this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
Illegal. It was a thought that continued to blare out in her mind as she followed her familiar to this... secret location. It was something about training, practicing her magic, getting stronger but... could Larka really trust Khor? He'd never done anything to intentionally hurt her after their contract had been made, but before that, oh boy did she have stories to tell of his bullying. Yet, she couldn't deny that Khor was a fan of bending the rules, finding these little loopholes, suggesting alternatives and just being a bad seed all around. He was a troublemaker, and often it was Larka who paid the price. Now she couldn't deny the appeal of having a place to focus and practice her magic, honing her skills in hopes to have her become a apprentice soon enough. She was an ambitious little thing and desired to move up as quickly as possible, if only to have a better chance at more jobs which paid better which would allow her to buy more snacks. Speaking of snacks, she was nervously munching on a hot sweet potato, following Khor while glancing about skittishly. [break] "I don't think this is a good idea after all, Khor." Larka said. Around him, she was quite true to how she was. There was an edge to her voice, not one of fear or assertion, but one that had a bratty tone. He often had her behaving like how she did back at home, instead of now where she was quiet, demure individual who preferred the company of books to others. People in Sundial were strange, some were rude and others so kind that it made Larka suspicious of them. [break] "Mm, chickening out already, pancake?" The jackal replied, his deep velvety voice being just a little too condescending for Larka's tastes. And that nickname? The little prick. "C'mon, I thought you wanted to improve. It's been what... two months, and all you've done is made some little ice cubes and used a transfiguration whatever to make it a big ice cube. You really call that training? I call that the road of failure." [break] "They were not ice cubes! And I've done more than that and you know it. Maybe if you weren't fooling around all the time I could actually train without someone complaining about a lost wallet or a missing piece of chicken." She retorted, finishing up her snack and pouting, crossing her arms under her chest. "And stop with the pancake thing, you know I don't like it." Larka practically whined. Khor only chuckled, flicking his ears in her direction for his response. Walking over a bend of the first little hill, Khor paused, then walked a bit further and looked around. Larka understood what he was doing, watching her familiar part his jaws as he tasted the air, his ears moving every which way while his gold orbs scanned the area. It must've been suitable for her faced her, a sly grin- if you could even call that a grin seeing as he was a black-backed jackal- appearing on his face. He sat down, the gold at the end of his pelt briefly creating a slight halo around him as the sun shown brightly. [break] "You got that scroll right?" He prompted, knowing the answer already. He had watched her put it inside her rucksack along with her multitude of snacks. "All we're gonna do is just test it out, see how long you can have last in this heat. Nothing too bad, right, Lark?" His witch made a face, violet eyes narrowed and it was almost adorable how she placed her hands on her wide hips, assuming her power stance. A moment passed between them before Larka pulled out her rucksack, her robes billowing in the slight breeze. She got out the scroll, unraveled it and took a deep breath. Just a layer of ice, that was all she had to do and then focus her mana on it so it wouldn't melt. Easy. She could do this. She wouldn't fail, especially not at the taunting of her smug familiar. [break] Focus. She closed her eyes, focused on her stream of mana, her connection with her familiar. She wanted this ice strong, would need his aid despite not wanting his help if it meant he would tease her. Regardless, she took a deep breath, held out her hand, and spoke the incantation. It came from her fingertips, the soles of her feet, the ends of her hair. She was cold and so the ground became cold. Khor only matched this magic, his fur no longer gold at the end as frosty air began to emit from his being. This was natural, the cold never bothered them anyway. Everything was going perfect, a diameter of ten feet was now encased with a slight sheet of ice and the circle was ever expanding. The only thing was.... [break] "Wait... Khor, how do I stop?" His befuddled look, that tilt of his head. Panic struck through her being as Larka glanced at the scroll... which she couldn't even read now as it was now just a block of ice, the words blurred no matter how hard she focused and squinted at it. "Khor! This is your fault!" She shouted, stomping her foot. [break] "My fault? What do you mean it's my fault? You're the one who read the scroll, not me." And so, their bickering began, echoing around them. At least no one was nearby to hear their their immature, childlike repertoire. It was embarrassing.
WORDS: dunno oops TAGS:claire fermont NOTES: hope its okay
"Now you focus on your job." With that, Claire releases her grip on the man's shirt. He falls on his butt, and skids away until his back hit the outpost fences. He quickly stands and saluted. Claire's gaze flitted on the man's companions, and it seems all of them are back in spirit.
She continues to patrol, then. Her presence is announced by the lot she had disciplined just a minute ago, so the slacking Knights go back to their post. Claire looks at each outpost she passes, and she could tell they are painfully aware of her. Idiots, Claire thinks. They're supposed to be manning their outposts and keeping an eye out for monsters, not to her.
She does not need to act, though, as Vani is already doing that. The wild boar walks steps ahead of Claire, huffing and pawing the ground. "Get back to work!" Vani roars, and collectively those in earshot stiffens and looks away. "If any monster managed to break out then it's your fault!"
That's a special case. Most are serious in this placement, and those are greeted by Claire with a curt nod, followed by a short report on the current situation.
She continues along a foot path that even she does not know the ending. The outposts are now so far away from each other. The ones she had just passed fades into the distance. She turns back, expecting Vani to follow, but the boar keeps going. "Vani," Claire calls, calm but reprimanding. "We should head back."
"No," the wild boar says, continuing further along. "There is something here. I don't know if it's a monster, but somewhere, mana is being altered. I'll go check it out."
Claire tilts his head to the side. "Don't be silly. I'm coming with you."
Thirty minutes of walking and the path wears out. Outposts are now so far away from the other. The last outpost she'd seen had faded in the distance. Now she hears vague words being thrown around, and wondered if she's close to another outpost. It's far, but it's eerily quiet at this place it's easy to make out sounds.
"It's not an outpost, Claire," Vani says, reading her thoughts and slowing down on his tracks. "It's a witch... maybe two, I'm not sure." The two had a silent agreement are moving again, closer and quieter to the ruckus this time. Don't let them in, don't let them see, Claire chants in her head.
What's she doing down there? Vani asks telepathically. Claire does not answer, and instead opts to watch from afar. The woman does not seem to be doing anything shady. However when she recites an incantation, Claire tenses, thinking that it'd be a curse. But she recognizes the words, and her heartbeat calms down. It's a technique she does not have, but nonetheless she recites the introductory chant whenever she conjures ice. True to her words, ice began enveloping the area around the woman. It does not cover much distance though, which leads to assumption that the woman is a starting witch.
When the technique does not halt and the woman begins to exchange words with her familiar, Claire frowns. If she does not let up, her mana pool would run out, and if she is of the faint physique she might faint. Claire notes that the woman has not mastered the art yet.
The decision to intervene is formed out of several points. First, the hillocks is a very dangerous place to train. Monsters could break any minute and outposts would not be able to locate the break that easily. Second, the well-being of the woman is at stake here. Claire would not want to carry a fainted fledgling out of the hillocks, as it would be too much trouble.
"Woman," Claire says, stepping out of her hidden place. Vani charges right in, skidding to a stop in front of Claire. The Knight pays no mind and continues to address the problem first hand. "Imagine your mana pool as a container that you take out the lid when you use magic. Put that lid back in and stop the flow of mana. That ice needs to stop."
"And, woman, after you do that, get out of here. It's dangerous." There is a tone of threat in her voice, like she had more on store. And trust me, she does.
All that studying, all that notetaking and for what? Here she was and already she was failing. Why come to Sundial to study, to join a coven and practice magic if she couldn't do the most simple thing of all time: stop the spell. No matter how many times she chanted the word sounding like a broken record, if anything it just kept growing. Now she wasn't worried about freezing the thin grass, and Khor was doing just fine as ice was his magic so he could easily keep the chill at bay. Her main being of concern was passing out and looking pathetic, for if she passed out then Khor would definitely be weakened. If someone unsavory came by, what would happen? How reckless was she? It wasn't like she had any friends to tell where she was going in case she didn't come back before sundown. How long would she pass out for? Already a migraine was forming, lodging itself between her brain and skull, making everything feel just thick and uncomfortable.
She pressed her dainty hands against the base of her crown, knotting up her black hair as the migraine continued it's tenuous strain encompassing such a large portion! She couldn't handle this and for that, she hated herself. She felt that icky ugliness swirl to life once more, something that always would arise now and then since she had left home. She had thought it to be gone, but whenever she felt overwhelmed, whenever her frustration and anger towards herself became too much it had to rear it's serpent's head and coil up inside the depths of her abdomen. She wanted to throw up, and the relief sounded as good as alcohol did to an alcoholic.
"Larka?" Khor's voice echoed, she had gone quiet, had gone back into herself. Being a perfectionist wasn't good, or at least not in Larka's extreme case. He could already feel that self hatred, the fear of not being good enough, the fear of failure. He could feel her going through each and every mistake she had ever made, belittling herself over the most miniscule things. "Hey, c'mon, just let it go. Let it go." He slid to her just as she fell to her knees, watching her chest rise and fall erratically. Her violet eyes were staring at nothing in particular, lost in her own world. A whimper, something so embarrassingly doglike, came from Khor as he licked her face. "Kid, you're making me worry here, snap out of it."
He could stop it, half the magic was his own, or at least he could halt his part of it but that would only have Larka drain her mana further and even if he didn't want to, because of their contract his mana would be used unless she stopped the spell or passed out before the change could take place. Resisting too much and then his gut would twist and contract, giving him unbearable pain until he gave in to his witch's subconscious whims. But, Khor was a bright familiar, he could most definitely figure out what to do with time. Luckily for him, he wouldn't need to strain his brain too much as Claire came striding in, her voice a dominant force that brought such a simple solution, but in her voice it sounded like the answer to life itself.
It's exactly what Larka needed, a witness to see her failure for her to try and fix it. Wallowing in her self hatred, in her self pity, fearing that her surname of Ulrika was cursed and doomed her to be mediocre... no, this was not the Larka she chose to show to anyone. She couldn't have herself seeming weak, so useless as a witch!
The defiant fire returned to her dark eyes, Larka gritting her teeth as she focused in concentrating, focused on the woman's advice. She didn't look at her just yet although Khor most definitely was, his gold eyes narrowing at first in suspicion before laxing a bit, looking over the other familiar. It stopped. Finally. That tingle of energy was gone, the knowledge of mana leaving her body had dissipated and with a sigh of relief, Larka stood up, quickly fixing her hair. She liked looking presentable after all.
Then she glanced at the woman, and her eyes widened at the sight. She looked like a warrior, yet it was obvious that she was a witch. A powerful witch? Larka couldn't picture her as a fledgling, yet the woman looked young and how could she really be? Maybe she was a fledgling after all, or an apprentice? Who was this woman? Wait... did she do something illegal after all?
"Am I going to be arrested?" The meek squeak that came from Larka was pitifully adorable, the fright on her eyes, the way she began to fidget before giving Khor that look. "I told you this was a bad idea, look at what you made me do!" Just because it was the natural thing to do, and she still had that raging migraine, she pulled out another snack, a bag of crisps that she hurriedly began to devour, nervousness only increasing her appetite. She glanced at Claire once more, sheepish. She had nearly forgotten she was there. "Um, I promise not to do it again, please don't arrest me, prison only feeds you once or twice a day and I need a lot more food than that... so... please? I'll give you some cookies, n-not that I'm trying to bribe you to escape the law, um, just because... you helped me out so I should help you out?" Babbling was never a good thing when it came to Larka, but at this rate her mouth didn't seem to want to stop moving. Only way to stop it was to eat more, which was what she did, shoveling in more chips.
The Knight watches as the woman struggles. She is already on her knees, breathing erratically, hands pressed on her crown, but nonetheless she stops the spell. The ice sheet, finally, stops expanding. It'll evaporate in a few minutes time. Despite the poor start, Claire is impressed with the smooth ending. She has to give the woman some credit. Usually, beginner witches would still have a hard time following instructions even if it is loud and clear. Soon the woman is back up at her feet, fixing her hair, munching food.
Claire tilts her head to the side. It's Vani who speaks what's in her mind. "A feisty young lady, isn't she? I'd love a cookie, though. Claire, you want some?"
Claire sighs. "Don't be a starving pig, Vani." Apart from that, Claire agrees with the rest her familiar's words. But the woman does not look like she's minding the severity of her situation, which is admittedly not a lot. She can still eat her food and speak. Claire further raises an eyebrow when she hears that what worries the woman most is the food inside the prison, not being in the prison itself.
"So when we give you enough rations, you'll willingly surrender?" Claire asks, squinting her eyes.
"Never mind, do not answer. But do take a look around." Claire looks around, taking her time to take in the scenery. She notes the low fences, the rolling hills, empty except for the occasional shrubs and trees. The place offers little to no cover. It'll be the worst place to be engaged in combat. Even she is not sure whether she'll survive an attack only with Vani, their techniques and her scrolls. What more the woman, who struggles to stop a spell? Even now, the two women are in plain sight of monsters, in case there is one. South Hillocks practically has the word dangerous plastered on it.
"Practicing your magic is not illegal. But doing it in a place as dangerous as the hillocks is highly irresponsible. If a monster breakout is to happen at Sundial, it'll likely start in this place." She looks at the woman's familiar, and has Vani stomping in to face the jackal. "Your familiar should have known better," Claire says while Vani glares at it.
Vani closes in the distance with a charge. His hooves crack the ice sheet in a hurried run. He puts on a break before he hit the jackal. Vani glares at the familiar's beady eyes. "It's your duty to protect your witch, not put her in trouble. Promise me now that you'll never be as stupid as you are when you suggested the hillocks for practicing. Put her into harm again and I'll come for ya."
Claire understands Vani's intensity. It's his guiding principle--to protect her. He believes every familiar is ought to do his best to ensure the well-being of his witch. It's more the contents of the contract they both agreed upon--it's love. He simply cannot contain his rage when faced with a situation like this.
"Vani, enough," Claire chides. She then turns back and makes her way towards the nearest tree where she could get a complete view of the woman and the scenery behind her. There she flops down and once she is comfortable sitting cross-legged with her back against the tree trunk, she calls to the woman. "Technically you did violate any code so I'm not going to arrest you. If you wish to continue, I will watch your back. And cut it out, Vani." The boar relents, surrendering by sitting beside Claire in the shade.
"My name is Claire, a Helios Knight," she continues. "Do not mind me, do whatever you want with your ice. The cold never bothered me anyway. Show me what you got."
She is not going to let anything bad happen. It's enough that it's happened to her. Anyone else does not need to experience the pain. If unfortunate events need to happen, as concluded by the law of nature, then Claire would rebel against it. She is a delinquent, after all.
Larka knew of the monster problem, at her backwater village they were definitely wary of any sort of disturbances, a special fund ready in case they had to hire witches to save them. Despite the Ulrikas all being witches, no one had ever gotten above a novice ranking, and even then for every fifty members only one would have arisen to such a mediocre status of novice. Larka may be a fledgling however she had no doubt in her mind that she would soon surpass all of her family members, that she would surpass the majority of witches in Sundial. If she were going to be a high priestess then she would need to be powerful enough to handle monster attacks. At this rate, especially as a fledgling, she was in no condition to defeat such a dangerous foe. She knew this however there had been a spark of ignorance: somehow she had felt safe, trusting Khor's instincts over her logical and analytical assumptions. The worst thing she thought would happen would only be getting in trouble, going to jail and then practically starving.
"Well, if they did give us enough rations I guess I wouldn't complain," She mumbled, mostly to herself and Khor, thinking over Claire's words. "It would be free food, and I like free food." However, despite the momentary side track, Larka did take Claire's words into consideration. If a monster were to burst out of nowhere, what could she do? What would she had done if it happened while she was having her little freakout? Could she have directed her magic elsewhere? Something that she wanted to improve on was using multiple techniques at once, and while she had a few down, there were quite a few that she needed to learn to really give her any sort of edge over someone else. Larka frowned, feeling Khor huff. Lecturing him never went well, and when Vani charged towards him, Larka shrieked.
There was no hesitation as she leaned down, picking up Khor, holding him tightly against her chest as she turned around, expecting impact. If Vani was truly going to run into them there was no doubt that in reality her spine would've snapped, organs rupturing and most likely her receiving some form of paralyzation if she did not die right then and there. However if she took the brunt of the force then Khor would've survived easily, only having to worry about being crushed. And although Larka was intent on protecting him, Khor had an another idea, unleashing a yowl as his hackles raised, a small flurry of ice coming from his fur, covering his witch in ice crystals, a meager shield to protect her. But it was all done in vain. Clawing his way out of Larka's arms, Khor faced Vani head on, barring his fangs, the black fur tinged in gold standing up straight.
"I had everything under control, I would never put her danger. If a monster came around I would spot it before it even thought to look in this direction. Perhaps you're blind due to those obnoxious tusks but I am very much so alert, thank you very much." He snarled. Talking back wasn't unusual, however him being as aggressive as he was was abnormal. He was one who preferred straying from confrontations, preferring to use his wit to trap his enemy before finishing them off fast.
"Khor has never put me in grave danger before, he didn't mean no harm." Larka said frantically, picking up Khor once more. Can it, Khor, please. She didn't have to tell him twice although her familiar let out a yap of annoyance, sounding more like a house pet than a force to be reckoned with. They both had a ways to go before they could prove to Claire and Vani that they could handle themselves. Although it seemed like the Helios Knight was inviting them to test out their skills, in front of her. Larka only identified the offer as suspicious, was she trying to gauge Larka's worth?
If she is then let's give her something to watch, Lark. Khor thought, narrowing his gold orbs at the boar, his tail twitching. We can ignore the technique we just used, but we have other things, don't we? I say we go with Ice Coffin and blow their minds. Excitement, Larka had never felt such a strong sense of it from her lax familiar. Often there was always some sort of anticipation when it came to practicing, but nothing as fierce as this. With a nod of her head she set Khor down, taking a rubberband and tying up her black hair into a high ponytail. She was serious, her signature 'let's do this' movement, along with her putting away her snacks
"Thank you," She didn't give Claire what coven she was affiliated with, although she herself had no qualms about interacting with others from other covens as she felt no sort of camaraderie, much less loyalty, with her own coven, she was sure that a Helios Knight would judge her. Taking a deep breath, Larka prepared herself. If she was too slow, messed up or too obvious then it could always be something she might see Claire one day perfect. And to have another using this... well, Larka would have none of it. Communicating with Khor, they began.
Cold air emitted from Khor's body, summoning the freezing temperatures that turned the warm air frigid. With the air turning cool, it mingling with the hot air caused a steam to surround the witch and familiar, slightly obscuring them from view. Details couldn't be seen, with was Larka's intent although her's and Khor's form was most definitely visible. The ice beneath their feet stopped melting, and then the true magic happened: Larka encased into what seemed like a human sized ice globe, while Khor was outside. They began their training, Khor blowing out chunks of ice, Larka filling in the cracks with magic, and if Khor came too close then a sharp spike would form, building it's form in a half second. It never hurt Khor, after all, he knew it would happen since both him and Larka were drawing their energy from the same force.
This went on for some time, and while it may have gotten repetitive, the finale was here, it was time for them to test their limits and break through. Khor was on top of the ice dome, and with Larka intensely controlling her ice his paws were now stuck to the ice. As he was an ice familiar he could've broke out of it, made the ice recede or broke it off with his own. It was just part of the show. There was a reason it they dubbed it ice coffin and Larka encased Khor in a block of ice resembling a coffin before she left the safety of her dome, opening up the walls so Khor fell inside while she escaped. Dark brows furrowed in concentration and then the dome began cracking, before it fell onto the 'coffin' inside.
A moment later and Khor popped up, a superior grin on his face as both he and Larka tried to hide their exhaustion. They both ignored the fact that building the ice shell took a lot of time, that the ice never got thicker than half an inch and really couldn't provide much damage if it crumbled down onto the ice coffin. The best thing they did was really create the steam, using their environment as well to provide some sort of beneficial effect for them. And as the pair were breathing heavy, Larka slouching over as she tried ignoring the fact all that ice she and Khor had created was now quickly melting, she rolled her shoulders back, standing tall.
"How's that?" They said in unison, the same expression of fatigue on each of their faces.
one flies away
And the other watches him close from that wire
Words;; 0000
Tags;; claire fermont Notes;; gogogo let's keep this up c;
Post by claire fermont on May 28, 2017 16:59:52 GMT
[attr="class","ig"]
[attr="class","ninety"]
[attr="class","joker"]
[attr="class","game"]
@keeks outfit here. frozen quotes wink wink. sorry this took so long ;;
[attr="class","kikan"]
“
Claire stares at the girl in disbelief. So there are those kinds of people, too, the ones who would not mind going in prison if they have enough food. If only it's that simple. She had heard the story of her sister, who had been behind the bars for about a month. Her heart seems to constrict, hurting, as she remembers her sister's experience. She was detained in a poorly-maintained, overpopulated prisons near the Hovel. Sanitation is terrible. People are either aloof, crazy, violent, or downright creepy. The quarters, runed and nullified, are too small for comfortable living. And the food is... She had seen it in real life, too. Claire is not particularly bothered by the conditions of these cells. Not just that cell, but all other prisons. They are for the worst of the worst people, and they deserve to be there.
However, there are innocents who the law misjudged, and Claire's goal is to put an end to that number. Claire is particularly opposed to the bindings familiars retain even when the witch is freed. To Claire, change is possible. People can change, it's never too late. That's why she supports correctional facilities, rehabilitation centers, and the like.
"Don't even think about it," Claire says. "You would not want to be in prison, trust me. It's hell." The girl does not seem to be nuisance, just a fairly irresponsible one... and a kind one as well. Claire watches as she picks up her familiar and turns her back on the charging boar. A thin wall of ice is conjured, but Vani's tusks easily shatters it. Vani does not hit the duo, though, but nonetheless paws the ground as a reaction to the hostility of the jackal.
Can you believe this, Claire? Vani shrieks in his mind as the jackal snaps at him. "Huh? What'd you say? At least these tusks would send monsters in the air and actually do something. What about you? What would you do if you spot the monster? Run? It's almost impossible to outrun a monster, dumbass, especially if you're a weakling."
The boar looks up at the witch, and he calms down, just a little bit. Claire interrupts before the situation gets worse. "All right, I know that. Enough. It's best if you'll just practice in a safer place next time." Vani relents, giving the jackal one last glare before it backs away and follows Claire to the shade.
Under the shade, Claire and Vani takes a break. Vani, less interested in the show the duo is about to put on, trains his eyes to survey the terrain. "Gotta protect this dumbs," Vani says.
"They can hear you, Vani."
"Whatever."
The Knight raises an eyebrow as steam enveloped the witch and the familiar. Just what are these two up to? No good probably, Vani says telepathically, but Claire does not mind the condescending thought. As for her, Claire is really curious about where would this lead. The steam stays for a good few minutes, and Claire's eyes squint in an attempt to see what's happening. She's surprised to suddenly see the jackal on top of the... ice dome? When did that dome appear? From what she could see the dome is really flimsy, able to hold the jackal's weight but Claire does wonder if that's only because they share the same pool of mana.
Slowly the steam dissipates. Claire sees the witch encased in a protective block of ice. Claire feels it. She feels the sudden surge of mana as the witch and familiar get to the end of their training. The block of ice originally encasing the witch is suddenly transferred to the familiar. The dome cracks, and the sheer force of it even prompts Vani to look. "Pretty flashy, if you ask me," the boar says, mildly amused.
Claire nods.
"You did great." Her voice is genuine and sincere enough. Claire stands up and dusts off her butt. She notes of the exhausted stance of the duo. She steps aside, subtly offering them her spot in the shade. Regardless if they take the offer or not, Claire would stand in their training ground and would call Vani to her side. "The steam is well-used. There is enough element of surprise in the act," she further continues. "Though you need to up your element's endurance. Your ice should be able to hold itself together long enough for you to make your next move. I assume your... block of ice from earlier is supposed to hold much longer?"
Claire takes a deep breath. She really should be going further now. Before she leaves she could at least offer what little knowledge she had gained through the years. "Listen," Claire starts. "What is special about ice is its ability to appear in a second and stay for an hour. It's the perfect trap, the perfect shocker. It could slow, trap, create, mobilize. It's a very dynamic element." Claire gestures to Vani, and Vani responds, getting into charging stance.
"You just need to be creative."
Activating LARGE SPREAD, Claire takes thirty seconds to prepare. In real battle she would not have taken this long, but this speed is enough for a demo. Vani paws the ground, huffing steam as ice forms underneath his hooves. Together, the witch and familiar releases their mana. Claire spreads her arms and Vani charges. His path of ice appears as he run as Claire spreads over ice in thin air. Imagine if Claire's enemy is on the other side of the hill, complacent about distance, and suddenly Vani charges and reaches them with the help of the ice path. Claire grins evilly in what would be the sheer terror of the act.
The bridge curves back to Claire's location, and soon enough Vani comes back, screeching as he halts. It's Vani who continues the short lecture while Claire gets a hold of her mana. "See how it's done? You gotta put the element of surprise and hold it. That's the key. You don't want your ice melting over some petty thing like fire, do you? At least make it something as tasty as true love! It's what they say, only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."
