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 Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:23 pm
The Corrupted Mana Pool
Another thing that would draw the attention to one with an eye fro detail, is the many sharp, angular looking crystals sticking out of the ground surrounding the mana pool. These crystals look like they are shards from larger living crystal. But non of the surrounding living crystal appear to be damaged.
Then suddenly one of the closer crystals begins to shake slightly, rocking back and forth and side to side, then spider like legs appear to pull themselves from the ground surround the crystals. The legs flex and the crystal pulls itself out of the ground, the lower half unfolding into two large claw-like crystals. If one had to describe what emerged one would say it was like a hermit crab that not only used the crystal as a home on its back, but to also attaching it to it's claws like a weapon.
The creature clacks its claws at Xavier and a chattering noise comes from its mandibles, which look very sharp. One would assume it uses these mandibles to carve out its home. The creature moves from side to side, waving its claws and making its chattering noise, its almost like a dance, if it wasn't waving its claws in a menacing fashion.
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:37 pm
 "In slendid grandour do beings seek.."
"Ah... I figured I would be forced with an obstacle... Hindering me isn't the most intelligent move another being could make, but then again I can't say this creature won't be the end of me.." Xavier said under his breath scanning the area from his memory. It always did help that he was good with mental images. "I had better not try to cast to powerful of a spell, this creature is made from the living crystal of this forest most likely and I should think it would be a very bad ordeal if I was to be done in by my own enchantment... Better start slow and see how it reacts to more physical attacks and maybe a few minor spells." Xavier concluded out loud as if to give the creature some sort of advantage in the battle. That wasn't the case however, Xavier was just bad at keeping his battle strategies to himself when it came to something he had been analyzing rather critically. Xavier made a swift movement backwards and grabbed Zenith with both of his hands and held the staff above his head as if to smash the crab like creature with a large mallet.
Sure enough, a force field like wave gathered around the end of the staff with a greenish colored light. "Lets see what your made of!" Xavier cried out as he jumped unusually high off of the ground and came down at the creature with a powerful force. When he had yelled out that he was going to see what the creature was made of he meant it literally as finding which mineral made up most of the creature rather than it's own skills. Xavier was rarely one to taunt his enemies as he knew such foolish actions could be his own downfall. A thick air surrounded the area while a low pitched buzzing sound could be heard from a great distance away from where Xavier was; soon he would see about how strong this creature was and if possible he would find out more about its origin.
"..the fantasies that will make them immortal."
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:57 pm
The Corrupted Mana Pool
The creature stops suddenly when Xavier leaps into action, it chitters wildly at him before finally pulling it's self back into it's shell, its claws sealing up any exposed area. It now looks like a chunk of crystal again, with no sign that it was ever a living creature.
When Xavier's staff makes contact with the crystal on the creature, a magical reaction occurs and it feels as if all force is drained from the attack. As if one had just hit a fluffy pillow if one were to describe the feeling, another thing to note if one was attuned to the powers of mana; is that the crystal is actually leeching mana from the staff itself. In fact it could be seen that the crystal was not only leeching it from the staff but from the surrounding area as well.
The crystal begins to glow now in a hue of multiple colors that grow brighter and brighter until finally a beam of this energy erupts from the top of the creature's "back" and races towards Xavier.
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:22 pm
"In slendid grandour do beings seek.."
Seeing as Xavier has just regained his footing, he was unable to move as he has planned. The beam collided with Xavier and forced him back a good bit but did not make him stagger very much. A white light surrounded him for a moment as the beam his him but faded shortly after in the form of more feathers falling to the ground. "I see that my physical magic is of no use... Lets try something a bit more abstract." Xavier muttered to himself as he held Zenith high above his head. After a moments time the crystalline trees surrounding the crab like creature began to move on Xavier's whim. A flash of light from the large orb on the end of Zenith signified the natural flora of the area would attack the crab like creature while Xavier would use a host of affliction based spells to whittle the monster down. It was obvious it would use any mana Xavier exerted into the area so Xavier would have to play smart on this one with overloading the crab beast as a last resort; seeing as he didn't know how much mana the beast could hold just yet, it could be deadly to try such a maneuver.
AS two trees began to lash at the shell of the crab, Xavier held up his right hand and made his palm emit a large thick pulse of malignant energy; not being aligned to the energies of darkness but rather being negative energy in general. As the pulse raced over towards the crab, Xavier had to think critically on what the spell would specifically do. With concentration, the spell would be like poison and slowly make the beast's shell collapse from the inside out. The spell would of course not effect the trees or other natural wild life of the area as it was meant to break the enemy specifically. He would be ready this time should the crab decide to fire more mana based beams or should it launch at Xavier with it's massive body.
"..the fantasies that will make them immortal."
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:48 pm
The Corrupted Mana Pool
The branches controlled by Xavier's magic seem to slow with each hit they make on the creature's crystal shell, until eventually they stop all together, seconds later they crumble and fall to the ground, lifeless, all the mana absorbed from them. As the pulse of malignant energy nears the creature it begins to change, the mana used within the pulse begins to change its flow. One could best describe it like a creature who feeds on poisonous plants changing the chemical compounds of the poison into something harmless.
The shell begins to glow even brighter this time as it absorbs the two sources of mana. This time the creature exposes its soft body as it unfolds its claws and aims them both towards Xavier, twin beams of mana fire from them, and actually instead of heading towards Xavier himself; the beams of mana head straight for his staff! Could this creature really be cunning enough to attack Xavier's weapon? Or was it reacting to the mana that the staff was generating?
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:58 pm
"In slendid grandour do beings seek.."
DAMN IT! Xavier thought furiously as the last attacks were in vain it seemed. An opening! Xavier thought once more as he threw Zenith into the air and dismissed his staff; it faded quickly without signs of ever being there. Thinking as quickly as he could, Xavier slammed his fist into the ground and uttered a quick chant. A small circle appeared around the exact point where his fist and the ground made contact. Suddenly without warning a large spire of earthen mineral tore up from the ground underneath the monstrosity; it was an attempt at a weak point or at least what seemed to be a weak point. By this time Xavier was beginning to realize how he could distract the beasts mind. There were a few more tactics left to be tried before Xavier would give up, but he couldn't ignore the energy that had been directed at Zenith for it was still loose. "Berritola, dinner time!" Xavier yelled loudly as the small imp opened its mouth and began to suck in the radical energy. As Xavier had feared however, the small imp exploded after eating so much mana.
"..the fantasies that will make them immortal."
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:27 pm
The Corrupted Mana Pool
The creature screeches in pain as the spire easily tears into the exposed soft body. The creature grows limp and the crystals surround it's claws fall to the ground. For a moment it seems this battle is over, that is, until the other crystals surrounding the mana pool begin to move. There had to be at least five more of the crystal-like creatures, and as they emerged from their little holes in the ground, they let out a horrible screeching sound. It's as if they were crying for their fallen brother, and they were pissed.
Moments later a loud crashing sound could be heard from the patch of crystal trees behind the mana pool. A sound that got louder and louder until the trees themselves are destroyed as a much larger crystal creature emerges from the surrounding forest. It had to be at least the size of a small house, easily dwarfing its smaller brethren that surrounded the mana pool. The smaller creatures scatter into the forest, using the path the larger creature created as an escape route. When the other creatures had escaped, the larger creature steps over the mana pool, screeching and waving its claws in a menacing manner towards Xavier.
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:48 pm
"In slendid grandour do beings seek.."
Xavier was at first very surprised to see more of the crystal creatures cry out in anguish yet that surprise subsided when the towering creature appeared. Xavier began to laugh hysterically at his own luck. It was better than one might think. Xavier moved to the mana pool with incredible speed, mostly from the spell he used to hasten his speed, and threw the bag into it. No, the pool was not yet cleansed but Xavier had a theory that mmay be disproved soon. "Now perish!" Xavier yelled out as he quickly gathered a good sum of mana and threw it into the pool which lay directly beneath the hulking leviathan animal. The ensuing explosion erupted violently but instead of splashing the water out of the pool it made jagged spikes of ice that pointed at the crab's exposed flesh if there was any. Seeing as the strange enemies seemed to feed off of energy all together, Xavier thought up another way to quickly incapacitate them, or at least stall them from the fight while he had to deal with the larger one.
"O spirits of the crystal forest, grant me your will and let my actions be carried through!" Xavier pleaded to the forest as he held up his hands and let strange spheres fly from them. They encircled the crabs and began to not only suck energy from the area they were surrounding but stopped more from entering. The larger one wouldn't be effected even if Xavier could cast the orbs onto it as it was over the mana pool; he didn't bother. After he was finished casting his spells, Xavier moved back without a second thought. There was no way to predict how the beasts were going to react to the magic.
"..the fantasies that will make them immortal."
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:54 pm
The Corrupted Mana Pool
For a moment it seemed the plan had worked, the sharp ice embeds itself in the soft underbelly of the beast its blood drips down from the wounds. That is until the ice begins to get pulled further into the body of the beast, melting into the waters it once was. The creature's body was absorbing the mana waters and its shell begins to glow with a very fierce light. Sparks of mana jump from the large crystal on his back at random, destroying anything it touches in a burst of elemental fury. Some are destroyed by ice, fire, lighting, and any other element on the spectrum. Whatever was happening the creature was obviously unable to control the power that the mana water was feeding into it, and it was only gonna get worse.
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 8:24 pm
"In slendid grandour do beings seek.."
Xavier watched for a moments time as the crab began to have a magic meltdown and quickly thought of something. The sparks that were jumping off were clearly to dangerous to get close to, but they could be used against the creature. Xavier held out his hand and summoned Zenith in the immaculate flash of light that brought it fourth. Before the mana feathers could reach the ground, Xavier pointed the staffs head at the monstrosity and directed the little amounts of mana at the turtle to absorb. After they got close enough, Xavier quickly clicked the butt of his weapon on the ground casting a powerful barrier around the area. It would be unacceptable if he took out half of the island trying his experiment; he learned from someone else's mistake. The barrier was just big enough to surround the "mother crab" and the smaller crabs. If it was any bigger he would not be able to enforce it properly. While he put up the barrier he cast another spell for elemental absorption on the barrier made of a shiny purplish light. It had come to a last resort type situation; it was impossible to end as Xavier had hoped. Now that he had the enemies encased in the barrier, Xavier removed the spells to stop the smaller crabs from gaining mana and enchanted the barrier with a mirror spell to reflect the luminous beams they would surely fire. It was almost time...
Xavier had to now stab Zenith into the barrier so that it could release extreme amounts on mana into the barrier; he did so and let his staff sink into the done protective done. "Zenith, release your material binding and let your energy sink into the beings around you." Xavier said knowing he wouldn't be able to summon Zenith for at least twenty-four hours after this. The energy from the staff whirred around the dome trying to sink into the crab creatures as Xavier commanded. In the meanwhile, Xavier stood back chanting furiously to fortify his barrier.
"..the fantasies that will make them immortal."
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 5:17 pm
  ● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ●  Turning her head slightly, Raine glanced behind her at Tsuna. "Well, we'll see. We're going on the cruise anyways, might as well see where it'll take us. Maybe I'll become fond of someplace it travels to." Honestly Raine had just planned to explore for a while, make ground, do something. She'd never had a set destination. She figured that eventually she'd find some place that she liked, and would end up staying there someday. But for now, she preferred to just drift.
She felt no particular need to rush, yet. They’d only have to make a quick break for it if some soldiers showed up or something, so the only thing they’d have to worry about at the moment would be catching the cruise before all the rooms were taken up. But, Raine was confident. How could she not get a room? After all, she was the- ….No, actually, she wasn’t anymore. She almost stopped again as the realization hit her that she wouldn’t be able to use her position to get what she wanted anymore. For a moment a pout found her features, but, then she sighed, and shrugged it off. She should have assumed something like that would happen. You can’t run away from royalty and still expect to get all the benefits. But man, that would’ve made this so much easier! She began to pick up the pace again; for the first time, she was feeling the pressure of a normal person. She didn’t quite like it, per say, but it did send an odd thrill of excitement through her.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:26 pm
The Corrupted Mana Pool
As soon as Xavier released the energy from his staff into the barrier. Then smaller crabs began to go berserk with the overflow of mana. Mana beams start to go off left and right bouncing off the barrier and back to the crabs themselves. This feedback seems to be too much for the creatures because each time a mana beam returns, a crystal is destroyed.
With each smaller crab who's shell breaks apart new energy is released and finds its way to the larger crab. This causes the already unstable reaction to become even more violent until finally a large crack appears on the crab's crystal back. It is slow to grow at first, but then it picks up pace and grows in size until finally the crystal shatters and all the pent up energy in the crab is released. But not in an explosion of destructive mana as one would have expected, no, instead it is released as mana water and appears like rain as it falls to the ground. The crystal forest grows silence once again.
For a moment at least. From behind Xavier the sound of people wearing armor and their voices echo through the forest. A few moments later a small group of Elven soldiers steps from the tree line. They seem surprised to see Xavier here and more surprised to see the corpses of large creatures near a mana pool. The Elf in front with a fancier helm then the rest speaks up, "What in the name of the Goddess are you doing here outsider....." As if on cue the four soldiers with him aim their spears at Xavier even as their leader continues to speak, "....we don't even allow commoners near such a sacred place as this."
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:39 pm
"So you say lighting never strikes twice huh......."Tsuna almost sighs with disdain but manages to hold himself back. He didn't really like not knowing where he was going. It was dangerous and foolish to be unprepared for what was ahead, no mater the destination. It was one of the many lessons his late master had taught Tsuna about survival in the Isles. But he supposed other races did things differently. As much as he disliked it.....Tsuna half expected to hear the grating and insulting voice of his late master telling him he was fool to follow someone without the knowledge to survive. He even half expected to feel the sting of the switch his late master would use to get his point across.
The sounds of people shouting echoes through the forest and reaches his ears. They seemed to be looking for someone as the words "Find her!" are picked up from the previously still and quite air of the forest. Tsuna frowns as a thought crosses his mind, "Are you a fugitive on the run?" He didn't like the idea of being summoned by someone that would use him for malicious intent.
"You would be dead wrong......"
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:07 pm
"In slendid grandour do beings seek.."
With luck, Xavier's plan had worked as he hoped though it was much less cataclysmic than he had thought. As the adamantine crab creatures fell to pieces, Xavier held his hand out and caught a few of the water droplets; they seemed to super charge his spiritual energy. Taking out a small bottle, he quickly filled it up with the mana rain before hearing the voices from behind him. As per usual, the reinforcements show up after the battle is fought and won but it was such fate. The air in the forest now smelt clean and crisp with a refreshing after scent. Glistening droplets fell like diamonds around the area which made the fight seem worth more than the reward of a bottle of mana water. In his happiness, Xavier was quite content with being confronted by the elves; it would be easier to get back to civilization with there help, be it in chains or carriage.
"Ah. My dear sir, I would be most pleased to let you know who exactly I am. Ptolemy Gairna, Sage of the Setting Sun at your service. I've no doubt that in your education, you've heard of me in some way. If not, I will happily present myself before the king to prove myself." Xavier said in a suave baritone voice "I was simply taking a quest here on Illuminati Island to further my research in the mythical power of the mana pools. I assure you I mean no harm in my presence and in fact I was just cleansing this wondrous wood of a nasty demon that seemed to taint one of the pools." Xavier paused briefly catching his breath "If you need me to exit with you, I've no problem with following your orders." Xavier said releasing all of his magical spells on the area, regaining a bit of energy. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the letter and the map he was given along with the quest note. Holding his hand out to the elf, Xavier offered the few items to the elven captain to confirm his presence.
"..the fantasies that will make them immortal."
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:10 pm
● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ● Raine was slightly concerned by Tsuna's silent response to her answer. She turned around to face him, now walking backwards with her arms crossed behind her back, flier still in hand. "What? Did you have someplace in mind or something?" She doubtfully raised an eyebrow, as if to provoke him into suggesting something. She wasn't, though. It's not like he had anything better to do now than follow after her, where they go shouldn't matter as long as they had a say in it.
Suddenly, Raine flinched as she heard the voice of what could only be an Elven soldier. She looked up at Tsuna like a kid who got caught with their hand in a cookie jar when he tossed out an accusation. "Well... technically. But it's not like I killed anyone!" She seemed to get a more angry expression as she finished that line, then realizing that he had probably assumed something of the like.
She let out a harsh breath in annoyance before facing forwards again, sticking closer to trees and hopefully out of much sight as she picked up the pace. "I suppose I should let you in, if only to shut you up about it... I'm, er, the princess." She practically spat the word out, thinking of all the horrid times that came from it. "I'm running away, that's why they're looking for me." She afforded herself a quick glance back, if only to see his reaction. Hopefully this wouldn't get too awkward. Or attention-grabbing.
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