riverviewlogs | [closed] There is a terrible cost to dark magic, but you know what they say

[Things are still... strange, with Magnus, but it's getting a little easier to deal with as time passes. They have a rough plan for addressing the whole voidfish bullshit, it's just on the backburner, because it seems preferable to actually befriend Magnus first, instead of just dumping all this weird shit on him.

And maybe he'll be more likely to believe them, if they're his friends again.

So - it's strange, but acceptable, and Taako hadn't hesitated when Magnus asked if they could head out to look for a pokemon. He'd gotten some food off Letha, assuming that would help in their search, and then texted Magnus a time and place to meet. Namely: just after midday, at one of the exits from the inner barrier. Normally, Taako wouldn't be too worried about any kind of prep when going somewhere with Magnus, but this is before he relearned to really fight, without his axe or the chance lance, so Taako figures, in a real fucking weird twist of fate, that he's in charge of making sure they don't get hurt.

It means he's dress a little more 'fantasy bullshit' than usual, with trousers, a tunic belted at his waist, and leather boots. The umbra staff is hooked onto his belt and he even brought his short sword, though the latter is for Magnus, if he wants it. He's also got his trusty adventurer's pack, which has been through a lot with him, and still contains most of his items along with a handful of potions he picked up recently. It feels both unusual and familiar, prepping for a mini adventure with Magnus fucking Burnsides.

Mostly he's just hoping nothing will go wrong.

Taako gets there early and ends up chatting with one of the Perimeter Guard on patrol as he waits, asking a couple of (hopefully) neutral questions about any recent animal sightings. He wraps the conversation up when he sees Magnus approaching, and greets him with a wave.]

Hail and well-met, my man.

Hey, Taako!

[Magnus looks borderline ridiculous. With his leather boots, cargo shorts, and patterned scarf, he's dressed for three different kinds of weather. (Maybe more.) He's equipped with some rope and a tarp that he picked up at work, as well as his Grandfather's Knife™. An onlooker might think these two are preparing to hunt Bigfoot.]

Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long! I think I spent a little too much time trying to pick what to wear. I wanted to be fully prepared. You ready?

[That sure is a look, huh.

Note to self: get Magnus some hiking boots and an adventurer's kit. That will at least negate some of the clashing going on here, while still being practical.]

All good, bubbale, and I'm ready as I'm ever gonna get. [Though, first, he taps the sword and it's scabbard, where it's hooked around his waist.] You wanna borrow this? I wasn't sure like, what your current weapon sitch was so I brought it just in case.

[When given the option, Magnus takes a good look at his knife, then the sword. Then the knife again. Then the sword again.]

Yeah, sure! I'll take it.

[He replaces his knife in one of his very many pockets for safekeeping. It's a good knife, but he's gotta really keep it safe, y'know?

He says the following with the utmost confidence:]

Just so you know, I have no clue what I'm doing right now. I've only ever seen two Pokemon before. What's your Pokemon experience been like?

[It only takes him a couple seconds to take off the belt the sword is attached to and offer it to Magnus (it's got plenty of extra strap, which was a conscious choice). A short sword still kind of looks tiny compared to Railsplitter, but it's better than nothing.]

Uh, not like... a lot, honestly. [He doesn't really..... care..... at all, but he cares about Magnus, so that got him out here.] Letha has one that's some kinda weird ghost stump? And there's one that's a horse on fire?

Thanks!

[He attaches the sword to his waist. Then, he jumps excitedly about the horse.]

I saw one of those over the phone! This guy I talked to showed me his fire horse! Oh, man, I need one of those.

[And then he jumps (verbally) tangentially.]

But really, I think I want to get a dog. Or a wolf or something. OH—A BEAR.

[He has to bring himself back down from that cloud.]

... So where do we start?

[He forgot how excitable Magnus could get, at this age; which isn't to say that the Magnus he's used to doesn't get pretty jived about shit, he's just overall a slightly more sedate dude.]

Let's see what happens, my man, I think this is a pretty luck based thing. [Getting Magnus's hopes up seems like a bad idea, because if it doesn't pan out, he's going to be very disappointed and that's just unfortunate all round.] My plan was just to start walking and see what happens.

[Smart move, Taako. Magnus chills out a little, expectations sufficiently lowered but hopes still high enough to have fun.]

Sounds good to me.

[He treks forward into the land beyond the barrier—it's his first time out here. It's not long before he begins to see signs of the life that used to exist out here: buildings, statues, etc.]

Whoa. Something happened here.

~~[He hopes it was a miracle, but probably not.]~~

[Last time Taako was out here, he had a bad run in with some teleporting creatures, but he's not too worried about the forest, most of the time it's pretty chill. And even if Magnus isn't as experienced as he could be, it's still reassuring to have him nearby as they walk.]

There was a pretty fucked up war, a while back. People dropped monsters and viruses and shit through the portal to destroy everything and I guess they had to like... pull back, into the center of the city, you know? The barrier's stronger there.

Oh, shit. I know how that is.

[Magnus knows the pain of war, so he can relate. However, he hasn't yet experienced the destruction of Raven's Roost (or recall the hundred destroyed worlds he saw, for that matter), so... he can't fully understand what it is to lose your home to a battle.

In the distance, there's a rustling inside an empty house that's obviously more than just the wind. His hand jumps to the hilt of his sword and his eyes light up. Excitement!]

I bet there's something in there. You wanna check it out?

[No you don't, is on the tip of Taako's tongue, because Magnus can't remember their fight against the Hunger, or the lives they destroyed in the relic wars but now isn't the time for that, so he swallows it down.

And the sound of movement provides a welcome distraction; Taako reaches into this pocket to pull out a container of pokemon food, offering it to Magnus.]

If its one of those things, this is what they eat. Should help you get it to come close.

Oh, neat! Thanks!

[He accepts the container from Taako and pours a few pellets into his hand, then makes his way into the abandoned building, slowly nudging open the door.]

Heeeeey, anyone in here?

[He waves the pellets out in front of him in an attempt to entice whatever might be hiding in here to show itself. A few steps into the building, there's another rustling to his side. Without so much as a warning, he whips out his sword and points it toward the noise.]

Hah!

[Horrified, in the corner, is one of these guys. Once he realizes it, Magnus retracts his sword, feeling kind of guilty.]

...Whoops. I maybe used a little too much force there.

[Magnus.........

Taako follows behind, a hand on the umbra staff but not quite pulling it out, since there's a few spells he can cast without it, but at the end of the day it turns out to be entirely unnecessary.

Once the sword is away, Taako puts a hand on Magnus's shoulder to gently get his attention.]

Sit yourself down, you're a big dude.

[And if Magnus wants the... tiny bear to approach, he needs to cut less of a threatening figure.]

You think that's one of them?

[He stands down when Taako pulls him back. There's that voice of reason he didn't know he was missing.]

I'unno. I was only told about fire dogs and floating lizards and electric horses. Nothing about lil' teddy bears.

[He kneels down in front of the bear cub and holds out some of the pellets he'd been holding. After a moment, the little guy starts sniffing Magnus's hand.]

Hey, Taako! I think it likes me!

[For his part, Taako takes a few steps back and crouches down, pulling out the umbra staff so he can brace against it while he waits to see how all this plays out.]

You're pretty hard not to like, bubbale. [gross, feelings.] Hey, uh, did yo actually get one of the balls to use, or are you gonna carry this little dude back?

Oh, crap. No, I completely forgot about those.

[The bear takes some of the pellets from Magnus's hand and starts to nibble on them. Regardless of his excitement, Magnus remains still to let the little guy eat. Animal proficiency. But it does show on his face that he's enamored with the bear.]

Oh my gosh Taako it's so cute. ... I'm gonna have to just carry this thing home with me, huh?

[Of course he forgot the pokeballs.]

You're gonna have to see if it'll let you even pick it up first.

[That's step one, they'll cross the 'carrying' bridge if they get to it.]

Psh. No problem. Just watch.

[Animal proficiency! He gives the bear time to munch, then gently reaches a hand around to give its head a little pat. It shies away at first, but eventually lets Magnus pet it.]

See? I'm a pro at this.

[What follows is some kind of weird series of noises and hand gestures that seem like Magnus is trying to communicate with the thing. ... And it responds. After some conversing with the thing, Magnus stands, and the bear hangs out near Magnus's feet.]

I don't think it wants to be picked up, but I think I convinced it to follow us home.

[...he says, completely serious.]

[As someone who literally learnt an animal language, this isn't up there with the weirdest thing that Taako has ever experienced, but it's still pretty odd.]

We're really doing this, huh?

[Taako gets back to his feet, moving towards the door.]

I could like - bubble it for ya, if you want.

[Magic!]

[He shrugs.]

Nah. I think he's good. Aren't ya, buddy?

[He glances down at his new companion, who places an hand on Magnus's leg. Fuckin'... adorable. He follows Taako, and his little buddy in turn follows him.]

Y'think we should head back now?

[....that's almost cute.

Shit.]

I'd, uh, yeah, heading back might be the smart move. There's a lot meaner things out here than tiny bears.

[Which is, of course, when Taako hears the sound of something heavy, moving outside. It sounds like its not directly on top of them, but close enough to be a concern.]

Well, dunk.

[When he hears the noise, he immediately draws his sword out another time. Of course it scares his friend, and he quickly re-positions his sword away from the bear and gives him a gentle pat, then refocuses his attention on the door.]

...Actually, do you think you could bubble my boy?

[His bear is clinging to his leg for dear life at this point.]

I got it. [Taako casts resilient sphere, centered on the bear, just big enough to enclose it.

Once it's done, he keeps the umbra staff drawn, ready to be used.] You can carry it, or I can? I dunno if that's gonna make it more upset.

I'll take care of it.

[When he bends down to pick up his boy, it shies away from him. He tries to convince it to play along, but the bear runs back into its corner.]

...Ooooh, I get it. This is his hiding place from whatever the hell's outside. I think he'll be safe in here while we go out and fight that thing.

[Assuming that was the plan, of course. To go fight the thing.]

[That works too.]

Sure, my man, let's go fight that thing.

[Taako waves a hand in Magnus's direction, casting mage armor on him because the last thing he needs is Magnus rushing in to take a hit without considering the fact he's wearing fucking cargo shorts.

There are, honestly, more than a few ways Taako could get them out of this without even needing to go near whatever's lurking outside, but Magnus isn't gonna get better without practice and at least this is a relatively controlled environment. If things start going south, he can drag them out of there.

So Taako steals himself, standing up straight as he stalks forward, leaving the hut and only making it a few short steps before their new friend comes running through the trees towards them.

It's not pretty.]

Here we fucking go.

[Let's roll initiative.]

[closed] There is a terrible cost to dark magic, but you know what they say

magnus burnsides 2: electric boogaloo

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