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Post by BijuuGuy on Apr 5, 2024 21:32:13 GMT
Prudence's reaction to the rising heat of the battle was that of a smirk laden with flattery. She still got it. Strange's response said as much. She had her own protective field at the ready, when Sun Nao returned to the battlefield with an impressive weapon. A welcome interlude. His barrier provided ample protection, enough for Prudence to begin planning her next move. She didn't need to move much as the pillar made its way towards Strange and his mystic winds. As such, she stood there, examining the ever-changing dimension.
Going through her mental spellbook, Prue was almost indecisive at what to choose. She had a plentiful bounty through her knowledge. When she settled on a plan, it was a rather simple one. Simplicity worked wonders when done by a skilled magician. A core tenant of most magic users, she thought. At least that's what she tried to drill into the heads of her students.
She wasn't sure yet if the pillar managed to strike Stephen himself, but she did note the amount of destruction it brought on their surrounding. Yet the mirror dimension seemed to adapt to it all in its own way. Not in terms of fixing itself, but rather simply adjusting to its circumstances. In any case, Prudence's plan involved yet another series of spells. Perhaps less impressive at first glance, but effective if the chain of events worked as it was supposed to.
"Adficio potentia."
Four tendrils of pure magical energy emerged from her hands, pointed towards Strange. They were fairly large, but nimble, making their way towards the sorcerer immediately. Their intent? To try and bind him. A trick she tried already and succeeded in, though this time, they weren't exactly meant to properly restrain him. Simply to buy her time.
"Lues."
Stephen's immediate surroundings would suddenly be drenched in water, as if a large puddle appearing. It stretched to the size of a pond, ensuring that her following incantation had its maximum effect.
"Perurē."
Prudence's arm gradually ascended above her as she uttered the word. A simple word, yet carrying in itself such capability. Her movement was elegant and even before she stopped its movement, lightning was already crackling around Stephen. As if from nowhere, several large bolts of lightning would make their way to him and the water surrounding him. If successful, the results would be potent and damaging. Prudence was now fully in the zone, her mind already going to her next plan. And doing it all while not physically having to move anywhere else. Yet.
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Post by Beriadan on Apr 8, 2024 11:33:29 GMT
Strange stood calmly, staring upwards at the enormous staff that the Sun Nao's brought into the battlefield. he cocked an eyebrow as it began to descend, shattering the shards of Mirror Dimension as it went, sending rippling distortions like the bow of a boat cutting through the ocean. At the same time, Pru was launching her own offensive, simple yet powerful restricting magic that wrapped around his torso and arms. He smirked at Madame Moon. She certainly had a thing about binding him. Her basic magic was as strong as many sorcerer's complex spells, and just as hard to break.
His smirk was washed off his face as his surroundings were suddenly drenched, as if he had been plunged into a cold pond. Strange spat out water, and he took a guess at what would be next. Were these two really trying to kill him? They certainly weren't holding back. He wasn't ready to let them off easy, though. Strange closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. In the madness and chaos created by the other two, as well as the ever-shifting Mirrors, it seemed out of place for him to engage in some light meditation.
Strange's eyes snapped open. Suddenly the water that clung to his being, as well as everything around him, seemed to leap from his body. It was as if he had commanded them to attention, like damp, liquid soldiers, and it formed a ball around him. Every drop was gone from his clothing and his being, and was surging upwards even as the lightning bolts struck. They bolted through the water, which was now striking the falling Ruyi Jingu Bang, swirling across its surface and covering it with a layer of damp. The electricity that would have gone through Stephen instead went into the giant version of Sun Nao's staff, and if it didn't blast the thing into pieces, it would at least jolt it sideways, enough to pass by the Sorcerer Supreme harmlessly and continue into the ever shifting Mirror Dimension below, or above, or whatever direction made the least sense.
Stephen hadn't stopped there. With a mutter of, "By the Demon-Claws of Denak!", yellow magic sprung from his shoulders. Clawed hands materialised, and began to tear and shred at the magical bindings that held him in place. He slipped out of them as they pulled them apart, arms now spread out, one for each of his opponents (well, one for all of the Sun Nao's, anyway). It was a lot of feats for one man to complete, but they were dealing with Doctor Stephen Strange. Sun Nao might not understand the full extend of his mentor's magic, but Prudence would, and she would see that glimmer again, that glint of the fire within Strange's mind as he felt able to let loose for the first time in a long time.
The yellow hands spread out, and then lunged forward. Three for Pru, all grasping and clawing, and a multitude more for Sun Nao, enough that each clone would have to deal with two a-piece. Strange was radianting powerful magical energy at this point, flashes of gold and blue pulsing from his body, creating an incredible yet terrifying light show within the reflective world of the Mirror Dimension.
"Good try, kid, but size isn't everything!"
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Post by DornKoon on Apr 17, 2024 12:23:03 GMT
"Whoopsie..." said one Sun Nao as the great staff was jolted sideways from the strike of electricity, toppling over and taking a lot of the mirror dimension with it at the same time. The Sun Naos clinging to the Ruyi Jingu Bang used the decorations and tassels to avoid the onslaught of hands. Still, two more of them were hit and vanished in clouds of smoke, leaving only one Sun Nao still at the staff, not counting the one still closer to where Madame Moon was.
The Sun Nao next to Moon smirked slightly before crouching down. Then he was gone in a burst of speed, quickly leaving the two hands in the dust. Moments later, he appeared, grasping one of the ropes hanging off the Ruyi Jingu Bang, summoning a cloud so as not to keep on falling. The staff appeared to vanish in another puff of smoke, but in reality, it just shrunk very fast. The Other Sun Nao remaining had called upon a cloud of his own, avoiding the two magical hands using a combination of martial arts and magically enhanced attacks.
"You're one to talk, Doc." Retorted the Sun Nao, holding the now regularly sized Ruyi Jingu Bang, having used it to deflect the incoming attacks, before resting it against his shoulder. The boy was grinning, eyes aglow with youthful energy as he stared at the floating Doctor Strange, radiating such awesome power. Maybe he should be in awe? He might have if he did not get beat-ups from a god on the regular. No, it was not awe but admiration, which was NOT how he had ever felt around Wukong. " Or you want me to call you The Great and Powerful Oz?"
Magic was awesome! He had known all along, but in a fight like this, yeah, it was awesome.
Sun Nao took a deep breath before releasing his magical energy. Similar to Strange, it was golden but in a slightly different hue. He gathered energy, focusing it around his arms and legs, and after another deep breath, he swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang sideways. As he made the strike, an arc of golden energy surged out, followed by several more strikes with similar effects as more arcs of energy surged towards the Doctor. It was a more straightforward approach, but it was faster. As the Sun Nao with Ruyi Jingu Bang did this, the other remaining one focused on providing cover, moving in to intercept the remaining hands with more magically enhanced attacks, claws crackling with electric energy as he slashed them through the air. He could make more clones, but there was no fun in being a one-trick pony. Maybe if he had been in a real fight, but this was meant as training and fun.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Apr 30, 2024 21:02:15 GMT
With her fairly amateurish plan thwarted (she scolded herself mentally), Prudence prepared for Strange's onslaught. She bore little mind to how Sun Nao got out of his predicament, though she noticed that he had less trouble than she had expected. Currently, Prue had her own assailants to worry about.
The claws sped towards her, though she had an idea on how to disperse of them quickly.
"Ex forma mutata. Summa partes. Ex forma mutata. Facti sunt figura novi."
The spell was a lengthier one, which she started a smidgen too late this time. While two of the claws were transmuted into harmless crystals, the third one reached her just as she was saying the last word. It struck her, leaving her garb ripped and a hint of blood in its wake. As soon as it did hit, it too turned into small pieces of crystal. Prudence was taken aback both physically and mentally for just a moment. It was the first time in a long while that anything managed to touch her. Yet it didn't produce any feelings of ill will in her. Instead, it invigorated her and annoyed her at the same time. Was she rusty? Absolutely. Was Strange exceedingly capable? Definitely. Was Prudence Wharton a witch not to be trifled with? Exceedingly so.
Prudence dusted herself off before taking a step toward her two compatriots. Both of her arms gradually rose sideways as she spoke not a word, yet her magic was palpable. It was another simple application of her powers. This time, however, the power was innately her own.
Flames appeared at a moment's notice in a circle around her two colleagues. She would produce how many was necessary to the amount of Sun Nao clones that still remained. He was to learn that nobody could be fully trusted.
The flames would form neat circles around them all, with seemingly appendages protruding afterwards. They looked close to whips, beginning to lash at both Strange and Sun Nao (along with his clones). Prudence's flames were potent, hot like the sun, fueled by her power and temperament. In the midst of this, she quietly muttered an incantation that would envelop her own body in a protective field. She had to remind herself that the young prince should remain alive at the end of this, but was certain that a few burn marks wouldn't scar him entirely.
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Post by Beriadan on May 8, 2024 19:51:41 GMT
"Yes... I did make a first impression, didn't I?"
Strange smirked, raising a hand and creating a runic shield in the air to take on each of Sun Nao's attacks as they came. The boy truly was a prodigy. His attacks were fast, some even slicing through his defenses, causing Strange to bleed and grunt with pain. Even in here, the Mirror Dimension where he had control, where the real world was only reflected, Strange felt pain from this. Even as he reeled, the fires around them sprung up, courtesy of Pru, and began their incineration assault. He gave a small smile as he felt his body getting burnt with each strike.
"But I'm no better than the real Wizard of Oz. A sham... hiding his true face behind a mask..."
Strange's teeth glinted in the light as he grinned wide at the two. His body was taking far more damage than it had been before, attacks from both of his comrades slicing into his body, fire blackening his skin. What remained, a haggared and near skeletal body, spread its arms wide. Two eyes and white teeth grinned ominously down at the other two.
"Size isn't everything, kid. But I reckon it'd help a shit-ton!"
Above Sun Nao and Pru, the whole building began to lift up. The skeletal form of Strange disappeared, ash in the wind. Mirrors folded and stretched, revealing a perfect reflection of New York. Standing over them, hundreds of feet tall, cradling the Sanctum Sanctorum in one hand, stood a giant version of Doctor Strange, looking down at them with that same grin. He tossed the building from one hand to the other, amusement on his face.
"Yeah... this could work. You've got some pretty impressive magic, both of you... so let's ramp this up!"
Strange took a deep breath, then let out a harsh gust of wind. Out of his immense mouth, it was like a hurricane, blasting through the Mirror Dimension and thrusting obstacles aside like paper. In this Dimension, Strange had a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and he was having far too much fun to stop now!
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Post by DornKoon on May 10, 2024 10:15:39 GMT
Sun Nao noticed the flames as soon as they appeared. As the flames' appendages began to lash, He used his staff to parry and dodge them. Still, she was one hell of a witch, much like his.
"Not falling for that a second time!" He said before purposefully leaping onto one of the floating mirror shards, avoiding more of the hellfire. Of the three, except Strange's display of tomfoolery, the youngster seemed both the most wounded... and the least affected by it. He had visible burns on his arms, part of the outfit was singed, and one of the attacks of fire had lashed his cheek. But he still had a lot of energy left, leaping from mirror shard to mirror shard, making it more like a dance than anything else.
"You're not looking so hot, Doc," Sun Nao commented as his master appeared increasingly skeletal but did not appear bothered by it; his divine eyes could see a lot... and he knew that Strange was messing with them again. " And the Wizard did not remain a fraud; he returned in the later books, and Glinda decided to teach him real magic so he could stop being a humbug." He said, using his staff to redirect a shard of mirror in the way of another flame attack from Madame Moon.
"Oh, great, this can't be good," the boy muttered as Strange vanished, and the dimension itself shifted and changed again. Moments later, they were in... New York. No, this was still the mirror dimension, but it looked like New York City. Sun Nao took a deep breath, his grip on the staff tightening as he watched the doctor play with the Sanctum. Was he going to throw the building at them? No, that seemed too basic for someone like Strange.
No, he took a deep breath and... wind. Sun Nao braced himself, digging his feet in, and as the hurricane hit, he remained firmly planted to the ground. The wind was batting his face, and loose objects continued to pelt his body. But Sun Nao remained standing in the middle of the storm. What could he do against this? It felt like facing his father and grandmother at the same time. "Of course, how silly of me..." and then he just relaxed... and was immediately flung backwards from the wind, crashing into the closest replica building of New York, causing a large section of the wall to fall... completely burying him in the rubble.
He could not win this fight in the traditional sense, so he needed to try something else.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Aug 19, 2024 20:06:12 GMT
Her flames were successful enough to summon a satisfied smirk. But the others were nimble still. Well, save for Stephen this time, who decided to take a growth pill. Their surroundings changed into familiar ones as well, as Strange now looked like a kaiju towering over his new playground. Her two companions' chatter was charming, yet nothing that currently needed her input. Instead, she focused on the threat at hand.
In a somewhat uncharacteristic move from Stephen, he released his breath upon them. A gust of wind with the soothing sent of mint made its way to both of his colleagues. At least he took precautions.
While the prince was straining to withstand the gale, Prudence was already in motion with her own form of defense. Her mere presence was powerful enough to likely simply endure, but that lacked flair. Thus, she extended both of her arms to her sides and used her favourite ability: telekinesis.
What this, one of the most well-known abilities, allowed her to do, was to use her raw power to rip huge shards of the dimension itself. In a swift motion, she brought them together in front of her, forming an exceedingly effective shield. The gales slammed against the glass, withstanding the assault rather effortlessly. Once that was done with, Prudence unveiled herself from behind her shield once more, now hurling the massive mirror shards at the almost equally massive Strange.
As they were making their way towards the giant, the elder witch hadn't forgotten about the pupil. In an instant, she conjured several jets of highly compressed water, launching them towards the direction Sun Nao had crashed into. Their enemies would not let up, neither would she.
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Post by Bixir on Aug 20, 2024 5:41:42 GMT
The environment buckled under the continuing assault of these mages and their games. Their sparring here was nothing more than the spare whims of fools playing at something greater. All this time, and it hadn't changed. It would never change. This artificial city-world warped and strained under the weight of the tricks they called magic, not the least of which was that little thing crashing through its fragile matter. Suddenly, the sky started to change color. The passing day turned to cloudy night. Hubris seldom manifested like this. The dimensional shards that Prudence tore out with her magic resonated with her control, but also something else. After she loosed the shards from her will, they became possessed of something else. They moved faster than the eye could follow, deadlier than her original intent. They were no longer heading for the massive Stephen's general form - now, they arced towards his head, like lightning bolts. They were moving far too fast to be stopped now. An instant later, those shards struck him, and just as quickly, the Sorcerer Supreme shattered into millions of pieces. Time slowed to a crawl. The simulacra of the Sanctum Sanctorum that Stephen had been toying with began to plummet, along with all the countless pieces of himself, themselves now more like shards of glass than scraps of flesh. Like the glass shards that had done this, the pieces of Stranged moved with a will of their own, and it was not his. They swam like a school of fish, coalescing near Prudence herself into what was quickly appearing to be... something? Stephen was resembling himself again, but as his pieces were still coming together, he was nonresponsive, including the ability to speak. Nearby, the "city" that Sun Nao had been knocked into started to erode before the boy's very eyes. The buildings, streets, even the debris he had generated moved away as if time was being unwound. Even the rushing waters that Prudence had sent in the boy's direction was forced out, eventually dissipating into the nothingness from whence it came. Then, the sky spoke. The booming, dulcet voice could be felt, heard, everywhere at once. "Well, well. Who do we have here?" |
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Post by BijuuGuy on Sept 1, 2024 22:33:09 GMT
It all happened quickly, this sudden shift in both her surroundings and the energies within. No longer were her makeshift weapons under her control. No longer was there just their potent magic in the dimension. Prudence's audible gasp was drowned out by the loud, continuous shattering of Stephen's vast form. She knew he would probably be fine, yet the image itself still proved shocking enough.
Lasting for only a few moments, however, Prudence composed herself quickly. Her expression still retained a sense of surprise, but was now being painted with shades of discontent and very mild curiosity. The visage of Strange returning, albeit in a warped state, eased her mind ever so slightly.
The voice that spoke from no clear discernible place didn't strike her as familiar, adding to the veritable mystery of the situation. It was also of little importance to her, as her close friend was being dangled in front of her. One thing was for certain, Prudence wasn't one to be silent in a situation like this.
"I hope this is a rhetorical question, dear. I find ignorance deeply insulting."
Prue's words were biting. Her frustration with the situation grew, but with the tone of the invader's voice and his penchant for appearing as a larger than life being, she could gauge that this was likely someone with an ego.
"But... I'll indulge you. Prudence Wharton, Madame Moon, co-founder of Darkwatch. Your non-corporeal form does little to intimidate, as succulent as your timbre may be."
As she spoke, she only took her eyes off of Stephen for a moment, letting her words echo out into her wider surroundings. In this moment, she remembered that the young prince was still unaccounted for. Yet she was certain that he would be fine and taking in this sudden turn of events. Leaving her worry of him in the back of her mind, Prudence wasn't quite done with addressing the voice.
"I would really prefer to not let this charade play out for much longer. Let's get to business. Who are you and what do you want?"
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 4, 2024 5:42:10 GMT
Sun Nao's plan turned out to be a big bust; whatever he had planned evaporated just like the ruins he had been buried in. Still, he was not one to be taken off guard that easily, and he appeared next to Madame Moon moments after she had introduced herself, taking a defensive stance in case he had to step in and defend her... and well... Doc too, but he seemed a little out of it for the moment. Not that Sun Nao thought Prudence needed defending, but she was a lady, and it seemed polite and gave him something to focus on.
"Well--" he muttered, eyes narrowed as he scanned the mirror dimension for any source of the booming voice. He'd have hoped for more illusions, but this was all real, including Strange looking like a jigsaw being put together by a snail. "This just went to Wonderland in a handbasket."
He glanced at Prudence, and there was... something about this voice.
This thing was native to the mirror dimension; at least, Sun Nao could tell that instantly. Its use of magic was not like what Strange did when he manipulated the mirrors; this was someone who was part of it, used to it. He'd seen it before when he visited his father's realm and experienced it; he was more attuned to Flower and Fruit Mountain than most visitors.
"The names Sun Nao, and--" he paused, he tried to think of anything not covered by Prudence... "And what she said..."
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Post by Bixir on Sept 8, 2024 0:37:35 GMT
There was long, drawn out silence. Then, the voice spoke once more. Again, it came from everywhere. There a smugness to it, now... contempt.
"I wasn't speaking to you."
Suddenly, the Strange mosaic jerked, as if pulled by a force. He floated up into the air, centered in front of and above Prudence and Sun Nao. The pieces continued to return to him, though more quickly, now. It was almost complete.
"Doctor Strange. Sorcerer Supreme. Magnificent Meddler. Yes. You will do... nicely."
The entity's anger abated. Then, that relaxed demeanor returned, booming throughout this realm.
"As for you, worms... you may call me: Master." |
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Post by BijuuGuy on Sept 19, 2024 20:10:47 GMT
Prudence didn't quite notice when Sun Nao joined her side, but she glanced over at him as he did. Instantly she sensed his seeming familiarity with whoever this was. Most unusual. She wasn't used to being the one in the dark.
She deliberately ignored the entity's insult. What a childish thing to say to a mystic of her caliber. A sentence that spoke of hubris and ego, the male kind. Unsurprising, yet his power was clear. But before she'd address him again, Prudence's gaze didn't leave Sun Nao, attempting to shed light on her hunch.
"Tell me, Pebble. What do you sense?"
Even if he wasn't certain, she was confident that his musings would provide something at the very least. Until then, she refocused her attention on the unwanted visitor. Disembodied voices always thought they were more frightening than they truly were. Prue's hands were clasped behind her, already building up several spells. First was a silently muttered incantation of "Eterna Mobilis," aiming to bring forth the man from wherever he was hiding. If he was hiding nearby. Another was a spell with no known wording, yet one that would focus Prue's energies into dispelling whatever prison Stephen may have been held in. Both of these were longshots, yet she wasn't going to stand around and listen to this man's bluster.
"Pomp and circumstance is my specialty. I don't play with amateurs, dear."
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 19, 2024 21:28:35 GMT
Sun Nao's eyes narrowed, gaze slowly shifting to look at the surroundings, watching for any changes in the dimension.
"This is a native," he replied to her question. "When Doc manipulated this place, it was different, this one part of it. It's similar to how my and my father's powers work whenever we are on Flowers and Fruit Mountain; it feels as if we belong there, and the place feels the same."
The demigod did not much like the creature's tone of voice. People like that rubbed him the wrong way, something fierce. But he also did not want to put Prudence in danger; he could tell she was planning something, so for the moment, keeping her safe seemed more critical. His senses were on edge, and he was ready to act if anything should happen.
"Nah, I'm good, you can take that and shove it," Sun Nao said, " And keep away from my mentor!"
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Post by Bixir on Sept 19, 2024 22:10:57 GMT
Suddenly, Sun Nao would receive the inexplicable feeling that he was being watched. Not necessarily by a person, but the all-encompassing vulnerability of being seen by... something. That something was not friendly.
"How right you are, little imp. Thus far you are the only one among this merry band with any sense. But mentor? Really?"
The prison containing Doctor Strange, now complete, thrust forward. His hands were pressed directly in front of him, like one contained, even though the thing that he was in did not appear to be like your typical prison. It was a constantly refracting object, each time showing a still image of the man within for a brief moment before transitioning to a new still image. Most of these "images" were snapshots of pain, fear, hopelessness. Doctor Strange - as far as they could tell - was completely frozen within, but the images continued to change as if he was very much writhing in torment.
"Now that, is rich. You can do far better than this... man."
There was naught but cold disgust behind the booming voice. If not for the two standing before him, then most certainly for the pet he had now finished its cage for. Then, the voice was... bored.
"Your "mentor", aha, ha, is mine now. No ifs, ands... or buts. Go home. Return from whence you came, whatever little rock you crawled out of. Be thankful that you aren't joining your good little Doctor. I am a merciful god." |
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Post by BijuuGuy on Sept 30, 2024 20:06:28 GMT
The entity was clearly a dangerous one. And he claimed to be a god. Taking into account Sun Nao's words and this thing's general presence, she was inclined to actually believe that claim. No matter. He was still a threat. So with that in mind, Prudence released both of her spells. Nothing visible happened... yet. For the first time in a while, she wasn't sure if anything would happen at all. Regardless, her energies were rushing to their respective targets. A dangerous play. Then again, she was a dangerous woman.
If her spells took hold, she could at least properly see what they were dealing with. Imprisoning the Sorcerer Supreme was a feat, though she wasn't far from such a status herself. But something told her that this would likely end in their temporary defeat.
"I suppose it's fitting that you blather on and on if you claim to be a god. Though you seem rather fixated on the young prince here. Why?"
It took much to rattle Prudence Wharton. The presence of a so-called native and god wasn't enough either. If she couldn't get answers, at least she could see if he would yield any information. She doubted it, but it was worth a try. In the meantime, a teleportation spell was in the works. Should this entity try anything, Prudence and Sun Nao would immediately exit the dimension, hopefully no worse for wear.
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