A Mirror To The Past

#106

"Slip-n-slide?" The Manticore laughed to himself. He wasn't exactly sure what that was, but it seemed fun. The word seemed to imply water, which this desert could certainly use more of. It was definitely better than being in the cold though.

"'Reversama mirry? Simulacrum? Jentil?" The mythical beast growled. "I have no idea what any of those mean, and honestly they all make me... a little... homicidal. Besides that though, this tool points us directly where to go?"

He took a look at it, and began to flap, warming up his wings.

"Up? We have to fly? My companion here doesn't seem to have wings, unfortunately. "

#107

The Encampment

ES smacked Tages proffered hand away from her, pushing herself up off the floor on her own power as her eyes returned to their normal hazel. "It'll do" she said, the closest she was going to come to saying thanks "What do you mean, it split itself off but it's inert? The hell? What happens if another one does show up?!"

She looked up as the sky started to darken, and Mirror Swix brought the second sword over to Tages. "What now?" they both echoed.

Mirror Lake

Permafrost sighed, and lifted his head away from the man in resignation "Apologies, friend, but it would seem you and the others have been infected by something that has blinded you to it. So I cannot release them for the safety of the ones on this side"

The Dragon looked up at the centralised darkness over the Encampment with concern "That's no natural phenomenon I've ever seen Miyuso. It's too local. What is that?"

Jent · #108

Pax (Eight Moons)

Paying attention to each word from the Manticore, the man calculated conflicting details of its overall design and demeanor. "Why yes, the unknown does provoke a primal response in life. While the ability to analyze its cause and effect is the most profitable means to those who specialize at it, though." Charmed at the beast's display, veil arms of white smoke coils around Aaron as he approached the alchemist.

"Up won't be a problem for her. Down is."

Beside his feet, several fearsome claws tethered to Alex's spiritual body as she screamed. Nearly dropping the staff, the deranged entities flew the her to the sky at blazing speed.

"Care for a lift? Guta is quite good at heaving larger creatures," Arron smiled gleefully, the foul spirit circling the man as it watched the Manticore intensely.

Pax (Dual Planets)

Encampment

Not dejected at the attitude, the blue mage still noted her questions with worry. "You'll be more susceptible to its control. If another homunculus you come across already has a human vessel, the amount of contact needed to subdue you would be vastly different than before. However, I can try my best to filter as much-why thank you."

Receiving the swords from the mirror, Tages strapped the pair in enchanted sheaths he just summoned. "Much appreciated miss, though your counterpart has been infected by the monster nevertheless. Now, it be best for you two-what?" Examining the clouds, a horrified gaze overtook him. The dust left behind by the parasite... did it...

"The homunculus... tricked us?"

Mirror Lake

"Um, it doesn't seem to be like a normal storm formation, as you said-"

"That is the same formation that occurred after the portal opened."

The two women gawked at the golem, neither wanting to admit that the behemoth that appeared at the lake being summoned in the middle of the town. "It is going to happen again," graikos spoke. "The darkness that aggregated here is repeating the cycle over there. Now, human?"

"Max, Maxwell Taylor."

"Honestly, I cannot trust you. Just touching even non-solid spirits leaves you a danger in itself."

Stomping on the ground, sifting soil bounded the patch-work people in individual mounds, trapping their movements entirely. "For the safety of Pax, I cannot let you or any of these infected be capable of escaping. As for the rest of you: I myself must stay here, though venture to the Encampment if you are able to fight."

#109

The Encampment

"Oh good" ES said, sarcastically "just what I need, another roommate" she then looked at the Blue Mage and the cloud in the sky "What do you mean it tricked us? Did it actually kill itself or do you not know as much about this creature as you think?" still, the Split humanoid put both hands to her sides, invoking her own personal magic she hadn't used in years, just in case.

"She's been infected?" Mirror Swix said, looking horrified "Oh no! There's a cure right? Poor thing" MS was showing genuine concern but all it got her from ES was a horrible glare."What about the dust? What would it be best for us to do?"

Mirror Lake

Permafrost looked to Graikos and Miyuso, Aino, and now all the trapped people. The Dragon opened his wide wings when the golem mentioned a fight. The Ice Dragon wasn't about to let this settlements inhabitants disappear too. "I'll go to The Encampment and fight then" Permafrost flapped, and then he was soaring over to face whatever this thing was.

#110

The Manticore inspected the mage.

"She really didn't seem to enjoy that at all." He finally replied. "Was there something else that thing did to her?"

Jent · #111

Pax (Eight Moons)

"Was there something else that thing did to her?"

"Nothing but incompatibility, Manticore. You see, it is her body that is causing the overreaction," the man affirmed. "These extra-planer entities provoke a painful sensation to souls that do not synchronize with their unique frequency. The weaker or the more experienced are far more capable of readjusting themselves to suit those around them in case of contact."

Waving about to the servants, a few ghostly limbs swirled a seat from the sand for Aaron. "Otherwise, it is up to us to either bear the anguish, alter our own spiritual selves, or dominate them to submission. For Miss Valens, she has much more... surface area compared to most humans you've likely seen. "

Pax (Dual Planets)

Encampment

Still spreading throughout the sky, Tages frowned at the impending force that awaited. He, about to answer the women, paused. Opening a palm, a smoldering blue flame summoned a bronze mirror between his fingers. "One moment," the blue mage remarked. Gazing at the blurry screen, he listened to the speaker in mindspeak as a couple minutes drifted by.

"Alright," he drawled out. Breaking away the connection, he presented it to Evil Swix. "I've talked to the Graikos. Arriving shortly, an Ice dragon will come and be of assistance, though that appears to be our only support."

Glowing, the engraved tool reformed into a flexible armlet, the reflective surface briefly showing his simulacrum as it dissipated. "That will allow us to talk together at a distance, on the off chance we were to get separated. He also bridge the pathway to her main body so even your counter-part can speak as well. And for you..." Removing his dao blades, Tages brought the sheathed swords to Mirror Swix.

"He also mentioned you are using one of his vessels. Being attuned to earth, these will provided you a fair offensive strength against the darkness. The edges; however, will remain dull until you sharpen them with your mind."

#112

ES took the Mirror-armlet thing that Tages offered, putting it on her wrist and sighing. Now she'd have to gather the explosive Shadow Sphere she'd just had to dissipate to take this thing all over again. And now he was off talking to the other one. ES gritted her teeth and watched the sky for the Ice Dragon, there wasn't really much she could do to something so high in the air.

"Um, thank you" Mirror Swix said as Tages handed her both swords "though I don't know how anyone could sharpen swords with their minds.."

Permafrost landed nearby them at that point, the Ice Dragon held his head up to watch the spreading cloud.

"HEY CP!" ES suddenly yelled "I BAKED COOKIES! GET YOUR TINY YELLOW BUTT OUT HERE!"

#113

"Compatibility issues, huh?" The Manticore mused, thinking about the pain caused to his companion. It certainly seemed unpleasant to say the least. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't be entirely sure that something similar wouldn't happen to him. There were... forces inside him that may not work so well.

"I have my own wings, thank you." He growled, before flapping and sprinting into the air to follow Alex.

Jent · #114

Pax (Eight Moons)

"Then pray to not suffer under the wrath of the oceans above, young lion-esque."

With the Manticore declining the "mages's" assistance, Aaron waved at the flying beast, bidding him adieu as he descended into nothing. For all the man simply vanished from the eerie sands in the quiet time, leaving the angered spirit in spite of promised pride. It a being a core of the party, the lesser beings enshrouded brooding leader in the likeness of a great bear. Spattering foul curses, Guta disembarked to the snow.

Soaring through the clouds, he would noticed a few odd surprises as the turbulent winds blasted him further inside. Before the Manticore, a space-ship reminiscent to the well-heard shee ark in style alone cloaked itself in the darkness. Yet, only similar to it, mind you. Sporting ten domed biomes, each of the hemispheres rivaled the original in its entirety alone, where it not for the rushed currents would taken the beast much longer to reach the Alchemist.

"Over here!" the strange woman shouted in the abyss. High above the main structure stood a fearsome pillar that stretched past the gloom veil, piercing deeper to the atmosphere. By her, five squabbling spirits tore an opening in the spire. Their mutual animosity at the women spread even to the beast in waves, themselves struggling to keep the ship from repairing itself as they braced the tear.

Pax (Dual Planets)

In the midst of mixed reactions, Tages held out a hand to the sky. "Alright then, as long we all know the general idea. Now, last time, something akin to eldritch abomination grew out from the clouds themselves. Flexible, its attack pattern seemed to follow the style of rain as it fought, so keep on the defensive to not get hit."

As Permafrost approached, he felt a bit uneasy at the tactic he sported. "Perhaps it be best for you to fight at the clouds sides? I rather not risk testing your scales against its lances," he worriedly mentioned. Staring back to the gaseous entity, he froze. Not wanting to be called out for being a chicken, the mage snapped his fingers and direct the attention to the clouds. It appears... the sky was falling.

#115

"GRR" Permafrost growled, nobody had told him anything about sticking to the clouds edges when he came over here, and besides, why was he going to start attacking something without it having actually done anything yet? Wasn't that the bad guys role? Permafrost certainly wasn't a bad guy. But now it appeared to be coming down to them, so he waited for it.

ES however wasn't of such a mellow nature so threw her explosive Shadow Spheres up at the thing coming down on them anyway, sneering.

#116

The mythological Manticore flapped against the buffeting winds of his altitude, circling the ship parked in the sky. It wasn't a design he immediately recognized, which was a feat in itself. He used to run a space station once upon a time, after all.

"Having fun up here, dear?" He asked, flapping idly. He then forced himself forward in a burst of speed, aiming to propel both himself and his accomplice through the hole so it could seal.

Jent · #117

Pax (Eight Moons)

"Not really!" the alchemist hollered at the storm. Shocked, she looked at the incoming manticore they collided, tumbling the two deeper inside the star ship. Having finished their objective, the tired spirits left haul to seal itself shut.

"Gah! Reckless, aren't you?" Alex snapped at him.

Pax (Dual Planets)

Ashamed of delegating the dragon to watch duty, he was uncertain of the offensive might of the cloud-beast. Nevertheless, Tages kept his guard at the approaching enemy, watching it unresponsive to towers and poles striking it through with ease. Was this of a different sort? The fluffy darkness only slowed the descent marginally given structures in its path. However, the Shadow Spheres from ES changed things up for the worse.

"What are you doing!?" the blue mage alarmed at the Split's decision. Smashing past the outer layer, the explosive attack fell short in destruction as they sunk completely in the clouds, leaving no sign of escape. Reacting accordingly, nimble tendrils ricocheted around the sides of the open gash, plummeting down at the targets below.

#118

"What's it look like?" ES snapped at Tages, before flinging herself out of the way of the oddly familiar spears. It was clumsy, and she landed on the floor as her legs weren't exactly in peak condition, but she at least avoided getting speared.

MS, on the other hand, stabbed both swords into the ground in an attempt to make a sort of defensive ceiling above them all, so the spears would hit them and not the people below.

Permafrost aimed his freezing breath at the lances aiming for him, wings half furled for a hasty take off.

Jent · #119

"I don't know its potential!" Tages retorted. By Pax, this woman is hasty, does she want to get killed? Dodging the tendrils likewise, the mage found himself impressed at the vegetative defense wall her counter-part summoned. His own disposition proved poorly in mastery of said blade pair, it only amazes him that the golem managed to construct a vessel with such ease. ~Just how are we going to subdue this thing?~

The clouds were not pleased at the success of these fleshy creatures, especially the might of the dragon's breath shattering several of its limbs in the process. Enclosing the wound mage by ES, the storm beast expelled shadowy clumps off the itself. Plummeting down, several of the masses clung to nearby buildings, sprouting gloomy humanoids from the fragments.

#120

"The hell are those?" ES shouted, as she shakily got up from her fall. Well, she'd have a couple more tricks up her sleeves, but for right now they'd have to stay up there. As she was rather bemused by this new 'attack'.

MS was rather less bemused and more cautious, now attempting to construct the defence in front of the things as well as keeping the lances off then.

Permafrost snorted, before leaping oddly gracefully from the ground and started to circle around the outside of the cloud.