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[Diabolical Rhapsody]

The Raging Fight - Confession and Carnage

 

 

 

 

“Sorry, Magnar,” Alina apologised. “The Dusk got us just before you got here.”

 

'No need to apologise love, can we talk before we dance' Magnar said to both.

 

'Yeah sure! but we will make sure that you'll join us soon -fufu-' Angus said with a smirk.

 

'We'll see to that won't we?' Magnar replied picking up  a war-axe from the cabinet.

 

'Let me start first then' Magnar said 'Why didn't you attack me when I was busy with those numbnuts, I would have had such a big blindspot' he asked with a solemn voice.

 

'We may have surrendered our mortality but we still have our honor' Alina quipped 'It would be a shame to do a sneak attack on you Maggy' she added, calling him a name only a select called him by.

 

'Ah! so you think that you two can take on me without those idiots' Maganr said, his voice teasing 'Well it's good to know that there are some in the capital who think they can best me in a duel' he continued laughing wryly, the gravity of the situation was not lost on him, he knew that they both were not pushovers when they were among the living, god knows what powers they have now that they are undead. He decided to talk a little more, trying to lessen his burden of the realization that was dawning on him, he would have to kill his dearest friends, his pillars through times of self-doubt. This wasn't easy for the giant, he mindlessly killed for the prince because till now his loved ones were under his hand, it was now impossible to be friends anymore.

 

'Looks like either I give you eternal rest or you make me join your side' He said in a solemn tone.

 

'Well don't go all glum on me now dear, let's have fun while we can' Alina said in a hearty tone.

 

'Well,I have a confession to make' Magnar said, his words labored, his voice heavy.

 

'What is it now?' Angus said.

 

'I had thought of asking Al's hand for marriage after the crusade and for you to be my best man' Magnar said in a grim tone.

 

His lieutenants were shocked for a bit then Alina said snickering 'Well too late for now love, be more forward next time you big boar'.

 

'You would have made a great wife Al, I always looked at you with pride and respect, certainly amongst the best I have seen fight' Magnar said his voice choking, tears falling from his eyes, he hadn't thought that he would have to confess his love like this, a more cheery setting and a grand welcome was how he had imagined, well it was not to be now, he would have to kill his love so that his country's honor can be saved.

 

'I'll meet you in hell love' He said dropping his mighty hammer to the floor with a thud, picking up a war-axe in his left while he unsheathed his short sword, fittingly named SIF in honor of his loving mother.

 

'Come let's dance and see if I was ever worthy of you' he said to Alina but his cue was to both of them.

 

'Don't think of an honorable duel now Ang, you forsake your honor when you turned to dusk' He said to Angus.

 

Both his comrades needed little prodding to enter into battle. They were on to him like hungry wolves, having tracked their prey for a long distance. If he was worthy, his name shall be tested today, the carnage had begun. He was a master wielder of hammer but being the son of Miles Everett and a royal guard his sword skills were not ordinary and his stay in the Winter Marches had him interested in the axe as well, although he preffered a hammer to pound the heads of his enemies, he enjoyed cleaving them apart as well, that was one motivation for making Mjolnir an Axe-hammer. He wanted to have all the fun of two his favorite weapons. While his comrades had their blades, their fangs and claws, Magnar had his ferocity and power, power that was unrivaled in the empire. the winter tribes were no pushovers but he was a beast. And that beast has had his warm-up, had it been a normal fight Magnar would have had a large edge facing the two, but seeing how they had powered up the fight seemed equal or rather a little in their favor. Magnar knew that if he wanted to live like the Prince had said just a short while ago, he would have to fight a fight of his lifetime.

 

 As the fight raged the scales seemed even, Magnar wasn't able to over-power his enemies like he usually did, to their credit Angus and Alina fought like their forsaken lives depended on it, clawing sometimes at Magnar and sometimes trying to slice him,but his guard was not something that can be broken easily. He either weilded an extremely heavy Mjolnir or Twin weapons so he was well versed in the shortcomings his swings would give him as their was no shield to hide against. Luckily his friends were fighting without theirs, he had landed a lot many superficial cuts but they had eventually healed through the course of battle, he knew that if he wanted to finish it, he will have to land in a death blow and that the longer he fought with the two the more advantage they would gain. They had gained in ferocity and speed but their sword-work had become sloppy therein lied the opportunity for Magnar.

 

Magnar was facing his two lieutenants that were claimed by the dusk. Sylvan, ever loyal to her master, aided him in the fight as best as she could, covering his back for him. But suddenly, she ceased to move. A calm before a storm, one might say. The energy contained in her body began to leak out violently, creating a deadly tempest of massive scale. Magnar, who was standing close to her, received a full brunt of it. The wind swept him off his feet, and thrown him up to the ceiling before slamming him back to the ground. What remains from the calamity was Sylvan in her small form, a battered Magnar, and two of his lieutenants that has transformed fully into demons of the dusk. Things were turning out for the worse every minute for Magnar, brushing himself he got up to face the fully transformed former comrades, a hint unending blood-lust in their eyes as they faced him.

 

Thinking almost intuitively he side-stepped as Alina leaped at him going in for the final kill clawing the floor beside him, he turned on his ankle and planted a knee straight into her face with a lot of force while turning to get back to Mjolnir, ducking in time to avoid a wild slash from Angus,rolling over as he reached his hammer and dropped his sword. As Alina fell backwards, Magnar adjusted his footing a little before performing a thrust at Angus. Angus surprised by the sudden change and his torso was wide open to the incoming thrust. Magnar rushed like an animal with Angus at the end of his huge weapon, smashing him into the wall behind, removing his weapon with a jerk he caught movement at the edge of his vision, swinging Mjolnir full circle he cleaved Angus in half as Alina fell back at the last moment.

 

'Looks like you still need more practise brother' Magnar sneered as he turned his attention to a shaken Alina.

 

Just then another explosion ripped through the ship, shaking it violently and Magnar lost his footing again.

 

'What the fuck, I'll see that in a moment' shouting he charged at Alina who was unable to balance herself and got rammed in the wall, just the opening Magnar needed.

 

'Time for goodbyes my love, see you in hell' As he raised Mjolnir to bring down in a great arc like her a moment before splitting her in two down the middle like the undead from before.

 

'I'll make sure to join you soon' he said with a grim laugh.

 

Turning his attention to the torso of Angus he said 'Looks like you'll be going  before me brother' bringing the hammer head down in a vertical strike pounding the torso into the floor. Sauntering over to the cabinets to look for oil for the torches. Finding a container full beside the small stand he picked it up and cut it open. Pouring over on what remained of his two friends he took a torch from the wall and set them on fire.

 

'May your souls find peace, I'll join you soon in the halls of Valhalla' He said as tears streamed out from his eyes. He had quite a few injuries himself but the sorrow he had in his heart was more painful than them.

 

'I'll burn the ones who did this to you, you have my word' he swore over the burning remains.

 

He then went inside the armory to pick up the fallen blade he had left there and sheathed it to his sides. Grabbing a sack from the closet nearby he picked his axe too. Coming outside he knelt near the little fox and petted it 'You have served me well little one, now jump in so I can look after you' saying this he cajoled it into the sack and slung it around his armor. Taking his sword out once more he started warming it on the flames of his comrades. When the blade was sufficiently hot, he touched it on his wounds with a grimace trying to cauterize them. It took him around seven-eight times to get all the wounds closed. Sheathing the sword again he got up. Picking Mjolnir from the floor he slung it over his shoulder and proceeded into the darkness with nothing but menace and rage in his eyes. The Behemoth was finally very much alive.

Edited by Diabolical Rhapsodii, 19 August 2013 - 05:19 PM.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

Cold Greeting

Treating an admirer harshly.

 

'Bequeathed to me mockingly by drunken fools unable to comprend my unwillingness to fraternize with them. That sobriquet? Using her left hand to cover the exposed flesh below her neck, she said coyly, "Have a care where your eyes linger, my friend. And what of your sobriquet?" Gesturing with her left hand at the scene surrounding them, while her right- subtly aimed the rapier at the space between Iblis' squared feet.

 

'Ah! Such fluent Empyrean, certainly you  have become a scholar' He said with a grin 'And care for my eyes, had I cared my dear, I would have missed on a rare beauty such as you' he added with a sheepish smile.

 

​"You have made quite the mess here tonight." Suddenly there was a distant rumble, an explosion perhaps, but Maiev ignored it even as she was forced against one of the walls, but Iblis wasn't prepared and fell comically on his bum "You and your partner must be very proud. I am quite impressed." She added.

 

"Well although generally I suck up all praise and the souls -fufu-, but sadly this isn't my doing " Iblis said with a feigning sad face "It might look the same to you all, but actually I think its my mother's magic, she certainly ispreparing for a lovely reunion -kekeke-" he said with a mad grin pasted on his face.

 

'I am just soaking up the fun, would you care to join me for a walk, it has been too long................or will you shun me like many others, a lowlife defiling your aura -fufufufu- ' he said smirking.

 

'And my partner surely has brought bliss in my life, she is a rare gem like you and a bewitching beauty like you too' he added playfully

[Geo]

Spoiler

Mysterious glows appeared in the corridor of the middle residential floor. This light though, unlike Camus's normal silvery glow, exudes a dark aura. As if a portal to the underworld itself, the light grows bigger, and seven dark spirits spill forth from the glowing darkness. The demons, appearing as butlers with red glowing eyes and deep dark blue hairs, seems to have mirrored their master's appearance. With wind and water blades protruding from their arms, they began their dance of death: they ran across the corridor like an unstoppable torrent, slashing and killing zombies and living humans alike. In a blink of an eye, they reached the hall, and engaged whomever there was that dared to face them.

 

"Well, shit." Gale said as he saw the seven demons appearing in the corridor. "Isn't that way too many to handle?"

Razoriel moaned, he knew that he can't fight them alone. Gale looked at him and nodded.

"Razoriel, you are asking me to summon the others? That's going to make we weak." Gale asked.

The skeleton nodded, he knew about the consequences. Gale had the most powerful summons known to the necromancers, but he only had twelve. Summoning them take a large amount of energy to do so. The more he summons, the more weaker and vulnerable Gale becomes in order to supply energy to his summons. It's possible that he could summon all twelve, but it would lead Gale to be unable to move at all… or just an inconvenient comatose. Most of all, the twelfth require the most energy, and was the most disobedient.

"Promise you will also defend me, friend." He said with confidence.

Razoriel gave a menacing battle cry and prepared himself, his eyes burning with hellish flames. Gale chanted and summoned his next "friend".

 

[Number 2: The Archer: Zodiar] 

 

A void opened once again and out came a skeleton with a onyx coloured bow and obsidian arrows. It was wearing tough leather armor and he was nimble in order to evade his enemies. It cackled as he saw Gale and tipped it's leather cap. 

"Hello Zodiar... let's get to work." Gale said while panting a little. 

Gale and Razoriel dashed towards the seven demons while Zodiar covered them by shooting obsidian arrows that burned with green flames. Gale felt a little weak, but he could still fight by his own. But at least he has his summons to back him up. 

Edited by Geo, 20 August 2013 - 03:13 AM.

[El Phantom]

Valerius Lyon

War is in their Blade

 

Cutting through the rising dead was a simple task, but he had a feeling that truly worried him as he cut the last one down... Turns out, his instincts were right, the legendary blade master charged under the cover of the undead being cut down, the coming cross slash, something Valerius would normally be able to counter, was far too fast for him to react against, forcing the mercenary to block, crossing both swords... Although this wasn't enough, if he was at this distance he could still be advanced upon. Instead he added a back-jump to the block, allowing him to be propelled backwards by the force of his opponent's strike. It succeeded, with a spry back flip followed through from the block he managed to regain distance... This speed was unheard of, but he felt a lot of force behind that. It was unfortunate that his father advanced through the cover of the undead... He couldn't learn much. Although the only thing he has to worry about is a gap in power, if the gap is too big, he won't be able to learn and adapt in time...

 

"I guess I'll just gauge it then...", he muttered... He was unofficially crowned the strongest swordsman in all of Empyria, but compared to his father this was nothing more than a fancy moniker... Eckhart Lyon, the one who was known as officially the strongest swordsman. Whether the difference was actual skill, where Eckhart's was leagues beyond 'the best', or that he bothered to test his mettle against others, mattered very little. He in his heart knew his father would be his most dangerous opponent besides himself, but he never thought to physically fight him... He was supposed to be dead afterall.

 

Valerius advanced in return stopping at a dueling exchange distance and prepared to trade blows, blocking, evading, striking, he kept his footwork mobile, in order to be able to keep up with the undead blade master's speed, at the same time he kept one blade ready for blocking, and the other for striking, ready to alternate depending on the actions of his opponent. His aim was to figure out the strengths and weaknesses... Given, this was Eckhart, his own legendary father... There probably was no weakness, not with speed and power like that in dual wielding, at least... No weakness in a fight between weapon wielders, a wielder of magic may have a better time, but only from afar. This speed would out-do any kind of spellcasting being done nearby. You wouldn't even get half your word out before he cut you down. Regardless, Valerius began the trade with a simple upward diagonal slash, ready to react accordingly to whatever happens next.

[I-Am-X]

Upon reaching the entrance to the stairs, she finds that, given the crisis, the doors were locked and the breach walls were activated. In short, A lot of time has been wasted walking here. Just great, all for nothing. Don't tell me I have no choice but to crawl around in vents...If only Iblis was here to enchant my blades, would've made it easier to cut some holes in the floor. Ugh...After showing a stupid look, she shakes her head, she proceeds left to try to hunt down some chutes or vents that would enable her to head upwards. That smug bastard put some real thought into all of this. I wonder...Did he plan to take us all out when he weaved us all here? Is this some kind of survival game to where he'll face the "winner"? Or Is this just some added bonus to what's to come? "I just hope there's still some living ones for me to reap for myself. Don't what these rotted out corpses to take all my fun away." The dead don't make any amusing sounds unlike the living. Ohhh....The music they make...kekekek. Rayne thought as she blushed and sparkled as if inside a dream.

 

Snapping back to reality, she took notice of sounds of people sobbing from a nearby room. Getting an idea, rayne covers her face with her hood and approaches the room and pretends to not know that they are there. "Is anyone still alive here? Anyone need help? Anyone?" Rayne called out in a loud voice, not caring whether it attracts more of the dead. "I am Sashya Ephesus, Golden Fox Of The Winter Marches and Child of Artemis, One of the 7 Holy Knights of Empyria. I'll ask again, is anyone still alive here?" Rayne said loud enough for the people behind the door to hear.

 

"Thank god! We're saved!" A man said in relief as he moved the damaged door open to see the woman standing there trying to restrain her amusement of using her sisters name. "It's just me and my Wife. I, myself, am fine but my Wife..." the mans voice started got shakey before continuing..."....My wife was struck in the legs by debris from the earlier explosion, she can't move her legs. I was just barely able get her back to our room but given whats going on and my wifes condition, there's no way we'd be able to get the the storage area alone. Thank god we're fortunate to run into someone as esteemed as yourself." The man said as he broke into tears as Rayne walked inside the room.

 

"The doors have automatically locked themselves and the breach walls have been activated, so the stairs are sealed off. There's no choice but to use the vents and security chutes." Rayne calmy said without mentioning that either option will, more than likely, be unable to fit the man, who has a somewhat musclar build.

 

"Ahh yes! As I was carrying my wife back, it was only a glance, but there was a vent or chute down the corridor on the right that we could use to get us down to the storage hold!" The man replied excitedly. I was too overjoyed in my excitement that I totally missed the vent! GOD DAMNIT!!! Rayne thought as she started gritting her teeth and hitting herself in the head in the revelation as the man stared at her confusingly before speaking up. "Umm Lady Ephesus...Is there something wrong?" the man asked, still confused.

 

"Huh? Ohhh yes. One Problem. You see...I have no intention of going down to the storage hold. I plan on going up!" Rayne beamed as the mans face sank as he tried question her before she continued, "There's also another thing! I am not Sashya Ephesus." the man looked on in shocked. "But I am still a child of Artemis, Though! I just happen to go by 'Rayne Of The Bloody Mist' you see! And not 'The Golden Fox of the winter marches!!" Rayne finished excitedly as the man fell backwards as him and his wife layed there in horror.

 

"T-t-the bl-bl-bloody mist?!?!" They screamed. "Yes! Buuuuuut I think its obvious that I had no intention of bringing you along from the start. I just needed to find someone to cut up and blow off some steam after all this walking for nothing trying to get to the upper level only to find out I walked past the vent when I was daydreaming! Haha! I really should thank you for reminding me!!" Rayne said as she raised up her blades and flashed her devilish grin. "But, This is where your tale ends. There's no reason to fret! I shall end your suffering and allow you and your wife to be together....in death! Good night!"

 

As they shrieked in terror, Rayne laughed maniacally as she lowered her blades at an amazing speed and cut them both in two as blood sprayed everywhere in the room. "Ahhhh!!!! I feel so much better!!" she beamed as she walked out of the room. "Anyways, It's Time for me to level up!!!! Hahaha!!!!" she laughed as she walked back down the corridor and headed towards the vent.

Edited by I-Am-X, 20 August 2013 - 03:11 AM.

[Rainbow Dash]

Terra Lifebane
 
Oh woe is me, Terra whined. She'd finally gotten to go on an adventure and now she was stuck with Lily (she wondered if she could find earplugs before the endless lecturing) and a bunch of flesh-eating dead men walking (at least they only moaned a little and didn't lecture her). It was hardly an ideal situation especially for someone who was sleeping blissfully a moment ago.

Terra watched with mild disinterest as her sister screamed and convulsed. She'd felt the same presence as Lily had a moment before her staff absorbed it. Her staff seemed satisfied as if it had eaten a delicious meal. The thought only made Terra more bitter; she was hungry and tired and not in the mood for zombies. Terra actually had experience with the undead. On one occasion she had tried to save someone who had just expired. Unfortunately she woke the nearby dead and had to spend the next few hours putting them back to sleep. Except for one small mishap in which a zombie suddenly became stronger it was not overly difficult.

She briefly considered helping the girl under psychic assault but dismissed the idea. It was spiritual damage overwhelming her. Her sister should be able to fight off the attack. Even if Terra seemed a little cold and distant sometimes she placed a lot of faith in her sibling. Lily was someone she'd looked up to as a kid - she could not even imagine Lily succumbing. The ones she worried about were the soldiers coming to save them. Those guys were goons. Goons never did well in the fiction books Terra read to escape the teasing and talking. She didn't even know the guards' names, or the names of the nobles in the barricade. Terra realized she didn't know anyone here except Lily. She was surrounded by goons. She followed this thought for a moment until she reached a horrifying conclusion.

They did not know her name.

She was an expendable goon too.

Terra could not allow herself to die. It would inhibit her ability to go on adventures. She mourned the loss of her adventuring life when the zombies suddenly shifted away from the barricades. Terra heard screams and she winced. She really did not want to become zombie food but neither could she let people die without trying to save them. She turned to let the nobles know what she was doing until she saw one creeping towards her sister.

Lux et Umbra flew through the air and slammed into the mans face, breaking his nose and knocking him down. With her hood shadowing her face her eyes gleamed dull in the light. "My sister is under psychic assault. She needs to concentrate to throw off the dusk", she explained. Her eyes took up a dangerous look. "If you interrupt her - if you so much as touch her, I will make you wish the undead had gotten to you. I will teach you why they call me Terra Lifebane" she told them in matter-of-fact tone.

She pointed at the man wielding the spear who had been too fat to get through the vent. "Could use your help. If you wanna stay, make sure none of those slimy bastards touches her", she told him. Terra wiggled her way out of the barricade and sprinted into the hall just in time to duck under a berserk elemental unleashing. Piteous screams of pain and dying filled the air and her need to get there became even more desperate. The magical assault had thinned the numbers of the monsters between her and her target as well as making a narrow path. Terra charged forward, her powerful unfettered healing magic surrounding her in an aurora. Her small size and her magic kept the grasping hands clear long enough for her to dive between two zombies and land beside a fallen guard.

It was only then she realized just how precarious the situation was and how quickly she would need to act. She gathered as much energy she could and unleashed it into the recently dead bodies, protecting them from the taint of reanimation. Whether or not it would hold was another issue entirely. "Any of you who can hold a sword, defend the line. I will try to bring your shield-brothers up as quickly as I can", she told them. "Help will come soon and until then you have me. Do not lose hope"
 
The staff she had thrown materialized in her hand. She knelt down by the guard in the worst condition that was still alive and began to pour healing energy into his wounds. She didn't need to fully restore him - there was no longer time for that. Now she was just trying to keep them all alive long enough for either help to arrive or for them to be able to defend themselves.

Spoiler

Current state of Terra's magic.

Terra is in possession of the Lux et Umbra.

Magic being used is DECAY
Magic is currently REVERSED

Healing Magic [Major, subset of Light]
Decaying Magic [Minor, subset of Necromancy]

Edited by Katia Managan, 20 August 2013 - 04:24 AM.

[Orcraniil]

"Best of luck!", a familiar voice called up to Sashya and Aera as they exited through the duct. Tyr turned his head to see Lily, who was very near the same height as Tyr. Her long limbs would have also encountered some trouble in an attempt to climb through the ducts. Lily turned towards Tyr and said, "So then, I suppose it is up to us to defend this lot."
 
"So it is," Tyr responded, somewhat relieved to see that Lily had recovered from whatever ordeal had passed when he stumbled upon her and Camus near the engine room. "I'm glad to see you're doing much better than in our previous mee-," Tyr never got to finish that sentence, as Lily suddenly collapsed into a screaming, convulsing mess. Caught completely off guard, Tyr could only stare. A strange feeling of uneasiness passed over his body, followed by a deep cold chill that was unlike anything he had felt before. Could this be the Dusk? Tyr tried to think things out, but was in a slight panic over his new acquaintance being reduced from standing and holding a conversation to a screaming mess on the floor. One of the nobles in the room must have also felt the hand of the Dusk in this, and apparently thought himself a hero. He started creeping towards Lily, intent clearly showing in his eyes. Before Tyr could even make a move to defend Lily, a strange looking stave slammed into the mans face with a startlingly loud crack. Excellent throw. Tyr turned to see a young girl with amber eyes and short light hair.
 
"My sister is under psychic assault. She needs to concentrate to throw off the Dusk. If you interrupt her- if you so much as touch her, I will make you wish the undead had gotten hold to you. I will teach you why they call me Terra Lifebane." Lily's younger sister gave her lecture with a calm matter-of-fact tone, but also with a very dangerous look in her eyes. She meant what she said. Then she pointed at Tyr, catching him completely by surprise. "Could use your help, If you wanna stay, make sure not one of those slimy bastards touches her." Terra said, and without waiting for confirmation, squeezed underneath the barricade in a gap between undead. What strange people some of these nobles are. 
 
Tyr picked up the now-mumbling Lily, though it was clear she was still in agony. As gently as he could with her still writhing, he laid her in a corner on a cushioned bench. Tyr positioned himself between Lily and the nobles, planting his glaive into the ground beside him. The noble who had his nose broken moved to the front of the crowd, and was frantically trying to gain support for his plan to kill Lily before she became overwhelmed with the Dusk. The noble moved forward with a small accompaniment of three others, attempting to intimidate Tyr as they moved forward. 
 
"Move aside, barbarian, you obviously don't know what'll happen if the Dusk take over her. We need to eliminate her for the sake of everyone in this room. It's tragic, yes, but it must be done." The noble said, arrogantly drawing his longsword and even going so far as to point his blade past Tyr at Lily.
 
Tyr said nothing and issued a challenge to the noble with a single predatory grin. They might think that they are the hunters in this scenario; but many a hunt can have the positions reversed when a direwolf is encountered. The noble took the challenge and stabbed at Tyr's throat, going for an easy kill. This guy has obviously never fought a northerner before if he thinks all I know is brute strength. Wolves are generally pretty fast, right? Tyr allowed himself a small smirk at this thought as he easily lowered his body into a crouch and slid underneath the mans arm, making a swipe at the noble's elbow with his axe. The noble managed to lift his arm just enough to avoid it being severed. The noble began to retreat to try and make sense of what just happened, but as he backed up he found two maroon eyes looming just before him, gleaming like a hungry wolf. Tyr advanced, axe raised and slammed it down on the nobles' head. The noble wasn't dead, as his allies soon realized. Tyr had rotated the axe so that instead of the bladed end, the noble's head met with blunt iron and wood. The arrogant man collapsed, but his supporters caught him before his head slammed into the ground. Tyr gave the three of them the same challenging smile as they carried their leader away to treat his left arm and head wound.

Edited by Orcraniil, 20 August 2013 - 02:12 PM.

[Faye]

The Young Swordsman

 

The first day of Garm's journey is a very eventful beyond his wildest dream. A spar with one of the best swordsman? Check. Keeping law and order? Check, soft of. Making a new friend? Check. What a day..

 

So many things are happening so quickly ever since the airship has taken off. First he and his new friend Ko didn't manage to enter their room in time, thus forcing them to experience a weird mountain climbing experience in the airship's corridor. Then his ears popped due to the difference in air pressure. But honestly, it isn't as bad as it sounds. These experience, while rather annoying, is unique and fun. To top it off, he get to listen to Ko's story of his adventure. Man, that boy sure has gone through a lot of stuffs.

 

Alas, all good thing must come to an end. Though I must admit, this so called 'end' is rather absurd.

 

First, one of the fleet's airship blew up just outside their room's window. Empyria's greatest invention, turned into a massive ball of flame in the sky, for reasons unknown. Not absurd enough? Then you must hear the next part. Sensing that something was wrong (obviously), Garm took Ko to the nearest armory to stock up on weapon and ointments. To his surprise, a horde of human-looking monster blocked their way! Zombies? How messed up was that? Come on, this is not a story from some cheap horror novel, is it?

 

Lucky for Garm, he didn't encounter any revenant that used to be someone he know. Not that he know many people on board, but still, this help Garm to see these foul creatures as monsters he need to defeat instead of ex-allies gone bad. It helps with morale and stuff, you know, to be able to hack your enemies without worries. It doesn't take that long for them to reach the hall in front of the armory. mostly thanks to them avoiding battle when they could help it though. It'd take forever if they decided to kill every zombie they encountered. Gosh there are so many of them, I tell you.

 

Safely arriving at the cache, they grabbed as many ointments as they could without hindering their mobility. Better be safe then sorry. Just in case, Garm also took a set of bow and quiver. And a party member, it seems. Renmutsu has found them and decided to stick around. There are safety in numbers after all. And of course, more friends help you retain your sanity as well.

 

So, are things under control now? Not at all. Out of nowhere, seven butlers appeared from the corridor. They actually look like proper gentlemen, and they killed zombies on their way, so are they allies? Sadly, no. As soon as they saw Garm's group, they readied their battle stance. Allies won't do that, will they?

 

"This is bad, isn't it?" said Garm to both of his companion, bow ready in his hands. It's funny to see a swordsman wielding a bow, I agree, but long range support is crucial when you are fighting formidable opponents.

Edited by fayrbrant, 20 August 2013 - 02:54 PM.

[Nepenthe]

The darkness had come out of nowhere. Lily felt it hurtling towards her, impossibly fast, and in the few seconds before it engulfed her, was shocked by how familiar it felt. It was like a nightmare she’d forgotten, too horrible to be remembered. Then the darkness was all around her, clinging to her skin, her face, and she couldn’t see--

 

She found herself abruptly in her mindscape. Lily looked around, startled. All around her was greyness, as far as the eye could see. With a sick feeling, she realized she had been thrust into a corner of her mind she normally avoided. This was where her fears and insecurities resided, where she hid the knowledge that all she accomplished in life would mean naught in death. The hollowness she had tried her whole life to fill.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving. Hair of bright red... “Camus?” she said in surprise. He turned towards her at the sound. Indeed, the robed figure was her fiance.

 

“Lily? What are you doing here?” he asked. A tiny part of her was glad she wasn’t alone here. An even smaller part was glad that it was Camus who was here with her.

 

“I don’t know...” she answered in a timorous voice. “I should ask you the same. What on earth are you doing in this part of my mind?” She didn’t like this, not at all. He look at her for a moment, mind working.

 

“Wait..if this is not my soul space, then where are we...?”

 

He thought we were in his soul space? What was going on?

 

“Light preserve us,” she whispered, eyes wide with trepidation.

 

Lily jumped as high-pitched laughter cut through the air rife with tension. She whipped her head around searching for its source. There, she saw it. A woman, swathed in white, bandages covering any exposed skin. Her head was thrown back, emitting the eerie laughter. Without warning, she appeared right before them, looking at them with eyes that swirled with madness. Eyes that had no trace of humanity in them.

 

“You broke your oaths,” she hissed.

 

Camus tried to shout something at her, but Lily was already dragged into a nightmare.

 

Her mother, her father, her sister, dead. Aera dismembered. The land she grew up on turned into wasteland, and the Arcanum she loved, burned to ash. All at her hands. Over and over she watched herself kill and maim and destroy everything she had ever cared about. She tasted the blood on her lips, heard the screams of those she murdered. She felt the heat on her face as her flames consumed everything...

 

Lily felt herself screaming, and screaming, and screaming. Then, when she couldn’t scream any more, she sobbed wildly. She knew that, in the physical world, she must be quite a sight. She had to get out of this somehow. She had made no oath to break. Power, she had to use her power. She tried to distance herself from the horrific visions, tried to draw back and reach her inner hearth where magic lay. As it sparked towards her, the sensation of calmly commanding her power to immolate her family rose before her, and Lily flinched away.

 

The hellish visions went on and on. She had not known how many ways you could kill a person.

 

She had to get out of this. She could feel the darkness seeping into her. It was like a chill, spreading through her veins. Forcing aside her terror, she reached again for her magic. She fought through the screams echoing in her ears, past the sickening odor of burnt flesh. Finally, after what seemed like ages of prolonged agony, she caught hold of her power.

 

“Fire burns everything!” Lily sobbed. “Everything!”

 

Her blood felt like it was boiling. She was burning. She was going to die in her own flames. Whiteness seared her vision, and she cried out--in pain, terror, or relief, she did not know which. The darkness burned away.

 

___________________

 

Her hearing returned before her sight did. Strident voices assaulted her ears, arguing angrily while others whimpered in terror. Abruptly Lily realized she could open her eyes. As she did so, she caught a faint whiff of smoke. There was a man standing over her defensively, swinging some sort of weapon threateningly. Did she know him? She was pretty sure she did. Oh, that’s right, he was Tyr, the Northerner, who had introduced himself earlier. It seemed she was lying down. Had he carried her? That was kind of him. Maybe she should stand up. Yes, that seemed like a good idea. Lily braced her hands behind herself, trying to lever herself up to a sitting position. The fabric she had been lying on crackled strangely, and seemed to crumble away in her fingers. When she had at last sat up, she looked down.

The couch was blackened with soot. It was burnt. She stood in surprise, then crumpled to the floor with a sigh. The blackness that claimed her now was that of blissful unconsciousness.

Edited by Nepenthe, 21 August 2013 - 08:22 AM.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

 

Sorrow and Suffering

 

As he disposed of the last remnants of the undead in the hallway and the storage room of what were support staff in charge of storage. Magnar felt a little weak and his vision blurring a bit, taking his surroundings in account he noticed a stream of blood flowing out from his abdomen, clearly Alina had had a last strike, as the blood flowed out with a lazy pace staining his trousers, Magnar staggered into the storage vault. Going through the cabinet for Salt and sugar he soon found a few sacks of each. Dropping Mjolnir on the ground he cleared a table from his hands as he picked up the sacks from the cabinet. He had lost a lot of blood and that was affecting him now.

 

'A warrior is only useful on his feet' words of his strict father ringed in his ears as he remembered his stern advice. Picking a tub of water from nearby he kept it on the table, not wasting time with measurements he emptied the one sack each of salt and sugar. This was for his nourishment and vision. Picking a large mug from the cabinet nearby he started chugging down the mix. Having consumed a few mugs he set down to work. He removed his armor to notice the extent of his injury. He had performed first aid, well whatever he could do to close his open wounds before but this had escaped his attention. It seemed the sword at pierced his armor into his ribs, now that his adrenaline was settling he started feeling the pain. It seemed the wound had missed any major organs which was a good sign. He got up to close the door of the room and returned to his seat still a bit dizzy.  He grabbed a steak and kept it before the little fox that seemed to be Camus's pet and grabbed a big piece of ham himself taking large bites.

 

'Well this sucks' He muttered as he took off his soaked shirt showing of his massive musculature, his natural armor. He wrung it like a washer to squeeze the blood and sweat out of it and then tore it apart. Making bandages out of it both big and small in size. He got up to search for some ale and camphor sticks used in in torches, after searching some time he found them both. Returning to his seat he poured ale into his mug while he broke the shaft of his war-axe. Removing the axe head, he coated camphor on it, wrapping the soaked bandage around the shaft he went to the torch, the only one luckily that had remained burning. Getting his torch started he returned to his seat. Dipping another bandage in ale he folded it as small as possible and rammed it in his cleaned wound.

 

'Ohhh fuucckkkk---'he grunted grimacing in pain as the cloth was rammed in his wound. He then took Sif out and started warming it on his torch, when the blade was burning red he brought it to the opening of the wound, melting the flesh round it to close it, cauterising it. He took out the inserted cloth from his back and drained the ale on his back.He bandaged rest of the dried bandages over his wound and chugged few more mugs of the water he had prepared.

 

'I hope Tyr and Sashya had some of that goulash I made, I sure do hope no harm has come to my pot' he muttered through gritted teeth trying to humor himself to take his mind off the pain. As sorrow finally found its way to his massive form, drained of all the adrenaline and anger as he was, tears started falling again. 'Magnar, the behemoth of the battlefield who ignored wounds like they were nothing had suffered a deep wound on his heart. With his own hands he had extinguished his love and his dear friend, he had failed to be with Aera to protect her in this nightmare, he was not beside Lysander to serve his orders and he had failed his father in failing in his duty. He just sat there his face down and tears running like river, his pride was crushed and his will was faltering. He had failed as the protector of Empyrea and had brought disgrace to the house of Everett. His friends, parents, empire, duty, he had failed them all and he was disgusted at what he had become.' He was suffering from a pain he hadn't encountered before.

[The Illuminati]

Lies

Tell the truth!

 

Maiev ignored the jab at her manner of speech. She already knew t'was a mismatch of words and phases she'd picked up over the years and rolled into a single vocabulary. T'was one of the ways she coped with her unenviable life - she simply crafted a new one. If it sounded fancy or profound, she was quick to learn and adapt it to her use.

 

Besides a few fingers, less than a handful knew of her actual childhood. And of those, only Nana knew how The Handmaiden had found her outside the walls of the capital. She may feel a bit downtrodden now and then, but her present was far superior to her past. Feeling shame would be like a lion not eating. And what were the opinions of sheep to a hungry lion? It also seemed as though Iblis had finally discovered the pleasures of a woman. 'Oh, how wonderful for him,' she thought to herself.

 

"Come now, my friend." she said outloud. "T'is only I and you here. There is no need for this pretence. And blaming a dead woman is such bad form," she said with a laugh. "Tell me true, how did you manage it all."

Edited by Naifu, 20 August 2013 - 10:39 AM.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

Sample

Attempt  to convince a friend

 

"Come now, my friend." Maiev said. "T'is only I and you here. There is no need for this pretense. And blaming a dead woman is such bad form," she said with a laugh. "Tell me true, how did you manage it all." Skepticism creeping in her voice

 

'Well let me show you then that I am not the one responsible' Iblis said nonchalantly as he started reciting a spell tapping his staff in a rhythm.

 

Fighting against the horde, falling in abysymal hearth

They rise once more to bring hell on earth

 

'The Army of Hades' he whispered tapping it a last time, as a void opened and ten skeletons came out of it armed with shields with runes colored violet and with swords and spear marked in green runes. Their eyes emitting a deep blue fire.

 

'This is my magic, love, as you see my runes describe my summoning' Iblis said to Maiev who seemed a bit eager to drive the rapier through his chest.

 

'Don't worry they obey my commands, they are harmless' he cackled madly.

 

'You have seen by rituals a few times, well this is the main course' he grinned 'As my act of reliving nostalgia, I assign them to protect you' he added with a pause

 

'Are you still not convinced love, I may be a low-life not worthy of you, but I don't deal in filth' he laughed madly looking at Maiev for a reply.

[The Illuminati]

Nemesis

The Enemy of my Enemy, is my Friend.

 

Maiev-Dalal watched silently - her rapier still trained on the necromancer, as he began weaving magic from his position on the floor. When he was finished, she noted the obvious differences in these new undead and those that swarmed the airship. But she wasn't so naive as to think that there was somehow only one way all undead were meant to look. He could have easily used another spell to gain this new countenance for his creations. Before she could continue, somewhere behind her, a voice rang out.

 

“This is Prince Lysander.” Maiev could hardly believe her ears. There were others who still yet lived? With the smallest of smiles, she listened eagerly for the rest of his tale. “Things have turned grave, but do not give up hope! If you’re all able, make your way to the storage and hangar level to regroup. As long as you are still alive, we will be able to drive back our enemies. Never lose your will to live!” He said, finishing with more authority and gusto than he'd started.

 

'Quite the speech as always,' she thought. 'Perhaps later, when this crisis has been averted, I shall enquire as to the location and name of his wordsmith.' Returning her attention to the necromancer, Maiev weighted her next move carefully. The Success or Failure of The Third Crusade could very well hinge on her decision here tonight. With a growl of frustration, she choose to let Iblis off the hook - for now. As mad as he seemed, he could still be of some use. No doubt his new partner had was to blame for this sudden change in character.

 

"Very well then, 'Love', help me secure the ship and I will believe you had nothing to do with this sudden madness," she said to him. 'Love? Since when was he ever so casual with me? I really must meet the 'Bloody Mist' fool. She is leading my dear Iblis down a path of selfdestruction!'

Edited by Naifu, 20 August 2013 - 11:30 AM.

[Maia]

The directions Caius had given were fairly easy to follow and thanks to that it was much easier for the two women to move through the vents. It was a big relief to know that there was still someone alive outside of the small room that Tyr and Lily were trapped in, but Sashya wondered just how many there were; seeing the hoards of zombies below them in the kitchen was rather disconcerting to say the least.

 

Was it only Caius, or had some of the others managed to get to safety as well? Had Rayne survived? If her sister hadn't been the cause of this catastrophe, then who was it? And why? Were the other remaining airships under the same type of assault as The Dawn, or was it just the two ships? How many people were dead?

 

Sashya was jarred from her thoughts as the ship suddenly lurched and the ventilation shaft split, sending the two women crashing to the floor in a heap. Sashya groaned, attempting to sit up when nearby moans caught her attention. Aera was beset by one of the zombies, the undead creature pinning her to the floor. Sashya grabbed her bow, intent on rushing to Aera's aid, but instead, she found herself pinned down as well, the zombie trying to rip at her flesh with rotting teeth. She jammed the hard metal of her bow into its mouth, preventing the strong jaws from biting into her, but she didn't know how long that would last.

 

"Get off me you piece of rotten filth!"

 

The sound of something whizzing through the air caught her attention and she looked over just as the zombie attacking Aera fell to the floor followed swiftly by the screech of a large bird. Hadrian's falcon tore at the head of the zombie desperately trying to devour Sashya, its strong talons easily tearing into the skull. The distraction was enough that Sashya was able to break free, and she rushed to Aera's side as soon as she was on her feet, pulling the princess up.

 

The loud whistle startled her but surprising the falcon took off into the hallway. "Hey, you two, get over here quick!" She recognized the voice and relief flooded her as the two women sprinted down the hall into the throne room.

 

She looked around as Hadrian locked the door and turned towards them, a smile on his face. "My, my, princess... you're a sight for sore eyes."

 

Sashya kept her bow ready, her eyes moving restlessly through the throne room, while her free hand pushed her hair away from her ears. How many others had he managed to rescue, and where were they? She could see blood spattering his clothing and she couldn't help but wonder if he was injured, and how badly.

 

"Hadrian, is there anyone else with you? We heard Caius. He gave us directions to the storage place, and we were on our way to meet him." Gold eyes searched him over, though she kept her distance from him, not entirely sure if he was still on their side or if this was some kind of elaborate trap. "There are others; Tyr, Lily, and others trapped in the inner common rooms. They've got themselves barricaded in, but I don't know how long that is going to last. There's so many dead people walking around, Hadrian. What in Light's name happened?"

Edited by Maia, 20 August 2013 - 08:01 PM.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

Accepting the Proposal

​Time for action, accepting suspicion sadly.

 

 

"Very well then, 'Love', help me secure the ship and I will believe you had nothing to do with this sudden madness," she said to him stressing the the word 'Love' in good measure to hint displeasure and suspicion as she put forward her proposal.

 

'Well if it's that necessary to earn you trust then so be it' Iblis replied in a low tone, saddened by the constant skepticism he was encountering.

 

'First my brother, now my long-time friend, oh! how the mighty have fallen mother' He said facing the ceiling, eyes watery.

 

'Well boys get to work, five in front and five as her rear-guard, protect her with all you got, don't let those slimy bastards lay a finger on her' He ordered his summons as he started walking towards Maiev.

 

'Consider yourselves lucky to be fighting so close to her, I'll take away the souls you  reap if you fail, looks like her tastes have become refined' he said with a sad laugh, walking upto Maiev, he cut the forearm of the hand holding the staff to draw a new stream of blood, using his other hand he drew a rune on Maiev's forearm 'There you go, they are yours now' as the rune started to glow a deep violet, ignoring her surprised look he continued to the other side.

 

'Well if you plan to still  pierce me with that rapier, make sure you face me, I'll like to get a nice look of that beautiful face before I sleep' He said to Maiev his face still facing the empty corridor, his stroll uninterrupted.

 

'Sorry for my impudence' he added standing at the edge of the corner, having made some good distance between Maiev and himself. Iblis chanted another spell as familiar green glow surrounded his right hand and waited for Maiev to follow.

   

Edited by Diabolical Rhapsodii, 20 August 2013 - 02:47 PM.

[Geo]

"Alright, let's get things started." Gale said as he approached the closest demon.

 

Alongside Razoriel they started to double team the demon, as they seem very nimble and play hard-to-catch. Zodiar was from the behind, readying his bow to shoot the other six demons that tried to backstab Gale or Razoriel. Yet, it was a very futile attempt as the demons seemed to easily re-group towards the two once again. It time it took to take the arrow and put it in the bow was too long, and every shot that Zodiar fired was for nothing. It cackled in disappointment. But it drove it to fire more quickly and more wildly. Perhaps that unpredictable fires would offset the demons since they wouldn't be able to think of a strategy to efficiently dodge the arrows that rained towards them.

 

The next problem was the obvious speed that they had. Quick witted and nimble are a deadly duo and it proved to be a problem towards Gale and Razoriel. Not to mention about the strength in numbers (zerg rush, kekekek) that they held in advantage. They kept swarming on each other and the blades that they wielded were dangerous. Multiple gashes were made all around Razoriel's metal armour and cuts around Gale's arms. The cuts stung like crazy. It was offsetting towards Gale's movement and attacks. He had to bare with the pain and the exhaustion that he was currently experiencing. It would be lucky that they would survive than be able to kill at least one of these guys. 

 

Blood was dripping off of Gale's arm and it stained the floor. He looked around and he knew that just slashing wildly trying to cut off one of these bothersome demons would be a very improbable tactic. If he managed to even cut the demon would be a miracle alone compared to killing these guys. Zodiar was doing his best, and it shed enough hope that they could separate them. If they could separate them, it would be slightly easier to kill them, if not completely. 

 

But it happened, Gale and Razoriel managed to corner one of the demons. Razoriel attacked furiously to occupy and gain the demon's attention. While Gale attacked from behind and gave a nice clean cut towards it's neck. The head dropped down them floor, giving a nice satisfying splat. The body dissolved and the soul was quickly absorbed by the talisman that Iblis' gave to Geo. But that victory was long short lived, since there were still six of these nuisances "alive" per say. 

 

"These guys serious are hard to get; how do we separate them… all this time we have been trying but it seems futile..." Gale

wondered as he observed the situation.

 

Gale looked at Zodiar, he nodded towards him. The soul gave a little boost towards Zodiar's and Razoriel's power. Zodiar cackled and managed to fire three arrows at once towards the group. The arrows were easily dodged, leading them to separate the group easier. Gale and Razoriel came back and attacked the demons while Zodiar kept the rest separated from each other. Zodiar continued to fire wildly, and the demons were more of a daze, this was a good opportunity. But Gale forgot that the demons were quick witted and they managed to cut down the arrows that fall towards them. The demons didn't need to move an inch to cut the arrows down and Gale's hope dropped down once again. 

 

"You got to be fucking kidding me right now." Gale said in anger. Razoriel howled loudly as well.

Edited by Geo, 20 August 2013 - 04:45 PM.

[Crouching Bacon]

A Rude Awakening

 

Everything happened so suddenly. The explosion, the sudden shaking of the ship, the horrid moaning that resounded from beyond the living quarters– Aera barely made sense of it all. Groggy with lack of sleep and the remnants of a hangover, the only thing keeping her awake was the mad rush of adrenaline flowing through her veins.

 

"Shit, shit, shit!"

 

One moment, she was in her room sleeping soundly, and now she was following Sashya through the air vents. They left Tyr behind, much to her chagrin, though the idea of running for safety wasn't an alien one to her.

 

"I can't die yet. Not here, not now."

 

She returned the brave wolf's smile with a determined grin of her own. At the very least, his sacrifice should be honored. Lily, too busy with the oncoming onslaught, didn't see Aera mutter a prayer for her.

 

"I don't believe in gods, but I believe in good. Oh light, let no harm come over these valiant friends of mine."

 

With that, she followed the huntress into the vent. The tight space did not affect her all that much, due to her small stature, making it relatively easy for her to follow Sashya into the depths of the aeration system. Listening intently to Sashya's plans, her presence of mind slowly returns as the hangover subsides.

 

"Hm, she's pretty calm about all this. Lucky I got paired up with her, huh."

 

As they passed the grates, they were greeted with scenes that made the filthiest of slaughterhouses seem humane by comparison. Aera felt her anger rise, but stopped herself from charging at the moaning demons. A lot of the people in the staff were personally handpicked by her, and seeing their bodies so shamefully disposed of made her blood boil.

 

Still, seeing Sashya guide her though the vents tempered her urge to do something stupid. The huntress deserved better than to be hurt by her brash actions. Besides, Try wouldn't be happy if his fox came back wounded.

 

"I'm not exactly sure where I'm going, Aera, but we-"

 

Some semblance of guilt harrangued her, as studying the ship's architecture better would have saved them a lot of trouble. Just as she was about to apologize for her irresponsible neglect of duty, a guiding voice offers them directions.

 

"Aera! Sashya! Listen carefully, you must follow my instructions precisely."

 

"...am I... hearing things?"

 

"There's a drop in the ventilation ducts to your right. Go down and make a left there will be ladder you're gonna take down, then go right and take the next one up, then left, then up again. Keep a blade ready some might have gotten through."

 

"Caius. He's all right!"

 

"There's a storage room there with a steel door. Wait for me there."

 

Aera's morale soared; it was all she could do to keep from leaping out of the vent with a war cry. Fortunately, Sashya was sensible enough to keep her cool, choosing to err on the side of caution.

 

"Aera, I'm going to go first, you wait a few moments until I'm sure that the passage is clear, then join me."

 

Peering into the darkness below, she watched as the agile archer maneuvered into position, vigilant eyes scanning the area for the moving corpses. It felt like forever before she finally smiled back at her, signalling that the area was clear.

 

Climbing slowly down the ladder, her hand drifts to her side. Thankfully, the Lichtgestalt was there along with a vial of liquor, on account of the princess being far too tired and lazy to change out of her garb before sleeping.

 

Following Caius's directions quickly, the two rushed onwards, eager to make sense of things. However, it seemed that fate disapproved of their plans; an explosion sent them falling out of the vents and into the hungry horde below.

 

Wincing in pain, the princess barely reacted just in time to prevent the rotting jaws of what used to be the sous chef from closing around her throat. The stench of death inches away from her face, Aera looked the raving corpse straight in the eyes and grit her teeth.

 

"I never liked your meatballs anyway!"

 

Her eyes widened when she saw that more were coming their way.

 

"Sashya! Are you–"

 

"Get off me you piece of rotten filth!"

 

It wasn't long before the huntress was overcome as well. The odds were greatly against them now; all they had left was honor, courage, and the desperate will to live. Hands beginning to shake, Aera pushed back harder, trying to prevent the inevitable bite to her jugular that could easily end her life.

 

"No... This isn't how it's supposed to go...!"

 

And indeed, it wasn't.

 

Something screeched, and something else whooshed towards her. Next thing she knew, Sashya was helping her up, as a shrill whistle grated at her ears.

 

"It can't be..."

 

But it was. There, saving their asses in timely fashion, was the mysterious captain and his little pet.

 

"Hadrian!"

 

"Hey, you two, get over here quick!"

 

With haste, the two made their way to the hall.

 

After locking the door behind them, Hadrian smiled and spoke.

 

"My, my, princess... you're a sight for sore eyes."

 

Ever the opportunist, the captain still found the time to charm even in a crisis. Shaking her head, Aera merely stared at him in begrudging awe, caught between the urge to punch him hard and to give the magnificent bastard a good hug.

 

Fortunately, before she could manage to do either, Sashya spoke.

 

"Hadrian, is there anyone else with you? We heard Caius. He gave us directions to the storage place, and we were on our way to meet him."

 

The princess took note of Sashya's subtle distrust of the man. Seeing as he did know more than they did at the moment, witholding trust did seem reasonable.

 

"There are others; Tyr, Lily, and others trapped in the inner common rooms. They've got themselves barricaded in, but I don't know how long that is going to last. There's so many dead people walking around, Hadrian. What in Light's name happened?"

 

Though at the very least, Hadrian did deserve some gratitude. Uncorking a small vial of strong liquor that was strapped to her waist, Aera raises it, takes a swig, and nods to him and Sashya.

 

"Before anything else, let me say this. Thank you. The both of you have kept me from harm, and for that, I am forever in your debt. I can only hope to be able to do the same."

 

She then offered it to either of them. In times like this, liquid courage would do anyone good.

 

"Now, Hadrian... At the risk of sounding like a clueless idiot, I reiterate my friend's question: What the hell just happened?"

Edited by paperprosciutto, 20 August 2013 - 02:57 PM.

[The Illuminati]

Death and Decay

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...

After shedding some melodramatic tears... 'Which, I might add, vanished rather quickly in the three steps it took him to overtake me.' ...Iblis stormed passed Maiev in a fit. As if t'were sheer lunacy to suspect, as far as she knew, the only necromancer onboard of summoning vast amounts of undead. Did she mention that he loathes nobles, and detested The Seven Holy Knights? And is a bit twisted? 'Yes. I was quite the fool to even suspect you, despite knowing you so well, my dear Iblis. I will be sure to write you an apology once all of this is over,' she thought, rolling her eyes at his retreating form.

As if hearing her thoughts, the ten skeletal warriors he had just summoned suddenly engulfed her position. T'was all she could to keep from screaming. Apparently he thought it a wise decision to surround her with undead, after nearly being eaten by undead. 'SICK! SICK AND TWISTED!!' she thought hard, glaring at the back of his head hoping he felt it.

Heart pounding in her face and ears, she saw the lever to her cabin door twitch back and forth but not open. Storming past her 'guards', she turned the handle and yanked it open to see what was wrong with the three guardsmen she had rescued earlier. In the next instant, one of the guardsmen leaped out at her and brought her to the floor. Instinctively she had caught the creature by the head, keeping it from ripping her throat during their fall. But their descent had brought it's jaws precariously close to the soft flesh on her neck.

Seconds away from certain death, she managed to raise her forefingers enough to eke out a small magic circle. With the creature's soft, dead skull caught between the opposing forces, it exploded like a crushed egg - spilling it's contents onto the right side of Maiev's face and neck - once the circles were complete. With no more head, she gripped the shoulders and tried to rock the body off her with the help of her legs as the neck continued gushing it's yellow blood unto her face. The last two, sensing the commotion, moved quickly to feed on her prone form. Instead of stepping over their fallen brother, they threw themselves on top his corpse. But too late. Maiev had pulled herself free just as they came crashing down. That was when one of Iblis' minions stepped forward and finally lopped both heads off in one stroke of the sword.

Getting to her feet after retrieving her rapier, Maiev walked briskly over towards Iblis and told him to have his minions search the other cabins for anymore undead as if nothing had happened.

Edited by Naifu, 20 August 2013 - 11:20 PM.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

Second Try
Attempting to rekindle old bonds!


A bizzare scene unfolded as undead who seemd to be guards assaulted Maiev, but they had underestimated her abilities and the skill of his minions as they were quickly dispatched. As she got up to face him he said ' Must be the poor bastards you took pity on'.

Maiev came upto him dusting herself and acting like nothing happened.Suggesting Iblis to check for survivors,  if any. 'Well sorry for forcing those brutes on you, I forgot that you never had a stomach for this, that's why you didn't learn it from me' Clicking his fingers to dismiss the rune on her arm.

' Well you heard the lady, go check all the rooms for survivors and don't kill them if you find any' he said with a mad laugh checking himself as he saw Maiev glaring.

As the skeletons slowly trundled along obeying his commands he decided to try to talk again. 'I am sorry for my behaviour just a while ago, I had noticed this styles on the streets so thought I may jave some luck with the ladies with this.' he giggled sheepishly.

'So how have you been all these years, found someone worth settling' he asked in a serious tone, trying his best to sound decent.

' I mean what have you gone through to become so serious,  you were so full of life when we met a decade ago'

'Have you run away from your man, tell me I'll kill the bastard if he haggles you' he said in a serious tone, his voice its usual raspy self.

'You can share your pain, I'll help you with all my heart' he added waiting for her reply.

Edited by Diabolical Rhapsodii, 21 August 2013 - 02:53 AM.

[The Illuminati]

The Dynamic Duo

Her dark knight returns.

"Must be the poor bastards you took pity on," Iblis said with a hint of sadness in his voice as Maiev-Dalal approached him. Unable to muster a proper response, she instead shrugged nonchalantly. They had just been alive and well only moments before. And now... She shook it off before she found herself accepting the blame for their untimely demise. Their lives were now free of pain, regret, and disappointment. If anything, she should be envious of them. But her time would come later. For now, she needed to focus her time, and talents on those they could still save.

Choosing not to comment on the apparent fact that Iblis had been watching her for far longer than she had first assumed, she marched on until they were level with one another. "Do be a dear, and have your minions search the remainder of the compartments for anymore surprises. We should also bring any survivors with us lest they fall pray to stragglers." As she spoke, she used her left hand to wipe what was left of the young guardsman from her face and neck.

"Well, sorry for forcing those brutes on you. I forgot that you never had a stomach for this, that's why you didn't learn it from me," he said, snapping his fingers to dismiss the rune on her arm. Truthfully, she knew she was not much of a leader. She was witty and quick with the comebacks, but half her thoughts stayed locked in her mind. Servants were not required to speak afterall. T'was kind of him to offer, but his gift would just be wasted on her.

'Save that Love for someone more deserving than I,' she thought fighting back the sting behind her eyes. This was not the time for selfloathing.

"Well you heard the lady! Go check all the rooms for survivors, and don't kill them if you find any!" Iblis ordered his minions with another mad laugh as Maiev glared into the area ahead of them. The lights still flickerd, but the shadows had ceased moving. Either they were gone now, dead, or...

'Clever girl!' Maiev thought as a legless corpse of a woman came at her with unholy speed. With some effort, she managed to jump unto it's back before walking up it's neck to the head. With naked feet, she forced it's face sideways and began hopping on the dead woman's head until it yielded and her feet sank within the yellow mush. The arms waved frantically for a moment or two longer before they were finally silent.

Unmoved by the scene beside him, Iblis laughed sheepishly as he said "I am sorry for my behaviour just a while ago. I had noticed this styles on the streets, so I thought I may have some luck with the ladies with this." Now that was the Iblis, Maiev knew.

With genuine laughter, she stepped out of the skull - toes covered in green and yellow headstuffing - and walked over to her friend. Embracing him finally, she took care to only touch him with her right side as she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.

With her right hand massaging the back of his head affectionately, he asked softly how she had been all these years and whether or not she had found someone worth settling down with. His tone was serious, but she was feeling more playful than that. Standing on her toes again she leaned into him, chest flush against his, as she angle a kiss towards his lips.

Just then one of his minions hauled a man kicking and screaming into the bloody corridor. In a gruff manner, it stabbed it's hand in their direction. Indicating that the man should follow. Standing down again, Maiev took a few steps back before Iblis reached out for her left hand.

"I mean, what have you gone through to become so serious? You were so full of life when we met a decade ago. Have you run away from your man? Tell me, I'll kill the bastard if he haggles you," he said in a serious tone, his voice it's usual raspy self. "You can share your pain, I'll help you with all my heart."

Smiling sadly at his words, she caressed his left cheek with the outside of her fingers. There was nothing she could say to him. Had things gone differently, she would have already been killed for attempting to murder The Empress of Light. 'Dead men tell no tales.'

Looking over Iblis' shoulder at the survivors his minions had gathered, she said "The prince has ordered us all to meet him at the storage, and hanger level. Let us not dawdle."

Edited by Naifu, 21 August 2013 - 02:48 AM.