Clouds. Kristina Lambe had never before had an opinion on clouds given that they simply were. Creations of strange winds and odd temperatures that ruled the very air, fostering storms on some days and pleasant weather the next. The most thought she had ever given to the concept of clouds before...
The resounding blasts from the explosive harpoon and nitro rifle battered Aleister's senses, driving the vampire against a stone pillar to shake his head clear. Within these confines it felt like a mallet being driven past his skull and into the wall - but he held fast. Sensitive as he was, it...
Aleister maintained his distance, unwilling to get too close to the demonic filth. The exchange of blows between the Icons and the party grew with such an intense fervor that Aleister felt somewhat stunned, for it had been so long since he had last seen such directed violence... and for the...
With the arrival of House Harkren, and the subsequent redoubled efforts from House von Holt, the impromptu plan to push for the exit became the best option they had for getting out. The brutal throng of panicking commoners continued to break against them, or otherwise get held up in smaller...
Aleister dragged his handkerchief over his face, clearing away the dirt and grit of their rapid descent - one which led them into the second party who, from the looks of it, were all mostly in one piece. Unfortunately, it seemed the other Icon was doing just as well, and he watched on in silence...
Aleister merely snorted at Thorgran's words. Perhaps he had grown arrogant over the past few years, but nothing the icon said could stir a thought of doubt within him. The exhaustion within his soul was so total that there wasn't even room for consideration of failure at any point, especially...
With the gauntlet now seized, Aleister backed away from the growing energy of the approaching Icon. It felt as if a wave of pressure was building to burst, like the waves sent forth from the bow of a crushingly large ship. In a way, that seemed to be exactly what was emerging into the material...
Annaliese had spotted the commotion in the imperial viewing box from afar, though precious little she could quite make out. She wondered if one of the princes had drunkly stumbled to the ground, or if apoplexy was in the process of claiming the emperor's life at last. That would certainly make...
Aleister ensured every shot he made was a sure one. He almost laughed at the idea now that once plagued him before he set out to join the group - had he brought too much ammunition? The answer was a resounding no. Whether the filth were large in number or stature, there seemed no end to the...
Since the fighting in the grand chamber and now here, in these wretched depths, it felt like it had been a lifetime since Aleister had engaged in life-or-death combat. He didn't miss it - he had always preferred more enjoyable methods of defeating a foe - but there was no denying the...
"Miserable things," Aleister grimaced to himself as the last of the crawlers were dispatched, though he feared more lurked about as a portal began to appear. He hadn't expended much ammunition against them given the flurry of blades unleashed upon them by the others, such as Camille who had...
"Oh, yes, I do believe she had intended to court you, good Lord," Valentova purred. "A failed attempt at that, too, it seems. Consider it the intuition of a fine, stately woman such as myself. I have seen such things before. I suspect she intended to capitalize on her previous, if brief...
The heat was wretched the further they traveled. Aleister had known the kiss of the desert sun, long ago, even when he traveled in the hours before dawn and after sunset. In some regions, cold came in quick like a hushed whisper, but in others the nights remained warm and drenched in the...
Annaliese watched from the corner of her eyes as tears slowly began to envelop Enya, all the while still clutching the slightly bloodied handkerchief to her mouth from where she had bit it some moments earlier. Seeing that woman cry turned the bitter copper flavor of blood into something sweet...
Aleister assisted the group as directed before they moved on, saying prayers and mending a few wounds. While he remained proficient in the latter, he could not say the same for the former. There was a deep irony to it, he knew. He had been proclaimed an Archbishop, the head of an entire splinter...
Options had been presented, but little strategy in hunting down divine beings. Lucafiel found this for the best - let the Vestati direct the current as they wish without interference, even from the Dark Lord himself. No matter what their illustrious overlord said, there were plans within plans...
Aleister grew quiet, his face both calm and turbulent. Once again he found himself surprised - he had expected no understanding from the likes of Camille, but it seems the both of them had witnessed too much to not go unchanged. He wished he could blame it all merely on fate and happenstance, to...
The antics of Yz troubled the Vestati the most, out of all the other Heralds to answer the call. Neither pirates nor mercenaries, mad sorcerers or vengeance-driven souls concerned them any. All were the usual afflictions of mortality and the soul. There were patterns there, logic and reason that...
The Redeemer Prince bowed his head slightly to Alexandra, his arms crossed before him in a manner where his hands were concealed within the volume of his gilded sleeves. As another figure that was masked his expression was naturally lost, revealed only by the currents of his voice and flicker of...