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Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by VitaVitaAR
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VitaVitaAR King of Knights

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For a few moments, Bethany seemed to shrink even more behind the slightly smaller frame of the Princess when Christina's attention turned to her. Eyes being on her... it was just a bit too much, especially after what one of the knights had done to her. However, after a few moments, the girl realized she was being apologized to and took a deep breath before managing a stuttering response.

"I-it's okay, I... I'm s-sure you had your reasons," she said, averting her eyes. Bethany had no idea what those reasons could possibly be, but there had to be something. Instead of looking at the knight, however, she instead busied herself by staring slightly to the right of the Princess's back, at the floor. More specifically, the large, ornate carpet. It was all she could do to keep herself from degenerating into an incoherently-stammering mess.

Eliabelle's mind, at least, was taken off of the strange circumstances when Ian spoke to her. Yes, a hundi on top of being a knight! She'd only ever seen one once before, a diplomat when she was a little girl. She hadn't exactly been in the position to ask too many questions of them.

"It's very nice to meet you, Sir Ian," she said, curtsying as she did. Ah, there... even under such circumstances she would get to meet more of them! "I'm very happy to see a hundi in the Iron Rose Knights' ranks, I'm so interested in your culture!"

When Gillian spoke, she turned to him as well.

"A Griffin?" Eliabelle asked. She'd read about them prior, but naturally even with her attempts to understand as much of the world as she could, it was difficult to do so given her position. The Princess did know what could be read of griffins, however. Highly intelligent, sometimes social, vicious predators. However, for all their intelligence, a skilled hunter or knight could still tangle with one. She'd even heard that one of the original Iron Roses had killed one as a child, though that was so long ago.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by ghastlyInc
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“Yep. Griffin.” He leans back in the chair slightly, recollecting the details of that particular adventure. It wasn’t often he got to brag about his exploits. Doing so with other knights just seemed redundant as most had similar stories, if not better ones, and most pubs had grander stories (though the truth of any tale said over ale and pickled eggs is questionable at best). “I was…I believe a year into knighthood by that point. So nineteen or there about.” He begins.

“I’d joined a small squad of knights lead by that was headed to the northern border at the behest of a Lord…Albin? Albion? Something like that. A band of orcs had made camp too close to a trade town of his, and it was disrupting business….to be frank with you, I think the dwarven traders they were ‘disrupting’ enjoyed the sport of it.” He smirks, remembering the rowdy bunch of copper miners who’d made camp with them after they’d arrived at the outpost. “Normally a job that far out of the way isn’t worth picking up, being short in both gold and glory, and I was in bad need of the former. Thankfully, the Knight who hired me was well aware of that, and had secured a tithe from the lord to pay for the expedition.”

“At any rate, between us, the traders, and the lords own men the orcs barely lasted three days before they were routed. Most of the company stayed behind for a few weeks to drink and lay whoever was available. Not being too fond of that sort of thing, I headed back south. While on my way back maybe…” he pauses, trying to remember “About half a week’s walk to the north east of Aimlenn I stopped in a small farm town. Mostly because there were the gored remains of a flock of sheep and what was left of a donkey strewn about the town.”

“When I inquired with the mayor, she informed me that a griffin with a torn wing had made itself at home somewhere near the sleepy village in the woods. Claimed its was hunting their livestock at nigh. Course, at the time I didn’t rightfully believe her. Mountains were close, but the area was decidedly farmland lacking the high ridges the beast prefers to hunt on. And pest animals, no matter how aggressive, generally don’t kill more than what they can eat. Turns out I wasn’t the first person to think that, many knights having passed over it as a hassle and most hunters in the region were either suspicious or ill-equipped to deal with the issue. As a result, I was given a very generous offer to deal with it quickly.”

“Still sure the villagers were mistaken, I happily took the job. Figured it was probably a feral pack of dogs and that the locals were just panicking about how this would affect harvest (it was late into the growing season) and getting all worked up.”

“Without much livestock left to kill, the farmers had taken to keeping the lot of them in one pen at night. I spent most of the night kneeling in ankle deep pig shit, waiting for my prey to show up. About two hours before sun up, it struck. Broke through from the tree line and broke a dead sprint straight for the pens. Damn thing gave me a heart attack as some forty three stone of feathery muscle tore moving at the speed of hate towards the livestock. I’d barely recovered by the time it leapt the fence, sinking its beak into one of the few remaining sheep. And damned if the mayor wasn’t right as rain, the things wing was mangled to all hell, feathers half rotted away and hanging from the shoulder by a twig of bone. Were it not for that sorry feature, he’d have been a right handsome specimen. ”
“I quickly cursed the creature with a spell I uh… know.” he pauses, trying to avoid an in-depth explanation. “Little curse that lets me brand a sigil on something that oozes glowing goo. Doesn’t hurt nothing, but ‘s useful if you need to track something.”

“Since I was getting paid to keep the livestock safe, it didn’t seem right to let the sheep continue to get torn asunder. So I grab my spear and give the bastard a few good jabs while he’s distracted, catching him in the shoulder. I should have just let him get tired out, ‘cause he turned on me and gored me something fierce for his troubles.” Gillian unbuttons his shirt sleeve on his good arm, rolling it up. A long jagged scare runs along the length of the forearm.

“After that, he ran off, leaving a nice easy trail of blood and goo for me to follow back to his den. I took a few minutes to get myself patched up (and apologize for loosing another sheep) before following. It was about a two hour hike into the backwoods and the sun was just barely out by the time I found its den. Cave opening was about as wide as the doors to this room, maybe a little smaller.”

“I approached the opening with my shield up, ready for him to charge out from the darkness. When I got to the mouth, I realized the buzzard was pressed up against the back wall, seething as he lay in a pool of his own blood and other fluids. I’m sure had he the energy, he’d have charged me down then and there, but it seems his age and the blow from earlier had sucked a deal of the fight out of him.”

“Given he was happy enough to let me wander right up to the cave opening without reprisal, I decided to weigh the match in my favor a little before engaging him. I head back to the trees and sharpen some stakes out of them, planting them evenly in around of the mouth of the cave. Make it harder for the big fellow to move around as freely.” He decides to omit the part where he made sure the stakes were as septic as possible, just in case he lost the fight but the griffin managed to step on one and get an infection. And Thaln not being home to the most poisonous of plants, there was only one readily available option. Bring up that sort of tactic in front of knights on a battlefield might get you a look or two, but there was some understanding. Nobles though? The disgust would be so thick you could spread it on bread, and he couldn’t rightfully blame them.

“It was about noon by the time I finally decided to engage the griff, throwing another spell at him to get his attention. The bolt struck him at a bad angle, grazing him, but it was good enough. Injured and now threatened, he burst from the cave and bears down on me, avoiding most of the stakes near the entrance and slamming head first into my shield. I could feel my bones rattle as I thrown to my knees, his momentum carrying him over and behind me. I barely manage to turn and get my spear up before he charges again, catching the tip of the blade in him before he backs off.”

“We stare each other down for a while, taking experimental pokes at anothers defenses. Then, to my surprise, as I was taking a stab at him the feathered devil snatched the spear in his beak (avoiding the blade), and rip it back from my grip. It was kind of a surreal moment, to have been disarmed by an animal, and I’m dead certain if any of my instructors had seen it I would have heard no end of it.”

“The griffin, for his part, seemed pleased with his maneuver. Or atleast I assume so as he bore down on me. Stunned and with no time to reach for my sword, I reacted on instinct and threw as hard as I could with my shield arm. We traded blows, him catching me in the shoulder and me landing a blow against his head. He rolls over me, I would guess concussed from the blow, onto one of the stakes I’d laid out, stunned and now bleeding twice over. Adrenalin and good luck let me recover first, drawing my sword and quickly thrusting it into his breast as he lay stunned. Then I backed off, leaving my weapons while the beast laid there and subcame to its wounds. By an hour later, it’d bleed out and I was walking back to town, head in hand. Got paid. Went home. Still, one of the better hunts I ever got to be a part of. Have hated to see him in his prime, wings and all.”

It wasn’t exactly the noble tale most knights would have made it out to be, Gillian knew. He’d probably have been more impressive if the griffin was bigger and was still capable of flying, but he never liked the idea of change that. He liked the battered old griffin (hell, he was PROUND of having hunted him), probably pushed towards the farmland after losing a territory battle with another male (likely how it lost its wing to), but still every inch as vicious and hearty as any other of its kind. Lying about the beast seemed insulting, and he could never bring himself to do it.

And leaving the griffin to die rarely left a good impression with crowds outside of hunters. Most wanted a triumphant victory after hours of one on one combat, not realizing the difficulty of handling an animal that big and dangerous while wounded and desperate. And even he had to admit, he'd have preferred that tale, if only so it could have minimized the poor creatures suffering at the end. But that wasn’t how the fight had gone. It was an exhilarating three minutes where the world was just him and the griffin wanting nothing more than to kill one another, then it was over, and the griffin was left to go as Mayon intended him. Eased into the unconscious arms of death, then to awake where ever the goddesses put griffins in death.

There is a pause and Gillian realizes he, perhaps, rambled on too long with his tale. “I uh..sorry. Got a little lost there. But that’s my griffin story, such as it is.”
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Themerlinhawk
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Themerlinhawk Aegis Kai Doru

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Sir Garrett


Sir Garrett eyed the two new individuals who had joined the battle. Things were getting out of hand and frankly. It felt an awful lot like they had been expected which was impossible really. Unless the nem had been on the inside. SIr Garrett highly doubted that as he eyed the two newcomers. Clearly conspirators to the assassination given that one of them had just spoken about the Nem’s sister. With a smooth motion Sir Garrett dropped the mace he was holding and drew the flat bladed sword from his belt; launching himself across the distance between himself and assailant wielding a crossbow he dipped his frame low and moved at a surprising speed for his bulky frame.

With a bellow like thunder the Hill Knight brought his sword down cleaving for the crossbow wielder’s weapon. It was an impractical weapon for fighting in such confined spaces. Once it was fired the wielder would be next to useless. Hopefully the shot missed or was leveled at someone else. Sir Garrett was a rather large target so it wasn’t inconceivable that he would become the most obvious. Regardless the cramped space would work to his advantage as there was little room for the assailant to flee and Sir Garrett was much faster than he appeared without his bulky armor.

What does it feel like to fight like you were born to dear brother? You must enjoy feeling like one of your kin again.

Sir Garrett brushed off the voice. A remnant of a past that still clawed at him in the dark. It would not halt him. His blade would not falter as it flashed through the space between him and the crossbow wielder. The stroke was dead on to cut through the conspirators weapon.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by VitaVitaAR
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As Tyaethe ran, it seemed there were no other traps.

Until...

"MY ENEMIES BURN!"

A coffin tucked into the wall on the right side of the small, sprinting girl suddenly seemed to glow red and twist inwards on itself... before erupting like an ignited pot of oil into a ball of flames. In spite of the loudly-declared spell, it was the force rather then the flames that was the danger here. Either Tyaethe would dodge, or she'd be knocked across the room by the sheer force of the blast.

"BEHOLD THE CLEANSING FIRE, GIRL!" declared the voice. Soon enough, the assailant was revealed, a man in his forties with a thick beard, clad in a red robe. His eyes were wild, a ball of fire burning in the palm of one of his hands. "YES, FLAMES! THE FIRE OF DEATH AND REBIRTH! THIS KINGDOM WILL BURN! BUUUURN!"

Regardless of Tyaethe's action, his single-action spell activated and he let out a wave of flames from his palm. It seemed hard to believe someone this... loud was one of the six conspirators, but he was. Only two remained unaccounted for.




For the crossbowman, a great deal of things happened at once. A beast of ice, a thrown statue, and an assault from one of the knights... He twisted out of the way, in an almost imhumanly fast motion. In fact, there was no way a human could accomplish such a move... He immediately sprang up, pushing off the wall with one foot to land himself behind his attackers, his crossbow loaded far too quickly. As he leveled it at the back of the knight who'd attacked him directly, it became clear that the hood had fallen back, revealing his face.

Beneath he was a handsome, clean-shaven young man, looking no older then his early twenties. His skin was almost bleached white, his eyes crimson, his hair dark... and his grin revealed fangs.

"Ah ah ah, did you think it was that easy?" the grinning vampire said, "Come on, show me something interesting this time."

He cocked his head to one side.

"After all, Alvor's doing a wonderful job of showing your Captain some Barukstaed hospitality, isn't he?"

Had... had the paladin killed two surrendering men...? There wasn't any time to bring that up now, though. Fanilly sprang back as the axe slammed into the ground before her. She swore she saw the stone break from the impact, but it was hard to tell. She had to keep moving. The man's strength was unquestionable, but his speed was not. Her advantage lay there, as she darted to the side to avoid another blow. The axe slammed into an undisturbed coffin, smashing the wood apart to reveal... nothing?

There was a necromancer here, but the coffin hadn't been touched in years... Well, there wasn't any time to focus on that!

It was around this moment that the paladin charged. While the blow would have been devastating, the armored man noticed too quickly, managing to quickly step out of the way, albeit barely.

Remembering the training her family had given her, and taking advantage of the man's distraction, Fanilly placed one foot firmly forward as the armored warrior raised his axe again. His arm, exposed and at a poor angle for deflection...! The edge of her sword bit into his flesh and drew blood. Alvor roared with anger at being so quickly injured, and Fanilly was swiftly brought to a realization that her attack had not been timed so well as she though.

An impact reverberated through her armor, a shock of pain up her back, as his arm slammed into her back. She tumbled and rolled across the ground with a yelp of pain, but drove one hand out to stop herself, her gauntlet scraping against stone and tossing up sparks.

Alvor was swiftly advancing on her, and the girl pushed through the pain(thank Mayon for the sturdiness of her armor) to throw herself from the path of his attack, his axe slamming down onto the ground where she had just been.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Raineh Daze
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Tyaethe barely took note of the warping coffin: like everything else intended to stop the knights in this defiled tomb, she had no intention of pausing to deal with it. She could just run past whatever was going on and reach the bottom without being paused. It was definitely a possible approach, provided that nothing was slowing you down. For instance, having much shorter legs than you were really expecting and a consequently slower top speed.

Instead of outrunning the explosion entirely, it instead got her from behind as the originator revealed himself. The white-haired girl did the only thing that she could: twist her body round so that the sword might get him and trust in her speed to not be set aflame. Landing afterwards was, fortunately, the easiest part and once back to her feet... the paladin kept going. Sure, there was a pyromaniac--and the possibility of being slightly aflame--but that could be put off until she was ready to stand and fight everything down here.

Probably.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Themerlinhawk
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Sir Garrett


As the man launched himself through the air Sir Garrett snarled. He’d seen such movements before, the possessed had done such a thing when the Shaman had taken them over. Sir Garrett didn’t think but as soon as he heard the light footsteps of the inhuman land behind him Sir Garrett whirled dropped his body and lashed out with the blade before twisting his body to the left and continued with his brutal onslaught. Inhuman strength or speed meant little. Eventually one of the Knights would bring the creature down. It was simple math. With its positioning the vampire had its back turned to the other Knights and if it turned to deal with them SIr Garrett was going to cut its head clean off.

Twisting his blades Sir garrett chuckled. “I don’t know what you are but I’m looking forward to sending you back to whatever afterlife you escaped.” Turning himself sideways Sir Garrett grinned at the Vampire. Stepping forward he turned himself sideways. It was a gamble but his mace was lying on the ground behind the Vampire and the range he was at was awful for a crossbow shot. It left the vampire completely vulnerable.

“Why would you jump into the middle of a group of Knights, you really are foolish aren’t you.” Pity I don't have my mask. That would make this much more appropriate Twisting his body slowly and shifting his blade Sir Garrett continued to back the Vampire towards his comrades.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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With the crossbow-wielding assailant having just revealed himself as a vampire, Tiral bit him lip before directing his construct to turn around and continue chasing. Though it had barely managed to dodge the statue (what sort of person threw statues, anyhow?!), the ice creature's momentum certainly looked shot. Maybe it was because the idea was still experimental...?

Ah, well. It was worth a shot, at least. Maybe he could look into it more after his initial curiosities. But first, taking care of this man... Probably took priority. Right.

Leaving the ice beast to chase as it pleased, Tiral took note of the positions of everyone in the area as best he could, withdrawing from the front lines for a moment to begin another spell. So long as he could differentiate between ally and enemy...

"Damn, this sort of thing would be MUCH easier if he had time to prepare beforehand!" he cursed inwardly before completing his incantation and kneeling to the ground, slipping his knife between a gap in the bricks at his feet. A cool blue light enveloped the blade as a single stream of water began to slip in between, seeping into every nook and cranny as it traveled along. Near allies, the water remained in place, while against enemies, the water would freeze as they moved across it at defrost as they left. For the most part, though, it was just water, which lessened the burden of having to manually control when things would freeze up.

This sort of method felt a bit more comfortable, at least. Admittedly, maybe a mission like this wasn't the best place to experiment with styles of combat, but... Well, the earlier he figured out what he could use from the notes, the better. The Court Mage had mentioned a few things about efficiency, and though he was already looking into streamlining his own magil usage, well... This sort of maneuver seemed to work.

Granted, it might also be possible to repurpose this sort of spell for other uses, but that could be handled after this ordeal was resolved.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by AtomicNut
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"Wooooh...awesome, like, cool!" It was the giddy answer of Mariah, after seeing the seemingly supernatural prowess of her adversary. To be honest, she didn't even realize what her adversary actually was, just someone who hadn't seen sunlight in a long time. A librarian? Yes, a crossbow librarian! "Okay, mr Librarian! Your turn to toss me stuff?" She beckoned as she put her own cocky stance pose, hands firmly resting in her hips, and still covered in the blood of all the guards she had cut down.

Unsurprisingly, her beckon seemed to be left unanswered, since, after the hesitation and the grim perspective of seeing a sentient undead, both of Mariah's sworn siblings, jumped directly into the fray, inching the distance in brisk steps. Their gait, sword moves and even breathing in unison. Like a well-timed court dance, both knights swung their swords at the vampire at once, coming from the flanks. A well-timed, coordinated attack, aiming to try and take out the head of the vampire before it could do much more harm.

"WHAT? NO FUN! You guys are laaame!" Mariah couldn't help but to puff up her cheeks, completely misunderstanding the situation and gravity of the revelation. "Eeek!" She also seemed to be grossed out by some flowing water, or somesuch. It was then, when starving for something to do, spotted a large knight fighting a little girl.

Wait, wasn't she the captain of the Roses or something? Regardless, Mariah could not stand bullies, so she hefted her twin dane axes once more, and with a mighty arm throw, discarded one of them, splitting the air between Fanilly and the armored brute, and firmly lodging itself into a stone wall.

"I hate bullies who pick on little girls" Mariah said, in a slight growling tone, as she menancingly twirled her remaining axe over head, and then casually smashing the remains of the statue with her fist. She glared furiously at her target as she charged mindlessly, like an ox, her two-handed axe attacks destroying everything it came into contact, even the very stones of the crypt... and even her own axe."YOU WANT TO PLAY? PLAY WITH MARIAH THE HALF GIANT!"

However, for all her fierce and menacing charge, it was clear that it was wild, unfocused, and that eventually would wear her down as well as mangle her own weapon.




Meanwhile, Rinaldo twirled his moustache once more. He didn't mind the young one had a better story, or atleast a more appealing one, or that the Hundi was winning everybody in the room with the puppy charms. He apparently was also ordered to keep watch around, but it was a comely female, so he didn't mind. Finishing the last of his dessert, he chewed thoughtfully.

Truth to be told, he did like people telling long winded tales, as they distracted others while he did his stuff, and his stuff he did, as he kept a closer than intended look on the females as they were enthralled by the other's charm and tales. However, he did noticed something, as he meditated about it.

"Mmm... an interesting tale, young one. Also griffins are an impressive feat at your age. Not as undead mammoths, but still..." He mused about. "Say, is this where you lost your original arm? I couldn't help but notice it. You see, people have ticks, and certain movements they do... but your left arm and your right arms faint movements are slightly...off." The old man grinned.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Zetsuko
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Alaric slammed full on into a wall when his charge missed, stopping short in his tracks and whirling around to get back in the fight. He got a quick glance over at the fight with the vampire before an axe lodged itself in the wall next to him and, without hesitation, was yanked from the wall by him and flung back toward the steel-clad bastard attacking the tiny captain. It was meant to distract more than it was to hit in order to prevent the already unlikely sidestepping of what he did next. Taking his hammer in both hands he rose it above his head...

"HAMMER DOWN!"

And so he brought the hammer down, sending a burning shockwave toward Alvor and the captain. Sure the Iron rose captain was likely to get caught up in it as well, as would anyone else getting close to Alvor, but other than being thrown a short distance and some minor singing anyone hit wouldn't be overly harmed. It would give Alaric a chance to close the distance and actually land a blow from his hammer this time, which was his next move, rushing forward for a more aimed strike this time.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by harinezumikouken
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harinezumikouken Bloodstarved Beast

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Marianne Delacroix



The last body of the guards falling to the ground with a thud, Marianne withdrew her sword from him. Flicking her wrist and blade to cast off the crimson liquid, drawing a faint splattering line on the dark ground as she did so. Her ears alerting to a new, foreign noise, Marianne looked up to discern their source and her heart nearly stopped beating. Her blood running cold and her eyes widened as she took in the horrors of animated, decrepit bones of the long-since passed. Taking a step back, fear gripped her heart and prevented her from taking any further action as she scanned with slight turns of her head. There were too many of them for her to count, but it wasn't the numbers that overwhelmed her. It was a potentially lethal cocktail of emotions and feelings that was the culprit. As a man whom Marianne could only deduce to be one of the conspirators addressed them, she desperately worked to formulate a plan. Some sort of counter, anything! To combat these moving cadavers.

None of her life's training ever prepared her for this.

Over a decade's worth of learning, made worthless in the eyeless faces of the skeletons. The Delacroix Knights only ever practiced effective and efficient methods of conducting combat against the living. Never once was there an area which covered anything less or more than human. You couldn't cut vital veins and arteries when your adversary had none to cut. You couldn't stab a heart or crush a brain when their organs had long since rotted away. Cutting away an arm and leg meant nothing to something that didn't require them to function or ambulate. Marianne's mind blanked as all she could focus on was intense dread and foreboding. She had nothing. She was worthless here. What had she been thinking? Of course they would be facing foes such as this. Why hadn't she thought to prepare beforehand? Why hadn't she realized? She knew of no holy magic and if she were to rely on her Lightning-bolt Javelin spells now, she would be a helpless mess against any other enemies that lay in wait for the Iron Roses.

All she could do was watch.

As the sweat that clung to her body underneath her armor and clothing turned cold, Marianne trembled in the gnarling and clattering flocks of the horde. All she could do at the moment was watch as her brave and foolhardy allies charge forward, using brute strength that she herself did not have to simply batter away their bones. Bashing, crashing, and crushing admirably as her comrades did not falter as she did. A wave of relief washing over her ever so slightly when...one of the Sults cast a protective spell that at the very least put distance between the two groups. Any that came too close erupting in holy fire.

"No! This isn't like me!"
Marianne mentally told herself, shaking her head.
"Focus! Concentrate! You are a Delacroix!"
Inspired by the actions of her allies, Marianne had a brief moment of clarity.
"If-...If maybe the source of the dark magic was stopped. Maybe they would too?"
She could only hope she was right in her assumptions, thinking the conspirator that wielded the longsword to be their source of power.
If she was wrong, then Marianne could only hope she would live to tell the tale of her mistakes.
Otherwise, she would be joining the rest of the corpses in this tomb at such a young age.
The thought terrified her.
But it also angered her.
"How dare they defile this tomb for their purposes!"

Sheathing her sword, she unslung her bow and collapsed its parts into place as she prepared an arrow. She would have to take up a supportive role for now. Once the horde of the fallen had been cleared away enough, she would take her shot at the conspirator. Praying to Reon that her aim be true, for at the moment there were still too many surrounding the conspirator to protect him from her arrows. Stamping her foot against the ground, she regained her courage and distanced herself from the rest of the fighters. Waiting for her moment. As it was, there wasn't much else she could do. Pray and wait. Her hands which held her bow and arrow still shaking slightly. What a terrifying and heretical evil they were combating.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Araby264
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@harinezumikouken
Dante let out a shaky breath, that bolt had been way too close. She saw one of her comrades going straight for the man clad in black. Dante realized she might actually be the best equipped to be fighting these undead, not through skill but just because she had a bashing, brute force weapon.

A skeleton attempted to hit her with an overhead blow, but Dante. Knocked it aside with her kite shield.

Not the time to be distracted.

Dante used the opening from blocking the blow to shove her battle gauntlet in an uppercut through the undead creature's ribcage, knocking it's head off.

you can't stop moving, just use your momentum, let the weight of Swordeater carry you forward, destroy all who get in the way. That's the only way to win this.

Dante took a deep breath and then pushed forward, throwing the remnants of the undead she just decalitated onto the ones behind it. She swung her Gauntlet in a wide arc and crouched low, breaking three skeleton's spines at hip level, then she followed the arc of the gauntlet with her sharpened kite shield. The sharpened tip broke through two of the skulls of the skeletons in mid air, but missed the third.

forget it, keep moving.

She used the momentum from her swing to pull her up and back hand the skull of another undead she then blocked an underhand blow with her shield and drove her gauntlet down on the culprit's collarbone, shattering the creature, then pushing forward to destroy the next.

Everything became a blur of attack and defend. Dante never stopped moving, simply shifting into the next attack or defense. After a moment, it began to appear as through she were doing some sort of dance. All the while one thought went through her mind.

don't stop, keep moving, don't die.

Finally she pushed her gauntlet into a skeleton's face and then shattered to against the far wall. Dante looked surprised for a moment before turning around and realizing she had just bashed her way the the back of the formation of skeletons. She breathes heavily and stumbled forward, ralizing she had a small cut on her calf.

well, don't stop now.

Dante gritted her teeth and then ran back into the fray, determined to break each of these undead monstrosities to pieces, to hold all of their attention so her comrades could focus on taking out the large man in black. She let out a bellow in the midst of battle.

"BRING IT, YOU UNDEAD BASTARDS, I'LL TURN YOU ALL TO DUST!!"
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by VitaVitaAR
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Unfortunately for Tyaethe, the firemage seemed to have planned for an attempt on his life, and an attempt to bypass him. A wave of fire sprang up as she passed by him, blocking her escape route. It was remarkably intense, even risky for an undead to pass through. At least, if they wanted to remain in a state in which they could continue to fight. The man rounded on her, eyes wild.

"ALL THINGS BURN, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!" he cried, his wild eyes seeming to blaze with their own fire. Pyromania was rather unquestionable at this point. "WHEN THIS KINGDOM BURNS, ALL WILL BE REBORN! EVERYTHING WILL BECOME GLORIOUS ASH AND BEGIN AGAIN! YOU'LL BURN TOO, GIRL! AS FIRE IS MY BLOOD, HEAT MY PULSE, MAY THE CALLING SKY GRANT ME FLAME!"

As he spoke, fire seemed to engulf his body, though he appeared unharmed. Streams of flame poured, whiplike, from his hands, twisting towards Tyaethe.




"Oh?" the vampire tilted his head to the side, raising one eyebrow as he did. Sir Garret's blade had met his own, drawn in the blink of an eye. His grin hadn't faded at all, even though he seemed to be stuck in a rather disadvantageous situation. There was no further room to back up, though. He was penned in with that ice and the incoming flanking assault. So instead of continuing to retreat, he suddenly tossed his crossbow to the side, in a bid to disrupt one of his attackers. His sword flashed, in a bid to push Garret's blade sideways, his hand lashing out has he ducked low and forward, the goal to avoid the attacks aimed for his head and go right for the bigger man's throat. But it was clear what the vampire was trying to do. A vampire, even of the lowest kind, was strong and fast. It was possible that even through armor the man could tear out the knight's throat.

But wasn't such a move a risk...?

Fanilly saw the wave of fire rushing towards her just in time. Alvor did not. She threw herself back once more, feeling the heat blaze past her. What... what was that man doing?! She had heard of the paladins of Reon, their valiant defense of the innocent by destroying evil. The sword to Mayon's shield. But he'd killed surrendering prisoners, and now recklessly sent an attack that could have injured any of the others... or worse.

What in the blazes was he doing?!

Alvor's armor suddenly glowed, lines flowing across it, as the flames washed over him. Oh, it wouldn't keep him entirely from harm... but the man that stood after they cleared, using the shaft of his axe in an attempt to lock up the blow from the paladin, was not burned.

Fanilly found herself a little too distant to close the gape and strike, but still, she hopped to her feet and made a bid to reach him...




As the knights shattered skeletons, bones crumbling to the ground, their numbers slowly thinned. Oh, they certainly had dealt with the majority, but there at least seemed to be less. The man with the sword sighed.

"Fine, then," he commented, "They're at least a distraction."

Swiftly, he broke into a sprint, raising his sword. The nearest knight would be dead in a matter of seconds, too distracted by the skeletons to defend themselves from his attack!

And then he stopped dead in his tracks. He let out a small, strangled cry, slumped to his knees, and fell to the floor, a stab wound visible in his upper back. He was dead.

Tili stood behind him, the knife she'd taken from the body of one of the guards dripping blood.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Raineh Daze
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Tyaethe had the presence of mind to actually slide to a halt before plunging through a wall of flames and wheeled around to glare at the bombastic fire mage. There was but a moment's pause as she weighed up her options before his attack. In that moment she discarded the cautious and conservative approach; every second wasted was a second where the mastermind could guarantee the death of their hostage.

So she sprung towards him, twisting uncomfortably close to the burning streams as her left hand relinquished its grip on the hilt. The follow-up strike was predictably wild and easily avoided; the paladin was both far smaller than the blade warranted and using her non-dominant hand. But it was so easily avoided that mere reflex would lead anyone not getting caught in the reckless attack to be in line with her planned attack. A pure magic user trying to fight a knight in the field was vulnerable to either, in her experience.

"Just die and get out of the way!"

The paladins left hand pushed out, into the flaming shield, and went for the throat. If the impact didn't crush it or snap his neck, then Tyaethe would just keep going, bringing them both to the ground and choking the life out of him. She would be down a functional arm if it took long but that was the one part of her current state that wasn't frustrating: being able to take such serious injuries and fight on regardless. Even though her armour would have avoided all this risk at all...
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by AtomicNut
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AtomicNut Abusive Contractor

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(OOC: Friendly fire is fun! Mind if I try? :D)
It was a no brainer, really. As the vampire tossed away the crossbow, Bobd fell out of compass, uttering a curse as he raised his shield to block the impromptu projectile. Their eyes widened when the Vampire ducked under the remaining blade and continued aiming at Garret. The beast would be tought to beat, but both brothers knew what to do, and started another syncronized attack, this time a shield tackle to push the beast down.

Meanwhile Mariah's furious charge was cut short by a wave of fire, who hit her midway her attack. Her form staggered, as she eventually tripped and fell to the ground, slight burns across her face and a bloody nose. She took a moment to wipe the blood, as she stared at her own bloody gauntlet, now with her own blood in addition to the guards she had just fought. Tears welled into her eyes, as she trembled.

And she let out the most ear-splitting scream that would make a banshee proud.

"IIIIIIIEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She shrieked, as her axe now had another target. The fool who had made the attack in her. Shakily, her voice trembling in a coarse whisper. "WhydidyoumakeMariahbleed." She inhaled. "Mariahisagoodgirl."

A fierce throw, as her second axe now was sent flying at the Paladin's head. Seconds not later, the arm guards. And then half a ripped off full plate, followed by the other half.

"DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, running at the speed of a wild beast, hopping and trampling about, bereft of the weight of her armor, her eyes wide and crazed. Her well-shaped body now showing all the compact but strong muscles of a half giant, flexing in a furious bout.

Her hands locked on the Paladin's figure, in an attempt to seize him by the throat and lift him up, her demented self ignoring the armored axe man and pretty much everything else.




(I am assuming the knight was either Nero or Dante)

Sult watched as the events before her unfolded. Nero's furious onslaught seemed to be working, as he was joined by the one knight who had blunt weapons in destroying the menace. Things were going well, it seemed... until the black shaded man made a beeline for Nero and the new lady, both of them were unaware. But before she could scream to dodge, the man dropped dead, by the hands of the assasin they had been employed as guide. That was beyond creepy. Was there nobody to watch the assasin?

Her eyes rested on Marianne for the first time, as she softly gasped. The stoic, hard working Marianne, reduced to a bare coherent mess?!? Things were looking grim. Sult gripped her fist, as she steeled her resolve. Even the most brave, and most overaccomplished of all knights sometimes could fall. But they always tried their hard, unlike Sult. Feeling somewhat guilty about the party's predicament, Sult's hand reached for the trembling one's of Marianne, cupping them in hers.

"It is scary, isn't it? Don't worry, Marianne. We are here too." Sult said as she steadied the girl's hands. "Even a Delacroix can feel fear. That is what our mother said to me and Nero. Conquering is what makes one truly courageous."

"Bring a torch in the deepest pit, that is the Sunfield's motto." Sult smiled. "heh, even those trite words can be useful sometimes." She added, her hands giving the stupidly tall girl a pat in the shoulder.

"You don't want to be rescued by your baby cousin, don't you?" Sult jeered. "Surely you know more ways to fight than pierce, just think harder, Sparky." Sult beckoned.

Meanwhile, Nero's fury had given past to bewilderment, as he himself found at loss of words as the arrogant opponent had been felled, in the hands of the failure of the Nem assasin. His sword blows seemed to lose momentum and stop. "Wha...buh..." His voice cracked, and for a few seconds, it turned into a flawless reproduction of Sult's voice. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!? HE WAS MINE DAMNIT! I AM SO GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THAT YOU KILLSTEALING BRAT!" He screamed like a girl, his sword aimed at Tilly, ignoring the remaining skeletons.

Sult frowned. ...Must I be the moral compass. Ah hell, I hate it when I have to act high and mighty! I hate being a priestess damnit.. She bit her lip. She really needed to reign that self-accomplished but pretty arrogant sibling of hers.

"NERO, STOP DAWDLING AROUND OR I WILL REVEAL YOUR TWO MOST IMPORTANT SECRETS!" Sult announced as she pointed with her sword at one of the dumb skeletons that had gotten burnt by her barrier.

"SHUT UP YOU FAILURE OF A PRIESTESS...I'LL REVEAL YOURS TOO!". Nero said, still in a girly voice, as he cut down some of the attackers, giving a respite to Tilly.

"I DONT THINK PEOPLE HERE CARE ABOUT THE FACT I DONT KNOW HOW TO DANCE AND SING!". Sult said, full of determination, uncovering her greatest shame. "Now keep smashing!" She commanded.

And...Nero...surprisingly...obeyed. Sult sighed, as she eyed the assasin. "We could've gotten info out of him you know. Don't do that again."

Her eyes rested on her surroundings.

Something doesn't add up. Where's the rest of the corpses. The skeletons are so few compared to the missing bodies. She added as she grit her teeth.
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by harinezumikouken
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Marianne Delacroix



When the conspirator dropped dead, the Nem assassin standing over his body with his soul having left its vessel behind, Marianne lowered her bow. Her hold on her drawstring slackened, her will having withered away. The petite assassin stole more than a man's life, she had stolen Marianne's current purpose. Not sure what else she could do now, Marianne took a step back and bit her lip. She was at a loss.

It was then that someone from behind had taken her hand, the action startling her slightly as she whirled around to see who it was that had done so. It was one of the Sult's, perhaps the one she had known first. Was the fear that clear and visible on her face? She felt ashamed of herself, unable to conceal and hide her true emotions. When Sult mentioned her family name, she became a little confused. What did she know of the Delacroix? To further her befuddlement, Sult had made a vague reference to being a distant cousin of her's. That was odd, what was Sult's family name? Surely, her gorgeous blue hair seemed familiar but...

Marianne shook her head, the words just on her lips as she was about to mouth her questions to her fellow knight when the "other" Sult's voice oddly distorted and the two started some screaming match between one another. While she could only really follow and understand parts of what was being said, she did feel it a little unfair that the Nem assassin in a sense 'stole' her purpose.

But no, this Sult was right.
The Delacroix were-no, are a strong and proud peoples.
What was that about singing and dancing?
Shaking her head, Marianne ignored the thought.
She would have to remember to approach this Sult later and speak privately to her.
She had many questions.
But that would be later.

Setting her jaw, Marianne nodded once. Reassuring herself that she could come up with...something. Turning back to the ongoing fray, the protective wards offering the two women their moment in relative safety, Marianne collapsed her bow and slung it. It was rather silly how simple the solution to her issues were. What was that saying she heard once before? When in Thaln, do as the people do. Looking down at a shield that no longer belonged to their dead guard former owner, Marianne grabbed its edge and hefted it. It was a bit heavy and she struggled with its weight a little. But, she found it was easier to bear when she bore it with both hands and kept it close to her torso. Looking up at the others valiantly bashing away at the bones of the long since passed, she observed for a few moments. It was a crude and inelegant style of fighting, but it worked when her's wouldn't.

Her courage and bravado restored thanks to this Sult, Marianne steeled herself once more. Discarding her own habits and methods for just this battle, Marianne charged in with the rest of them. Filling in a gap in their offensive as she joined in the game of whack-a-skeleton. What an odd game, yet even still Marianne managed to put her own little twist, flair, and spin on things. Still somewhat able to expertly duck and dodge between telegraphed movements and counter to great effect using the entirety of the two-handed shield she used as her makeshift weapon. Part of her felt it a little disrespectful of the dead.

But another part of herself couldn't help but take a little enjoyment from it.
It was rather satisfying and fun.
Exhilarating, really.
Thrilling, the feeling of cracking and shattered old bones against 'her' new shield-style of fighting.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Zetsuko
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Alaric was close to finishing the Axe-wielding man, his hammer raised to strike, when the haft of an axe clocked into his side and threw him off balance causing him to drop his hammer. He barely recovered in time to bring up his arms an block a barrage of armor. He caught one of the symbols on it, it seemed like some kind of raven but he didn't recognize it, it clearly wasn't Iron Rose, did it have something to do with the necromancers?

He didn't have any time at all to dwell on that, beginning to reignite his flame cloak early as he was set upon by the person that apparently threw their armor at him. A half-giantess that swept him up by the neck. He wasn't one to be phased by this sort of thing however, returning his own fierce glare, even when lifted, and continuing to growl out his spell despite her hold, bracing his legs against her stomach and locking his arms over her wrists, actually trying to keep her from letting go as the flames burned hotter, intending to do as much damage as possible before she was forced to rip them away...that ideally being before he was strangled of course...
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by Themerlinhawk
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Sir Garrett


The hand lashed out at Sir Garrett’s throat with blinding speed. Relying on his instincts Sir Garrett leaned just enough to avoid the stroke to his throat. The nails dug a furrow through his flesh just below his collarbone as he let his blades drop down and pointed them forward. Whipping himself forward Sir Garrett drove broad bladed sword forward in a vicious tight arc aimed at scraping down the vampires arm and removing the hand at the end of it as the vampire retracted the limb towards the edge of the blade as it twisted in Sir Garrett’s right hand.

At the same time with a snarl of pain Sir Garrett drove the hunting knife in his left hand forward and twisted it with the flat of the blade pressed towards the edge of the vampires blade to check it from retaliating against his attempt to dismember the creatures right hand.

Regardless of how the maneuver ended Sir Garrett disengaged with a short quick hop backwards into a more effective range for his blades as he made two quick vicious cuts to dissuade any sort of attempted pressure from his opponent as he created space in between them.

As Sir Garrett’s blood flowed down the front of his leather armor he bared his teeth half in pain and half in a burning rage to slay this damned undead. There was absolutely no way he was going to win a war of attrition against this monster. It had incredible speed and strength as well as an unholy stamina. Perhaps I should have brought lighter blades, if only I’d known. Such a pity. Rolling his wrists Sir Garrett’s lip pulled up into another snarl as he prepared for another onslaught against the man.

In his native language Sir Garrett bellowed in the confined space causing the yell to reverberate down the corridor.

“Time to die, Monster!”
Hidden 8 yrs ago 8 yrs ago Post by Araby264
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@VitaVitaAR@harinezumikouken@AtomicNut
Dante jumped back in surprise when the man in black armor dropped dead near her. She hadn't seen him coming. When she saw the Nem assassin, the apparent culprit she had mixed emotions, sure they had probably just saved her life, but it made her uneasy to think that no one had noticed the assassin grab the dagger. She dpoke to the Nem in a cautious tone.

"Thanks.... When did you get that knife?"

But she was interrupted by one of the women she believed were twins. Her extreme reaction surprised Dante. But before she could respond her sister began a yelling match.

what strange sisters.

Dante then noticed the knight who the captain had sent them with enter the fray. she had been quite impressed with her earlier. She smiled, admiring the way the knight used the heavy shield as a weapon, though her form reminded her of when she herself had first begun using her shield as a weapon. Dante made her way over to the impressive knight and spoke while fending off the undead.

"It's more fun than it looks, isn't it? I could give you some pointers if you want to learn the sk-"

At that moment a skeleton swung a heavy overhead strike at her chest and Dante's shield was to far away to block it. So she brought her gauntlet up to block it instead. The sword landed on the fist of her gauntlet but because it was a heavier sword the metal bit in and to those who didn't know she had a prosthetic it would seem that she had just stopped a sword with her fist. She then twists the sword out of the skeletons grip by turning her forearm to the right and jerking her elbow back. She then shield bashes the skeleton and forces it to tumble backwards. While it is distracted Dante grabs the sword with her 'shield' hand and pulls it out with some effort. The sword comes free with the sound of grinding metal and then Dante swings the sword in a wide arc lopping the undead' head off. She then tosses the sword aside and turns back to the knight.

"Anyway, I could teach you a thing or two about using blunt weapons. I'm Dante."
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by VitaVitaAR
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The fire mage gasped, not expecting such a sudden move against his flaming shield. Nor did he expect that much strength to be behind the arm of a little girl. He spat blood as his throat was crushed, his neck snapping from the impact. His flaming shield died as he toppled backward, hitting the ground with a thud.

Out of six, two of the conspirators were now dead.




The last of the skeletons fell in a splintered, crumpled heap. Though there was commotion from below, the way Tyaethe had run, and from above, for now it seemed as if this room had been cleared of enemies. One dead man, dozens of shattered skeletons.

Tili stood silent even as one of the knights, the boy, she guessed, yelled rather angrily at her about her killing of the man. She preferred, instead, to glare down at the dead body and sharply kick it in the side. He was one of the six who had taken her sister captive, so naturally her anger towards them was chief in her mind.

The tiny girl only responded to anyone else when one of the other knights asked where she had gotten the knife. Silently, Tili pointed up the stairs. She'd taken it from the body of one of the dead guards. It was crude compared to her usual tools, but it had done the job well enough with surprise and a well-aimed stab.




"Wow..." Eliabelle's eyes had widened. It was such a... fantastical tale, slaying a griffin in such a matter. She knew they could be hazardous to villages, and had even attempted to suggest a better way of preventing the loss of cattle to hungry predators like that. Before this, however, she hadn't known much about how one would really deal with such a creature. But now she knew something of hunting a griffin, and in the form of such a knightly tale as well... "That's amazing!"

For the moment, her scrape with death was forgotten. Instead she was far more focused on the story she'd heard.

Bethany... remained silent. It was an impressive story, but she was hardly much of a talker.
Hidden 8 yrs ago Post by harinezumikouken
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harinezumikouken Bloodstarved Beast

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Marianne Delacroix



Marianne was definitely going to need a shower after all this was said and done, the weight of the shield wasn't something she was normally accustomed to bearing and utilizing. Letting the shield go, it falling to the ground with a loud clatter against the ground, she took a moment to herself to catch her breath as she was panting heavily. She could already feel how sore her muscles were going to be tomorrow. Straightening her posture, she smiled warmly at the other presumed Iron Rose who introduced herself.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Dame Dante. I am Marianne Delacroix."
After the pleasantries were done..
"Yes, that was definitely different. However, I will be adhering to my own style as is tradition. I do thank you for your offer, regardless."
Marianne declining the offer politely, graciously.
She felt tired, but they had to continue.
Quickly checking herself for wounds and her equipment, taking advantage of the respite, she nodded when she was satisfied.
"Right. We must continue onward. Allons."
Pointing at the assassin girl, she then pointed to the forward direction.
"You. Remain in front. Do not leave our sight again."
With that, Marianne advanced at the head of the group.
Once again walking and standing tall, though being mindful to learn from the experience.
Her eyes looking down at the bones of the skeletons as a slight shiver traveled up her spine.
Heels clacking rapidly as she moved at a brisk pace.

@Araby264@VitaVitaAR
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