As she ran through the woods, her footsteps were all but silent. If the culprit heard her coming, there was a chance they could think the footsteps were nothing more than forest animals skidding across the leaves, terrified of the dangerous humans with sharp blades. She knew from experience that the sounds of elves were often difficult to detect. Both her distance from the killer and her position relative to him were indiscernible.
Bastard Hunters [Support: Hildegard the Beastmaster]
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Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:49 am
As she ran through the woods, her footsteps were all but silent. If the culprit heard her coming, there was a chance they could think the footsteps were nothing more than forest animals skidding across the leaves, terrified of the dangerous humans with sharp blades. She knew from experience that the sounds of elves were often difficult to detect. Both her distance from the killer and her position relative to him were indiscernible.
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Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:11 pm
That was actually good for someone like Atani. She tended to act on impulse. Sometimes, such as in the case with how many of her past quests went, it could end up making her solutions to problems rather... Sloppy, to say the least. But nine times out of ten, her solutions were successful. They were by no means the most elegant-- probably a disgrace to the stereotypes of most Blue Pegasus mages-- but they were efficient. It got the job done, and as long as it was done one way or another, it was still a win in her book. Perhaps her guildmaster Alisa Vollan would disagree with some of the paperwork she likely had to do from the destruction caused by reckless mages, but what difference did it make in the end? The guild was wealthy. It had a steady flow of funds from the towns it protected. The guild was still good in the eyes of the Magic Council.
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:20 pm
Atani shook her head just thinking about the whole ordeal. Her swift running slowed as she came across what looked like a tall, climbable tree. The girl ran up to it and scaled the trunk, hands grasping onto branches above, and feet effortlessly pushing off the branches below. It was an activity that came natural to Wood Elves like her who were raised in a forest. As such, it did not take long for her to reach a point where she could see above the treetops. Arm wrapped around the thicker part a branch and foot anchored in a nook in the trunk, she leaned to stick her body out and peered at the mapping of the forest beneath her. A breeze rushed through the leaves, making it appear that there was movement.
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:31 pm
The elf's fingers were crossed that she was headed in the right direction. She had little time to check for footprints, but there were broken twigs and bent bushes that marked what appeared to be a quick, tactless run. It was either made from a large animal who was scared, or it was made from the culprit. It was hard to say in the beginning, but considering she had not run into a wolf or bear as of yet, her money was on the person (or people for that matter) who had killed the two adult deer and injured the fawn. It soon dawned on Atani that there was the possibility she could be running after multiple enemies of Hildegard. She had assumed it was only one due to the injuries sustained. They appeared to be made from a blade, but multiple people could wield the same type of weapon.
- Spell Cast:
Name: Maer
Rank: B
Mana Cost: 100 [50]
Requirements: Sacred Water Magic
Type: Supplementary
Element: Water
Range: 15 Meters
Cooldown: 3 Posts
Duration: Sustain
Effect: Atani makes a fist and extends her first two fingers up. A 0.1m diameter magic circle appears in front of her hand. If there is moisture caused by water molecules within the air, Atani uses the water-based spell to sense movement vibrations within the area. This spell does not work in dry climates, as there is not enough water to pick up on movement.
#ffe666 - Fiorian #ccc666 - Elvarin #999966 - Val'Elvarin
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:50 pm
Perhaps there was an elven town not too far away. No matter the settlement, no matter the country, all Wood Elves spoke Val'Elvarin. It would be strange to encounter one who did not. If she was just able to find one, then perhaps some of her kind would be able to lend a hand. Get her acquainted with this foreign country. Be able to tell her more about the issues the non-humans faced under human Boscan rule. After all, if she was going to vouch for Hildegard's position on the throne, she had to have a better understanding of the issues the youngest of the Sachsenwalds aimed to fix. But for now, that would have to wait. She was still trying to find the people (or person) responsible for killing the deer, and injuring the fawn and bird.
- Spell Cast:
Maer sustained [-50 mana]
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:24 pm
Atani began to descend the tree. She did it with just as much ease as she did when she initially scaled it. The moment her feet touched the forest floor, she took off in the direction of the unique vibration. It was difficult to make out amongst the chaos the other movement of the forest caused. It was difficult to put into words, but it was almost like white noise. Very thick white noise. Like a sort of tinnitus that overpowered nearly all other noise, but it was not something she could hear. It was something she could feel. As she drew closer to her target though, that white noise deafened. Eventually, the signal became clear as day. And then, she got close enough where she did not need to use the spell at all. The elf dispelled it upon seeing a flash of black dart through the trees.
- Spell Cast:
Maer sustained [-50 mana]
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:57 pm
It did not take Atani long to catch up with the person dressed in black. Although they had the advantage of familiarity with the forest, she had the advantage of speed, and it seemed between the two, she had the better upper hand.
"Stop!" she called. From the ring on her finger, she summoned her Great Wood Elven Bow-- this was quite the handy ring she had gotten her hands on-- and drew her string back; however, she did not yet plan on attacking. Similar to her encounter with Raymus, she did not yet produce an arrow on her weapon. She hoped the person would take note of that.
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Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:41 am
"You forgot to notch your arrow," the girl sneered. Her amber eyes were sharp. A curl of auburn hair fell loose in front of her face. Her nose was sprayed with a sea of freckles, and her voice was thick with a Boscan accent. Yet, as evidenced by her sentence, she spoke Fiorian. Atani was in luck.
"I'm guessing you're the one killing all these forest animals?" She ignored the Boscan girl's question. It was time to get straight to the point.
"I may be," she shrugged, shoving her dagger further forward to emphasize the animal blood spattered across the blade. "I'm guessing an elf like you would have a problem with that."
"I might." Atani stared at the Boscan girl with equally sharp eyes. Their gazes of amber and emerald met. There was a mutual understanding between them, who each other really were. Most people would assume Atani to be in support of Hildegard, given her elven blood. The frustration about killing forest animals only solidified that assumption in the Boscan girl. Atani, however, could not even begin to guess who this girl supported. Clearly it was not Hildegard, and Wilhelm was out of the running. That left Reiner, Brunhild, and Cassia. Whoever of the three it was though, that didn't matter much in the moment. None of the remaining competitors were allied with Hildegard. They all had a stake in making sure Hilde did not take the throne. She hoped the person would take note of that.
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Fri Jun 04, 2021 10:40 am
"You know, you didn't have to harm that baby deer."
"Wait, is that what this is about?" The Boscan girl laughed. "It was going to die on its own without its parents anyway. Plus, one less beast for Hildegard to control, you know?"
Atani gritted her teeth. The arrow began to materialize faster. "It won't even be out of its fawn stage by the time this struggle for the throne is over."
"Oh, I doubt that." Atani arched a brow. How could this all not be over in a matter of months? She would be astonished if the country would let itself go without a leader for even a quarter of a year-- that was a long time to live without clear rules and regulations, both for the citizens of Bosco and for the neighboring countries who had to engage in foreign affairs. The confusion was evident on Atani's face, and it seemed the Boscan girl recognized it. She opened her mouth to reply to the Wood Elf.
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Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:01 am
Atani tilted her head to the side. "The future?" Though it seemed the young Boscan woman was less threatening than before, the elf did not yet let her aim on her relax. Still, she was curious what she had to say. As a foreigner to this country, there was still much she did not know. All she knew was that her people were being oppressed in this country, and Hildegard could be a remedy to that.
"Say Ihre Hoheit Brunhild takes the throne. Do you think Prinzessin Hildegard will do nothing? No, she hates her sister. She will continue to cause chaos throughout the land until changes happen."
"You call making sure elves and demi-humans have rights chaos?"
The girl rolled her amber eyes. "No, but you see my point. Bosco doesn't need any more retaliation after this. Our country won't be able to handle civil discourse."
"I take it you're hoping Brunhild will take the throne in that case?" With all that was said, it seemed that was where the Boscan girl leaned. However, she had yet to mention anything about something being Illumin's will or whatnot. Something she had heard those religious zealots say time and time again in this country, though perhaps she was not one of the religious fanatics. Maybe she was just racist towards non-humans, or maybe she honest to gods preferred the Divine's style of ruling: the theocracy which promised expansion into other territories outside of Bosco.
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Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:21 am
That, admittedly, was something Atani could agree on. Of the Sachsenwalds, Hildegard, Cassia, and Reiner were among her top choices. Wilhelm, though he was once allied with Hildegard herself, was someone she never wanted to seize the throne. Likewise, she detested everything Brunhild the 'Divine' stood for. Even her title was a mockery of itself. Though she respected people no matter their religion, there was always a point where it could be taken too far. Brunhild had crossed that line long ago and continued to stray further and further away from it. Now, the people who did not belong to the Illumin religion were suffering because of it. They would suffer even more if she became the new ruler of Bosco.
"I won't argue with you on that," she replied in agreement. "However, I can't condone how you're showing your support for him. Animal life is precious, and not every woodland creature will aid Hildegard in the way you think."
"Says the Fiorian," she scoffed. The Boscosi girl briefly stretched and shook her muscles loose before returning to her fighting stance. "You have no idea how this royal family has behaved over the years."
Atani kept her mouth shut. It would be unwise to argue with the girl, for she was right. Atani didn't know.
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Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:45 am
The girl sighed and shook her head full of auburn curls. A hand went to the left side of her temples and she shut her eyes. A firey magic circle appeared beneath the Boscan's feet. A glowing orange aura surrounded her. Runes that were etched into the dagger glowed to life in the same color.
"You're hopeless," she muttered before letting her hand fall from her forehead. The girl opened her eyes, which too seemed to have a similar glint to them. Atani prepared an arrow on her bow. Unfortunately, it seemed negotiations were out of the question. They only thing left to do was resort to fighting. If this girl's actions couldn't be stopped through reason, they had to be stopped through force.
She dashed at Atani, dagger held at ready in an offensive position. The nature mage let the magical arrow fly in her direction. With a swift slash of her weapon, the arrow was cut in two. It didn't even so much as dull the dagger's blade. Atani bit her lip and lunged back. Pushing off with her feet, she sprung into a back flip. Her final position was at a safer distance from the hunter. Once again, she let an arrow fly, but it was of a weaker variety than the first. Just as expected, the girl sliced through it with ease.
"Come on, is that all a supporter of Hildegard's got? I thought elves were better fighters than that!"
Atani leapt two metres into the air, landing gracefully on a branch overhead. And then another metre, similarly landing on a branch higher up, never once losing her footing.
Arrow Shot [B-Rank] 2 post cd
Arrow Shot [C-Rank] 1 post cd
#ffe666 - Fiorian #ccc666 - Elvarin #999966 - Val'Elvarin
#9b2222 - Sinese
Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:32 pm
"Running away won't do you any good!" she called from down below. The elf did not reply. She did not even feel the slightest bit provoked to. She was not running away, and she would not jump back down to the ground to appease Reiner's supporter. This girl was clearly a close combat fighter, and she was a ranged fighter. At least, she would be until she was able to get a better control of her magic. Even then, she fared better with archery than she did with hand-to-hand or blade-to-blade combat. In the moment, she was simply playing to her advantage. She wasn't about to go and let the girl have at her on the ground. And she certainly wasn't about to go and run away, though she very much could if things went too far south; however, she wanted to at least teach this girl a lesson. Make it so that she wouldn't even think to come and harm animals in the forest again. Not as long as she and other supporters of Hildegard were there to protect those who could not protect themselves.
To prove her point of not meaning to run away, Atani notched another arrow on her bow. A weak arrow. She didn't intend to harm the girl, at least not too badly. Not severely enough that she wouldn't be able to heal her after the fight-- if the girl wanted that anyway. In any case, she let the arrow fly. From her position up high, it was likely the girl would slice through it again.
Arrow Shot [D-Rank] 0 post cd
--
Arrow Shot [B-Rank] 1 post cd
Arrow Shot [C-Rank] 0 post cd
#ffe666 - Fiorian #ccc666 - Elvarin #999966 - Val'Elvarin
#9b2222 - Sinese
Fri Jun 04, 2021 9:50 pm
The girl she was fighting, the girl with the hood and daggers, she didn't know how to dodge. She knew her way around a knife, sure, but it would have been far more efficient to dodge out of the way from her arrows as opposed to demolishing them with her dagger. Doing so would dull the vast majority of blades. Even if the weapon was magical, all magic had its limits. And when magic clashed with magic, there was a sort of neutrality. A leveling of the playing field. This Reiner supporter though had the illusion that she had the upper hand, even when she was unable to dodge Atani's easy shots; she had actually been keen to make them easy to miss to test her opponent's abilities.
While the auburn haired girl looked smug in her unknowingly trivial efforts, Atani's face remained emotionless like stone. She was not complacent, nor frightened, nor excited. Unless this young woman had another trick up her sleeve, the winner of the fight was already decided. It would simply be a matter of time until Atani was able to beat her up enough for her to realize that she was messing with the wrong Wood Elf.
In the meantime, it was the freckled girl's turn to take the offensive. From a pocket hidden somewhere among the dark folds of her clothes, the girl pulled out what looked like a set of throwing knives.
Arrow Shot [B-Rank] 0 post cd
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Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:46 am
The arrow pierced the girl's shoulder. Not the one holding her dagger unfortunately. While she wasn't able to dodge the hit overall, she was at least able to make it such that Atani's arrow did not wound her dominant side. That said, it seemed this girl was more resilient than the pirates she had faced in the past. While a shot like that would have crippled some, the same could not be said for the Boscosi woman.
Arrow Shot [B-Rank] - 2 post cd
#ffe666 - Fiorian #ccc666 - Elvarin #999966 - Val'Elvarin
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Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:20 am
"I don't want to hurt you anymore. Please, just leave the woods." Atani was being sincere. She truly did not want to bring any more harm to the foreigner (or rather she was the foreigner in this case). It would set a bad tone for the rest of her stay in Bosco. The elf never wished for her first trip into the woods in the new country to result in combat, but she knew going in that it was a possibility. That was why she came prepared with her ring to equip any item as necessary, the most important of which was her bow as was proved in these past several minutes. Again, however, she had hoped that such a weapon would not be of such importance to her that day. If only she could just use her healing.
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Wed Jun 09, 2021 12:06 pm
"And leave you to recruit more animal forces for your princess? Never."
That wasn't even why Atani was there, but there would be no use in arguing with the girl who supported Reiner the Bastard. Though the two siblings were not considered rivals, their ideals clashed. While Hildegard believed that nature was sacred and should only be used for practical purposes such as supplying housing for demi-humans and Wood Elves, Reiner believed that nature was humans' for the taking. If he were to take the throne, he would not hold back in conquering Stellan lands to use their resources, most likely to build up unnecessary weaponry. Atani could not stand that point of view. She wished for nature to be left alone. To fall in the hands of either militarism or capitalism was nothing short of a death sentence. Not that a human like the one she was fighting would care about something like that anyway. Unless they lived among the nature spirits and Wood Elves like she did, there was very little hope in persuading otherwise. Because what's a few trees to them?
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Wed Jun 09, 2021 12:19 pm
Wood Elves took no issue with living in harmony with nature. Rather than chopping down trees to make room for homes, they built tree houses. Rather than blocking the flow of water for their convenience, they built bridges over obstacles and used water magic to their advantage. They would never think to displace the idle river water spirits, nor would they think to displace any other sort of peaceful creature that lived in the streams. Or for that matter, the rest of the forest. Harming nature in that sense came with severe consequences. Perhaps not always legal consequences, but with the elven pantheon? None wished to anger them.
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Wed Jun 09, 2021 12:28 pm
So, no. She wouldn't just let this girl continue to kill raptors and orphan fawn. But at the same time, she wasn't going to sit there and forcefully recruit animals to Hildegard's side like the Boscan thought.
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Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:28 am
Atani's lips twitched to a slight frown as she looked at the young woman in front of her. The look of fury in her eyes told her that she truly believed that Atani, as a supporter of Hildegard, would force animals into servitude for the princess. Or at the very least, she would capture them so that The Beastmaster could do it herself. If only the girl's magic allowed her to have mind reading capabilities. Then, she would have been able to hear that internal monologue, that entire explanation as to why the Boscan's preconceptions were incorrect.
#ffe666 - Fiorian #ccc666 - Elvarin #999966 - Val'Elvarin
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Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:44 am
"From a silver-tongued elf like you? Ha."
The healer was taken aback. Silver-tongued elf? She quirked a brow. Wood Elves weren't particularly known for being deceptive. Their Dark Elf brethren, sure, but the folk whose sworn duty was to protect nature? Whose culture actively stigmatized worshiping the Vhaladar, the dark elven gods and goddesses? One for thievery and deception was among that accursed set of deities. Perhaps humans had a... different view of her kind. A warped view. Atani would have loved to correct the young woman, but her words would be wasted. Such an opinion was even more difficult to change than the misconception that she was in the woods to build Hildegard's army. If she couldn't convince the amber-eyed girl of that, there was no chance she would listen to her now.
"I see this isn't going to go anywhere then." The elf drew back her bow. The freckled Boscan drew her dagger. As much as Atani hated it, this was going to end in further bloodshed.
"Oh, it is. Just not how you wanted it."
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#9b2222 - Sinese
Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:15 am
"Whatever you say." She sighed once more. With all that said, the Boscan girl dashed forward. A trail of orange light streamed behind her. Atani dashed backward and fired off another arrow. It was a powerful one that struck the girl in her leg. She yelped in pain and grasped her thigh. She grit her teeth and looked to Atani again. Her eyes had that same firey rage. Shaking off the injury, she pursued the mage but ran noticeably slower than she did before. Blood began to seep out of her wound, making an even blacker stain that grew ever so larger against her dark clothes. Despite being inflicted with not one but two wounds whereas Atani still remained with none, she still seemed hellbent on somehow coming out as the victor in this fight. At this rate, she would just end up harming herself.
Arrow Shot [A-Rank]
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Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:25 am
The girl continued to rush at Atani. The gap was closing between them. There was no way Atani could safely fire her bow at this range. From the speed the girl with the daggers was traveling at, and from the speed the mage knew herself to lunge at, leaping backwards wouldn't provide her with enough distance either. In addition, the clearing they were in was rather small. The only place she could gain enough distance was back into the trees, which would just make aiming that much harder. Alternatively, she could leap into the trees like before, but she had a feeling the Boscan would not allow that.
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#9b2222 - Sinese
Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:17 am
Magic was an easy thing to use. That said, she didn't want it to get out of hand. In Bosco, her abilities were unknown to the locals. But in Fiore, especially in the town of Hargeon where her guild resided, people knew her to be an S-Class mage. Even so, the only feature she possessed that was reminiscent of an S-Class mage was her ability to cast advanced healing spells. Of those, she had only trained hardest with the water element since that was the one she possessed for the longest period of time.
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#9b2222 - Sinese
Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:42 am
But she wasn't originally a water mage. Though she did not have her memories from years before, to her recollection, the first element she was able to gain control of was nature. It felt the most natural for her to control. It came far easier than water ever did, but for one reason or another, she lost her ability to use it for a while. But then, she unlocked the ability to use it once more, but not to the same capacity as she did when she lived in Athalran. It was still very weak, but she at least was able to be in control.
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