should be capable of and amplify any of his weapons to obscene levels. The weapons are magnified to roughly five times their original size and imbued with a heavy dosage of energy, signified by an iridescent white/blue aura, allowing what would've only been able to tear through flesh to be able to effortlessly sear through carbides. The temporal space around the weapon -or rather, the psionic boost behind it- is heavily accelerated, drastically increasing the speed behind Franz's attacks far beyond what his reaction time would allow. The weapon becomes virtually immune to physical material as it just sears through it and can resist all energy up to a 4-foot diameter.
Unfortunately, the pent-up energy behind the overclocking mechanism is so bloated that Franz can only attack once he has tapped into the mechanism. Theoretically, any other psionic techniques(such as his dash) would be amplified to a similar degree, although the degree of energy they use is far greater and would not only cut the mechanism short, it would rupture Franz's entire body; in other words, he cannot switch weapons either. Franz has barely any control over this energy and can potentially hurt himself, rendering poisons completely useless and inaccessible. Using the overclocking mechanism is a stress on Franz's body to a rather moderate level in itself; furthermore, the weapon that is used under the mechanism will dissipate for the rest of the battle along with the energy -and of course, some of Franz's physical capacity- after a three-minute interval. Franz could use the overclocking mechanism on all of his weapons and render himself essentially unarmed, although this would do more harm than good and extenuate him in the process.]]
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Post by Jisui on Aug 22, 2011 22:18:58 GMT -5
"Where can I get one of those?" The beastkin questioned sarcastically, an eyebrow raised as he glanced at Franz' suit go into Overload. Alright... it was now or never. Whatever he was planning, he'd better make it count...! Grunting in exertion as Franz leaped onto the end of his swallow, yet managing to maintain it's balance, he grunted, swinging his swallow blade- and Franz, straight up into the air as hard as he possibly could in an attempt to launch the ninja straight at the serpent, who roared in anger at the pair, sending another burst of sand straight at Franz while he was airborne.
Letting out a deep breath of exertion from the swing, Sael glanced up at Franz, unable to blink an eye as he watched the human soar upwards to the Serpent. He had decided to place his trust in the human... let's see where it would get him for now.
Time until Ferin Mine Collapse ~ 7 posts
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 22, 2011 22:23:37 GMT -5
Franz's plan was coming into place. The swallow, coupled with the velocity behind Franz's leap, coupled with some of the psionic energy coursing through his suit, propelled him at such a breadth of height that it nearly defied gravity. The blast of sand seemed to go barely over Franz as he launched into the zenith of his leap; then, with his claws outward, Franz pounced down towards the serpent with a vertical spiral of slashes left behind by his scintillating claws. Franz rolled downward in the air as his claws unleashed a massive blue vertical wheel in its wake; as Franz came down, he was sure the damage caused by the leap would've rent the serpent apart...the energy probably would've disintegrated the rock and debris altogether.
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Post by Jisui on Aug 22, 2011 23:29:40 GMT -5
Sael found it incredible how high Franz had gone in the air, even with the Sael's boost from his swallow... at that height, Franz would be sure to split the entire thing in half. Really... he had walked in a complete stranger, but who knew he was this powerful? Regardless, the serpent seemingly agreed with him, giving a final, splitting roar of pain before Franz' claws tore it asunder, the ninja splitting the monster too fast for it's regenerative qualities to take place.
"..." Sael stared at its corpse, sighs of relief audible behind him as the miners began to cheer, notably not for them, who had saved their lives, but for the fact that they were still alive... rolling his eyes, Sael regained his grip on his swallow, giving a quick grin to Franz as he stepped down to the ground after his drop.
"Tch... you could have just done that if you wanted people to joi-"
A sudden and abrupt rumble cut him off, the floor beneath the group almost splitting from the intense vibrations. W-What... why? The mine was collapsing to be sure, but why did it speed the collapse?
...Of course! He had forgot... there were rumors of the existence of Sand Serpents before. He had learned from Valyria one day in the mines... They didn't serve to terrorize mines and cavern paths at all... they were creatures that helped keep the foundations of them in places in areas near their nest. The Serpent was only trying to hold together the foundations, and perceived them as the threat to its job... but by killing it, the whole mine would collapse in minutes.
Cursing, he turned back to Franz and the miners, pointing at the exit as he picked up his feet, beginning to sprint towards it with an almost desperate pace. "What are you waiting for?! Run for it!" He roared, rocks crashing down in multitude around the group, the ceiling crumbling second by second.
Time until Ferin Mine Collapse ~ 2 Posts
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 22, 2011 23:42:00 GMT -5
As Franz landed over the rubble-encrusted corpse of the serpent, he collected his breath with the sheer feeling of zen. He figured that thing wasn't too hard to kill, although...killing it somehow set a landmine. The mine began to collapse violently, leaving Franz little time to capture his thoughts or make a quip. Time was short, it seemed.
The energy around Franz's claws immediately dissipated, as if by command; Franz didn't want to afford losing any more energy by keeping them around. Immediately, his claws dissipated along with the energy, leaving Franz with just enough energy to dash back. He immediately projected his energy as far as he could with what energy he had left in moderation; the velocity left behind the dash was enough for Franz to continue running out of the cave to skip past the tumbling rocks. He patted Sael on the back before he headed out the exit. As if goading the rest of the miners that were left, Franz proceeded to whistle a casual tune as he ran out into the white snow...clearly he took the whole situation fairly lightly. Or maybe he was just that confident. Who knew.
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Post by Jisui on Aug 23, 2011 20:34:44 GMT -5
Sael's eyes widened, Franz sprinting past him while singing a jaunty tune rather casually. Fast... he barely had time to register what had happened before a huge rock found it fitting to crash down right in front of him, barely scathing the beastkin, who darted past his left, wincing as a rock collided with his right shoulder. Skidding past the fallen boulders, he darted from point to point, avoiding falling rocks with an almost feral instinct he was surprised he had. As Franz ran out into the cold night, the mine entrance began to shake, Sael's eyes widening as the top portion began to crumble, blocking off the exit as a huge boulder slammed in their way.
(Tch... is this it?) He wondered grimly, the few surviving miners yelping with panic as they continued to sprint at the exit desperately. Damn it... then this was all for nothing? No... he had to get through! Because, that elf, who he had seen running... his best friend needed help right now. And he would be damned if he was going to be a bad friend, dying right now...!
An almost primal, wolf like howl escaped Sael's lips, his swallow glowing a blazing, searing white silver, an odd aura seeming to surrounding the blade before he grunted in exertion, swiftly slicing straight down the rock blockade viciously. Almost instantly, a clean slice cut became evident, the rocks separating as if in awe by the raw force of the slash before they crumbled and parted. Diving out of the mine into the almost relieving white snow, Sael breathed heavily in exertion, wincing as his chest struggled to find oxygen, cold winter air stinging his nostrils. He didn't know what had just happened, but he was alive at the very least... behind him, the few surviving miners, totaling almost near four, stumbled out of the mine in shock, almost stunned at their luck at surviving the mine destruction.
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 23, 2011 21:58:42 GMT -5
Franz made it to the exit almost in a frenzy, although when he got out, he seemed to waltz onto the snow like it was nothing. It was hard to tell what he thought of the situation at that point. He felt relieved that he managed to bring out Sael's prowess, and hopefully make him a stronger person. But at the same, he couldn't help but feel he wasted his time getting involved in the mines. Now with so few casualties remaining, he got the impression he could've helped out more, and chances are, people would blame him for what more he could've done. And Franz didn't have the patience for any of it. What's done was done; what came next depended upon what the miners decided to do.
Typically Franz wasn't one to elicit strong emotional response to peril, but the mine explosion left such a dent that he couldn't help but whistle briskly and give his two cents. "Goddamn...whoever blew that mine up made a cemetery of the rock. " he muttered in honest distaste. He knew nothing about the miners that were lost in the chaos, but Franz at least had the heart to hope that they rested well.
Franz walked with a hushed gait for just a moment, but not before seeing off the miners and Sael. He noticed them and turned his head towards them, and figured that it would be rude to walk off. He earned a lot of respect for Sael for working with him like that, for at least understanding the bridge between beastkin and humankind. He had hoped that Sael would understand one day that some within his kind dare not harm, but would rather find ways to unify the cultures together, even in rebellion. Franz would be a hypocrite to think otherwise, and knowing his deals with the Lamia of yesteryear, he of all people should know this.
Franz limped his arms and turned the rest of his body towards Sael and the remaining miners. He looked at Sael specifically, crediting him for his effort. "Sael, was it..? I was damn impressed. Had you considered the offer, I would've taken you under my wing."
He walked backwards , as if the cold winter wind took him away to where he belonged, but not before leaving Sael with one more sentiment. "Just know this: We're not all bad people. Some of us do silly things, but screw 'em. I'm just here to help a cause."
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Post by Jisui on Aug 23, 2011 23:34:57 GMT -5
Behind him, the survivors of the mine collapse had formed a tightly knit clique, speaking in frightened whispers and tones as they glanced at Sael and Franz. Even after they had saved them... typical. Sael looked downcast, the frigid winds sending a shiver down his spine as he stood, staring at the crystal white powdered snow. He brushed aside a small patch with his foot, revealing a tiny, yellowish flower delicately flaked with snow. A Hellebore... they were bad luck to come across in the snow. They were flowers that were supposedly used to summon demons... but on the outside, they were beautiful, fragile and hard to find in this area. He was no flower expert, but he clearly recalled Valyria telling him in this in one of her botany "lectures" one day...
...! Sael's eyes widened, wrapped around the flower, as if protecting it, was a colorful, well-knit grass bracelet. He felt his hand slightly tremble as he picked it up, his fingers clenching it tightly as he brought it up to his face, closing his eyes. If he hadn't been so weak, this wouldn't have happened... she wasn't the one that set off the explosives, he knew it. Because that person would never...
As Franz spoke, he looked up at the human who had surprised him in so many ways, gently placing the bracelet in his pockets with care.
"To help a cause...?" Sael muttered quietly, looking at the man before his face slowly broke out to a light smile. This man was different, he could tell. And he had already made his decision... wherever Valyria was, he knew this person could help him find her. And more then that... it was odd, but today, he realized that he trusted this stranger enough to give him his name earlier. But with a slight frown, he realized something rather important before he made his choice. All through today, he had never...
"Hey, wait!" He called to Franz as he began to leave, a surprisingly resolute look on the beastkin's face. "...You never told me. What's your name?"
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Aug 24, 2011 20:12:39 GMT -5
Franz looked contemplatively at Sael as he began to scrounge up remains of that girl from earlier. He imagined that the bracelet he picked up had some kind of ceremonial value, considering how Sael held it so close. The village, Minami, ironically had something like that too. The Ryuutama was a relic that the people of Minami were trying to protect; hopefully the Kigan Pirates hadn't gotten to it yet. Franz admired the beastkin's heart; he may have been quiet, but his soul was pretty noticeable.
Franz chuckled just slightly at Sael's sudden interruption, though. "Heh...made up your mind, I see." He stopped in his tracks and crossed his arms promptly. "Guess you learned something today after all."
Franz was certain that the beastkin was a little out of tune, though. He introduced himself when they first met. Or rather, after all the chaos that happened in just the span of a few minutes, maybe it was easy to forget anything. So Franz kept his head up, and answered Sael, "I said my name when we first met, man. I'm Franz Secari...of the Minami division."
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