[IC] Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

[Whoami]

(Mood Music)

Justice

Auriel had assumed that the heroes were ready to strike when she called out to them, but the timing was off and their element of surprise went with it. So be it. Auriel held her spear at the ready as she looked to the group of bandits. Still outnumbered until the others could join the fight, she would have to hold her own. Luckily for her, the man in charge decided to preach and justify himself to her instead of taking the opportunity to use their numbers against her. She studied his rusty sword. A slash from it would certainly cause illness, but the rust also meant that the weapon would be brittle and easily broken. She would have to use that to her advantage should their weapons cross with one another. "Don't you know the world is going to end soon!? Its kinda sad you're not running away instead of taking care of some bandits in the ass end of the city limits..." the bandit said.

Auriel narrowed her eyes at him, "It's bandits like you who would see the end come sooner, and weaken us as a whole when the waves come. You are a part of the greater problem. And it is my solemn duty to solve that problem. No more talk, criminal! Face your death in battle so that you can be buried with at least an inkling of dignity." Auriel once again seized the initiative, making a move to lunge her spear forward at him.

[vancexentan]

"Little shit get back her-" one of the bandits shouted as they narrowly dodged Fer's attempt to throw a rock at him. "You're a fucking idiot don't charge into a trap! They're trying to split us up focus on the bitch! Stay together that's an order!" the bandit leader growled as he turned to Auriel and pulled out his rather rough looking sword and pointed it towards Auriel as she charged in to attack him the other bandits weren't quick enough to block her. But the leader on the other hand surprisingly stated, "Quick Blade: Riptose!" he called out as he deftly managed to get his blade into a position and smacked Auriel's spear to the side moving into stab her following that he was suddenly stopped by what could've only been Cole as a slash of magical energy cut into the man's armor, and made him bleed along his lower chest. The man coughed up blood and backed up quickly as the other bandits rushed towards Auriel to cover their boss with clubs, and knives. "I'll focus on the big guy! Try, and deal with the guards!" called out as he charged in with his golden blade at the injured man. He managed to get his blade up and blocks Cole's strike but barely stepping back and only managing to stay on the defense due to his serious wound on his stomach. "You think you can beat the sword hero!?" Cole called out trying to sound tougher than he felt as the man kept managing to use quick steps to dodge, and try to move out of Cole's way. "The Sword Hero!? What the hell!? Fine I'll deal with you like any other dreg!"

[Omni5876]

Fer threw and missed. He had almost accomplished his goal as he saw a few of them beginning to detach. He seemed like an easy target. A fool throwing rocks where any other man would at least have a club or some sort of wooden spear. Indeed, he was sorely missing his bow or at least his hunting knife.

The bandits however, seemed to at least have an experienced leader. He called the rest of the rabble back. Fer grit his teeth into a sardonic smile. The rabid dogs may be dumb but the handler was not. He cursed under his breath. Just as they had seen him an easy prey, weaponless and harmless. They now used that same assumption as a way to identify the real threat. Auriel would be the focus of their attention.

Eliminate the danger and deal with the weakling lather huh? Fer thought with bitterness. I’ll show you harmless.

He carefully jumped the tripping rope that would set off the trap. He headed towards the gathering bodies that would soon engulf his winged companion.

How dared they? The feeling of anger was not just at the fact that they would most definitely tear Auriel limb from limb but that they had discounted him as notihg more than an annoying gnat. Fer's anger welling up inside him. The shield at his forearm began to heat up. The green gem started to flicker, a reddish tint starting to form.

His mind started to go black. Only one thought seemed fixed in his thoughts.

Kill them

Kill them

His eyes flared as he saw the leader about to strike the holy warrior. He all but growled. Anybody seeing him approaching would have most certainly feel the murdeours aura but more probably they could see his eyes taking on the same reddish tint as his shield.

His shield slowly mutated into a round shape that morphed into a V but before more of the shield could be transformed any further a slash or a something hit the attacking bandit. That was enough to snap Fer out of his trance.

He shook his head to clear it and then hearing Cole’s order he rushed into the nearest bandits. He shield already in the morph setting he shouted. “Morph Shied: Small Kite!”
A quickl flash of green light and his shield was now in the shape of a small kite shield which point extended about half a foot from his knuckles. He would swing high with flat of the shield aiming at the head of one of the closest bandits approaching from on of the flanks to Auriel's left. Keeping the same momentum and direction, he would kneel while spinning and with the pointed edge he would aim for a lower part of the leg of the bandit next to his first target hoping to hit a knee or enough of the leg to try knock the other person to the ground.

Regardless of how effective his blows were, the moves would land him with him raising his shield to protect any downward blow. He would also be a lower smaller target. He may not be half as lethal as he would be if he had actual weapons but he would be dammed if he would not leave these bandits with something to remember him by.

[Whoami]

Rust

(Mood Music)

Auriel clenched her jaw when the bandit leader kept them organized. Their simple plan of dividing and conquer didn't work, and now Auriel was outnumbered. If the man in charge of this group was so keen, it made Auriel wonder about the true leader's cunning. Was Rayla Winters perhaps too big to chew for the budding heroes? Auriel smacked one of the bandits away, a simple strike to divert his momentum while she focused on the real threat. The group leader. She went for a strike but was surprised to see the tip of her spear get deflected to the side. She gasped when he went for the riposte. She was wide open.

Auriel heard a clang, and saw Cole's blade intercept the leader's. She breathed easy for a moment, and felt a rush of adrenaline surge through her body. Of course, Auriel hadn't been in a proper fight since the battle against the horde. She had gotten rusty, and allowed for her confidence to overwhelm the reality that her keen edge wasn't as sharp as before. Auriel glanced left and saw that other bandit she had tripped up making another move on her. She brought her spear to face him. Then Fer appeared and struck him with the pointed end of his shield. She looked him over, and saw something different about him. Was it anger? There wasn't any time to think on it, she nodded her appreciation for the assist and turned to face an as of yet unchallenged bandit.

She could see both of the heroes out of her peripherals on either side of her. Something welled up inside of her, a feeling of belonging. This was where warriors bonded, on the field of battle. There was a connection to be made when lives were at stake. Auriel felt it. "Let's finish this quickly." Auriel said to the heroes.

Auriel clutched her spear tight, and felt ready to reclaim her talent with the spear.

[vancexentan]

The blow to the side of the head sent one of the bandit falling to the ground a bit dazed unexpecting the swift retaliation from the shield hero expecting him to play defense rather than offense. It was doubtful he was down for the count but he was out of it for a few moments. The next bandit was smacked rather hard by Ferr's attack making him shout but he quickly managed to get back up unlike the previous bandit. "The boss hits us harder!" the bandit shouted as he moved forward to swing his axe at Ferr's head. The other bandits seemingly diverted their attention from Auriel to try and pick off the weaker shield hero as they from Ferr's right came charging at him with their weapons raised high. When Auriel intercepted one of them they got in her face while their shortsword held firmly in their hand as the slashed at her violently. "Dead men tell no tales but tell me angel!? Do the gods do the same!?"

Cole for his part had managed to rather deftly deal with the bandit leader his blade crossing the enemy's but neither gaining a true upper hand. As their blades met, and parried, and overall tried to gain the upper hand Cole began to get more confident. However as Cole saw an opening his mind flared "NOW!" Cole stabbed forward and..."Quick Blade: Riposte!" the bandit leader called out as he used the same skill as before to parry Cole aside sending him on his backfoot he desperately began to block. Losing some of that just newly found confidence Cole held his blade close like Marcino instructed blocking practically and not fancily. "I'm not going to let you win!" Cole shouted wondering why his blade hadn't quite allowed him to overwhelm this guy!? He was wielding a legendary artifact wasn't he!?

[Omni5876]

Fer saved his breath instead of trying to answer the obvious taunt sent by the guy who had managed to be lucky enough to just miss his knee being cracked by the point of the small kite shield. Expecting a downward strike Fer presented the shield to the attacking axe. He reached up to grab the man by the fore arm and planting his feet, he rose forcefully using his right shoulder as a pivot point, he used his enhanced strength to throw the man to the ground.

The motion of the man's body sailing through the air would break up the small crowd that was gathering around Auriel and him. If he was successful, Fer would follow up with a downward blow with the edge of his shield against the man's wind pipe. If his throw as not successful, he would attempt to at least unbalance the man and with a side ways kick disrupt him further hopefully knowing the bandit to the ground.

He would then move to Auriel's back and block any sort of attack that would come from that side. He would call back to her without loosing sight of the attacking me. "Lady, may I have this dance? I block you strike?" the plan again was simple, he had performed the same technique with Cole. He would bock the attack and spin to let the winged warrior's spear take advantage of the opening and strike. The constant motion would glint off any strikes and would prevent the attacking group from overwhelming them.

The young Shield Hero felt a surge of energy and a feeling that could only be describe as happy. He had fought many battles before and while he had care for the lives of the people with him, he had never felt any closeness to them. Yet here, today, he wanted nothing more than to protect Auriel and Cole and at the same time be of use to them to achieve victory.

He held his shield ready and as if to embody what he was feeling, the green gem flashed warningly towards any would be attackers. He half smiled/half snarled at the bandits. "Step right up gentlemen, I think my friend here has something for you." Then in a joking manner that seemed to be an outlet for how dire the situation was yelled out. "Cole, when you are done playing we could use your help in taking out your share of the trash"

[Whoami]

(Mood Music)

Riposte This!

Auriel grit her teeth when the bandit locked his weapon with hers and pressed against her guard. She could smell the man's rancid breath as he asked her if gods recounted the tales of their dead followers. Auriel pushed back against him and brought her knee up to crunch right into his crotch. The man froze and gasped, giving Auriel some time to return some of his tongue and cheek, "Not for the likes of you scum." Auriel then took advantage of her far longer weapon, and pivoted the shaft along the short sword, bringing the shaft to smack across his face. With a quick follow-up, Auriel span the spear and slashed the blade of her polearm in a long stoke across his back. Auriel looked over her shoulder, seeing two more bandits running at her. She was in an exposed position, and she wasn't going to be able to guard properly before they would be on her. Then another bandit was thrown into them, sending them all to the ground. She looked over to Fer and smiled, a token of appreciation.

She looked back to the bandits and felt Fer's presence behind her. She liked his enthusiasm, but his puckish comment about a dance was missed by the holy warrior. Perhaps she was just too serious, or a bit too naïve to catch it. "Now is hardly the time a dance, Fer!" she said, her eyes spotting Cole locked in a duel with the supposed bandit leader.

She saw him use the same move that he had used against her. He seemed to like that counter-attack, and for good reason. It had caught Auriel off guard simply because she underestimated her opponent. But for Cole, he likely didn't have the experience to deal with such a technique. Fighting him in a melee wasn't ideal, and it made her wish the bow hero was here to make up for that. She figured now was a better time than ever to start using some of her magic in order to really seize the initiative. Auriel looked back at Fer for a moment, "Fer, can you keep them off of me for just a few seconds?"

Auriel stabbed her spear into the dirt and put her hands together in prayer. "Heroes of Olde, grant me the strength to smite my foes! Bathe them in your piercing light and deliver unto them retribution!"

As Auriel prayed, a bright light began to shine around her hands. She adopted a throwing stance, her white wings unfurling for additional balance. As she drew her hand back, the light formed itself into a straight spear. Auriel quickly called out to the sword hero, "Cole! Duck now!"

She had to be quick, otherwise the leader would also clue into her warning. She barely even gave the sword hero time to react before she committed to the attack, "Bright Lance!"

As if Auriel had been possessed by some divine gift of strength, Auriel sent the spear of light. The moment it left her hand, the bright lance took off like a missile from a ballista. A contrail of light followed in the bright lance's wake, sucking tall grass and plants inward and along the path of the fearsome bolt of light.

[vancexentan]

The bandit unexpecting the force of Ferr's blow was tripped up and summarily finished by the blow to his neck as he fell to the floor choking on the sudden pain in his throat. The man hacked up some blood but it being lethal was up for question. The other bandit struggled as suddenly he was now in the face of two opponents instead of one. He tried to follow up on the shield but the gust of wind sent both him, and his allies falling to the ground. "Bastards...if you wanna stop us you're going to have to kill us you know...the boss don't take half assed losers back!" growled the bandit whom had been fighting Auriel standing back up as a few of his companions writhed in pain on the floor. The bandit in question spit up blood, and his friend raised his hammer. "Take the shield..." growled the bandit quietly as he charged back at Auriel his face still marked by her blow from her shaft.

Cole twisted and turned parrying, and blocking the leader's attacks competently but not able to decisively overwhelm him. His lack of actual sword training prevented him from seeing the openings. He tried finding holes in this man's technique but when he did he was simply met with a last second block. The one thing he knew was the man's blade was starting to crack...this wouldn't last too much longer. As they met for another blade clash the bandit tried to spit into his eye but Cole moved his head out of the way. Cole barely heard the signal to move, and it was at the very last second he disengaged and rolled out of the way as the lance of light speared the bandit who's eyes went wide and sent him to the ground limp. "If that hit me I'd probably would've ended up unconscious! And stow it Ferr I'd like to see you take on the biggest guy in the group." Cole complained seeing as he stood up, and charged over to the enemy who had taken the chance to get into Auriel's face after the spear attack. He raised his short sword, and stabbed downward towards Auriel's abdomen. "You let me close!" he growled.

The hammer bandit whom had ran over to Ferr swung his weapon wildly at Ferr he seemed more panicked than his other companion. His hammer was rather large and seemed hell bent on keeping Ferr still not so much hit him as he routinely went out of his way to hit his weapon rather than Ferr himself. Perhaps the plan was to keep him busy, or to hurt his hand until his friend could take care of Auriel. "I'm not going to let you go you monster!"

[Omni5876]

Fer smirked at the obvious missed chance of humor when Auriel replied to his sarcastic comment about dancing. It was ironic that the shield hero was actually a very good dancer. He had not enjoyed the pass time since his parents death. Perhaps the stage would present itself to teach Auriel some of the dances of his homeland. As it was, he had to learn and be better at the current dance of death.

He heard the winged warrior ask of his assistance. He nodded as his eyes scanned the remaining bandits. Apparently they would fight until he death rather than go back. He understood that. Some bandits and cartel members would rather die that have to face torture or be made examples when they returned home. Evil doers had no options of expectations of mercy. This suited the young hero just fine. He would have to make sure that he showed no mercy for he would get none in return.

He brandished his shield left and right showing the bandits that they would have to fight hard for their prey. Fer was not scared of death and had been in hair raising situations before. Those times however he had more than just a hunk of metal. He sighed, he wish he had his bow but his shield was all he had.

His musing were brought to an end as he felt something akin to static electricity building up in his body. It was the gathering of magic by Auriel. A certain glow seemed to befall her and even her voice sounded enhanced as if speaking through a microphone. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the weapon of light. This made him rethink his initial idea that Auriel was indeed an angel from the bible stories.

The shield hero barely had time to see the light spear being thrown when two bandits were on them. He knew that Auriel was defenseless as she had stabbed her spear on the ground. He willed his shield to change.

“Morph Shield: Scutum!” A rounded tower shield appeared in his left arm in a flash. He stepped backwards towards Auriel and using his right hand grabbed her by her waist and using his body weight started falling towards the left. In the same motion, he would raise his shield and deflect the hammer swing just enough to allow the momentum of the swing to pass over them as they fell. If it happened like he intended, the hammer would find the sword or the body of the bandit attacking Auriel. With luck, that bandit’s sword would find the hand or head of the hammer bandit.

Either way, Fer would land on top of Auriel with the Scutum above them should the bandits recover enough for a downward strike. It would not be too hard for him to then swing his right leg backward to stand up again and Auriel would we on her stomach meaning she could roll to either side or quickly get on all fours.

[Whoami]

Battle Rhythm

(Mood Music)

Auriel heard Cole's scolding after the Bright Lance had just narrowly missed him. She bit her lip, and made a note to apologize to him for taking such a risk. Still, she was relieved to know that her efforts had paid off. Then she heard the voice of the bandit closing in on her. She snapped her gaze toward him, and didn't have enough time to properly react. Thankfully, Fer took to Auriel's call for protection well, and arrived just in the nick of time to deflect the bandit's blow. The thought of being called a monster lingered on her mind for a moment, but those thoughts were quickly quashed by the fight.

Auriel grabbed her spear and pulled it from the dirt. With Fer's quick deflection, the bandits would have been thrown off balance. "Push in, Fer! Now!" Auriel said, wanting to take this opportunity to maintain their initiative and go on the offensive.

Auriel stepped inside of the hammer bandit's reach, sliding her dominant hand up the shaft of her spear until it rested just below the blade. Auriel reached out to grab the bandit but his shoulder to pull him in. With the blade of the spear being treated like a knife, Auriel pressed it into his ribs upward and at an angle to try and pierce his heart. It would be a quick death, and a clean one at that. Auriel made sure to take her hand off of the bandit's shoulder as her spear sunk into his body, so not to provide the divine healing of her touch. No one deserved that kind of suffering, receiving a mortal wound and healing just enough to stay alive through the pain. Such things were cruel, and Auriel wasn't going to lower herself to the bandit's level of ethics.

[Omni5876]

Fer was getting up as soon as he had landed. He pushed his right leg back which brought him to a half kneeling position with the weight of the shield in the left leg firmly planted on the ground. Answering Auriel's command, he pushed forward and upward hard using his arms and leg strength to overpower the hopefully out of balance sword-wielding bandit. His Scutum shield would provide a wall between him and the attacker and be used as a solid leverage. The aim was to force the bandit to bait the bandit into pushing forward.

He called one last time for his shield to change. "Morph Shield-Round shield!"

The shield answered his command and a flash of green later a shield similar to those used by the Spartan warriors of his Earth. He spun to the left and then using the flat edge of his shield, he aimed at the base of of the neck where the brain connects tot he neck. A solid hit would cause serious damage to the bandit at the most and would make him loose his footing and fall flat on his stomach at the feet of the winged soldiers at the least.

The young shield hero swung with all his might hoping to connect and finish off the bandit.

[vancexentan]

As Auriel's weapon stabbed to its mark killing the bandit that hit its target, and Fer's man fell to the ground limp after the hit laying on the ground no more Cole used his energy slash, and finished off the remaining bandit cleaving straight through his opponent's weapon and slashing him deeply across the chest. As the blood flooded around from the various wounds inflicted on the bandit Cole couldn't help but feel his stomach churn. It was a really gross sight, and he had just taken the life of another person. To what extent would this continue? Would he end up like that Siegfried guy just numb to it all? All the same Cole sighed, and looked around checking the bandits for what he thought would be life ending injuries he had a hard time figuring it out. "Fer would you mind looking through the bodies for lethal wounds?" Cole asked as he let Fer take command eventually they found out most would be unconscious for awhile, or at least they would be to incapacitated to move. A good number of them were dead.

However the bandit leader had survived Auriel's light javelin by some miracle, and as he lay unconscious on the ground Cole fiddled around with some of his pockets, and found some gold among other items he found a roughly written set of notes. As Cole went through the notes, he couldn't help but sigh. "Looks like they had been planning on raiding farms until they got the guards to do something about it and then attack merchant caravans to draw out more. The end goal was to try, and sack the city itself once they got enough men from reputation....they're at Wolf Paw Cavern...I must admit I don't know where that is..Auriel? Do you know? If not...our only recourse is to go find Marcino...we need the guards anyway to clean up this mess." Cole stated as he stood up standing up straight from his kneeling position he let out a deep sigh, and looked up towards the night sky.

[Omni5876]

Like many of the battles he had been a part of, it was done before you knew it. Adrenalin still rushed through is veins as he looked about. Cole, as the main attack dealer, had dispatched three or four himself. A few groans could be heard from the ones who had been knocked out by Auriel’s spear shaft. He looked down at their feet and the two who they had recently dispatched lay unmoving.

He turned to the winged warrior. “Hey you ok?” Came his gasping question. Fer saw some blood on her but it seemed to be only that which had spattered on her after inflicting wounds. He grimaced. A few specks had gotten on her pretty wings. The young shield wondered if they would be hard to clean off.

While waiting for her response, he gave himself a patting. There did not seem to be any obvious wounds expect for some scrapes and bruises. His shield arm especially hurt now that the adrenalin was receding. He shook it a couple of times and allowed his shield to disappear into the gem. He touched it to make sure there was not break but it seemed like it was only bruised.

Fer was still making sure he would not bleed out when he heard Cole’s request. It was a bit stranger to the shield at first but he figured it was better to make sure none of the bandits would surprise attack them later. He made his rounds. The two at their feet were definitely gone. Even in battle Auriel was merciful. The hammer bandit ha died quickly. As if to perhaps show a bit of mercy himself he closed the man’s eyes. He moved over to his own handy work. The edge of his shield had connected perfectly at the base of the spine, he had heard a crack and a gurgled grunt from the man. Some moans later and then silence indicated the final demise of the sword wielding bandit.

The shield hero moved on to other targets. Some, which had met Auriel’s spear shaft, were just knocked out. Utilizing what material he had available he hog tied them. With their hands behind their back and using their ankles as leverage, it would be really hard for the bandits to try to escape let a lone wield a weapon. He counted about three or so which were still alive.

Fer walked over to the water throughs for the cattle and washed his hands and face. He hissed as the water made the scrapes and cuts sting. But he was more or less used to that. He splashed water on his face and headed towards Cole who seemed to be taking all the death hard. The young shield hero could sympathize.

His first time had been much worse. They had been ambushed and forced to escape via a mine field. Needless to say many of the gore on him was not his own and there are nights he still wakes up hearing he explosions and the screams crying for help. Maybe that is why he was so adamant about being the hero that this world needs. He did not have the courage, power and means to help at that time but he did now.

As he neared Cole, he placed his hand on the sword’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. “Are you ok?” The question both asked for his physical and mental state. Fer had heard Cole describe the ultimate plans of the gang. It seemed that these vultures were hoping to enjoy the end of the world feeding of the less fortunate.

The plan made Fer feel less bad about killing such scum. Taking life is not something you should enjoy be even vermin must be cleared to let good game thrive. Such is the circle of life, and somebody had to do it.

“Well, you are right about cleaning up this mess. I don’t think the poor farmer would have the fortitude to try and remove our bloody mess.” He thought back reflectively. “Also, we need to notify them of the plan. If I remember correctly, this quest was personally given to us by the king. I am sure he knew all along. But, this feels like more than just a test or a chance to cut our teeth at being heroes.” He massaged his left hand from the soreness that started to set it as he continued. “I think we are going to get little to no help from official avenues. We might have to try the adventurer’s guild again.”

Fer was not happy with the idea. The bat winged adventurer which was supposed to have inside knowledge on the gang never met them at the advertised location. Adventurer’s were nothing more than hired muscle and as such followed those who paid them the most.

[Whoami]

Rites

(Mood Music)

Auriel looked over the aftermath of their skirmish. She had seen violence before, and on a far worse scale when the hordes attacked. She was rather desensitized to it now, especially after having her own close brush with death. She heard Fer ask if she was alright, which made her golden eyes turn from the bodies that lay at her feet to the shield hero. She smiled faintly and nodded once, "Yes. Are you?" Her words were soft, perhaps even a bit pained that things had gone this way. She did warn the bandits, yet still...

When Fer patted himself down and appeared healthy, Auriel let out a breath of relief. She looked over to her other charge, the sword hero, and saw that he was having troubles coming to terms with the death he had dealt. Auriel walked over to Cole and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. As Fer had felt earlier, her touch was energizing. Any scrapes and cuts that Cole might have unknowingly endured began healing slowly. Auriel's hand wasn't meant to heal, though it sure was a handy addition, rather it was to calm him. "They made their choice, Cole. And, as cruel as it is, better them than you. Your fate is for a higher calling, theirs on the other hand..." She looked sadly at the dead bandits. "I will give them their last rites... To prevent their souls from suffering more torment after death."

Auriel's hand left Cole's shoulder, along with that energizing sensation. She stepped in a rough middle-point between the staggered dead and held her hands together softly. She closed her eyes and tilted her head forward, while her wings spread out wide. Despite the sun being gone beyond the horizon, Auriel was as radiant as ever. The only thing marring the angelic sight was the spatters of blood spread across her white wings. "Heroes of Olde, forgive the souls I send to you this night... Their path turned to darkness, but now they see only light. With my battle ended, there is no more reason for hatred. Only sadness and regret that more life was lost... I beg you, Heroes... Watch over them as they find their new paths at your sides."

A golden radiance similar to the light she emanated when summoning the Bright Lance enveloped her hands, and quickly spread out to the dead bodies. They glowed for only a few seconds, before everything went dark again. Auriel let out a long breath and folded her wings back. She opened her eyes and looked back to Cole and Fer. "We can rest assured now that no one will be tormented by their spirits."

Auriel could feel a frog in her throat. The last time she had delivered the Rites of Passing was after a particularly violent skirmish with the Hordes. The troops she was with that day were almost entirely consumed by the Horde's rage. She remembered one particular soldier, a boy just barely past his seventeenth nameday who had gotten his parent's permission to become a soldier. She didn't know the young warrior very well, but his death was particularly hard on Auriel. She had seen so many orphans grow too old to remain under the Church's care, and march off with a sword in hand to far off battles, only to never be seen again. Auriel cleared her throat to force the hard feeling back, and found her steely resolve again. "Our hunt has only just begun. Rayla Winters is still at large. We can't stop here, not yet."

[Omni5876]

The young shield hero stood there next to Cole absently rubbing his left arm as his eyes were fixed on the last rites being performed by Auriel. He marveled at what he saw. Despite being in this world for almost a week he was still not used to the idea of magic. Yes, he had seen castles, knights, and people who looked like animals but still the idea of the manifestation of magic was fresh in his mind.

In his mind, he still thought of his winged companion as a heavenly host from the church stories of his world. He had heard the preacher do a sermon on the last battle between good and evil. As he had seen her battle, he could only imagine an entire army of lovely war angels. Yet despite her proficiency in battle, situations like this made her larger than life as she cared for the everlasting soul of men who had but minutes ago tried to end her life at the least and perform hideous acts to her at the worst.

As she spread her wings to their full extension he gawked. She looked beautiful standing there covered in radiance and with bodies of the dead at her feet. For all intents and purposes, she looked like the very embodiment of war angel. If he had read more, he would perhaps equate her to the Valkyries of northern myths that took the souls of the valiant to the mead halls of the Norse gods.

Fer averted his eyes a bit as the light intensified towards the apex of the rite. Then darkness rushed in to greedly swallow the light. She assured the that their spirits would not torment the living as their hosts had done while alive. That was a good turn out the hero supposed and he nodded towards her appreciatively.

His face then shifted to a perplexed look when he noticed the feeling wash through her features. Fer knew that she had been a leader of men in battles before. Surely she had seen death of that was no doubt. So it was not regret of killing that plagued her like it did Cole. So instead, he could only assume that she had lost somebody she cared for or in her care. He felt sad for her. That was the curse of all leaders. They are gifted with followers. Unfortunately, they are also likely to follow one to their deaths.

Fer walked over to her and placed a supporting hand on her shoulder. "I am glad to have you on our side." He smiled at her showing her the full meaning behind his words. He truly cared for her despite the short time together. He cared for Cole as well. He even cared for the world he now existed in. He cared for the people of this world like the poor farmer he could see peeking his worried face at them from the windows of the farm house.

"But I agree with you. I think the mama bear will be more trouble than the pups"

[vancexentan]

"Alright well if Auriel doesn't know where the bandits are located at then we best get back to the city, and risk Rayla being aware some of her goons failed. Tales of our summoning have likely gone around...plus whatever Matsunaga is up to. God knows what the bow hero with her attitude, and that bard friend of hers have been doing in the wild." Cole stated as he looked to the two of them. He choose not to comment on how he felt further about murdering these bandits. After informing the farmer that they should stay in their house Cole led the party back to the city. On the way back in they informed the city guard that they should be careful, and that the bandits rumored to attack the farm were killed. The guards thanked the heroes graciously for their help, and told them that they would send a group to help the farmer clean it up, and guard the general area.

It wasn't until they had decided to go, and find Marcino to get directions did the Cole get pulled aside by a fairly pretty woman in a dark cloak who motioned quickly for the heroes' party to follow them into a nearby Alley. Cole was suspicious but it didn't take much convincing when the woman pulled out a small signet ring with the King's symbol on it. As the group gathered in the alley the woman cleared her throat. "You did well with the bandits." She said clearly as she looked at Auriel, Fer, and Cole. "But the worse is yet to come. Rayla is likely more dangerous than anyone in that group, and is an trained fighter. It is my recommendation that you get your trainer to assist you, otherwise you'll have to go find the bow hero. They've returned to town and are at the Drunk Huntsman. Of course you're all free to do as you please but fighting will be a struggle with only the three of you fighting the bandit's entire group." the woman says to the group as she talks to the group quietly. "Matsunaga is a punk, and Marcino is probably not going to jump at the chance to fight a member of his own country...but I think he's our best bet. Speaking of which who are you?" Cole asks the woman who shakes her head as she puts away the signet ring. "I want to know. Are you a direct servant to the king or something?" Cole follows up as the woman shakes her head more firmly. "Who I am doesn't matter I am just a pawn in the grand scheme of things. Know that all I am seeking to do is help you three."

[Whoami]

The Next Step

(Mood Music)

Auriel felt better when Fer placed his hand upon her shoulder and again showed his gratitude for her being with them. She gave him a light smile and nodded before looking to Cole. She didn't know where the bespoke cave was, thus she couldn't really be of much help in tracking Rayla down. "Rayla will likely go to ground when she hears, or rather, doesn't hear about her mens' success here. She'll be difficult to find without a skilled tracker."

She was glad to return to Melromarc however. The energy from all of the activity in every direction did well to lighten her mood. It was always a wonderful feeling to return from battles and see people who haven't been affected by conflict. She knew that the first wave would change that. It'd be a quick and harsh realization that the end truly would be near. Morale would become resource to be managed by the powers that be. And as the waves would progress, it'd only become more and more scarce. Auriel was taken out of her reverie of the waves when she and her companions were taken aside by another mysterious woman. She watched the woman cautiously, still not entirely convinced by a simple signet ring that she represented the king. The same thoughts from before crept into her mind. Why the secrecy? Why the veiled messengers? Such things seemed odd for a royal assignment.

Auriel was hoping the woman would have valuable or actionable information about Rayla, but she only reaffirmed what they already knew. Rayla would be a challenging fight, and they'd need more hands. Precisely what they had returned to Melromarc for. At least they received confirmation that Marcino's drunken arse was still planted at the same tavern they had first met him at. Auriel still wasn't all that fond of Marcino. Perhaps it was just his jaded and grim perspective of life and death that left a sour taste in her mouth. But she had to concede that he was a valuable ally to have if they were going to track down Rayla Winters. Auriel kept her mouth shut, however. She had learned that her personal commentary was stepping on their room to make their own decisions and their growth as heroes. She'd begrudgingly accept Marcino along in this endeavor without complaining.

As the heroes both spoke with the woman, her mind drifted back to the impending waves. Would they be ready? Would Flin and that bratty Matsunaga both be ready as well? She sure hoped so. If the skirmishes with the hordes had taught her anything, it was that the monsters and fiends had no care for the skill of their opponents. All they cared about was violence and wanton destruction. Ultimately, it was the waves that mattered. They were the entire reason why Cole, Fer, Matsunaga, and Flin were summoned in the first place. "You two should go and see Marcino. I need to visit the cathedral and look upon the Dragon Hourglass. It would be a grave mistake to lose sight of our greater purpose."

[Omni5876]

There was really not much that could be done. Fer felt that the three of them were truly doing the best that they could and for a band of newly formed and low level adventurers being able to defeat the group of bandits with no more that scratches and bruises was pretty epic. Of course, he had relied on Auriel and Cole as the offensive members of the party which made the shield hero feel a bit bitter.

He stayed quiet during their trip to the city. The young hero wondered what he could do to become a more productive member of the party. He made it a point to ask Auriel if there were any suggested ways to augment his shield so that he could do more than just morph it into different shapes and sizes. He needed something like what Cole was able to do even though he understood that his abilities would be vastly different from the offensive capabilities of the Sword.

The trio made their way to the city. Fer notices much like Auriel the hustle and bustle. However, he wondered at the atmosphere. While he did not begrudge them the lack of urgency that comes in preparation to a battle, he wondered if many knew of the upcoming waves or if the king was keeping that information secret to prevent any mass hysteria.

This brought up another question, why did bandits know of such events? Where there signs that were being missed? Was there a leak in the royal court?

As if to answer his question, they encountered yet an other secretive individual claiming to work for the crown. Fer shot Auriel a sideways glance. Apparently he was not the only one who found the identity of the woman questionable He was not very fond of meeting in alleys, and crowded bars. This sort of modus operandi had a very distinctive clandestine smell and often those sort of operations resulted in suicide or highly costly missions.

It did not surprise him that the messenger confirmed what all of them knew. Rayla would be a costly prey. The suggestion of enlisting the bow hero was interesting to him. He had not met the person and only briefly did he meet the Spear hero. What was so different between the Bow and the Spear? Being a bow user himself, he understood the benefits of ranged combat and top cover and he figured that it would indeed be best to engage the bandit leader at a distance if at all possible.

Still, there was a thing line between guidance and manipulation. Unfortunately in the party’s current state, the needed help in whatever shape it came. Even if that help irritatingly wanted to keep them in the dark. He remained quiet and let Cole speak. After all, his demeanor often produced more results that Fer’s own.

He was surprised at Auriel’s request for splitting the party but he understood her point of view. It was refreshing to him to note that the winged warrior also looked towards the whole point of them being in this world in the first place. He nodded towards her, it was not like she needed his permission but he wanted to show her he did not mean to stop her. “Auriel, if you could. While you are there. Is there any way for you to research how I can better upgrade my shield? It felt very one dimensional and I think that a legendary hero should have more than one trick up his sleeve. Any information as to what the old users of the shields did to make it more useful would be appreciated.”

Fer gave her a smile. He knew that neither of his companions would ever call him a burden but he also knew that they needed him to bring more to the table. He had even entertained being the pack mule for the group. The hero knew that somehow he had increased strength and resilience thanks to his status of shield hero. He would willingly carry extra gear, weapons, medicine, or anything else that was required.

However, that still left the battle aspect in poor review. He wondered if he would be able to wield magic? He had seen Auriel perform the ritual and also heal his minor injuries. He made it a point to try and inquire about this. Any way he was able to, he would improve.

[vancexentan]

"So then you've chosen the Tiger's Eye? An interesting choice but not unexpected. Marcino's expertise will be overkill in this matter but you will certainly win if not have the fame taken down quite a bit." commented the veiled emissary as she looked to Fer, and then to Auriel. "Careful of the church they have already started taking sides as expected. Churches are likely developing sects favoring one hero over another. Some of them want to see Sir Cole victorious already rumors of him being the premier hero after taking the shield as a 'subordinate', and having a member of the church. However the Spear has done a lot of work themselves. They've saved a village from starvation by killing off a local wolf pack that had been terrorizing a village to the south." The lady stated further as she sighed.

"The bow has...become rather infamous. She's saved a travelling merchant on the day she arrived and then demanded half his purse as payment. And the other part of the bandits you've fought showed up at another farm. They sacked the place, not fault of your own, but they were found dead in a ditch not long after. Found with large gouged out wounds precise to be any melee weapon other than a rapier. Judging by the lack of other cuts that seems unlikely making the bow hero the obvious choice in their deaths. The bard with the Bow Hero seems to be exceedingly good at giving strength to his party. Along with the Bow Hero's innate strength she's...dangerous." the woman stated further her eyes a bit unsure. "Why haven't you brought this up with Matsunaga then? Why us?" Cole asked as the lady shook her head. "We did. The bow hero told me to...'get bent ho.' And the Spear Hero told me that he would do his best to help." the response made Cole feel a bit less giddy about getting stronger if the Bow also would be getting that power..."I suppose Marcino would be our best hope given the circumstances. Even if it would hurt my reputation gain otherwise." Cole stated as he cringed. He wondered just how far Rin would take things if it came down to it...the only question was...how would they convince Marcino to help he said he didn't want to right?

[Whoami]

Faith

(Mood Music)

Auriel nodded to Fer when he asked that she find ways for him to expand his usefulness with the shield. Of course she would help, after all, that was her entire purpose. She looked at the two heroes to make sure they were good to go without her for a while, before finally stepping away. Auriel took a deep breath and made her way to the Cathedral of the Four with little hassle. A few townspeople saw Auriel and made small talk with her as she passed, but she was moving with enough of a purpose to tell people she didn't have time to talk. When the cathedral came into view, Auriel felt a sort of calmness wash over her. She had visited it many times before, and was even present at the foot of the hourglass when the decision was made to summon the heroes. The cathedral was where many of Auriel's lectures were held. She treated like another home apart from the monastery.

She stepped through the great front doors of the cathedral and heard the choir chanting. The air within the great stone walls was cool and crisp, and everything just seemed cleaner. When she stepped through the plane of the doors, a few nuns and lesser priests stopped to bow to the Holy Warrior. In places like this, Auriel was near the top of the hierarchy, beneath only the bishops, cardinals, archbishops, and the pope. While Auriel was a part of the faith and the structure of the Church, she had always felt somehow separated from them. Sure, Auriel had grown up with plenty of privilege and respect, but she could never shake the feeling that she was viewed more as a tool or a means to an end rather than a real member of the hierarchy. Growing up, Auriel was constantly used as propaganda and as a symbol of the faith. Her unique trait had only magnified that perception, an angel with great wings gifted to the mortal realm. A justicar to uphold the innately flawed tenets of the Church of the Four Heroes.

Auriel made her way past the many denizens and visitors of the cathedral. Plenty of eyes had been on her the entire way down the center aisle through the pews. She was greeted by the cardinal giving a sermon at the foot of the Dragon Hourglass. "Lady Auriel." the cardinal said. There wasn't surprise in his voice, and he had spoken her name like it was just a fact of her identity.

"Hello, Father." Auriel formally addressed the cardinal and bowed before him.

The holy man looked to the visitors in the pews and raised both of his arms, "Our brightest servant has come to us today! Even with the looming shadow of the End among us, during a time where living legends walk our lands, the Holy Warrior keeps her devotion a priority!"

Auriel stared at his feet while still bowing. She didn't have the heart to tell him she wasn't there to pray, not in front of so many people seeking salvation with such dark times ahead. She took particular note of his words. 'The End'... Was it really so hopeless for him? Auriel found that to be strange since the entire belief system revolved around the Four Heroes stopping the End from happening. Auriel saw through the veil, the cardinal was capitalizing on the fear of the waves to maintain the devotion of his subjects. It felt wrong. Predatory even. She thought about the many priests and priestesses in the monastery, and realized that the most altruistic devotees were sent there, away from the public so they couldn't bring about the entire truth of the Church. It had been so long since the last time the Waves plagued the world. The leaders of the faith had found comfort in money and servitude without question. Perhaps that in itself was a symptom of the Waves.

Auriel felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, making her look up at the cardinal. He seemed rather puzzled by her appearance, "I have a burning curiosity, Auriel," he said, his voice low enough that the acoustics of the great hall muffled his words, "Why are you here when your Charges are not? You are to stay by their sides."

Auriel felt chills run down her spine. His voice was almost scolding. "Father, I was sent by both the Sword and Shield heroes to consult the Dragon Hourglass and glean whatever useful information I could get from it... It is important we do not lose sight of the dwindling time." A half-truth. It wasn't their decision that Auriel should go there, but the intent was pure and beneficial for them all.

The cardinal studied her face for a moment before stepped aside and gesturing to the hourglass atop the stone steps. "The first wave is mere days away. I trust you and the heroes will have your affairs settled before then?"

Auriel nodded. "Yes, Father. They will be ready when the time comes. You have my word."

"Excellent, I expect to see one of the heroes standing in the defense of this holy place. Just not the damnable Shield."

Auriel winced at that. "Father... The cathedral is in the heart of Melromarc, surely the soldiers of the city can defend it. There are far more fragile and defenseless places that need the strength of the heroes to survi-"

"Not everyone will survive the End, Auriel. But it is imperative that the Church remains. Without us, the recovery of the world will be fraught with heresy and chaos. We are needed to be the guiding light in the aftermath."

Auriel felt the cardinal's hand slip from her shoulder and up one of her fragile wings. She twitched slightly when she felt the hand take hold of the frail, broken bones, just enough for her to know he had power over her. "You are their mentor. So show them the important of the Church. It is your sacred duty." With a light squeeze of her wing, Auriel knew there was veiled threat in there. Her teachings had never spoken of defending the clergy. The focus was always on the heroes. That she must be willing to lay her own life down if it meant saving a hero from death. The clergy was being selfish. They were valuing their own lives above that of the people. He spoke against the rise of heresy after the waves, yet the words that had just come from his mouth may very well have been heresy in its own right. One of the tenets she grew up being taught was selflessness, and she was shown none of that from the cardinal. He was trying to save his own skin.

Auriel stood straight again, bringing her wing out of reach of his hand. "Time is short, Father. I must gather what information I can and return to the heroes." She was thankful her back was turned to the visitors. The look in her eyes was stern with the cardinal. With just her look alone, she had told the cardinal everything. Auriel was going to remain true to the heroes, not to the clergy. She'd defend those who couldn't defend themselves from the Waves. Not everyone would survive the End, but the clergy already had higher chances to get through it all. The hidden threat didn't scare Auriel into following the cardinal's command, and the cardinal knew it. He stepped aside, allowing her passage to get closer to the hourglass. Auriel kept her golden eyes on his old, pale greens as she passed by him. She thought about the consequences of her silent disobedience, and how it all might come to pass in the future. Nevertheless, it would be an issue to confront another time. There were far more pressing matters to attend to.

Auriel climbed the dozen steps to the base of the hourglass. She looked up at it, seeing the sand within constantly draining into the many bulbous spaces below. Auriel's best guess was that they had only three and a half days left before the first wave. She hoped they could track down Rayla before then, failing that, were able to drop the matter with the bandit queen and shift their focus on the defense. As Auriel looked upon the hourglass, she couldn't help but feel a certain coldness. One she had felt before in the aftermath of the battles with the Hordes. Death. She pondered on that feeling, perhaps the hourglass was giving a hint of what was to come. Of course, death was going to be inescapable during this, but... The feeling was more than that. The feeling was beyond death, moving, ebbing and flowing. Auriel thought back to the ancient records of previous heroes and holy warriors, that the hourglass was capable of predicting the types of creatures the waves sent. Perhaps it was signaling to her just that. She wished it was less cryptic...

Auriel laid a hand on the golden structure of the great hourglass. She gasped when she suddenly saw images of her previous battles. Fields of dead soldiers, splintered shields and torn banners. Faces burnt into her memory rushed forward, young soldiers who never survived the ruthlessness of the Hordes. Auriel felt like was standing in those muddy fields, bloody water and rain soaking her body. She could smell the air again, the putrid scent of death and everything that comes with it. He stomach twisted. Auriel blinked the sting of the infectious air away, and suddenly the dead soldiers were standing. Their mortal injuries still present on their bodies. They were all staring past her and shuffling wherever it was they were looking. Auriel looked over her shoulder and saw the vibrant light of the city. And just as quickly as the images had come, they simply vanished, and Auriel saw herself looking over the pews of the cathedral yet again.

She had felt death from the hourglass, and now she had seen it too. The dead would march on the living... That was what the horrors of the first wave would be. Auriel felt a sensation of dread well up in her. Undead were among some of the most terrifying things to fight. It worried her how the heroes would react to the mere sight them. She was so concerned about the heroes' reactions, that she didn't even consider her own. Why did the hourglass show her the fields of the dead from her previous battles? The angel never thought about the possibility that she'd possibly have to stand against soldiers and friends she had once stood beside.

Auriel took a moment to collect herself before stepping down the stairway. She'd have to study the threat if they were going to have an advantage. Luckily for her, the cathedral boasted a massive library second only to that of the monastery's. If there was going to be anything regarding the creatures of the waves and the powers of the heroes, it'd be at the center of faith.