Sutoratosu Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Aurora, Icarus 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM Sting was there in an instant with a bare flick of her wrist, emerald again flashing bright as bone met steel, the very air itself seeming to ripple around the weapon's glyphs as it burned, sparks flying from the clash as the blade was deflected... despite the fact that bone and metal seldom meet as equals. In the same stroke as the flickering whirl, the Acolyte was leaping backwards further into the darkness, that single, unobscured eye remaining fixed on her foe with nigh mad doggedness. Something stirred behind her. Something flew through the air, near invisible except for the occasional glint as it headed not for the demon... but the dead Dire Rat. Whatever it was... Aurora gave it a sharp tug, yanking it back like strands of gossamer and sending the carcass flying right into her hand [spider Silk: Used]. Where it stayed, like a mit. Her hand firmly digging into the flesh, wrapping around the spine and vertebrae of the beast like a handle, hoisting it up before her, still in the same stance as before. It was starting to become more apparent to her that the Hellspawn's new form was nothing but a parlor trick... the force and power behind that thrown strike just now didn't add up with the enhanced physique, as easy as it had been to cast it aside... but it didn't matter. She had other senses. From the sound of his heart and breath, to the vibrations she felt in the stone with his every foot fall and motion, to the stirring and disturbance of the air as he moved and the very scent of him... He could dash about like the deranged little ninja he was, throw up all the smoke and mirrors he wanted, for all she cared. The outcome would stay the same... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Sketches Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) Icarus, Aurora, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00 PM He watched the stinking carcass fly past him and into the arachni's hand. The thread that carried it through the air would be her web, the thread was difficult to see but he was able to tell what it was. That web was something to be wary of, it would quickly bind him helplessly if he wasn't careful. Whatever she wanted that disgusting rat for he did not know, he did not care. She could use it as a shield or a teddy bear all she wanted, his attention was on his blade. She had managed to deflect it but that was to be expected. The blade had been thrown in plain view, anyone worth their salt would have seen it coming and manage to evade the sharp weapon. The goal hadn't been for the blade to make contact, but was instead for the chain that was attached to the handle and his arm to be extended as it flew through the air. Now with the chain extended, he grabbed the chain with his right hand as it flew forwards to halt it's progress. Using the momentum of the blade, he began to swing the chain around himself. His body twisting and turning expertly with the chains movement as he began to make his way forward. The blade speeding around at such high velocity that it was difficult to track it's movement patterns, if it had any. As he once again began to close the gap, he swung the chain towards her long spider legs. The bloody steel using it's momentum to speed it's progress as it shortened the distance to her front legs with extreme speed. Edited March 10, 2016 by Shadow Sketches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Aurora, Icarus 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM Someone was starting to get a bit fancy, it seemed. There was little enough expression on her face as she kept her eyes fixed on the demon, let alone impression. He was cocky, that much was for certain. And he was foolish as well, thinking he could actually prevail here... overcome the product intelligent design and eons of adaptation and evolution. Arachni... they did not die easily, were notorious for not dying easily. Especially when one tried to do it through direct physical engagement, of all things... infact, it was more akin to suicide than anything else... as a good deal of Human and Free Race warriors alike had quickly discovered first hand over the years. Sight mattered not as the chain swung about it's wielder, edging closer and closer to her. It was irrelevant, only what she could hear, only what she could feel: the rattling of the chain as it revolved, the faint whistling and subtle changes in the air itself as the blade sliced through empty space. Those were what she relied on here. Those, and instinct... The chain soon changed direction. She had already detected it's approach. Without a sound, she leaped backwards yet again as it came at her, this time letting go of the meat shield she had acquired only moments ago and slamming it down right into the path of the blade as it passed a mere split-second later, grinning inwardly as she heard the distinctive thunk of steel colliding with flesh and becoming embedded there, and in that same mere hair of a moment firing another blast of silk [spider Silk: Used]... At the rat that had just been impaled. Beast, Knife and chain alike came to sudden, violent halt as the webbing did it's work, both becoming utterly lost in a mess a thick, entangled thread stronger than steel, it's natural adhesive binding them to the floor like some strange, nigh-damnably tough glue. The demon wouldn't be using it again for a good while, that much she was sure of now. She was soundless as she landed. Her exposed eye still fixed on Icarus. But... her gaze was different this time. [Mother's Frenzy: On] Her Iris began to fade... so too did the rest of her eye, pupil, Sclera, all of it, emerald green starting to bleed it's way across the entirety of it's surface. Their expression had turned as well, like night and day... it was no longer near stoic, apathetic observation... no. As she took a new stance. One far more aggressive... but yet did not move, it was something far different. Something far more ancient... far more ferocious. She could feel the lust for blood seeping in more and more by the minute, feel it surging throughout her very being like a harrowing wind of winter, the latent power instilled in her and in all Acolytes by The Mother crashing through every cell, every muscle, every fiber of her very being like a tidal wave as it was finally unleashed... but she knew better than to let it control her, knew better than to let it take over completely. She had the stories of foolish young Acolytes, just granted their powers and inexperienced, when she was that age herself. Stories of how some would get cocky, make that mistake: try to use the power while on a hunt, only to end up with it consuming and sending them rampaging nonstop until the entirety of both their will and body were spent from the bloodshed, unable to stop the trance because there was no conscious shred of reason for them use inorder to return from it... until their reserves ran out on their own... and then the very next morning being found and struck down by free race beings seeking vengeance while they were too weak to fight back. They were the stories of failures. Of wasted potential, meant to teach the foolish and new what would happen if you flew too close to the sun. Like everything else her dam had told her back then, she had taken the lesson to heart. But she held no love for the utter charade this fight was looking to be, if she allowed it to drag on... nor any love for the fool standing across from her down the way. There was no point letting the blessing stay dormant any longer... A savage, hissing snarl mixed with an audible clicking escaped her lips, fangs finally bared as her eyes began to burn with an even more intense light than before; this time however, even the very patterns and auroral hues of emerald on her armor blazed to life, writhing and swimming across the surface of her legs and exoskeleton, showering the floor and area around them in ghastly, unnatural light with every lucidly pulsating motion as they wandered. So too even did Sting ignite with light, seeming to almost react to it's wielder as it Sigils and runes burned. The raw, unbridled malice practically exuded off of her in waves; all she wanted was the demon's blood now... regardless of how fettered it may be, given the source. Whether he proved stupid enough to come and give it on a silver platter, or was smart enough to stay away and force her to come over and get it herself... Either way she got it, it did not matter to her... "Enough....with... the parlor tricks." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindrop Valkyrie Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 Tempest, Gale, Azegeor, Solomon. 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 4:00 PM "Where are you Azegeor? I'm getting bored here." Tempest danced around the now empty room. Well empty of life anyway, corpses littered it from wall to wall. She almost reveled in that fact. So many guards taken out in such a small time. She knew the bomb would be a good gambit to pin her hopes on, but this good? She couldn't have dreamed it be this effective. Guess that's what happen when you cram them all into a small stone tube, A shockwave was only more effective in a small space. She then heard the clanking of a wooden stave. The rattling of bones and beads cascading down the hall came forward. A Lich in a brilliant robe the colour of the night sky came into view. Finaaaaaaaaaaaaally. "What took you so long?" "Look... it's a lot harder to get away from those places then you think Tempest." "Azy, I'm booooooored. You need to hurry up." the storm elemental said as she twirled the wind around her. She played with the winds much like her hair or something another person would do. Something to keep her hands form being idle. A clear sign of boredom. "Midsummer, my job is not to entertain you. " Azegeor fixed her a stern look. He used a part of her full name on purpose. He knew she hated it. So, if he was doing it he was making damn certain she was paying attention. "We have a job to do. Now, lose yourself. I've got to let you in." "I told you to never call me that Azegeor!". She said pouting. She was clearly not paying attention to anything he aid as she was more angry at what he had called her than had the time to pay attention. It was an annoying fact of dealing with Tempest. Emotional swings were much more important to her than other things. They captured her mind pretty easily. After all the only two parts of her being were Fire and Ind. Mind and emotion. So, it was easy for her spirit or emotions to take over. The turbulent storm of emotions was mostly what drove the woman. It was frustrating at times. "Look, it's nothing we can worry about now. Yell at me later, we have things to do." "Okay, okaaay. I'll be sure to later. Now, we have a king to make! You'll look so cute in a crown.~" ((writing a scene for Lotus. Giiiiimme a biiiiiit.)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chevaleresse Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Regent and Hasslehoof. Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:05 PM Regent began to match the minotaur's steps as best he could, breathing somewhat heavily as he shuffled around on his front legs. It looked more than a bit awkward, but that was to be expected. Hopefully the novelty of seeing an argent drake essentially doing a handstand would distract from the awkwardness of his motion. He circled opposite Hasslehoof, essentially acting as his partner at a distance, though some of the flourishes were performed with his tail, rather than flailing his legs about. Regent continued this for a few moments, then struck: he let his hind end fall downward, toward Hasslehoof's left, and stretched out his leg toward him, aiming to land a touch on his head or, failing that, his chest. After that, regardless of whether he actually made contact, he would spring backward by pushing off with his front legs, rebuilding the distance between the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Sketches Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Icarus, Aurora, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00 PM The loud thunk the blade made as it buried itself in the deceased rodent's carcass was sickening, but the rat was the least of his worries as threads of silk began to mount on top of his weapon. That damn web. Icarus had known the annoyingly potent adhesive would make things difficult for him. He gave the chain a strong tug but the silk was holding on to his blade with an iron grip. He bared his deadly teeth as a low growl of annoyance escaped his lips, if he tried to force the blade free it would take too much time. Time he couldn't afford to waste in a battle, he'd just have to use some other means to free his weapon. Luckily for him, they were surrounded in complete darkness. The only source of light was being emitted from the Arachni's body but that wasn't enough to completely eradicate the shadows that suffocated the tunnels with their unrestrained presence. Kneeling down, he placed his hand down on the cold, stone floor. Focusing his efforts on making the darkness bend to his will. [sanctuary in Shadows: Used] Slowly, tendrils of shadows crawled up and began to absorb Icarus' body into their abyss as they have many times before. The shadows began to cause the parts of his body directly touching the floor to sink into darkness before slithering their way up his body as it clasped him in a dark embrace. The horrifying illusion that had surrounded him moments before now began to waver and disappear as his whole being was absorbed into nothingness. By the time the dark had reached his arms the shadows were now extending and consuming the parts of the chains that were attached to him. But it didn't stop there, Icarus exerted more energy and caused black tendrils to squirm their way along the extended parts of the chain attached to his right arm as they swallowed the silver links one by one, making their way towards the blade. Once they reached the hilt of it, the shadows moved through and ignored the foreign objects, the carcass and silk. They were unfamiliar items, not a a part of Icarus' being like the chains and blades were. The putrid objects were of no interest to the shadows, for they were of no interest to the demon that was controlling them. So the items were abandoned and only the chain and blade were absorbed into the dark, alongside their master that wielded them. By the time the shadows had finished devouring the blade, most of Icarus body had sunk into the darkness and it took mere seconds for the rest of him to disappear. Leaving only the rotting rodent and sticky silk to accompany the spider. Inside the abyss there was nothing. Icarus was now in familiar territory inside the embrace of darkness, his body seemed to be floating in absolute nothingness. The extended silver chain and blade floating in a slow spiral around him. His eyes were closed and his lips sealed, the usual rising and falling of his chest as he breathed was halted as there was no need for it inside this home of shadows. Although he was in complete darkness, he was able to see as clearly the area in which the shadows resided; almost as if he was watching a vision inside his head. The tunnels where he had left the Arachni, as well as the huntress herself, appeared and he was able to observe the scene with better ease if he was there in person. He remained in this state for mere moments before finally deciding it was time to resume the battle they had started. At his will, the darkness started to release their hold on him and his body began to rise from the shadows in the exact same spot he had disappeared from. The process was actually much quicker than when his body had been absorbed and in seconds he had once again completely materialized. His feet placed firmly on the ground as he gazed with cold eyes at the Arachni, the illusion he had placed around himself was now completely gone so only his normal form remained. The chain and blade that had been trapped moments before were now free and lying on the ground near him with parts of the chain still wrapped around his arm as before. He leisurely bent down and picked up the blade so he was once again holding his twin blades, before tossing it upwards into the air and catching it in his right hand as it fell. The tip of his lip arcing upwards in a smirk as his eyes twinkled mischievously. "I'm just getting started, huntress..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth, Approximately 3:00PM Ajax only sighed as he put down his cups, the rough housing and banter of folk filling the pub as the partying went on. More than a few of them were fellow soldiers, playing contests of strength and skill as they steadily emptied their own mugs only to have them refilled as the various tavern wenches made their rounds to the customers. As the celebrating went on, the displays steadily got less impressive and more drunken...it probably wouldn't be very much longer until they started stumbling and passing out, by his estimation. "Another benediction, another year to look forward to, trapped behind stone walls and iron gates." "Ah yes, that's the spirit, Ajjy, great to see you're enjoying the holidays!" This bit of banter and the hearty laugh following it came from the Lion-headed beastman sitting directly beside him at the bar. Mufasa, he went by mostly, though his true name was a far less interesting utterance of Ingram. He wore much the same uniform as Ajax, though the upon his insignia and the side of his arm denoted his superior rank. His fur ran a warm and steady golden brown over his sculpted physique, and so too did his mane, though his eyes shined as silver as the full moon itself, his otherwise regal face marred by the three faded, lengthy claw marks than ran across it's diagonal length from snout to brow. "Laugh all you want, Mufasa, but I'm telling you, none of us are ever getting out of this place," he took another swig of ale "110 years, Mufasa... 110. I could understand 40 years, but we had little choice back then... and I could understand keeping things closed a few years longer just to be safe, but..." "Aye, you can quit the rant already. Of course you can't understand it, none of us can... it takes a madman, to understand one afterall." He stared into his cup for a minute. When he spoke next, twas a question Ajax hadn't expected "What though, would you do if the gates were to open, this very night, nay, not even that long, but this very second as we're sitting here drowning our gripes in ale? I'm curious..." "In all honesty?" Ajax asked. "Well we've known each other since long before the war, you and I. You can try to lie if you want, but I'll probably be able to tell if it is. Just remember that I trust you above anyone else in the squad for a reason though..." "I would leave this very moment and get out of here before they dared close again-" "So you would desert, flee and leave us all behind without even a single goodbye to your old chums." "It's nothing against you lot personally, beleive me. Except for that new upstart Elimus, wherever the hell he's disappeared to, I'm rather fond of you all... there are certainly worse comrades I could've been stuck with during the Incursion. But it's everything against the castle administration, I'm afraid... given the choice between possibly escaping, and having to live another day under the reign of Solomon the Mad... well, it's no contest for me, really. I've no idea how you keep up your motivation, but I simply can't do it anymore, not under this king at least..." "I don't concern myself with who's king..." Mufasa answered, taking a swig from his own mug now. "I let my loyalty lie with the people of Castle Dour, not the ones lording over them. So it matters not whether Solomon sits the throne or not, so long as there are folk to defend, I've still reason to remain regardless of what may pass." "Well, how noble of you then..." He couldn't help but scoff a bit at it, despite his words. Bitterness over the whole situation they were all stuck in came naturally to him by this point. "But, I'm afraid not all of us can be Lions, can't stand tall and proud and let people hear us roar. Who knows though, if, by some impossible miracle forged by all the gods of the Underdark, someone different was in charge, perhaps I'd have reason to stay, just to see how it all plays out... as if that will ever happen though..." "You know, you could put up a genuine effort not to be such a downer." "I know. But I won't. It is what it is, Mufasa. You know it, I know it, hells, everyone and everyone's mother knows it, even if they only speak about it in hushed whispers in the shadows. Try not to dwell to hard on it though they might, it's always in the back of the mind, this captivity..." Mufasa opened his mouth to say something, only to stop when he felt tiny paws tugging on his tail... there were only two beings in the world who could do such a thing, and not expect for it to be a grave offense... and one of them had been dead for years. He already had a stern look plastered on as he swiveled on the barstool, there behind him was none other than a young cub, probably not even a decade old, eyes to the ground refusing to meet the stare she knew she was receiving. She'd gotten into some sort of trouble, he knew it... the tail tug was always one of the tactics she used to try to mitigate her way out of it. Beside her stood that little wolf boy, Kylab, she was friends with... a little rogue in the making, from all the mess Mufasa knew the boy had caused in the past. He didn't like rogues, no matter they're age or their size. But of course, Malala had gone and played with him again and stirred up something... he could start to piece it together already. "Alright, what trouble have you two made this time?" He sighed, arms crossed, now fixing both of them with his stare. Malala stayed silent. Kylab passed a glance between the two lions and spoke up himself. "Well, we were playin' tag by one of the fountains, see, and....um, well... we..." "By the gods... please don't tell me that you children somehow broke castle property again... I'm still having deductions from my pay for the last incident..." "Uh, no, sir... it's, it's not that...we, uh..." He froze up, his own eyes meeting the floor now. Mufasa sighed and he rubbed a temple idly, and that's when he noticed it. Malala's amulet was gone. "Malala..." He began. The dread in his gut was even worse than the prospect of having to pay of more property damage... "What happened?" "I... I lost mama's amulet." She finally spat out, confirming what he already knew. "We were playing tag by one of the fountains, and I tripped and...and..." Kylab picked up "the chain broke and it fell off, sir... fell into the wa'er, it did, and then ah..." the boy paused, scratching the back of his head as he braced himself. "It kinda went down da' drain before we could... get it." The lion's face was grim... grimmer than Ajax had seen since the war ended and the gates closed. Illithid swiveled himself around before his Commanding Officer could say anything. "You say it feel into one of the fountains, little ones?" "Yes, sir," Kylab answered. "right down the drain, it did... I never saw anything disappear so fast." He took another sip of grog. "Then it's likely circulating somewhere in the waterways as we speak..." A breif glint of hope lit in the both the Lion and cubs eyes, both of them turning to the squid in earnest. "Do you know where the waterways empty into?" Mufasa said. "I'm afraid that, despite all my time down there, I do not. I assume that there are some series of grates or what have you, too small for a being to pass through, that eventually lead underground away from the castle to some body of water where it's replenished in some cycle. Or it could just be a completely contained system where the water is somehow clensed by some means and never actually leaves... either way, the chance of finding it decreases with each passing moment..." He put the cup down, rising to his feet as he looked to his CO "I'll find it. I know those tunnels like the back of my hand, and I've got just the person in mind who can help. You'll have Sasha's amulet back soon." "I'm going with you." Mufasa was on his feet as well before the words were ever out. He easily towered over Ajax at his full height... infact he would've towered over most of those mingling in the pub "Lead the way." "Are you sure about this? It may be for the better if I embark alone... this particular individual, she's not precisely the best at meeting new people, given the nature of what she is." "Ajax, my dear friend," Mufasa said, that same stern look he'd given Malala in his eyes. "I think you misunderstand, that was an order, not a request. This is a memento from my wife we're talking about here; I honestly don't care who or what this person you know is or why you think it's a bad idea we meet, I'm going down there with you to get it back. Now... lead the way." "I see..." Ajax sighed into his cups as he took one last swig for the road. There was little he could do, to be honest. Lion Hearted though Mufasa was, once he absolutely set his mind to something... it was an ordeal to get him to change it without some hard proof. He laid the cup back down alongside a few coins, payment enough for the drinks of both of them and as tip for the Barkeep. "Very well then, if it is your command..." Mufasa nodded, glancing at the children "And you two, stay here until we return. And don't get into any trouble, understand?" "Yes, sir..." They both muttered in unison. Without another word, Illithid led the way, the lion in close pursuit as they made headed out of the doors... Aurora, Icarus 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM She did not respond. A single, armored leg stepped forward, still swimming and alive with that otherworldly light. Then all at once, the rest of her surged forward with it with unnatural speed, moving so violently fast that she seemingly vanished and re-appeared not even a split second after, directly beside the demon, towering over him with her full height. and in that same, precise moment she appeared beside him, Sting was slashing through the air with it's double pronged, bladed head, becoming a mere blur of bone and burning glyph as she aimed it in a wide, sweeping arc targeting the rogue's legs, the very air itself barely fast enough to keep up with the movement and force behind the strike and carry the silent, deadly whistle of the attack to the ears of any listening. One cut. One. Small. Cut. That was all it would take for the venom to do it's work... all it would take for the fool to begin hallucinating like a mad man... This... was the power of the blessing at it's greatest. It amplified the speed, the agility, the senses, physical strength and reflexes... everything about the individual... and that amplification only grew more and more when in the presence of humans, or beings that at least vaguely resembled a humanoid in it's shape... beings like dwarves...elves...orcs, etc free race and damned alike, it did not matter... beings... like the demon she was facing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Sketches Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Icarus, Aurora, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00 PM His eyes widened as she sped forward, he had never realized spiders could move so fast. He barely had time to blink as she appeared before him, her weapon slicing towards his legs. Instincts immediately kicked in and sent his body into overdrive. His feet kicked off the ground as he jumped backwards to evade her attack. A snarl on his face as he landed back on the stone ground with a heavy thud, she was fast but he would be damned if he let her spear even touch an inch of his skin. Who knew what kind of poison she had, it was a question he did not want to find an answer to firsthand. Once his feet were settled onto the ground, he threw the blade in his left hand similarly how he had done earlier with his right. This time though, he caught the chain quicker than before and soon was swinging the steel links around his body as he had done earlier. He didn't stop there, doing the same with the blade and chain in his right hand. Expertly swinging both his weapons around in a dangerous whirlwind around himself, growing speed through momentum as his body twisted along to his chains' movements. He'd keep the spider at a distance with the range the chains gave him until he was ready to close in for a finishing attack. Once his body twisted in the Arachni's direction, he swung his left chain towards her thin, front legs as he aimed to bind them. The chain speeding in an arc towards her lower body segment, as the chain in his right hand was still being swung in the air. Prepared for a follow up attack or counter attack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Aurora, Icarus 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM Again, she sensed the chain coming for her. But she didn't care. Too fast to even track, rather than leap backwards or take some other evasive action, one of the very legs Icarus was so intent on binding lashed out like lightning and met the chain head on, the silver rattling and clanking as it wrapped around the forelimb. She could've easily shattered the tuat links with a single strike of Sting, kick the blade away into the water and deny the demon at least one his weapons...but the more primal part of her mind had another course in mind. She twisted her body backwards as she pulled on the leg with every ounce of raw might and speed she could muster, the chains screaming in a metallic chorus of agony, rattling up a storm under the utter strain of the shockwave sent surging through them like a charging Dire-Mammoth, the force passing from chain to chain so fast they were barely even traceable as it headed right for the other end, creating a visible swell in the links as a roar echoed out of the Acolyte and resounded off the stones and ringing throughout the tunnel, intent on slamming Icarus's body into the nearest wall with every bit of amplified, bone shattering might she possessed, using his own chain as leverage... Mufasa, Ajax, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM It didn't take long for Ajax to led the way to just one of the many entrances to the underground scattered throughout the castle, this one a large gap in a dilapidated and long forgotten nook not far from the tavern; both of the soldiers slid through into the darkness and babbling of water, their eyes adjusting with no hesitation given their darkvision. They had walked a good way into the darkened depths by the time Mufasa had paused at one of the countless intersections they had come to. The sound was slower to hit Ajax own senses. The illithid practically froze in his tracks when it did. "You hear that?" Mufasa growled, eyes fixed down the tunnel the faint yet still very discernible roar had came from. His hand was already moving to his side... only to quickly recall he had no blade on him... no matter "Sounds like some beast is prowling about... might have a fight coming to us soon." "That...was no beast." Ajax shook his head. "No beast at all... I've heard that sound before... or rather, I've heard the voice that's mingled and layered into it." He started down the path without a single thought. Mufasa watched him pass but said nothing.... seemed like the squid knew far more than he was letting on. "We'd best hurry, before she moves..." Ajax called back. The lion fell into step, his hands blazing with soft light all the while...twin flares of soul ready and waiting for the slightest provocation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Sketches Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Icarus, Aurora, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00 PM His hand tightened around the chain as he felt the spider pull on it with all her might, the screams of agony coming from the silver links filled his ears. His body tensed up as he resisted her force at first, but in her state she was much stronger than he was so he had no hope of trying to use brute force to his advantage. Then again, he was used to facing opponents that were much stronger than him power wise. He just needed to use the skills he has been perfecting throughout the long years of his lifetime to his advantage. The chained blade in his other hand fell down from it's swinging position so the hilt of the blade landed and was in his hand as he prepared for his next move. Instead of resisting her force any longer, he let her pull him and his chain towards her. His boots smacking the stone as he sped closer to her, using the massive amount of force she used in his favor to encourage his body to close the gap between them even faster. But once he reached her he did not begin to immediately attack her directly as she may have anticipated, instead he used all his speed and momentum to run past the predator as he ran in a small circle two times around her body. [binding of Chains: Used] The chain attached to her leg following him so the rest of the silver links began to close in and bind her long, arachnid legs. Finally stopping the second time around her once he was behind her spider segment, able to see the strong armor much closer than he had been able to before. He hadn't used all the chain as there was still a small segment of links that hadn't wrapped itself around her to give him some room to move. The silver struggled to wrap itself around her spidery legs due to how large her bottom half was but that actually slightly aided his efforts as it meant it wrapped itself tighter around the thin legs in order to be able to completely wrap itself around them. He knew he couldn't completely bind her as she was much stronger than him, but he hoped this would limit the movement of her dangerous legs. His eyes quickly inspected the hard armor of her lower abdomen, if it behaved like natural armor then his blades would be no use against it. But if it really was like normal armor, than that meant it also had a weakness. He personally did not use blunt weapons, but he had seen many times the damage it could cause to an heavily armored body if there was enough force behind it. Quickly, he raised his right hand up high as if he meant to stab downwards, but the hilt of the blade was the part facing down instead of the actual blade itself. Then he used all his strength to bring the hilt of the blade down towards her tough exo skeleton, hoping the impact would be strong enough to cause some damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Aurora, Icarus, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM On the moment of impact, the hard reverberation of the force rang throughout the weapon as hilt clashed with armor and solid clank sounded off into the darkness as it immediately bounced back off as if it were wrought from metal. The onyx black surface showed no outward signs of any failure or stress, and even if it did, not like one would be able to see something so small in detail in this darkness, making it far hard to tell if any damage was done at all. She felt the vibration from it, probably just like the blade's own wielder would feel from the collision, but Aurora gave no sign of acknowledgement any pain derived from it... most likely the Oath at work yet again in her mind (Heart of the Mother). the twin, burning pools of emerald that were her eyes bored down into the Demon's soul from above as low, halting chuckle came from her, as if she had to fight to even produce an intelligible noise against the surge of nigh animalistic aggression. The demon seemed to be a bit dumber than she gave him credit for...as if a knife could ever make an effective bludgeoning tool. Reminded her of the Human ranger from whom she had stolen the very leather she wore, to be honest. He too had thought, in a last ditch moment of desperate struggle, that a mere bash with something as small and pitiful a bludgeoning device as a mere knife handle would be enough to break through that natural defense and shatter the armor...he had been wrong, so, so terribly wrong. Armor so wretchedly weak that it caved in from such an amount of stress that was so comparably minor next to all that it would have to face and defend it's user against in the raw heat of combat, was not fit to be called armor in the first place. It was fit to be called trash, because that's where it would belong. If the Exo skeleton of her race was strong enough to deflect the force of fired arrows, surely... there was no way in deepest reaches of Underdark it would fail against a simple reverse grip strike. "You fool..." She cackled. "You think... your little blade there... can do the job that is meant for a war hammer or a mace, the job those were explicitly created for? If so, then you underestimate my kind. and that... will cost you dearly." The chains wrapping her legs showed greater and greater stress as she spoke, her legs writhing in a thrashing dance of black armor and swimmingly brilliant patterns. Links began to bend, began to pull apart, the rattling growing more and more frenzied... it was obvious they would not hold against the onslaught. and then, just before the chains were about to fail completely, she froze, Her face glazed over with recognition as the sound of footsteps echoed down the tunnel. It was his scent, there were none other like it. Her eyes drifted into the darkness. And then she saw him... saw both of them. "My, what have we here..." Ajax called as he emerged from darkness. Mufasa was not long on his heels. His bleak, onyx black eyes surveyed the scene like a hawk before finally settling on Icarus. The very water flowing in the channels began to writhe and seethe as if possessed by rage as he continued, his tone cam and collected despite the furious torrent behind him "seems we're interrupting something, are we? I must say, I'm surprised she found someone else down here to even get into an altercation with like this. Most are too... put off by the prospect of trudging into the underground." Mufasa, meanwhile, could only stand there and pass a perplexed glance back and forth between Ajax and the giant arachnid staring at them, whispering as he leaned to Ajjy's ear "Wait, you mean...her. That's the one you meant could help? Her? An Arachni? Are you mad, man, how in the seven hells is she going to try to 'help', what, by trying to eat both of us whole?" "Indeed, tis precisely who I meant." He whispered back, eyes still fixed on the demon. " but You can calm down, my friend. She's not like the rest of her kind, that much I can assure you... she's got a far better handle over the killing instincts than any other I've heard of or seen. I can vouch for that much, and so can a certain little were-wolf." Mufasa's eyes widened at that. "No, impossible, you mean to tell me..." He knew which one the squid was talking about, had seen her more than a few times in passing, had even met the girl when she came into the pub one day after their shift had ended and they were having a cold one to ask him for something. But to think, this... spider here, that it could actually restrain itself that much... no. No, with all he knew about their kind, it simply couldn't be. Impossible, surely, the world would sooner end than such a thing occur... "Ludicrous." He breath. "Absolutely ludicrous..." "Call it ludicrous all you like, old friend. It doesn't change the fact that it's the truth...but right now, we have more pressing matters, I beleive." Ajax didn't bother waiting for a response before he called back through the darkness towards Icarus. "Young man, might I ask...just what do you think you are doing to my good friend there?" The channel's waters kept raging all the while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindrop Valkyrie Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Lotus Contiello, Countess Sybil Contiello, Count Heinrich Contiello, Azegeor, Lord Cyllis, Redeemer Riika, Father Babble, Barbara, Iidrra, Look, a lot of people ok? Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. 3:00 PM Babble watched as Lotus ate the Dream Pocket in a way he never saw before. He almost envied it. That she could do something that he couldn't. Especially with regards to eating food. That just wasn't fair. Not ooooone bit. He nearly pouted but he was enjoying the show. He clapped his hands together {{and trust me... it sounded as strange as you imagine it would.}} as she finished and received her leaf. A coveted prize indeed. Well at least to Babble. He didn't really know how true the stories were, but he wanted to believe them. He wanted to believe them with all of his heart. His dream... that he could understand people and be better at people... and stuff. So far it had yet to come true. But, he hoped it would some day. He didn't want to dislike people, or to not understand them. However, he couldn't help it really. He just wasn't cut out for it. He wanted to be though. But he wasn't.... but he wanted to be. However before he could really respond to what Lotus had said, or even Barbara could for that matter, Heinrich crashed his feet onto the table with a loud clatter. His well polished dress shoes shining a brilliant jet black. They were spotless, and a marvel to behold. How they were that immaculately clean was unknown, however they were shining jewels sitting up on the table. Heinrich was holding a red apple in his hand and he bit into it with a loud satisfying crunch. It was loud, and it even sounded like it was full of flavour. The Castle had a wonderful indoor greenhouse affixed with artificial sunlight. It was so well made that it didn't even have any inadvertent effects on the fruits and vegetables that were grown there. The fruit was probably more divine than things found out in the wild due to each being within their perfect growing conditions. The artificial light could be adjusted, as well as the state of the soil in each planter by a well laid system. It produced some of the most purely wonderful produce in the world. It was well made, created with the utmost of care by one of the original denizens of the Castle. He was perhaps one of the greatest botanists they ever had. He'd known as a Treant. Either way, Babble was startled by the sudden noise. It stunned him a bit as he wasn't expecting it. Barbara wasn't much either herself. Iidrra shot him a disgustingly dirty look. His stinger even popping out into full view for awhile. Cyllis seemed to not notice, but anyone who was really paying attention would notice he was purposefully looking away from the disgrace he was witnessing. Riika... being a suit of armour after all, was impossible to discern. Cannonball Joe, only laughed... seemed to be his response to everything. Lilith was trying to calm down Iidrra, though it seemed to not really do much. He only really put his stinger away but other than that his mood had not much changed. "So... Babble. Are we removing Fredric the Purple's Benediction this year? I mean... who really wants to sit through that slooooooog of a speech when the guy wasn't respected let alone was really even Nightlord for more than a week." to anyone else this would be harmless question. People did very much hate the Benediction of the 8th Castle lord. It was... much too long for a man that was in charge for all but a week. The Bloody week king... sure had a mouth that ran a mile a minute and really loved the sound of his own voice. People wondered on how earth he ever ended up as the Night Lord if no one liked him... and others yet say that's why he got that job. SO that someone would just get rid of the bastard. Either way it was a common complaint at every benediction. However, it being brought up here was a signal. Heinrich was telling Babble the plan was in motion tonight. That another Lord was about to find himself usurped, just like the Bloody Week King. Babble didn't really answer. He was more or less to stricken to do so. That and he wasn't really one that got along with Heinrich much. He always wondered why Azegeor made Heinrich relay the messages to him. Either way it was Barbara who spoke up. "Look Heinrich... we don't like it either, but we can't really do much about it. It's tradition. Sssssadly... we have to listen to that... bumbling buffoon's mark on history every year." Clearly emotion in her voice. It was hard to pin down as what it was, but Barbara let slip something when she hissed like that. She didn't typically have that issue when her emotions were under control. But, she was probably upset by how Heinrich startled Babble. She stared at him for a bit. A sort of... tension hung in the air between them for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~ Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Lotus Contiello, Countess Sybil Contiello, Count Heinrich Contiello, Azegeor, Lord Cyllis, Redeemer Riika, Father Babble, Barbara, Iidrra, Look, a lot of people ok? Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. 3:00 PM Lotus nodded in agreement as Henriech spoke out his opinions on the benediction. Tradition only mattered if it was important, it was unnecessary to carry something on if no one liked it. Plus this was the opinion of the Contiello family. Therefore it was her opinion as well. When she felt the mood change, however she stared down at her dress. Social situations were not her forte, and tense social situations were even worse. What did people do to fix these situation? DId they tell a joke? Maybe change the subject? Lotus would try the latter. "Redeemer Riika." Lotus pressed her fingers to her lips as she said the words. "I'm sorry was that the correct title? If you wish me to call you by anything else please do tell me. But, if you would be so kind to answer, I had a question to ask." She gave a light smile, and made sure her speech was careful. "I've heard you have powers over holy magic. Are you a cleric?" She inquired with her own bit of curiosity. It was always wonderful to hear about the pantheon of gods, and maybe learn something she didn't know yet. "Who gives you your powers?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Sketches Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 (edited) Icarus, Aurora, Ajax, Mufasa ,1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00 PM The impact caused Icarus' whole arm to vibrate uncomfortably. A slight grimace passed over his face as he tried to get control over his arm again, the armor was tougher than he had imagined. Though the toughness of the armor wasn't what surprised him as much as the speed the spider had been able to move with armor as strong as this. It should have been heavy as hell yet her speed had completely caught him off guard. Live and learn, he would not make the same mistake twice. Gritting his teeth, he waited as the vibrations ceased to course through his arm. Moving it to help return feeling into his arm, completely aware that his chain didn't seem like it would last long. Best idea would be to just slice her throat as she busied herself with trying to escape it, and that was exactly what he had been readying himself to do when new arrivals came and interrupted them. From what he could tell, it seemed the Illithid knew his most recent sparring partner. Which made things much more complicated, how fun. "Me? Oh I'm just fighting for survival. You know how bloodthirsty Arachnoid's get, don't you?" His hand gripped the blade tighter, he did not want to have to fight more than one opponent at once but it seemed like he would have no choice. "She's got no better control of her killing instincts then other Arachnoid's , it took her less than five minutes upon seeing me before she decided I was prey." Annoyance was clear in his voice, he wish he could just cut all their heads off already and get this over with. "It makes me wonder how many others does she have hidden down here, how many poor souls wandered down here only to be caught in her sights? You wouldn't happen to know would you? Oh how ridiculous of me, of course you wouldn't. It would be painfully easy for her to hide her 'prey' in these dark tunnels, would it not? Your dear friend here would have no trouble pulling a wool over your eyes. Perhaps she does see you as a friend rather than food, but what about others? What would have happened if your partner standing beside you had come down here by himself, how long would she have waited before injecting her poison into him? Or perhaps that's why you had indeed accompanied him down here? Because you are well aware of how likely it would have been that he wouldn't have left this place alive if you hadn't come to stop her from slaughtering him in the dark? Edited March 18, 2016 by Shadow Sketches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Aurora, Icarus, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM The lion opened his mouth, but Ajax was faster on the verbal draw. "What, him? Oh please... he ordered me to take him with me down here, I was far more worried about what he might do to Her if the two were to somehow cross paths. I've seen more than enough of what both of them can do, over the years. I know who would win that engagement, and it wouldn't last even a few minutes..." Within that split second, his eyes met Auroras and [Mind Probe: Used] without delay his mind was rushing outward into her own. There was resistance, there always was, but she opened the door easily enough... she always did hate when he did that. Memories, Memories were what he was looking for. And he found them easily enough once his own thoughts had bridged the gap and she'd realized what he wanted to see. He broke off the connection as quickly as it had been made, turning his attention back to the Demon. "But that's besides the point here..." He said. "What you said before, about this being a 'fight for survival', as you put it... well, from what I just saw, you were the one who escalated the situation to what it became... and you were also the one who threw the first blow, not her. I think this fight may be more a petty dispute over pride than anything else. Well, let me tell you, you're wasting your time here. You engaged an arachni, but... how precisely were you planning to kill her and win- because, I can assure you, killing them is the only way you can win against her kind- what, were you going to cut her up, slit her throat? Would you have attempted some complex maneuver with those chains to drag her into the channel and drown her? What would you have done when the injuries only drove her to fight harder and more viciously? What would you have done when she dragged you right in with her? What, pray tell, would you have done... when she freed herself from those chains and struck back?" The rattling of silver hitting stone rang through the air not even a second after he spoke, as if the squid man were a prophet. The Arachni stood surrounded by the now limp silver links, most of them looking worse for wear. The thrashing earlier had easily loosened them enough to where escape had been as simple as pulling her legs in beneath herself and letting them fall away. Rather than attack and give further credence to the Illithids question, the glow emanating from her form slowly died [Mother's Frenzy: Off] as she backed out of the circle of metal, eyes focused on both the soldiers and the rival Predator now, the same stoney expression as before plastered on, an unreadable mask in the darkness. Ajax just kept going like it was nothing. "Look, enough with this. You came down here for a reason, just like my commander here and I did, did you not? I'm fairly certain that whatever it may be, fighting Arachni Acolytes.... probably isn't it. We, on the other hand, need her, so how's this for an idea: you go your way about whatever business you have here, and commander and I will take her and go about our own business. She's stood down already, there's no way you can still claim she's actively threatening your life now. And if she's with us, there's no way she can follow you either." Mufasa's eyes kept glancing back and forth between the Demon and Spider alike all the while, hands still burning with that faint, wispy light and silently sizing up which one it would be most efficient to focus on and cut down first. Ajax could negotiate all he liked, the squid had always been far better at it than him. But the first sign of trouble... he wouldn't bother waiting to sort things out, their need for that... that monster be damned. Though he lacked his physical sword, the [Blade of Dawn] was always at the ready, the beck and call... all he would have to do is manifest it. And there was not even the slightest shadow of a doubt in his mind that it would make short work of both the predators put together, if need be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Sketches Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Icarus, Aurora, Ajax, Mufasa ,1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00 PM "Ooo a kitty with a bite huh? I hadn't realized he was so dangerous." His attention was now solely on the two newcomers, mostly inspecting the lion to watch how well in control he was with his trigger finger. He did listen to the rest of the squids ramblings, though nothing he said was of much interest to him. He couldn't trust a word he said, as far as Icarus was concerned he was just an ally of his new found enemy. He couldn't believe how foolish the man was sounding. It doesn't matter what she was, a blade slicing the skin of the throat open is a fairly simple way to get the job done. Doesn't matter what race you are or how strong your believed to be, death is apathetic. Though he didn't bother explaining this to any of them, let them remain naive as much as they want. It was unsurprising to see the huntress escape her bindings, he hadn't expected the chains to trap her for long. But it still annoyed him to see his chain in it's misshapen condition, he was going to have to repair them. Or better yet maybe he'd get an upgrade, he'll just have to mull it over in his head for the time being. He reached down and picked up the fallen blade, wrapping the remains of the chain around his arm as well. "You are correct when you say I came here for a purpose, though your friend proved to be a nice distraction to help pass the time. And as much as I'd love to fight a handicapped battle, I must resume my small adventure deeper into the dark dungeons we're in." He began to leisurely walk backwards as he spoke, his blades at hand in case any of them decided they wanted to continue the fun. Though once he finished speaking and had reached a moderate distance away from them, he turned his back to the small group and walked normally. Though he once again stopped momentarily, slightly glancing back at them so that half his face was still hidden from view. "You may believe yourselves to be allies, friends even. But do not forget that she is a predator. I'm sure you don't need reminders of how vicious her kind has been in the past to all, they don't care who or what you are. They're merciless killing machines, can't be trusted unless you have the bottom half of a spider that is." The one eye that was visible suddenly turned a dark shade of red as a wicked smile appeared on his face, revealing one of his sharp canines. "But then again, why should you listen to me? I'm just the devil in disguise after all.." And with those parting words, he turned his gaze back towards where he was heading and began to walk away. Heading deeper into the darkness until he disappeared from sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Aurora, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM The stone expression broke when she saw the flash of that red eye, her own Irises burning their brilliant green and fangs baring yet again as the demon talked down to Ajax. When it was her on the end of the quips, it was one thing, she was used to it, actually enjoyed it, when accompanied by the subtle undertones of desperation and last ditch defiance of fate. But when it was Ajax, it was entirely different. She almost lurched forward after the arrogant bastard, before the wizened Illithid raised a single slicked hand to halt her, shaking his head. "Indeed you are a devil." The squid mused as he watched the hellspawn leave, almost sounding amused. "I can already gather from your demeanor that there is blood on your hands- how long till it lies on your heart?" but the hellspawn was gone. "The rogue has stones, I'll give him that..." Mufasa snarled beneath his breath. "stones bigger than he has right to, but stones nonetheless. May his arrogance be his undoing." He only then bothered looking at the spider again. "Ajax, what about.... her? What skills does she possibly have that we would need her." His scrutinizing gaze was met with one of the Arachni's own. "Ajax, why did you bring your pet cat down here? Don't you know they loathe the water?" "Say that again?" Mufasa edged a little closer. "Stop this, both of you." Ajax cut in. "Gods, you predators and your constant pissing contests... first the demon, and now you two. If you must know, Mufasa, The reason I've sought out her help is because she's found and retrieved literally hundreds of items floating in the channels down here over the years, from jewelry like your amulet to all myriads of stranger things, and she's the only living being I know with better knowledge of this place than even myself. If you want to find what we're after in a timely matter, it will only happen with her aid." "Fine..." Mufasa backed away from her, though his guard remained staunch as ever. "To think though, there would come a day when I'd have to rely on some Spider-born menace to society... shameful." "Please, tell me I can eat him. He's far too annoying, just like the damn rat and that demon-" "No...Aurora." Ajax rubbed his temples by this point. Just like he had thought, this would've been far easier if he had just gone down here alone. "Fiiiine..." she sighed. More of a passive aggressive snarl, really. "What were you talking about earlier then, about needing me and finding things?" "My friend here has a young daughter. She was playing by the fountains during the celebrations and long story shortened, an amulet she was wearing broke off and fell into the fountain. We've come down here to get it before it's lost forever- which is why, as I said earlier, we need you." She thought it over for a minute. But he could tell the mention of the daughter had done something..."What's so important about this piece of jewelry?" She finally said. "I've got probably too many of them to count. I could just as easily hand you a replacement to give to the girl." "It's all either of us have to remember of her mother." The lion finally chimed in. "It's more than just jewelry, it's inheritance, a memento of someone who is now lost. It is heart and memory given solid form and tempered by the fires of time. It is a part of who and what her mother was, even now." There was silence, for a good while. She turned and walked away from him pulling out the small stone hidden in her garbs, the string running along her armored neck nigh impossible to actually spot in the dark. It's runes still burned with their gentle, scarlet light even now after the fight was over. It'd been so long now that she'd had it, hadn't it? She hadn't even earned it, back then, with her training barely even begun. But yet... that hadn't been what mattered to her in the moment she'd taken it. All that had mattered was whose neck it was around, who it once belonged to. She had not cared about their customs or their law in that frozen point of time, only what little she was able to salvage. "Fine..." She finally broke the silence, glancing back at the lion. "I'll help you get it back. But don't expect me to slow down if you fall behind." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiss13 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Isolda Grace. Time: 1st day of the Year of Rebirth. Afternoon 3:00 PMHer interest had finally waned. She had failed to get herself into the ongoing festivities. With whatever last drops of cocktail she originally held emptied from the glass, Isolda let out a deep sigh. "Festivities are such a pain. Even Aria failed to get me out of that mentality..."There was no point in staying in the Grand Ballroom anymore. Even if she stayed, the best she could hope for was hold an attitude of apathy. Of course, it was far more likely that she would get annoyed watching the antics of the more inebriated entities in the area. In the end, eternal sobriety for an undead held both an advantage and a disadvantage.She made her way to the doors of the Ballroom before turning to get a quick final glance at everyone else in the hall cutting loose before walking out. As the doors shut behind her, the sounds of the party on the other end ceased to reach her ears.As she made her way down the seemingly empty hall way, the rhythm of her shoes hitting the ground resounded throughout it."I see you left the festivities early this year as well, Lady Isolda." A low voice rang from a few feet behind her."Were you behind me this entire time, Abel?" Isolda turned around to see the tall man who looked to be 30 draped, from his hat to his shoes, completely in black walking behind him."Well, for a vampire like me who hates lights, there's not much to do. At least watching someone who interests me from the shadows keeps me occupied.""I'd call you a creepy old bat but frankly, what you do seems to be more akin to a teenage boy following around some older lady he has a crush on.""How cold, Lady Isolda. I do this out of hopes that I can one day see the form you took on that day you took me into this castle. Such a shame that you did not turn again today, though. I would have been willing to walk into that Grand Ballroom just to see that demonic form wreaking havoc there.""You even have the intervals memorized. The stalker levels are rising for you.""Yet, you still entertain the company of this stalker."Isolda frowned. For a prideful person like her, there was no greater insult than being called out on her own idiocy. "Ugh, fine. You have a point there." She turned around and started walking away."Are you really just going to walk off like that?""It's not like you aren't going to try and follow me or tag along so what does it matter to you?""Point taken. But, what are you trying to do."Isolda turned her head 90 degrees and looked back to Abel with a smile. "I'm just going to find a way to kill time and stave off some boredom. Care to join me, stalker boy?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindrop Valkyrie Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Lotus Contiello, Countess Sybil Contiello, Count Heinrich Contiello, Lord Cyllis, Redeemer Riika, Father Babble, Barbara, Iidrra, Look, a lot of people ok? Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. 3:00 PM "No, I am not a Cleric. At least not like any you would properly know. Unlike many of those who control the power of Faith I do not receive my powers from any entity I know. It's a mystery really how it works, but I am what is know as well, a Redeemer. They are those that draw the power of Holy magic through self-faith, believing in one's self, rather than a deity of some kind. Much about this is unknown. It's possible that in my actual life I held a deity as my patron, and that they still believe in my abilities and grant me powers. That is even despite the fact that I do not know of them or... if I ever had. The Gods work in strange ways. They are not well understood. Redeemers are understood even less than that. Our powers could come from within in actuality, or by the byproduct of some bored deity. Maybe even the product of a deity who believes in our strength to serve them even without presenting them self." Riika shifted in her seat putting their hand to their helmet. A pensive look as they considered their next words. Riika mulled them over for awhile, wondering if their explanation was good enough. They reckoned it was as good as they could do, and left it. "It's not a common thing. That much is certain. We are a rare sight in this world. Most do not have the strength of self to be a Redeemer. It is a long and lonely path, of self-reflection, self-neglect... hatred... wondering what you are, who you are. Knowing that you're an imperfect being, that must strive to be more than that. It is a razor edge, one that could easily see you falling off the side into endless despair. Not an easy path by any means." Riika somehow managed to give an air of sternness and solemnness as they said this. Without facial features, Riika only had the half the body language others did and still managed it. "But, don't weep for a Redeemer, they knew their path was a long one, a hard road. They'd have it no other way. You know, they say that one of the Nightlords was a Redeemer. The very first. The First Lady of the Night. Funny that them refer to them all as lords though a Majority have been woman. Sorry, getting sidetracked. However, despite being a Redeemer, she had the Well of Nocturne built. Maybe because she felt some sort of attachment to them, to Nocturne, but more because her people believed in Their power. Nocturne is still seen as the Patron of all monsters. The Mother of thought, the Father of Darkness. An entity that is everything, and yet nothing. Of course... Babble could probably tell you more on that. But, remember... a Redeemer... is something powerful and rare. More because of their meaning, than because of actually having more power than another. I am a Redeemer. Maybe because I have forgotten my old god's face... strayed from their light, But... I am proud to walk this path. It is not one most have the ability or the strength to. So, I walk it with my head held high." Somewhere in the Waterways, Near the Lake of Miracles The Waterways of the Castle where large and spanned quite far. After all, Castle Dour itself was massive. It was nearly a City within a building. As such it had to have an equally huge Waterway to take care of the... undesirable effects of having so many living entities under a single roof. This place was always rumoured to be haunted, and stalked by creatures more horrible than anything within the Castle. Monster that were endless cruel that had no intelligence to speak of. Nearly all of these accounts were false, though not many remembered that at this point in the Castle's lifespan. Nowadays most didn't even dare to pass further than the place that Aurora had taken for a home, the Old Training Grounds of Lord Cyllis. Even Cyllis himself never went past that point. Not out of fear, but of respect. If there was something down there... he'd rather give it's space rather than disturb it. After all, if it didn't want to be within the Castle around others, surely it wasn't something you wanted to meet. And so, there was long abandoned tunnels that snaked their ways into the earth's surface. They burrowed for miles twisting and turning every which way. Most would get lost down here... in fact pretty much anyone that dared go in recent time had never turned up again. It only added to how horrifying the place was to most. It's tunnels stank of waste and death. Not a lovely combo, believe me. One could easily get lost in the filth covered halls, succumbing to disease, starvation or... with the lack of clean drinking water, dehydration. Slow painful deaths as they got lost in the winding corridors that all looked the same. Without a map, it's be hard to navigate... hell even with one it would be. It was easy to see why people just avoided this place. However, that made it the perfect place for those that didn't like others to reside. One such being did that. A Full fledged Dragon in fact. A Serpent that swam the length of these tunnels in search of shiny trinkets and baubles that would please his eyes and adorn his lair with the shine of treasures recovered from the filth. His name... Argentum Deus. Perhaps one of the most vain creatures to live within the Castle, and one that not many knew of by name. He had lived in those halls since the Castle's beginnings, and... was around even longer than that. He was a creature that was perhaps older than known time itself. How and why he was here, unknown. But he was here. It happened to be a session of his sleep that was interrupted today. SOund carried like crazy down in the Waterways. It wasn't unknown for it to eventually drift it's way down to his Chamber, his lair, the Lake of Miracles. "WHAT IS THAT INCESSANT RACKET?" Argentum cried out as he had been trying to slumber. He had been sitting awake from about an hour now, and suddenly for the past 30 minutes some sort of clash was going on far away. His acute sense of hearing amplified the far away noise so much he couldn't get the rest he so desperately wanted. Eventually it passed, but now he couldn't sleep if he wanted to his was so riled up. "Pitiful mortals... do they not know I am a god? The nerve of them keeping me up. I should raze this pitiful rock to the ground. Luckily for them I can't do that. Besides, they don't deserve a death that grand. It is unfitting for them. They deserve to starve slowly... and go mad. How droll these mortals are. Their petty boring squabbles keeping me for the shut eye I deserve. Hush... quiet now good Argentum. Fret not. We can forget the mortals stupidity. We must search for more things within these passages. More treasures. The only good thing about Mortals, that they know how to make shiny things. Lovely shiny things. They have as little uses as mortals, but they look pretty... better than you can say for most of them. Ha... I do cut myself up sometimes." The Silvery Blue dragon talked to himself for several more minutes before he finally headed out to actually search for treasures and baubles. His long serpentine body surged into the water of his precious lake. The Water sparkled like the surface of a sapphire. Beautiful. It reflected the light of all the gold and shiny treasures that lined the walls within. The Lair of a Dragon. One wondered all the treasures that were hidden within. Either way, Argentum's body gracefully slipped into the pool of liquid sapphire and nearly disappeared in the water. He became hard to see, as he almsot blended in perfectly. He loved this felling, though he knew it leave as he got further from his layer and the water he had magically cleaned. He wasn't looking forward to getting the muck on his scales, gifts of his to this drab world, but he was more focused on getting out there to collect things. It was a form of anger management for him. Finding new bauble for his collection. So, to forgot his anger at being awoken by drab beings... he decided to go hunting. He hoped it would prove... fruitful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindrop Valkyrie Posted March 28, 2016 Author Share Posted March 28, 2016 ((by the way Murdoc... I am working on your post... I just forgot about it since I got busy as hell. I apologize and will be trying to get it up when I can. For now, PLOT ADVANCEMENT!!! FINALLY!!!)) Heart of the Castle. 1st Day, of the First Month of the Year of Rebirth, ?:?? P.M. Azegeor took a deep breath or... he would've if he had lungs. It was,,, the Beginning of the End. The End, of the Beginning. Fate... was the only thing that held the strings in it's hands now. The Weaver of Tangled Webs... would she be favourable to his cause? The World... knew not. "Tempest..." "Yeeeeeees, Aze-chan?" "Be as the wind." "Right~" She saluted before disappearing from sight, she changed the air in her body to resemble soemthing else, the still air. [skill: Alter Air] nothing was left but a faint shimmer. It was nearly invisible to the eye. Azegeor himself could only pin-point it because he had watched her from vanish. He knew as soon as he took his eyes of her, he'd lose sight. But... he didn't need to now where she was... His enemies did. But first, he had to break into the Heart. He'd try the "Innocent but came to check on the matter" approach. Hopefully, it'd work. He moved his hand to the giant knocker on the door. He grabbed it and slammed it three times.. indicating a Court Wizard. He cleared his throat... metaphorically... he couldn't actually do it, but he still made the sound as if he could. Old habits... still he acted as if he was still human at times. Even after all these years. This long brutal years. "Ahem. Is Commander Gale here what's going on? I came to check where he was an then I found my Alarm spell tripped and... well the Aftermath. What is happening?" On the other side of the door Gale heard this, as he picked splinters from his wounds and coughed up blood. Crimson pools all around him. "Azegeor, it's not safe there's an attacker! Flee, run!" "No, I must serve my Lord! You know this Gale! Open these doors." "You're... you're right. Men, let him in! The Wizard should be able to help. Besides the attacker seems to have fled." All, too easy. Azegeor had to stifle a laugh. Gale... was too naive. His heart too big, his sense of honor, his love of duty would be his undoing. The Bar on the door was lifted and the doors loudly clanked open. They creaked and moaned, a chorus of the damned. It would be the final call the guards would hear. It was the World's warning that something wasn't right and that they were handing their life threads away. But, they couldn't divine that simple a call. Fate... was too subtle that day. She had not giving them ample enough a warning, or at least, they weren't intelligent enough to notice it. They snipped their own threads in their ignorance. Azegeor strode in, the invisible Tempest beside him. He walked up to the bleeding Gale, who had barely manage to stand up. Gale noticed the look in his eyes too late, the hardened resolve of a man about to kill. The recognition noticeable in his words "Azegeor, what are you doing?" "Ending you're service to the Throne." With these words Azegeor shoved his hand through Gale's chest and grasped his heart. It phased through his rib-cage and past all his other organs, it was only solid against his heart. He felt the boney fingers grasping his aorta. They burned, with magic that only effected the heart, the concept of the Heart... The culmination of one's Soul. "Why? I thought... I thought you were my friend." Gale screamed. Confusion in his eyes. He couldn't fight back, his arm a pitiful mess, his legs both broken. Now, the adrenaline was gone... he could feel every inch of pain within his body. He could feel how broken he was. He couldn't kick, he couldn't punch... he couldn't even bite. He couldn't defend himself. He felt his very spirit being crushed under the weight of Azegeor's fingers. "Anyone who blindly follows a Madman, follows him willingly... is garbage. You may not even call yourself my equal, let alone my friend. Die!!! WINGED VERMIN!!! BE GONE FROM MY SIGHT!!! YOU DISGUST ME!!!" and with that, Gale's Heart... his very Soul collapsed as it was crushed in Azegeor's hand. { Activated: Heartstopper Grasp.((aside, this isn't an instant kill... remember Gale was already pretty horribly injured from the Explosion earlier.)) } A spectacular shower of blood stained Azegeor's own chest, and his hand. He was awash in crimson, the lifeblood of another. He felt disgusting. Having that pitiful vermin's blood on him. It was like being covered in filth... something less than filth. He'd spit if he could, vomit even. The two guards that opened the door gasped, but... couldn't move. They weakly clinged to their spears, but they both knew they were doomed. A man who did that to their Commander... they stood no chance. Azegeor didn't even look at them. They were disgusting. He wouldn't deal with another piece of living garbage. He barked "Tempest! End them..." as he trudged forward. "I'd be happy to Aze-chaaaan~" her reply as she quickly got to work. Azegeor didn't even watch. He walked forward... past the Heart. The ever beating Heart. It thrummed with energy, even the Castle was anticipating the Battle to come. "Heheheheh.... HEHEHEHEHEHEH, BWHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Azegeor stared at the mad man, who was cackling on his throne. He didn't even address the vile pitiful shadow of the once great Lord Solomon. He was... someone else now. Someone, he wouldn't use precious words on. "I knew you would come. Welcome... Usurper." Azegeor only stared at the Mad Man. "Whaaaaat? Cat got your tongue Usurper? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YOU DON"T EVEN HAVE ONE!!!! IT'S FUNNY!!! Not going to Laugh huh...? Well then... let's get to business shall we? if it's serious you want... Serious I'll be... Usurper..." The Shadow that was once Solomon stood up from his chair. He pulled from behind his throne a withered and old staff, made from Dogwood. "Shall we?" Twilight shined through the stained glass windows that sat in the alcove behind the throne. it bathed the room in a soft glow. Many different colours bathed the area in a radical display. "It's time... to end your Tyranny. To try you for your sins. You are not Solomon... you're only a hollow husk pretending to be a Lord." "You're right... Solomon is dead. My name... is Panic. Don't you remember me... Azegeor? Or... should I call you...Theodore? Maybe you remember that name... Heh... hehheh... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!" ***************************** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~ Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Lotus Contiello, Countess Sybil Contiello, Count Heinrich Contiello, Lord Cyllis, Redeemer Riika, Father Babble, Barbara, Iidrra, Look, a lot of people ok? Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. 3:00 PM "I see..." Lotus mulled over everything the Redeemer had said. Earlier today she had no idea what redeemer even was. But now here she was learning so much about the castle, and everyone in it. She made a mental note, she would later have to properly thank the Counts for letting her be here. But still, Lotus couldn't help but feel a little sad for the Redeemer. Wasn't Riika lonely? Lotus had the Counts, and all her fellow servants. Maybe all that Riika needed was someone to help them. "Redeemer" Lotus started. "You say your path is lonely, but it doesn't have to be. You are among family here. I don't mean to overstep my place or position, but I am sure you like at least someone sat at this table. Perhaps everyone, or perhaps just a few, or maybe even many. You do not need to walk alone, you have many people who are willing to help you. This is what I have learned, after being taken in by a family myself." She glanced over at the Countess, and smiled sweetly. Maybe the Redeemer could even serve as the Count's bodyguards. Lotus believed in her own strengths, but she wouldn't be able to fight other undead creatures. Maybe if Riika helped, the Contiellos could live forever, safe from any harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutoratosu Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Aurora, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Sometime after 3:00PM "Yet again, not it, Spider..." Mufasa sighed for what had to be the upmthteenth time since they'd started. Aurora said nothing as she tossed the pendant to Ajax just like all the other pieces of jewelry. The squid man feigned ignorance to her growing frustration as he stowed it into the jingling silk sack. The arachni jabbed the water's surface once, her armored leg emerging, though this time there was a ring of sterling silver upon it's apex. Not even the right category of trinket... "Ajax, how many does that make now?" Mufasa asked, rubbing one of his temples. At this rate, they'd be down here all night looking for the damn thing. "Hmmm...well," He rifled through the retrieved possessions, fingers jingling like bells. "About thirty or so, it looks like. Some very nice stuff among it, a shame that someone managed to lose them all to this place really. But, when one get's drunker than a Dire Skunk and parties... such is bound to happen." "This location obviously isn't working..." The lion shook his head, staring into the distance for a moment, then back at the spider. "We need to go deeper. Enough time's been wasted here already." "Deeper?" Aurora Scoffed. "You foolish cat, do you know what even lies deeper into these ugly halls? There's a good reason hardly anyone ever comes down here, Puss." "Bah, and just what would that reason be, huntress? I had assumed it was because they'd have to doubtless spent more than even a mere second in your presence." "Keep up the self-righteous vigor all you like, there are still far worse things than me in this world, even if you refuse to believe it. Things... like the one who lives in the depths. Tell me, Puss, do you believe in-" She stopped, as if lost in thought, grasping for something. "Huh...what were those things called again. I know I heard the name somewhere before..." She actually scratched the back of her head.... Mufasa had heard more than enough. He turned and walked off into darkness. "To hell with your tales of terrors in the dark, I'm going deeper. Whether you two are coming, or not. I don't give a damn what's lurking about...it can eat a length of iron." Where said length of iron would come from though in the case he had to make true on the promise, remained to be seen. "Enough, I'll find it on my own..." "Oh, Dragons!" the spider suddenly blurted, recollection lighting up her eyes. "Dragons, that's what the name is...oh. The idiot's already gone." "Really." Ajax sighed, his stare as disapproving as ever. "Really, old friend? Feigning ignorance just to get him to get frustrated and go off on his own." "Whaaaat? No, no, I'd never..." "I know you, Aurora. You've a far superior memory than what I just witnessed. If there truly is a dragon of all things down here, you only forgot the creature's race because you wanted to... We have to stop him now, you do realize this, yes." "Damn it Ajax," She sighed, arms crossed. "you're taking all the fun out of this... I wasn't gonna let him get too far, just enough to hopefully scare the piss out of him and put him back in his place. House cats shouldn't act so self-righteous anyway. And besides, the fool shouldn't have been so easy to predict, I mean, he just stormed off like it was clockwork." He did not respond. Only slung the sack over his shoulder and walked into darkness himself, muttering. "I knew it. Should've never obeyed the order. Would be far easier and far smoother right now if I hadn't..." Giving a sigh of her own, the spider wasn't too far behind him. She hadn't been lying though, about the beast. It may have been many a year ago, just after the war, but she had once seen it further within the depths herself; that much was certain in her mind, even if only if said sight had been only a mere split second in passing.... she had known what she had seen. Which posed the question in her mind- just how would the Demon from earlier fare down here as he ventured deeper and deeper, closer and closer to a creature both famed and feared for it's raw ability to kill and destroy, far more than even her own kind was? The thought of his mangled and bloodied corpse lying half consumed on the floor, barely even recognizable, if there would even be anything of him left if the serpent found him... It filled her with glee, enough to even chuckle about it with that menacing smirk of hers, ever so softly as she followed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindrop Valkyrie Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 Lotus Contiello, Countess Sybil Contiello, Count Heinrich Contiello, Lord Cyllis, Redeemer Riika, Father Babble, Barbara, Iidrra, Look, a lot of people ok? Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. 3:00 PM "It is not so much that. It is more,,, that unless I met another like me no one will truly understand what I am going through." Riika was fine with most of the ones here. Though, they wouldn't say that any of them here were fast friends. Riika sighed knowing that. "Furthermore, who here could understand not knowing who you once were? Having everything you once knew be lost? My memories are out there. I had a life that existed before this one, it's just beyond me. I know it was there and can still feel flashes of it. But, it's far away... drowned at the bottom of a vast and endless sea." Somewhere in the Waterways, Near the Lake of Miracles Argentum swam quickly down the channels. Being a dragon that was used to water he could see perfectly within it. His eyes had special membranes to keep the water from harming them in anyway, a second transparent eyelid. It made searching for the many treasures down here quite a bit easier as he could tell of their quality just by looking at them. Dues had a uncanny sense for treasure, for judging what they were. So, far he wasn't having any luck. He swam past countless baubles and trinkets lost within the Waterways, not really finding too much of interest. He saw a brilliant emerald sitting in the waterbed "Too green... disgusting." he kept swimming around spying other things that would be treasures to mere mortals, but to him were worthless doodads. Countless necklaces, rings, jewelry of all kinds. Lavish silverware. "Ooooooh... how frighteningly tacky these beings are." Argentum's mood was rapidly declining. He'd decided to do this to lift his spirits not dampen them. He wasn't sure if he was enjoying himself at all, he wanted to find something that wasn't part of the filth here but it's all he turned up for now. That was until a glint caught his eye. A Golden Gleam. His huge body came to an immediate stop at the sight. It could be, another disappointment, but... something told him otherwise. "Where are you hiding little treasure? Come, to Argentum Dues. He will treat you with the utmost of care." he said to it... almost lovingly. It was sweet, but...really creepy if you knew what he was saying it too. He dug around in the filth at the bottom of the Waterway until he felt his hand hit something. It was definitely a precious metal by the composition, probably gold, like the glint of light suggested. He felt around until he found a chain, and he promptly looped his finger into it. He saw it lethargically sail upwards, anchored to what would be his index finger. It was rather small, clearly meant for a mortal's neck. It was octagonal in shape. "Huh? An exceedingly rare shape amongst mortals for their trinkets. Though... it is a perfect number. Perhaps it's too... perfect for them." he said thinking out loud. Suddenly, he recognized a trace amount of magic coming from the Medallion in his hand. He spiked out of the water going directly up. If there was magic it'd be easier to discern out of the water and in the air. Air interfered much less. He inspected the Medallion much more closely now, turning it over and seeing the Ruby. He definitely knew the magical source was coming from here, but he wasn't sure of what it was. "Ruby... blood. Probably not... Wealth and prosperity. Humans like that... they'd probably have a charm for it. No... this magical signature is too complex for something that simple and frivolous." He tried to discern the magic by using the clues he had at his disposal. But, he honestly wasn't sure. This magic felt... odd. Not like Normal Magic... it was interesting. "Some say Rubies have a special tie to the heart... the energies that flow with it. It is often associated with Fire. But... none of these things feel correct. Hmmmmmm, what could be the meaning of this? I'm... intrigued. Twinkle, twinkle, little star... oh how I wonder what you are." Regent and Hasslehoof. Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:05 PM Hasslehoof took the slow approach. He dodged out of the way and allowed his opponent to regain himself. Hasslehoof was one who won quite a few of his matches by endurance... waiting out his opponent through his superior stamina. However, he did take the offensive when he had sufficient information. For now he'd try reading how the Drake decided to combat him. He watched every movement carefully even while he danced like a madman. "Hmmm, nice try. Better luck next time." he taunted, seeing if it would get a response from his opponent. It was good to try and find their weaknesses what would get them emotional. So, he was pushing buttons wherever he could. He was bound to find something he could leverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~ Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Lotus Contiello, Countess Sybil Contiello, Count Heinrich Contiello, Lord Cyllis, Redeemer Riika, Father Babble, Barbara, Iidrra, Look, a lot of people ok? Time: 1st Day, of the 1st Month, of the Year of Rebirth. 3:00 PM "I can." Lotus gave a small awkward smile, and then looked down at her knees. She tapped her fingers against the table softly, thinking over her words carefully. "I don't remember my past life either. One day I woke up, and I was a vampire. I was a servant to the Contiello family then, and I continue being one to this day. I could have been anyone before I was a vampire though." She looked up from her knees, looking at the Redeemer again. "I've given some thought as to who I was before I became undead. After all, undead beings aren't just born they have to be living first. I think I was some sort of fighter, I'm particularly good at that." That was always as far as Lotus got. She never asked the Count and Countess who she had been, it actually didn't matter. What use would it be to her? Maybe her old self was a fighter after all. What mattered though, is that she could use those old abilities to fight now. To fight for her new family. "Everyone is different Redeemer, and everyone thinks in different ways. So please, simply consider my opinion. It might not be correct, and you might think differently but it could be food for thought." Lotus paused briefly, adjusting her posture and placing one of her hands over the other. "Do you and I need to know our old lives? We could have been great people, we could have not. Maybe they weren't even us. Who knows if whatever we were disappeared long ago, and we are something new. Redeemer Riika, I believe we should live for the present and for the future. To enjoy the simple tasks we have today, the great things we get to do tomorrow, and think of what might come next year so we are ready to face the challenges ahead." She closed her eyes for a few seconds, breathing in and then out. Or... At least doing the motions for it, vampires didn't require breathing. When she opened her eyes again she resumed. "Thinking too much about the past must leave you sad and weary Redeemer. That is not the correct path. So if you ever feel lonely, thinking about your old life you can come talk to me. I can always talk while doing my work, and I wouldn't mind the company. You don't have to worry, I won't bite. I don't think I could bite into you very easily." Lotus giggled softly, covering her mouth as she laughed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindrop Valkyrie Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 Heart of the Castle. 1st Day, of the First Month of the Year of Rebirth, ?:?? P.M. "Hmmm... I see. Then, Solomon really is gone." "Yes... you could say he's taking a vacation right now. I sent him to a looooovely place." This, Panic's voice now seemed to come from everywhere... it seemed to be multiple voices and yet one voice at the same time. Azegeor... knew this sensation, but only in the back of his mind. It itched as he didn't know who this... entity was, but felt a recognition. Perhaps, it was in the name said earlier. Theodore. What... what did he mean by calling him that? "What... who are you?" "Oh, so you don't remember then... Well... I'm your best nightmare!!! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Panic replied using the voice of Solomon this time. "Now... you're the one who didn't have time for words earlier... so... why don't we let the game begin?" Quickly and without warning the body that was once Solomon's disappeared seemingly instantly. Azegeor looked around quickly to see what was happening. But he didn't see him anywhere. He then heard a scream... surely there was no one else here... except for Tempest... no... Azegeor tore off running towards the entrance where he had left his friend to guard the entrance. He ran with all his might getting there was quickly as he could. His darkest fear confirmed. The body of Solomon stood there his hands around her neck threatening to harm her somehow. He didn't now how, but he wasn't going to let that happen. "Unhand her!" Azegeor shouted, his words a magical command in actuality. He weaved a spell with them. a Giant Hand made of force rose from the ground it shot forward with a blazing speed. It clenched itself into a fist. As it sped towards the Husk of Solomon threatening to slam into him. Before it reached, he vanished again. Leaving it rocketing towards Tempest instead. She quickly noticed this and herself blinked forward. It... took more energy than she'd have liked. But, she found herself now next to Azegeor. The Hand of fist slammed into the back wall shaking the the very foundation of the Castle. It could faintly be felt throughout. Tempest looked at Azegeor, a strange look of sorrow on her face. "Azegeor,... it's not... that's not Solomon is it?" "No." "What are we going to do?" "You, will run. You're not safe here." "No, I'm not leaving your side Azegeor! I will fight along with you!" Azegeor sighed, he was worried. He planned to remove Solomon himself but... this was proving much more difficult. Further he was convinced that Tempest was in danger and... furthermore endangering himself by staying. He didn't know why, but this scenario... felt too familiar. Déjà vu... had this... had this happened before? Why did this feel all too real? Too familiar...every instinct of his warning him at once. It was telling him to get Tempest away from here. But, even if he could manage it... who knew what that creature inhabiting Solomon would do. He had to decide something, whatever he did was going to damn him to some burden. Either he'd fight alone, or he'd worry from Tempest's safety. He sighed... Tempest... could handle herself. At least, Azegeor so hoped. "Well, now you made a call Theo... Times Up. Now, you die together! How cuuute.~ JUST LIKE LAST TIME!!! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! OH THE TASTE OF SWEET TRAGEDY!!! WRIIIIITHE FOR ME PRETTIES!!!" Azegeor didn't know where this...Panic, would come from, but... he knew magic would automatically know. He called out to the hand yelling a command word to make it switch it's form. "Impose!" The hand positioned itself palm out right above Azegeor. As soon as it completed it's movements... a giant fireball struck the hand with great force. Azegeor's knees buckled under the force, but not much else happened to him. Tempest seemed unscathed by it at all, though her body was much less corporeal than Azegeor's therefore force had less effect on her. Either way, the Hand let Azegeor know something important. Panic was above him. Azegeor flashed a look back at Tempest and nodded once. She stepped out and threw out a fan of her wind blades. They circled the room as she felt out through the air for the body of Solomon. Panci was smart though, and moved as little as possible. A loud pop of air was heard as he teleported. The hand quickly adjusted to move between Azegeor and Panic, slamming into the floor with a great force. A fire, could be seen in the eyes of Solomon's old body... dull black flames that looked as if they were the void blazed out of his sockets. They looked unreal, otherworldly. The body of the old king cackled madly against it's will. Wait... was... did his body trying to fight against what it was doing? Was Solomon still in there somewhere? Well... he was going to have to defeat him anyway, but this made it both harder and easier. Solomon was at least fighting him in a mental battle, but... probably losing since Panic was dominating his body. But, they could physically fight him and help to release Panic's control. And to think... he had gone there to kill Solomon now... he was here to save him. "That's all fine and dandy Theodore. But... even if Solomon is still in here... he won't be coming back." This time, Azegeor was worried. The last time Panic spoke... it was off. Like he knew too much. But it was safe to assume that because he had not tried to remove Tempest from the situation that he made that choice. This time however, it was clear that somehow... Panic was reading his mind. That... was going to make this much harder. It was amde even clearer by the next action. Of course, now knowing where he was, Tempest brought down all her blades to bear on him. Panic, couldn't have known where all of them were and yet, he sent a ball of flame to consume each one. He precisely removed each and every one of them. He didn't just push out a great wave of flame... he knew where ever single one was since Azegeor knew where they were. This was bad. "Yeeeees... it is bad. I'm your beeeeest nightmare Theodore... this time... you'll die at my hands. Nothing of you will escape this time. NOTHING!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts