Fantasy Hunter's Moon: Ascendancy [IC] [CLOSED]

[Worthlessplebian]

He holstered his pistol, but his blade's tip dripped sanguinary fluids from their demonic foes. He found a cloth, knocked over from the table vaulting that he did to clear space. Normally, he would use better means of maintenance however a simple wipe down would have to suffice. The battle seemed both treacherously long and pitifully short from such threatening forces. Rajko is entrenched in the belief that another obstacle to securing Jayden MacKie will materialise before the day is done. His crossbow wound pulsed freakishly with pain, he winced again.

He walked to the side of the Redonian mystic, hoping that he could fix Rajko's injury without needing to waste precious medical supplies. "If I may petition you for your services, Sir Ka." Asked the Atracan, though the pain and obstruction is irritating, he is content to wait until Sebastian had finished resurfacing his food. A minor comfort that Rajko could give, one that he learned from experience, is that: "If it helps, my mentor taught me to breathe through the mouth when I first started. Certain people react more violently to the corpse smell than others."

He turned to Azathor, adding his thoughts to the mix. "Or the purpose of the bewitched townfolk was to bolster their numbers. We certainly couldn't have taken them all without casualties." Sottaks glances at the points where the demons had fallen. "Except wouldn't they have knowledge of our Saint? I mean, they managed to intercept us as soon as we had left the gate. They could've mounted stronger traps, but the time was spent in enslaving the masses which were swiftly dealt with... Non-violently, might I add."

"If MacKie is not here, then the enemy chose to wait here for him? That still would not explain the domination however, surely they would simply grab him upon arrival without rising undue alarms in the populace."

 

[K0mori]

Having finished, Sebastian stayed bent over the mess for a moment with his eyes squeezed shut, breathing slowly and regaining his composure. Takato gave him a pat on the back, which he greatly appreciated, even if he was at a loss for words at the moment. Camille then brought up the battle where they had met, months earlier, and finally he straightened out and found the strength to talk. "Frau Giguere," he said, spitting one more time to clear the foul taste out of his mouth, "...Madame, just how many times have you seen a man sawn in half?"

He barely had a point to make. There were grizzly ways to die on the battlefield, too, but trying to compare the experiences was ridiculous. He lifted his helmet back a bit and dabbed the beads of sweat on his forehead onto his sleeve. "Meine Götter, let's get on with it," he grumbled, shoving his pistol back in its holster before unbuttoning one of his jacket pockets and reloading his shotgun with the shells inside.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille twisted her mouth at his valid question, yet she could not help but answer after a brief pause. "Sawn apart? I must admit this is probably a first. Yet I've seen beasts bisect men with ease, as well as other... horrifying sights," the huntress trails off, frowning as a particular memory sticks out to her. This wasn't said to prove that she was tougher than the soldier, far from it, she just felt the need to answer such a morbid question.

"Still, it is an insignificant thing to get fixated upon. When dealing with demons, there is always another horrific sight in store. It is important that we muster the strength to fight for what is right, as I am sure you will."

 

[joshuadim]

"Still, it is an insignificant thing to get fixated upon. When dealing with demons, there is always another horrific sight in store. It is important that we muster the strength to fight what is right, as I am sure you will."

"Hey, I'm right here." Azathor chimed in with a hint of annoyance in his tone but mostly in jest, cocking an eyebrow as he turned to face Camille. "But she's right... best not to dwell." he then continued, turning his gaze towards Sebastian. And when the soldier collected himself at the ready Azathor couldn't help but smirk: "Alright then. Let's focus back. Jayden."

 

[Damian0358]

After having comforted Sebastian the best he could, Xiaòzhou switched his focus to Rajko, whom had requested for his aid. As he spoke with Azathor, the hermit put his hand on his shoulder, doing as he did with Sebastian, though he did begin more passively healing everyone else, as they had all gotten close enough. As the topic of Jayden and any possible stragglers was raised, he pointed upward.

"There's three others in the building upstairs, two demons and a human," he commented candidly, "I had sensed them when entering the mill. Assuming they hadn't taken him elsewhere, I can only assume the human is Jayden. Were it not for the demons, who seem stronger than those we just fought, I would have prioritized rescuing whoever is upstairs," he remarked.

 

[Infab]

Cassandra kept her comments to herself regarding the blood and guts scattered about the room from their engagement, especially after Sebastian ended up puking. She had grown so used to the messes left in her wake that she tended to forget that everyone else wasn't has accustomed to it. She used the bend of her elbow to wipe blood from her blade, pulling her forearm to her so that her sleeve caught both sides, before sliding it into its waiting sheath. Then, she cycled the bolt on her rifle which had been slung onto her back during the battle. As she tended to the rifle, she listened in on the conversations of the others.

Her eyes traveled upward, looking up to the ceiling above where the third floor awaited. And just as Xiaòzhou had stated, there were three auras. Two demons, one human. And one of the demons seemed to be of a higher standing than all the others they had cut down during their battle here. "One of them is a lieutenant." she stated simply, "Likely sent by their particular Icon to fetch and torture Jayden for information on the artifact. Which Icon they follow is something we'll soon discover."

As the bolt on her rifle was shoved into place, a fresh round in the chamber, she smiled. "I foresee quite a bit of fun in our future, honestly, if there's already lieutenants popping up on our path." she added, her eyes seeming to flash even redder for a moment. She then looked to Camille, and her smile switched to a toothy grin. "How's that gunshot wound, Cammy? Stings, doesn't it?"

"Shut up, Cassandra." stated Claire loudly, the enforcer shaking mud and gunk from her revolver. She was taking the time to clean it quickly, using her unnatural speed to do so as they spoke. And once she was done a few moments later, she held it up and inspected it. Spotless.

"Fuck you, Claire." was Cassandra's response, in an annoyed tone. Rebecca chimed in afterwards. "You sound like a pair of children! Focus on the task at hand, please!" she ordered, looking between the pair of them. She then shifted her attention to Sebastian, her expression shifting to one of worry. Not everyone was cut out for this sort of thing, and she was worried that he'd eventually get to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. She made a mental note to sit down and talk to him later, before looking up towards the ceiling.

"Alright. We shall deal with the lieutenant first. His cohort should be easy enough to dispatch. And then we tend to Jayden. If he should have any injuries, we need to see to them immediately. Then we can question him." stated the Saint, looking to the others around the room. "Now, shall we proceed?"

Claire gave her a nod, before moving towards the staircase leading up to the second floor. Cassandra, on the second floor, gave Camille another toothy grin before moving to the other staircase which lead up to the third floor.

As everyone proceeded upwards, those with more supernatural senses could feel something heavy starting to weigh down on them. Whoever this lieutenant was, they were preparing something dark. And even without supernatural senses, you could smell it. The stench of blood, and lots of it. Something was bleeding heavily up there, but it wasn't leaking through the floorboards into the rooms below.

And as they emerged onto the third floor, they found out exactly what it was.

Standing in the middle of the room was a tall, thin man clad in black. His skin was pale, almost like paper, and he was completely bald. Cut into his skin were several lines, forming a simple yet intricate pattern across his flesh. Blood oozed from these cuts, running down his face and dripping off his chin. There was even blood oozing from his eyes, which were bright red with black irises.

Around him, a massive sigil had been painted onto the floor in blood. And the blood itself belonged to the other demon which was still wandering around the room. He had been sliced open across both arms and his stomach, blood pouring from the wounds in order to paint the sigil below him. As he walked, he would only pause to turn or to paint symbols on the floor with his hands. Tables and other items had been pushed to the walls around them, out of the way so that they could freely move about the room. What the hell were these two demons planning?

In the middle of the massive sigil, sitting directly in front of the tall demon in black, was a young dark-haired man. He looked already like had been beaten severely, covered in cuts and bruises. One of his eyes as black and bloodied, and blood oozed from his lip onto his chest. He had been tied to a wooden chair using chains, rendering him completely immobile.

"Blood demon." muttered both Cassandra and Rebecca simultaneously. Both bearing a serious tone to their voice, and both tightening their grips on their respective weapons. Claire glanced between them, surprised slightly, but soon shifted her gaze back to the tall demon in black. He had noticed them, his head slowly shifting around to look at them out of the corner of his eye.

"I was wondering when you would arrive, though I believed I had far more time." stated the demon in black, blood dripping from his chin as he spoke. His voice rough, near hoarse. "Our young friend here has proven rather difficult to extract information from. I had to resort to more intrusive methods, and I was just about to perform one of them."

He then shifted slightly, so he could look at the group with both eyes. "Alas, you're here. I guess I can deal with you first before proceeding with my work." he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Tokreth. Royal Blood Mage, and Master Torturer for Lord Vegras, Icon of Wrath. Long may he reign."

 

[joshuadim]

Azathor scoffed at the sight of the torturer sent and his needlessly self-important introduction to the group after he followed the others up to where Jayden was being held. He spared a quick glance to the young man before returning his gaze at Tokreth and sneered. "Replaced Azgon so soon already? Must be desperate." the demon prince jested, placing a hand on his sword's hilt. "Don't worry about ceremony, his reign won't be nearly as long. And neither will yours."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille was stone-faced in the presence of Cassandra's immature teasing, simply staring blankly at the demon while she glanced down to her bullet wound with exasperation. "Oui. Yet I have endured far worse. So long as I draw breath, I shall give all of myself for our mission," she stated plainly. The bickering that followed between both her and Claire got her to draw a sigh while she began to move toward the staircase. There was a time where such a comment would have earned her ire, prompted her to get in some kind of competition of skill and her pride as a hunter. Yet she has had her proverbial wings clipped a few too many times to entertain Cassandra at this venture.

The second vampiric grin was met with the huntress looking directly ahead, her hands once again gripping her blades tightly as the group made their approach. Upon entering the room and witnessing such a grizzly scene, Camille's facial features twitched slightly as a mix of emotions overwhelmed her. Mostly disgust and anger. Quickly she positioned herself into a combative stance, just about ready to leap onto the introduced blood mage before Azathor spoke up. "You won't succeed, demon. And I shall grant you no opportunity to crawl back to your masters!"

Despite her words she remained at the ready, not quite willing to run headlong onto the demonic sigil on the flooring.

 

[Breadman]

"I knew I sensed another creature of wrath near-by. The rest of the wretches were masking your stench." Royland sneered as he stepped forward. Stopping near the edge of the sigils. "And lo and behold its the bottom rung of our cast. The war must be going badly for Vergas if one such as you has climbed so far up the ranks." The knight pointed his sword towards the blood demon "You're outnumbered and highly outclassed. Release the prisoner and I promise you and your pathetic servant a quick death. Its more than you deserve." Boastful, but with reason. Royland wanted the blood demons to focus on him when the fighting would start, so petty insults would have to do for now. While wasting time with the knight, the rest could tear them apart. The sigils were another matter, but the inquisitors should know ways to disperse and neutralize those magics. The safety of Jayden should be the highest priority.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Thanks to the rejuvenating aura of Takato, the pain in Rajko's thigh subsided at least momentarily. Yet as the pain dulled, Rajko's chiropteran senses sibilated harshly at the presence of three individuals. His nose differentiated a single individual, smelling decidedly human unlike the two figures next to him. Rajko's face snarled in an animalistic manner when they entered the presence of these figures. A man as long as a sword, but paler than a cadaver. There can be no questioning their nature; they are demons. Blood demons as Cassandra and Rebecca identified. They're an affront to moral edification. In essence, what Rajko Sottaks has been trained to fight since his induction into the order's light.

The others boasted aplenty of their skills, wills, and in Azathor's case: jabbed them from a kinsman perspective. Rajko would remain coldly quiet, glaring fiery daggers at them. That sigil, no doubt this is a conduit for the demon's "intrusive" methods of torture, would prove to be an objective in the fight. Or at least, that is Rajko's presumption. A thought then occurred to him... They're in the mountains, are they not? He quietly fell into a strategic mindset, trying to mount an offence for these foes.

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian had gone quiet after his exchange with Camille, and had simply listened for directions on how to handle the next threat. Once there, however, he took one look at the horrific display put on by the wrath demons and went completely numb. It was as if he was standing alone in the room with the enemy, without any allies to grant him guidance. As the others made their declarations and threats, he traced the bloody trails on the floor with his eyes and decided that it was far more important to disrupt whatever dark ritual was taking place here from being completed than it was to attack the demons themselves, as he had a sneaking suspicion that ordinary bullets wouldn't be enough this time.

"I'll be right back," he said to Rebecca as he lowered his shotgun, a dead-set look in his eyes. Somehow she knew that he meant it and that he wasn't simply running away. He turned and trudged back down the stairs.

 

[Damian0358]

Xiaòzhou followed onward, largely ignoring Claire and Cassandra, and nodding to Rebecca breaking the two up. The hermit grimaced upon the sight they found upstairs, a grimace he maintained as the head blood demon here revealed they were under the apparent new Icon of Wrath. He briefly thought about whether or not the demon was aware that at least three folks associated with Azgon's death, two directly, were present, and thought about not risking that info moving forward... though with Azathor's remark, they might not have that option.

As the others made their declarations, he identified their surroundings. The other blood demon, whose walking around all bloody, appeared to be merely possessing a human body - in turn, the blood on the ground wasn't enhanced or anything, it was merely ordinary human blood, an unprotected conduit. He briefly thought on what they could do to ensure Jayden's safety, but as he did, he sensed Sebastian rushing back downstairs. He concentrated on the blood on the floor, thinking about the idea of using his mysticism to fling it off and breaking the sigil. He did consider the idea of just dropping Jayden through the floor, but with the amount of structural damage they've committed downstairs, that could risk hurting if not killing him, so dealing with the blood itself was the only option.

 

[Infab]

"Replaced Azgon so soon already? Must be desperate." the demon prince jested, placing a hand on his sword's hilt. "Don't worry about ceremony, his reign won't be nearly as long. And neither will yours."

Tokreth shook his head gently, more blood dripping from his chin as he moved. "Not desperation. Necessity. The late Lord Azgon failed in his duties, and His Majesty King Taranoch felt that a new Icon of Wrath was needed in order to proceed with his plans. The same can be said regarding the late Lord Ralvas, former Icon of Pride." he stated, as his gaze drifted slowly from Azathor to the pair of Cassandra and Xiaòzhou. "In all honestly, you did His Majesty a favor. They needed replacing, and you eliminated them. So all that was left was for him to select two to take their places."

"You won't succeed, demon. And I shall grant you no opportunity to crawl back to your masters!"

Tokreth's gaze shifted to Camille as she spoke, his bloodshot eyes looking her over. "Crawling is for the worms and insects. I am neither." he simply stated in response.

"I knew I sensed another creature of wrath near-by. The rest of the wretches were masking your stench." Royland sneered as he stepped forward. Stopping near the edge of the sigils. "And lo and behold its the bottom rung of our cast. The war must be going badly for Vergas if one such as you has climbed so far up the ranks." The knight pointed his sword towards the blood demon "You're outnumbered and highly outclassed. Release the prisoner and I promise you and your pathetic servant a quick death. Its more than you deserve."

Tokreth's gaze snapped to Royland, and a faint trace of annoyance appeared on his face. "I shall not waste my breath on the likes of you, beyond stating the simple fact that the war below is the least of our concern." He raised a hand, pointing a boney finger towards where Jayden sat. "The boy has something my lord, as well as His Majesty, needs. I shall not be leaving until I take it from him. Your godly masters may have what remains of him once I finish."

He shifted his hands to his sides, palms up as he raised his arms to shoulder level. "As for your later statement, I'm a Blood Mage. I'm never outnumbered, and being outclassed is irrelevant."

As the group looked to his arms and hands, they would notice that they too were covered in slices and cuts similar to his head. Which were now starting to bleed heavily, blood dripping from the wounds onto the floor like rain. Rebecca, whom was paying more attention to Sebastian as he moved back downstairs for something, shifted her attention back to the Blood Demon. And as she saw his arms and the blood droplets, her eyes widened.

"He's trying to manifest an army of Blood Imps!" she spat loudly, before sheathing her sword and setting her shield aside. Her hands soon were presented before her at chest level, making a slow series of hand gestures as she began to speak that strange tongue from before. Her eyes began to glow yet again, though open this time and revealing to all what they looked like. Golden, featureless orbs which emitted a powerful, gleaming light. As she continued to speak, her voice began to reverberate and distort slightly. Her hands began to glow as well, the metal gauntlets soon disappearing in a bright golden light.

Meanwhile, Tokreth's own spell was being brought to fruition. From the depths of the blood pools that had formed around his feet rose several creatures of short stature, covered in a thick red membrane. And as they grew in size, reaching a height of around four feet tall, the membrane began to fall apart and slide off. Revealing the creatures and their true forms. They had no eyes to speak of, or noses or ears. Just a mouth. Their heads were white, like bone, and from which jutted four sharp horns. Their bodies below the neck were an odd mix of colors, starting with brown at the neck and shoulders and shifting to a pale human skin color at the chest. Further down, towards the pelvis and down the arms, it shifted to a more red color like blood. Oddly, a pair of small arms jutted from their sides, with three fingers on each hand as compared to the five on their normal hands. A sharp, spiked tail waved behind them, the tip almost like a pronged spear.

Seven creatures fully spawned from the pools, gathered around Tokreth. More attempted to, but it seemed whatever Rebecca was doing was preventing them. As they rose from the pools, something seemed to force them back down into them, forcing gurgles and squelches from them as they were pressed flat again. Cassandra glanced to Rebecca, then back to the pools. "Keep it up, Saint!" she said, before glancing over towards the other demon still wandering around. Bleeding all over the floor.

She lifted her rifle, taking aim at the demon, before pulling the trigger. The shot cracked, the bullet zipping across the room and ripping through the body of the demon. Dropping him where he stood. "That takes care of that." she muttered, racking the bolt.

Tokreth glanced to the fallen demon, before shaking his head. "You realize I can just use one of your bodies when you're dead, right? Consume your soul, patch up your corpse, and let one of my associates parade you around like a puppet." he muttered, before inspecting the sigil around him. "Ah, well. Regardless, the sigil is complete." he soon stated, before looking to the Imps. "Deal with them. I have work to do."

The Imps didn't hesitate, quickly darting towards the group. Meanwhile, Tokreth turned back to Jayden and motioned his hands towards him. The blood forming the large sigil began to churn and bubble, as Tokreth began whatever dark spell he intended to use on Jayden. Now was the time to do something.

 

[K0mori]

At that moment, Sebastian returned to the room, his footsteps far heavier than before. Rising up from the shadows of the stairwell, he emerged carrying the corpse of one of the possessed over his shoulders. He was surprisingly strong for a mortal, it would seem.

A moment later, and without a word of explanation, he dumped the body onto the blood-painted floor and stood over it, hunched over and huffing with a barely-contained rage as he sized up the butchered foe. It had been hidden under the body when he entered the room, but it was now visible to all that Sebastian had located an axe in the sawmill's lower floors and brought it with him, and now he took it in both hands and with a large, circular motion and a caustic cry of hatred he brought it down on the corpse's head, exploding it into a cleaved-open pulp. He screamed again and kicked the corpse in the chest, dislodging the head of the axe as he hoisted it again.

The next blow fell to the corpse's ribcage, creating a sickening crunch which coincided with Sebastian's enraged howling, splattering him and the ground around him with a spray of blood, and all at once it became clear what the young man was doing- by the third or fourth strike, a large sanguine pool began to spread across the floor, washing over the carefully-laid lines of the sigil with a decidedly less articulate mess. When at last the head of the axe dislodged in the dismembered remains, leaving the soldier stumbling backwards with the wooden handle, he screamed one final time and hurled the implement in Tokreth's direction, missing him by a wide degree.

 

[Damian0358]

Xiaòzhou did not like being praised for doing what was right by the enemy, their act twisted into their benefit. He merely responded to the gesture with subdued disgust. Soon, the blood demon began preparing his freakish minions, prompting the hermit to go full disgust. He prepared his fighting stance, as it appeared clear that they would have to get through those imps before getting to Tokreth. All of a sudden, however, Sebastian returned and appeared to have been possessed by the insanity that sustained conflict in Adonia manifests in those who live here. However, his fit of insanity wasn't actually for nothing, as the bloody splatter began ruining the sigil on the floor.

As the poor lad tossed the axe handle, the hermit used the stunning moment to join in ruining the sigil. He focused his sight on the part of the sigil closest to Tokreth, and attempted to weaponize the very blood on the floor by pressurizing it, flinging it off the floor and into Tokreth as to cut into him.

 

[Breadman]

The blood demon's plans were starting to unravel as Rebecca kept the other vermin from manifesting and the other demon being felled by Cassandra. Young Sebastian seemed to suffer madness, but it turned out there was a method to it.

"I did not ask you to waste your time with me, worm." Royland sneered again as the chain manifested around his arm like a snake coiling itself around it "I demand it!" He quickly motioned with his arm towards Tokreth "GET OVER HERE!"

 

[Dmaster]

Camille didn't flinch as the demons began to rise up from the blood, finding the words of the demonic mage as empty as its morality and empathy. Realizing that the sigil had been completed and was about to unleash the spell upon Jayden, she almost ran into it to try cutting through the blood imps to engage their master. Yet she was stopped in place by Sebastian bursting into the room and enacting a mad plan of sorts.

Despite everything she had seen today and in her years as a hunter, the soldier's butchering of a corpse with such ferocity got her to wince slightly. At first she was confused, but when his rough cuts began to get more deliberate she soon realized what he was doing. A violent stroke of genius, it was. One that Camille was very hopeful would pay off.

When Sebastian threw the axe head and both Xiaòzhou and Royland sprung into action, Camille kicked herself off of the ground and rushed into the sigil. In a whirlwind of slashes she sought to cut into the imps that could potentially disrupt Royland's grapple!

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Rajko's nerves went the way of iron as demonic entities grew from the blood, enchanted by the blood demon's magick. The words were vocal agony to the inquisitor's sensitive ears, but the sigil had been completed and the spell would soon go underway if they did not stop this fiend's baneful deeds. As Rajko honed in with his mind and rifle, a commotion from behind disturbed his concentration, it was Sebastian. Who dragged a corpse and axe gripped with powerful lyssa to carve up this dead thing provoking Rajko into thinking that the soldier had lost his greater functions, except... No, it became clear to him what Sebastian had been doing.

Rajko lowered his body into a kneeling position by the third cut. Violent as this affair had been, Rajko sought the opportunity to focus in tune with the radge act. In accordance with the order of nature, Rajko's mind deafens the chaos around him.

The axe head knifed through the air, Rajko times it in his head. Five, four, three, two.... One. Eyes blacker than a starless night, hundreds of thousands of shrieks are heard just outside the mill's walls, a thick wave of fuzzy bodies and flapping wings crash into the large room, Rajko's eyes and head crack unnaturally in the direction of an unchallenged imp, screeching a sound that no human throat could produce. "Bring it down!"

Heeding their master's command, the swarm's massive width condense into a swirling ball around the imp.

 

[Infab]

Tresomin - Tresomin Saw Mill - Mini-Boss Fight - Turn One
Tokreth, the Royal Blood Mage (and Blood Imps x 7)
(Tokreth HP = 50, Blood Imp HP = 3 Each)

Special Buffs:
Tokreth, the Royal Blood Mage
Blood Begets Blood - Being a Blood Mage, Tokreth can use blood as a literal weapon against his enemies. Including their own blood. Should an enemy be damaged in combat, Tokreth can target said enemy and manipulate the blood from their wound in order to damage them further. There is also a chance that Tokreth can possess his target to make them attack others, though temporarily. If attacking a wounded target, does an additional three damage if the magical attack lands. A d10 will be rolled to determine if possession occurs. If successful, target will be possessed for up to three turns, depending on how high the roll was. Possessed victims can still use abilities against allies.

Sanguine Armor - Using his own blood, or blood from the environment, Tokreth can manifest armored plating to defend himself from melee attacks while also mending his own wounds. If cast, this armor lasts for three turns, but has a three turn cooldown. Melee attacks will be rendered useless, but firearms will pierce the armor and do their usual damage. While armored, Tokreth will regain 3 HP per turn.

Blood Imps
Vicious & Hungry - During combat, Blood Imps will attempt to bite their targets in order to feed on their blood. Said act allows Blood Imps to heal themselves, and seems to give them a bit of an adrenaline rush as well. Every time a Blood Imp damages a foe in melee, they gain 1 HP. There is no limit to how much HP they may gain from this, as their HP may surpass their base HP level.

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

Sebastian attempts to disrupt Tokreth's torture ritual! d10 used. Chance Roll = 8. Chance Successful! The sigil has been disrupted by the fresh blood!
Xiaòzhou = 4. Misses Tokreth.
Royland attempts to jerk Tokreth away from Jayden! d10 used. Chance Roll = 1. Chance Failed! Critical Failure! Tokreth attempts to reverse the move! Chance Roll = 9. Chance Successful! Royland has been jerked towards Tokreth! Royland suffers 3 DMG. Royland HP = 12.
Camille is attempting a charge! B. Imp #1 has been targeted!
Rajko calls upon a swarm of bats for aid (Batimalism.) d10 used. Chance Roll = 7. Chance Successful! A horde of bats swarms B. Imp #2. Imp #2 is dead.
Azathor = 8. Acc. Roll = 19. Critical Hit! B. Imp #3 is dead!
Cassandra = 6. Acc. Roll = 13. Does 5 DMG to B. Imp #4. B. Imp #4 is dead.
Rebecca is unable to attack! Suppressing further Blood Imp summoning.
Claire = 7. DD Check = Success. Does 6 DMG to B. Imp #5. B. Imp #5 is dead.

-- -- --

Tokreth = 7 - 2 (5, Sebastian's Quick Reflexes). Acc. Roll = 10. Does 6 DMG (Blood Begets Blood) to Sebastian. Sebastian HP = 9. Possession Chance Roll (Blood Begets Blood) = 5. Chance Successful! Sebastian is possessed for 1 turn!
B. Imp #1 attempts to stop Camille's charge! Chance Roll = 2. Chance Failed! B. Imp #1 suffers 6 DMG from Camille's Charge! B. Imp #1 is dead.
B. Imp #6 = 10. CH Roll = 2. Does 4 DMG to Camille. Camille HP = 11. B. Imp #6 gains 1 HP (Vicious & Hungry.) B. Imp #6 HP = 4.
B. Imp #7 = 7. Does 3 DMG to Royland. Royland HP = 9. B. Imp #7 gains 1 HP (Vicious & Hungry.) B. Imp #7 HP = 4.

​

As Tokreth channeled his power into the spell, he soon noticed that the blood sigil around them had stopped moving. No more bubbling and churning, and a screaming had begun sounding behind him. And before long, an axe handle flew by, arching over the sigil on the floor and eventually bounding end over end as it hit the floor nearby. Tokreth glanced back, and soon found the cause of the interruption. The soldier, whom he had ignored for the most part, had brought a body up from below and had desecrated the sigil with its blood. And a flash of anger washed over the Blood Mage's face. "How DARE you!" he soon spat, but caught movement out of the corner of his eye before he could properly respond.

Xiaòzhou, using some of his own power, had managed to pressurize some of the blood from the sigil. It launched towards Tokreth at high speed, but the Blood Mage easily avoided it with a side-step and a wave of his hand. "Pitiful." he muttered, before redirecting his attention back to yet another set of movement. Royland, whom had loudly shouted, had flung his spear headed chain in Tokreth's direction. Attempting to impale him and jerk him from the circle. Tokreth had seen this move before, several times. And he had to time his reaction just right.

Of course, he did. As the chain neared, Tokreth grabbed hold of the chain, wrapping it a round his own arm. And afterwards, gave it a sharp and strong yank. Royland was sent sailing towards Tokreth, hitting the floor beside him with a loud crash of armor. "Did you forget? I know your tricks." he muttered, gazing down at the knight as an Imp quickly rushed over towards him. And soon, Tokreth was allowed to return his attention back to Sebastian.

Without a word, the Blood Mage flicked two fingers upwards, and several blade like shards of blood rose from a section of the sigil nearby. And those same two fingers came to point towards Sebastian a second later. The blades darted forth, slicing through Sebastian's arms and legs like knives through butter. Then, Tokreth's hand shifted into a claw-like gesture. His eyes seemed to glow briefly, as he focused on the now bleeding wounds marking Sebastian's form. "Blood for blood, boy. Now, let's see you draw more of it from someone else." he muttered, before giving his wrist a twist. The strangest feeling washed over Sebastian, his mind becoming cloudy as he began to lose feeling across the rest of his body. And soon, his body began to move on its own.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group soon were occupied with the Imps. Camille, rushing headlong into the fray, singled out an Imp to attack in her rush. And as she neared, the Imp attempted to defend itself. Which it failed to do quite miserably. It brought its frail arms up, and her blades easily sliced through them. Straight into its head, carving it to pieces in a few short strokes. The other Imps didn't fare too well either, with Cassandra and Azathor both putting bullets through two of them while Claire beheaded another with a swing of her cutlass. Rajko, with the most spectacular of the kills, somehow managed to summon a swarm of bats which burst through the nearby windows. They bee-lined towards an Imp he had singled out, quickly surrounding the Imp and mauling it with their hundreds of small but rapid bites.

The two remaining Imps picked out their targets, with one already going for Royland and the other for Camille fresh off her kill. The first bit into Camille's shoulder, ripping a chunk of flesh from it with its razor sharp teeth. The other did the same, latching onto an almost armorless section of Royland's arm and sinking its teeth into him.

 

[joshuadim]

Azathor had whipped out one of his pistols for a quick shot, landing it squarely into one of the imp's heads with a headshot to kill it rather quickly into the scuffle. He then returned his attention to the big player at hand, the blood mage, as he holstered his gun and drew his blade once more. He took a quick glance before going on the offensive, noticing that the fiend had done *something* with a flick of his hand. This could not be allowed to stand as Azathor flourished his sword with a quick twirl before entering a combat stance with his blade by his side and pointed forwards. He charged at the Tokreth and lunged with a powerful thrust with intent on skewering the demon with his blade.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille's efforts to clear a path for Royland were only somewhat successful, for while the imp in their way was quickly eviscerated the knight was thrown into the blood mage. Getting distracted, she failed to react in time to an imp that bit into her shoulder, causing her to give a shout of pain. As a vampire huntress, she was used to making sure her neck was defended from bites, and while the imp hadn't gone for that she was still upset it had been successful. As it reared back from its bite, Camille spun about and attempted to bash it with the pommel of a saber, allowing the sword in her dominant hand to slash at the demon's neck!

 

[Damian0358]

Things moved quite quickly after Xiaòzhou's failed attempt at attacking Tokreth while aiding Sebastian in ruining the sigil. He observed how things had developed, and considered his next moves carefully.

Royland had already gotten quite hurt in the process, so he first concentrated his efforts on healing him from afar. As he did, he looked what else he could do. He could tell what had happened with Sebastian, but moved his sight instead towards Jayden. With Azathor lunging towards Tokreth, he possibly had a window where he could rush in and move Jayden away. Once he finished his healing, he rushed towards Jayden to move him to safety.

 

[Breadman]

"Get off me you mongrel!" Royland barked at the imp that was stuck to his arm. The knight balled his other hand into a fist and started to punch the demon in the head until it would release its jaws or he broke off its teeth.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

The fingers quivered in mad spasms synchronously with the biting jaws of the bats. Once their target was deceased, Rajko issued a final command to scatter and scatter they did as the amorphous, coiling mass burst into teardrop fragments of furry, winged creatures. They fled the room through the very window that they shattered moments ago. The chasmic, oily darkness of Rajko's eyes drained away to egg white sclera. The inquisitor's face became bullish, as he saw the calamity unveiling before him. Royland's ploy proved unsuccessful, indeed it had the reverse effect. The coppery-tint of spilled blood entered Rajko's nostrils, the imp's catlike screeching proved the greater annoyance. But Rajko spotted Sebastian's body break into laggard movement as if it is not entirely his own. Knife-sharp intuition and ruthless experience told Rajko that foul possession is afoot.

The brown, leathery bind of Rajko's scabbard was tugged then broken by his hand as he stepped up with bile in his throat. He spun the sabre, scabbard and all, to face his opponent. His ally, Sebastian. With two hands, one on the smooth, brass-lined wooden scabbard and the other on his tortuous, mahogany hilt. His body tilted into a sprint, arms lifting the less-than-lethal sword above his head. He is quite sure that Sebastian would survive this thrashing over the head, if he does not then that is that. Rajko is already taking great peril to his person by doing this, he could've just shot him with the rifle on his back. If worst comes to worst, if his swordsmanship isn't up to snuff then he'll pull out his revolver and shoot him. He still had two or three shots left.

He was going to whack the shit out of his ally.

 

[K0mori]

Having succeeded in defacing the magical sigil, Sebastian wasn't quite sure what to do next as the demon spat his anger at him. All he knew is that he needed to do something, as every moment of indecision would cause the already intolerable situation to become even worse. He grabbed at the barrel of his shotgun, which was still slung over his back, and pulled it around front as blood sliced through the air and slashed at his flesh like the whipping grains of a sandstorm. Shouldering the weapon, he tried to take aim, but that's when he felt his entire world begin to fade and grow numb, as if he were in a dream. His body no longer obeyed his his impulses, and instead fell under Tokreth's control.

Rajko leaped forward, pulling his sword from its hilt, and raised his arm to strike at the soldier, but Sebastian's finger was already coiled around the trigger. With a squeeze, the gun blasted and sent a ringing into the werebat's ear- but Rajko was surprised as his hit connected that Sebastian hadn't been aiming for him at all, despite him having charged at him. Instead, the barrel of Sebastian's weapon was pointed squarely at Cassandra, who apparently hadn't realized the danger.