Discontinued Hylands Ascent Wolf Finders

[Hanno Futaba]

Getting on the Hylands Ascent was a tough job. There were a lot of particularities to deal with, from the dangerous slippery grounds that would lead them to a certain death pit, to rolling boulders that could strike them at any moment if they weren't paying attention.

Of course, the long walk travel they had to do to wander through the area was also a huge obstacle, and some of them were already getting caught in the roughness of the path... Which in this case, it was a certain shield that was used to being carried most of the time, and of course, in her humanoid form it was no different.

This was an added weight for Hanno to carry, but he didn't mind. After all, he was already used to have it always on his back. Though, this time it felt weird since... She was insisting on keeping the illusory shape.

"Phew, that's... That's been some good exercise. But we should hopefully find a place to stop soon." Hanno wiped a sweat, with the faerin girl locked on his back like a sloth, looking toward Celestine and beaming a smile.

"Are you doing good, big sis?" She asked.

@Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Celestine wasn’t actually looking nearly as bad as one might’ve expected, and for a pretty darn good reason: she cheated! Who would bother with all that climbing nonsense when one could just shift the gravity and walk straight up a sheer cliff? Silly people, that’s who!

At times, it was laughably obvious, as she stood at impossible angles on the side of a cliff. At other times, it was more subtle: a slope that was just a bit harder to walk than normal made to feel perfectly level. In any case, it was pretty clear the advantage was helping her a lot (or maybe it was just the lack of any heavy shield sisters on her back).

"I am doing myself fine!" Celestine insisted, smiling back at Hanna. She was so glad Ghast had decided to stick around like this. It was certainly weird, but also super cute, so she wasn’t about to complain! "A rest may be the good idea though. My energy is doing itself a low…"

Unlike Hanno, it showed for Cel in other ways than physical exhaustion. Rather, she’d traded that physical exhaustion for feeling magically drained, and it was most obvious looking at her hair. The illusion which was usually blindingly bright had become a bit dim as her magic began to wear thin.


@Hanno Futaba (Sorry this took so long btw!)

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno watched the strange angles Celestine could achieve by standing as if there was some super glue on her feet. But he didn't comment on it, chuckling mostly to himself at the sight of his friend.

Hanna, on another hand, frowned and glared at nowhere in particular. "... Some God is calling Hanna fat."

Hanno rose his eyebrow for a moment, confused but shaking it away, turning to look at Celestine. "You are way tougher than you look. But yeah, I could go for a rest too... hell, how Mizuki deal with this?" Hanno wondered, finally getting to a less inclined spot and finding his way near a cave.

His ears twitched, trying to listen to any animal that could be living in it, but soon it was clear it was just an empty, small cave.

"It ain't much, but enough for three." He said, crouching to let Hanna hop off his back, giggling while she twirled to face Celestine.

"Next time I want to ride on big sis' back!" She flashed a smile.

@Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Celestine struggled to understand what Hanna was going on about. It seemed incredibly random and disconnected to just about everything. Then again, it was hard to understand the mind of a chaos shield, so she wouldn’t even try.

"Mizuki was always doing herself the stamina as the Caenis, no? She is probably doing the challenges a like," Cel shrugged. "I tend to do the flat ground a preference, though…"

Initially, Celestine didn’t look too comfortable with the idea of resting in a dark cave. After all, the last time the two of them had entered such a cave together, they’d been brutally attack by a giant bat-dog-thing. However, just by calling into it and listening to the echoes, they could all tell it was a pretty small one. Probably not big enough for any bat-dogs.

Taking a seat, Celestine spawned in a few logs from her inventory, piled them up, then blasted the thing ablaze with fire from her hand. "A nice, cozy campfire to do the warmth from the cold airs of the mountains~!"

She glanced to the side at Hanna, offering a nervous smile. Maybe Cel could manage if she could forget what Hanna was, but she didn’t exactly have the physical stamina Hanno had. Not even close. "W-well, I could do it a try for a while I guess…" she agreed to the trial run.


@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Knowing her? She totally is. That girl is much tougher and athletic than me." Hanno shrugged. Chances were that it wasn't even the Caenis blood that was involved on it. If Hanno were to guess, even if she was a tiny 3 feet tall faerin, she would be climbing the mountains like some faerin that was raised by a wolf pack.

"Yeah, me too. I can climb mountains, but I lack in mobility." He sighed, approaching Celestine and sitting down as well, feeling the warmth of the fire before opening his mana dragonfly wings, fluttering them and creating a protective aura in the cave, shielding them from the cold wind as well.

"That trick of yours is hella useful. Can't you sell a lighter to me, or something?" He chuckled. "I will try to get something ready for us. Just a small snack." Hanno began shuffling on his backpack.

Hanna, who just had her request accepted, nearly tackled Celestine with a hug. "Yay! Big sis will carry me!"

"You don't get as happy when I carry you." Hanno frowned.

"Because that is your job. And you throw me in front of attacks when you do."

@Celestine

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Wolves aren't good climbers.

In stories, wolves are often elevated as monstrous creatures, but if you cut away the fables they're generalists. Good stamina, excellent senses, intelligent enough for effective teamwork. Aside from their sharp senses none of their abilities are really exceptional, but their versatile nature means they can thrive in most environments.

But climbing is just flat out. They aren't built for it, and no amount of effort or cunning fixes that. This meant that Mizuki, as much as she preferred to stick to her lupine features, had to admit defeat on this front and cheat a little. Why the native caenis tribes decided to live on top of a mountain was anybody's guess, although if she had to formulate an answer Mizuki would say it had to do with the territory being easily defended and nobody else wanting to live there.

The luna wolf had taken to roaming the mountainside, taking advantage of the fact that unlike her quadruped kin she had opposable thumbs and flexible wrists to help with vertical mobility. There was a wide variety of interesting creatures for her to either study or hunt, with many of them also being quite tasty once she became more familiar with them. The primary exception was the earth elementals, which she avoided as much as possible. Spending an entire day running away because they just kept chasing her was not what she considered a productive use of her time.

By this point, she probably was more familiar with this terrain than most of the people living in the lands down below, as most people had no reason to risk their lives climbing the cloud-piercing plateau. Which meant that when Mizuki tilted her head back and sniffed the air the scent of other people immediately caught her attention. They weren't caenes, which meant they had chosen to come here for their own reasons. It wasn't really her business, but she was curious, and one of them smelled familiar as well. Given that she didn't have any purpose beyond exploring the area and hunting anything which looked either challenging or tasty, there was no harm in seeking these people out.

The scent came from down below, crawling up the mountainside along with a warm wind which itself smelled of burning wood. They'd set up a camp then, and with there being no visible light further below they'd taken shelter in a cave. Safer in some ways, and more dangerous in others. In a manner more reminiscent of primates Mizuki made her way down, claws digging for purchase as she steadily got closer and closer to the cave her curiosity was leading towards. As she got closer and closer the scents also got more distinct, until she could at the very least recognise Hanno's. She wondered what reason he had for being here.

The first thing Hanno, Hanna, and Celestine would see from outside the cave was two glowing eyes, one yellow and one blue. Next came the rest of Mizuki's body as she dropped down from the wall above the cave entrance, landing on all fours before standing up smoothly.

...Greetings. I didn't expect to find anyone here.

Her appearance was a bit rougher than usual, with dirt staining her clothes and exposed skin. Pale fur adorned her limbs from the joints down, hands and feet large and clawed for additional purchase while climbing. When she spoke the canines and incisors were also more prominent than usual, although her expression was politely friendly.

...Who's the kid?

@Hanno Futaba @Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Celestine‘s eyebrows raised a tad in surprise as Hanno revealed one of his many fascinating traits. Part of the fun of Terrasphere was honestly in seeing all the ways people could twist the robust mastery system into doing all sorts of crazy things. This was definitely one of those moments where she was met with a pleasant surprise. And a nice, cozy warmth bubble. That was nice.

"Well, if you do a find of one of those new tech mastery people, maybe we can do something neat a creation," she suggested. "Oh, nice, I could definitely do myself a snack."

Cel was a bit less enthused by the glomp, steadying herself by shifting her feet on the rocky ground as she returned the hug. Hanna was a bit heavier than Cel expected from a normal faerin child (which, to be fair, wasn’t saying much), but knowing she was a heavy shield, Cel was surprised she wasn’t impossible to carry. Just that… ya know… it’d be super tiring. Maybe with some more gravity shenanigans…

"Oh…?" Cel quickly noticed the eyes, feeling a shiver down her spine. Eyes in the dark… creepy. At the very least, they were coming from the light, though, so that helped her not freak out long enough to realize what it was. Or rather, who it was!

"See, I told you divination does a work! … Most of the time…" Sure, they were looking for the wolf girl in the wolf place, but it was still pretty cool their target was the first one they met! No chance Cel wasn’t gonna take credit for that!

"This is Hanno’s shield, Ghast! She did my magic an eat, and is now appearing as a small and cute, named Hanna," Celestine explained as if that made any sense, patting Hanna on the head.


@Hanno Futaba @Ueno Mizuki

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno's guardian senses did make him get a hint of something approaching. His eyes shifting to look at the direction of the newcomer, all while he kept picking things up from his huge backpack.

Ghast side glanced, still keeping a firm hold of Celestine, while a tentacle tail wagged behind her. "Ah! It is her!" Ghast called, and Hanno looked a bit more attentively when @Ueno Mizuki fell from high up, landing before the trio.

"Woah, fancy introductions like always, huh, buddy?" Hanno smirked, looking at the wolf woman.

"Heh, she doesn't remember me." The girl hummed, tilting her head when being pat with a joyful smile and then peering at @Celestine, that quickly introduced her.

Hanno nodded at Celestine's helpful introduction, but looked at Ghast with a slightly disapproving expression. "You aren't exactly in a recognizable shape now, Ghast-"

"- Hanna!" She retorted.

"Anyway-" Hanno cleared his throat, looking at Mizuki. "We were looking for you, buddy. And you decided to appear at the right time!" He pulled out some cooking utensils out of his backpack.

"Mind a surprise small reunion lunch?" He smirked.

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

It looked like the three travelers were in good shape, which was good to see. The Hylands Ascend could be quite taxing even for the experienced, which was one of the reasons why you rarely encountered anyone in the area.

She raised her eyebrows as Hanno commented on her method of entrance.

Like usual? Do I have a reputation?

Dropping down from the cliff above the cave entrance was a bit fancy, she admitted, but usually she just walked up like anyone else. Unless of course he was talking about the fact that she was often accompanied by her two wolves...

Well, that wasn't important. What was more intriguing was the news that the girl was Hanno's shield, which she was quite familiar but had never seen before in this form. She tilted her head quizzically before walking forward, bending down to sniff Hanna.

She does smell like your shield. I didn't know it could eat magic. (Wonders never ceased. Mizuki patted Hanna on the head.) Nice to meet you then Hanna.

As interesting as the animated shield girl might be, Mizuki's attention was drawn towards Hanno as he explained that they'd been looking for the luna wolf specifically. Her ears perked up as she stepped away from Hanna, giving the faerin a curious look.

Hrmmm... I won't say no to lunch, but why were you looking for me? Is something going on?

It wasn't like Mizuki was intentionally avoiding people, but she wasn't used to people seeking her out. Those she considered friends usually were encountered during group events, or by pure happenstance.

@Hanno Futaba @Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Cel kept a straight face as Mizuki casually wandered up and sniffed Hanna. A doubtlessly normal thing to do for a Caenis, but a bit odd by real-world standards. Not that she was one to judge.

"I did not know she could do magic the eats either," Celestine shrugged. "It is the interesting feature, though."

Stretching herself out a bit, Cel wandered closer to the fire and sat down to finally get some much-needed rest. She invited Mizuki closer with a wave of her hand. "Well... are you remembering the one time we did the bat-dog of the darks a battle?" Cel began. "We were thinking we would do it a roast, but then Terrasphere did itself the dead, and I guess the bat-dog is not in the decay, and... anyway!"

She cleared her throat, more just to signal her getting to the point. "We... well, it was the idea of Hanno, so I will let him do it an explain!" she nodded, gesturing over to him.


@Hanno Futaba @Ueno Mizuki

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"To me, you do." Hanno smirked at Mizuki's question, watching with beastfolk woman approach Ghast and Celestine, sniffing the fake faerin that giggled in response and blinked twice at her, with a grin covering her lips when her head was pat. "It is nice to see you again, Mizuki." She returned the kind words.

Hanno shrugged, letting out a quiet sigh. "Yeah, neither I did. But I guess dissonance is a bit weirder than I thought." He then glanced at Celestine, nodding along with her words, showing a smile to his friend when she gave him the word to explain.

"Basically I and Cel were looking for you. I wanted to make a barbecue after that werebat fight, but... Y'know what happened. Things went weird, VRSA got on the way, and now we are here." Hanno said, crossing his arms and smiling.

"So we wanted to invite you to join us. You know, have a fun time and everything-"

"- And don't eat the whole barbecue by yourself. You didn't let me have a taste of that bat last time!" The girl added.

@Ueno Mizuki @Celestine

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki pondered Hanno's words as she patted Hanna. Maybe she should be a bit more careful with how she approached gatherings then? If people felt like her entrances were fancy... Well, it was only Hanno so far, and he didn't seem to really mind. The luna wolf shook her head in dismissal of that train of thought before turning her attention back to the sapient shield, whose behaviour was matching her appearance quite well.

So have you been self-aware this entire time?

Neither Celestine nor Hanno apparently knew much more about Hanna's peculiar ability other than its existence. Mizuki frowned lightly as she did her best to parse Celestine's words. The odd way of talking was the same as before, but after four years it took some effort for her to figure it out once more.

I don't think any Dissonance creatures from back then were known for eating magic either. You should go to the MIT and see what they've got to say about all this.

Moving onto the reason why these three people were here Mizuki straightened up and placed her hands on her hips, cocking her head as her tail swished gently from side to side behind her while she listened to both Celestine and Hanno take turns explaining their plan.

I remember the bat yes. It was very chewy... (She cleared her throat.) Anyway, you want to hold a barbecue?

It was a strange feeling to have two (or three) people bother to climb this mountain purely to invite her to a barbecue. Mizuki raised a clawed finger to scratch her cheek.

I've got no reason to refuse, so I'll be happy to join. Since the bat is gone, did you already have a plan for where to get enough food for all of us? And are any of the other people from back then joining us? (She looked towards Hanna when the sapient shield complained about not getting to eat the bat.) My apologies. I would've given you some if I knew that you wanted any.

Or if she'd been aware that Hanno's shield could feel hunger in the first place.

@Celestine @Hanno Futaba