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Homeland Purity Security [P]

Postby Flame » 11/25/2016 12:34 AM

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Vylara
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The Shiverpeaks were a harsh and inhospitable wasteland, a desert of ice and snow where no creature in its right mind would choose to travel, let alone set up shop. Then again, Norn had never exactly been famous for being the most pragmatic of the races which called Tyria home. If anything, it would seem that their existence up here in the barren, frozen desert proved that you really could survive on pride and mulish stubbornness alone. That, and exorbitant amounts of ale.

Normally, even the most nomadic of Norn traveled in groups, at least this far up north, and especially this close to Jormag’s presence. This kind of proximity to the elder dragon meant even harsher conditions than what was considered normal in the arctic climate, but more importantly, it brought with it the constant threat of icebrood. Any unfortunate creature that wandered this deep into the jaws of the ice dragon faced the danger of being attacked, or worse, corrupted – at least, that was if the elements didn’t get to them first. Arguably, if given a choice of the three options, the latter would be the best way to go.

In spite of the perpetual looming danger which hung on the frigid air, two small, lone tents flanking a campfire (built with meticulous care amidst the carpet of snow) stood in evident defiance of everything that made these mountains so unwelcoming. The cold sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, throwing long shadows across the undisturbed fields of snow behind sparse evergreen trees which somehow managed to cling to life in this otherwise barren wasteland. Two sets of tracks (one considerably larger than the other) criss-crossing through the makeshift campsite made it evidently clear that the tents were indeed occupied by tenants, and the orderly state of the camp coupled with the rugged nature of the gear it incorporated indicated that this particular arrangement wasn’t an unusual one either.

Perched on a makeshift stump-turned-seat by the fire, a solitary figure was illuminated by the flame’s glow as daylight slowly faded into evening. The figure was that of a slender Norn woman, seated with a large greatsword resting across her knees. The blade of the gold-handled weapon rippled with flashes of bright pastels as it caught the light, but the colors seemed somehow more vivid than those reflected in the sunset, as if it had an inner light of its own. The flickering of the campfire’s flames glinted off of the intricate metalwork of golden wings which made up the hilt of the greatsword, buffed to a scintillating gleam by the cloth in the woman’s hands. If Vylara was anything, she was painstakingly meticulous when it came to the condition of her gear – after all, well-kept gear was one of the marks of a respectable fighter, and even with that aside, what would be the point of kicking ass if you didn’t look good while doing it?

The camp was a humble one – simple but functional in every aspect. The dolyak-skin tents were light and easy to transport, and the spindly apparatus currently straddling the fire was easy to set-up and break down, as well as carry. The only thing which seemed slightly out of place in this otherwise lightweight ensemble was the iron pot which currently hung over the fire, suspended by the metal-wrought frame. Despite the practical nature of her work and possessions, there were a few aspects of life which Vylara stubbornly refused to budge from, the most important of which being the quality of her food. After all, just because one traveled like a vagrant didn’t necessarily mean that they had to eat like one.

For all intents and purposes, at that particular moment, the mesmer seemed entirely engrossed in her task of polishing her weapon and altogether oblivious to the world around her. However, any person who thought that she missed anything that was going on in her vicinity would be misfortunately mistaken. “So, what exactly is it that you’re asking me to do again?” Her gaze never lifted from her current task at hand even as she asked the question, but no facial expression on her part was required to convey the skepticism which currently – and very unmistakably – colored her tone of voice. “I must have severely misheard you, because I’m pretty sure I recall you saying something about flinging my priceless, handwrought, one-of-a-kind greatsword here across the camp like some kind of cheap, crab toss ball.”
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Re: Homeland Purity Security [P]

Postby Hokthes » 11/25/2016 1:06 AM

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Hokthes stood approximately 20 paces away from Vylara, fiddling with his control panel. At 8 feet tall, he was large even for a Norn. He had shed most of his armor for the night, and stood in the soft firelight in nothing but his longjohns, his control integrated arm piece, and his well traveled boots. He expected such a reluctant response from his companion in business, and continued to fiddle with his controls while he gave his retort.

"You know this is important to our survival and I wouldn't ask you to participate unless I absolutely needed it. Especially not one that would endanger your precious weapon." The response seemed as mechanical as the little robot hovering above his shoulder; he usually had to convince Vylara to assist him in his field tests.

"You've seen my bot in action, it's a significant factor to our dynamic as a duo. Unless you have some other slab of metal imbued with magics then I'm gonna have to borrow your sword and your aim. That thing has seen dozens of conflicts, I can say with absolute certainty that your mystical sword will not be damaged by falling into the snow."

He lowered his arm, satisfied with his last minute adjustments and stared expectantly at Vylara as his bot moved into position. After shifting, the bot obscured his vision of her as it hovered in front of his face. The rotor whirred quietly, and caught the falling snow at just the right angle to throw tiny bits of frigid water directly into his eyes. He did his best to maintain a stern look as the snow dripped from his chin; he knew he looked ridiculous in his undergarments and needed Vylara to take him seriously.
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Re: Homeland Purity Security [P]

Postby Flame » 11/25/2016 1:53 AM

It didn’t take a discerning ear to hear what could only best be described as mocking exasperation in the male Norn’s voice. Clearly, they were words of a person who had had a discussion uncannily like this one too many times in the past, and clearly expected the situation to play out in their favor based on those past experiences. Despite all of the knowledge of past experience though, they still managed to pique Vylara to the brink of puffing up in indignation, but even she knew better than to let herself go over that edge. After all, if there was anything to be learned from those same past experiences, it was the fact that her audible annoyance would only fuel her companion’s sometimes prickly attitude. Needless to say, those fights generally concluded with no clear winner, and only succeeded in turning the following few days into nothing but terse, monosyllabic noises in place of normal, intelligent conversation.

Nevertheless, it didn’t stop her from grumbling her displeasure either way, even as she put the polishing cloth down and abandoned her task. Not that the greatsword really even needed the care – it wasn’t as if she used the thing to physically hack through skin and bone like some kind of mongoloid. She prided herself on being a mesmer and not having to resort to such barbaric forms of primal combat as often displayed by those of the warrior profession. After all, she refused to believe that it took any particular skill to wildly flail a slab of metal in the general vicinity of an enemy and hope that whatever it was simply stood in the path of the weapon and accepted its death willingly.

“I still don’t understand why I can’t just chuck a rock at you or something instead.” Even as she grouched though, she rose from her makeshift seat, the greatsword levitating smoothly off of her knees to hover directly over an outstretched hand. After all, she’d just polished the thing and wasn’t about to go smearing fingerprints all over it in the name of some ridiculous exercise. “Plus, how do you always manage to time these demands at the exact time that I’m planning on eating? There are better ways to tell someone to go on a diet, you know.”

Vylara huffed grumpily as she turned to face Hok, the greatsword rotating slowly in place as it hovered midair. She seemed entirely unfazed by the fact that the massive Norn was essentially dressed only in his pajamas in spite of the feet of snow on the ground. In the years that they'd been working together, she'd become quite accustomed to the sight. In fact, she was somewhat convinced that if it wasn't for his need ofcombat armor, the man would simply live day-in and day-out in his jammies. “Actually, if you’re so certain that it won’t do any harm, why don’t we just use your hammer instead?” A quick, momentary smirk flashed over her features as the more palatable idea blossomed to life. “You know, it’ll help to raise the stakes and whatnot too. A win-win all around, if you ask me.”
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Re: Homeland Purity Security [P]

Postby Hokthes » 11/25/2016 2:14 AM

Hokthes grumbled something about bookahs not knowing anything, a habit he'd picked up in his collegiate days after being called a bookah himself more times than he cared to remember.

"You know the reason we can't use a rock is the same reason we can't use my hammer. I've already done thorough testing with every normal material that I can find in this miserable icy wasteland; I need to test against magics. We're fighting the minions of a Dragon, and Dragons like magic. Therefore, we need to use your gear. For all my knowledge I've never been able to enchant anything. Besides, I'm not sure if you could throw this hammer anyways. Throw your sword so we can move on with our night."

He finished with a huff and shifted his weight impatiently. He knew he was being rude but his boots were filling with snow without his coat providing a barrier and he was hungry. He quickly became irritable when things didn't go his way, a habit he had picked up from his time studying under the asura. He knew that his attitude wasn't helping, but she was doing what he wanted and he knew the words would roll off her shoulders like the snow itself.

Hokthes pressed one last button, spread out his arms and closed his eyes. He quickly remembered that he was wearing pajamas meaning that he would never look striking, and tried to lower his arms to play it off as just stretching instead. Vylara wouldn't buy that and he knew it. Regardless, the test was underway.
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Re: Homeland Purity Security [P]

Postby Flame » 11/25/2016 3:15 AM

“Well, if it isn’t the pot calling the kettle black,” Vylara scoffed. “Didn’t the Asurans all but kick you out of Rata Sum, genius? If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that all of the sass and none of the smarts rubbed off on you during your time with the little imps. Plus, if you had wanted to mess with magic, Rata Sum would have been the place to do it.” Much of the conversation that went on between the pair consisted of such banter, but when one was keeping the other from a hot meal, the jibes sometimes cut just a little deeper than usual.

“Either way, it’s not as if an icebrood, let alone a corrupted grawl, would even have the capacity for this kind of magic.” It was common knowledge that grawl weren’t exactly scholars, to put it mildly, and the icebrood were creatures reduced to no more than mindless dragon minions. “I swear, if it wasn’t for your bear-like appetite, I would think that you were purposefully trying to keep us from dinner.”

She would never go so far as to admit that her companion was right, but there was some logic to his last statement. The sooner she got this experiment of his over with, the sooner she could get to the meal which was currently bubbling over the fire. “Fine,” she finally conceded, sighing audibly as she slogged her way over the snow away from her seat to position herself in a straight line in front of Hok. It took everything she had not to shoot a snarky comment back in return for his quip about her ability to pick us his warhammer. Instead, Vylara purposefully maneuvered herself so that should this little test go wrong (or even somewhat right), her own tent would at least be clear of harm from any potential haphazardly deflected weapons sailing through the air.

As she hefted her greatsword, its gold handle now hovering between both of her palms, she readied herself to fling the weapon telekinetically at her companion. He knew exactly what it was that he was asking for – after all, he’d seen her fight on more occasions that either of them could remember or count. “I swear, if you damage my greatsword in any way, shape, or form, you get to pay for all the repairs. That, and you’ll be on cleaning, packing, and carrying duty for the next six months, bare minimum.” Taking a firmer mental grip on her sword as she prepared to throw it, her eyebrows quirked up for a moment at Hokthes’ preparatory stance for the exercise, and a snicker escaped her, even as he quickly corrected for its ridiculousness. “Ready or not…”

Both hands swung overhead as the greatsword arced gracefully in a half-circle over her head and behind her back, then retraced its path back in front of her before leaving her grasp and hurtling at a breakneck pace directly towards the little gyro. After a brief moment of contemplation, Vylara motioned again with her hands and Hok’s heavy warhammer levitated into the air from where it rested, upon which she promptly flung that at his head as well. Just for good measure.
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Re: Homeland Purity Security [P]

Postby Hokthes » 11/26/2016 1:16 PM

Hokthes wasn't expecting the hammer, but it hardly mattered. His weapon, while beautiful and formidable, was nothing more than iron, steel, and gold trimming. It would reflect harmlessly. He focused on the sword, but at this point the situation was beyond his control. The experiment lasted only a fraction of a second, but he saw every step along the way.

His bot analyzed the incoming threat: A sword and a hammer. There were no arrows, so the energy could be conserved with a loose knit medium - this unused energy could instead be put back into the outward force exerted on the projectile. The sword came first, having a greater velocity and being flung first. Here's where the test came in: the robot analyzed the projectile for any magic and, thankfully, detected it immediately. As soon as the analysis was complete, the red gem Hokthes installed sparked to life, followed quickly by the blue gem that had been there for conflicts before. Hokthes breathed a sigh of relief as the shield produced a purple shield, designed specifically for magic and magic infused items. The knit shield didn't look like a lot of protection, but Hok trusted the intelligence of the robot to create custom shields on the fly. As expected, Vylara's sword hit the purple shield, and instantly rocketed off in the exact opposite direction at twice the velocity. Perfect.

He had purchased the gem from his college companions, the few that he had contact with anyways. They had recently developed a more cost efficient form of detecting magics than the past. The Asurans used to rely on delicate electronic equipment to scan items that came into the city for trade that, while accurate, broke often. The Asurans were interested in magical items as they sold for a higher price, and would therefore be taxed as it entered Rata Sum. What his peers had discovered was a gem from Metrica that, when introduced to magic, gave off a faint radiation that could be detected by the most basic of equipment. So: slap the gem into the proximity of one of these pieces of eqipment and you've got yourself a sturdy magic detector for a fraction of the cost. It was less sustainable, but work on a synthetic counterpart was already underway. Hokthes had requested one of these gems and was utilizing it in his own equipment.

Hokthes let himself relax as the hammer hurdled itself towards the robot, now that the threat of the magical sword had passed. However, he noticed the shield changed shape for an even looser knit (as the hammer had a much larger size, more power for reflection) but stayed purple. Not good.

His massive hammer passed unhindered through the purple shield, passing just below the robot that whirred so happily, assuming it was doing it's job up to expectations. Hokthes had just enough time to think to himself: "I shouldn't be wearing my pajamas" before the hammer struck him full force in the chest and hurtled him backwards with his little robot zooming after him to keep up, purple light illuminating the ground as it raced after his designated protection target.
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Re: Homeland Purity Security [P]

Postby Flame » 11/27/2016 2:32 AM

In spite of all of her teasing, Vylara actually had great faith in her partner’s ability to engineer something and for it to work the way that he intended it to. For all of their banter, she would still be the first to admit that he was one of the most talented engineers she knew, and that alone had been a solid reason for having teamed up in the first place. Albeit, the experiments didn’t necessarily always go without a hitch on the first go around, but that was what all of this testing was for. As much as she hated the fact that it took her away from one of her biggest current priorities, she wouldn’t jeopardize their dynamic and effectiveness as a team for it. After all, one couldn’t stay in the business they were in without an extraordinarily heightened ability to understand and predict (as well as tolerate) each other’s thinking, process, and company. It was something which was a constant work-in-progress, and had seen years of meticulous fine-tuning. That, and more than one or two mishaps along the way, but fortunately for them, none of those had been permanent or otherwise terminal to their partnership (or worse).

It was that rapport which they had as a team that had gotten them to where they were today, as well as earning them their reputation for being a reliable resource to call upon when odd – usually combat-related – situations arose and required a slightly more heavy-handed resolution. In fact, it was for that particular reason that they were currently camped out on the snowy, inhospitable slopes of the Northern Shiverpeaks. It seemed like a pretty routine, straightforward job; a Norn village on the far outer reaches of Frostgorge Sound had recently run into some issues with corrupted grawl. While normally a handful of Jormag’s minions didn’t really cause any problems that couldn’t be solved by the villages themselves, apparently there had been a steady stream of these invaders for the past few months, and the natives were beginning to suspect a Svanir hand in the matters. It was one thing when the poor primates simply wandered too far into the dragon’s domain, but entirely another if a cult was purposefully corrupting victims and sending them towards Norn encampments.

Considering this village’s distance from Hoelbrak, finding a force to deal with this issue had been a challenge in and of itself for its inhabitants. Luckily for them, word had reached Hokthes and Vylara’s ears, and having heard the nature of the problem, they’d set out to resolve it. After all, a mercenary lifestyle up here in the far north generally required a rather nomadic way of life. As such, the two had learned early on to pack light and bring only necessities – well, minus what could probably be best described as a small cauldron (Vylara considered that just as much a necessity as their sleeping bags and tents). They were now a two-day trek out of the Norn village, with nothing but a vague description and general point in the correct direction to guide their way. The villagers knew of a cave-like formation some ways away from their home which might possibly house Svanir and their totems which they used in their corruption rituals. Not much to go on, but enough evidence had been gathered to warrant a gander anyway. After all, regardless of what they found, there was pay in it for the duo’s services.

Vylara watched with mild interest as her precious greatsword sliced through the air towards the gyro. As Hok had hoped, the weapon seemed to ricochet harmlessly off of the surface of the dome which the little bot had projected – she did note that the color of the energy barrier was now distinctly more purple than she remembered from their countless past altercations – and now hurtled directly back at her at a considerably faster pace. The sword came zooming in to hit her squarely in the middle of the forehead, pointed end first, upon which her entire body appeared to shatter into a thousand shards. The greatsword seemed to bounce, speeding off to ricochet off the gyro’s barrier once again, only to be stopped by Vylara, who was apparently standing exactly where she had been a moment ago (before effectively having gibbed on the spot). Despite the increase in velocity, it took her only marginally more effort to stop the greatsword mid-flight as it returned to her, the weapon safely slowing this time as she ‘caught’ it and brought it to hover over her outstretched hand again. That was one of the benefits of being able to generate clones – they made for great target practice.

Even as she regained control over her flying greatsword, a blur of movement caught her eye and Vylara glanced over to see her partner hurtling through the air to land – less than ceremoniously – on his rear in the snow, carried by the momentum of the warhammer she’d just hurled at him. Well, it certainly served him right for doubting her ability to heft his weapon – karma could be a bitch, especially if someone was there to give it a nudge in the right direction. Of the rare occasions that a new invention worked perfectly the first time around, this was certainly not one of them.

In spite of the fact that she was sure he was fine, Vylara tramped her way across the now-larger gap between her and Hokthes, stopping just short to stand over and stare down at him. “Think you’ll live, or should I start interviewing for your replacement?” Despite the current situation, a note of amusement colored her voice, even through her concern. After all, she knew that it was probably just a minor tweak that was needed to get the bot working the way it was supposed to, but that was simply all the more reason to tease him for not catching it the first time around. That, and she was sure that if there were any hard feelings generated during this little exercise, it was nothing that couldn't be fixed with a bowl of her hot, delicious homemade stew.
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