In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
Recently, people having been hearing strange music coming from the cliffs near Hapshass's shoreline, which has drawn in those that were either really drunk or really curious. It goes without saying that none of these people have made it back, leaving the civilians to wonder as to what might have happened, in turn leading relatives and friends to go out and search for them. When they also did not return, those that remained asked for help in figuring out what has happened and then dealing with this problem.
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[attr="class","shadowsSub"]Details
Maximum Number of Players: 3 [break]Minimum Word Count: 1500 [break]Location: Hapshass [break]Special Requirements: Those responsible for calling the people out of the village and locking them in cages for transport need to be stopped so the villagers can be saved. However, as it is important to find out what happened to those that had already been taken away, they are not to just be outright killed. Save the villagers, get your information, and then go down to eradicating the threat to teach these slavers a lesson.
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]NPC Information
What NPCs are in this mission? Please fill out the template for any notable NPCs. While those you have to socially interact with during the mission are not required, any enemy that is presented in the mission must be listed here.
Health Limit: Junior [break]Physical Speed: 8 m/s (12 m/s underwater) [break]Physical Damage: Junior [break]Magic Element and Types: - [break]Combat Style: These slavers fight using polearms used primarily for prodding and poking at slaves. However, should one put enough force behind it, these weapons are still capable of inflicting quite a bit of damage. [break]Additional Information: The humanoid serpents have green, grey or blue scales, a serpentine lower body with no legs but large fins for fast movement underwater, as well as two broad arms with which to hold their weapons. They also possess serpentine heads with several rows of sharp teeth.
Health Limit: Intermediate [break]Physical Speed: 10 m/s (15 m/s underwater) [break]Physical Damage: Intermediate [break]Magic Element and Types: - [break]Combat Style: These slavers fight using polearms used primarily for prodding and poking at slaves. However, should one put enough force behind it, these weapons are still capable of inflicting quite a bit of damage. [break]Additional Information: The humanoid serpents have green, grey or blue scales, a serpentine lower body with no legs but large fins for fast movement underwater, as well as two broad arms with which to hold their weapons. They also possess serpentine heads with several rows of sharp teeth.
Hapshass was indeed a beautiful city. Given its unique location Noah felt amazed by everything that was around for him to see. Walking slowly through the streets, there were many interesting shops but most of them were medical ones. “Oh right, Hapshass is the city where the best medics reside. I wonder if I could use any of that before I set off to the mission.” Noah was thinking loudly, because he passed several apothecaries. The quality of the medicine they offered was probably better than anything he could get hands on in Royal Capital, at least with his status, not even being a part of the Magic Knights. After being indecisive for way longer than was normal he just decided to scratch the idea of any shopping as the mission itself seemed to be harder than the ones Noah did up until now. Having to carry more things that was necessary would probably be a burden, and to be honest Noah already be a burden even without any extra bags. Young mage pulled out a paper with the mission description out of his backpack and he started to read. He read it multiple times already, but he was still hoping he could find some more clues as the description was rather vague. “It seems like the locals have no idea who is behind this, this is the only obvious thing.” Still, it was weird that many people would just disappear. Noah had a feeling that they would be already dead by the time they found them.
“Well, telling a family that their relative is dead would be the first for me.” He started to walk a little faster, there wasn’t much time left before he was supposed to meet with his companion on the mission. Noah didn’t have specifically high expectations, however this mission seemed to be a complicated matter. I just hope they are stronger than me, like way stronger than me. As young mage kept on walking, the streets became less and less populated by people and this gave Noah the idea that he was on a right track. Noah eventually arrived to one of many ports which was reasonably close to the cliffs they were meant to explore, but at the same time far enough so that they could talk about their strategy. I just recently finished a mission where I had to participate in a fishing tournament. Now I am going to look for people who disappeared and are nowhere to be found. Even if I feel weak, and I know I am, I am slowly improving. This development of Noah´s career – if it could be called that – was actually making him feel more motivated to not disappoint. After observing the port and searching for the ideal location to meet up with his teammate, he decided he would sit down on a bench that would be directly facing the sea. He also made sure to hold his mission paper visibly, so that his very anticipated teammate could approach him.
TLDR: Noah is currently sitting on a bench near a port that is closed to the cliffs, waiting for his teammate to arrive.
As was usually the case with Griswold, he was not the kind to sit around and wait, just like he was the kind that would get somewhere earlier than agreed upon. By this point in time, Griswold had already ventured along the eastern border to put a stop to raiders from another continent or island that had intended on not only raiding the entire shoreline, but also planned an attack upon the gambling town Aries Garse. Truth be told, it was one of those cases where Griswold got to cut loose and lay down some hate upon those that had not just butchered entire fishing communities and a family of farmers, but had the audacity to bring them back to life through necromantic rituals and forcing them to fight for their cause. Gross did not begin to cut what this was, though one thing was certain, they had paid for it with their lives, but only after suffering the kind of pain the men, women and children they had killed must have felt.
One of the main reasons why he had left the west was because he believed that, with all of the festivities going on out there and the large amount of magic knights being present, his presence wasn’t exactly a requirement. If people could not handle things as they were by this point, they would have to be ashamed of themselves. At least, that was what he thought when he set out to investigate talk among the commoners and peasants about them losing contact with fishermen they’d do business with. But once he had come back to the west, only to find out that the kidnappings and disappearances were still going on, he had been among the first to investigate a strange passage leading into the ocean. With it being a likely place to start looking due to the fact that it had only appeared as recent as the actual disappearances, coincidence was simply not on the table.
By the time he had seen through all the things that place had to offer, along with another mercenary and a magic knight, Griswold believed things would have been taken care of. After all, the saying regarding how one should cut off the snake’s head if they wanted the rest of the body to also die off was usually rather on point. In this case however, the fact that people were still going missing meant that there were still slavers around, and active. As there was a good chance that some of them might have survived due to not being down in their underwater city, he had taken it upon himself to look into the matter further and making sure the problem was taken care of. Permanently. So instead of waiting for whoever it was that was supposed to be coming along with him, he reached out with his mana to see if he could sense something nearby. Because people were not allowed to go near the coves, that was the first place he’d scope out.
Sensing a single mana signature moving through the water and towards the shore rather quickly, he imagined this was either a water mage, or one of the serpentine slavers he was looking for. Moving as quickly as he could to get towards where he would be breaching the ocean and making his way on land, Griswold intercepted the serpent. Engaging him with his blade, a couple of swings was all it took to disarm the beast by knocking his spear into the water before smacking the blunt edge of the greatsword against the side of its head. As the beast fell towards the sands, a pitch black blade was placed against it’s throat, making sure that any move it might make would see to his artery being slit before it would get the chance to lash out, call for help or make an attempt at escaping. Looking the beast into it’s slitted eyes, Griswold applied a bit of pressure to the weapon to make sure they both understood what this meant.
“The people you and your kind took, where are they. Talk.”
“Foolish little landwalker, the sea witch will have your hide for this, yours as well as all the others in this blasted countr- Aaaaaagh!”
As a bolt of fire shot from Griswold’s sword wielding hand, moved along the length of the blade and made contact with the serpentine slaver, it and a small portion of the surrounding area turned into a small pillar of flame that reached up above the rocky cliffs. Since the creature had nothing to tell him, and believing that slitting its throat would be too peaceful a death for such a hateful being, it got burned to a crisp where it lay. With the flames even going as far as to envelop Griswold, he was capable enough to control his solar flares to the point where his own mana could not and would not harm him. It was one of the many perks of properly practicing your spells and increasing your level of control over them to the point where one could make even something as volatile as fire not lash out and bite at their skin.
Once the small pillar of flame died down, he imagined anyone who was actively keeping an eye on their surroundings, such as the person who he was supposed to be meeting in the nearby town of Hapshass would have seen this much. Hell, he imagined the other slavers had also seen it, meaning they were now at least aware of the fact that someone was going to be coming for them. But that was exactly the way he liked it. Griswold was not an assassin after all, he was a mercenary and a mage, considering himself to be more of a warrior than some punk that went around slitting throats from the shadows like a coward. With them knowing he, and likely the other person were coming their way, it gave them a chance at preparing, which would only make the fight that much more fun. And if they tried to use hostages or chose to run, they would all just die a coward’s death amidst a sea of flame.
POWER 175 DURABILITY 3 SENSORY 65 STAMINA 43 CONTROL 113
Name of Spell: Galactic Nucleus: Heliosphere Elemental Type: Solar Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate | Attack Creation Range & Speed: 60 meters (35m AoE) | 30 m/s Mana Cost: 20 mp | 10 mp sustain Stats Effected: +6 to Power Applicable Perks: Overpowered, Battle Knight, Area of Triumph, Quick Shot & Skilled Sniper Description: A spell that was not so much designed to be used in one on one combat, but rather to limit the amount of terrain advantages one might have over the user. By compressing and firing a small bolt of solar mana similar in appearance to "Apoheles", this spell either travels its given distance or collides with a solid surface, causing it to erupt in a burst of flame. As it sets flammable terrain, objects and living beings on fire, it can quickly turn a building used by someone to hide or hole up in from a safe haven into a furnace one will want to quickly escape. For every 20 control, the user is capable of firing an additional sphere in the same salvo, thus following the "ammo" rules. During the day, the spell takes on an orange hue, taking on a silver blue hue after dark.
Feardèanamh
Rank & Element: Grand | Dark Class & Type: Magic | Weapon Magic Specializations: Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Appearance & Lore: Feardèanamh was originally found by Griswold when delving through the ancient elven ruins in the foothills near Kiten, looking like a mostly rusted slab of metal with a hilt. When he first picked it up, he could feel a pinch and noticed a faint glow for a split second before it disappeared. Doing his best to have the blade cleaned and restored to its former glory, upon returning, he came to learn that the name Feardèanamh translates roughly to "Ruinmaker". Wielded by a dark elven king who waged war on human and elf alike hundreds of years ago, its exact origins are unknown, as no records have been kept in regards to who forged it. Abilities:
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Ymyl Tywyll Type & Uses: Flow | 5 post max use | 4 post overheat Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 23 mp | 12 mp upkeep Range & Speed: 40 m/s Stats Affected: -25% endurance Description: Translating roughly to "Black Blade", when Ymyl Tywyll is activated, dark purple veins will form from the handle, spreading from there across the length of the blade and releasing a dark aura. Enhancing the offensive properties of the weapon, its sole function is releasing a crescent of dark mana each time the blade hits a solid surface. Upon hitting a target, the black magic along the sword will erupt outward, dealing senior damage and debuffing their endurance, causing them to take 25% of the curse’s rank (Senior) in damage in addition to other damage taken, and will continue taking additional damage for as long as the debuff is present. Endurance debuffs of this kind can be stacked twice, for which it will need to strike the target twice. This ability cannot be used for more than five posts, as once the fifth post is reached, the ability will require a period of four posts to be ready again.
(The sword in its activated form, showing mana veins running throughout the blade from the hilt)
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Ceangal Dorcha Type & Uses: Trigger | 6 uses Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 24 mp per trigger | 45 mp recharge Range & Speed: 80m | 40 m/s Stats Affected: -10 m/s Description: Translating roughly to "Dark Binding", following what seems like a crackling of black energy, this releases a burst of Dark magic from the blade, the pitch-black mana moving outward and striking against the enemy for Senior damage. Should the attack hit, dark bindings will form around the feet of the one hit by it, reducing their total movement speed by -10 m/s. If multiple people or targets are hit by this ability, the total amount by which they are slowed is reduced by 1 m/s per afflicted individual. For every 50 Control the user has, an additional burst can be fired from the blade.
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Hymagor Isfyd Type & Uses: Trigger | 6 uses Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 24 mp per trigger | 45 mp recharge Range & Speed: 80m | 40 m/s Stats Affected: Debuff to healing/buffing Description: Translating roughly “Yawn of the Underworld”, following up on a sound that is reminiscent to the sound of someone inhaling, a black smoke-like substance is released from the blade that will attempt to dowse a target, causing them to take a senior amount of damage and impairing their own personal buffs and healing. When hit, the targets healing potency is dropped by a single rank if Power is +5 higher than the targets Control, with Junior buff amounts being halved. If the difference is +10, the buff and healing received would be erased completely. Finally, at a difference of +15 or more, the attempted buff or healing will instead turn into a debuff or cause them to take damage equal to one rank below what the healing spell would have healed. For every 50 Control the user has, an additional burst can be fired from the blade.
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Hymyl y Nos Type & Uses: Trigger | 6 uses Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 24 mp per trigger | 45 mp recharge Range & Speed: 40m | 40 m/s Stats Affected: -25% endurance Description: Translating roughly to “Verge of Night”, following up on the purple veins along the blade either showing up or lighting up more brightly if already present, this releases a burst of Dark magic from the black that looks similar to most other Feardèanamh, dealing Senior damage to those it hits. Upon hitting a target, the black magic along the sword will erupt outward, debuffing their endurance, causing them to take 25% of the curse’s rank (Senior) in damage in addition to other damage taken, and will continue taking additional damage for as long as the debuff is present. For every 50 Control the user has, an additional burst can be fired from the blade.
MADE BY NOVA
Last Edit: Aug 4, 2021 11:55:42 GMT -5 by Griswold
His teammate wasn’t arriving and Noah was getting a little tired of all the waiting, even though the scenery was quite peaceful. It was just that he couldn’t fully enjoy it as he knew there was a mission to come, and rather complicated one. Young mage was still sitting on the bench, with his leg nervously ticking as he was waiting for some punishment. As time passed, Noah gave up and eventually hid the paper with the mission description and started contemplating. “Well, if they don’t arrive anytime soon I might have to do this alone, or just return back and report the person I was supposed to go with didn’t show up.” This was a dilemma, given the fact that Noah´s confidence was slowly rising from all his recent experiences, it would feel like a great disappointment. On the other hand, his current power levels were still quite underwhelming and if he went on some solo action the chances of him failing would be pretty high.
Young mage panicked for a little, as he saw a great pillar of fire, or something similar to that emerge from nearby cliffs. He quickly stood up and started to run towards the place of the incident, but after couple of meters he suddenly stopped. “Wait, what if this is the enemies and I would just run directly into their trap?” Approaching situations without unnecessary overthinking wasn’t Noah style, so he slowed down and decided to get nearer and to see what was actually going on. Given the fact that the explosion was such huge it was obvious that the person or creature casting it had great power. Ideally, this would be his teammate, but if it was the enemy Noah would be in big trouble. When he finally got close enough to see at least small figures he got really confused. There was one man, really well built and a black stain on the sand. It took him a hot minute to realize what was going on, but then his face gave a visible expression of disgust.
“Oh my, he literally burned him into ashes.” This was really concerning, mostly because Noah was very peaceful and seeing anything this violent was making him uncomfortable. Approaching the man who casted the spell wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do, but given his abilities being so monumental, he probably already knew that Noah was nearby as he didn’t even bother hiding his mana signature. “Please don’t kill me.” This were his last words as he decided to approach the man. As he was getting closer, he saw Magic Knights mantle. Oh, he´s a Black Bull. Good, this meant that this was obviously his teammate for the mission, and he was apparently very powerful. Noah felt a brief moment of happiness, and he decided to speed up his walk to get closer. He took very close look on the situation, the burned down creature, smell was really bad and the man looking scary with an unapologetic look in his eyes.
“I see you didn’t waste any of your time.” He smiled as he waved his hand awkwardly towards Griswold. “My name is Noah and I believe we are going to finish this mission together.” Noah tried really hard to ignore the fact the man just burned down a living creature in such a spectacular way, he was indeed scary and young mage was feeling weirdly safe. He couldn’t really tell what the creature was, as the fact that it was basically a charcoal now was making it hard for him to identify anything. “Hmmm, my guess is that it wasn’t willing to cooperate and therefore you decided to kill it? It was spectacular by the way. I was waiting not far away by the time those flames emerged.” Noah kept on talking, however he wasn’t able to tell what would happen next as his sensory skills were basically non-existent and therefore had no idea where they would go. “Did you manage to get at least any piece of information? Any idea where the lost people might have gone?” This were the last questions, before Noah would let him answer. It was obvious that Noah would be more like an extra on this mission, so he at least wanted to feel invested in the whole situation before they made their next move.
TLDR: Approached and talked to Griswold in last paragraph.
Shortly after burning down the serpent, Griswold was met with the other person that was supposed to be tagging along with him. By now, he had grown fairly accustomed to taking along people who were aspiring to become magic knights, or those who wished to become mercenaries of some kind. Because these people were almost always quite a bit younger than he was, it was at times easy to forget that bit and talk to them as if they were battle-hardened adults, rather than children who had just obtained their own grimoires and started upon the path of becoming a mage. It was one of those things he had to get better at, especially with the goal he has had in mind for himself for quite some time, to become the captain of a magic squad. To do that though, he still had to shake a lot of hands and keep fighting the good fight, the latter of which being the easier for him.
“That’s because we can’t afford to waste time, not when lives are at stake. These people that have been taken have done nothing wrong, aside from letting their own curiosity get the better of them. And you know how the saying goes, what ended up happening to the curious cat.”
Not feeling the need to say it outright, Griswold imagined the kid understood where Griswold was going with this. After all, most of the people he met that got put on his trail weren’t stupid, being capable enough at thinking for themselves and knowing a thing or two about the world. Still, he made sure not to expect too much, as that would only set them up for failure when they ended up not being able to match them. Taking his black blade away from the ashen remnants on the floor, he placed the sword over his shoulder and clicked it into place on his back. For the time being, he wouldn’t be needing it, not when dealing with such bottom feeders such as these slavers. Having seen their brutality first hand, as well as the things they would eventually do to the people they took to their marine fortress, Griswold did not plan on pulling any punches.
“The name is Griswold by the way. And no, he did not wish to cooperate, nor do I imagine any of the others will. They are malicious at their core, which seems to be one of the few things their species has in common with one another. Luckily for us, we do not need their help as they won’t be able to hide from me. Come.”
While his strengths were not exactly in that field, Griswold actually possessed some decent sensory skills that allowed him to pick up on mana signatures in the surrounding area. Over time, the amount he was able to pick up, as well as the general distance he could scan out had grown considerably. Like a bloodhound tracking his query, his boots stomped through the charred remains of the serpent as he made his way across the beach, the water rolling in and out slowly cleaning his boots as they bounced into them from time to time. With the tide slowly coming in, it would not be long before the ocean claimed the ashen remains of the slaver, meaning the chances of it still being there by the time they returned were quite slim. But that was only for the better, as this boy did not seem to be the kind that was used to things dying, let alone them getting killed.
Having not responded to the boy asking Gris not to kill him, which was likely something he had said before knowing that he had just wandered into the person he was supposed to be working with, he could more or less tell that he was still quite green. But that was fine, as he himself was not. He could still remember the first time he had gone out with another magic knight, one stronger than he was as he began to get the hang of things. At the time, he had been there to see an entire tribe of goblins get massacred by golems. The whole thing had created a scene of complete and utter carnage that he could still remember vividly to this day, even though several months had passed since that point in time. Remembering all of the blood quite well, the fact that the golems doing the slaughtering were also made out of blood did not do much to paint a prettier picture.
“Understand that, as we go on, we will not be able to show these beasts any leniency. Know that they will not bat an eye at your death, the only thing they’ll mourn is the loss of a potential slave. So as we embark on this job, I’ll need to know whether or not you can put aside your feelings.”
Even as he said those words, he knew that they were perhaps a rather hard ask, though that did not change the nature of this mission. They were not here to capture any prisoners for questioning, they were here to free any and all slaves they encountered so they could be returned to their families. Unfortunately for the greenhorn, that meant that some skulls would need to get bashed in. Wondering what kind of magic this kid could wield, Griswold imagined that the best thing they could do right now would be for him to let the kid go first. Knowing quite well the limits of his own power, he knew that nothing these snakemen would be able to throw at them were of any real consequence. The only thing he was worried about was that maybe they would try to kill or maim their merchandize out of pure spite towards them. Were such a thing to happen though, they would quickly find themselves reduced to ash.
Listening to Griswold carefully, young mage was mostly nodding and thinking. He was feeling as if he was being mentored, which was not a bad thing, just generally something Noah wasn’t used to. His companion seemed to have his power levels over the roof as well as his general behavior was reminding him of a perfect soldier, which he probably was. This got Noah into position where he felt like everything he does would be wrong as he is being watched closely. “I was not aware of these creatures being a core part of this mission but it certainly makes more sense now.” Noah smiled, while he tried really hard to look unbothered. He, in fact, had no idea what happened to curious cat, but judging from everything else Griswold has said so far, he probably didn’t want to know anyway. It´s obvious that he has way more information in regards to the mission that I do. This wasn’t surprising, he was a magic knight with apparently good sensory skills and he already managed to gather so much valuable information during this brief time before they met.
Noah didn´t hesitate and followed Griswold who apparently caught a mana signature. Noah couldn’t really tell as his sensory skills were very underwhelming. He certainly made things more tense now. With a bit of annoyance, Noah made his way through the sands continuously trying to catch up Griswold who was faster. “You are actually not the first Magic Knight telling me to have no mercy for enemies.” Brief smile appeared on his face as he remembered the dungeon he was doing with the captain of Golden Dawn and another Black Bulls member. Noah still wasn’t persuaded, as it was against his instincts. Killing anyone was something he never thought he would do, but his recruitment journey towards the Golden Dawn is proving that being a Magic Knight indeed means slaying a beast or two. With the same level of discomfort Noah felt when he was killing the first Mandrake he answered. “I am well aware that it is our job to save the civilians and find out what happened. Getting rid of all the monsters we encounter on the way is a part of it and I will do that.” Eventually, young mage would have to give in and start being a merciless killer who would do anything to protect the kingdom and its people. He was just hoping it would come eventually, the more creatures he would kill, the easier it would become.
“Tell me Griswold…” Noah had to confess that he still wasn’t really comfortable with killing anything, even though he said otherwise. “Does the killing get easier the more you kill?” Griswold was obviously someone who had no problem murdering an enemy within a blink of an eye, while Noah would still have to contemplate a lot, going over all the moral implications killing would bring. Another thing was that Noah wasn’t even that powerful that he could kill anything fast, without it feeling any pain. That would definitely make things easier. After some time following Griswold any relying on his sensory skills, Noah could see a group of people in a far. Well people and creatures, he assumed. The closer they approached, the better the view. And the view was quite bad honestly, seeing people in very desperate conditions being locked in a cage where one couldn’t possibly feel comfortable. "Okay, they really deserve to die." Seeing the scenery, certain anger resonated within Noah. Those people were innocent, yet they treated them like they were some lowly animals waiting to be butchered. The thing was, Noah didn’t really care if there were humans in the cages or if there were animals, both scenarios would disgust him evenly. It didn’t take long when the two of them were noticed by the slavers and six minions rushed towards them, holding their clumsy spears firmly. It seemed that Griswold was holding back, which set of Noah for a little moment until he realized he really needed to do something in order to not get poked with those spears. They looked cheap but it didn’t really matter as they could still hurt him badly, if they managed to get close. Noah however didn’t plan on letting them come any closer. His grimoire started glowing with light-gray color as it opened and started listing through the pages relentlessly until it stopped on one certain spell Noah wished to perform.
Pointing his finger onto one of the approaching serpents, Noah spoke calmly. “Gravity Magic: His Uncanny Movement.” Once this was said, the targeted serpent was smashed to the ground, as if an invisible force pushed it towards the sand and then knocked it back by seven meters, hitting one of the cages with imprisoned humans. The serpents probably couldn’t see anything, as his magic was invisible in its nature, but Noah was sure that Griswold could see little pulse that got released from his finger after he said the name of the spell. Thanks to the knockback Noah´s spell caused, the targeted serpent was most likely dead. Okay, this seems to be a way. Noah felt the need to compliment himself, even though the only thing he did was that he shot a serpent that was obviously even weaker than him. As this spell took a little time, the rest of the serpents managed to make their way towards them and encircled two mages, pointing their spears on their throats.
Does he want me to manifest my powers? Noah was a little confused as he was sure Griswold could end this within a blink of an eye. Noah then raised his right hand above his head, looking directly onto one of the serpents that were around them. This time, he didn’t say the name of the spell, as he didn’t really need to do it even the first time. He just figured it would be easier for him to just show his magic than to explain it. In a brief moment, another serpent whimpered as its limbs got smashed together, as if some force was around it applying pressure towards its body. It didn’t last long and the creature fell lifeless on the ground. Noah then turned to Griswold. He was breathing heavily, as it was obvious casting two spells subsequently was still little hard for him and he needed a small break before he could continue.
Elemental Type: Gravity Rank & Spell Type: Junior || Attack Creation Range & Speed: 25 m || 5 m/s Mana Cost: 10 | 5 Stats Effected: +2 Power Applicable Perks: Signature attack, Knockback Description: This spell is directly directed towards the enemy; Noah seems to release what could be described as a condensed pulse that seems to attempt to put the enemy on the ground. This pulse is invisible to the naked eye and requires ten sensory for the ping pong ball sized beam that is shot towards his enemy. It may not seem like much as it doesn't weigh the person down but if it an enemy is hit they take junior rank damage, on top of this they find themselves knocked back two meters plus an additional five for every ten power that Noah has due the the sheer force of the gravity. With the use of ammo rules so long as Noah has the required control he is able to create additional beams.
Elemental Type: Gravity Rank & Spell Type: Junior || Attack Creation Range & Speed: 25 m || 5 m/s Mana Cost: 10 | 5 Stats Effected: +2 Power Applicable Perks: Signature attack
Description:Noah realizes his strength is to slow his enemy by manipulating the matter around the enemy, this is usually done by raising right hand above his head with the palm facing up. He creates an invisible arrow that requires ten sensory to be able to see the ripples in the air. When it hits its enemies it seems to engulf them in what could only be described as a bubble that is two meters tall by half a meter wide. Those within this orb gain junior rank damage. With the use of ammo rules Noah can create additional arrows so long he has the control required to do so.
Though not trying to build suspense on purpose, it was a question that required a bit of thinking on his part. Truth be told, for Griswold, the killing had gotten easier, though only to some extent. The first time he had been tasked with killing wolves, the matter ate at him for quite some time after, as his elven roots were likely responsible for the strong ties he felt to nature. That said, the first time he had been around to aid in the killing of a large number of goblins, he had also felt quite bad. The difference to Griswold was the fact that animals did not know better, as they acted primarily on instinct alone. So when humans kept building further and further into their territory and were then shocked to find predatory animals in their backyard, he would sooner scold the humans for their stupidity than he would go out actively murdering the wolves.
“When killing animals, something to keep in mind is that the trouble arising is usually due to humanity and its drive to expand, greedily taking more and more for themselves without caring as to whether or not they delve into the territory of animals that have lived there for decades. For me, the killing of animals never gets any easier.”
Many people considered it odd that he felt more for animals than he did for humans, though he had a very good reason for it, a reason he would soon explain to the boy. And as someone who had killed his fair share of animals, as well as sentient beings, one might argue that he knew quite well what he was talking about. After all, the first actual human he had killed was still a fairly recent event, though one that was deserved entirely. The man had, prior to his being turned to ash by Griswold, tortured and killed various civilians and even a member of the silver eagles out of some sick desire to inflict pain. While his mission had awarded him with a few black stars as the goal was to bring him in alive, Griswold believed that the man would not redeem himself in prison, as that time in lockup would just make him that much angrier. And in the eyes of the knight, if the man had decided to kill someone, he also accepted the risk of getting killed himself.
“As for humans, as well as other sentient beings, that’s a different case entirely. Unlike animals that act primarily out of instinct, sentient beings “choose” to do the things they do. They were granted intelligence, allowing them to think through their actions and still go with them, even if it means others might get hurt or killed. When forced to kill being that are capable of thought, you yourself need to flip the switch that makes you feel bad by realizing one simply thing: They chose to hurt and kill others, and in doing so chose to get hurt or killed themselves. To me, it really is that simple.”
Naming other sentient beings for the sake of this mission, which was in regards to sentient serpent beings from the depths of the oceans, as well as a personal callback to the goblins he had been forced to slay a few times over now, he hoped that explaining and elaborating on his thoughts regarding the matter would help the kid grow into one day becoming a knight that would do what was needed. Even if that at times would make him feel bad about himself, not everything came down to choice, and not everyone he would meet could be swayed from the path of evil and villainy. Continuing along towards their location, it was one of those things he thought about to himself, both to see whether he still felt the same way about it as before or if it had changed, as well as how him saying all of these things would reflect on the newbie. For what it was worth, it seemed like he took it all pretty well at least.
The extent to which he took this however did not really show itself until they made their way over to what Griswold imagined was the slave camp they had been looking for. Fortified to some extent parts of shipwrecks, there were a bunch of crude cages that provided not a shred of comfort, only the opposite mixed with humiliation. When the kid said that these serpents in fact deserved to die, part of him felt strange about it as he had not imagined him to think like this so quickly. On the other hand, seeing what these slavers were putting people through must have been enough to incite such feelings in just anyone, so he would not exactly blame the kid or himself for it. What the kid did not know however was what happened with these people once they got shipped out to the place these serpents originally came from. Deciding to keep things that way, he waited for him to strike first.
One thing he had not expected to see today was gravity magic, it being one of those things he had never seen before in his life. While there were still a lot of magic forms he had never seen, the fact that he had never even heard of someone wielding such a magic potentially put the kid into a league of his own. That was, if he kept honing his skills and worked hard at refining that potential. If not, it would never become more than just that, the potential to be more. Watching him do battle with the slavers, he could clearly see what made gravity so powerful, this being the hard to sense attacks that to the untrained eye might seem utterly invisible. Griswold however could see it quite well for what it was, and what it was was highly annoying and dangerous when on the receiving end of it. Keeping a close eye on the situation for a while to see what to expect of the kid, he eventually felt like he had seen enough.
Forming a sphere of solar mana, he aimed it towards the slavers and the prisons. Although the same spell, this time, he did not contain its potential, firing a total of seven spheres across the area as they erupted and incinerated all that stood in them. While it might have seemed like this would also incinerate the prisoners and the gravity-wielding boy, the fact that Griswold could contain his own mana to the point where he could keep his spells from harming those he deemed allies or friendlies meant that all they would end up feeling was the rising temperature. For a few moments, everything would be getting a lot hotter, but after a second or three, all that would remain of the slavers, their fortifications and their prisons was ash. After the shock had disappeared from the civilians that were now, for all intents and purposes free again, they claimed that there were yet others in an altogether different camp much deeper into the coves.
Apparently being quite a bit bigger, as the one they were standing in now was just a forward camp from which the new haul would be transported towards the main camp for their final transport into the depths of the ocean, it seemed that time was not exactly on their side. The fact that these slavers were still going at it meant that they had no idea what was going on in their own home, or they would most likely have seized their above water activities already in order to aid their people. Either that, or they were very well aware of it, thus needing more slaves in order to rebuild what had been broken. Regardless, it meant that this was not yet the end of the line for their little mission.
POWER 175 DURABILITY 3 SENSORY 65 STAMINA 43 CONTROL 113
Name of Spell: Galactic Nucleus: Heliosphere Elemental Type: Solar Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate | Attack Creation Range & Speed: 60 meters (35m AoE) | 30 m/s Mana Cost: 20 mp | 10 mp sustain Stats Effected: +6 to Power Applicable Perks: Overpowered, Battle Knight, Area of Triumph, Quick Shot & Skilled Sniper Description: A spell that was not so much designed to be used in one on one combat, but rather to limit the amount of terrain advantages one might have over the user. By compressing and firing a small bolt of solar mana similar in appearance to "Apoheles", this spell either travels its given distance or collides with a solid surface, causing it to erupt in a burst of flame. As it sets flammable terrain, objects and living beings on fire, it can quickly turn a building used by someone to hide or hole up in from a safe haven into a furnace one will want to quickly escape. For every 20 control, the user is capable of firing an additional sphere in the same salvo, thus following the "ammo" rules. During the day, the spell takes on an orange hue, taking on a silver blue hue after dark.
Feardèanamh
Rank & Element: Grand | Dark Class & Type: Magic | Weapon Magic Specializations: Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Appearance & Lore: Feardèanamh was originally found by Griswold when delving through the ancient elven ruins in the foothills near Kiten, looking like a mostly rusted slab of metal with a hilt. When he first picked it up, he could feel a pinch and noticed a faint glow for a split second before it disappeared. Doing his best to have the blade cleaned and restored to its former glory, upon returning, he came to learn that the name Feardèanamh translates roughly to "Ruinmaker". Wielded by a dark elven king who waged war on human and elf alike hundreds of years ago, its exact origins are unknown, as no records have been kept in regards to who forged it. Abilities:
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Ymyl Tywyll Type & Uses: Flow | 5 post max use | 4 post overheat Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 23 mp | 12 mp upkeep Range & Speed: 40 m/s Stats Affected: -25% endurance Description: Translating roughly to "Black Blade", when Ymyl Tywyll is activated, dark purple veins will form from the handle, spreading from there across the length of the blade and releasing a dark aura. Enhancing the offensive properties of the weapon, its sole function is releasing a crescent of dark mana each time the blade hits a solid surface. Upon hitting a target, the black magic along the sword will erupt outward, dealing senior damage and debuffing their endurance, causing them to take 25% of the curse’s rank (Senior) in damage in addition to other damage taken, and will continue taking additional damage for as long as the debuff is present. Endurance debuffs of this kind can be stacked twice, for which it will need to strike the target twice. This ability cannot be used for more than five posts, as once the fifth post is reached, the ability will require a period of four posts to be ready again.
(The sword in its activated form, showing mana veins running throughout the blade from the hilt)
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Ceangal Dorcha Type & Uses: Trigger | 6 uses Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 24 mp per trigger | 45 mp recharge Range & Speed: 80m | 40 m/s Stats Affected: -10 m/s Description: Translating roughly to "Dark Binding", following what seems like a crackling of black energy, this releases a burst of Dark magic from the blade, the pitch-black mana moving outward and striking against the enemy for Senior damage. Should the attack hit, dark bindings will form around the feet of the one hit by it, reducing their total movement speed by -10 m/s. If multiple people or targets are hit by this ability, the total amount by which they are slowed is reduced by 1 m/s per afflicted individual. For every 50 Control the user has, an additional burst can be fired from the blade.
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Hymagor Isfyd Type & Uses: Trigger | 6 uses Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 24 mp per trigger | 45 mp recharge Range & Speed: 80m | 40 m/s Stats Affected: Debuff to healing/buffing Description: Translating roughly “Yawn of the Underworld”, following up on a sound that is reminiscent to the sound of someone inhaling, a black smoke-like substance is released from the blade that will attempt to dowse a target, causing them to take a senior amount of damage and impairing their own personal buffs and healing. When hit, the targets healing potency is dropped by a single rank if Power is +5 higher than the targets Control, with Junior buff amounts being halved. If the difference is +10, the buff and healing received would be erased completely. Finally, at a difference of +15 or more, the attempted buff or healing will instead turn into a debuff or cause them to take damage equal to one rank below what the healing spell would have healed. For every 50 Control the user has, an additional burst can be fired from the blade.
Name of the Ability Feardèanamh: Hymyl y Nos Type & Uses: Trigger | 6 uses Rank & Specialization: Senior | Attack Creation | Hex & Curse Mana Cost: 24 mp per trigger | 45 mp recharge Range & Speed: 40m | 40 m/s Stats Affected: -25% endurance Description: Translating roughly to “Verge of Night”, following up on the purple veins along the blade either showing up or lighting up more brightly if already present, this releases a burst of Dark magic from the black that looks similar to most other Feardèanamh, dealing Senior damage to those it hits. Upon hitting a target, the black magic along the sword will erupt outward, debuffing their endurance, causing them to take 25% of the curse’s rank (Senior) in damage in addition to other damage taken, and will continue taking additional damage for as long as the debuff is present. For every 50 Control the user has, an additional burst can be fired from the blade.
Noah listened to Griswold carefully, as if he was trying to find comfort in his words. Indeed, it helped as Noah felt similar way, however the power of thinking he has right to kill someone was still beyond his grasp. It might have felt weird that his stance has changed as he saw the serpents, but that was more of a momentary outburst of emotions young mage was suppressing really hard. The moment he started attacking the serpents he knew he would regret that later, yet he didn’t want Griswold to know this. After the combat has started, Noah really appreciated the fact that Griswold joined and basically ended the battle with one spell. For a brief moment, Noah thought the spell was going to hit him too. At some point he just roughly repeated the sentence Griswold told him. The ones who hurt others have chosen to be hurt themselves. While young mage probably misunderstood the sentence, the bright light emitting from the spell definitely felt like this could be it. Noah felt at peace with that.
Surprise, surprise – Griswold actually had a brilliant control of his spell, which Noah unconsciously knew and therefore besides being hot for a brief moment, nothing has really happened to him. Well, actually a lot has happened as every serpent has now been eradicated. Noah preferred his magic, as it still felt more humane than burning people into ashes, but he also could see how his magic fits Griswold really well. After getting the required information, Noah felt ambivalent about it. One thing was the fact, that he really enjoyed Griswold´s presence, as he was obviously wise and Noah felt like he could learn a lot from him, but going on a killing spree wasn’t exactly how he planned his evening.
“Very well, it seems like we still have a long way to go. But one thing I am already concerned about, if those creatures reside in the ocean, how do we even approach them?” He was probably thinking way ahead, as the next camp they would be approaching would still be on land, at least that’s what Noah assumed. After making sure that all the captured civilians were okay, Noah offered them a little water he carried with himself. If I actually bought the medicine I was thinking about earlier, it would come really handy now. That however didn’t happen, so young mage just decided to return to the conversation they had before the fight started.
“I felt a dilemma when I was in a dungeon. We basically invaded a functional ecosystem with a lot of creatures living inside it. Whether they were animals or different creatures, we still raided it. It feels like a common practice I wasn’t aware of, but it still felt wrong. As far as I knew the creatures inside lived quite peacefully without causing any trouble to the outside world. It just got me to thinking, if leaving them alone wouldn’t make things easier, you know?” Of course, Noah didn’t know every dungeon, and his experience was based on a single instance, so he was also expecting Griswold to shed a light on the actual situations, as it is highly possible that some dungeons are actually dangerous for the outside world.
Noah still was still unsure about the question of killing someone. This one with the slavers was actually very easy, as the moral implications were clear. This was also probably a rare situation, as usually things are not black or white. One thing that would resonate in his mind now was the situation with instincts and intelligence, as that was a good starting point for solving his own dilemma. It was rather funny how Griswold managed to explain it very simply, however Noah still managed to overcomplicate the matter. Maybe it was a good thing they had to carry on the mission, as young mage was slowly thinking about asking Griswold about concrete examples but he suppressed that thought because it felt a little stupid and shallow.
“Okay, I think we are ready to leave now, would you lead the way?” He smiled, as all the prisoners were released and probably on their way home, there was nothing left to do here. Relying on Griswold sensory capabilities was their best bet now, as Noah had no idea where to go. There was still a question of going underwater, but hopefully they would find a way. Young mage has started walking, probably in a wrong direction, it was clear that even though he killed couple of his enemies, he was still not feeling comfortable in the presence of those burned corpses.
Upon being freed from their bondage and the idea that they were about to die in a sea of flame, the prisoners made their way back to the safety of Hapshass relatively quickly, which was a good thing. With these things lurking beneath the waves, there was no telling whether or not there were more out there, waiting to snatch up the stragglers and forcing people such as Griswold and the boy to go through it all over again. As that was clearly not what he was after personally, he hoped that getting this other, supposedly bigger camp would be what put an end to the whole ordeal. Unfortunately, experience had taught him to know better than to believe that things were going to be easy, and that everything would turn out fine the moment they took care of the camp. Still, that would not keep him from at least hoping for the best.
When the boy spoke about how they had entered a dungeon and more or less ransacked an entire biome, it was something Griswold could relate to. Having learned a thing or two about dungeons after being sent in to take care of roughly four or five of them, there was one thing in particular he had learned from it. Some of them defied the laws of nature, meaning that if one person went through it and destroyed the whole thing, another might come back to it a few days later and find the entire place intact and its inhabitants restored to their full glory. Whatever laws this entailed, it also meant that in the majority of the cases, it was a closed off biome that meant nothing could get out that lived within it. This however meant that while getting out was generally not possible, getting in was relatively easy, a thing that served as the bane of many commoners and peasants.
“Dungeons are quite the strange thing. Those I’ve seen all appeared to be closed off from the rest of the world, all the while going by their own laws that don’t apply in the rest of the world. The first time I went into one, I was also hesitant to kill something. Luckily, we eventually had to retreat that day. When I returned some time later, it seemed that all of the damage we had caused and all the things we had killed had miraculously been restored.”
While this obviously meant that the destruction and killing of those particular creatures had to happen twice, the fact that they seemed to just be restored some time later gave them something no other creature in the world had, coming in the form of flawed immortality. While they could die, they did not stay dead as they would just come back at some point. Even if this was by far the worst kind of immortality Griswold could imagine, as it meant someone experiencing the pain of dying over and over again, he wondered if the animal species living inside of those biomes really understood what was going on. Because animals inherently acted off of instincts rather than intellect, he figured the process of death most likely meant that they did not even remember what had happened, experiencing it like waking from a long nap and just wandering back into the world like nothing had ever happened.
Hopefully, the knowledge that most of what happened inside of a dungeon held little to no permanence whatsoever, Griswold did get the feeling of walking in somewhere and killing a bunch of creatures for seemingly no reason was a rather normal thing among the magic knights of Clover. If he got his way and became a captain one day, that was one of the things he wanted to bring some change to. He wanted people to truly think about what they were doing before they took a life. Because unlike in dungeons, the vast majority of the animals they killed remained dead, as the laws of nature at work in dungeons was not something that applied to the outside world. So for every wolf, bear, deer, boar and whatever else they slew, they risked inflicting danger upon an ecosystem that became more and more fragile due to the use of magic in just about any situation without a moments thought in regards to the consequences. But that was something they could discuss some other time.
For now, they had a bunch of people that still needed saving, as well as an unknown amount of slavers that had yet to experience the bitter taste of defeat and death. If it were up to him, they wouldn’t need to wait long.
