Fantasy ~Journey~

[Merciless Medic]

Xe’lik​

Location: Keimara Village, Eastern Mountains
Time: Morning, Day 1
Interactions: Korro, Anyone nearby
Mentions: N/A
SilverFlight Lioness075 Goonfire Kibaa ShadyLady Arai Monday

Survive.

The one word that the wandering demon chanted in his anxiety-riddled mind - sometimes under his breath in grave utterances - and a word he felt oddly bound to, just as this incessant bracelet was bound to him. The beautiful evergreen of the dancing leaves and firs above him served to mock his pitiful existence, the brown trees standing tall and imposing as they watched his shameful march towards the one place his people told tall tales of.

Keimara, it held the temple that held the one god his kin feared. They were willing to travel long distances to avoid hurting the people who were under her protection - who lived on her lands.

It was a paradise to humans, one that spat in the faces of the malevolent spirits and their ascended demonic cousins. Just hearing the echoes of those children faintly cheering, smelling the food that graced over the forest at this late hour…

It sickened him to his core.

It was rare - even for his own kin - to have any amount of ‘happy-fun’ times like that. They were robbed of that right before they ascended and gained human form, tested, given a job - a purpose - and sent to work with what the humans would call a cult.

That was Xe’lik’s only family.

And now? He wasn’t sure what they thought of him, but he was sure they’d kill him. All of their collective disappointment was more crushing than the thought of them tearing him to shreds. Maybe that pain wouldn’t be as torturous as hiking up the forested mountainous trail, his skin screaming at him in agony from the overexertion in his hike, begging to stop and rest as they spat blood against the dirtied white bandages that hid his main source of suffering.

That god bitch was going to pay for what she did to him! Suppressing his magic like that without giving him the courtesy to wipe the soil off his skin before it was too late!

He panicked and shook his head, willing away those traitorous thoughts. He couldn’t think that! What if she heard his thoughts? What if she killed him for thinking such things?

But he was a demon, it was to be expected. Granted, he didn’t know how deep her cruelty went. He knew she was a kind and benevolent being to those who followed her and obviously weren’t demonic in nature. Was it as shallow as a puddle and she was just indifferent, or did it extend deeper than a thirsty well aiming for the underground rivers that flowed under his home, aiming to poison him and the other demons?

He wanted to curse her, sever his tongue with his teeth for ever allowing her to guilt trip him into this mess, scream and cry at the top of his lungs his displeasure for even the grass at the bottom of these mountains to hear.

But he knew no one would care.

As lonely as that sentiment was - oh, how it made his resolve crumble - it oddly steeled him enough to continue the painful walk until he was at the entrance to Keimara.

The food smelled delicious. But the people…

There were so many people. So many different smells. So loud...

He covered his ears, whining at the sheer volume that cascaded like rushing water on rocks into his eardrums. He had to persevere. He had to follow his end of the bargain, or else he wouldn’t be himself again, and he’d likely die by the hands of his own ilk or others.

Besides, he did feel bad, but most of that remorse was drowned out by his seething, suffering hatred

With gritted teeth, the light grey eyes stared with defiance towards the temple that hung as some righteous guardian for these humans, his white hair looking like grey rivulets from the sweat and dirt that clung to him. His face and the rest of his body under his white, tattered shawl was covered in bandages, a red cord decorating his arms in tight, knotted loops. Underneath his shawl, he wore the signature robes of his people: white with a light green trim to denote what section he belonged to back home (not that it mattered anymore), a white cotton shirt, black baggy pants, and black stone shoes that were oddly more comfortable than those made of flimsier material. Parts of his bandages and even through his shawl were dotting with the dark crimson spots of blood. His waist held a utility belt, his body armed to the teeth with knives, a buckler, a light crossbow, and then his larger backpack that stored his essentials for survival and travel.

“A hope-kindling beacon of joy and welcome”, my ass. He thought to himself. He felt more like a fish out of water here than he ever did. His eyes darted around worriedly, his mere presence giving concerned looks towards his direction. These people smelled so strangely. Pheromones were hard to pick up on from those who didn’t exude it as plainly as his kin, but in huge abundances he can pick up on their emotional states. Joy and concern were the two biggest ones. Though, the vendors didn’t really pay him any mind, until he came up to one selling what looked like speared kebabs on a stick.

He wondered if these people knew he was here for a quest.

“Ya buyin’?” The portly man said as Xe’lik drew near.

The demon realized he had no currency. “I’m a part of the quest, sent by the God Queen.” He managed to croak out. His voice was a little low, but upon hearing this, the man squinted at him, as if assessing if what he was speaking was the truth.

“We already had a group of the God Queen’s chosen head to the temple.”

Xe’lik’s eyes widened, his voice hoarse as he attempted to yell, panic edging into his voice. “What? So I missed it??” He looked around for any sign of… Well, anything. There was a burnt building that was essentially rubble and ash, but other than that, there was nothing out of place. Well, seemingly, as he’s never been here before. He turned to the vendor again and pleaded this time. “I swear, I’m a part of the God Queen’s chosen, I’m just late. It hurts to walk, sir. May you please just spare me one of these? I’ll be on my way.” Was he playing up his pain? Yes, it was his own fault for overexerting himself the way he did.

The gaze in the man’s eyes softened. If he truly was the God Queen’s chosen, then it wouldn’t hurt to help him to something before he made his way up those steps. Plucking the kebab, he gave it to the demon. Xe’lik didn’t know if that was scorn laced with pity, or actual sympathy, but he wasn’t going to say no to food. Bowing in thanks with his new edible treasure latched safely in his vice grip, Xe’lik limped towards the temple, the stars smattered against the night sky and their incessant twinkling gaze looking like they were laughing at his pitiful limp. Their mockery had him wishing he could just run, but because of how quickly he tried to arrive in Keimara on time - to see it was all useless - he couldn't without achieving rest.

After an agonizing bit of scaling the steps with numbing legs, having to take multiple breaks to keep his resolve from crashing and burning along with his wobbly walking limbs, he managed to make it up to the temple. But he had spent a long time walking and hiking up the mountain to reach Keimara, barely having any time to stop and rest. He couldn’t be late, but here he was, practically missing out on everything that had happened. While he didn’t have something against just not missing out, he wanted to see who he was going to be grouped with.

That was when he made it to the temple doors, the glow that emanated from the door that was supposed to feel welcoming felt more like a bastion of light meant to ward him away. Still, he trudged on. However, due to not taking care of himself through most of his traveling, he collapsed to his knees, letting out a groan, before his vision went dark and he collapsed in the middle of the open doorway.

---

When he awoke, it was morning, and he was laid in a bed under soft blankets, his body curled up underneath. After a good night’s rest, his patchy skin didn’t hurt as bad and he was able to move around a lot easier without pain. His backpack was set next to his bed, as were his weapons. Having had a good night’s rest and having something to eat last night, he was able to regain some of his energy. The room he was in was blurry, but he was sure the large thing nearest to him was a statue of sorts. The colors blurred together and he found it difficult to see the architectural beauty of the temple.

Food was brought over to him still, and he looked at the breakfast with some indifference. He didn’t feel hungry, but it would be a waste not to at least eat something. He needed it if he was going to be using the bits of magic he could at least control. A deft hand darted out to grab his food from the platter that sat on him, eating the dumplings. On his mid-bite of his second dumpling, he heard a loud, deep metallic ringing sound that pulled a pained whine from him. He covered his ears, hoping the metal banging stopped. He didn’t even hear the warning.

He looked over his covers to see some people were sleeping in beds near him, and one of them had gotten up. Thinking he should too, he quickly stuffed the rest of the dumplings in his mouth, then gently removed the plate from atop him and slid out of bed. His bandages had been rebandaged and cleaned, and so were his clothes. He hadn’t even noticed. He then squinted.

He had apparently been treated to essentially a spit bath and he had no idea. He must have been out like a rock.

Xe’lik put on his clothes and then his tattered white shawl over them, then grabbed his weapons and tightened the belts holding them around different parts of his body. Because of his poor vision, he couldn’t see if there was anybody else here, but he was able to hear and smell them. What they smelled like was of no importance to him at the moment, as he warily made his way to the stone landing.

There was another being here, next to him. He sniffed, and there was the unmistakable scent of a furred animal, cold mountains, and something else to him he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Looking out over the city, the buildings mushed together into an unrecognizable color puddle that looked beautiful. He desperately wanted to paint it.

That’s when he heard the words of whoever was standing before them - or maybe it was further away, he was having a hard time telling. Again, his amazing hearing a bane of his existence as the booming voice sounded much closer than he actually was. God-touched humans sounded like a demon thing to say though.

Problem was, he couldn’t tell what kind of enemy they were facing. He looked around at anyone he could see, unsure of what this wolf guy was saying to the others. Did they have beef earlier? Either way, it didn’t concern him. “Uhm… Hello…” He said awfully timidly, then promptly straightened himself, relishing in being able to move semi-freely and not wanting to look like an absolute coward. A goofy cool guy was fine, but not a spineless coward. “Name’s Xe’lik. Was wondering if anybody can tell me what they see. I can’t see further than twenty feet… The whoever-it-is looks huge though.” He admitted rather sheepishly, his grey eyes looking away and trying to squint at the larger figure far ahead of them. He was just barely able to make out how tall he was because he certainly didn't remember walking past anything that was such a different color to the trees.

 

[Kibaa]

Khatiy
Location: God Queen's Temple, Keimara Village
Time: Evening​

---

The sun had risen, but even before it had done so, the Usaaman herself had been up bright and early. She found herself sat before a low table, quietly tending to her belongings as a small plate of breakfast sat next to her on the floor. Spread upon the pristine wooden table was a large scroll, a bronzen hand stroking elegantly over it with a thin brush and black ink. The sigils that Khatiy drew upon this scroll were tight, neat, professional, the mark of a seasoned illustrator. Yet, if one was not from Usaama, they would not be able to understand what these sigils and glyphs meant. Not without any previous familiarity, or without any magical ability to comprehend such things. Regardless of what the glyphs meant, however, it may be apparent to some of the older souls here that the scroll itself is what is known as a summoning scroll. An ancient practice-- it was odd, if anything, that a modern woman was using such an old thing. Then again, little seemed to be known about the place Khatiy came from. If her peopled called Roshan's home the Old Kingdom... Just how old does that make Khatiy's place of origin?

Khatiy had remained quiet, keeping to herself, not wishing to disturb those who slept. She had caught Korro waking up from the side of her eye, glancing to him only for a moment, before her own shyness had gotten the better of her, and so she had chosen not to say anything. There she sat, idly drawing, eating. Until the metallic ring filled the room. An attack?

"I had a feeling I'd be needing you sooner rather than later..." Khatiy mumbled softly, as if speaking to the scroll, quickly blowing over the wet ink before rolling the scroll back up into cylyndrical shape. She rose to her feet, and off she marched, to join Korro at the stone landing.

The clunkiness of her inventory was the tell-tale sign that she approached, stepping from behind to join Korro and Xe'lik, taking the middle space between them.

"Korro, what seems to be the matter?" She asked in that garrulous, posh tone of hers, a tone you'd typically find from educated nobles. She gazed out, to meet the demon and his army with her own eyes.

"Goblins. What are they doing all the way out here?" The Heiress asked almost arrogantly, as if she was so certain of what she saw. Why did she think they were goblins, and not imps? Perhaps she'd never seen imps before? For a beastmaster, her lack of familiarity with wolves and imps was certainly surprising. Her tone seemed to indicate that she thought, for some reason, that goblins were strictly endemic to Keshkartha, which was also untrue. "Oh.. A demon.. I've never seen that kind before." She added, in reference to the large king among them.

She glanced to Xe'lik. She had seen this man come in late in the evening, it was good to see he seemed to be doing alright now. "50 of them, if I had to guess." Khatiy explains to Xe'lik, turning back to Korro then.

"Destroy the town? ..." The girl asked plainly, almost as if puzzled by Korro's sarcasm. "No, it is up to us to help these people. You.... Are.. Going to help these people, right?" The Usaaman pleaded, a little naivety radiating from her foreign eyes.

An arm reached back, to unsling the large scroll from her shoulder, beginning to unfurl it. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interactions: SilverFlight Merciless Medic Kibaa
​

Roshan chuckled. Korro was right- the novelty of sleeping indoors would be short-lived. They'd best enjoy it while they could. "That's true." When he'd described the starlit sky over the dunes, his ramblings had been an invitation to all present to converse, but hadn't carried the expectation of a reply. So, he was pleasantly surprised when the northern demon answered again. "Ribbons in the sky..." He couldn't even imagine what that looked like, but it sounded wonderful. Would their journey take them so far north? "I'd really... like to see that..." he murmured, already half-asleep.

~~~***~~~​

As usual, Roshan awoke with the sun. After stretching and yawning tremendously, he got up, dressed quietly so as not to wake the others, and made his bed. Unbeknownst to him, his hair was twice its usual volume with wayward strands sticking out here and there, thanks to his sleeping while it was wet combined with the relative humidity of this climate. With no mirror in sight, he simply ran his fingers through it and tied it back the way he usually wore it. Then he grabbed his spear and headed outside. When he opened the door, Kian flew out with him and headed toward the trees, no doubt searching for his breakfast. In the temple courtyard, he found ample empty space to exercise and practice with his weapon. This was the best way to keep his blood flowing in the chill morning air.

Roshan trained until an acolyte informed him that breakfast was ready. Only when he returned did he notice a stranger sitting up in one of the futons, eating from a plate of dumplings. Strangely, he was covered in bandages, and though he looked fairly young his shaggy hair was pure white. If Roshan had to guess, he'd say 'not human'. "Oh, hey, a new guy! When did you get here? Welcome to the crew!" Scarcely had the words left his mouth when the alarm sounded. Still gripping his spear, he dashed outside onto the landing to take stock of the situation. Korro was not far behind. A huge, armored creature with the lower body of a horse and the torso of a man was at the village gates, along with a small army of little pig gremlins. The villagers were rushing around preparing for the attack. "This one sure didn't waste time," he muttered.

Neither was he coy about the purpose of his visit. "Hah. Get a load of this guy." By his words, Korro was thinking the same thing he was. Roshan knew the type- a big, boisterous braggart whose bravado far outmatched his importance. Most likely he was a talker, and easily provoked. Ooh, this would be fun. Meanwhile, Khatiy and the new guy had also come out, Khatiy identifying the creatures as goblins and the latter introducing himself and asking for a description on account of his poor eyesight. "Zhe... Se... Xe'lik, was it?" he said, struggling with the foreign pronunciation, as he gave the man a once-over, his gaze fixing first on the other's straining eyes and then on the gold bracelet at his wrist. Another demon...? "Sure thing. Big, ugly thug at the gates. Some kinda half-man, half-horse thing. Giant pole arm. An army of little pig goblin things. Does that sum it up?" Khatiy estimated they were fifty strong.

As he spoke he had been assessing the monster's likely strengths and weakness: blind spots to the rear and directly in front; probably devastating when it charged, but not very agile. The pole arm was a problem, and the solution was to get in close. The armor was also a nuisance, but no one could reach that high, anyway. First they'd bring it to its knees. Meanwhile, it seemed Korro would not make a move unless instructed, as with the fire last night. In Roshan's present mood, his aloof, menacing attitude was like water off a duck's back. With Khatiy, it was a different story. "Yes, he is," Roshan declared. Korro would do his part, if he had anything to say about it. Already, his heart was pounding, the thrill of battle singing in his veins. Not only was he eager to put his own strength to the test, this was also an opportunity to witness the skills of his teammates and discover how they could best work together.

Right now, the priority was protecting the village. It was doubtful the villagers could handle all those goblins. However, fighting the leader here could cause even more collateral damage. "Here's the plan. I'll sneak around behind and lure the big guy away from the village. Then I'll keep him busy. Korro, you wait for an opening and then go for the legs." There was the risk of getting crushed by those giant hooves, but Roshan had seen how fast Korro could be. "In and out. We'll whittle him down bit by bit." He was unfamiliar with Khatiy's skillset, but not with her weapon. "Khatiy, I bet your khopesh could hew through a number of those goblins. When the others show up, tell them to do the same. Now, where's Falarion? Xe'lik, tell him to attack the big guy's head. He's the funny lion guy with the accent. Can't miss 'im." He knew nothing of Xe'lik's abilities either, so messenger it was. "Then do what you can."

While he'd been speaking, Kian had returned from his excursion and swooped down to land on his master's shoulder. "So you want a piece of the action this time, huh?" he said, stroking the bird. "Well, you know the drill." Was that everything? Hands on his hips, he looked back at his teammates and took a deep breath. "We're going to tag team. Keep him confused, and make him mad. Some of us will hold off the goblins at the same time. Got it? Okay. Here I go." With that, he turned and ran down the steps, then darted into an alley between houses and started making his way along the outskirts of the village. Uncomfortable with being jostled, Kian leaped from his shoulder and flew overhead, circling idly whenever he stopped. Cutting through the woods, Roshan was able to circle around the gates and position himself behind the demon army. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted, "Hey, you! You think you are worthy to seize the gift of the gods? That is a bold claim, indeed! What do you call yourself?"

Now, hopefully, a list of credentials would follow and a contest of boasting would ensue, keeping the monster's attention fixed on him while buying time for the others to get into position. Leaning on his spear, as Kian came to rest on his perch once more, he posed with what was supposed to be an infuriating nonchalance, belying his readiness to spring into action. In case the beast decided to attack straight away, he had calculated the distance between them and number of paces it would take to get out of the way. Roshan knew a thing or two about horses, and this demon had the heavy build of a plow horse- much slower than the chargers he was used to riding into battle. There were also trees on either side, which would make it difficult for the demon to maneuver if he left the road.

A mischievous grin spread across his face. Come and get me, sucker.

 

[Goonfire]

FINYAGUR​

The night passed, quietly as the God Queen had promised. However, she did not assure them the following morning would be so peaceful...

While the others had settled in, Fin enjoyed a bath alone and made a point to tread softly when heading to an unused bed. He was a notoriously light sleeper, which he demonstrated that morning when Korro's shuffling about woke him. Of course Korro would be among the first to rise... The deity glared from beneath the covers, half-tempted to hiss at his old nemesis. However, he took note of a new presence among them. This stranger remained quiet and discreet, but the bracelet in that familiar style revealed his demonic nature. Fin withheld an irritable sigh; of course there would be one more of them. Thinking rationally, it actually did make sense to have more than two demons on the journey.

The commotion outside brought the lesser deity to the landing, mere feet away from Korro. "Oh look, a handful of weaklings think they are mighty predators," he scoffed quietly as he adjusted his morbidly decorated hide bracers, two fingers gripping the small bones almost like handles. His spear rested in the crook of his elbow. From his vantage point, he caught glimpses of Roshan leaving the safety of the village to circle and distract these demons. "Is this human mad?" Fin then protested. He continued after a grunt of resignation. "I will flank these bottom feeders. Let's make this swift. Their leader shouldn't know what hit him, and the imps will fall into disarray." With a smirk, he activated Mikylva's chameleon effect. "Roul, come." The spectral dog appeared in a small cloud of mist and accompanied him in diving off the landing into the village below.

Mirroring Roshan's movement, Finyagur and Roul dashed through Keimara. The former kept to the alleys, while the latter leapt from rooftop to rooftop. They scaled the wall with ease, then parted ways when Fin gestured in a semi-circle and said "Go." Using the rocks and trees, the camouflaged hunter approached silently. Roul orbited the scene, passing right by Roshan. The animal spirit positioned himself just within the tree line, hunkered down to stay discreet until they were all ready.

Interactions: SilverFlight
Mentions: Merciless Medic Monday

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: Keimara Village	Current Form: Male human, then gryphon

Waking to the rising sun, Falarion blinked and then slowly came back to himself as he realized he was sleeping in an actual bed. Like humans. The thought briefly startled him and he sat up quick only to remember he was a burrito and promptly face plant in his bed with a yelp. He then proceeded to spend the next few minutes shuffling around in his bed until he finally found the way out from his burrito. Sitting up properly now, he glanced about the room and saw most of the individuals of their group were absent.
What was that human saying, early bird gets the worm? Falarion was more than happy to pass on worms for breakfast.

He was pleasantly surprised to find his clothing folded neatly on a nightstand, seeing as there was no room on his bed with how chaotically he sleeps. Glancing about, Falarion decided everyone was either still sleeping or not present and therefore that was enough privacy for him. He quickly changed clothes, happy to be in his own attire, even if the fancy robe had felt comfier.

It was around this time that Falarion finally caught a whiff of breakfast and his stomach loudly growled in protest. He scowled at his stomach and poked it, as if he were silently berating himself for being hungry. Looking about, he quickly found the food and made himself a plate, making a little pyramid of the dumplings for fun. He instinctively took himself to join Korro's side for breakfast and dug in.

He was just about done toppling his pyramid of dumplings when the alarm rang throughout the temple. Groaning, Falarion stuffed a dumpling in his mouth and then snatched up another before meeting Korro's gaze with an exasperated one of his own. He took his time, finishing off the additional dumpling and even stretching a bit as he went. He felt no real rush to see what chaos awaited him.

Once he finally joined the others at the top of the stairs, Falarion simply plopped himself down on the top stair and began to lounge in the warming sun's rays.

He then belatedly realized there was indeed a newcomer joining them and he found himself pleased to see they were a fellow demon. He felt a bit less alone now. He had mindlessly tuned out the majority of what the rich guy was blabbering about, but he did squint at the big bad guy trying to threaten the village. Unfortunately, all Falarion could really think about right now was that he never got his coffee before this and did not feel awake enough to fight some big, dumb brute this early in the morning.

Falarion startled upright when rich guy decided to shout from afar and taunt the bad demon, and felt impressed with his courage, albeit it was stupid of him to do. Actually, since when did he get so far from the stairs? He did not realize humans could be so quick on their feet.

He also had to wonder if this demon was truly bad, though. It was all confusing and muddled nowadays. Was it right to assume anyone stopping them from doing their job was 'bad'? Oof, no, too early for such thoughts.

Falarion sighed and glanced over at the bandaged demon, curious as to what he was expected to do here. He hoped whatever it entailed that he could just shift into his gryphon form and maybe poke the other demon's eye out. Considering the size and lack of intelligence here, he suspected taking away its eyesight would even the odds fairly quick.

Interactions: SilverFlight Monday Merciless Medic
Nearby: Kibaa Goonfire ShadyLady Arai

 

[ShadyLady]

Interactions: Monday Lioness075 Mentions: Arai Kibaa SilverFlight Goonfire

Promised baths and cosy blankets were a gift that always kindled a warm flicker of contentedness within the spirit. A good scrub was always welcome and Yue would never refuse the chance to preen herself. An intricate comb carved from ivory was raised by her meticulous hand, weaving through her snowy hair after her stay in the warm water, untangling any knots. Once she was satisfied with her work, she tied her locks into a loose bun and prepared for bed. Yue’s wandering eye led her to the wolf demon and his unruly hair. Her fingers twitched, nose scrunching the slightest as she spied hair that would surely be tangled if not brushed, but she didn't deem her place to offer a comb, and it would likely be even worse for him to hear that Yue would be willing to sit and smooth it out for him when she barely knew him. With that train of thought ended in her mind, she found her bed for the night, curling up into a little ball and letting sleep claim her.

Morning came too soon if you were to ask Yue. Bleary, blinking eyes and an unabashed yawn were all Yue graced to the sound of the early risers waking before her head was back down and her eyes shut, squeezing in all the sleep she could get before the day truly started. There was only so much she could put off getting ready for the day and with a begrudging sigh, the spirit shuffled out of her covers, doing her morning stretches and another monumental yawn capturing her lips followed by the slumping of her shoulders. For someone who prized herself on her presentation, if there was ever a time it slipped, it was whenever she woke after a long rest. Taking her neatly folded clothes, Yue moved to get dressed and ready for the day, sorting her hair once more and adorning her bamboo hat. It seemed she’d missed breakfast and that there wouldn’t even be time to indulge on whatever the menu was today with the sharp sound of an alarm blaring. What a shame…

Heading out to see what the commotion was, snack pouch in hand as she stuffed her cheeks full of pastries from the night before, she blinked owlishly at the familiar gathered bunch, the uninvited morn visitors, and the almost awkward stranger. The sight of bandages and pale hair so similar to her own were an interesting distraction from the happenings. Her nose twitched, unsure of what to make of the day so far, but best she took it in her stride. Swallowing her makeshift breakfast and hiding her pouch under her layers, the spirit tilted her head at the newcomer. “Ah… hi Xe’lik!” Yue chirped a curt greeting to the new person, not oblivious to the approaching onslaught, simply choosing to welcome the demon in because first impressions always mattered!

With Roshan filling in their new ally, Yue listened to the plan dished out to the others and she slid over to his side, hand outstretched to give him a polite tap on the shoulder and grant him her boon… until he bolted. Her brows shot up, mouth falling open to call out for him as he darted away, “Roshan wait!” Words fell on deaf ears. Rather than chase him down she simply stared as he left her in the dust. Letting out a small sigh through her nose, she took a moment, turning to the few still gathered with a tight lipped smile and surveying them to choose who would be her replacement. Decided, Yue pointed at her second choice. “Silly demon, I have something for you,” she simpered, shifting to stand next to Falarion and give him a gentle tap on the forehead with her pointer, her smile widening when her familiar glow enveloped the demon, “I hope you can make use of some haste.”

Now that was sorted, Yue had her own matters to take care of. Remaining light-hearted in what could become a dire situation often helped to ease both her own anxiety and the others around her, the folk who lived in Keimara must be panicked, she would offer all the help she could grant to them. Drawing her blade, she began her descent down the steps, turning back only to say, “I am going to remain close to the townsfolk and defend them, I wish you all luck.”

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: Evening on the day of the Journey's beginning

Interactions: Monday Kibaa Goonfire Merciless Medic

Korro had registered the new face that morning, but he usually didn't speak to anyone before breakfast. Not having had it yet, he glanced over at Xe'lik, making a small attempt to keep the irritation out of his voice.
"One mountain demon, horse body, human torso, with four lesgs, two arms and armour, about four Northern sabers high. Two score imps surrounding the town. None of them look like much, likely scavengers looking for an easy target." Korro broke down the scene in battle terms as he would for his soldiers.

"Let's hope you have some skill hidden under those bandages."
He didn't need to add the last bit, but he was hungry, which made him angry. There should be a word for that...

Fin landed right beside him, and for that offense he also caught Korro's tongue:
"You would be the expert on those." He said scathingly.

Khatiy made no secret in her desire to help the poor townsfolk. Korro started when she rounded on him. He did a double take, looking fairly unnerved by her expression.
Was that...expectation? He stammered the beginnings of an answer, and that was when Roshan stepped up beside them, answering Khatiy's question for the begrudging demon. "Yes he is."

"Wait, what? I never agreed--" His words dissolved into a growl, but he listened to Roshan's plan nonetheless.
"This is a terrible plan." Korro returned when Roshan had finished. "I implied their weakness when thinking of my former strength, not a floppy human like you, he'll grind you into meat paste if he catches you!"
But it was no use. Roshan had already charged off. Korro snorted. His yellow eyes looked back over at Khatiy, a little glimmer of mischief dancing in them.
"You wanted to see a wolf Khatiy?"

Korro turned back to survey the city. He called on his power, weakened but at least familiar. His face lengthened into a broad muzzle, his shoulders narrowed as he went to all fours. His clothes shifted into white fur, tipped with black like the heads of arrows. His hands and feet changed to paws, massive, with black paw pads and long, cruel claws. His tail stretched out behind him with an arrogant curve.
Only a wolf, but even if only, a wolf was frightening enough:

Once changed, Korro glanced back with his sulfur-yellow eyes, lined in black, as were his lips, curled back to reveal a row of glistening white teeth.
His fur shimmered, like a blanket of freshly-fallen snow. He was three-times the size of a normal dog, and stood with his shoulders at Khatiy's hip.
A low and menacing growl rumbled from somewhere deep inside his chest. He looked like a beast, but in his eyes still was the glitter of intelligent thought.

Wasting no more time, Korro launched from the steps of the temple, and in only a few bounds, had caught up with Roshan to run by his side. "Is throwing yourself headfirst into danger going to be a common occurrence with you?" He questioned in great annoyance.

Before they broke the last line of houses Korro darted down a side alley and away, looping around the opposite direction from Fin. Korro ran down the slope and curved back up, using the mountain itself to shield himself from view. There he crouched and waited for the demon to take Roshan's bait.

It worked better than Korro wanted it to. The demon could sense that divine power at this close a range and knew what Roshan was.
"Ah!" The demon bellowed. "One mouse emerges! But I know there are more." The demon pointed, and his imps started for the town, a flood of gnashing teeth and swiping claws. They would reach the first houses in moments.

"I am Veruul! Lord of this mountain! Everything here belongs to me!" He reared up on his hind horse legs, brandishing his Ji. When he had finished posturing he pointed to four imps who had remained behind. "Take him!"

The imps charged, rushing straight at Roshan with high-pitched screeches of delight, attempting to catch and restrain him for their master.

So far the demon had seen none of the spirits, demons or the god that begun to take part in the fight. To Korro, it seemed that he was not even aware they were present. That made things easier.

When the imps are dealt a blow they pop in a cloud of smoke, and turn back into their original forms: toads, snakes and mice. They are minor animal demons that had been granted power by the leader. Once they are struck they revert back to what they were, they don't even need to be slain.

Lioness075 ShadyLady Arai

 

[Goonfire]

FINYAGUR​

"That snarky bastard," Fin grumbled as he reflected on the insult Korro had landed before they split up. The huge demon's voice boomed as it gloated, indicating it took Roshan's bait. With the majority of the imps running at Yue and Khaity's defenses in the village, it made Fin's job easier. He poked his head up, then readied Hrok in a reverse grip. The god aimed carefully at where he believed a heart would be and, in one powerful motion, threw the mighty, silvered spear at Veruul's back. It traveled as fast as an arrow from any longbow. Though he had been out of practice, Fin still expected to hear a loud 'SHUNK!' of the spear hitting flesh.

At the same time, Roul charged and pounced at one of the four imps. The spirit bit down on the the imp and thrashed about, dragging it down. The demon lackey let out a screech and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a mere garter snake in its place. Roul dropped the snake, letting it slither away; he didn't expect that—or want it, for that matter. The hound had seemingly developed a more refined palate over the years, a true gourmet animal... not that he could taste in this form.

Interactions: SilverFlight
Mentions: Monday Kibaa ShadyLady

 

[Arai]

Koralia Stormcaller
Location: Goddess Temple
Interactions: Open (Town Defense Team)

​

Ever an early riser, Koralia had already been going through some breathing exercises and meditation at the back of the temple before dawn broke around her. Guard shifts on the road had been at 2 hour intervals, and Koralia had always preffered the early shift to sleep in one of the few wagons on the road. She scrunched her face as she tried in vain to contemplate yesterday's actions and events, static electricity humming in the air around her, deep yellow sparks lifting from her skin. She'd tried her best to sleep, though had kept waking up, her back not used to the soft down of the bed. She'd ended up transferring to the floor after an hour or two.

Aquiring her washed cothes (Gods these acolytes were helpful) she had taken some light breakfast trimming while the servants were still setting it out for her companions, taking what she could outside to continue her morning rituals. Her clean travelling coat was laid on the ground underneath her as she sat, her knife belt haphazardly thrown against a pillar, to avoid it interferring with her meditation. The Demons seemed dangerous, but perhaps the spirits and demigod could keep them in line? That certainly let the girl relax her shoulders a little, the lightning responding accordingly as the wild strikes seemed to dim into a rumble around her. They were lighting bolts about the size of her arm striking the ground around her, which her old sensei would've chastised her imprecise nature for. The memory made her laugh, the old woman would probably still be asleep.

Koralia's memories were interruped by the deep hammering of a bell tower, and immediatly all of the static in the air dissapated around her. She stood up and looked down the great temple's mountain, spying a great beast in the distance. A centaur of some kind, with several demonic looking creatures alongside him. Koralia's nostrils flared with anger. Demons, the bad kind. And they were drawn here because of her and the others. To the town that, just yesterday, she'd been chastising for it's softness. And now it looked like an easy pickings.

"I have heard on the wind that a great gift has been bestowed on those unworthy! Send the god-touched humans out, and we will spare your pathetic settlement!"

"Doesn't ask for much, does he?" She muttered as Korro walked out behind her. Korro was acting uninterested and superior, but with the retrospective of a new day, she just heard it as background noise and grandstanding for the most part. Blah blah blah I don't care about anything and neither does your god blah blah big scary monster. She vaguley noted they were joined by a figure she hadn't seen the night before, covered in bandages. He made it difficult to identify his race, but he looked human enough. She slowly moved in front of Xe'lik, trying to briefly glance at his face. Was he blind? Khatiy had joined them as well, and was unveiling a wicked looking blade that curved at the top.

"No, it is up to us to help these people. We're going to need all the help we can get,"

She nodded in agreement, strapping her knife belt tightly against her coat. It was like putting on a nice pair of gloves, ones that had been worn in enough to go on easy but still provide adequate warmth. Roshan had also joined them, and quickly formed a plan before rushing down the steps, Korro in tow behind him. She shrugged at Khatiy as she began to slide down one of the temple's smooth guiderails, apparently for decoration but great for a quick descent. Finyagur ran past beside her, leaping onto the nearby rooftops Truth be told she was glad that Roshan had taken charge of the situation, her specialities didn't lie in leading troops into battle.

"I am Veruul! Lord of this mountain! Everything here belongs to me!"

Sounds like Roshan's play had been noticed then. She would leave the heavier hitters to handle the "Lord of the Mountain", sprinting in the direction of the larger congragation of imps. They were quickly converging on houses, and, with Yue alongside her, Koralia moved to begin thinning the herd, slipping two of her knives from their holster and throwing them forward. There was a mild hiss from 2 of the ugly creatures, before a puff of smoke, leaving two mice in their place, her knives clattering to the ground unceremoniously. She quickly picked them up and turned to her opponents, as others within their group who had elected to defend the town join her.

Oh yes. This she could do.

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interactions: SilverFlight +open
​

As Roshan ran through the village, a large, yellow-eyed wolf fell in beside him, speaking in Korro's voice. So, that's what his other form looked like. Fierce and intimidating, yet not without a sort of natural elegance. Good. Just as he'd predicted, the demon would go along with the plan, even if he didn't like it. "What do you mean? This is what I always do." In all honesty, it hadn't dawned on him that his behavior was particularly abnormal. Sure, he took risks others might feel unnecessary, but things usually seemed to work out, be it through destiny, or luck, or skill, or good reflexes. Even if they didn't, he'd figure it out somehow. This was the best role for him. With Korro in position, well hidden, the trap was ready to be sprung.

Quick to rise to the bait, the demon nonetheless sent most of his minions toward the town. Roshan hoped the others were equal to the task. "Veruul the Mountain Lord, is it?" he drawled in response to the demon's bombastic introduction, idly scratching his ear. All that ceremony was rather ridiculous, but it suited his purposes perfectly. "I'm ashamed to say I haven't heard of you. You know, back home, some folks call me a king. Disgraceful, isn't it? A king should know through whose territory he travels. Apologies for not sending a greeting." Did this thing possess the intelligence to understand sarcasm? He supposed he'd find out. Despite his attempt to convey boredom, he couldn't quite keep the smirk off his face. Clearly, he was enjoying himself a little too much.

Only four goblins? Well. Now he was offended. Granted, he was a fragile human, but... really? Either this guy was even more absurdly arrogant than he thought, or simply weak. Hopefully, it was both. At least he knew that Veruul was trying to capture the humans alive. That was something they could exploit. Before the creatures came within range of his spear, a transparent canine shape- not Korro- emerged from the trees and chomped down on one, which burst into a cloud of smoke, leaving a snake wriggling in its mouth, which it promptly dropped. No doubt the ghost dog belonged to another of his companions. Excellent. Brandishing his spear, as Kian left his shoulder for a perch in a nearby tree, he took out all three goblins with one wide swing that traced a shining arc in its wake, leaving two toads and a mouse in their place.

So, these were all temporarily empowered forest creatures? He laughed out loud. There was no need to worry about the town, after all. Surely the others could take care of this easily. "Is that how you lead, oh mighty Veruul? By all means, send all the followers you can spare! The strength of a king is the strength of his people, after all." Not to be bested in theatrics, he twirled his spear elaborately overhead, weaving a glistening trail of water, before taking his stance. "Or better yet, come get me yourself!" Of course, the plan was to get out of the way as soon as soon as the self-proclaimed mountain lord charged. Then he, Korro, and whoever else had followed would harass him from all sides.

 

[Kibaa]

Khatiy
Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning​

---

Khatiy shot both arms up into the air with almost sarcastic joy as she witnessed Yue, Falarion, Koralia and Fin come out from the sleeping quarters to join the rest at the stone landing. "Oh, my! Look who has finally decided to join the occasion!" She clamored, her tone demonstrating joy, perhaps excitement, for the battle that was to come. In one hand, she held the Khopesh of Amanirenas, which, despite being a large, two-handed weapon, its weight seemed to be manageable by just one of Khatiy's hands as said hands waved about in the air. In the other, she held the large summoning scroll, which had become loose, beginning to unravel. The Khophesh itself was also wrapped in grey bandages, save for the handle, so as to protect its edge and prevent any unwanted cutting, in lieue of an actual sheath.

Together, the party strategized, and it seemed to take no time at all for a plan of action to be devised. Granted, most of it came from Roshan's impulsiveness, and Korro's urge to go feral, but, a plan was a plan. The Usaaman turned to observe the encroaching army, and watched as one by one, her companions slipped out towards the battlefield, each with a task in mind. Roshan, Fin, and Korro were quick footed, decisive, while Yue and Koralia acted with patience, choosing to protect those who could not protect themselves.

She had watched, with great interest, as Korro began his transformation. She had been ever so curious about wolves ever since they were mentioned, and the transformation itself was like nothing she would have imagined. Khatiy was mesmerized by such a feat, in a good way, her eyes observing the change of every body part. "What a beautiful creature!" The Usaaman thought to herself, watching the newly formed northern wolf take off towards the battlefield without much patience for anything else.

And so, with the plan all made and out of the way, the only thing left to do, was to act. With one flick of her thumb, Khatiy's scroll became fully loosened, unraveling out into full length. Her lips parted to chant: "Summoning: Lowland Macaque!"

The sigils scripted upon the scroll, authored in black ink, began to glow for a splitsecond, expanding, before a great cloud of white and grey smoke explodes from the very scroll, emanating a somewhat loud 'pop'. From this cloud, an animalistic figure emerged. Quick, small, somewhat humanoid. "Go, Wexel!" Out flew from the cloud Wexel, an Usaaman macaque. His hairs where white, almost blondish, and as he landed onto his feet, bobbing happily at the sight of his master, he'd suddenly wrap both arms around himself in an eerily human gesture, as if to complain about being cold. Wexel bounced on two feet, rubbing both of his hands over his arms, whining. "D'oh, I know, little friend... This isn't Keshkartha! But, look!" She pointed out, towards the demon and his army. "Goblins are attacking this town! They're depending on you for help!" Khatiy spoke to the monkey, who, although was not capable of understanding the human language, could reasonably understand the situation at hand and what his master was implying, the communication between the two of them also aided by Khatiy's beastmaster magic. Without any further hesitation, Wexel let out a cry, and took a leap of faith forward, jumping out towards the battle.

With their defensive ranks bolstered, Khatiy took one glance to either side, at Falarion, and Xe'lik. "That leaves us, gentlemen. Let's not take too long now." Another flick of her thumb, and Khatiy's large khopesh also unraveled from its bandages, revealing a sleek yet thick copper blade, curved in Keshkarthan fashion. Off she went, down the steps, with unprecedented speed, certainly surprising for a lady who had, up until now, seemed so regal and couth. Sword in hand, she would join Yue and Koralia. Koralia seemed very capable, almost eager to take on multiple imps at once, and so Khatiy decided to allow her to take the vanguard, staying back near the innocent people, instructing them to take up whatever weapons they could. She swung her blade elegantly at any imp who dared get too close, her motions fluid, like water. Her khopesh's long reach and curve made it so Khatiy could easily deflect and disarm incoming attackers, counter-attacking in one fell swoop.

---

Wexel the Macaque

Wexel was an ugly monkey. Sadly. He had a fleshy face, disfigured teeth, and frayed, thin hair. He was not any more charming than the attacking imps. He came from the valleys of the Fringe Isles, a small archipelago just a tiny distance away from the shores of Usaama. Despite his appearance, the poor animal meant well, as he moved quickly, seemingly determined to stop these imps. For whatever reason, Wexel appeared to know exactly what the imps were, and seemed adamant on stopping them at any cost.

Wexel's appearance may also give out what would be another clue as to Khatiy's place of origin. Wexel was equipped with what looked like a military utility vest, particulary a variant used commonly by the lesser warring states of Keshkartha. Etched upon its leather surface was the sigil of Usaama, one of the most southern domains in Keshkartha. If there is anything known about Usaama, it's that it is a land rich with diverse and vibrant desert wildlife, and that the locals consider the wildlife there to be precious. Tight bonds are forged between man and beast in Usaama. So tight, that, given Wexel's appearance, it seemed Usaamans are even willing to employ their animals as weapons of war.

Was Wexel some kind of experimental footsoldier? This may appear to be the case to any bystanders, but, in truth, the tradition of sending animals to war was an ancient one in Usaama. Any which way, experimental footsoldier was an ambitious way to describe it. Strapped to Wexel's vest was a sharpened hunk of bronze, with a thick bandage wrapped around its thinner edge in lieue of a real handle, in typical Usaaman fashion. A shortsword, of sorts. But, to call Wexel a footsoldier was perhaps an exaggeration. As it would quickly become clear that he was nothing more than a monkey with a sword, and nothing else. He leapt quickly from building to building, and the frontline group would witness what appeared to be a crazed monkey jump right into the heat of battle! Attempting to cut off the goblins someways between Koralia's group and Roshan's group, Wexel released a high pitched cry, similar to those of the very imps, as he'd land onto one of the imps with a flurry of kicks. Next, the monkey drew his sword, propelling himself at the wave of imps with unforeseen bravery and firepower. He punched, kicked, bit, and swung. A whirlwind of bronze, claw and tooth. As courageous as Wexel seemed, it was also apparent that this monkey had no idea whatsoever what a sword was, nor any idea how to use it. He swung his weapon blindly, bravely, but it looked more like he was using a hammer than an actual sword, swinging the sharpened bronze in any direction at any given time, more often than not using its flat side like a blunt weapon rather than actually slicing and dicing at the goblins. Hopefully, Wexel's bombastic entrance into the battle would cause a further distraction for Roshan, Fin, and Korro to act upon. However, Wexel had also placed himself in marginal danger, as he found himself outnumbered amidst a horde of imps, with nothing but a mediocre sword and unbreakable bravery to his name. He would need help, even a crackhead like Wexel was not capable of taking on dozens of imps by himself. For now, however, he was hopefully buying some valuable time.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Xe’lik​

Location: Keimara Village, Eastern Mountains
Time: Morning, Day 1
Interactions: Korro, Khatiy, Finyagur, Falarion, Yue, Koralia, Roshan
Mentions: N/A
SilverFlight Lioness075 Goonfire Kibaa ShadyLady Arai Monday

This was where Xe’lik realized there were quite a few people in this new party, even having just noticed there was a human among the first out. He looked over everyone, thankful they were all within his range of sight. First was the bronze-colored girl with braids? Dreads? What did humans call them? Either way, he had never seen anyone like her so far up here. Yeah, his people traveled south, but he’s never seen such differently colored skin. She smelled like copper or bronze, the metallic smell familiar as that was what they commonly found in their mountain to smelt. She also smelled like a beast, like she’s been rolling around with some animals. She was very loud, probably not good at sneaking if he had to guess - what with all these items on her person. However, she had a funky looking sword he’s seen only a couple times and what looked like a scroll. He looked at the scroll with a confused look. What was that supposed to do? She also sounded like… Something. He didn’t quite pinpoint as to what it was, considering he’s never heard nobles speak before when they were pleading for their very life. She just sounded off to him. First, she said goblins, so did Roshan later, and then Korro corrected them to say they were imps. Korro sounded so done that he might as well trust his word more.

She was confused as to what they’re doing out here, but given the description from Korro and Roshan, Xe’lik actually let out a little chuckle. A dangerous chuckle. “Weakling demons from this mountain. We’ve never once stooped so low as to touch them because of their inferiority to my family. This will be easy.” He looked over at Khatiy and nodded at her number, with Korro’s assessment of there being two score - forty - that had him believing him more. Korro’s words - albeit irritated - gave the weight of a general. A tone he was familiar with, despite no hierarchy or ranking in his family.

Though, Khatiy’s naivety wasn’t lost on Xe’lik. He looked over at her questioningly as she began to unfurl the scroll. Big heart. He’s seen humans like her. Sheltered. Good sometimes, it could be infuriating later when she can’t seem to understand the pain of others. Hopefully, she’s empathic, or else it was going to be a rude awakening for her. However, what caught him by surprise was after assessing Khatiy, there was an undeniable hunger he felt, and he narrowed his eyes to scrutinize. Was she… Touched by a god? He can feel the divine energy radiating from her, and he felt jealous. They get powers, they get the good graces of the gods, yet what did they get? To be bound, scorned, and burned-

No, no, he must not get jealous. They were here to work together after all. Plus, they were demons. They had a reason. That didn’t mean that it hurt any less.

As for Roshan, the man who smelled of soap (well, everyone did but him more so), with traces of spices and a good ol’ campfire. He smelled enticing, and even more so because of the same divine energy he felt from him. But this was more of a ‘relaxed’ scent he could get used to. When Roshan greeted him earlier with such friendliness, Xe’lik was momentarily taken aback. He stared up at him with wide eyes, then smiled. “Last night. Passed out when I walked through the doors. Thank you.” A gracious nod, and again towards what he could only guess was a spirit who greeted him, which then devolved into a plan Roshan spewed out.

Nearby him as he was alerted by Khatiy’s yelling, there was a large imposing man with a wolf skin over him. With his energy, Xe’lik deduced he was some sort of a demigod or a spirit reaching godhood. He can feel his derision aimed towards him when they locked eyes. A woman had a similar spiritual energy he was familiar with, then there was another human with the similar divine pull that made Xe’lik feel scorn. At least two demons nearby were enough company. As Roshan tried to get his name right, Xe’lik opted to stay silent until later to correct him, as now wasn’t the time.

The bickering was starting to grate on Xe’lik’s patience. They will soon have to learn to get along if they want to survive this quest. He didn’t like it, but he was able to set aside his grievances for the bigger group. Roshan said some sort of plan, then ran off. One of the demons - the one with the lion tail - seemed to not have heard Roshan as he came out. He nodded to relay the intel, and then he was off with his bird (interesting), as was the demigod after further bickering between him and Korro and blending in with the scenery from the wolf pelt, the demigod summoning a phantom of a wolf to run along the rooftops.

However, he noticed that the spirit - smelling like incense and … osth… osm… osthmeum? Osmantheum? Whatever the humans call devilwood - put her hand on Roshan’s shoulder, only for him to speed off. She then rounded on the other demon and gave him some boost which she called Haste. Huh. Interesting.

Korro had said some damn near challenging words, which only made Xe’lik chuckle as he looked back with a crazed expression, almost happy to cause mayhem. “Ohhh, you’ll see~.” He said in a sing-song tune, making note of Korro’s transformation as then ran off to catch up to the demigod before bolting towards Roshan. The other human that smelled of ozone and that of a first beginnings of rain rushed forward along with them as the osmantheum spirit unsheathed her sword and walked down the steps as if gliding.

The beast lady had summoned a monkey with some kind of vest and he wondered just how often it was for humans to employ animals as soldiers of war. Finding his entire group now fascinating, the woman had left with her monkey - who complained it was too cold. It wasn’t too cold up here, was it? Unless she came from a warmer environment.

With his shoddy assessment done, he looked at the only demon that was left with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. With Roshan’s message, he realized that this guy probably could fly if he guessed the context correctly. “While that big guy over there may be weak, he may have tricks. If you can fly, circle around him first to see how he reacts to the attacks of others, then go for his head.” With that, he let out a deep sigh - sensing Fal’s earthy and musky scent - before rushing off down the steps, taking several at a time.

He came down and saw a couple humans going after the imps. From this distance, he was able to pick out the monkey, the bronze smelling girl, the ozone smelling girl, and possibly the spirit from earlier. Seeing as there’s a human, demigod, and two demons going after the big horse imp, he decided to pick on the smaller ones for now. He rushed headlong, hearing Veruul announce himself.

Snickering, Xe’lik had to quell his emotions for the time being as he focused on a memory. One of deep sorrow. The man or woman he would have been with if it weren’t for his family. Anger surged, then came sadness as he set his hands on the floor. Even as imps came surging towards him, he didn’t care about their existence.

He wanted them gone.

Evergreen vines broke through the earth, three of them as thick as his forearm flailed around before sweeping low to the earth and knocking the imps back, even reaching over and grabbing a few imps from Wexel, Koralia, and Khatiy to lighten their load before squeezing them or smashing them until the transformed back into their spiritual animal forms and running off.

Then came the fear of the God Queen. An unannounced memory flashed before his eyes - of losing his powers and being ostracized and killed by his people - that mingled with his sorrow. Conical green thorns with wicked red tips the size of his hand burst from the earth to puncture several imps in front of him, and when they transformed back the thorns had enough velocity to attack just one more imp behind them.

Since they now established a front line where the imps wouldn’t cross, it should only be a matter of moments before all forty imps were beaten back - given if a few hadn't stayed alongside their commander.

Two from the lightning lady. But he was having a hard time hearing the other imps dying or running off after transformation from all the commotion of fighting, so he yelled out to Khatiy, Koralia, and Yue if she was nearby. “Count how many you’ve beaten!” He definitely didn’t want to get burned because some errant imp went hiding and hurt a family that he could have prevented.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: Keimara Village	Current Form: Male human, then gryphon

When approached by Yue, Falarion squinted up at her while she cast a shadow over his face. His curiosity was piqued by her behavior and he tilted his head to the side just before she poked him in the forehead. He glanced about himself to see the faint glow from whatever had been bestowed upon him and he frowned until she mentioned it being haste.

Almost immediately, Falarion's expression shifted to one of giddiness as he abruptly stood up and exclaimed, "Aye, I'll make great use o' this haste!"

As the woman began her casual descent into chaos, Falarion turned when he heard Korro speaking and was surprised to witness him shift before the small group. He could not help himself, as he let out an appreciative whistle once Korro's wolf form was in view.
"Yer a right bonnie lad, Pup."
Given the chaos of everyone rushing to fight, Falarion had no idea if Korro even heard him. Oh well.

Just then the big guy roared out some other nonsense about him being someone important and Falarion promptly yawned, covering his mouth with a hand. He should probably get moving considering he had no clue how long his gift of haste would last.

His thoughts were interrupted when the tanned woman casually summoned a monkey that did not seem entirely pleased to be present. Nonetheless, it rushed off to fight and Falarion began to wonder what its name may be. He looked like he probably had a simple name, nothing like any of the names of those present. Perhaps his name was similar to the big guy's name, Veruul. It was easy to say at least.

Yet again, his thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt, as the bandaged demon approached him. He offered him a nod in return to the pat on his shoulder as well as the offered plan of action. It was simple enough to enact, and was sure to be plenty of fun.

Falarion grinned in delight at what was to come and knelt down before he began shifting into his gryphon form. Bones creaked and cracked, muscles expanded with snaps, and then his face elongated into that of what could be mistakenly seen as a dragon's face were one not to see him clearly. His eyes glowed a dim yellow, his irises having a slit and appearing reptilian in nature. His feathery wings extended from his shoulders and he leaned forward in a stretch to let out a yawning roar while his tail stretched out behind him and began to flick about impatiently. Shaking his head and body, Falarion puffed out his chest and then took a running leap into the air. His wings slowly but surely carried him higher before he began swiftly gliding down towards the big guy.

Spoiler: Gryphon Form

As he glided over the buildings, Falarion caught sight of several of their group attacking the many little gremlins that Veruul had summoned to aid him. Clearly, he had overestimated their worth, but that was a boon for their party.

Soon enough, he found himself nearing the tall guy and he suddenly leaned to the side, angling his wings to utilize his gifted haste in abruptly weaving around the side of the big guy to then began circling above his head, warily keeping an eye out in case he tried to take a swipe at Falarion.

Interactions: SilverFlight Merciless Medic Kibaa
Nearby: Arai Monday Goonfire ShadyLady

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: Evening on the day of the Journey's beginning

Interactions: Monday Goonfire

The imps swarmed the city, running like ants through underbrush, but where the pilgrims and their protectors were, no imps could pass.
The villagers fought as best they could, with hoes and axes and ploughshares, but even though they could be dispatched easily, their strength was that of a grown man each and their ferocity double. The villagers would certainly need help.

Veruul's body jerked with the force of Fin's spear tip, embedding itself in the demon's armoured back. Veruul had not seen the god and the demon behind him. He roared in pain and grasped the shaft, pulling it out of his back plate. The tip was black and it steamed as his demon blood burned on it.
Veruul turned to see Fin and gave the minor god a contemptuous look.

Veruul then turned and launched the silver-tipped spear as hard as he could up at the gryphon who had come to circle above him.
With that done he turned and charged for Roshan.
"It matters not whether you are whole or in pieces, you will taste just the same!"
The demon moved with unbelievable speed. He would reach Roshan in two heartbeats.

*~*~*


Korro cursed. He had not realized the fool godling had also moved to catch their prey from behind. Now he had aimed a blow and blown their cover both. Korro's white fur was invisible in the snow, but in the green grass it offered no camouflage, unlike the godling's pilfered pelt.
Then the demon moved and Korro's heart faltered. Something was wrong. He was much too fast! His eyes scanned the demon's body, and there, on his wrist was a small gem that glowed a deep indigo.

"He has a cursed item." Korro said out loud. Fool though Fin was, terrible in a team fight, they may yet need his help to beat the demon. Korro had acted so smug! Of course a demon that weak wouldn't make a play unless he had a trick or two.

All of this took as long as Veruul needed to turn to Roshan. Korro was moving before the centaur demon had thrown his first feet forward. Roshan would be killed before he could blink! Korro had to stop it.

His four feet carried him swiftly, and by the time Veruul had come into full gallop, Korro was just a length away. Then, something happened that he did not expect:
Veruul turned at the last moment, brought his ji around and down in an arc behind him. Too fast!
The blade caught Korro in the side with such force it hurled him blackwards. It was angled poorly however, and the blade was slanted away from him. Still the wolf yelped audibly as he was cast into the side of a boulder. He hit the ground in a shower of dirt and gravel, struggling to rise after.

It wasn't noticeable at first, but slowly, the ebony-black of his blood began to trickle off the lengths of fur at his belly, seeping from the wound on his side and back. Covered in dirst and blood, he snarled at the mountain demon, yellow eyes flashing.
In the attack, Veruul had exposed his back to Roshan to gloat over Korro with a smile:
"I see my quarry has bodyguards! Ha! Laughable."

Lioness075 ShadyLady Arai Kibaa Merciless Medic

 

[Goonfire]

FINYAGUR​

Fin cursed under his breath after his spear pierced the thick armor. The wound was far too shallow to weaken Veruul, but it reminded the minor god that he needed to strike true if he wanted to win this. A few cheap shots wouldn't be enough against any demon worth its salt.

Seeing the foe turn the spear on Falarion, Fin reached forth instinctively—no hesitation. Halfway to the feline demon, the spear slowed and transformed, flying in its bird form onto its owner's hand. Black ichor sizzled on its beak, which morphed back into the spear head once reclaimed.

Veruul, despite his weakling status, was certainly hiding some trick up his proverbial sleeve. Knowing his kind, it wouldn't take long for him to show or brag about it... or both. He had charged with unprecedented speed, batting Korro aside with his weapon. The fact Fin's nemesis wasn't cleaved in half indicated Veruul's edge alignment was poor. Notions like this were common knowledge for any human in the North! Was this demon inferior to even a village idiot!?

The incessant boasting opened a great window of opportunity for Roshan, who stood just behind their enemy. The poor lad had been held in such ill regard, the lumbering fool completely discounted Roshan and turned his back on the man. Pressing this unexpected advantage, Fin Rushed to stand in front of Korro. "Yes, and this one is my quarry, weakling!" he started to grab Veruul's attention, Mikylva's camouflage dissipating as he spoke. "Only I will have the pleasure of killing him—after I purge you and the rest of your kind." He raised his spear threateningly, genuinely hoping to cause confusion and provoke another bout of laughter.

Meanwhile, Roul glanced to Roshan, then back to their target. The spirit hunkered down, ready to run forth and pounce to cause further mayhem to cover his approach... but only if the pilgrim willed it. Though not sapient, Roul seemed particularly well-trained and smart.

Interactions: SilverFlight Monday
Mentions: Lioness075

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interactions: SilverFlight Goonfire Lioness075
​

While Roshan taunted their master, something behind him had thrown the imps into confusion. What looked like branches of some sort were also sprouting from the earth and wreaking havoc among them. Who was doing that? Was it the new guy? Meanwhile, having apparently heard his message, Falarion swooped in and circled Veruul, carefully staying out of range of his halberd. A projectile flew from among the trees and sank into the demon's back. When he pulled it out, Roshan recognized it as Finyagur's spear. This wasn't the order of events he'd envisioned; still, he was glad the spear-wielding god had joined his "Monster Assault Squad", as he dubbed it on the spot. Now, however, Veruul knew exactly where Fin was.

To Roshan's surprise, instead of attacking the spear's owner, he threw it straight up at Falarion. "Fal-" But there was no time for a warning. Already, the monster was charging him. Too fast. There was no way he could get clear in time. It had been a mistake to wait to move until he charged. He would be crushed. Even so, all he could do was run straight into the trees to his left, without looking back. Almost on top of him, the pounding of hooves came to an abrupt halt, followed by the sound of an impact. Practically launching himself off the road, he caught a tree trunk with his free hand and swung around it to peer from the other side- just in time to see Korro slam into a rock and fall to the earth.

Sucking in a breath between his teeth, Roshan winced in both shock and sympathy. This... was not good. All of them had underestimated this guy. Now Korro had gotten hurt trying to rescue him... all because he'd followed Roshan's lead in the first place. At least the wolf demon was back on his feet, but Veruul's full attention was turned on him. Where was Fin? Even as he wondered, the god interposed himself between Korro and the half-horse demon, taunting their foe even as he himself had done earlier. He hadn't seen what happened to Falarion, but the fact that Finyagur had reclaimed his weapon boded well. Good, good. This was salvageable. Now, he realized, he had a perfect opening to strike.

For some reason, the demon did not consider him a threat. He would regret that. Let's see how fast you can be with a lame leg. Nearby, Fin's ghost dog stood looking at him expectantly. Hmm... Since the dog was off to his left, he would circle around to the right. When the demon turned around, seeing two targets instead of one would add to his confusion. Roshan inclined his head to the left, hoping the animal understood, and then sidestepped a few times, approaching the demon's right hind leg. Heart pounding, he crept forward, spear at the ready. With only one chance to deal some damage before he would have to retreat again, he had to make it count. With all his strength, he quickly slashed at the back of the lower leg, beneath the hock, hoping to sever a tendon. Then, he backtracked into the trees and crouched down behind some underbrush to wait.

 

[Goonfire]

FINYAGUR
​

Roul was quite familiar with flanking tactics, though he had no way of communicating such knowledge verbally. Instead, he looked Roshan in the eye and then towards Veruul before demonstrating his understanding by bounding to Veruul's left when Roshan took the right side. The phantom dog lunged with his head cocked to the side, jaws wide open to snap down on the powerful left hind leg and sink its teeth into the flesh. The bite was aimed right at the ankle joint, as a wound there could be debilitating for any creature.

From this angle, Fin had a better look at Veruul. His eyes trailed down to the mountain demon's wrist, noticing the faintly glowing indigo gem. That had to be the cursed item of which Korro spoke, and the source of the centaur creature's speed. With Roshan and Roul making their move, the hunter added pressure and complexity by hurling his spear up towards Veruul's face. He anticipated such a predictable attack would be deflected in some way, but landing that hit wasn't his goal. Instead, he dove to the side and tracked every fine movement of Veruul's arms. An aurora appeared in his hand, swiftly shaping into a bow. As he drew it back, an arrow of magical force produced a brief glint just before he loosed it at the gem. Perhaps his own divine power could disrupt the curse, providing the humans and weakened demons a window of opportunity for an easier kill.

Interactions: Monday SilverFlight

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: Keimara Village	Current Form: Gryphon

Watching Fin's spear impale the brute, Falarion smirked and inwardly cheered on his team of misfits.
His excitement was short-lived when he saw Veruul turn around and promptly launch the spear at him. First o' all, what did he do to deserve tha'? Second o' all, rude.

With a startled yelp at the speed of the incoming spear, Falarion belatedly tucked his wings and began to dive to try and avoid it, while also hoping that his haste gift would aid him in avoiding the projectile. Just as he extended his wings and began to bank to the side, Falarion glanced over his shoulder and saw the spear seemingly had vanished. He slowed his retreat and shifted to turn around entirely before hovering in place. He looked about and caught sight of a bird flying straight towards Fin. Sure enough, Fin got a grip on it and it returned to its spear form.
Falarion tilted his head to the side curiously, as he had witnessed, of all people, Fin protecting him from harm. Based on initial impressions, Falarion had presumed Fin was no friend of any demons'. Perhaps he had been a wee bit too quick to judge. It would not have been his first time doing so.

Returning to his attention to the brute, Falarion watched as he retaliated against those on the ground with him and winced when he saw Korro get essentially slapped into a boulder. That's finna hurt in the mornin'.

As he remained hovering to find an opening to exploit, Falarion narrowed his eyes when he saw Roshan and some ghostly dog coordinate an attack at the brute's hind legs. This was his chance.

Folding his wings, Falarion dove towards the brute's head, wind whistling past his ears as the haste boon served to only increase the speed of his dive. At the last second, Falarion extended his wings and banked to the left before veering sharply to the right to bring himself eye level with the demon. He flashed a grin, though it was more of a grimace in his current form, as he flew past and whipped his barbed tail towards the demon's left eye.

He promptly exclaimed, "Surprise, ye dobber!"

Interactions: SilverFlight Goonfire
Nearby: Monday Merciless Medic Arai ShadyLady Kibaa

 

[Arai]

Koralia Stormcaller
Location: Goddess Temple
Interactions: Open (Town Defense Team)
Imps Defeated: 2

​

Between herself, the villagers, and her other new allies, the imps that previously thought the village easy pickings were quickly being routed. Koralia turned her back to them for a moment as deep verdant vines formed a wall in front of her, forcing the demons into a chokepoint of sorts. Good, this battle should be about damage mitigation as much as possible. And Koralia had to admit she was impressed by the new guy's abilities, if his actions with the thorns seemed a little...extremely violent.

“Count how many you’ve beaten!”

"Like a contest?!" she called back in confusion, then her eyes widened. "Ah, I gotcha!" She said, mentally taking a count in her head. It was a smart call, one she wished she had thought of herself. If they could avoid any slinking off it would likely save a future headache. She snesed the presence of Khatiy behind her, copper blade catching the morning sunlight. It seemed valuble, Koralia would have to ask about it later. Between their group, there would be no loss of life today, even with the braver villager's assistance.

As the imps regrouped and she had a moment to relax and take stock, Koralia looked over toward the Imp's leader. A deep red visage and 4 hooves clattered agains the fine stonework, all the while Veruul taunting his 4 opponents. She had to admit that Korro and Fal seemed to fight with great experience and skill, and Finyagur's might made it easy to see in no uncertain terms how he had gotten to where he had and stayed there for so long. It was almost going well up until Veruul knocked Korro across the square. Even the Stormcaller had to wince as the wolf slammed against hard stone, and Fin had rushed over to defend him while he caught his breath.

Koralia's worry was replaced with relief when she notcied the monster had elected to ignore Roshan, spear in hand as he rushed Veruul with spear in hand, slicing across the beast's leg before dashing back away to cover. They seemed rebolstered and refocused, so Koralia turned back to her own battle, clutching her blade in a sweaty grip. The vines had formed a narrow corridor that the imps were forced to walk through to avoid more grabbing and throwing and swinging on Xe-lik's behalf. Her heart began to pound with excitement, and she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline in her system.

2 months ago, she had thrown a knife and pulled a lightning bolt towards it to strike the ground. A small part of her mind doubted herself. The last time had been the middle of a torrential downpour, and the strain had left her with a headache that hadn't gone away for days. But there was no such thing as a perfect storm. Sometimes you had to make one yourself. And she'd managed some smaller static just earlier today! She embedded another knife in an incoming imp, not moving to pick it up as the beasts clambered over themselves to come through the narrow passage. It would serve greater benefit in a moment anyway.

"If we can keep them here I can maybe drop something big on them, but I need some time to call for it," she shouted to her companions, shaking any doubts of her capabilities from her mind. Veruul and his army thought humans weak. Now was the time to project strength.

 

[ShadyLady]

Interactions: Kibaa Merciless Medic

Bladework was simple, it’s flow and ebb akin to a deadly dance she’d learnt to become oh so familiar with. It was a shame that Yue’s current partners seemed less versed in the tides of battle… well, not for her at least. Slicing through her first imp like a hot knife through butter, the spirit frowned at the puff of smoke and the meager sight that awaited her. A mouse? If it weren’t for them threatening a town and their brutish leader being after her new comrades' gifts, she would’ve almost felt sorry for them, almost.

Between what could have been close calls with imps and the townsfolk, her allies who’d opted to deal with the imps all seemed to be faring fine. Any of the minor demons who approached her were met with cold steel, reacquainted shortly with their true forms and left to wallow in the dirt. This carried on for a few more times, each revealed creature seeming more pitiful than the last.

“Count how many you’ve beaten!”

Pausing mid swing, the woman frowned to recall. How many had it been? 3, or was it 4? Definitely 4- A sharp yank of her hair jolted her out of her thoughts, shock parting her mouth as she wrenched it free and spun to hit the offender with the butt of her blade, recovering her poise to arc her sword through the air, a seamless arc dividing her imp assailant into neat halves before she was met with that familiar poof once more. Yue let out a small squeak at the animal that awaited her, a snake with its delicate tongue wisping out. Using her sword, she unceremoniously flicked it away with the weapon, clearing her throat, somewhat embarrassed, when the ordeal was over and she remembered the task at hand, edging closer towards the others.

“5 from me!” She hollered to Xe’lik, hoping her voice would carry enough until she joined them. Movement in the corner of her eyes brought her to a pause and she stopped in her tracks momentarily to gawk at a rather ugly, bizarre animal. Wearing what Yue assumed to be an armour of sorts and armed with mayhem in the form of waving a sword around hazardously, the creature bore not the threat of danger, but chaos. Sharing a bewildered glance with an imp who stood in the creature's warpath, Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh at the display. Growing tired of the scene, the imp began to move, ready to swing a meaty fist at the little guy only for it to be caught by the nimble spirit’s horse tail whisk as she redirected the demon to the ground. She backed away, raising a lone brow at the animal, waiting ever so curiously to see what it would do.

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: The morning start from Keimara

Interactions: Monday Goonfire Lioness075

Korro glared at the mountain demon, waiting for him to come over and try to finish him off, but a shadow stepped in between them. Korro blinked in surprise, was this fool stepping in to defend him?
"Only I will have the pleasure of killing him!" Ah, there it was.
"Not if I kill you first, simpleton." Korro spat through his sharp teeth.

Clearly their enemy had been surprised by the self-returning spear Fin wielded, but the trick would not work again.

As Roshan approached The demon did not notice him. He felt the bite of the spear however, and the sting of silver. Like lightning both of his rear hooves lashed out in a savage kick.
He saw Fin move, and thanks to the cursed item, which increased his speed, he swatted the spear away with his own and charged for the god. He was upon Fin in no time, slashing down at the god as he moved. The arrow caught the gem and sparks flew, but with both hands on the bow, how could Fin guard against the demon's attack?

Korro's feet moved swiftly. In a flash of teeth he caught the shaft of the ji as it came down for Fin's thick neck, but his jump had been weak, he could only slow the attack, not stop it. Korro was flung to the earth again, leaving a black stain where he fell. He could not see the outcome of the mountain demon's strike.

Moments later he heard a cry and Veruul reared back in pain, clutching at his left eye as black blood flowed. The shadow over Korro's head told him Falarion had finally joined the fight. With his own speed boost from Yue, he could match Veruul's movements, and the strike was as effective as it could be. Korro took the opportunity to spring clear of the ji's range.

Veruul raged. "You vile little rats!"
With one of his hind legs injured, his left eye bloodied and the gem at his wrist cracked and bleeding an acrid and foul smoke, he did seem a little bit worse for wear.
Korro felt the heat before Veruul had even lifted his ji.
The demon reared up, the hairs on is equine body beginning to burn red hot.
"Get clear!" Korro yelled, and dove behind the boulder he'd been acquainted with earlier, before a furious blast of fire radiated out from Veruul, burning everything in a wide sphere around him. The fire burned past the boulder, and in the other direction, licked at the edge of the treeline where Roshan had been.

If anyone had taken refuge by Korro, they would have found a cool, protective sphere of his ice magic, sheltering them from the blast.
Veruul was untouched by the fire of his own making, and he wheeled about and charged for Roshan once again, this time aiming his ji to cut the man clean in two.
This time, Korro was much too far away to intervene...


~~~

Meanwhile, in the village, the imp horde had found its match in the pilgrims and spirits that defended it. There were many however, running through every narrow alley. It wasn't long before a group of them happened on some of the children, huddled in the small yard of a house where they had been playing.
They screamed as the imps advanced on them, cutting off their escape.
One of the children stood before the others, toy sword in hand, shaking as she pointed it at the imps, who only laughed cruelly.

ShadyLady Arai Kibaa Merciless Medic

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interactions: SilverFlight
Nearby: Goonfire Lioness075
​

As Roshan made his move, the ghost dog followed his lead, chomping down on the demon's ankle. It had been wise to retreat at once. No sooner had he finished his strike than the beast's hooves came flying at his face. Having spent a fair amount of time around horses, he knew to expect this and leaned out of the way, but it was still a close shave as he stumbled off the road, feeling the wind from their passing. From his vantage point, he couldn't see what happened to the dog, but he did seen Fin loose an arrow at- Veruul's arm? It was hard to tell at this angle. Then his stomach lurched as the halberd fell in a wicked arc toward the god. Korro intercepted, but failed to kill the momentum and was thrown down.

Movement overhead drew his eye to Falarion, who swooped by so fast Roshan could almost feel the breeze. If the demon's rage was anything to go by, his blow had struck home. Only now did he see the gem, thanks to the smoke coiling from it. Had that been Fin's target? At Korro's warning, he turned and ran several paces into the forest, then, as the blast of heat hit him, threw himself to the ground, shielding his head. The embankment which supported the road had provided some cover. Sparks and burning leaves drifted past him. More fire? Really? As if his clothes didn't have enough scorch marks... Still, this might prove interesting. Fire and water didn't mix. He sprang to his feet again, only to witness Veruul's about-face amid the flames.

This time, he was prepared for the speed of his charge, but the distance was shorter. All he could do was throw himself behind the nearest cover, a massive, ancient tree. The demon's widened swing sliced cleanly through the trunk, its sharp point grazing Roshan's back as he crouched down to avoid it. Immediately, he rolled to the side as the severed tree trunk began to keel over on top of him. Lying beside the fallen tree, he could see the demon's hooves on the other side. It would appear he hadn't been spotted- yet. It was now or never. Shifting as quietly as he could to crouch behind the stump, he found a rock near his right hand, hefted it, and tossed it underhand as far as he could as a distraction. Then he picked up his spear, vaulted over the stump and aimed a quick thrust at the creature's exposed underbelly.

Not waiting for a reaction, he took off in a dead sprint, zigzagging between the trees to confuse his pursuer in a course that lead him back toward the road and- he hoped- his allies. This is getting interesting, he thought, glancing over his shoulder. Though the wound just below his shoulders stung, it didn't feel deep. Nothing like a bit of blood to clear one's head. A sort of grim smile, almost half-grimace, pulled at his lips. It was at such moments that Roshan began to come alive. This wasn't the tightest spot he'd been in, for sure. A skilled cavalry unit armed with javelins, bolas, and lassos, and with room to roam in every direction, could make short work of this guy, he would bet. In absence of that, a stab at the demon's horse heart from himself or Fin might bring him down. However, someone would have to keep that halberd busy.

 

[Goonfire]

FINYAGUR​

Roul found himself launched into the air by the mighty back kick. His phantom form hit a tree and fell to the ground, limp. A whooshing noise emanated from him as he disappeared.

Fin relied on his own momentum as his sideways lunge continued. With the crescent blade hurtling towards him, he knew he wouldn't make it out of the way. Time itself seemed to slow to torture him with that last split second before impact. Just then, the haft lurched as if something had caused resistance. The blade flicked forward, delivering a shallow flesh wound. The hunter tumbled across the ground, having lost his balance. Golden blood slowly trickled from his wound, but it was a worthwhile trade; smoke also bellowed from the cracked gem. Another hit may shatter it.

Fin smirked when Falarion gouged Veruul's face with his talons. With a pained grunt, he heeded the warning to get clear, rolling over the boulder next to a battered, bruised, and bleeding Korro. "Thanks. I won't get used to it," he remarked wryly before noticing Hrok tumbling away from the center of the fire blast. Oddly, he didn't recall his most effective weapon.

The centaur demon once again clashed with Roshan, who had moved to deliver another clever attack and recede into the shadows. Every passing second multiplied the risk of slipping up. One poor move could precipitate the human's demise. As Roshan sprang up to thrust his spear, Fin rose and backed away several paces from the boulder. The god sprinted forth, kicking off the huge stone to throw himself forward. His aim was simple: land on Veruul's back, exploiting the new blind spot resulting from the ichor in his eye. That dangerous ji was nearly useless against an opponent in such a position. Closing the gap rapidly, Fin also drew a peculiar knife that had been obscured by his pelt. It boasted only one edge and a handle of carved animal horn.

Interactions: SilverFlight
Mentions: Monday Lioness075

 

[Kibaa]

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interaction: Arai
​

---

As much as Khatiy would have loved to observe the masterful, undefeatable strategy with which Falarion, Korro, Finyagur and Roshan were tackling the demon boss with, the Usaaman was much too involved in the heat of battle to pay any sort of attention to her peripheral surroundings. Unlike the quick, effortless motions with which someone like Yue would cleanly dice her opposition with, Khatiy's own movements in combat were slow, wide, and reactionary. She sundered the attacking imps with circular and reactionary sweeps, disarming and parrying the opposing swarm attentively. Side by side she stood with the armed civilians, doing their very best to protect the dear village of Keimara. Swathes of toads, snakes and mice loitered the streets.

So pre-occupied with the battle was Khatiy, however, that she hardly had any spare attention span remaining to know just how many imps she had cleaved through. Koralia and Yue, who struck with precise, killer attacks, seemed much more capable of that. Not only was she too busy ensuring the safety of the civilians, but, it also seemed as if Khatiy was struggling against these imps more so than any Keshkarthan warrior ever should. She struggled to be able defend both herself and the civilians at the same time, and she had ventured too far forth into enemy lines. The safety of the vines provided by Xe'lik, although ever so helpful and mightily impressive, were not exactly in reach of Khatiy who found herself out of position.

"Ack!" She hissed, stung, by an imp's attack, kicked by another as she did her best to cleave them away. "Hrrgh!" As she swung her sword, her attack found itself caught in a trap, as three imps targeted her wrists in unison, ripping the beautiful Keshkarthan weapon right out of Khatiy's usually secure hands. The blade flew through the air, clattering loudly as it landed roughly near Koralia's feet, gleaming under the morning sunlight. Keshkarthan glyps were etched onto its copper body.

"Koraliaa!!" Khatiy called out in a battle cry, the poor Usaaman caught in a swarm of 5 imps who were beating her down with sticks and gross impy fists. Monstrously gripping one of the imps by its own wrist, Khatiy channeled her own physical strength to swing the petty creature in an arc from one cardinal direction to the other, body slamming it down onto the road of Keimara, a brutish body slam. She cried out angrily again, lifting the imp's body to repeat the same motion of attack. "Whatever you're planning.. Please do it now!!" The Usaaman cried out, clearly overwhelmed by the enemies as she kept the wrist of the limp imp in hand, beginning to spin on her heel In a chaotic whirlwind similar to that shown by Wexel earlier, Khatiy spun like a crazed barbarian, using the very imp as her weapon, crashing into the horde of imps in a cyclone of fury. "Get! Off! Me!" The heiress clamored out, pummeling the imp's body into every next imp amidst her battlespin. "ahahaha.. AhAHAHA! FEEBLE GOBLINS!" ... The battlecry seemed a little uncharacteristic coming from Khatiy, who had seemed like such a noble and polite person prior to any of this. Call it battle rage, if you will.

Even so, something seemed off about Khatiy. As if, all of this violence was bringing something out of her. As if she wasn't herself right now. She had gone from a guardian of the civilians to a crazed combatant looking to wreck as many imps as possible. "AHAHAHAHAHA!"

---

Wexel the Macaque
Interaction: ShadyLady

Wexel was going ham. Not much else could be said about this mysterious monkey from a foreign land. He punched and kicked and swung his way through the enemy lines, crying out victoriously with each imp that he managed to push away from himself. Although his attacks were not too effective, much less fatal to the imps, Wexel had certainly done his job as a disruptor, barelling through the imp horde like a bowling ball crashing through pins. The imps, nevertheless, had by now gotten over the shock-trooper effect, and had caught on to Wexel's tactic. Had it not been for this fateful intervention at the hands of Yue and her graceful whisk, Wexel may have been struck down at that very moment. He had already sustained damage, as there was a sharpened wooden stick clearly impaled into his lower-left abdomen right now. Clearly, this injury was not fatal either, but it was evident that Wexel had made the same mistake as his master, having pushed too deep into enemy lines.

Wexel let out a battle cry as he'd turn to see Yue disabling the imp that sought to punch him down, bronze blade in hand. In ever dramatic fashion, Wexel sommersaulted forward like the circus crackhead that he was, shoving his Usaaman blade somewhere into the imp's shoulder, which seemed enough to dispatch it as the imp disappeared into a cloud, rendering a snake. The monkey emitted another victorious screech, bouncing on two feet excitedly as he'd take the snake by the tail into one hand, wielding it as a battletrophy. He points his sword in the direction behind Yue, attempting to divert her attention towards two more imps who were now trying to attack her from behind. With no sense of manners whatsoever, Wexel attempted to bounce up and land onto Yue's shoulder, in an effort to utilize her as what he clearly thought was some form of righteous battle-horse, pointing the tip of his blade forwards to victory. With his other hand, he spun the snake wildly in the air like a lasso, before flinging the poor animal directly at one of the imps as a distraction.

​

 

[Arai]

Koralia Stormcaller
Location: Goddess Temple
Interactions: Kibaa (Town Defense Team)
Imps Defeated: 12

​

The cool breeze on Koralia's face betrayed the amount of effort she was focusing into her abilities, sweat pouring down her face and sticking her hair to her cheek. Her vision was blurring, but she could make out in the corner of her eye the imps were beginning to divert down side streets and past their defensive group. Cutting down the creatures wasn't a problem, the problem was there was 40 of them or so, and Yue, herself and Khatiy were more one on one combatants. At least Xe'lik seemed to be able to thin the herd, but the imps seemed to be getting smarter when his vines whipped and lashed around her. Her ears were ringing, when had that started?

"Koraliaa!! Whatever you're planning.. Please do it now!!"

She frowned. There was ozone in the air, and that alone was more than she had accomplished in a long time. Whether that was her patron's influence, or the pressure of the situtation, or both, she couldn't say. The ringing was getting worse as sparksbegan to lift ever so slightly off her knives, the last one from her belt arcing in the air before clattering amongst the horde of demons, no apparent target but the ground. Every single shock sent reverberations into her fingertips and arms, like she was lifting a weight that was just slightly too heavy. "This is awful..." she muttered, trying to keep focused as her head clouded. She wondered who else in the tribe had attempted this. What would be the purpose? Bazhan could probably do it, she should ask him if he'll help...

Koralia shook her head and tried to focus on the task at hand, blinking her eyes to try and get them to focus on her target. "This'll do..." she managed, and let out a grunt of pain as she droppped to one knee roughly on the stone tile. The knives around her, aeach dorned with intricate patterns etched into the blade, and possesses a distinct yellow hue, flared to life. From the Koralia's body, seemingly from nowhere, a thunderbolt erupted, hurtling toward her enemies with blinding speed and a deafening crack. The bolt itself a brilliant, luminous streak of intense electrical energy, pulsating with a bluish-white radiance that illuminated the early morning in bright midday light for a moment.

The bolt crackled and danced along the knives as it jumped from blade to blade surrounding several imps in new walls, much more volatile than vines, leaving behind a trail of shimmering sparks in its wake. The air around the static seemed to come alive, vibrating with energy and creating a faint humming sound that grew in intensity as the lightning travels. Unable to hold it any longer, Koralia released her focus, slumping to the ground. Upon impact with its target, the thunderbolt releases its accumulated energy in a cataclysmic discharge. The bolt and it's path burst outward, released from the confines of it's guide and left behind cracks in the tiles along the path it had followed, leaving a visible aftermath of the bolt's effect.

The Imps still focused on the trio had been substantially reduced, Koralia counting at least 8 or 9 new smouldering forms as snakes and mice now ran as an animal runs from rain. If she had the strength, she would smile. What she actually did was collapse forward and try and control her breathe as her limbs shook without her control, which looked less cool. It wouldn't be long before any Imps tried to take advantage of her state.