Anastasia Pascal

Painted red, Phelian’s party brought quite the story back. Especially surprising when they had only been sent to take a closer look at a muddy pond.

As the tale climaxed, it filled the blue mage’s body with more and more tremors. She couldn’t help glancing upwards in fear of the shadows that might appear. The glare of the sunstones killed any relief from seeing nothing. Who knew what was hidden by the light?

Anastasia stood beside Damien, clasping her hands and listening intently to the discussion. The Council was in full swing after hearing about the close call. Questions and suggestions swirled around as Malachi stood calmly in the maelstrom.

It was strange, she decided. Very odd to be watching a meeting that would decide her fate, but be reduced to a bystander. Anastasia suspected that this must be how support staff must feel when in the room during a board meeting or when a country’s leadership comes together. One could speak, yet would only be a distraction; should you even be heard.

Silent as the mute, just a watcher as others decided for you.

An unpleasant experience, especially when it was frustratingly familiar. Almost toxically comfortable.

The Sixty’s leadership weren’t tyrants by any means. Surveying solutions from the rest of them was common; none of them would dismiss anyone for speaking up. Still, the blue mage hated this helpless feeling. Trapped between the nightmares of the past and her anxiety to speak up. Being noticed at all was terrifying.

Old fears haunt.

Be fucking nice if I could grow a pair, growled Anastasia. Once again lashing out at the only one she could always find words for. Or at least somehow find a way to accept that these people aren’t like my parents. Maybe I could show a little trust for those standing shoulder to shoulder with me. Not like I’m unable to be part of this! Shit! Fucking balls! Not that I’ll say anything… I’m just too scared…Fucking lame as hell.

“So we have rocs living in the ceiling,” surmised Malachi. “Damnit, airborne threats are a pain.”

Phelian shrugged, “I can’t confirm that there’s anything up there, but that is where the big bird seemed to disappear to.”

“Fair, the glare makes it impossible to see the ceiling in the first place,” said Julia. “Who knows what it looks like.”

“Nor can we be certain that these “rocs” dwell up there at all,” reminded Molly. “The possibility remains that their nests could be anywhere on this floor. There simply isn’t enough data, though logic does suggest the ceiling. The border wall does not appear to be porous and a ground nest seems implausible in this situation.”

“Hmm, I think I can solve this conundrum,” spoke up Damian. His attention swung upwards without a reply. Stared right into the glare without squinting.

Anastasia, worrying for his eyesight, reached out to do something, but stopped when violet Mana began to form complex shapes before the obsidian thaumaturgist’s eyes. The configuration and number changed too fast for her to get a grasp of the spellwork. It was too unfinished for even her talent to copy. First, they stretched outwards, appearing like binoculars, then began to compress towards the shape of sunglasses.

The Council meanwhile had taken Damien’s declaration at face value and the conversation had shifted.

“Ok, how about the snakes and the um… hogalos?” asked Julia.

Clarissa grew overexcited, “Wait! Hogalos? Is that a reference to buffalos or, or a reference to the chimeric nature of jackalopes?”

“Uh, well I meant like buffalos, but they both kinda work…”

Laughing, the redhead added, “Nice! Oo, Oo! I hope there are jackalopes in this place! I don’t care if it tries to eat me, I’ma gonna hug it so lovingly!”

“Gods, rabbits with antlers is the stupidest cryptid ever,” sighed Warner.

“You take that back! They are majestic!”

“And that’s the end of Crazy Clarissa’s Showcase,” interrupted Malachi. “Phelian, as Julia was likely trying to get at, do you think the snake was from the pond? Maybe hidden in the deep water?”

“I don’t think so,” replied the arisen warrior. “We stomped all over that place and nothing popped up.”

Hector nodded. “If something was waiting to ambush us in the water, it would have. The mud offered ample opportunity. No hidden predator would have skipped out on that.”

“Yeah, it was no joke. Thick and sticky. Most likely the snake was stalking the herd and came upon us.”

“So those at least are prowling around somewhere in the grass,” gathered Malachi. “Stumbling upon a giant snake isn’t any fun, but at least it’ll be easier to kill. Being earthbound and all. That leaves the um.. hogalos.”

“As herbivores, doubtless they are harmless like the wooden elk of the last floor,” suggested Molly.

Julia disagreed. “We don’t have any confirmation on their nature. Herding doesn’t prove anything. No one has seen any chewed up grass. Not a single blade looks out of place, all of it is pristine. Identical from tip to root. I’m getting off-subject, but it weirds me out. I know plants.”

“Could it all be one lifeform? It’s not implausible by Earth standards, though I am unaware of any grasses with this quality. Funguses and trees yes, but I do not see it as much of a leap.”

“It's really common actually,” said Julia. “We even take advantage of that in farming. Most producing crops are clones. The term in the care for colony plants is clonal. Though, I’m not sure how that helps anything.”

Molly blinked and smirked at herself. “I suppose that it helps nothing but the thought occurred to me and curiosity got the better of me. It does beg the question of why a research facility wanted to study such a lifeform to the extreme of creating this floor.”

“Who knows! Maybe it's magical and named Bob.”

“This conversation went in an absurd direction,” said Malachi while shaking his head.

“I know!” cheered Clarissa before lamenting, “And … I had nothing to do with it.”

“Imagine that, the horror. Anyways, the herd beasts from what I saw didn’t seem to be interested in us regardless of their dietary needs.”

“Running from a giant snake might have something to do with that though,” reflected Harken. “I know I’m rather fond of the idea of not getting swallowed. Or poison, or strangled, etc.”

“What lovely visions,” muttered Julia.

Vincent languidly said, “Perhaps the rocs will keep the snakes as a nonissue. The one Phelian came across certainly didn’t last very long.”

“We both know that relying on monsters to protect us is a no-go,” frowned the battlemage. “There’s no telling how long the bird had been tracking the snake. It was luck, a good scare and a laugh from the universe.”

“Probably,” admitted the swordsman with a smile. “I regret not seeing both the sight of that event and the looks on everyone’s faces. A priceless moment.”

“I can see… through the glare, I mean,” announced Damien.

Malachi blurted out, “Thank you sweet Mana gods, this conversation was determined to be senseless. What do you see?”

The obsidian thaumaturgist turned to them with his Mana covering his eyes. The appearance was like sunglasses entirely without frames. “As may have been suspected, the ceiling is not as rounded off as the previous two floors. Craggy is a good word. The sunstones are on pillars that stretch towards the ground and there are plenty of caves for the rocs. But, let me show.”

A pulse of violet expanded outwards to create a hanging barrier above them. Looking through it was like wearing powerful shades. The sunstones were reduced to unpleasant sparks of white, revealing the ceiling. To Anastasia’s eyes, it looked like someone had stolen a chuck of rocky desert and turned it upside down. Somehow keeping the crumbling formations in one piece too. Definity not smooth.

Obviously, there were plenty of nooks, but Damien had omitted that the rocs themselves were out in the open. Here and there were circles of magnified vision that allowed a close look at the giant birds. They soared between the bizarro canyons, clung to the pillars, and battled over the hollows for better nesting. Nothing like the stillness of the plains. It was a separate world up there.

There weren’t an overwhelming number of the giant birds, per se. One would use the singular of flock rather than flocks, but then again two or three rocs would not be expected to be a pleasant experience. The blue mage had a chill run through her body. Visions visited her of the talons and beaks raining down with feathery menace. She wasn’t alone in her concern. Frowns were on several faces as the Council calculated the odds.

Then an odd thought came to her, pushing to be said. This feeling was so unlike her. Aggressive and authoritative. So much so, Anastasia found her mouth opening without a moment of tortured reluctance. It flowed free.

“We should um provoke a fight.”

Everyone turned to her. It was terrible, but a little thrilling too. At least this once. The idea seemed ludicrous to the panicking child inside her and yet Anastasia felt absolutely certain about it. There was merit to the idea. She would defend it in defiance of that weakness; because these people would listen. They always did.

“I don’t need to know anymore,” declared Clarissa. “I completely endorse this plan, one hundred percent. Blondy wouldn’t steer us wrong!”

Everyone ignored the redhead, who just grinned in victory.

“I am surprised that you’re the one to suggest such,” stated Malachi. “Sorta bold, and to be honest I’m not seeing why we should provoke giant anything.”

“Uh 'cause we’re going to fight one um eventually,” grumbled Anastasia. She puffed out her cheeks for a moment and then took a deep breath. Having the Council’s whole attention was crushing. “It is going to happen. So um wouldn’t it be better to uh fight one on our terms first? Otherwise like um the first time is getting ambushed from uh above.”

“That’s a good point,” admitted Julia. “We don’t really know what will work best against them yet and a panicked fight isn’t great for testing weaknesses.”

Molly smiled cooly, “Yes, with preparation our methods could be more thorough… There are several traps and strategies I would like to try employing. Perhaps we can call down several, individually of course.”

“I just think it would be fun to punch one in the face, so I’m in!” smirked Warner.

Malachi frowned, “Isn’t this just asking for trouble? I think it’s better to push on to the Gate. See how we unlock it first.”

“Racing to the finish isn’t going to do us any favors,” cut in Vincent. “Each floor is a gauntlet to strengthen us, skipping its challenges will only weaken us in the long run. Staging a confrontation on our terms is a smart move.”

“It is also the safe move too,” agreed the shieldmaiden.

The leader of Sixty sighed, “Alright, I can clearly see that favor for this plan has spread beyond the battle junkies. Let’s do it. Anastasia, what did you have in mind?”

She blinked and squeaked as the ball was tossed back to her. The blue mage quickly tried to throw it away. “I uh didn’t have anything in um mind. Please uh um it was just uh a suggestion.”

“Sure you don’t want to take the lead? It was your idea.”

“Uh absolutely!”

There was a shrug and the planning began with her safely on the sidelines. Anastasia breathed out with relief. She felt crazy sometimes. Craving to be noticed, but becoming a mess when people did. It was a torturous contradiction. Unable to stop reaching out over and over for something that you would end up hurling away.

Still, this time had been rewarding.

Her idea bloomed beautifully in the hands of the Council. One could take pride in that, and she did. Seeing it actualized was validating. Anastasia felt it was proof there was more to her than just copying others. As useful as her magical talent was, it was somewhat disturbing to the blue mage. Magic was an expression of yourself. What did that say about the core of herself? Scary to see that a coping mechanism had soaked that deeply into her. It was simply worrisome to ponder.

For the moment though, that concern was soothed away. Something uniquely hers had grown into reality.

With a quickness of excited industry, the Sixty drew up a plan and distributed it. The battlefield was selected. There was a large hollow that was surrounded by a rough circle. Hilltops were designated to range fighters while the center was prepared to be the focus of a roc’s ire. Anastasia spent the time learning Damien’s new sight spell and aiding in spreading it to the other mages. After refinement, the spell was easy for the blue mage, but it proved to be too abstract for anyone other than Molly. The cool-eyed woman picked up the enchantment quickly.

The obsidian thaumaturgist was placed upon his own hill. His violet might was a backup onslaught should the testing go wrong. Their ace in the hole. Which meant that Anastasia was stationed with the center group to provide the anti-glare enchantment. She was unable to create the barrier version, but with Leon’s help, the two of them managed something similar. A small lens like a porthole aimed at the ceiling. Malachi and Clarissa huddled underneath to pick out a target.

There was electricity in the air, every breath almost held in the waiting. A calm deepened as a whispered decision concluded with nods. The battlemage backed away as the redhead set an arrow. Anastasia stared in wonder as cheek and cheer washed from Clarissa’s face. Stark seriousness set the jaw as the bow was raised. Shifting, tracking, and power bloomed in a forest green aura before soaking thickly into the arrow.

As the string flung forward there was a crack in the air. She flinched at the sound, but the blue mage followed the green streak with her eyes. Up, up, and up it went. Seeming to be already a miss, target, and shot on separate paths. The roc’s path jerked as it swung around a pillar. Right into the path of the arrow. Green pierced through a wing and the giant eagle spun. So high up, it was silent to them. The monster caught itself into a dive.

Aimed directly at them.

Laughing, Clarissa fired one arrow after another. Engaging and holding the roc’s attention solely upon the Sixty’s center group. More arrows deflected off the feathers than struck, but the focus was where they wanted it. Just before the beak would have struck their barrier, the bird twirled to bring its talons down to strike. The ground rumbled and cracks ran through the dome. Leon gasped beside her. Several smaller shields popped into existence to protect the weakened barrier as the talon struck down again in quick succession.

Then the counterattack began.

Archers rose from the grassy hills and began to pour on the fire. Each grouping focused on a sequence of locations, testing the mettle of each. On one side flames roared over a wing and electrical wind consumed the other. Both proved ineffective as the roc shrugged them off. The wings swung inwards and then snapped back outwards. Wind exploded outwards to deflect the arrows away. Anastasia saw that a few people were caught off-guard and were flung off the hills by the sudden hurricane winds.

The bird twirled magically in a vacuum of air before beginning to rise with great winged strokes. They couldn’t allow it to escape. Purple strings rose like a cloud of snakes to grasp at the giant eagle. A dark portal appeared above the monster and poured hissing shadows upon it. The roc screamed, wind scouring across the body to displace the restraints. Neither were gaining a quick enough grip, it was getting away.

Anastasia looked up at the bird and screamed with the power of a monkey king. The spell ate hungrily of her fear and anxiety. Distilling every bit into the wave of Mana that passed through the roc. It froze and the wind faltered. Darkness and strings made use of the precious moment. The giant eagle crashed down onto the dome, entangled.

It struggled, wriggled, and lashed out with its talons. Slowly darkness dulled the senses and sharp edges while the strings cut off movement. The melee fighters rushed forward toward the vitals. There had been some talk about slowly testing various methods on the great bird, but that was too close to torture for their comfort. A quick death would be performed and the next stratagem would be prepared. With the proof of success before them, this was a perfect opportunity to iron out flying monster protocols. Malachi was determined to have the Sixty instinctively know how to respond to any potential danger.

Carlos finished the roc off, his ice was found to create a vulnerability in the magical defenses of the monster. One last scream rose and then cut off as frost built up. The ice melted quickly in the hot sun, accelerating the dusting processes. The Sixty began to set up for the second attempt. Soon as the core was collectible, Clarissa would pull another.

“Blondie, that was a sweet ass plan,” grinned the redhead as she tried to throw her into a headlock. “Keep ‘em comin’, eh? Bold is cool!”

“It uh just seemed logical,” blushed Anastasia.

“Ugh don’t ruin it by going all Molly on me! This was totally a guts thing, right? You were like, “Rar! Let’s pull the birds out of the sky!” Please tell me that’s how it was?! I need macho Anastasia in my life.”

“You used my name for once,” she blinked at the other woman.”

“Well, cool people get treats, so be a cool person, blondie!”

“Cool… Cool uh was never my style.”

“Never say never! Cause you are a badass chick that screamed a bird out of the sky!”

At that, the blue mage couldn’t help smiling about that. It was undeniable even to her doubts. “Yeah, that was pretty cool… I have uh been sorta “digesting” that one the last couple of days. Finally understood the um spell fully this morning.”

“Disgesting?” snickered Clarissa.

She puffed out her cheeks. “I don’t like using that word! But um, well yeah. There isn’t any uh better word for the sensation. Breaking it down so I could build it back up for my own use… that’s um a mouthful.”

“Sure, surrrre. Whatever, or however it works, chow down on some more monster spells and be a badass every day!”

“I uh, will?”

“Good! Alright, time to pew pew a giant bird! Now make with the lens so I can pick out our next victim.”

“I can’t decide if I like you or not…”

The redhead only laughed.