Move Along

[purplexing]

Who: Donnie and you!
What: Just turtling around and a side of mini-missions
When: Throughout the month
Where: Camp and then some
Content Warnings: N/A initially, possibly violence in mini-mission thread
Notes: Will match posing format


i. Green Is the New Blue
In the days following the winter celebration, Donatello's been largely scarce around the Camp. Not that he particularly feels anyone might miss him, especially with his list of acquaintances being so short, now shorter by one. It hurts and he's not even sure why.

Gardening is oddly therapeutic, and it's where one might catch him early on in the month. The little space sits against a small dwelling at the edge of the mage's sector. An old awning hangs over it to keep it from too much exposure to the elements. The turtle's dressed warmly from head to toe, the hood of his coat pushed back as he stoops there beside a bed of leafless stems, pulling pesky weeds that are trying to take advantage of the flower's hibernation period.


ii. When Your Head Won't Shut Up
Talking with Juhani about the dechipping process had helped him in deciding what he'd been waffling on. Donatello wants to know if he can still access his ninpo, and the only way to find out is to get that awful chip out.

He doesn't remember the process and feels he's probably better off that way. Part of him wonders that he should have had a look at the thing, but right now he's just glad to know it's gone. After giving himself a few days to recuperate, he's out looking for an ideal place to try focusing. His initial attempts at sparking his mystic tech haven't gone so well but he doesn't think that power itself is the problem so much as himself. Hopefully the Jedi doesn't mind when he decides her training grounds seem the place to do so.

He sits on one of the carved-out rocks, doing his best to ignore the chill without his hoodie as he takes a deep breath of the crisp winter air. Meditation is not his strong point but he tries to remember how to go about it.


iii. Staff Connoisseur
"Hmm..." The Xin Night Market may not be the obvious choice to look for a replacement staff but looking at the other marketplaces so far hasn't turned up anything interesting. He supposes he's just picky, but when it comes to finding a suitable weapon, you have to be.

Donatello stands by a stall of knick-knacks, chewing on a stick with some barbecued something-or-other as can only be told by the charred leg sticking out of his mouth. The staff he's picked up is short by his standards. He's not extremely tall himself, just a handful of inches over five feet, but having anything shorter than him would defeat the purpose of keeping opponents at bay. Still, he gives it an experimental spin before setting it back in the urn it had been sitting in. "Sigh, maybe I should just go back to building my own weapons," he mutters.


iv. Mini Mission - Pest Control
The things you do for money. It's unfortunate that all the things Donnie wants to do will eat away at the limited funds he's been provided, even with missions. He supposes it would be poor form to try hacking people's accounts, at least in this city.

Hunting down dragons, or some divergent, is not his typical idea of making a quick buck. If this were New York he'd scoff at the idea of there being dragons because those clearly don't exist. But this isn't New York, and when you were dealing with an alien world then who's to say what's real anymore?

And such is how Donatello finds himself at the foot of a mountain range, looking less and less enthused by the idea by the moment. "They're just two feet long, no big deal," he tries to convince himself. "Just...imagine flying mutant silverfish. Or don't- I sure hope they don't multiply on contact..."


v. Wildcard!
((OOC: Choose your own adventure! Hit me up on Disco or Plurk or throw me a curveball and we'll go from there))

Comments

Choosing Mini Mission - Pest Control

[nitashix]

Jack woke up at the sight of a few strangers crowding around him just outside Cyborg. The last he remembered was having a few drinks inside the pub whilst having fun with a few folks in some sort of gambling game and everything went blurry from then. He jolted up, startling the crowd who all backed away from him, as he forced his way through them.

'What the hell was that?," he mused to himself as he tried to get himself together. He could still hear the gossip of bystanders around him but chose to simply brush them off. He lumbered along the streets, enduring the sharp headache that tormented him since waking up as he tried his best to remember the path to his shack.

He reached for his pocket to check for his comms device, which was thankfully still with him. As he pulled it up, he immediately took notice of a couple of unread notifications. He was a bit hesitant in checking them at first, given his painful headache but decided to read a few anyway. As usual, it gave a list of new missions that he could complete to earn some rewards.

As he scanned the missions, his vision quickly panned to the word 'jewelries'. 'Ah booties!," he thought, magically relieving him from the torment of his hangover. He grinned excitedly, as he read back at the details of a mission labelled as 'Dragonet Hoards'.

After the read, he rushed towards his shack, as if not having a hangover, to collect his hoverboard then headed over the mountain range to the Dragonet lair.

"Woohooo!," he yelled, feeling the rush of wind against his face. Though it earned a few glares from the other rebels around him as usual, he simply went ahead with only the 'booties' in the mission in his mind. It was a long flight but his excitement made him simply breeze through the journey as the wind caressed his hair and fluttered his shirt. As he approached, he immediately took notice of a familiar figure. It was Donatello who arrived before him in the site.

"Ahoy mate!," he greeted with his usual loud and boisterous voice, as he slowed down to hover next to the turtle.

[purplexing]

That was a sure way to break him out of his thoughts and give him a near heart attack. If Donatello were a cat rather than a turtle his fur would be standing on end right about then. The glare he shot at the pirate tapered off quickly as he sighed, realizing who it was.

"Jack. Let me guess, you're here for a treasure hunt." It wasn't really much of a guess considering the recent mission postings, and with Jack being who he was, well, Donatello supposed he should have expected it would draw the attention of a pirate.

[nitashix]

"Ha! Did ye' really 'ave to ask?," Jack laughed, making another loud sound that echoed around the low mountain. It wouldn't be surprising if his companion would be annoyed by it, not that Jack would be one to easily notice, but perhaps it's just him being overly excited about the task at hand.

"So, what did ye' find out so far?," he then asked, immediately breaking his laughter after noticing the awkwardness that he created. He glanced at Donatello with a guilty grin, as if silently apologizing for his sudden behavior.

[purplexing]

It was hard not to twitch a little at the pirate's volume. He winced a little, rubbing at where his ears might be. "I know you're excited and all but could we turn it down a bit, pal? You keep that up and you'll have everything in ten miles know we're out here."

At least Jack didn't seem completely oblivious. Donatello nodded, pulling out his tablet. "The species we are dealing with are called dragonets. They are roughly two feet long and their nesting grounds are here in the lower mountain regions. Just because they are small does not mean that they aren't dangerous as they are poisonous, so try to avoid getting bit."

He swiped through the intel he'd looked up. "I've downloaded a list of items that people have posted have been stolen by the dragonets, so if we find any of them we can return them for a reward," he continued before smiling crookedly at Jack. "But other than that, it's pretty much free game. Also I heard dragonet parts are used by various businesses back at the camp so we can take a few of those back too."

[nitashix]

Jack pinned his eyes on the turtle's tablet, leaning in to get a better look. He let out a low whistle after scanning over the list himself while listening to Donatello's briefing. "Whew, now that's neat. Why didn't I read that part before?", he whispered to Donnie, surprisingly keeping a low tone this time. As the turtle swiped through the tablet's screen however, Jack couldn't help but notice shadows that slithered their way across the device. As he looked up, a couple of the dragonets as shown on the mission briefing appeared right above them.

"But err...I guess the mission starts now," he warned, pulling up a pistol from his side. Moreover, he activated the watch-like device on his left wrist, letting out a screeching noise before the watch grew into the size of a medieval buckler. "Got anything else ye' need to say before we get this party started, mate?" he yelled out forming a battle stance in front of their numerous foe.

[purplexing]

"Probably because you took off as soon as you heard there was stuff to find," Donnie surmised, giving Jack a lidded look. Returning his attention back to the list, his finger froze over the screen of his tablet as he noticed the movement as well. Slowly he turned his head. Oh great.

"Sure looks that way," he had to agree, hastily shoving his tablet away. He grabbed the collapsible staff from his belt, brow settling into something of a more determined expression. "Try not to get separated and don't go too far if you can help it. I'll cover your back if you watch mine. I don't know if these two are sentries but we better take 'em out fast and keep an eye out for more."

He extended the staff with a spin, falling into position as the dragonets screeched and dove for them.

[nitashix]

Jack quickly flew in front of Donnie, raising his shield to block one of the dragonets and firing his pistol to shoo away the other. "Haha, glad to have ye back," Jack exclaimed, as he accelerated to push against the foe behind his metal tool. Trusting Donnie to take care of the other one who got distracted with his shot, he focused his bullets instead on his current target.

To his horror however, more of the dragonets appeared right before them, and even a few more dotting the horizon. "Blimey! We need a better plan for those!," he yelled, pushing one of the buttons behind his clockwork shield. The mechanism whirred, the clock in front of it winding in a counter-clockwise motion along with its gear-like components, releasing what looked like a heatwave shot towards the approaching flock of dragonets.

It wouldn't be that hard to notice that their flapping wings started to slow down, along with the speed of their approach. "We'll rip ye' to pieces ye' scabby buggers," he yelled once more as he fired shots at the slowed-down beasts.

[purplexing]

The turtle moved quickly, his staff snapping upwards to catch the dragonet's head before the creature was flung downwards with a reverse twirl. He looked back as Jack shouted, gasping at the sight of more. Not unexpected, unfortunately, but not ideal either.

"Whoa, what was that?" Donnie was already piecing together whatever it was that Jack's fancy shield had done by motif and results alone. "How long does that effect last?" He couldn't do much against them while they were still a distance away, but it gave him some time to check around for anything trying to come at them from any other angles.

"I know they want us to thin them out but if we stick around we're going to be fighting them all day- we need to find the entrance to one of their nests!"

[nitashix]

"Not that long mate! But I'll keep an eye on them while ye' look fer the entrance alright?", Jack suggested, somehow conveniently hunting them from a fair distance. As much as he enjoyed the adrenaline rush however, Donnie's right at the trouble the fight could bring them if it continued. Aside from the risk of being outnumbered, fighting them would be much harder once the effect of his tech magic wore off.

Although a couple of the dragonets started to fall to the ground, more of them came into view fortunately getting caught in Jack's impeding curse. Their screeches still sounded menacing from where he stood, but more menacing was the thought of them reclaiming their speed and attacking Jack all at once.

"Ye can tell me anytime mate once ye've seen something," he yelled again while he took down as many dragonets as he could.

[purplexing]

If only his mystic tech was working..! Donatello hesitated a moment, turning to look at the dragonets that were slowly but surely still attempting to make their way towards them. Jack was picking them off rather effectively, but who knew how long this would last, especially if more came. They had to make themselves scarce before that happened.

"I'll leave it to you then," he nodded, turning to dart off towards the rocky terrain of the mountainside. He flipped his goggles down. They'd be a headache sorting anything out from the readouts in the Witches Camp, but out here he might be able to actually use it to his advantage.

"I'm sure there were some number of magical items that were stolen... So any mystic energy should still pick up on my goggles- ah-hah!"

The readout on his goggles flared with that familiar glow, prompting a grin from the turtle as he hurried towards an opening that he was sure he would have otherwise missed, almost an optical illusion for the placement of a rocky outcropping before it. He shoved his goggles up again as he peered into it and then stepped back.

"Jack! I've found it!"

[nitashix]

It was just 'in the nick of time' when Donnie yelled, as Jack knew his tech magic was about to wear off. "Good job mate!," he exclaimed before releasing one more shot and racing towards the turtle. He flew as quickly as he could, aiming to at least get out of the dragonets' sight before they could move normally again.

"I don't see an entrance there mate," he complained, confused at the view of boulders before them. Rushed by the thought of the dragonets tailing them, however, he got no choice but to fly alongside Donnie anyway.

[purplexing]

Donnie seemed to disappear behind the rocks. Being on foot himself, he opted to move a little more carefully once in the narrow passageway that wound in a winding path.

"The hoard's some one hundred feet in, but that was only judging from a straight shot. I have no idea how long this goes."

The way wove back and forth, zigging and zagging, with thankfully only a few branch-offs that didn't go for very long and only led to dead-ends. Donnie had to wonder that the dragonets actually used this way in. Another problem they'd just have to deal with later.

It seemed long enough before they'd both get a whiff of the heavy scent one might expect from an area heavily inhabited by creatures. The way opened up into a wider cavern, the space itself not incredibly huge but long enough for a several of buses and about the width of two side-by-side at its narrowest points. While it wasn't completely dark, the lighting was limited to shafts that came from above, cracks straight through the cavernous ceiling that rose so much higher and apparently led straight outside though possibly far too narrow for people to get through.

[nitashix]

Jack shadowed Donnie as he jump off the hoverboard, and made his way behind one of the boulders. Upon seeing the entrance for himself, he couldn't help but gulp, realizing his foolishness in doubting the turtle's direction. He retracted his shield back to its bracelet state and continued to tail the turtle.

As they went further inside, the scent of wild beasts grew stronger with each step, though nothing worse than the usual odors he's gotten used to back in his piracy days. It was a maze but learning his lesson earlier, he knew better than question any of the paths his companion took. He scanned around, though the scarcity of light made it too hard for him to recognize anything in detail. All throughout their walk, all Jack could do was tail the turtle in silence, deprived of the slightest clue as to where they were headed.

"This sure looked too empty for a nest mate. Don't ye think?," Jack remarked, confused at the lack of any noise even after the long walk they took. He wouldn't want to unnecessarily question his companion once again, but he couldn't help but notice that one particular detail.

Wildcarding to show Donnie some magic!

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

Steven waves cheerfully at the green fellow heading his way. "Donatello! Over here!" He's kind of excited about this. Steven has a couple people he'd maybe call friends, but not like.. really, and some of them are Marc's friends first, and none of them are actual Tians like him who might actually be interested in magic.

"I thought I'd show you my two teachers' shops," he offers, "in case you want to meet them later and get lessons, too. And then maybe I can walk you through a couple spells?"

\o/

[purplexing]

Compared to Witch Town in the Hidden City, the Mage Sector is practically mundane. Mundane with some weirdness sprinkled in and a lot of odd specialty shops, but nothing that made Donatello uncomfortable about walking around without April at his side. All the same he brightens a bit as he hears his name and sees the man waving at him.

"Hey Steven," he greets as he trots over. That the man's clearly put some thought into introducing Donatello to magic is something the turtle definitely appreciates. "Sounds good to me. Where should we start?"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Well, we're just down the block from one of my teachers, and the other is off that way a bit." He gestures vaguely further north. "We can just walk and I'll show you around first, I thought. Have you done a lot of exploring yet?"

[purplexing]

Donnie notes the directions with a nod. "Sounds good. I'm just following your lead on this one," he says. "I haven't done too much exploring around here. Been around the marketplace mostly, but a lot of it in general's been me not knowing what I should be looking for or where to begin."

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"It's not even the least bit straight-forward, either," Steven says apologetically, like it's his fault the mage sector is kind of hard to navigate. "I know it pretty well by now, but that's more because I spend a lot of time here than because it makes sense. Here, this is Visindy's shop," he adds, gesturing towards the door and shop front. There's a large woman behind the counter with a book, who doesn't seem to notice them go past. "She's the one who did my tether with Layla. She knows about Marc, too. She's really good with things like blessings and healing magic and practical things like opening locks or detecting spells."

[purplexing]

As they pass the shop, Donnie peers inside, making mental notes. He looks back at Steven, brow lifting at the mention of tethering, but he pushes away a frown, instead nodding. That's a whole other can of worms he doesn't want to deal with right now, save for doing some research on it.

"Is there some kind of prerequisite or general introductory magic spell to learn before anything else? What's the first thing you picked up?"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Oh, well, you definitely need to start with the easiest spells. I started with just making light," Steven explains. He frees his hands from where they'd gravitated together again, and flicks the fingers on his right hand. A flare of light appears over their heads, not as bright as he could go, but also easy to see even in daylight. "See? It starts with a verbal component, too, but I'm good enough at the easy ones now that I can either do verbal or gesture, but I don't need to do both. The more complicated the spell is, the more prep and components you have to go through to finish it."

[purplexing]

This is where fourteen-year-old him would have scoffed at the idea of conjuring up a magical light when science clearly covered that many times over. "Whoa." It still looks painfully simple as Steven simply manifests it at the flick of his fingers. The explanation helps more than the man may realize.

"Okay, so when you say component, what all else is there to it? There has to be a sort of connection made to something, maybe? I can see how words or an action can act as a trigger, an ignition," Donnie asks, speaking his thought process as he gestures like he could piece things together, still trying to fit magic into concepts he can understand better. "-but what's powering it?"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Well, that's me, innit?" Steven lets the light bounce around over their heads, directing it like a little comment with one pointing finger. "In most cases the power for a spell comes from inside the caster, right. There's things you can do to make the drain less like working with a focus or in concert with other casters, and you can build up your endurance with time, and the really complicated spells you can do in chunks so it doesn't just knock you out, and there's a way to enchant objects to do a simple spell for you but it's pretty tricky."

He looks back at Donnie with a smile. "But that's why you have to start small, so it doesn't wipe you out completely, yeah? Gotta work up to the big stuff."

[purplexing]

Donnie starts nodding vigorously as he follows along with the explanation. Maybe if his brothers...or anyone, really, had been able to explain magic operating in this way two years ago then he wouldn't have been so annoyed. Well, no, it hadn't just been the lack of understanding then.

"And that's why there's a limitation on how many spells you can do at the start, right? You get only as much as you give, but you're also working it like a muscle at first."

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"Exactly. Took me a little while to work that out, actually, because the people here teach it really-- arbitrarily, you know? Oh, you're level one, you can only do this many spells. Why? Just because," Steven says, and dismisses the light with a wave, like he's flapping away a fly. "But it really is just down to energy and building up your own strength. And the more you practice, the faster you get to do more-- within reason, and all, you're not going to jump to third level spells in a week just because you met your limit every day. I actually tried, you know," he adds, a little chagrined, "but you can only go so fast."

[purplexing]

"Sounds like the typical explanation I'd get from my brothers when they did things with their magic weapons back home. 'Oh, I just do this' or 'it's in your gut'! 'It just happens'- except it does not because there has to be some kind of an active element to it..!"

The turtle teen draws in a breath, heaving out a sigh. "Sorry. It's been very frustrating being the science guy of the family."

Steven's admission gets a crooked if faint smile. "People always look for shortcuts and it's hard to believe someone who just says 'cuz that's how it is."