Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[Viper Actual]

Once the hydra collapsed Galina sighes deeply. She looked towards the carriage. Not much of a loss really- it was slowing them down anyways.

Galina collected her rifle on her way back to Boris to make sure he was fine. After gently patting him she followed Camille's advice and got a fire going.
She dug a small hole using a entrenching tool and then gathered some of the broken pieces of the carriage to fuel the fire.

They wouldn't freeze to death at least and the fire wouldn't give them away from afar.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Edmond spent the morning working on the defense of Castle Ellisgate, alongside the captain of the Duke's Guard and Blair. He trained his kin, and prepared traps of magical nature throughout the castle as well as around it. The training was hard and rigorous. The techniques weren't possible for humans, but for his kin which were stronger and more agile than humans, could do it with little difficulty. Edmond was currently eyeing the derelict courtyard of the castle, while wearing his darkened armor which protected him from the deadly sun looming just behind the thin clouds above. Several of his fellow nosferatu were all inside the castle's keep, working with Blair whom was in charge of the more mechanical and technical traps. She looked miserable at the moment, clearly tired with dark bags under her eyes and constant yawning. Her twitchy eyes and erratic movements made it clear she was on some sort of stimulant. Edmond took pity on the young girl, and decided she needed to do something else. He carefully avoided some of her traps, before poking her in the shoulder.

 

[Infab]

Blair promptly jumped, swinging around with what appeared to be a pipe wrench raised overhead. She then noticed it was Edmond, and calmed down slightly as she lowered the pipe wrench. "J-Jeeze, Ed! Stop s-sneaking up on me like that! I'm r-running on two pots of c-c-coffee and no sleep!" she stammered, before looking back to the pipes she had been working on. "I need to get this pneumatic s-system up and r-running. We don't have much time y-you know!" she continued. The words flowed out almost as one word. She might have drank a bit too much caffeine.

 

[K0mori]

After resting for a few minutes to catch his breath, Francis dragged himself back to his feet. He would rest soon, but decided first to search the remains of the carriage for useable materials for tinkering. He still had a few pipe bombs in usable condition, as well as his entire can of hell's honey, but after witnessing the distressingly diabolical does arrayed against the Inquisitors, he felt obligated to do more.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Edmond didn't respond for a while. Eventually, he let out a heavy wheezing sound and offered his hand to the small alchemist. "Come... I have to do something... and you need to get your mind off these traps for a bit." This time, he waited a bit before grabbing her, allowing her to at least hold onto her top hat and ready herself for travel. Edmond quietly cast a spell before quickly taking off, expanding his wings and launching upwards. The dark spell he had cast prevented the sun from burning him alive, simply reducing the pain to a severe sunburn.

After flying for almost an hour, Edmond and Blair arrived at the tip of the river north of the Ellisgate mountain range. The castle was far behind the mountains, concealed from view by its many peaks. Edmond looked to the river as they stood on the bank, facing north towards Wigston. He spoke to the young alchemist. "Joseph... asked me to seek more... guardians and soldiers. Told me...about getting undead." He stopped for a moment, and looked to Blair with, to her surprise, an uncanny and strange smile. "But... I hate necromancy. I don't like... to bother the dead. They need rest... but..." As he continued, starting to walk along the riverbank to where an boat seemed beached. It was ancient, mostly rotten and bearing strange markings and runes. It must have been thousands of years old.

 

[Infab]

Blair still couldn't help but yelp as she was snatched up YET AGAIN on a trip off to who knew where. She had traps to make! Almost an hour later, she was put down on a riverbank north of the mountains surrounding Castle Ellisgate. She looked about, before glancing over to Edmond as he began to speak. She disliked necromancy as much as the next person. It was pretty disgusting for one thing, dealing with the corpses of the recent or long dead. Skeletons were funny to watch, but the charm wore off once you realize that they get a bit creepy with their creaking and odd noises. And those empty cavities for eyes. Yeesh. Its why she liked explosives. Explosives were always fun. The bigger the boom, the better! And traps were fun too!

She began to follow him as he continued to speak, walking along the riverbank towards what appeared to be an ancient boat beached on the shore. Edmond smiling was particularly odd. And spooky. The man never smiled unless he was in disguise. The runes on the beached vessel were interesting, reminding her of ancient Nivarden. "S-So what are you going to d-do? The D-Duke wants undead, s-so..." she said, waving a hand and fixing her top hat before glancing back to Edmond.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"You see... necromancy is based on... the manipulation of negative energies." Edmond gently touched the side of the ship. "...Undead can be created through Necromancy... or naturally through powerful amounts of negative energy." He stopped after a moment. "You know... the ancient Nivarden people came regularly to Grimtham. Both as raiders... and as merchants and settlers." Edmond kneeled down to the ground. A single rusting Nivarden sword was half buried beneath the gravel shore of the river. "I can sense... so much negativity... these men, they came to raid but they died in this river... Probably ambushed by a group of Atracan longbowmen... or perhaps a giant river snake. Nevertheless... they never saw the glorious ending... they so desperately seeked. They died... without raising their swords... and it did not please their...strange, heathenous Gods." Edmond looked to Blair, his strange smile even bigger now. "Lets grant... them the opportunity, shall we?"



Edmond looked back to the river, and he cracked his neck. Then he forced himself to stand straight. Blair could hear the cracking of Edmond's spine as he stood. The nosferatu raised his hands, and began to speak in an ancient tongue. "De tok... vekk fra dere sjansen til å død I kamp... men jeg can gi dere sjansen til å dø og se deres guder, røys menn av Norden! Hjelp meg og slåss en siste gang!" he spoke, his voice thunderous. Edmond called forth... something inside the waters before him. Blair then heard strange sounds coming from the river. Green lights dancing under the darkened water.

Soon, Edmond and Blair saw them emerging from the water. Ancient skeletons in old armors, holding axes, shields, and swords. Their empty eye sockets glowing a deep green under their helmets. These were no ordinary skeletal warriors. They were Revenants, undead fueled only by anger. And these had a strong desire to die a proper death. Their leader, a larger skeleton with a rare horned helmet, approached the nosferatu. "Slåss..." exhaled the skeleton. "...Død." The leader then bowed to Edmond, and the nosferatu looked to the alchemist. "This... will help our cause. Once we are back at the castle... you should rest..." He looked back to the revenants. "Følg meg!" said the nosferatu, before turning and walking back in the direction of the mountains.

 

[Infab]

Blair watched wide-eyed as the Nivarden revenants arose from the water, their leader speaking with Edmond in their ancient tongue. She then looked to Edmond as he spoke once more to her. Rest? I can't rest! "I can't r-rest! I have t-traps to fini--...wait, why are we w-walking back to the castle? That's s-several miles away!" she said, continuing her caffeine fueled stammer as she chased after Edmond. She did her best to avoid the revenants following after him, staying several feet from them at any given moment. She didn't want to be the one to suffer their angry wrath.

------
​

Several hours passed, as the inquiry group got their needed rest after the events in Buckshard and riding all night just to fight a hydra when they arrived here at the lake. Soon, they were up and about, packing the equipment they intended to bring with them on their horses. The rest was tucked away in some dense bushes nearby, marked with a pair of boards from the carriage shaped like an x. The skeleton of the hydra remained in a pile on the shore of the lake, the corpse having been disolved thoroughly through the use of Theodore's acid. It wouldn't be bothering anyone anymore.

Valeria eventually mounted her horse, as Rosanna kicked dirt over the fire to put it out. They had no more use for it, as everyone whom had been soaked by the Hydra's burst of water was now dry along with their clothes. "Check your weapons and ammunition reserves. This is the final push on to Castle Ellisgate...we're not stopping anywhere after this." stated Valeria, looking amongst the group as they prepared themselves. Rosanna gave her a thumbs-up when she looked back up. "Ready as I'll ever be." she said, with a forced smile. Valeria returned the same forced smile. Both were going to their deaths.

Valeria then glanced to Francis and Theodore. "Have everything you need?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. They would need the bombs and other devices that both of them made in order to succeed.

 

[Dmaster]

When Galina got a fire pit going Camille gave her a thankful nod, allowing it to dry her clothes and warm her body as she got those few hours of sleep. When it was time to gather her belongings she got what little she had together and saddled onto her horse. "Wasting more time will do us no good. I think all of us are ready simply because we have to be." she adds, turning her horse away from the lake.

 

[joshuadim]

When the battle was finished, Ethraeil took the time to fashion himself a new steed from the bones of the hydra so that he could ride alongside the Inquiry as they pushed ahead to their goal. The castle seemed so close now after all this time, and Ethraeil felt a sense of foreboding as they pressed on towards it. It was to be a final showdown between the Duke and the Inquiry, and even should they succeed they still had yet another problem to deal with immediately afterwards. Fortunately, they had a plan in the eventuality that they came out victorious over the crazed vampire.

Although they were close, Ethraeil felt that their travel towards the castle would not go uneventfully and that the enemy would be ready for them. They were fighting at a stark disadvantage, but luck seemed to be something the Inquiry had no end to.

 

[Breadman]

"About as ready as I can get" Theodore answered. "Dissolving the hydra corpse took some time and resources, but nothing devastating. Needles to say, the trunk will be a lot lighter when we come back to pick it up." He tried to be somewhat upbeat about the whole situation, but the weight of it couldn't be ignored. "I hope you're ready for what comes next."

 

[Infab]

"I hope you're ready for what comes next."

Valeria nodded after a moment. "I've accepted my fate, and I'm ready for whatever may come." she said, again forcing a smile. "We will deal with the Duke. And I trust you all will deal with what comes afterwards." Valeria had left all her inquisitorial equipment and clothing with her bags, tucked away in the bushes with their group's belongings. She wouldn't need them where she was going. All she needed was Velin's executioner blade, her own sword, and some ammunition for her revolver. She glanced over as Rosanna walked over and mounted her own horse. It looked as though everyone was ready, Francis mounting up on one of the carriage horses while Aleister mounted the other. Wesley slipped onto Boris with Galina, as there were no other horses for him to ride solo. It was time to go.

She motioned for the group to follow, and they began their trek around the lake. Once on the other side, they began to follow the river to the southeast. Towards Black Hollow. The sun had crossed the sky, and was now on its downward journey towards setting. It'd be nightfall in a few hours. What most of them noticed about the environment around them as they moved towards the mountain range was that the trees around them slowly became bare and blackened. Almost as if they had been burned, or dead for a long time. The same could be said for the bushes scattered amongst them. The village they were venturing to seemed to have been named appropriately.

---
​

An hour prior, in Peltragow...

"Sir, I'm afraid you're not allowed in here." stated one of the soldiers, examining the rather sophisticated looking man as he removed his top hat at the door of the morgue. "I assure you, I am. My name is Doctor Christoph Heilmeier. I am an associate of Duke Ashwood." replied the man, his voice bearing the accent of one from the nation of Daristein. The soldier's eyes widened, and he quickly stepped out of the way. "O-Oh, pardon me, sir! Please! Go right ahead." the soldier quickly stated, before reaching over and opening the door for the gentleman alchemist. He nodded politely to the soldier, before proceeding through the door into the large, cold morgue.

The room was lined with several small doors, likely each containing the body of someone recently deceased. If not, it sat empty. There was a faint sound nearby, likely behind one of the walls, which sounded quite like a pump running. A refrigeration unit, to slow the decay of the bodies. It was relatively new technology, having been discovered in the past few decades, but it was only recently being put to use on a large scale. Mainly for conserving large amounts of food. A few lights were scattered about the room, all electrical in nature. As he strolled into the room, setting his hat on a tray as he passed, he eyed a body on the center table of three in the room.

It was a woman's body, clad in clothes resembling that of an Inquisitor of the Vigilant Order. He didn't really have an opinion of the order, as he never had to deal with the group. His activities were more of an archeological nature, dealing with ruins and tombs scattered across the continent. He knew that this woman hadn't worked with the Order in quite a long time, however. As he stepped up next to her, he noticed that part of her form had been burned. Likely during the mansion fire a few days prior. Christoph had heard of the incident, as well as a blast that had destroyed part of the garrison here in the city. According to the officers scattered around the city, it had been the work of a group after the Duke. Most likely attempting to take that ring from him.

He noticed that the body had also had its head removed. Of course, one of the only ways to put down a pureblood vampire. The head was on the table just to the right, burned quite badly but still preserved. The hair had been burned off, and most of the flesh had been charred and burned away, revealing parts of the skull here and there. He smiled a bit, before calling out to the soldier back at the door. As the soldier peeked in, Christoph turned to him. "Fetch me ten blood bags. No particular type. Quickly now." he stated, with a smile. The soldier nodded rapidly, before disappearing around the corner.

Christoph then turned to face the body once more. He stepped around to where the head was sitting, tugging on the wrists of his gloves to make sure they were secure. Then, he gently picked the head up. He examined it, before raising an eyebrow. "My, how the mighty have fallen." he said, before chuckling slightly. He then turned about, and placed the head in its original position on the body. It only took a few moments to reconnect to its body, as Christoph watched with intrigue as the flesh and bone reattached to their former endings on the neck.

Then, without warning, the body sat up. Its eyes were wide, though damaged. Still, it appeared that they could still see, as they moved about in their sockets. The head then snapped around to gaze upon Christoph. "Welcome back to the land of the living, dearest Cassandra." stated Christoph, giving her a grin.

 

[joshuadim]

"Not since the Age of Darkness have I seen such... desolation... come afoot in an area." Ethraeil remarked as he observed. The land felt devoid of any life... as if it was ripped out and its husk remained in view. Only necromancy could have done such immense damage to an area, which was something he was all too familiar with. "We should be on guard. Anything can lurk here in these dead woods."

 

[Infab]

"Indeed. Keep your eyes open." stated Valeria, looking around at the darkened forest around them. Rosanna drew her lever-action, continuing to ride along while holding the weapon up propped on her thigh. As they continued on up the path into the mountains, ascending into the dead forest, a mist started to set in as the grew ever closer to Black Hollow. The sun was reaching its setting point as well, so light was starting to fade as well. Poor visibility was quickly becoming a problem. Valeria soon lit a torch, after quickly snapping off one of the dead tree's limbs and wrapping it in some cloth she brought with her for bandages. Aleister also assisted, creating a small glowing orb to light the area around them.

Halfway up the pass, they started to see small green orbs in the mist. There were also sounds of creaking and other noises, like limbs cracking. Something was in the mist. Valeria glanced back to Ethraeil. Perhaps the resident necromancer could enlighten them on what was in the mist? Valeria, however, wouldn't need enlightening. Revenants. I'm sure you know what those are, Witlock. Undead raised through vast amounts of negative energies. They're literally too angry to die. Valeria's eyes narrowed, looking back out into the mist as they rode on.

Soon, the deserted village was in sight. As they moved towards the village, Rosanna soon shouted. "Incomin'." she said aloud, firing off a shot into the mist to her right. There was a loud clang, as her bullet pierced a helmet and shattered the skull beneath it. The revenant that had been charging towards her collapsed quickly, his battle axe sliding across the dirt to a stop. Then, other green orbs in the mist appeared and started to charge them. "Take them down!" sounded off Valeria, pointing her revolver at an incoming enemy and firing off a pair of shots.

Black Hollow - Dilapidated Village - MINIBOSS FIGHT
15 Ancient Nivarden Revenants (Miniboss(es))
20 HP (Each)
Trait #1: RAGNAROK - Does 3 DMG instead of 1, and always chooses a random target per attack. Enemy attacks do 3 DMG to Revenants instead of 1. Holy Magic does 10 DMG against Revenants.

------
​

Back in Peltragow...

Christoph quietly waited, as he listened to Cassandra guzzle down the last of the bags that he had requested for her. She had regenerated almost entirely, with only a few small burns left on her face and body. Those were quickly fading away, as she finally tossed the empty bag at the wall across the room. She then sat in silence, gazing down at the floor next to the table she was sitting on. After about a minute, she spoke. "...What happened?" she asked, her green eyes peering through her recently regrown blonde hair. "From what I understand, your friends in the inquiry group infiltrated the mansion, took Velin's executioner blade, killed Archer, beheaded you, and went after the Duke at Castle Ellisgate." he replied, summing it all up promptly.

Cassandra reached up and pressed her palm against her forehead. "...I...I can't remember anything." she said softly, gazing back down at the floor. Christoph nodded. "They didn't find any of your precious Romanov blood on you, so I assume you overdosed on it during the fight. Would explain the memory loss. That or the fire did the damage, but I'd put money on the blood."

Cassandra then straightened up, reflexively feeling for the vials of blood in what was left of her clothes. They were gone, just as he said. "...Who beheaded me?" she then asked, looking up and locking eyes with Christoph. Christoph simply smiled. "Your lover did." He didn't know who did, honestly. He was going off the information that the Duke had sent him via telegraphs. He knew that Cassandra had acquired a special someone from the Inquiry group, whom she had turned and romanced a bit.

Cassandra's eyes widened, and soon a wide smile began to creep across her face. "...W-Wesley...beheaded me?" she said, a hint of a giggle in her voice. Christoph nodded, watching as Cassandra started to unravel mentally yet again. She giggled more, which grew into a laugh. Eventually, she looked back to Christoph, a wild grin on her face. "He cut my head off! My oh my! He grew a pair of fat ones, didn't he? Well, I think its time I go and return the favor! Better yet, I'll grant them ALL the same parting gift!" she said, slipping off the table. She stood up, offering her hand to Christoph. "Thank you, doctor! Your assistance is greatly appreciated!" she stated.

Christoph reached up and shook her hand. "Any time, Lady Bainbridge." Cassandra then turned about, and disappeared in a blur. Leaving the master alchemist alone in the morgue.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil wasted no time getting into the action as he cast an ice lance into one of the revenants as hard as he could. The problem was there were so many of them, easily outnumbering the Inquiry quite handily. Hopefully, they would come up with a plan of battle quickly in order to deal with this new threat.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister kept silent on the journey to the village, doing his best to keep his agitation from souring his mood too much. They were fast nearing the end of their journey. One way or another.

When the revenants rushed out to attack, Alesiter quick drew his revolver. Instead of firing, he steadied his horse and began casting an energy bolt with his other hand, targeting the nearest revenant to blast it to pieces with divine magic.

 

[Breadman]

The closer they got to their destination the worse it would become. Theodore knew this and the revenants were of little surprise. Problem was, these creatures wouldn't go away if they killed a necromancer. They would have to be eliminated manually.

He lid a fuse and tossed a firebomb in the middle of them.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille's grip tightened on the reins of their horse as they drew closer to the village, able to tell that something sinister was about even without any supernatural senses. The way the mist rolled in, with wrathful whispers on the horizon - she knew that a battle was coming. Quickly she drew her rapier and got off of her horse, stepping off of it as she pulled quills from her holster. The huntress was better at dodging on her feet rather than on horseback, so she strode toward the revenants slowly. Quickly she took a combat stance, pointing her blade at one of them before moving in and stabbing the closest one.

 

[Infab]

Black Hollow - Dilapidated Village - TURN 1
Ethraeil = 9. Does 5 DMG (RAGNAROK, Avatar of Death) to Revenant #1. Revenant #1 HP = 15.
Aleister = 10. CH Roll = 8. Does 15 DMG (RAGNAROK, Holy Miracles) to Revenant #2. Revenant #2 HP = 5.
Theodore = 7. Does 10 DMG (RAGNAROK, Man of Science, Calculated Risk) to Revenant #5. Revenant #5 HP = 10.
Camille = 5 + 2 (7, Infallible Focus.). Does 3 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Revenant #7. Revenant #7 HP = 17.
Wesley = 3. Misses Revenant #3.
Francis = 6. Does 3 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Revenant #4. Revenant #4 HP = 17.
Rosanna = 5. Does 6 DMG (RAGNAROK, A Certain Kind of Horsewoman) to Revenant #6. Revenant #6 HP = 14.
Valeria = 3. Missed Revenant #8.

Black Hollow - Dilapidated Village - TURN 1 (ENEMY)
Revenant #1 = 1. Misses Ethraeil.
Revenant #2 = 7. Targets Aleister. Chance to Dodge (A Vampire's Finesse.) D6 used. Chance Roll = 5. Chance Successful. Counter-Attack Chance = 4. Chance Successful. Aleister avoids taking damage, and does 3 DMG to Revenant #2. Revenant #2 HP = 2.
Revenant #3 = 5. Does 3 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Wesley. Wesley HP = 20.
Revenant #4 = 5. Targets Francis. Chance for Armor to Absorb Damage (Iron Man.) Chance Roll = 7. Chance Successful. Francis takes no damage.
Revenant #5 = 7. Does 3 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Theodore. Theodore HP = 20.
Revenant #6 = 1. Misses Rosanna.
Revenant #7 = 5 - 1 (4. Grand Duelist.) Misses Camille. Chance to Counter-Attack (Reflexive Riposte.) D6 used. Chance Roll = 6. Chance Successful. Does 3 DMG to Revenant #7. Revenant #7 HP = 14.
Revenant #8 = 4. Misses Valeria.
Revenant #9 = 7. Does 3 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Wesley. Wesley HP = 17.
Revenant #10 = 10. CH Roll = 9. Does 7 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Rosanna. Rosanna HP = 16.
Revenant #11 = 6. Does 3 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Valeria. Valeria HP = 20.
Revenant #12 = 10. CH Roll = 6. Does 6 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Theodore. Theodore HP = 14.
Revenant #13 = 3 - 1 (2, Menacing Aura.) Misses Ethraeil.
Revenant #14 = 7. Does 3 DMG (RAGNAROK) to Rosanna. Rosanna HP = 13.
Revenant #15 = 3. Misses Valeria.

------
​

The group quickly engaged the incoming revenants, picking their targets quickly and attacking. The Revenants seemed to do the same, proving they had the intelligence to go for the heavy hitters of the group instead of the weaker ones. They weren't prepared, however, for Aleister's holy magic. His ball of light punched through its target, burning the creature quite badly, but somehow he remained standing. He retaliated, swinging his axe at Aleister upon his horse, whom simply leaned out of the way and fired a shot from his revolver into the revenant's skull. Still, it remained standing. Ethraeil's ice spear pierced through the revenant he had flung it at, ripping through his torso and embedding in the dirt behind him. The Revenant continued towards him, throwing what appeared to be a partially broken spear at the lich. He missed, flinging it wide.

Theodore's firebomb managed to hit a single revenant, burning the creature quite badly. Still, it soldiered on, smacking its warhammer against Theodore's armor and almost knocking him off his horse. Another revenant, sneaking up behind, smacked the dull blade of his axe against Theodore as well. Francis fired off a shot from his shotgun at a revenant, the buckshot peppering the creature's torso. The buckshot shattered ribs, while also bouncing off bits of rusted plate armor that remained. It attempted to counter attack, but Francis's makeshift armor absorbed the blow from the creature's sword. Wesley's shot missed its target, but the target didn't miss him. He was whacked by a dull hatchet, as well as a sword from behind.

Camille began to show a bit more finesse than she usually did, easily stabbing her target and avoiding his retaliation in order to strike him again. Rosanna, however, managed to hit her mark before being ganged up on by three of the revenants. Valeria missed her shot, but took only one hit out of three than had also attacked her.

Once Rosanna shoved the three revenants off, she looked to the others. Then, she started doing something odd. She tossed her revolver to Theodore, along with ammunition, before tossing her rifle (and its ammo) to Francis. "Get yer asses out of here!" she said, looking to Valeria as she drew the sword from the side of her saddlebag before hopping off Rayham. She gave the horse a slap on the rump, and Rayham darted off back the way the group had came. Valeria gave her a look. "Rose, we're not going to just lea--" she managed to get out, before Rosanna stopped her. "This is where I leave y'all! Get goin'! Go kill the Duke! I got a score to settle with that dullahan knight 'round here somewhere." she said, waving Camille nearby to get on her horse.

Valeria looked at her for a moment. "...Good luck, Rose." she said simply, before motioning to the others to follow as she charged her horse through some of the revenants. The rest quickly followed, darting through the opening in the revenants and through the dilapidated village of Black Hollow. The buildings looked to have been long abandoned, rotting and falling apart. The ground was moist, likely from rain and the mist settling into the soil. There were some skeletons scattered about as well, likely victims of the Devonshire Twins nefarious schemes. They did see the horse that Sir Tristyn first appeared on, tied to a dead tree on the other side of the village as they emerged. The knight was there. Somewhere.

They continued on into the mist on the other side of the village, heading upwards through the pass towards the Castle. Meanwhile, Rosanna fought on against the revenants alone. She'd survive this. She had to survive this. She needed to put that knight down once and for all.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil was shocked to see what Rosanna was doing. Was she really going on a suicide mission like this? He almost moved to protest but then realized that perhaps she was taking his own words to heart when they spoke under the tree. Ethraeil only nodded, albeit with sorrow, and followed Valeria. But not before lobbing an ice lance at the revenant damaged by Aleister quickly, at least to try to even the odds a little.

 

[K0mori]

Francis's armor may have prevented him from being cleaved, but the impact still knocked the wind out of a man who spent most of his home life sitting behind a desk. He was still trying to regain his composure when Rosanna forked over her rifle and charged off in search of the enemy Dullahan. He grunted his annoyance; while there was no love lost in seeing the freak depart, possibly to her death, he knew that the inquiry would be less capable without her. He found himself thinking, If you're going to die, couldn't you at least wait until you stop being useful!?

 

[Dmaster]

Camille weaved her way out of the incoming strike, pivoting on her foot to deliver yet another stab to the apparitions would-be vitals as she sneered. There was shouting taking place but she was too focused on staying alive to hear them fully. A quick shove by Rosanna got her to tune her hearing, and she looked utterly confused as she was gestured onto her own horse. She would be staying behind? While the huntress was not too fond of the dullahan she knew this would be suicide, and no one deserved to go out like this. Yet even still it was obviius that fighting these would just allow the Duke more time to conduct his insane plot.

"Good luck." Camille said simply, lashing her reins and riding off with the rest of the group.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister tugged the reigns of his horse as the beast brayed in displeasure from being pulled sharply around to avoid the foe surrounding them. These skeletal soldiers were tougher than he thought, and he leveled his revolver with one hand and aimed for their heads to try and put them down with silver bullets.

Rose's words caught his attention on the wind as gunfire and magic cracked. He stared incredulously at her as she tossed her guns and ammunition to the inquiry members and sent her beloved horse running. It was like the next scene in that great tragic-comedy that reared its disfigured face at him more and more recently. It had pierced his heart when Mariette burned, and it had beat him upon the head at Valeria's admission of Sazak. Now he could see it again, hiding behind the trees, its dual mask shifting between tears and mocking laughter.

"Damn you, woman!" He shouted as his horse reared, the others already urging their horses forward and his own mount wishing to go. "Damn you! Save this grandstanding for the fables!"

The skeletons kept coming and the horse would not stay, nor could he. He fired again at another one, but spurred his horse onward to follow with the rest of the inquiry. How could she chose now, of all times, to do such a thing? None doubted her strength. None could. Yet there were many revenants, and if that corrupted dullahan was near, then there was no doubting that the chances of leaving this place alive... was slim.

 

[Infab]

An hour passed, as the group put Black Hollow far behind them. Traveling further up the mountain pass towards Castle Ellisgate. The mist thinned out a bit as they moved upwards, enough to see the castle looming in the distance. Large, made of nothing but massive stone bricks and likely bearing a labyrinth of rooms inside. A testament to the building skills of mankind during the Age of Darkness. It served as the capital of the territory during the Age of Darkness, and now sits as a reminder of an age past. The Duke, however, seemed to have other intentions for it.

As they neared what appeared to be a village surrounding the front gate of the castle, they were greeted by two tall men. Clad in dark colored armor, with visible red eyes through the slits in their helmets. They seemed to be like that of Edmond, more children of Sazak's twisted experiments. As the group stopped, prepared to battle the pair of vampiric knights, one of the knights spoke. "Duke Ashwood wishes to give thee one final chance. Return the way thoust came, and you shalt not be harmed. If thou doth not, a dire fate will befell thee." Valeria responded quickly, shifting in her saddle as she gripped her sword. "We can't do that, and he knows it. We're here for the ring, and to punish him for what he's done." she stated aloud, eyeing the pair of knights. They were missing parts of their armor, apparently due to age. Splotches of their armor were quite badly rusted. These creatures had been here for quite a long time. Perhaps since they were created.

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"WHERE ARE YA, YA FUCKIN' TIN MAN?!" shouted Rosanna, eyes as black as the night sky above. She had slain all the revenants. It took a while, but she had done it. In the process, she had been stabbed, battered, and all around beaten. She had lost her hat, and her clothes were torn in places. But she still did it. She walked through the streets of Black Hollow, looking about for the armored dullahan. He was here, she could feel it. She had also seen his horse, tied to a tree on the other side of the village. She dealt with that problem, cutting the rope and sending the horse running off. He wouldn't be running away this time.

She gripped her golden edged sword tightly, eventually emerging into the village square. The buildings were falling apart, and only seemed to be filled with rotting food, cobwebs, and skeletons of people long dead. The square itself was littered with trash and broken carts. A well sat at the center, likely dry. She approached it, peeking down into it once she arrived. She couldn't see the bottom, but she wasn't worried about whether it had water or not. She was looking for someone.

Soon, she felt him approach. The knight emerged from an alleyway between a general goods shop and a blacksmith. He marched with intent, the clanks of his armor audible even from where she was standing. In his right hand, his longsword. Rosanna turned to face him, cracking a smile. "Well now, there ya are. Been waitin' for ya, big guy. Time ta settle things 'tween us." she stated, as he continued to approach. Eventually, he stopped a short distance from her, and moved into the same stance he had used when they first fought back in Oar's Rest. She paused for a moment, before chuckling. This whole situation was kind of crazy. A cowgirl versus a knight from the Age of Darkness in a fight to the death, in a dead village in the mountains. "Helluva way ta go out, but..." she said softly, before preparing herself.

Sir Tristyn simply gurgled. As he usually did. She frowned. "...Yer move, tin man." she said. And the knight moved.

 

[joshuadim]

Turning back now would be an insult to Rosanna and her sacrifice for the inquiry to get here, Ethraeil knew that much as he listened to the knight speak. In a silent anger, Ethraeil threw an ice lance at the knight that spoke.