Unlurking Sentinel
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"Halhi, Nuparu, could you confirm for us the nocturnal habits of the Nui-Rama?" He paused to compose his words. "Unfortunately, we are not able to identify whether that Trespassing scalekin would have hunted us in our sleep. The threat of such a catastrophe was real. Thankfully, we were not, and in the end, only one of us sustained serious injuries." Cicivexa paused again, to look at himself. "To that end, however, all we can thank is sheer luck. We were lucky tonight. Based on the information we had, our most trusted of guides recognized this as a safe place to camp for the night. If any Nui-Rama attacked us in the night, one of us would be keeping watch, and regardless, it would not be the regional swarm you had summoned with your fifty-times-po- augh!" Just as he elevated his voice, his lungs had begun burning again. Oh gods, the pain. "...Hikari is right. We should rest for tonight, and save our complaints for the morn. Demon hunter, know that you have my trust that you haven't the thought to betray us. It is all you are going to get." Though still uncontent with where he left things, he nonetheless crawled to a more comfortable place to rest, and went to bed once more. Hopefully he wouldn't have any thick-skulled party members criticizing his breathing this time. -
Cicivexa gave a pained sigh of exasperation, and assumed a more comfortable position in the dirt. "You have no further intention to defend yourself, then. Know that I am not thrilled by the opportunity to be proven correct on my suspicions a second time this quest." What a party to be gathered. Gods, what even was the reason any of us were called for this? Dangerous monsters, insane dark goddesses, paranoid psychopaths... how do we have any chance against this "Trespasser" threat if we could not even kill one of them? Are we all just the most powerful individuals our homerealms didn't want to keep? Cicivexa reached for a flask on his belt, hoping it would quicken the healing, before noticing that the potion was long expired. This is going to be a long adventure.
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"I can attempt to imagine the logic of wanting to kill them while they have yet to compromise you. Given the apparent quantity of the subject's aether, as well as the immense and seemingly universal simple-mindedness of the demons of her Star, it could become a life-or-death situation the moment she would be in their presence." I cannot believe I am defending the logic of this lunatic, and I know not whether to envy or fear for her place of origin. "Regardless, demon hunter, your story fails to line up in one glaring regard: how did you manage to wound and cripple a self-proclaimed god, with incomprehensible power to support said claim, and as far as I understand, the ability to read the mind as if it were an open book? He would not allow any wounds for himself to the best of his, I repeat, incomprehensible ability."
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"I still don't trust her," Cicivexa muffled through his hat. "How do we know she isn't playing dumb? Perhaps the Makuta better supplied the situation to her than she's said, and she lured those monsters to impede us." Though conscious, he still couldn't quite stand up with his injuries; all he could do was weakly attempt to gesture his staff in her direction. "Who's to say she has no intentions to continue doing so?"
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Cicivexa grabbed the brim of his hat with both hands and pulled it over his face upon Tsubasa's further needling. This was made more difficult by the bulky mask in the way.
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Cicivexa gained consciousness fairly quickly, but attempted to feign otherwise. He heard the others discussing their- his- failure to eradicate the trespassing beast. It was difficult to tell if he wasn't responding out of shame, trauma, or physical pain, but when he caught Sanada's ill comment, his head immediately raised to respond. "My magicks require naught less than complete concentration, lest you question my priorities. Had I been afforded just a few more moments, the beast would never have even touched me before it would collapse dead. Is it not the most basic, common courtesy for adventurers on your Star to... protect... one's allies..." Cicivexa caught a glimpse of the man tending to his wounds, before immediately dropping back into feigning unconciousness. Now there was no question as to the shame. One could cut it with a knife.
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And with the eruption of the scales, Cicivexa's magical barrier was shattered by a flurry of Celestial Spears, just as he seemed to direct the creature's enmity towards himself. No one could possibly doubt that if it threw even a fraction of its weight into him, he'd enter Thal's realm (or whatever the others believe in) with no delay. If he had any chance of killing this monstrosity, no matter how small, he needed to put his full force into it this time. And so, he assumed a channeling stance, and a mass of darkness emanated from the Stardust Rod, before he threw the full force of himself into summoning a massive structure of ice aether, just above where the beast was heading, primed to drop. And just as it impacted its target, he flicked his staff once more, and (hopefully) everyone within meters could feel the heat from the ensuing aetheric firestorm. This had to be the killing, or at least crippling blow. It just had to be. It had to be. Cicivexa casts Blizzard I on the Bazelgeuse, dealing (5d6+21)*3/4 ice damage, with a 28% chance of inflicting a critical hit for 2x damage. He gains Umbra for the next 3 turns! He then Swiftcasts Flare I, dealing (5d6+19)*1.05 fire damage, with a 28% chance of inflicting a critical hit for 2x damage. He gains Astra for the next 1 turn! Umbra's duration is lowered by 1 turn. Effects & Cooldowns: Stats & Abilities:
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It was immediately clear that this monster was not of this world. After the weeks since Cicivexa was first called to fight Trespassers, only now did he finally encounter one. The Black Mage's response to it? The same response as usual: summoning firestorms. Cicivexa casts Flare III on the Bazelgeuse, as well as three of the Nui-Rama, dealing (7d6+17) fire damage, with a 28% chance to inflict a Critical Hit for 2x damage! Effects & Cooldowns: Stats & Abilities:
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"Yes, it is quite clear what you did, Sanada. Why you did it, however, remains a mystery." Cicivexa was about to unleash another Flare when the massive flying beast approached. Sadly, the Kanohi Akaku possessed no night vision, so he was just as unable to discern its features as the rest of the group, but it was clear that this would be the real fight compared to the Nui-Rama. It could render him a stain on the dirt the moment it turned its attention toward him, so he recognized that the best course of action would be self-protection. Cicivexa cast Manaward, negating the damage of the next two attacks targeted at him! Effects & Cooldowns: Stats & Abilities:
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"Oh, seven hells!" Just how many of us called to fight trespassers are either creatures of darkness, those who resemble creatures of darkness, and/or those sworn to kill all creatures of darkness?! He cast the Doom Cloak from his still-open bag and towards the rest of the group. "Here, it bestows a small amount of power! Take it if you wish!" Then, with the Stardust Rod still in his hand, he commanded forth ice aether into a solid block in front of the swarm, shattering upon impact. With nary a moment to pause, he flicked the staff once more and a bright incinerating explosion manifested in the swarm! Cicivexa activated the Mask of Vision as a free action (giving all of his attacks this round perfect accuracy), and took stock of how many enemies were approaching, as well as which ones he could target. Cicivexa casts Blizzard I, dealing (10d6+21)*3/8 ice damage (with a 28% chance to crit for 2x damage) to one of the Nui-Ruma. He gains Umbra for the next 3 turns! Cicivexa uses Swiftcast I to cast Flare I, dealing (5d6+19)/2 fire damage (with a 28% chance to crit for 2x damage) to four of the Nui-Ruma. He gains Astra for the next 1 turn! Umbra's duration is lowered by 1 turn. Effects & Cooldowns: Stats & Abilities:
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"Indeed, and regardless where my magic comes from, this new world and body means it comes from somewhere else altogether." He then turned to Cell's offer. "How did you... never mind." He grabbed a slice of cake and wrapped in a cloth from his bag, to eat later when they could confirm it was safe. "I cannot fault you for your drive, nor for your confusion, but you need only look at yourself to understand that, as Edmond says, nothing from where we come from applies here. As a hunter of beings similar enough to what you call 'demons' myself, I already learned that the hard way."
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Cicivexa loosened the grip on his staff, but did not put it away. "I suppose I have to make introductions once again... the name is Cicivexa Vivivexa. No, I do not use any power drawn from Voi- from Demons, I suppose is the word you use. Though I may be a Black Mage, that mistake of Mhach is one that I do not intend to repeat." This was likely to become exhausting.
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Cicivexa had been considering the immensely dangerous plight that was Hikari (whether the group should just kill her now or if they should try to secure a stable and ethical source of these 'blood beads'), when a sword-wielding new figure materialized in front of him! His Stardust Rod was drawn in an instant, as he considered the immense new information she had dropped on him. "W... h... you say you managed to land a blow on the Makuta?" "...And also that he told you about the fight against the Trespassers?" The skew of Cicivexa's priorities were quite visible at this point. "How do we know you aren't lying? About any of this?" Cicivexa's grip on his staff tightened. "You are by no means the first one to choose to align with him, among those who came from other worlds."
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Well, that girl's description of herself was immensely suspicious. "You could also say about yourself where you get those beads, and what happens when you don't drink them. It would be best to understand how to work with any ...risks surrounding who we are working with." Cicivexa couldn't identify anything by name outside of his home-reality, but her description seemed to match either someone corrupted by a Voidsent, an undead, or a very severe addict to some physique-enhancing drug. None of these possibilities were good. "Regardless, my name is Cicivexa Vivivexa. By race I am a Lalafell, by profession I am an adventurer, and by method I am one of the only remaining carriers of the art of Black Magic." He held the dark-colored crystal he was holding to the fire. It was somewhat flat, looked from a distance to have smooth edges, and had a curved teardrop shape. It had a bright purple sigil on one of the flat sides, which looked like a falling meteor. "A known liar once told me I was the chosen of the twin god Nald'Thal. In terms of my risks, Black Magic is primarily fueled by drawing upon the aether, or the life, of the world itself for its destructive potential." "Or at the very least, it used to when I was in my original form." He turned away from the party and toward the ground.
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The veil of shadow concealing Cicivexa's mask dissipted; it would be dangerous to maintain with so much darkness. He grabbed a chain necklace from his neck (hidden underneath his robes) and removed from it a dark purple crystal, big enough to fit in his palm. He inspected the crystal for a good while, searching it for any outward signs demonstrating what had gone wrong. Why had his attunement to it decreased? His new body? Some curse he hadn't heard of? Had something gone wrong with the crystal, or with him? And for that matter, what had happened to his magic? No matter how much he tried to pull aether from the world, it felt more like it was pulling from his new body instead. It wasn't quite as strong as he desired but... the fact that this body could provide such power in the first place was intriguing.
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After being let go by Edmond, Cicivexa immediately drew the Purging Rod from his belt (a smaller, faster scepter than the Stardust Rod) and held it towards him, an ominous energy concentrating, ...until it dissipated as quickly as it appeared, and the black mage returned the scepter to his belt. "As much as I am wont to break threats, now is not the time to kill one another." He then drew the much more familiar Stardust Rod from his back, and faced it towards Edmond. "But had that daft woman in the Armor not negated my magic in running away, I would have handled the situation just fine without your help, or the help of that disc gifted to Cell by Makuta himself." "Do not. Underestimate. My Black Magic." His mask was consumed by projected shadow once again when he said this. One would think that there were only a few moments in which boasting would be less effective than immediately after flailing like a lost child in another's arms, but one would generally struggle to think like Cicivexa. "I do not have the time for this. While it is possible that the gathering of infected Rahi isn't surrounding the Wind Stone, and is instead a trap meant to kill us, we do not have the time to waste if it is not." Even when advising haste, he was unable to avoid lecturing on the risks he alone perceived. "Even if it is a trap, I know that we are all easily capable of surviving it. There is nothing that even the gods could throw at us that we could not annihilate in our wake." "That I could not annihilate in my wake."
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"H-hey! I had the situation under control! LET ME GO!" The diminutive mage flailed wildly in Edmond's grip, flinging spells in various directions. He tried to fulfill his earlier promise of immolating Edmond's arms if he touched him, but without solid footing or time to focus (and without the power to perform another Swiftcast), all he could command were pitifully weak shockwaves.
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And after all of our planning, this is just about the second worst possible direction it could go. Thanks to that useless golem, the clearly dangerous and highly resourceful man now has a luck-manipulation mask, even more enemies entered the scene to harass us, and despite everything, the trap was still triggered. Well, it could be worse. At least we didn't immediately die from the collapse. And I won't let us die here, for certain. Cicivexa swiftly cast the cloak over his shoulders, quickly pivoted on his feet, and from an instant flick of his staff, a mass of aether (or whatever this bizarre universe uses) from the surrounding area immediately condensed into what looked like a massive chunk of ice in front of the boulder, hopefully freezing it in its tracks! (Cicivexa puts on the Doom Cloak and instantly Swiftcasts Blizzard I, dealing 15 Initiative Damage (based on Intelligence) to the boulder! If damage is relevant, it also deals (5d6+22)/2 damage!) He then immediately pivoted back around into a dash, not risking another, slower cast unless the boulder was almost stopped. "Hold it back with all you've got!!!"
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I don't recall mounts being described in the "mandatory lore" (it's definitely mentioned in the nation lore), but coming from someone who's witnessed the design process on the Discord the whole way through, mounts will be whatever small animals can be ridden by 1.5 to 3 inch people, such as rabbits, frogs, and birds.
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"Now then, could you give me the number of summers, moons, and days since your birth? This will be crucial information in chronicling your history, erm... what was your name again?"
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"...Well then, what are you waiting for, golem? Excecute my plan!" I swear, this thing is so difficult to deal with, how in Thal's name did a mentally crippled voidsent/primal/whatever manage to deal with it, especially when it appears to have been involved in the mental crippling?!
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Hmm... Doom seems prepared to hide his identity. Cicivexa wanted to tell if he was or wasn't capable of using the Kanohi. The latter would most certainly make his plan a lot easier. "Gozer, was it? I can see the places you should be able to obstruct." Cicivexa then gave detailed instructions as to which gears should be stopped, while able to observe Gozer as they went. "Now then, that should prevent the trap from going off, but I feel like it's best to take further precautions. Everyone should leave the room save for one of us. That one will then take the mask, and don it with all haste. If the obstructions to the trap somehow fail, then I believe it possible that the Kanohi Calix will protect them. I doubt it would weave a fate of its own destruction, after all. Not a likely fate, at least." "Now, as for who will take the mask..." Cicivexa glanced around the room, debating in his mind for a moment or two. "...Say, Gozer, when you entered the stone wall, the mask you wore entered with you, yes? Perhaps you could hide in the floor with it, in case the trap somehow still goes off."
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Cicivexa paused for a moment. "...I was not paying attention to Cell's communication. My apologies," he remarked while bowing, "thank you both for the excellent plan." "That said," as his head turned up from the bow, "I do not believe I was suggesting any 'rash' action. I was going to propose a means to reduce the risk, after soliciting the rest of you for other such means, because I recognized that the plan I was going to suggest, on its own, would still be overly risky." He then paused briefly, and hurriedly returned to bowing. "But... again, thank you. I'll get to studying the support immediately." Cicivexa's own studies weren't focused in architecture or mechanics, but he figured if Cell could notice the loadbearer, then... wait, when did we start calling that thing 'Cell'? Is that its name? It can't speak, did it write its name in the sand while I wasn't looking? Or did Edmond already know its name before we came here? Or is that just what everyone agreed on calling it? ...Regardless, Cicivexa, with the Kanohi Akaku, began studying the trap mechanism and its relation to the structural support, to see where it would be best to brace it.
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"Don't Panic!", Cicivexa shouted towards the abberation, "This is not the trapped mask! The writings said as much, at least." "Regardless, I have a plan to safely retrieve the other mask as well, or at least to minimize the risk of its destruction. But before I attempt anything dangerous, I would like to hear everyone else's ideas."
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This individual seemed more predictable as time passed. Cicivexa could hardly believe that he mistook Doom for a mask guardian of some kind. He just had one more suspicion... "Well, if it is as powerful as you say it is...", he remarked, before reaching up, grabbing the Kanohi Akaku, pulling the Rock Stone from it, and then switching out his old mask for this new one. He inspected what was underneath the new forms of his companions, the forms of their Matoran companions, and Doom's true visage.