[S] Grandma Got Ran Over By A Panserbjørne

[Capsule]

[attr="class","cappa"]

Ah, Snowdonia. Capsule and her newfound friend were still miles from stepping onto the soft, white powder that littered the area, but the altitude and the cold could (gradually) be felt. It occurred to her then and there that while Bosco had a thick coat of fur, most of it was just puppy fluff, and would not be enough to actually protect him from the cold. The snow might be too chilly for him to comfortably stand in for long periods of time. It might have been wiser to request and equip the little pup with a sweater of some sorts, but that kind of foresight had not come to her sooner.

Bosco seemed fine for now, at least; he was able to maintain that bundle of excess energy, and did not seem to be affected by the increase in altitude. Still… The higher they climbed, Capsule kept an eye on the little fellow. Despite how well he was managing when they were first struck with a cold that sent shivers down her spine, the Enchanter paused. Things would only get colder from here, so now was the time to don her thick coat, while it was still somewhat warm.

She would worry about the snow shoes later, but for now she only equipped the jacket, a pair of gloves, a thick, woolen hat, and the balaclava to keep the cold from stinging her cheeks. Capsule felt sufficiently warm (almost a little too much) with the gear on. She continued to lead Bosco up the mountains, planning on scooping him up and tucking him into the front of her coat if things got to be too much for the pup.

Capsule issued a small cry of surprise as pressure built up in her ears, and subsequently popped. Although there was minimal pain, ear popping was a nuisance she did not want to endure ever again. From what she had gleamed in movies, books, and people, sucking on candy or something was supposed to help. Capsule was lacking in the candy department, however. With all of her preparations, she had screwed up and glossed over something important (for comfort).

Hard, packed snow crunched under foot as the landscape shifted from sandy to thick blankets of ice. Now was as good a time as any to put on her show shoes. Bosco was not making a fuss at having cold and frozen paws -- yet, so she allowed the puppy to roam as far as the leash would let him. In hindsight, that may not have been the greatest idea; Bosco was straining towards the unbeaten path, which was lined with frozen ice sculptures. A few of them resembled snowmen, though none of the friendly or malicious variety.

They were not monsters at all, but twisted and awkward ice sculptures constructed by human hands. Capsule shivered as she passed by a wicked looking gryphon. Its back was arched and its front legs raised, as if it were caught in mid pounce, and it was snarling -- or so she perceived the black hole in its face to be doing. Had she chanced upon this path at night, the light from her Magic Light would have casted an eerie glow on this sculpture, and given her fright. Were the Landers of Avon responsible for this…?

Shivering from something other than the cold, Capsule tugged on the leash and trudged on. Sculptures of similar horror and stance were passed by, but none haunted her as much as the gryphon. An irrational fear of the sculptures coming to life encouraged her to complete her taming faster. If, for whatever reason, she was unable to leave before dark, her Call Home skill would be utilized. There was no sense in scaring herself silly.

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Muse:Invaders Must Die
Words:627
Tags:@--

CODED BY BENETNASCH

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[Capsule]

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The disturbing atmosphere shifted to a somewhat cheerier one, as the path finally led her into Snowdonia. Docile penguins and jolly snowmen were playfully sliding around each other. Further back, Capsule could see the naughty snowmen watching with mischievous eyes, and further still, were the malicious snowmen she was concerned about.

A Snowdonia penguin approached her with some curiosity, though notably remaining out of her range. It circled around Bosco, who treated it with similar caution. The penguin should be used to seeing Adventurers by now, but the dog may have been a new encounter for it. It jumped, startled, when the frisky Bosco suddenly lunged forward to sniff at the penguin's belly. With a few honk like sounds, the penguin began to waddle away. Bosco followed, which only made the bird move faster. Agitated, the penguin sharply turned around and made to rush at the puppy. Bosco yelped and ran back towards Capsule. Had the dog been fully grown, he might have stood his ground and given the bird a run for its money.

Capsule scooped up the whimpering pup, and cradled him in her arms. «You should be careful, you know. Even the weakest of creatures here can beat you up.» Now was as good a time as any to restrict the pup's movement. The furry, scrambling ball of fluff was tucked into her coat, with only his head sticking out. The tips of his ears tickled her chin and neck in this position, but it was preferable to him getting kicked in the head by a passing reindeer, or assaulted by a vicious snowman.

Struggling to keep Bosco still with one hand, Capsule used her other to retrieve a thin vial from her inventory. It was the Repel Essence she had made prior to this excursion. One little pop from her thumb uncorked the vial. A murky mist arose from the open vial, latching onto the air around her body as she allowed it to spill out. Hopefully it would mask Bosco as well, though he was so low leveled that the snowmen were unlikely to care about his existence.

Regardless of the orangish mist that clung to her, Capsule did her best to keep a great deal of distance between her and the malicious snowmen. They were made wary at best, and would only attack if they felt threatened. A high leveled Adventurer such as herself (even if she were just a mere Enchanter), was enough to cause them some concern. Capsule avoided making eye contact, and held onto Bosco tighter. As long as they did not draw too much attention to themselves, the snowmen would allow them to pass without molestation.

The albino's stomach was twisted into knots, and her chest aching from holding her breath, but it was all worth it to bypass the small gathering of malicious snowmen in her way. Jollier snowmen and uninterested penguins greeted her on the other side, along with a collection of Crystal Reindeer. Their levels greatly varied, but a few of the reindeer were just the level she needed, and at her level as an Animal Trainer.

Bosco's confined tail lightly tapped her in the side as he wagged in approval. The snowmen and penguins were all knew to him, and so were the graceful reindeer that she intended to tame. «Those are Crystal Reindeer,» she whispered to the dog. «With any luck, I shall be taming a new friend for you, but you have to be quiet. If you bark, you'll spook them, and they will run. Understand?» Bosco turned his head up to lick at her chin. Capsule was unsure if that was a lick of agreeance, or just a regular old dog lick. Either way, it worked for her. «Okay, let's get going.»

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Muse:Desert Eagle
Words:629
Tags:@---

CODED BY BENETNASCH

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[Capsule]

[attr="class","cappa"]

It had been a good while since she had last properly scouted a beast, but Capsule felt very sure about her abilities. The reindeer were docile creatures by nature, so there was very little for her to fear or worry about. Her eyes glazed over the small and younger reindeer, which were cute and all, but not big enough to serve as mounts and such. She wanted an adult reindeer, one that could safely carry her weight. 'I can't imagine that it will be very comfortable, though. Her reason for thinking this was a rational one; the crystal reindeer, as their name implied, possessed bodies of crystalline proportions. Capsule could feel her backside freezing at just the mere sight of them. A good saddle would definitely be in order.

She shoved Bosco's head further into her coat, and squatted low to the ground. One thickly gloved hand reached down to seize a clump of strange glass, which seemed to be constructed out of ice or a gem of sorts. It seemed like something the reindeer might eat, but then she could be wrong. There was certainly no harm in trying, though.

Weird grass in hand, Capsule searched the landscape for a suitable reindeer. It took a few minutes, due to the creatures blending in too well with their surroundings, but she spotted one that was bigger than the others. The reindeer appeared to be fully grown, and boasted a set of magnificent antlers upon its head. Whether or not it was male was another question altogether. Capsule did not know much about deer, other than that the males had antlers, though that was not always the case with reindeer. One thing was for certain: it looked strong.

The reindeer was so strongly built that she had confidence it would not flee at the first sight of her. Sure, deer were known to be skittish, but reindeer were larger and stronger, so this one should not be so easily afraid of her. Still, Capsule tread carefully as she picked her way over to the grazing reindeer. Smaller and younger reindeer lingered near it, and quite a few of them looked to the large reindeer when she drew too close to them. Was the large reindeer their parent, guardian, leader, or all of the above?

A lump found itself in Capsule's throat as she grew within ten meters of the reindeer. It paused in its feeding to regard her with bright, indifferent eyes. Was it really going to just let her touch it? Capsule hesitated. One good kick from the reindeer's legs could shatter a grown man's ribcage with relative ease. Her own gave a sympathetic pang. Even if it were only temporary, she did not relish the thought of being sprawled out on the cold ground.

The reindeer had returned to feeding, but kept a wary eye on the Enchanter. This was fine. It was just making sure she did not get too close or try anything funny… right? With bated breath, Capsule forced herself to take tiny steps around the reindeer, trying to approach it from the front, and not the side or back. She wanted to give it the illusion of being the one in control, and not the other way around; if it thought it was being threatened, it might try to attack or bolt.

With careful movements and a delicate flick of her wrist, Capsule toggled on her Pacify skill. This would make the reindeer even more susceptible to her charms. «Hi. Hello there, friend.» The reindeer gave a soft snort. «Easy, easy… I only wish to be your friend.» She suddenly wished she had a salt lick. Did the reindeer even like salt licks? All she had to offer was this frozen grass stuff. Slowly, she leaned forward and extended her arm.

The reindeer's nostrils flickered as it picked up the scent of the grass cupped in Capsule's open palm. Seconds went by, during which the Enchanter was fully expecting to have her hand bitten and ripped off of her arm. Almost a full minute went by, before the reindeer decided to inspect the (not literally) frozen arm. Warm breath penetrated her glove, and the tips of gentle teeth tickled her hand. Capsule forced herself to remain still, despite how odd it felt to have the large creature (literally) eating out the palm of her hand.

«See? That was easy, was it not?» The reindeer finished off what was in her hand, and lightly nipped and nuzzled at her arm for more. «Here,» she said, pulling up more of the strange grass and offering it to the creature. «If you decide to come along with me, I can supply you with even tastier treats and adventures.» The reindeer snorted again. «You aren't very talkative, huh?» That was okay. She had already successfully scouted the reindeer, if its behavior was any inclination. «But first, I will need you to do something for me.»

The crystal reindeer tilted its head to the side, as if to ask "What do you want from me?" «Help me find a polar bear?» She was not asking it to fight for her -- yet, anyway. The snowfield bears were allegedly gentle creatures, so the use of force would be a last resort type of thing. And in case the reindeer was inclined to disagree… Capsule swiftly used the Domesticate on it. It would simply not do to have the reindeer experience a change of heart when things were just heating up.

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Muse:If I Ever Feel Better
Words:919
Tags:@--

CODED BY BENETNASCH

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[Capsule]

[attr="class","cappa"]

Coercing the reindeer with food was one thing. Trying to convince it to let her climb onto its back was another. Having never ridden a horse in her life, Capsule was at an utter loss. She was tall in this body, yes, but one could not simply throw their legs over a reindeer and be done with it. For starters, they would have to near giant sized to sling a leg over with utmost ease, as if they were merely stepping over the creature. Capsule tried to prop one leg up on the reindeer's side, to no avail. She was a wee mage, not a strapping Guardian, Monk, or Samurai. Physical strength was never her thing outside of the game, either; the only real use she had for it was kicking off of ledges or performing headstands and the like -- typical antics required of free runners, in other words.

Being weighed down in all this gear was doing her no favors, besides. Ditching the jacket was obviously a big no no, but the snow shoes she could do without. Even with the snow shoes off, Capsule still had trouble. She wrapped her arms around the reindeer's muscular shoulders, and haplessly flailed her leg around, trying in vain to kick it over the beast's side. All the while, the reindeer remained a cool air of indifference. Bosco was obviously confused, but seemed to be enjoying Capsule's failure.

Finally, when she was close to falling over in exhaustion, Capsule decided it was time to try something entirely different. If she could not climb onto the reindeer's back from this stance, perhaps it would be best to get it to kneel? Reindeer could kneel, right? She talked to it in a gentle voice, and with some more of the weird grass, managed to coax it into lowering ever so slightly. This was…a small improvement that she could work with. Growing frazzled by the second, Capsule backed up a few paces. She was going to try for a drastic maneuver, a simple one she had perfected in her years of free running.

Bosco yelped in delight as his mistress surged forward. She stopped short to slam the palms of her hands onto the reindeer's back, kicking her legs back into the air. Using the strength and weight redirected into her arms and hands, Capsule successfully performed an awkward vault. The goal was not to leap over the reindeer, but to jump on top of it. For one brief moment, her legs were extended beyond her head, her eyes gazing at the white field of snow on the other side of the reindeer. With some quick maneuvering, Capsule prevented herself from falling over. She ended up with her body half on and half off the reindeer, but it was smooth sailing from there.

Poor Bosco was not enjoying the weight of the Enchanter being pressed down on him, no matter how short the duration. The puppy whined and complained the entire time as Capsule sat up in proper riding position. It took him just as long to calm down, for Capsule could hardly soothe him in her state. That would require letting go of her perch, a risky move that had the potential to unseat her if the reindeer decided to trot off. It remained patient through all of Capsule's antics, but that may have worn thin over time. There was no point in risking it for the biscuit.

«Ok, reindeer. Mush!» She lightly pressed her heels into its side. The reindeer snorted softly, and took its sweet time moving forward. Her desire to see a snowfield bear was previously communicated to it, so hopefully it kept that in mind as it got going. Though, it staying silent this entire time was rather unnerving. Was it just not feeling very chatty? Oh well. It's not like she tamed the creature for its conversational skills. She only needed it for a mount and sometimes combat partner.

With more gentle prodding, the reindeer gradually picked up speed. Soon they were gliding effortlessly over the snowy landscape, nimbly dodging around or hopping over snowmen and penguins. Capsule lowered her head down, close to the reindeer's neck. Her arms were wound tightly around that strong, crystalline neck, mercifully blanketed with her coat and jacket. The chill from the creature's hard "skin" threatened to seep through the fabric of her balaclava. From his spot in the front of the jacket, Bosco whimpered. He was done squirming, though that was largely due to Capsule's leaning. It was preferable to the dog being trampled by hooves, however.

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Muse:Be Still
Words:766
Tags:@--

CODED BY BENETNASCH

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[Capsule]

[attr="class","cappa"]

The reindeer came to a stop eventually, outside of a large structure that could only be the sports stadium complex. It was abandoned, however, after the dome ceiling caved in. It was a shame that the Landers had not bothered to repair it -- Capsule could easily see the building being put to good use by fellow Adventurers. That also begged the question of why no one has tried to rebuild it, but oh well. Based on their proximity to the complex, Capsule had to guess that the place was teeming with monsters.

A quick scan of the surrounding area confirmed this; there were more malicious snowmen hanging around, but also a few reindeer and -- for a brief moment she caught a glimpse of something large moving behind a tree. Capsule sucked in her breath and held it there. Was that a polar bear? Did they rule the complex, since the humans had long ago abandoned it to fall into further disrepair? It made sense in a way, but she was expecting the polar bears to live further up in the mountains… but if that were the case, would there not be a larger conglomeration of them? She did not fancy the idea of rolling up in a den of cubs and their overprotective mother. A solitary bear was better than a clan.

Getting down was much easier than climbing up. All it required was that she slide one leg over to join the other, rotate her body, and hop down. She stumbled slightly as her feet made contact with the ground, but stuck the landing. The rope that was originally tethered to Bosco was wrapped and tied around the nameless reindeer's neck. Even if it was domesticated, it still had a mind of its own. Capsule did not need lip in the form of sporadic jerking or other sass.

Snow crunched under foot as she led the reindeer around the complex. The snow here was better packed, nullifying the need for her snow shoes. Whatever lived here prowled frequently; there was a mix of hooves and what looked to be a set of large paw prints leading to and from the establishment. Now, Capsule knew next to nothing about polar bears, but she ninety percent sure that the paw prints belonged to one. The guide she had skimmed through earlier made no mention of other creatures capable of leaving said tracks, and she had doubts that a regular old bear would dare to linger near here. The tracks could only belong to a Snowfield Bear.

The bears were allegedly gentle, provided you did not get too close or harassed their cubs. As an Animal Trainer, the former was kind of an obstacle. If she could not get close to it, then how would she be expected to tame it? Food. The answer had to be food. Bears were mostly carnivores too, so meat… but the only thing around for it to feasible eat were penguins, and even Capsule knew that in the real world, penguins and polar bears lived too far apart to interact. They would have to do, though; the only food on her she had were some waffles and a Lander sandwich, neither of which would be likely to interest a polar bear. She did not fancy slaughtering a group of cute and innocent little penguins, but alas…

It was highly convenient for the small party to stumble upon a small colony of penguins, likely out scouting for food to bring home to their wives and chicks. There was a frozen ring of ice on this side of the complex, probably an old pool of some sorts, or a natural body of water. The penguins were hopping out of it in pairs and shaking their slick bodies of moisture. They were all under level ten, too, which meant nothing to the mid-level reindeer or the high leveled Enchanter. With a small sigh, Capsule untied the reindeer, and nodded at the eight penguins waddling away from the ice. There would be time for remorse later. For now, she needed that bait to lure out and capture the polar bear.

Capsule skimmed over the list of skills afforded to her new companion, picking only those that were immediately and the most helpful in this situation. Charge and Festive Shotgun were highly relevant. «Forgive me,» the Enchanter said in a hushed tone. This was not going to be pretty at all. «Reindeer! Ambush those penguins with Charge. Go, now!» Without a moment of hesitation, the reindeer shot forward.

The first penguin, leading the procession of flightless birds, honked in fear and tried to turn and waddle out of the way of the charging reindeer. The ones behind it were completely caught off guard, however; their gaze was too set on the panicking penguin to notice the reindeer until the last minute. A series of birdlike screams rent the air as the reindeer slammed into the thick of the flock. The penguins that were unfortunate enough to make contact with the reindeer were killed almost immediately. Two died and burst into a smattering of bubbles when it slammed them with its hooves.

«Now! Festive Shotgun!» The air in front of Capsule was lit up like the Fourth of July as the reindeer charged magic into its horns, and released red and green lasers from the tips. The penguins were thusly exterminated nearly all at once, leaving bubbles and loot upon the ground. Said loot consisted of gold, a fish or two, and heaps of penguin meat. Had a Chef been around to complete the dirty task, more meat would be on the ground. What she had right now was more than enough, though. «Good work, you!»

She patted the crystal reindeer on the back to show approval. That was an extremely easy task, which of course was a lose / lose situation for the penguins since the very beginning. Capsule silently thanked the penguins for their death. Because of them, she would finally have what she had always wanted -- an armored polar bear.

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Muse:Maps
Words:1014
Tags:@--

CODED BY BENETNASCH

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[Capsule]

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Even with the thick, padded gloves covering her hands, Capsule could still feel the slimy meat. It was shifting around, some throbbing like a live heart, the rest lightly steaming in the cold. If she listened hard enough, she swore she could even hear a telltale thumping from the thick of the meat pile. It was all in her head, of course. Capsule was a victim of her own guilt. Although she was not the one directly responsible for the slaughter of the penguins, the blood was still on her hands.

She was the one who gave out the orders to wipe the cute little creatures out. The crystal reindeer was just obeying her orders. Because of Capsule, the penguin's chicks and wives would be left to wonder what became of their husbands. But when? When their chicks were crying for sustenance after hatching, only to find not an upchucked morsel, but sad nuzzles and clumsy attempts at comfort? And who would watch the chicks when their mothers were forced to venture out for food? Who would protect them from the treacherous sea gulls or other predators?

Her stomach turned as she collected the penguin meat into a child's abandoned snow pail. This was a massacre, and there was no excuse for it, even if she was that hard up for a polar bear companion. There had to be another way, a cleaner way, but it was far too late for regrets now. Capsule would have to live with her mistake for the rest of her life. Or until she got over it, whichever came first.

A distant memory invaded Capsule's mind as they left the scene of the mass murder. Once upon a time, roughly a year ago now (which was difficult to imagine -- she was a year older now, right?), she had bumped into someone. For some reason, she could not remember the man's face. All that came to mind was grey cloth and the words… goth ninja? It was such a random memory that she had no idea how it was relevant to her current situation, and so pushed it out of her mind for now.

The reindeer was leading her back to the complex, outside of a wall with a hole large enough for a bear to squeeze through. Capsule started to go through it, but something told her to stop. She activated Hearing Aptitude, just as a set of dark brown eyes glared back at her from within. With a soft gasp, the Enchanter quickly backpedaled out of the way. The reindeer was no fool; it had not come within ten feet of the hole.

«Vhy yo come hole, eh? You vant be flattened, leetle girl?» Capsule was taken aback by the thick Russian accent. The bear did not sound overly hostile, however. He sounded annoyed, sure, but was not in a hurry to make good on his threat. «Vell?! Vhat yo 'ave say self?» The tip of a nose was emerging from the darkness.

Capsule slowly backed away, one hand held up in self-defense. «Ah! I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean to disturb you-» A snout and was protruding now, and along with it came the rest of the polar bear's head. «I… I just…»

A low growl sounded from the polar bear, but trailed off when he spotted the bucket in her hand. «For me?» His shoulders were now visible as he wandered further from his hole.

It took all she could to refrain from calling out or running as the massive polar bear loped out of the complex. «Y-yes. I brought you a tribute of penguins. I thought it would appease a g-great bear such as yourself-» The unimpressed bear snorted and moved to sniff at the bucket. Nervously, Capsule upended the contents onto the ground. «All yours, see? I just… I just…»

«VHAT, VOMAN?! SPIT OUT VORDS!» He waved a large paw.

«I uh… would like your assistance…»

«Is good, meat is.» The bear chewed noisily on a mouthful of the penguin meat, bobbing his head in agreement. «Yo vant Aleksei? Yo feed 'guin.» Somehow, she felt very little reassurance at his words. The polar bear was not being difficult, at least.

Fearful, Capsule timidly activated her Pacify skill. She had already passed the scouting part by enticing the hungry bear with meat, but the next part would be tricky. «Okay, Mr. Aleksei. I hope we can be great friends.» She was in the process of stooping over, though the movement seemed to drag on for an eternity. A trembling hand dared to hover over the large bear's head. One brown eye flicked lazily up at her, and then redirected back to the meat. He was a confident one, wasn't he?

It was with a heavy stomach that Capsule desummoned the reindeer to its slot, to make room for the polar bear. She Domesticated him quickly, before Pacify could wear off or he changed his mind. There was nothing worse than a fickle predator. Not even taming this beast could make her feel entirely safe to touch him, however. Her hand dropped to the side as she took a step back. In her coat, Bosco was trembling as a series of puppyish growls escaped his clenched jaw.

Capsule had a few questions for the bear, chiefly his Russian accent on this server, but then that would beg the question of polar bears and penguins coexisting near Britain. The answer all boiled down to "vidya gaem logic". Whatever. She had her bear, which she was admittedly terrified of. It was mid-level, like the reindeer, but would be more willing to rip her apart if she betrayed him.

While the bear was finishing off the last of his meat, Capsule slotted him in the empty, second slot, and summoned the reindeer back onto the field. She was shaken up by the whole ordeal, and counted herself lucky that the polar bear… Aleksei, was partial to penguin flesh. For now, she just wanted to get out of here before it grew dark. There was a lot of work to be done, namely research she should have long conducted. Her long hiatus was spent more on comprehending and reading than any actual crafting. 'Time to remedy that.'

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Muse:Murderers
Words:1043
Tags:@---

CODED BY BENETNASCH

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