Welcome to Gaia! ::

(MischievousRP, love the map and everything...though it is too many pages for me to read from where I left off. I'm glad to see this still going, Also sorry for not waiting for you to post. Wanting to get a post in before I forget.)

A beautiful young lady walked into the alley behind the soldiers. Wearing a kimono and holding an umbrella in her hands. "Well then Roxanne, you always did find the most interesting of people." She said looking at everyone she smiled. "Some new faces and old news." then looking right at the guard then straight at Roxanne "Sorry, I took so long I was getting some potions." She said as a joke hoping Roxanne remember back before they found the artifacts, pulling out a crossbow and firing it at the closest one.

Narranj'o slit his pupils at the shivering coward braced up against the wall. He smacked the ill-brandished sword away with the broad side of his dagger and spat in the mud. "Flee now and I will not spill your blood this day. Try to double cross me, and I'll bite your head off. I do not mince my words." He watched the man closely to see if he was wise or foolish this day. He was already on the verge of claiming the first taste of human flesh he would have in well over eight fortnights.

(About four months, for those wondering)

"I don't think so!" Firin roared having her prayer answered the paladin raised her hand as a seemingly from nowhere the clouds parted as a ray of light coarsed through the sky. While more effective against undead the call was as useful against human targets. Save for her allies They would all feel her patron's rage! "Fight on We will defeat them." She callled casting one more spell. Their simple clothes would be as hard as armour long as she could maintain it.

A harsh sunlight burst through the enchantment of rain clouds, all but ending the downpour and quickly drying everything it touched. The guardsmen were well-accustomed to the extreme heat however, and their armor was infused with sorceries that helped them endure things of that nature. They welcomed the familiar warmth with renewed vigor.

The fleeing guard found himself suddenly swept down and pinned beneath...another demon. An honest to Gods demon, and quite a fecund one at that. Fear and an odd exhilaration flooded his mind in a confusing haze. What had he been running for? His thoughts vaguely pointed toward something important. His hand found its way to wrap around something firm along the outside of his thigh. A brief drizzle of clarity found him pulling his hand back to reveal a small crossbow, plated in ivory with a strange golden cylinder loaded into it. He weakly pointed it to the sky, feeling sweat drenching his palms as the frenzied excitement he felt began to overtake his fear. Much more than just organizing his thoughts started to become hard, and just before his mind slipped away from him entirely he pulled the trigger, firing the little cylinder into the air.

The guard shielding his comrade's escape saw the lady in the strange garb that had fired a crossbow at him reveal herself to be a demonic creature as well, and he began to wonder just what sort of criminals they'd gotten themselves entangled with. She held out her charred hand to try and ensnare him with fell flames, but he was prepared. He braced himself behind his shield, one enchanted against just such magics. When he felt the familiar pressure of the blow, he pressed forward and bashed the woman to the ground with the flat of the shield. He raised it above his head, ready to bring the edge down to meet the she-creature's neck, but then he noticed a tingling sensation climbing his spine. It grew stronger with every breath he took, and he felt his legs start to buckle. His eyes dilated as a powerful air of femininity washed over him. He dropped the shield to the side and turned to find the source of his newfound pleasure standing over the guard who he'd ordered to...do...something or other. That didn't really strike him as important anymore though, because now all he could think about was getting closer to the buxom crimson-skinned woman. Of course all he could manage was to sway in place with a dazed smile on his face.

Taking in the reptile-man's words, the guard who had backed himself up to a building glanced around. There was a faint notion of primal need that began to tug at his senses from across the way for some reason, but the dire situation he was facing kept him level-headed. He took stock of the fact that he seemed to be on the losing side of this conflagration, but he also knew he couldn't abandon his duties or he would face the wrath of his superiors. He swallowed hard, and then dropped his sword and shield. Using the moment of presupposed surrender, he quickly reached within his breastplate and withdrew a small stone of polished amber. Without wasting a single second, he closed his eyes tightly and shouted, "For the light!!!" before smashing the stone in his fist. It shattered into dust and suddenly exploded in a wide sphere, vaporizing the guard and taking a chunk out of the the ground and the building behind him.

"Oh, I like 'em at least as fried as their brains. So for this one...?" Cassius replied, placing his elbow on top of Roxanne's head and leaning on her with a smirk. "I think extra crispy!"
The golden armor of the soldier before them began to creak and crack beneath the demon's grasp, and ashes began to pour from the rifts. The soldier thundered another defiant roar, and then the eyes of his bear helm glowed bright red.
"You will never defeat Thalmiuuuuuuus!!!" he roared.
Armor moved like flesh and the soldier lunged, his helmet's jaws closing around the massive demon's shoulder. With a final wail of defiance, a bright flash burst through the seams in the soldier's armor and then it all fell apart as though nothing had been inside....only the ashes that were swept away by the wind. The helmet had returned to its armor-like state, now firmly lodged between the flesh and bone at the base of the giant demon's neck.
In the heat of the moment Cassius had quickly turned himself to at least partially shield Roxanne from anything that may have come her way, but the light seemed to have been more an expenditure of energy than an attack. He found himself with one hand around the back of the pregnant warlock's neck and the other as close to the small of her back as it could get with the swell of her belly in the way. When he realized he was clutching her so close, he swiftly released her and slid back a couple of steps. Clearing his throat didn't make the moment any less awkward, but he did it anyway.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the shimmer of gold rising up from across the alley. It was a small cylinder of some sort, familiar in its design to the signal flares he'd seen various mage hunters use to light their way in the night.
Also perfect for drawing the attention of anyone that may be looking within a couple of miles.
He knew there wasn't much time to act, so he immediately began to draw energy up from within himself and he held out his hand. With a grunt of effort he released his spell...and nothing happened. The gesture became comical as he stood there watching the flare continue its ascent. Just then however, a bird that seemed coincidentally out of its habitat happened to swoop by overhead and the flare hit it square in its breast. A squawk and a flutter later the bird hit the ground of the alleyway and the flare exploded, casting a blinding golden light all around the close spaces between the buildings around them...but it reached nowhere near high enough for it to be noticed by anyone else.
An odd happening, to be sure.
"Curiouser and curiouser..." he muttered, looking down at his hands thoughtfully.

(Haha, I like how you countered the flare with a random bird. Gives wild mage as whole new meaning. rolleyes Yet another awesome post MM! heart )

Check out the amazing picture I got from Marrazan for Roxanne! http://viper9000.deviantart.com/art/Patron-Request-1-Marrazan-Roxanne-616990280



Fearing its gold and ivory appearance as a potentially holy weapon, Vor'dra hesitated as the prone man fumbled to draw it. To her surprise he fired it skyward rather then at her. Cursing herself for a fool, the expectant succubus stamped a cloven foot on the man's chest and viciously kicked him in the head with her other foot, wiping the dazed dreamy look from his face as unconsciousness took him. Too bad... You would have been a fun plaything... Vor'dra told herself eyeballing the unconscious man's features. Oh well, plenty of fish in the sea...

"Mine." Vor'dra declared, prancing past the prone Michiyo to claim her fallback plaything. Flipping off the man's helmet, she tsked. Not as pretty as the first but a healthy male in his prime nonetheless. "Hey there, handsome... Why don't you put those big strong hands to good use..." Vor'dra taunted, pressing her bare belly against his armored torso, her wings slowly closing around them for some privacy. Vor'dra didn't care who saw her work her charms but after centuries of doing it, she discovered this to be a handy way to cut out potential distractions.

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"I appreciate your quick reflexes even if they were unnecessary at the moment, perhaps we can put those to good use another time..." Roxanne said, planting a quick kiss on Cassius cheek before waddling past him towards her injured felguard. Roaring in pain, Harroon tried again and again to remove the toothed helm from his shoulder, each time his hand repelled by the magic that embedded it there. "Shh...shh...You'll be alright..." Roxanne says, gently patting the giant demon's lower back.

Quieting his pained protests, Harroon knelt before his mistress, bringing his massive frame low enough for Roxanne to see his injured shoulder, the wound caused by the helmet slowly leaking black blood. "Tell me about it..." Roxanne commented, overhearing Cassius' statement of "Curiouser and curiouser..."

"As for you my scaly friend..." The warlock addressed Narranj'o. "I fear we've only just arrived in this city and will not be leaving anytime soon."

((Yeah, I am really digging the term "wild mage!" Although, as I have said before, Cassius and his magic are primarily influenced by raw chaos; want a door opened? He'd probably blow a hole in the wall nearby. Want to beat a hasty retreat? The stairs would probably morph into a ramp that you could slide down. Want to stop a flare from going off? Well, a completely random bird flying by would do just the trick! Sometimes comical, always effective, and never what you expect!
Ha-ha!
Anyway, I hope everyone had a good holiday for the 4th of July, if you celebrate it!
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...))

Cassius could only blink at the implications of the pregnant warlock's suggestion as she pecked him on the cheek. He could still feel the warmth of her lips and the damp little print they left behind for a moment after she'd moved away. He swallowed hard and blinked a few more times, as though that might hide the faint blush rising to his cheeks.
After a moment, Cassius took stock of the current situation. Everyone seemed to be alright, at least. Well, minus the rather large demon Roxanne had summoned, though he suspected the wounds it had gotten wouldn't prove to be fatal. Speaking of Roxanne's demons, Cassius winced a bit when he saw Vor'dra...well, doing what she does. Despite their enjoyable conversations and how human she could seem, he often had to remind himself just what he was dealing with in her.
He shook his head and turned to join Roxanne.
"Indeed not." he added to her comment to Narranj'o. "We still have business in the city in the upper tier where you said you'd rather not venture. Full disclosure, ours is dangerous business. And while I'm certainly not opposed to the benefits a larger party would bring...I can't promise any of us will live to leave and take you with us."
Noticing Roxanne's concern for her pet, Cassius took it leaning low as an opportunity to glance over the helmet wedged into its shoulder. A lingering enchantment glistened across the golden headpiece, no doubt making the whole process that much more of a nuisance. He held out his hand and, after a reflexive hesitation, placed it on the helm. There was a light flash and some popping, not unlike a powerful static discharge, and then the helmet's sheen faded to a dull bronze color. He removed his hand and smiled at the pregnant warlock.
"Chaos energy rarely plays well with other magic, so removing null enchantments is as easy as standing too close. Now you've just got to figure out how to best remove the damned thing..."
Sparing another thoughtful look at the abyssal creature and its current predicament, Cassius noticed the girl with the demonic claw approach.
"A cloak? Ah, yes! As a matter of fact, we should have a myriad of things to better suit you in the..." he paused, remembering their uninvited guest who presently occupied the closet. "Oh. I'd almost forgotten! We should probably have a little chat with our new friend, first and foremost. She's been dutiful in keeping vigil over the coat room thus far, but we can't leave her there forever."

(Brillux is still chilling in the carriage, although Vor'dra has stolen his cloak and now its sitting in the street in a pile. Other then that, story was headed towards city where MM's character has a brother. City is controlled by religious fanatics and handful of em just tried to attack the group.)