An ancient city of stone buildings lies hidden between hills and trees. Destroyed and toppled by some unknown disaster and the ages of time, now this place is a maze to be explored.
Character Diceroll 1: Successful Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Perception.
548 was added for Level 1.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
9 was deducted for C. Vagrant Penalty.
With a flourish and a practiced landing, Reed caught the cutlass between her jaws and struck up her heroic pose once more. Even without a breeze, her dreads seemed to drift out behind her like they were being tugged by wind (except it wasn't wind. It was her using her telekinesis to make it look like wind). She imagined ooos and ahhhhs and others cheering for her, thanking her for saving them all once more from those evil foul beasts that roamed the lands. Of course, that was all in her head.
When the lion smiled and bowed his head, Reed relaxed herself. She returned his bow with one of her own, tilting her head and averting her eyes. "'Aye it's a pleasure to meet ya Matthias. I've met some others in a Kingdom here. You just happened to find a washed up swashbuckler first." A merchant! She immediately wondered what he had available but restrained herself from asking. There were multiplying lizards to slay, after all! Slaying first, shiny neat objects later. Matthias stepped away from the cub slightly who eagerly introduced herself as Roxanne. The excitement in the cub's eyes filled Reed with her own excitement. She remembered being that young and craving adventure. Matthias inquired which way the lizards went and Roxanne was eager to pick a direction and run.
Reed made room for Matthias to pursue Roxanne. She didn't dare get between the child and her guardian. By now, just with the brief exchange between the two adults and how he acted, she believed that he was no danger to the child. It wasn't too long before suddenly up ahead a large iguana like creature skittered across the pathway ahead. "There!" Reed suddenly shouted to draw their attention to the creature. "Great job Roxanne!" She turned towards Matthias and waited for him to spring into action first. If he was her guardian, then he should be the hero, and her the backup. "I'll have your back, Matthias. Don't you worry." Then she winked and readied herself. "You won't stand a chance, Duplispozards!"
Footnote: Duplispozards is pronounced by combining duplicate, spot, lizards - duplispozards!
Washed up? He wondered if she meant that literally or metaphorically. The news of Kingdoms was a disappointing one - not only were their residents in this new land but apparently they had been here long enough to form Kingdoms. He groaned inwardly at the thought, but opted not to let it show on his face. Instead, he kept the thoughts at the side of his mind, opting to worry about the future second to what was going on now. Right now, Matthias and Roxanne were still in the presence of a stranger, about to encounter even stranger things. But, the lion could also pick up vibes pretty well... and he found he quite liked Reed's.
"Roxanne, wait!" Off she went, her thirst for adventure being a pain in his tail yet again, and off he went after her, stallion backlegs kicking up dirt for a speedy take-off as he ran on all fours. Indeed, even as Matthias and Reed ran side by side, he couldn't help but to keep one eye on her. Not just because he didn't fully trust her yet, but also because... well, there was a lot to admire about her frame. He didn't think masculinity could ever look so good on a woman, but she made it work.
He slows to a stop when they encounter the lizard Roxanne spoke of. It was bigger and brighter than he'd imagined, and it had colorful dots on its otherwise bleak form. Isn't the point of dull colors to keep animals inconspicuous? "Stay back," he declares to the leopard cub, instinctively placing the front half of his body between her and the lizard. 'I'll have your back, Matthias. Don't you worry.' He gives a nod of acknowledgement - now it was his turn to make an impression. "You got that right. Time to teach this Duplispozard a lesson!"
Matthias would rear onto his backlegs, striking at the air with foreclaws out, before charging head-on at the Duplispozard. If successful, he would wait until their bodies were parallel to each other before grabbing the lizard by its tail and flinging it into the nearest wall, where it'll smack into it and slide down in a comical manner. The creature would attempt to flee, duplicating itself into multiple lizards in the process. If he fails, however, his grab at its tail will be met with swift retaliation - one that causes the lizard to latch onto his left elbow, releasing its tingling toxins into Matthias' body before it gets flung away, albeit not far enough to hit the wall. It'll still attempt to flee, duplicating itself in the process.
Character Diceroll 1: Successful Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Strength.
533 was added for Level 3.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
2 was deducted for C. Vagrant Penalty.
'There!' Declared Reed, and Roxanne followed her gaze until it met with the darn creature that had scared her off the first time. Her face scrunches up in a silent snarl at it. Its long spikes almost reached her full height... but she will not be scared again! Reed's praise makes her head rise and tail rise with it, emboldened by her words. Now they were going to teach this... this... Duplispozard? What a funny name! Now, they were going to teach this Duplispozard a lesson!
Except, her father placed himself in front of her again, and this time she felt indignant. No fair, she wanted to join in too! She moves out from under him, and just then, he charges forward towards it. Roxanne follows after him, stopping for a moment to watch in awe as he grabs the Duplispozard by its tail and literally throw it into a wall. Ouch! It seemed dazed for a moment, and thought better than to mess with them, because instead of doing its screaming like last time, it started to run away! And then it multiplied again! The cub started chasing after the group, eyeing the creatures down as she tried to figure out which one it was. If successful, Roxanne would realize that all but one of them was actually moving the grass and plants around it as it ran, and she would pounce on the slow reptile's tail, keeping it from running. She didn't have a plan after that except to hold it down and hope maybe father or Reed would finish it off, because this thing is surprisingly strong! For her, at least.
But if unsuccessful, she'll fail to recognize which one is the correct one, leap on the wrong one, and end up with nothing but a mouthful of grass as it continues to run away. "Dang it..."
Character Diceroll 1: Successful Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Perception.
560 was added for Level 1.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
9 was deducted for C. Vagrant Penalty.
Once the threat was identified, both Matthias and Roxanne sprung into action. Matthias was quick to shield Roxanne from the dangerous creature, directing her to stay back while Reed and Roxanne's guardian handled the beast. Reed kept herself ready to strike, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get a piece of the action. Matthias dove on the creature, quickly snatching it up with strength and speed that made Reed realize that just like her, there seemed to be more to him, too. The duplispozard smacked into one of the ancient walls with a loud THUNK and slid down it, likely stunned.
This was it! This was her moment to pounce! Except Reed has been so focused on the duplispozard that she hadn't realized that Roxanne had disobeyed her order. Right as Reed was about to pounce she saw the cub dart after the lizard as it recovered from its stun and duplicated its self (so Roxanne hadn't just been seeing things!!!). This time, however, Roxanne did not shy away. Perhaps it was because she had the protection of two adults behind her that made her feel more confident.
The cub pounced, ignoring the many versions of the duplispozard, and landed on the real one's tail, holding it in place. The creature squeaked and squealed out of displeasure and fear. Reed examined the scene, and thought perhaps a lesson could be taught here, rather than taking a creature's life. So, Reed quickly moved up beside Roxanne, said "I've got this from here" and turned her focus on the tiny creature that was clearly terrified. Reed summoned her Will to lift the lizard from Roxanne's grasp up into the air, where it could be suspended, harmless to everyone around (or so she thought). Whether her magic succeeded in holding the creature in the air suspended, or worked just enough to free it from Roxanne didn't matter to Reed. The end goal was the same: let the poor terrified creature live.
"I gotta tell ya, Roxanne and Matthias, the two of ya are might fast and good at huntin'. Now, if yer hungry, I ain't gonna be the one to tell ya not to catch yerself a meal. However, I don't think endin' this poor creature's life is the right choice when I think you scared it as much as it scared you, Roxanne. You said it chased ya around? I think now we've chased it around and it might think again before it scares another youngin'. So, why don't we let it go, eh? I'm not really that hungry. What do yall say? Since from the looks of it, it ain't a monster after all."
Dice Role: Level 3 Strength for Telekinesis
Success: Reed's magic is strong enough to hold the creature in place suspended up in the air
Failure: Reed's magic attempts to free the lizard from Roxanne's grasp. It is up to Roxanne if she lets the creature go or not.
Character Diceroll 1: Unuccessful Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Stealth.
494 was added for Level 3.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
0 was added for A. No Buff / Penalty.
With the creature thoroughly beaten and scared, Matthias stands in triumph, head tall from the shot of dopamine. It was always fun to do such silly actions, and the more he got to toss something around, the more it boosted his ego. A win-win.
The boost of dopamine was cut short when Roxanne hurled herself into the fray - he watched with wide eyes as she charged after the creature and managed to... actually spot out which one of the duplicates was the right one? Huh. I didn't think she had it in her. And that rush of dopamine continued; Of course, she takes after me. Why wouldn't she be able to spot it? Bright orange eyes turn to Reed as she steps up, her magic noticeably making the creature rise in a supposed attempt to get it out of Roxanne's grasp. He listens to her words as he watches the creature. Oh, hmm, should I have tried to turn this into a life lesson or something? A somewhat distracted glance is taken up at the sky. No one ever really bothered to teach him anything, and he turned out all right. His gaze fully refocuses back onto Reed once the last question is asked.
He wasn't really hungry. That creature was too scaly and dry anyway. Would probably give him bad acne. So he just shrugs, giving Roxanne full power over the decision. If it does give her bad acne, live and let learn, right? "If you just arrived here, how did you know it was called a Duplispozard?" he asked Reed, wondering if there was someone, a resident perhaps, who was giving her this information. It would certainly be convenient to have connections around here.
Exhilaration surged through her. She caught it! She felt like a true hunter, or warrior perhaps, and she bit down as hard as she could on its tail as if to hold on for dear life. But when she heard Reed come up beside her, claiming she'll handle it, she found herself letting go of it when she felt the magic's pull. The girl would take a seat, licking her lips and teeth from the little bit of blood she managed to get out of it, and she looked up at Reed with attentive eyes as she listened to what was said. Her gaze faltered only a bit as the creature took the opportunity to continue its escape, and she watched it go.
She was too excited from the thrill of the chase to be hungry, anyway! "It's a monster if it attacks me! And I got the last word!" she shouts that last part, aiming it at the still fleeing creature whose figure grew increasingly smaller as it gained distance.
Back to Reed, "That was fun! We need to do more stuff like that! I bet you could do all sorts of fancy stuff with that sword thing," the girl excitedly begins to surround the wolf, wanting to get a closer look at all the swords she had and the stuff she used to carry them, "Could you teach me how to make things float? I wanna learn that stuff too!"
