A stupid idea this was!

That she had even given this an earnest level of thought initially should have been enough of an indicator of how poor a decision it was to be here. Venturing to parts unknown, a land effectively scarred for an eternal winter, what wasn’t caked upon layer upon layer of frost and snow being that of surfaces made hellish by those same conditions. It was a deathtrap, venturing through these lands, made worse by the lacking of any actual guidance or direction towards the boon that was promised.

The Void.

A term that had been something of a mysterious boogeyman of recent. Tales of those whom had suffered greatly, the rumored horror that in part influenced the ending of conflict within Talaz Lagaar – something that even Astrid had hard time truly believing. No, of what she had heard of the mysterious entity, there was nothing clear about it. Nothing consistent. Nothing that gave her reason to believe it was anything more than a fantastical lie spread to hide the reality of an under the table ceasefire that disregarded the feelings and dedication of the people within a nation.

That’s all that should be thought of as the Void, especially by those whom – like Astrid – sought out power.

But yet she was still here, having decided to depart from Oak Town under cover of night, with obligations and tasks now thrust upon her regarding the city still outstanding; she had made the decision to see if what she had heard were true or not. It was almost too hard to believe that she wouldn’t have ventured out; everything she had gone through so far had been about power, about seizing it for herself. Was there really any such expectation or thinking that a fabled power like this would be something that she would have allowed slip by? Certainly not.

No, that addiction, it would have driven her here even if the supposed ‘void’ was nothing more than a fictional tale told by a child to draw terror out of his friends. No, for a people that had been scarred and plagued by years upon years of war and violence to degrees that few, including Astrid, could have understood, then there must have been something to it. And it emphasized her going at it alone, or at least, amongst those within her circle.

She had been travelling for quite a while, and the resonance within her mind pulsated frequently to inform her of what was going on around. There were those who travelled, their distance apart, if out of fear, warranted skepticism, or perhaps ulterior motives, but Astrid recognized their presence nonetheless. A gift, one could have said, of the change that her body was still undergoing, the adjustment of having gone from a simple human to that of an Aberration, a term used to describe those like her whom had had their bodies changed so egregiously and horrifically that some would consider them now more terrifying than that of the worst atrocities committed within Talaz Lagaar. Perhaps even more horrific than the Void itself if it proved true.

What was horrific was the sensation ringing within her head. No doubt something that she would eventually get used to, if not even come to appreciate, but in its infancy stage, a constant resonating sonar only contributed to a feeling of frustration, and a bit of a headache. A headache that began to explode as she felt it, realizing it for what it was.

An ambush.

Or at least, the start of one.

Presences of what she could not say, but gathering around her nonetheless. She first dismissed them; it stood within reason that there were creatures that existed within this snowing hellscape. But their numbers increased. They remained. They did not leave or venture elsewhere. They gathered, and spread, but remained.

And then they moved closer, moving closer and closer than from the some 40 meters that she had first picked up on them towards. She turned, hoping to see something, but the rough darkness provided little ease in that respect. She raised her hand upwards, a defensive stance of sorts as the sonar continued to indicate them getting closer.

Then came the sensation upon her neck, one that she was far more familiar with. An alert of what was to come. She could not see it, had no basis to know where it may have hailed from, but as soon as the sensation ran down her spine her arm had become fully extended, the Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic materializing around her in a faint dome, a heavy cold bloom exploding before her as she turned her head, seeing the faint ice fragments falling to the ground as the shield dissipated away, but not before sending out the projectile right in a direction into the darkness, to quite what it was hitting being unclear, but evident enough that it had struck its target; whomever it was that sought to get take her out within the ambush.

Yet, one down lent hardly to the idea that she were safe. She could sense them still, albeit one less than what was there previously. And though there were the means to address the matter, a part of her wondered of her stalkers how many were interested in the others, the ones whom had made points to only loosely travel along the same road that she had been following.

-----
Synopsis:
1 S-Rank attack committed by Frost Giant is reflected back at Frost Giant via Eldritch Dragon's Psionic Barricade, killing it.

Word Count: 907/4000

Mana: 11,430/11,500

Passive Effects:
Major Sonar Detection: Astrid can can use sonar to detect the movements of anyone within a 50-meter range and sense their location.

• via Aberration
  

Spider Sense: Astrid possesses an enhanced perception that allows her to foretell danger before it happens which intensifies based on the threat or proximity within 20 meters.

• via Arachnida
  

Spells Used:

Name: Eldritch Dragon's Psionic Barricade
Rank: A
Mana Cost: 200 [65]
Requirements: Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic
Type: Defensive
Element: Arcane
Range: -
Cooldown: 4 Posts [2 Posts]
Duration: Instant
Effect: The user holds up an arm towards a target, causing a shield composed of Eldritch Magic to materialize around with a maximum height and width of 8 meters in both directions. Any spells up to a maximum of 1 S-Rank worth of damage are repelled by the shield, projecting back to their place of origin. If the shield is struck by damage that exceeds 1 S-Rank only 1 S-Rank will be repelled and the difference in damage will be dealt to the user's arm.

The reverberation echoed throughout the cavern, the signaling of combat. Whatever subtly that there may have been, it was lost in the attempted ambush upon them. Now, the conflict had shifted to that of a battle itself. The Giants, those that remained in their initial attack on one side. Astrid, the woman whom had approached, and the other individual, the one shrouded in the dark robes, standing outnumbered, yet not outmatched on the other.

The woman though, far more than the combat, her presence was of much greater interest to Astrid. The blonde with the respectable bust; a bit juvenile maybe, but independent, headstrong, and more importantly, someone who was had piqued Astrid’s interest. She was one of the four that Iblis had pointed made point to her prior to his departure for parts unknown. Kara? No… Kandice? No… Something like that. Kanna! Kanna was the name. Astrid could not help but shake her head a bit at the idea of not having that name and face tied to memory already.

After all, Astrid had high hopes for this woman.

Very high hopes.

It was good fortune really that the two of them found themselves together within this adventure, if it were to be called that. That the same cause had brought both of them together was indicative of the idea that this Kanna had an allure for power. The Void was certainly that, an appealing treat to those who were worthy, a deathtrap to those who were undeserving. She had no doubt that she was deserving. To see Kanna here, she had hopes too that she was worthwhile of that kind of power. The third, she had no significant opinion towards; neither one of positive nor negative. They had arrived and by all appearances seemed to have been an ally, though their worth and contribution towards this venture remained to be seen.

She heard the loud thump as the frost giant slumped down to the ground, the reflected blast as the massive frozen projectile being one that took all of them surprise at first. Seeing it plunge through the chest of one of their comrades took them all by very clear surprise. In the immediate moment of that, the cloaked figure disappeared, no doubt launching his own strike upon the remaining forces. For a brief moment, she figured that their fellow giant laying dead upon the ground, likely joined by another courtesy of the cloaked figure, would have been enough to deter them. She almost expected to detect them moving back.

And yet they did not.

They had been given a chance to escape. And they abandoned it.

An idiotic decision. But theirs to make.

She felt the sensation in her neck before she could see it occur, unclear of quite what to make of it, only knowing that it was not of the sort of intensity that would have come with her being targeted. By the time she put it together, the attack had struck at Kanna, for almost a brief moment Astrid looking on with concern, worry even. For a girl that she had high expectations and plans for, to lose her here would be soul-crushing. A brief moment passed as she looked on, not sure how to process what she saw, Kanna suffering the same sort of blast that Astrid had managed to repel in its entirety.

To Astrid’s delight, she witnessed the blonde-haired woman get up, winded, maybe even a little injured, but certainly able to fight on. Her composure returned, the faintest hint of a smile on her face as she moved over towards the woman, seeing the extent of the wound. Nothing. No visible marks, no discernable blood. It seemed that at worst, she may have been sore underneath the armor that seemed to absorb the entirety of the attack.

A stroke of good fortune.

“Dear, you’re too precious to be dying here,” Astrid whispered as she kneeled down beside Kanna, her hand gently caressing the woman’s cheek; an invitation perhaps or a subtle show of concern, that being more left to Kanna’s imagination. What mattered more was that she realize the reality of their situation. "I would hate for what I have planned for you to be in vain." Standing upright, she turned to face where the blast that struck Kanna had come, as Astrid looked up, a finger held to her lips as suddenly an eruption blasted outwards from her now-opened mouth, the blast expanding outwards, travelling far beyond the confines of the makeshift arena they found themselves within. How many were struck by it or the accompanying collapsing further out, the sounds of massive chunks of ice and stalactites striking down upon the hard surface in small explosions, fortunately far enough from the duo to be of any threat.

She looked down again upon the woman, another glance to ensure that there were no sudden injuries that would have plagued her guild member. She seemed fine, at least, appeared to have been. If she were not, hopefully that little display proved worthwhile enough to survive long enough to maybe one day have a chance to taste power like that herself. No greater motivation to survive than to hold power far greater than what one may have possessed on their own. And both in Astrid and in the Void treasures, there was certainly plenty of that to be had.

Stepping towards a literal crossroad that had seemed to appear, a warped thing as to how it materialized being something of a mystery, perhaps that of the corruption of the Void, she listened, hoping for her Sonar to pick up something. Anything.

Nothing.

Sighing, she turned back towards Kanna, not so much focused on if she had begun moving along with her, but rather just hoping that she were listening. “It’s an illusion of choice. Whatever exists beyond either route, that I cannot say. Left or right, it doesn’t much matter it seems.” And to the other one, the one adorned in cloaks, should they have been alive themselves. Admittedly after her little display, she wasn’t much interested in how many of those frost giants still stood, nor what the fallout of such a blast would have caused. Sacrifices made in pursuit of the Void would be worth it.


-----
Synopsis:
2 S-Rank attack dealt to Frost Giant x2 (Astrid's target & Kanna's attacker from previous post), killing both.
Potentially more dead in the aftermath of the expanding Eldritch Dragon's Roar and subsequent partial cave-in.

Word Count: 1954/4000

Mana: 11,230/11,500

Passive Effects:
Major Sonar Detection: Astrid can can use sonar to detect the movements of anyone within a 50-meter range and sense their location.

• via Aberration
  

Spider Sense: Astrid possesses an enhanced perception that allows her to foretell danger before it happens which intensifies based on the threat or proximity within 20 meters.

• via Arachnida
  

Spells Used:
Name: Eldritch Dragon's Roar
Rank: S
Mana Cost: 500 [200]
Requirements: Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic
Type: Offensive [Enhancement: Damage Over Time, Armor Piercing, Overcharge - Offensive]
Element: Arcane
Range: 25 Meters [60 Meters | +10 Sage Monarch's Sunglasses, +25 Magus Passive]
Cooldown: 5 Posts [3 Posts]
Duration: Instant
Effect: The user holds a finger up to their lips while taking in a deep breath. They then exhale, unleashing a massive blast of Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic out at a target, travelling the maximum distance of the spell, dealing 2 S-Rank damage to all targets caught within its blast proximity as it expands outward, having a maximum width of 25 meters at its furthest length. With each subsequent post following any targets being struck by this ability, they will suffer an additional instance of damage equal to 1 Rank lower than the previous post (2 S -> 1 S -> 1 A, etc) so long as the user wishes to sustain the damage component.

The path was clear it seemed, loosely speaking.

She could sense them still, maybe 5 of them in total now; the trio of them managing to steadily wipe out their numbers. Though she was mindful of it, that she was doing much of the heavy lifting, it didn’t much phase her. Rather, in her mind it was a good thing, particularly given the presence of Kanna. Astrid knew little of the members of her guild; there were hardly a reason to. But Iblis had made a point towards several in particular, with Kanna amongst the top of the list.

And based on what she had seen so far, it seemed to be warranted, given the situation. She was alive, which was a positive thing to note. And she was seeming to hold her own well enough. Granted, she had suffered hits that Astrid had not, but even she recognized the artifacts that she had gathered over time in her pursuit of power were proving to be valuable, if not even difference makers. Kanna was resourceful, granted, but it was unrealistic to believe that she may have had access to the breadth of Magical toys that Astrid had.

Maybe once this little expedition of theirs was over, she would make a point of seeing that Kanna was properly rewarded, whether it be from whatever this Void-tainted place had in store for them, or otherwise something else. What exactly that may have been, it would remain to be seen, but she was certainly showing that she was deserving of it. Yet, some of her decisions did leave Astrid a little annoyed, nonetheless. As she turned back, expecting to see her guild member behind it, arguably more than enough time having gone as to enable her time to compose herself, she could not help but sigh slightly at the sight of Kanna standing behind, as if choosing to be bait for the Giants that were still remaining behind.

It could have been perceived as a noble sacrifice, but to Astrid, it seemed foolhardy. The damage done by her Dragon Slayer Roar had torn through much of the surrounding area, to the point where it alone would have given the Frost Giants pause if they had even a small amount of brain capacity. Though, if they were still sticking around, it could have been just that they viewed Astrid as too great of a threat. Maybe they viewed Kanna as weak enough to have a chance against. And the other figure, the one in cloaked garb? Astrid admittedly hadn’t paid too much heed towards him; he was neither Phantom Lord nor someone whom Astrid knew much of. But if he were joining them within this expedition, she would have hoped that he could have handled things.

That she could still sense him presence via the Sonar within her head at least validated that he were still alive, so that was something to respect, if nothing else.

Though a part of her felt it foolish to waste time worrying about what may happen to the others, she admittedly found herself torn. The path before her was clear, Kanna having already made the decision to proceed with the right path, one that Astrid didn’t have much opinion towards admittedly. Either could have led them to the presumed treasure as much as they may have led them to their demise. But the latter had yet to take place, despite the efforts of the Frost Giants thus far, so it was reasonable to think that it would not be yet.

She took a few steps forward, suddenly feeling the sensation within her neck once again, though this time not nearly one that she felt capable of identifying. The barrier she constructed earlier, she hoped to have produced it again, but found herself unable to, nothing happening as the sensation in her neck seemed to get more and more intense, worse than anything she had felt before. With no options available, she snapped her fingers as she stepped backwards, escaping within the rift that generated behind her.

Some short distance away, right near where she had left Kanna, she stepped out again, the sensation of travelling through that rift in space being one that she could never find herself comfortable experiencing. A shiver ran down her body as her body quickly reacquainted itself with the real world, whatever dimension she had previously been within erasing any of that sense from her. Quickly gathering her bearings again, she realized just what it was that the sensation from the amulet had been alerting her towards; a Frost Giant that had descended down from an ambush site, having seen the failure that was the initial ambush attempt and likely opting for a different approach that did not rely on projectile abilities, but rather by crushing her outright.

Had she not moved through the rift, it may have been that its attack would have succeeded.

Yet as it was, she were there still, though having walked back within the center of the Frost Giants that Kanna had sought to draw the attention of. Effectively, she had walked through space to avoid one threat and instead appear before another.

She turned to Kanna, what appeared to be a smirk on her face as she then scanned the area, seeing just what it may have been around them. Five Frost Giants remaining, one of them being the one that had attempted to crush her, and four others surrounding them. “Brave girl,” she remarked, her tone a mix between condescension and admiration, it being hard to tell quite which one was more abundant. No further words were said, Astrid instead holding her finger to her lips before it came. A snap of the fingers.

And then the eruption.

Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic manifesting all around her, creating a heavy hue that seemed to consume her before being erupted outwards in a horrific display; a wave of volleys that seemed almost like those of Magically-produced arrows firing outwards in all directions, each of them locking in one of the Frost Giants before them, all delivering a vicious assault with arrow upon arrow upon arrow being lodged within the Giants’ heads, all a more terrifying display of cruelty than even the indiscriminate destruction left by her Dragon Slaying Roar.

“But do not go mistaking my intrigue for you as some excuse to martyr yourself. As I said,” the cruel smile upon her face evident, “I have great plans for you.”


-----
Synopsis:
2 S-Rank attack dealt to all Frost Giants within 60 meters (25 meters * 2 (Magus) + 10 (Sage Monarch Sunglasses). At least 3 are killed (the one fighting Erebus, the one that Astrid rolled prior to the post, and a third one engaging against Kanna).

Word Count: 3036/4000

Mana: 10,985/11,500

Passive Effects:
Major Sonar Detection: Astrid can can use sonar to detect the movements of anyone within a 50-meter range and sense their location.

• via Aberration
  

Spider Sense: Astrid possesses an enhanced perception that allows her to foretell danger before it happens which intensifies based on the threat or proximity within 20 meters.

• via Arachnida
  

Spells Used:

Name: Eldritch Dragon's Essonkinetic Shift
Rank: A
Mana Cost: 200 [70]
Requirements: Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic
Type: Supplementary
Element: Arcane
Range: -
Cooldown: 4 Posts [2 Posts]
Duration: Instant
Effect: The user snaps their finger, causing Eldritch Magic to condense in front of them and shatter, creating a crack within the realm of space, effectively acting as a portal from which the user is able to step through with their next step appearing up to 20 meters away. As the user passes through the rip in space and immediately steps out elsewhere, it is impossible for the user to hide within the tear as a means of protection.

Name: Eldritch Dragon's Penetrating Cruelty
Rank: S+
Mana Cost: 500 [175]
Requirements: Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic
Type: Offensive [S+: Homing | Enhancement: Damage Over Time, Armor Piercing, Spell Overcharge - Offensive]
Element: Arcane
Range: 25 Meters [60 Meters]
Cooldown: 5 Posts [3 Posts]
Duration: Instant
Effect: The user develops an otherworldly hue as Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic manifests all around them in an uncontrollable state as they hold up a finger towards their lips. With a snap of the user's finger, the Magic that manifested around them erupts outwards into a blast of volleys of almost arrow-like projectiles composed of Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic that fly out in all directions towards anyone whom the user views as an enemy. For each target, there will be a volley that homes in, travels towards, and pursues them until they strike the target. Reaching the target, they will coalesce into a singular arrow-like form that will strike at the user, sending a massive surge of Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic through their body up right to their head, inflicting 2 S-Rank worth of damage to the target's head. With each subsequent post following any targets being struck by this ability, they will suffer an additional instance of damage equal to 1 Rank lower than the previous post (2 S -> 1 S -> 1 A, etc) so long as the user wishes to sustain the damage component.