Yolani surveyed the workshop, her eyes assessing the progress of each worker as they diligently crafted firearms.
The air hummed with focused energy, punctuated by the rhythmic sounds of metal being shaped and the occasional crackle of arcane energy.
She moved between the workstations, her steps purposeful and assured. At one bench, a young apprentice struggled to align the barrel of a musket.
Yolani paused, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Ease up on the pressure,...
2024-03-10 12:06:58 +0000 UTC
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Elania stood amidst the carnage, her divine form shimmering with an ethereal glow. The Lightbringers’ retreat had left the battlefield strewn with the fallen, their broken bodies a testament to the ferocity of the combat.
She moved among the corpses, her hand outstretched, drawing forth the lingering essence of the slain. The power flowed into her, a rush of energy that filled her being to the brim.
[Absorb the lingering Power from Lightbringer Soldier - Human - Lvl 154?...
2024-03-10 10:40:13 +0000 UTC
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Elania touched down on the gate roof, her wings folding neatly behind her back.
The guards on duty snapped to attention, wary expressions glued to their faces as they determined whether or not she was a threat. Even when they figured out she was there to help, they didn’t relax.
Dark circles underscored their eyes, and their uniforms bore the stains and tears of prolonged battle.
“Where’s Magister Astolf?” Elania asked, her voice carrying over the distant sounds of c...
2024-03-10 09:10:29 +0000 UTC
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This isn't 100% hard or anything, but gives a good general idea of what my thoughts are on how things will go. It's subject to change, yadda yadda. But I feel it might be a general help to visualizing when and what I will be writing things!
You probably noticed the Demoness 2 fire lately, that's because of the deadline, haha. It could get done earlier, which would move the other things forward, etc.
2024-03-10 05:00:31 +0000 UTC
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Elania woke up feeling drained, the events of the previous day still weighing heavily on her mind.
She dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to help her focus.
The reflection in the mirror told her what she had already noticed: she looked like shit, felt like shit. It wasn’t exactly the same as an ill-planned hangover, but it was close enough.
Yolani wasn’t around, so she was alone. Moving back to the bed to sit, she decided t...
2024-03-10 04:37:27 +0000 UTC
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Elania stepped onto the half-sized elevator beside Yolani and then got a good hold on the handlebar. The Celestial Engine pulsed and spun in the background as they descended towards the control room.
She closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses to gauge the engine’s power. A frown creased her brow as she realized the levels had dropped… or at least that was the impression she felt compared to their previous visits.
The strain on the divine machinery was probably due to th...
2024-03-09 11:08:22 +0000 UTC
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Keswick let them step inside first.
Elania felt confusion and shock hit her as she scanned the opulence that surrounded her, and Yolani’s breath hitched in a mirror of the emotion.
The space was vast, with high ceilings and plush furnishings that spoke of wealth and power. It was nicer than the lobby and offices of the Magister herself. Or at least it seemed like it. They’d never seen Keswick’s personal quarters.
It was a far cry from the modest accommodation they were...
2024-03-09 08:32:03 +0000 UTC
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Elania stepped out of the carriage, her eyes immediately drawn to the damage that surrounded them.
The seraph’s attack had left a trail of destruction in its wake, the once pristine streets and rows of magistrate buildings now marred by rubble and debris.
The laser beam had cut through the area like a hot knife through butter, leaving a jagged wound that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The Magistry tower itself…
Elania’s brow furrowed in confusion. The tow...
2024-03-09 06:58:49 +0000 UTC
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Elania soared high into the air, the wind whipping through her hair as she put distance between herself and the Elder.
Almost immediately, the incorporeal and insidious restraining spell the elders used hit her. It felt like her wings were heavy, and she was a rock…
A rock with a decent trajectory for getting far away.
Not to mention she pushed herself and resisted the feeling of chains pulling her back with gritted teeth.
The connection snapped after a tenuous few s...
2024-03-08 21:59:05 +0000 UTC
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Elania soared high above the rooftops, keeping pace with the carriage below. Her wings cut through the air effortlessly as she scanned the streets for any signs of danger.
They were there alright, moving into position at the intersections as the carriage blew past them. Yolani was preventing them from surrounding her thanks to the mad rush, but if the carriage stopped…
Things were going to be dicey. It felt like every monk that had crossed over before the bridge to the Conclave ...
2024-03-08 00:10:40 +0000 UTC
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The screaming and panic was immediate.
For half a second, Elania thought that somehow, she had unconsciously called down permanent judgement on a bunch of innocents on accident.
The shock mirrored on their escorts’ faces seemed to fall in that direction as well.
The only one who didn’t think so badly of her was Yolani, who grabbed her arm to get her attention before pointing at a distant building.
A man in monk robes was standing on the roof, doing his best to mi...
2024-03-07 03:46:33 +0000 UTC
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A pounding on the shop door made Elania almost jump.
She maintained her composure and cross the bedroom to the balcony to inspect the street. There was an invisible shielding ward, but she still felt conspicuous leaning out in the open considering the events in the city.
One of their escorts was making the noise.
“What’s going on?” Elania called down to him.
He stopped pounding and looked up at her. “We’ve been out here an hour, and we need to get moving.”<...
2024-03-06 01:36:54 +0000 UTC
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Elania folded her arms. It just so happened that her wings did the opposite, lifting off her shoulders and standing vertically, like a starry peacock’s tail. It was an involuntary form of body language, like when her ears twitched in Darkwalker form.
It also scared most of the people in the room and even had the Magisters drawing back.
“Sorry, they have a mind of their own,” Elania said.
Magister Keswick cleared her throat. “As I was saying, we need to go to the Magi...
2024-03-05 06:51:15 +0000 UTC
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Yolani let out a weak groan as consciousness returned to her slowly.
A scent of cinnamon infiltrated her senses. Her head and ears were cradled on something soft and warm.
Her whole body felt light, like she was on a cloud, and waking up felt like the last thing in the world she wanted to do.
Recent memories caught up to her quickly, though, and she cracked an eye open.
The sleeping angel was a sight to behold. Little lines of glittering light trailed out of her hair a...
2024-03-04 07:27:07 +0000 UTC
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Yolani peered at the small mirror they had found in the burnt-out building, holding it around the edge of the alley to scout the street.
Nothing moved, except for a few spots of smoldering debris that had burnt itself out. It had been a while since they’d heard any gunfire or spells, but the smell of smoke was pervasive.
The group had remained hidden for hours instead of trying to make a break for it, much to her disbelief. Henri had obviously been overly worried about her safet...
2024-03-03 05:44:18 +0000 UTC
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Elania’s wings beat against the air as she ascended high enough to touch one of the light stones that illuminated the city. The glare from up close was strong, but she avoided looking at them in favor of scanning the city below.
As high as she was, it was hard to make out individual people, but that also meant no one was shooting at her despite her being in the open.
The other thing the position gave her was a view of the trauma the city had suffered. Was suffering.
The no...
2024-03-02 04:29:47 +0000 UTC
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The figure of light descended, and the surrounding air shimmered with an oppressive pressure of [Divinity]as if it was a physical force.
Elder Gant threw himself to the ground and began to prostrate, while Magister Bannon fell to one knee, barely propping himself up with his rapier.
The crushing feeling ran through her wings, and she felt like her entire body was made of lead.
A red glow formed in the shadow of the seraph’s hood, and she could feel a spike...
2024-03-01 06:19:57 +0000 UTC
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Elania’s vision blurred as she shot forward, her wings trailing behind her like a shimmering comet tail. Whatever they were chanting, she could feel a slight pressure growing now that she knew what being restrained felt like.
Letting them finish would be a mistake.
Before she reached Winx, Elder Eidan broke his chant and threw a wave of golden needles at her.
Angling her wing sent her into a roll that dodged the first wave, and then she flared to raise up into the air to d...
2024-03-01 00:35:49 +0000 UTC
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Elania read the message again, the words glowing with a soft, peaceful divine luminescence that contrasted with the chaotic battle around her.
[You have achieved maximum Divine Affinity. Would you like to attempt Seraph Transformation? Y/N]
The last time she had transformed, it had created a permanent change in her along with the permanent Darkwalker core.
This time...
2024-02-28 22:31:39 +0000 UTC
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The intensity of the sounds of fighting and the density of hostile monks increased as they pushed through the fortress toward their goal.
Several more groups went down in a whirlwind of [Power] infused fingers. Elania looked back at Yolani, who looked at her with a worried expression.
“Your robe looks good. They won’t notice,” Elania said.
Yolani nodded. “S...
2024-02-28 05:11:57 +0000 UTC
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USD: 6 days since Ertan Fleet surrender and clearing of the orbitals.
Location: Meltisar, MIL-1A, Academy Concourse
Alex passed the fountains in the academy’s concourse, her eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face as she moved towards the cafeteria. A weight felt like it had been lifted off her shoulders; the decision to head back to the Frontier had been something she needed.
It felt like she was taking back control from the chaos that had been swirling around her...
2024-02-27 16:19:10 +0000 UTC
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USD: 6 days since Ertan Fleet surrender and clearing of the orbitals.
Location: Meltisar, MIL-1A, FHQ, Tia’s floor
Thea was stuck with Elis, so Alex made her way to Tia’s office on her own. There was a beeping call on her wrist comm, asking her to come set on repeat. Alex ignored it. She was going as fast as she could.
Maybe it would have been better to do the digital thing after all, so she could have included Thea. The ex-Corpo NAI was a bit of a wildcard, but she ...
2024-02-26 21:50:24 +0000 UTC
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Distant musket fire and the crack of spells became a constant backdrop as the group picked their way through the empty hall. Elania frowned at several sections where spiderweb cracks had formed in the stone. The air was filled with the smell of burnt magic.
They paused at a shut door, Gaston leaning against it with an ear to determine if it was empty or not.
For the dozenth time, Elania glanced at Yolani, making sure she was still there and okay.
Well, nothing was ‘okay’...
2024-02-26 02:38:41 +0000 UTC
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USD: 6 days since Ertan Fleet surrender and clearing of the orbitals
Location: Meltisar, MIL-1A, Fleet Medical Bay 12e, Recovery Ward
Alex hurried down the corridor at the fastest walk she could manage without being disrespectful. She’d worked her way through the maze of bureaucracy and security all the way from the Ironhorse’s mooring arm to finally arrive on the same floor as her sister’s recovery room.
There had been a dozen other places calling for her attentio...
2024-02-24 00:02:43 +0000 UTC
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Elania winced as she checked her remaining [Power].
[Power: 1899/1559]
The magical bubble had drained off a considerable amount of it to block her own blast.
That Elder Winx was floating there, doing his best to imitate the avatar of an angry god as the air started to clear... was not a good sign.
Glancing behind her, the room was charred. There was a slant to the floor where stone had melted forward from the energy, and Elania wasted no time in pickin...
2024-02-22 14:18:15 +0000 UTC
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Elania watched Joren closely as she, Gaston, and the guide followed him up the circular stairwell. The monk was clearly upset, and the guilt in his eyes stoked the anger in her chest.
He had once helped her on the way to the city, keeping the inter-party conflict muted, but what had the monks done to Yolani that she could see the shame in his eyes?
Torture came to mind first, but that threatened to make her lose her focus. There were shouts and vibrations echoing through the fortr...
2024-02-17 13:32:40 +0000 UTC
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USD: ~12.5 Hour contact mark with Hadenic forces.
Location: Nu Crateris, Hades, Hadenic Hive
Nanite cohesion was a complicated process, and the times Heeler had truly been able to find time to experiment were few and far between. That didn’t mean that his MainComputer couldn’t accurately predict the required resources and computronics required for a given task.
The further from a computronics module a directed nanite was, the weaker the control mechanism was. Every n...
2024-02-15 01:51:54 +0000 UTC
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The others braced themselves, but Elania’s hand went to her pack, and she pulled it to her front.
Reaching inside, she pulled out the artificed rifle Yolani had made for her. She’d not had time to really practice with it, but with her [Power] blocked, they didn’t seem to have any other options.
The magazine was wrapped around the stock, and she pulled it free with a quick motion, then shoved it into the receiver with enough force to make sure it clicked into place.
The...
2024-02-14 03:39:06 +0000 UTC
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USD: ~12 Hour contact mark with Hadenic forces.
Location: Nu Crateris, Hades, Heaven’s Fire II Landing Zone, Tunnel Breach
The heavy mining machine slowly rolled back as the last meter of rock was reached. Heeler watched as engineer brothers quickly packed the end of the tunnel with shaped charges, explosives designed to blow the rock into the compartment and clear a path for the last assault.
He lowered a tentacle to the ground. The thrum of the enemy on the other sid...
2024-02-13 15:41:37 +0000 UTC
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The raised shouts of monks sounded behind and in front of them as the group followed the direction of the guide.
Two guards appeared around a corner, but they were at a low level and the sprinting party slammed into them like a hammer, shouldering them aside and knocking them unconscious.
“How much further?” Elania shouted, pulling the bindings on her monk robe, and discarding it. The others followed suit.
Disguise wasn’t needed anymore, and easy access to their weapon...
2024-02-12 05:37:32 +0000 UTC
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