Active [Nan Gau] May Even These Peseants Have Respite! Pt. III

[Rcticwolf]

Aedrianna Belmonte

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A soft smile ghosted at the corners of her lips, barely touching her eyes. A light giggle, delicate as a snowflake, escaped her as she raised her hands, palms open, a gentle gesture of peace. "Sorry, Sori! Hehe, I didn’t mean to startle you. You must have been lost in thought." Her voice was a warm whisper against the cold air, and as she stooped to gather pieces of wood—each one carefully selected, dry enough to burn—the world around her seemed to dim, the sun slowly sinking beneath the horizon. She cradled the bundle in her arms, the weight of it almost comforting as her eyes swept the snowy ground, searching for more. The others had likely gathered around Eris by now, their campfire flickering in the twilight. She imagined the warmth and the quiet hum of their voices, but she found herself content in this moment, alone with Sorieiel, a fragile sliver of time just for them, a quiet that echoed with unspoken words since they had left for the fair. Her fingers absently threaded through the white fur of Hiruq beside her.

"Yes, I suppose that is a rather important question..." she murmured, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze drifting to the nine-tailed kitsune beside her. The soft smile still lingered, though a shadow of sadness clouded her blue eyes, a fleeting sorrow she couldn’t quite hide. "Whatever you do decide... I hope we can at least see each other from time to time. I think I’ve grown rather fond of you." Her voice wavered, the words light but heavy with unspoken meaning. She turned to her friend with a teasing grin, yet the moment’s gravity quickly pulled it away, the solemnity of their conversation and the encroaching night making it difficult to keep up the pretense of cheer. "But... what do you think you’d like to do? If you could do anything?" Her question hung in the air, fragile as the fading daylight. After a pause, she continued, her voice softer still. "We never really talked about... Nero. After everything that happened... are you okay? I know he wasn’t good to you. But... I can’t imagine it was easy, either..."

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Mentions: Rcticwolf

Spoiler: TLDR

Aedri talks to Sori and gathers wood

Soreiel sighed as she stopped and stood there. “I really don’t know Aedri, I mean for my entire life I wanted to be free, then once I was free I wanted nothing more than revenge on Nero, but that was taken from me so now I don’t know…” she turned and looked at Aedrianna “but if I were to go anywhere, I don’t really have the skills to survive on my own… I do have my naturals beast skills, but other than that I can dance ok and I can be a good servant, I’m not even that strong either…”

Soreiel picked up a few more pieces of wood “maybe… I don’t know, maybe if we can’t find your father I could help you in your shop… or maybe I could go to school, but I think I’m too old for school though” she sighed “but like I said, I really don’t know what to do with my life, maybe I’ll figure something out” she added

Spoiler: TLDR

Soreiel talks with Aedrianna about what she might want to do in the future.

 

[Maverick Six]

Martin
Mentions: USER=96608] saxon [/USER] (Eris) Tau (Yume)
Equipped Titles: Abomination, Human (Mundane), Construct, Novice Tinkerer, Isekai

Yume made the claim she wasn't a toddler.

"Are you sure?" He asked immediately. "You did tell me you were a month old. I could sworn differently given how you've been....acting." Martins's often dry, cold expression cracked something of a smirk in and of itself. Wit had come easily. Perhaps a bit too easily. After a moment, he realized what he said....

Yet he moved on. Perhaps if he changed topics quickly enough, she'd not notice.

".....People are made of flesh and yet know little. We think and yet hardly know what our mind is even made of. "

He shrugs.

"Still, you might be able to manipulate that then, in your own way. I've certainly little interest in teaching you my own. But in channeling more general principles of magic, you might find the ability to manipulate "mental energy" to your wishes. I suppose you'll have to find out the effects and mechanics of such. We seems to lack targets and they may be too agile to nail if you've no range."

Martin scanned the surrounding forest. But alas, the frigid Tundra, haunted by a most unnatural force, made the forest devoid of potentially exposed wildlife. Thus, it is devoid of potential test subjects for such a theory...

---

Spoiler: Summary

Summary

• Martin accidentally alludes to his memory while bantering.
• Shifting subjects, Martin gives Yume further suggestions on how she might refine her magic.

Actions: 0/3

1.
2.
3.

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone

B Grade Character

Titles: Human, Priest, Holy Smiter, Hero of The Fae See, Mage, Fae, Spirit of the Battlefield Ally F, Faculty of Celestine F, Ordained, Mundane, Caster

mentions: Tau Moonberry Maxxob @FantasyCat Rcticwolf Maverick Six Develius

Abilities/Actions:


Notes: Ambush Round! Combat has begun 3 Action economy is now in effect. Due to the number of people I do ask for my sake you include a TLDR either at the top or the bottom of your post.
Skips: Elias 3, Kikimura 3, Tellussoil 3, Rcticwolf 1,Develius 2, Moonberry 1

Eris waited for the skillet to warm up before throwing some meat in, the nice thing about traveling north is the fact that the meat stayed better longer due to the cold climate. Which made carrying meat significantly easier. "Well that is one way to look at it, though it would depend on if you were a follower or not," Eris pointed out as she looked over with a smile on her face. "There is mind magic. However, I have to admit that I know nothing about it; maybe once we get back to Nan Gau, you can find a book or two on it there," Eris suggested with a nod.

The sunset and eventually, everyone settled down into the camp. The individuals that took watch shifts would have a rather uneventful night; however, a single howl was heard toward the crack of dawn. Though nothing ever came of it, after everyone was up and ready to go, the group pushed onward back once again into the snow. As the group followed the road, they came across the fork that they had to split off from the main road to travel to Nan-Li. However it came apparent to the group the snow was now deeper than before, the if someone was to stand at 5'5 the snow would now reach up to the middle of their thigh.

Thankfully, the wind was now blowing at their back as the snow was picked up in the air, forming snow drifts; there was still no sound or sight of animals outside of the howl that the group had heard earlier in the day. But the sea of evergreens was starting to thin out, allowing the group to have better vision around them, though it wasn't a whole lot more currently.

Eris pulled out the map they were given as she looked around at the mountain, "We should be able to see the village soon, I would guess another hour, give or take, before we get there," Eris stated as she finished 4 creatures launched from the snow, tackling Aedrianna, Martin, Eris, and Nigel to the ground. The one attacking Aedrianna, though, would look awfully familiar, almost exactly like her father, the creature's throat was slit, and its eyes burned a sky-blue color that seemed almost as cold as the weather. Leaving little doubt in her mind the creature was her father as it was attempting to bring down a knife to her chest.

 

[Tau]

Yume

Fae

Mostly just Maverick Six​

Yume replied to Martin with a smirk of her own. "You sho— wait... when did I...?" from the tone of voice, it was obvious whatever words were meant to follow were to be filled with a heaping helping of snark, but instead, her eyes went wide.

Spoiler: Pre-zombie Yume Pic

No matter how much Martin tried to evade it, the cat was out of the bag: Yume knew he knew. She obviously knew he knew: the giddiness was all over her face. She even felt a few tears run down her cheeks for the second time in that same day. "What a special group of people I've found myself in..." she murmured, mostly to herself, though Eris would've been close enough to hear it.

"Mhm~" she simply nodded as he continued his magic advice. For once, Yume had no snarky quip to respond with. She just looked blissfully happy, and didn't feel the need to comment for once. Instead, she gave him a happy look, raised a finger to her lips, and projected her voice right into that brain of his.

Spoiler: Telepathy @ Martin

"How did you keep from forgetting? Did I make that much of an impression on you? Or maybe that's what you meant by not knowing what the mind is made of? Either way, tell me everything~!"

---

@AllThePeople

Despite the cold, Yume had a warm smile as the party continued down the road. It felt a bit like nothing could ruin her mood: it was ironclad joy! Unfortunately, the sudden assault of a quartet of undead fiends begged to differ.

"Martin!? Aedri!? Hero!? Hat guy!?" Yume shouted in panic as they were seemingly picked off one-by-one. It was hard to tell who was who, with the zombies pushing them down into the piles of snow, but Yume whipped out her wand and pointed it at the zombie she thought was gnawing on Martin.

"Get off them, you hideous ghouls!" she growled, channeling her mana into the wand and unleashing the magic in its raw form...


Actions:

• Magic - Magic E - (Single skill ability) - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown

Spoiler: TL;DR

• Strangely happy and agreeable for a bit.
• Counter-attacks the Martin zombie.

 

[Maverick Six]

Martin
Mentions: Everyone.
Equipped Titles: Abomination, Human (Mundane), Construct, Novice Tinkerer, Isekai

Spoiler: Previously

A slip. While he'd spent some time as a scientist and a fair bit of that time in more violent endeavors, he couldn't claim to know how to control his own habits when it came to these subtle sorts of things. Indeed, there was hardly ever much need to. Martin could mostly say what was on his mind with ease, regardless of who's feelings it hurt. What mattered most instead were consequences.

However in this case it was....different. Yume had been practically flying off the handle all day. He hardly understood his own mind, let alone how she was going to react. Strong emotions seemed to simply imply she would make the wrong decision at the wrong time. At worst, stick to someone like him rather than someone like Eris. Such a thought made him more uncomfortable than he'd like to admit. Thus he'd been avoiding it, until this very moment.

Uncomfortably, Martin watched as Yume began to cry again, his face rather pensive as though he had done something wrong. Though it appeared that she was much more happy about it then he initially thought. Indeed it...appeared to be the exact opposite. In a moment like this, he found himself quiet. He had no idea what to say at all.

It seemed however that he wouldn't need to say anything.

It had been a long time since he'd felt anyone invade his mind. And it wasn't something that happened often. However, there were telepaths in his world, enough so that he had previously owned devices to prevent them from entering his mind. But in this case, he couldn't resist even if he'd really wanted to.

He raised a brow at her and looked at her. Those looking from the outside would only see Martin's expression, one he struggled to keep straight.

Spoiler: Martin's Mental Reply

"It's probably been decades since I've had someone poking around my head." He comments.

The answers she sought came rather quickly. Without the icy, detached veneer, he answered.

"I wonder that myself. I think in part it was me." He said. " I can hardly stand the idea of forgetting something so crucial. Of having my mind tampered with. Had I not figured it accidental, I might have been angry. I recorded our conversation in a notebook yesterday. I drew a sketch of you, feeling irritated. It was as though I'd lost something." He said.

"On a surface levle, while others might find you irritating, you come across as a bit more engaging in an odd way. You think. You talk back." Amid Martin's mind, Yume could hear memories of her own voice. It sounded less distorted and more eerily clear. As though he was simply sifting through a tape recording and merely taking notes on what it was, he had seen and heard.

"I feel as though you might be one of the only people who may accept me for who I really am. Should I have been more open to the party, they might have scorned me as well, if they learned too much." A scoff. Yume had been met with derision by the party for reasons which were wholly understandable and completely justified. And yet he couldn't help but relate to her in that.

"How selfish of me."

Develius Tau saxon Rcticwolf Moonberry Maxxob

Right Now

---

The journey had been woefully dull. Perhaps more dull than he'd ever anticipated. While attentive at first, Martin was accustomed to being able to travel anywhere on the world within an hour at best. To walk as he did here left him with little to stimulate himself beyond. A deep seated paranoia sat within him, but the more time he spent in the vast arctic wilderness, the less he could feel it. The watch with Nigel had been uneventful. The journey had been uneventful....

Until now. He barely had any time to process what it was he seeing -- shapes leaping out of the snow. Within those fractions of a second, he felt his eyes growing wider as adrenaline surged. His precocious and studious mind could hardly fathom a conscious thought beyond one singular word.

Ambush.

The creature crashed into him, and Martin's body simply flew with it. The catalyst one in his hand was dropped the instant he hit the ground. And with a free hand, he jammed forearm and elbow into the creature's throat.

"Get the fuck off me you cretin." Martin growled, sounding almost indignant at the attack.

Not trusting himself to be able to properly cast a spell, Martin instead reached into his Jacket and pulled out his pistol. Its short barrel would slide the creature's chest, and he'd simply squeeze the trigger with a steady hand. "Die." He ordered the creature.

BLAM!

He slid the gun down to his waist. He pushed the lever of the gun ever so slightly, caught it on his belt, and pulled. With the aid of his belt, he chambered another round into his large caliber, lever action pistol.

KLCK KLCK

BLAM!

Into the chest again.

KLCK KLCK

BLAM!

With the barrel of his gun pressed up against the creature's chin, the final gunshot would go to it's head. Bullets would fly wildly about -- gunshots echoing throughout the landscape for miles as they cut through the air. Whether or not said rounds would find purchase in the creature was another thing. His eyes darted about. First to the creature. Then to his party mates around him. And finally, to Yume as she attempted to send a magic blast towards the creature.

He returned sharply to the creature, trying to glean the effects of his attack within those few precious, matrix-like milliseconds. When his catalyst out of hand and a monster on top of him, he found that calculations did not come easily....

---

Spoiler: Summary

Summary

• Martin speaks very personally with Yume the night before the set-off.
• Martin gets tackled to the ground by a zombie.
• Martin pushes on the zombie with one hand, whips out his pistol while on the ground, and shoots the creature 3x at point-blank range.

Actions: 3/3

1.Martin uses [Steady Hands] to shoot the creature. [Effectiveness = 6 BE + 2 Combo = 8)
2. Attack - Martin shoot's the creature in the chest. (5 BE) (+1 Action 1)
3. Attack - Martin shoots the creature in the head. (5 BE) (+1 Action 1)

 

[Maxxob]

Nigel Belmont

​

Equipped Titles: [Offworlder], [Human], [Big and Small Game Hunter] - Color - #735f0f

saxon

The rather uneventful watch during the night was a bit disappointing for Nigel, even if his face didn’t show it. The hunter kept surveying the entrance of the alcove like a hawk, ready to intercept anything that came across his field of vision. Seasoned as he was, he didn’t use the scope of the rifle while keeping his attentive eye for any movement.

Eventually, he was relieved of his guard duty, going to sleep. Still, his rest was mediocre at best, keeping an open eye, not much towards outside dangers, but possible dangers within the group itself. For now, his Lee-Enfield was the only one he could trust.

And, when in the break of dawn, he was on the move again with the others, silent during the march through the snow. With each step, he could feel and hear the crunching of the snow under his boots. He walked close to Aedrianna, as it was only natural being her estranged relative.

His eagerness increased more and more, excitement bubbling the more he walked. Suddenly, there was a burst of movement, seeing a blur lunging from the snow and tackling him. “Ack! You nincompoop!” The Englishman grunted between clenched teeth. Yet, his senses had not failed him thankfully, managing to shift his rifle sideways, just in the nick of time, to attempt and fight off the humanoid assaulting him.

In a contest of strength, would try to shove off the undead attacking him, just enough for Nigel to be able to turn the tip of his rifle against it. If successful, the hunter would squeeze the trigger against the creature, quickly cycling the bolt in sequence, squeezing it a second time.

Actions:

1 - Shove the creature using his rifle
2 - Basic Attack (Precision D + Rifle E = 5)
3 - Basic Attack +1 = 6 BE total

 

[Moonberry]

Aedrianna Belmonte

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗​

She had always known, deep in the hidden chambers of her heart. A father who knew every twist and turn of the roads, who had promised to return as he always had, would not leave her waiting, not for a fortnight. The silence was a message she had refused to hear. Yet, in this frozen, terrible moment, the truth clawed its way to the surface, a cruel revelation she could no longer deny.

Time itself seemed to shatter around her, every second stretching into an eternity. Aedrianna had been speaking to Sorieiel, her words laced with the growing unease of their friends' sudden disappearance, when she saw him—just a glimpse of his face from the corner of her eye. There was no relief in that fleeting recognition, only the icy hand of dread tightening around her heart. Hiruq's hackles rose, a warning too late to save her.

She fell to the ground, the world tilting as if caught in a vicious storm. Her breath locked in her chest as her eyes locked onto his face—his once warm and loving face, now twisted into a mask of death and decay. Memories surged forward, flooding her mind in a torrent of bittersweet recollection. Her father, Thaddeus, smiling down at her as they worked side by side in the garden; his patient voice as he taught her the mysteries of numbers and the ways of business; his gentle hands braiding her hair, a gesture of care and tenderness. All of these moments, once so precious, were now tainted by the sight of his cold, undead visage.

His eyes, which had once sparkled with life and love, were now hollow, filled with a darkness that reflected nothing of the man she had known. The warmth of his smile was gone, replaced by a rigid snarl that spoke only of death. She felt his strength, the strength she had always admired, now turned against her, as he pressed the knife toward her, the blade glinting with the promise of her end.

Aedrianna’s breath came in ragged gasps, each one a battle against the terror that threatened to drown her. She fought to keep his hand at bay, but her own strength was fading fast. She was still the sickly girl he had once protected, not strong enough to withstand him. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as she struggled against the undead Thaddeus.

But as she fought, a part of her was breaking. How could she fight the man who had loved her so fiercely, who had been her protector, her teacher, her everything? How could she fight against the only family she had ever known? Yet, there was no choice. She had to survive. She had to live, even if it meant shattering the last remnants of the man who had raised her.

The weight of her father’s body pressed down on her, and Aedrianna’s tears flowed freely now, mingling with the cold, dead air around them. The pain of loss cut deeper than any blade ever could. Her heart, already fragile, shattered into a thousand pieces as she struggled beneath the cruel twist of fate. This was not her father—not anymore. Yet, the love she felt for him warred with the instinct to survive.

With every ounce of strength she had left, she kicked at his abdomen, in an attempt to use his weight against him. To escape this nightmare that had become her reality. Her body trembled with the effort, her vision blurred by the stream of tears cascading down her cheeks. She knew she couldn’t fight him alone.

“Hiruq!” she cried out, her voice a desperate plea that echoed through the frozen night. “Sorieiel, run! Run away!” The words tore from her throat, filled with the anguish of a daughter forced to fight against the ghost of her past.

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝
Mentions: saxon Rcticwolf​

Spoiler: TLDR

Aedri sees Daddy and starts to Deer in Headlights. Attempts to kick him off, and screams for Hiruq and Sorieiel

 

[Rcticwolf]

Aedrianna Belmonte

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗​

She had always known, deep in the hidden chambers of her heart. A father who knew every twist and turn of the roads, who had promised to return as he always had, would not leave her waiting, not for a fortnight. The silence was a message she had refused to hear. Yet, in this frozen, terrible moment, the truth clawed its way to the surface, a cruel revelation she could no longer deny.

Time itself seemed to shatter around her, every second stretching into an eternity. Aedrianna had been speaking to Sorieiel, her words laced with the growing unease of their friends' sudden disappearance, when she saw him—just a glimpse of his face from the corner of her eye. There was no relief in that fleeting recognition, only the icy hand of dread tightening around her heart. Hiruq's hackles rose, a warning too late to save her.

She fell to the ground, the world tilting as if caught in a vicious storm. Her breath locked in her chest as her eyes locked onto his face—his once warm and loving face, now twisted into a mask of death and decay. Memories surged forward, flooding her mind in a torrent of bittersweet recollection. Her father, Thaddeus, smiling down at her as they worked side by side in the garden; his patient voice as he taught her the mysteries of numbers and the ways of business; his gentle hands braiding her hair, a gesture of care and tenderness. All of these moments, once so precious, were now tainted by the sight of his cold, undead visage.

His eyes, which had once sparkled with life and love, were now hollow, filled with a darkness that reflected nothing of the man she had known. The warmth of his smile was gone, replaced by a rigid snarl that spoke only of death. She felt his strength, the strength she had always admired, now turned against her, as he pressed the knife toward her, the blade glinting with the promise of her end.

Aedrianna’s breath came in ragged gasps, each one a battle against the terror that threatened to drown her. She fought to keep his hand at bay, but her own strength was fading fast. She was still the sickly girl he had once protected, not strong enough to withstand him. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as she struggled against the undead Thaddeus.

But as she fought, a part of her was breaking. How could she fight the man who had loved her so fiercely, who had been her protector, her teacher, her everything? How could she fight against the only family she had ever known? Yet, there was no choice. She had to survive. She had to live, even if it meant shattering the last remnants of the man who had raised her.

The weight of her father’s body pressed down on her, and Aedrianna’s tears flowed freely now, mingling with the cold, dead air around them. The pain of loss cut deeper than any blade ever could. Her heart, already fragile, shattered into a thousand pieces as she struggled beneath the cruel twist of fate. This was not her father—not anymore. Yet, the love she felt for him warred with the instinct to survive.

With every ounce of strength she had left, she kicked at his abdomen, in an attempt to use his weight against him. To escape this nightmare that had become her reality. Her body trembled with the effort, her vision blurred by the stream of tears cascading down her cheeks. She knew she couldn’t fight him alone.

“Hiruq!” she cried out, her voice a desperate plea that echoed through the frozen night. “Sorieiel, run! Run away!” The words tore from her throat, filled with the anguish of a daughter forced to fight against the ghost of her past.

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝
Mentions: saxon Rcticwolf​

Soreiel watch in muted horror as the zombies had attacked her party, they were disgusting and horrifying, and they smelled horrible. She tried to block their smell from her nose as its increased sensitivity was about to make her throw up.she then over heard Aedrianna shout for her to run, but she couldn’t as her friend needed help, so she rushed to aid Aedrianna.

Once she got within range she tackled the Thaddeus zombie trying to keep it from Aedrianna. “Aedrianna, you need to run, you shouldn’t watch this, I’ll take care of him” she replied trying to keep the zombie from getting up.en


Uses strength D

 

[Develius]

---

"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
saxon [Eris] | Maxxob [Nigel] | Maverick Six [Martin] | Tau [Yume] | Moonberry [Aedrianna] |
​

---

Cassidy would stay up for the rest of the night once it was his turn for second watch. It wasn't too eventful anyways, as he only heard the cold chilly winds flow past them from beyond the alcove. He'd be able to spot anything suspicious with his dark vision anyways; though luckily nothing warranted a second glance. Once daylight hit, the gunslinger was ready to start moving, as he began waking everyone up. "Rise n' shine fellas!" he'd call out in a raspy voice, "Cut 'em icicles from yer noses and lez get a move on!"

He'd continue to lead on deeper into the snowy mountains with rugged determination. The day started off fairly well, but they would soon encounter heavy resistance as the snowfall began to get deeper, to the point where it would reach up to his thighs! Even he had to put in a bit more extra work trodding through such thick slush. Once they reached the fork in the road, Eris would announce they'd reach the village within the hour. They were certainly getting closer and he felt like they were doing fairly good with time. So long as nothing tried to disrupt their trip they should be-

"AH HELL-" Cassidy cursed, as four undead-looking monsters emerged from the snow and tackled a number of their possie to the ground! Eris, Aedri, Martin and Nigel would be the unfortunate victims pinned down by what looked to be the very enemies they'd been expecting. Though the instant the ghouls pounced, it sparked the skeletal gunslinger into instinctual autopilot; as his hands quickly drawn out both his revolvers and aimed them towards their quarry with lightning fast accuracy.

His first shot was aimed towards the ghoul harassing Aedri, being she was the most vulnerable compared to everyone else. Then a second shot rang towards Nigel's ghoul. And the third and final shot would ring out towards the ghoul harassing Eris.

All of this would've been calculated and executed within several short seconds...

---

Actions:

1. Basic [Gunfire Strike] at Ghoul harassing Aedri. (Precision C + Magic Revolver D + Steady Hands F = 8)
2. Basic [Gunfire Strike] at Ghoul harassing Nigel. (Precision C + Magic Revolver D + Steady Hands F = 8)
3. Basic [Gunfire Strike] at Ghoul harassing Eris. (Precision C + Magic Revolver D + Steady Hands F = 8)

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone

B Grade Character

Titles: Human, Priest, Holy Smiter, Hero of The Fae See, Mage, Fae, Spirit of the Battlefield Ally F, Faculty of Celestine F, Ordained, Mundane, Caster

mentions: Tau Moonberry Maxxob Rcticwolf Maverick Six Develius

Abilities/Actions:
1. Eris defends using staff
2. Pushes zombie off
3. used Retribution - Religion E, Magic E, Magic Area of Effect F, Divine Affinity F, Magic Range F, Energized E, Focus E- The caster can call down a beam from the heavens causing radiant damage to the target. The target must be within 30 feet of the caster. - Grade E - 0 Post Cooldown
B grade Catalyst Staff 4/5 HP

Nigel Zombie:
1-3 Charge - ??? - E Grade - ??? Post cooldown

Eris Zombie:
1. bites
Martin Zombie:
1. Revives
2-3 Stands up

Aedri Zombie:
1-3 Zombie attempts to break free of the pinning

Notes: Combat has begun 3 Action economy is now in effect. Due to the number of people I do ask for my sake you include a TLDR either at the top or the bottom of your post.
Skips: Elias 3, Kikimura 3, Tellussoil 3, Fantasycat 3, Rcticwolf 1,Develius 2, Moonberry 1. Also I do not need to know effectiveness numbers in this RP. But continue to list actions.

The undead on Martin was a wolf beast man whose guts were hanging out of his abdomen with the same bright blue eyes that were devoid of life. As the gun was brought up to the creature's chest, the first bullet, and then came the blast of Mana from Yume; though the creature groaned a bit, it didn't seem like it did all that much effect. As the next several rounds were fired, the creature eventually slumped over, allowing Martin to get up off the ground. However, after six seconds, the creature started to shake, and it slowly started to get back up.

Nigel's quick thinking with his rifle shoved the creature back, allowing him to put a couple of rounds into the undead creature. However, this one didn't drop and looked dazed for a moment. Though that was the sound of three gunshots going off, one of the rounds landed in the skull of the creature in front of him. This caused the creature to drop down to a knee as it attempted to tackle Nigel again.

One of the other shots was sent towards Aedri's zombie. However, Soriel had charged in without thinking, and the bullet found its way into her leg as she tried to knock the zombie off, which didn't budge. Then Hiruq was quick to bolt into action. He rushed forward and clamped down on the undead creature's neck, forcing it to the ground and freeing Aedriana of the zombie.

The zombie over Eris received a bullet to the brain before it brought its neck down to bite Eris but was met with staff. She gritted her teeth as she pushed up with her strength and pushed the zombie off. Without opening the book she started to recite, "Book of Evitius verses 3-9. For those who do not look upon the light, there shall be fire. A fire that will cleanse the soul or remove it from the cycle. For it is us the clergy of our goddess' faith that stand at the bearers of the torch. For that torch is the salvation and the executioner, for I sentence you to be judged by her holy flames!" A beam of light stuck the zombie as it evaporated and left a pile of bones on the ground.

 

[Maverick Six]

Martin
Mentions: saxon Tau [Yume] Maxxob [Nigel]
Equipped Titles: Abomination, Human (Mundane), Construct, Novice Tinkerer, Isekai

A pair of jaws loomed over Martin's face. The creature's innards hung from its body, rubbing against the cyborg's lower body. Gunshots rang true, followed by a magical bolt to the creature's side. And then it simply fell limp. With a grunt, the creature's limp body was shoved off to the side.

"I...." Pant pant. "....Appreciate the assistance Yume...Good work...I'd not have blamed you for running...You're alright, yes?" He said standing up, a bit of concern audible in his voice. His eyes darted about to make sure that nothing else was coming which might catch her off guard. There was much happening as more gunshots rang out, but nothing which didn't seems to have at least one person on it.

His eyes on the creature as it writhed on the ground, beginning to resurrect as had been instructed. From his coat, Martin took out a dried torch and pulled a lantern from his hip. He then placed the end of the torch into the lantern to light it.

Do you burn easily as they say?

He then threw the torch and observed.

"Say stranger, why don't you light a torch as well? See to Aedri, Soreirel and Hiruq." His voice became a bit calmer with the wolfman off him, even in the face of Aedri's crying, gunshots sounding off, and a bullet entering Sorierel. These did not seem to draw out as much reaction from him.

He offered his lantern so that she could light a torch with it quickly. He'd only give a short window before drawing his catalyst from his hip. His compressed staff extended with the flip of a switch. And his eyes had begun to glow.

He looked over his shoulder and behind him to Nigel.

From Martin's perspective, an array of calculations appeared -- the reason as to why his eyes were glowing. As he watched the creature. A visual represents what the creature was going to do. Something of a "Firing solution" was forming within the span of some few thousand milliseconds. A lead ball floated in place in front of him, spinning in the palm of his hand. Aftert a few moments, a flashing indicator appeared in front of Martin's very eyes.

[TARGET ACQUIRED]

"Haymaker." Martin whispered once satisfied.

WHRT WHRT WHRT WHRT WHRT

The lead ball sped off at speeds faster than the average arrow and yet slower than most bullets. First it moved up above Martin's head...before cutting through the air at an unnatural ninety degree angles. The ball flew towards creature as it leapt towards Nigel, constantly adjusting it's trajectory midair along a pre-ordained flight path. It never moved in an arc like conventional objects did -- drawing half rectangles and half squares until it moved straight.

From the creature's side and perpendicular to Nigel, the lead orb would seek to slam into the creature's face side. Forces akin to a car crash would be focused onto an area the size of a baseball -- enough to send something of roughly the creature's size spinning through the air about twelve feet away at it's most generous. There was much room for error on mostly untested spells. But hopefully, he'd open up distance between the creature and the rifleman.

With that, Martin's gaze returned to in front of him, seeking to make sure the wolf creature was burning properly. Hopefully, he could move to burn Nigel's monster as well.

"I hope that doesn't throw off your shot, good hunter." He comments, staring into flames in front of him.

---

HP: 2/2 (E Grade Vitality)
Armor HP: 1/1 (F Grade Heavy)

Actions 3/3
1. Other - Martin gets up.
2. Other - Martin attempts to light the resurrecting undead on fire, by dropping a flaming torch on it.
3. Haymaker - Gravity Affinity F, Magic E, Magic Range F, Indirect F, Knockback F - A spell which casts a high momentum projectile designed to slam into a particular opponent for any number of directions. Can come from any direction, knocking the opponent in the direction of it's flight path. Be it down, from either side or shoving through ground and striking the opponent from below. It has obvious application in curving around both friend and foe and can manipulate an enemy's position. - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown [Target Nigel's zombie]

Cooldowns:
Martin
F - 0 Posts Remain
E - 1 Post Remains

Spoiler: Summary

Summary

• Martin gets up.
• Martin lights a torch and sets the creature on fire.
• Martin tells Yume to go help out Aedri, Soreirel and Hiruq -- allowing her to use a lantern to start a fire quickly.
• Martin fires off an orb that adjust it's trajectory mid-air and moves to slam into the side of the creature trying to tackle Nigel and knock it back.
• Looks at the creature to make sure it burns properly.

 

[Maxxob]

Nigel Belmont

​

Equipped Titles: [Offworlder], [Human], [Big and Small Game Hunter] - Color - #735f0f

saxon Maverick Six

Nigel’s breathing was pretty arduous by that point, clenching teeth accompanying it. Even amidst the freezing temperature and heavy snow, droplets of sweat began to form on his forehead, his graying hair, perfectly combed previously, being thrown into disarray due to the previous melee struggle.

Luckily, a shot had rung from somewhere, forcing the creature who assaulted him on its knee, yet it didn’t seem to give up that easily. “Persistent fool!” The hunter growled, albeit his mind worked on pure trained instinct by that point.

The screams and sounds of other struggles reached his ears, yes, but that problem, his problem, had to be dealt with first before he could move on. With the zombie still trying to tackle him, the hunter would bring up his rifle once more and starting to aim against the creature.

With a bit more of distance, his modus operandi changed. A trained eye from the back of his rifle, yet not using the scope, thanks to the short distance. His left hand, firmly grasping around the cold, wooden frame of the rifle, began aligning the tip against the undead. His right hand, around the trigger guard, firmly accommodated the stock of the run against his shoulder.

And, as his index finger threatened to squeeze the trigger, something zoomed in from his peripheral vision, searching the side of the zombie. That made him pause, waiting for whatever result the attacking object might bring against his target first. If sent flying, he would keep his aim trained on it, squeezing the trigger at the most opportune moment. If not, the .303 British round would leave the barrel against it right after the impact.

“Have no worries, Sir Martin. I’m used to moving targets as well.” Nigel would say, turning around for a moment to check how things were going on his own end, seeing the impromptu bonfire alight near the man’s location, the crackling of fire reaching his ears. “Much obliged for the aid and who shot it as well.” The last of his phrase was said in a louder tone, having an inkling of who else might have helped him as well.

Quick on his feet, he would turn around and start to make his way towards the source of the earlier screams, forgoing his fallen hat for the moment, pulling the bolt backwards to eject the spent shell as he moved.

Actions:

1 - Aimed his rifle.
2 - Basic Attack on the zombie after Martins' Haymaker made contact with it.
3 - Moved to Aedrianna.

CDs:
E: 1/1

 

[Tau]

Yume

Fae

saxon​

Maverick Six
Yume breathed a sigh of relief—if it could be called that, given the circumstances—seeing Martin alive and fighting back. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to go down in one hit, and that turned out to be true.

However, the fact that the unholy beast got back up was truly terrifying. An enemy was one thing, but an unkillable one was another. Truly panic-inducing.

"I’m fine, but what are we supposed to do, if—" she was interrupted as a bright beam of light erupted off to the side, swallowing a zombie completely and permanently. "Right… fire." Martin had picked up on it too, and Yume nodded back as soon as Martin took out the lantern. "Got it!"

Grabbing one of her own makeshift torches, she shoved the end in the lantern until it lit up. "You’d better not get that brain eaten before I can poke around in it!" Yume demanded with a playful smile, before running off to help Aedri.


Rcticwolf Moonberry
"Fluffytails!" Yume shouted. Without waiting for a response, she took Soreiel’s hand and shoved the torch in it, passing the makeshift weapon to the much stronger kitsune. "Use this! Ram it in that nasty face!"

Turning to Aedrianna, Yume grabbed her shoulders and shook her back and forth a few times. "Snap out of it! Your father needs you alive to find him, and your friends need you to be strong to save them! If you can handle me, you can handle a few walking corpses! Now calm down and focus!"


Actions:

• Lights torch on Martin’s lantern.
• Runs to Aedrianna.
• Passes the torch to Soreiel.

Cooldowns

• E: 1

 

[Moonberry]

Aedrianna Belmonte

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗​

Aedrianna’s breath caught in her throat, the cold air searing her lungs as the chaos unfolded around her. The crack of gunfire echoed through the icy mountains, each shot sending spirals of smoke curling into the frigid air. Drops of blood, dark and stark against the snow, fell in slow, deliberate splashes, each one a crimson stain on the crystalline purity beneath their feet. Time seemed to drag, each second stretching into an eternity as she watched the battle rage, her heart pounding with the weight of what was to come.

For a moment, it was as if she were trapped in that slow-motion world, unable to move, to think, to act. Her eyes locked onto Hiruq, her loyal wolf companion, as his powerful jaws clamped down on the neck of a zombie. A zombie with a face she knew all too well.

Her father.

And then, as if the world had suddenly snapped back into place, everything sped up again. The sounds of battle crashed over her like a wave, Yume’s voice cutting through the noise as she shook Aedrianna, trying to pull her back to the present. But Aedrianna could only stare, frozen, as the reality of what she was seeing sank in. This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. But there was no time for grief, no time for tears—not now.

She scrambled backward, away from Hiruq, from Yume, from the nightmare that was once her father. "I found my father..." she choked out, the words a jagged whisper as she forced herself to stand. Her chest heaved, breath coming in ragged gasps as she fought to regain control, to push back the flood of emotions threatening to drown her. Her heart was a wild drumbeat in her chest, each pulse a painful reminder that she was still alive when he was not.

Trembling, Aedrianna raised her hands, willing her voice to steady, to find the strength she needed to do what must be done. She had to sing—had to use the magic that had always been her gift, her curse. But the words stuck in her throat, choked by the tears that streamed down her cheeks, hot against the bitter cold. She could still see his eyes, lifeless and empty, staring at her without recognition, without love.

>Aedris Song <

She tried again, her voice breaking, raw with grief. "I-in the starlight's gentle glow..." The words faltered, a sob threatening to swallow them whole. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to continue as the faint flickers of magic began to dance around her fingertips. "Guide me where you used to know..."

The battle raged on around her—Hiruq fighting desperately against the zombie, Eris reciting passages with fervent determination, Marcus’s magic a whirl of energy in the icy air. The stench of blood, of gunpowder, clung to everything, a bitter scent that filled her senses, grounding her in the terrible reality of the moment. She had to focus, had to channel everything she was into the song, into the light that she hoped could still bring warmth to this frozen hell.

Her lips trembled, her voice a fragile thread as she continued, "Hold me close, though you’ve gone far, In my heart, you’re still the star..." The light grew stronger, the magic coalescing in her hands, glowing with a soft, ethereal warmth that seemed so out of place in this world of death and despair. She could feel the power gathering, but it was still so new, so uncertain. She had to believe, had to hope that it would be enough.

"Light my path with love so bright, Guide me safely through the night..." The last note trembled on her lips, her voice wavering as the tears continued to fall. But in that moment, she found a sliver of resolve, of the strength she needed to finish what she had started. She gathered every ounce of will she had left, focusing on the light, on the warmth, on the love that had once filled her father’s heart.

"Let the light guide you home," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the din of the battle. And with that, she unleashed the magic, a burst of pure, radiant light that shot out from her hands, enveloping the undead in its glow. She focused on her father, on the hope that somehow, this light could reach whatever remained of his soul, trapped in that cold, lifeless body. And as the light spread, she prayed that it would bring peace to the restless dead, that it would save her friends, her allies, from the same fate.

She prayed that, somehow, it could bring her father back to her, if only for a moment, if only to say goodbye.

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

Mentions: Rcticwolf Tau saxon

Spoiler: Actions/TLDR

1. Scramble Away
2. Stand up
3. Cast Guiding Light on Thaddeus Zombie, and possibly the Zombie attacking Nigel. Not targeting Yume, Martin, Jebb, Hiruq, Sorieiel, Eris, or Nigel.
Guiding Light: [Magic] E (Backlash Rank 3), [Light Affinity] F, [Magic Range] F, [Componentless Magic] E, [Selective Magic] F, [Magic Targets] F. [Selective] F, [Lucky] F - Grade E. User sings a song of prayer and surrounds the targets in light magic meant to send them to a better place.

 

[Develius]

---

"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| saxon [Eris] | Maxxob [NIgel] | Maverick Six [Martin] | Tau [Yume] | @Kikimura [Tomoko] | Moonberry [Aedrianna/Hiruq] | Rcticwolf [Soliel]
​

---

Cassidy's first shot hit without issue, forcing the creature assaulting Nigel to a knee. Whilst temporary, it gave the hunter just enough time to stage a counterattack before the undead could reach him. The shot at Eris' foe would strike true as well; hitting the chilled rotten hide in the brain. This allowed the priest to smite her assailant with the holy wrath from god... er, goddess, herself? Two were down for the count. Yet unfortunately, the last shot towards Aedri's creature would not hit. Poor Soleil was rushing in to help her friend the very moment the gunslinger unloaded, hitting the poor kitsune lady in the leg.

"Oh ya damn git-" hissed Cassidy under his breath, before announcing in a raised tone, "Fox-tail's down!" He wanted to curse her publicly for getting in his way, but held enough restraint to keep him from saying something mighty hurtful. Not that he couldn't blame her terribly for the chaos which was rummaging around them, still it was all the more reason for one to be aware of their surroundings. Hopefully Eris or someone would heal her quickly; for now, he had to cover Soriel as a means to repent. Thankfully, the wolf Hiruq was quick enough to get the zombie off sharp bite to the neck. But by then the damage was done.

Cassidy ran forth to cover Soriel, while Yume approached her with a flaming torch in hand. Hearing Yume order her to ram the torch into the zombie forced him to interfere given the circumstance. "Oi, hol' up now!" Cassidy called out to Yume with a rushed and peeved tone, pointing to Soleil's injured leg, "Can't ya see she's hurt?! Got in the line of fire and- oh, gimme THAT." He then reached out for the torch himself, attempting to yank it from Soliel's hand in the heat of the moment. He thought it was mighty rude for someone to trust, let alone expect, an injured folk to finish the fight in their condition.

If he managed to grab it from the kitsune, Cassidy would rush over towards the zombie Hiruq had pinned down; readying to thrust the torch into the cold-blooded creature and give it a bath of flame.

---

Actions:

1. Rush over to Soleil.
2. Yank torch from Soliel's hand. ( Rcticwolf - Feel free to have Soliel object to/counter his grasp.]
3. [If Cassidy succeeds] Run towards undead Hiruq is pinning down, readying (but not yet able) to thrust the torch into it.

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone

B Grade Character

Titles: Human, Priest, Holy Smiter, Hero of The Fae See, Mage, Fae, Spirit of the Battlefield Ally F, Faculty of Celestine F, Ordained, Mundane, Caster

mentions: Tau Moonberry Maxxob Rcticwolf Maverick Six Develius

Abilities/Actions:
1. Moved to martins zombie
2. used Holfeels Divine Weapon - Religion F, Magic F, Divine Affinity F, Energized F, Focus F - The user channels their mana into a medium and takes the shape of a melee weapon of their choice on striking a target dealing divine damage to the target. - F Grade - 0 Post cooldown
3. used Holfeels Divine Weapon II - Religion E, Magic E, Divine Affinity F, Energized E, Magic Duration F, Focus E - The user channels their mana into a medium and takes the shape of a melee weapon of their choice on striking a target dealing divine damage to the target the weapon lasts for 1 hour. - E grade - 0 Post Cooldown

B grade Catalyst Staff 4/5 HP

Nig
Notes: Combat is over, Due to the number of people I do ask for my sake you include a TLDR either at the top or the bottom of your post.
Skips: Elias 3, Kikimura 3, Tellussoil 3, Fantasycat 3, Rcticwolf 2,Develius 2, Moonberry 1. Also I do not need to know effectiveness numbers in this RP. But continue to list actions.

The torch that Martin threw on his undead caught fire and started to scream, however it wasn't down for the count yet as it rushed forward toward's Martin while on fire and started to flail its arms at the mage. However the burning undead's movement was certainly more sluggish than before showing that the fire was doing some damage to the creature.

As for Nigel, the undead coming toward him was slowly sliced to pieces, the rifle shot echoed against the mountains as the round ripped through the undead severing the creature's torso from its waist. But due to the creatures arms being cut off the undead was now slowly crawling toward nigel but was having a hard time moving much at all. Aedri was able to scramble away and started to sing, which surrounded the remaining undead causing damage and killing the crawler zombie leaving two left.

Cassidy upon reaching the pinned zombie would see Hiruq get tossed five feet away from the zombie. Upon making contact with the torch the undead screamed in pain as it slowly crumbled down to the grown in a pile of flames. The cries echoed though the forest and against the mountains, for whatever around to hear if there was anything around the group that they couldn't see yet.

Eris moved to intercept the zombie before it could do too much damage, "Book of Icarus verse 9-11, Be my weapon and deliver those to the light for I command you. Take up arms and be the bearer of my holy weapon!" Eris chanted as the tip of her quarterstaff glowed and mana was channeled toward the top as a warhammer head made of mana was brought down on the zombie not once but twice as that zombie dropped and started to turn into an ash pile.

 

[Maverick Six]

Martin
Mentions: saxon
Equipped Titles: Abomination, Human (Mundane), Construct, Novice Tinkerer, Isekai

Yume's comment prompted a much-needed chuckle during trying times. "An odd desire of yours. But will do, stranger." He said simply, a slight smile forming on his face at a time most inopportune. Still, she was sent to the scene with the most people. He saw no reason currently to take his eyes off what was before him for even a moment.

A veritable bonfire appeared before him. The creature screamed as it writhed on the ground screaming in agony before him. Yet from the machine mage, the creature would see no reaction whatsoever as he silently observed to ensure its death. There was no sympathy in a man who was quite accustomed to hearing screams and cries from things to which he had no attachment whatsoever.

It appeared to be a wise decision, as soon the creature showed signs of getting up. Yet in the face of the extraordinarily durable monster, Martin's tone let out what amounted to a sarcastic and tired pity.

"You poor, persistent thing. Too resilient for own good. Allow yourself to be put out of your misery." Three orbs began to surround Martin as he raised his hand, preparing to intercept the creature.

However, out of his peripherals, he saw Eris run to intercept the creature with mystical energy wrapped around her staff in the shape of a Warhammer. He needs to do naught but watch as it was felled with the ease he'd expected.

His eyes followed the creature as it fell to ash before his feet -- a pile of ash.

"I appreciate the assistance Ms. Granstone." He said, the orbs receding into his coat. Martin takes out another torch from his coat and lights it on the flaming body of that creature.

When he looked over at the creature who'd previously been attacking Nigel. it appeared that he had hit it previously with too much force. The limb had been severed entirely. And Nigel's shot cut the creature practically in half. "It seems I hit you a bit hard, given the loss of your arm. But you're still intact. The only living specimen. Let me to have a look at you...."

It had been quite some time since he'd indeed analyzed a living creature.

Martin wasn't sure he'd be so good at studying it. But perhaps in its weakened form, it might grant some information. He walked up to Nigel's zombie as it crawled along the ground and used a simple [Appraisal F] on the creature from 5 feet away. After he is finished, he speaks up.

"....That will do it seems. Unless someone else wants to have a look at it." He said, holding his torch and signaling that unless anyone else wanted to look at it themselves, they were free to put the creature out of its misery or try their hand at studying it. One way or another, hopefully, they might yet know more about these creatures from this encounter.

Martin raised his hand towards it. Despite holding his torch, a spell was ready to be fired off at it, requiring nothing more than the flick of his finger.

---

HP: 2/2 (E Grade Vitality)
Armor HP: 1/1 (F Grade Heavy)

Actions 3/3
1. Martin lights up another torch.
2. Martin walks up to the zombie crawling after Nigel, keeping about 5 feet away.
3. Martin uses [Appraisal F] on the creature.

Cooldowns:
Martin
F - 0 Posts Remain
E - 0 Posts Remain

Spoiler: Summary

Summary

• Martin walks up to the final zombie crawling on the ground.
• Martin uses Appraisal on it.
• Martin is alert and looking at the creature, ready to kill it if necessary. But allows anyone else to do so at their whim.

 

[Maxxob]

Nigel Belmont

​

Equipped Titles: [Offworlder], [Human], [Big and Small Game Hunter] - Color - #735f0f

saxon Moonberry

Nigel's hurried steps would come to a complete halt eventually. There was just a split moment in which he could see the creature who had previously attacked Aedrianna, before it was engulfed in flames, thanks to a torch thrown by Cassidy. Yet, he was able to get the gist of who had just been burned: Thaddeus, Aedrianna's father and his supposed relative.

His early claim now reigned uncontested, possibly incontestable, the only one who had the possibility of denying had become a monster and now turned into a burning pile of putrid flesh. With the smell of burning meat reaching his nostrils, he shifted his rifle to his left hand, holding it by the stock.

His right hand found a new purpose, extending to land on one Aedrianna's shoulders. "I am deeply sorry about your loss, Aedrianna." The words which Nigel uttered were uncharacteristically soft, accompanied by a reassuring squeeze of his hand. "You can count on me for anything you need." He offered with an empathic expression across his face, the hunter's ash colored eyes falling on her, before shifting towards the burning body once more.

A grief struck mind could often provide fertile ground for words. The success of it remained to be seen. With the crackling of fire reaching his ears, not only from the creature sure a few feet from him, but somewhere else behind him, he remained still, mind reeling with all sorts of thoughts.

Spoiler: Summary

• Moved to Aedrianna
• Attempted to console her

 

[Tau]

Yume

Fae

Moonberry
It hurt to watch the frightened girl scramble away. Even if Aedrianna had turned out to be every bit the meangirl Yume had conjured up in her imaginative brain, she wouldn’t have wished that sort of terror on her. It was odd, given that she must’ve signed up knowing zombies would be around. Maybe seeing them in person was just scarier than she’d thought?

So she found her dad. "Huh…? Uhm, congratulations, but let’s celebrate later." They must’ve met while gathering sticks outside of the cave or something.


Develius
Yume threw the heavily-fabricked man a strange look, but wasn’t about to contest the act. "Someone just stab it already, before she gets more than hurt!" she shouted.


saxon
Figuring it was always a good idea to take after the most effective member of the team, Yume stared down one one of the zombies, outstretching her hand and chanting…

"Book of Evictus, verse 39. For people who don’t look on that light, there’s fire. Fire will cleanse the bod— I mean soul, and remove it from the cycle. For it’s the— what was that word again…? Ah! —clergy of our goddesseses faith that bear the torch. The torch is an executioner, so I… uhmm… judge you with fire!"

Yume waited.

Some time later, a giant magi-hammer whacked the zombie dead. Probably unrelated to her heresy. She let out a sigh of relief as the threat passed… for now.

"Hero, Sorry needs help!" Yume waved her over, figuring she’d most likely have something of the sort to help out. "Can you heal her?"


Maxxob Moonberry
That was when she heard something peculiar. A little sentence for Hat Guy that offered a much needed hint. Yume blinked a few times, then found her eyes swinging back and forth between Aedri and the pile of dad. In the blink of an eye, all those mean things Yume said about him felt really really inappropriate.

"Ohhhh… oh no…" the coincidence was so incredible, Yume hadn’t even considered it. In fact, she still insisted— in her mind —that it must’ve been the work of some dastardly necromancer, playing mind games.

Kneeling down by Aedrianna, Yume turned to her and spoke softly. "Hey, I’m…" she trailed off, deciding to continue in private. However, the second their minds connected, Yume felt a wave of sorrow strike her, and she had to struggle not to cry. After a short moment, she composed herself.

Spoiler: Telepathy @ Aedri

"…I’m sorry for all those things I said earlier. You know, I once died myself, in another world. Maybe you’ll just think I’m crazy, but I know for sure that death isn’t the end."

Suddenly, Yume began to share her memories. A plain, ordinary nobody, standing before a mysterious god and told she’d been poisoned in her sleep. Then, the arrival in a new world, delight at the first sight of her reflection in the lake, joyfully skipping through the field to the nearby town, laughing with her mentor. Yume selected only the best moments and skipped through the rest.

"He’s somewhere out there, probably excited to start a new life. I bet you’ll even meet him again, one day."

After a long while, silently kneeling beside Aedri, Yume leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Aedrianna. Her hug was gentle; too gentle, in fact, as if her arms lacked the muscles to squeeze firmly. Thankfully, there was family for that. Yume raised a hand to Aedri’s shoulder, grabbing Hat Guy’s arm and pulling him into the hug.

Spoiler: TL;DR

• Didn’t understand Aedri’s comments.
• Committed heresy against Eris’s religion.
• Asked Eris to heal Soreiel.
• Finally realized what Aedri meant.
• Hug.
• Pull Nigel into hug.

 

[Moonberry]

Aedrianna Belmonte​

Aedrianna watched in silent horror as her father's once-frozen form began to smolder, wisps of smoke curling into the air like dying memories. The creature’s death rattle was a sound foreign and unsettling to her, nothing like the voice she cherished in her mind's eye, a voice now echoing with painful clarity. As the torch's flames devoured the undead, the heat of the fire seemed to stir memories long buried, bringing forth moments of warmth and tenderness that now felt impossibly distant. She found herself slipping into the comforting embrace of those memories, as if trying to escape the cruel reality by seeking refuge in the past.

A firm yet unfamiliar hand broke through her reverie, grounding her once more. Aedrianna lifted her ice-blue eyes, now rimmed with the red of unshed tears, to meet Nigel’s steady gaze. His presence was a balm, offering her a moment of solace amid the chaos. She nodded, a small gesture of gratitude, though her strength wavered until Yume's arms encircled them both, drawing them into a protective embrace.

Yume’s thoughts flooded into her mind like a deluge, overwhelming and relentless. It took all of Aedrianna’s willpower to let them wash over her, allowing them to drown out the memories that tugged at her heart, memories of a time that could never be reclaimed. But amidst the torrent of Yume’s emotions, a single, haunting thought surfaced: those moments of warmth were lost forever, never to be relived. The thought struck her like a dagger, and she jolted, her eyes scanning the surroundings in desperation.

"Hiruq! Are you okay?!" The words burst from her lips as she broke free from the embrace, her heart pounding with sudden urgency. She rushed to her wolf companion, her hands trembling as they reached for his familiar white fur. She stroked him gently, her fingers searching for any sign of injury, her breath held as she feared the worst. Her eyes darted about, searching for Sorieiel.

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝​

Mentions: Maxxob Tau saxon​

 

[Develius]

---

"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| saxon [Eris] | Maxxob [NIgel] | Maverick Six [Martin] | Tau [Yume] | Moonberry [Aedrianna/Hiruq] | Rcticwolf [Soliel]
​

---

As the frozen zombie cried out in raging agony and spite, Cassidy watched its demise with a cold, dead-eye stare. Only when Eris proceeded to smite the bastard out of its misery did he bother to look away and cover his face from the blinding light which followed. Even his bones rattled angrily at the holy light's discharge peppering his direction. If he could feel this unpleasant sensation, he wouldn't hint it. Regardless of who this entity meant to anyone here, the hunter would only see it for what it's currently become. A monster. It was too far gone to be saved now, if anything was to be preserved from it anyways.

For now however, the threats have been neutralized. They may rest easy now... least for the moment.

"Y'all ok?" he called out to the others, wanting to ensure they weren't missing nobody. As he was about to light his 27th tobacco stick, he'd turn to notice a truly distraught Aedri grieving over her now dead-dead father. Seeing Nigel, Yume and the others comforting her sparked something within him that he normally placed under wraps. This feeling almost felt alien to him... given how closed he'd been to the prospect of making friends - or beloveds - outside of work. Though echoes of his past life while part of the living would reveal fallen comrades... fellow friends from his gang for which he connected with for years on end. Yet none stung worse then the loss of his brother. The mental loss, that is. Retiring the life of crime and gunslingery in exchange for something modest and peaceful.

Jebidiah was no doubt angry at him - still sour over it now - but over a century of contemplating had made him realize that in the end... he made the right choice. In contrast, Jeb had been cursed to live out his days as he was now... cursed to atone for his sins beyond the mortal coils of his world.

So he understood her... or so he liked to believe.

The gunslinger approached them slowly before making his piece. "Wuz nothin' personal, lass." he stated lowly, ensuring he made himself clear and less insensitive, "Wanted to ensure ya weren't help. Though if it mean anythin;... I reckon this be want yer pops wanted... or whatever be left of him in there. Better puttin' him out quick-n-dandy rather then suffer horribly so for eternity. Still.. My, uh... humble condolences."

Leaving her to find Hiruq and Soriel, Cassidy would then take note of Martin inspecting one of the fallen zombies. As he asked whether anyone wanted to have a closer look, the Monster hunter would saunter up and squat beside it... taking one good look at the enemy of which they were dealing with. He wasn't sure what he was trying to find within a fellow undead entity, but after his brief overlook and whatever things of note he could glance off, he rose up and nodded at Martin.

"Scorch it."

With that, he then looks over at Eris. "Reckon we get a move on... ya mentioned we close, yea? Sooner we git 'ere, sooner we can leave."

---

Spoiler: TLDR

- Watches Eris finish Aedri's Zombie off.
- Empathizes and comforts Aedri.
- Inspects Nigel's zombie for anything of note ([Monster Hunter] Title) before telling Martin to burn it.
- Asks Eris if they should continue moving on.

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone

B Grade Character

Titles: Human, Priest, Holy Smiter, Hero of The Fae See, Mage, Fae, Spirit of the Battlefield Ally F, Faculty of Celestine F, Ordained, Mundane, Caster

mentions: Tau Moonberry Maxxob Maverick Six Develius

Abilities/Actions:

Eris:
B grade Catalyst Staff 4/5 HP


Notes: Combat is over.
Skips: Elias 3, Kikimura 3, Tellussoil 3, Fantasycat 3, Rcticwolf 2,Develius 2, Moonberry 1.

Martins appraisal would only reveal the titles: Undead, Crawler, First Born. Everything else on the status board that appeared was masked in ???, which made it safe to assume the creatures were not your typical run of the mill monsters. The crawler tried to lift up its head to snap at Martin's finger however it was not able to reach. However the undead acted like a dog that hadn't eaten in a while and was starving. During this whole chaos Soriel seemed to disappear from the group leaving without a trace left on the ground.

When Yume called out Eris looked over with a confused look as she realized Sorriel was now gone. "Where did Soriel go? Anyoe know? Book of Icarus verse 9-11, Be my weapon and deliver those to the light for I command you. Take up arms and be the bearer of my holy weapon." She muttered as the Warhammer made its return, and she brought it down on the last zombie that was left and scorched it as their gunslinger seemed to want the same thing. She found the creatures to be appalling to say the least. It was a mockery of the cycle in place.

Aedri's wolf companion would bark and return to its owner's side, as she ran her fingers through the creatures fur she would find no wounds. There was some black blood on his fur that was the extent of any damage. "Yes we are not much further probably just over that ridge there but give me a moment." Eris paused for a moment as she tapped her staff on the ground two times. "Merciful Holfeel guide the souls here toward your welcoming light so they might find peace in the next cycle." Eris prayed out loud as it was as much she could do.

Once the group was ready, they set out once again, trudging through the snow and eventually reaching the next ridge. They were greeted by a desolate sight. The hamlet of Nan-Li was burned to the ground. Burnt-out buildings had collapsed on themselves, but the embers were still red, indicating that whatever had caused it was not ordinary fire. Ther was no bodies that could be seen and at the center of the town where a large pile of wood had been constructed there was a small fire.

 

[Maverick Six]

Martin
Mentions: saxon Tau [Yume] Moonberry [Aedri]
Equipped Titles: Abomination, Human (Mundane), Construct, Novice Tinkerer, Isekai

For it's effort in trying to bite his finger while woefully out of reach -- the creature only received a blank stare.

"I'll really need to do some studying when I get back." He noted, thinking that more than likely he would need to brush up on things beyond the act of casting magic. A great degree of focus had gone to that task, and it seemed now that it was high time he revisits the realm of physics and arcana when it came to this world. If that had been the case, then perhaps he would have gotten a little bit more out of the creature. "I have all I need." He said, before the creature was promptly destroyed in right in front of him.

Once pulled from his own mind, he turned his attention elsewhere.

"It would appear-" But his word had been cut off. While Martin's expression shifted only at the sight of Aedri, intuitively he understood something. While he could hardly claim to care personally for Ms. Belmonte, he understood something -- he should be silent. It was evident that she would. While he wasn't watching the entire ordeal, mentioning the word "Father" seemed to make sense. It appeared she had come here in search of her father, only to find that he was here. Just not himself.

Awkwardly Martin cleared his throat -- having nothing to say as Yume, Nigel and Aedri. There was little to say. Though, at a time like this, he turned to survey the landscape, making sure that there was nothing else on it's way to ambush them. The scientist felt himself lacking in the front of battle-hardened intuition. However, logically, speaking, he couldn't help but wonder if they were being watched.

"It appears Sorierel is nowhere to be seen. But she also does not seem to be attacking us...." He mentions.

After about a minute of silence, he spoke. "I'm sorry for your loss, Ms. Belmonte." He said. While his voice seemed unshaken and straight, he appeared to offer some degree of respect. Not in the form of admiration, but dignity in the face of of grievous loss. However....

"We should get moving soon.." He begins -- taking the time to ironically begin working on another task. From his coat, he pulls out a bit of his Artisan gear to make something. He pulls out a neat toolbox, and a small pad upon which to work. He sits on his knees as he sets to work. Rather than smithing any metal, Martin appears to be crafting something.

"I have a feeling those were but scouts sent to feel us out. There will likely be more ahead in various numbers. This is a large scale operation, so they may be divided by the efforts of the others. But there may yet still yet be an army waiting for us." He says.

"Honestly, your own father attacking you specifically is concerning in more ways than one, I'm afraid. While these creatures are dumb, we may be dealing with something far more intelligent than anticipated. Not only that, but perhaps it has access to the memories of those fallen." As finishes his task, he puts his tools away and stands.

"This is all speculation. Take it with a grain. The only titles that came up are "Undead", "Crawler" and "First born." There were more, but I couldn't see them. Anyway."

Martin would walk up to Yume and show her something.

"Yume. Take this." He hands her what appears to be a wand, albeit more mechanical. . "You seemed to have a little bit of trouble there with your wand. I suspect it is ill suited to you. You should use this one. It's not as powerful, but it's better suited for you." He demonstrates it's workings briefly, compressing it until it fit in the palm of his hand. It had a clip, allowing it to be worn at the hip easily.

With that, he'd seek to give it to her to use. While she had been able to help him get zombies off her, her performance concerned him at least a little bit. For at least a few seconds, Yume had been almost alone.

Spoiler: Retractable Wand E

A compact, lightweight wand. Similar in design to a retractable baton. Less sturdy than a baton, but also much better at casting magic.

Whether she accepted or denied, he would opt to move on soon enough.

Nan-Gau

---

"I knew this place had been in ruins. Yet it most curious to see it had been burned, considering the weakness of these creatures." With Catalyst in one hand and torch in the other, Martin saw fit to take a stroll about the town. He looked at the collapsed houses from the side but seemed to have zero interest in entering any of them. He could easily be ambushed again if he did so.

Once that was complete, he used a simple [Appraisal F] again. But he focused upon the strange embers he saw, carefully taking time to look at the flaming residue rather than of the wood.

---

Actions: 2/3

1. [Artisan Tinkerer E]
2. [Appraisal F]
3.

Note: See summary for details on actions

Spoiler: Summary

Summary

• Martin is quiet while Aedri mourns her loss.
• Martin explains observations about the creatures, ascertaining from appraisal and the encounter they just had. Lists appraised titles
• Martin makes a new Catalyst for Yume using [Artisan: Tinkerer E] and hands it to her
• Once Martin gets to the scene, he walks around and scans the place. Then uses [Appraisal F] on the Flaming residue.

 

[Tau]

Yume

Fae

Moonberry Maverick Six saxon Develius Maxxob​

Yume winced as Aedri’s mind retaliated against her pleasant emotions with incredible pain. So much so, that she suddenly raised both hands to her temples, yelping in surprise. That flood of emotional damage was almost more terrifying to her than the zombies which had caused it. Having been knocked back into the snow from Aedri’s sudden burst of energy, Yume took a few moments to composed herself before standing up.

"Sorey’s over h— wait… she was just there!" Yume turned to the spot she’d been lying. It was tough not to panic, but despite the chaos, the snow seemed calm once Eris had dropped the final hammer.

"Y-yeah, she’d be attacking us as a zombie if she’d died, right? Still…" Yume frowned, crossing her arms as she glanced around for any sign of the nine-tailed kitsune.

After a short search around the immediate area, Yume accepted the strange wand, unleashing a few basic mana strikes to the ground to test it. "Thanks, Martin, this is surprisingly easy to use. I guess I got a little carried away with all the advanced runes." After a short pause, she forced a smile, "Glad you’re okay."

Approaching Aedrianna, Yume reached down and gently seized Aedri’s hand, pulling her to her feet. "I know you’re in a bad place, but Martin’s right: we need to keep moving until we can light another fire." Giving her hand a short squeeze, Yume slowly started to pull her forward.

"With your permission, I’d like to share your grief. It might seem a little strange for me to mourn someone I’ve never met, but if you recall your memories of your father, I should be able to share some of your feelings for him." Yume stared off into space as she continued pulling Aedri forward.

Spoiler: Aedrianna Telepathy

"Please, Aedrianna Belmonte. Don’t cry alone…"

---

"I think it makes sense. If you have combustable zombies after you, you’d throw as much fire around as possible…" Yume answered Martin. "Though, is it just me, or does all this fire look kinda weird?"

Cautiously, Yume proceeded further into the remnants of a town to inspect the small fire.

Spoiler: TL;DR

• Looked around for Soreiel
• Accepted Martin’s catalyst.
• Pulled Aedrianna forward and offered to have a brain funeral with her.
• Approached the small fire.

 

[Maxxob]

Nigel Belmont

​

Equipped Titles: [Offworlder], [Human], [Big and Small Game Hunter] - Color - #735f0f

saxon Moonberry Tau

When pulled into the group embrace by Yume, Nigel’s eyebrow twitched momentarily, yet he offered no resistance to it, kneeling down to follow through with it. With his arms around both girls, he did what he was supposed to do, following logic: a firm, strong squeeze, arms muscles tensing beneath his sun-burnt skin. He kept the strong squeeze, as that was required of him. Maybe that would bring some comfort to the grieving Aedrianna. And, when the hug was broken, there was some slight internal relief, as some weird, long forgotten feeling had begun gnawing at his core. It threatened his very self.

Getting up on his feet and taking a step back, as Aedrianna looked for her wolf companion, the hunter’s eyebrow arched when Soreiel was mentioned. “She can’t possibly have vanished, could she?” He said in disbelief, pulling the rifle from his shoulder as he began looking for any kind of traces, footprints or any indication of where the beast girl had gone to. Yet, even his seasoned instincts fell short, making the man furrow his eyebrows in discontent. All he could find was a spot of crimson hue amidst the white, pure snow. Maybe that is for the best, the girl didn’t seem to be a fan of mine, along with the other beasts. Funny… He thought to himself. If this were poker, his hand was just getting stronger by the minute.

“Cassidy is right, we best keep moving. We have to make the most of daylight, as the night will certain be unfavorable to us.” Agreeing with the monster hunter, the big game hunter would begin to move, keeping close to Aedrianna this time around, now being in an even higher-alert than before. His hazel eyes darted left and right, thinking about the information that was shared by Martin upon his inspection of one of those undead creatures. To be more precise, the ‘First Born’ title. “Maybe that ‘First Born’ title could be related to that creature’s strength, yes? Either hinting at it being the strongest or weakest of its group… and something tells me it is the latter, rather than the former.” Throwing that speculation in the air, the remainder of the trip was done in silence.

Upon reaching the hamlet of Nan-Li, his eyes narrowed, taking the sorry state of the place. “Possibly its residents tried to dispatch of those creatures with fire, but weren’t quite successful?” He threw that idea at Martin, his left-hand reaching to scratch his chin, looking a bit pensive. “Either that or misdirection… smoke and mirrors, as they say.” Would the creatures even be that intelligent to begin with? They simply looked like mindless, ravenous beasts, driven by instincts.

With both Martin and Yume making their way to inspect the very middle of the town, where a small fire had been burning. The hunter couldn’t help, but feel that something was a tad bit odd. Bringing the stock of his rifle to his shoulder, he got it prepared for something. Bringing his lips together, forming a small “O” he would let out a sharp, loud whistle. If there are creatures lying in wait, or survivors, best to drag them out sooner rather than later.

Spoiler: Summary

• Did his part as family figure, currently present
• Looked for Soreiel
• Let out a sharp, loud whistle near the center of the town