Fantasy A Quest to Die For

[pbtenchi]

Jan was startled, he hadn't meant to say it out-loud, much less be heard. "They must be v-very effective to hear me from so far away. Speaking of which, your other senses seem quite sharp too," Jan realized that if he gave her an inkling more reason to dislike him then orders or no orders, she would reduce him to as smaller chunks as she could rip him, and spending eternity not being able to do anything was a fate MUCH worse then death, the only thing protecting him was a bad smell and orders of a man who would under normal circumstances break him on sight. Heck, if he swapped shoes with someone else he would probably agree with them, after all, undead are Evil. Funny. He didn't feel particularly evil.

 

[Elowyn]

"Evidently." The man/corpse obviously felt nervous before her seeing as she had attacked him unprovoked. That was due to a cultural ingrainment that the dead should stay dead and that any undead thing either was extremely unholy or cursed. But she no longer lived in the mountains, and the array of species she had seen that very day was more than she had seen before. If such a creature was here, then the quest might be dire indeed. And if she had to fight alongside this being, then...


Curiosity and animosity battled within her, and curiosity won out. "Now I'm surprised you had the gall to show up before the Emperor, but do tell how you got into such a... state. I wasn't aware necromancers or resurrectionists still exist." 

 

[pbtenchi]

Jan relaxed a little, she seemed to have calmed down towards him. "I don't know why I'm undead. Last thing I remember I got myself killed in a small war, more of a ditch fight really. Then I woke up. The reason I showed up isn't about gall, I had no other choice. This is a quest to die for, but for me it's a quest to die. The only thing I'm certain of is that I won't be able to rest unless I finish this quest. Even if I'm ground to dust. To put it simply, I'm here because I want to die. Properly. If this quest fails..." He shivered, or at-least as close to shivering as a dead man could, not wanting to think about the fate worse then death that would befall him if he couldn't complete this quest.

 

[Elowyn]

"Nyahahaha!" Sylverna abruptly burst into laughter clutching her stomach. "That's the most hilarious, no, the second most hilarious thing I've ever heard! Hahaa! The fallen soldier is innocent, eh? I'm a generous person; I could grant your deathwish anytime." She quirked her lip trying to hold in laughter, then paused a moment to regain her composure. "But that doesn't sound like a very likely story, to be straight. People don't just die and randomly become walking corpses to my extensive knowledge. If my knowledge doesn't fail me there is something deeper and more disturbing than what you're saying..."

 

[XTrump_CardX]

-Courtyard, Irvingstead castle


Ta'lak found Abel actually pleasing to be around. This was a new feeling for him, seeing as how he only knew people as loose associates or enemies. The latter of which usually were not very impressive in his opinion. Ta'lak had learned to adopt a passive-aggressive mindset towards everything he interacted with because of this. It was no wonder that this strange tiefling managed to intrigue him so. She not only did not fear him, she also seemed uncaring of formality and surprisingly open about her thoughts. Ta'lak gave out a short laugh as she mentioned his name. "Indeed. It is not often that a daedra would visit this plane of existence. I myself haven't been here for at least a thousand years. Not a very interesting realm. I do not know why there is so much green here."


After he finished that sentence, Ta'lak addressed Abel's opinion of his armor. Never would he expect such a small thing to easily wear a set of Daedramail. The very idea was just foolish. It takes the strength of a higher class daedra such as him to bear its weight. Her armor on the other hand probably consisted of plain, Earthen metal. That was something more suited for someone such as Abel. Ta'lak knew she was messing with him, which didn't faze him in the least. It wasn't until she hopped onto the table and spoke of his helm that he was a little un-nerved. Ta'lak couldn't remove it here. Not in front of these mortal beings. He quickly spoke his mind, "I do not think that would be a wise choice," For the next sentence, Ta'lak leaned close to Abel and lowered his voice, "Beneath this helmet, I am not nearly as frightening as I appear. I believe that I must keep up appearances."


@WantYourSoul

 

[Midnight Paragon]

Legault watched as the group spread out and chose their weapons. Some took a while in their selection, while others took seemingly the first thing he saw. He heard a small explosion, and his head turned to his left to see that someone had blown up one of the training dummies with their magic. Legault groaned internally; the Quartermaster was going to be on his ass about these people destroying his things now...


He cleared his throat so as to get their attention and looked them all in the eyes before speaking.


"Now that you've selected your weapons, you'll all be entering the Pit at the same time and dealing with a certain


...situation we've devised. It's your job to work as a team to resolve the situation as quickly and cleanly as possible. Good luck; and try not to kill each other."


With that, he turned and began heading around the side of the massive metal dome to a flight of metal stairs, which he climbed. At the top was a metal doorway, which he opened slowly, looked down at the group below with what seemed to be a small grin, and walked in, the door closing loudly behind him. 


The giant metal gate that was sitting quietly now in front if the group let out a shriek before it slowly opened, revealing the pitch black within it. Legaults voice echoed inside of it.


"Enter, and be quick about it."


@slachance6


@XTrump_CardX


@WantYourSoul


@Nyctophiliac


@pbtenchi


@DarkSlayer


@Tsuna


@ReverseWells


@AceSpades


@(Anyone else I've forgotten to mention.)

 

[NextGenRolePlayer]

Eric shifted his sight on the gate, slowly opening. The darkness behind the gate didn't scare Eric, though, he visioned the Pit to be filled with pure light. "So that's it... a dark room," remarked Eric. Hearing the man's voice and instructions, he ran into the dark room. I'm already excited! thought Eric with a smile. @The Lord of Sunlight

 

[sevenstars]

Using her magic to create a small light around her hand, Ezra slowly followed Eric through the gate. She became more and more nervous the further she went, as her light came nowhere close to illuminating the Pit. She reassured herself that this was only the trials and she could probably could handle anything that was in there, but she was still scared out of sheer fear of the unknown. "Glad you can back me up," she said quietly to Eric.

 

[NextGenRolePlayer]

"AHH!" screamed the arrogant knight. "Oh, it's just you." Eric sighed at this embarrassing moment, his face red as a tomato. That wasn't fair! She caught me off guard, complained Eric in his mind. "Anyway... you. How did you disintegrate that dummy? That looked amaz- er destructive," questioned Eric with a curious expression.


@slachance6  

 

[DarkSlayer]

I almost smiled in glee as the gate opened to reveal the pitch black but I got a hold of myself, mentally scolding myself as I twirled both sword and dagger in adrenaline filled excitement. I left the shadows behind me...guess Flint had a point: like calls to like. I thought bitterly before taking a deep breath and entering through the gate, backing up Ezra and Eric. I never stopped the mental game of Gwent less I become useless and transfixed during our challenge, whatever that may be. The fae, now that I noticed it with the light she summoned, seemed to be scared-of what I couldn't tell, but it could prove to be a detriment.


"Ezra," I began in a soft tone, about to say something encouraging before Eric let out a not so masculine scream, causing me to clamp my hands over my ears. Pausing for a minute, I shook my head and continued. "I don't speak for the others, but I have your back here." @slachance6I finished before quietly snapping my fingers next to my ears, making sure my hearing hadn't been damaged. 

 

[Endronus]

Had I been late? Not even close. The transport that took me to the city of Irvingstead proved to be more than efficient. What I estimated to take a few hours only took nearly one. I loved those who could manage their military without trouble, needless to say this also indirectly gave me some other information about the unit I was shifting to... or at least that's what I thought. The letter I received the previous day had been vague, only explaining where I was going. It was my assumption that I was going to be placed in a new unit, but there was the possibility of some other event that required my transfer. However, I ruled any of those out, seeing as they would be illogical due to the given evidence. And so I continued my thoughts on what the meaning of this could be.


Surely, I wasn't placed as a guard, or an infantry unit whom only battled when the city itself was attacked. Even my father had risen above those ranks, not that it was anything to brag about though. He only made it far enough to the palace's gates, from which I understood were a long ways away from the actual building itself. No, this was a problem I could not solve. I would just have to accept whatever hit me, and that's how any good solider was supposed to act. As my stream of thoughts ended though, I began to start anew. What did Irvingstead look like?


I had never actually been there. From what I understood, Irvingstead was a grand city, bathed in wealth and beauty, and upon arriving at it's magnificent gates, the truth revealed itself. The city didn't just bathe in light, it glistened in the golden luminosity. To add on to the city's awe-inspiring delicacy, the clouds above gently combed over the towers, and the lush green hills in the background served as the city's cape. Simply put, it was beyond what humans would describe as 'beautiful'.Soon after gazing at the city, the wagon arrived at... the palace gates. Why here? Shouldn't I have been dropped off at some well constructed building, something that resembled a large box outside to define it's combat specifications? I mean, that's what my village used... but perhaps my village had not been this wealthy... certainly not. But alas, I couldn't just sit in the wagon and question my fate. After hopping out of the wagon, I briskly walked towards the gates and saluted the two guards that accompanied the golden barrier... which quickly caught my attention. Not the majestic gates, but the fact that only two guards were tasked to this job. Shouldn't there have been something more... secure? A few more men perhaps? Nonetheless, they saluted back, and the gates opened, beckoning me to the grand palace.


After a minute or two of walking, I finally arrived at the entrance... also guarded by two guards... and the doors were made of gold just like the gate had been. I realized the city was beautiful, but this gold was getting out of hand. I had never seen so much... then again, I had never seen any. Perhaps it was just too overwhelming. I simply saluted the guards and continued into the palace, which had been carefully adorned with velvet and gold. I stood for a minute, expecting someone to greet me, but after five full minutes, I decided to let myself in. I knew I was expected... but what for? Had I arrived too soon? Too late? The trip had taken a shorter amount of time than intended... so I figured it would be in my best interest to NOT explore, and to just stay put until someone passed. And so I stood in a firm position, waiting for a single soul to greet me.


@The Lord of Sunlight

 

[sevenstars]

Ezra smiled back at Eric. "I can just do things like that. And plenty more. You don't need to ask how, because even I don't really know. Do I look exactly normal to you?" She was beginning to feel more confident, knowing that she had support and people were impressed by her destructive hexes alone. "I saw you wielding that fire, though," she replied to him. "I guess I'm not too special around here. How did you do that?"


@NextGenRolePlayer

 

[WantYourSoul]

Abel's experience was sadly limited to the mortal plane. "It's not green year round, but I think the most pressing matter I would like to address would be your age." She cocks an angular brow at him, prodding him for more information in a borderline teasing fashion. It was different to see her actively prodding for information, considering her rather aggressive form passive-aggressiveness. At least it made it easy to tell that she was interested."How old are you exactly? You must be a hundred times my senior, we should trade tales some time. I'll prove to you that I've had quite a few adventures in my twenty-three years," she was being playful, expression suggesting that she would have given a completely inappropriate wink had she had the ability.


Ta'Lak's tone of voice caused the tiefling woman's face to slit into a sharp grin. She leans in close, as if exchanging some dark secret."Don't worry I'm not as frightening as people assume, either. My teeth aren't as sharp as they look, and the skin by my horns are ticklish," she pauses with a cheeky grin, having the rest of her thought interrupted bu Legault. She shoots the elf an exasperated look, before glancing back towards the Daedra with an melodramatic sigh and shrug of her shoulders. She hops down from the table and begins to move away from him and towards the newly opened pits with a barely contained excitement."Hurry, hurry, it'll be fun. If you can keep up with me, I'll keep your offer of proving you aren't as frightening as you like to pretend. I'd wink if I could," she calls back towards Ta'lak with a tone as breezy as if she were accepting the offer of biscuits, not telling him what he would be doing. She cackles and gives Legault an offensive salute as she readies her bow, just to be safe, before entering the Pit with her party members.


@XTrump_CardX @The Lord of Sunlight

 

[NextGenRolePlayer]

Eric gave a small, prideful laugh and answered, " I studied it in a magic book, it also became my one of my main type of magic spells." He then realized that he didn't take out the magic book on his person. Too late to take it out now, thought Eric with a shocked expression. "Anyways, we should focus on our task," Eric suggested. "Which is yet to be announced." He used a spell that made an orb of fire on his hand to shed some light on himself, not relying on the woman's hexes.


@slachance6

 

[Midnight Paragon]

As soon as everyone stepped inside into the pitch black, the gate slammed back down behind them. For a minute, they were kept in complete darkness...


Suddenly, torches high on the inside of the dome walls sprang to life, illuminating the darkened dome.


Stone pillars sprang up out of the dirt in every which way, in no distinct pattern. Some of them began to blow out plumes of fire, others activated machinery inside them and saws popped out, circling their pillars, and another simply stuck out a large amount of spikes. If one would look close, you would be able to spy pressure plates hidden in the dirt; what they activated no one could say for sure, and it would depend on the cunning of the warriors to spy them or not...


On the other end of the dome were two other iron gates, and they also let out a sharp squeal as they began to open up. 


In the middle of the far wall of the dome was a circular platform. On it was the Emperor, sitting in a large wooden chair, with Legault by his side. Legault still had his arms crossed, and he called out to the warriors, his voice reverberating across the dome.


"You must adapt quickly to survive here; there are other things than the pillars that you must worry about. Here is your objective."


The sound of scrapping metal was heard, and in the middle of the room, a spot free of pillars, a small pedestal rose from the ground, a cage on top of it. In the cage sat a glowing green crystal.


"Protect this crystal at all costs."


With that, the Emperor let out another one of his laughs and clapped his hands.


"Let the games begin!"


Suddenly, a multitude of screeches and yells started coming from the other iron gates, and out erupted a horde of goblins. Immediately, they started making their way to the cage in the middle, the crystal the only thing on their minds, as they began to weave through the dangerous pillars.


@slachance6 @DarkSlayer @NextGenRolePlayer @pbtenchi @XTrump_CardX @WantYourSoul @Nyctophiliac @Tsuna @ReverseWells @AceSpades @(Anyone else I've forgotten.)


-----------------------------------------------------------------


A maid in a purple dress with a white apron approached the young man and looked at him with young, innocent eyes.


"Oh, are you here to see the Emperor?"


She looked him up and down and frowned.


"I don't think so. You look like you're a soldier...Oh! You must be here for Captain Legault! He's out at the Pit right now, testing some warriors. Just head to the Courtyard through this hallway and wait for him. He'll debrief you."


She gestured to a hallway to her left and gave him a bow before returning to her duties.


@Endronus

 

[NextGenRolePlayer]

"Let's talk later, woman!" He exclaimed as he throws his fire orb at the horde of goblins heading towards the crystal. Fortunately, he didn't miss the horde, but only hit 3 three of the goblins. Eric dashed, with the sword he chose for the trial, towards the horde. "NO!" He yelled out with a fierce expression. Eric swung the sword and gave a few goblins clean cuts. Unfortunately, the goblins didn't give up on making their way to the crystal. I wish I had my own sword, thought Eric. "Use your hexes, woman!" commanded Eric.


@slachance6

 

[Endronus]

I nodded in reply to the maid's instructions, also counting the nod as a thanks. Without hesitation, I strolled across the long velvet carpet to approach yet another set... of GOLDEN doors. Seriously, something was wrong with the architect's taste. They could have at least embedded small sapphires into the door, but at least the details enthralled me. After opening the doors, the courtyard kindly greeted me to a pleasant view, save the dark oak tables littered with weapons. The contrasting colors against the palette that created the courtyard differed greatly, and so I did what I could to fix it. Taking the least amount of time possible, I moved the tables, and weapon racks, against a darkened wall. Now they didn't stand out as much but... the assortment of weapons kept it's nag in the back of my head. To silence said nag, I organized each weapon with their type, alphabetically. In conclusion, the remaining weapons, which varied greatly from sen-bon needles to scimitars, had been lined up next to each other: the scimitars sitting towards the right side of the group, and other weapons like daggers sitting towards the left.


A sense of accomplishment enveloped me as I completed my duty, and I returned to the task at hand. To my right, I spotted a large metal door, which had been shut. On either side, two wooden doors with large padlocks sat, which were quite rusted. Through their rust, they managed to hold as I rattled the door a little, and when I was sure I couldn't open it, I knocked three times and stood myself into a perfectly straight positions. As I waited for someone, presumably the captain, to answer, I listened to my surroundings to pass time. Soon enough, the faintest of noises reached my ears. It was certainly fighting... though the metals doors had to be more than thick enough to disable my ability to distinguish each sound. Most of it had been muffled, but if a captain really was training his soldiers... they sure sounded busy.


@The Lord of Sunlight

 

[XTrump_CardX]

-Courtyard, Irvingstead castle


Never before had Ta'lak been so caught off guard. Just when he thought he had Abel figured out, she surprised him even more. She had spoken in a very confusing tone, it was not familiar to Ta'lak. Though in his opinion, it seemed oddly suggestive in some way. When he opened his mouth to reply, Abel continued in the same manner. What of her horns? Ta'lak was taken aback. She was going to say something else when the Elf interrupted her and everyone here. Why must I consort with an elf? The damn creatures, thinking they were truly immortal.


As everyone started toward the now open gate, Abel began walking that way as well. She called back at him, laughing. Ta'lak raised his eyebrows and repositioned the greatsword to his other shoulder. He was glad that he had managed to instill some friendly communication between one person at least. Hesitating for but a moment, Ta'lak cracked his neck and held a slight frown on his face. Now comes the test. We shall see how I fair. With that, he jogged over to the entrance to the pit, catching up with Abel.


@WantYourSoul @The Lord of Sunlight

 

[DarkSlayer]

The moment the gate slammed shut behind us, I brought both blades up, eyes straining to make out anything in the dark before clenching my eyes tightly closed as bouts of fire erupted from above and around us. Forcing them open, I tried to make sense out of the now lit room. Stone pillars were rising seemingly at random while a couple spouted plumes of fire or bladed saws and spikes. Great. A crystal on a pedestal in the center of the room to protect, as well as a horde or goblins. This was getting better and better. Okay, protect the crystal at all cost and avoid the traps. Easy enough. I began to take a step forward before stopping suddenly as a few spots on the dirt floor were more elevated than the rest. Pressure plates. Just as I turned to voice this, Eric sprinted past me for the crystal in the center, screaming as he did so.


@NextGenRolePlayer "You idiot, there are pressure-" I shouted, reaching out to block him but due to the surprised state I was in, I failed. Before anyone else got any bright ideas, I turned to face the group. "Listen up, we don't have much time! The floor is covered with pressure plates, so be wary of where you step! Watch where I tread or if you can see them, do it yourself. That idiot's going to get himself slaughtered if he continues on like that though!" I turned back to the sand, shifting my weight as I tried to move as quickly as my caution would allow, almost making some miss-steps every few feet, and mentally imagined Flint mocking and berating my every move. It surprisingly helped more than someone would expect.     


@XTrump_CardX


@WantYourSoul


@ReverseWells


@slachance6


@Nyctophiliac


@Tsuna


@AceSpades


@Iskolde


@pbtenchi

 

[Midnight Paragon]

Unfortunately, eager as the boy was to battle, in his dash he stepped on a pressure plate. A hole appeared in the right side of the dome, and out popped a cannon. A large BOOM could be heard as a cannonball was shot from the cannon and it dissapeared back into the wall. If he didn't move now, that cannonball would hit him dead on...!


@NextGenRolePlayer


Legault watched as the goblins began their charge and rolled his eyes as one of the warriors had already charged ahead without looking. Suddenly, three sharp knocks came from behind him, and he turned with a raised eyebrow. He walked down the semi-lit metal corridor to the Observation Area and opened the door where he entered from. Just outside of it was a man. His gear was that of a soldier; but why was he here? He told his men not to bother him today unless absolutely neccesary. He didn't recognize this boy either; why was he here? He crossed his arms and looked straight into his eyes with his cold gaze as he spoke impatiently.


"This had better be important. I told you all there was to be no interruptions."


@Endronus

 

[sevenstars]

"My name is Ezr..." she began to say before a goblin leaped at her from behind while screeching. She almost avoided the blow but was left with a slash across the arm. After briefly crying in pain, she took to the air. 


Ezra focused her glamour on a large group of goblins, telling them to "leave the crystal alone. You wouldn't want to displeasure me, would you?" Some goblins turned around, some stared and drooled, but the most stubborn ones kept charging. Most couldn't reach her position, but a pair of oversized goblins with brutal axes were heading straight toward her, firmly within reach. She began to cast a spell, but suddenly... THUD. A spiked club on a pillar had whacked her on the head, sending her tumbling to the ground.


It took all of her adrenaline and willpower to wake up, let alone get off the ground. When she finally did, one of the large goblins was about to swing its axe into her neck, and she rolled out of the way with a split second to spare. She quickly stood up, only to find the other goblin in front of her. Without time to cast a spell or draw her sword, she helplessly braced herself with her arms. Just before the creature entered mid-swing, it was downed from behind by one of Eric's fireballs. Ezra then took a quick flight-assisted leap away from the other goblin to gain some distance. As the creature cluelessly charged towards her, she began to cast a hex on it. Dark green smoke began to surround the goblin and when it cleared, all that was left was an ordinary rat.


"That was close," Ezra whispered. She then returned near her previous position and re-focused her glamour, once again attempting to redirect the goblins.

 

[NextGenRolePlayer]

Eric was to ignorant to listen to someone's advice. He ran towards the cage, causing him to step on the pressure plates. Eric got hit by a cannonball but ignored it as well. "G-Get back here!" He yelled out to the goblins, ignoring all the pillars, spikes, etc. appearing. Eric summoned a few fireballs and launched them at the horde. The fireballs successfully hit the goblins, causing them to slow down for awhile. "Yes!" said Eric as he steps on another pressure plate. "Oops, watch out! Traps!"


He carefully rushed towards the middle, where the crystal was located.


@DarkSlayer @The Lord of Sunlight @slachance6

 

[Endronus]

After a few moments, who I assumed was the captain appeared with a disgruntled look following him. After listening to Legault address me as one of his own soldiers, I gave a strong salute and quickly replied, not wanting to make this captain any angrier.
 


"Sir, I have been transferred to what I assume is your command. You did send that letter, did you not?" As I waited for a reply, I looked over the features of the captain, albeit more carefully this time. His slanted eyes and slightly pointed ears -which were almost completely hidden by his long silver hair- pronounced his elven race. He appeared to be a young one... though the elves could be deceiving like that. Looking more upon his armor that boasted his rank, I noticed his other few accessories that a normal captain wouldn't have. This must've been the Emperor's guard. Or at least I assumed so.


@The Lord of Sunlight

 

[XTrump_CardX]

-The Pit


Traps. That was not what Ta'lak was expecting. The strange green creatures, that was more like it. He was definitely hoping for some colossal beast, but this would be more interesting. Ta'lak noticed the pressure plates after the roguish human pointed them out. Clever... He was going to have to be quite careful. A lot of Pillars full of deadly devices, a large amount of devious looking beasts, this was indeed going to be a challenge. Best to set an example for these mortals.


Ta'lak eyed the spots in the dirt that were not raised and pushed to the front of the group. Now with a grim smile, He began running, leaping over several pressure plates at once to reach safe areas. As Ta'lak landed on the center platform he readied his blade in both hands, reminding himself that he could not use spells. A blade will suffice. It was only a few seconds before a group of goblins reached Ta'lak. They were savage beasts, showing no semblance towards intelligent beings. As they ran up to him, he got into a lowered position and swung the greatsword in a large arch. It took care of the first few without trouble. Ta'lak easily stood and got ready for the rest.

 

[Midnight Paragon]

Legault looked down at the soldier who was now saluting him with a raised eyebrow. He told him that he was transfered here via Legaults request. He looked back into his memory; he did indeed call for someone to be transfered here. If he recalled correctly, then this soldier was the one with the 'odd abilities' mentioned in the reports some of his men gave him. Then that meant...


"So you're Lucius Noct."


He looked the boy up and down before he looked him in the eyes again.


"I knew your father. He was...a friend to me. It was a surprise to me to hear his platoon was ambushed like they were. I'm truly sorry for your loss. He was a good man."


He turned around and made a motion for him to follow.


"Come on, and close the door behind you. I'll debrief you after this."


He continued down the hallway until he was at the Emperor's side again, and crossed his arms, continuing to watch the battle.


@Endronus


All the pressure plates being stepped on by the boy certainly weren't helping. Out of another block of the wall emerged a large crossbow, and it quickly fired off a couple javelins that were being shot at multiple warriors. If they didn't notice in time...


@NextGenRolePlayer @XTrump_CardX


@slachance6 @DarkSlayer


(These are the people being shot at by the crossbow.)