Graded [Kananto Village] The Dead Awake at Night, Part 2 (Blue Viscera Occult)

[Skyhunter]

Hello! Welcome, this is a part of the overarching group known as Isekai Hell! If you're interested in joining go ahead and click on the OOC Link and head to our Discord! Hope to see you there! Otherwise, enjoy reading this story!

This story is the second part to what finished in the first, Fantasy - [Isekai Hell] The Dead awake at Night (Blue Viscera Occult Questline)

TLDR: Read it or shove it, not my problem guy.

Within the village of Kanato, the aftermath later in the night...



The aftermath of what happened this night it has been a wild ride, the control of the people lifting off, the downfall of Mayor Dovus and how no one cared, the defeat of The Last Harbinger of Bedlam and it's charging forces of undead, then finally the reveal of the Necromancer Dahak and the now powerful artifact Lifelend. Within the closed walls of Kananto, the villagers and militiamen cheered and celebrated their standoff against the late Last Harbinger of Bedlam, even though the group that consisted of a vampire, witch, empty armor, executioner and hunter were the main reason they won and that their village wasn't ran on through by a constant rampaging purple force of undead. The grass around Kananto that lead from the east forests were stained black where this horde melted when the Harbinger was defeated.

While the villagers and militiamen were unaware that their lives were still in danger, the group that saved them did, Dahak still lived, the Lifelend was now in his hands and a strange purple light glowed from the eastern forests that floated into the sky. There was much still to go on and undead were still appearing, their freedom was far from their control, they only were able to push back the undead, who knows when another opponent or Harbinger would appear and bring the actual end this time.



Within a tavern where some of the villagers and militiamen were celebrating, our group that consisted of the witch, Renee Nyx, the vampire, Kalina Chivernu, the skeleton, Gawain, and the empty armor, Kurikara. They all sat within getting a little rest, some good eats and a plan brewing. " So, do we even have a plan of attack when we get to these caves? Are we really going on in? We are dealing with a lot now, some necromancer has a very powerful artifact that can turn weak minded people into slaves. " She explained, as they sat around a small table to the corner away from the rowdiness of the cheering ignorant crowd. Renee had a plate of food in front of her and a pint of some sort of alcohol called Sugar Spice, sweet then spicy ale. Her plate consisted of steak with gravy along with greens for healthiness. Renee was quickly eating her food and drinking her drink, all those days of travelling previously and use of magics had made Renee hungry and tired. This was a good way to regain her energy.



Within the surrounding forests...

Inside the forests there was still signs of undead, dead undead laid in the path that leads to the alone village, decrypted signs pointed to the village of Kananto. There are strange sounds that came from within these forests, like whatever was out there is now stirring, a creepy feeling falling on anyone that would hear it. A feeling of eyes would be upon anyone, purple beady eyes would be spotted within the dark reaches of this forest. Something was awakening, whether it be an eldritch horror, a long dead villain, some large beast or even a stranger threat. Who knew? The forest felt alive but dreaded death.

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
​

Mentions: Renee Skyhunter | Gawain Dante Verren

Kalina, for all intends and purposes, did not like inns. Her bloody diet made it so that most normal food just tasted bland to her, sometimes even sandy somehow, which made eating a very unpleasant exercise. Drinks didn't have a lot of taste either, other than blood of course, so she didn't wish to waste any money on them. Inns also had the nasty habit of having lots of other people in them and while Kalina was disguised as per usual, she honestly worried how much their strange group was going to stand out. A witch, a vampire, a skeleton and a living armour. You'd expect they were some evil force planning to start a massacre.

Having Renee speak up would at least allowed Kalina to focus on other problems. On the topic of other problems, something came to mind. “Ah, about that artefact.” Kalina took out the necklace she stole from the mayor earlier. “I found this in the mayor's room as well, along with the writing I told you about. It looks like nothing special to me, but that can't be, right? Surely if it was there with the letter and assumedly delivered along with that other powerful necklace, this one must also do something.”

As for a plan of attack... “What do we know about this necromancer?” She looked at Gawain in particular, who supposedly had seen and spoken to the necromancer. “I'd offer to stealthy try and scout ahead or maybe even infiltrate, but I'm afraid we don't even have enough information to know if that would work.”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia entered the town, no small amount of surprise shown on her face at the picture she saw in front of her. It seemed like quite the celebration was being held while people were burning what looked like rotting corpses. She used her appraisal skill to note down that they seemed to be undead, some sort of zombies. That just added to the lady's confusion, but with there being no other towns close by, she couldn't afford to skip this place. She was sure just sleeping a night, door locked tight, would be fine. Hopefully.

She continued forward, her eyes still looking around to make sure that nothing bad crept up on her, before finding herself in front of the town's inn. She took a breath in and pushed open the door, being met with more partying. Her eyes searched the room, trying to find a place to sit, but something caught her eye. She looked over at one table with quite the assortment of people. Looked like a witch cosplayer, a skeleton, a person in full armor, and... Her eyes widened as she noticed one of her favorite customers sitting at the table. Her feet started moving towards the table before her mind had even told her to. She made her way up behind the vampire, giving her shoulder a tap. "Hey cutie, I was wondering if a seat was open here~?"​

 

[EMIYAman]

Kurikara
Interacctions: Elvario Silent Angel


​

While many things had changed for Kurikara in a relatively short amount of time some things remained the same. One such thing was his distaste for thoughtless conversation. He understood to a degree why mortals engaged in it, in part the could not help themselves. But, that didn't mean understanding why made him like the activity anymore. Unfortunately that was abound in the place he found himself in. At the village inn the group was resting and preparing for the next part of their mission. Kurikara would have preferred to leave as soon as possible but unfortunately even he had to get some reprieve after the damage he sustained from the Harbinger, but with its death the worst of his affliction were gone yet there was still more out there to destroy. The Witch Renee and Kalina were speaking among themselves with him and the Undead Knight Gawain listening in. As they spoke of the Magical Amulet which had been in the Mayors possession and the other necklace Kalina had found he chimed in. "I have not seen this Necromancer, however my previous users have dealt with such beings before and going into their lairs with anything less than holy artifacts and scores of magic users is met by a swift end. We do not have such resources therefore all I can be sure of is to expect large amounts of undead and far more powerful variants than we faced. A Necromancer would have as much control over their domain as possible so traps are all but guaranteed." That is how conversation should be Kurikara mused informative and in service to the greater objective. He stood to the side of them since he had decided not to sit and merely stepped back once his piece had been shared.

Kurikara continued to listen for any pertinent findings their planning may reveal. He grew introspective as he thought of the changes he had undergone. They had simultaneously been slow and methodical yet also sudden and chaotic. The Kurikara who had awakened in the catacombs and the Kurikara of now felt distinct from each other. As the festivities around them continued, the smell of burning corpses was mixing with the aroma of cooked food. The pace of the groups discussion was briefly interrupted by the arrival of another. A woman with inhuman insectoid arms came up behind Kalina getting her attention. kILl the MONStEr cRusH ThE BEast sEVer THem The voices had grown worse they were now a torrent which came up much more frequently than before "Dissapear" Then just as quick as they came they faded. It seemed to be at its worst with new potential threats as he longer reacted to Gawain or Renee. Keeping them under control wasn't necessarily difficult it was just troublesome having them there. He would not yield to them for just any reason, however... Kurikara gripped his blade in a clear show of a threat to the newcomer. "Kalina Chivernu, do you know this creature?" Kurikara would make his threat clear but if Kalina was fine with this newcomer being here then he would yield. He couldn't risk potential dangers to his ally's.

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Ray A. Scarlet - Anarchist Survivalist

Fear. As bland as she thought that feeling would be now, it always found a way to crawl under her skin. Perhaps it was because she was still human, or because her brief time in this new world made her soft... Regardless. The rapid sprint she held through the dark eerie forest continued as undead flooded the flora around her, with undead up ahead of her forcing her to jump over them. If they weren't already after her neck by now, the loud clattering of glass to glass within her backpack upon her less-than-graceful landing had definitely alerted them to her presence now. With a bit of a stumble Ray continued her mad-dash through the hoard of undead lurking in the forest, with little to no indication of their presence besides the rustling of leaves and cracking of branches. As she neared the edge of the forest the trees grew more sparse, with the undead growing less numerous as well. With view of the landscape outside of the forest becoming visible as she approached the edge of the forest she gained a general sense of where she was, a few miles away from the village of Kanato. Despite the temporary relief that the sight of the town brought her, that lasted about as long as it took one of the undead to close the distance on her - nearly tackling her as both she and it fell to the ground. Although it hadn't bitten her, the fall itself had her shoulder land on a sharp rock lying on the ground, digging deep into her flesh as blood began to gush out. Without much hesitation she pulled out an arrow from her backpacks side pocket and drew back her bow string, planting the arrow into the undead's head as it struggled to get back up. A good yank dislodged the arrow, slinging her bow back over her shoulder and putting pressure onto her shoulder before starting to run again - looking back briefly as the undead that had been chasing her suddenly stopped. Now was no time to stop and think, not after it had just nearly killed her.

As Ray neared the towns gates her eyes wandered to the fields of grass around the town, stained with blood as people from the town gathered bodies and threw them into a burn pit. It definitely wasn't the first time she had seen one, or worse - smelled one. The bodies never stopped disturbing her, but a strange sense of satisfaction always helped make the sight more bearable. Maybe it was just her knowing it helped stopped disease from spreading, but the pain that ultimately welled up from the sight always reminded her of her parents. Her hand still holding the blood soaked arrow tightened its grasp as she continued on into town, reaching behind her to slot the arrow away once more for later use. The blood trickling down her arm had slowed a bit, but she could already feel the lightheadedness setting in from the blood loss - starting to stumble a little as her body begged her to rest. Despite her distain to do so now, she silently accepted her bodies need and entered the Inn she found herself close to. The cheerful chitter chatter of the patrons was tuned out as she made her way to a table next to the group of... unusual individuals. She paid them no mind as she sat down, before immediately taking off her backpack and opening it with her available hand. Her hand fumbled around inside as the other kept the wound from gushing out more, and by the time she had pulled out a lengthy piece of fabric to bandage herself with her vision started to become hazy. Her breath started to become irregular as panic slowly set in, her hands starting to scramble to tie the fabric around her shoulder to stop the bleed. Once she finally tied the bandage she rested her head onto one of her arms and watched as the fingers of her free hand twitched and shivered, silently cursing to herself as she tried to calm down to no avail.

While she now recovered from the mistake she had made earlier, she listened in on the group without looking at them. A necromancer bringing the undead with them? Perhaps the undead in the forest was their doing, though she couldn't be certain if it was just a rumor or a problematic reality. Carefully slinging her backpack onto her shoulders again she briefly stood up only to become nauseous, immediately sitting back down and suppressing the urge to puke from the fear of her own death. Although she wished to continue her journey elsewhere, her wound was far to serious at the moment to do much other than wait for her body to gradually recover.
"So much for surviving the undead... Apparently a fall onto a rock is enough to do me in." Ray mumbled to herself quietly, keeping an ear out for any additional information the group may have to offer. Though now might not be the time to act, time spent waiting never seemed to affect the undead... other than make their putrid odor worse that is.​

 

[Dante Verren]

Gawain
Interactions: Skyhunter Elvario EMIYAman Silent Angel
In Vicinity: II-CinderRadcliff-II


Gawain was annoyed, and that annoyance was quickly turning to fury. He understood that going into the necromancer's lair alone was suicide, he understood that his companions would need rest, and he understood that they needed to share information. That was why he had bit his non existent tongue and remained silent for the most part. The only time he spoke was when he had information that was needed to be shared. They could have been formulating there plan as they marched against their foe, instead they were sitting in an inn, and now some random creature just outright approached them in such a casual manner.

Gawain grabbed the nearest knife and shot up to his feet. As he stood up he drove the knife into the table. "We are going! That is not up to debate. This necromancer has killed countless people, driven this entire village to the brink of annihilation, and now has artifact called the Lifelend. I don't know what it does and I don't care what it does. We cannon't allow this monster to live for even a second longer then what is absolutely necessary." Having made his point clear he looked over to Kalina and whoever who had chosen an unfortunate time to approach the group. "That thing is a powerful magician. He managed to freeze both Dovus and I in place while reducing Dovus's wife and daughter to nothing but ash at the same time." Turning his gaze to the newcomer he spoke in his current harsh tone, "If you are a fighter then sit your ass down. If you can't fight then grab your shit and run."

The Skeleton had no desire to mask his current level of impatience. He let his voice carry around the inn and most likely draw more attention to them. Turning his eyeless gaze back to Renee he motioned towards her spell book. "You are a powerful Witch, figure out someway to stop his holding in place magic. That spell won't work on me a second time, but if it effects you all it will most likely be game over." moving his gaze to Kurikara he gave the armor a nod, "Warrior, it's our job to tear the rotting bag of flesh limb to limb." Having stated his plan Gawain settled back down into his chair, the air creaking with the impatient tapping of his armored boot against the ground.

 

[Skyhunter]

Renee Nyx



The witch enjoyed her meal, feeling much better after having used so much magic this night. She still had much to eat, but man can this woman EAT! Renee had a plate full of food and she was devouring it while drinking some good ole ale called Sugar Spice, definitely had a kick to it. Her eyes moved to her sister who revealed some sort of necklace, staring at it, Renee could feel some sort of hint of magical torrent that emitted from it. So much so that Renee put her eating utensils down and looked at it, mesmerized then to the vampire. " Kal, what you got may be of importance, keep on you when we go on this journey. If I'm thinking what kind of man Dovus was, he was most likely trying to create something with this necklace. " Renee spoke up, staring at the jewelry with focus, she picked up her mug and took another large gulp of the Sugar Spice, perhaps this jewelry was of great importance. She was about to appraise this jewelry when.

When... When, this stranger, a four armed buggy stranger approached their table, their eyes set on Kalina. Placing one of her... Pincers...? Mandibles...? Stingers...? Whatever, gross looking hands on the vampire's shoulder asking if a seat was open. Renee stared at the stranger with eyes that should have shown that Renee wasn't exactly happy, especially with how weird and creepy her red eyes looked. Renee placed her mug down and crossed her arms, leaning forward and placing her arms on the table. " Who there, bug-uh-lady, watch who you are touching. " Renee immediately got defensive but she had a kind tone of voice and a smile on her face, although her eyes told a different story. " Seat is open but introduce yourself first before you sit down and touch my sister. " Renee stared her down the entire time, Kurikara would be able to sense Renee's anger rising already, Renee wasn't exactly a kind one when it came to her sister and best friend.

So much so, Renee didn't even notice the newcomer pass by their table, strangers didn't usually matter to her until this sort of thing happened, it appears these two have history, she was smart enough to see that now. Looking to Kalina, " Kal, who is this... Lady. " She asked, trying to hold her anger in, but her teeth was grinding and she had many imaginations of what she could do to this bug with fire and electricity. Gawain's little performance there didn't stun Renee, who was too busy wanting to burn this creature before them.

Her eyes looked over at the skeleton as he ranted on about what he had experienced and seen in the Mayor's manor. She didn't really care about that right now, she could careless if this village burned down. Right now she was more concerned with who this bug lady was, as cute and attractive as she was. Besides that, this Lifelend did sound like a powerful artifact... Lifelend... it sounded very familiar... Hmm... Renee was sure she has heard the name before, ah it'll come back to her later. Her deadly red eyes stared into the empty eyesockets of Gawain, hearing that she was a powerful witch and that this Lifelend had freezing Abilities but not in the way they thought. It could stop lifeforces it sounded like if the name said anything about it. Her eyes looked back to the stranger. " What is your name, stranger? " Renee was clenching a fist under the table, completely bouncing from subject to subject.

Interactions: Elvario Silent Angel Dante Verren EMIYAman II-CinderRadcliff-II

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
​

Mentions: Renee Skyhunter | Gawain Dante Verren | Kurikara EMIYAman | Sophia Silent Angel | Ray II-CinderRadcliff-II

Kalina, for all intends and purposes, did not like inns. She also, for all intends and purposes, felt stuck between a rock and hard place, if that was how the saying went. Either way, she was confused on various levels. She hadn't expected Sophia, of all people, to be here. She hadn't expected her companions to react to Sophia's presence in the ways they did either. What most of all surprised her was the sudden defensiveness of the living armour. It was almost cute, weren't it for the fact that it was on the dangerous side. Even her own sister, Renee, was oddly aggressive towards Sophia. Kalina was quick to try talk Kurikara and Renee down. “It's okay, it's okay. She's a talented blacksmith called Sophia. She once helped me get my gear in order.” Kalina was wise enough not to mention anything else .

She then turned towards Sophia herself. “It's open. Sorry about my companions, they're a bit on edge. We've had a fair bit trouble with all the undead around. What in the world brings you all the way here though? It's pretty far from your forge and guild. Not to mention there are dangerous undead crawling around everywhere.”

With that hopefully clearing things up, Kalina returned to the topic at hand. Well, she wanted too, but there was something else that stood out. She turned to Kurikara and stared at him for a bit. “I don't mean to pry, but eh... what in the world do you mean with 'your previous users'?” She was starting to wonder if this walking armour had been enslaved or something of the sorts.

She then sighed at Gawain's outburst. “Nobody is debating whether we should go or not. We're just figuring out how to avoid getting ourselves added to the list of the countless people he's killed and we're going to need all the help we can get for it.”

She picked up the necklace again and stared at it, taking in Renee's words of it being of importance. All of a sudden, however, she felt herself look at it in a way she hadn't looked at something before. [Using appraisal on it.] She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but perhaps it'd tell her something new.

Just as she was getting back into focus, a nice scent started to distract her. She glanced over at its source. A woman (Ray) had entered the place and was bleeding all over. She didn't look like anything special though, so she definitely wouldn't match up to Renee or Sophia, so Kalina was able to ignore the scent. For now, at least.

In turn, she managed to get back to the current topic. “What I believe most is more information. All we know is that it's powerful and likely holed up in a well-defended place, so barging in blind would be suicide. Is there any way we can infiltrate? You've met him before, Gawain, do you think he'd fall for it if one of us pretended to be trying to join his ranks?”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

The spider girl's eyebrows steadily rose with each passing person who spoke of her, somewhat wondering how someone as cute and, well, innocent as Kalina had fallen in with a gruff group like this lot. Her more forward two arms crossed at calling her a creature, the girl obviously not a fan of that. "Creature really is demeaning, don't you think? It would probably be better if you referred to others as people and not creatures. It'll hurt less feelings."

She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Kalina, throwing a smile the vampire's way before turning to Renee. "And as for introducing myself, I think your sister has introduced me well enough. Though, Since you wanted to ask both of us for some reason, I'll repeat her. I'm Sophia, a blacksmith, though since I also work on bows and crossbows, the better choice of words might be weapon and armor smith. And as for why I'm here, I heard there was a deposit of mana crystals nearby that can help me with one of my newer endeavors, and so I brought a mattock and my newest creation~" She nods up to the crossbow on her back. "I'm hoping to get to try it out~"

She thought for a moment before scooting her seat a bit closer to Kalina, her eyes glinting mischievously at Renee as a smile passed over her face, "And as for introducing myself before I touched your sister, I felt like the most important person who needed to know me for me to be able to do that was her, unless you think that your decisions for her are more important than her own~?" She gave the witch a wink. "Though I can understand why you would want to be picky with who gets to touch her~ After all, she's quite the cutie, and anyone would dream of getting to hang out with someone like her~"​

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Ray A. Scarlet - Anarchist Survivalist

As Ray rested her tired and lethargic body on the table she glanced over to one of the waiters carrying drinks around to patrons, who had set a drink down onto her empty table before leaving her be with a concerned glance back. She slowly lifted her head up and tried sitting up straight to see what the drink was, shakily grabbing the mug handle and taking a sip - a peculiar but enticing flavor making itself known very quickly. It almost reminded her of all of those pumpkin spice packets she found in that abandoned Starbucks building, though much smoother and less disorienting than having to use the packets in filtered rain water. Her hand quickly steadied as she chugged down the Sugar Spice without hesitation, unknowingly having chugged down Ale instead of water. Alcohol and its many forms had escaped her during all of her travels back on Earth with the undead, having never tasted, smelled, nor seen any form of alcoholic beverage in her entire life - at least, up until now in the Inn. As she set the mug of empty Ale down she started listening in on the group beside her again, sensing tensions building as... as... Her eyes had caught sight of the four limbed bug lady, her right hands slowly reaching behind her for her bow still slung over her should. Before she grabbed it she seemed to snap out of the shock, taking her bow off of her shoulder alongside her backpack to make it seem like she was just relieving her shoulders of the weight. Although that did help make her more comfortable, it was primarily to make herself less suspicious - as had they seen her reaching for her bow things could have gotten ugly quickly. For good measure she tore her stare away from the bug lady and focused on the waiter, still keeping an ear out for the group while she pretended to stare a hole into the waiter.

As the group chattered away she had noticed a few things: The witch had distrust towards the bug lady - a sentiment she could sympathize with, alongside the skeleton's impatience to take on a necromancer... whatever a necromancer was. The armored person among the group seemed to distrust the bug lady as well, though when they mentioned their 'users' she assumed that they maybe meant slave owners. The vampire seemed to be the only normal person at first, keeping a calm conversation with the rest of the group about the recent killings. Perhaps she had tuned out some critical pieces of information while trying to bandage her shoulder earlier. However, a strange feeling washed over her as the vampire looked over at her, suddenly feeling a sense of fear that she suspected prey felt before being attacked by a predator - the vampires gaze giving off the feeling that she was hungry for... something. What exactly that was was beyond Ray, though shortly after that glare a feeling of dread began to wash over her - with the alcohol in her system easing the pain in the shoulder and clearing her mind as a buzz set in. The haze from the blood loss slowly began to fade as her body compensated to make up the difference, with the disorientation fading away as well. The skeleton wasn't just a hallucination from the blood loss, nor was the bug lady any less creepy as she originally thought. Her eyes vaguely noticed the particularly sharp fangs the vampire had, though she still couldn't tell that the witch and the suit of armor weren't your average humans quite yet. Her gaze shifted away from them awkwardly and looked to her bag, her hands reaching inside and pulling out some jarred fruit salad and a spoon bent and tarnished from prolonged use before she quietly ate.

In proximity of: Kalina Elvario , Sophia Silent Angel , Renee Skyhunter , Kurikawa EMIYAman , Gawain Dante Verren ​

 

[Dante Verren]

Gawain
Interactions: Skyhunter Elvario II-CinderRadcliff-II EMIYAman Silent Angel


If Gawain had an eyebrow that could twitch or even lips to curl then his face would be showing even more signs of his annoyance. No one seemed to be taking the current predicament seriously, or at the very least not seriously enough. Instead of focusing fully on the main problem there was no bickering over if the new arrival was too friendly or not. Biting his metaphorical tongue he answered Kalina's question. "Likely the only ones he would believe that would join him are undead. Anyone else would either cause suspicion or most likely be blasted into corpses." Gawain sighed heavily, well more accurately he mimicked a sigh. Not having lungs he couldn't actually sigh. Instead he could make the noise but there was far less impact involved in it. Looking down at his boney hands for a moment, he silently cursed the lack of magical ability he had. If he had more then maybe he would be able to take this necromancer himself and not have to deal with this ever increasing nonsense.

Looking up from his hands he noticed the gaze of someone from across the tavern, someone who did not look like they were a native. Silently he rose from his set and made his way over to the woman who was now doing her best to look away. Doing his best to suppress his ever increasing desire to scream out his frustration he chose his words carefully. "Excuse me Ma'am, if you are a traveler I suggest you move along. This place is safeish for now, but it won't remain that way for long. Unless you want to be stuck here until the necromancer is dealt with."

 

[Skyhunter]

Within the inn, the noises of celebration and glee filled the air, blocking out the hostility and worry that plagued one table full of misfits. Renee took a deep breath, calming her emotions, this bug touched her friend that she loved dearly. Her sister. Renee looked to Kalina when she explained who Sophia was, this strange woman, helped Kalina with her gear? How? Did you see her 'hands?' The witch didn't trust this Sophia, and what? They were going to bring her along into their plan? To go fight this necromancer?



Renee didn't like this, what was she going to do? How could she help? Whatever... Renee's eyes moved to Sophia who acted very smug towards her, saying that Kalina knowing who she was, was most important. The witch didn't think so, her hand touched her journal in her bag, she could feel its mana course through her veins. She was tempted to cast a burning ray of light into this bitch's face, she would love to burn her skin off as well, make her as ugly as possible. But Renee realized these dark thoughts and pulled her hand away from her journal, the mana dispersing. " Fine. " the maroon witch sighed. " Apologies for my... Hostility. " Renee sounded like she didn't mean it but didn't want to cause anymore problems.

Seeing Sophia's wink, Renee's fist clenched under the table, she wanted so badly to burn this bug away into ashes. Electrocute her to the point that her skin burned away and her flesh remained... No. Renee released her fist and anger again after another deep breath. She never usually got this angry, she needed to steady herself. They still had a long journey ahead of themselves and there was a necromancer to take down. Her eyes moved to Gawain who moved to another table to talk and, from what it looked like, intimidate the poor soul, Renee didn't care about that.



Then two figures approached the table, one large body of a man that held a wicked and chipped axe, sturdy looking and standing at around seven feet that went by the name Garret the Executioner. He would have a strange aura about him, a bloodthirsty one, he looked like a executioner especially with his hood. A couple of drops of blood seemed to be floating in the air around this man. It was tainted blood, Kalina would be able to smell it or sense if she was able to.



Beside him was his smaller brother, Garvin, having a large crossbow in his hands looked at the party. " We have a plan. " Garvin told the group. " Are we ready to go? Or would you rather keep delaying? " He asked, he looked prepared, as did his large brother Garrett.

Interactions: Elvario Silent Angel EMIYAman Dante Verren

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
​

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Renee Skyhunter |

For some reason such as being preoccupied by the thought of getting some more of her blood, Kalina hadn't noticed Sophia's new crossbow. When Sophia pointed it out, however, Kalina's eyes were immediately drawn to it. “That thing is massive. Almost like a small ballistae. Doesn't that take really long to reload?” Her curiosity about the weapon didn't make her think much of Sophia getting closer.

Kalina did, however, pick up on the rising tension when Sophia started calling her cute. She wasn't used to getting compliments like that, so she had no clue how to respond. She wasn't entirely sure why Renee was so hostile towards Sophia either. If anything, the situation they were in made this entire thing feel pretty darn awkward. Suddenly, she managed to come up with an idea that might defuse some of the tension or worsen it. “Ah, Sophia, you were looking for some mana crystals, you said? Renee here is amazing with magecraft. I'm not sure what you want them for, but perhaps the two of you might be able to work together on something, right? Although we've got to deal with the Necromancer first.”

At the topic of the Necromancer, she spotted Garvin and Garrett entering. At the mention of a plan, Kalina shivered. She didn't quite trust Garvin's plans, so she couldn't help but worry that this one might not be all that useful. Still, she'd be willing to give him a chance. “Alright, we can go, but please fill us in along the way. I'd rather know the plan beforehand...” She then realised something. “Ah, right, before I forget. This here is Sophia. She's a great blacksmith and fletcher.” The three of them were truly team crossbow at this rate. She mostly just wanted to give a heads-up about the availability of someone that could get their gear in prime condition though.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

"

Sophia smiled back at the witch. "I apologize for being a bit antagonistic. I just am not too much of a fan of people telling others who they can't be friends with, and I had assumed that was what you had been doing." Her eyes turned back to Kalina at the observation about her crossbow. "Yes, but it would take longer to load if I didn't have the extra arms to help. I can load it and fire much faster because of the extra help. If I didn't have them, this thing would take enough time that a bow could fire six shots before this thing could fire one. With my extra claws, it more allows three shots if a person is mainly going for speed before I can fire this a second time. But what it lacks in speed it more than makes up for in fire power."

At the introduction, she gave the group a wave. "Hello. And yes, I do bows, arrows, swords, and armor, if any of you need some help. Though, I would prefer not to work for free, but for acquaintances I am up to giving discounts."​

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Ray A. Scarlet - Anarchist Survivalist
Interacting with: Gawain Dante Verren
In proximity of: Kalina Elvario - Sophia Silent Angel - Renee, Garret, and Garvin Skyhunter - Kurikawa EMIYAman

Upon Gawain approaching her Ray instinctively tensed up and scooted her chair away from him, make it very clear that seeing him made her uncomfortable. Although she knew that a skull devoid of flesh could never become or remain zombified, seeing a skeleton walking around and talking as if it was even remotely human was... unnerving to say the least. The soulless eye sockets seemed to stare into her, with one of her legs making itself comfortable up against her abdomen and her spare arm wrapping around it - looking similar to someone in the fetal position trying to comfort themselves. Though comfort definitely played a role in this situation, it also served as a layer of protection on the chance the skeleton had approached to attack. Though his voice telling her to take a hike seemed to suggest otherwise, despite how strained from anger it sounded to her.
"I'd be miles away from here by now, if it weren't for an injury I endured escaping the hoard of undead in the forest." Ray rebuked with a rebellious tone, gesturing to her bandaged arm. "Apparently falling onto sharp rocks is enough to cause serious blood loss, though I suppose I'd rather take that over becoming undead..." Ray fell silent after her little complaint to her misfortune, her eyes locked where Gawain's would be if he had any. Her demeanor and appearance would make it very apparent that this wasn't the first time she had dealt with the undead, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time either. She resumed with her meal until she was finished, packing up the empty glass jars into her backpack before slinging its straps and her bow back over her shoulders. She tried to stand up and managed to get a few steps away from the table, though it wasn't long before her legs gave way - her hands barely catching her fall and grasping for the nearest table to pull herself back up onto her feet. She silently cursed under her breath before sitting back down into a chair, with her body in no shape to go anywhere until she took time to recover. "Whatever my condition may be, I refuse to sit around while those undead bastards lurk around."​

 

[Dante Verren]

Gawain
Interactions: II-CinderRadcliff-II Skyhunter EMIYAman Elvario Silent Angel


One would think the hostility whether on purpose from the girl or not that Gawain was facing from the girl would have made him mood even worse, yet somehow he found it more comforting. He was likely at fault as Gawain himself had started the conversation off an an aggressive note, but still the woman before him stared down into his empty eyes and even had the guts to state out right she would rather suffer bloodloss rather then become an undead.... right infront of the undead skeleton. Silently he watched as the woman struggled a few feet before collapsing back down onto a chair. Gawain was quickly reminded of his meeting with Renee, and the Skeleton actually chuckled. "You have quite the fire burning inside." He commented to the woman.

Looking back at the group he saw Garvin and Garret approach the larger group, it seemed the time for action was now on them. Looking back at the woman, Gawain extend one of his gloved hands to her. "Well miss, speaking of undead bastards we our on our way to kill one right now. If you have the strength to back your words we could use your help." He wasn't sure what this woman was actually capabale of, but at this point he would take anyone who could possibly help. Even if he had to carry them to the battlefied himself.

 

[Skyhunter]

Garvin and his brother Garrett, being the abnormally large man he was, stared at the newcomer as Kalina introduced her, Sophia, a blacksmith. Garvin offered a friendly smile, " Well it is good to meet you then, friend. We will most likely need your skills when we leave. " Garvin explained, while his larger brother huffed through his helmet. The party around them seemed to have intensified, people were getting more drunk and hammered. They were going all out. Without any leadership, these people weren't intelligent on their own. Perhaps Dovus staying as mayor was a good thing, or perhaps it wasn't. Who knew.

" Anyway, if we are ready we should go. The longer we wait. The worst the situation gets. But know, we will be having a guest come with us to this cave. They will be of importance. " Garvin explained, Garrett huffed again. While the large executioner's face couldn't be seen, he was staring down Kurikara, still wanting to finish their fight from earlier in the day. A mere few hours ago. " So, let's move, now. " Garrett spoke up, sounding like his usual cold and grumpy self.



The executioner headed for the door, fists clenched and sticking of tainted blood as he exited. Garvin looked to see the skeletal knight, Gawain talking to some wounded woman. " You four go on out and meet our guest. " Garvin told Kalina, Renee, Kurikara and Sophia, looking to Gawain and this newcomer, Ray. While the four began to move, Garvin made his way over to the next table where the undead knight and woman were at. " Oi. What seems to be the problem? " He looked to Gawain. " Woman seems like she is hurt. "

The hunter watch her struggle to move and fall, but she was able to catch herself and sit herself back down, he stepped forward to help when she fell over, extending a hand out but she had already got herself seated and situated. " Miss, you gonna be alright? " Garvin asked, " You look like you may need some medicine... But we got someone who could help you with those wounds of yours. And he's just outside. " Garvin explained. " You seem very capable, even seen some fighting. We could use someone like you where we are going. " Garvin continued, placing his hands on his hips. " Would you like to accompany us, miss? Saying that, what is your name, miss? "

Upon exiting the tavern and entering the outside world, it was chilly, the ground was wet with fresh rain from earlier in the sane day. The sounds of joyous people celebrating were heard and echoed throughout this village. On the bottom steps of the tavern porch would be the large man Garrett, standing next to some older man in robes holding a staff and talking to Garrett who was ignoring him. " And with that, Ser, is why the Lord of Light is within us all. If he wills it, we will be protected un tonight, he has sent me to help you on your crusade of banishing the undead. " This man was a priest, and a very chatty one at that. Garrett had his arms crossed, one hand moved up to his helmet were he rubbed the top of it like he was rubbing his own head of frustration. Probably didn't like priests.



" We save your ass when you were barricaded down in that dump heap you call a chapel. " Garrett spoke with venom. " Dovus was so far up his own ass he wouldn't even allow religion to exist here. Even i was blind to his stupidity thanks to that damnable amulet. " The executioner spoke. " He barricaded you in there then left you to rot in there with nothing to drink or eat, making sure you couldn't escape. Gods didn't do that, humans did, my brother and I did. " Garrett explained, he definitely didn't like priests. The old priest laughed quietly, almost like of innocence. " Funny, executioner, very funny. It was the will of the Gods that allow you to free me from my tomb. So I should not only thank the gods, but I should thank you. Their will was guided by your bloodstained axe, ser. " Garrett grumbled and again rubbed his hand over his helmet.

The eyes of the priest moved to the exiting party. " Ah, so these are those you spoke of. The ones I will be helping on our journey? " He asked. Garrett didn't answer nor show any action of response. Just ignoring the man. The priest laughed again, quietly, " Ah, you'll understand one day, Garrett. One day. " He looked to the group and slowly bowed. " Hello, travellers. I hear you were the ones that saved this town from the undead and the tyrant Dovus. I thank you. Your intervention saved me from rotting away in my chapel used as a prison for me. My name is Wyland, Priest for the Lord of Light, I was asked by Garvin to assist you on this perilous journey. I'll be able to heal you, burn the undead, and cast wards to push them back. You are in good hands, I can assure you. " the priest offered a friendly smile.

Renee Nyx



The witch, Renee, watched Garvin and Garrett approach the table they were at and explain what they had a plan. A plan, eh? Better be a damn good one because they didn't have one that was for sure. They only had the notion of, kill the bad guy.

But never mind that, what made this worst was that Kalina was trying to make her work with this Sophia! Nope... No. No way. Renee was not going to work with this insect in her little journey for whatever she was looking for. She would need to be given something in return. Something magical, which she highly doubted Sophia had. Renee didn't look happy and expressed that to Kalina when she offered that Renee could help her. Renee didn't like that, not one bit.

Her eyes shifted to Sophia who expressed her apologies for being a antagonistic bitch, Renee stared her down. And took a deep breath, she would have to play nice for now. " Whatever you say. " Renee looked back to the two brothers, a guest? Someone was coming with them, eh? This peaked the Witch's interest. Her eyes looked to Kurikara where she leaned in and smacked his chest plate. " Hopefully you don't get beat down this time around like with that Harbinger. Don't put yourself in a situation where you'll be killed. " Renee sounded like she cared, but it was of she'd rather not die. She'd want Kurikara, this white armor, to be her shield while she casted spells from the back.

When Garrett stormed off and Garvin moved to see what Gawain was doing, she got up, drinking the last of the Sugar Spice, and packing her a couple of books she had laid out on the table. Placing them in her small bag, she headed for the door quietly. Not happy about this Sophia and Kalina offering that insect bitch her help. Her help! Renee didn't want to help her or anyone, only herself. And besides Kalina, of course. But still... These mana crystals she spoke of didn't intrigued Renee a bit... Crystallized Mana? That could be a potential for a lot of things... Maybe they could work together, Renee was pretty curious about these items. What could she do with them?

Exiting the Tavern, she would see a rather frustrated Garrett dealing with a idiotic religious idiot. Renee didn't really like where this was going but they was another meat shield for her survival which she welcomed. It was time to pull her charm, even though she hated religion and how easily swayed people were to them. Religion to her was a way to control those who were afraid of dying or of whatever. Seeing a priest like this, offering healing and wardings to the undead, slightly tilted Renee. How were they, through faith, able to achieve these levels of magics? No matter, she had powerful magics that could burn, maim, blow up, kill people.

" Well it is very nice to meet you, Wyland. " Renee had a kind smile on her face, as she slightly bowed. Staring them down with her deadly red eyes.

Interactions: Elvario Silent Angel Dante Verren II-CinderRadcliff-II EMIYAman

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
​

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Renee Skyhunter

Kalina's attention was fully drawn to Sophia's crossbow. “That's pretty awesome.” She admitted, upon hearing the crossbow was indeed closer to a small ballistae than a crossbow at this rate of fire-power. To that extend, Sophia's mention of the tool of war needing an extra pair of hands to be used well made her wonder how well she'd be able to handle it. Her own crossbow was aimed at speed and precision, rather than power, after all.

She then sighed at the brothers being their usual self. They didn't explain a thing and instead went with the 'come look at this' cliché. If she didn't know better, she'd think they did it on purpose. The thing, in this case, turned out to be a priest. She instinctively didn't like the man. Perhaps it was her vampiric nature, or the fact that she'd been an atheist until she met an actual [god]. That said, she did want to try something out, which was using [appraisal] on the priest. The man was sure talking big, but she wondered if her new 'sight' would show her if he could back it up or not.

There was, however, one point of concern. She leaned over closer to Renee to whisper it in her ear. “Should we trust this man? I'm a little concerned about 'friendly' fire with the way he talks about warding off, pushing back and burning undead.” There was another motivation for her to start whispering to Renee. She'd spotted her sister being a bit off, so perhaps being physically close to her and discussing this would get her back on track.

She'd put up a different attitude towards the priest himself, of course, trusting her vampiric nature to be disguised well enough. “Well met, mister Wyland.” She decided to leave it at that, however, as she wasn't sure if she could feign niceness well enough to have more of a conversation than just those basic pleasantries.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia watched the two brothers with some interest, her claws, laid on the table. Her eyes went from one to another before switching to the other members who sat around the table. "An undead problem... interesting!" She looked to Kalina, a grin on her face. "Well, considering what a harrowing situation I've found myself in, I must admit I would feel so much safer with such a heroic lady like you guarding me~"​

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Ray A. Scarlet - Anarchist Survivalist

Interacting with: Gawain Dante Verren - Garvin Skyhunter
In proximity of: Renee and Garrett Skyhunter - Kalina Elvario - Sophia Silent Angel - Kurikara EMIYAman

Ray listened to Gawain chuckle shortly after she spoke, his attitude seeming to have changed for the better. It at the very least made her sense of unease fade a little. She heard him out on his compliment and his offer for her to join before seeing Garvin approach the two of them, her eyes harboring a small semblance of distrust and caution. Her life on Earth had taught her well to never trust another human without damn good reason, in the world consumed by undead betrayal was inevitable - though this was not Earth. Despite her vast memories of Earth screaming at her to avoid placing trust in Garvin and Gawain, she extended her hand out to grab the skeletons boney grasp.
"Ray. I've still got some arrows to lodge into the flesh of the undead bastards in the forest, so count me in." Ray remarked as she used Gawain's weight and what little strength she could muster to stand back up, though for how long she could keep herself up she didn't know. Her attention briefly turned to Garvin, her legs starting to shake as she felt her heart rate start to climb higher to compensate. "The medicine would be greatly appreciated..." Ray stated as her vision started to blur, the lack of blood getting to her brain causing her expression to become drowsy and her speech slurred. She could only vaguely recall seeing Renee, Kalina, and Sophia exiting the tavern with... an executioner? She still wasn't sure that this wasn't all an hallucination.​

 

[Dante Verren]

Gawain
Interactions: Skyhunter Silent Angel II-CinderRadcliff-II EMIYAman Elvario


As the woman took his hand, Gawain helped pull her too her feet. She introduced herself as Ray and considering that she mentioned the use of arrows it meant that the group would have an archer. Gawain vaguely remembered Kalina using a crossbow so they had a bit of ranged support, but with Ray added into the mix it made things even better. It was a shame that Atiifa had disappeared and now they were down on magic users. "Well miss Ray, thank you for your help. Once we get you healed I look forward to see the dead fall before your arrows." he said to her. Now with everyone gathered up and the brothers leading the way the group marched off to meet who ever the next person was. Before leaving the tavern Gawain made sure to pull up the hood of his cloak and wrap the ends around the lower part of his head. Even if the people knew he was already here, now that his anger was mostly gone he was trying to be considerate again.

Turns out he had made a good choice as they needed up meeting a priest. Good for helping Ray, yet personally bad for himself. Hopefully Gawain would be excluded from the list of undead that the priest wanted to burn. Either way the skeleton remained silent, preferring to let the sisters scheme with each other and the brothers banter with the priest. There wasn't much that the skeleton could provide at this stage, so instead he listened half heartedly while he adjusted his newly found shield picked up from the towns garrison. It wasn't the best kind of shield that he could have but it would do for now.

 

[EMIYAman]

Kurikara
Interactions: Skyhunter II-CinderRadcliff-II Dante Verren

​

The conversation between the group had sped up and grew denser to a point where Kurikara found it hard to follow and maintain interest. Especially in the rather pedestrian topics. How they managed to be so verbose but with such little point to the words he'd never know. He tuned them out for a time losing himself in his turbulent thoughts. It was strange to him compared to before his thoughts were so hard to grasp and moved from image to image and though to thought Kurikara felt like he had to put in a lot more focus to maintain attention to anything anymore. And the more he thought about it the more it got worse, as if thinking about thinking was inherently chaotic. Truly strange. He would have to train himself if something like this happened again his mind may become too much of a jumble to center himself properly in battle. His technique relied on centering the mind and erasing distractions that was the only way a perfect sword could be achieved. Yet there was one... advantage perhaps? Kurikara wasn't sure he could call it that but he found he could now "imagine" things. Before such a waste of time was a frivolous activity he could barely comprehend. But now? He could imagine a myriad of battles and scenarios in his head and they weren't just records of previous battle data but wholly unique scenes he himself had crafted. It was fascinating to be sure but its significance was a simple warrior such as himself.

He was drawn out of his confusing head space by a familiar voice. Garrett and his brother had come. His brother was the most animated between the two as he spoke of the briefly on the mission parameters before being drawn into a conversation around that creature that called itself "Sophia". The undead was one thing the knight had proven himself to be an honorable warrior with a great spirit. Despite their insult to the natural order benign undead do exist even undead with a sense of self are rather rare. This Sophia had yet to prove herself to him so until such a time she was a threat though if lady Kalina Chivernu was fine with her presence he suppose he had to be as well, for now he would stay his sword.

Kurikara turned his gaze to the executioner Garrett the warrior he had met in the catacombs which felt so long ago despite happening only earlier today. The mans face could as always not be seen through his helmet which combined which the rest of his armor made a rather foreboding figure though the absence of the strange artifact he had called the "Lifelend" it was somewhat diminished. They were not friends and had barely been ally's for a time, but Kurikara found he... respected yes, respected the man. He found Garretts warrior spirit to mirror his own. While he was profoundly bewildered on how to come to terms with his free will when he awoke Garrett had been the one to center his mind through battle. It was not intentional the man had no way of knowing and even if he did why would he have any desire to help Kurikara. Despite that, he was grateful. The large man returned his stare and he could feel the thirst for battle in that gaze. While they could not see each other eyes(or lack there off in his case) there was an understanding. Kurikara nodded to him, they would have to finish that duel someday.

Garvin began to lead them over to another companion. As Kurikara moved to follow the Witch Renee he noticed the Knight Gawain speaking with a stranger. Curious as to the reason for engaging in conversation with a non factor he watched them. They had a briefly animated conversation he didn't quite make out the words of before Gawained beckoned her and she moved to join with them all the while covered in grime and some wounds. She favored the right side of her body in a very slight limp she was obviously damaged. He eyed her as she and Gawain walked out to meet with the rest of the party before following.

When they went out to meet with their extra Kurikara was satisfied to find a priest waiting for them. He had a kindly expression on his face which shows a surprising amount of energy and vigor for one of his age. He was glad they had access to some holy magic to help better stave off the undead. The journey ahead of them in the Necromancers lair was going to be incredibly perilous but the holy incantations would be and advantage. Not to mention the healing capabilities the holy man possessed. As Kurikara relegated himself to silent guardian the Witch rapped he fist against his chest plate. He moved his gaze down to her face with a curious tilt of his head. She spoke words of warning with some levity in her voice. It was still rather odd to see a cheeky Witch, but he supposed there were all types of her kind. "I cannot guarantee I will not face similar or greater damage in future conflicts. Especially not when dealing with dark magic." He spoke this frankly offering no words which could allay concern. Kurikara thought back to previous conversation in particular his talk with Kalina. "But... I will do my utmost to avoid such situations needlessly. As we are allies I will be your sword and shield until this evil is driven from the land. This is a warriors promise." There that was sufficient to assuage a humans concerns. Kurikara found thinking of others thoughts and emotions was a trying process. He noticed Gawain off to the side and on a whim went to sate his curiosity. He looked to Gawain seriously "That women you spoke with, who is she? Do you to bring her with us? While we are at a disadvantage against a Necromancer in their own lair surely you know bringing outsiders into our mission in unwise." He looked to the women appraising her as best he could. "I will not question your judgment but be aware of what she will face. Within that place all our lives will be in constant danger." Kurikara gained a somewhat melancholic look. "You are an honorable man knight. I pray another life does not weigh on your soul."

 

[Skyhunter]

Renee Nyx



The witch couldn't stand religious figures such as this old man, she had a deep hatred for such groups and ideology. But for now she would play nice, maybe this one wasn't so bad hopefully. But what Kalina leaned over to the witch and commented if they should whether or not place their trust in this man. Renee understood Kalina's concern, her being undead and all, even Gawain too but that robust skeleton could probably handle it, Kalina probably couldn't. " I suppose your concerns are sound to make. Considering your current situation. " Renee explained in a quiet whisper.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Renee smiled, " We'll be fine, sister. Just keep a eye out of this old man. Gawain is also undead so just as a reminder you're not the only one who can get hurt or even potentially killed. " The witch explained. Her eyes then moved to Sophia the... Bug. That Renee kinda despised for actual reason besids that she was close to her sister. As Kalina interacted with the priest who was annoying Garrett the Executioner, Renee slipped by Kalina and to Sophia. " You. " She stated. " Kalina says you are looking for these mana infested crystals? Explain more to me about these crystals, and I could possibly help. " It would sound like Renee almost didn't want to say the word help or even any kind sort of word.

The eyes of the priest moved to the three new figures walking outside, seeing Garvin, Gawain and Ray. The priest bowed lowly, " Hello, strangers. " he said politely when they joined the group. Renee looked over to the new addition to their team but looked away, not thinking this Ray was important just yet. She was more interested in some sort of mana crystals. The priest looked up to Ray and noticed she was barely even standing. The priest quickly moved to her side, for a old man he was pretty fast. " Excuse me, madam, you look hurt. If you're going to journey with us you will need to be at full occupancy for what we will be enduring. " The priest spoke. Placing a hand out towards the injured woman, who could barely stand.

Instead of touching her, his hand was about five feet away from Ray, light emitted from his hand as it came out similar to spores and moved towards Ray, surrounding her and eventually sink into her. Ray would feel her wounds and body heal, feeling rejuvenated and almost like a new woman. The old man, Wylan, released a heavy sigh, " There you go, young lady. I hope you stay safe. " Wylan turned to Garrett who looked very impatient and ready.

Garvin spoke next as he moved to where his brother was, now in front of everyone. " Alright. We are here to bring a end to this Dahak as Gawain had explained. If he is as dangerous as Gawain and that small beast said, we will need a priest to help us get through the undead that is most likely awaiting us. They know we are coming but we are here to bring their end. Stop their devious plans. Take them back to their graves. " Garvin finished his small speech with a smirk. " Let us go now. "

As the group left the village of Kananto, the civilians continued their celebration, some were already drunken fools as the sun was coming up now. It was dawn, the dawn of a new day. They passed over where they had slain the undead known as Harbinger, passing the blackened fields where those purple sludge undead had fallen. The ground black of death, never to grow life again.

8:00 AM

Making their way to the forest took a hour to reach, the forests were dark with uncertainty. Shadows binding in the darkness with a veil of secrecy. There was movement as they made their way through. The priest happily walked on, almost like he wasn't worried. But he stopped suddenly as they were now surrounded by dark trees. Within these trees there was movement that got closer. The priest moved a hand into the air where light formed, lighting up the area. The ground was wet with morning dew, strange figures came into light. Zombies that were amalgamations, conjoined into one another. Each were different looking in their own sick way. One was a ball of 4 corpses, but they moved slowly towards the group. Another grew closer that was two bodies almost stitched together. The group could see about twenty feet out all around them, there didn't sound like there was much undead, maybe around fifteen to twenty. But they all moved slowly towards them, their features were of old, almost skeletal. But enough muscle to move. These amalgamations grew closer to the group. Now was the time to act.

Interactions: Elvario Silent Angel EMIYAman II-CinderRadcliff-II Dante Verren

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
​

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Renee Skyhunter | Ray II-CinderRadcliff-II

Kalina hadn't been able to figure out how to address Sophia's words, calling her a 'heroic lady' and all, so she'd been forced to act like she hadn't really heard it. You know the good thing about being an undead? There was no blood running to your cheeks, reducing the risk of blushing to a near 0. It'd only happen if she'd just feasted on a prey and still had all of their blood flooding through her. Luckily enough, that wasn't the case.

She was relieved upon hearing Renee's words, to some extend at least. She wasn't really worrying about getting hurt as much as about getting betrayed or backstabbed. Then again, Renee was correct, just keeping an eye on the old priest should be enough, especially as Gawain was the more likely undead candidate to fall victim to backstabbing. Perhaps she could even hide her undead nature entirely from the priest. It was worth a shot.

That's when Garvin spoke up and revealed his 'plan' to them. “So... the barge in and hope we don't die fighting, method?” She clicked her tongue. “I still feel like it'd be better to try getting some information first. Sneak in, use Renee's disguise magic to infiltrate, stake out the area a bit first... You know, see what we're up against before barging into unknown dangers.” Some might call her cautious, others critical or even cowardly, but she really hoped there was some sort of plan that was more than 'knock on the big baddy's front door and hope he opens and lets himself be slain' to all of this.

On their way to the forest, Kalina figured she'd do the 'polite' thing and headed up to the newcomer (Ray). “Sooo... I'm Kalina Chivernu. Nice to meet you miss. If you don't mind me asking, what's gotten you into this mess?” All things considered, Kalina couldn't quite grasp how this person went from a heavily injured, nicely smelling, person that stumbled into the same establishment to a companion over the span of a few minutes. It didn't matter too much, but still, she at least wanted to see if she could figure out more about who she was dealing with.

Arriving in the forest about an hour later, she felt surprisingly comfortable. The dark might hide enemies, but it'd also hide her if need-be. The latter was a nice thought. That stopped when the priest suddenly stopped and lit up the area to reveal some very gross looking zombies. “Yikes...” Kalina muttered under her breath.

She then pointed at the big 'ball' of zombies whilst addressing Sophia. “How about you show off the firepower of that crossbow of yours. That one seems like a suitable target.” Kalina herself drew her hand-crossbow, going over the opponents in front of them. She wasn't one to brag about her abilities, so she checked for a suitable looking one; a smaller one without a helmet. After all, if these were the same as the first, their heads would be their weak-spots and shooting a [Well-aimed Strike] at the head might finish it in one shot. If she would be able to get a second shot in before they'd get close enough for her to draw her rapier, she'd fire a [Piercing Strike] at the next best one. Otherwise she'd make a [Forwards Lunge] with her rapier, at the head of whichever undead was closing in on her.

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Ray A. Scarlet - Anarchist Survivalist

Interactions: Skyhunter Elvario Dante Verren
Mentions: Silent Angel EMIYAman

Although the short trip outside was all a blurred mess of visual cues and sounds from the town and the group she had joined, Ray had started to feel invigorated once more as the deep cut on her shoulder and the now absent blood-loss were corrected by the priests healing magic. It took a minute for her brain to properly perceive the happenings around her, but once she had she quickly put the pieces together and gave the priest a brief nod of thanks and acknowledgement to his words. Her ears now picked up the brief chat that Renee and Sophia were having before Garvin gave his speech, her mind quickly making notes as she absorbed the information his speech contained - as well as who to kill with extreme prejudice. Whoever this Dahak was, her thoughts imagined putting his head on a pike before setting it alight with flames. Once Garvin had finished his speech her hands reached to the blood soaked cloth that she had used to bandage her wound, grabbing an empty jar from her bag and stuffing the cloth into it before sealing it back up with a lid. She could always wash it out later if she used all of her other strips of cloth.
As Garvin lead the way out of the town and towards the forest through the burnt fields she had entered the town from, Ray had her bow and an arrow at the ready. She was fairly certain the motionless undead would hopefully stay down, but excessive precaution in these peculiar circumstances was never unwarranted. Each footstep she took was fairly quiet and cautious, her back pack full of glass jars and a few spare clothes silently swaying side to side as she traveled with the group. Her silence was hindered as Kalina attempted to strike up a conversation with her, though she didn't seem to thrilled to answer. Despite her reluctance, she eventually decided to be polite and try to build some trust for the time being.
"Ray... Just call me Ray." She started with a brief introduction. "This mess is... more tolerable than the environment I grew up. Everyone I knew became a zombie, and those who initially survived died to traitors or from starvation... But at least I didn't falter and become undead like the rest of-" Ray cut herself off as she realized she was talking too much, unsure if Kalina was aware of the idea of other worlds like she now was. "Well... My homeland was overrun, and I'd rather not return to those sleepless nights fighting off an inescapable fate. And as for my arrival at the town, I had barely escaped a hoard of zombies in the forest... and then promptly fell onto a sharp rock at the edge of the forest." Ray concluded before returning her focus to observing her surroundings, looking at everyone with much more perceptive eyes and clearer thoughts than before. Kalina and Sophia both gave off weird vibes, though Sophia in particular just looked much more... grotesque? At least she wasn't a zombie. Kurikara and Renee seemed normal, though her ears couldn't perceive any breathing coming from within the armor Kurikara was gifted with. And everyone else she either already knew or didn't really care for. Her grip on her bow tightened as they entered the forest, falling into a silence she was more than well accustomed to.
An hour into their trek deeper into the forest her eyes began to perceive slight movements in the dark, quickly pulling her bowstring back in anticipation as she tuned out the breathing of the group. Benign groans and the slow shuffling of feet gave her the answer she needed, and the priests light giving magic only gave her a better perspective on where all of her targets were. All of them seemed to be conjoined into groups of two or more, with her instincts having her release her first arrow in the closest target to the group - with the arrow being fairly well placed with a good chance of hitting one of the two heads. Although Ray was tempted to shoot the big ball of zombies, it was too risky for her if she decided to try and retrieve her arrows. With only six arrows to use at any time, she needed as few risks as possible.​