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 Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 4:42 pm
Anrhea blinks a few times. "I have no particular emotional feeling towards my Master," she says slowly. "Either positive or negative. I am simply devoted to doing my duty to the best of my ability, regardless of who I serve. This does not mean I can't tell the difference between a good master and a poor one, but I also do not need an emotional attachment to serve someone." She smiles faintly. "I have no intention of dying, or simply standing by while someone attacks me. But my first instinct would be to find my Master and tell him what was going on, both for his sake and mine."
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 4:50 pm
If Svana had been given the time, she would have happily stuck her boot into Kira's chest to kick her off. She knew better than to let her touch her, although she disliked being touched without her consent in general. Something felt distinctly off about this regardless and her muscles coiled for retaliation.
Except that Urt reacted first.
Despite his size he was shockingly agile. He had been sitting just beyond Svana's shoulder, but lunged forward past her in one fluid motion, huge hand extended so it caught Kira in her slim chest, bursting upward with enough force to damn near stop her heart. Kira's hold broke on Svana as she was thrown backward.
Baldur sprang to his feet in surprise and Svana merely crossed her long legs and leaned back in her chair while Urt positioned his great mass protectively in front of her.
"Don't touch my orc," she drawled in reminder, forcibly clamping down on the instictive quaver of her voice, painting the picture of ease.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:38 pm
"That sounds like an incredible sense of devotion," Blair said. "The Immortals want their humans to be that way. They would mass produce that kind of attitude if they could."
Blair watched as Kira was flung back by Urt. She landed on her feet, much more gracefully than he expected. He pulled Claudette closer to him, shielding her with his body.
"This is not going to end well," Blair acknowledged.
Golden vines were flowing out of Kira's glowing body, and they wrapped around Urt as they detached from Kira. Wrapping him, squeezing him around the arms and legs, covering his face. Kira was grinning maliciously as she went to strike.
Claudette woke with a start, jumping off of Blair's lap and swinging her blade out in front of her body. She struck the vines around Urt, slicing them in half, trying to break him free. The vines were multiplying and wrapping around Urt's throat.
"God ******** dammit, Kira!" Claudette shouted, her voice strained as she tried to pry the vines off of Urt.
"We should get out of here," Blair said to Anrhea. "This is going to get really bad, and we're not in a position to fight."
He grabbed Anrhea's hand nervously as he stared at his beloved.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:46 pm
Svana palmed her tomahawk, regretting that she didn't know where it's twin was. Thankfully, Claudette used her ring blade to slash off the vines while they multiplied. Baldur also jumped forward, small blade in hand, slicing through them to free the bellowing orc as he struggled pathetically, muscles bulging ineffectively.
Normally she would have aimed for the largest presentable target, but for harming her orc, she was willing to go for the kill. Not that she could kill Kira. Still, a tomahawk lodged briefly in her face couldn't be pleasant. She threw it with a vengeance towards Kira's head.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:58 pm
"If we could burn these somehow, we might be able to free him," Claudette said in anguish.
As she tore the vine away from Urt's throat, it wrapped around her arm, tightening until her arm was numb and tingling uncomfortably. The vines were pushing harder against her skin, and she was frantically trying to throw it off of her.
"Baldur, watch out!" She shoved him back as one of the vines sprang towards the elf.
Kira's body flashed and vanished, reappearing in front of Svana in a static-y sort of way. The tomahawk was sticking out of her forehead, and blood was running down her forehead.
"I don't appreciate you to trying to kill me, slave," she spat at her.
She clawed at Svana's hands, trying to grab her wrists.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:07 pm
"If they want their humans to be that way, then they would have to have a system to create it. From the sounds of things, they do not. My world, at least my continent, has very specific laws about slavery." She shrugs her shoulders. She watches Urt move with a great deal of awe and a fair amount of respect as well. But there isn't much time to watch; her hand gets grabbed by Blair and she is urged to retreat. Nodding to Blair, she breaks from him and makes her way to the stairs, hoping to get to her Master.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:16 pm
Urt's roaring was choked off as the vines squeezed his throat. It took about three seconds before he started losing consciousness, the blood flow cut off from his head. The vines jumped onto Baldur, much like they did Claudette. He slashed at them using his knife, cutting then and his arm.
Svana kicked out Kira's ankle, using her unnerving speed to slide rapidly out of reach. "Oh, I wasn't trying to kill you. Just curious if I could make you even stupider by cleaving through your frontal cortex." She snapped a chair into her hand and tossed it toward the wench. "But look at you. You know why you will never lead? You're incompetent. You don't inspire confidence. My slave would willingly die for me, but your slave would rather help me by saving him than help you. Your magic is strong, but you're so utterly idiotic that nobody believes in you. Your own fiance can't stand your presence. Oh look, there he goes, desperate to get away from you, as usual."
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:35 pm
"Svana, get down!" Claudette shouted as Kira flung shards of glass towards Svana.
"I'm not the leader anymore," Kira said, growling. "My intent is to desecrate SHADOW and Harbinger. Who cares about leading when I can destroy? My magic is powerful enough to destroy everyone and everything."
Claudette was pushing medicine into Urt's mouth to repel the vines, and she forced some on Baldur as well. Finally, she drank some herself. The vines twisted their way over to Svana, forming a bridge to Svana's legs.
Kira was infuriated. As Claudette threw a bottle of alcohol and a lit match she had stolen from the bar, Kira pushed her hand forward, palm outward, fingers bent. Claudette flew back, crashing into tables, her bones breaking. Blair winced as he heard the blood curdling scream. The flames were engulfing the vines, burning them until they shriveled up into nothing.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:40 pm
"Woman, desist!" came a cold voice from the top of the stairs. The sounds of footsteps follows and moments later Jelryn appears, looking somewhat disheveled from sleep. He doesn't look at all impressed. Finishing his descent down the stairs, he crosses the floor to where Claudette has fallen. Using his magic, he 'scan's her body, assessing the damages there.
Anrhea stays where she was, near the stairs. She didn't even have the chance to wake him. The noise beat her to it.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:59 pm
Svana didn't move quickly enough. Glass shredded the skin on her face, neck, and the forearm she lifted to deflect it. Blood ran hot from the cuts. She ignored the shards that remained embedded, adrenaline cutting through the pain.
"You're pathetic!" she laughed viciously, blinking blood out of her eyes. "Nobody will have you. Your only option left is to destroy. Let's not pretend it was your own decision. You can't do anything else. You're too stupid to."
The vines snaked to her feet. She grabbed up Urt's massive battle ax. It dwarfed her, and yet she lifted it with little effort, slamming it down on the vines and snapping backward in a blur of speed.
Whatever it was Claudette gave Baldur, he took it without question and it seems to help. Urt was still struggling, but he was doing better. He dragged the heavy orc away from the licking flames and then turned. Svana was standing firm, shouting out insults, her face a grotesque mask of blood. He nearly ran to interfere when the mage's words from the top of the stairs stopped him in his tracks.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:15 pm
Claudette was struggling to rise to her feet. Her broken femur slashed through her skin, and she let out a scream of pain. Crumpling to the floor, she whimpered in pain and frustration.
"Electricity!" Claudette forced her voice into a loud yell, strained and pitch cracking.
She hoped Svana or Baldur or the Mage would pick up on what she meant, though she couldn't be sure. Her vision caved into blackness, and her head hit the ground as she fainted.
Blair ran to her, throwing his body over her protectively. Tears were streaming down his face and dripping onto her body.
"God dammit, Claudette, I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm so so sorry."
Kira opened her arms, and the area around her glowed red. A large, scarlet snake with clear, gem-like spikes erupted from the ground. Hissing to it in some strange language, the snake slithered over to Svana, lifting its head and unhinging its jaw.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:34 pm
A snake erupted forth and Svana grabbed up Urt's ax again. It was heavier than she would have liked, but she didn't have her tomahawk. Snakes didn't faze her. The swamp was verifiably invested with all sizes. She had systematically built up tolerances to all of their venom. That didn't mean if this snake bit her she wouldn't die.
Claudette was a lost cause and Urt would be fine. Baldur unsheathed his weapon and crossed the room to the snake to help Svana. He didn't know why. He had half a mind to let her deal with it on her own, but he couldn't let her die.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:36 pm
"Don't impede me," Jelryn commands Blair. He puts the head of his staff on Claudette's chest and closes his eyes. Using his magical sight he starts knitting Claduette's bones together where they've broken. He's not an elementalist, so striking the woman with lightning would not be easy for him. Being an organic mage, this is much more up his alley.
Then he's distracted by the appearance of the snake, and he turns his sight towards it to determine if it's in an actual living creature or some kind of golem.
Svana and co seem to be less severely damaged, so he's unconcerned about them for now. However, Anrhea watches them carefully.
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 8:02 pm
Blair scampered out of the way, tears still sliding down his face as Claudette was healed and stood back up. She whipped out her weapon again, but Blair grabbed her arm.
"This is Svana's fight," he said weakly.
"The hell it is!" Claudette yelled, wrenching herself away from him.
She slid past the snake and faced Kira, who was watching the fight gleefully.
"Haven't you done enough!?" She shouted at her.
"Claudette, stop!" Blair yelled. "Please!"
"I'm so sick of you, Kira! Just leave us be!" Claudette snapped.
"Stop," Kira said.
"Claudette, please!" He begged. "I can't lose you!"
"Kira, I can't stop. I won't stop. I want you to stop hurting people! I want you to go!"
The snake was rounding on Claudette, and she back flipped, slicing the snake with her blade. It cried out in pain and lunged for Urt.
"Please, Claudette," Blair said. "I love you."
Claudette stopped dead in her tracks, and she stared at Blair.
"What did you say?" She asked.
"I can't have life without you, Claudette. Please," he begged.
"I'm sorry, Blair," Claudette said, as she sprang to Urt's side to fend off the snake. "But Kira has to be stopped."
Blair had tears running down his face as Kira was getting ready to strike Claudette.
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