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[Unbelievably Majestic]

Mu La'cee

"Boy. there's a cure for any illness. It's just a matter of knowing where too look. This might perhaps, be your lucky day."

The voice that spoke the words was strange. It sounded happy and pleasant, but felt distant in some strange way. Like he was being whispered at by someone a mile away. It was a weird experience. Mu couldn't explain it, even to himself. When he looked around and saw nobody else was nearby, he felt like maybe the speaker actually was far away.

So, in order to find the speaker, he did what always came naturally to a Nymph. He climbed the nearest tree. From his nice vantage point he started looking into the distance to try and find the speaker. Of course, once he looked down from the top of the tree, he realized how silly he'd been not to simply look behind the tree. He jumped back down, landing in front of the mysterious old lady. He held his hand out at her and prepared to engage in the flipper shuffle that he'd been assured people were fond of. "Nice to meet you. My name's Mu!" Introducing yourself in a polite and happy manner was rule number one of Krunk's lessons on making friends. "Your shell looks nice. I can almost sea my-shell-f in the reflection." He added with a smile. Complimenting someone on the upkeep of their shell was rule one in Krunk's lessons on making friends. "Was I herring you right? A cure for any eel-ness? Are you shore you reel-y mean any? Because I'm trying to fight a reel sea-rious problem. Even my teacher couldn't kelp out. And he's a sea god."

[Asor al ed Ergnas]

"A Calmness Betrayed With Maureen"

 

Marueen watched the young man discern where her voice was coming from. It was rather amusing for the old windbat. Though he quickly deduced exactly where it came from, and hopped down from the tree, proffering his hand in a strange manner that Maureen recognized. As he spoke, she laughed exuberantly. She appreciated wit and candor, and these puns the young dryad threw out were full of them. She calmly placed her hand on top of his own when he had finished talking, and slid it over, then under, and slapped "flippers" from side to side and made a motion much like a receding wave. When doing so the Dryad looked positively delighted, and full of confidence that he had done something good. "What a delightful young Dryad! I haven't had a good flipper shuffle in years! Not since Krunk that old sea turtle gave me a lift oh.....many years ago! I compliment you on your shell too, young urchin." said Maureen standing up and finishing the shuffle with a head bump. "But I sea your problem young man, dear Krunk would not know. The tide is too low for him to know. There of course, is a way to fix any illness. Sometimes it a matter of shelling out some Reims for information." she said to him winking, and taking a few steps forward past him. She spied Ohmun looking at her through the corner of his eye. He looked worried. Chortling slightly she began fiddling with the earth around them with the end of her staff.

 

"Fortunately for you, I require no need of such things. But such information isn't given out lightly. Take a step to the left little minnow, that's the ticket." Said Maureen, walking around stamping her staff down around them. Looking at him with a critical eye, she gave him a sharp poke with her staff. Recoiling from it, he looked affronted. "Cool down your pot before you boil over laddie, It's just how I say hello personally. Now! Let's ignore the bloodthrist in the air and have some lunch!" she said, sitting down next to him. Patting the ground for him to join her, she pulled out a plate of sandwiches from her bag. "The kettle Jack." she asked the bag. "Which one? You have too many you hag." answered the bag with a hiss. "The one with the orange vines. The leaves I have today, brew such a calming tea." she said softly. A paw reached out with a kettle hanging for it, then closed the bag on it's own. "Humph! You will have to excuse him, hates the weather....Mu I see is it? Lovely name. I, am Maureen. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you like cheese and salted pork, cause that's what we are eating." she said, filling the pot with some water, and pulling two runed goblets from her belt. Throwing in leaves into each, she poked the pot with a knobby finger and it immediately began boiling.

 

Pouring the water into each cup, she took a sandwich and took a large bite. Throwing it on the ground, it ignited, and somehow the plate once again was full of food. Seeing the shock on Mu's face Maureen laughed, and took a sip from her goblet, then it too she threw the contents of on the ground. As the tea hit the earth around them, it sizzled. The goblet then refilled. Gesturing towards the tea and meal Maureen said "Please, don't follow my example. A little bit of an old habit you see. You can't reefuse such a succulent meal. I sure clamnt HA!" Maureen cackled and began eating properly. Swallowing a large bite she said then to Mu, "Wanna cure that illness? I can indeed help you. But I wonder little fish, what is it you can do for me? Better talk fast too, time is so short these days." she said with a slight smile.

Edited by Sangre de la Rosa, 26 February 2014 - 08:00 PM.

[Kirisaki]

Chapter 1: Kill A God

 

Ra'Drin was having a relatively fun time in Luxen. Life was simple and easy for those who lived here. Not only that, but Ra'Drin had even found the local tavern last night when he arrived! It was quite a sight to see. There he preached about the best God of them all whilst he down several pints. Himself! Ra'Drin, the God of Superiority! Oh how he loved the sound of it. Ra'Drin would have preferred Magnificence but some inferior God already had taken it.

 

The islander didn't "preach" per se and instead just talked about how wonderful he was. One thing led to another and every other guy in the tavern was knocked out cold. Including the bartender. No doubt that Ra'Drin committed a crime, but it wasn't like anyone here could apprehend him anyways. He was the God of Superiority after all. At least he would be soon anyways.

 

As his mind wandered, the people around him gave him strange looks. To him they were in awe of him, but in reality they were more confused as to why this man was walked down the street on his hands. Most people would be embarrassed to some degree if they did this, but not Ra'Drin. As a future God he literally saw the world as his playground. He is the main character after all.

 

Soon his walk had brought him to the town center. It was bustling with business and vendors trying to sell their wares. In the middle of the mass of people was an incredibly large man made of straw. Ra'Drin didn't know, or care to ask, about the significance of the strawman. So when he began climbing the strawman and gasps and shouts began coming from all around him he was filled with a special kind of happiness. The kind of happiness you get from being better than everyone else. It was only a few moments until he reached the top and assumed his victory pose.

 

"Everyone, everyone stop everything! Look unto me! I possess the power of a God!" Ra'Drin shouted at the top of his lungs. Everything around him did, in fact, stop. The spectacle was... interesting to say the least, "I have seen the top of the strawman and you shall worship me as though I were a God!" Ra'Drin stayed atop the strawman boasting a large grin as he waited for the applause that would come soon enough.

[Wasted]

Small Hands

 

The festival of Luxen might have been the strangest sight Small Hands had ever seen. There was a spirit of generosity and boisterous good-will that carried from smile to smile, each villager boasting their wares and encouraging even strangers to partake. After years spent in Relorth the contrast was extremely jarring and Small struggled at first to keep his disguise from slipping in his disbelief at the careless good humor and trusting faces. After some time to adjust however he began to find the smiles infectious, pulling the corners of his own mouth up to echo those of the villagers.

 

"You look hungry lad! Why not have some of the turkey? Just the thing to fill you up."

 

The smile he wore turned sickly as a husky voiced farm woman offered him a whole basted turkey, his stomach turning as he remembered two children he had seen murder another child over a drumstick with only a few strands of rancid meat in Relorth.

 

Declining the offer and moving on quickly Small Hands tried to get his head in order by going over his agenda again. According to his Whispers' contact troops from both Ascxil and Lunia had been dispatched to Luxen. The fact that they hadn't been sent to slaughter each other was interesting enough as it hinted at some kind of collusion or at least some enemy in common. In any case any information pertaining to a treaty between the two nations would be useful.

 

He had also received information that the mercenary band was busy recruiting and that Ohmun of the Way had been seen in the village. Although Ohmun was an interesting figure as stories tended to spring up whenever he was around Small Hands would be expected to gather intelligence regarding the military presence as his top priority.

 

He had scouted out the warehouse the two forces were meeting in earlier, pretending to be a drunk reveler that had stumbled into the wrong alley in search of somewhere to relieve himself. There had been a few guards with the rest of the force stationed outside awaiting orders which meant the leaders had to still be discussing their strategy. There had also been at least one guard on the roof, given away by a red light coming off his visor. Perhaps some kind of scouting magic.

 

Small Hands found a suitable spot, an abandoned table with only scraps left of the feast that had been there previously. He dropped into the stool, leaning back and letting his one hand drop with any empty wineskin dangling in his grip. Pulling his hat over his eyes he made the picture of a drunk that had let the liquor get the best of him and was sleeping it off. Subtly he reached into his pocket and pulled out Jezzie the seventh, his mouse, and dropped her on the ground.

 

He muttered the spell under his breath, closing his eyes he transferred his consciousness to ride along with the mouse. When he opened them again the world was grey and enormous. As usual Jezzie's brain activity was frantic, jumping from place to place without any clear direction. Extending his consciousness he calmed the mouse, giving her a slight nudge to where he wanted to go. Used to his presence the mouse acted without hesitation, trotting off to where he wanted it to go, scurrying along the gaps between walls to avoid the open street.

 

Getting into the warehouse required a short, terrifying dash across open space, but he managed to squeeze Jezzie between the boards before any of the soldiers took any notice. Looking around with a mouse's eyes made it hard to make out who was attending the meeting, but Small Hands could make out Lilith, Ascxil's militant princess, Minerva Fairchild, the Lion's Claw and two Songbirds. As he listened to their conversation he learned of the cultist presence.

 

The friction between the princess and her captain did not escape him either as he filed that bit of information away for later. There was definitely a way to exploit that in some way. Small Hands was amused to see that it was one of the Songbirds that eventually acted as a mediator despite his goading earlier on. He listenedd to the compromise in strategy waiting to hear Ascxil's response.

[Linkd]

Miles Eversum

 

Miles wandered about the town sticking to the back trying to be as invisible as possible, he was trying to see if any of these new people could have possibly tried to break into his room.  In then end he gave up looking, if anybody wanted to steal his things there wouldn't be much anyways.  Miles decided to walk around Luxen and see what was happening.  He saw all sorts of strange people walking around, more so than he saw at first, it seems like there was something happening, or people were just coming to enjoy the festival.  Miles looked around for something interesting and saw something that caught his eye, a man jumped on top of the straw the people had gathered and started to shout the strangest of things.

 

"Everyone, everyone stop everything! Look unto me! I possess the power of a God! I have seen the top of the strawman and you shall worship me as though I were a God!"

 

The person was screaming the most radical of things, he claimed he was a god!

 

"Hahahahahaha!" Miles laughed out loud and hard.

 

Miles stepped forward chuckling and clapping, he applauded the strange man, this was quite the performance it had startled the entire townsfolk.  However Miles stepping forward also attracted alot of attention, people were looking at him as he approached the man atop the straw.

[Wandering Rogue]

 

Into The Breach

Spoiler

The light of day had fled by the time the men and women of the forward unit had assembled in the fields.  The darkness of night was claiming the sky with a hunger as the suns last rays quickly vanished and land around them became shrouded in shadows.  There was a pregnant silence that hung over the men and women of Ascxil and Lunia as they waited for the order to begin.  The mages talked amongst each other as they gathered up their mana and held their spells at the ready while the soldiers stood by and checked over gear that already been examined time and again.  Others poke casually with one another about things of no consequence just to keep their minds from tensing up. They were veterans, one and all, and individually they ran through their routines as prepared themselves mentally for battle.  They were professionals and they knew what was at stake when Dusk was involved.  There could be no negotiations.  No mercy.  No retreats.  Kill or be killed was the oldest law of the battlefield and today it would be put to use.

 

Markus caught the eyes of the highest ranked mage and returned his querying eyes with a nod of assent. 

 

As the ground shuddered and moved beneath them there was a heartbeat as they tensed and seemed to try to hold themselves upright as nobody wished to be remembered as the one that stumbled.  Nobody did.  The mages were skilled and the descent was gradual enough to be barely perceptible.  A few soldiers gingerly reached out to touch the walls of earth around them as they continued their downward movement while a few of the sniggered at them.  The time it took to reach the predetermined earth only spanned a a minute if that and yet to them it might as well have been an hour before the dirt beneath them ceased to move.  They looked at each as they stopped and as the officers consulted with a map they gestured vaguely north by northeast and once again the mages got to work.  The land before them split open like a waiting mouth and they in a line walked into its dark depths willingly. 

 

Once safely surrounded by the earthen tunnels they produced their torches to light their way.  The mages were slow moving as they attempted to reach out with their magics to check the surrounding area for as far as they were able.  Narrowly dodging the side tunnels as they made their way to what could only be the heart of the dusk operation.  Further and further they went from their entrance and soon it disappeared completely from sight s their tunnel curved it from sight.  Nobody spoke it but a sense uneasiness began to settle over them.  It wasn't fear that crept inside them but something else.  Call it soldiers intuition but something began to feel very wrong.  Muffled words and movements brought the line to a sharp halt.  The mages gestured hurriedly for the commanders and saboteurs as they gestured at the wall.  They spoke in hushed whispers but what they had to say was obvious.

 

They had arrived.

 

Torches were doused and the mages opened miniscule holes for the commanders to view the base unnoticed.  What they saw was much as they had expected.  Dusk had settled into what looked like a small cavern.  Indeed, the earth had grown rockier as they neared their destination and in fact this last layer before them was pure stone.  The area was bare save for a solitary altar within the center of the space surrounded by steeped steps upon which several dozen figures in black robes kneeled.  The space was lit through torches set in sconces around the cavern but most surprisingly was the sliver of moonlight that illuminated the altar from above. A closer look allowed them to see a dark liquid dripping down from above and onto the altar.  Take a guess as to what it was.  The time to strike was now.

 

Couldn't keep them waiting now could you?

 

The wall exploded outward with a ear chattering crash as stones were sent raining down into Dusk base knocking several of its robed members to the ground.  They retaliating strike fell upon them before they could react.  Hundred of dark feathered birds that had been sitting motionlessly along shadowed rims stirred without warning and darted straight into the breached wall with a ferocity that it caught even the frontlines troops off guard.  Claws and beaks searched out exposed bits of flesh without a thought for their own safety and even as the advance troops attempted to drive them off a wave of fire struck the crows from behind and caused them to burst aflame.

 

While the majority of the cultists were slow to react and almost lethargic in their movements there were three that proved to be the exception.

 

Spoiler

 

 

The first was a man whose flesh was as pale as his white hair and solitary eye.  Two crows sat upon either of his shoulders cawing and their master nodded with apparent understanding.  With an outstretched arm he summoned more of the black feathered fiends that moved to swoop down upon the recovering troops.  To his right stood a man wrapped in cloaks the color of midnight yet from within the folds could be seen a flickering light not so different from that of an open flame.  In his hand danced a sphere of fire from which none of the mages could detect so much as a drop of magic yet they could feel its heat despite the distance.  With a casual toss he lobbed the fiery orb towards them and they watched as it grew it size exponentially as it drew towards them.

 

Spoiler

 

The cultists themselves were robed in dark grey but now that they stood in plain view certain details about them began to make themselves known.  Their eyes were all the color of blood and bodies were wrapped in dirtied bandages but where skin was exposed it was dried and cracked and without moisture.  They slowly began to ball together around the foot of the altar pulling the long ceremonial daggers whose edges looked as cruel as rumored.  Rather than grouping up out of fear it appeared as though their formation was defensive.  At their heart was a tall figure of guant face who stood out as the only one in that group whose body was not bandaged or disfigured.   His face was all that was visible but it had the look of something much harder than flesh.  He made no move to do anything at all and seemed complacent to observe with icy detachment.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

The Festival Of  NewBeginnings

Spoiler

Luxen's festivities moved on as well as could of been hoped or expected as outsiders continued to arrive and spirits of the locals remained upturned. While most enjoyed the day out in the streets socializing and eating at the many stalls there others who spent it indoors indulging other desires. Luxen's mayor for one spent the hours drinking with a young girl in a local tavern and despite his drunken advances he found she wanted nothing but his company.  Which was something he wasn't used to either.  So as he drank he spoke of anything and everything he thought might be interesting to someone and the more drinks he had the bolder and more reckless he grew until he said the one thing he should not of.  Dusk.  Once he broached the topic it continued to spill out of him like water from a split dam.  He talked about how they'd been spotted doing sneaky business in the fields.  Even claimed it was him that had done the spotting.  He would of dealt with it himself of course but his people you understand.  They needed him and what if he died?  Not to worry of course.  Armies had come.  Two in fact!  They would take care of it don't you worry.

 

Nearby at the brothel a young Rias found herself the sole owner of Edward's attentions as he smiled warmly at her and proceeded to talk about a lo of nothing.  Ohh, he sprinkled in a bit of interesting tidbits here and there to keep her there but trust that it was mostly nonsense.  He mentioned how he'd taken a trip with her father out west once a number of years back.  Said he'd spoken highly of her.  He also mentioned how he'd heard so much of her that seeing her in the flesh was almost too much.  Faint heart you understand.  While this talk went on she barely realized that she was signing an elaborate contract in several places and in triplicate.  She'd seen enough of these to know from a quick scan that it was all on the level and most of it involved discretionary clauses that vowed signer to privacy.  Why?  Who knew but he handed her a small sack of Reims at the end and told her they'd be leaving tomorrow at ten if the weather was willing.

 

Night fell over the town shortly after and as the darkness of night made its descent the ceremonial fires began to be lit.  One by one a team of official firestarters made their way through the winding streets setting each and every strawman ablaze.  A heard of children danced around them as they worked while their parents looked on with smiles as they watched their boys and girls dance between the legs of the crowds.  On and on they went until finally reaching the giant straw figure in the town square.  A few people laughingly wondered whether the crazy from earlier was still up there while.  Which would be silly.  That was hours ago and he couldn't of been stupid enough to have fallen asleep up there could he?  As people one by one brought torches to lay at the giants straw feet there were a few who hoped he had if only because it'd be interesting. 

 

The fire crept up the figure with a terrible hunger as its flames licked their way around its entirety.  The flickering of the firelight cast the city in a strange glow that wasn't altogether pleasant.  It cast the faces of onlookers in a wicked light that gave them a look that bordered on the crazed.  They laughed it off as if it were just a trick of the light but when glint of blades was seen beneath the fire their laughs turned the screams.  Villagers who'd been so hearty and full of cheer before now fell upon their guests with mind to do them harm.  There had been no warning.  No signal.  One moment they'd been peaceful and the next they were possessed but a violent urge to murder and maim.  They charged into the crowds without a thought for self preservation.  They moved as if to some unheard song and seemed utterly incapable of hearing anything over it.  Their movements were jerky and amateurish but with a strength and speed that was surprising. 

 

Fires began all across the town and those that tried to flee its borders found upturned wagons blocking every exit and entrance as well as more than a few upturned at random in the street.  Those that fled in doors found scenes of carnage.  One man wandered in to find a family butchered at their meal while one girl with flowers in her hair stood over them.  Another man fled into a home to find man and wife in a life or death struggle while their child ran about setting the furniture alight.  It was madness that possessed the residents of the town as they moved through the city with neither rhyme nor reason to guide their actions.

 

Lilith looked down from up high near a ranger who like the rest of the defensive squad awaited orders.

 

Ohmun gathered his people together at the shrine as he passed orders for them to gather up any of those not infected with this madness within the shrines grounds and to do their best to hold the townsfolk back through nonviolent means.  He stressed the point.  He knew these people.  They were sick and needed help as much anyone...perhaps more than anyone.  The men and women did their best to follow his words but they were far too few to have any real impact.  Ohmun knew that.  Their was no surprise to be seen on his face.  Just weariness.   He could not alone bear the burden of this.  It would break him as surely as any sword.  So he turned to a friend he had not seen in many years and hoped beyond hope that it was more than coincidence that had brought her to his side.

 

"Maureen, I need your help."

 

OOC

Spoiler

-Slice, Trouble, Anima, L-

There are three bosses who are not autokillable.  There are also fifty cultists who have no armor and are armed with only long knives.  The cavern is large enough for all of you and then some but the tunnel can only fit around eight or so of you through at once.  The crows and fire attacks haven't killed anyone yet but several of your frontline troops have taken deep wounds and if the attacks stopped the will begin to die quickly.  You are not aware of what is happening in the town.

 

-Liar-

You have command of the men within Luxen.

 

-Everyone Else-

You can attempt to try and help others and restore order.  You can attempt to find the cause or just find shelter.  You can seek out the way.  You can do just about anything that pleases you at this moment.  The people are autokillable but there are hundreds of them.

Edited by Wandering Rogue, 24 February 2014 - 08:56 AM.

[Officer Judy Hopps]

Combat Start!

 

The tension on the air was almost palpable as the hour passed in preparation. The sound of swords being drawn, the harmonic chime of a bowstring's tension being tested were almost far too comfortable for the girl. Her weapons were ready, they always were, as if it were simply something that was second nature for a Fairchild. Readiness was simply always key, as was precision. 

 

The whole haphazard notion of this operation seemed ill fated. Working side by side with people who under normal circumstance, would try to kill her on sight. 

 

Lining up to stand behind the Magi who would be doing the tunnel work, the Lieutenant found herself standing amid both Lunian and Asxcillian soldiers. The latter of which offered a salute, and the former offered little more than suspicious stares. It were only fair after all, they had only heard rumor of such capability from a young girl. Never had they seen it in combat before. With Geoffery's nod, the burrowing began, and all she had to offer him was a glare of utter suspicion at first.

 

On the surface, the Princess had hold of the lines there. If anything befell the town, Minerva was sure that the brilliant tactician she was would come forward and ensure the day went relatively as planned. 

 

Initially, the tunneling seemed so incredibly slow at first. Yet as she took note of the surrounding earth, the Fairchild actually held an expression that was impressed. The Lion's Mane soldiers took the flanks to her side and back, giving her space to work while the Lunians stood still. They didn't know what was about to happen. Eventually two slender hands reached to her back, and in one long, smooth motion, both Cavalry Sabers became drawn, both Durendal and Caladbolg alike seemed to shimmer in the fickle torchlight. 

 

Once they had come to a stop, Minerva waved the Saboteur forward. Placing an exquisite amount of explosive black powder underneath his shield, the man stepped back while dragging a line of thread with him. Laced with a flammable chemical, it would be the fuse to the blast. The accomplished veteran then looked to the Lieutenant with a lofted brow.

 

Her hands were steadied, and finally with a nod, he struck the match. Her heart raced just as quickly as the tiny little flame rushed across the cavernous floor. And as it tore across the ground, her grip upon her sabers tightened while both Lions and Lunians alike would see white crackling fire fill her eyes and arc in jagged patterns across her cheek. With a calamitous roar, the explosion ripped a hole in the side of the cultist's abode, sending several flying in scattered parts and pieces among the heated stone that screamed through the cool air.

 

Yet as she expected, their response was immediate. 

 

Shadowed crows tore through the air towards the gathered force of awkward alliance. Sharp beaks and intelligent eyes pecked at gaps in armor, eyelets in helms and the like. However, the Fairchild was prepared, almost in a blur of movement, she took the front of the breach. Both of her sabers slicing each crow that came within her reach in two in rapidly sickening succession. Once pushed back, a second wave rushed forward into the meat grinder of blades of both hers and the Lions until she sensed an oncoming heat.

 

She caught glance of two forms in particular. The first being that of the summoner of the fiendish fowl, and the second who had flung the fireball. Affixing her gaze first upon the oncoming ball of expanding flame, the Lieutenant sliced her blade upward and vertically. With it also rose a crescent shaped wall of ice, such a chilling effect blocked the oncoming flame as it erupted in a ball of hellfire upon collision. Yet as the smoke cleared, the Lions and Lunians were very much still alive, hidden behind a glistening wall of solidified ice. 

 

They had breached the cultists' home with rather remarkable success. 

 

Striking her blade horizontally across the ice then, the wall would shatter in a dazzling display of magical prowess as then she cast one blade to the side, and brought the other so that the hilt rested upon her cheek. 

 

"Lions," she began in a cry outward so that the Ascxillian and Lunian soldiers could hear. "Push back the cultist left and right flanks, stay together and take no prisoners. Make room for our Lunian comrades. Finish them off quickly, and assist your Lieutenant with the troublesome three." And with a defiant roar, the Lion's Mane surged forward into combat. Rallying behind their Lieutenant as sword and shield found both crows and cultist skulls. 

 

Minerva however, was engaged in far more pressing matters. 

 

In front of her stood several cultists that wielded both regular and improvised weapons, and with almost reckless disregard, she charged them. Literally blurring across the ground, the whirling dervish of steel that she became sliced them to ribbons in quick order. It were almost as if one moment she were standing right in front of them, and the next she were behind them. They turned to face her, only to have crimson spurt outward from their robes in a excruciating and lethal mess of misery. Each of them collapsed afterward, clinging to life by the rasped gasps of filleted lungs. 

 

Turning then, her gaze settled upon the two men. The one who wielded fire, and the other who wielded blackened and cursed fowl. Swiftly tracing a circle across the air, thin wisps of fiery light extended from a quintet of points in the circle drawn. Elongating out to become arrows of super-heated white flame as once the blade pointed towards the fiery one, they tore through the air towards him. Once they drew close to the opposing magi, the would rupture outward in a flash of otherworldly flame in a glorious cacophony. 

 

Yet the Fairchild was nowhere near finished. She knew very full well the Opposing Magi was going to likely recover from that, but she was of the thought that this one with the crows would be the one that needed to die first.

 

That, and she believed that the Lunian commander would not be the kind to let her have all the fun.

 

Lunging towards the one who wielded the crows, the sword-wielding magi would partake in an inhumanly fast and relentless assault while merciless eyes of white flame moved forward in rapid succession. Twin sabers screaming through the air itself to slice at his joints, his armpit, his legs, and finally; with a brave lunge forward with all the grace and precision expected of one with her family name, she aimed to pierce his heart. 

Edited by Trouble, 24 February 2014 - 07:16 PM.

[Rainbow Dash]

Quaid River-Reaver

The Daomer had managed to convince Quaid to at least meet Ohmun of the Way. Busy as he was with another seeker, the two instead discussed various forms of magic while they waited. He found that although none of the other mages seemed to have his level of power over water they outpaced him in all other aspects. His own magical talents were somewhat wasted. Time flew as they spoke until a noise broke the pleasant discussion. The strawmen were being burned and a commotion was underway. Quaid's inner eyelid flickered. He thought it was joyous until he paid proper attention. A scream echoed through the air. The lizardman stood. The crowd was going berserk. Some of the people were insane with violence while others just tried to survive. For a brief moment he turned back to the Queen-in-the-black-waters. "Please use the runes you mentioned to help secure this hill", he asked her. To a pair of mages he'd seen conjuring water in the last hour he asked something else. "Drop water on me. Completely soaked. Quickly"

The two complied, drenching Quaid as he began a simple ritual. Mana flowed around him before launching into the sky. Up in the darkness, clouds coalesced. Quaid sensed their presence and nodded to himself. The clouds would gather on their own. His second objective lay underneath instead of above. He walked down the hill as his power flowed into the ground. He knew the water sources of the area. Quaid spoke to them and they spoke back. On his approach the nearest well erupted like a geyser, unleashing water everywhere. The people in the square were soaked in water. Although they would not be able to hear Quaid's voice they could hear the echo through the water. Get to the hill.

The first people to follow his message were a man and his pregnant wife. He was so concerned with making sure she got out quickly he didn't see the farmer darting behind him. Quaid's quarterstaff swung upwards and slammed into the farmers jaw, his own momentum strengthening the hit. The man fell to the ground and didn't move again. More people began to stream past. A madman charged at him. As he closed in Quaid jabbed his staff behind him, catching another one in the throat in surprise. Quaid could feel the water. Wet as they were, he no longer needed to see them to know where they were. He dropped his staff and grappled with the one who had charged him. Ourous males as youth would wrestle each other as a game both on land and sea. He was no master of the business but Quaid had enough experience and limbs to outperform him. As soon as he had the moment he struck the man hard in the solar plexus twice. The lizardman quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed his staff. An insane woman took a footload of well aimed mud to the face followed by a hit to the kidneys.

He took this brief respite to scan the situation. More and more of the innocent folk were running past, some wounded, some nearly in shock. Hopefully the hill would hold.

A drop of water hit his nose. Around him, more drops were falling. Slow now but soon it would speed up. The rains would come. Until then, he thought to himself as a swarm of the mad rushed forward, I will hold the line.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

Asta Sarunai

 

Talking to the sage was enlightening and heartening at the same time. Like humans would say, the Ourous was a good hang. He had none of the arrogance and pomp of his peers and though he spoke in puzzles he was good fun. Some of his insights on magic were quite humble and amazing. Plus, Asta had convinced him to atleast meet with Ohmun once, she was mentally patting herself for playing her part well.

 

As they made their way to the place where her party had set camp, they found Ohmun busy with another visitor. From the looks of it Asta could guess who she was but she avoided jumping to conclusions. If the elder mage was indeed Maureen then this was truly a blessed day. To have met two powerful magi in short time, tales of her exploits and talents came to the young Daomer's mind and she tried really hard to contain her excitement.

 

But the thought of keeping the Ourous company brought her back to reality and she felt guilty of forgetting her duty. Mentally reprimanding herself she listened to his musings and made a few of her known as well. Maybe it was the way she was brought up or the general style of the organisation, she held above average knowledge in all spheres of elemental magic but never managed to master any while the Ourous was a powerful mage of a single element. She was in awe of his power over water. They talked well into the evening, as she introduced a few of the other magi to the Ourous as well talking through the roles each of them play in the efforts of The Way.

 

Soon the strawmen were set on fire as the festivities began, the flames danced in the town as shadows played around giving off an ominous air, Asta rubbished such a notion before a cry teared through the air. The happy scene soon took on a terrifying hue as villagers crazed by something attacked the unaffected, panic and fear soon set in. The ones who were to shocked to react had found either a knife in the guts or the head while those who could somehow hold onto their senses began to flee.

 

Ohmun was the first to react, ordering his forces to gather the unaffected in the shrine grounds. The Ourous jumped into action, asking the Sylos and Selina to drench him with water. He turned to Asta and asked her to do what she was trained to. Setting up a perimeter and protect the people still unaffected. Then she heard Ohmun confirm the identity of the one who had kept him busy. It was indeed Maureen and Asta felt a wave of relief wash over her. All the panic got washed down. She planted Mimir's Eye in the soft earth where she stood and closed her 

eyes. It was time, it was her time to shine and be blessed by more knowledge of the elder ones.

 

Slowly cracks of white and orange appeared on her exposed skin and face as her amber eyes lit up with fiery intensity, the horns too reflected the cracked pattern as mana lines became evident on her body, she was preparing to cast. Her vision of reality was blurred instead it was replaced by a haze where only the inherent auras were visible. She saw as the Ourous, a pillar of flowing water, surged towards the town. The undines collaborating and working with him in harmony. She reached out with her mind to the conscious of one she admired, Ohmun her saviour and light, and let him know of her thoughts. I will setup up the runes at the boundaries, Pops. So you can get the warding underway. And please help the Ourous he is a great sage of water. With this she let her conscious slip into the realm of the spirits. It was essential that proper concentration was exercised.

 

Runes of myriad colours slowly began appearing around the compound, on surface they may appear common but their purpose was multi-fold. They had more than one color signifying the elements working in unity. The Earth shall protect them from physical harm and the water would cleanse their mental afflictions, though the major rescue were still in hands of Ohmun and Maureen, Asta was doing her role of giving first aid. She could have charged into the town and wrought more mayhem but protecting the weak held priority over vanquishing the wicked. She felt raindrops on her face and searched for the Ourous, he stood as a giant pillar of water near the village. She hoped that others will support his efforts and that no more blood is spilled this day.

Edited by Diabolical Rhapsodii, 25 February 2014 - 06:51 AM.

[Asor al ed Ergnas]

"Gardening With Maureen"

 

Maureen scried Ohmun with a critical eye, sizing him up. She still kept enjoying her meal, ignoring a moment Mu who had stood up. "Sit down boy." she told him with a polite, but stern voice. Maureen looked towards the chaos. She indeed had the best seat in the house. Ohmun spoke once more. "Maureen, I need your help." Maureen laughed and said "Oh Ohmun, what is it pray tell you need my help with?". He arched one furry brow as he spoke with a dry amusement.  "Ohh, any number of things no doubt.  I think though that...this should come first."  He pointed in the direction of the rising smoke and frightened screams.

 

Maureen nodded in the direction he pointed with her trademark grin. "Quite. That DOES seem like it could be ever so detrimental to the town. That, and the magic being fired off under the city." she spoke to Ohmun, gesturing with her teacup. "I ask you though, ickle Ohmun who used to wet the bed, what's in it for old Maureen hm?" Maureen asked with mocking amusement. "Surely you have something to offer me for my services, yes? Oh and don't bother with the 'I'll give you my life.' trick. This old witch already sees that is a useless promise, isn't it, dearie?" she said cackling, her red eyes glowing with knowledge.

 

If Ohmun was surprised by anything she knew he didn't say it aloud.  Wrinkles cross his weathered face as soft expression crossed across his face.  "Ahh, you never were one to follow the way."  The lids of his eyes shuttered closed as he let out a long calming breath. "What is it Maureen would want? What is it that could move her I wonder?  Baubles and riches she's had a plenty so what then could one so low as me have to give?"  The old lids opened again with a new life behind them. Ohmun simply said, "Secrets, Maureen, I offer secrets that pertain to what you hold dearest."

 

Maureen stopped mid sip of her tea, and let out a loud "HA!" and then simply smiled. Draining her cup, set set it down and watched it refill. "Oh you were ever always good at the game Ohmun. I see your talents haven't waned, if abiet wasted on your organization." Still grinning she said "Secrets eh?" and mused inwardly, to a time many years ago where she told stories to a child Ohmun. Tales of mystery, romance, and adventure. Tales, of her homeland and extraordinary life. Tales that only Ohmun alive, knew. "Well. I do suppose secrets that I personally would be interested in, are worth more than all the gold in the world. Hrmmm, yes. What I hold dearest eh? That is something only you would know little Ohm-Ohm. Very well. I accept your offer." Maureen said standing, and blowing on her staff. "What is it you would like me to do?"

 

Maureen walked the small magical circle she had made earlier. "I can eradicate your enemies, I can subjugate them; I can even vanish them from this plane of existence, if you'd like. I do so love contracts, and deals. As you well know youngling. State your terms, and I'll draw it up." Maureen smiled wickedly, pulling out a quill and scroll from her bag. "There are no enemies here or anywhere.  They are friends we haven't met."  The words were spoken with the weight of repetition.  A rhetoric he believed in and one he'd repeated beyond counting.  "The people suffer because they have had something stolen from them.  Find a way to return it to them.  Maureen, give them back their hearts." Ohmun said with a pleading look.

 

For a moment, Maureen said nothing. Dropping her smile and for the first time in their conversation, stared at Ohmun with full seriousness. "You always had a soft heart for a hard man." Maureen said softly to him. Touching his weathered face, Maureen saw held back tears. She sighed and then stamped her staff down, then; with a flash of light, plants all began to grow rapidly out of the circle she had made. "Very well. I will make these unknown friends of ours whole again." Maureen said with a kind smile. She spread the scroll over her bag and scribbled all over it.

 

The lines glowed purple, and arranged themselves into letters. 'This contract states that I, Maureen Northwind, The Star-Princess, will return the minds and hearts of the people of Luxen to normal at the behest of Ohmun, Sage of the Path; in exchange for information and 'secrets' pertaining to my better interests. Upon completion of the request made by Ohmun, Sage of the Path, the information that he has promised me, Maureen Northwind, The Star-Princess, will display itself upon the back of this contract, in the event of his inevitable, untimely, and unfortunate death.' it said with shimmering purple letters. Maureen signed the bottom in the same flowery script the contract bore, and held out the quill to Ohmun. "Sign sonny boy, so I can get this done." Ohmun then made use of his own staff to sign the contract, that he could only hope would save the people of the town he'd once considered home.  "What's done is done."

 

"Quite so!" said Maureen happily, placing the contract within her handbag. "Now then. Let's get this party started!" She roared and stuck her staff in the ground, it stood upright without any assistance. She began waving about her hands, yet as she did so they began to glow with green light, her staff too, shone purple under the runed bandages covering it. "Mu my boy, stand by me. I'll help you, if you help me. You sea, if you do well with my task, then I will of course be indebted to you for helping me gain the information I seek myself." she said smiling to the young Dryad. Rain had begun to come down. "Perfect!" yelled Maureen laughing with mirth, as she wove her magic around like conducting a symphony. When she did, the plants she brought up before began growing rapidly around the tree. Converging together, a large bulb appeared at the top of the dead tree and sat there, looking ready to bloom. "Mu, you look fast sonny boy. Faster than this old lady smacking all this magic together. Find the one who is bringing the rains. Tell them, to find their way here, and help me out. I have an excellent plan, all thanks to our tea from earlier."

"MEMBERS OF THE WAY!" Maureen demanded of Ohmun's people. "You protect this bulb and that fine and horned young lady keeping you alive, with your LIVES." she said gesturing a hand brimming with energy at Asta, "And YOU DAOMER, your name is Asta yes? Keep your wards strong. Should this tree fall, the whole plan goes to shit! AHAHAAHAHH!" Maureen cackled, and wrought more vines anchoring the tree. Now it was almost fully encompassed with vines. "Now we wait." Maureen thought to herself.

[SliceAndDice]

Markus the Falcon

 

For You Listening Pleasure...

 

Dusk was falling as the group of Lunians and Ascxillans gathered just off of the field for their operation. The little Princess had donated 20 soldiers, all five saboteurs, plus Minerva Fairchild to the assault, while taking the rest of her forces as the town's defense. That left Markus to cover the holes with 18 men, three of them mages, and take the rest with him. Well, the rest minus the three Rangers he'd sent to keep watch over Lilith and the town. Once all the men and women had gathered in a rough circle with the 7 mages on the outskirts, Markus turned to the Lead Mage and nodded to him; it was time to begin. The descent was gradual, but smooth. Many of the soldiers reacted by jerking slightly. It brought a flood of memories back to Markus from the first time he'd ever moved earth under him. He'd fallen on his rump about 12 times before he finally got used to the fact that he didn't need to shift his weight more than a little to stay upright. But that had been a long time ago, when he wasn't quite so cautious as he was now. He couldn't afford to be that careless now.

 

A nudge from one of the Rangers pulled him out of his reminiscence. It was Mara, the one he'd chosen as a Second for the operation. She was a good Ranger, easily the best of the five, and more importantly she could keep a cool head under pressure. Markus knew that firsthand- he'd been the one to handle her examination when she entered the Songbirds.

 

"Stay sharp Commander, it does the soldiers no good if their leader isn't focusing."

 

"Heh. Whoever taught you that must have known what he was talking about. Form up people, we're moving!"

 

And so they were. The torchlit progression through the hallway was even slower than the descent, less so because of complexity- it was much easier to move earth laterally than it was to displace is vertically- and more so because of fear of detection. Though it only took them ten minutes to reach the compound wall, it felt like 10 hours. But then the Saboteurs were at work, and time sped once more. While they were setting the charges, Markus directed his nervous energy to his feet, scratching at the ground with one foot. Back and forth, side to side, and diagonally. Then he switched to the other foot and swiped at the ground again in a similar fashion until the signal came that the charges were ready. As every soldier in the hallway tensed, he exchanged a look with Minerva, and then another with the Saboteurs. It was time.

 

Everything happened in an instant. The wall was ripped asunder by the explosives and men rushed into the hole, only to be bombarded by a swarm of crows and fire as two cultists deployed powerful magic against them while their underlings went on the attack. They were safeguarded by a wall of ice summoned by the Lion's Claw, but it was only a temporary saving grace. In mere seconds the cavern would be in chaos, and the troops would look to him for order within it, just as the Ascxillans looked to Minerva while she gave orders for flanks to the left and right.

 

"LUNIANS!" his voice shouted over the chaos, "Shield wall, five men wide, four men deep! Two pace advance, if they won't come to us we'll march them into the ground! Mages, get me an overhead wind wall to block those birds and the fireballs! Whatever happens, WE HOLD THE CENTER!"

 

He then turned to Mara and the other Ranger.

 

"Priority targets only, don't waste ammo on the small fry. If you see someone casting, I want their throat. Mara, command is yours. Standard raid procedure, hold the lines and keep moving forward, make sure the Ascxillans don't get surrounded. Got it?"

 

"What are you going to do, sir?"

 

"I'm going to cut the head off this snake... MOVE!"

 

With a one-man battle roar he slammed his palm into one of the scratches he'd made on the floor with his boot. It was, in fact, a Rune he'd been carving, and with a surge of will it came to life. A shockwave ripped through the ground in front of him, sending any cultists in its path flying into the air where they became living shields to absorb the crows and fire. Then he touched the second Rune he'd marked in the dirt, sent his will into it, then locked his eyes on his target- the man with a face as still as stone who stood in the midst of the enemy formation. With a great surge of force the ground around Markus split from its surroundings and flew forward into the gap left by the cultists suspended in the air- with Markus riding atop it.

 

As the rock neared the enemy formation, he rolled himself forward off of it as the shard of earth careened toward the man who had every appearance of the enemy commander. The forward momentum carried him just far enough that when he stood out of the roll, he was at dueling range with his target. However he dealt with the hurtling rock chunk, Markus would be waiting with his stance ready. Left leg forward with the right behind, the right hand clenched into a fist at his waist, and the left hand in front of his chest with fingers spread as if waiting to catch a ball. The Songbird wanted a fight, and his body language made it clear he was no stranger to it...

Edited by Dicedarg, 27 February 2014 - 07:55 AM.

[ANIMA]

Marching together with other Lunians, Henry had to admit to himself that he was a bit of nervous. Not to the level of the rest of the group, true, but still it was state of being uncharacteristic and unfamiliar to him. It wasn't the thought of fighting side-by-side with soldiers of Ascxil that made him nervous, nor was it the fear of battle. Most likely, Henry told himself, it was the anticipation. He wanted to see these cultists for himself, to test their capabilities and to overcome the challenge they posed. But he had to wait while at full battle readiness due to slow progress of the earth tunneling, and that made him nervous.

So when they finally came face to face with the members of Dusk, Henry let the slight sigh of relaxation. Battle. This is something he knew. He observed their opponents and saw three worthy of his attention. Orders which Geoffrey and Minerva gave to the troops under their command barely managed to register in his brain. He was aware of what they contained, but he didn't care. He had nobody to give orders to nor did he have to obey anyone’s orders. His opponent was already in his sight. A dark figure wielding fire. Fire! Henry felt his chest warm up and he lost his usual smile. Young noble’s face became an emotionless mask, only his eyes betraying the focus of a hawk locking on to its prey.

While Minerva and Geoffrey charged forward to meet their chosen adversaries in melee, Henry decided to deal with the hooded man from the distance, at least for now. Watching the orb of fire gaining size as it moved towards the soldier, Henry responded in kind. A fireball made out of blue flame appeared in his right hand and he shot it towards the oncoming orb. Just like the hooded man’s, Henry’s ball also gained size until it collided with oncoming orb, resulting in large explosion which threw a dozen smaller fireballs in multitude of directions.

This was according to Henry’s expectations and, while letting those going towards the cultists to fall, he took control of the pieces coming towards him and the soldiers and then focused them into one miniature orb the size of a musket bullet. Then, shaping raising his right hand clenched into a fist, with only his index finger pointed towards hooded man Henry whispered “BAM”, imitating shooting a pistol. As it moves with it's incredible speed, bullet will suck out the heat from the surroundings, freezing the moisture in the air and allowing Henry to use it to form an ice bridge towards his opponent. If he would actually use this bridge depends on his opponent's next action.

[I-Am-X]

Rias Vastia

 

Meeting her gaze with a warm smile he, Edward Kensworth, proceeded with what you'd except of one from his profession. A flurry of nonsense with the occasional input of bits one might call interesting, enough to distract and keep one there but not enough to satisfy. Though, not like any of it matter, considering Rias wasn't really paying attention to any of it. Especially all the flattery, which is fine every now and then, fake or not but when it seems so forced, it can be quite irritating. None of it really mattered anyway, she was here for a job and to get paid. So no matter how tiring it all sounded, she wouldn't be going anywhere.

 

As time moved on and the talk went on, Rias went ahead and pressed the pen down on the paper before barely taking notice of the contract. Shaking her ahead and doing a quick scan, one can easily tell the contract was indeed on the up and up. To think I'd go for signing it without checking first...how reckless of me! Maybe all the alcohol from earlier is finally taking effect... with a little laugh, Rias goes ahead and signs it. With a smile,

I should probably hold back on hitting the drink before I'm to sign a contract next time. 

 

Though, she was curious as to why the contract contained all those discretionary clauses, certaintly some eye openers compared to previous contracts she signed. But not like it mattered much, nor was all that talk neccesary. She could tell right away that this job was going to be a huge one. Even that might be considered an understatement. Quite frankly, it made her feel even better signing it. Long has she hoped for a job to come along that would push her to the brink of death. Such challenges just don't come around often enough. Quite often would she hear of the dangers and challenges of the mission in times past but only to be disappointed in the end. 

 

As he finally wrapped up his talk, he collected the contract, handed her a small sack of Reims and let her know that they'd be leaving tomorrow if the weather was willing. And with that, the negotiations have ended.

 

Pocketing the Reims, she made her leave.

 

 

 

Shortly after leaving the brothel, night fell quickly as Luxen was covered in dark before people started lighting the cermonial fires as a team of firestarters made their ways down the street lighting up the strawmen ablaze. While not a new sight, it was still a nice sight to see, especially seeing all the children having the times of their lives dancing. "Fine drinks, food and entertainment. Now all rests on the job meeting expectations..." As she continues to talk back down the street, she decides a few more drinks before bed wouldn't hurt. It was a festival, right? Might as well take full advantage of the mood!

 

As Rias took her seat back down at the tavern, she waved to the bartender for 2 glasses on the double. Rias wasn't one to hold back, after all. As she down the first glass, she went for the 2nd but before she was able to get off a sip, a flurry of screams could be heard from outside. Standing up and sitting down her drink, "Just what-". Hearing a grunt, she quickly turns around, only to have a chair come crashing down on her as she fell to the ground. Struggling to get up, she was thrown off guard as the mans eyes had the look of what you'd expect from a crazed animal. Quickly taking out a knife from his pocket, the man lunged right at her with Rias just managed to grab his wrist within seconds of the blade meeting her face.

 

"Always....I always pick the worst times to go out for a drink..." she muttered, disappointed she didn't get to finish her 2nd glass. Tightening her grip on the mans wrist, she kicks him off and sends him stumbling back as she got up. As the man regained his balance, he charged back in as she drew her sword in time to block the mans strike before delivering a hard slash to the chest, sending the man crashing to the floor. With no time to sit and think, another man charged in screaming madly.

 

This time, the man was unarmed so she kicked him in the gut and pinned him to the wall with her blade. "Now now, what do you have to say for yourself?" As more screams can be heard from outside, the man laughed madly before trying to burst his arm free and almost succeeding before Rias slammed his head into the wall and knocked him out. I've been in bar fights before, but this is just rediculous.

 

Heading out the door of the tavern, she could see bodies everywhere, as wagons were turned over and fire was everyone as the entire town was filled with screams. Feeling the small sack of Reims in her pocket, she groaned. "I'm not getting paid enough for this." With a deep breath, upon realizing she wouldn't be getting any sleep, she decides to head back towards the shrine. Maybe the way will know something about this...

 

Breaking into a run, she moves towards the shrine.

[Führer Itulhu]

Kuroi

sane or insane... make up your mind already

 

As Kuroi stood around hoping someone, anyone would tell him something everyone ignored him, it was probably because he was short...or he wasn't armed to the teeth. yea that's got to be it, right?. After kicking at the ground a few times he decided that it was boring and decided to fly off, and as he flew into the sky Kuroi realized it had turned to dusk and the festival was truly about to begin, and Kuroi had one of the best seats for it.

 

"hmmm, the festival is about to begin this should be fun.....wait, what in the world" As he was talking to himself he noticed he was starting to be influenced by fire again, the burning flames of the ceremonial fires.... no the fires changed, they became wicked flames which tainted Kuroi's mind more than usual.

"fire, fire, fire, BURN EVERYTHING KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA" The flip in his head had been switched and he started creating a huge fireball to help burn everything.

 

As he charged up his fireball he noticed clouds had appeared out of nowhere, "what, WHAT, clouds? i will burn everything CLOUDS wont stop me" And as he spoke rain showered down from above him. The rain seemed to be magical in some way as his fireball was put out near instantly and it helped cool off his head. "fire, the beautiful flames will destroy all, i will destroy......wait, fire is going, people are injured, i should help" Kuroi's mind slowly returned to normal.

 

As he tried to finally asses the situation everything had gone to hell, people where randomly attacking others and violence spread through the entire town. As he looked around he saw a child in a corner of an alleyway, the child was cornered and was about to be attacked by random rage infused people. "damn it at a time like this" As Kuroi complained to himself he swooped down from the sky and picked the child up before anyone could react.

 

"Whaaaa mommy, daddy" the child screamed as he was suddenly swooped up but Kuroi could not care less, he had to get the child to safety before someone attacked them in the sky... or worse, the fire he was resisting would seep back into his mind.

"hmm? there seem to be people at that shrine, by the looks of it they are sane. Child hold on tight.... this is going to be one fast ride" Kuroi saw the shrine and decided it was the best place to drop off the child. he then stopped mid flight and flapped his wings in a full motion a few times before darting off towards the shrine.

[Ecko]

Aurolea's Huntress

 

Luxen's festival of fertility was something of a big deal for the inhabitants of the border city. Though its ancient meanings had long fallen through the cracks of memory with the gods it represented, it heralded a notion of peace and brought forth reward for the hardworking folk. For one day they could all forget that they were on the precipice of two giant opposing nations, and postpone their toils in the field to all come together and celebrate. It also let them put aside the growing rumours throughout the week of a pack of wolves that had moved nearby to their fields. Several people had claimed to have heard the unmistakeable howl one evening. The festival was even enough to temporarily calm one particular farmer, who had awoken each morning to find a sheep he owned missing.

 

This farmer was known through the immediate area for his short stature and temperament, but certainly not for his intelligence. Had that been the case, he may have noticed the small spattering of blood or the giant gap between the horizontal wires of his fence where something large had pushed its way through. After all he was a simple farmer, not a scholar.

 

Beside the farm was a stream; certainly not worthy of being called a river, but still enough to run two watermills and supply the region with water. Two hundred or so metres downstream was a small glade, surrounded by thickly-thorned brambles that choked and cut any plants or animals that came close. Only accessible by the stream or by air, it had recently become the temporary home of a strange beast that was not a native of anywhere within Ascxil or Lunia, nor any of the other three countries sharing the continent. The beast itself was sleeping, a hulking wolf curled amidst what little remained of what was once seven sheep. Dusk was falling slowly; and as the light dimmed, the beast stirred.

 

Padding forwards to the stream, she dipped her snout in and began dragging water up with her tongue, gazing briefly into the turquoise reflection of her eyes. With an ear cocked, she half surveyed her surroundings, listening for the telltales of disturbance. Lifting her head up she sniffed at the air. Tonight she was downwind of the city, which meant that a myriad of foreign scents wafted through her nostrils. She could tell that there were many large congregations of people, as well as the distinct odour of alcohol. That was something she'd been quick to observe of humans, even on the ship that she'd stowed away on from her original home; humans had a strange fascination with soaking themselves with obscene amounts of alcohol.

 

After a leisurely paddle up the stream, she shook herself off and crept through the grass towards the fence enclosing the sheep that she'd been pilfering each night since she had arrived. While the sheep had eaten down all the grass within the enclosure, outside it grew wildly, providing apt cover for any hunter. Sitting downwind still, she could tell that the farmer was not even within the structure that he retired to each evening. She kept low and quiet; generally humans were laughably poor hunters, but she wasn't going to take that for granted. Darkness fell within minutes and she raised her nose again and halted.

 

Acting on instinct near simultaneously, all manner of creatures began to flee the city and the surrounding area. Birds took flight, and nearby herbivores fled with a start. Even the sheep, dim as they were, huddled together as far from the city as they could. The beast too recoiled slightly. Her fur bristled and a low growl escaped her throat. Just like the rest she too could feel it; a sickly chill in the air that made want to run as far away as she possibly could. Fortunately, she had something the other fleeing beasts around her didn't; reason. She knew this feeling as being magic, but something about it was wrong. It was... dirty.

 

Her nose was filled with new scents; fire and blood. She set off at a run, leaping fences, ledges and obstacles with ease. Smoke arose from scattered points and the smell of blood grew stronger and stronger; nearly overwhelmingly so. The sound of her feet scampering across the terrain rapidly began being drowned out by the terrified screams, clashing metal and crackling flames. In a moment the wolf's surroundings changed from fields and the occasional barn to building after building all in a line. Beneath her feet the soft earth became hard cobblestone and she was immediately greeted by carnage. Many bodies lay in the street unmoving, but the sounds of movement were ever present around her. Coming to a halt after a minute or so, she sniffed around the nearest corpse. It was a male human, early adult by her estimate, but not particularly well built; certainly no warrior or fighter. Judging by the shallow yet abundant cuts across his hands and forearms he was assaulted by a small knife but the cuts were uneven and messy. Not the work of a professional, but a mere kitchen tool held by an amateur.

 

A shift in the gravel about ten metres behind caused the beast to spin around. Another man holding a dripping steak knife scrambled to his feet across the way. The wolf bristled her fur and snarled to scare this newcomer off. To her surprise, her effort seemed to go unnoticed, as he cackled slightly and gripped his knife tighter. Not many humans would relish the idea of going toe to toe with a savage wolf that was almost as tall as they were, particularly if they few only armed with a common steak knife. There was also a black feeling that he emanated just like what she'd sensed earlier; a magic inspired wrongness. He certainly wasn't the source, but some dark magic was driving his insanity. This put her out slightly causing a slight hesitation in his favour. A normal wolf, even at half her size, would have ripped him to shreds immediately, so perhaps her ability to reason was not always an advantage. The crazed man capitalized on this with speed that she wouldn't have thought him capable of. She too leaped forward but it wasn't enough to prevent harm. The knife he held, perhaps with the intention of sinking it into her throat or skull, instead plunged relatively harmlessly into her front shoulder.

 

With a quick kick of her hind leg, she sent him careening off into the opposite wall. He thrashed about and pushed himself up, but the hesitation that saved him before was no longer present. The man had pushed himself up onto all fours when two clawed paws sunk into his fleshy back, while the wolf's fangs closed around his neck. With a quick flick of her own head, a snap sounded and the man went completely limp. The flaccid body and the thick blood cascading from her mouth told her that her work was done. With the cadaver still hanging from her mouth, her attention was then drawn to the sting in her shoulder. The knife was only small, so considering her size the damage was small. Irrespective of that, it was just out of reach for her mouth, and given the internal organ shift during her transformation it would be hazardous to change to a more convenient form. While it wasn't immediately threatening to her in any way, it still provided a constant source of irritation.

 

Her ears pricked up again suddenly as her attention was drawn to what seemed like a single person approaching from the direction she'd come, as a red haired woman rounded the corner in full view of her. Once bitten, twice shy as they say; The wolf dropped her last victim, growling as she maintained the distance between her and this new intruder. She felt none of the ill intent that her assailant had, but she was still wary; the whole situation still wasn't too clear to her.

 

[Wasted]

Small Hands

 

Small Hands fed Jezzie half a wedge of cheese for a job well done after transferring his consciousness back to himself. Idly nibbling the the half left over he sifted through the information he had gained. So they had been able to put aside their differences it seemed, though the presence of the cultists was troubling as he couldn't determine what their objective was. Perhaps they intended to set up a base of operations? A place between the borders for two notoriously bad neighbors might make dealing with them a bit of a diplomatic issue...or it might cause them to band together to stamp out a group that most sane people saw as an infestation.

 

He sighed as he gathered up his things and began moving through the crowd again. The festival day was nearing the end and the townsfolk had begun to light wicker men in preparation for the night's festivities. He was missing something. This sounded too large scale to be founded on some half-cooked scheme. The armies don't seem to care what the cultists are planning. Their existence and beliefs alone warrant their destruction.

 

But what if the tunnels and reports are just a distraction. The Followers of the Destroyer are always a threat, but they are no army. What usually concerns them is the mystical, their sick fucked up rites intending to bring back the Destroyer to kill everything. Death and destruction is what they feed on, could the attack be playing into their hands? Surely they would have been competent enough to discover that two armies were converging on their location and been able to escape. Unless they needed something to be done tonight, a ritual.

 

It started with one scream. A thin piercing wail, probably a woman, laced with pain and disbelief. The scream was joined by others and soon the town was boiling over with a frantic crowd, of both crazed lunatics attacking anyone in sight and their panicked families scrambling desperately away.

 

"Well now," said Small Hands, a bit bewildered by the sudden onslaught, "This is a right cluster fuck now isn't it?"

 

Before he could disengage himself from the crowd he found himself grappling with a man with a butcher's knife. He stood over the man's one foot to anchor him and brought his other foot down to break the man's leg at the knee. As the lunatic dropped Small Hands punched him in the temple to knock him out.

 

He pulled him a little out of the way to reduce the chance that the man would get trampled before legging it himself. Small Hands headed for his wagon first to retrieve his crossbow and bolts. He had left them there in order to be less conspicuous. There had been four more crazed villagers in the way but two now lay dead while the other two had enough appendages broken that they would have trouble moving for a while. As he ran a drop of rain fell, and then another and another, working up to a steady drizzle. Through the rain he thought he could hear a voice.

 

Get to the hill.

 

It seemed to be a rallying call of some kind. Something worth looking into at any rate. He started to make his way towards the hill. Before he could get there however something caught his attention. A man with a piece of bloodied wood was standing dazed over the body of a lifeless boy no more than ten. Beneath the body of the young boy was an even younger girl shivering uncontrollably. As if coming to his senses the man started to move again, slowly and deliberately drawing the stake back intending to impale the girl.

 

Small Hands was too far away to incapacitate the man. He wasn't a good enough shot to simply stop the man. His bolt took him through the side with force, launching him away. As Small Hands ran up to the figures his stomach roiled with acid as his mind caught up to what he had seen, putting the pieces together. He knelt by the man, but he could see that it was already too late. The bolt had gone right through his thigh and blood was pulsing out with the strength of a main artery hit.'

 

"Your father?" he asked quietly, digging his fingers painfully into his scalp.

 

The girl didn't respond, but he knew that he was right. Tears and snot were running freely down her face although her expression was one of frozen neutrality. She was still shaking uncontrollably. Small Hands grabbed hold of her. Pressing the shivers still, looking her dead in the eyes.

 

"What I did was wrong, but necessary. We need to get you to the hill, you'll be safe there," as he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder he spoke in a much softer voice, "I'm so sorry."

Edited by Wasted, 02 March 2014 - 07:28 PM.

[Linkd]

Miles Eversum

 

Miles came out of the crowd clapping for the strange man that put up the performance but the instant he came, he felt something insidious behind him.  He could feel a bloodlust from behind him.  Something strange was happening, Miles turned around and then saw all the stony faces looking at him and the strange man on the straw.  He watched them carefully as they advanced and their hands slipped into their clothes and Miles felt a chill, all the people were making the same motions, something big was happening.  Miles hopped onto the straw next to the man and said to him, "Something is going down, I would get out of here while you can 'god'" Miles chuckled a little bit at the last bit and then walked into the crowd of people.  The people who were not native to the city watched confused as the natives started to close down on them.  All of a suden all hell broke loose and then the natives of Luxen charged all the foreigners and attacked them with knives stabbing and slashing.  The instant it happened two men came after Miles and he pulled out his two short swords, side stepped the first man and cut downwards sliceing his wrist off and then stepped closer to slit the mans throat.  The other man watched and then ran away presumably in search of an easier target or for reinforcements.   Miles took the oppurtunity to shout out loud. "Oi fight back!  They are attacking you! Return the favor!"  Miles laughed and then took off into the darkness under the cover of the chaos.

 

Miles went back to the inn and it was a slaughter house, all the guests were dead and he stood there for a second and then moved up the stairs quickly.  He opened his room and grabbed his bag and then left the inn.  The streets were convulsing with bodies, something was important was happening. One does not simply hold a festival to murder all the visitors.  Miles concluded that the best idea would probably to wait it out under the cover of the approaching night.  Miles went to the outskirts and encountered some people standing around and he couldn't tell whether the group were locals or not.  Miles did his best to avoid them and accidentally broke a branch trying to sneak around, all their heads turned towards him.  Their eyes were empty and they looked at each other then charged Miles.  Miles laughed and then took to the fight.  These people can't even try to fight me.

 

Miles stood above the slaughtered group of men laughing and then grinned, here was the thrill of blood!  He looked around quickly thinking Something caused this! I wonder what did?  Miles moved back into the dark city of screams and climbed ontop of a roof top.  He sat with an eagle eyes postion and nobody could see him.  Maybe he could see something interesting going on or maybe wait it out up here.

[Liar]

LILITH | Luxen, Lunia

 

From her perch on the rooftop, Lilith’s gaze swept through the town centre, her eyes widening in curiosity as madness descended on the populace. Rather than disturbed by what she witnessed, her mind maintained a cool calm as she ran an analysis on the situation. She took note that herself and her men—along with the other visitors of the town—had not been taken in by lunacy. Instead she realised that only the citizens of Luxen were afflicted by violent whims. This possibly meant that this had been planned for some time…

 

Lilith grimaced. She disliked it when she was faced with magic. The fact that she lacked the potential for magic drew her ire. She was a princess of Ascxil, being the strongest meant everything. Magic, however, eluded her and it was only in that category that she could not call herself the best. It irritated her to no end.

 

“You five,” Lilith shouted to the five-man squad of her soldiers below her. “Get up here on the roof, ignore the others.”

 

The group of Lion’s Mane members promptly proceeded as ordered by their princess. Lilith turned her head slightly to the Lunian Ranger accompanying her, hiding the small amount of disdain she had for him. It was fortunate that he was useful.

 

“Signal your two men. Have them relay a message to my two other squads to head for the roofs and make their way to the shrine.” The two remaining Rangers were on rooftops not too far away (with her two other group of soldiers on the ground accompanying them) so they were able to receive the signals Lily just commanded.

 

It was pertinent for them to regroup at the shrine, the most defensible location in Luxen. Situated on top of a hill, she could take command of any remaining survivors and provide a defence for the town. Honestly, Lilith knew not the source of the madness enveloping the once-normal people of Luxen, but she currently didn’t have the tools to investigate it. Chaos and anarchy dominated the event, and so headway would not be found. Thoughts of leaving of the town surfaced, but if the cultists had planned for this, then it obviously meant they would close off escape routes to ensure a massacre.

 

“Your highness,” said one of squad members of the group she ordered to come up. Lilith turned to them, and nodded in acknowledgement.

 

“We’re heading to the shrine. Keep yourself low and don’t draw attention. The townsfolk may be insane, but they’re not blind or deaf.”

 

Lilith and company set out towards the shrine, using the rooftops as cover as they moved about deftly and swiftly. She was not sure if the others would be able to reach them, but they were some of the best the Lion’s Mane had to offer; she could trust that they could make it. However, she would have to operate under the assumption that she only had one Ranger and five soldiers under her command. Optimism was good for morale, but not so much in strategy and tactics.

 

It was easy for Lilith to ignore the cries of death happening below. Frankly, she could not deign herself to care for the commoners below them. Death was inevitable for many of them; people would strike at them in order to survive. These madmen could only hope that the cultists would be killed by the combined forces of Lunia and Ascxil, perhaps eradicating the source of their insanity. Her only priorities though were survival and maybe find any cultists that were still in the city.

 

They reached the final building overlooking the street that led up to the shrine. There were townsfolk killing men and women below, but they were avoidable. Lilith and her party dropped to the street, ignoring pleas from those getting killed. With their swords out, the members of Lion’s Mane efficiently cut down their way against those that struck out at them. They never stopped moving.

 

Lilith approached the shrine as they made up the hill, signalling her men to keep watch for any signs of trouble approaching them. “People of the shrine, I’m Captain Lillian of the Red Drake Mercenary Company. My men and I require sanctuary against the madmen…”

 

The princess knew enough mages to know that just entering any place under their dominion carelessly would be a bad idea. 

[Fia]

Tiara

 

“Come on, Tiara! It’s just over there!“
Tiara hurried up to follow Coira, obviously having trouble to find a way through the crowd. Oh, I shouldn’t have said I’d go…it would be so much nicer watching this from above. Coira was the daughter of the owner of the tavern she was staying in. Since she arrived some days ago Coira had been bombarding her with questions as sylphs weren’t seen that often around Luxen. Tiara quite liked the lively girl, but she already developed a talent to talk her into things that turned out to be the worst choice…like going to the festival instead of flying, a decision she already regretted, and the festival had just started.  People kept bumping into her, always politely saying sorry, but it still was annoying. Also, she couldn’t see anything except people’s backs and it wasn’t possible to fly even a feet high because there was no way she could spread her wings in this crowd.

 

By now she could hear the loud voices of the actors but still wasn’t able to see the stage and to make it worse she lost sight of Coira. “Oh, there you are!” Coira’s face showed in the crowd as she moved towards her. “We can’t get any closer but you can’t see anything from here…” “It’ll be fine, I can just fly and watch from above.” “But…” Not waiting for what she wanted to say and happy that she finally had the opportunity to escape the crowd without being impolite Tiara lowered the resistance of the air around her, created a light upwind and jumped so that she could spread her wings over the heads of the crowd.

 

Breathing the fresh air she immediately felt better than on the ground. As the play started she could understand why Coira had insisted on seeing the drama group that came to the festival every year. The actors managed to capture her in the story so she didn’t even notice how the time flew by. When the play ended it was already near dust and Tiara joined the thunderous applause of the crowd.

“Hey, Tiara!”, she heard Coira’s voice shouting from below “Let’s meet up around the corner, you can land there!” She showed Briar that she had understood her with a nod and flew in the direction she had pointed, even if she wasn’t taken by the thought of going back into the crowd.
“Wow, the play was so good, even better than last year!” Coira immediately said upon arriving in the alley. “I really fe-” She suddenly froze in her movement, her eyes losing focus for a moment. “Coira? Are you ok?” “Ye..yeah, I’m… alright.” The last word slipped out of her mouth with a cold, hollow voice that was totally unlike her normal self. “What’s u-” She didn’t get to finish the sentence as Coira’s fist hit her hard at her chin and made her stumble some steps backwards. Still dizzy from the first blow she evaded the second one with more luck than skill. Tiara looked up into the eyes of her friend with disbelieve, only to be shocked by what she saw: the former friendly glow that always radiated from her eyes had been replaced by a mad glimmer.  “Coira, stop it! What happened?” she shouted desperately, but not really believing that she would listen to her after seeing her eyes. As expected, there was no reaction except another swing of her fist at her that came fast, but was easy to avoid as Coira most likely never tried to hit someone before.

 

Realising that she had no choice but to flee if she didn’t want to hurt her friend, she again spread her wings and flew into the sky where big, grey clouds had gathered. From above she could see that the whole city had fallen into chaos: fights broke out on every street, people slaughtering each other or running around in panic, trampling on dead bodies already lying on the ground. Below her she had to see Coira looking irritated for a moment but then wandering towards the main street, into her sure death. Damn! I can’t let that happen!

As fast as she could Tiara started weaving a ball of pure mana and throwing it on Coira, who instantly lost consciousness due to the mass of energy suddenly running through her. Please let her be alright…
Sometimes she really cursed her lack of strength, and this was definitely one of those moments. She felt bad about having to leave Coira lying in the dirt of the little alley, but she wouldn’t be able to carry her and as rain started falling heavily, making it hard for her to fly, she needed some place to land.

Edited by Fia, 03 March 2014 - 08:15 AM.

[Wandering Rogue]

The Breaking of Hope

Spoiler

The rapid exchanges of fire caused the shadows cast by those within to dance merry along the walls in manic ways and to an oblivious onlooker it had the look of a puppet theater.  The shadowed forms of the actors danced across the stage with such wild abandon that you might think them filled with glee at the sight of such slaughter.  So brave and confident as they charged into the fray without a thought that they might be bested.  They were proud stallion in their primes who strut about as if the world could deny them nothing never realizing just how short their time upon the stage truly is and how insignificant they were in the greater arc of things.  Perhaps it was for the best that they remained ignorant for how else could they have danced in the firelight with such reckless grace.

The wall of ice that sought to block the fire served only to stall its advance.  The ice scattered the bulk but was itself melted beneath the onslaught.  The flames though did not dissipate but were hunger incarnate as they snaked onward and found new homes within the armors of the soldiers of Lunia whose shield wall proved pointless against such an attack.  Their formation could not hope to stop the flames as they moved with a dark intelligence that let them slip past such mundane defenses.  The armor of the Lunian's quickly proved a ironic hindrance as they were burned alive within it one by one as the flames leaped from soldier to soldier.  If not stopped soon they would eat their way through the entire troop.

Their caster in the dark cloak looked on in appreciation as his spell worked its way through his enemy.  So focused on the spell he completely missed Minerva's attack which struck him head on and the ensuring flames encapsulated his form in its entirety.  A shrill and piercing laugh could be heard from within that was followed by a sharp intake of breath and with it the flames seemed to seep into the cloaked mage who stood there nonplussed by the assault.  With another cackle he began to prepare another spell only to be rudely interrupted as he staggered back with several arrow peppering his chest.  They burned away in an instant and seemingly undamaged the mage cast out another expanding sphere into his attackers direction.  As the fire expanded in the air it seemed as if the light spilling from within his cloak lessened if only slightly.

Nearby Minerva's duel was already on to interesting start as her target exploded into murder of crows as soon as her blades made contact.  She could the presence of several foes surrounding her though one and all they felt distinctly off.  Five copies of the man crow user surrounded her with each wielding a blade that pointed right at her.  Whether it was the eyepatch or that detached look to them they were identical and moved in unison as they closed in.  As the blades swiftly closed in upon the Ascxil soldier a cloud of crows circled above in a formation that grew denser and closer to the ground by the moment.  She'd need to discern the direction of the true attack lest she find herself on the receiving end this time.

The Lunian's formation was broken up by the fires that wove their way through their ranks allowed the majority of the cultists to focus upon the Ascxil troops attempting to take their flank.  Whether it was skill or equipment they held a clear advantage over the Dusk members and yet the fight was turning decidedly against them.  A hesitation took hold of them as they drew closer to the altar and their movements grew slower as uncertainly crept into their hearts.  Some of them seemed to even attempt to talk to the Dusk members even as they were cut down by their wicked blades.  It was clear to anyone who saw that something was very, very off.  Markus was learning first hand just what that was.

As the young Songbird moved to take advantage of the gap he had made he suddenly felt a chill as the temperature dropped without warning.  His instincts that he'd honed across countless numerous battles urged him to turn away from the attack. A voice like a blade cut through this thoughts.  It was the same voice but it spoke a dozen different things and it all turned into indiscernible noise.  Then it stopped and he course it but it was different now.  He recognized the voices.

"Don't be a fool lad.  You were never that strong."  Markus knew that voice.  Riley was an old guard captain that taken a shine to him.  He'd helped teach him how to fight all those years ago.

"Clean out your ears and listen because I don't have time for those that make me repeat myself.  You fight that guy and you will die.  Not today maybe but tomorrow and next day.  He's the kind of poison that will stay in your system even after he's gone.  You lose even if you win and that aint no equal exchange in my book."   Maureen.  How long has it been since he'd heard her voice?  It sounded like something she might say too.  Course how could she be in his head?  It was a trick.  Obviously a ploy to get under his skin.

Markus felt slower even if it was only heartbeasts it felt an eternity since he'd locked gazes with the man with a stoney stare.  The closer he got to him the larger he seemed.  He was looking down on Markus now like some giant considering whether he was hungry enough for a snack.  The cold crept inside him now and slowly he began to forget what it felt like to be warm.  He began to forget a lot of things.  His thoughts became fuzzy and he found it harder to focus on details.  He knew who he was and what he was doing but the rest all felt like so much nothing.  Just filler without any content that was simply there to take up space.  Even the stone he rode in on seemed to be effected and as soon as Markus rolled from it he watched it slow and sink into the ground at his enemies feet as if afraid to strike him.

Slowly Markus began to feel the eyes on him as men and women wearing familiar faces slowly encircled him.  Their voices were in his mind.  He could hear them and match them to a face in the crowd about him.  People he'd hated.  People he loved.  People he trusted.  People who'd betrayed him.  They were all there talking at once and their message was the same.

He was weak.  So horribly weak.  His enemy before him had already weighed him and found him to be wanting.  He was just an insignificant nobody who should of disappeared.  Who was he to try and stand in the limelight?  He should gone away and never came back.  Everyone would of been happier.  She would of been happier.  He could feel hands reaching all across his body and a face before him that reminded him of home even as her dagger pressed against his chest.

 

Darkness Falls

Spoiler

So it was that slowly the unaffected men and women of Luxen trickled to questionable security of the shrine.  The height and position of the shrine was natural magnet for the those seeking safety as they naturally drifted towards higher ground. The mages of the way also helped guide them as they worked in concert with others to set up defenses to help keep the maddened denizens of the town at bay. The rain that began to fall helped to stop the spread of the fires below but it did little to stifle the temper of the people that still ran through the streets.  It was an odd gathering of outsiders that stood together in that old place of worship.  They'd south it out in their desperation but now that they stood there few of them had any real idea of where to go from there.  Some had turned to Ohmun and expected his wisdom to hold some solution but while his words were calming they also held no answers.  The strange witch Maureen seemed to be at work on some manner of magic but it was an old magic that had not seen usage this far south in centuries.  There was also the newcomer, "Lillian", and her troop who so recently arrived.  A silver haired young man broke away upon recognizing her true identity

 

The informant from the warehouse had one way or another managed to survive this madness unscathed and showed obvious signs of relief upon seeing the Ascxil princess and her troops.  That faint flicker of hope died quickly as he saw that she was not backed up by the full force that he'd seen back at the warehouse.  He licked his hands nervously as he approached her.  The man knew there wasn't much he should expect but at same time he couldn't ignore it.  He kept his voice low to avoid drawing the obvious attention she was attempting to avoid. 

 

"Ahh, young mistress!  I'm glad to see you are..well here.  When I hadn't seen you or any of the...others I got worried.  Do you have any plan up your sleeve?  Any trap to trigger?  Because if you did now would be the time.   Just saying..."  His eyes went round as his focus turned to a sight behind her.

 

The vantage of the shrine afforded them a clear view of the surrounding streets and within them those there in the shrine began to catch sigh of strange things.  Many of the men and women there leaped up and called out names of those they'd left behind in their escape.  They called to them and instead of responding the focus of their attention simply fled from view whether in flight more often than not while avoiding a pursuer.  A deep sense of wrongness permeated the air that was evident to even those without so much as a drop of mana in their bodies.  A force was there with them and it was decidedly hostile.  The mages could feel their protections being strained by some unseen presence and even the ancient protections of the shrine could be felt being pushed back bit by bit by this unseen attack.

 

The strange happenings below intensified.  They began to call up to those on the shrine for help.  Newcomers in black cloaks began to appear and they hunted down the survivors in plain view.  A few of them had even assembled at the foot of the path leading to the shrine to remove any hope of escape. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Wandering Rogue, 07 March 2014 - 04:15 AM.