Fantasy Hunter's Moon: The Sin & Sentence [IC] [CLOSED]

[joshuadim]

"Doesn't hurt to do so." the wizard spoke to Hudson as he himself got ready to fight. With two more shadows as well as some minions of theirs joining the fight, Venextos knew that they needed to cut down the enemy's strength in numbers. He prepared to fire a retaliatory spell at one of the shadow knights should it try to attack him or a nearby ally.

 

[Doomevil]

Senya shook her head in disapproval, still keeping her eyes on the Shadow. What the hell was Loque doing? Didn't she realize this shadow is only trying to gain sympathy points to try to attack them? Now wasn't the time. "She's lying, Leakhena. We've faced enough shadows to know that they're only trying to take over our bodies. Seriphine, Wesley, Henderson. Don't you think it's a huge coincidence she happens to be with Gwen's shadow?" She tried to talk some sense into her, one more word from the Shadow's mouth and she might have to cut off their duel and resort to a full on attack.

Visenya slowly turned to the demon, tilting her head as she spoke about finding a different way than to fight Senya. She had to agree with the demon at least, they both knew it was better to live on the surface up there. To live a life without worry, to explore, to find love. She wanted to experience that again, this time for herself. But to find another vessel, would those memories be forgotten and erased? Senya's trait was what made her, to throw all that away and find someone different. It won't play out the same as here, perhaps not so positive.

"I'm afraid if I find someone else, what I've done would all be worthless. Vessel through vessel? Is that a good life to you? I don't want to exist, I want to live." She exclaimed, causing Senya to take a step forward.

"Not a fucking word. Don't push your luck, you're still outnumbered." Senya reminded her. Visenya scoffed, half annoyed. "If you value your reputation, I suggest you play fair for once."

Senya widened her eyes completely, tightening the grip around her shotgun handle. She wouldn't dare to reveal it all in the open.

 

[Infab]

The Land of Dead Kings - Vucrox (The Keep) - Shadow Battle (Senya & Gwen)
Shadow Senya (Shadow Demon), Shadow Gwen (Shadow Demon), 6 Shadow Knights (Shadow Manifestations)

The Land of Dead Kings - Vucrox (The Keep) - Shadow Battle (Senya & Gwen) - TURN 1

The two primary shadow battles will be determined with five turns of coin flips, three coin flips per turn.
Heads means Senya or Gwen, Tails means Shadow Senya or Shadow Gwen.
The other battle against the Shadow Knights (and whatever other entities that join in) will be determined like normal.

S. Senya Battle
FLIP #1 = Tails
FLIP #2 = Tails
FLIP #3 = Heads

S. Senya wins the first turn.

S. Gwen Battle
FLIP #1 = Heads
FLIP #2 = Tails
FLIP #3 = Heads

Gwen wins the first turn.

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

Mariette attempts to manipulate the shadow knights to fight one another. D6 used. Chance Roll = 6. Chance Successful. Group unison has been shattered. The Shadow Knights will now fight one another every other turn.
Takato = 7. Does 4 DMG (Butoo Style) to Shadow Knight #1. Shadow Knight #1 HP = 46.
Jakob = 1 + 2 (3, With Badge & Gun.) Misses Shadow Knight #2.
Henderson = 7. Does 14 DMG (Hellish Gauntlets, Abyssal Weapon) to Shadow Knight #3. Shadow Knight #3 HP = 36.
Hudson = 3 + 1 (4, Velin's Tears.) Misses Shadow Knight #4.
Leakhena = 5. Does 3 DMG to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 47.
Venextos = 6 + 1 (7, Sorcerer Supreme.) Does 15 DMG (Sorcerer Supreme, Abyssal Weapon) to Shadow Knight #5. Shadow Knight #5 HP = 35.
Wesley = 9. Does 3 DMG to Shadow Knight #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 47.
Seriphine = 9. Does 3 DMG to Shadow Knight #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 44.
Cassandra = 8. Does 13 DMG (Abyssal Weapon) to Shadow Knight #1. Shadow Knight #1 HP = 33.
Riberta = 6. Does 6 DMG (Shadow's Claymore) to Shadow Knight #2. Shadow Knight #2 HP = 44.
Vincent = 9 + 1 (10. The Huntsman.) CH Roll = 5. Does 5 DMG to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 42.

The Land of Dead Kings - Vucrox (The Keep) - Shadow Battle (Senya & Gwen) - TURN 1 (ENEMY)
Shadow Knight #1 = 4. Misses Takato.
Shadow Knight #2 = 9. Does 5 DMG to Riberta. Riberta HP = 10.
Shadow Knight #3 = 5. Does 5 DMG to Henderson. Henderson HP = 10.
Shadow Knight #4 = 10. CH Roll = 7. Does 7 DMG to Leakhena. Leakhena HP = 8.
Shadow Knight #5 = 3. Misses Venextos.
Shadow Knight #6 = 8. Does 5 DMG to Wesley. Wesley HP = 10.

------
​

As Senya and Gwen moved to engage their respective shadows, the group moved to fight the shadowy knights. Mariette quickly manifested a spell, which she cast on the knights. It seemed successful after a moment, as the group took notice of the knights eyeing one another just as they were the group. Only time would tell, however, if they moved to attack one another instead of the group. In the meantime, the battle began, with Takato and Cassandra moving in quickly to strike at the first Shadow Knight. Takato's fists pummeled the Knight, striking its hard armor and leaving dents, and when the knight attempted to strike back, Cassandra drove her estoc's point into the spaces between the knight's armor. Forcing the knight to barely miss Takato with its sword.

Jakob fired off a shot from his shotgun, which missed the second knight, but it gave Riberta some time to close the distance and drive the blade of her claymore into the creature's shoulder with a loud clang. The knight counter-attacked, smacking his sword against the spiked plating of Riberta's armor. Meanwhile, Henderson swung his new warhammer like a bat, catching the knight in the shoulder and forcing it to stumble sideways a few feet. But the knight righted himself quickly, and swung his sword to catch Henderson across the arm.

Hudson slung his maces at the incoming fourth knight, but missed when the knight leapt to the side. Leakhena moved in herself, firing off a shot at the shadow knight which ripped through its shoulder. In response, he rushed Leakhena, slamming into her with his shoulder and knocking her down. Vincent took the chance to fire off a few shots at the shadow knight attacking Leakhena, his own shots pelting the demon's side. Nearby, Venextos charged up a powerful strike with one of his staffs, hitting the fifth shadow knight with a ball of energy. It stumbled, before charging Venextos and swinging. He missed, as Venextos quickly leapt backwards to avoid it. Finally, Wesley attempted to use his ninja skills to strike the final knight, but only managed to cut the creature with his sword. The knight reacted, striking Wesley with his armored fist to knock him away. Seriphine closed the gap as Wesley was sent reeling, and delivered a vicious slice with her blades.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson saw the knight dodging his blow as an all too real possibility, so he continued to sprint toward the shadowy figure while brandishing his angelic blade. With a flick of his wrist, the loose chains on the ground tighten and retract as the mace head pulls back toward him. In that time he has closed the distance and he is upon that same target, running him down with the point of his sword as he moves in to perform an all-out stab through the apparition's chest.

 

[Doomevil]

​

Senya snapped the chambers shut, with a devious smirk. The Warden exchanged one pellet towards the Shadow, an explosive boom echoed. Visenya immediately dodged this and threw her sword towards her, causing Senya to roll on the ground. The dark sword disappeared mid-air, only to reappear within Visenya’s left hand instantly.

Senya blasted another round, piercing the shoulder-plating, but still the Shadow failed to give in. Visenya exchanged a continuous flame against her armor, almost if she was trying to boil her alive in there. Visenya continued scorching her till she knelt against the ground, gritting her teeth until she started to scream. Senya then dropped the shotgun, shooting flames of her own in a contest match between fire and green fire. Both gave themselves a good amount of distance, staring.

Visenya assaulted with a barrage of fireballs, scattering her magic in multiple directions to make sure she couldn’t dodge them. The green fire made their mark, burning Senya’s armor and causing her to yell out in pain. The Warden rolled to the side and snatched the handle of the shotgun, aiming down until her dark counterpart grabbed it by the barrel and directed it upwards, making Senya misfire in the air. Visenya marched two steps and blasted her off her feet using a scatter blast. The Warden rolled on her side, bleeding from her mouth as she scanned for Visenya hastily. It was then her opponent readied a defensive stance, gripping a dark sword and waited patiently. Senya pressed her hands against the floor and rose, groaning as the burn wounds were still fresh beneath her armor.

Visenya gave a slow nod, raising the sword in a vertical fashion to guard her face and chest. She moved forward as Senya stood, albeit hunched and staggered. She finally pulled out Dark Shard and the shield of Therzal, activating a mechanism that launched a set of blades surrounding the edge. The Terror Knight observed this tactic, opting to do the same. A dark smog extended from her wrist, forming a spiked shield within her hand. Both got closer, shields up and swung their swords across their bodies.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato gave Cassandra a thumbs up after she managed to force the knight to miss his counter-strike. With the two moving back, Takato began to consider his next course of action, and wondered on the knight itself. The important part to strike would be the core of the shadow, that being, well, the shadowy bit. However, remembering just how they seemed to be 'built' when they encountered the shadows lacking vessels, he got an idea.

He motioned to Cassandra, and after a few failed attempts, managed to convey to her his suggestion of him striking high and her striking low, as to distract the attention of the knight. He had an additional reason for this however - it's likely that the shadow was merely solid enough that it could actually wear the armor it's been given, so, it might be possible to just strike at the armor hard enough that it forces it through the shadow, leaving it open. Him striking high would be avoiding any chance of hurting his new colleague in the process.

With clasped hands and fingers crossed, and trying his best to maintain the relationship of his internal qi and the qi of the land, he began building pressure in his hands. Once he's built enough, he'd launch the pressurized air straight at the knight's chestpiece, and if that isn't enough to force it through, he'd rush in with a precise strike.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

For just a split second after firing her shot, Leakhena's focus shifted worryingly over to Senya fighting her shadow. And not a split second later did she find herself violently knocked to the floor; a large impact wound on her back from where she was hit. Thankfully, Vincent bought her valuable time to get back up and to avoid another hit. After that, she's not going to bother standing still with her rifle. Instead, she pulls out Irin's sword. Zebulon made a comment about her 'setting them right again', and now is a very good time to see if she could.

With the flamberge in hand, she charges at the knight that struck her.

 

[Breadman]

The blade stung as it hit Henderson's arm, but it didn't stop him. It would heal. He swung towards the knight again.

 

[SniperComZero]

The shadow knights departed from the side of their shadowy master, Gwen leaning down to pick up the sword in front of her. Her body tense. As if they were mirroring each other, each brought their sword to bear, pointing its tip towards the other, before slashing the air. A custom of old Elven duelling. Gwen broke out into a sprint towards her shadow, whilst she remained still, bracing for an attack with a smirk upon her features.

What she didn't expect, however, was the queen's use of her magical ability, a long-discarded chunk of rock flying from the ceiling down towards her head. Though she was easily able to dodge it, the impact of the stone upon the ground kicked up clouds of settled dust between Gwen and her target, raising her sword over her shoulder. "Hah! Do you--" The shadow was cut off, as a sword burst through the dust, taking her by surprise as the blade hit true between plates of her armour, slicing through the clothing beneath, and nearly leaving a nasty gash that would be crippling so soon into the fight. "Hmnf. Clever."

The simple retort was met by another swing from the queen's blade, in turn met with the clang of metal upon metal, the two pushing against each other. "You, are weak." Gwen planted her foot behind herself. "And rulers, must be strong." Gwen's shadow planted her foot into her gut, sending the elf down to the ground, looming above her. Her shadow raised her sword above her head, aiming square for the ruler's heart. Only with a swift roll did she manage to get away with only a gash on her shoulder, gritting her teeth. She used her elbow to push herself to her feet, adrenaline already tending to the pain of her wound.

"And what would that make you, a warlord?" Her arm slashed at the shadow, sending her back a step with every impact. "One with a purpose." Her cold reply earned Shadow Gwen a shoulder to the jaw, forcing her to recoil, spit plastering the leather-covered plate on the queen's shoulder. The shadow's weapon lowered for only a moment, as she saw it fit to reconnect her jaw. "...And what, pray tell, would stop you rebuilding the exact same way you had before? A hundred thousand souls burned to create a facsimile of rampant hedonism."

"Then I will burn a hundred thousand more, until I get it right."

 

[K0mori]

Having avoided being attacked so far, Mariette committed to the melee by putting away the grimoire and drawing her new sword. She picked the first shadow guard to come within striking distance and, for the first time, put Cassandra's lessons into practice.

 

[Infab]

The Land of Dead Kings - Vucrox (The Keep) - Shadow Battle (Senya & Gwen) - TURN 2

S. Senya Battle
FLIP #1 = Heads
FLIP #2 = Heads
FLIP #3 = Heads

Senya wins the second turn.

S. Gwen Battle
FLIP #1 = Tails
FLIP #2 = Tails
FLIP #3 = Heads

S. Gwen wins the second turn.

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

Hudson = 5. Does 13 DMG (Heavenly Weapon) to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 29.
Takato attempts to knock Shadow Knight #1 out of their armor. D6 used. Chance Roll = 4. Chance Successful. Shadow Knight #1 is now an armorless apparition. Suffers 10 DMG. Shadow Knight #1 HP = 23.
Leakhena = 9. Does 6 DMG (Irin's Blade) to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 23.
Henderson = 5. Does 14 DMG to Shadow Knight #3. Shadow Knight #3 HP = 22.
Mariette = 6. Does 10 DMG (Hellish Sword, Armorless Knight) to Shadow Knight #1. Shadow Knight #1 HP = 13.
Jakob = 7 + 3 (10, With Badge & Gun.) CH Roll = 8. Does 6 + 9 DMG (15, With Badge & Gun, BUCKSHOT!, Shadow's Shotgun) to Shadow Knight #2. Shadow Knight #2 HP = 33.
Venextos = 8. Does 13 DMG (Abyssal Weapon) to Shadow Knight #5. Shadow Knight #5 HP = 22.
Seriphine = 9. Does 3 DMG to Shadow Knight #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 41.
Wesley = 7. Does 3 DMG to Shadow Knight #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 38.
Cassandra = 7. Does 14 DMG (Abyssal Weapon) The Crimson) to Shadow Knight # 1. Shadow Knight #1 dead.
Riberta = 5. Does 6 DMG (Shadow's Claymore) to Shadow Knight #2. Shadow Knight #2 HP = 27.
Vincent = 5 + 3 (8. The Huntsman.) Does 3 DMG to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 20.

The Land of Dead Kings - Vucrox (The Keep) - Shadow Battle (Senya & Gwen) - TURN 2 (ENEMY)

Shadow Knight #2 = 8. Does 5 DMG to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 15.
Shadow Knight #3 = 10. CH Roll = 10. Does 8 DMG to Shadow Knight #2. Shadow Knight #2 HP = 19.
Shadow Knight #4 = 6. Does 5 DMG to Shadow Knight #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 33.
Shadow Knight #5 = 5. Does 5 DMG to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 10.
Shadow Knight #6 = 7. Does 5 DMG to Shadow Knight #5. Shadow Knight #5 HP = 17.

------
​

Hudson charged the knight, the sword ready to deliver one hell of a stab, but would find that the knight was quite nimble. Although he avoided a stab, the sword still sliced a gash in the creature's side. Leakhena would then use her own angelic blade, slicing the demon across its back before Vincent pounded it more with rifle shots.

Takato, nearby, enacted a plan he had silently constructed with Cassandra. He moved in quickly, and delivered one hell of a punch to the creature's chest. The impact was hard enough that it forced the chest piece of the armor THROUGH the demon's spectral form, sending it bouncing and skidding across the frozen floor behind it. It left it wide open for Mariette, whom rushed in with her sword. Joining in on their plan. Her sword thrusted into the spectral form of the shadow demon, before Cassandra's estoc's point shoved its way through the demon's neck. The shadow demon let out a deafening scream, before bursting violently. Sending bits of armor and metal flying.

Henderson delivered some payback with his warhammer, smacking the knight yet again and sending it sailing through the air. It hit a shard of ice, jutting up from the floor, which shattered upon impact. Meanwhile, Jakob fired off another shot at the Knight he had been targetting. The buckshot ripped through the demon's armor, just before Riberta's claymore hit the demon across the side in a baseball style swing.

Venextos hit the same demon he had been eeyeballing with another spell, knocking the demon backwards with a ball of lightning. Meanwhile, Wesley and Seriphine would both deliver more hits against their own Shadow Knight. Then, the group noticed Mariette's spell taking effect. One by one, the knights would begin attacking one another. Sword slices, shoulder impacts, even a bodyslam was thrown in. It was all quite the spectacle.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato released the pressurized air, aimed straight at the knight's chestpiece. After a few blasts, he could tell that it was slipping, so he charged onward and concentrated everything into his fist, punching the armor straight through the shadow knight's chest. As the chest piece bounced and skidded across the frozen floor behind it, the knight stumbled back, allowing Mariette and Cassandra to deal the final blows and defeat it.

Takato walked up to the two and placed his hands on their shoulders, patting them for defeating the foe and giving them a smile, before looking over to see whom to strike against next. Looking past the impressive job Mariette did, he concentrated on finding whom would be best to deal with next. The shadow knight Seriphine and Wesley were fighting, it seemed to be in best spirits right now. He rushed over to help them, intending to do a flurry of strikes as to distract it from the others.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson scrambled on his feet slightly as his stab only managed to graze the dark knight, skidding on his boots before he swiveled about and met his enemy once again. Just as he was preparing to swing again, the knight turned around completely and began to get into a melee with the others. While this made the hunter confused, he was not one to miss a perfectly good opportunity. Taking a step back he lashed out one of Velin's Tears, aiming to knock the knight he slashed previously square in the back with the flaming mace.

 

[Breadman]

Henderson grinned as the knights began to lay waste to one another. He didn't quite know why they started bashing each other, but it didn't matter to him. He lined up his next hit to knock the same knight right into the rest like he was playing croquet.

 

[Doomevil]

As both knights swiped their swords across each other horizontally, each of them parried with their shields, a loud clank vibrating. Senya shifted her body to the left and charged with her shield, shoving her shadow back and managed to cut the chest area of the shadow before Visenya can raise her guard. The open wound spewed out a thick dark smog. Visenya grunted, holding back the pain she felt in order to intimidate Senya. She nevertheless kept marching, the long sword in her hand as swung it again but Senya rolled to the side.

Visenya clenched her hand and glared at her, charging like a raving wolf and swiped her sword down so hard Senya could feel the wind in her face. The Warden thankfully dodged but barely, igniting her sword and swung it against Visenya’s shoulder, causing a big gash that spewed flames and smog. Senya gave a confident smirk and marched, shield bashing against the counterpart’s shield repeatedly til Visenya staggered over her footing. She couldn’t believe this, the actual mutant was gaining the edge.

Yet Senya couldn’t help but notice her left hand was shaking so much, in a duel to the death. She sighed tiredly, breaking her rule during these fights.

“I didn't expect you to be so different than the other shadows. I would have expected someone more hateful and silent. Why is that?" Senya asked to her shadow counterpart, allowing her to speak up and get under her skin. Visenya exhaled through her nostrils, "You betrayed your own code, friends, and honor. And now you have the guts to ask me, when you should have asked yourself that a long time ago. I admired you so much, until you took away what you swore to be. I don't envy you anymore. I pity you."

The sin that got Senya here was indeed envy, and it hit harder than anything else to hear that, especially when the shadow felt too genuine. Senya restarted her defensive stance and tried to conserve her strength for the next assault, because she had a feeling Visenya will hit harder in words and swords. To honor the same, Visenya took a few steps back and readied the sword close to her dark shield.

"You don't have to. I was wrong." Senya frowned, her left hand trembling.

 

[SniperComZero]

The next clashing of blades left an already-weakened Gwen stumbling backward, the glare of malicious intent of her shadow looming above her with each deafening clang. "You murdered out of Lust?" The shadow inquisited of her mirror, blade scraping across the handguard of her own weapon. "All of us died, because you couldn't keep your underwear on, sure..." Gwen pushed away at the blade near her hand, only for her shadow to step to the side, and allow Gwen to slash at the air, a low slash cutting at her legs. "...But that can't be why you're here." A cold glare was delivered from above to the elf, clutching at her thigh.

"What are you?" The shadow gripped tightly to the hilt of her own weapon, a lull in the fighting between them both. "No remorse for anyone who died, directly or indirectly through your hand? No remorse for all the other lives, all the other families and kingdoms that you destroyed? All for some cheap notion of paradise for elves? Maybe you're really of wrath? Greed?" Even amongst the chaotic fighting that surrounded them, the two found time to pace around each other. "I... I did what was necessary. Everything that happened was out of my control!" The queen's hand trembled upon her sword. "Was it really? Were you not the one who let that saccharine poison of the hag queen influence you? Who let it blind you to her letting it slip into ruin?"

Gwen's trembling, pain-ached hand tightened. "You fight for something that doesn't exist anymore. So long as you're the one who fights for it, it will never exist." "Shut up... Shut up shut up SHUT UP!" Walking through her limp, a newly-enraged Gwen let out a flurry of slashes over her opponent, the blade scratching and denting new marks in the apparition's armour with every strike. Glancing, but attacking with a hundred times more fury than she already had been. "What I built was glorious! I will do what I did a thousand more times, until I can build it to last a thousand years!"

"Hmf. I see. Vainglory, then?"

 

[K0mori]

Watching her spell wreak havoc, Mariette couldn't help but feel superior as she plunged her sword into the spectral form of one of the demons. As always, a bit of imagination was a powerful boost to physical strength. But as Mariette looked up, she checked on the others in the group and suddenly had a sense that all was not well. She had to remind herself that she was not alive, like the others, and so their survival was still her top priority.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob watched as Mariette's spell caused the shadow knights to fight each other. He looked at her direction and gave her a thumbs up before loading another shell to his shotgun. He then looked at Senya and the Elf woman, the warrior woman seems to be winning against her shadow, but the Elf received a hit on the last attack. "Tsk... fucking Hell!" He was going to turn his attention on the shadow, but just as he was taking aim, a knight that was fighting another one came too close for comfort and ultimately he took a shot at the knight.

 

[joshuadim]

Venextos continued on the offensive against the singular knight he had been attacking, now charging both of his staves with fire in one and ice in the other. He was intent on destroying the creature with a jetstream combining both elements and to finally remove it from the fight.

 

[Infab]

The Land of Dead Kings - Vucrox (The Keep) - Shadow Battle (Senya & Gwen) - TURN 3

S. Senya Battle
FLIP #1 = Tails
FLIP #2 = Heads
FLIP #3 = Tails

S. Senya wins the third turn.

S. Gwen Battle
FLIP #1 = Heads
FLIP #2 = Heads
FLIP #3 = Tails

Gwen wins the third turn.

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

Takato = 10. CH Roll = 8. Does 6 + 1 DMG (7, Butoo Style) to Shadow Knight #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 31.
Hudson = 8 + 1 (9, Velin's Tears.) Does 3 + 1 (4, Velin's Tears) to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 16.
Henderson = 6. Does 14 DMG to Shadow Knight #3. Shadow Knight #3 HP = 8. Chance for Execution. Execution Rolls = 2, 4. Chance Failed. Shadow Knight #3 regains HP. Shadow Knight #3 HP = 25.
Leakhena = 8. Does 13 DMG (Irin's Angelic Blade) to Shadow Knight #4. Shadow Knight #4 HP = 3. Chance for Execution. Execution Rolls = 10, 6. Chance Successful. Shadow Knight #4 dead.
Mariette = 9. Does 6 DMG (Hellish Weapon) to Shadow Knight #5. Shadow Knight #5 HP = 16.
Jakob = 9 + 1 (10, With Badge & Gun.) CH Roll = 7. Does 5 + 9 DMG (14, With Badge & Gun, BUCKSHOT!, Shadow's Shotgun) to Shadow Knight #2. Shadow Knight #2 HP = 13
Venextos = 1. Misses Shadow Knight #5.
Seriphine = 10. CH Roll = 3. Does 4 DMG to Shadow Knight #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 27.
Wesley = 3. Misses Shadow Knight #6.
Cassandra = 10 (Shadowdancing.) CH Roll = 9. Does 6 + 15 DMG (21, Shadowdancing, Abyssal Weapon) to Shadow Knight #5. Shadow Knight #5 dead.
Riberta = 9. Does 6 DMG to Shadow Knight #2. Shadow Knight #2 HP = 7. Chance for Execution. Execution Rolls = 5, 1. Chance Successful. Shadow Knight #2 dead.
Vincent = 9 + 1 (10, The Huntsman.) CH Roll = 4. Does 5 DMG to Shadow Demon #6. Shadow Knight #6 HP = 22.

The Land of Dead Kings - Vucrox (The Keep) - Shadow Battle (Senya & Gwen) - TURN 3 (ENEMY)
Shadow Knight #3 = 10. CH Roll = 9. Does 8 DMG to Henderson. Henderson HP = 2. Chance for Knockout. Chance Rolls = 5, 2. Chance Successful. Mariette intervenes on behalf of Henderson (Drink to Me), and is KO'd.
Shadow Knight #6 = 7. Does 5 DMG to Takato. Takato HP = 10.

------
​

Takato rushed his target, delivering a flury of blows to the knight that Seriphine and Wesley were still attacking. It forced Wesley to miss, but Seriphine's slashes cut through the Shadow Knight's armor just as Vincent's gunshots sounded off. The bullets ripped through its armor, sending spurts of black smoke out of the exit holes.

Hudson and Leakhena continued their assault on their own target, with Hudson's mace head colliding with the knight and sending it stumbling. Right into Leakhena's killzone. She delivered a series of vicious stabs with the angelic blade, before twirling about and beheading the shadow. There was no scream this time, as the armor burst apart. The remains of the shadow evaporating into thin air.

Venextos launched a dual attack with his staves, which the knight seemed to read and quickly dodge with surprising agility. It would, however, find itself under attack by different foes. Mariette and Cassandra both set upon the knight, using their vampiric speed to keep up with the demon. Mariette's blade carved through the creature's armor, but what came next was rather shocking.

Mariette witnessed Cassandra do the same movement that she had done back at the mansion when she had overdosed on Romanov blood. She seemed to almost teleport around the room, her movements so rapid that it was near impossible to track. Cassandra had explained it only once before, referring to it playfully as 'shadowdancing'. The demon didn't seem to know how to react, its head snapping about attempting to track her. Cassandra's laughter started to echo through the room, before suddenly ceasing as the point of her estoc burst from the front of the demon's helmet. She had moved behind it, prepared herself, and thrusted its blade cleanly through its head. No scream from the shadow here either, as its armor burst off.

Jakob moved and opened fire on the knight closest to him, the buckshot nearly taking a leg off the knight, before Riberta rushed in and punched the demon with her armor clad fist. The demon spun about, as Riberta grabbed onto its armor at the neck with a hand. A moment later, she drove her claymore up through the demon's torso, ending its life and forcing its armor to burst off and slide about.

Henderson, refocusing his efforts on his own knight, caught the demon in the shoulder with the warhammer. Knocking it onto the floor. As he lifed the hammer overhead to drive it down onto the demon's head, the demon managed to look up just in time to see it coming. It rolled out of the way, grabbing its sword and driving it through Henderson's chest. It jerked it back out, flipping the weapon about to grab it by the blade, and prepared to hit Henderson across the head with the hilt of the sword. But it would find that it would connect with a far different target.

Having sensed something was wrong, Mariette rushed the pair and slammed shoulder first into Henderson. Knocking him aside with her vampiric strength. She would get caught across the side of the face by the hilt of the sword, sending her onto the ice. She slid a few feet to a stop, knocked out cold by the blow.

Cassandra witnessed it all, her gaze snapping to the demon. "You BASTARD!!!" she spat, gripping her estoc tightly in a rage as she darted towards the demon.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"Oh, you mother fucker!" shouted Jakob upon seeing Mariette unconscious on the floor. It was enough to anger the detective, but instead of taking a shot, he rushed to Mariette's side and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Come on, girl, wake up!" As Jakob tended to his friend, Edmond, who was watching from the back as the group fought in an attempt to not get in the middle of combat due to his large size, quickly jumped into the fight and rushed towards the demonic knight along with Cassandra.

 

[Damian0358]

His strikes hitting true, Takato rushed the knight, as the others followed him up. Stepping back and raising his hand up towards Wesley to indicate he didn't mean to make him miss, he found his attention quickly taken aback by the movements Mariette and Cassandra were doing, especially the latter. That was nothing short of impressive, and further pushed him to keep up, but the 'shadowdancing' and soon after Mariette's decision to take the blow for Henderson distracted him long enough that the knight he had distracted had moved in to strike at the hermit, slamming hard against him.

Regaining his stance, and stepping back, the oni considered what to do next, before remembering how the knights were striking at one another earlier. Whether or not it'd happen again now that the one responsible for the incantation was knocked out, he wasn't sure, as he wasn't that familiar with Adonian magic. However, it wouldn't hurt to try. He tried to communicate to the others the same way he did with Cassandra an idea, this time of pushing the knight they were fighting closer to the one that had just knocked out one of their own. If they kept up the pressure, they'd probably be able to defeat both of 'em easily, but it'd probably raise everyone's spirits if the ones to defeat them were themselves (and thus, in turn, Mariette).

Raising his aura high, he charged at the knight, as to slam into it to counter the slam he had just received, but also to try and push it closer to the other knight, thus in turn restricting its movements to allow the others to strike.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson shuffled about as Leakhena suddenly stabbed into the demonic apparition with her own blade, rather surprised at how she came out of nowhere to make such a strike. At this revelation he gives her a small nod, his expression masked by his helmet. Having retracted the mace back to his person he gripped his long sword with both hands, approaching after shifting into a key stance as he moved onto the offensive. The hunter would deflect an oncoming strike to allow his blade to strike into the shadowy knight.

Just then, Mariette fell and he glanced to the commotion it caused. While he was too preoccupied and focused to be vocal about it like the others, Hudson was confident that she would make it. He was under the impression that the vampire was more resilient than she and the others let on.

 

[Breadman]

Henderson slowly got up and held his chest as the wound hadn't begun to heal. Mariette managed to push him out of the way and saved him a headache. God work on that, but it wouldn't help him close the giant hole in his chest. The mutant bared his teeth and lunged towards the knight. He was going to take his own pound of flesh.

 

[K0mori]

As Mariette rolled to a stop, she slid close to the bones of Trig'dranuuch, which exerted its fierce aura and chill on all its surroundings. She was unconscious and utterly numb to Jakob's pleas who, as he jostled her, noticed the dark impression where the sword hilt had struck her. On an ordinary human being, the spot would develop into a terrible bruise, but on the vampire's cold and pale skin, it was simply a distortion, a patch of crushed flesh concealing a cracked skull that was already at work mending itself. The fact that he could still sense her aura was the only way Jakob was sure she was even alive, as, obviously, she had neither a pulse nor breath.

Below her chin, the red pearl eyes embedded within the face sculpted into her armor began to glow brightly, and Jakob watched a strange shimmer crawl across its metal surfaces. He could sense the demonic aura within, weak, but slowly growing stronger...

---​

In her unexpected sleep, Mariette dreamed of a strange, hellish corridor, whose blackened and molded bricks were encased in a layer of ice. She stumbled forward, aimlessly opening doors into torturous chambers, both like and unlike the torments she had experienced in the last thirty years, and in each contraption or ritual she witnessed, her own agonized face glowered back at her in despondent self hatred. She slammed each door closed and forged onward, increasingly fearful of the sight of her own damnation from the outside in, increasingly dumbfounded at her own capitulation. How could she allow herself to accept such nihilism? Such pointless self-destruction!?

At last, she opened a door, ready to strike at the phantoms within, but what lay beyond the door was not another scene of the Abyss. Instead, she was confronted by the Inquisitors at Grimtham, holding her disembodied head like a curiosity. What to do with the rebellious, self-serving vampire? Stunned and horrified by the gruesome image she had tried so hard and so long to rationalize, or even justify, she flew back from the portal and sought another escape- this time opening a door to witness her own immolation in the sun.

She screamed, slamming the door shut again. Again and again, each door brought new memories, new visions of the past and the future that confused and enraged her. Her life, swallowed by pain and punishment, shame and defeat. The more she wanted to fight and destroy the perpetrators, the more difficult she found it to blame her suffering on others, and so she raced forward, unwilling to dwell on it any further. But even then, as she attempted to put these things behind herself, she was confronted by a final barrier.

Ahead, a wall with no door greeted her: the end of the corridor. On the musty stone floor, just steps away, was a bucket of water bubbling with suds, and a simple rag. Hopelessly, she fell to her knees, looked back over her shoulder at the life she had lived, and the eternity which awaited her at the end of it. With a trembling hand, she picked up the rag and set it down on the ice-laden stone and began to scrub. Where was Cassandra, to pull her away from this? Where was Jakob? Had she really ignored them enough that they were forced to abandon her here?

The ice began to freeze the moisture in the rag, creeping through the fabric and onto Mariette's cold, undead skin. She would be trapped here, forever, and it was her own fault, her own choosing, just like the episodes she subjected herself to along the way. And then, she heard a whisper. The voice made little sense to her at first, but as she sat and wept there, her arm encased in frost, it began to shed its mystery.

"You are not alone," it whispered. "We can live on, together... there is time enough to live, Countess."

"Who are you?" Mariette asked, sniffling. "You're a demon, aren't you?"

"Yes... You chose me to be your humble servant, Mariette. But... your face... I cannot protect something that is out of my grasp."

Mariette lifted her free hand and rubbed the side of her face which had been struck, and felt the damage to her flesh. "Are you my... I- I'm having a nightmare, non? The others! The others are still fighting, I need to help them..."

"You'll awaken when your body has healed, and there is nothing I can do to expedite that tedious process. At least... not as long as you wish to remain one of the lowly, tortured souls in this wasteland. But you don't deserve such a fate. I can help you. I can shield you, and protect you, and-"

"-we can live on together," Mariette echoed. And in the glaze of ice which covered the stone floor, she saw a reflection of the pearl eyes of her 'humble servant' glow crimson below her chin, and then, a flicker of gold within her own. She could sense a cloying corruption leech out from her companion, and she struggled to resist it. "...No, I don't want this. You are trying to deceive me! Whether I live or die, it can only be my choice. I will not return to the mortal realm as some sort of marionette for a dead Icon's-"

"That is NOT what this is," the voice interrupted. "I am not in control of what is happening to your soul, Mariette. By wearing me and approaching Trig'dranuuch's eternal power, you have subjected yourself to a truly infernal influence... one which your companions may soon experience as well. You may rid yourself of me when you wake, but there will always be a part of the Abyss within you. And the longer you accept my services and linger in the tomb of fallen titans who even now, rest in power, the more the Abyss will take root and grow."

Mariette clutched at herself, but found that the armor was only present in her icy reflection. "I want you off of me, now!" she demanded.

"You will need to wake up, first," the demon replied, calmly. "But listen now: I said nothing of the mortal realm, Mariette. If you plan to stay here alone, in this hostile world, you will either go hollow or be recaptured by your tormentors. But together, we can survive and remain free."

"As a demon," Mariette spat.

"...as a demon," the voice replied, "like Tariun." For a moment, Mariette was silent as the offer set in. Not all demons were evil, she knew, just like not all vampires were... if even Cassandra could be reformed, then perhaps, somewhere in the Abyss or above, Mariette could live on without harming others. Perhaps she could serve Kaizen's Chosen and continue fighting the usurpers in her own way. And if Cassandra were to return to the Abyss someday and continue serving out her penitence for the lives she took, then Mariette could whisk her away, a noble demon lover to protect her for all of time. "Does it not feel like destiny?"

"I don't know what this feels like," Mariette replied. "Is this truly irreversible?"

"Nearly. Your soul will never fully restore itself on its own, but purification can be sought, just as you have found corruption within the Abyss."

"How quickly will this progress?"

"I cannot tell you that. If you continue to lay here in this tomb, it may only be a few days. But you are moving on, soon. It could be months or even years before your soul is fully corrupted. Knowing that you have time, will you dispose of me as soon as you wake?"

"...No," Mariette replied. "I have time, as you said, and I still need you."

"Then let us live on together."

---
​

Jakob watched as the shimmer grew stronger, until the surface of the metal began to warp and split, and a few more red pearls erupted to the surface before it solidified once more. Then, from within the collar, a silvery shadow slithered its way up Mariette's neck, towards the indentation where the hilt struck her moments earlier. Jakob looked on in horror as the skin similarly rippled and warped, little red pearls emerging from the flesh of Mariette's cheek as silvery metal filled in and hardened around them. Mariette continued to sleep, apparently without experiencing any pain.