Complete Private Solvale Following Your Steps.

[Little Doggo]

Solvale - Help Required!

Doggo blamed herself. Too slow witted, too childish, she should have seen the revelation coming, but in the end it seems like they couldn't be split from one another even in a videogame world.

It hurt her to know her sister was, in fact, playing this game and not adding her, but given they were both total strangers speaking a different tongue than their own, it hurt slightly less, and her mind could settle into that idea. Still, she wished her sister could acknowledge her right here, right now.

It scared her to imagine her reaction. Would Yuhan send her back to their homeland? Take her games away? Terrasphere surely is not a kid's game. A lot of blood and stuff she didn't even want to think about, shooking off her head away from the last fight she's been in with two bandits merging into some ungodly abomination...

She pushed her mind off of that, instead focusing on the surroundings.

'The snow though, it's so beautiful.' Lil' Doggo's thought as amazed blue eyes watched the snow with just as much thrill as Ruby had seen out of her as soon as they paired up ever since leaving the nearby village in search of the farmlands in question, the ones that required assistance to deal with a most peculiar problematic involving animals and negative emotions.

The world was a winter wonder, one that could be appreciated in the wilderness and towns alike unlike the cold streets of their home. If only Terrasphere had a school, she could learn all inside the game and Yuhan wouldn't even need to take her there!

Doggo stopped dead on her tracks just as she almost crashed headfirst into a sign, haf-covered on snow. "Hey! Who puts signs in the middle of nowhere?" She jumped back, giving a look over to it. They had finally arrived to the protean farms, where strange reports of turkeys being depressed had been floating time ago, but resurfaced, only now it seemed to affect all the farmlands.

And she couldn't let that continue! It would be the Liang sisters who would get to the bottom of it, a chance for her to see her hero in action, and even help he at it!

If only Ruby knew who she was in the first place...

"Let's go and knock on the door, I'll do the talking if you want!" Bouts of courage and confidence, barely capable of holding herself on spot, Doggo adjusted her bandolier sling pack behind her, clasping her hands over the strap, bouncing in place with little bunny hops.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby couldn't be in her usual clothes for this quest. In place of her usual dress, a bulky and warm outfit was worn, with boots that while comfortable, weren't the best for agile mobility, something that hopefully wouldn't cause that much issue, on top of that, she kept her usual Cloak of Torchbearer's Hope. Next to the girl, a slightly warm sphere of magic flame followed along, a small primon that was a memento of a friend that was now gone.

Its presence no longer bothered Ruby, but acted as a small company while she was all by herself... Except... This time she had @Little Doggo with her.

The curious and childish figure was an interesting one, is first met in the Inn when she decided to give a hand to a particular innkeeper that lacked workforce at the time. The crimson cat was still unsure if that little girl was an actual little girl or just some creepy RPer, but the naturality of the girl's reactions always made Ruby react accordingly, instead of questioning too much.

"Be a little more careful, you need to watch where you are walking to." She said, not in the firmer tone she would usually speak to Bao, but it carried a similar caution and care.

With a side glance, Ruby saw the excitement, letting out a faint sigh and nodding. "Of course, you can go ahead and do the talking. But I will be next to you to assist if you need." She suggested, calmly.

 

[Little Doggo]

"...You look like an eskimo!" Doggo giggled, giving one or two looks over to that outfit Ruby wore, so different to the graceful dress of last time. Given winter had dropped on them all, it felt like just the right time to switch styles for something befit for the climate. "I didn't know you were a pyromancer though? I wish I could do that." Couping her hands for a moment, a finger pointed out to the sphere that tagged along with them like some small critter asking for food.

"Be a little more careful, you need to watch where you are walking to."
"Sorryyy." She replied. Looks like things really didn't change, but the severity in Yuhan's voice lacked this time around. But the energy poured to that warning was certainly Jiejie's. Doggo could tell, after being scolded countless times for her clumsiness.

When given an O.K from Ruby, with reluctance that seemed to be dragged rather than one to tag along with it, Doggo gave her a couple of nods and smiled, walking in reverse towards the farm's cabin. "You won't be there to assist me if you can't catch me!" She called, and before that sentence ended she broke into a sprint, pushing her legs high up to fight the snow hindering her movement, with all of her weight put into the task, eventually reaching the cabin's cracked old door, the smoke coming from the chimney one of the signs that someone is, indeed, at home.

Doggo stood on the tip of her toes to knock at the door, which instantly opened the second she did, as if someone had been waiting for them all this time, leaving her yelping on the wake of such jumpscare!

A lady of gray hairs and weak composition greeted them, hidden by layers upon layers of clothing, who gave a good look at the little beastfolk infront of her, then back to the taller one.

"A cat and a dog. Oh is it that time of the year? The spooky month?" The woman pondered, peeking behind her shoulders to where she usually left that old pumpkin full of sweets.
Suddently, the idea of keeping quiet felt more promising. A few sweets wouldn't hurt her, but Ruby certainly wouldn't let it slip. Giggling, she spoke up. "No grandma, we are here for the sad animals. We saw it on a big board back at the town!"
"Oooh, then please come in, I will tell you everything with a warm cup of tea. It's cold outside." She stepped aside, offering a tired smile to the duo into the small, rustic abode of hers, with Doggo turning back to Ruby with a quick 'Let's go!' smile as she hopped in. "Make sure to wipe your feet first, please." The woman nodded, her cane tapping the way back to her seat. Apparently she had green tea prepared by now given the layout on the table, and the plentiful of chairs were sign of a family larger than life itself.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The comparison to a Eskimo made Ruby look at Little Doggo incredulously before huffing a half chuckle, averting her gaze and simply ruffling the girl's hair before moving on. It certainly didn't carry the same affection as it happened in real life, however, it was the best Ruby could offer to a 'stranger'.

"I am not a pyromancer." She said, glancing at the dancing flame that neared her shoulder, close enough for Ruby to brush her fingers on it. "This is just an essence, a gift of a friend that is gone now." Ruby said.

As the smaller girl rushed ahead, Ruby half shrugged. "You will never be as fast." She muttered, skipping past the snow and ignoring the obstacles, not really turning it into a competition, but being fast enough to maintain a distance of two steps from the girl, just in case she went for an abrupt halt.

Nearing their destination, the granny that welcomed them with a greet and a smile spoke up, and Ruby rested her hands behind her back, watching the interaction to unfold and twitching her ears at the offer for tea. "I'd love to, thank you." Ruby said, casting a glance at Little Doggo's smile and waiting for her to get in first before taking a step in and kicking off the snow out of her boots before entering the house.

"That's a nice house, granny." Ruby muttered, tugging a chair for the smaller girl, before taking one for herself and keeping her ears wary and perked up.

@Little Doggo

 

[Little Doggo]

Big eyes kept locked onto Ruby just as she chuckled and looked away, with the faintest smile upon an idle face. That ruffling caught her off-guard, her ears tucking down as her tail instinctively wagged to the afection, however fickle it is, comparable to an ember rather than Yuhan's fire. It had to be the weather though, frozen hands and all that, Ruby wouldn't be this cold to her ever!

"This is just an essence, a gift of a friend that is gone now."

When explained, Doggo perked one ear up, the other kept down as she peered over to this 'gift'. "Oooh... I would love to meet them one day, maybe they can make one for me. I can make a snowball to keep them frosty." Oblivious to what Ruby truly meant, if only because she had to be speaking of a quest reward or maybe a player who wasn't around anymore. Respawn points and all that, but she is more of a gamer than she thought with zero deaths so far!

'We'll see later whose not as fast...'

With the pair making their way inside, Doggo bounced towards the chair Ruby offered, giving her heroine a grateful, big smile before sitting down, kicking her feet back and forth as she waited for the old lady to serve an extra set of cups.

"That's a nice house, granny."
"Yeah! It's super warm compared to the outside."
"Thank you dears, It was my husband's originally. A long story that one- For now you can call me Zhu if you'd like, most people do." Zhu spoke just as she took her seat over the large, rectangular table, having Doggo at her left and Ruby at her right. With a weave of her hand, the cup full of sugar lifted itself, sparkles shining as if it were hands of their own to grasp the cup and pour one spoonful to each of them.

"Woah..." Doggo watched as the spoons moved on their own and returned to their place a second after, Zhu leaving a quiet giggle of her own at the younger one's reaction.

"I wouldn't like to bother you two so much, but I fear winter's not been nice to my bones, and my niece has been out for quite sometime already. There's more to this than the scroll lets on. Some time ago, some adventurers came by to solve our issue, and they did for a while." She paused to take a sip, her voice seemed particulary hollow the more one listened to her. "Apparently, we have a nest of Mindvermin on the forests nearby. They feed off emotions, but they aren't particulary dangerous. I'm getting old for pest extermination though, and the snow doesn't let me go out for long."

Doggo took a large sip from her cup, putting it down as she yelped in surprise, hands quickly reaching out for her lolled out tongue, holding back a cry of pain between muffled groans.

"Oh sweetie, don't tell me you burnt your tongue..." Zhu tilted her head back at Doggo, who just nodded back at her, glassy eyes about to open the tear taps.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

At the mention of the girl wanting to meet her friend someday, Ruby's expression grew distant. "Yeah." She said, without elaborating any further. There was no need to push it and try to explain that the other was gone and wouldn't return.

Ruby's expressions only brightened up again at the grateful smile of the little girl, that was somewhat so beaming that it dispersed some of her thoughts, leading her to focus on the woman and their task once again. "It is a pleasure, Zhu." Ruby nodded at the introduction. "You can call me Ruby." She swayed her tails, bowing her head slightly.

"So this is an old issue... Intriguing." Ruby crossed her arms, frowning slightly.

"Vermins though..." The cat girl frowned, tapping her feet while unsure of what she would be able to do regarding vermins. She didn't have the tools to fight such a thing, so maybe Little Doggo-

"... Hey now, did you really get hurt?" Ruby said, frowning. "You have Hydromancy, don't you? Suck some ice, it will help." Ruby said, reminding herself of the Inn, and then shifting her attention to the old woman. "Alright, granny. We will try to see what we can do about these vermins." She nodded, taking the cup and quickly sipping it, ignoring the soft burning it caused.

@Little Doggo

 

[Little Doggo]

Boney fingers interlocked just when Ruby introduced herself, giving the girl an appreciative nod once she bowed. "A beautiful gem and name you chose." Zhu replied, sighing off just as she's reminded of the issue at hand within Ruby's frown. "Yes. Unfortunately it happens every once in a while. We are prepared for it, but my niece is out and he hasn't returned to Solvale yet. An old friend suggested I brought up a reward for anyone willing to tackle on the problem, but unfortunately this time it's different." Very, given that mindvermins didn't get this close, even as invasive as they can be.

The uncertainty on Ruby's voice didn't go unnoticed, the way she pondered over the creatures in question, interrupting the both of them once Zhu felt inclined to explain, as Doggo had a case of getting ahead of herself and sipping the very hot tea carelessly.

"... Hey now, did you really get hurt?"
Dog ears tucked down and a 'mmhmm' on the verge of tears as an answer for Ruby, pushing her hands away to show her tongue. A bit red but nothing as exaggerated as how Little Doggo made it sound. With a deep frown she pulled a popsicle made out of ice once Jiejie reminded her what her powers were, having slipped from her mind the fact ice would help. And it did, as soon as she started to suckle on it.

"Alright, granny. We will try to see what we can do about these vermins."
"Splendid, thank you very much you two. But please don't risk yourselves out there. The vermins might not be the biggest of your problems compared to getting lost in the woods." The woman left the cup back down, letting her hands rest over her lap. "There's a chest against the wall next to the door. I left some items there that will help you out there. Most importantly to destroy the nest. The Mindvermin will scatter after you do, and they do more good alive than dead, but it seems like they have expanded far more than usual..." Which left some questions unanswered, even for someone as knowledgeable as herself...

"How will we know when we find them?" Doggo said just as she pulled her popsicle from her lips.
"There are many of these mindvermin. They steal emotions from people, and animals are particulary susceptible to it. There's a bug lantern which houses fire butterflies in the chest, they change colours when their emotions shift. It should help you find them. As for how you deal with them: Up to your discretion." She wouldn't get in between their ways to solve a problem, so long as it got solved. Yet hopefully they would be mindful of nature and the course it had to follow.

"We don't have to kill them, just scare them off then, right?" Hopeful gaze went back to Ruby as this kind of settled it for her, with life returning back to her voice despite the burnt tongue of hers, letting the popsicle rest on her lips as she jumped off the chair. "Ruby and I will solve your vermin problem, grandma. You wait for us with some cookies next time."

"You have a deal then, dear." Zhu chuckled, holding a hand over her bossom. "Be safe, please. I wouldn't want you to get in harm's way, no matter how skilled you might be."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The compliment to her name made Ruby smile warmly, far brighter than any smile she had shown so far. Crimson Ruby was an important name for her, being her artistic name, and of course a symbol of the freedom she had acquired with her own hands... And that now she could use to give some freedom to her beloved little sister as well.

"Thank you." She said.

Truly, a matter that made her proud, and one that she felt good to have, rather than the traditional pride of the family.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I am an explorer, I won't be lost in the woods, and if I do, I will certainly find a way back to society..." Her eyes slowly went for @Little Doggo, already expecting she would certainly be a weight in this regard unless she followed Ruby's instructions carefully.

"Consider it done, ma'am. So do like my companion asked." She said, with a high degree of confidence, to the old lady, then glancing at her smaller companion and gesturing toward the door.

"Let's hurry, the quicker we are done with it, the faster we will avoid more victims."

 

[Little Doggo]

Doggo paid close attention, the look on Ruby's face was enough to get a smile of her own. All that life and joy she wanted to see Yuhan experience everyday. Even if it was the old grandma's words what caused it, a sense of relief that it did happen in the first place washed over her.

"I knew I could trust in you two. Now go, but please stop by if anything happens. There's enough supplies for the winter and for the wounded, the gods may know my daughter used to bruise her elbows and cut her fingers with thornvines." Cute old memories brought back nostalgia, getting a joyful chuckle out of her. "Thank you for your assistance. Truly." Zhu concluded, just as the pair stood up, far more at ease now than at the moment the pair entered.

Given the good impression Ruby gave and her claim of being an explorer, at least it made sure they would find their way out of trouble should it happen.

"Let's hurry, the quicker we are done with it, the faster we will avoid more victims."
"Gimme a minute!" Doggo called, heading over to the old wooden chest grandma mentioned, groaning as she tried to lift it open at first, but once done she pulled out said lantern full of fire butterflies, the bottom of it full of ashes and cinders, as if they had taken on a cycle of rebirth like a phoenix. "So cool, can I keep it?"

"Sorry child, that's the only one I have. But you can use it for the time being." Zhu excused herself out of that with an apologetic look on her eyes.

"Awh." Doggo just nodded, waving it off with a bright smile as she headed out to the door with Ruby, hopping back out on the snow as the difference in weather finally hit them straight-

---

The way across the forest was clad by snow everywhere. Fortunately they were still at daytime and the sun provided some warmth, paired with the lantern supplied by the old lady herself and the essence of a gift Ruby's friend granted her. The woods didn't feel so different, not to Ruby at least; they were just a new coat of paint to an otherwise similar layout.

"Sooo, are you a member of the explorer's league? Do you think they would take me in too?" Doggo broke the ice (heh, hydromancer puns), baby blue eyes focused on the snowflakes coating the trees and their surroundings, even those falling atop of their heads, rather than on their feet or the trees themselves, were clues could be found.

Based on what they know, these mindvermins are quadrupedal, with little claws and paws, similar to tigers despite being as small as a cub. They possess no threat on their own and usually travel on packs not so far away from their nest.

Of course, that didn't make the dog girl any less focused on the task, fascinated by the beauty of Terrasphere within winter, incapable of telling if this is just some other event of the game or not. Really having high hopes for it to not be the case and be a thing every year. "For my first game, this isn't so bad as I thought. I was kind of scared that people would be rude to me for being new, but everyone's been so nice-" The thought just came to her: Ruby doesn't know her, does she? Not... In the way she would like to.

Pursed lips and a focused, thousand-yard stare soon cranked back at the catgirl with a quaint smile on them. "-Like you, Kyra and Moonsong. So... Thanks for playing with me, Ruby."

Finding The Nest

Use an Awareness Check to try and identify different kinds of clues across the landscape, be them tracks, little claw marks on the snow-clad trees, following the abrupt change in colour inside the bug lantern, etc. If you roll above 80, you may notice there's something off with these tracks, too. The higher the bar gets by the end of the cycle, the more information you will manage to gather on the whereabouts and perhaps their sudden migration!

Being a tried and true Explorer, Ruby gains +15 to her Awareness check and advantage for having Amplified Senses (Sight)

In Search of The Mindvermin

[ 0/??? ]

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby paused, waiting for the little girl to take the artifact offered and move closer so they would began their small journey. She kept words and thoughts mostly to herself during the first minutes of their walk, but the eventual question of her companion made Ruby gaze down, swaying her tails.

"I am." She slipped a hand under her collar, tugging the scarlet red whistle and tracing a finger on it.

"They are willing to take anyone that is willing to recite and truly accept the Torchbearer's Vow." Ruby said, reminding herself of seeing people of all kind among the Explorers League's roster. "The lower rank missions are nice explorations, the higher ones... they are fairly dangerous, so be careful if you ever try to meddle with this." She said, soon focusing back at their travelling.

But the little doggo had more to say, and Ruby felt a sting of annoyance, but just as soon as it occurred, it died down with the words of the little girl, followed by a gratefulness that felt way too innocent.

Ruby wondered, for a moment, if Little Doggo was an actual child, a rare occurrance of an innocent adult, or if she was the best actor in the planet... But it felt weird. Ruby would notice an acting.

"It is alright. In this kind of game, being mean to a newbie can cause a tragedy. it has no room for trial and error in here..."

Ruby's gaze lowered, and her hand reached for Little Doggo's hair, ruffling it before it went down to hold her hand. "This game can be a bit scary sometimes. So stay close. It is the only way I can guarantee you won't get hurt." She said, gently tugging the girl so they would move further.

"If you are really wanting to be an explorer, let me show you a few tricks to track a creature... Here-" Ruby then began pointing out a few hints of potential clues, along with how to follow them so they wouldn't lose their lead or go to the wrong direction, and how to identify fake tracks.

Rolls

Inspire
6d6 (2 + 2 + 6 + 4 + 5 + 5) = 24 to 3 allies.
+24 to Crimson Ruby, +48 to @Little Doggo
Spirit Magic | Crimson Ruby | Following your Steps

Play Sheet

 

[Little Doggo]

100 / 100

 Unaffiliated

 ​

Vulnerable

"Your whistle even matches your hair! Well, sort of does." She exclaimed, as it sure did go well with the red cat herself. The sheer mention that anyone could join just had stars spark in Doggo's eyes as the girl's hopes were ignited with a spark, just like a torch coated on flammable liquids would. "Is that Vow very long? Do I need to study it?" She blasted her with a few extra questions, despite Ruby's own warnings about the dangers of the job itself, if it could really be called a job.

To Doggo, this was just sightseeing at it's finest, even if the game throws a monster or two in your face, she could understand that, but not exactly what her sister would speak of.

"It is alright. In this kind of game, being mean to a newbie can cause a tragedy. it has no room for trial and error in here..."
"Well, being mean to others is a tragedy, specially over a game. I'm very smart, I can pick things up real fast so I'll never be a bother." She reassured Ruby, with a tingle of frustration plastered over her face. That was Her one true flaw: If something bites her interest, then Bao will get nail it down with little to no effort. But for it to bite her in the first place was harder than it sounded like.

A flaw carried over into the game, into her daily life. Self-aware of it, and yet incapable of doing something about it. It bothered her to no end to be like that, yet her blights were eased at the familiar hair ruffling. Despite not being the usual from Yuhan, it still comforted her all the same, letting a cheerful smile return to her lips, as wide as ever, diminutive fingers locking with Ruby's. "I hate being scared, but I don't feel scared at all with you here. I feel strong! Must be a buff to be around you..!" She snickered, going quiet as she begun to pay attention to Ruby's instructions instead.

---

Having gone through trial and error and repeating the same 'Am I right?' question to her elder whenever she let her piece things together on her own, the duo would reach a point where the mere emotional energy from the butterflies changed, having turned purple, and letting them know they were close. Very close...

"Here, it's my turn to help." Doggo whispered down, placing both hands over Ruby's as a icy-blue glow begun to form upon their palms, a snowflake rune bursted between them, and ice begun to coat Ruby's Jian on frost, fitting across it's shape and edge alike rather than intruding, forming a thin veil of light that empowered the blade of souls. "I think I casted it right... Did I?" She pondered to herself, shooking her head off to cast aside these doubts. "Nevermind! So uhm, we won't kill them once we find them, right? I don't want to hurt any animals."

Play Sheet
@Crimson Ruby

---

Mindvermins & Nest

✦✦✦

THE NEST

❰ 200 / 200 ❱

❰ 100 / 100 ❱

Alert!

Once combat is initiated with any of the nearby Mindvermin, they will send a telepathic signal to the rest of the horde to come out. Every cycle spawns four more Mindvermin one tile away from the players.

Whenever The Nest is attacked, all nearby Mindvermin will focus on the player with the highest threat and bite ferociously for 30 HP each.

This ability is canceled at 0 SP.

Beacon Of Blizzards

The Nest has been corrupted by ice, uncharacteristic of what the regular kind of nest would look like. It's roots spread across the trees and towards the arena.

If at 4 tiles of distance of the nest, roll a DC 55 fortitude every turn to avoid being afflicted by the Frostbite status effect. Each stack of Frostbite reduces all rolls by 10 and movement by 1. If you have zero movements or once you reach 5 stacks of Frostbite you end frozen (Immobile) until you succeed on the next save, cleanse a stack or a player breaks you out for an action.

This ability is canceled at 0 SP.

Destroying the nest via HP will have different repercussions to doing so with SP​

✦✦

MINDVERMIN x4

1

❰ 120 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

2

❰ 120 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

3

❰ 120 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

4

❰ 120 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

Elemental Explosion: Ice

If a Mindvermin's HP reaches 0, it will explode and deal 5d20 flat damage on all adjacent tiles in the next cycle.

Pacify

If it's SP reaches 0, the Mindvermin will be considered pacified, not attacking the players any further. Damaging SP will be considered non-lethal and once depleted the mindvermin's cores will lose most of their power and hibernate on the spot, turning to rock.

Emotional Feast

For every Mindvermin 2 tiles away from you, and if they had noticed you, roll a will save of 50. On a failure, the Mindvermin will steal an emotion you are feeling right now and leave a blank space inside of you in turn, flavoured however you wish it as. The more stacks of Emotional Feast, the more likely you are to lose all positiveness within you and welcome negative thoughts and memories.

Acid Spray

Every turn, the Mindvermin spits it's corrosive acid, dealing 30 HP damage and ignoring any modifiers (vulnerable and protect) while doing so.

BONK!

Managing to deplete a Mindvermin's SP bar with 1 attack while sneaking will not alert any other Mindvermin. The Nest will only be alerted if you are 1 tile away while doing so.

Awareness

Ruby's expertise helped greatly for Doggo to pinpoint fresh tracks that steered them closer to the nest, guiding her away from the false tracks of a deer and certainly at a safe distance after getting more or less a general idea of where their prey was. . Doggo wouldn't notice it, unlike Ruby, that these prints tingle with primordial magic, something unthinkable for such regular critters, and palpable just from the sheer power it irradiates. The bug lantern in the mean time reacted accordingly, turning from fiery orange colours to purple.

Thanks to your combined efforts, you have the upperhand and can try and sneak your way through and reach the nest. Be warned, once you attack the nest, all the Mindvermin will automatically engage. However, you are considered Stealthed for the purposes of the BONK! Ability

Grid Map

C3: Is considered Difficult Terrain​

Expertise Check
1d100 (5) + 5 + 48 = 58

Awareness | Little Doggo | 1543

Power Buff (Single)
2d100 (75 + 69) + 5 + 0 + 50 = 67 (Total divided by 3)
+67 buff to 1 target for 3 posts to @Crimson Ruby
You are Vulnerable.
Mend | Little Doggo | 1543

 

[Crimson Ruby]

180 / 180

Vulnerable
+67 buff (3/3)

@Little Doggo's words were heartwarming, even enough to make Ruby's expressions soften and falter into something far more kind toward the small beastfolk, squeezing her hand softly and nodding.

As they finally neared the source of the issue, Ruby unsheathed her blade, keeping her focus on the nest and the denizens it held while Doggo seemed to work on something... A spell that engulfed the blade, making it shimmer with a frost energy.

Ruby held the blade, tilting it and turning as she watched the powerful reflection on it, smiling at the small beastfolk and nodding. "A perfect work. Good job." She said, averting her eyes to gaze at the nest and the creatures.

"... Killing them..? It probably won't be necessary." Ruby muttered, slowly letting go of the girl's hand, glancing behind her back.

"Be swift and quiet, we can't lose our advantage." She said in a whisper, before looking forward and rushing ahead at a silent yet deadly speed, with mirrored images of Ruby, caused by the extreme speed, rapidly touching the frost blade into the creatures, trying to freeze them still.

Rolls

Movement: A4 (Spawn) > Rush Activated (BA) > B4 > B3 > C3 (Action)

(P) Area Effect | Dynamism | Crimson Ruby
Divide your attack's result evenly up to 4. Deal equal damage to the targeted enemy and up to 3 adjacent enemies.

Ultra Hinder
2d100 (55 + 81) + 25 + 25 + 60 + 50 + 67 = 363
363 SP damage divided by 3 (121 SP damage on Mindvermin 2, 3 and 4)
You are Vulnerable.
Hemomancy | Crimson Ruby | 1543

Play Sheet

 

[Little Doggo]

100 / 100

 Unaffiliated

Normal

Ruby's words had her wiggle from side to side a wide smile over her face as joy bursted out of LIL' DOGGO. Praise ringing on her ears loud enough for them to flicker on their own. "It will be even better next time." Confident on that, since she would never stop trying her hardest for Ruby. Not when there's room for improvement.

A lesson drilled deep within her.

With one last, parting squeeze to her hand, the reassurance had her nod, getting ahead of herself as the word 'probably' just felt like a guarantee to her at this point. No animal deserves harm if they can help it.

"Be swift and quiet, we can't lose our advantage."
"Yes!" Ready to take off, Doggo got in position to tag behind, only for Ruby to dart off at speeds so high her eyes could barely keep track of the twin-tailed cat. Her blade had found true though, she could sense it as the magic she imbued onto that blade lost just a fragment of it's essence with one swift strike to each.

"She's so fast... I need to catch up." She murmured, nostalgic as even when Yuhan dances it's hard for her to keep track of her flow, and yet she is aware of it all the same. Surprising to see that work in combat too!

The four Mindvermin would be found encased in ice, even for creatures who seemed in tune with the frost, the non-lethal strikes from Ruby and the reckless yet fortunate ice trap from DOGGO upon the last of the Vermin had them go completely undetected on their assault towards the Nest.

The Nest's beacon had already begun to take effect however, once Ruby got closer to it's domain, she could feel the latent primordial energies coming from it, thickening the air and the blizzards that felt so small and inconsequential. Artificially created being the best way to describe it.

Doggo kept down to a crouching position instead, eyes looking over for Ruby as she kept onto the core that warmed her up, and worked just as well to get identified from a distance by the explorer.

Play Sheet
@Crimson Ruby

---

Spoiler: Enemies

Mindvermins & Nest

✦✦✦

THE NEST

❰ 200 / 200 ❱

❰ 100 / 100 ❱

Alert!

Once combat is initiated with any of the nearby Mindvermin, they will send a telepathic signal to the rest of the horde to come out. Every cycle spawns four more Mindvermin one tile away from the players.

Whenever The Nest is attacked, all nearby Mindvermin will focus on the player with the highest threat and bite ferociously for 30 HP each.

This ability is canceled at 0 SP.

Beacon Of Blizzards

The Nest has been corrupted by ice, uncharacteristic of what the regular kind of nest would look like. It's roots spread across the trees and towards the arena.

If at 4 tiles of distance of the nest, roll a DC 55 fortitude every turn to avoid being afflicted by the Frostbite status effect. Each stack of Frostbite reduces all rolls by 10 and movement by 1. If you have zero movements or once you reach 5 stacks of Frostbite you end frozen (Immobile) until you succeed on the next save, cleanse a stack or a player breaks you out for an action.

This ability is canceled at 0 SP.

Destroying the nest via HP will have different repercussions to doing so with SP​

✦✦

MINDVERMIN x4

1

❰ 0 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

2

❰ 0 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

3

❰ 0 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

4

❰ 0 / 120 ❱

❰ 60 / 60 ❱

Elemental Explosion: Ice

If a Mindvermin's HP reaches 0, it will explode and deal 5d20 flat damage on all adjacent tiles in the next cycle.

Pacify

If it's SP reaches 0, the Mindvermin will be considered pacified, not attacking the players any further. Damaging SP will be considered non-lethal and once depleted the mindvermin's cores will lose most of their power and hibernate on the spot, turning to rock.

Emotional Feast

For every Mindvermin 2 tiles away from you, and if they had noticed you, roll a will save of 50. On a failure, the Mindvermin will steal an emotion you are feeling right now and leave a blank space inside of you in turn, flavoured however you wish it as. The more stacks of Emotional Feast, the more likely you are to lose all positiveness within you and welcome negative thoughts and memories.

Acid Spray

Every turn, the Mindvermin spits it's corrosive acid, dealing 30 HP damage and ignoring any modifiers (vulnerable and protect) while doing so.

BONK!

Managing to deplete a Mindvermin's SP bar with 1 attack while sneaking will not alert any other Mindvermin. The Nest will only be alerted if you are within it's tile

Awareness

Ruby's expertise helped greatly for Doggo to pinpoint fresh tracks that steered them closer to the nest, guiding her away from the false tracks of a deer and certainly at a safe distance after getting more or less a general idea of where their prey was. Doggo wouldn't notice it, unlike Ruby, that these prints tingle with primordial magic, something unthinkable for such regular critters, and palpable just from the sheer power it irradiates. The bug lantern in the mean time reacted accordingly, turning from fiery orange colours to purple.

Thanks to your combined efforts, you have the upperhand and can try and sneak your way through and reach the nest. Be warned, once you attack the nest, all the Mindvermin will automatically engage. However, you are considered Stealthed for the purposes of the BONK! Ability

Grid Map

C3: Is considered Difficult Terrain​

Ultra Hinder
2d100 (90 + 68) + 5 + 0 + 50 = 213
213 SP damage
You are Vulnerable.
Hydromancy | Little Doggo | 1543

(BA) Cure | Mend | Little Doggo
Roll Result
1d4 (4) = 4

Cycle 2

For the purpose of consistency, Doggo's Cure BA can be grabbed at any point of the cycle.
Ruby is affected by The Nest's Beacon and must do a DC 55 Fortitude Save or get 1 frostbite applied to her (can be denied with Doggo's BA)
All Mindvermin have been defeated and The Nest is yet to be alerted.

 

[Crimson Ruby]

180 / 180

Vulnerable
+67 buff (2/3)

Ruby's teeth gritted at the fact one of the vermins was leftover, with a brief glance at @Little Doggo being the only hope for them to remain undetected. Without a fault, the small girl swiftly froze the remaining enemy, bringing relief to the cat girl that could only strike her a warm smile and a sense of good job, coming from her Primal Aura that would reach Dogg's instincts.

Her gaze shifted to the nest, her blade still shimmering with the freezing enchantment on it.

She twisted her feet, pressing them against the ground before pushing herself to propel forward in a sound-ripping speed.

With one last enemy remaining, there was no need for discretion.

❰ SONIC BOOM ❱

At an overwhelming speed, Ruby circled the nest rapidly, blurring and creating a mini snow tornado, stretching her blade out to slash it along with her movement, making an ice trail that spiraled across the nest's surface until Ruby finally settled down, trying to brake her speed, letting out a brief and tired breath.

Rolls

Movement: C3 > D3 > D2 > D1 > C1 > B1 > B2 (Action)

Save
1d100 (31) + 45 = 76 (Success!)
Fortitude | Crimson Ruby | 1543

Ultra Hinder
2d100 (59 + 70) + 25 + 25 + 60 + 67 + 50 = 356
356 SP damage on Nest
You are Vulnerable.
Hemomancy | Crimson Ruby | 1543

Play Sheet

 

[Little Doggo]

100 / 100

 Unaffiliated

1 Frostbite Stack
Movement: B3 > B2

There wasn't a single word from Ruby, yet when their eyes met there was this feeling all the same that the cat-folk wished to transmit.

And she did, in ways LIL' DOGGO couldn't describe, but it happened all the same. It made her all fuzzy, warmth different to that of the core which spread over her arms and legs. It got her blood pumping and her heart racing full of joy. The warmth of approval over her actions, as if Ruby had some kind of psychic link with her to know just how she truly felt. Doggo rose a thumbs up in response, still incapable of transmitting the same primal feelings back as it is.

But Ruby wouldn't need that to know how appreciative of her mentor the wanna-be explorer is.

The very earth shook the moment Ruby struck with ice and momentum of her own, the tornado she generated within a second through skill only a dancer blessed with infinite velocity could begun to turn on it's own, as if it became... Alive.

UHM... R-Ruby?!

The very own frost on her blade reacted accordingly as soon as she struck the nest and the mindvermin begun to scatter away, some after the 'storm' had passed, others forcefully so by the beastfolk's strike. All the same, The Nest crumbled it's outer layer to reveal a flower, glistening with frost-

And soon it stood up to full length, the buried elemental awakening, reacting even, to the weapon and the flaming core that followed them alike. The flower's leaves wiggled for a moment, before an ice bubble wrapped like a helmet of sorts over the exposed 'core' of the frost elemental.

Play Sheet
@Crimson Ruby

---

Spoiler: Chilly!

TE'RAJ, THE BOUND ONE.

✦✦✦

TE'RAJ

❰ 430 / 500 ❱

❰ 840 / 900 ❱

Icemonger

Every turn, Te'Raj will do one of the 3 following actions at random:
Nemean Strike: Strikes with blunt fists at the target, pushing them 1 tile backwards.
Frostlash: AOE that strikes in a cone infront of Te'raj. Deals half damage to anyone standing 1 tile behind the first person struck.
Winter Pot: A shoulder-check that takes a turn to charge to deal a great amount of damage. Can be interrupted with enough SP or HP damage, leaving the Te'raj vulnerable.

Beacon Of Blizzards

The true core of the Nest turns out to be a frosty flower that functions as the beacon.

If at 4 tiles of distance of the nest, roll a DC 55 fortitude every turn to avoid being afflicted by the Frostbite status effect. Each stack of Frostbite reduces all rolls by 10 and movement by 1. If you have zero movements or once you reach 5 stacks of Frostbite you end frozen (Immobile) until you succeed on the next save, cleanse a stack or a player breaks you out for an action.

This ability is canceled at 0 SP.

The Core

That's a very weird core it has, given it's akin to a flower. And it seems to wiggle it's leaves from time to time even..?

✦✦✦

The Arms

❰ 500 / 500 ❱

The Arms

The Arms function as a shield for the Ice Elemental, ice fists and claws allowing it to pierce, cut and crush anything in it's way. Each arm shares 50% of the HP bar.

While their HP is above 1, The Arms absorb the damage taken by the main frame instead. At 50% HP you can choose to split the damage from an attack between the remaining arm and the main frame and it halves the Elemental's modifiers.

SP attacks will count towards HP

Grid Map

C3: Is considered Difficult Terrain

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

180 / 180

Vulnerable
+67 buff (1/3)

When the ground rumbled, Ruby's eyes widened, with Lil Doggo's exclamation snatching his attention and making her even warier, raising her ears intently.

Her teeth gritted, noticing the large elemental forming in front of her, and she moved into a stance more akin to a direct combat, "Be careful-" Ruby said when Doggo aprproached, feinting for to the right to try and snatch the creature's attention, turning around it to try and thrust her blade into specific spots, trying to sink her blade into joints, even if such a thing was hard to detect in its inorganic surface.

Finishing turning around it, Ruby kept her blade diagonally, shielding Doggo while she kept her eyes focused on the creature.

It didn't look friendly at all, and it wasn't what she had in mind when they were tasked to fight a mindvermin.

Rolls

Rush

Movement: B2 > B1> C1 > D1 > D2 > D3 > C3 (2x movement) > B3 > B2 (Action)

Save
1d100 (11) + 45 = 56 (Success!)
Fortitude | Crimson Ruby | 1543

Ultra Hinder
2d100 (57 + 39) + 25 + 25 + 60 + 67 + 50 = 323
323 SP damage on Te'raj
You are Vulnerable.
Hemomancy | Crimson Ruby | 1543

@Little Doggo

Play Sheet

 

[Little Doggo]

100 / 100

 Unaffiliated

1 Frostbite Stack
Movement: B3 > B1

The Te'raj recoiled from impact, sending a wide right hook straight to Ruby once struck true past it's natural armor, yet the speed difference was huge, enough for the beastfolk to escape with enough space to spare.

LIL'DOGGO gulped, nodding to herself once her sister directed herself infront of her to take this not-a-vermin headfirst. With Jiĕjie having her back, it's impossible not to feel so mighty all of a sudden, the shattered ice from the Te'Raj hardened, and with a few weaves here and there they all wrapped across Ruby's blade, melting until nothing but a compact blizzard remains across it's edge, a wild storm contained across the length of her weapon.

Buffed up! Let's give that flower a bonk.

The Te'Raj seemed to react to these words as the leaves from it's 'core' shook a few times, and the elemental stomped firmly so over the snow. Suddently, ice spikes begun to erupt from the floor, heading straight to the pair, at the same time they covered the area to limit Ruby's mobility to the best of it's abilities. A frost shield begun to form over it's left arm just then...

Is it mad at us?!

Doggo yelled back to the Te'raj for no apparent response, and with little time to talk about it too given the incoming icesickles piercing through the earth. She dashed to the left, spraying ice over the ground to create a pathway for her to slide through and form some distance.

Play Sheet
@Crimson Ruby

---

Spoiler: Chilly!

TE'RAJ, THE BOUND ONE.

✦✦✦

TE'RAJ

❰ 430 / 500 ❱

❰ 840 / 900 ❱

Icemonger

Every turn, Te'Raj will do one of the 3 following actions at random:
Nemean Strike: Strikes with blunt fists at the target, pushing them 1 tile backwards.
Frostlash: AOE that strikes in a cone infront of Te'raj. Deals half damage to anyone standing 1 tile behind the first person struck.
Winter Pot: A shoulder-check that takes a turn to charge to deal a great amount of damage. Can be interrupted with enough SP or HP damage, leaving the Te'raj vulnerable.

Beacon Of Blizzards

The true core of the Nest turns out to be a frosty flower that functions as the beacon.

If at 4 tiles of distance of the nest, roll a DC 55 fortitude every turn to avoid being afflicted by the Frostbite status effect. Each stack of Frostbite reduces all rolls by 10 and movement by 1. If you have zero movements or once you reach 5 stacks of Frostbite you end frozen (Immobile) until you succeed on the next save, cleanse a stack or a player breaks you out for an action.

This ability is canceled at 0 SP.

The Core

That's a very weird core it has, given it's akin to a flower. And it seems to wiggle it's leaves from time to time even..?

✦✦✦

The Arms

❰ 174 / 500 ❱

The Arms

The Arms function as a shield for the Ice Elemental, ice fists and claws allowing it to pierce, cut and crush anything in it's way. Each arm shares 50% of the HP bar.

While their HP is above 1, The Arms absorb the damage taken by the main frame instead. At 50% HP you can choose to split the damage from an attack between the remaining arm and the main frame and it halves the Elemental's modifiers.

SP attacks will count towards HP

Grid Map

C3: Is considered Difficult Terrain

Actions

Rolls

Roll Result
1d3 (3) = 3

Te'Raj

The TE'RAJ is preparing to charge and will do so next round unless interrupted!

Rolls

Power Buff
2d100 (68 + 83) + [50] + 5 + 0 - 10 = 196 / 3
+66 extra damage to 1 target for 3 attacks
You are Vulnerable.
Mend | Little Doggo | 1543

Rolls

Save
1d100 (76) + 0 = 76

Fortitude | Little Doggo | 1543

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

180 / 180

Vulnerable
+66 buff (3/3)

The arms were quick to deflect Ruby's attack from the main body, but the empowerment at least made Ruby's blade snap a bit of its defenses- Such empowerment came once again right away, with Doggo's quick support giving Ruby another burst of attack.

Her gaze shifted to Doggo. "It is really mad-" She responded, squinting and glaring at the creature, trying to read its movements-

"So make sure to watch out for it... And stay behind me." Ruby said, once again darting off, circling backward to gain momentum and charge forward, thrusting her blade forward.

"Meet your nemesis."​

Taunting (906)

She said, trying to keep its attention on herself and give Doggo a chance to slip away from the danger.

Rolls

Movement: B2 > B3> A3 > A2 > B2 (Action)

Save
1d100 (19) + 45 = 64 (Success!)
Fortitude | Crimson Ruby | 1543

Ultra Hinder
2d100 (86 + 20) + 25 + 25 + 30 + 66 + 50 = 302
302 SP damage
You are Vulnerable.
Hemomancy | Crimson Ruby | 1543

@Little Doggo

Play Sheet

 

[Little Doggo]

100 / 100

 Unaffiliated

1 Frostbite Stack
Movement: B3 > B1

"Meet your nemesis."​

For some inexplicably reason did these words hit hard to this elemental of sorts, from it's borderline childish tantrum to the way it focused solely on @Crimson Ruby. The oh so fast swordswoman who challenged the mighty TE'RAJ.

It's leaves shook a bit, as if to signal for something, before the creature put it's full weight behind it's shoulder to which to begin it's charge, aiming strictly at the older beastfolk. It's clunkyness did not benefit it whatsoever, not when it's foe was so agile and nimble, capable of going in and out, to strike hard and flee to safety. Frost infused sword met thick ice that shattered like glass, steering Te'raj from it's pathway to head straight towards the trunk of a tree, slamming with full force hard enough to bring timber down crashing against the following on the dense forest grounds.

LIL' DOGGO finally opened her eyes, frozen on spot with fear at the bulldozer that came straight for them, even if she was to be outside of harm's way thanks to Ruby, that didn't really process in her head at the moment, 'just a spooky big elemental trying to harm us!' is all she could think about.

It's down, you did it Ruby!

Doggo springed with joy. Just like Ruby said, all she had to do was stand behind her and everything would be fin-

Te'Raj's legs begun to twitch and move, despite how cracked it's body was, just about to break into chunks of ice to scatter across the snow. And right as she just triumphantly stated they have won, huff!

Sorry...

Instead of thinking twice, DOGGO finally set herself into the offensive as she pulled her arm back, summoning a frozen bowling ball and entering into a striker's pose, closing one eye and sticking her tongue out for extra accuracy (not true) before sending the ball rolling across the snow, ice forming on it's wake like a pathway for the pale blue orb to slide through, before slamming headon against poor Te'raj, whose core was now almost completely exposed.

A... Sunflower? A sunflower with red roots for a body, vines that crawled all within Te'raj like some sort of exoskeleton.
Play Sheet
@Crimson Ruby

---

Spoiler: Chilly!

TE'RAJ, THE BOUND ONE.

✦✦✦

TE'RAJ

❰ 141 / 500 ❱

❰ 840 / 900 ❱

Icemonger

Every turn, Te'Raj will do one of the 3 following actions at random:
Nemean Strike: Strikes with blunt fists at the target, pushing them 1 tile backwards.
Frostlash: AOE that strikes in a cone infront of Te'raj. Deals half damage to anyone standing 1 tile behind the first person struck.
Winter Pot: A shoulder-check that takes a turn to charge to deal a great amount of damage. Can be interrupted with enough SP or HP damage, leaving the Te'raj vulnerable.

Beacon Of Blizzards

The true core of the Nest turns out to be a frosty flower that functions as the beacon.

If at 4 tiles of distance of the nest, roll a DC 55 fortitude every turn to avoid being afflicted by the Frostbite status effect. Each stack of Frostbite reduces all rolls by 10 and movement by 1. If you have zero movements or once you reach 5 stacks of Frostbite you end frozen (Immobile) until you succeed on the next save, cleanse a stack or a player breaks you out for an action.

This ability is canceled at 0 SP.

The Core

That's a very weird core it has, given it's akin to a flower. And it seems to wiggle it's leaves from time to time even..?

✦✦✦

The Arms

❰ 0 / 500 ❱

The Arms

The Arms function as a shield for the Ice Elemental, ice fists and claws allowing it to pierce, cut and crush anything in it's way. Each arm shares 50% of the HP bar.

While their HP is above 1, The Arms absorb the damage taken by the main frame instead. At 50% HP you can choose to split the damage from an attack between the remaining arm and the main frame and it halves the Elemental's modifiers.

SP attacks will count towards HP

Grid Map

C3: Is considered Difficult Terrain

Actions

The TE'RAJ is Vulnerable and the charge was interrupted thanks to @Crimson Ruby destroying the arms

Rolls

Ultra Hinder
2d100 (95 + 11) + 5 + 0 + 50 = 161
161 SP damage
You are Vulnerable.
Hydromancy | Little Doggo |

Save
1d100 (100) + 0 = 100 (Critical Success!)

Fortitude | Little Doggo

(BA) Cure | Mend | Little Doggo
``
1d4 (1) = 1
Removes 1 Frostbite Stack``

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

180 / 180

Vulnerable
+66 buff (0/3)

"It is fine, just stay safe." Ruby said, staying with her blade en garde, glaring intently at the creature that soon was struck by a powerful snowball.

"Good job, but it seems like this thing is much, much tougher than we initially thought..." She took a deep breath, taking a step back and gripping her blade tightly, soon engulfing it with blood that seemed to slip past her skin.

Wincing, she released the blade, now forcing a step forward as she prepared for another sequence of speed.

Erupting in velocity, Ruby first made sure to disrupt the freezing aura the creature had on it, seeing that her ally was still suffering with the coldness it emanated.

After the first strike, Ruby's blood expanded, wrapping around the creature and solidifying, trying to encase it while the interior began shifting into fierce spikes that tried to pierce through its resistent carapace.

Rolls

Movement: B2 > B3> A3 > A2 > B2 (Action)

Save
1d100 (68) + 50 = 118 (Success!)
Fortitude | Crimson Ruby | Following Steps

(BA) Rush
Double your total movement count this cycle.
Crimson Ruby | Following Steps

Hinder
1d100 (34) + [15] + 25 + 25 + 60 + 66 = 225
225 SP damage
Hemomancy | Crimson Ruby | Following Steps

(Medium Armor Ability) Twice
You may perform 2 actions and 1 BA or 1 action and 2 BAs this cycle.
Crimson Ruby | Following Steps

Ultra Hinder
2d100 (40 + 46) + [50] + 25 + 25 + 60 + 66 + 50 = 312
312 HP damage
You are Vulnerable.
Hemomancy | Crimson Ruby | Following Steps

(F) Alter Hinder
You may distribute HP and SP damage however you'd like when you use Hinder and Ultra Hinder.
Crimson Ruby

@Little Doggo

Play Sheet