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 Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:27 am
Fidessa had distanced herself from the cave of fiends and was now carrying a sheathed longsword. The sword sheath itself looked a bit complex with strange lock on the hilt, which kept the blade sealed inside. I suppose I should meet back up with my group. It would be best to get this over with and meet back up with her... I'm sure Fyura is looking going to get my sword soon so I should see if I can figure out its location.
"Now, how should I go about finding my group?" Fidessa asked herself as she touched her pointer finger to her lips.
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Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2014 11:19 pm
The air was filled with the smell of smoke and bloody steel. Grim bodies ran left and right, carrying what seemed to be medical kits and delivering them to small crowds of figures who huddled low to the ground. The earth was stained red in scattered locations, dark mounds of dampened dirt that showed evidence of a lethal confrontation. Torches had been knocked over, setting some of the houses ablaze. The houses that managed to avoid the flames were instead torn and ravaged with their insides and outsides twisted beyond recognition.
Blada was almost convinced that they had taken the wrong path and ended up in some other village. But no, this tattered wreckage was indeed Darkan, her home.
At that moment, Blada’s chest filled with a dread that she had never felt before in her life. Eyes widened in horror and eyebrows tensed in disbelief, she hurried from the entry gates into the village to investigate, leaving an equally shocked Lloyd standing still on his own.
She became a ghost wandering about a sea of hellfire and darkened mannequins, all of whom ignored her desperation to figure out what was going on. She kept her hand clutched over the hilt of the Whimzerst because she knew that she was unsafe, but her eyes stayed locked onto the empty gazes of her fellow villagers. They all seemed to be in some sort of hopeless trance.
Blada was finally able to recognize a familiar face: her father was lying down on his back near the council office, surrounded by several medics. No one stood in Blada’s way as she aggressively shoved and pushed to kneel beside her father, who looked a bit too comfortable resting in a pool of his own blood.
“Ha…dear…I was worried about you,” Igor spoke, fighting with all his strength to force these words from his hoarse throat. Blada could tell he had been shouting loudly not too long ago. She said nothing to him, and slowly surveyed the cuts and slashes all over his body. Her expression did not change from a face of anger and extreme concentration. She had finally taken her hand from the hilt of the Whimzerst; it now rested underneath her father’s sunken jaw.
“Miss, you must move aside so we can mend your father’s wounds,” one of the medics spoke, gently tapping Blada’s shoulder with what appeared to be some sort of medical wand with a glowing green stone embedded at its tip. “A good piece of regeneration ore should fix him right up.”
To Blada’s surprise, her father pushed away the medic’s approach, shoving him back with a frail arm.
“I…I think I’m done…leave me be…”
The medics all exchanged confused glances with one another.
“Blada, your mother…escaped from the village…with the rest of the council…I need you to find her, and--”
“Was it the fiends?” Blada finally spoke, ignoring her father’s formulating request.
Igor was quiet for a long while, seemingly expending lots of strength just to stare into his daughter’s eyes. Then with his voice suddenly more resolute, he said, “Blada, listen to me…you need to fight alongside the Hunter Guardian Corps….Not the village, but you.”
Blada’s face did not change, even at hearing this sudden plea. She kept staring down at her father with intense focus.
“…we can’t…fight this battle alone. Not right now, at…least,” Igor added.
Still silence.
“…Blada, my last order to you…as your father,” Igor breathed, his life becoming drained.
“Was it the fiends?” Blada repeated, her voice more stern than before.
Before Igor could speak another word, his body suddenly began to shake uncontrollably, as streams of blood burst from his mouth. Even as the medics rushed to apply whatever treatment they could, Blada remained still, kneeling beside her dying father. She became a ghost again, and before long her father’s lifeless body was briskly taken from her grasp. Although his soul was no longer alive, there was no spirit as cold and empty as Blada’s at that moment.
The question still rang loudly and violently inside of Blada’s head, although it was starting to become more of an indignant outcry.
Was it the fiends?
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 6:10 pm
Edlyre listened with curiosity at the their conversation and occasionally asked various questions on similar fiends they had encountered in the past as well as how they were dealt with. This was the first time he had heard of a group of fiends that acted as animals do. Although it didn't surprise him in regards to one being the leader, it was unclear to him on how intelligent this leader was. The ones he had encountered himself were none other than simple beasts that wished to devour their prey. Often attacking without regard to the others around it. However these packs were unusual and mad him wonder on the extent of this intelligence. Was it possible for these fiends to have behaviors to act as one? What of individual thought? It did bring up the question in the back of his mind.
He had been pondering the question when they began to approach a farm nearby. He check to see his scepter was reacting to any of the energy signatures of nearby fiends, the strength of its glow depending on how strong the energy was or how close.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 6:44 pm
Edlyre's scepter would glow faintly, growing steadily brighter as they approached the farm. Moving through the trees the clearing could be seen ahead, but the brush and the trees obscured much. Silence reigned aside from the sound of rustling leaves and the party themselves. Raegar grew tense and his hand slipped inside his bear skin cloak as if waiting for something to happen. “Quiet...” The word was hushed and fierce as Kolo's pace slowed. Growling and the tearing of flesh could be heard as they neared the edge of the trees and once they did Kolo stopped. Raegar could see a few wolves tearing at the body of a dead cow by the small barn set between them and the cottage. Two more sat there outside the door with another just outside the door who seemed to be standing over a man. Focusing he couldn't see any movement from either, but it looked like the wolf had its jaws locked around the man's throat. No others could be seen.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2015 2:38 am
Roger and Dimitri both stood completely still holding their breath while they listened. Both recognised the growl of a wolf all too well. They glanced at each other, to confirm that the other had heard what they had, and nodded.
Dimitri began thinking about what would be the most efficient way to engage, charge in on foot, charge in on horseback, attempt to sneak up on them, draw their attention and let them come to him, and others. Meanwhile Roger was similarly preparing. First and foremost he checked the direction of the wind to try to predict if it was possible at all to maintain an element of surprise.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2015 4:27 pm
Edlyre noticed the glow of the stone embedded on the scepter and informed the others of the presence of fiends nearby. Peering through the stone he noticed the faint glow of energy produced by the enemy. As they drew nearer, he continued to scan, but stopped when Raegar word. As the group grew quiet and still, he could also hear the sounds as well. He looked at the wolves as they came into view and drew in a sharp breath at the sight. This was not something he had seen before. Yes he had seen wolves take down their prey, but the way they looked, their eyes, and seeing the man in one's jaws made him shudder.
He glanced around him as he noticed the others readying themselves for a fight. He gripped the scepter tightly in his hands. He knew that this would be a fight of a different sort. In addition he had to prepare himself to cast his runes to seal them. How things would unfold was still unknown.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 3:08 pm
Jeeves too mental notes furiously as she watched the fiends at the cottage. Her real notepads were tucked away to keep her hands free in case the fiends discovered them before they could mount an attack. Yes...Raegar had been correct that they were similar in appearance to actual wolves, but their behavior... Jeeves couldn't keep an excited grin from her lips. These fiends weren't exhibiting a normal pack mentality. They were acting more like trained soldiers during a raid. Beyond the growls of the one rending it's victim, the others were quiet and watchful for outside aggression, almost like sentries. Fascinating! Simply fascinating! How she hoped to study one of the carcasses intact. A live specimen would be even more ideal, but the looks of this group made that possibility quite remote. She sighed and removed a few items from her pockets in readiness for the predictable battle to come. She'd just have to pay special attention to how the creatures reacted and moved while in battle for her scientific reports for later.
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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:08 pm
The wind blew across the clearing from their left and Raegar focused on the fiends ahead, “Roger, Dimitri. Strike at the three feasting. You should easily take them by suprise if your fast enough. He turned to Jeeves and Edlyre unsure of any orders he should give them. They did not look the fighting type. “You two are with me we go for the ones by the house.” Kolo nudged the big man with her snout, “What?”
There was a howl to their right in the woods and the ones in the clearing answered in kind. The fiends changed.
The three by the dead cow who had been feeding looked in their dirrections the bloodied fur on their faces pulling back toward their neck to reveal their skulls multiple rows of razor sharp teeth filled their jowls and tufts of fur along their back and flanks peeled back as slimy black tentacles flared out from the animals. A sharp spine protruding from each of the three tentacles on the beasts and they suddenly fired out in the groups direction. It was a blind volley and many were wide of the group, one struck the bear skull on Raegar's head with a resounding thud. Sickly green fluid dripped off of it.
Raegar roared out his reply and Kolo charged forward into the clearing to draw their fire as another barrage shot towards them.
The ones near the house formed ranks as a bone like spike protruding like a horn from the back of their skull and their jowls opened the bottom splitting into a maw of spike like teeth meant for grabbing hold of its prey and not letting go. They sprinted forward, the fur of their neck splitting as razor sharp blades made of bone curved out to the tip of their muzzles.
Edlyre's scepter began to grow brighter still as fiends approached.
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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:48 pm
Dimitri and Roger heard Raegar's order and complied immediately, this was his hunt and they would follow orders. They had both done their best to dismount quietly, which was definitely more difficult for Dimitri in his plate than it was for Roger in his cloth and leather, though they seemed to have succeeded. The two had their feet on the ground and Dimitri was strapping on his shield as Roger crept over to him when they heard the howl. Both Hunters froze and crouched down, trying to conceal themselves. And they watched. They gazed upon the fiends as they... peeled. They saw as their skin and flesh pulled back and revealed the slick muscle and bone underneath, which twisted and warped also growing spines and spikes and tentacles.
"Oh, s**t..." Dimitri whispered.
And then the fiends launched the spikes from their tentacles. Dimitri and Roger had worked together for a long time and their instincts were well ingrained. Dimitri's shield came up almost without conscious thought. Roger stepped behind his heavily armored companion. The spikes struck deflected off of steel or thudding into wood. None struck either of the two Hunters directly.
As soon as the volley was finished the two leapt into a charge, Raegar right beside them roaring. Dimitri led and Roger stayed behind using his friend for cover.
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:25 pm
Jeeves heard the howl and noted it did not sound like the normal baying of wolves. The lilting patterns in the notes sounded different. She was just starting to make comparisons with other wild life calls when the first volley of bone darts shot past. She blinked as one whistled past her face close enough to stir her hair. She smiled as she watched how the creatures changed. More than fascinating. This was completely amazing!
Her hand darted into her coat and came back with a small tubular object. Her other hand withdrew a glass tube stoppered tightly with a strange yellow liquid inside. She wouldn't be able to use either just yet with Raegar charging straight into the fray, but if the situation turned dire, her items would prove invaluable. For now she waited for an opening and eagerly watched the creatures tenaciously. She certainly planned to study one of these creatures, alive or dead.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 2:15 pm
No one dared to stand in Blada’s way as she made her trek back into the woods, the dying moans of her father still fresh on her mind.
She understood why her father wanted her to join the Hunter Guardian Corps. It was a sort of compromise to preserve the safety of the village as well as its dignity. In his mind, if Blada joined the corps and defended Darkan as an enlisted warrior, she would be regarded as a traitor by Darkan because she sided with the Corps. But at the same time, Darkan would be protected while still having their independence intact because it was a traitor who brought the Corps to their aid, not the village itself asking for help.
The plan certainly made sense if Blada viewed things from her father’s perspective, but it did not change the fact that Darkan would still be at the mercy of another authority. Not to mention another important detail: Blada’s father was essentially sacrificing her reputation to protect the village.
So would she comply with this plan, to honor the wishes of her now dead father? Blada could not come to a decision, for she was still distraught at what had just happened. Her village was in shambles, her mother was nowhere to be found, and her father died in her arms. She didn’t even have much of her own plan in mind as she wandered alone back into the forest. A cold, desperate, and indignant part of her wanted to seek out the fiends who had attacked and act out vengeance. Or maybe she could try to find where her mother and the rest of the council had fled to.
However, another potential course of action presented itself to Blada as she once again stumbled across a band of soldiers in the woods. And sure enough, it was once again the Hunter Guardians. She held her breath, setting aside her internal struggles for the time being to observe the soldiers, who seemed to be poising themselves for battle.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 3:49 pm
Edlyre remained quiet as Raegar gave instructions of how to deal with the strange creatures. His eyes were fixated at the sight of the change. Never in his life had he seen such a disgusting display. It was one of the most disturbing things he had ever seen aside from the murder of his parents at the hands of the unknown fiend. He gripped his scepter tightly and swallowed hard, but could not as if something were caught in his throat. He could hear his heartbeat grow steadily in his head while trying to control his breathing.
Suddenly the creatures attacked with their volley. Ducking behind a tree, he could hear the barbs hit with a dull thud. One buried itself deep in the ground as he watched a strange liquid drip from the end. he looked wide eyed as the green grass slowly changed to black after touching the liquid. What in the world was it?
Peeking behind the tree, he followed after Raegar who drew the attention of the fiends. He knew what he was capable of, but needed the fiends to be weakened before he could seal them. For that he needed his new companions' aid. He would also watch how they dealt with this threat and hopefully learn for future battles. He pulled out a few vials from his pouch and placed them on his belt ready to dispense them at the right moment.
The scepter stone continued to steadily grow brighter despite the number of fiends they saw. Were there more? Was it a sign that there was something stronger?
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Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 2:08 pm
(( Fidessa is nearing their location, I'm still around ))
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Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 9:38 pm
Raegar grabbed his axe, swinging it above his head as he and Kolo charged past the wolves firing the spines. He brought the axe down at the closest of the beasts. It ducked under the blow trying to pull the testicles close to its body, but Raegar's axe cleaved two of the tentacles from its back. The wolf moved quickly away black blood spewing out of the ruined flesh. Several spines had sunk into the thick hide Raegar cloaked himself with. And as he passed the three wolves focused their attention on the approaching Dimitri. They fired spines trying to find an opening, spreading out and backing away firing all the while, trying to hit Roger as well.
Raegar looked ahead at the wolves charge, he caught a glimmer of something out of the corner of his eyes and quickly twisted his body as a spear attempted to impale him. The maneuver cost him his seat on the Kolo's back as it went through where the center of his chest had been. His hit the earth hard, Kolo charging head lowered to meet the wolves, and Raegar rolled and his ax tumbled free.
The man that had been on the ground got up as the fiends charged the hunters and without bothering to look scrambled into his home.
Kolo met the charge of the fiends getting her horns under their heads, catching all three. The tips dug into the flanks of the wolves crimson blood splattering the ground as they tumbled forward, the one in the middle catching the worst of it, its horn digging into the flesh of Kolo's neck before being flipped backwards and falling under Kolo's charge with a yelp of pain before it was crushed. The big auroch slowing so she could turn for a second pass.
Raegar pushed himself up from the ground his hulking form looking more bear than man as he pushed himself up on all fours. A black wolf padded out of the woods to their right, its limbs more like a man's and easily stood as tall as the big man with fur rippling as its muscles shifted. It let out a growl in challenge, bringing to bear another spear, as Raegar pushed himself to his feet and charged.
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Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 2:26 pm
As he came upon the first of the monsters Dimitri stepped into his swing, leading with his shield and smacked the beast with the flat of it. His mace came in next as he let his momentum pull his shield up and out of line as the fiend reeled back from the impact. The heavy flanged mace came around and cracked into the fiend with all of Dimitri's weight and momentum behind it, catching the wolf creature under the jaw and shattering the bone and splitting flesh. Black ichor and broken teeth spilled from the monster's face as it was hurled back by the impact.
As Dimitri stepped left as he laid into his first target Roger went right, appearing from behind the armored warrior as if he were a shadow that had suddenly turned to flesh and steel. The more nimble warrior stepped in with his sabers in hand and ready to slash away. His right hand blade swung horizontally just barely above the body of the beast and severed its tentacles near their base. He quickly reversed his momentum and brought one foot up to kick the fiend in the face snapping its head back. He had brought his left hand blade in close to the right side of his bode as he did this and brought it slashing back out to the left as his weight came down. The blade passed cleanly through the throat of the wolf monster he faced and the beast's tainted lifeblood spurted out through the slit it left behind.
Both Roger and Dimitri spun after their initial attacks, placing their backs to each other and pivoted so that they were each facing in the direction that the other had been before. Seeing no other fiends within immediate reach of their weapons Roger reached into his jacket and pulled out a leather tube. While Dimitri watched their surroundings to ensure that the Guardian was uninterrupted the taciturn warrior uncapped the case and pulled out a sheet of parchment. He quickly used a brush and paint that he also produced form the case to draw two small runes on the parchment. His sealing equipment was stowed in only a moment and he expertly separated the sheet into two halves with a seal on each half and used them to bind the spirits of the fiends that they had just slain which were already struggling to free themselves of the shells of their previous lives.
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