open Bangcolt Arena! (Fighting/Sol) -RP-

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Fractured,

Because of the fact that this version of the DIME was less impactful, it used less mana, and allowed Ice to use a few more ice attacks. However, this was starting to drag on, and he felt it was time to decide a winner. As the giant kaiju-like masses of magic clashed against each other, Ice started to concentrate on one last resort just in case she somehow managed to survive the DIME.

​He started to focus. He body slowly becoming covered in ice crystals. Standing on his hind legs, Ice focused on the last bits of his power into his body for a tough defense, and waited for Ivory's next move while slowly trotting towards the aftermath...

Edited June 21, 2016 by J.R.

[Jack Baker 698]

Raze shook his head quickly, as he was a bit disoriented from the whole ordeal. One minute he was there, the next minute he was here. He sat down on the floor and began to recap in his head what had just happened:

 

He met a snobby mare he didn't like, and pissed her off by breaking and stealing her silver crown. No regrets.

 

He had also inadvertently assaulted a guard by slicing off the tassel on his helm, then proceeded to run away from said guard as he was about to be arrested, ultimately attracting the attention of every guard in the area. He also shot at them. Stealing, resisting arrest, and firing at authorities. Yeah, he couldn't talk his way out of that.

 

And now, he was in some sort of interdimensional city, brought here by Agririon.

 

He sighed. At least he got away from the guards. Being friends with a wraith sure has its benefits.

 

He stood up, and looked at the portal. He couldn't go back there now, they were probably scouring the city looking for him. He decided to stay here for a little while; a day, two days at the most. He turned his attention to the door leading to the city, then decided it wouldn't hurt to explore it. But first, he was a bit tired. He took his saddlebags and propped it on the floor as a makeshift pillow, then laid down and closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep.

Edited June 21, 2016 by The Sad Manikin Mask

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@

 

The hunt was on but it was not going well for her.  Carnelian could tell there had been a scuffle, but she was no tracker.  What was she thinking, trying to hunt down one of his kind?  Scoundrels and thieves like him would find someplace to hide until the authorities gave up, like rats scurrying to their holes when they discover that a cat is on the prowl.  Cowards, both of them.

 

Suddenly, she observed in confusion as a large group of guards hurried past her in a panic.  She yelled at them in passing for a report, to rally and stand their ground, but they didn't seem to hear her.  More cowards, wonderful.

 

However, as she turned the corner, she understood what had made them run.  Simply the sight and sound of the eldritch abomination nearly made her legs buckle in fright.  It was hideous!  Monstrous!

 

Strangely enough, it didn't faze her as terribly as she thought it would.  She had technically seen more horrifying things, like that one time on Prince Blueblood's airship.  That was never going to stop haunting her dreams, was it?  Did that poor serving colt ever recover?

 

No matter.  Abomination or not, she was the scariest thing in this town, and she was going to do it a service.  One more leg up on her competition for actually doing something productive.  

 

Putting one leg in front of the other, she slowly approached the creature, nudging the caltrops out of her way.  She stopped within a hundred paces, regarded her surroundings as well as the thing itself, waiting for it to notice her.  She would act based upon its own actions.

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@,

 

The creatures left head- obviously a fake- immediately took notice of the Baroness and began to mock her, mimicking her determined expression and whispering nonsensical things. However, it was a few moments- and while extracting the last caltrop- that Mockingbird herself glanced over. Despite the small stream of tears flowing from her eyes, she quietly stared back, tilting her head, before slowly stumbling to her feet- much to Tsor'Ekoh's surprise.

 

"Mockingbird, be careful! I almost ripped- oh, I guess it's not that much of an issue. Stay still, let me examine your stomach."

 

"Yes, father," she said, simply, before adding, "There's an odd pony staring all haughtily at me. She looks pretty."

 

"Pretty, huh?"  The frozen, ichor-stained lich looked out from under the now standing Mockingbird- fitting under her quite easily- before scowling while the other two of her heads echoed him. Pretty, pretty, pretty. "Yes, pretty might be a word for her outside, dear, but never judge a book by her cover- or an aristocrat by her clothes. Were you the victim of that damn thief that broke my concentration? We would have pursued, but some shnarblain on the rooftops above threw down caltrops and stopped my dear in her path. We're removing them before we continue, especially since he appears to have teleported away elsewhere within the city in the meantime."

 

He paused, turning back towards Mockingbird with what appeared to be surgical thread and a needle, and slowly stitched up the holes in her stomach that were leaking ichor as her three pair of wings began to flutter. After about a minute, the lich looked up again. "Is there an issue?"

[Literally Snails 2,307]

@@J.R.,

Snowstorm kept a hoof over his mouth and snout to keep out the toxins, still holding his breath. Impish biology didn't do anything to protect him from poison, so he had to be careful. He unsheathed his sword with his other free hoof, now standing on his hind legs with the aid of his wings for balance, and began twirling it above him to create a sort of wind tunnel that blew the air away from him like a large fan. The sword started to make a strange noise as he twirled it, a haunting blue light emanating from it's hilt.

 

@@Unicorncob,

Mni was forced on the defensive, having no time to make a counter attack because of how much he had to focus on blocking.

 

Damn this slow body! Damn these slow eyes!

 

A lucky kick to the bottom of his jaw sent him tumbling backwards with the lights knocked out of his eyes. He tried to regain balance with his wings, but the crimson pegasus lost all balance and fell backwards, splashing into the deep, murky waters of the bog behind him.

[Unicorncob 5,677]

Mni was forced on the defensive, having no time to make a counter attack because of how much he had to focus on blocking.

 

Damn this slow body! Damn these slow eyes!

 

A lucky kick to the bottom of his jaw sent him tumbling backwards with the lights knocked out of his eyes. He tried to regain balance with his wings, but the crimson pegasus lost all balance and fell backwards, splashing into the deep, murky waters of the bog behind him.

 

Jade smirked as she noted how sloppy Mni's defence was getting. She knew she was faster than Ember, but this was just silly.

 

A lucky kick to his jaw sent him tumbling backward, and toppling into the bog behind him.

 

She pegasus fluttered over to the water, and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Ember... but your body is better at the bottom of these marshes than in the control of that monster."

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@

 

Wonderful.  This creature's creator was present, and she had the unnerving feeling that he had feelings for it.  This complicated matters greatly, especially because neither of them appeared hostile.  Her plan was falling apart around her and she was adapting it accordingly.  Soon enough, she found a way to benefit from this

 

"You are correct in your assumption," she began, locking her eyes on the lich's to avoid retching from his work.  "Never before have I seen such an odious display of hooliganism.  One moment, I was speaking with a very helpful member of your city guard, the next my crown was stolen and he was dashing away with it!"

 

Now that he was finished and she had his attention, the baroness dared to approach closer.  "It would seem that the two of us have a common goal.  I propose an alliance in hunting down this ruffian and subjecting him to the justice he deserves.  What say you, Mister...?"

[Fractured 2,684]

@Star Saber

Nightingale could feel a pleasant tingling at the back of her skull, just from the words being spoken to her. Truth was, she was a bit more than a pyro maniac, or at least like to think that she was. She was a pyro enthusiast. A pyro addict. Fire was, to her, one of nature's most beautiful creations, above money, gold, and priceless works of art. She'd give it all up, and sometimes did, on rare occasions, just to admire the feel of a good flame. Perhaps, the thought had often occurred to her, that was the indication of a severe psychological issue. But she was always too enthused at the prospect to ask. Why ruin beauty?

 

"Oh, I can tell you a thing or two about flames." For the first time since entering the tavern, her smile faded a fraction. "Unfortunately, i've never been blessed with the opportunity to actually feel them, for very obvious reasons." She sighed. "I'd give quite a bit of the vast sum of wealth that I have for a chance at that. Consider yourself a very lucky stallion. I do."

 

-------

 

@J.R.

As the explosion died down, there was a silence, typical of said situation; everything within the area had been blown away, or buried under ice and snow. After a minute however, a tiny patch within the world of white began to shudder. Ivory Star poked her head up through the snow, shaking back and forth to fling it out from her mane. Water could be seen splashing off of her mane as she did so.

 

"I... didn't actually think that would work, for a second." With some difficulty, she pulled herself out of the snow pit, to stand on the new terrain. "High frequency shield. Melted the ice as it came." Well, most of it anyways, she thought to herself. The energy she had placed into said shield was a number, even for her, and it had given out during the back half, leaving her buried under a wave of snow. Hypothermia was among the least of her worries, as she hadn't checked, but she was sure something or two wasn't properly connected where it should be. Still, better what it would have been otherwise though, she finished, looking over at Ice Blizzard.

 

He was still up, which she supposed meant that there was still a match to be had. Maybe. She'd figure it out later. For now, she tried something new. "Bye!" She waved, as she summoned a similar, less strenuous shield, though still shimmering with the same clear energy. Using her energy to flatten the ground down around her, she gradually forced herself into the conglomeration, until she disappeared from sight.

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Fractured,

Ice walked over and grinned as he saw her buried under the snow, but that grin slowly turned into a frown as he realized she had made it through. With only a few options left, Ice couldn't risk anything else. However, before he could think, he noticed Twilight leaving from sight.

 

This wasn't good, but the best thing to do was stay calm and focus. All he did from there, was start to channel the rest of his energy to his ice coating around his body, and closed his eyes. An attack had to come from somewhere soon, and when it did, Ice would be ready...

 

@@Literally Snails,

The toxin failed, sure, but that wasn't all that was offered. Next, a sudden vine would come from seemingly out of nowhere, and try and grab him.

[Jack Baker 698]

A few hours later, Raze awoke with a yawn, his neck aching a bit. He dug into his bags and discovered he had been sleeping on the silver crown pieces. He sighed. In all honesty, he didn't even want to melt the crown down, he just said that and stole it to piss off that snobbish corrupt aristocrat. He didn't know what to do with it; he wasn't that desperate for money. As he thought about it, he began to recall why he hated corrupt, arrogant aristocrats like the one he just met.

 

They took away the dojo... he thought to himself, looking at his katana. They made me cut Sensei's head off so the dojo would be spared... and then they burned it down anyway... and for what...? So they could build their stupid, fancy mansion on top of the ashes? That was our home, dammit! They deserved to be struck down by my blade, and their houses burnt to the ground. They treat us like we're scum... well, they're the scum. And I'll make them pay for their insolence...

 

 

Out of all the fighting styles in the world he had learned, he found himself attached to the styles of the Far East the most. So many things had happened there, many things that left him a changed stallion.

 

He looked at the portal once more, then sighed. Not yet. When the time was right, he'd go back, and challenge that greedy bitch in the arena.

 

And he would make sure she'd suffer an agonizing experience.

[Fractured 2,684]

@J.R.

The snow was completely still; if anything was moving down underneath, it couldn't be seen. Then, without warning, the snow underneath Ice Blizzard erupted, as a massive, heavy force projected itself upward, carrying a half ton of snow with it. Forty feet in all, sent soaring into the sky on a plane of energy. And beneath it, Ivory, concentrating heavily as she sent it higher and higher.  Seventy feet... eighty...

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Fractured,

Ice would feel himself launched suddenly into the air by the attack. This was unexpected for sure. However, he tried his best to use it to his best to take advantage of the situation. His eyes remained closed as he started thinking of ways to turn this around. He was high up in the air now, and going higher...and Twilight's focus must be currently on the platform...he had it. By covering his bases, he began to slowly freeze a piece of the snow he was on, and....broke it off...jumping away from it while gliding downwards on a board made of ice...

Edited June 22, 2016 by J.R.

[Fractured 2,684]

@J.R.

Ivory Star looked over, releasing the magic, as something seemed off. A tiny spot in the sky, riding off from the plane of snow and magic. Was that... Ice Blizzard riding an ice skateboard? She looked harder...

 

It was, she figured out after a moment. Metal, she thought only to herself, though that still meant she had to try to finish this. Drawing up large energy planes on either side of him as he rode, she smashed them together, with enough force that it would able to be heard, like the slamming of two enormous doors.

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Fractured,

Ice was caught in between the two panels for a moment and used his forelegs to try and push them away. It put a heavy strain on both of his arms. At that point he could have sworn he tore blood vessels, and cracked a few bones in both arms. The good news was, because of the icy coating upon his body, it made him slippery. With that in mind, Ice managed to slip out of the grip of both doors. However, he was thrown off now. Literally. This made him open his eyes and cover his ears for a moment as he felt annoyed by what had happened as he felt the extreme level of strain in his arms. ​"Urg!" ​A face of grimace crossed his muzzle, but that grimace slowly turned into a smirk. Wait what? He's falling out of the damn sky and has something to smirk about? What is wrong with this fool?

 

Admittedly, it was setup that way. Oh, yes. Ice saw the moment and took it to his advantage once more. With a quick throw, he threw another ice dust ball, but not at Ivory's eyes this time. No. Instead it was thrown down in front of Ivory to cause a light blue smokescreen to make it to where she couldn't see a lick of what was in front of her.

 

From there, Ice managed to created a slide to allow him to latch on, slide down to the ground below and avoid falling all in a smooth motion. At the same time, he would be sliding at a fast rate towards the mare. With a quick jump, Ice would then spring up and spin at her with three whirling kicks. The first would be aimed at the side of her face, the second at her neck, and the third at her chest.
 

Edited June 22, 2016 by J.R.

[Fractured 2,684]

@J.R.

"Hey!" Ivory Star coughed, as the icy smoke spread out once again, preventing her from seeing. Again, she had to note as she tried to see outside of the smokescreen; she'd really have to plan for that, for future events. But for now, she had bigger issues, like that this was probably some sort of...

 

A distinct series of impacts on her still remaining shield drew her attention, as it  actually shuddered under the force of the blows. Which meant that it wasn't an accident; either an elaborate trap, she concluded quickly or an attack, with no way of knowing which, under the smokescreen. Fine with her, for now. Drawing up energy around the shield, she slammed it downward, presumably generating enough force to send whatever the what that had struck her shield down flat to the ground, along with everything else in a twenty foot radius.

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Fractured,

Ice smirked as he realized his kicks made contact, but couldn't resist the impact of the shield attack. With a harsh grunt, Ice suddenly found himself on the ground, front first. ​"Uh! ...Ow." ​He slowly stood up, shaking himself off, and grinned at her. ​"Pretty neat stuff ya got...but this fight ain't over yet..." ​He had to admit, this fight was going tougher than what he'd expected. As well as the fact he let his guard down, and needed to let his abilities stay at rest to avoid fatigue. However, he wouldn't let this stop him...

[Fractured 2,684]

@J.R.

No, it wasn't; that part of her that was determined to win this was burning. Peals of energy shot off from the shield; enormous, clear beams, that would knock into anything they hit with the force of a small building colliding. Amping up the power, she increased the number slowly, until barely a gap could be noticed in between them. Inside her shield, if one looked right, she would like she was sitting in a giant, spiked shell, protected from all sides. And she wasn't done yet, though likely, this would be one of her final attacks. Cold and frostbite would see to it that she wouldn't be doing much else, she thought, as she sent the final beam in the weave rushing forward towards Ice Blizzard.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Fractured

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Fractured,

The defense Ice had made of the crystalline structure around his body would ensure him that he wouldn't be severely harmed. Unfortunately for Ivory, he wasn't about to take his chances with it. As the beam headed for him, Ice tried rolling out of the way, but was a bit slowed from the pain in his arms. He took a hit on his lower body, and fell to the ground. From there, however, he would quickly get up, and charge Ivory from the side, aiming to uppercut her chin.

[Literally Snails 2,307]

@@Literally Snails,

The toxin failed, sure, but that wasn't all that was offered. Next, a sudden vine would come from seemingly out of nowhere, and try and grab him.

Snowstorm's ear twitched at the sound of rustling leaves a the vine whipped out at incredible speeds. Despite the warning that his advanced hearing gave him, he hadn't been expecting the attack enough for him to fail to react in time. The vine whipped around one of his hind legs, but it was very quickly cut off with his sword before it could do any harm.

 

'That confirms that she controls plants like I thought.' He thought in his head, sword and ears poised to cut more vines. 'Now I know her abilities, but she knows nothing of mine, an advantage I intend to keep. Still, it would be foolish of me to stay within the trees.'

 

He then spread his wings and started to fly up to hover above the tree line.

 

  

Jade smirked as she noted how sloppy Mni's defence was getting. She knew she was faster than Ember, but this was just silly.

 

A lucky kick to his jaw sent him tumbling backward, and toppling into the bog behind him.

 

She pegasus fluttered over to the water, and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Ember... but your body is better at the bottom of these marshes than in the control of that monster."

"I don't believe it!" Feather said in shock. "She's a natural demon hunter! I should give up right now and give her my job! Way to go, Jade!" Feather cheered.

 

Tricis was laying one hoof on Patch's head and using some kind of focused magic to help him recover, but she wasn't saying anything to Jade and she still had yet to call the match.

[Unicorncob 5,677]

"I don't believe it!" Feather said in shock. "She's a natural demon hunter! I should give up right now and give her my job! Way to go, Jade!" Feather cheered.

 

Tricis was laying one hoof on Patch's head and using some kind of focused magic to help him recover, but she wasn't saying anything to Jade and she still had yet to call the match.

 

After a few moments, and a couple of steps away from the bog, Jade collapsed onto her haunches in exhaustion. The rush was wearing off, and the impact of all that had just happened was truly dawning on her.

 

She had not only proven herself more worthy of Master Tricis's teachings, but she had also slain a demon and potentially saved the world!

"Wow..." she gasped to herself.

 

She looked up toward Feather, and managed a smile from his praises. "Thank you, my friend... I've never fought a demon before."

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@,

 

He'd been doing this for centuries. A noble, desperate or ambitious enough to work with him and his undead...

 

Although, it entertained him expressively that she couldn't stomach Mockingbird. Now, few could, but this one in particular entertained him with her general haughtiness. He chuckled to himself for a bit as he finished, before he patted her on the side, underneath one of her wings. "Alright, my dear, everything's ready. Why don't you take off for a while and explore the new city from the air? I've got to talk business with the pretty lady."

 

Business, business, pretty business... business as usual! Hehehehehe...

 

"Yes, father," she replied as simply as before before taking off, quickly becoming little more than a speck in the sky.

 

The lich sighed momentarily before turning back to her. "My masterpiece, you know? A miracle of magic. She's actually sentient; think of my surprise when the monstrosity I made from ancient texts to guard my secrets starts talking with all the innocence of a child! Yes... surprise is an understatement. But I assumed from your posture you aren't particularly fond of the ancient and noble arts of necromancy." He sighed slightly.

 

"Anyways, I am known as Tsor'Ekoh, and I would be more than happy to assist you in finding this ruffian Madame... ah... Madame Clout. He made his way up to the roof, where he proceeded to supposively teleport away. Let us start our investigation there. Magic tends to leave traces, after all." He opened his residence- which was, although a bit cooler than usual, was still almost prestigiously clean, before leading her up through the hallways and into the attic- where a variety of chemicals were bubbling in a corner, with a small, unidentifiable being was slowly cleaning the mess, seemingly feeding the glass shards to the acidic mess before mopping up the chemical. It looked like the recovery of a blast zone- which it certainly was. Popping open a nearby hatch, he made his way through it before examining the frost covered tiles. "We were running this way, when... ah, hello there. Perhaps you could assist us in hunting down this hooligan. I noted that you were chasing him earlier."

 

((@@J.R.))

[Literally Snails 2,307]

After a few moments, and a couple of steps away from the bog, Jade collapsed onto her haunches in exhaustion. The rush was wearing off, and the impact of all that had just happened was truly dawning on her.

 

She had not only proven herself more worthy of Master Tricis's teachings, but she had also slain a demon and potentially saved the world!

"Wow..." she gasped to herself.

 

She looked up toward Feather, and managed a smile from his praises. "Thank you, my friend... I've never fought a demon before."

Jade heard a faint noise beyond her as bubbles surfaced and popped on the bog. Suddenly, a burst of water splashed out and wet Jades back as the huge, horrible figure of Mni in his true form emerged from the water. With the same crazed look in his eyes. He had his shoulder pad on, likely containing the orb that he had retrieved from the bottom of the lake. He didn't bother to remove the swamp algae from his mane after he emerged onto dry land.

 

"You never have defeated a demon and you never will!" Mni barked, teeming with rage.

[P-Jay 1,987]

My eyes shot open. Was I dead? No, if one can ask if they're dead, then they're not dead or at least a ghost if such a thing even existed. I was neither. Sparky was at my bedside. I couldn't move, checking Sparky's point of view I could see they'd put me in a full body cast with just the eyes and mouth uncovered, hanging from the ceiling with an IV. Caliber was hanging nearby in a similar manner. I could only see in one direction, which was weird cause I could have sworn I'd lost my eyes too, or at least gone blind. My point of view had me looking out the window with a lovely view of tulips.

 

So what happened after I passed out? Oh I see. I got crushed into a bloody pulp by what was left of the mechatuar after I passed out, some gray colored portal making mare saved us, and the doctors patched us up. If I ever see her I'd have to thank her. We've been out for 4 hours. I didn't feel any pain and Sparky explained the docs were going to let us out in a couple of hours. They'd healed us in separate rooms, but put us in the same ward to rest. Bangcolt sure had great hospital services. They'd better, what with matches ending up much worse than ours. So I wasn't surprised we were basically out in 6 hours tops.

 

Unable to actually turn to the side to speak to him directly, I hoped it was acceptable to speak like this and he could hear me. "S-so Cal....who's buying dinner? We tied." Was that my voice? Kinda raspy and I sounded like Rainbow. Guess my throat was still not completely healed. "I could probably afford it. About 90% of my income goes right back into buying materials, but I'm probably better off than you?"

 

Caliber had been awake for half an hour, staring at the ceiling, in silence. Replaying what had happened in his mind, for the time he spent in the bed. Wondering, if he had been fighting at his fullest, instead of under the lingering gravity, would the result have been any different?

 

He grit his teeth. This felt too much like a loss. He had her on the ropes, using nothing but his sword and wits, but fluffed up in the final stretch.

 

Since he had gotten to Bangcolt, it had been nothing but one beatdown after another. He knew that this city was tough to make it big in, but he hadn't expected this much...Humiliation from it. He had just about drifted back to sleep, when he heard Lektra's voice.

 

He responded in his usual tone.

 

"I'll pay. Pick whatever place you want..."

 

Iron continued moving. She didn't allow herself to hesitate, even as her opponent vanished. "I'm half-blind anyway," she said. "Might as well go the rest of the way."

 

With one forehoof, Ironblade kicked off of the stone floor. However, the floor was far smoother than anywhere she'd fought before, and she very nearly fell over performing the maneuver. 

 

Hiero's sword sliced across one shoulder, nearly knocking Ironblade off of the edge. Her blind eye was turned towards him, so all she could do was stab wildly as she clambered to her feet. Her sword moved in an absurd and random series of spins and movements that would have been impossible without magic as she turned away from the edge of the cliff. Blood streamed from her shoulder, but the injury barely seemed to faze her.

 

"There is no 'might as well', in battle, youngling." Hiero responded, having bounced away from her retaliation, settling back into his stance, to watch Iron intently. "If you are partially blind, then you compensate. You train your other senses. You find a way to fight, around it...And you don't hinder yourself further."

 

"Does this make sense, youngling?" He asked, swishing his blade to his side. 

 

The sheathed blade at his side, however, had started to somewhat suck in the light around in, curiously enough. As if the mere beginning of a battle had started to excite it...Hiero paid it no mind, as he waited for Ironblade to make her next move. 

Edited June 22, 2016 by P-Jay

[Unicorncob 5,677]

Jade heard a faint noise beyond her as bubbles surfaced and popped on the bog. Suddenly, a burst of water splashed out and wet Jades back as the huge, horrible figure of Mni in his true form emerged from the water. With the same crazed look in his eyes. He had his shoulder pad on, likely containing the orb that he had retrieved from the bottom of the lake. He didn't bother to remove the swamp algae from his mane after he emerged onto dry land.

 

"You never have defeated a demon and you never will!" Mni barked, teeming with rage.

 

Jade's ear flicked as she heard a bubbling from the marshes behind her. Before she could turn around, an unpleasantly cold wetness splashed her on the back, making her shiver. "Ewww..."

 

She turned, and her jaw dropped as Mni emerged from the bog, with psychotic rage in his eyes. And no doubt he had retrieved his orb.

 

She swallowed, and managed to get onto her hind hooves in her battle stance. "There's always a first time."

[Literally Snails 2,307]

Jade's ear flicked as she heard a bubbling from the marshes behind her. Before she could turn around, an unpleasantly cold wetness splashed her on the back, making her shiver. "Ewww..."

 

She turned, and her jaw dropped as Mni emerged from the bog, with psychotic rage in his eyes. And no doubt he had retrieved his orb.

 

She swallowed, and managed to get onto her hind hooves in her battle stance. "There's always a first time."

Mni stood up tall and opened his jaw wide, taking advantage of Jade being on the defensive. Dozens of hair-thin strands of white silk started to snake out of his open mouth and waved freely in the wind like a broken spider web. Each strand continued to grow until they were each about thirty feet long.