RP:Buggy Preparations
Svilfon paces along outside the cavern, occasionally swearing.
Satoshi reluctantly tracks down the source of the swearing, hoping against all hope it isn't that damn parrot again but knowing that if it -is-... she'll have to eradicate him from her home immediately. So when it's a pacing wizard she finds, the kit brightens considerably and hails him with a wave that's mimicked by the golem trudging along behind her. "Pointy hat~."
Svilfon offers the snow queen an ambiguous tip of his hat and a slight grin, "Lady icicle." He looks over to Buster and can't help but give a little gulp; last time those two were together Svil got a broken arm out of it. "Buster." After a lingering look at the golem, Svil once again shifts his gaze to the snow queen. "Time to repay the favor, Satoshi." There is an ominious way those simple words echo in the cavern. "Are you ready?"
Satoshi glances about the echoing cavern as her whiskers give an uneasy twitch, but nonetheless she nods at the question. "As I'll ever be. Better this, than confronting him blind, non?" Still, there is a distinct lack of that playful use of their shared saying when it comes to them plunging into danger. Bad things happen when the wizard is this serious.
Svilfon doesn't answer Satoshi's question, instead he turns on his heel and prepares to enter the house. "Follow me." He is unusually quiet today... But then, what he plans is a bit beyond their usual training... Someone could well get very, very hurt. But it is the only way.
Satoshi doesn't need to be an empath to feel the tension and seriousness coming off Svilfon in almost palpable waves. With a foreboding shudder, she tails after the wizard, with her golem in tow, as she intends to bring Buster or similar along with her as well should she face the Leech. No sense going into a fight blind and underequipped, after all.
Ensorcelled Dojo
Have you exited the manor by mistake? It's easy to believe so upon entering this room, as the walls are a near perfect replica of the twilight cave outside and sprawl for an alarming distance in all directions. How the high ceiling doesn't collapse upon the stretched room is obvious at once, however. Smooth pillars of agate, jasper, azurite, opal and other rare gems stand firm at measured intervals, carefully arranged to provide their much needed function without intruding upon the purpose of this enormous room. For you've stepped into a dojo, one well-stocked and apparently well-used if the deep gouges and scratches present everywhere are any evidence. The long walls are heavily hung with racks of weapons ranging from simple swords to exotic lances, tower shields to tomes filled with spells, and just about everything in between, providing a wide number of choices to any using this place for solo-training or casual spars. The most spectacular feature to this room, however, is one not immediately recognizable. It takes the depositing of a gemstone into a slender, notched marble pedestal at the door to set the ancient enchantments into motion. Once this is accomplished, the simple room will transform from floor to ceiling, and although the measurements remain the same, little else does as the magic within the pillars weave a spectacular illusion. A boulder-riddled lava pit, storm-torn grassland, mire of toxic sludge, sandy floor beneath the sea, black void of anti-magic, any of these and more are a possible environment you'll find yourself in once the room has been awakened, and all for the sole purpose to providing a variety of training grounds without the need for travel. What sort of unique battlefield will spring to life with the depositing of the next stone? And will you be able to triumph over the variety of conditions instilled?
Svilfon drops four potent healing potions just outside the door, perhaps an indication of the level of training he intends this day. With a faint smile that is not wholly pleasant, the wizard moves to the center of the enscrolled room and stands beside the pedestal. Only then does he speak. "This may be... painful... But there can be no quarter given, for your devil is greater than mine ever was. Prepare yourself, queen of snow and ice." He makes quiet note of Buster, before pulling out a small stone from his fur-lined robes and casually playing with it while the snow queen gets ready.
Svilfon dropped 2 Frostmaw Potion.
Svilfon dropped 2 blood wine.
Satoshi makes silent note of the potions and wine left at the door as a precaution and can't quite quell a nervous tremoring of her whiskers. There is little in this world that can rattle the cryomancer, but Svilfon being deadly serious and warning her to prepare herself is certainly one of those. Comfort can be taken from Buster's loyal presence at her back however, and with a sigh Satoshi clears her mind. Svilfon is given a nod then, silent invitation for him to begin even while a low hum can be heard building at the back of her throat in preparation.
Svilfon spends a long time staring at Satoshi and Buster, before nodding to himself. This is the only way to train her for the parasite; this was not the time for worry. And hell, it's Satoshi, she's more durable than anyone... she is, after all, married to Kasyr. So with that in mind the wizard gets ready. He doesn't immediately use the stone to create an illusionary battlefield, instead he begins to chant a long spell; the words whispering about like trapped ghosts. It goes on for many, many a moment, far longer than one would have to cast in battle, but before he lets out the final syllable he stops, holding it on the tip of his tongue, even though to do so is painful indeed. His hand finally moves the stone into place, then, and immediately the room shimmers and changes: It transforms into an arid landscape; sand as far as the eye can see is whipped around in mini-storms by a dry, hot wind. The twisted remnants of some stubborn trees is the only thing that breaks the bleak area; but they are nothing more than empty skeletons that further enhance the dry death of this place, chosen by the wizard to ensure Satoshi is as far out of her element as possible. When the illusion is settled, Svilfon speaks the final word of his spell, and its effects are instant: A dancing tendril of bright flame burns into sibilant life at the feet of Satoshi. It wastes little time in spiraling up to enciricle the lady icicle like a small tornado, all but obscuring her from view. When it is as high as she is, the wizard clenches his fist, causing the snake-like fires to begin to rapidly close upon itself, hoping to crush her like a python while the hungry flames roast her alive. A brutal spell, especially for training between coterie mates - but with the bug to face, brutality is the only path...
Satoshi's preparatory words follow along with Svilfon's own, and even when the dojo is transformed into a waterless environment she doesn't cease her weavings. Eyes remain locked on the wizard throughout, awaiting the completion of his spell, thus it is like this that the kit is caught flat-footed, not expecting the spell to come to life at her feet without any indication. Sudden heat, the stench of burning fur, and the sudden deep chill of her enchanted boots alerts Satoshi, however, and swiftly she releases her own arcane workings: in a rush Buster's icy form disintegrates into a column of water, and another word--sung out in pain as the flames rise around her, biting harshly at clothing and flesh alike--orders the liquid pillar to upend abruptly. In a hissing gush of steam, the frigid waters of Buster pour down upon Satoshi and the cyclone of fire she's ensnared within, magical element extinguishing magical element in that age old clash and leaving Satoshi on unsteady feet in the midst, thankful for her various protections against fire. Steam rises off her form, the bottom half of her coat has been devoured and charred, and her long hair has been singed into a shorter cut, but she's intact. And thoroughly annoyed. "Again," she growls out, making no move to attack. This lesson isn't about her ability to fight, but how to protect herself from his method of offense.
Svilfon had already begun his next spell as soon as his first was set free, her biting command redundant. He had spent the majority of his recuperation time preparing himself for this, once Satie had been turned back to her normal height. He was ready... he just hoped Satoshi would be, too. So he chants while his hands gesticulate around his body; twisting amongst themselves to form a complicated tapestry of arcane might. When he is finally done, Svilfon drops to his knees and places both his hands on the ground, releasing into it a horrific torrent of burning fires. Almost instantly the sand crystallizes until Svil appears to be kneeling on a huge disk of red-hot glass. With a snarl he clenches his fist and begins to punch the surface, over and over until his knuckles leak blood. When he can handle it no more, the deceased man gets to his feet and raises a sanguine-coated finger at the snow queen. All around him viciously sharp shards rise into the air. They float almost languidly for just a moment, before Svilfon screams a word and sends them flying one after the other at the kit-vampire. They glow like comets as they streak between wizard and magus; each one burning hot, dangerously sharp, and were she to attempt to dodge them all, the snow queen would realize they follow her as much as they can; seeming almost sentient as they try to evade her attempts at evasion...
Satoshi gives her head a sharp shake to clear her thoughts as she awaits Svilfon's next offensive move. The method of attack is recognized swiftly, a move she often performs herself with ice, and one she knows to be dangerously effective. Caught in a realm of limited water and not wanting to waste all of Buster's material so early on, the kit is forced to turn inward in an attempt at defense. A lyrical cry goes out as Satoshi drops to a knee and brings her bracer'd left arm up to protect her chest and face, her magics going to work instantaneously. When the barrage of glass shrapnel hits, they strike against flesh and blood flashfrozen down to the bone, and most of the shards shatter or deflect uselessly against the iceskin enchantment. It's the hottest burning ones that succeed, however, their white-hot essence slicing through the ice armor like butter and rending the skin beneath, unfortunately cooled enough by frigid contact to prevent a cauterizing to the wounds. Frozen as she is, Satoshi's cries of pain go unheard, but the dark stains of crimson pooling in numerous spots beneath the ice is clue enough that Svilfon's glass has found a healthy collection of weak points in her armor. Still, the magus refuses to call it quits now. she's suffered worse than this before.
Svilfon ignores the blood... He has to. This was about preparation, their friendship cannot force him to stop... Would not force him to stop. It is not their way. So he speaks, finally, the spell he feared most; for it was beyond his ability to control, and if the queen of ice and snow was not at her best, it would be the death of her. But he would trust in Satoshi's abilities; there is no time to hold back. He pulls from his robes a handful of diamonds and throws them into the air. Gravity seems thwarted as they do not fall, instead they float over to be above Satoshi. When they have collected themselves, Svil chants words again, the sound vicious and cruel. For this is a spell used by a dark mage who was destroyed by their guild; his evil beyond even the high tolerance the mages set. A black mass of darkness twists into unholy life around the diamonds, forming a perfect circle roughly twice Satoshi's height in length. Running would be useless, for it will follow her movements exactly, and when it is fully formed it begins to arc through the diamonds black streams of nefarious energy. The diamonds seem to refract the lines, until it is a roaring mass of destructive power that would devour anything that was foolish enough to pass through it. As Svilfon finishes off the last of his chant with a flourish and a curse, he prepares himself to watch his friend's fate: Instead of the circle driving down to consume her, the ground beneath the snow queen would rise like a giant wave, the place she stands always the highest point no matter where she tries to move to. Moving perfectly above this, the vile mixture of black magic hungrily waits, ready for her to be pushed into its void and destroyed by a malevolent might so potent it would devour mithril quicker than an icicle left in the hot summer's sun...
Satoshi, once she's dispelled the iceskin, instinctively moves to avoid the looming circle building above her, only to find that it traces her every step. Outrunning it is clearly not an option, and so the kit halts to begin her own rapid counter-workings. The waters of her former golem flood to her aid and are sent skyward toward the diamonds that seem to serve as the focal point of the spell. As the earth beneath her begins to rise and bring her closer to the insidious energies, Satoshi wills herself to ignore it and devote her magics into the waters that begin to trickle into the tiny flaws that dot each gem's surface, feeding her magic into the liquid as it seeps and expands. Diamonds may be one of the hardest natural elements in the land, but ice bewitched by the Snowfall Magus is of a supernatural strength, especially when fueled in a moment where her life is on the line. And so, in a fashion akin to how she'd broken the wraith-ice off Kelovath, Satoshi forces the waters within the diamonds to freeze and expand with violent force. Cracks riddle the gems at first, seeming like they'll resist the ice, before Satoshi's hand flies to the runic tattoo on her shoulder and she cries a Word of Command, voice laden with musical arcane force. The magus is sheathed in a blaze of azure light then as her magic rushes ahead of her rising form to meet the freezing diamonds, flooding them with raw energy until they shatter in a violent shower of diamond-dust. With nothing left to refract the energies, Satoshi can sense the sudden decline in power and throws caution to the wind, hurling the writhing blue aura surrounding her upward to clash against the dark spell's components in a destructive collision of raw magicks she can only hope will cancel each other out.
Svilfon watches Satoshi hurl her azure power at the twirling mass of darkness above her. The fate of the diamonds is noted with a nod of approval. He was ready to tear himself to her side and, against her will or not, teleport the magus as far away from the twisted spell as he could. But such was not needed; his respect for her was growing quite a bit. As azure magic meets nefarious energy, though, there is a moment of silence; twin powers raging a battle against each other beyond normal perception. Then, as is always the case in situations such as these, the combination of two opposite magicks results in a horrific explosion. The sound is deafening, even to Svilfon who is much farther away, and by instinct alone he raises a hand to cover his face. He keeps an eye open to watch, though, ready again to teleport to Satoshi's side if he thinks she is going to die. For above her the release of power if horrendous; it surges outwards in every direction, consuming the air with a vicious hunger as it makes its rapid way towards the ice magus, equally happy to consume her as well...
Satoshi, in a way, is expecting this explosion and has set preparations into motion the instant she propelled the greater force of her magic out of herself. Drained by such an expelling of her own energies to create the collision, the kit is relying upon Asorial's abilities to get her out of this fix hopefully intact, and so the glacial scythe finds its way in her grasp during that moment of silence. Grip tightening to brace against the pain of movement, Satoshi launches herself upward with a leap, the scythe swung up and promptly back down in a violent slicing arc, its supernatural edge sheering the very air and sending it along with a wave of Asorial's own dark energy rushing forward in a concentrated pulse of raw power. Like a snake darting through sands, the streak of Asorial's energy cleaves through the explosion's roiling wave, devouring and weakening a chunk of the force directly in front of Satoshi before it washes over her. The sound is still deafening and the strength still enough to pummel and send her airborne frame sailing, but the fox has managed to escape the absolute worst of the explosion. ..even if she's deposited in a crashing heap at Svilfon's feet, battered, burnt, bruised, and bleeding, and... dare we use another B word... in need of Bandaging.
Svilfon watches intently as Satoshi summorns Asorial and uses the scythe to cleave through the onslought of arcane power exploding in the air above the rising sands. As she is flung through the air the wizard winces and begins to speak a small spell. His voice is hoarse, his magic all but gone, but there is enough strength in the words to cause the four healing potions to shimmer from their place at the door to the sandy ground at his feet. Before he'd kneel down to see to his coterie mate, Svil moves to the pedastal and removes the stone, causing the enscrolled room to return to its normal state - one far more comfortable for an ice magus. That done, he kneels down and pulls the seal from a Frostmaw Potion. He lifts her head up and moves it to her mouth, "Drink this, lady icicle..." He flashes her grin, "You did well..." He'd let her finish the potion, and ready a blood-wine next, before he grins, "I shouldn't have been so worried, lady icicle! You're as durable as the ice that serves you."
Satoshi drinks the potion and coughs at the peculiar chill that begins coursing through her before she answers with a groan. "Aha. Sven's balls, you're a demon, you know that? Remind me to strengthen the anti-fire enchantments on my coat, eh? I'm gonna need it." A sibilant laughter cuts her off then and with a grimace of pain she looks down at the silvery-blue pipefox coiled upon her stomach staring at her with beady black eyes. As much as Satoshi would love to smack the mocking expression gleaming out of those eyes, she merely scowls instead. "Yes, thank you, you're so amazing. Shut up." With that, the magus wills Asorial back into its dormant state, but not before it can sneak in one more bout of malicious snickering.
Svilfon looks between ice magus and pipefox for a moment, before he shrugs. He remembers when Asorial ate his light-snakes, a spell he can no longer cast after that, and he also remembers the feeling of her blade driving into his stomach. But questions about it could wait, and in truth he didn't think she'd answer them anyway. To her words he laughs, "Sven's balls, indeed!" He seems more than happy she has picked up on his cursing skills. "And... your hair looks nice. Much better a bit shorter, I think." He cringes a little as he readies the blood-wine if she needs it. "But you do need more practice. Look at you now, you're like a new-born puppy - a child with a stick could beat you up." He winks at her, his teasing nothing more than that. "But you did wonderfully well." He makes a motion with his hand, "Flames snuffed out, shards shattered, your might against nefarious energies... and your pernicious weapon defeating the explosion... I'll have to be more clever next time." Oh yes, there would be a next time. Training the Satoshi is far too fun for there not to be, he thinks.
Satoshi's scowl deepens and she declares loudly for no one in particular, "Bring on a child with a stick, then! I'll show them a thing or two!" As if to prove her words, the kit drags herself upward and back to her feet where she balances unsteadily. Most certainly not the easiest of feats, but Satoshi Azakhaer does not play the weak kitten for anyone, and is far too stubborn to stay down even beaten to hell as she is. It does help slightly that she's furtively being fueled by Ko'tar's own energies enough to keep her from falling over in a dead faint--after all, it's not everyday she drives most of her own magic out of herself. The blood wine is accepted with a shaking hand and greedily gulped from, half the bottle being drained before she sighs in satisfaction and looks at Svilfon with a gleam of vigor in her eyes. "I don't believe I have to worry about the Leech anymore. Between you and Kasyr, I'm doomed to die long before he comes calling~." She notes his comment about her hair, but for the sake of her dangerously unbalance self currently, she resists the urge to view the damage. At least she can still feel a decent bit of weight, so it can't be -all- gone.
Svilfon summons his Xalious wand and uses it to bop Satoshi on the head. He doesn't really, but he does think about it. As she stubbonly gets to her feet he resists the urge to clap her on her shoulder - this was his kind of attitude! He flashes her a gap-toothed smile, all fangs and gaps, "Too bloody right! Safe is boring, queen of ice and snow. We are rarely safe around here." The words are spoken in a most endearing fashion; it is, after all, one of the things he loves most about his new home. "The question is now, Satoshi queen... How will you attack the leech?" He frowns a touch, "He has no blood you can control, and seems to summon enough heat to melt ice..." With a shrug the wizard offers her is arm, in case she is about to fall over. He doesn't overly expect her to take it, but it's there nonetheless. "And Sven's hairy balls! Is Buster alright?"
Satoshi mimicks Svilfon and summons her own Xalious item, attempting to rest her sagging weight upon it as casually as possible while she ponders his question. "There are... methods... to harming even the intangible. I hold a few of them that I can put to use." If she's intending upon sharing the details, she never gets around to it, distracted by the question about her golem. "Aha, yes~. He's designed to be destroyed. The ice I used to form him is simply what's present when I invoke his core into existence." To elaborate, she murmurs a soft word, calling up a small flickering flame of bright blue that hovers above her left shoulder a moment before fading from sight. She'd have reformed the golem then and there to reassure the wizard of Buster's existence, but that requires a tad more energy than she's willing to sacrifice right now--even with the Xalious staff's augmenting abilities.
Svilfon nods his head in quiet response. He would not press her on her methods; with the bug there are ears everywhere. Such things should not be spoken about. As she summons forth the flickering of flames and speaks of Buster's fate the man can't help but flash a bright grin. "Ah, good. I want another go at him at some stage." To emphasize this the wizard lifts up his fists and throws some shadow punches. "No better way to prepare for those pesky melee fighters than fisti-cuffs with an ice golem." A faintly ludicrious thing, really, but it would be fun. The wizard extends his hand out, then, and rests it carefully on her shoulder, on a spot that is not too battered and burned. "Hungry?" He smiles, "I can go fetch you something if you want."
Satoshi forces herself to straighten out of her slump and once more bear her own weight. Once she has, she shakes her head at the wizard's offer. "No, that potion and the wine will be enough to set the healing into motion. Sleep is what I need moreso. My core of magic is more shaken than my body from all that." Satoshi shakes her head then, laughing softly and setting her whiskers to quivering. "You really are a demon when you fight. I'll be sure not to get on your bad side. Ever~."
Svilfon snickers at the snow queen, "Believe me, lady icicle, that feeling is mutual." He offers her a tip of his hat and yet another gap-toothed grin full of his normal joviality. "I did warn you, snow queen!" He bows with a wizardly flourish, "And damnit!- it was about time I got to return the favor." He flashes her a snickering wink. "This room... It is almost as fine as your wonderful library. With such things for preparation, I do not at all worry for your fate if you face the bug."
Satoshi would clap the wizard on the shoulder if her hand wasn't occupied by the staff. Instead, she offers him a knowing grin. "I don't worry at all for my fate concerning the bug either. -You're- the one I need to watch out for, after that. And your dance with the Eldermage." Oh yes, she'd been given a fairly detailed play by play from the magelings, and she'd gained a new level of respect for Svilfon and his abilities. Most definitely no longer the bumbling, half-charred wizard who'd confronted her about sparing a life so long ago.
Svilfon laughs long and loudly, the sound rich with genuine good humor. "Ahh, snow queen. It was through practice with you I was able to survive. Fighting -against- you.. well.. you know my tricks." He winks; he doesn't think anyone really knows all his tricks, but still, Satoshi did more than most. "You forget I watched you choke someone to death with their little... buddies... I am many things, but you're just plain scary!"
Satoshi cracks a positively devious smirk then, a maniacal expression that suggests she torments newborn puppies for personal amusement. "Why do you think he hasn't come calling~? I'll feed him his lovelies, if he does." That idea destroys the look on Satoshi's face however, as her thoughts derail down a less appropriate path. The Leech -has- fathered at least one spawn... so he must have something of value she can rip off, right..?
Svilfon nods his head sagely at her words, "Won't be much of a meal. Of all the people I have ever seen, that guy is compensating the most, me thinks." He flashes a wink, "His staff is bigger than all the Xalious ones... " He snickers, "And I only use a wand." A chuckle that is more than a little faintly self-mocking comes from the man, then. "Just don't ask Ilgy about it, she'll just lie."
Satoshi trills in a sing-song voice, "I don't have to ask her, Mr. Roaming Around the House in Rags~." Considering he had spent more than a day in the tattered remnants of his robes and the better part of that sprawled in snow or a chair, it was no wonder they didn't keep him modest at every moment. Not that Satoshi particularly cares, except when it gives her the chance to tease him.
Svilfon squeaks, "It's cold in here!"
Satoshi lifts an eyebrow. "You're also dead."
Svilfon said to Satoshi, "I keep well fed for a reason."
Satoshi said, "I know~."
Svilfon flashes an endearing grin at the snow queen, he did so enjoy her company. "I think, lady of snow and ice, it is time I retired to the library to read up more things to do to you for practice.. Sparring practice, that is." Clarification in light of their recent conversation. He snickers again. "You should rest, lady icicle. The next few days could well be busy for you."
Satoshi shakes her head with a laugh on her limping way toward the door. "Be sure they're busy -days- and not busy nights, else you'll have an angry Kensai to deal with~." A suitable parting shot between mage and wizard.
Svilfon lazily follows in the ice-queen's wake, laughing all the while.