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Post by Nal on Oct 20, 2019 23:15:18 GMT -8
It took the majin a few days to recover after the extensive training she put herself through - it wasn't as exhausting as those that some of the fabled heroes (and villains!) have done in the fables she's heard all over Central City, during and after the sausage shenanigans her and the technoman Bryce did. But it was power unfamiliar to her (slightly more so now, at least!), and exploring the unknown and literally breaking the limits took a toll on Nal's constitution. And so, a few days and nights of sleep were needed - though this time, the vultures kept a suspiciously wide berth from the body sleeping in the desert. But even the most exhausted people eventually wake up, and so did she - immediately going off to find her companion in the city he was left in - it was time to travel south, like she promised!
Except, she got distracted. Obviously.
Miners got lost, in the Ox Mountain, some people said. Smelling heroic actions in the distance, Nal went to them and, in her usual direct approach, inquired about them, the mountain and what they were up to. Apparently, they were digging in the mine, in a shaft that just... appeared out of nowhere the other day, rough-hewn as if someone tunneled through by tearing chunks of rock out of the wall, rather than using tools for it. They haven't been heard from again - and nobody heard from them since. This was definitely something a hero would do, so in her wisdom, Nal agreed to go look for these people. Grinning ear to ear, as she does.
The first task was to find the Ox Mountain. It was probably going to be the easier one - having to navigate through a web of underground tunnels that people dig in search of expensive and useful ores was going to be more difficult, but Nal had an idea for that too. First things first - she made sure she could find her way out once done, and for that goal, she went to a nearby school - causing some confusion amongst the kids and teachers as to why a short, gray person walks across the place. It wasn't time for spooky costumes yet, apparently.(which she was told about and very quickly found the idea endearing - that was one of the many things this little majin had to do later!) What she went there for, though, was to get chalk - to mark the walls as she traveled, marking different paths with different coloured chalk, which would not be permanent, but hopefully last long enough. And chalk she did get - after having to explain a dozen times that she is not a student, but in fact, a hero in training. For some reason, the teachers at that school didn't believe it at first, every single one of them. Nal wondered if it was a job requirement.
Once that was dealt with, she needed some light. To that end, Nal went to the miners that she had previously spoken to, asking them how do they see things underground, where it's all so dark? They were more than eager to tell her about the head lamps on their helmets - and even kind enough to lend her one of these! Happy and thankful, the majin tried on the helmets until they found one that fits, her hair tendrils (hairtacles, like the technoman called them - and Nal was absolutely amazed by that term, it was funny AND accurate!) coiling from under it, to form her favoured dreadlocks from under the helmet. Nodding with a grin, the majin went off again. Finding the way, check, head lamp, check... supplies. She needed something to snack on, and immediately wandered into the candy store, buying herself a whole pouchful of all manner of tasties to eat on the way. The store owner had seen her helmet and suggested she get a rope if she's going into the mines, just in case! He sounded like he was joking, but safety was no joking matter and Nal took his advice, walking into the hardware store, browsing stuff until she found not only rope, but also a bandolier that, reportedly, hunters used to keep rifle shells at their chest for easy access. After a little bit of measuring (consisting of shoving a stick of chalk into one of the bandoliers), the gray gal purchased that too, indeed filling the small pockets with sticks of chalk, so that she could mark the way without having to dig through all of the candy - she could've lost some that way.
After that, she felt like she was ready - her heavy training gear was on, the coil of rope was slung over the shoulder, across the bandoliers with chalk, the helmet was on and batteries in the head torch fresh. The pack was filled to the brim with candy - it was time to go! Nal began to walk, before realising she forgot to ask where exactly in the mountains the digsite was. And so, back to the miners, who were amused (and amazed, under the amusement) at how well the would-be hero prepared herself, though they have also given her a climbing hook and helped attaching the thing onto the coil of rope, so that it could be used better. What kind miners, Nal thought. Not everyone was so scaredy, apathetic or greedy like the other people she met so far! This time, though, she remembered to ask where to go, and after a bit of an explaination, was given a map. Thanking the people with a grin (and even a hug to one of the more helpful miners!), the majin turned towards the huge, looming mountain (that looked like it was on fire, though it was probably just the setting sun) - and began to walk. With the map, she now had a way of knowing where exactly to walk in order to find that mysterious mining shaft and the lost miners that went down that tunnel. And rescue them!
[WC = 1000]
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Post by Nal on Oct 21, 2019 3:10:50 GMT -8
Wandering across the desert was much faster than it was without one, it also meant Nal got lost less and sped up the travel in general. A plus side effect of that also was the fact that she wouldn't have the time to eat all of her candy before even getting where she was supposed to get. And even though there was quite a way away - cities rarely were located close to mines, villages more often so - it didn't take all that long for the majin to reach the digsite, at the very root of the mountain.
She looked around just upon arriving, frowning faintly and studying everything. The place had an odd feeling of deja vu to it. Has she been here before?
The place was empty -obviously, nobody wanted to stay in a mine that is, reportedly, haunted and kidnapping people. Though the tools were still here, which means they planned on returning, or their bosses planned on hiring more people that weren't afraid (or aware) of this situation. Ah well - that was not Nal's problem, it was theirs - hers was to figure out what happened and rescue the people lost in the mines! And so she set off to do just that, entering the tunnel, picking up a stick of white chalk and beginning to draw an arrow on the wall - I went that way, it was saying. Grinning at her cleverness, the majin began delving into the tunnels, as the people had told her to go in the city.
First, down the main shaft. It was wide, dry an full of support beams, torches and generally, light. It was still bright enough to not use the head torch, but darker than the outside. The gray girl wondered how do people see in this darkness? She could just probably power up and illuminate the way like that, but who knows how stable the mountain corridors are? She drew another arrow, walking down the tunnel, listening to her footsteps echoing. There was magic in the air - the serene emptiness of an abandoned mine, the echo, the sound of water dripping from faraway tunnels, scritching of typical mine pests and clattering of rocks that fell off a mountain, it all felt as if the mountains had their own life. It made the wondrous majin grin just to think of. What kind of secrets could there be in this place?
Oh, and there literally was magic there. The enhanced, mystical senses she had trained the other day picked that up almost instantly, the power was just like hers. Near identical, in fact. But still, she drew arrows on the tunnels, even if there was a way to follow the magic trail (and it wouldn't be all that hard, it was just like sensing those bandits in the desert!) - finding a way back out would be more problematic, because whatever was the source would disturb her sensing and walking blindly was not a fun thing.
One turn of the tunnel later, she's found the shaft the miners spoke about. It was rather narrow, rough-hewn, but the entrance showed signs of people widening it with pickaxes. Only issue was, it was behind a chasm, and the bridge they made to get past the thing was now collapsed, cut from the opposite side. Fortunately, the stakes that kept it aloft in the first place were still there - it seemed like someone just cut the ropes and made the bridge fall down and crash against the mountain on Nal's side, and a quick lean over the pit confirmed this - the bridge was there, missing a few planks, with a few more shattered. Well, that's what she got the rope for - and with a happy grin, unslung from over her shoulder.
The other side of the chasm was somewhat higher than this one, high enough, in fact, that someone could easily take a running jump to vault over it if they needed to run from the tunnel into the entrance, but the other way around required help. And with that in mind, the majin narrowed one of her eyes, closed the other, took aim and began to swing the hook on the rope over her head. A few spins and she chucked it, aiming for the stakes! And... she missed. Not deterred by that, the majin repeated her actions, tossing the hook a second time. And then, after a third, it finally found purchase. Tugging on it a few times, to make sure it was lodged properly, Nal managed to actually pull the hook free. Glad she tested that, the gal tossed her tool for the fourth time, which was also the final, as the next test proven that it was lodged properly. Tying the rope to this side's stake, she nodded - and then began to grip the rope, with her hands and legs, pulling herself up the thing to the opposite side of the chasm. It looked ridiculous and took a while, but Nal would rather be safe than pick herself up from the bottom of that thing!
Once up above, the majin turned with a grin, to admire the distance she went through. And blinked. "I was here." she spoke out loud, her voice echoing in the roughly hewn tunnel. Turning towards it, she felt compelled to walk down the thing, reaching down to rest a hand on a wall, slowly making her way down. The other hand then stretched out to touch the other wall, the tunnel narrow enough to allow this. She remembered these tunnels well, having to traverse them once already... not remembering that before, due to walking the opposite way this time, but Nal did indeed climb out of this tunnel once. She even remembered the running jump on that chasm just a moment ago. Though that last time, it was night, there were fewer tools and no rope bridge. And no chanting coming from up ahead. Walking faster, Majin Nal prepared to face with whatever was making it.
[WC = 1000, TWC = 2000]
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Post by Nal on Oct 21, 2019 5:10:29 GMT -8
The deeper the tunnel went, the darker it was. Eventually, the majin had to flick on her head torch, to be able to see anything. The yellow light illuminating the road ahead, curves and cracks in the walls she could not see the last time. And she now remembered full well what this place was - seeing it better in the light, rather than crawling out, in complete darkness, still groggy after she broke out of the cocoon in a chamber hidden up ahead. When she broke out, the illumination from the shattered mystic shell barely covered half the place, but now, she knew there would be more light - someone was there, chanting. Many someones, judging by the voices, though that may as well have been the echo. Though it was very likely both.
Turning once more, she began to see flickering lights on the wall, behind another turn. Swiftly making way there, Nal heard a voice shout in warning - apparently her head torch light was noticed and a deep, quieter voice somehow thundered over the chorus of chanters, being both quieter and louder at the same time. That made no sense, but yet - happened, so obviously, it intrigued the majin, who dashed ahead, jumping at the wall and pushing herself off of it with her hands and rubbery body both, like a beach ball thrown against a stall. And then, the girl turned, facing the place of her imprisonment - or rather, what became of it.
The deep green sphere was still there, it's front shattered like glass once the mystic magicks weakened, the rest of the thing hardened into what seemed like crystal, with the exception of the broken down parts, which mostly evaporated just as the majin punched through it. She remembered it well, the green power turning into smoke upon contact with the ground. Now, there were a couple dozen people kneeling around it, a few stood in between her and the opening in the sphere. That was new. She turned, looking at the people, accidentally blinding them with the head torch and causing shouts of displeasure from them. They all wore robes, simple brown with a bronze brooch the shape of... well, actually none of their brooches were the same shape. Nal wondered what they were for, before noticing some simple wooden cages behind the crowd. There were miners in them, shouting for help (and some for their supposed saviours to flee and save themselves). But before she could say or do anything, or the people armed with pickaxes went to attack her, something stirred in the broken shell of her former prison. Only now, the majin realised there is a throne perched inside of it, made out of rocks and wood, with a figure sitting in it. A tall, slender figure, with a coppery sheen to his skin, silvery hair and a pair of short nubs growing out of the head, probably meant to be horns. A demon!
"Well, well, well." - the deep voice from before spoke, and Nal quickly realised that it was not only the one she had heard before, but also that it was magic! The gray girl began observing the demon, turning her head torch to face it - and it resulted in the creature's face being visible. It was gaunt in appearance, angular, like a skull with little muscle underneath the skin, veins and ligaments visible as the man spoke. He apparently sported a long, sharp goatee, silvery like the hair. "You have come to join these hapless fools in worshipping their master, perhaps? No... no, I sense more power within you than that. You are here to save these caged fools before I bend their minds as well, right? Or perhaps..." the demon's lips peeled back, revealing long, sharp teeth in a vicious grin, pointing a staff towards Nal that he's had by the throne and now picked up. "You came here to claim my domain? It is a fool's errand, little girl. This sphere is bathed in powers you've never seen before, that you couldn't even imagine-" "I know" The demon blinked, rather taken aback by the sudden interruption. "What?" "I know" - the majin repeated, nodding. "It's mine. I was sleeping in here. But then I woke up and punched my way out." she continued, with a sagely nod of her head. It was true! And now this guy took it over and said it's his domain. This amused Nal enough to completely ignore whatever he was speaking about, too busy laughing in her mind about the whole situation. She sensed his power and he clearly wasn't as strong as all those demons of legends - definitely not as strong as Kiryu, not as Bryce and actually rather weak compared to Nal, too. He was clever, though! Taking over a place that someone else made with his magic and using it for his own good was definitely a smart move, and even though now he was yelling something out loud- Oh right, she probably should listen. "...come here and mock me? And then you dare GIGGLE at the future ruler of the Demonlands? Oh, no. I shall make an example of you, such as all that oppose me will tremble and submit!" And before Nal could even blink, the demon was before her. Using some of his own powers to create a projection of himself within the cocoon, while in fact, charging at the majin. She merely had enough time to gasp before his fist struck her, boring deep into the girl's stomach, the hand driven deep in, up to the creature's elbow. The demon blinked - and then yelped in shock as that arm got violently ejected out of the girl's stomach, when her rubbery flesh reconstituted to it's previous state. He snarled and looked up at the... suddenly tall, broad-shouldered gray creature? Who erupted steam out of the holes at her arms and around the collarbone, apparently. "I really... really don't like being hit out of nowhere." The demon gulped.
[WC = 1000, TWC = 3000]
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Post by Nal on Oct 21, 2019 6:26:28 GMT -8
The strange, green crystal shattered upon being hit with the unnamed demon's body (or perhaps he did name himself, but Nal just didn't pay attention at the time?), most of it vapourising into the familiar green smoke, some, however, solidifying further into what resembled chunks of metal. The demon stood up, to immediately get struck again by the bulked up majin - whose hatred to being treacherously struck had put her into a state of single minded fury, the girl began pummeling at her foe with purpose - to show him just how annoyed Nal was. Her hits shattered the globe further, it soon collapsing into a curtain of green smoke, obscuring the fight from the frightened cultists. They didn't wait long, fleeing from the place of their master's apparent undoing. Some having their mind spells shattered due to the demon's concentration fading, some just deciding this isn't worth getting obliterated for. Only three remained, cowering in the corner between the cages. All this eluded Nal, who was busy enacting justice upon their supposed master.
There were no flashy kicks, backflips like Kiryu did, or anything of the kind. There were simple hits, to the face, torso, just wherver hurt, the majin overwhelming her opponent with the sheer bulk of her enlarged body and the strength of hits she naturally had. And she was damn good at it. The demon, being a lesser of it's kind, escaping the demonlands to find a following, gain power and return to conquer part of the realm himself, began to reevaluate his plans in between the strikes. And soon, decided it wasn't worth it, in the slightest. Casting another illusion to deter the majin, the creature gripped his staff and, when Nal rushed the illusory opponent, he fled just like his followers did - albeit much faster and rather than in a random direction, began heading for the demonlands again. A familiar evil was better than this frenzied mess, he thought.
Finding herself without an opponent, the gray majin panted in frustration, her bulk soon shrinking to the tiny form she used every day. Grumbling, she begna looking around, looking for the escaped enemy - only to notice cages with the miners in them and a few cultists cowering between them. And then she blinked. Miners! Saving them was why she came here, that's right! The fury gone, replaced with a sense of urgency, when the gray gal charged upon the cages the men and women were locked at, tearing the cages apart with a few well aimed strikes. Then stepped back, grinning ear to ear. "You are free now!" - she proclaimed, grinning to the miners and the people in robes... wait, weren't they with the demon? Ignoring the miners' cheers and thanks, she walked over to kneel before these folks. Poking one of them, who looked up at the wispy majin fearfully. "Hey, weren't you guys with that demon here? Why and why did he pick my nap prison for his domain?" - she asked, while the miners looked between eachother, then angrily at the trio of cultists - now easily outnumbering their former captors, but seeing how this frightening little lady was talking to them, the group decided against taking revenge. "Uh... yes. Yes we were" - one of the robed men replied, swallowing hard. "He promised us power and strength that was denied to us by our leaders and bosses and said there is a mystic power of large proportions in this cave, and, uh... we just followed him because he was huge and strong and really frightening. We were too afraid not to!" he lamented, and spoke more, but Nal stopped listening. That demon sensed her awakening, probably, then came here. It was her fault that he came here. Frowning, Nal looked over at the shell, walking over to it and putting a hand on what was left of it. "Well now I can't just leave it like that" - she muttered, turning to the miners - who collected the metallised remants of her prison and were now inspecting it. "You guys, leave that metal stuff and then get out of here, okay? It's dangerous and I'm gonna break this proper so no other demon comes here and gets any more stupid ideas." - and before the people had any time to react, Nal extended her hand out, focusing. She wasn't the best at using ki to blast things, but... she wasn't awful at it either. Naturally, the miners didn't listen when she told them to leave the ore behind. Those who had it, immediately dashed for the exit, followed by the rest - forgetting the animosity against their former captors, both groups just legging it as far out as possible before this tiny and clearly insane woman buried them all.
Nal huffed. She had to follow them and retrieve that ore, but decided they had a good point. Walking into the tunnel she came in from, the small majin finally unleashed her ki blast. She watched as the green-ish, shattered dome begins to crack further and collapse, all traces of it disappearing into a cloud of green smoke, before the cave began shaking and the ceiling caving in. Quickly dashing out, the majin had to race a cloud of dust this collapsing caused, alongside a series of small collapses that followed the cave in. Grinning ear to ear - running fast before a collapsing cave wasn't safe, but it definitely was fun and definitely a good training. She leapt quickly over the chasm, landing into a running pose and dashing away even after the tremors were left far behind. The miners were slower than her, so she managed to get ahead and take away any of the mystic metal they have picked up - carrying it in her arms while they all ran. There wasn't much, but maybe there was someone wo could make something out of it for Nal? Symbolic, an item made out of her prison that she used in her freedom. She would have to find someone like that... [WC = 1000, TWC = 4000]
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