Zeta closed her eyes, her hands moving in intricate patterns, her body swaying in a rhythmic, almost trance-like dance. A soft golden light emanated from her, and the air around her shimmered. Within moments, her eyes snapped open, now filled with understanding. She spoke in the local tongue, her accent surprisingly good, "So, this is how you communicate here."
Rynn, intrigued by his sister's rapid adaptation, turned his attention to the talisman clutched in his hand. With a thought, he summoned the captured fursuiter. The shimmering form of the bunny-suited figure materialized before them. With a curious frown, Rynn reached out and carefully removed the oversized bunny head. Beneath it was a young human female with braces on her teeth, her eyes wide with terror. The moment she could see, she burst into tears. "Please, let me go! I made a mistake! I didn't know what I was doing!" she sobbed, her voice thick with fear.
Feeling a rare pang of something akin to pity, Rynn retrieved the original, now dull, talisman she had used. He handed it back to her. "Here. Go home." The human clutched the talisman gratefully, but the moment her fingers closed around it, she shimmered and vanished, only to reappear inside the very same talisman, looking even more distraught.
"Try to portal out," Rynn instructed, a thoughtful expression on his face. The human, desperate, focused her intent. The talisman in her hands began to glow intensely, then crackled and turned to ash. She then Teleported away. But instead of the human reappearing, the ashes swirled and reformed, coalescing into a new being. Standing before them was a creature that resembled the human female, but with distinct beastkin features. She was tall and toned, with smooth, furless skin, but adorned with rge, fluffy white rabbit ears that twitched nervously and a small, white bunny tail that bobbed behind her. Her face retained the human features, albeit slightly more refined.
Rynn examined the reformed talisman in his hand, now pulsing with a vibrant energy. "Ah, I see," he mused. "Looks like the talisman just… corrected itself. Reintegrated whatever essence was truly lost from its control, and even… upgraded it, perhaps as a form of reimbursement for the disruption." He looked at the hybrid creature, who stood silently, her rge human eyes wide and observant. "Pything 2," Rynn decred, a wicked grin spreading across his face. He then noticed her distinct ck of clothing. Eva, ever prepared, quickly conjured an extra Ebonvale Academy uniform from her subspace pockets and handed it to the newly christened Pything 2, who accepted it with a silent nod and immediately began to dress.
This new version of Pything seemed to possess an unnerving level of obedience and an almost analytical gaze. She absorbed everything around her, her silence punctuated by surprisingly insightful comments about furless alien lore and stories, which she shared readily when asked.
Meanwhile, Zeta, who looked remarkably like a golden-furred female version of Rynn now that she had changed into a spare academy uniform Eva had also provided, was deep in conversation with Teris Val’Quen. "So, your cleric css focuses on artifice?" she inquired, her turquoise eyes sharp with curiosity. "Is it truly superior to the Battle Priest's blend of combat prowess and ritualistic might?"
Teris, ever eager to prove his skills, adjusted his gsses. "Superiority is subjective, Lady King, but I believe a demonstration is in order. A duel, perhaps?"
Zeta’s lips curved into a predatory smile that mirrored Rynn’s own. "I accept."
Rynn, watching the exchange with amusement, found himself genuinely confused about whom to cheer for. He liked Teris’s loyalty, but Zeta was his sister. He decided on a diplomatic approach. "Alright, perceptive kitty," he called out to Teris, "go all out! Show my dear sister what you’ve got!" He then turned to Zeta. "And Zeta, darling, please try not to… permanently incapacitate my loyal minion."
The impromptu duel took pce in the academy’s training grounds, drawing a rge crowd of curious students. Teris, the artificer cleric, began by summoning a shimmering arcane shield, its surface inscribed with protective runes. He followed this by activating his staff, a beautifully crafted piece of artifice that crackled with holy energy, and chanting an incantation that conjured bolts of radiant light. Zeta, the battle priest/ritualist, moved with a fluid grace, performing a series of intricate hand gestures that wove a protective ward of bone and shadow around herself. She then drew a wickedly curved ritualistic dagger from her belt, its surface etched with glowing symbols.
The fight began with Teris unleashing a barrage of holy light bolts. Zeta met the attack with a series of swift, precise strikes from her dagger, deflecting the energy bsts with surprising ease. She then unched a counter-offensive, performing a ritualistic dance that blurred her movements, making her a difficult target to track. With each step, she chanted in an ancient tongue, summoning spectral weapons made of solidified shadow that darted towards Teris.
Teris, relying on his artificer skills, activated a series of enchantments on his staff, causing it to transform into a short, energy-bded sword. He met Zeta’s spectral assault with a flurry of precise strikes, the holy energy of his bde cshing against the shadowy weapons, causing bursts of light and darkness. He also deployed several small, intricately crafted drones that hovered around him, firing focused beams of healing energy whenever he sustained a blow. Zeta, in turn, utilized her battle priest training, her movements swift and deadly, her ritualistic dagger fshing in the sunlight as she pressed her attack. She incorporated powerful healing incantations into her fighting style, mending any wounds she received almost instantly.
The duel raged on, a mesmerizing dispy of contrasting combat styles. Teris’s tactical mind and reliance on enchanted artifacts were pitted against Zeta’s raw power, ritualistic skill, and martial prowess. Both fighters dispyed impressive healing capabilities, leading to a prolonged and exhausting battle. Teris summoned more arcane constructs – a suit of shimmering armor that enhanced his strength and a floating orb that unleashed bursts of concussive force. Zeta countered with powerful shadow magic, conjuring tendrils of darkness that shed out at Teris, forcing him to constantly defend himself. She also performed several grounding rituals, drawing energy from the earth to replenish her stamina.
Despite Teris’s ingenuity and the potent enchantments on his gear, Zeta’s stamina proved to be the deciding factor. Hours passed, and while Teris’s movements grew sluggish and his attacks became less frequent, Zeta’s energy seemed inexhaustible. Finally, with a weary sigh, Teris stumbled, his arcane shield flickering and dissipating. He colpsed to the ground, unconscious from sheer exhaustion.
Zeta stood over him, her chest barely heaving, her ritualistic dagger still held loosely in her hand. A hush fell over the watching students, their faces a mixture of shock and awe. Rynn, however, simply smirked. He had noticed the subtle restraint in Zeta’s movements, the almost pyful glint in her eyes throughout the fight. He knew she had been holding back, testing Teris rather than truly trying to defeat him decisively. "Well fought, perceptive kitty," Rynn called out, a hint of pride in his voice. "But it seems my sister has inherited the family’s… endurance."
