Fantasy A Time of Kings

[ShadowSketches]

Nocturne smiled as the priestess retreated behind him, it was almost adorable to see her so shy in front of strangers but he decided not to tease her for now. After all, although the new woman that appeared seemed relatively harmless, he's learned to be wary of all newcomers. "Hello miss, I'm sorry to say but the horse seems to have taken a liking to me~" he replied to the stranger, giving her his charming smile but slightly moving so his feet were ready to dodge any attack that might come. His left hand that's out of the stranger's sight was ready to pull out one of his twin blades to be able to go on the offensive the second he thought something was wrong.


@keizerin @Iomana

 

[Foxgirl Jay]

(Everything's going a little too well. Need some demons that aren't anime boys.)


A few short feet from Nocturne, a rather strange thing appears. It seems a black scar on the air itself cracks open. With it's appearance comes a dreadful sense of panic. The spirits that speak to Ava are replaced by sounds like buzzing insects and scratching noises filling her head. The voices are silenced. And from the small black tear, a long, red clawed finger forces its way through, followed by another, two three, then a full hand. Another of the red scaled hands sticks in from where-ever the other side is, and pry's the scar open. An otherworldly roar of effort, something like a lion driven insane through pain, but distorted and made far more disturbing. The scar rips open enough for a head, then the body and legs of the creature of force it's way through to the material world. "Betrayer, coward and foul one who forsakes our code, you've been found!" The Greater demon bellows. It keeps to a hunched stance, but were it to stand tall it would be around ten feet high. It's wings unfurl with a gust of painfully hot air. In it's hands form a blade alight with the fires of the pit it spawned from, and a seven-headed whip. It's sights are locked on it's kin.

"Surrender in what dignity your putrid form yet possesses, and return to the Pit!" It demands, puffing out it's chest, in an intimidating, superior manner. "Your Lord yet has use for you."


@keizerin


@ShadowSketches


@Iomana

 

[Andraus]

Yaro, true to his word, would walk away once camp was set, going to look for a stream, or something equally with water. He'd hoped to catch fish, find edible plants, or catch a creature drinking from it. He needed to make productive use of his magic, so he did not have another rage-fueled moment.


@Foxgirl Jay If you want to do something with this, by all means.)

 

[Foxgirl Jay]

(I'm a little unsure what to do. Trying to do stuff for 3 different 'groups', AND keep it intresting is hard >3< )


"Well you see Robin, I'm quite the extraordinary bard! Though many are traveling story-tellers and minstrels, few have traveled as much as I've! I was born in a village known as Little Bend, a halfling village in fact. Ah, and they all thought they were oh-so clever for that name! I traveled down the White March, to The Vallian Republics, and now here, to the Palatinate. Yes, you are in the presence of a legendary bard who has traveled across four kingdoms!" But his mannerism show that it's not bragging, just a bit of playful grandstanding.


After a short rest, she leaves Kirk and Jonathan alone together at their camp which was really just a few stumps and logs laying on their sides a bit off the road. She's hurrying off in the direction Yaro took, hoping to catch up with him.


@Andraus

 

[Andraus]

@Foxgirl Jay Sorry, But you seem to want to keep things from spiraling off too much.)


Yaro managed to find a small flowing river, pulling off his hood and mask. Taking a look around, He pulled off his armor and shirt, leaving only his pants, shoes, and wrist-guards, and poured water on himself. He hoped it would help calm himself down, and sooth his hot-headed personality. While doing so, he noticed there were fish flowing in the river. Thinking to try and get a few for the group, he grabbed a straight branch from a nearby tree, Hanging his clothing and armor on the broken end. Using a rock, he sharpened the end, and tried spearing for fish. Primitive, but effective.

 

[ShadowSketches]

Nocturne knew as soon as the black scar materialized what was going to happen. So pushing Ava away from the scar and towards the new woman they had just met moments ago, he faced the scar and took out his dual daggers from beneath his cloak. Standing his ground as the great demon forced his way into the world and his wings unfurled to blast him with searing hot air. "I have no business with you nor do I want to see your hideous form at all!" he screamed at the top of his lungs to the beast. His anger was starting to boil, and his form reflected it. The dreadful aura that once surrounded him moments ago came back at it's full force, sending the horse into a terrifying frenzy and causing it to run away from the group at full pelt. Nocturne's eyes transformed and turned dark red, his tail swished around angrily and revealed itself from where it was hidden in his cloak as his teeth sharpened to a terrifying point.


"Your Lord is no Lord of mine! He is WEAK and WORTHLESS, he could never hope to tame me so he sends others to try and bring me back by force! But you will fail like all the others he's sent after me, and you will go back to the Pit with your body maimed for the rest of your days just like all the others!" Nocturne roared back, his voice already changed into a horrible harsh and cruel voice as he challenged the demon. He is not yet certain whether he will stand and fight or try to escape, but he would never allow a demon to bring him back to the pit without a fight. He only hoped that the two behind him were smart enough to leave him to face the beast by himself, this is not their fight. This confrontation between the two demons is for them alone and no others, and any who try to interfere will face the consequences.


@keizerin @Foxgirl Jay @Iomana

 

[Solid_Glass]

Enigma, not being prepared for being launched like that, flies back, landing on his stomach. Then he was met with the blue magical force,being sent flying again. He drops his sword mid-air, it skittering off the wall and disappearing into the grass. No! Thought Enigma, he knew his best bet was that sword since he was fighting a Mage. He wasn't as strong as the Mage with magic. But he possessed his own kind of magic, if he did this fight right, he should be able to make it out of here alive. He gets up, now being at a distance from the elf. His left foot planted behind his right foot, Enigma cups his hands together at his side as a ball of energy is formed, electricity arcing off of it as the air was super heated by Enigma's natural body electricity. He fires the energy at the Mage in a concentrated laser.


@Foxgirl Jay

 

[Foxgirl Jay]

The whip cracks, it's lashes strike Nocturne with an energy-sapping strike. The demon's looking down on Nocturne with pity; how a creature couldn't know it's own strength compared to others seems absurd to it. The whips heads wrap around Nocturnes limbs, the strikes being painful stings, or leaving cuts. The demon yanks down on the whips handle, trying to bring Nocturne down.


@ShadowSketches


@keizerin


(Your allies don't need to leave. Just because I have you a magical maguffin transformation doesn't mean they're below you.)


__________________________


The staffs head devours the magical energy. "I can hear the screams from within your head, Rau'ko. Flee and do not return to harass any of the good people!" The mage demands. He feels he can make such demands now that the demon is fighting him, on his own terms. Magic is his domain, and only the upper tier of the demons can contest it.


@Windows98


___________________________


Robin finds him. "Yaro?" She calls, stepping up behind him on the stream's bank. "I uh, suppose I've got some questions. What have you been doing... all this time? I wanna' know everything." She asks, sitting down with him. Robin was referring to the time between now, and when he was resurrected; or perhaps even when he was dead, if he remembered such things. She's looking down at the grass, idly twirling a long of white hair.


____________________________


"My my, that is a lot of traveling about." Kirk says with an impressed whistle as he runs his hand through his hair. "And I thought I'd gone places in the Army. Speakin' of which, and no insult intended... but what's a chubby lil' halfling like you to do when the fighting starts? It's gunna happen, and unlike Robin... I'm not giving you the benefit of doubt."


@Radazart Teh Gr8

 

[Solid_Glass]

"Absolutely not, elf! The only screams I hear are the pained screams of the souls of your kin, give up!" Enigma charges another beam. It had looked like the magic was absorbing the energy that was in the area. He fires the beam again, with more intensity this time,except this time he wanted the staff to devour the magic. He had to assume the staff redirected the power it had absorbed right back at the enemy caster. The entire spell was unstable, which means it goes boom.


@Foxgirl Jay

 

[Radazart Teh Gr8]

Jonathan gets himself comfortably seated on a treetrunk and readjusts his behind as to not feel too uncomfortable. "A fair question mister Kirk, and I'd have to say a bard like meself couldn't possibly hope to be as skilled at arms like your good self, a trained army veteran." he mentions as he lifts the belt with his trusty crossbow over his head "But I'll be honest here when I say my best sharpened sword is the spoken word. But seeing we'll be facing the sort of battle which can't be negotiated, I hope me skill with my crossbow is enough for you to rely on." he says with a trustworthy, reliable smile while proudly presenting his bow to Kirk. "It may not be much, but the punch my darlin' here packs has been enough to fend off whatever thugs and ruffians have been interested in me purse, rather me charmin' personality."


@Foxgirl Jay

 

[Andraus]

@Foxgirl Jay


Yaro would look over, and Robin would see his chest was covered in scars. Some old, and some new. He'd then turn back to spearing, missing narrowly. ".....A year ago, I was resurrected. I still remember the spell that mage used to summon me, it's seared into my brain.....everything after I died is...blurry. Whenever I try to remember it, it hurts. "He said, striking the water again, with no luck. He then stuck the spear in the dirt, and sat at the waters edge, patting the side next to him for Robin to sit.


"I looked up what I could in that Mage's lab, stole a lot of secrets......I could probably use a lot of black magic if I tried, but that stuff is corrosive: It'd destroy me as much as anyone I aim it at."He said to her. "Afterwards, I left for Zaterra, to pay my respects to the dead.......then, I found these-"He said, handing her reports. They were from the Zaterran Guard Captain, who died at the end of the fighting. She'd would recognize many names.....including her own, in the section of people that left before the fall, though it was covered by a big circle, with the word 'Innocent' at the end. She'd also notice a good number of names were crossed out.


"Desertions, Suspicious Activity, Reported Espionage.....These people knew what was happening, and they let it happen. They sold my people out, and ran. "Yaro said bitterly. "When I confronted the first one, and asked why, he told me that Zaterra was a sinking ship, and that he wasn't going to be strapped to it. Bastard sold us out to save his own ass....."He said, before rubbing a scar around his lower torso. "Didn't help him in the end.....nor did It help anyone else. I tracked down who I could find, and made them pay. Some of them were already dead, a few from suicides over guilt. One of them had committed a crime, and was to be killed by being eaten by predators. He wanted me to kill him.....I gave him no such mercy. "Yaro said.


"Then, you came into the picture......"


Yaro leaned over the waters edge to stare at himself. "I committed these acts because I was angry, I had lost 'Everything', and I wanted someone to pay. But when I saw you there, it was the first time I hesitated. Then when I found out you weren't involved, you were fooled like I was, it made me feel an emotion I hadn't for a long while......Doubt. The people I killed......Did I really do all this for the right reasons....? They were guilty, I found enough Evidence to justify that, But I still have these thoughts in my head tearing it up. Were they really criminals, or were they fooled into this......If so, I'll live with that for the rest of my life. "Yaro said. It was obvious that Yaro still had his humanity, though whenever his anger was high, it started to fade. His soul was literally hanging by a few threads.


The Thing is, Yaro never acted like this. Before the spell, even when he was enraged, he still managed to keep himself from striking. Yaro now appeared like he couldn't control it, that he couldn't stop. All evidence pointed towards the spell used to resurrect him. Then there was the strange reaction earlier. Was it having some effects on his body even now?


It was obvious now why Yaro was focused on gaining the money to pay for the Priest's spell. Whatever resurrected him, Yaro rightly suspected it was destroying him.

 

[Solid_Glass]

(I feel like having Enigma help Yaro, but I don't know entirely what's wrong with him, is it what's at the bottom of your post @Andraus ? Soul is being destroyed?)

 

[Foxgirl Jay]

"I understand." Kirk says with a slow nod. He's made up his mind on Jonathan. He won't shun the halfling for being less combat capable than him or the other companions. Rather, when a fight starts, he'll keep as close to Jonathan as possible; to protect him if needed. He figures that Robin and Yaro could look out for each other and themselves. Magic was a powerful tool, one Kirk had no desire or capacity to use. That old saying, can't teach an old dog new tricks. Kirk's seen it used far too many times, but feels it's apt for him.


@Radazart Teh Gr8


__________________________


Robin had sat next to him, listening patiently. She tends to listen to things intently first, then talk about feelings. She had asked for everything but didn't expect so much. Robin leans back, with something between a sigh and a whistle. "My, that's... a lot to take in. I can't imagine all that's going on in your head, but just know that if you need to talk, I can listen. But I've gotta' agree. We need to get you your proper life back either way. It'd be something that's gotta' be done even if it wasn't... Eating away at you. I'd think, maybe some sort of curse removal magic would help, but then it just might kill you, if it's one and the same spell."


@Andraus


__________________________


The mage's staff once again hungrily eats the spells power, but he notices that the power is unpredictable. All of an Elven mages training is to only conjure up what can be perfectly controlled. He tosses his staff away, before it explodes. The magical energies singe him, and he staggers back a few steps, patting out flames on his robes. His hands alight with magical force. "Confoundien falma en' ringwe!" another spell. Hands thrust forward. A swirling vortex of ice shards and stinging cold envelop the demon.


@Windows98

 

[Andraus]

@Foxgirl Jay


Yaro simply smiled, standing up, and grabbing the spear. "It's why I'm glad to be here. I know that, if things take a bad turn, you'll have my back...."He said, before halfheartedly spearing again. Oddly enough, he managed to get a rather big fish. His eyes were stuck on the creature at the end. "Oh.....well then.....hungry?" he asked.

 

[Foxgirl Jay]

Robin smiles. "You can trust me, I will be there for you. However, I'm fine for now... but that can be dinner, hm?" She offers. Robin planned to get the party moving right along, not taking more time to rest. But she hopes that Jonathan is able to descale, gut and clean the fish. He said he knew how to cook, but Robin didn't know if he knew how to prepare a fish. They'd just have to find out later. If he can't, then it might be good bait or distraction for a bear or something. "Let's freeze it and get back to the others, okay?"


@Andraus

 

[Solid_Glass]

Enigma's natural body temperature was normally hot. But this. This was too much, he could feel them bouncing off and chipping away at his armor. He covers his eyes with his arms and begins to run out of the storm of shards. He saw light, he jumps out, rolling and stopping on his knee. He quickly charges a arcane ray, though, it being charged quickly, it was unstable once more. He fired it, it exploding once it got half way towards the Mage, releasing a kinetic shockwave. Enigma was sent flying back about 5 meters before landing on his back, he grunts as he hits the ground with a dull thud. I should have charged it longer. He thought to himself. @Foxgirl Jay

 

[Andraus]

@Foxgirl Jay


Yaro smiled, as he took the fish off the makeshift spear, and wrapped it using fiber from the nearby vegetation. He then pressed his hand to it. "I long for a scenery of pure white. I long for everything to stop." he said, as the package was covered by frost. "There. That should keep it fresh. "he said, before looking towards Robin. He then bit his lip. "Hey, Robin.....can I do something?" he asked.

 

[Foxgirl Jay]

The mages channeled spell is ended, as he jumped back to avoid the spell. "Begone demon!" By now, Enigma's pet is dead and destroyed by the other elf warriors and mages. The flesh that housed it's demonic sentience is broken, and the soul returns to the pit, to have it's flesh body remade. Most souls forced to be the pilot for demonic golems are insane things, broken from dying over and over again. One of the few demon types that can ignore the banishing law, held back only by needing to have their body replaced.


(Feel free to murder the elf. He's fighting back, but he's not a protected character)


@Windows98


____________________________


Robin takes the fish in one arm, and puts the other hand on her hip, with a curious expression. "Depends on what that something is." Robin says with a slight pout. Though she does it often, Robin doesn't like people being vague to her. The small hypocrisy is lost on her. "But I'm sure it's not something I'll say no to" she tries to smile.


@Andraus

 

[Andraus]

Yaro raised an eyebrow, but said nothing on the small thing. "Okay, close your eyes. "He said, before looking around, to make sure no-one was watching. Once she would, He'd lean in, and kiss her cheek, before pulling back. "There." He said, before grabbing his armor and shirt off the broken tree. He quickly placed his mask on, to hide his reddening face.


(@Foxgirl Jay

 

[Solid_Glass]

Enigma grabs a shard of wood. Through the smoke of the explosion, he runs through the smoke, closing the distance between him and the elf quickly. He thrusts the splinter in the Elf's gut. He looked the mage in the eyes. "You are defeated." Enigma says, satisfied. He places one hand on his chest and began draining his physical energy. This was to make him give up his will power so he would give in to dying faster. Enigma, knowing only one elf was this much trouble, saw the rest of the Elves were either wounded, dead, or they had left Forked Vale. Or so Enigma thinks. He believes he's won.


@Foxgirl Jay

 

[ShadowSketches]

(Nocturne is an egotistical demon that's facing a monster that's two times his size, he thinks everything is below him)


Nocturne grunts in pain, the whip digging into him and searing his flesh, as he uses all his strength just to keep the whip from bringing him down. Suddenly the shadows around them start to dance around them and grow, seemingly almost impossible with the amount of light that's beaming down on them because of the time of day. Tendrils of darkness emerge from the shadows as Nocturne focuses on using them to fight back, their tips as sharp as daggers as they reel back and get ready for whatever Nocturne bids them to do. Then the shadows shoot forth and use their sharp points to cut through the whip that is holding his limbs, setting him free as he stumbles back. Blood flowing down from the cuts he had endured. Damn it, I can't fight him now when he has more of an advantage, I need to find a way out! he thinks to himself, looking around at the shadows he's controlling and back at the two behind him as a plan starts to form in his head.


@Foxgirl Jay

 

[Iomana]

Anaya barely had time to register the two new strangers before some creature rose from the earth, bellowing about returning somewhere with its gaze locked on the male. It took all she had not to openly gape at the creature. It seemed there to pick a fight and should its attention fall on her the girl knew she had little hope of holding it back. A hand lowered to the sword strapped at her hip, pulling it free from its scabbard as she took a hesitant step back, catching the change in the air as her horse made a break for it. Muttering a curse under her breath, she reached out to grab at the wrist of the girl who had been pushed in her direction. Although Anaya had only just stumbled upon them and honestly had no idea what was going on, she figured her best bet was to take the other stranger and make a run for it. However, before she could make contact with the other, the girl found herself rooted to the spot as she watched in wide eye horror as the one facing the beast seemed to be losing. For one who spoke so confidently at first, he seemed to be having trouble. Dropping her hand, she instead stepped in front of the girl, shielding her slightly from any danger that might come their way.


Unfortunately, any plans she had for running were halted when he looked back at them. She knew little in the way of combat magic- the small bit the girl did learn were only for show- and her swordplay was average at best. Not to mention she doubted her daggers could do little more than scratch the monster. Still... Gritting her teeth momentarily, Anaya called out," Maybe I could distract it for a short time."


@ShadowSketches @keizerin @Foxgirl Jay

 

[keizerin]

"Make it stop... Make it stop..." Ava kept muttering, over and over. She had keeled over after the stranger jumped in front of her, and the priestess was now on her knees with her hands over her ears while her mind was flooded with the awful buzz and skittering of insects. The sound grew louder with every moment; she could almost feel the nonexistent bugs crawling around her skull at this point.


However, the sight of a tail swinging from beneath Nocturne's cloak caught her attention, silencing her. Her eyes widened, seemingly shocked, but it quickly passed. Soon her look turned to that of determination, a sudden burst of courage, and she reached for her staff. She slowly rose to her feet and eyed the great demon before them, whom seemed preoccupied by Nocturne to notice the priestess's hushed prayers, nor the frost that emitted from her fingertips. In one swift, harsh motion, Ava swung her staff upwards, summoning large spikes of pure ice up from the ground beneath the monster.


@ShadowSketches @Iomana @Foxgirl Jay

 

[Foxgirl Jay]

The thing discards it's whip. It serves no use any more to him, it's broken, worthless. Just the same as his opinion of the cowardly demon. It paces slowly on cloven hooves, in a semi-circle, back and forth, chest heaving with frustration. Each breath comes like a draft of hot air. "You could have been stronger, and much more. Your trait is much desired by my Lord, Demagorgoth. We can deliver you a purpose beyond crawling through the mud for scraps, bowing and bending to this weak culture. that places value in a special rock. So tell me, what's the price of a humans life, hm?" His hand, the one not holding a massive sword is clenching and un-clenching. The demon is unused to such inaction, but he was implored to try and bring Nocturne back by his own volition. "Is it worth what you sacrifice by not returning to your proper home?"


The portal back closes, but the demon could simply open another one. The dreadful sounds filling Ava's head are gone with the portal, replaced once again by whatever is normal to her. Seems it was caused by the link to the demonic realm. A downside of being so closely tied to spirits.


Then comes the she-elf's magic attack. A strong one at that, and in opposition to his aspect. The ice stings him, brings a roar of agony like no other elementa type would bring. He kicks and flails his free arm, breaking the impaling ice. The wounds will heal, quicker in The Pit, but as of now, they're dangerous. He rears his head up, vomiting a gout of fire in to the air to show his rage. He winds up and unleashes an overhead slash with that massive, brutal looking blade, aiming for the Ava. And for the moment, his attention is solely on that elf, and not the other two.


@keizerin


@Iomana


@ShadowSketches


________________________________________


"Wait!" Robin says, immediately following the kiss. She grabs his arm, turning him around and getting close, a little too close for comfort perhaps. She looks none embarrassed, unlike Yaro. After a pause of staring at him, she says. "There something you want to say?" Robin backs off a bit, letting go of his arm, not to seem like she's angry or threatening. It's more that she's curious. "Cause I don't think that's just a kiss given to a friend you've not seen in a while, no no. I've noticed." She smiles, with a bit of smugness, and a bit of slyness. She puts her hands on her hips, and waits for his answer.


@Andraus


_________________________________________


A trio of elven warriors slain by the Siege beast before it's finally brought down, and the elven mage murdered by Enigma. The death tally at Forked Vale as of yet. The elf rangers and warriors that aren't injured and can still fight today would try to find Enigma, and either kill him, or chase the man away. To them, there's been enough bloodshed for a whole year; they would rather not have any more, nor be the cause of more. Sublime combatants, the typical Elven fighters are... but their battle-hunger tempered by a gentleness that keeps them from unneeded violence. And that's just what had visited their town this day.


@Windows98

 

[Andraus]

@Foxgirl Jay


Yaro sucked in a deep breath as he felt her grab his arm."-and people call 'me' confrontational......"Yaro said, before pulling down his hood and mask. "I've felt this way since I was alive, though I was always too much of a chicken to admit it. I tried to do subtle hints: The Ring, the fact that I always made sure to check on you at night, the fact that I always got enraged if someone tried to hurt you.....and those feelings carried over even after I was dead. It tore me up when I thought you might've betrayed me, and left me for dead. You can't imagine the relief I felt when I was proven wrong, and the guilt for accusing you. "He said.


"So yeah, Do I care for you as more than a friend? You bet your ass I do. "He said, before rubbing his hands together and breathing on them, creating a little fire to keep them warm, before making it disappear. "But......look, I'm an Undead, and I was stupid and tried to hurt you. I care about you a lot, I think I always will, but can you really see yourself with a guy like me?..."He asked. "Plus, I died once, and who knows what will happen if my soul get's restored. Can I really ask you to put yourself through that again?"