[Nexus] The Hunting Grounds 2: Murdering is Magic

[Mr. Moon]

Ocean

"Ack!" The silver wolfen cub clings to her canoe as the oceans begin to churn. Half inside the canoe and half in the water, it's all she can do to not get pulled down in the new current and probably drown. Drowning. How embarrassing a death would that be.

And then it subsides! Thank the Dawn Wolf.
Having long forgotten her prey in the turmoil, the waterlogged and somewhat disoriented wolfen looks up from her canoe. As her eyes fall on the island, they blink in suprise, before going wide. Her first prize! "Ah hah!"

Pushing off from her canoe, Tail-Chaser swims over to the island. With a short pause on all fours to shake water from her fur, she stands and approaches the spear. Bracing one hindpaw on the ground next to it, she grips it in her right forepaw and pulls it out from the ground.
Dawn Wolf, it's beautiful. Light and strong, with a good reach. She inspects the tip, testing the edge on a string of fur. Tail wagging, she practices with it for a few minutes, fighting against some invisible opponent. This was so much better than her original spear.

When suitably assured of the quality of her new weapon, Tail-Chaser will return to her canoe and paddle it to the Hunting Grounds shore. She was going to want to try out her new toy, but first she needed to set up a camp.

[billtodamax]

Snowy Plains

Wenomir will see - spiralling out of the ground in front of him - the same quicksilver that defined the beasts he just killed! But this silver doesn't seem hostile at all, and will form into a pair of boots, just his size, before setting solid and emanating a short burst of heat - the snow surrounding them has entirely melted away.

The boots appear to have the same projectile system on the bottom as the rockets that were bombarding them previously. If either Hill or Wenomir scans them for such, they will bear none of the magical properties that the quicksilver they just fought had - the only relation is the aesthetic.

These appear to be his reward!

Should he try them on he'll find that they're actually rather difficult to control. Sustained flight is only possible with constant concentration, and any sort of aerial combat is right out of the question. More suited to transportation than combat.

***

Hill, on the other hand, may be distracted himself. His armour starts glowing brightly, and feels hot against his skin.

Along the sides of his chest-plate 4 different groups of vents open up at the front right, front left, back right and back left. These vents, when Hill himself intends them to activate, will spew forth a great amount of hot flak as well as disrupting any sensors locked onto him.

That'll fix up any missiles locked onto him again. It'll also have notable melee combat benefits - that flak is hot, and is projected quite fast from the vents in a reasonable arc.

Ocean

Once Tail-Chaser is far away enough from the island for the currents to have a minimal effect on her paddling, it slowly starts to sink back down to the bottom of the ocean, now bereft of spear.

[Morty]

[Snowy Plains]

Wenomir examines the boots closely and incredulously.
"Are those... rocket boots? It sounds like something Magtok would wear."

[Darkcomet]

[Snowy Plains]

"I got...looks like vents on the armor? What could that-" And then the flak goes off. Thankfully Hill's far enough away from Wenomir due to going to retrieve all his weapons that it won't injure him.

"Oh, flak vents." Then he sees the snow around him melting.

"Hot flak. Fun."

[Morty]

[Snowy Plains]

Wenomir still steps back a little when the flak goes off.
"I guess I'll examine those when I get back home. We should probably head off."

[Darkcomet]

[Snowy Plains]

Hill first comms a transport for pickup, before speaking to Wenomir again. "Like I was saying before these things showed up, though-was that one of the demons I was told of or simply something else entirely?"

[Morty]

[Snowy Plains]

"I think it was one of the demons, yes. Which confirms that they're interested in this place," Wenomir says.

[Darkcomet]

[Snowy Plains]

Hill nods. "I'll relay that to Command. If all goes well, if and when we detect any more of those things out there, we'll bomb them for you."

The transport, meanwhile, arrives, decloaking and landing for the two to climb aboard.

"Ah, there's our ride."

[Morty]

[Snowy Plains]

"Hopefully it'll be enough. If those demons corrupt the beasts that roam this place, they'll get nigh-unstoppable weapons," Wenomir says as he steps into the transport.

[Darkcomet]

[Snowy Plains->Transport]

Hill climbs aboard the transport as well. "Hopefully it will be. We don't have the heavy bombing ability the Empire did, but what we have should be enough for precision strikes against those. If you can send us information on any other common types, it would be greatly appreciated."

The transport door closes and it takes off once again. It'll first head to WATCHTOWER to drop Wenomir off, then off to bring Hill back to base. That'll be conveniently after any necessary conversation is done, though.

[Morty]

[Transport]

"They seem to have a great variety among them, presumably due to all the species they've corrupted. They're fond of using heavy-set, strong creatures that resemble houds as shock troops," Wenomir says.

[Darkcomet]

[Transport]

"Does your organization have any images or detailed records of these hounds?" Hill asks. "If you do, again, feel free to share, it's always good to know what you're looking for."

[Morty]

[Transport]

"Images or records... not really," Wenomir says after some thought. "We didn't have time to make any when we met those demons."

[Darkcomet]

[Transport]

Hill frowns under the helmet. "Hrm. Do you have anyone who could draw up an accurate representation?"

[Morty]

[Transport]

"Not among the members who met them, I think. But they were really straightforward creatures. Just make sure to use armor-piercing ammunition on them," Wenomir says.

[Darkcomet]

[Transport]

"Got it. Any other advice for us?" Hill asks. For someone with the employer this guy's got he seems fairly amicable and willing to take recommendations.

[Morty]

[Transport]

"Nothing specific. They die from the same things everything else does. So use lots of firepower," Wenomir says with a shrug.

[Mr. Moon]

Ocean -> Beach

I wonder, pondered Tail-Chaser as she paddled her canoe to the Hunting Grounds shoreline, what name I'll earn. Flying-Thing Killer was... dubious. The Killer aspect of it was nice though. Sky-Bane, maybe? Hmm. A bit pompous. Better than Tail-Chaser, though.

Shrrrrk. A satisfying crunch sounded from below the canoe as Tail-Chaser finally made land. Tail a-wagging, the wolfen cub hopped out into the ankle-deep water and dragged her canoe the rest of the way in. Later she would want to find good, thick branches to prop it up on, but for now it would do to simply turn it upside down.

Now then. Time to make camp.

[Murkus]

[The Forest]

The lizard manages to leap at Cornelia, but Cessie's quick thinking sends the beast flying. It doesn't get up again, so presumably one of those bullets put it down.

While they're distracted, however, the other lizard has vanished. With the trees all around, it's impossible to see where it's gone and if it might be stalking toward them this very second.

[The Forest]

The elemental quickly sifts itself away the beast towards Cornelia and her attacker and will blast it with wind if it leaps against Cornelia before she can shoot it. If she does, she have at least moved away from the one attacking her.

Cornelia eyes the foliage around them. Normally she'd use her Sight, but that only warns her of supernatural threats. These lizards probably aren't infused with magic.

Nelia fires a shot into the air, just to see if she can startle the thing, and then gets herself back to back with Cessie's elemental. "Take care, marm. Ting's fast."

[UncleWolf]

Beach

While Tail-chaser is caught up in her own thoughts, a lump of sand suddenly erupts into a red ball of furry violence that tries to tackle her with a gleeful roar as a new Wolfen tries to pin her to the ground.

[Mr. Moon]

Beach

"Waaah!" comes the startled cry of surprise as Tail-Chaser finds herself suddenly beset by some unknown attacker! The cub will try to push the other wolfen away blindly, trying to put some distance between herself and this crazy red blur.

[UncleWolf]

Beach

The Wolfen is pushed away and she falls on her back before turning it into a roll to allow her to get back to her feet, crouched down with steel-tipped claws ready to fight. The Wolfen appears to be young if the height and scent is anything to go by, but her body is nearly completely covered by a brown cloak that wraps around her and an oddly shaped muzzleguard over her mouth, possibly being the thing that let her breathe in the sand. After a moment, Tail-Chaser will hear her laugh happily. "You did good with the air-critter." The newcomer admits before sinking to her haunches, tail swaying side to side in apparent happiness.

[Mr. Moon]

Beach

As soon as Tail-Chaser throws off her assailant, the cub will reach down and grab a weapon. Unfortunately, this haste means that she comes up with her old spear instead of her fancy new magic spear. Oh well. It's a sharp and pointy thing and it allows Tail-Chaser to keep her attacker at a distance.

Weapon in paw, Tail-Chaser finally takes a moment to examine the stranger. Her nose flares as she takes in the other wolfen's scent, eyes narrow as her gaze falls on her metal claws. What kind of wolfen had claws so dull they needed to compensate with rare metals?

Who are you?" the cub will bark, not relaxing her guard. "What's your pack?"

[Aric Kale]

The Forest

Aric hums a bouncy tune as he boldly makes his way north through the forest. He has a travel pack on his right shoulder, his shield on his left and his spear is being used as a walking staff, its mahogany shaft smooth from use. He has a dagger at his side, but it's sheathed and tucked under his heavy, woolen cloak. He shivers slightly, the temperature is lower than what he'd prefer, but this adventurer has faced worse.

Aric Kale walks through the forest, no attempt at stealth or keeping quiet. He seems at ease but in actuality he is watching everything...

Interaction Wanted

[Shadowcaller]

Cornelia eyes the foliage around them. Normally she'd use her Sight, but that only warns her of supernatural threats. These lizards probably aren't infused with magic.

Nelia fires a shot into the air, just to see if she can startle the thing, and then gets herself back to back with Cessie's elemental. "Take care, marm. Ting's fast."

[The Forest]

"Don't worry. I can't actually be harmed in this form." She replies while keeping an eye on the creature Cornelia seem to have killed. Besides, the air elemental was the fastest elemental she had. Well besides the light elemental but she seldom used that. She had trained most at the classical elements. "These things have some form of non-terrestrial regeneration, we should probably check on the one you killed." Assuming they were the same kind of 'demons' of course.

[Gullara]

[The Forest]

Nothing. Not a sound to be heard or a sight to be heard from the missing lizard. Perhaps it's snuck off? It could have done so easily, but would it have? Cessie and Cornelia will have time to ponder it, as the missing lizard and the apparent corpse aren't doing anything at the moment.

[UncleWolf]

Beach

As soon as Tail-Chaser throws off her assailant, the cub will reach down and grab a weapon. Unfortunately, this haste means that she comes up with her old spear instead of her fancy new magic spear. Oh well. It's a sharp and pointy thing and it allows Tail-Chaser to keep her attacker at a distance.

Weapon in paw, Tail-Chaser finally takes a moment to examine the stranger. Her nose flares as she takes in the other wolfen's scent, eyes narrow as her gaze falls on her metal claws. What kind of wolfen had claws so dull they needed to compensate with rare metals?

Who are you?" the cub will bark, not relaxing her guard. "What's your pack?"

Beach

The female doesn't answer right away, taking a moment to unwrap the cloth from her body. It takes a bit of effort, but Tail-Chaser will see at the end that it's just a modified cloak with extra straps and slits cut into it so it'll be easier to wrap it around the wearer easier and keep it so. She also reaches up to undo her muzzle-guard, letting it hang around her neck so she can yawn, revealing that every one of her teeth have been filed down to razor edges. If Tail-Chaser looks closer, she'll see that the claws aren't so much steel-tipped, but seem to have actually grown around fake metals claws, showing that the were forcefully implanted in her fingers some time ago. "I'm Blood-Top." She admits with a smile before reaching up to pick at her teeth with a claw, getting rid of a bit of sand that went through her guard. "And my Pack sent me here to get a Name because we wiped out our rivals last winter." She explains with a tone of great sadness.

[Recaiden]

The Forest

Aric hums a bouncy tune as he boldly makes his way north through the forest. He has a travel pack on his right shoulder, his shield on his left and his spear is being used as a walking staff, its mahogany shaft smooth from use. He has a dagger at his side, but it's sheathed and tucked under his heavy, woolen cloak. He shivers slightly, the temperature is lower than what he'd prefer, but this adventurer has faced worse.

Aric Kale walks through the forest, no attempt at stealth or keeping quiet. He seems at ease but in actuality he is watching everything...

Interaction Wanted

[The Forest]

A distance behind him, someone else is watching everything, moving closer and closer. He wouldn't see any odd movements, but anyone looking in the right direction might see that the light is a bit odd, shining from the wrong angle behind some plants. And if he has some way of knowing, it's rather warmer over there than the chill he feels.

[Aric Kale]

Spoiler

Show

[The Forest]

A distance behind him, someone else is watching everything, moving closer and closer. He wouldn't see any odd movements, but anyone looking in the right direction might see that the light is a bit odd, shining from the wrong angle behind some plants. And if he has some way of knowing, it's rather warmer over there than the chill he feels.

The Forest

Aric wouldn't notice the odd lighting, as his spear has an odd side affect; this pearlescent spear blade glows in the light, especially in the sunlight. Because he is in a forest, the dappled lighting is making his spear glow haphazardly, he would not notice the odd lighting.
However, the shivering adventurer can feel the warmth and slowly walks over to investigate, the shield sliding down from his shoulder onto his arm...

[Recaiden]

[Forest]

The heat grows as he gets closer, from 'slightly less cold' to warm to uncomfortably hot. Aric would be getting very close to the source then.
He would find it difficult to miss the light now, which has the character of something oddly-shaped burning softly within those bushes there, but he might be a bit distracted, as a small sapling off to his side (past his shield arm) has just burst into flame. The shape withing the brush shifts slightly, drawing a little closer.