Graded [The Underbelly] A plotted Demise

[Lucius Cypher]

Tags: Skyhunter Elvario ​

---

Orchid missed having her helmet now. She took the punch to her forehead in an attempt to keep the knight from breaking her jaw, though she still got a fistful to the eye. But her gambit had pulled off nonetheless. Her dagger managed to slip between his armor and sink into skin, and Orchid stabbed as hard as she could before the knight's punch knocked her all the way to the wall, leaving her stunned for a precious few seconds. She swore she was conscious the whole time, but everything was a blur. She was seeing red and she wasn't sure if it was from blood or something else. Struggling to get back to her feet Orchid had to keep her eyes shut hard, relying on her other senses to keep attention to the battlefield. She didn't sense anyone approach her but she wasn't sure if it was safe or not. Her ears were ringing, she tasted iron in her mouth, and she's pretty sure she chipped one of her teeth again. "Dammit. You know how hard it is to find a dentist in this realm?" Orchid idly thought to herself.

By the time Orchid was actually able to get to her feet and regain her senses things were... Bad, but the fighting was over. She looked around and noticed that Xix was standing over Sticker's body, and covered in blood. Her blood. She looked down and noticed that Sticker's head was decapitated from her body, and Orchid could only grimace. She had no idea why Sticker followed them here and... Orchid's not entirely surprised this happened. Tends to happen really. Orchid felt bad about it though, even if she didn't exactly have the kindest thoughts about Sticker due to her little joke. But that doesn't meant she deserved this. Aside from Sticker, the knight she had fought was also dead. Orchid wasn't sure who did it but if she had to guess it wasn't Xix. Might've been Clover but frankly, Orchid was so focused on her own fight she wasn't fully aware of Auregnog's armor getting up and laying waste to everyone. She just sorta assumed that might've been Arthur or Clover, but seeing them just as surprised and wounded as she was, Orchid was coming to the quick conclusion that things have gotten much more complex then they seem.

Picking up her Poleaxe, Orchid went to check on Victorique. Regardless of what happened in this room, Orchid's got a job to do and that's to make sure Victorique is okay. She fortunately seemed unharmed, which means Orchid did her job. But Victorique looked over Sticker's body and wanted to resurrect her. "Boss, I'm not sure if it'll be that easy. Assuming something like that is even possible, I can't imagine that it's simple. Or free." Healing a body from mortal injuries is something Orchid is vaguely aware is possible, but straight up decapitation? The only time she's heard that being possible is by monsters with crazy levels of regeneration, undead, or mad wizards making Frankenstein monsters. Though she imagines that it's still possible if they find a high level cleric or something, but Orchid doesn't know anyone like that.

Gathering what strength she had, Orchid reached into a pocket and took out another snack bar. Just by habit really, but she still ate it, feeling slightly rejuvenated. Still sore as hell, but slightly less so. She listened to Victorique explain what just happened. It seemed like the Champion was in fact alive, but must actually be some sort of terminator robot and ripped through the knights. Orchid certainly didn't expect this. She figured it was debts or something, not the fact the Champion was some sort of synth construct. Were such creations even possible? She's never met a golem before, or a robot. Victorique wanted to bring Sticker back for questioning, but from the way Victorique shook, Orchid figured she just wanted to save the poor girl. She began to ramble on about more things, but Orchid simply made sure to close and lock the door this time, and started looking around the room in earnest.

"I don't know if you're asking for a priest or a necromancer boss, but regardless I don't know either. Going to guess that the key to controlling Auregnog's isn't in this room, but maybe we can find some clues for it. Let's hurry. I don't know if he's going to come back or rampage throughout the coliseum, but either way we need to hurry. It's only going to be a matter of time before more people show up, and we don't want to be here when they come through those doors." Orchid goes to check around the bed. Evidentally Clover hasn't looked here yet if she didn't notice Auregnog laying over here, so maybe there was something there that could help. Notes or maybe some sort of machine part. Something that could give them a clue of where to go. Orchid even looked around the darker corners of the room, looking for cameras or maybe scrying crystals. Something caused him to wake up and go on a rampage. Maybe it's some weird programming, or maybe someone was watching and decided to awaken him now. All Orchid knows for certain is that she needs to do something, less her client decide to do something that'll make Orchid's job very difficult.

 

[Skyhunter]

The Bloody Defiance


​

There was just no end to these hooded men, to these recently turned undead, they were coming as the Divees continued to hold them back, there was even civilians that got involved, the Crew along with the civilians were trapped on this two-sided stairwell corridor. Vido was doing his best to make sure no undead got to them, his sword slashing heads and bodies apart. Some of the Divees crew were with him, fighting with the half-orc, keeping the undead at bay. But there was more and more coming, Eventually Vido's side was getting pushed back. Blood splattered, limbs flew, heads fell, lives snuffed. The only sounds that could be heard was groans of undead, the struggling of the living, blood splattering and weapons cutting through flesh.

Lunes continued to let arrows loose, meeting her mark each time, her arrows connected with target. Arrows flying through undead skulls. But despite that, the cultists were making their way closer, their wicked daggers drawing closer as they had a mix of blood and oil dripping off their blades. Lunes saw one blade fly across her direction, she dodged and slammed her bow into the face of the cultist, stunning them. " Damn it, lizard, what are you doing! " She was too distracted to see what the large cowboy was planning. Wirejaw made his assault, spinning off the ground and bouncing against walls as he plowed through troves of undead. Until he launched himself into the air and landed on the stunned cultist, shredding through flesh and bone. There were no sounds coming from this now dead man. The cultist' hood was now in tatters and Wirejaw would see what was under the hood. He saw a man's face, his entire bottom jaw removed, and tongue ripped out, blackened eyes with red irises and tattoos all over what was left of their face. Their eyes were truly dead within, despite being barely alive, they tried to raise their dagger to stab the large lizard, but their hand fell and finally the amalgamation passed on. As the cultists continued to come, they would eventually push the entire group of living souls together, the Divees Crew, civilians, Blooded Guard, you name it. Pushed them into one group. Wirejaw's back would touch Vido's. " Aye, this looks like it's the end you large lizard. " Vido growled. Lunes was all out of arrows as she held her bow like a club. " Seems like it is. And in the Underbelly no less. What a waste. " The woman growled.

​

But as soon as the group was gathered, the undead and cultists stopped before making their attack. The undead even stopped their groaning as they stood there watching the group of living. Then almost as an entire unit, they slowly backed away from the living. Disappearing down the stairs and moving on. Lunes breathed a sigh of relief. " What the hell was that about. " The elf asked, she was glad they were alive but that was a strange thing to occur. When they moved down to the actual arena and saw the bleachers, it was all blood, all covered in blood, gore, bodies. So much needless death. There was no way to tell the difference between people. On the other side there was a single red knight and that black hooded man with red seams on his cloak, his eyes glowing purple. " My work here is done. " The man spoke to the red knight. She fell to a knee, holding herself up with her sword, her shield in her other arm was broken, her armor covered and matted in blood. She was breathing heavily, looking at the robed man. " No... I'm not done. " She growled, having the ferocity of an angry tiger. She stood up and took a step forward before falling both knees, dropping her weapons and placing both hands on the bloody ground. " But you are, Lykra. You can barely stand up. I want to finish our little fight and eventually turn you into one of us but... It'll have to wait. Besides, someone is coming to greet you anyways. " The man sheathed his dagger in his sleeve. He then walked away into the shadows and disappeared into the Underbelly. Undead and Cultists alive were gone.

​

When the large group was able to leave, whoever wasn't a part of the Divees Crew had already left. Civilians escaping the Bloody Defiance, Blooded Guard running off to regroup. The Divees Crew didn't really have much to go on about where Arthur was, Vido looked at his crew, " You all did well. Good job. But we are not done yet. We need to find Arthur but i doubt anyone would just know. I think that red knight will know. And I think that is the Blooded Guard Lieutenant. " Vido commented. As they approached the knight, she was still exhausted from her long fight with that red seamed hooded man. She sounded like she was even crying. But when they appraoched she quickly quieted down and stood up, " Away from you lot, before I kill you all. " Lykra picked up her sword and stumbled backwards, barely able to hold it up with both hands, she fell down to her knees with a defeated sigh. Lunes had crossed arms, " Commander Lykra, The Red Stained. " The elf stated, in which Lykra somewhat calmed down and began to regain her breath. " Yes. That is me. " She let out an exhausted breath and was able to get back on her feet and stay there. " What does the Divees Crew want? I don't think your leader would like you here- " She was cut off by Vido, who stepped up. " He's dead. Killed by my hand. " The half-orc interrupted. Lykra didn't speak and almost laughed, " What? You killed your own leader? Well not surprising. You now lead this pathetic looking group? " She asked. In which Vido shook his head, " We are looking for our new leader. Arthur Verg. " Which got a look from Lykra, " The Ryken Student? One of the ones who started the Gang War? Interesting choice. " She asked who as if she is holding in a laugh. " Well, I haven't seen him, and it will be better that way. I did hear that was here, a few of my guards said they saw him and some small child jump into the arena and sneak into the Warrior's Respite. Your best bet is to look that way. " She pointed behind her where there was a broken door with a dead orc in the doorway.

Vido looked at the rest of the crew, " Well, that's where we are heading next then. If you want, scrounge around and see if you can find anything. " Vido stated. Lykra sat down on the ground and took a deep breath, needing rest from this entire day, and now it got worst for her.

Warrior's Respite


​

The Ryken knight moved forward as Dayle said his peace, he held a large great sword, orientated with jewelry and gold, it looked expensive. The knight saw Roy move as Dayle threw the corpse that he was dragging at him. Without missing a beat, the Knight swung his sword with great might in an upwards motion, slicing the body into two, blood and gore flew pass the knight and splattered on the knight which caught him off guard, except it wasn't just guts, it was also feces from the bowel system of the corpse. " Oh, my Gods... Is this...? " He looked horrified, looking like he was going to vomit, but it was a good distraction as Roy managed to get in close to the knight, despite him being seen ahead of time. Roy would strike down on his shoulder where there was a large pauldron. Roy's claymore managed to break through and strike flesh. There was a cry of anger just as the knight then pushed Roy away with enough force to knock him off his feet.

The knight then raised his large sword and attempted to swing down at Roy, but Dayle's support caused the blade to be reflected backwards, causing the knight to stumble backwards with a growl, " You damn rabid dogs. " He looked at his shoulder seeing that blood was coming out of his broken pauldron, Roy was able to actually break Ryken Military armor, it either was a great feat or the armor was terrible and only for looks. The knight was getting ready for another attack when there were footsteps coming from behind him, when all three looked, it was another Ryken knight, although he was wearing medium armor to get by faster, both his swords were sheathed as he moved pass the knight, " Elgor! Get moving! We got to go! Now! " The knight roared with urgency in his voice, pushing Dayle and Roy out of his way. " Yes, Captain! " The knight said saluting, he wasn't aware of the fear emitting off the captain, " We'll finish this fight later dogs- " There was a flash of red that flew behind the large knight, and the knight went silent, his eyes wide. He mumbled something then gurgled as blood spewed from his mouth. The knight fell before the two and revealed that behind the Knight was no one other than the Auregnog, the Champion of the Underbelly. The Bloody Defiance. The One Man Army. His Axemace was sticking in the back of the knight's head. Auregnog then pulled his Axemace out of the back of the man's head, blood, skull bits, and brain matter on the end of the weapon. Aurgenog's chest was a bit dented and there was a glow emitting from within. The Champion looked at both Dayle and Roy.

​

The Champion was acting... Strange. " St-State your names. " His voice sounded glitchy and robotic, his head twitching every time his words glitched. " Th-Then face your death. " Auregnog looked at the two, readying his weapon in his hands. But Auregnog then caught the captain running in the distance, " Ryken Captain. Death. " Auregnog then moved forward, stepping on the knight. Auregnog pushed his way pass Dayle before as quick as a red blur, ran after the captain. In this moment, Dayle and Roy would know they escaped death.

The Champion's Quarters


​

" You fucking animal! " Victorique would hear before she would become slapped by a small hand by a regular person's standards but to her it would feel like a strong man, she heard the voice of Xix just before she was slapped hard enough to leave an imprint and cause Victorique's vision to blur and her ear to ring. Seeing it was Xix as he then wrapped both his hands around her neck and pushed her up against the bed of the champion, above the bed was the statue of a large bird with its wings spread out and talons out like it was flying in after its prey. Xix was able to lift Victorique off the ground while choking her, " Bring her back! GIVE her back! " Xix' eyes were full of pain and anger, and Victorique taking the severed head and dead body in front of their lover is what you would call. A very stupid decision. " You don't care about her! You care about the information she provides! " Xix' grip on her neck was tightening around her windpipe, as Xix' eyes had tears forming as he began to use all his strength, Clover stepped in grabbing his arm. " Hey! Let her go! " But this action would have Clover by back fisted across her lower jaw, knocking her down as she began to bleed from her mouth. Victorique catching a moment of air just for both hands to be back on her windpipe stronger than before.

Arthur Verg

​

Arthur's eyes slowly opened up, he could hear commotion as his ears were ringing, his head was throbbing. Arthur growled as gently placed his still human hand on the back of head before he hissed in pain, he growled in pain quickly pulling his hand away with he felt a stinging pain. Looking at his hand, he saw blood. Arthur groaned getting up on his feet and backed up into the wall. His ears stopped ringing but... They came back. Arthur saw the faces again. He heard the voices again, he grimaced. " Fuck. " Arthur clenched his fists and looked up seeing Xix choking Victorique, quickly Arthur got into gear. He growled and charged forward, when he grew close, he stuck a boot up and kicked Xix in his face, launching the goblin backwards, Arthur was not in the mood to deal with this shit. He had grabbed Victorique's shoulder to prevent her from flying with the goblin. " You okay? " Arthur asked with a cold growl but did not wait for an answer as he moved forward to face the Goblin who was starting to recover. The goblin held his nose that was now bleeding. Arthur looked at Orchid who looked worse for wear. " Orchid. Get the child out of here. " Arthur growled, giving her an order. The goblin picked up his khopesh as Arthur clenched and flexed his ghastly arm. " Hurry up! " Arthur's cold eyes were full of anger as he yelled at Orchid [Intimidation D]. Arthur wanted to kill something right now. Now that he could see the faces and hear the voices again. Clover had gotten up and saw what was going on. It was time to leave for her as she made her way to the only exit.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Orchid Lucius Cypher | Arthur/Xix/Clover Skyhunter

The sudden slap had taken her by enough surprise to stun her, as it came totally out of the blue. Before she could even register what was going on, she felt a pair of hands around her throat that started choking her out. Confused and terrified in equal measure, Victorique was quick to drop the corpse back out of her pocket dimension, but the goblin didn't even seem to notice it. As she was starting to see black around the edges of her vision, she realized she'd completely screwed up by not noticing there was anything more than friendship between the goblin and this Siren or by acting rashly, thinking to have an easy solution in a moment of shock without taking into consideration similarly rash reactions from others. Most of the murders she'd encountered had happened long before she entered a room, after all, not while she was directly next to it.

Being choked by a goblin in the Underbelly due to acting rashly in a moment of panic. What a pathetic way to go. At this rate, she wouldn't even want to be resurrected by anyone. Even so, her survival instincts kicked in, having her struggle and wriggle as well as she could to try getting out of the goblin's grasp. All it got her was a firmer grip on her throat and even more of her vision getting blurry. Just as she was about to lose conscious altogether, he could feel her shoulder being grasped and the hands around her throat suddenly vanishing. She wasn't able to reply to the question she faintly heard in the background, as she was gasping for air too much to talk right now.

It was only by the time that Orchid would (presumably) take her away that she started to get her air intake back in order to a degree where she could start forming words again. She listened to the Orc's words with a grimace. Of course the orc was correct, now that she was somehow a little calmer after nearly being choked to death, she could summarize that much. “You're right, I'm sorry. I acted rashly. We should pursue other clues first.” The latter was easier said then done, as it didn't seem like the champion's room was going to be investigate-able right now.

However... there was one thing Victorique realised. “If we carefully follow the traces left by the champion, he might lead us to who or whatever activated him. I don't think his sudden awakening was a coincidence, but at the same time, I doubt it was our doing. Clover had been rummaging through the room long enough before us to have activated it if it was activated merely by someone's presence. I'd rather not follow such a machine of death, but it might be our best lead at the moment, for as long as we won't have the time to carefully investigate the champion's quarters.”

 

[Shatter Shard]

Dayle Keller
"Red Star's Bastard Dog"

Strength
Precision
Intelligence
Vitality
Speed

[ C ]
[ F ]
[ E ]
[ C ]
[ D ]

E

Active Titles:
Human | Thug | Unruffled

-Ryke-
Underbelly of Ryken, Colosseum

Code by: Shatter Shard

Dayle was ready to follow-up but the intrusion of another knight, who seemed to be the superior, interrupted and called a retreat. Dayle was partly relieved, when something unexpected happened. The knight he fought suddenly stopped in their tracks, before his body fell and revealed the culprit. Red armor, an axemace in hand, and the aura of someone superior. Dayle didn't have to rack his brains to figure out who this was. Auregnog?! He's still alive?!

Dayle couldn't think any further when Auregnog's unnatural voice addressed him and Roy. He couldn't feel any intent behind those words, but he knew the axemace in his hand was already aimed at his neck. He instinctively knew that he was less than the person, no, thing in front of him. "Uh..." For a moment, his mind jumbled up. He couldn't produce any words against this... monster before him. But he thought too long. Auregnog's declaration came like the bell that foretold his death. Desperation painted his eyes, and Roy's legs almost faltered. Dayle gritted his teeth and both were ready to fight tooth and nail, but Auregnog's attention suddenly shifted to another direction, and he rushed away just as fast as he had arrived.

The duo stood there in shock, with Dayle's eyes looking far ahead with an unfocused gaze, and Roy kneeling in deep fear as his whole body trembled. There simply was no way for the both of them to prepare against that thing and survive. It was a narrow death. Even now, both Dayle and Roy felt a cold line run across their neck. For the first time, Dayle was at the mercy of someone he could not defy. Mr. Loren? That person that always played him like fool was someone Dayle hoped to one day bring down, as long as he is alive until then. However, to the Underbelly's Champion, the mere thought of surviving did not exist. Dayle easily accepted his fate, as if it was already a forgone conclusion. He could stand against a syndicate executive, a powerful swordsman, a lunatic with undead minions, and a one-armed man who reeked of death. Yet he couldn't stand against a champion? No matter how he looked at it, how he acted was not how he carried himself. Dayle's heart was shaken, as he could not fathom that something could make him this much afraid. He unconsciously clenched his fists in frustration.

Roy was no different. For a moment, the world around him slow down, and his mind desperately combed through his memories to find a way out of the situation. The person in front of them wasn't an opponent, it was on obstacle, a dangerous force of nature. Roy was dead set on avoiding such disaster that his indecision froze his body. Fortunately for him, he lived from the harrowing encounter. His body slumped down as he controlled his breathing. The moment he entered Red Star, he was already ready to die, as it was part of this life. However, he couldn't believe that this was where he'd draw the line. Roy closed his eyes. Then again, dying a dog's death was unacceptable. But why did he reject death from Auregnog? He instinctively knew Auregnog was superior, and his reputation was known throughout the Underbelly. He was beloved and respected, and Roy was one of those people that praised him. It should've been a good death. Yet why did he felt indignant? There were many things that Roy thought could be the reason, but no matter what he thought, there was only one sound reason: Auregnog felt empty. So empty, that he felt there was no thoughts behind his action. No emotion. No humanity. To die to such a being... it was simply unacceptable.

Dayle shook his head, before looking to where the champion went to, while Roy leaned against the wall to catch his breath. To the both of them, there was only one thought that appeared in their mind.

Auregnog is not human.

Mentions: Shatter Shard Skyhunter

 

[Lucius Cypher]

Tags: Skyhunter Elvario ​

---

Orchid barely got a chance to even walk over to the bed before Xix started attacking Victorique. Orchid couldn't say she's surprised, she figured the goblin was tilted after Sticker was dead, but she had no idea it was like this. Orchid guessed that Xix must've felt pretty close to Sticker, and thought he could afford that sort of relationship since Sticker wasn't a gladiator. "This is why I never have relationships with anyone at work..." Orchid thought to herself as she went to help Victorique. Arthur went to deal with Xix, so Orchid grabbed Victorique and spirited her out of the room. She didn't need Arthur to tell her that, since ultimately Orchid's job was to keep Victorique safe. Xix wanted her dead, so getting the little blond away from the mad goblin was a good way to keep her alive.

With Victorique in her arms, Orchid opened the doors and quickly made sure to head back to the Warrior's Respite. It was the only place Orchid could think of that was safe for the two of them, or at least Orchid. But when Victorique finally calmed herself down, she advise Orchid to follow the champion. See where it leads. For a moment, Orchid paused. On on hand, Orchid wanted to figure out what was going on with the champion and possibly gather some loot from it. But on the other hand, Orchid shouldn't let her greed kill her. It was quite obvious that there were things at play far bigger than what Orchid realized. Much bigger. Slowing her movements down Orchid looked to Victorique. "Boss, let me ask ya honestly, do you need to investigate any further than this? Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job, but I imagine that your superiors just wanted to know if the champion is dead or alive. And considering the corpses he's leaving in his wake, he's pretty living. I think it'd be safe to say that you could return to the surface and report what you know and that'll be a mission accomplished. Maybe your bosses might tell you to go back and see it through, but I think you've done enough so far."

Getting onto Victorique's level, Orchid tried to look the blond girl in the eye. It might've been a bit frightening for Victorique to look at Orchid, since Orchid was bleeding from a scar and had a blacken eye. But Orchid wanted Victorique to see her bloodied and bruised face up close, so she knows exactly what she's dealing with right now. "Undercity's a dangerous place and it's my job to protect you. So heed my advice when I say the safest thing for you to do is to get out of here ASAP. If you want to stay and keep investigating, I'll follow and protect you. But know that you're diving deep into a world of violence and death. You'll need to have a strong stomach for the carnage ahead. If you can't handle that, I understand. I'll escort you back to the surface. But if you're going to stay, then promise me this." Orchid extended a hand out to Victorique. This wasn't a formal contract, just a promise between two people. "Promise me that you'll talk to me first before you start doing anything or going anywhere, especially around Auregnog. Let me be the first one to face anybody you don't know. If they're hostile, I want their eyes on me, not you. If they're friendly, I'll make sure that they listen to you. I know you're a smart lass and you probably are better at reading people than me, but folks down here only care for strength and appeal to force. They see and hear you and won't take you seriously because you're small. So let me help you, by showing them that you ain't all talk. Use me. Let's work together, okay?"

 

[Garbage Pail Kid]

Skyhunter

---

There was an unexpected familiarity with how he fought; while his memory was still shot to shit. His body would move on it's own, reflexively reacting to the situation. He wasn't a thinking man, but he knew he was something different. It felt natural being front and center, using these gifts of his to carve asses off backs. What didn't feel familiar, however...was the anger. Anger toward men he knew nothing about. These robed figures with fancy blades. He didn't like innocent people being hurt, but it had become a mere coal on a much stronger pyre. He hated them for such malicious bloodshed. It was this hate that now scoured through his jagged jaw, the scales so tightly packed around his lower face that they grinded every time he spoke or moved his head, sounding like wire fencing. It was a face that did not look pleasant casted in raw vitriol.

"Suffer me now, Defiler of sanctity and peace"

Wirejaw shook his head as the anger nearly made him sick, something overwhelming his senses all of a sudden. What in the hell was that? He now stood over a corpse of one of these cultists. He looked disfigured and horribly scarred, Wirejaw only feeling pity. he couldn't worry about that weird sensation or how his conflicting emotions, shutting his brain off and focusing back into a situation that was going hell in a handbasket quickly. He backed away from the slowly growing number of zombies and their insidious masters. His back hitting Vido's as they all came together in what he felt was a last stand. Deja Vu pricking his spine and dropping a fist sized rock in his stomach, Vido and Lunes words poking the faintest hole through the fog in his mind.

A tiny hand reaching out, the voice of a girl...

He felt that fear of death grip his heart more than ever now as he suddenly remembered, at the very least, he had something worth fighting for. It wasn't just his memories...but it was the two who saved his hide. A desire to protect roared through his system as that burning in his chest came back. A spurt of flame flickering out of his grinding teeth, turning around and throwing both arms over Vido and Lunes. If he could block as many hits for them as he could, then that just might give them the chance to escape or fight their way. This way their kindness wasn't wasted. He was waiting for the inevitable bite of daggers in his back, but something akin to a miracle happened instead. Lunes voice caused him to look back, and saw that their forces had pulled back.

"I dunno Miss Lunes, but ah ain't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth neither." He said with an exhale of relief. That weird buildup of heat diminishing now that they weren't in mortal peril. They finally arrived at the arena, and Wirejaw looked at the work of these cowards with grim silence. Preconception didn't exist in a place like this so he couldn't make out much from person to person, and all it felt like was tragedy. His eyes managing to spot two figures on the other side, seemingly coming to an end of their battle. The armored woman collapsing to her knees while the robed figure spoke to her before leaving.

Vido knew who the injured warrior was, though Wirejaw didn't understand 'blooded guard' he figured that must be the police force around here or something. He lumbered next to Vido as they approached the lieutenant. Wirejaw seeing the amount of blood and immediately tore a sleeve off of himself and approached her "Ahm sorry we didn't get here faster miss, anymore bleedin and-" He was a little surprised when she outright refused, even seeming disgusted by the act. What the hell was wrong with the people here? He gruffed and nodded "Ah sure hope pride keeps ya warm miss" He said, sitting on a bleacher and taking a breather.

He listened to the conversation between Vido, Lunes, and Lykra with interest. It seemed The Divees had killed their previous leader, and were looking form someone named 'Arthur Verg'. He didn't understand alot of her explanation, but that was to be expected since he was still new to all of this. Their conversation eventually ending as Vido regrouped with everyone, Wirejaw sitting in three creaking seats as he listened to him.

"Ah don't need anythin, unless you find some grits or biscuits and gravy."

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Orchid Lucius Cypher

Victorique only noticed that Orchid wasn't looking all that good and dandy when the giant orc somehow managed to crouch down enough to reach eye-level. “Do you need a healer?” She asked, wondering if there were ulterior motives for Orchid to try to discourage Victorique to continue. In either case, it wasn't as simple as Orchid made it out to be. “We both know that wasn't a state you can really call living. He's more like a corpse or construct being controlled by something. I needed to investigate why he'd disappeared and I still don't know what happened, on top of not knowing what's happening currently. If all I've got to tell the guild is that the champion is being controlled by someone and going on a rampage, I'd not only do half a job at best, I'd also risk getting them involved into an already messy situation. If I can, instead, at least figure out what happened and who's responsible, I might be able to sent them directly where they need to be, rather than getting stuck between the Ryken Knights and the inhabitants of the Underbelly.”

All things considered, Orchid wasn't wrong, part of her investigation was concluded. However, none of the questions were answered. The champion wasn't dead or missing, but what exactly did apply to his current state and who was behind it, were both as unclear as they'd been at the start of her investigation. “That, and we can be assured that the champion will be used for nefarious purposes. Everything thus far seemed to be pretty well-timed to sow as much chaos and destruction down here as possible. If we can avoid another Controls War by getting the the bottom of this before it escalates too rapidly, we might be able to stop a whole lot of blood from being spilled, which is a goal worth taking some risks for.”

Victorique grimaced at the mention of the Underbelly being dangerous. “I'd be a very bad investigator if I hadn't noticed at least that much by now. Between all the corpses, fighting, death traps and being choked to near death, I've gotten enough clues.” That said, she shook her head. “If I wanted the safest thing, I wouldn't have come here to begin with. I'm not going to pretend like I'm not in over my head. Seeing death happen from that up close was surprisingly more gruesome from merely investigating the already deceased. However, call it stubbornness, but this isn't something I can simply let go off.”

She was a bit surprised when Orchid wanted her to make a promise, curious as to where that would end up going. She did, however, smile a bit when she heard Orchid's proposal. “Don't worry, I've got enough of a self-preservation instinct to sent in my strong and trusty Orc warrior first!” She said, accepting the hand-shake. In multiple ways, the orc reminded her of Rachael. Both were big and strong, although one was a lot less professional and a lot more perverted. That's when she recalled Orchid's talk in the arena. Perhaps they were also alike in the latter regard, just with different preference... She shook it out her head; it wasn't a topic worth getting stuck on right now. Instead, she wished to add something. “For as little as it's worth, I believe working together goes in two directions, so if you want me to double-check something or keep an eye on your blind-spots or something, let me know.” It was pretty clear that being on good terms with this green lady was going to increase her survival chances by a whole lot and now that the fear of becoming an appetiser had mostly faded, she was actually starting to warm up to her.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

Tags: Skyhunter Elvario ​

---

Orchid didn't really have a counter to Victorique's comments about Auregnog. Admittedly, Orchid figured that Victorique wasn't going to throw in the towel so easily, but frankly Orchid was pretty afraid of having to deal with Auregnog herself. She was just kind of hoping that Victorique was equally afraid and would want to cash out early. However it seems like Orchid's client was going all in, so she was going to have to match her bet. And while Orchid doesn't really know about the history of politics of this place, now Orchid was getting a bit more interested if this really was some sort of conspiracy to start a war. She's never been involved in a war before. She's worked with some official military once, but those were always pretty small scale stuff. Raiding enemy supply lines and the like. This could potentially lead Orchid on a much bigger job.

And if anything, Orchid was more concerned about Victorique's mentality. She didn't know the halfling very well, so Orchid was concerned if Sticker's death might've been too traumatic for her. Followed up by Xix trying to strangle her to death, Orchid was really worried that Victorique might do something rash out of scared desperation. But it would seem that Victoriqiue was, at the very least, calm enough to remember that Orchid is here. And as long as Orchid is here, Victorique can stay safe, which means Orchid is doing her job right. And that's all the green gal could ask for really. When they shook on it, Orchid nods her head and stands back up. "Alright then. Let's keep moving then. I'm going to take you towards the Warrior's Respite, that's where us Gladiators are suppose to be at. If the Champion is rampaging around here, I'm sure someone there has noticed, assuming old Auregnog isn't there already. Just kinda have the feeling he's just going after anyone who's a threat, bias against those knights since I guess he's got some history with them."

After making sure both she and Victorique were okay, Orchid would begin to move towards the Warrior's Respite. As she moved, she asked Victorique some questions for future planning. "I don't know what those knights want but I think it may be in our interest to try and keep one alive. I think one of them mentioned a captain, I'm sure he knows the most about what's going on here, or at least why this whole mess is happening. Though the hard part would be to keep Auregnog from pasting the poor sod before we find him." However since this is likely some sort of scheme to cause chaos and war in the Undercity, Orchid tried to think about it more.

"Though at the same time if you're right and there's someone controlling Auregnog somehow, they either don't have a good grasp or are intentionally making him attack anyone indiscriminately. From the way he's acting seems like he's on some sort of autopilot mode since he's willing to kill literally anyone regardless of their threat. I mean, it'd be one thing if he went after folks like the knights or me, since we're obviously threats. But he cut down Sticker who wasn't even armed. So if he gets outside of the arena and continues the slaughter, that's going to break the Undercity. Hey, you think we can get through to him if we told him he's hurting the people he's suppose to be protecting?" Orchid ask grimly. She really doesn't like her odds against the champion unless she's got a whole squad backing her up, and she's hoping maybe there's some reason within Auregnog left. He was the Undercity's champion after all, even if he was a puppet he must have been able to tell friend from foe somehow. Still, Orchid gripped her Poleaxe tightly, steeling her will as hard as she can for the likely and inevitably confrontation with the champion.

 

[Skyhunter]

The Bloody Defiance


​

While the Divees Crew scrounged around for weaponry and armor, Wirejaw would attempt to help Lykra who sounded disgusted with his kindness, " Don't touch me. " She hissed while she rose to her feet quickly, like her anger made her stand up. Lykra no longer using her sword. " I don't need your help. " She quieted down and began to shimmer for a moment, like she was vibrating. The blood that covered her entire armor immediately slipped into her armor and she could now easily move. She looked down at her hand and clenched it into a fist a few times before exhaling deeply, looking to Wirejaw as she pointed her sword at him, " My pride is what got me into this position. " She then let it down and sheathed it holding her shield still. Looking all around them, there was bodies everywhere along with blood to cover almost every surface of the arena. Lykra sighed deeply, " I've failed you, Auregnog. " She mumbled, hanging her head slightly. Vido snorted, " I'm pretty sure you saved his arena from being taken over by those cultists. " The half-orc explained.

​

Although in that instance, there was footsteps coming up from the entrance to the Warrior's Respite, when everyone looked, Vido looked at Lunes, " It's probably Arthur. " The half-orc stated in which Lunes shrugged, although they would be dead wrong. Instead what came up was a frightened Ryken soldier, from his look and attire, he had the rank of Captain. This caught everyone by surprise, especially Lykra, " What the fuck? " She unsheathed her sword seeing the captain who sighed and relaxed, he had the look of acceptance, " So this is how it ends. " He mumbled just as he turned around to face the death that was coming for him. " Those damn cultists flaked on us. " He growled as he unsheathed both his swords. He then backed up and swung both his swords in a windmill motion, blocking two strikes just a red blur came zooming up the stairs like a bullet, catching everyone by surprise. It was the champion, Auregnog. The Bloody Defiance. The One Man Army. Swinging his long axemace like a windmill while facing down the Ryken Captain. The captain backed up as his hits were powerful. Auregnog stood his ground and face the group, his head twitching constantly as he held his axemace up into the air, he slammed the handle into bloody ground below him, causing a large and long spike to pierce into the air from the top of the mace on the end of his weapon. The Captain sighed, " Are you serious? " He mumbled. A few Blooded Guard came into the bloody arena, covered in blood themselves, " Lykra! " One of them shouted. " We have finally returned! There are no sign of the cultists anymore. " Although, Lykra ignored them as she stared at Auregnog, " No way... You're still here... " Lykra sounded surprised.

​

The Captain looked back at Lykra and turned to face her, " You said that he was- " Although as quick as he spoke, his neck was slit by Lykra with her sword. The Captain dropped both weapons and ended up backing up, dropping both weapons and fell over holding his bleeding throat. His eyes locked on The Bloodstained. The champion then walked on into the open, his chest cavity was dented in as his head kept twitching and he spoke weirdly, like a broken machine. He lifted his weapon up and slammed it down on the captain, bringing the spike through the man's back. Then he lifted it up again and repeatedly slammed it down into the back of the dying man, who couldn't even cry out as his neck was slit open. Eventually the Captain finally died as Auregnog pulled his bloody weapon out and moved forward, bringing his foot down on the corpse's head, crushing it like a grape. The Champion continued moving forward as he stopped in the middle of the group. " Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You will die. " Auregnog stared down Lykra who held her sword out towards Auregnog. " A-Anyone with Lykra the Bloodstained, will die. " The Champion's head twitched with each glitch as he then raised his weapon but stopped looking pass Lykra at the Blooded Guard that came in, immediately they all fell over with the Cultists now there holding their bloody daggers. " The Champion lives. " The hooded man with red seams whispered with a smile on his face. " Interesting. " The man cackled evilly.

Vido backed up holding his great sword with Lunes behind him with her bow ready to fire arrows. Most of the Divees group staying away as the situation was now getting out of hand quickly. Although there was a strange glow emitting from the Champion's chest. " What the fuck is happening? " Vido whispered.

Warrior's Respite


​

While Orchid and Victorique were having their heart to heart conversation, they would hear fighting coming from the Champion's Quarters where it would quickly end, luckily for Victorique that she released Sticker's deceased and separated corpse, so the fight didn't last too long. Eventually just the two finished their conversation, there were footsteps coming up the stairs, a defeated and dead within Xix came into sight, his nose was bleeding a bit as he passed by the two without any words while he carried his khopesh to go and find the Champion. Wanting his revenge. Not long after Arthur came up, he had a few cuts on his face and a bruise, his eyes looked dead again while having the same cold look about him. Xix eventually would pass Dayle and Roy, looking at them up and down, " Where did that red bastard go? " He saw the look up at the two, " You have the look that you are about to shit yourselves. " When they gave him the answer, Xix growled and continued walking, " I think you two are lost, that ghost arm guy, Arthur, said if I found you to direct you farther down the Respite. They are farther down that way. " Then he continued on his way.

Arthur Verg

​

Arthur could see the dead once again, after he was knocked unconscious by Auregnog, he had a strange dream. A dream that felt real where he was stuck in a personal hell. A hell where he faced everyone he had killed in his life, and they were also after him. It was a bizarre scenario where he was in a very luxurious hotel where he fought everyone he had killed, using different weapons from; brass knuckles to baseball bats to pistols to shotguns to rifles to sword and so on and so on. But Arthur himself would die a few times during this realistic dream from the one that had killed him, his previous boss, the Don. He was never able to kill the Don, each time he would take out Arthur and he would have to start over. It was fast paced and quick. But it was something Arthur could feel, he felt himself be stabbed, beaten, shot, you name it. Arthur wasn't exactly happy about what happened during, but he came to a revelation that the Don was still alive. But he would need to more about this dream later. Right now, he needed to get Victorique out of here.

After his fight with Xix that was short, he came up the stairs to find Orchid and Victorique speaking, Arthur's mood was different, like he had reverted back to his usual cold self. He stopped before the two, looking at Victorique, " I'm getting you out of here. It's too dangerous here and I don't need your death on my hands. " His tone was cold. " The Champion is alive. That makes your investigation finished. " Although Arthur knew that wasn't what she was looking for, it was the why and what happened. " And don't argue with me. This place is too dangerous. Ryken Military are involved and there could be possibly worst coming. We got off lucky, some of us did not. " Arthur referred to Sticker. " The goblin is sorry for what he did to you. But you shouldn't have done that. You don't just do that shit. " Arthur's eyes looked to Orchid, " Help me get her out of here. There can be more Ryken Knights out in the Underbelly, if they're here, the most dangerous place for them, they're out in the Underbelly. Hopefully we can find Dayle and his lackeys ahead otherwise we need to keep moving. I don't want to hear your objections. " He pointed at the halfling. " But as soon as we are out, we go our separate ways in which case I want my information right now. So, answer this, who is Regula? And what is going on in Sol County? " He asked her straight to the point and randomly, it almost made no sense as to why he had this sudden change in tone, mood and actions.

 

[Garbage Pail Kid]

Skyhunter

---

He took this momentary blip of respite to try and understand that stem of anger that overwhelmed him suddenly, or rather the memory that caused it. Who was that voice and why did it stir such wildfire in his chest? It was like his body was angry at something his mind couldn't remember. It made him feel sick, though that could be the heavy smell of blood and death that filled the arena. He could still hear the sound of echoing combat. Lykra was right in that pride was it's own tool; useful in survival, dangerous in excess. It was the latter that brought this kind of suffering. The smell triggered faint collages of battlefields prior. A blue 'X' of stars printed of a flag of red. The scales on his spine nearly jumping off his back they stood so straight; his eyes swiveling toward the warrior woman, and saw first a man in different colors. Wirejaw was a dense man, but it wasn't hard to see a city slicker. The look of fright broken out across his face and only making The Dragonborn uneasy as he got eyes on both Vido and Lunes before returning back to the scene.

He stood the moment he saw red armor, and though it were drenched in blood. It's crimson shone through the gore, revealing power that made his bestial senses scream at him to run. He had heard from other prisoners the namesake of this aren. A warrior in red armor. Lyrka bringing death to this foreign captain only for things to somehow get worse. Reinforcements adorned in Lyrka's colors slain by the cultists, revealing themselves once again. A fire rushing through his blood as he was torn between the frightened beast and the unwavering warrior. Why was he here? The stress causing smoke to billow out of his nose as time slowed to crawl. Death had entered the arena, and he knew robed freaks would only add to the chaos. What could he do? Vido, Lunes, and the rest of the divees crew stood their ground as enemies were all around now. why was he given this body? these gifts? An ancient voice rattling throughout his musculature, willing movement through the fog of fear.

Remember...Life is the light...and the light is life itself, they may be exchanged...but nothing is ever lost.

"Vido! The boss is probably down there right? If he's alive, then we gotta get down there" He called, wasting no more time in thinking as he simply acted. They risked their lives to save his skin, and this was as good a time as any to repay it. He went into a full body sprint toward Lyrka, skirting next to her as he was now in the unfortunate presence of the champion; willing his knees not to shake.

"Yer right, pride is good an all, but we need ta work together cause the way thissun makes mah scales crawl is telling me he don't give a damn about pride, honor neither. I want to give them a chance to get down there and find Arthur. I owe them a debt an this'll work just fine. Ah don't think pride will get you out of this position, but maybe our teamwork will. He said yer name specifically so he's gonna be swinging at you mighty likely. Attack when ah feign mine, an swing the opposite of me, then when he defends you, ah'll swing for real"

He then tore off his duster and hat, getting on all fours and launching forward, curving in a left angle as he used the bloody floor to glide the last ten feet for additional momentum. All that build up fear didn't just burn away, but a different fear all together pushed him much harder. A fear of doing nothing in the face of adversity. He primed his claws to attempt to cleave the might warrior before him, but instead dug his heels in deep and wrapped his tail around debris; causing him to get yanked back and 'miss' his swing.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Orchid Lucius Cypher | Arthur Skyhunter

Of course. Typical. She should've known. Just after making a good deal with Orchid, Arthur was doing exactly what she should've expecting he would do. Convincing the Orc was one thing, but she knew this would be a hopeless case, so she carefully considered her options. They felt rather limited. She could run off, as they wouldn't catch up to her, but she wasn't that level of suicidal. She could also order Orchid to brute-force Arthur into backing off, but she had enough decency not to force them into such a situation. She even also try talking him out of it, but that felt like it'd be a waste of time and breath. All things considered, she felt pretty forced to comply here.

That's when something came to mind, as a mischievous glint adorned her eyes. Leaving the Underbelly would, by no means, force her to stop investigating. She just had to think a bit outside the box. “Say, Orchid, you don't have any titles or warrants on your name, right?” She said, using her own [Appraisal D] on the Orc to check so, just to be sure. In case Orchid was clean enough, she'd continue. “I believe it's time for me to focus my investigation on what these knights are doing here. I'm sure we can get some information on that at their base or by paying a visit to the Duke that's behind all of this. We might not be able to stop whomever is using the champion and we might see him used to force another Controls War, but at least we might learn more about what's going on.”

She then turned to Arthur. “We both know we can't call the Champion's current state 'alive' and we both know this situation will only raise more questions than it answers. You should even be aware that dropping the investigation right now might mean we miss out on our one shot at stopping another controls war or at stopping the champion from falling into the wrong hands. Hell, as Orchid said before, we might even miss out on a chance at trying to get through to him by seeing if he's still capable of any sentient enough behaviour to realise he's hurting those he ones swore to protect. If you really want to set all that aside solely due to wanting to get me out of here, despite me now having experienced the risks first-hand and still wishing to proceed, I'll considered my cooperation a repayment for saving me and leave, but I will continue to investigate in the city above, even if that might not be as successful and equally dangerous.” Whilst she was sincere in her willingness to leave for the sake of repaying his act of saving her, she would attempt to use her [Persuasion E] to convince him of just how bullshit his argument was and of what the consequences of dropping out at this stage might be. Just like he didn't want her blood on his hands, she didn't like the idea of having a continued rampage by the champion on her hands, as she felt like they were close to figuring out what was controlling him.

As for the second part, she frowned. “Are you sure you want to waste time on answers to those things right now?” She couldn't help herself from being sceptical. “Regula is with the Adventurer's Guild, a blacksmith and enchanter as well, she's made some rumours go around due to using a really loud gun-like weapon during a horned rabbit hunt. You can probably find her at the forge of that dwarf rumoured to hate nobles. I forgot his name. Ah, she also made some waves when she hired folks to divine something for her all the way in the Magic Duchy, but I can't say I know what that was about exactly. That's about all I heard about her. As for the Sol County, I only heard bad stuff about it after Linneus Light took over. A lot of adventurers and mercenaries despise the man for sending them to their deaths and being a horrible leader, a foolish and vile human that hires adventurers and mercenaries to sent them on hopeless missions just to have them die. He's also rumoured to be little more than a merchant that bought his way up, without any real knowledge or leadership qualities. There are even rumours going around that he's trying to group together knights to start a rebellion or something, to the point where he's pretty high on my list of folks I might need to investigate. That said, the information I have on him is very one-sided, so I feel like there's more to him and his county.”

 

[Skyhunter]

Warrior's Respite



Arthur Verg

​

Arthur found her persuasion attempt cheap; he did not care about the Underbelly at this point, with everything happening and the danger rising, he knew this just wasn't the end of it. He looked around him at the bodies, he saw dead gladiators, a couple dead Ryken military here and there, yet this halfling wanted to continue her investigation in this fucked up city. A city of criminals of what that were willing to anything and everything to Victorique because of her appearance, because of her body type, because they could. A Controls War is what this damnable place needed; Arthur would gladly see it all end. Arthur was aware that the Champion wasn't alive, he was some sort of machine most likely, despite him acting like a regular person before this. They spoke of his humility and kindness; despite the actions he took within the arena that was named after his blood-soaked history. Arthur himself wasn't perfect, he's done many terrible things in his life, but this wasn't the way a free city should go. Perhaps freedom truly does create chaos.

" At this point. Victorique. " Arthur stared at the halfling with cold eyes, " Let them take the Underbelly. " It was almost weird for him to say, he himself was a criminal in certain ways, or at least it was implied but how he acted, talked and fought. " This place is a city YOU do not belong in. " Arthur stated, " This place is a hub for the worst of criminality. I should know. I helped someone run a place like this before. Not specifically The Bloody Defiance, but I helped a man, a very influential man in a place similar to the Underbelly, Victorique. I am not a good man by any means. " Arthur admitted, " But that doesn't mean I want you to die because you wanted me to bring you down here to investigate a lost cause and now on the brink of a war. " The man continued, looking at his transformed arm, he still could see the dead faces and their voices, the arm amplified that as much as it helped him. " But I do wonder why Auregnog has turned on his own people. Killing that Siren was a very out of character thing, he spoke weirdly... " Arthur began to speak, almost to himself like Orchid and Victorique weren't there. His eyes then looked up at Victorique, he could tell she was not going to leave. Her weak attempt of seduction had no effect on Arthur (C Grade Character).

When given the information about Regula, Sol County and this Linneus Light. Arthur felt his skills were better needed there than this terrible Underbelly and Ryke, he hated the Academy and most likely would be kicked out soon due to him being a part of a gang. Not like he ever felt accepted there due to his status of being a forgiven murderer and those who thought he was prone towards violence. Sol County would be Arthur's next destination from here, after he got Victorique out of here. And Dayle, he couldn't leave that poor bastard in the Underbelly alone. Orchid could handle herself; she looked like she was made for this terrible place. Arthur took a slow and deep breath, exhaling slowly afterwards, " The information was helpful, Victorique. Now then. " Arthur stared down at the Halfling with his bloodthirsty eyes, not even a thank you. " Since you want to stay in this place, I'm staying too. We had a deal after all. I won't abandon you. " Despite his cold and rude demeanor, he was somewhat honorable. " But know this. If it gets too hairy out there, I am pulling you out of here on my shoulder with you kicking and screaming. " Arthur knelt down now at her level. " I'm going to be honest with you. I've killed people for a living. I've hurt more people. Not just because I was good at it. Because I like it. I was a leashed dog for a manipulative mad man who loved unleashing me on people he wanted to die and hurt. I've turned people into cans of food, I've crushed people with large machines, I am not a good man, Victorique. I'm an unredeemable man. But I tell you this because I want you to know I am aware of who and what I am. But these people, here in the Underbelly, they either don't know or care. " Arthur stared at Victorique with hateful eyes. " This place is a free state for evil. " He stood up staring down at her, " I want you to be scared of this place. " Arthur grimaced (Intimidation D), his eyes were full of malice while he lifted his arm up, showing her once more what he truly was, a terrible human being. " Otherwise, you're a fool. " He did this to protect her, Arthur knew what he was and aware of what this could do. Bringing her here was a mistake in the first place.

Dayle would be able to hear voices in the distance, he would see Arthur and Victorique and a new member being that Orc that fought in the arena just earlier today.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Orchid Lucius Cypher | Arthur Skyhunter

The world was truly full of surprises. The first was that, despite telling her he wouldn't argue, Arthur started to argue. “Letting this place fall is definitely not the worst option, but the way it'll go down, as things are going now, is probably going to be the worst and bloodiest possible manner.” Having been in the place for a while now, Victorique agreed that the Underbelly wasn't worth preserving and she knew she didn't belong here. However, that didn't mean she didn't have a single care for it at all. Especially after the Siren's sacrifice. “It's folks like that Siren that make me care. I'm not sure what was up with her, but I doubt she deserved to die and few and far between as they might be, I know there must be more people like her in this place. They're the ones that will probably suffer the most if another full-on Controls War breaks out or if the Champion keeps rampaging.”

Even more to her surprise, Arthur was okay with staying. She for sure believed he'd try to take her by force and that she'd be forced to have him and Orchid fight it out if she didn't agree. As for his threat to drag her out kicking and screaming, she pointed at the blue-ish purple marks around her throat from where she'd been choked half to death only minutes ago. “You don't have to tell me, I'd rather not go through a second round of that. However, I'm faster and more agile than you, so I'd much rather you be the hero and stay behind to buy some time.” She said, attempting to lighten the mood a little. It didn't really work out, as Arthur went on a tirade regarding how bad he was.

She knew it was meant to intimidate her, but it didn't really do all that much (D Grade Character, tie). Besides, she wasn't an idiot, she already understood how shitty this place was and she'd already heard enough rumours about how Arthur was a bad guy. However, with some insight (D) she was convinced he wouldn't easily betray her, especially after all his previous actions. Besides, she also had her green guard as a back-up right now. The only thing she should really change is to try not to freak out again, even if she got splattered by the blood of someone trying to defend her again. The latter was still burned into her retinas, for that matter. “If I wasn't scared of this place, I wouldn't have bothered finding you to get me in here to begin with, nor would I have hired Orchid, nor would I have calmly listened to your speech on how evil you are. I messed up when I underestimated how dramatising getting splattered in someone's blood was, as I normally only come into play when all the murdering and brutal scenes have long played out prior, but I'll make sure to keep my mind sharp if such a thing happens again.”

 

[Shatter Shard]

Dayle Keller
"Red Star's Bastard Dog"

Strength
Precision
Intelligence
Vitality
Speed

[ C ]
[ F ]
[ E ]
[ C ]
[ D ]

E

Active Titles:
Human | Thug | Unruffled

-Ryke-
Underbelly of Ryken, Colosseum

Code by: Shatter Shard

Dayle and Roy were collecting their composure. The encounter with the champion gave them a bit too much tension. They thought of following Auregnog back outside, but the thought of facing that thing again made the both of them shiver. There was no need to say how terrifying the champion of the underbelly was, so the duo silently moved forward to the champions quarters. Not even a few steps later, the two could hear voices a distance away, echoing throughout the corridor. The nearer he got, the more familiar the voices became to him, save from the voice of one. Relief washed over him. At least the people around the next corner won't be immediately hostile to him. To make sure the other party wouldn't freak out and whip out a sudden attack, he purposely made his footsteps heavier and slowed down to let the sound echo.

He could hear the voices of dissent and arguments when he turned to corner and leaned on the wall. Roy followed up behind him, the blood from his forehead still clinging unto his skin. "Ah, so you guys made it. Good, good." He tried moving again, but the loss of adrenaline reminded him again of the broken ribs inside his chest. His breath was disrupted, but he took a deep breath to stabilize himself again amidst the pain. "It's nice to see you guys again, and it's nice you guys' plan didn't go to shit, unlike mine." He spoke. Roy eyed his bloodied claymore, and sighed. There were only two of them, and the duo's orientation made the space preserved for another person extremely obvious. Dayle glanced towards his subordinate, before looking at the group. Although his body was tenaciously still trying to project the confident aura he had before, his eyes betrayed his exhausted state. The only thing that seemed to take his mind off what happened recently was opening his mouth. "Say, you guys found out anything? I would say you did seeing Auregnog just dashed out and almost lopped our heads off, but I want details." He asked, clutching his chest as it was hard for him to properly breathe. "Preferably while on the way out, and preferably on a backdoor. The front's pretty congested, with everyone and everything." It was only then he let his eye go over to the orc with them, and asked belatedly. "So, who's the orc?"

Mentions: Shatter Shard Skyhunter Elvario Lucius Cypher

 

[Lucius Cypher]

Tags: Skyhunter Elvario Shatter Shard ​

---

It didn't take long for Orchid and Victorique to be found, though fortunately not but Auregnog or any knights. It was Arthur. Unfortunately, he seems to be under some impression that he has the right to be given them orders. Orchid is thankful for his help, but he's awefully bossy for someone who's suppose to be cooperating with the mission. Then again, maybe investigating the champion wasn't his mission. Orchid stayed silent as he went on about explaining his history, with Orchid somewhat listening but mostly keeping an eye out for any trouble that might decide now is a good time to ambush the trio. What she got was basically that Arthur felt that Victorique's job is done and that she should leave this place to it's fate. Ordinarily Orchid would agree, however she just had this conversation with Victorique and her employer still wishes to proceed with her mission, and Orchid's still working with her, so the mercenary didn't feel any particular need to rebuttal Arthur. If he wants to leave now that his job is done, Orchid understands that and wouldn't raise much a fuss. "If it matters, I'm not exactly here to help the Underbelly myself. I'm mostly here to profit off the chaos and let's be honest here Arthur, I'm sure literally everyone else is too. It's not really a matter of doing right or wrong but taking advantage of the situation for our own gain. Frankly speaking if it weren't for the bizarre system I seem to be under, I would've been satisfied looting Auregnog's room and getting out of town. But I'm under contract now, so Miss Victorique's battles are my battles."

Shortly after Orchid heard footsteps coming. She positioned herself to protect Victorique when some more rough characters showed up. No one she recognized, but they seemed to know Victorique and Arthur. More hired muscles she assumed. And from their injuries, they just got out of a scrap themselves. The stranger explained that he just had a brush in with Auregnog though something must've been funny with the champion considering that these two people are alive. "The old champ really does have a screw loose doesn't he? Name's Orchid, I'm a mercenary. Was fighting for the arena, but now I'm fighting for Miss Victorique. I'll let the others inform you about Auregnog and that whole mess, I know another exit the gladiators take to get out of here. It leads to some boats that connects to the river. Shouldn't be too populated but honestly with everything that's going on, expect the unexpected." In a strange way, with so many people here Orchid felt less of a need to try and sleuth out this mystery about the champion. She's sure some of these folks could rub enough of their brain cells together and come to a conclusion. In the mean time Orchid needs to focus on making sure they don't end up getting blindsided by rogue knights or a murderous champion.

"Follow me, quickly." Gripping her poleaxe at the ready, Orchid would lead the group to an exit. They need to get out of here and somewhere safe so they can share their information and plan some sort of attack. As it is, too much chaos to make sense of anything. And if Orchid's hunch is right, whoever is the mastermind wants everyone to be panicking and confused so they can get away with their maniacal deeds. And if they succeed, that means Orchid doesn't get access to the loot, and that's terrible.

 

[Skyhunter]

The Bloody Defiance


​

Lykra had a surprised look under her helmet with this large lizard coming in to help her, while he was tall, Auregnog was just a bit shorter than Wirejaw. He didn't take his vision off of Lykra as Wirejaw charged at the Champion, he gently tapped his polearm on the ground a couple times just as Wirejaw closed in the distance. When Wirejaw got in close, the robotic champion quickly moved backwards, leaving a projection image of himself there for a moment as the back of the mace on the polearm struck Wirejaw in his jaw, the pick side slashing Wirejaw's cheek giving him a gash as the spikes penetrated his skin under his jaw, launching him into the air about six feet up. Auregnog then leapt up into the air and grabbed the flying lizard by his leg, throwing him down into Lykra who moved out of the way with grace. Wirejaw slammed into the ground and bounced forward away from the two. The two Blooded Guard than began their fight. Wirejaw was nothing more than a distraction to both of these highly experienced warriors. Sword and axe connected very quickly as Lykra was pushed back. Wirejaw's head would be spinning from the damage he took, it felt like he was hit by a truck, especially with his momentum it felt much worst. He would feel hands on his shoulders, and he would be pulled away from the fight, it was Vido and Lunes trying to get Wirejaw away from the very violent fight in front of them between two comrades. " D-Death to you and your family, traitor. " Lykra was using more spinning moves against the Champion, evading his precise attacks but never really attempting an attack. She threw away her shield as the pursuit continued.

​

As the fight continued around the bleachers of the arena, the two stepping on bodies and crushing skulls. Lykra made a mistake, blocking a feint, Auregnog stabbed the spearhead into Lykra's stomach, causing her to recoil in pain. Auregnog stepped forward grabbing her by her helmet and tossing her into the side of the arena rail. Lykra hit the rail with a lot of force, her helmet flying off her head while she bounced off the rail hitting the arena floor and rolling across the floor towards the center. Auregnog moved towards Lykra but quickly sidestepped as one of the cultists attacked Auregnog from behind, Auregnog than began fending off all these different cultists. Wirejaw would come to just as the red seamed cultist was in front of the Divees Crew. He looked down at the group with a smile, holding his dagger in his hands that were formally on her stomach. " Hmm. The Divees Crew. You were not supposed to be here. " The man chuckled cruelly. " Yes, you all show up. Being some of the only survivors here and yet, you still are here. Not even leaving. Confusing tactics. Your leader is not here either. And I don't sense their corpse nearby. " The leader before them spoke. " And please. Call me, Orcus. " The man smiled evilly at them, his purple eyes looking at the few crew members left as his grinned showed his yellow stained teeth. " And you. " He looked at Wirejaw, " You're a new addition, am I right? i want to hear from you first. " Orcus stated.

Warrior's Respite



Arthur Verg

​

Arthur sighed deeply of frustration upon hearing out Victorique, she obviously wouldn't leave unless worst happened to her, with the execution of Sticker and Xix nearly killing her, she still didn't think it was a time to leave. " You are a fool. But a persistent fool, for sure. I respect that. " Arthur stated with a shake of his head, " Fine. " Arthur made a deal and he would uphold it, otherwise what good was his word. His attention was moved to Orchid who now spoke, which made Arthur spoke, " I know your type, Orchid. Mercenaries care mainly about themselves or whoever or whatever they are paid to protect. No judgement, I'm basically in the same boat at the moment. " Arthur heard someone approaching and quickly turned around with his ghastly appendage ready to cast a weapon, although he calmed down seeing Dayle. " Dayle. Was wondering where you've been. You looked like you've seen a ghost. Either way, it's good to see a familiar face. " Arthur stated, although while his words spoke truth, they came off as cold. His eyes looked at both Dayle and Roy as Orchid spoke, but then he noticed something once they finished speaking. " Where's the third one? Zeke? " Arthur asked, unaware of the situation.

As Orchid tried to take them to an exit, they would find that the exit had been blocked by fallen rubble that looked purposely placed there, possibly by the Ryken knights. There were only a couple ways to leave this bloodied pit, the way Dayle came from or the elevator that led to the arena. There was faint fighting happening above them in the arena but they only had so many ways out. There was rope nearby on one of the Ryken Knight's corpses.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

Tags: Skyhunter Elvario Shatter Shard ​

---

Orchid lead the group towards the underground water entrance. She had figured it would be safe since it's not connected to any main entrance way, so the only people who would know about this path are other gladiators and staffers. Unfortunately, it seems like some people had been here. And seeing the corpse of a Ryken Knight, she could assume that Auregnog had been here recently too. "Shit. Auregnog must've chased the knights here and those bastards rigged this tunnel to collapse to cut him off. Which means we have to take the elevator... Which I'm sure Auregnog passed by, so the guys operating it are gone or dead. So effectively trapped. Goddamn." Orchid cursed. This complicates things a lot. While Orchid was somewhat confident that she could dig through this rock with enough time and force, there's no telling if those knights are still on the other side. And considering she, Arthur, and Xix had a hard time dealing with two, who knows how many of them are on the other side ready for a final stand.

Looking at the corpse, Orchid notes that the poor sod looked like he got cut down before he could reach the tunnel. Maybe he tried to do some sort of brave last stand to slow down Auregnog, but considering that his sword was still in his sheath, more likely the champion caught up to the knight and couldn't make it past the rubble. Checking the body for anything of note, all she finds is a big length of rope, some extra weapons that she isn't too interested with, and his armor. "Some rope, weapons, and armor. Might as well take it, we'll need the rope to get out of here, and the armor could be useful for a disguise if we need to infiltrate those knights for some reason. Help me loot this guy." Looking it over the armor could fit her probably, or maybe one of these other gentlemen. If they were all in this together and intend to investigate this more, maybe they could use this armor as a disguise. But looking like a Ryken knight will only go so far. They probably have a bunch of terminology and code phrases that helps them identify each other or something, so simply looking like a knight won't be enough. Then again... Maybe this dead knight could explain the intricacies of the order to them.

It was just a hunch, but Orchid has a feeling that Arthur has some sort of devil ghost power with his funny arm and generally macabre persona. If nothing else he seems like a smart guy so maybe he knows enough about the Ryken knights to convincingly play the part. Orchid was certain he and Victorique could work something out if they can stop slapping each other around. So Orchid began to strip the dead knight of his weapons, armor, and other equipment as she spoke to Arthur. "Hey Arthur, those demon ghost powers you got, think you can use them to talk to this dead guy? Maybe get some intel out of him like what the hell the knights are doing here or something. In fact Dayle, did you happen to see any of these Ryken Knights die on your way to us? Even if Arthur can't talk to the dead I'm sure one of them has something important that'll give us a lead on what these knights are doing snooping around here. A note, key, something." It was a long shot, but they couldn't afford to leave behind any evidence that could be useful. Plus more loot is never a bad thing. And the fact that these guys were traveling so light could mean they have some sort of base nearby, or at least maybe they have support staff that carries their stuff for them. Squires, slaves, servants, whatever Ryken Knights have for menial labor.

 

[Garbage Pail Kid]

---

Skyhunter
He felt fear more than anything right now, and something incredibly dense in his brain kept his legs and arms moving forward, toward incredible danger. He didn't expect a solid hit, but the afterimage was an unexpected touch. The sound of his tough scales meeting hammer ringing through his head as he was launched upwards and sent flying before being yanked down to the ground with a heavy slam and sending rebounding against the ground, skidding to a halt out of their combat range and groaning as pain pulsed from his thick skull down his spine. "He hits like a damn cannon" He wheezed, his vision blurred as he could barely see the fight between them take place. He knew he had bitten off more than he could chew, but he had foolishly thought Lyrka was in danger. He was the one out of his depth. More memories threatened to surface, blood trickling through his scales and spattering across the already filthy ridden arena floor. His eyes glossing over the two bodies he was nearly looking down at. It brought a dreadful sense of deja-vu.

A battle took place where multiple died...a battlefield? he was a much shorter man adorned in a blue uniform.

He snapped out of it when he realized he was being dragged by vido and Lunes, though he joined only recently, they still risked their lives to save him. His conscience slowly stirring out of the thrashin the champion had given him. "ya'll...came fer me. Ah guess that was pretty stupid huh" He chuckled, coming to and seeing that cultists were once again playing their hand. This time actually walking up to the crew. The obvious leader from before speaking up, knowing the crew. He wondered what their reputation was like, but figured that wasn't the important understanding here. The man named orcus spoke about their leader, and his aptitude for survival. That was some strangely good news coming from such a sinister figure. He didn't like that smile; it made his blood boil.

He had to hold firm as he saw Lyrka get devastated and tossed into the ground. His eyes flicking from her to Orcus. He was split in two because this was an opportunity to try and figure these people out, but...as stubborn as she was. He couldn't watch Lyrka die.

"Mah names Wirejaw, ah don' understand what yer doin here an why that guy is swinging like a devil is in em', but you said we survived right? Well so did she" He said, pointing at Lyrka "Ya'll were the ones with the zombies an such right? she survived all that ta get here, just ta be cheated. Mah gut tells me he ain't yer doing so I ain't asking fer yer help, but will ya please let me try an save her? she don't have much time mister Orcus" He said, he couldn't help how he was and what his heart yearned for, and the last thing he wanted was someone else to die; especially someone so willful.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

It felt surprisingly good to have the big hunk of green muscle back her up. If anything, Victorique was weary to keep her excitement down as to not end up going on a power trip. She should definitely keep hiring mercenaries like this in the future, although she was clever enough to figure that someone like Orchid was probably a one in a million and that most others would be a lot worse candidates for such a job. The fact that Arthur caved in only made it better, worth being called a fool for, even.

That's when the presence of Dayle graced their eyes. “Where have you been?” She asked, a little confused. That said, with how they were looking, Victorique didn't have to ask about the missing third. She already figured that they might not be with them any-more. One didn't need a whole lot of insight or investigation to reach that conclusion. Either way, it seemed like the exit Orchid was trying to take them to had crumbled, leaving them with only two bad options to traverse.

Well, the elevator wouldn't be too much of an issue. “I could jump up the elevator shaft and throw down that conveniently placed rope over there. If you're brave enough, I might even be able to take someone up top in my pocket dimension. I'm not sure if there's oxygen in there though, so you'll want to hold your breath.”

That said, she couldn't help being a bit sceptical of what the knights had been planning, so she quickly looked around to see if there were any clues as to what they'd been plotting bringing rope here. To that extend, she figured she might as well investigate them a bit more thoroughly to see if there were any clues on them regarding their reasons for being here. Some orders or items that might indicate intent and purpose. [Using Ultimate Detective D]

When Orchid mentioned looting, she frowned a bit. “Let me try to investigate him a bit first, at least, to check if anything on here might show us a bit more about their reason for being here and why they thought they'd need rope.” Luckily enough, Orchid seemed to realise that as well herself, not long after.

D Grade Cooldowns (0/2)

• Ultimate Detective – Appraisal D, Heightened Hearing F, Heightened Sight F, Insight D, Investigation D, Perception D – Character combines all their applicable senses and knowledge to get to the bottom of a mysteries or to be on high alert for clues, dangers or hints. - Grade D – 2 Post Cooldown.

 

[Skyhunter]

Arthur Verg

​

Arthur rubbed his forehead, between the constant faces of death, yammering of said dead faces and now them basically trapped in this dungeon with the only way out being having to go after the Champion or try to climb up where the elevator was at. Where the elevator was at there were dead strongmen, they had loincloths on only, but their bodies were impressively powerful looking, unfortunately they were now corpses on the floor in a pool of their own blood. Arthur shook his head, always surrounded by death he was. His head turned when Orchid addressed him, asking him to see if the soul of this knight was still here. Arthur almost laughed, " Demon powers... Sure, more dead faces for me to look. " Arthur shook his head at the comment, he did see the halfling Victorique use her investigative abilities and searched the body. Arthur glared a bit, " You're a damn cop, aren't you? " Arthur asked before he shook his head, he was no longer in that world. This was a new world. " Never mind. " Arthur sighed then activated his Sixth Sense E, his eyes looked pass the dead faces of his past sins to the dead body of a Ryken Knight before them. He would see in his vision an ethereal man sitting on his own corpse with his face in his hands, sobbing. Arthur sighed; it was going to be one of these types.

The former hitman made his way closer to the corpse until the spirit noticed Arthur who was looking down at the man, " Who are you? " The man asked Arthur but then looked down, " Ah. No one can see me anyways; I already have these damn roaches desecrating my body and Underdwellers looting me like the damn animals they are. " The spirit complained. Arthur rolled his eyes and knelt down to be face to face with the spirit, " I can see and hear you. " Arthur stated in his cold tone, in which it scared the spirit a bit until they calmed down and readjusted, " I-I didn't mean to- " Arthur placed a hand up, " No. I actually agree with you. Believe me. If I could leave now I would. " Arthur said, " This place is a terrible place, only for the worst of people and it will never get better. " He continued. The spirit nodded, " Yes! That was what I was saying! Although the damn Duke never really listened to what we usually said. " The spirit growled, his attire what his armor that he currently was wearing when he first died. " Duke? " Arthur asked. The spirit nodded, " Yes. Duke Vengron. He's been so obsessed with the Underbelly. Kept on saying that this will bring his family's name from the ground up once again. " The spirit continued. " And it cost him my life and many others. " He looked down the hallway they were in, Arthur's eyes followed and saw many other spirits, they filled the hallway up, reenacting their fights like nothing happened. " It would seem so. " Arthur looked back to the spirit, " Where is this Duke Vengron at? And was everything here his doing? " Arthur continued his questioning. The spirit looked back to Arthur. " I don't know where the Duke is, but he is here in the Underbelly. He may be out in the streets spilling more blood. As for everything. Yes. He kept on gloating about outwitting a cult here in the Underbelly that worships dead royals from a time long forgotten. He was even able to convince the Champion's 2nd in command for some reason. He wouldn't shut up about it. " The spirit growled. Arthur had a look of shock on his face, " Wait, what the fuck? " He said, his voice sounding out of character. " I mean cough cough what the fuck? " Arthur sounded cold again, trying to play off his shock. " How the fuck did he even manage to do that? " Arthur asked with a angry voice.

The spirit shrugged with a wave of his hands, " I am not sure. He said he had some sort of information that the cult wanted and with the 2nd in command? I am not sure how he did that. The Duke has a way with people, despite his annoying personality. " The spirit shook his head. " Despite that, he was able to convince them to join him. Destroy the Underbelly he kept bellowing, hell we even had a meeting with these cultists. They are some twisted and sick people. I think that changed my mind about the Underbelly and how messed up this place is, they are so much worst. " The knight shivered. Arthur stood up, " Well that's all I needed. " Arthur sighed looking at the spirit, " Allow me to put you to rest. " Arthur raised his ghastly looking hand in which the Spirit stared at the terrifying hand. " Yes. Please. I want to see my parents again. " The spirit had a smile. " And thank you, it was nice to talk again. Instead of constantly fighting. " Arthur hesitated for a moment, his eyes looked down for a moment. " Yeah... It was. " Arthur whispered as he swiped his arm over the body where the spirit was and quickly they faded away into nothingness. Arthur stood there for a moment thinking on his words before turning to the group explaining what the spirit had told him.

As for Victorique, she wouldn't be able to find anything on the body besides a note, stating.

Duke Vengron doesn't just want the Champion dead, he wants to flatten this blood sport arena as well, this rope and many other bundles will be used to pull the pillars holding this blood filled palace down from underneath, while we may be trapped, there are docks nearby in which we can make our way down into the caves of the Underbelly. Through there we will meet with the Eagle Company and they will guide us out to the surface and then we can leave this decrypted place. Kill any Underdweller you come across. Civilian or gang member. Adult or child. Vengron's orders. The Blue Viscera Occult will not survive this either. If we can't kill them in a head on fight, we will bury them in rubble. For the safety of Ryken.​

The note was bloodied but thanks to Victorique's investigative skills she made out the words of their alternate plan. They planned on betraying the occult that they had not come across yet.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Orchid Lucius Cypher | Arthur Skyhunter | Dayle Shatter Shard

Victorique felt like her entire trip here had been useless when she learned that Arthur could talk to a dead guy and get all the information he wanted. If she'd known that, what was the reason for someone with investigative skills, like her, to come along? She felt like the only thing she did here was... just getting into arguments whilst being there and spending some time on nearly dying. One the one hand, getting all the information was nice (even though she could presumable only hear Arthur's side of the conversation), it backed up what she'd figured out so far and then some. Well, it did leave some gaps. “So... where's the duke at and what did he manage to do that's so surprising?”

As for Victorique herself, trying to not feel totally useless, the best she could find was a note. Well, actually... Whilst it didn't seem too important, it'd serve as evidence. After all, the testimony of a dead guy wasn't really worth all that much. This note might be. “Has any of you ever heard of the Eagle Company or Blue Viscera Occult?” Those were two new names on the list of parties involved in the mess here. She also managed to piece together two things, at least. “Seems like the cult and the knights planned to double-cross each-other, the knights by planning to trap the cult here and having the arena crash down upon them... and I'm pretty sure the Champion going after all the cult is probably the cult's way to backstab or counter-act the knights.”

Either way, she finally got enough pieces of the puzzle to be satisfied. “That should be enough information to report back in. If anything, with this note as some evidence, I'd rather bring this up top as soon as possible, in case the Adventurer's Guild wants to get involved as well. Learning what exactly is gong on with the Champion or if, and if so how, he's being controlled would be a nice bonus, but I'm not sure if we'll have the time and opportunity for it.”

 

[Shatter Shard]

Dayle Keller
"Red Star's Bastard Dog"

Strength
Precision
Intelligence
Vitality
Speed

[ C ]
[ F ]
[ E ]
[ C ]
[ D ]

E

Active Titles:
Human | Thug | Unruffled

-Ryke-
Underbelly of Ryken, Colosseum

Code by: Shatter Shard

Roy trembled at the mention of Zeke, but Dayle pat his back. "He's... not with us. Anymore." He said, sorrow hidden inside his confident tone. "Try not to ask what happened." He sighed, before urging Roy to follow him with the others. Roy nodded, albeit struggling so, before moving. But when they tried to reach their destination, the other exit was blocked. "Son of a bitch..." He turned his head when Orchid addressed him, and nodded his head. "Dead knights, sure. Clues? I'm not in the looting mood right now, so any one of you could do it."

When he heard of the plan of the overworlders, his eyes widened as he punched the wall. "Bastards! They're going too far!" His frustration about the whole situation seemed to boil over him as he paced around, while ruffling his hair. "It's not enough that we're being put through this, so they're thinking of sinking the entire fucking place to the ground?!" But contrary to his actions, his eyes was clear. There was nothing the clouded his vision, and his gaze laid upon the people around him. He listened to the two most vocal in the group and made his own conjectures and thoughts. When it came to question him about the knights or the cult, he nodded his head and spoke. "The Blue Viscera cult, I can only think of one, and it's those guys at the front door. They use some kind of substance that turns people into zombies, and are lunatics themselves. Other than that, I have no clue. The same goes for the Eagle Company."

"All these subtlety means they're trying to be secretive about it. No doubt reporting to the guild would put their future plans to a halt." He spoke, as he sat on the floor and leaned on the wall. "But the question comes with the safety of the broker, and all the involved parties." His gaze swept to everyone. "None of you can guarantee there's no moles in the guild." Cupping his chin, Dayle furrowed his eyebrows and lowered his gaze to the floor. He wasn't a scholar, or an experienced detective, but he could understand a few points about the entire chaos. One, Auregnog's circle has been a thorn on the Duke, thus the supposed "death" of the champion. Two, the matter had to be handled without information leaking out and exposing the Duke's plans. Three, the two factions that are supposed to work together are double-crossing each other, meaning there never was a mutual benefit from the very beginning.

Dayle scratched his head. This was a mess of a situation, and he couldn't even figure out who was winning and who was sinking. He scratched his head in annoyance, but he couldn't help but agree with what Victorique had to say. "In the end, the guild's still our best bet. I have my backing to cover me, so at least my safety can be guaranteed." His eyes swept over to the rest. "You guys, on the other hand... well, reaching the Underbelly in the first place meant you guys have connections on your own." Then his gaze went to the ground before muttering "As much as a bastard I am, putting uninvolved people to the ground still doesn't sit well with me." Then he stood up, his body ready for action. "So let's get this over with. I'm not good with my head, no matter how much I don't want to admit it, so you guys will have to tell me what to do."

Mentions: Shatter Shard Skyhunter Elvario Lucius Cypher

 

[Lucius Cypher]

Tags: Skyhunter Elvario Shatter Shard ​

---

It was a good thing Victorique and Arthur seemed to have keener senses about sleuthing, since Victorique was able to find a bloodstained note that Orchid had missed and Arthur really does seem to be able to speak to the dead. In the mean time Orchid kept watching, listening to what everyone had to say. It was a lot to take in but ultimately, Orchid got the gist of it: They needed to get out of the Undercity. "Huh, fancy that. We've gone full circle now eh boss? Now we got to get you out of here and back topside so you can report to your bosses about this whole affair. But this time we got more hard facts to work with instead of making up excuses to avoid the slaughter. Though frankly speaking, we're probably still going to wade knee-deep into a bloodbath whether we like it or not. If what y'all are saying is true, there's basically no way outta here without a fight. I'm sure the knights are on the other side of this wall, Auregnog is running rampant in the arena, and even if we sneak past him those cultist motherfuckers are waiting for us. And even if we get past them somehow, this duke fellow is probably raising hell too. A real carnival of killers."

As it seems like everything that could be done here was finished, Orchid finished looting the dead knight and grabbed the rope. She'd have to gather supplies from the dead on the way out, but she'll be more frugal this time and won't bother stripping every corpse of their weapons and armor. Just smaller things. Either way once everyone had gathered their wits Orchid would escort them towards the lifts. Just as she suspected, the lift operators were dead. Maybe if Orchid and one other were pulling the ropes, they could get the lift to work again but they'd still be stuck down here. So Orchid was going to need to rely on her legs instead. Dropping the excess loot and limbering up, Orchid looked up the shaft. "Aight, I'll take some hops and steps to get up to the top, secure the rope onto something, and we can use it to climb out. I'll handle it in case there's a nasty surprise waiting for my up there, might end up pasting me across the lift if I'm not too careful. Be back in a bit."

Even in her heavy armor, Orchid was more than able to jump a good thirty feet off the ground, latching onto the brickwork for a brief moment before jumping up against towards another section of wall, slowly but surely jumping her way up to the next level. Once she was up she made sure to take a look around the area to make sure it was safe. No cultist trying to hide in the shadows, no Auregnog about to burst into the room screaming about heresy. Once it seemed like the coast was clear Orchid would secure the rope and let it fall down to the others below while the she-ork stayed to keep watch. They weren't out of the fire yet.

 

[Skyhunter]

OOC: Alright y'all this will be the final round, the posts this round will dictate either we have a third part with everyone or a third part with only a few. Whatever your decision, thank you all for joining in this RP, I appreciate it and very much enjoy everyone's character that participated!

The Bloody Defiance

​

As Orchid made her way up the large shaft to where the arena was at, it looked clear but there were sounds of distant fighting that she couldn't see, letting down the rope and allowing everyone in the Warrior's Respite to climb on up. When everyone was able to climb up to the top and into the bloodstained arena, they would see that the bleachers around them were stained red with blood and stacked with bodies upon bodies that were cut, slashed, crushed, torn and broken. Some even all five. Before anyone could comment on it, Lykra was seen flying above the group and fell onto the floor before them, she rolled a few times and then let out a pain groaned rolling onto her back, holding her stomach where she had been stabbed, " That fucking bastard...! Aghh! " Lykra growled through gritted teeth, hitting the ground with a fist as she attempted to get up as she held her wound, her entire armor was already stained with matted blood that were different colors, red, brown, even black. But with where she was stabbed at, she was leaking blood, a lot of it.

When the group moved to help her, they would hear fighting more clearly and see that Auregnog was taking on hooded men with strange looking daggers, being surrounded by quite a few of them. He was able to fend them off and take out a few but another would take their place, coming out of the shadows to replace the last just taken out, with the familiar red seamed cultist, to only Dayle and Arthur, talking with a downed Wirejaw and the... Divees Crew? That would come to be a surprise to Arthur that they would involuntarily involve themselves in this, as Victorique would also recognize them from earlier that same day.

For Wirejaw, the man who named himself Orcus laughed, " Let her die. " Orcus stated, " That woman is nothing but a traitor to her own people. " He raised a finger, " And- " Vido rushed forward at Orcus with his sword ready to slash him down but Orcus moved quickly enough to punch Vido just as he raised his sword, making the man fall backwards and drop his weapon, he held his nose as blood was pouring out, Lunes and a couple other of the Divees Crew began to tend to Vido now. He growled in pain staring at Orcus with angry eyes. Orcus didn't look happy with the attempt to kill him, still having a finger raised he looked over the group, " That's your only warning! If you try that again, I will have my underlings tear you asunder while you still breath! " Orcus was insulted personally. He cleared his throat and looked back at Wirejaw, twisted his neck to the side as he popped his neck in a very unnatural way. " As I was saying. That woman is nothing but a traitor to her people. Her people being The Blooded Guard. The only reason I am allowing her to live at the moment, " His hooded cultists continued to attack the Champion. " Is because I will be dealing with her myself. " Orcus chuckled. " I personally HATE traitors and I was allowed to deal with her myself. And I am waiting for someone. " Orcus stated, " And there is nothing you can do to stop me. " He pointed his dagger at the large lizard, confidant in his own abilities that he was not intimidated by the large lizard.

Although that would all be stopped by a sudden call out. " ENOUGH! " A voice rang out into the arena his voice loud enough to be heard by all, when everyone looked there would be an honor guard of Ryken Knights and a large knight standing at the top of the bleachers. Victorique would know who this mysterious knight was, they wore the armor of the Vengron House. While not purple like the usual colors of Ryken military, the Vengron House armor was always very recognizable with its size, bulkiness and distinct helmet. With his plan having failed, he would have to come and deal with his own dirty work. There was a large number of knights behind the Duke as they made their way in, Vengron began walking his way down the steps while carrying his large family axe, it showed it's age but it still had a sharp edge to it. " Enough. " He rumbled. Auregnog even stopped himself, the cultists all turned their heads to see the Duke in the flesh. Orcus would chuckle evilly as the Duke made his 'heroic' appearance.

​

" This has gone on long enough. " Vengron stated as he stared down the Champion who looked back at him, pulling his polearm back into a defensive position. Vengron turned his head, his eyes were glowing under his helmet seeing all those who have survived. Vengron huffed seeing the survivors, he didn't say anything for almost ten seconds before nodded slowly. " You all that have survived. Those who have made it so far. " His voice was heavy and showed that he was an actual warrior. Not like the usual pompous noble who stayed in their large ivory towers and grew fat on luxurious food. " I offer you all a chance to leave right now. This doesn't involve any of you. You were all caught at the wrong time it seems. You can leave now, while I am being so generous. Any who stay will have their fate sealed. " Vengron stated, " Especially you few in the arena center. Do not help the lieutenant down there, leave her to her fate. " This caught one of the Divees Crew attention and a few turned their attention seeing Arthur. Lunes patted Vido and Wirejaw on their shoulders, " Oi. Arthur is down there. He is here. The one with the weird arm. " Lunes said, when they saw Arthur he was staring at them with a confused look.

Arthur Verg

​

As the situation seemed to look bad, it only got worst with the arrival of the Duke himself, with his plan failed it seemed he knew he needed to attend this meeting himself. Auregnog had no help at the moment, but he wasn't called a one-man army for nothing, then the Cultists were here, and they had numbers and a very secretive leader along with some more help being the undead. His eyes moved to see the Divees Crew, he had to take a double take when he saw them, " What the fuck are they doing here? " He growled; he didn't think they were going to show up here of all places. " Hey, Victorique. This bastard is allowing us to leave but we information that could turn the cult against the Duke. If you can reach up there and present your theory to him. I think we could turn the cult against him and make this an all-out war. " Arthur whispered to the halfling. " You have actual evidence and I only have words. While I want to get you out of here. I can't leave now, I know the Divees Crew won't leave. But I think once the distraction is up, you should go ahead and leave with both Dayle and Orchid. I don't want the Duke to sac the Underbelly. He will win if he has the cult on his side. " Arthur stated.

The Duke rang out, " Now! What is your choice! Any that stay will be shown no mercy. " He roared.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Orchid Lucius Cypher | Arthur Skyhunter | Dayle Shatter Shard

As Victorique surmised, Dayle had lost one of his companions. “I'm sorry for your loss. He seemed like a fine fellow.” She was honest on that part, as Dayle and his two goons had thus far shown to be some of the most decent Underbelly denizens she'd come across. She took note of the few things Dayle managed to mention regarding the Blue Viscera Occult, but he sadly didn't know anything about the Eagle Company. “Any large institute has moles. However, once the information is in the open, the potential for moles to use it becomes limited. If I report it to multiple people at once, what moles might be among them will have little power to do anything about it.”

She nodded towards Orchid. “We're still missing some facts, but we've got enough to report back in.” Being knee-deep in blood for Orchid probably meant drowning in it for Victorique, so she'd rather not think too much about it. “The knights aren't exactly our opponents, so perhaps we can make something work.” She watched as the Orc sluggishly got up the elevator shaft. She could've done it much better herself, she was sure of that much, but whatever would await them at the top was probably better left for Orchid to find out.

She was surprised when some woman came flying over their heads short after entering the arena. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought they wandered into an active wrestling match with such a spectacle. She's normally check if the woman was okay, but with this being the Underbelly, Victorique had learned her lessons and stayed away from her instead. She clicked her tongue when another main player in theses schemes showed up. In case the others didn't recognise him, she pointed it out; “That'd be the Duke himself.” Being offered to get out alive was pretty neat, but she sort-off wondered if he was honest or not. Sadly enough, his armour and him being far off made trying to use [insight] on him pretty difficult.

She listened to Arthur and nodded. For once, he was making a whole lot of sense. Scarily so. She wondered if he'd been hit in the head or something. Either way, she was already scanning the arena. “I can get up there.” She said with confidence. There was one thing she wasn't sure about, however, as Arthur seemed to suggest turning the cult against the knights, while it felt more logical to turn the knights against the cult. After all, hadn't the cult already been attacking the knights below this arena after learning the knights were double-crossing them. Well, she could catch two birds with one stone either way. That said, the fact that the cultists were fighting the Champion was putting some holes in her theory that they were controlling him. Quite a few holes, actually...

“Wait, why do you want me to help the cult all of a sudden and go against the duke?” Having no clue who the cult was fighting, even with all her insight and investigation combined, Victorique couldn't make sense of what was going through Arthur's head at the moment. “I thought you were fine with the Duke taking down the Underbelly and it doesn't seem smart to make an enemy out of someone that influential... I'm still convinced that another Controls War isn't the way to solve the existence of this place, don't get me wrong, but supporting that cult seems equally bad...”

All of sudden, as she was talking, she connected the dots. “Wait, those guys are part of your gang, aren't they?” She'd seen little of them, but she had come across some of them when they entered the Underbelly. Even though it'd only been a day, that event already felt like ages ago. “Alright, I've got an idea, but I don't think I'll need to climb up there for it... this should at least distract everyone. Try to get anyone you don't want to get caught up in battle out of here during the confusion.” She then looked at Orchid. “Please cover me, I'm afraid I'll be making a bit of a target of myself in the process.” She'd really need to rely on the Orc to pull through for this one.

She took a few steps forwards, then shouted loud enough for Orcus, the Duke and pretty much everyone else to hear. “Duke Vegron! Be careful! The cultists already learned that you're planning to betray them and started killing the knights that were working on bringing down the arena!!! They might even be ready to use the Champion himself against you! Some knights were even foolish enough to carry their orders around, which were likely read by them!” She held up the blood-stained note. It wasn't like anyone could read it from that distance, but it at least added some dramatic effect. Truth be told, she still believed that this was truly the case, not being convinced that it was just the Champion going rampant that killed those knights, but instead being convinced that it was the cult steering him. Arthur might think the cult wasn't aware, which if it was true, they'd certainly be aware now.

In fact, she was so convinced of that theory, that she made it into an [Ultimate Argument] to convince not only Duke Vegron, but even the cultists themselves, that they clearly knew this already. Alright, convincing the cultists might be a bit much, but she was putting some effort and weight behind her words at the very least. If she was [Lucky] (usage 1/2) enough, this would get the cult to fight the Knights like Arthur wanted from her, without making it seem like she was going up against the Duke. If anything, she hoped this would look like she helped out the Duke here.

• Ultimate Argument – Appraisal D, Heightened Hearing F, Heightened Sight F, Insight D, Perception D, Persuasion E – Character takes in any information they can from someone and uses it when carefully picking their tone of voice and mannerisms to convey their argument in the most persuasive manner, tailored to whatever might suit the person they're trying to convince. - Grade D – 2 Post Cooldown.