brokndremes

The Witch Hunt

Hey look, a post! Hopefully we can get a bit more activity midst the mages.

The Witch Hunt

The sun was riding high as the high as the white marble walls of Kaosbund came rising out of the horizon. Ru could almost imagine the city in grander times, with those walls pristine and shining, guards patrolling the walls and travelers entering through the gaping maw of the gates. Now, however, the once-polished stone was dark with grime and creeping plants, only occasional hints of its former grandeur poking through. Trees encroached its boundaries, as if trying to hide the proud ruins from the rest of the world. It was somewhat disconcerting, entering the dead city. They passed places which had once been bustling, now home to stale corpses and old bones. [i]There was fighting here.[i] Ru thought, as they passed the remnants of an ancient battle. Further evidence could be seen in how some buildings were crumbled beyond what time and nature could do. Ru paused for a moment, to examine the armor the two sides were wearing. He couldn't recognize the insignia on the red troops, yet the others seemed reminiscent of the Luminious Knights that plagued the modern world. Perhaps they had been the downfall of this once proud place? Passing the bodies, they eventually found themselves in the city square, a statue of a regal looking woman standing over them. Despite the wear and damage it had suffered over the years - perhaps even centuries, it was still an imposing sight. "Well, this statue sure makes me feel small and insignificant, that's for sure. Guess that was the entire point." Eddy's comment seemed to make the statue stand a bit taller, as if to prove a point. Ru shook his head, clearing the idea from it. "Or to boost the ego of Empress Eternus here. I'm pretty sure the two go hand in hand." Saying the name, it sounded oddly familiar. Ru was sure he'd never met anyone of that name, doubly so that he hadn't relieved any such person of their possessions. But he was certain that the name von Eternus existed outside of the long dead place. As the sun was getting near the tops of the cities walls, they looked for some place to rest, eventually finding what must have been an inn of some sort. The place was pristine, held together by enchantments that obviously didn't age as the rest of the world did. That they had found a resting place for the night, as well as plenty of food, was a welcome relief, yet the knowledge of these enchantments didn't sit well with Ru. If the enchantments had stayed intact on this inn, what else could be lying in wait in the city? Ru was a first hand witness that not all magic was benevolent, and he was worried that lingering elements of the battles that happened here before could end up latching onto them. After all, wasn't that what the scars were? And YME had mentioned traps. Suddenly, he wasn't sure how well he would be able to deal with them, if those traps contained enchantments. Certainly they would? Fortunately, Ru's worried thoughts were interrupted as someone found the wine cellar. Soon, he was hardly capable of taking anything seriously, and thoroughly enjoying the respite. The food, drink, and company was marvelous, albeit somewhat strange on all counts, yet unfortunately it was not to last. Eddy, obviously a bit intoxicated, called Misala out, rather loudly, and rather bluntly. The rooms exuberance vanished, as all eyes turned to the woman. Her tirade, breakdown and abrupt exit into the night left the mood of the inn considerably sobered, and people slowly went off to claim a room. Eventually Ru joined them, being sure to stuff his bag with some of the better looking foods first. As he laid down in a bed softer than any he'd slept in since...probably ever, his thoughts turned to the mysterious assassin. Misala had been hard company while they'd been travelling. Although she wasn't completely averse to conversation, trying to read anything from her was like a blind man trying to read a book, and while that made a bit more sense after this window into her past opened up, it left even more questions. Some newfound purpose? What was that supposed to mean? She wasn't the most well liked among the group, and while her tirade might have won some sympathies had it ended earlier, the mention of that new purpose of hers would only serve to make people more curious and distrusting. Why even mention it then? More frustrated thoughts went through Ru's head until he eventually drifted off to sleep. Returning to consciousness was a slow process this morning. The surrounding comfort kept trying to lull Ru back into oblivion. Eventually, however, his stomach won the day, and after a wash, he headed down to see what food the inn decided to serve for breakfast. Several were talking of Misala's breakdown, headless of her... well, apparently not headless of her presence, as Misala appeared to be absent from the table. Ru finished eating, pocketing a few colorful fruits which had been rather exquisite, before heading back to the rooms to see if he could find where Misala was. Everyone else seemed to be accounted for, in some manner or another, but Misala couldn't be found. This worried Ru somewhat. While he was worried she may have ran off, he doubted she would be in any danger. She was part of the group however, and while she hadn't been great for revealing conversation in their travels, she had certainly been competent and she knew a great deal about what they might be facing. Ru got the impression that travelling with her would greatly increase his chance of survival. Another thing worried Ru, and that was the chance that she hadn't just ran off in distress, but that it was calculated. The story seemed genuine, as did the distress, but that didn't mean she couldn't turn it to her advantage. Misala was working some odd angle, that much was obvious, and with her so obviously gone, a nagging voice in his head kept warning Ru that Misala would use this chance to work against them somehow. Changing into soft souled shoes to better mask his footsteps, and re-affirming all his armaments, Ru headed down to the main room of the inn. He'd checked the bedrooms, and was certain Misala wasn't inside the building, and he'd decided it would be best to try and recover her. Besides, it would be interesting to explore a new city for once, even if it was a rather dead one. Still, he'd rather not head out alone. "It seems as though one of our members has gone missing." Ru announced. "I'd like to try and find Misala, and would welcome any company to help me do so." "Good ridance if she's gone. Brought nothing but trouble on us, with those monsters and secret plots." Jerem weighed in with his opinion. A rather stout mage who had been badly harmed in the chimera attack, he seemed to blame Misala for all misfortunes that had befallen them since they set out. The man was a perfect example that magecraft provided no immunity to ignorance. "She is a member of this party, and I'd rather not lose any more than we have. Besides, think of the bonus if she makes it back alive." The comment about the gold gave Jerem some thought. He was a man very easily swayed by gold. "I'll ask again, does anyone wish to join me? We can get a good look at this city while we're at it."

The Witch Hunt

I'm sorry, I'm rather swamped with stuff at the moment, and am having trouble writing. Also, Laue, check PMs.

The Witch Hunt

I'm fairly busy for now, though with weekend I should have time for a post.

The Witch Hunt

The party was getting close to Kaosbund, only a few days remaining in their journey. Fortunately, they hadn't had any major encounters on their journey. But for the past few hours, something had seemed off. Ru wasn't a forester - He was a denizen of cobbled streets and dark alleys, but he had this odd feeling as if something was watching him. Something malicious, gazing through the trees. Eventually the Jackals slowed and stopped, and sounds could be heard nearby, things moving through the trees. Multiple things. Big things. Ru brought forth another of himself to make three, standing spread out and hiding in the brush. He'd made a habit of keeping one illusion up at all times, mostly as an exercise in managing the thing. Eventually, the main party caught up with the scouts, and by then it was obvious that whatever was following them had surrounded them. Misala seemed to know something about it, but before she could speak, Eddy launched an arrow into the middle of nowhere. And Ru discovered that nowhere was apparently rather solid, and prone to bleeding if shot. Three Ru's gaped in surprise as a beast materialized out of nowhere, quickly followed by a whole pack of them gleefully descending on the group of mages. One pounced on an illusion, a confused look lingered for a moment on its inhuman face before it noticed Ru, and then his other illusion. Both of them dropped their packs, and drew their short swords in unison, and the fight began. The beast was somewhat cautious at first, facing two of Ru, and the battle mostly consisted of Ru and his illusions frantically dodging the huge claws of the tyrant. Eventually, Ru saw an opening, the beasts side open from an overzealous strike. Unfortunately, it was an illusion who was there to make the strike, and not the real Ru. He felt as if he could see through the illusions eyes as it pushed the fake sword towards the soft tissue now exposed, as the sword, seemingly so fatal, simply puffed away, leaving less than a scratch on the beast. The tyrant noticed this failure as well, quickly dispatching the illusion, and now turned towards the real Ru, its true target now in its sights. Ru frantically summoned more illusions, but the beast ignored them, now knowing their blows to be little more than smoke in the wind. Smart thing. He thought, noticing the change in behavior. Unfortunately for me. The tyrant took a swipe at him, too close to dodge, but too far away to get within it's reach, Ru was forced to attempt to parry the blow. Even at a deflecting angle, the force of the blow sent a shock through his arms, sending him reeling backwards, off balance. He somehow knew that the creatures other arm was heading in his direction. It was as if he could see it from two other sets of eyes, standing behind the thing. He watched as the claw came whistling through the air, and though he'd regained his balance, Ru knew he wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. And then the claw connected with flesh, and Ru watched his own torso get torn to shreds, his own corpse fly backwards, only to disappear in a puff of smoke. Before him was a confused, and exposed, tyrant. Taking the opportunity, Ru rammed his now very real sword through the creatures back, pushing it telekinetically for good measure to be sure it's spine was severed. The creatures lower body stopped moving, and it fell. A second stab finished its movements entirely. Ru wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but felt exhausted. It was as if he had become one of his own illusions. Ru sat down heavily as the adrenaline left his system, and saw the carnage. It didn't look like many had died, and healers were tending to the wounded - He accepted a potion from Darthalia as well, pocketing it for later use. Ru counted himself lucky that he had survived relatively unscathed. He'd seen what the tyrants could do, and doubted he'd have survived a hit from those claws. Misala then announced what the things were, and Ru wondered what else she might be hiding, or what other beasts she might know of that could be laying in wait for them on their journey. She had been rather closed about her past on the way there, and that was something Ru was fine to let lie, however if she knew things that could prevent further deaths - like that they may run into killer mutant things far from any scar - he would rather know. Ru moved a bit closer to the assassin, pulling out his wineskin and taking a small swig before offering it to Misala. "Care to share any hints on fighting those things so easily?" he asked cheerfully, tiredness still managing to seep into his voice. "Also, can you think of any other nasties that we could run into on our way to Kaosbund?" Ru also wondered if more of the tyrants were hiding in the wilderness still, like dogs fleeing after a few of their pack is killed, waiting to attack later, when the prey is easier.

The Witch Hunt

Ok. Will get on getting something up tomorrow at some point. Been rather busy the past few days. Went on some nice hikes though. Wanna clarify, we ARE doing the time-skip to the Tyrant attacks? Also, would Ru have learned much about 'Misala' trying to probe her a bit whilst travelling?

The Witch Hunt

There we go. This morning, tonight. Same difference, right? :3 And of course the formatting changes back right as I get used to the new stuff. So many broken signatures.

The Witch Hunt

It took Ru a moment to understand what Nero was saying. He spoke strangely, almost as if unused to the language. When Ru did understand, he was left with wondering more about this Nero. Having lived on a secluded manor might explain some of his odd tendencies, perhaps they spoke a different language there, and this was not Nero's mother tongue. Also, what was psychology? Perhaps it related to Nero's form of magic? Ru's thoughts were cut off as the man took a dagger to his hand. "A deal bound in blood, my great grandfather used to say, can never be broken. Let us ride and fight together, will you let your blood with mine?" Ru blanched at this, unsure of what to do. A blood oath? It seemed a bit much, for a job so ... open ... as this. Blood oaths brought to mind the darker parts of the undercity, the kind of think assassins and conspirators would use to bind themselves together. Ru had never been a huge fan of assassination. Thieving, in his opinion, was far more honorable than leaving some poor sap dead in his sleep. Not something he particularly wanted to get involved in. "Uh...." Ru stalled, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation. A moment later, he regained his composure. "The oath you offer is far too solemn for this occasion." He said formally, folding Nero's offered hand and returning it to him. "I would not be the one to swear with either. That honor would belong to Ordore, who will be leading this scouting party." As he spoke, the formality gradually left his voice, however it stayed a slightly more somber tone than usual. "We should gather Misala, and then we can go to him." At this Ru began heading into the direction of the assassin, working to answer Nero's earlier question. "The town we'll be heading probably isn't on your maps. Most of the places out are subject to both bandits and wild beasts, and tend not to stay for too long. A good many of them end up like Misala back there." At this, he nodded back towards the smoldering remains of Misala-the-Town. The folk that lived out here generally weren't the most fortunate, nor the wealthiest. Which was part of the reason Ru never came out here much. They soon reached 'Misala' the person, who gladly fell in with them after being saved from a conversation with an energetic brown haired woman. Ru continued speaking as they headed for Ordore. "The particular village we're heading for is in that direction." Ru gestured vaguely with his arm in the direction of the town, then continued speaking. "I believe it's a bit under a day's walk from here, and it should be safe from the Luminous Knights. They don't come out here often. Ordore here can tell you the details if you wish." Ru finished up his monologue as they approached where Ordore and Eddy were conferring. He gave Ordore an exaggerated salute before addressing him. "Looks like we're all ready."

The Witch Hunt

I can give you a nice prompt BrodZ later tonight/tomorrow morning, assuming noone else has something up by then. I guess I should, considering Nero offered Ru a blood oath of some sort.