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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 19, 2018 12:02:45 GMT -5
Tori woke up early, like usual. Silver had already left, meaning she was on her own for the time being. Checking the sun, she could tell that her guild members would be joining soon, and they'd start to discuss the goals of the day. Knowing she had some spare time, Tori went down, and headed to the town, just to restock on supplies, and maybe even trade for some information. But she wasn't expecting Conrí to be there, against a tree, sleeping.
"So, he's just following me...?" Tori asked herself, a bit bitter, and then sighed, "Gotta inform, I guess. They ought to give me something back..."
She headed back in town, her hood covering her upper part of her face, like usual. It was common to see that in general, people hiding their faces in order to decieve others who might be targetting them. And it was a right they had. Tori headed to the Counsil, and informed about the newcomer to the island. A few discussions later, the Counsil determined that, if Conrí wanted their help to return home, then he'd have to help in the island by defeating 50 marks in total. He could do it with Tori's help, but if she got the kill, then it wouldn't work on Conrí's favor. After recieving the orders, and also some change for her trouble, Tori headed back to the Eastern Shore, and kicked the trunk in which Conrí was leaning against, making a few inmature fruits fall on his head.
"Rise and shine, pretty princess" she teased, "It's about time you got your ass up and start working."
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Post by Conrí on Jul 19, 2018 12:28:39 GMT -5
Conrí found himself wandering the dream paths again. It always started with him following a version of Fenrir somewhere. This time, the paths led nowhere, just back to the core of his world, or, at least the way it had often appeared in his dreams. He saw that the door was open, and, much like the cave, a beam of light beckoned to him. He reached out to the light, and was about to grasp the hilt of the Keyblade, but then--
Conk. Conk. The wolf boy jumped awake. His hand flew to his sword's hilt, and he had nearly drawn it when the girl came into focus. "Oh, it's you," he said, ignoring her teasing. He winced and looked at his chest and stomach to see if the training posts had left worse marks than he thought. He wanted it to be night again. Actually, he just kind of wanted a do over from last night. He sighed and jumped to his feet. The wolf boy slipped his shirt over his head, almost completely ignoring the fact that the girl was still next to him.
"Right. To work then. Sorry I must've dozed off for all of a couple hours," he snorted in a half-retort to her teasing and stood to his feet. He scratched his head and stretched. Fenrir had disappeared. Probably back to his realm. "I apologise. I was up all night taking your advice. Training." As proof, he lifted up his shirt and let her look at the bruises. He also held out his hand and tried to call forth the blade. Small wisps of light formed around his hand, but, the image in his mind vanished again.
"Damn it," he growled in frustration, "Anyway, what is it I need to do?" Conrí half-wondered if he had a mirror if he'd appear more wolf-like than human this particular morning. He folded his arms over his chest and looked at the girl. Something about the way the sunlight framed her made her seem to be dazzling.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 19, 2018 12:36:32 GMT -5
Tori rolled her eyes after seeing his bruises, and smacked his head.
"Training doesn't mean beating yourself to a pulp, y'know" she said, "It's more than that. But looks like you're not even able to get that straight. Haa... And you're supposed to be from royalty or high lineage? Pfft... I've met better, alright."
She moved towards the sea, waiting for him to get ready. As she did, she grabbed the hilt of her sword, and took it out in a clean move, cutting the air before her in the blink of an eye. She then glanced back at Conrí, thinking on a way to push his strength forward.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 19, 2018 13:05:46 GMT -5
"Ow!" Conrí rubbed his head where she had smacked it and growled. And, you certainly act a queen, don't you? He opened his mouth to actually say this to her, but, he stopped himself and watched her draw her blade. "I didn't care much for my father's tactics, so, I'm self-taught, and then was taught in secret." He glared at the girl a little. "Besides, why are you so interested in my ability to fight, anyway?"
Conrí finally walked up next to her. Some of the anger had faded. He took a deep breath. "Sorry. I know...I know sorry won't fix it, but...I'm sorry that I upset you that badly." He stretched and admired the sky for a bit. "This place kinda feels like home. I'm glad at least one of us was able to protect it." Conrí looked at the girl's blade. It didn't seem particularly ornate, but, he could tell that she was skilled with it. "If you're that sick of me, though, I'll work as hard as you want me to and then go." What made him say that, he wasn't too sure, but, he turned away from her and started to walk toward the treehouse.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 19, 2018 13:32:08 GMT -5
Tori didn't say a thing, and, instead, tossed her blade towards him. It was rather heavy, making one wonder how exactly she was able to hold it with ease.
"Show me what you can do" she said, "Without magic or abilities. Pure, raw power. Show me."
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Post by Conrí on Jul 19, 2018 14:17:04 GMT -5
Conrí heard the sword land on the ground with a heavy thud. How did she manage to lift that with one hand?
I warned you already, right? Maybe you should summon me out again so I can watch and laugh with her.
Fenrir... Conrí took a breath and nodded. This reminded him of the trial where he had to complete to earn the sword on his hip. Rather than summoning anything, this was easy enough. Pick up a blade. He firmed up his stance and knelt down to pick up the blade. He gripped the hilt with one hand and began to stand slowly. It was heavy, and he slipped a little with the blade, nearly dropping it, but, he grunted and dug in his heels and managed to lift the blade up with his arm. "It's heavier than I'm used to, sure, but, with time, I could probably learn how to use it properly." He looked at the blade glimmering in the sunlight. "It's well made. Worthy of the one who wields it."
He swung the blade awkwardly a few times, but, it started to feel okay in his hand. "Granted, I'm no master of it." He handed the blade back to her and walked over to the training posts. He motioned for her to follow, and drew his blade, which felt rather light, given what he had just lifted up. "This, however." He held up his sword. "No magic or abilities. It was helping me clear my head." He started to attack the training posts, which moved in response, and without thinking, he dodged and countered in a flurry of movement and blows. He stopped when he was satisfied in how worn they looked. "As you can see, no bruises this time. Those were from my failures. I worked on it until I couldn't fail."
Conrí looked at the girl and smiled with a hint of wildness in his eyes. "I suspect with patience, you mightn't fly off the handle at me. I'm not perfect. I'm certainly not created from my lineage." The wolf boy found himself walking closer to the girl. He stared at her and leaned in closer to her, "But, despite my failures, I don't quit, like I promised last night." He backed away, hoping she had seen something, anything there that she needed to see.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 19, 2018 16:09:21 GMT -5
Tori smirked, as he handed her blade back. She saved it in a quick swordplay back to its sheath, and sighed.
"So you're more towards light and easy to read weapons, huh?" she asked, teasing, "Meh, I guess it works well enough for Thieves, so... Can't do much."
She began to make her way back into the town, but heard Conrí's remarks about last night, and clicked her tongue. She quickly turned towards him, finger pointing at him with a rather bitter expression.
"If you don't give up, then keep at it. But if you can't calm yourself in a fight and submit yourself to your own fear, then you're a lost cause" she said, "Sure, fear is a natural emotion. But there's a difference between a good swordsman and a bad one. And that's their capability to control their fear. So... Get working on that" she snickered.
This time, she headed back calmly to the town, hood on, in search for a Mark to hunt on her own. Even though she knew that her guild members would scold her for that, it wasn't rare to see her going solo.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 19, 2018 16:36:10 GMT -5
The teasing both made his heart flutter and made him aggravated at the same time. When she turned around and pointed a finger in his face, he fought against his urge to just grab her hand. "I'm figuring that out," he said calmly, a lot calmer than he felt, but Conrí could feel himself shaking out of rage, "It will take some bloody time, your highness, so you could be a wee bit more patient with me." He bowed slightly mockingly. Perhaps the wolf boy let the sharper side of his tongue out.
As she left, Conrí doggedly followed after her. He didn't care if she wanted to be left alone right now or not. He still needed to know what was going on. "What's the objective, anyway?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 19, 2018 20:36:49 GMT -5
"A Mark, what else?" Tori asked, amused after he called her "majesty", "I don't have one in mind, though, so I'll just go check on the Bulletin Board and see which one might suit me. Can't guarantee it'll be easy, since I normally go solo" she informed.
Back in town, Tori headed straight downtown, where many Stalkers would gather. Stalkers were basically people who retrieved information, be in on a specific target or general knowledge. And, with this in hand, they'd sell it to whoever gave them the asked ammount, or even recruited them. Tori knew a few, and she was thinking about asking them about the strongest Marks, the ones that barely had any information in the Bulletin Board. First, a check through the Bulletin Board to see the townspeople's requests.
"Hmm..." she hummed as she looked around, and then picked up a paper, with the picture of a Malboro on it, "Rank 4, last seen at the Western Shore... That's it?!" she yelled, seeing that there was barely any info on the bulletin. Tori then sighed, "Well, thank goodness I have enough munny to pay a Stalker or two..."
She walked past the Bulletin Board, to where people were gathering and talking. Tori approached a boy with a leather vest, and a purple sweater over it. They also had slightly long, silver hair, and was talking with a few others. As soon as he saw Tori, however, his attention was immediately focused on him.
"Oh, heya, Tori" he said with a smile, "What is it today?" "Got any info on this Mark?" Tori asked back, showing the bulletin, "Not much is written 'bout it... I can pay the price, by the way." "Hehe..." the boy said, looking at the bulletin, "Taking a Malboro pack solo? That's gonna sting, y'know... They like using their Bad Breath a lot, so... Take a few Panaceas or the like." "I don't need 'em if I can take 'em out, one shot, right?" Tori teased, "Anything else?" "Yeah, actually... You're targetting the Rank 4, which is alright. But don't go deeper in their lair --Heard there's a Rank 6 inside. Going solo, or in pair" he mentioned, noticing Conrí behind Tori, "Is a bad idea. Especially without a White Mage or even Salve-Maker." "Thanks. How much?" "Half a million." "You've gotten expensive lately..." Tori mentioned, taking out the ammount, "Here." "Hey, gotta make it through the year somehow" the boy replied, "Glad to be of service!" he said, with a smile.
Tori sighed, and looked at Conrí with a smirk.
"You heard the man. It's about time we got our hands dirty."
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Post by Conrí on Jul 20, 2018 8:06:59 GMT -5
Conrí noticed her amused tone and chuckled slightly. At least she didn't seem to be too mad at him anymore. He followed her around the town, taking in the sights and sounds. He stopped when she did, and noticed the little boy, who seemed to be quite knowledgeable about these monsters. Suddenly, the wolf boy had so many questions, but, he didn't feel like annoying her with them.
The would be king winced when Tori just handed over that amount of cash like it was nothing. He considered the boy's words about a healer. As Tori smirked at him, he nodded and stepped away from the boy slightly.
"I suppose so. Why do I have the feeling you're going to go deeper into the cave than necessary, Tori?" He whispered so that the informant hopefully wouldn't hear. Conrí flashed his own wolfish smirk. "Are you sure we won't need a healer, or, have I annoyed you so much over the past two days that you're planning on just stranding me in there?"
Stop giving her ideas, please.
I'm just joking around a little. Besides, I'm excited to see what this is about. It seems different from life in the twilit town.
Fenrir huffed.
Conrí chuckled, and, with a slight bow, he said to Tori, "Shall we, then?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 20, 2018 13:25:46 GMT -5
Tori snickered at Conrí's remarks, and simply shrugged.
"We won't be going to the cave today... That cave was closer to the Northern Shore, AKA the town. Nope, we're headed West today" she explained.
Hearing his suggestion, she chuckled.
"You know? Leaving this Mark to you alone might not be a bad thought" she said, smirking, "After all, you gotta take down 50 Marks if you want us to help you back and return home. It won't count if I'm the one taking them out for ya. So, yeah... I might leave you alone there."
Tori laughed a bit before she turned back, and walked west, towards the place where the Mark was last seen. While she didn't stop on her way to any other shops, she did make sure to have some Panaceas and Remedies, just in case a Malboro got the chance to use Bad Breath before she could take it out.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 20, 2018 14:52:28 GMT -5
Conrí laughed nervously. So, she was serious about leaving him to his own devices. He decided to stock up on the same things Tori did. He suddenly got a flash of his twilit town when she mentioned home. "Weird..." he muttered to himself. The would be wolf king followed Tori to the west, though, he was somewhat concerned that there were creatures like that so close to town.
"Fifty marks, huh? That's fair. But, I don't really know how I got here. I just kind of woke up here." He hoped saying that wouldn't upset her. He sighed and shook his head. "I've been wondering something for a while now." He kept following her at a distance.
Careful, lad.
I know, I know.
"Why does it feel like we're connected?" Conrí asked slowly. "I didn't mean to bother you, but, there's something in my memories that I can't place exactly right. I'll pull my own weight and try not to annoy you too much, Tori, but, what if, after these fifty Marks, I don't want to leave?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 20, 2018 15:14:50 GMT -5
Tori stopped in her tracks, and looked back at Conrí.
"Well, then you'd be choosing to stay here, right?" she asked back, "Haa... By defeating 50 Marks, in your case, you'll get access to a Permit that the Counsil gives you personally, in which will state that you have already done the enough ammount for us to help you back and get home. It doesn't matter if you don't use it immediately, but you gotta make sure that they know that. The Counsil, I mean" she enphasized, "If they give it to you now, for example, you'd have about... 10 to 15 years before it expires. If you let the Counsil know about your decision to stay here, then they'll keep it until you want it back. Simple, right?"
She looked at him, expressionless, while resting her hand on the hilt of her blade. With the other hand, she held her hood tightly, making sure that it wouldn't be blown away by a simple breeze.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 20, 2018 16:55:01 GMT -5
Conrí smiled when Tori explained the process of staying to him. "Everything seems to be simple around you, doesn't it, Tori?" He wasn't sure what made him say it like that, but, he walked ahead of her a little ways. "Well, as long as you don't mind it, then I intend to stay. But, first things first."
He nodded at her and drew his own blade in a flourish. The cave wasn't too far away from them. "Given their breath, a surprise attack might be best, but, because they are in that cave, it might be a feat to accomplish." He thought of his spells and the abilities of Fenrir. "I can summon Fenrir to increase our numbers. Getting the Mark means striking the last blow, right?" A smirk slowly spread across his face.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 20, 2018 21:15:52 GMT -5
Tori crossed her arms, amused. He still thought it was in a cave, when it was an open area. She sighed, seeing that he just didn't get that.
"We're going to the Western Shore, dumbass" she said, smacking him slightly on his head, "There's no caves there, it's an open field. And even if you mess up a surprise attack, Malboros are pretty slow. They make up for it with defense. Unless you know magic, you'll have a tough challenge in front of you. Their skin is super resiliant towards weaponry."
She kept walking after explaining that to him, and soon came to a halt as they neared the area where the Mark was found. She glanced back at Conrí, and sighed.
"You remember what that Stalker said, right? If we go too far, then we're screwed. A Rank 6 is way over our capacity right now" she said, "So keep your head up."
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Post by Conrí on Jul 21, 2018 5:19:47 GMT -5
Conrí saw Tori's hand moving toward him, thought about dodging it or catching it in his hand, but, he just let her hit him. It seemed more out of playful annoyance, anyway. "I could do without the name calling, princess." He said, half joking, knowing that princess wasn't necessarily a strong insult.
Uuugh... Fenrir thought, with a yawn and a sniff, Can you two just decide to get along? Still acting like pups who can barely walk around each other. And, yes, I'm including you in that, lass.
Hey, I don't want to get hurt because of your snide remarks, so, be quite, Fenrir. Besides, shouldn't you also be focusing on the task at hand? Conrí tsked his tongue slightly and folded his arms over his chest. He'd followed Tori to the spot where the Mark was and nodded when she mentioned keeping his head up. "My main magic is more...uh...I can maybe stun it, but, I don't really have any damage inflicting spells at the moment." He instinctively ducked, figuring Tori'd want to smack him again. "But, I can take a different form that has flames, and Fenrir has ice. Will that work, if the damage is elemental? I can get back to training with Fenrir on my magic after this. Just, y'know, waking up in new places puts a damper on being centered."
Conrí kept vigilant for a creature in the field, and crouched down in the grass, preparing to sneak up on it. He also began to concentrate to take his form, since it was the only thing he could think of to do. Fenrir, I also need you to be ready, friend. Please.
Of course.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 21, 2018 11:44:30 GMT -5
Tori shrugged, catching by a glance a pair of Malboros. Her hand was firm in her sword's hilt, as she heard Conrí's questions.
"It'll be slightly more effective, but magic tends to be the thing that gets them the most" she replied at his question, "Still, whatever works, I guess... Do I have to show you how it's done, pretty prince?" she asked, teasing back at his "princess" comment, "Stay there for a while. The least I can do is make it so you can take the kill, but... Watch and learn, alright?"
She climbed up a tree, slightly above the Malboro pair. She balanced herself in a tough branch, and grabbed her sword firm. She smirked, pointing her hand, imitating the form of a gun, towards one of them, and shot a spell at them.
"Ruinga!" she chanted.
3 bullet-like shots appeared in her hand, immediately homing onto the Malboro she was targetting. In contact, they exploded, dealing heavy damage to it. She looked at Conrí, and smirked.
"It's softened, so take the chance before it regenerates" she adviced, jumping to the ground to catch the other Malboro's attention. --- As soon as the Malboro was hit, it looked around, looking a bit shocked at the attack. When Tori jumped back to the ground, the two Malboro targetted her, readying their attacks against her.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 21, 2018 17:30:37 GMT -5
Conrí refrained from laughing at Tori's comment and simply contained it to a smile and a cough. He nodded and called out Fenrir, who appeared next to him, low in the grass, in battle mode. The wolf boy began sneaking up behind the other two Malboro, and commanded Fenrir to sneak up on the one that Tori was targeting. As the spell hit the one Malboro, Conrí nodded. Now, Fenrir, with your ice and claws!
As Tori hit the ground, Conrí took his form, becoming more wolf-like and enveloped in flames. He motioned for Tori to cover her ears and let out a sonic howl, hoping to stun the other two Malboro, or at least keep them from targeting Tori for long. He looked to Fenrir, who was lashing out at the softened Malboro with his icy claws. The creature didn't seem to put up much of a fight, and Fenrir occasionally moved to make sure it had to turn to face him.
"I'm coming, Fenrir, keep it up!" Conrí leapt into action and sprinted toward his wolf friend. He drew his sword and began slashing at the strange creature, making sure to stay close enough that the flames surrounding his body could cause burns that might form blisters. The fury of flames met a fury of ice, and both boy and wolf moved in sync with coordinated attacks. The would be wolf king flicked his gaze to the other two Malboro, but, they seemed to be somewhat shocked from his roar.
Time to finish this, Fenrir. The boy jumped into the air and threw his sword with all his might, and he and Fenrir landed on the monster at the same time with a fury of swipes and flame and ice, which seemed to at least knock the strange creature down. Conrí ran his blade down the length of the creature and began to double his way back to Tori, noticing a few wisps of something coming from the Malboro. "Are you holding up okay?"
He clearly seemed to be out of breath, as the creature wasn't suited to his battle style, but, he maintained his form and Fenrir stayed next to him. "We can be bait," he said with a half-barked laugh.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jul 22, 2018 15:55:58 GMT -5
Tori covered her ears as Conrí nudged her to. Even if he didn't do that, she would've done it regardless, sensing danger otherwise. She then saw the Malboro falling to the ground, defeated, and then Conrí in his wolf-like form, coming closer towards her. She smirked as he asked if she was holding okay, and focused on the second Malboro.
"I hope you can keep up a little longer" she replied, smirking, and holding her blade tightly, "'Cause, if you didn't notice, it's not only these 2. But... Like you'd know."
Tori quickly dashed towards the second Malboro, in the blink of an eye, avoiding its front and, in consecuence, its Bad Breath, which it was readying. She slashed from behind, stunning it and leaving it open for an attack. Using the momentum, Tori jumped back, and clenched her hand, casting a mist around the Malboro.
"Move it, Conrí!" she yelled, before chanting her spell, "Blizzaja!" --- The Malboro was stunned from Tori's back attack, and was unable to get away from the mist as ice began to quickly trap it in a pillar, freezing it completely. Using this opportunity, Tori tossed her blade, imbued with fire, to the column of ice, breaking it in small pieces, and defeating the other Malboro.
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Post by Conrí on Jul 22, 2018 17:23:49 GMT -5
Conrí tsked his tongue, realising the field had a few more monsters in it. He half-snorted. "What counts as a Mark, then?" he muttered to himself, noting just how quickly she moved. When she yelled, Conrí and Fenrir quickly jumped out of the way, and used the distraction of the second's death to round on the third one's backside. He lashed at the thick hide sporadically with his claws and flaming fur. As he moved to the side, Fenrir came with his claws, fangs and ice. He moved opposite to Conrí so that the wolf boy could melt his ice with flames.
The hide is thick. Hmm...I wonder...I have an idea to try next time we're training magic.
Fair enough.
"Any way to soften this one, not that you have to do everything for me, but, if you want this done relatively quickly and for me to get the kill, I might need help. Please." As he was talking, he rolled out of the way of the monster's tentacles and teeth. Seeing that it was readying its Bad Breath, Conrí leapt in a tumble out of the way to its side, where he stabbed his sword into the creature after burning at its flesh and twisted the blade.
Fenrir had taken the opportunity to jump up onto its back and sink his fangs into the Malboro's neck. Fenrir backed away, and Conrí diligently attacked the icy area with his claws, but, while the creature had clearly been damaged, a bigger explosion of an attack would likely bring it to near death. The wolf boy and wolf spirit both growled and continued their onslaught, hoping that the creature would fall soon.
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