Time: Morning Location: River Port Interactions: @FunnyGuy Darius and everyone in the roleplay Equipment: Old hat, Clothes from a dead elf, Steel Sword
“Yeah, whatever man,”’Dante handed the hat to Darius giving him the silent treatment on the way down into the town. He looked at the place Darius mentioned Seafood Sensations. “Yeah, damn I could really go for some seafood let’s go.” Dante paused immediately after replying and turned around to some type of hologram coming from a large sphere in the center of town. Spheres all over Avalia’s cities casted this scene.
“Attention all humans, we have captured one of you insignificant worms. This is not a warning or a threat. This is an example. If you do not surrender yourselves to us and force us to hunt you, you will suffer a fate similar or even worse.” The sphere casted a human in a collar held by his limbs by four similar demon creatures. With a few dark-skinned elves surrounding them. The creatures holding the human spoke in unison. “I am Pride, the greatest sin and demon of the Abyss. The greatest and strongest creature to ever walk in the same plane as you. You should consider it a pleasure and an honor you get to hear my voice or see my face. This human struggled hard but the hope to survive ultimately was easily smothered in my presence.” Pride began to pull the human in four directions as he began to scream and beg for mercy as he continued to pull the human apart. The sound of popping joints echoed through the cast spheres until you could see the muscles and skin begin to rip until it finally gave out tearing the human in quarters. Pride laughed maniacally. “Such pathetic creatures, you think these beings can be your saviors. You are wrong and though I am the greatest, I am not the only one you have to worry about. My brothers and sisters are hunting your fellow humans as well. The sins will come for you.” The cast spheres closed leaving silence in the town around Dante and Darius.
“Bro what the fuck was that. They expect us to deal with shit like this?” Dante’s face showed true fear and anger for what they saw. “What are we supposed to do man? Where do we go? We gotta make sure that doesn’t happen to us.” Dante looked at his brother, waiting anxiously for a reply.
Time: Morning Location: Myriamor Plaza Mentions: Slick@FunnyGuy, Aurora@Mole, Sophie@princess, Caelen@Alivefalling, Equipment: The clothes on his back and a pouch of amas.
The skies above Leaf shifted, no longer a peaceful clear day with few clouds and the welcoming glow of the sun. From above a horrible scene played out, a collective of identical dark creatures that were all sharp edges, horned and tailed, with glowing embers for eyes pulled a man apart. It spoke only in boasts and of violence, nothing about the strange creatures were familiar, utterly un-Avalian in every possible way. And the human, the human shrieked for mercy, and his bones popped from joints while skin tore with wet sounds until the screams stopped. Then the creature that called itself sin and Pride, laughed.
Leaf gripped tightly to the reins of Champ, pulling them to keep the horse from looking up at the scene; no innocent beast should witness that. The young cat felt everything inside him turn sour, both of his breakfasts threatened to curdle back up his throat. His tail fell from its confident up high position and his hackles rose from the freight. He looked at Slick first, then Sophie and Caelan, three humans who were a combination of decent, sweet, and fun, and who had been full of joy playing in a swimming hole. They had seen this too. The creature that called itself a sin wanted those humans, all humans here, to share the same horrible fate as the man who had been torn apart.
Had Aurora known of this? Was that why she insisted on keeping them all together? Why hadn’t she warned them? Did those who had left to walk the desert know as well? These sins, they scared Leaf more than dark elves could, this was something far worse than just dark elves. He, still walking with Champ, headed closer to the swimming hole, wanting to keep as close to the humans and Aurora as possible. Leaf’s eyes kept scanning through the crowds, Myriamor’s streets now filled with shocked and horrified faces, looking for anything that seemed not of this world, searching for threats. The whole war felt more real, more pressing, and he knew staying out of it was not an option. Leaf, who was neither a soldier nor a warrior, wanted to protect these humans just the same, it was the only right thing to do.
Time: Morning Location: Myriamor Plaza Pool Interactions: Aurora @Mole, Caelan @Alivefalling, and Sophie @princess Mentions: Mikazuki @Tae and Rosaria @potter
Pocket watch Black stetson Hat and Cowl Black Duster Outfit Repeating Crossbow 12 Iron Bolts Champ (Oak Horse) One-horse open sleigh Hunting knife Rope Saddlebag Black neckerchief Tinder box Canteen Matches Two Gold nuggets $40 Black swim trunks
Slick found Sophie’s apology a bit heavy, but he’d take it. Maybe he could use her guilt as a means to call in a favor later. Slick found the vibes to be quite nice, which made Slick a little less bothered about having to take a dip in the pool. However, things never remained pleasant for the outlaw. Caelan started chanting cowboy teasingly, which only caused Slick to raise his eyebrow in confusion. It wasn’t as if the term was an insult. It just wasn’t what he was. He would have just let things be on account of the pair being intoxicated but the rock that pelted him changed things. It was one thing to hit a man who’d shown you nothing but respect, but did he have to soak his hat to add insult to injury.
Drunk or sober, Caelan was going to pay for his actions. Slick snatched his hat floating on the surface of the pool with a scowl. A strong breeze unnaturally whipped from all manner of direction. Slick released Aurora’s hand.
“Miss, I need to deal with a problem. Shouldn’t take long.” He wade through the pool towards Caelan with nothing but bad intentions. Sure, he was drunk, but that was hardly an excuse for his actions.
Before Slick could reach Caelan, however, a cast sphere broadcasted the gruesome execution of a human by the demon, Pride. As mad as Slick was, he couldn’t ignore the violence shown before his eyes. It only made the situation seem that more frightening. He knew what it meant to have a bounty on one’s head, but to be killed in such a way never crossed his mind. The winds died down, and as the broadcast ended Slick sighed.
“Well, shit. If that’s how they get down here, I think we need to skip on the fun ‘n’ games.” Slick’s tone was the most serious it had ever been. The man was indeed shaken up by what he just witnessed. “But first...” He suddenly used his free hand to push Caelan so he’d fall into the pool. “Now, considering we can’t leave without Miss Rose, we oughta get to trainin’.” He waded back to Aurora so he could take her hand again. “You okay?” He wondered how much she could perceive from the broadcast.
Time: Morning Location: Aboard The Harem Interactions: Tigerlily @Potter, Tesoro@Infinite Cosmos, Lizzie @Tae, Barboda @Alivefalling, Helio @princess, and a rival ship and her crew @FunnyGuy Equipment: A cutlass, 2 knives and a dagger strategically hidden, a spyglass, a wayfinder, pouch of amas, various jewelry.
As Barboda, Lizzie, and Tesoro dealt with those who had dared to try and board The Harem, Nym lit a cannon for the second time, this shot aimed directly at the mast of the enemy vessel. The riflemen were all dead, no enemy remained standing up the deck of The Harem, and aboard the other ship, was a lone dark elf locked in combat with Helio. There also remained at least one enemy below deck. Nym grabbed one of the grappling hooks from the side of The Harem, used his teeth to rip away the cut rope, and quickly re-tied it with rope aboard The Harem. He gave the grappling hook a strong tug to ensure the knot was secured and swung it towards the other ship, locking on and tying the loose end to The Harem.
The lone dark elf should be distracted enough by Helio that Nym was not worried about his own attempt to board the enemy ship. But if today his luck took a turn for the worst he had no fear of the ocean below him. Upon the other ship was surely something to be gained; guns, supplies, and perhaps even a snack if he found an enemy to take a bite of. Once he finished the climb over to the enemy ship, he’d leave Helio to finish up his fight with the dark elf. Nym’s plan was to keep the grappling hook secured so that anyone else from The Harem heading over had cover just in case any more enemies came from below deck on the enemy ship.
Time: Late Morning Location: River Port Interactions: Dante @Alivefalling Mentions:
Before the two brothers could enter the restaurant, a disturbing holographic broadcast played for all in the streets of River Port to watch. The egotistical creature speaking was addressing humans. Addressing them and showing why humans needed to surrender. Darius looked away before the human was torn in fours. He didn't need to watch to predict the conclusion of the broadcast. A sigh left his breath and he was sure the sight was gruesome
“Fuck…” He said under his breath in slight disgust. He knew Dante would have a less subtle reaction to the broadcast, so wasn’t surprised by what his brother had to say. Unfortunately, he didn’t hold the answers to Dante’s concerns. The people that had summoned them to Avalia were dead and the people who murdered them suffered the same fate. The two had been quite lucky since arriving in this strange world but luck only got you so far.
“And it won’t happen to us.” Darius said with confidence Dante hadn’t seen before. The Darius he knew was not completely the same as the one that stood in front of him. Dante’s perceived death jumpstarted Darius' path to maturity. He was no longer the guy sitting on his hands while waiting for life to give him a handout. “Remember what those people said? We can become powerful. We just have to learn to harness whatever gifts we have, and then I guess… I guess we fight back.” Darius said in a low voice before nodding towards the restaurant. Once they entered, they were approached by a frog demi-human who oddly blinked at them. Darius averted his eyes so he wouldn’t make an awkward face. He was apparently the host.
“Table for two?”
“Yeah, two.” He stole a glance at the frogman who nodded.
“Follow me, please.” The frogman grabbed two menus and proceeded to hop as he led the two to a vacant table. Darius smirked at the sight and nudged Dante before. “Here you are. We have the Slime Day special if either of you is interested.” Darius took a seat in the booth while making a face of discomfort. A frog offering a ‘Slime Day’ special?
“I think we’ll pass on any specials today.” He faked a polite smile before looking at Dante sitting across from him. “Right?”
Time:Morning Location: The Harem Interaction:@FunnyGuyRellen @HeloNym Equipment:Black coat with fur trim on the hood, dark-colored, plain male clothing, sword with unbreaking and return enchantments, strength enchanted gloves, 2 medium red potions, hygiene products, timeteller, wayfinder, a flask, standard backpack, and an ama pouch with 1800 amas.
"Loved to have me? In his bed! How ludicrous!"Helio grinned wildly at the dark elf. He unsheathed his sword, coating it in dark magic as if to taunt him. He found himself a bit jaded that he had ordered people to board their boat. He had been hoping to keep these fiends away from the crew.
Helio noticed Nym climb aboard out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing out loud so that Rellen would not notice him yet. He felt some comfort knowing he had some backup perhaps if need be.
Helio lashed out his sword forward, some of the dark matter flying off it toward Rellen. Helio's eyes threatened a good time as he adjusted his grip and leaned his body in as if he was going to charge forward, "Now you're going to say: how can you use dark magic if you are a fairy?" Hopefully once he had him distracted, Rellen would fail to notice the slow-growing branches as they slithered out of the wood of the deck. The branches were gradually snaking closer behind his ankles, ready to grab him once he tried to move forward.
Death had taken all who attempted to board The Harem, almost as if signifying Ardyn’s crew were not welcomed in the polyamory. Shots were fired, men were drowned, and all Rellen could do was focus on the fluttering enemy before him. A fairy. A fairy that could use dark magic of all things. He used a similar technique to himself, glazing his blade in darkness.
"Now you're going to say: how can you use dark magic if you are a fairy?"
“Heh… How can you use dark magic if you are a fairy?... Wait what?!” Rellen was taken aback, but he focused on Helio at his front. He managed to deflect the projectile slash attack, sending it out into the ocean with a crash. Helio didn’t appear to be finished with his assault as he charged forward. Rellen felt if he could move toward Helio faster than anticipated, he could catch Helio off guard. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the fairy wanted. The dark elf nearly tripped as he tried to meet Helio’s attack with a parry. What has my leg?! He glanced at his ankle seeing a branch taking hold of him. With his foot stuck and Helio coming his way, Rellen quickly resorted to his other signature techniques! Suddenly his elbows to his hands and his knees to his feet were covered in a layer of dark magic. There was no time to do anything but block the attack, and that he did in style. Rellen attempted to catch Helio’s attack with his empty hand and counter with a vicious slash across the fae’s body.
Below deck… unseen within a shroud of darkness.
“Kill them? You can’t be serious! I-”
“If you believe these lot are worth more dead than alive now, you’ve learned nothing about our operation. And barely a thing about your own people. Hell, it’s in the name. Dark elves. Kill them, Vellen. Kill. Every. Single. One. Embrace the side of you the rest of Avalia fears. Darkness... It is more than just woven shadow… It’s so much more.”
Time: Morning Location: Aboard The Harem Interactions: Helio @princess, Rellen@FunnyGuy Equipment: A cutlass, 2 knives and a dagger strategically hidden, a spyglass, a wayfinder, pouch of amas, various jewelry.
Nym’s nostrils flared wide as the scent of more blood hit the air. Sweet, intoxicating, fresh. Blood called to him, sang to him more sweetly than any siren’s voice. And Helio with his fresh wound was taking far too long to finish this fight. Helio was crew, but more than that, Helio the fairy prince wielded dark magic along with the typical fae control over plants. A creature of rare and interesting talents, and that was something Nym placed a high value on. He stalked closer to the dark elf Rellen, closing in on his prey with soft, careful footsteps. His intent was to offer help, to finish this quickly and cleanly. Until he reached striking distance and his hand no longer rested on the cutlass at his side, intent changing in an instant.
A dark elf relies on magic, that is the source of elven power. A demihuman is a different breed. A mix of man and beast; the man that was Nym was a calculating one, but the beast within Nym was a powerful one, a creature of constant, primitive, hunger. The man fought with blade and cannon, fought to gain, and wanted to live. The shark thought of nothing but meat and blood, no fear of injury, no concern for death; only instinct, and instinct screamed that food meant survival. The will of the shark overpowered the will of the man.
Striking distance. Hunger. A need for food, for blood. He lunged forward with speed and power. The dark magic that coated the elf was sure to cause pain, pain that would be felt when the man returned. But the shark felt nothing but the hunger. The elf was meat and meat was food and he was hungry.
Nym’s teeth were on full display, sharp and deadly, his maw opened wider than a man should be able to. Gnashing and snapping, wanting to tear and shred and feed. His lone eye was wide and wild, with no trace of anything close to humanity. The flesh was so close, everything smelled of food. Hands grappled and seized what they could. Teeth, desperate to sink into flesh. The shark would not be satisfied until the teeth found their meal, it would not cease until one of them lay dead.
"My name? Hmm~, you'll have to make it up to me if you want my name." Their arrival had been too rough, he didn't feel like giving information away. He got a tour, anyway, though it was effectively unguided. Even though they were moving with purpose, Aiko was able to pick out a few things from about the city that they might like to investigate more later.
Unexpectedly, they entered a residential area after crossing a long bridge. What would the city look like, without the bridges? Would the island float freely around each other? Perhaps it used to be that way. There was also no guarantee that all the islands were connected to the city by bridge. Certain assets would be best left free floating and harder to find, wouldn't they? There must be secret islands, perhaps concealed by enchanted cloud cover.
Ah, but that wasn't their concern, just now. Maybe secret islands would be relevant later.
"Is that all you want? There are other ways, Yuka. Dare I say, better, less painful ways." Cuddle and call her sweetie? Come now, surely she knows an easier way to get that from them. Oh dear, oh dear. They just barely caught the glare from the human, oh hoh. Unafraid, but rather emboldened, Aiko mentally went over a clash between a demon's shadow magic and this human's lightning. Xavier's lack of control would be his undoing, certainly. Maybe the human had oomph, but power is nothing against sufficient skill.
The residential area on the far side of the bridge caught Aiko off guard. They weren't going to go to some military building? As they went through the large residential complex, Aiko understood more; it was a military building. The home of the general. Even had his own war room. To defeat his expectations again, Yuka held silent in front of the general. Xavier offered some proof of his magic, and Orias spoke. Dead for years, maybe, but a fine prince.
"Like a lone Phoenix from the ashes, the prince reveals himself in the hour of need. Tis-"
Is that going to be the theme, today? Interrupt the demon? They would have complained more, but the sight of Pride interrupted all thought. Pride had a human in his grip. They knew what was coming. More slaughter. Damn these broadcasts! Was there no way to shut them out from this invasion of their homes? Another distressed and restless night lay ahead. Good dreams would be hard to come by.
"Damn you, Pride." The seven sins were all involved? Aiko sighed slowly, rubbing their face for a moment before leaving their hand against their cheek. "Unity is our only viable solution. We will need all the help we can get."
Time:Morning Location: The Harem Interaction:@FunnyGuyRellen @HeloNym Equipment:Black coat with fur trim on the hood, dark-colored, plain male clothing, sword with unbreaking and return enchantments, strength enchanted gloves, 2 medium red potions, hygiene products, timeteller, wayfinder, a flask, standard backpack, and an ama pouch with 1800 amas.
Damn. Wanted him to trip.
Helio charged forward nonetheless and swung his sword against the dark elf's stomach, slashing through the skin skillfully. It was a delicate part of the body that usually distracted a foe well enough, but did not quite kill them right away. It was the way of fairies to hesitate and exhaust all options before taking life. However, he was not nearly as hesitant as he had been once upon a time to go in for the kill. He even felt a rush that was invigorating.
Rellen's counterattack was too slow due to the advantage of the momentum Helio had as he had a few feet to gain acceleration before he had arrived before him. Rellen's hands gripped his stomach to keep his intestines from falling out from his body onto the deck. As Rellen had looked down at his stomach, Helio waved a hand in front of his face, shrouding his vision with dark magic. Next, he dashed behind Rellen and grabbed his shoulder.
All of this gave Helio a sense of deja vu that made his heart race with adrenaline. It also made him feel a little sick inside as he didn't like this part of him. He had done enough killing. He leaned and whispered in his ear, "Your hands seem a little full there. I will spare your life if you take one of those rowboats and-" It was then, looking over Rellen's shoulder, that he noticed Nym looking absolutely insane as he charged toward them like an animal with rabies.
Helio had no choice but to take flight as he was caught off guard, gaining some altitude above the ground and out of Nym's reach.
Uh oh. I guess he's Nym's a little hangry.
He felt a little bad about leaving the man to such a fate, but he was not strong enough to lift Rellen off the ground to get him out of harm's reach. Nym had the advantage as Helio has known him a few more hours and he wasn't interested in getting into a fight with the guy.
”It’s that exact thinking that’ll end up causing more problems!” Raven suddenly whirled on Bowyn, fury in her eyes. When he’d started talking she’d felt ice creep into her veins, but now it was replaced by fire. ”You speak of genocide and that…well, that is evil. So who’s the real one here letting evil creep into them, hmm? What’s your plan after you wipe them out? What happens when Avalia ends up not exactly like you think it would be without the Dark Elves? What happens when it’s not any brighter? Gonna blame it on another race? Maybe it’s the Light Elves since it’s obvious you aren’t a huge fan of them either and their obviously not innocent in all this.” She hadn’t taken notice of anything else happening around them, instead she was hyper focused on Bowyn. A soft breeze started to swirl around the group, but Raven had yet to notice that either.
”You are adding to the darkness of this world with how you think, Bowyn. I understand you’ve probably been through some dark things as have a lot of people, but that does not give an excuse for genocide.” She now glanced between Bowyn and Annya. ”So if genocide is either of your goals in this war then I will have absolutely NO part of it. Send me home now if that’s even a thought.” She stood up, now focusing on Annya. ”I’m going down to cool off in the water. Don’t worry, I’ll stay in sight.” The last sentence had a hint of sarcasm to it, born purely out of her mood. She began walking towards the water now, still not having noticed the newcomer or when Rue collapsed.
Meanwhile Eris had just watched things unfold in silence, finding some amusement in Raven’s outburst and small display of magic. Truly, she was impressed that the girl’s magic didn’t explode more in her anger. Even angry, Raven was still trying to keep her magic under control. She glanced up at Inori now, having noted him before he’d even come over, yet said nothing about it. ”Well that was all awfully exciting, was it not? I’ll accept your invitation for drinks. That sounds-” She was cut off as Rue collapsed and she looked at the young fairy in some alarm. She quickly moved to the girls side and knelt down, assessing her for a moment. ”Rue, dear, can you hear me?” That was when all hell broke loose.
Above them all a broadcast appeared showing a demon, a human, and dark elves. Pride was this demon's name and prideful they were it seemed. Eris watched as the demon pulled the human apart in a horrific display, but her attention was quickly caught by a horrified scream. Raven, not far from the group, had paused to see what was happening. As the human began being pulled apart, she felt terrified and ill as she let out a scream. She dropped to her knees, closed her eyes, and covered her ears almost in a panic. ”I wanna go home! I wanna go home1” She started sobbing as she rocked back and forth, but that wasn’t all that happened. Her magic broke loose as wind began to swirl around her rapidly. Swiftly a tornado had formed, kicking sand up everywhere and rising higher into the sky. In the center of it was Raven, not realizing she was now being lifted off the ground, as she remained in a state of panic.
Time: Morning Location: River Port Interactions: Rue @Potter, Eris and “Valerie”(Raven)@Tae, Annya @princess, and Inori @Shard Equipment: 1 hunting knife, a flask of alcohol, a backpack, small tent, blanket, waterskin, rope, fire starting kit, lightmaker, cooking pot, a bar of soap, some drugs; skaula (8 grams) and zemak (a bit less than an ounce), rolling papers, and 191 amas.
Bowyn only let out a tired sigh at Raven’s outburst. Hadn’t he agreed to be civil, to agree to disagree but still cooperate? The outburst, mainly the shouting, seemed more than a bit extreme. So her words grated on his nerves. Even more so when she went on pointing out his own flaws as if he wasn’t well aware of them. Mostly he was angry at himself, for thinking he could even have an open conversation with the lot of them, other than Rue, these were not his people. To trust anyone outside of his village was always a mistake. Gods, he needed a drink right now.
Bowyn remained unaware that Raven, who he knew as Valerie, was a human rather than a demihuman. Her desire to go home sounded like a bizarre tantrum, only later did he realize that he might have just pushed a terrified and confused human to her breaking point. He had been about to say something to Annya, regarding Inori, when Rue fainted.
Bowyn was immediately at Rue’s side, fear tapping into his magic with ease. He felt the frantic pulse at Rue’s neck, the heat on her skin. She was a winter fairy, like him, but he doubted she’d been this far from the north for very long, not used to the heat and sun here. Cold terror at seeing Rue fall was an easy thing to channel into his hands. Cold hands frantically began to turn both moisture in the air and the sweat that beaded upon Rue’s skin into fresh snow.
Bowyn barely watched the broadcast, only heard the demon speak and awful screams in the background as his focus remained on Rue. But it wasn’t hard to understand what was happening, and it only fed the fear and the anger that gave his magic strength.
He packed as much snow as he could create around Rue, letting it melt and cool his friend further, then willing it to lightly frost. He would’ve called for someone to grab water, but the wind picked up with violent fury. His concentration broke from Rue just as violent winds wrapped around a screaming Raven.
A human. A human with no control over emotion or magic, about to let loose enough power to devastate River Port. Wind and sand and raw power whipped and blew away the snow and sent swirling sand flying.
Bowyn dug deeper, tapping into every bit of buried rage and terror he held on to. He focused his attention on pulling the moisture from the air away from the area directly around Raven and her tornado. Bowyn raised his hands, reaching out for the water in the air and freezing it. His magic seized it, pulled it down from above Raven and towards the ground, before continuing to pull and gather it towards him. Bits of hail moved through the air and around him, combined and reformed as he began to build a shield around the group. The air around them became colder and his every exhale left a puff of condensation. His intention was to both pull the moisture from Raven’s tornado, limit her ability to intensify her storm, as well as keep Rue cool enough to gain her strength back.
More and more ice formed, an amorphous shape that took all of Bown’s effort to hold and maintain as it took the brunt of the debris and protected those around him from sand and winds. Every hit from debris knocked bits of ice from the shield, every haphazard repair left it weaker.
Bowyn knew two things, they could neither kill Raven, nor could they let her destroy this town. He looked towards Annya, as a leader in a time of crisis.
“Can you stop her?” He struggled to shout over the wind. His concentration on his magic wavered slightly both as he spoke and as he briefly considered trying to move Rue to safety and leaving the rest of them behind. But he’d already given his word to help protect them, and he couldn’t waste any energy on anything except the task in front of him.
Vrexen gave a single nod toward Maeryn who introduced himself before just walking away from the group.
“I cannot say the same. I have only a single pleasure.” The red-faced demon replied as he wandered the market alone. He was away, but not very far, seemingly musing the other stalls for something he might desire.
“Trust me, it doesn’t get better.” Astra commented before crouching down and wrapping an arm around Myra. “This is Myra. The strong and quiet type this one.” She gave Myra a firm squeeze before letting her go and standing back up. “Saving the best for last…” Her expression was sultry before she shot the fellow dark elf a wink. “I’m Astra. And yes it’s short for Halastra. My mother was very devout. If only she was creative enough to come up with a pretty name like yours, Alaia.”
She might have but the market’s cast sphere started to broadcast something that grabbed the attention of everyone around. The sight and knowledge of a captured human caused all manner of orcs and dark elven troops to cheer for Pride as he spoke and delivered a chilling message to their enemies.
“We got one!”
“Make him suffer, Pride!
“A victory for Malthemoor!”
“We want blood!”
And then it happened. The man was torn in four, and those in the market roared in victory. They even went as far as to chant the name of the victorious demon.
“Pride!” “Pride!” “Pride!” Astra shamelessly cheered with a smile. “Pride!” “Pride!” “Pride!”
“Pride?! Priiiiiiiiiiiide?!"
Vrexen’s roar overtook the chant drawing all eyes on him panting maniacally next to a blacksmith’s stall.
“What is Pride?! That?! The slaying of one feeble creature! Pride will only make you foolish! FOOLS!” Vrexen snapped but his words were not very well received.
“Lord Vrexen is absolutely right! Pride’s execution was an incredible sight, but is that all? Hmm?” Astra briefly questioned from on top of a sealed crate. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was backing up Vrexen except maybe to avoid being lynched by a crowd for being the rude demon’s associate. And so, she used her best weapon. Not magic or blade. Not bow or firearm. Astra simply spoke.
“Pride! A fitting name for such a demon that has spread such a powerful vigor amongst us… but it is not a feeling to hold onto. No! Because it will make us foolish!” She strategically added a slight change to Vrexen’s words before she nodded at the many faces she managed to attract. “We cannot allow this display to steal our hearts so easily or we might dare spoil ourselves with the flavor of victory before being force-fed defeat! One human is not enough! This war will not end until all are slain! Until we have the heads of all of our enemies on spikes! Brothers, sisters, orcs! The answer is not pride! We should be chanting something with much more conviction! To show the enemy we are capable of much more than what we just witnessed! The answer my friends, is violence!” She said with a lively ferocity she didn’t know she could conjure up. It caused the market to burst into passionate roars.
“Violence toward the humans!”
“VIOLENCE!” “VIOLENCE!” “Yesss!” “VIOLENCE!” “Violence toward the light elves and their pathetic Sun Elf Kingdom! “VIOLENCE!” “VIOLENCE!”
“Violence toward the dwarves as we plunder their advancements!” “VIOLENCE!” “VIOLENCE!” “VIOLENCE!”
“Yes! Violence! To all who dare oppose Malthemoor, Aldrakh, and of course Lord Vrexen and his demon brethren!” Vrexen watched in amazement. “VIOLENCE!” “VIOLENCE!” “VIOLENCE!” “VIOLENCE!”
Time: Morning Location: River Port Beach Interactions: Annya @princess , Saorise @Potter Raven @Tae, Ismael @Th3King0fChaos Equipment: Cobalt Saber, Cobalt Half Plate, 1490 Amas, Map of Avalia, Lantern, Water Flask, 3x Torch, x10 Travel Rations, Washing Brush.
Kharne just gave Annya a smirk and a nod before going off with the rest to the bathing tents and started working himself over. Unlike the others he didn't get into a tub or shower. He stripped without a care and sat on a stool with a bucket of water and began scrubbing himself. It seemed as a reptilian being he bathed differently without moving water. While he cleaned himself he listened to the others speak. "A medic will be useful. I don't think anyone here has knowledge beyond the most basic of medical knowledge. He rumbled out, any healer of any sort was insanely handy to have around. It seemed the behemoth didn't really understand dwarvish jokes or sayings.
Then Red spoke up, getting a sigh from the bulky dragonborn. "No one here is a main character...this isn't a story or a show, this is real life leading up to combat and war. Do not treat this as a game or you will die or get someone else killed." Kharne rumbled seriously, giving the two humans a stern look. While he was giving the stink-eye Ismael made up with Kaleb, apparently something had gone on between them during the event? He had never been close enough to the pair for long to see much of anything. But whatever had happened has been sorted out. Good, nothing else needed to happen on that front!
Kaleb talked about a casting couch, and something called Youtube. This got the youth a strange look from him. "You might not want to say things like that. We're trying to keep you hidden while training..." He rumbled out quietly before sighing. Introductions? But everyone here knew him except Arn really.
"I'm a mercenary and have been for a little over forty years. My thoughts is she's being a little soft with our charges, but not every day can be grueling training so I understand where she's coming from. Otherwise she's doing the best she can with the situation she's in and the resources she has." He replied, giving his honest thoughts. Unfortunately things didn't stay peaceful, another broadcast.
Can't anyone trace these fucking things? He growled mentally, the broadcasts were all long and drawn out. Oh boy now demons were in the mix, and probably all of the big ones like Pride here. They quartered a human, how they found one and where he didn't know. Nor did he know how they got summoned considering only elves over a millennium old seemed to have the power and knowledge. The giant was clean enough and wasn't in the mood for any form of extra, so he dressed just as wind began to howl.
And here comes a worst case scenario! "Get dressed, now! Don't even bother drying! Red, go to her and try to calm her down! If that wind is too much then let me lead." He ordered with a slightly raised voice. Which made him boom. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was making a vortex considering she has blasted a several hundred pound troll off his face and into a tree.
Chaos. It was what had been transpiring all around him. The spark began draped in the face of a princess, understandable reluctance towards a strange demon taking center stage. Of course, Chaos had begun to unravel long before Inori made his presence known, conversations and disagreements climbing towards exponential heights. A sharp-toothed grin tugged at the boy’s reptilian features, but he luckily managed to keep such a gleeful reaction sealed beneath a measure of professionalism. His brother’s words presented themselves once again. ’We’re driven by our emotions. We embrace them. We bathe in the Chaos of what’s in our hearts, but the surface races seem to fight it. They’re at war with themselves, and it’s hilarious to watch.’
Truly, it was. What had initially presented itself as a conversation between cultures and ideals quickly devolved into a meltdown, Inori’s crimson gaze taking in the sight as a clawed hand lowered to his scrawny stomach. Don’t laugh, don’t laugh.., do not laugh,’’ a mantra, at this point, a chant repeating itself within the Azure Fiend’s mind. Could he contain this ‘Raven’ girl’s outburst? He could, indeed, but did he want to? No, not at all. He would not conjure forth a sphere of Azura to cocoon her galeforce, a decision born from several layers of thought. The others would likely consider it an act of hostility, seeing a demon already labeled suspicious wield his foul magicks, but most importantly; it was boring. Inori found far greater joy in observing the breakdown of an individual’s psyche. This would most certainly find home upon the pages of his tome; how the war affected those within its iron grip. No, not even the allied races standing against Dark Elves appeared able to agree on a course of action.
At the very least, Inori’s offer for drinks was accepted, the boy’s gaze shifting towards Eris. This one was calm, collected, and withstood the whorl of emotional turbulence surrounding her. An impressive feat by every measure. However, yet again, further conversation was struck by interruption, a far darker actor taking the stage. Pride, a demon Inori was well aware of, if entirely divorced from. The Azure Fiends were not partial to others of their kin, for where was the freedom in alliance? Where was the purity of Chaos in following the mandate of others? No, the Azure Fiends did as they pleased, simply because they felt like it, which to them was the definition of freedom, the definition of purity in Chaos. It was why Inori was studying the war, to present information in which his peers could make a decision; ’Do we want to bother? Will it be fun?’
Tilting his head, the lad crossed spindly arms. What a display, one colored in sanguine wine. It was only following Pride’s antics, or rather, his statement, that something dawned on the boy. This would reflect on him, Inori’s eyes falling shut as thoughts took hold. ’Well. Shit.’ If he took this moment to abscond, leaning towards his powers in pursuit of an exit, he would certainly be branded an accomplice to atrocity. However, as the diminutive demon shifted focus from the broadcast to his immediate company, he’d eventually land on a decision.
Lowering himself to a chair, Inori leaned back and waited for the storm to settle. ”So.., I don’t know him,” came a comment as a claw motioned ahead at the broadcast. Who heard him? It was difficult to say, considering the list of shenanigans taking place, but one thing was certainly clear; Ol’ Pride had ruffled some feathers by quite literally tearing asunder ‘Avalia’s Hope’, and where the Azure Fiends found little interest in tyrannical displays of sadism, the following Chaos was truly something to behold. The surface world was a marvel.
Time: Morning Location: Riverport Beach Interactions:Rue@Potter Bowyn @Helo Eris & Raven @Tae Inori @Shard Equipment:Outfit visible from Disguise Ring,Armor(Not visible); Chest plate is enchanted with Armor of Absorption, Map of Avalia, Water Flask, A bag of elf and demi-human ears and tails, Small book and pen, Ama pouch with 2000 amas on hand, Three large red potions, Wayfinder, Hygiene supplies, Rose-scented Perfume, Location Sender, Shower Tube, Transmission Bracelet, Bedroll, Water Purifier,Axes with returning enchantment,Her backpack Annya had let Raven say her piece. Clearly she wasn’t going to let Bowyn off the hook here. She considered her thoughts with a sigh. Did she want genocide? It wasn’t the first word that came to mind. Truthfully, she just wanted this all to end and for her people to be safe, but what was the cost? She wasn’t sure it was genocide, but it was also not an answer Raven would hate any less. She decided to not reply and nodded to Raven’s idea to go cool off. Besides, she wanted to move the focus onto getting this flying lizard out of the way.
She had been about to question Eris’s decision to go to drinks with Inori when Rue suddenly fainted. ”Oh no I should have realized you two might struggle in the heat.” Annya took out a flash of water. ”Maybe a drink might help?” Bowyn had moved quickly to help cool down Rue luckily.
But then a cast sphere started showing a stream in the sky. Yet again, before they could fully assess the prior situations, the universe had other plans. Annya felt nauseous at the sight of one of the sins. The dark elves were teaming up with demons after all. This was going to be way worse than she could have ever imagined. She cast a momentary glare toward Inori. Her intuition had been on point afterall. She could not stay seated as she stood up in her rising anxiety as she watched the dark elves holding the human. ”No!”She cried out as if her protest could stop them from ripping the human apart. Her eyes watered and her hands went to her face in shock. She had not seen something so vile and violent even in battle before. Her grief twisted into fury as the stream ended and she turned on Inori as her eyes lit up with light magic, ”I will END you if you even think of hurting anyone here. I don’t care who you know! If you want to get drinks with us and be our little friend right now, then you will-”
She broke off as Raven’s sobs pulled at her heart. If she had been so upset by the sight, then poor Raven and Saoirse… Annya gritted her teeth and glared back at Inori. ”You stay the fuck there.” Not like a demon was going to help. Looking over, her breath caught as a tornado formed around Raven. This was a nightmare. There was so much happening at once and for once Annya felt like she was losing control of things. If Raven went berserk right now, not only were the lives of those near her at stake but that of Riverport.
If only Nuallan and Rosaria were here. They’d know how to handle this.
”Can you stop her?”
Annya glanced down at Bowyn as he shouted at her. Her heart pounded in her ears but she shook her head as trying to wake herself up. ”... I have to!”She called back to him. ”I’ll figure this out… Take Rue and back out of harm’s way okay? “ She turned to look at Eris, “Eris make sure the others stay back and don’t get hurt!” She knew she could hit the young girl with a force of light through the wind and knock her down, but she didn’t want to do that. Something in the girl’s sobs made her want to cry too.
Annya moved toward Raven, putting an arm in front of her face as she struggled against the harsh winds. Every step was met with resistance, but she knew she had to get closer. ”Raven! Sweetheart! A hazy memory of her younger self crying to go home after her first battle filled her memory. Her sister had held her and let her cry, told her it would be okay. She hadn’t even cared at the moment if the words had been true; she had just wanted to hear that it would be okay in her terror. Annya started to shout to her,”… I’m scared too Raven! That’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that!” She pushed closer, stumbling, ” But I will protect you with my life! I won’t let anything happen to you! It will be okay! … If-If you wanna go home, I’ll find a way to get you home!”
”Deep breaths, love, okay! Try to focus on relaxing! Everything will be fine!”
The night set in on the desert and the hot air quickly became cold. It was now late evening as the group had stopped to make camp. Unfortunately for Jomari, there would be no relief from the sand any time soon. A reptile scurried by as Mikazuki exited the tent she and Rosaria were to share, one of three they had with them. A fire crackled upon some logs. It was a relief to not have the sun beating down on them any longer, however, it was fairly surprising just how cold it was getting. She had retrieved her scarf from the tent, now wrapping it around her arms as she sat down next to Rosaria.
Rosaria sat in the sand, bow drawn and arrows attached. She shivered and took the palm warmers out and offered them to Mika. “The desert is a contradiction. Super hot in the day, then cold at night. Who would have thought?”
”Thank you. Yeah, I certainly would have never guessed it would get this cold. Quite a bizarre thing.” Mika replied, giving her friend a smile as she utilized the palm warmers. The two had insisted on taking the first watch, claiming they wished to catch up as they did so. Jomari, Kuroi, Uzul, and Nuallán had all been asleep for the past hour or two. ”I feel like I haven’t really gotten to sit and see how you’ve been since all this happened. How are you holding up, my dear friend?”
”You are welcome.” She paused and then nodded. An exhausted sigh left her and rubbed her face, finally letting her guard down. ”I’m well but I’m tired. It took a lot out of me to summon the six humans. I couldn’t have done it without my family or friends though. I feel bad for bringing them into this insane world…. I just hope I’m doing the right thing. I love them all and will do anything to protect them, even the defiant and sassy Jomari. He’s a delight isn’t he?” She paused, amusement in her voice, and then added, ”How are you holding up? It’s been rough for you too. I can’t imagine being in your shoes.”
Mika nodded, having a feeling she was far more exhausted than she’d let on to the others. She couldn’t blame her, the power she exerted was one very few had the capability of wielding. ”Your strength and power is truly amazing Rosaria. We’ll protect these humans to the best of our abilities, even the delightful Jomari.” She chuckled, but her face fell some as she let her own guard drop some as well. ”Honestly I’m scared and hurting more than I want to admit. I knew my father was a coward, but never would I have expected this to happen. Suddenly I’ve gone from a meek, forgotten princess to the heir of a kingdom overnight. I wasn’t prepared for this…got any advice?”
Rosaria wrapped an arm around her friend and pulled her into a fierce side hug. She remained silent as she spoke. She nodded finally but didn’t let go. ” It’s a shame he was a coward because the demihumans deserved better. The whole city does, in fact - including you. I will give you advice: take it day by day, and if that’s too hard, then hour by hour. Nobody should expect you to turn into a ruler overnight. We didn't build Roshmi in a day so neither will you be built in a day. I know you can do it though. I believe in you. You’re one of the strongest people I know.” Mika let out a shaky breath as Rosaria spoke, but found her words quite comforting.
Unfortunately, due to the heartfelt conversation between the two, neither of them caught onto the shadowy figures silently approaching. The sand completely muffled the footsteps and the dark clothing kept them shrouded. Mikazuki watched a large hand clasp over Rosaria’s mouth suddenly and almost gasped, only for a hand to cover hers as well. She could just barely make out the figure behind Rosaria when everything went black.
Rosaria had then crumpled like a cookie in milk onto her side. Her bow slipped over her lap and onto the sand, emanating a loud thud. Her eyes slid shut instantaneously when a cloth covered her face.
When Mikazuki’s eyes opened a few moments later, she found herself over the shoulder of a large man, her wrists bound. All she could do was scream for help.
All that was left behind when the four men came back outside their tents were footsteps in the sand going in opposing directions.
Time: Morning Location: Myriamor Interactions: @princess Sophie @Mole Aurora @FunnyGuy Slick @Helo Leaf Equipment: A D&D miniature, a blunt, and the clothes he was given
Caelan watched in horror at what was shown in the hologram. He felt a mix of fear and anger like a cornered animal; his emotions heightened by the drunken state he was in. He could not believe what he was witnessed. This demon laughed at murdering this defenseless human. He wanted to kill this demon to give him what he deserved. Caelan stood there, trying to collect himself after the transmission, but seconds later he felt a push on his chest, causing him to slip and fall into the water. The shock of the situation made Caelan panic and crack the earth below the pool, causing the water to rapidly begin to drain.
Dante Blackbourn
Time: Morning Location: River Port Interactions: @FunnyGuy Darius Equipment: Clothes from a dead elf, Steel Sword
Dante was surprised by Darius’s confidence. He was not the same man anymore. And he was glad, because if he was that same little bitch, they’d both be screwed right now.
“Damn right we will fight back. We’ll have to train like Naruto and Sasuke, man. We’ll fuck that dumb bitch up.” Dante replied as they were walking into the restaurant. Dante followed Darius being seated by some frogman. This was probably the most bizarre moment of his life. Still, he did not react outwardly toward any of this so that they would blend in.“I will take the slime day special actually.” Dante replied to the waiter giving him a nod. “You might want to get my brother a menu, please and thank you.” he said to the waiter.
What the fuck is the slime day special? he thought but was willing to try whatever it is. Dante looked towards Darius and added to his previous statement, “I’ll hit that fat demon with that boom ting, know what I mean?” The sound of screaming and the wind picking up outside filled the air but he was not in the mood to look into after what they had just seen. He casually took a sip of the water as people rushed to the windows to see what was happening, looking at Darius for his reply.
The monkey and the fairy had traveled the entire day and even into the night with only a brief stop to rest. Faye was rather anxious about getting to Roshmi and also didn’t want to spend too much time in the jungle, not wanting to run into something dangerous. While she had full confidence in Wumong’s fighting ability, she had very little confidence in her own. Sure she’d begun taking lessons from Wumong, but her abilities were still very lacking. She had a feeling she’d only be in the way if they were to fight something. So every time Wumong would ask if she needed any rest she would push herself and tell him she was fine. He’d had to force her to stop and rest for a while, to which she’d tried to protest but he was having none of it. So rest they did and thankfully nothing had happened while they did so.
They had made it to Roshmi in the early hours of the morning and this was when they’d discovered what had transpired in Roshmi the day before. Entering the city was much more of a hassle than she remembered it to be, dark elves standing at the gates and questioning all who wished to enter. When it was their turn it took everything in Faye to keep her anger in check and tears from spilling onto her cheeks. Wumong had to speak with them instead as Faye knew she would only cause suspicion if she tried to speak. She wasn’t even sure if she hadn’t already caused suspicion by constantly trying not to look at the dark elves. Thankfully after a few minutes they were let into the city and, while Faye wanted to look for Bastian immediately, Wumong convinced her to find a place to stay first and then they could continue their mission afterwards.
That is what led them to the tavern they were now in. Faye had first gone up to their room to rest for a bit while she left Wumong to his own devices. After a bit she found him again and they were now sitting at a table finishing up a meal. Faye had overheard lots of gossip, mostly about what was happening within Roshmi. Apparently there had been lots of dark elves gathering up anyone who spoke out against the Twins and many bodies were on display in the major courtyards. The thought of this made her ill and she fought off many dark memories from surfacing. The dark elves had caused so much pain, Faye just wanted it all to stop. ”It seems like this city has been through a lot lately. It scares me to be here for too long. I do hope we can find Bastian and hopefully Helio quickly.” She said softly as she glanced up at Wumong, obvious fear in her eyes. Whether it was from the fear of the state of Roshmi or the prospect of seeing Helio was hard to determine, however. ”Did you hear any interesting information while I was resting by chance?” She went on to ask curiously.
Wumong looked towards Faye. He could see the fear in her tone and eyes. “Settle down my dear, I have heard some things around the city I may be able to find our little pup.” Wumong had found out that Bastian was frequenting this tavern or so he had heard. “Everything will come to us in time darling, you need not fret or worry.” He gave a comforting smile to the young fairy.
Faye took a deep breath, trying to calm herself more and then gave Wumong a small smile. ”Okay, I’ll try to keep myself a bit more calm. I’m sorry.” After a minute she began looking around the tavern, watching for Bastian. She’d met him a few times, but she worried she wouldn’t immediately recognize him.
As if on cue, the door swung open and was pushed against the wall by a claw. Yellow, predatory eyes searched the room as the dark-haired canine took in his surroundings. A low growl emitted from his throat to ward off a glare he received. He had a lean muscular build and a scar across his face. It was easy to tell from his long claws that he could tear the skin off one’s face if he so wanted. Not many looked over as they were used to his loud entrances.
Bastian’s gaze caught on the fairy and monkey demi-human seated and his stoic expression suddenly brightened. “Oh hi!” He exclaimed and began to eagerly make his way over, only to trip over the leg of a stool and fall into the table of other patrons. They gasped in indignation but he collected himself without even looking their way as he continued his journey to the table of his old friends, ”Aha! Here I am!” He flashed a grin that could make the elderly faint as he put his fists to his waist. The wolf demihuman was in a long, dramatic coat and had spiked boots, “What are you two rascals doing here, huh? But wow am I happy to see you !” His tail was subtly wagging behind him.
Faye watched the scene with wide eyes, gasping as Bastian tripped and fell. She was concerned he’d injured himself, but he was quick to jump right back up. ”Bastian, um, are you okay? That looked like it may have hurt a little…” She said softly to him once he got to their table. Bastian had nodded eagerly in reply to her question, still smiling. He stared at her for a moment as he debated on hugging her and decided against it, thinking that it would invade her personal space.
Wumong took his staff and gave Bastian a small smack on the top of his head. “You shouldn’t go stumbling around causing issues with the other guests.” Wumong laughed, “We were looking for you so we could get into contact with Helio so we could learn more about this resistance.” Wumong said to him his tone taking a more serious turn.
Bastian winced and whimpered, “Monkey! That hurt! Why have you done this?” After a moment of rubbing his head he snapped his fingers his way with a chuckle, “Sike. I’m fine. Gotcha!” He seated himself down and transferred his excited energy into tapping the table as he spoke, “Well Helio is not involved with the resistance anymore. As far as I know, he’s off in Port Vanarosa with a bunch of degenerates… But.” He leaned in to speak softer, giving them a wink, “I happen to be.”
”Bastian,” Faye began as she reached out and gently took his hand that was tapping the table. ”You know as well as I do that before everything happened with Helio he did wonders in the resistance. They killed his brother, if he’s truly back to the good Helio we knew before then why isn’t he doing anything about this? Why is he hiding out in Port Vanarosa? I just need to talk to him, to get answers and to see if I can sway him into joining this fight. Do you have any way of getting in contact with him? She pleaded with him as she trembled slightly.
Bastian squeezed her hand and then put his other hand over both of them as well, ”I do know. He’s… just… Well… He’s probably not taking it well.”He told her, his tone saddening. ”Even the people in Roshmi kinda run screaming for the hills whenever they see him. He got real depressed and left. Now I’m sure the guilt is eating him alive for leaving after what happened to his br-” He broke off, his expression breaking as everything dawned on him. ”I’m so sorry… Are you okay? Well of course you’re not-!” He pulled her into a tight hug.
Faye welcomed the hug, but it also broke her a small bit as she let out a small sob while burying her face in his chest. "I feel like I'm in a nightmare, but I can't wake up." Her words were little more than a whisper as she tried desperately to keep from breaking down completely. It was at this moment that she realized Helio must be feeling the same, if not worse and for an instant she wondered if they could help each other out of this nightmare. Perhaps that was the real reason she sought out Helio. Did she need someone that understood this hell she lived in?
Bastian had hugged her tighter when he heard the sob and gave her pets on the head. When he was sad, he liked pets. He was silent as he let her vent.
She finally pulled herself away from Bastian, looking up at him with a new determination. "I want to help him, Bastian. Help me bring him home?"
Wumong watched the two converse. It hurt his heart to know Helio was somewhere, perhaps in as much pain as Faye but alone in it. “We will bring him back. Do not worry yourself too much, my dear Faye.It’s not good for your health to stress.” Wumong placed a hand on her shoulder and looked towards Bastian. “Do you still have a way to contact him?”
Bastian tapped his transmission bracelet, ”Yup. I’ll give him a call right now.” He took it off his wrist and put it on Faye’s to use, holding down the correct button to contact Helio. However, as he was doing so, the door was suddenly kicked down to the bar with a loud thud.
“There he is! Over there with the monkey and the fairy!”
Dark elves as well as a few Roshmi demihuman guards began pouring into the bar. A dark elf with his hair in a ponytail came forward, obviously leading, ”Get both him and his accomplices.”He ordered. ”Arrest them.”
Bastian jumped to his feet and growled. This was his fault. He should have relocated their conversation elsewhere. He took only a moment to collect his thoughts as the foes were coming toward them quite slowly. He looked down at Faye and smiled at her,”Sorry.. This is my mess. Go ahead and call Helio.” He unleashed his claws and threw himself at the oncoming enemies, starting to slash away at them like a parent animal protecting its cubs.
Wumong grabbed his staff, and immediately right after Bastian, jumped at the dark elves enlarging the staff while in the air. He slammed it down on one of the elves' shoulders before kicking another one in the chest. “You really think you can win? You should have minded your own business.” Wumong continued repeatedly beating the oncoming dark elves with his staff, using many techniques as the size of his staff changed with each movement.
Faye's eyes widened in fear as the dark elves came in, but Bastian had already initiated the call. She quickly stood, backing away from the fighting that ensued. What should I do? What should I do?! Just then the call was answered and she stared at the recipient. "Helio…" She breathed, but then her head whipped to the side as she noticed someone coming towards her. She quickly looked back to the transmission, eyes wild. "Help!" She yelled and then let out a scream as a hand wrapped over her mouth and the transmission ended.
With Rellen’s focus on Helio, especially after the quick save he made for himself, he failed to notice the lurking shark onboard. He and Helio clashed both blade and magic, with Rellen’s heart racing. This is what he wanted from the start. Fighting and bloodshed!
Helio had satisfied the first desire… and Nym satisfied the other as he suddenly gripped him. Teeth to flesh! No! He attempted to stuggle against the surprise attack, but there was no way Nym was letting go. He tried to flare his darkness magic out, but the sun and his limited versatility in its use were to his detriment. Bite after bite, he screamed in pain. Bite after bite, he found himself ever more compromised. Bite after bite… the elf found his end.
Only one elf remained beneath the deck. The silver-tongued Vellen. If Nym could get past the scent of Rellen’s flesh and blood caking his face, he’d notice the thick scent of blood seeping up from below…
