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Double Trouble Training

Scene details

Setting: In order to help a reformed criminal accept his roots, Reize and Ivo offered to help him train within the Hills and Dale, where Nais could attune with nature to further his affinity with his heritage. At the same time, it was training for the newly acquired pet, Doom Chicken. The training collide together for all!

Log


 It's a bright sunny day within the grassy hills. The blue skies are filled with a few wispy clouds hanging around. The bountiful hills provides rich greenery with its tall grasses and large trees where the earth-aspected aether crystals thrive. While there were rumors of the boars about, they have not shown themselves the past few days. This leaves the crew alone out in the lush fields.

 Once known as a bandit who typically ambushed would be travelers, Nais is on his path of reformation under the watchful care of the Vanguards. As part of his path, he tossed away the mark of his bandit life and instead donned the robes of a druid.

 The lanky older man within his mid-twenties looks uncertain of himself. However, he holds a long, wooden stick. It is not adorned with anything, but it is the unmistakenly a marking of a druid based on the etches and marks around the stick. He takes a deep breath, "...Well grandfather... looks like I'm taking this serious, huh?" He smiles. He pushes the staff to the ground, slamming it against the earth.

 There is a brief pulse from the ground. Indications of the earth crystals are seen as they give off a brief light.

 Reize looks quite pleased with the progress! "Oh great! You're doing it, Nais!" He claps happily, then he looks back over, "...I wonder how Rui is doing with our other training..." Maybe the chicken won't try to kill him.
 

Ruidosa La Crima isn't so much training a chicken than doting on it and providing it snuggles and speaking in a high pitched voice to it. 'Who's a baby chicky, yes, you are! You are!' she goes as she scoops up the dark void chicken who makes a heart when it's hugged.

Trsining is going just fine. Chicky is a perfect baby, see. Buck buck buck happy buckcaw!

This uh. This isn't training. For the moment, she's snuggling. Training in a moment. Snuggling chicken? Now. :IX


 Ivo reclines against a hill where spring and autumn meet, wildflowers bursting beneath him, leaves dyed in sunset hues spiraling slowly down upon him. This miraculous place stirs the mind to wonder and sets the heart at ease. It's the perfect place to quietly celebrate a job well done.
 "Try visualizing the sunlight permeating the earth itself," he amiably suggests, "piercing everything through with the power of Creation, revealing its true nature to you and awakening its potential through you."
 Lacking any sorcerous talent himself, Ivo is speaking in flourishes to fill in missing details. But there were some records in Castle Zerhem's library on the druid descendents who constructed the now ruined aqueduct, and he's pored over that material countless times now. Visualization, as a metaphor for what is revealed for the sun's light and as a standard hermetic practice, seems to have been a major part of their practice. He's... decently confident about that.
 "If you can infuse elemental power with light," he adds, "then we can practice doing so with the Crux of Creation. That might be a lot to handle to start, though."
 They've completed it, after all!
 Smiling sedately, Ivo allows his gaze to drift over to where Ruidosa is hard at work (clearly). Between that chicken and the boars, he's not sure which he'd rather have here.


  Nais turns his head at Ivo, looking at him dubiously at first. However, perhaps Ivo does bring up a good point. He takes a deep breath and then he works on the visualization. After all, in order to tap to their lineage, they have to tap onto the Creation Domain, which Faleh is of the Sun. As he places down the staff, the crystals glow once more, now brighter.

 He blinks, "Oh, it's working..." He looks at Ivo, curious, "...Why do you all need me so much, exactly?"

Meanwhile,

 Reize lets out an exasperated sigh when he sees that the interactions between Ruidosa and the chicken is just her doting at it. He runs a hand over to the side of his head. After a moment, he shrugs, "...Ah well." He approaches his partner while she holds the chicken.

 "Hey little guy, maybe you can help us with th----"

 Suddenly, the chicken goes aggro at Reize.

  YOU WANNA DIE?! I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL PECK YOUR EYES OUT! I'LL BURN YOUR SOUL AND EAT IT!

 Aggressive bawking intensifies as it flaps from Ruidosa's arms to snap at Reize.

 "GAAHH!" Reize collapses on his back, dropping hard and he backwardly crawls away from the malicious chicken. "ugghh... this will be a long day." A large sweatbead forms to the side of his head.


 Ivo grins at Nais, partly in delight at their success and the confirmation of his hypothesis, and partly because his hypothesis was at least thirty percent guesswork and it's always a pleasure to get away with that.
 "As anticipated, more or less."
 More less than more

Ruidosa watches as Reize approaches. "Reize...it might not be a good id---" and then the chicken flaps from her arms to peck and snap at Reize as she awks and starts chasing after the chicken. "Good boy, good boys don't attack without reasonnn!" she insists, look, that's training, right? At least it isn't flinging fireballs and meteors or whatever yet as she chases after the chicken and Reize.

"Reize. Block! Block the pecks!"


 (pose continued)
 "We've vowed to uncover the legacy of Vaeltrandia," he continues, sitting up to address the successor to the druids. "And the last of it is secreted away in the lost city of Arcadios. The more we can observe of your inheritance, the better we'll understand the past. And if you can harness the power of the Crux, the way to Arcadios may open."
 Ivo will leave the details on that for later. They may be a little ... daunting.
 "Hmm."
 Seeing Reize's typically amicable interaction with the Doom Chicken, Ivo hesitates for a moment before drawing a wrapped object from his cloak.
 "The druids of yore crystallized light into shields," he remarks. This didn't come from a record. This is an extrapolation from Kernunnos's powers. "And it looks like Reize could use one. Why not take this opportunity to give that a try? I'm going to reveal the Crux... but let me know if you can't handle it."
 Ivo honestly has no idea if it will have any deleterious effect on Nais or not. But, taking the chance, he unwraps the Crux, which shines blindly. Complete and charged in the laboratory by raw elemental aether, it glows like a miniature sun itself, leaving spots in the vision of any who look upon it directly.


  Nais squints at Ivo, then he listens to the reasoning. His head lowers and he looks a bit crestfallen, "... I see. That is a noble venture. Makes me wish that I did listen to my grandfather more when he talked about the old tales." The story about Arcadios, while admittedly lost on him, does renew his vigor. "... Got it. I'll help out as I can." He grins, "After all, you all got me out of a life of imprisonment..." Pause. "... Not that I wouldn't have deserved it."

 "...A shield?" He considers, then he watches the interaction between Reize and the chicken. "...I... I really don't know why you all freed that abomination. But, whatever."

 Meanwhile,

 Oh yeah, the chicken is pecking at Reize. Aggressively.

 The boy is lucky enough to have his bracers up to guard against the incoming pecks from the angry chicken. As the chicken continues to flap its wings, it lets out a loud call. "AWW CAAWWWWWW!!!"

 Meteors form up from the sky once more. And they start barraging down at Reize's path. Boom boom boom...!!!!!!

  Should the smoke clear, there is a small field of energy surrounding Reize as a glow shines around him. He comically hangs his head low with tears. "Uggh, why does this chicken hate me?"

 Nais lets out a sweat as he realizes that the illuminating energy had protected the boy. "... I did it!" He calls out towards Ivo. He takes a moment to wipe a sweat from his brow.
 

Ruidosa winces as the meteors come and she finally gets ahold of the chicken and scoops it up and gives it a hug. "Bad chicken. No meteors at Reizey---" blush as she uses the pet name, coughing, ignore it!
"Be a gooood chicken. and just glare at him menacingly. Like he's doing something he shouldn't...like this.."

She gives Reize THE LOOK.

The Chicken gives Reize, and even harder THE LOOK.

They are both giving THE LOOK.

"See!" she says.

Then the chicken escapes her grasp and tries to peck at Reize again anyways. She awks and starts chasing after again!


 "Seriously!?"
 Ivo's shout can barely be heard over the thunderous din of meteors descending into the valley, fallen leaves tossed up willy-nilly, panicked birds scattering from the trees above. He was just coming up with an excuse to try something new. But the shield turned out to be necessary.
 "I-I mean, nicely done, Nais."
 Ivo clears his throat, settling back down after having half lurched to his feet, before it sinks in that they've succeeded.
 "Wait, that's incredible! You did it!" It seems that the druid was, perhaps with the aid of the Crux, able to emulate a fraction of Kernunnos's power. "With your talent, we might be able to reconstruct the full extent of what the druids were capable of. Reizey, did you hear that? Uh, I mean-- Reize--"
 Ivo wasn't listening. And it wasn't funny at all.
 "--could maybe use an escape route?" The Cosmopolitan takes the opportunity to explore what Nais can really do, and also, you know, help Reize, if there's time. "Can you construct walls or platforms of light? Or are you limited to a single continuous field?"

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Can Nais help Reize escape the the fate of a chicken's wrath?
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 3).


  Nais stares at Ivo more warily, "...You guys really should do something about that chicken." He grimaces.

  Wait, why are both of them giving him the look?! Reize sweatdrops as Ruidosa AND the chicken give him 'The Look'! Reize is uncertain if he believes Ruidosa, especially because the chicken breaks free to chase after him. "Gaaahhh!" He's running away from the chicken.

  When Ivo makes another suggestion about an escape route, Nais takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. "... Let me try." He presses his staff to the ground once more, concentrating to try to project someth---

  "OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!"

  Nais grimaces, "....I can't concentrate with that incessant so---..." When Nais re-opens his eyes, he is treated to the sight on Reize, flat on his face, getting pecked on the head by the chicken. The reformed bandit looks woodenly at Ivo, "...I think it's 'rest in peace' for your friend."
 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Saving throw against pointing and laughing
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 3).

Ruidosa fails trying to get the chicken to express anger in a more healthy form and has to chase it to Reize and scoop the chicken and scamper away from Reize with it and hugs. Soooothing the savage beast. Good chicken, good chicken, good chicken gets pets and soothing and hopefully far enough away from Reize

She huffs and turns around to face Reize.

"Reizeeee are you okay!?" she calls from a safe chicken attack distance.


 It's not Ivo's fault. The dice have spoken.
 "Pffft--"
 He at least doesn't do the Full Priel, instead covering his face and turning away, shoulders shaking. Wiping a tear from his eye, he looks to Nais and nods stoutly, gesturing toward where Reize continues to be subjected to the chicken's wrath.
 "Alas, Reizey has fallen," Ivo manages, "but we must forge on in his memory. When we write the legacy of Vaeltrandia, his heroics will be chronicled."
 Peck peck peck.
 "Though maybe we can fudge how he died a bit."
 With a gusty sigh, Ivo raises his gaze to the heavens.
 "Farewell, my friend," he says to Reize's departing spirit. "I will comfort the Lady La Crima in your absence." He pauses briefly. "I figure Ruidosa will be fine. She has her chicken." She does indeed, literally, now that she has carried it away. Alas, too late. Rest in peace, chief.


The good news: The chicken is now placated once its in Ruidosa's arms again.
The bad news: Well, it already got Reize.

 Nais stares at the commotion and then he awkwardly runs a hand over to the back of his head. "Ehhh... I can prepare an epitath for him."

 "....Owwww..."

 "Oh, he's still alive," notes Nais.

 Reize grumbles at Ivo. "Still alive..." He grimaces, holding his head. He stares at Ruidosa and the chicken, wincing as he holds his head. There is a bead of a tear on one of his eyes from the pain of the pecking. "... Sigh, I guess we have a long way to go."

 He looks back at Nais, "But you're made progress on your training so far!" He brightens considerably, "We'll definitely need your help soon... We can all uncover the truth." He considers, looking back at Ivo, "I think when we get back to town, we can fill him in on the detail from our journey." He considers, "It should be someone local to here to pass forth the story."
 

Ruidosa loves the doom chicken, okay? It's cute and black and has red eyes and and she can hold it and it likes her hugs and and and--- but she loves it like a pet. She loves Reize more, so she puts the chicken down in a bush and says. "Go explore and eat some bugs~" she says as she then scampers towards Reize and pouts.

She leans down and tries to help Reize up. "S..sorry! We'll get there! I managed to get it to express it's anger healthily for a second!" she says matter of factly. A FULL SECOND! It's like a miracle! r-right?

"I've been keeping notes of our journey if you need a refresher but I'm showing you the pages..." she doesn't want Reize peeking through her journal, okay!? FOR REASONS.


 "It's a miracle."
 Ivo says this casually, almost deadpan, as Reize rallies. The corners of his lips quiver, but he manages to maintain his composure this time.
 "Good idea, Reizey," he continues without missing a beat, cheerfully affirming his friend's suggestion. The more Ruidosa is distracted by the chicken, the more it seems he can get away with. "Let's tell Nais everything we've learned about the druids. After our experiences with the remnants in the Bastion, we have a fairly complete picture at last, if lacking some details." He gets to his feet, expression briefly turning speculative. "I want to send a missive to the people of the Great Plains who organized the Festival of Blessings, as well... what we've learned might be relevant to their oral histories and their understanding of the Burial Mounds they maintain."
 Descending the slope, he glances between Reize and Nais before grinning lopsidedly.
 "Nais, I don't suppose your nascent talent for Creation Arts extends to the realm of healing?"


  While the chicken does tend to do its own thing, Reize is happy that Ruidosa is nearby him. Thanks to her helping him up, the boy manages to stand up on his feet, "Hee, thanks Rui." He looks at Ruidosa, "...it's progress. We'll have to work on that more." He grimaces. As for the pages recommendation, he offers a smile, "We can save that for when we get back to town." Reize does squint at Ivo's reference to the pet name.

 Nais tsch, "Your friend's on his own for healing." He lifts his shoulders for a shrug, "Healing's not within my specialty." His expression does soften at the suggestion from both Reize and Ivo. "... You know, I would like to know more about it." He considers, "...You know, instead of the town, why don't we talk about it here?"

 The reformed bandit settles against his staff, "After all, a druid needs to depart from the life of the city and be more of their nautral surroundings, right?" He's trying. In order to understand, he has to depart the old life and embrace the new.