The one that Skorga nudged at turned for a moment to give her a glance, lifting one eyebrow at her, wondering for a moment what a little Khehora was doing here, before turning his attention back to the battle that their unit was preparing for, "This happened because a coward of a woman decided instead of fighting her own battles she'd make toy soldiers to do it for her. It seems that they weren't interested in following her lead." It made her extra weak according to the Sergeant, the fact that she couldn't keep her own handmade troops in line, something that they all seemed to agree with, "We will deal with them." Merikh had given solid orders, ones that had worked well in the past and would work well again now he thought to himself.
Not far in front of where they were their unit leader Igone gave the call to first halt progress, then to take aim, something he did as he lifted his bow up, "Feel free to join in if you like, they aren't going to take it any easier on you just because you are Khehora." The archer said before loosing his arrow when the order to do so was given. All around him various archers and mages did the same thing, allowing their attacks to rain down upon the Mara, weakening them to a degree. Given the set up of the battle, and the need to shoot deeper into the Mara ranks then they had done earlier. There were more warriors to worry about this time then just those in their unit, in fact there were many units, and it was up to them to make sure that they hit only the right targets. No, it was up to them to keep their own safe, choosing to shot the more distant Mara allowed them to do that by not shooting into hand to hand. This also allowed them to fire off more then one shot as well, allowing Igone's men to feel as though they were able to do that much more for their allies.
"Do be careful, little Khehora pup, we would hate to see you get caught up in all of that." Another of the men, another archer, said to Skorga before everyone was readying for another round of attacking at Igone's behest. A second rain of arrows and magic fell upon the Mara, hitting some of the same ones as the first time, but also hitting those behind them as their first targets were already racing forward not melee combat with Merikh and the other melee fighters in their groups.
Upon ahead the twins were the next to make their moves, doing as Merikh had bade them to do, their heavy hammers crashing into Mara after Mara, never slowing down or stopping to try to finish them off. They had no real interest in racking up a kill count, what mattered to them more was being able to weaken what Mara they had in front of them. They took their hammers to the various Mara, hitting them, cracking them, knocking them over, stunning them, denting them, and so on. The effects they were having on each Mara varied from type to type, but one thing was clear, they were left in a state that allowed those like Merikh to come in and take off heads of the various Mara that were on the battlefield. There was a part of Merikh that itched to collect the heads that were dropping one by one in front of him but he knew he couldn't do that, not at the moment at least. There were far too many Mara around them, it would be foolish to give them an opening. No, he'd get his heads later after the Oblivionite army was able to smash the army of Mara into pieces.
Merikh slid to a halt when a Mara unlike any other he'd seen to this point came to stand before him, the two of them met gazes for a moment before there was a sudden explosion of power around them, earthen spike launching themselves from the ground. Merikh lunged to the side, shoving Lory out of the way, barely able to keep from getting impaled by those spikes. He shoved himself back to his feet, shook himself off then turned to look at the magic wielding Mara. Now that he looked at it he realized that it did remind him a bit of the Mage Mara only it was made of a much darker stone. Giving a hissing sound between his teeth he called out, "Lory! Valio! Concentrate on that one!" He said, pointing his sword at the creature.
Instantly the twins were lunging forward, attacking in unison, one of their hammers hitting it in the front at the same time that the other hit it in the back, drawing quite a sound from the creature as it set to crackling all over. With it now near shattered Merikh lunged forward, using his massive sword to finish the thing off before it was able to cast anymore of its deadly spells. He gave the area around them a glance, making sure those around him were alright, before he saw one of his men laying injured having been hit by one of the spells, though at least not killed. He turned to call out to one of the nearby soldiers, "Get him back to the healers! We will cover you!" He called, readying himself to defend the swordsman that came to help the injured man up, taking him away from the fighting and back to where he would be able to be healed.
Malta Ysaki Orakovan, Feral Alchemist Soldul Forests Adept-Rank Civilian
Current Loot: Moonstone x 30 Shattered Granite x 15 Pending Loot: +11 Kills +90 Shattered Granite
59, 31, 46, 10, 2, 68, 22, 50, 89, 51
(Rolling for 10 rock mara 51-100, 5 wins 5 losses. 100 words per mara in effect, Lot roll after castor's roll)
rerelight
Lets get those titles!
We've gotten... how many so far? We can have the npc army clean up the remainder and help, too.
Malta did not want to think about dealing with huge groups of mara. Running, maybe. Running was sensible. But fighting them, like they'd been doing? No. Definitely not.
She was also not happy about making noise, but it was Castor's plan, and she had decided to trust him.
She let out an unconvincingly mild squeak of a growl, looking at Castor with some embarrassment. She swallowed, taking in a deep breath of air, flinching at the sheer amount of noise that his shout made. That would get them noticed, that would get them noticed so badly.
But that was the point.
Malta closed her eyes and tried to pretend none of this was happening, that this was a game, and that she was supposed to roar louder than her friend. She did not manage to convince herself, but - as the sound left her resonant throat, it wasn't too bad. More like 'Rar!' than 'Hrrrooooar!', but it echoed through the chapeled canopies of the fungal trees and did its job.
She opened her eyes, her earfins quivering and open, hoping that this plan would work. It had better... She could hear...
"C-castor?" she said, turning to him, "Do you hear crashing? And shouting?" She coudld not pinpoint it - the multi-layered sound of it seemed to come from everywhere - from the way they had come, from the way they were going, from all around them. She heard wood crack, too close by for comfort.
"Ah!" she said, as a rock shape approached them through the bushes, "There's one!" she began to back away, as more of them appeared, their haunting, magic-tinged shapes austere and cold. "Thats... thats a lot of them..." About seven from her count, but she bet there were more in the thick shadows of the trees.
There were always more things lurking in the shadows of the trees.
"C-come on," she managed, backing away so that the bomb was between her and the mara. That was the plan, wasn't it - lure them into the explosion.
I hope this works... she thought, trembling against the urge to run away as they raised their weapons to attack. She saw, in the dim glow of the mosses, that some of those mara hammers looked used. Well used. Malta did not want to think about it. I really really do...
Success Rate: 71-100 Rolled: 74, 87, 50, 61, 53, 8, 33, 46, 13, 70 Battle Outcome: 2 Win rolls from Castor, 5 Win rolls from Malta, 3 Losses Half Exp from 3 Enemies, Full Exp from 7: 85 Exp
Left over Exp bin: 2/17 -> 13/21, Now Level 21 No LUK change No LUK Exp change
DraconicFeline
My thoughts exactly, we were sitting at 9 each, and with your five we'll be up to 14 so we will each have at least the one little title. Which is great. And because Castor got 2 more we're up to 16.
As she let out the first little growl Castor felt anxious, maybe this wouldn't work with all of the commotion in the woods around them, but he saw the first few shapes coming through the trees in the distance. With any luck a few of them would walk over where the bomb was sitting, its tiny plume of smoke just barely visible behind the rocks it was sitting in the center of.
When Malta let out her next roar though the Mara in the distance seemed slightly more agitated. Castor pat her shoulder gently, "Good, that seems to have done it." It was low but it carried and it seemed to attract at least a few of the creatures attention in this direction, though four of them seemed more distracted by the sounds coming from all around than their shouts.
"Yeah... I do hear that. I wonder where all of the commotion is coming from. When we run we need to go in the direction of the city as much as possible, alright?" He said slowly as he backed up over the bomb.
Three of the Mara were converging on them quickly, and with a look down at the bomb the root had just burned through, the wick now all that was standing between the three Mara and an explosion. "Alright..." Castor said just barely audible over all of the sounds as he dug his left heel into the ground a bit and started to turn, "Run!" With a little pat on her shoulder just to make sure she knew he turned tail and ran, trying to put as much distance between them and the bomb as possible.
After thirty seconds or so the bomb blew, shattering the three that moved over it, but leaving the four that didn't seem all that interested in the pair with all of the other sounds they were hearing. With his vision he could see through the darkness of the trees to what seemed to be a clearing, "Alright! Let's head for that!" He said between pants as he neared the end of the tree line. And as they broke through the line of trees, there it was, they were standing on the sidelines of the middle of two large armies clashing together, with a large force of Oblivionites and Mara coming to a head. They had ran from a dangerous situation to one that couldn't even be measured on Castor's scale. It would probably be safer with so many Oblivionite army members around, but there was also what looked to be a raging sea of Mara opposite them.
Malta Ysaki Orakovan, Feral Alchemist Soldul Forests Adept-Rank Civilian
Current Loot: Moonstone x 30 Shattered Granite x 15 Pending Loot: +12 Kills +180 Shattered Granite +15 Moonstone
(Rolling for loot)
rerelight
Ugh my post... its so s**t...
"Right." she said. Yes. The city: Safety, despite the people. That was where she wanted to go. It had walls, and those walls had looked very very secure when she had seen them from the air. She backed up with him, knowing that the city was at her back.
Malta had, oddly enough, forgotten about the burning root and the wick of the bomb - there was only so much fear that she could hold in her terrified frame at any one time, and fear of fire and explosions and burning were shoved away in place of fear of the grim figures that approached, deadly and finalistic, in the eternal twilit gloom of the forest.
But when Castor said run, she did notice it and, fueled by the same sort terror a prey feels when a predator's cruel eyes are staring at it, she bolted as if she was born to so it. Her pudgy legs, for the third time that day, found themselves going far faster than they had ever wanted to do over the uneven ground of the dark woods. Her pulse pounded in her throat, her earfins pressed against her head as she ran, desperately gasping, towards where she was sure the city was.
She stumbled, scrabbling for balance, as the bomb exploded. She prayed to whoever would listen to the prayers of a weak little Ysali that it had worked - she dared not look back herself. She regained her balance and bounded away, her tongue lolling frantically as she ran, and ran, and ran, for what seemed like a sluggish eternity. She kept Castor in her field of view, or at least her awareness, whenever she could - she was, after all, trying to follow him - that was what was keeping her from falling into a bush and praying, again (she was not usually very religious), that it would hide her.
Suddenly, with an almost physical shock, she broke through the treeline into the hazy daylight. Malta hadn't been so completely out of the forest since she was an orakoir, and - for a moment - she felt as though she was in a wholly different world, alien from the dark forests she had been living in for so long. She slowed, blinking at the comparatively bright light of the dulled sun.
Slowing was a mistake - her muscles, not used to activity, ambushed her with their exhaustion. She gasped, trying to catch her breath as her body burned. She was just not built to run.
They could not really stop though. She swallowed her leaking magic venom as she beheld the fight. No... not a fight. A fight was of such a lesser scale that it didn't even compare. Malta cringed back towards the shelter of her forested home, but there was no safety there - she knew that.
"Th-thats a lot..." she managed," Of mara." And oblivionites. And weapons. And blood. And screaming oh scales..." she whimpered, looking back longingly at the forest. She could see shapes emerging from it, though, the same dark, stoic shapes as before. Her home was not safe.
Well... The city was Castor's home, right? He was an Oblivionite? Maybe from there? "Lets go..." she said, nudging him shakily, "We should go... quickly..." She was on the verge of freaking out - there was too much fighting, too much noise, too much of... everything. She just wanted to be inside those walls - which were looking safer and less imposing with every passing moment.
Character: Merikh Stage: Adept Luck: 35 + 0 Luk exp Opponent: Mara Mix x 20
Rock Mara Loss: 10 EXP x 2 = 20 Rock Mara: 31-100, 20 EXP x 3 = 60 Metal Mara: 41-100, 25 EXP x 2 = 50 Mage Mara: 51-100, 30 EXP x 3 = 90 Crafter Mara: 71-100, 30 EXP x 10 = 300
Exp gained:
520 + 54 (left over from last time) = Boosted to 65 with 34 left over
~ +9 Levels
Word Count: 2000 (( 100 words per Mara rule in effect ))
Rock Mara 1: 22 Rock Mara 2: 61 Rock Mara 3: 38 Metal Mara 2: 27 Metal Mara 3: 16 Mage Mara 2-4 N/A Crafter Mara 5-15: N/A
Total:
Shattered Granite x 95 Copper Bars x 30 Iron Bars x 45 Plain Cloth x 6 Moonstones x 50 Small Hammer x 10
The battle against the Mara was one that was so much different then the ones that he'd had against the Mara prior to this. Even fighting with his unit against the Mara felt strangely easier even after a painfully difficult battle that they had all had against the Mara prior to the messenger finding them. Now that he was fighting against them on this grand a scale he felt... small. It was a sensation that he really, really didn't like, and just thinking about it, about how small he felt had his tail lashing behind him like an angry fekarat. Working in conjunction with one of the twins, Lory this time, he was moving slowly forward alongside Yoyo who was working with Valio. The two of pairs of them were quite efficient with dealing with Mara, with the twins hitting first to cover the Mara in a spider web of cracks before either Merikh or Yolana came in next to finish them off. There were a few times where he found himself glancing toward the fallen Mara heads, feeling a moment of longing toward them. He wanted those heads, wanted the tribute that he could offer up to Lord Draco and the Dark Lady Soudana but at the same time he knew that there was absolutely no way that he could even consider slowing down. He couldn't risk his men for something so petty as glory. No, that would come when he finally got to battle against the Orderites properly.
"Don't slow down, we have to keep pushing forward." He called out to his men after his sword removed the head of yet another Mara. He could feel the sweat that was beading on his skin already, feeling the burning in his arms caused by wielding the heavy weapon he carried. It didn't seem to matter how much one trained he really felt as though there was no way that he could have been ready for what war really was. He could only hope that these Mara bastards were causing this same amount of trouble over on Serenia. The mere idea that these monsters could be killing Orderites was one that caused him a great amount of delight. The idea of them getting cut down by their own pets something he'd love to see in person, but he supposed he was a bit too busy here to get to see that dream come true. He would be able to do fight with them himself soon enough so he would just have to wait until then was all.
Their weapons continued to clash against those carried by the various Mara that they were standing against, locked in battle with their melee fighters. It was an almost deafening sound when combined with the various other sounds going on around them, that of the other units of Oblivionites battling it out with the Mara as well. It was then that he heard a call from behind him, a voice that he just barely caught over the din. It was Igone's voice he realized, calling out to him, telling him that they more of the Mara were incoming. Not just any Mara either, it would seem that there was a huge unit of the Crafter Mara coming out toward them. The word 'huge' in conjunction with the healers amongst the Mara army was something that caused a slight shiver to go through him. No matter how hard they fought with the other members of the Mara army if there was a 'huge' group of healers healing them up it may be for naught. They needed to deal with them and quickly, to do so though they would need to get passed those who were currently standing in the way.
Motioning to the nearest swordsman to him Merikh gave his orders, "Bring word to Igone, have him and his unit keep the Crafter Mara busy while we cut a swath through those that are standing between us and them." He said to one of his man, allowing the swordsman to fall back, bringing his orders to Igone who was quick to put them into play. It was uncertain if they would be able to kill any of the Crafter Mara, their weapons not quite made for lethal damage against the Mara's healing forces, not to mention that they had resistance to dark magic, but they could at least distract them for a time. There was only so much that they could do, sure, but he meant to see it that his men did their best to cut keep the attention of the Mara on them and off of Merikh's unit which was slowly smashing and slashing their way forward across the battlefield.
"Prepare yourselves, men! We are going after their healers!" He called out, pointing at the group of Mara that they were going to be turning their full attention to. This move meant that the other sorts of Mara that stood between the melee fighters and the healers wouldn't be pinged first with arrows or magic. A problem, sure but at least they had the hammer wielding brothers on their side. Igone knew the twins well, knew that they could help to tenderize the various Mara that the melee unit was going to have to go through. Igone gave the Sergeant a glance, praying to the Dark Lady Soudana to bless Merikh and the rest of the army, asking her to bring them victory. With that done he set to work, "Everyone! Ready! Aim! And fire!" He called out and a moment later arrows and magic set to raining down upon the Crafters, dragging their attention away from their healing work, forcing them to instead have to set to work healing one another.
Merikh noticed straight away, the fact that the Crafter Mara were no longer healing the Mara that he and his men were fighting again. The cracks that the twins were causing were no longer being repaired, leaving the vulnerable. A grin spread across his lips as he called out, "Smash them to pieces! We are going to get through these bastards and kill off those healers!" The healers would not only impede his own troops but all of those who were fighting around them. His Captain wanted him to fight and he would fight, he would prove the power of his men, and show the Mara what they could do he thought to himself. Each blow of his sword against the Mara, each head he removed from the toy soldiers, pleased Merikh greatly. The more dead Mara the better, even if he didn't get to collect their heads to bring home. He was just happy getting to see them fall, finding a bit of morbid delight in the way that their souls fled in a rather cowardly manner the moment that their bodies were defeated. Go figure that Aevah would create them in such a manner, it made him wonder if her little birds would flee just as quickly when the Oblivionite army set upon them. He'd see soon enough.
"Keep pushing forward! We are getting closer!" He urged his men on, able to see the Crafter Mara a lot easier now, finding fewer and fewer of the melee Mara between his group and the unit of healers, "We just need one final push!" The encouragement on the part of Merikh seemed to get them to swing faster, swing harder, cut into the Mara with that much more enthusiasm, and suddenly the last line of Mara fell and he found them starring right at the Crafters that were being pelted by Igone and his unit. Lifting a hand he drew his men to a halt, waiting for the last of the arrows to fall, before he began the charge anew.
Calling out he said, "Lory, Valio! Take point!" He called out to the twins, watching as they charged forward, their heavy hammers swinging with brutal force, leaving the Crafter Mara either covered in vicious cracks or just shattered completely. Merikh gave a bit of a smirk before he charged forward, the rest of his unit following along after him, setting to work with the task that was wiping out the unit of healing based Mara. He hated it when there were healers on the side of the opponent, they stretched things out and made them more difficult, as such they were what he felt needed to be dealt with first. Now those on his side, they were to be protected, not that he would tell his mages that though, not wanting to insult any of them.
Each Crafter that they were able to take down excited Merikh, it meant that they were not only taking away a major advantage from the side of the Mara but they were also making things easier on the other Oblivionites that they were fighting alongside of. His sword slashed forward in wide arcs, removing limbs and heads, making sure that if he couldn't kill something that he would at least maim it. He didn't allow even a single of his attacks to go to waste, knowing full well that he couldn't. There were too many Mara surrounding them now, too many enemies, and as such each move he made had to be precise.
When his sword cleaved the head off of the last of the Crafter Mara he lifted up a hand, dragging his sleeve against his forehead, wiping sweat away, before he gave the area around them a quick once over. Giving a slight smile and a not he called out, "That is the last of the Crafter Mara, we will focus on taking out the magic users now. I don't think we can leave anything able to attack from a distance on their feet!" He pointed to a trio of very unfortunate Mage Mara who were nearby to the group he was leading, going after them. It didn't take all that much to take the trio down, not when the twins were leading the charge, and once they were down the unit was once more clashing with and taking down more of the melee based Mara.
Behind them, watching closely, was Igone. The moment the Crafter and Mage Mara had been dealt with, and they found themselves free of the danger that they represented he gave a sighing sound of relief, "Thank you, Dark Lady, truly you have blessed us this day." He murmured before he lifted a hand, "Alright, time to go back on the offensive. We are returning to firing into the more distant ranks! We are going to see about softening up more them so that Sargeant Merikh and the others will be able to take them down that much more quickly!" The more damage that they were able to do initially the better, especially damage that could no longer be healed now that the unit of healers had been dealt with.
Merikh took note that the rain of arrows and magic had begun again, something that caused him to give a pleased sort of nod. Igone really was doing his job of leading the ranged unit well, damn well in fact. Without him he knew that the battle would be a lot slower going, something he'd thank him for later, once they finished off... well, the entirety of the Mara army that was present here. Luckily they didn't have to fight this particular battle alone. He was sure that by now they would have been either over run or forced to retreat if just his unit was forced to face off against this many Mara. Having others around, many others in fact, put him at ease. This was what he'd always wanted, to fight alongside his fellow Oblivionites, to protect their people against the various dangerous beings of the world, and to be able to lead a unit of his own. He meant to do all he could to prove that this was where he was meant to be. To do that he merely had to continue to lead his men forward and continue to cut down all of the Mara that he came across.
"Keep going, men! Show them the might of the Oblivionite Army!" He'd see to it that they killed all of the Mara, hoping that somehow that wench Aevah was somehow able to catch word of how easily they had slaughtered her little toy soldiers.
Castor Oblivionite, Apprentice Swordsman The Outskirts of the Field of Battle
7 rolls under in the 1-90 range: 105 Shattered Granite
DraconicFeline
It's not bad o 3o~ Don't worry about it :3
Castor looked over the battlefield, there were so many different groups of Oblivionites clashing against Mara of all different shapes, sizes, and types. So this was war. It seemed... distasteful. Raw and dangerous in a way that hunting dragons or monsters was not. This was for all of the lives of the Oblivionites in the city and possibly the continent. This was a necessary fight, but imagining this scene of Oblivionites fighting against Orderites or Dovaa instead was... brutal. It was something he hoped never to take part in. Maybe it was just because he wasn't raised in the same way his father Julius was, he didn't know, but this fight he would do what he could on his way back to the city. There were many lives at stake in this fight and even destroying a few Mara if he came across them might make a difference.
"We'll head towards the city along the treeline. We should stay away from the main battle as much as possible... if I we come across any Mara I'm see what I can do, fighting off a few may save some people. But our number one goal is to get back to the city." He said looking back over his shoulder at Malta when she said they should go.
The four Mara from the forest emerged through the treeline looking on at the battle and at the pair. Oh no... this is not... and then it was no longer a problem anymore a small group of Oblivionites ran over on seeing the Mara coming from the trees and smashed them into the ground. They were much stronger than Castor could even hope to manage at this point. "Get the hell back to the city, this isn't a place for kids." One of them said looking down at Castor. With a quick nod Castor motioned for Malta to follow then started to move as quickly as his almost shot legs would let him, half jogging half walking along the treeline.
He tried to avert his gaze from the main battle as much as possible, not wanting to look on at the carnage more than he had to. From time to time he checked to make sure no Mara from the field were going after them, but no more. Then as they neared the bulk of the Oblivionite troops a squad of ten Mara came out of the treeline heading for the main Oblivionite force. "Dangit..." his hands were shaky as he reached for the sack of bombs, the war going on next to him making him nervous and the muscle pain from all that he had done was not helping. It took him four of five tries to get the lighter to produce a flame and light the wick. "Hopefully this works..." He said as he wound up his arm and chucked the bomb at the group of ten, hoping to take out as many as he could in one throw. If there were any left he was prepared to take out one or two in the confusion of the blast... hopefully some of the Oblivionite forces would destroy the ones he couldn't. After this it seemed like they would be home free.
3520/4000
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:47 pm
Malta Ysaki Orakovan, Feral Alchemist Soldul Forests Adept-Rank Civilian
Current Loot: Moonstone x 45 Shattered Granite x 195 + 12 kills Pending Loot:
rerelight
Malta's kin were warriors, creatures of tooth and claw and pain. The Diabi tribe she had lived with for so much of her later childhood and early adulthood spoke of war often. Not just of the Great Engagement, in which they sided with the Forces of Darkness and the Lady of Shadows, but of lesser wars and conflicts that bloodied the trees of Endeldarth and the Soldulan shores, and spilled into the dark depths of lake Korafiel. They talked of the worth (or lack thereof) of the other tribes in the area, of the dragons, and of the Oblivionites that lurked in the city beyond the trees. They talked of glory and blood and death and triumph, boasting about their prowess in battles before, and making dire promises about the future battles that they would lend their strength to.
Back home, for she still thought of it as home, in the Terra Expanse, there had been warriors too. They had no wars, nor any wish to, but they still told tales of prowess and bravery, and their duty to protect.
Malta had listened to their stories with a sort of miserable fascination, knowing that she would never be capable of anything of the sort. Maike had told her there was nothing wrong with that - she was a crafter at heart, and she could do whatever she wished and be amazing and story - worthy in her own right. Still, like any Orakoi, she had wished she could be like those brave warriors, and even after, she had wished, at least, for the body of a warrior, not the pudgy soft thing she was burdened with.
Malta followed Castor as quickly as she could, instinctively lowering herself into a timid slink, her belly and tail and wings just off the ground, her earfins pressed against the back of her head as flat as they would go. Unlike her companion, she looked at the battle with wide, panicked eyes: she could not tear her gaze free from the carnage, could not ignore the stench of blood and burning and pain that suffused the air, or the cries and screams of the victors and the dying.
This was no story. There was no bravery or glory or fun in this boiling hell of people and weapons and stone figures and magic. This was brutality, worse than any bolarn or cah. This was death itself, painted a horrible red and feasting on the weak and unlucky like a gluttonous dragon. Malta was no stranger to dead things, and to seeing things torn apart and devoured - she did not often eat meat, but she knew how to feed from a kill.
But this was wholly different. These were Oblivinites, people - who, for all their mystical powers - both real and born of Malta's terrified imagination - still fell dead to the beaten and dampening ground. Some with cries. Some, with gasps. Others fell in silence, their sightless eyes turned up at the sky.
Mara also fell, lifeless, to the grund but they were not people: they were scary statues and animate piles of rubble: Malta did not feel for them as she did the dark-skinned demonic-winged people who fought for their lives, their homes, and for glory on the battlefield.
She could feel that battlefield, that death, hungrily reaching out towards her and Castor, those two morsels that skirted it as best they could. She cringed close to Castor, thankful for the people that helped to clear their path, and thankful for his warm smell - the reminder that, among all this death and chaos, her protector was alive.
She yelped, nearly running into him, as the mara sprang, or, rather, moved eerily fast and silently, from the darkness of the wood right in front of them, towards the battlefield. Malta looked away from the flash of the bomb burst, then back as it's acrid, fire and metal stink faded from her nostrils.
The mara had been hit by Castors bomb, fairly well. Some were rubble, the last of the glow that animated them peeling away to go to wherever they went when they 'died'. Others were merely cracked and battered by the blast, missing armor or chunks of limbs. A few were untouched, shining as if newly carved.
And they were all paying attention to the two morsels now.
She tried another weak, pathetic roar as they approached, and summoned roots to bind them back. The gnarled roots caught and battered most, but one approached, too quickly. It swung at her before she could react, and she felt the weight of its hammer come down on her side with a painful, whumph. She screamed and, instinctively slammed her body towards it, a pained, irrational flail.
She got lucky.
Her weight, what strength she, as a khehora alone, could put into the attack, and the weakened nature of the stone from the bomb blast conspired against the mara, and it shattered into glow-dust and rubble under her weight. She skidded to a halt, barely avoiding tumbling on the ground as she managed to keep to her feet. She stood, her wing held awkwardly askew from the pain in her shoulder. She would have to heal her battered shoulder, but now? Later? Malta preferred later, behind the solid walls of the city and it's safety.
"Do you have another bomb?" she asked Castor. "It's so close though..." she said, limping back to him, "Maybe we should just run, while they're all tangled..."
Castor Oblivionite, Apprentice Warrior The Outskirts of the Battlefield
DraconicFeline
Your post was awesome biggrin
Castor watched wide eyed as the bomb blew more than a handful of the Mara in the group off of the face of the world. Other than three that made it out of the blast unscathed and the four that fell to rubble, there were three battered Mara heading for them quickly.
He readied his pick when the first made it to them, but it was too fast, it had hit Malta. He looked on wide-eyed until by some stroke of luck or heavenly grace perhaps, Castor saw that she wasn't injured horribly. She even charged the Mara and destroyed under her weight and with the strength of her ramming it. "Good job!" He said extremely surprised, she did very well considering she just got hit by the creature's hammer.
She was limping, that wasn't a good sign, it looked like it might be her leg or her shoulder. "I have another bomb but at this range I don't think it would be smart... and you can't run in your condition." He said with a concerned look on his face. "I can't leave them to attack others if I can avoid it anyway... I'll destroy the weakened ones myself. Please just hang back, stay safe, and if you can heal whatever's wrong." He said nodding a bit throughout. "I'll be back, fix yourself up and then we'll make a break for the city." He smiled at her before turning and running towards the fray and the Mara mostly immobilized by roots.
Castor jumped at the first Mara tied up, and fighting its thrashing with his now extremely sore body and with the help of the roots he latched onto it. He did the now familiar motion of raising the pick above his head and bringing it down on the Mara, smashing its head in in one strike with the flat side. The weakened state of the rock making it crumble almost instantly. After dropping to the ground he climbed up the roots holding second Mara and did the same, the roots barely holding it back anymore.
As he dropped down to the ground the third Mara burst from the roots and made a move for him. In his tired state he was struck by the Mara's hand, the rock caught just right as it ripped through the front of his clothing and almost completey skinned a good portion of his chest. "Gods damn it!" He yelled as a few Oblivionite barbarians peeled away from the main group and smashed in the three in perfect condition. With a swing of Castor's pick he vanquished the last of the Rock Mara, the one that had hurt him. "Good job kid, but get back to the city! This is no place for a young one." One of the barbarian's grunted before heading back into the fray.
Putting the pick back into it's little leather holder on his hip, he got a bit faint, he was losing more than a little bit of blood. After gathering himself again he dashed over to Malta. "We... need to get back to the city. If I take any more of this I think I'm going to pass out." He said panting trying to fight off the fatigue as much as possible.
Character: Merikh Stage: Adept Luck: 35 + 0 Luk exp Opponent: Mara Mix x 10
Rock Mara Loss: 10 EXP x 1 = 10 Rock Mara: 31-100, 20 EXP x 1 = 20 Metal Mara: 41-100, 25 EXP x 1 = 25 Mage Mara: 51-100, 30 EXP x 2 = 60 Crafter Mara: 71-100, 30 EXP x 4 = 120 Dark Mage Mara: 100, 30 EXP x 1 = 30
Exp gained:
265 + 34 (left over from last time) = Boosted to 65/65 66/66 67/67 68/68 with 33 left over
~ +4 Levels
Word Count: 1000 (( 100 words per Mara rule in effect ))
Rock Mara 4: 1 Metal Mara 4: 86 Mage Mara 5-6: N/A Crafter Mara 16-19: N/A Dark Mage Mara 2: N/A
Total:
Shattered Granite x 35 Iron Bars x 45 Plain Cloth x 4 Moonstones x 20 Small Hammer x 4 Arcanite Stones x 4 Obsidian x 10 Copper Bars x 2
RP in my next post.
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 8:04 am
Orpheus Solon
Very sorry for the wait!
Skorga gave a small hiss at their explanation... sounded very bias to her, she'dhave to find someone not so... biased to get the real truth. But it was a type of truth, so it would work for now. This woman they mentioned sounded smart. Make stone and metal soldiers to do the dying for you? Brilliant! But these warrior types found it despicable... warriors! Her pa was like that... fight your own battles and all that.. what if fighting that battle meant you'd die or get maimed and be in pain for the rest of your life? Foolishness....
She kept close to the archers since now she was(for better or worse) stuck in battle. I suppose I should use this opportunity to do more than observe.. maybe practice my magic? She thought to herself as she looked at the team work of the Oblivionites. Teams were good, she thought, you do more than alone. I will need a team one day....
She couldn't summon much, not at her young age, but she was able to strengthen and lengthen the vines in the trees then drop them on the Mara to distract or slow for just a bit.
robot kitten
Tipsy Pirate
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Orpheus Solon
Stellar Dragon
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 5:47 pm
robot kitten
NP and no rush! <3
As the battle continued Merikh noticed something rather strange and out of the ordinary happening, that being some vines that had been on the trees nearby seemed to be dropping of their own accord to bother and distract the Mara. It was a rather weird sight, as if the trees themselves were against the Mara being in the area. It was an occurrence that was quite strange to him, unlike nothing he'd seen before, but it was also something that he meant to take full advantage of. Lunging forward toward one of the Mara that was struggling to get itself free of the vines that had fallen on it, using his sword to lop it's metal head off of its shoulders. It hit the ground, bounced a few times, and was soon out of sight. Another lost head he thought to himself, grumbling a bit, before he let his blade arc out, taking off the weapon arm of another Mara. The moment it was disarmed, in more ways then one, Valio came in swinging, knocking the Rock Mara's head off it's shoulders with his hammer, sending it flying through the air... and much to both of their amusement it bounced off the head of another distant Mara, knocking the thing senseless for a moment.
"Great work, Valio! Keep it up!" Merikh said, moving with him now, letting the guy smash his hammer into the Mara first so that he could come in after him to finish them off. It really was the best sort of strategy. Not only did the blows from the hammer leave the Mara vulnerable but it also slowed them down, as though being so cracked and broken made it harder for them to move. It made sense though, when he was hurt he didn't feel like moving either, so this was yet another thing that they had to take advantage of. Given that there were as many Mara as there were fighting against them one had to welcome any sort of advantage that popped up be it the ones that they knew, such as the twins, and those that were new like those falling vines. Either way he was all for any aid if it meant getting these accursed Mara out of Soudul! Let them go to Serenia where they belonged... though he didn't want them finishing off all the Orderites before he got his chance.
Merikh gave a glance from one side to the other, getting a good look at what his other troops were doing, taking in the battles that they were in, before he motioned to Valio, "Go left, help the swordsman soften up the Mara over there, I am going right." He ordered the man before he moved to the side, helping his overwhelmed men by chopping down a few of the Mara, that were locked up with them, helping to even out the numbers when the ground under his feet suddenly exploded. He was thrown backwards, landing hard on his back, and for a moment the world seemed to spin around him. He was laying there for a moment, stunned, when he felt the power of healing magic creeping through him... and then Lory was dragging him up to his feet.
"One of those Dark Mage bastards are here again." The hammer wielding Oblivionite told him, clapping him on the back, "You alright to keep going?" He asked, wanting to make sure that his Sergeant was alright before grinning, "Come on, I will go with you to get that one. We don't want him knocking anyone else out."
Merikh nodded his head, shaking the fog out of his head before looking toward where the Dark Mage Mara was located, seeing it standing there with a few of the Crafters. His eyeless sockets narrowed before he said, "I see them, come on then, let's see about smashing the lot of them." He said, finding himself more then frustrated with the fact that he hadn't see the Dark Mage Mara coming. Those were the most dangerous Mara that he'd run across to this point, something that actually put him a bit on edge just seeing it. The fact that it was aided by a group of four of the healers only added to his aggravation. They were dangerous, and he would need more then just Lory in this instance.
"Valio, Yoyo! To me!" He called out, drawing their attention, as well as that of his other men to him before he pointed at the group of five Mara that they were going to be going after. Once the group understood what it was that they were doing they started forward, the twins taking point, smashing their way through the lesser Mara toward the ones that proved for of a threat. All the while the Dark Mage Mara was sending spells their way, making things more difficult... until suddenly a shadowy shield of sorts seemed to wrap around them, making it harder for the Mara to see them. The mages Merikh realized, wishing that he could call out to them his thanks, but there was no time. They had to fight first, thanking his men for their hard work and impeccable timing could come later. More spells were exploding around them, as the Dark Mage Mara tried to find them by sheer chance. The fact that it was distracted with casting in random directions actually helped them out, and gave them an opening to attack.
Valio and Lory burst forth from the shadowy shield, hammers swinging at the Dark Mage Mara first. They hit it at the same time, one on the right side, one on the left side, and as it was left reeling and covered in on the verge of shattering, Merikh went at it. His sword took the Dark Mage Mara's head, then kicked it's body over, "After the Crafters next!" He called out, his men quick to attack the four Crafters in force, finishing them off with little effort. When the group was able to work in sync with one another they were able to take down that many more Mara, helping to slowly thin the numbers. He did notice that there did seem to be fewer of them now. The army, his unit included, was doing well in the battle, but they couldn't slow down now. They had to keep fighting if they were wanting to finish off the Mara, if they slowed down at all, showed any sort of weakness, it would give the Mara a chance at regrouping. It was something they couldn't allow, therefore they had to keep moving and keep attacking.
(( Word Count: 1100/1000 ))
(( Merikh's Kill Count: 35 ))
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:40 pm
Malta Ysaki Orakovan, Feral Alchemist Obsidian City Battlefield -> Obsidian City Adept-Rank Civilian
Current Loot: Moonstone x 45 Shattered Granite x 195 Pending Loot:
reirelight
Even if her shoulder joints weren't damaged - which it felt like it was, though not irreparably - Malta didn't think she could run anyway. She was too drained, too tired, and her muscles were at their hot, strained, limit. One more burst of speed, at most - and it would be enough just to get there, behind those walls.
She didn't have time to protest that Castor was injured too before he ran into the fray and, with a yip, attempted to rushed to his side, tripping slightly as her muscles disobeyed her. As he staggered up to her in turn, she nosed him, concerned, trying to support him as best she could with her body.
She didn't want him to pass out, but she couldn't focus enough to make the healing magic work properly, not even to shove it into him as the rawest, most basic regenerative spell she had.
"Lets get in the city" she murmured, nudging him along helpfully, "We're very close..." she could see the gate, "J-just a bit more..." yes, just a bit further until they were behind those walls, nice and safe and away from rock beasts.
Castor Oblivionite, Apprentice Warrior The Walls of Obsidian City
DraconicFeline
Seems like a decent place to stop seeing as it's the last day, and maybe continue with this outside of the Meta.
Castor slowly stumbled his way towards the gate. He was in a haze as he moved, barely able to stay awake as they finally reached the walls. With a few steps he made it into the gate and let out a, "Good... good... we made it..." before collapsing on the ground from blood loss.
A man quickly approached the pair, his wooden leg making a light thunk sound as he moved across the stone road leading into the city. Looking down on Castor with a mix between concern and anger. With a bit of an awkward motion he hunkered down onto a wooden knee and scooped the boy up into his arms. "Who are you?... Nevermind it's not important right now. Right now I need to get my boy medical treatment..." His low gravely voice coming out as he stood up with Castor in his arms. "I don't know who you are, but you came here with him, so you're going to follow me." He said motioning at Malta a bit with his head before motioning towards the city with it.
"We're going to sit down, and you're going to tell me what happened as soon as I can make sure he isn't dying." He said with a grimace on his face as he started to walk into the outskirts of the city, starting to navigate through some of the side streets. "If you can, please try to stay close and keep up."
