POOHEAD189

At The Edge of The World

Beren watched the...thing, burst through the wall and scatter men about like a child kicking over toys. Faintly, he felt his pendant brimming beneath his shirt. He pulled at the silver chain and saw the artifact glowing softly in the gloom, before sliding it back under his top.

"What was that?" Emmaline asked, the question sounding snippy, though the accompanying look of guilt showed she hadn't meant it as such. Beren had forget he had never shown it to her, other than when they were making out on the couch, and that was not the time he wanted to talk about heirlooms.

"I'll tell you later, but that means it's... well 'demon' might be a strong word-"

"DEMON!?" She balked.

Beren's blessed necklace had been handed down to him from his father, who had consecrated it personally. It had merely been meant as a kind gift from father to son, but it protected him from evil spirits and was very handy in warning when such entities were near. It did the same with demons or anything preternaturally malevolent, but it wasn't useful at categorizing something beyond that. Whatever this thing was, it was made of rain as well as whatever spiritual force that powered it.

"Just stay here," He told her, leaping out into the rain. It likely looked like foolhardy bravado, but Beren never backed down from a fight if he felt it necessary to engage in it, even if it was against what looked to be sentient water. Immediately the downpour drenched him, flattening his thick head of hair and running down the definition of his muscled arms. Beren reflexively ducked under a flying legionnaire, grabbing at a fallen pilum and tossing it in one, smooth motion at the roiling abomination.

The throw was perfect. If it had been a creature of flesh and blood, it would have skewered the thing dead center. Even as it flew through the bulk of it, it's iron head sinking into the palisade wall was satisfying to watch. Unfortunately, it was only nice to look at. Suddenly a large blob of water coalesced and swung at Beren, who tried to twist out of the way but was caught and swept into the air. The herculean form of the warrior was sent flying back at the central tower, rolling through the mud.

"Beren, get in here!" Emmaline cried, desperation in her voice.

Suddenly there was a keen wailing, and a bolt of lightning streaked across the encampment as men retreated, their shields and spears up, eyes wild with fear. The mad spirit convulsed as it was struck, and a battle-mage strode across the spattered ground in heavy war-boots and an imperial mage cloak over his armor. He whispered another incantation, and a concussive force billowed out like an explosive wave, sending the rain scattering. The men cheered as the monster seemingly disappeared into nothingness, the rain now harmless as it drenched the landscape.

Beren picked himself up, but he didn't see what happened next, like Emmaline, who had a good vantage point to watch. She observed in awe and horror as the seemingly harmless rain now gathered just above the mage, and as the fellow began another chant, with a mind of its own the water sinuously whipped about and flew straight within the man's moving lips. His words now gurgled and his eyes widened, and men cried out as their camp's magister began to drown from living water, desperately clawing at his face.

"I command you get in here now!" Emmaline cried to Beren, and while he wasn't entirely used to being told what to do, the need in her voice brought strength to his limbs and he clambered to his feet.

The mage fell dead to the mud, and the water sought its next prey, slinking around the air like a great serpent. Gradually it became apparent its next target was Beren, or perhaps Emmaline, and it dove towards their position just as Beren stepped back under the archway of the central keep.

"Beren!" Emmaline screamed, realizing distantly she was yelling his name too much but unable to really find fault in it at the moment. He turned and saw the water arcing towards him, and he moved to grab Emmaline, stepping defensively in front of her with his muscled form and steading himself from the blow that was to come. Fortunately for them, the water crashed against what looked like an invisible barrier just at the foot of the arch, scattering droplets across the floor.

Beren opened one eye, looking down at Emmaline, then at the spirit that seemed unable to enter. He looked down at his new girlfriend. "Did you do that?"

The Enemy Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor RP

The tunnel they had devised was spacious, thanks to Lucius' bulk. Evidently safe as well, we passed through without incident, all the while hoping this cavernous entryway not be the only mark I made on Havenos before an ignominious end. I received and even more dire sense of foreboding when Selencia directed my attention to the inside of the wall.

"Hadrian..." The Ordo Biologis said, approaching the structure. I followed her, placing a finger upon one of the print. My long-time friend examined them, albeit in a different method than I had done. I was merely checking to see how old the prints were, and though it was hard to ascertain, my guess was within the last few weeks. Selencia was deciphering a more esoteric mystery.

"The blood did not come from their hands." She said, stepping away. "It's...mixed between arterial and venous. Whoever put these here were the erm, perpetrators and not cultists who maimed themselves, I would imagine."

"Cultists..." I said, mulling over the word. Selencia shrugged, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Perhaps they weren't, but I've been in the yours and Inquisitor Kronus' service long enough to know where you go, there's likely worshipers of the ruinous gods. Sometimes, I think I'm not payed well enough."

A ghost of a smile appeared on my face, and I turned back to Emmaline and the others. I gave a gesture of my head to my psyker and lover. "Very well, let's hurry. There's very little to be gained here." I took a quick scan of our surroundings, almost expecting lurking figures rising over the crags, but there was nothing.

Our group moved from the wall and deeper into the bed of the valley. The sun remained as hot as ever, yet I felt a chill run down my spine. Something elusive skulked just at the edge of my senses. I wasn't half as powerful as Emmaline in psychic prowess, but I was a bit older and had longer, formal training. I could almost smell something unnerving in the air, but as we overtook our second mile, I could still see nothing.

Absolutely nothing. No insects or one of the strange rock lizards I saw before the wall. Not even any reptilian avian creatures gliding high above us. The planet itself seemed to withdraw from this barren route. It wasn't until we heard a blood curdling scream from behind that I felt I wasn't completely alone, even with my companions all around me.

We turned, brandishing weapons, but saw nothing. A few of the locals still accompanying us had scrambled over to our position, but when questioned, they shook their heads, clueless as us.

"Where's Galda?" Kelden asked, the one eyed tracker hefting his hunting auto-rifle readily. He seemed nervous, but the big man kept himself from showing it in all but his eyes. I unholstered my large caliber handgun and approached the area while Emmaline feigned granting me an aristocratic order to see what had transpired. As I passed a mound of rocks as tall as a man, I noticed a strange inscription upon one of the stones, this one oblong and clearly shaped by something with a purposeful design. I could not read the script, but it hit me at that moment.

"These are cairns." I said, and the group was given only a moment to consider the implications of that pronouncement. My words were as the trigger of a gun, for no sooner had I uttered them that a wild, keen screech erupted from the opposite side of the valley, followed by a return scream very close to my position. The stones rumbled and fell, and mounds we had initially thought were simple imperfections in the slopes burst forth and raised human-like hands as their warped bodies moved with lightning speed. I put three rounds into a mutant that had evidently been hiding behind the cairn before I even had a good look at the thing.

Its eyes were bloodshot red and it's body was both bloated and sinuous in equal measure, giving it the look of a boa that had engorged itself of some large megafauna, and yet it walked on two, very human legs. It's maw was unnaturally long and gaping with razors teeth, and I could see three arms on it, though others looked to have a random assortment of limbs. I spun, gunning down another mutant that loped towards Selencia. My shells and her needle shots brought it down, though it died hard. My eyes caught sight of Emmaline pulling out her Helix 2 and ripping through a towering mutant moments before it reached her. As it fell, I gave a grin that likely seemed crazy in the midst of this sudden, hellish melee. My thoughts drifted to my first shooting lesson with her. She might not be a marksman, but she can hit something huge right in front of her better than any.

Gold & Glory: AU thread

"Rifle!" Markus cried, sheathing his accursed sword and racing across the deck, ragged cloak flying. He called for it again, and Sketti came out of the hold with an old flintlock in hand. Markus lifted his hand even as the dwarf chucked it at Markus. They had no doubt confiscated and taken most arms, but a few had been kept hidden by the meticulous quartermaster. If you wanted something hidden or found, you got a dwarf. Their eyes could see imperfections in stone impeccably, but they could use their eyes in a similar vein when it came to timber and steel, though perhaps to a lesser extent.

Markus raced up the aft-castle as the Hammer rocked from the virulent waves, the barrel of the rifle flipping into his other waiting hand as he hefted the weapon.

"Loaded and ready!" The dwarf bellow from the deck, but Markus didn't need to be informed. A wind rushed by him, spraying droplets of water across hid dark mane of hair. His body nor his aim were moved, closing one eye as he lowered the other to level with the iron sights. The dark sorceress was swiftly fading away, though he could tell she wished to catch up even without her steed. Thunder rumbled across the turbulent seascape, and Markus waited with bated patience as the ship rocked from another wave. A fell voice rose in the air, and men wailed as they heard another spell about to be unleashed. Markus merely breathed out and in, still as stone.

Lightning raked across the sky, and as the thunder followed, so did the rifle shot. Smoke mingled with the smell of sweat and sea water, and as the light faded across the sky, Markus saw the figure of the sorceress suddenly plummet towards the waves. He kept his eye on the horizon for another moment, but he could see naught but darkness and the silhouette of the jagged, druchii spires that threatened to pierce the clouds.

Emmaline had climbed the steps, blowing bits of her golden hair out of her face, looking at him in bewilderment. "The spell...did you hit her? From this dista-aaaOOMMM"

Markus had thrown the rifle to the floor of the deck, grabbed Emmaline and pulled her in to a kiss that was filled with the celebratory energy of a man that had escaped desperation. He pulled away from her, but still held her in his arms. He didn't specify, but he was thinking of her work on the chain and the death of the pegasus. "I knew I kept you around for some reason." He said with a fierce grin, and then his eyes went down to her heaving chest. "One of the reasons, anyway. Good job, Emma."

"What now, Captain!?" Sketti called up, and Markus, holding Emmaline, was now overlooking the whole crew on the deck, watching him fervently. The pirate squeezed his woman to him with one arm, and in the other he unsheathed his black sword as lightning wreathed the sky.

"Onto to the orient, lads! We'll stop at the next isle and forage for food, then to Ind and all the plunder of their forgotten gods!"

The Enemy Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor RP

The next day...

A small rock tumbled down the slope, clattering against the stones. Lucius, Selencia, and some of the survivors gazed up to the source, and whilst my head didn't move, my gaze flicked in that direction. Emmaline had not bothered herself to turn, trying to leap over a small crevasse and balancing, using her hefty front side as a ballast. Luckily, it seemed to be some odd, vaguely reptilian critter scampering out of a hiding place.

The sun beat down on us, which I was not very keen on. The valley was far too wide open, and though some of it was covered in the dense foliage of the planet's subtropical forest, much of it was bare rock raised high above on both sides. Anyone with a weapon that could lob a projectile could hit us and we would be at a severe disadvantage. I felt my team was prepared in most situations, but it was times like this I could ascertain just where I had missed on my conditioning of them. Emmaline and Selencia were both unused to the field, and Lucius had the iron confidence of a post-human, unaccustomed to finding the flaw in letting a potential sniper know you might have spotted their location. I walked casually, but careful eyes could see I moved from shadow to shadow when I could, always keeping the sun at my back and keeping whatever foliage there was between me and a potential vantage point for a rifleman. Clara moved much the way I did, but I felt it was more for her role of protection than camouflage on her part.

"How much further?" Emmaline called, and she cursed when she nearly stumbled. The blonde took off a shoe and hopped while she shook out a loose pebble.

"Don't yell," I said back as quietly as I could while reaching her ears. "Just a few more miles."

I did not want to be harsh. We would talk about it later, and her bright eyes showed she understood the need for discretion so she buttoned her lip and hustled over to my position at the fore.

"I thought we needn't worry here?" She asked me more softly. I felt she merely wanted to make conversation, but I wouldn't begrudge her that. It allowed me a small distraction from the heat.

"We shouldn't, but in my line of work it always pays to be careful." I told her, then smirked as our shoulders brushed. "Our line of work."

She flashed a smile. "I fear I'm much better in urban subterfuge, Lord Drakos."

We turned a corner, and were met by a sight that stilled the reply on my tongue. Emmaline gave a very dry "Oh," when she looked up. Before us, the path ended in a wall of stones and boulders that stacked up above us like a feudal world's wall. By my thoughts, it piled up slightly taller than Lucius, which made it well over 4 meters in height. It seemed recently fallen, as well, if the scratch marks and the lack of sediment were any indication.

"Well that is problematic," Emmaline said dryly, crossing her arms under her chest. Behind us, I heard Lucius Raj trudging up to our position. I heard his intake of breath, and he was so powerfully built I even felt a small breeze from the action. Selencia walked up to our position and eyed the obstacle with her keen eye.

"I can go through it, but it might take some time." Raj said. I glanced at Emmaline to see if the prospect worried her, and she shrugged. I felt for the hilt of my power sword, knowing it was fully capable of carving through ceramite, and so mere stone would be easy. However, I felt unless I were cutting through a completely stable surface, I could easily be crushed. An ignominious end to my career that, by most Inquisitorial standards, had just begun.

The Enemy Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor RP

"Yes, she is dead." I said, pronouncing the d's of the final word emphatically to show I was slightly irked. Perhaps not as petulant as Emmaline's final statement, but I think we all were a bit tired after a brutal melee we had not anticipated. I took a deep breath and reminded myself we were all lucky to still be here. I could have lost many more agents than the late Samara Bandir. I examined the Espair Pattern VII, and though my knowledge of the manufacturing of lasguns was rudimentary compared to Lazarus, I agreed and could find no flaw in his deduction.

"What I was doing was studying the moon patterns." I said, drawing Emmaline's gaze my way. There was an open question in her face, and I smiled. She might be a bit clumsy and prefer to laze about, but Emmaline was brilliant, in my mind. I don't fraternize with every pretty woman I happen to meet. Perhaps I should tell her that more often.

"Moon patterns?" Selencia prompted me, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Yes. Emmaline is right. They will be in the southern swamps, but we need to move at first light tomorrow." I explained, placing the butt of the lasgun on the ground, Lazarus took it from me, almost cradling it in his arms as he placed it amongst our gear.

"Because of the tides?" Lazarus asked as he removed the item.

"Good guess, old friend, but no." I remarked, standing up and taking a professional poise. Emmaline stepped back, almost tripping over a stick. Luckily a log broke her fall and she fell onto a seat as if it were a deliberate choice. I would not tell if she didn't. "In the tribes crude understanding of the Emperor, they have devised he portrays himself in the guise of the sun and the moon. When there is no moon, they take it as the divine Emperor sleeping, and hold vigil all night, seeing anyone approaching as a demon sneaking past their God. No doubt a ritual made after some catastrophic attack years ago, supped up into a time of religious significance."

"And when there is no sun?" Emmaline asked, maintaining her position in the conversation.

"They see it as the highest of disfavor. Luckily there is not an eclipse for some time, but in a few days there will be a string of moonless nights. If we approach then, they'll attack us like rabid hounds. Even the ones not in the employ or influence of whatever ruinous agent we now face."

"And why did we not know this beforehand?" Selencia asked.

"Yes, why not?" Emmaline added, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Because I was hoping we needn't stay until that time, and it would not have sped us here any faster. Believe me, if I thought it prudent, you would have been told immediately."

The Legend of Zelda: Valorbrand Chronicles [Interest]

Looks interesting

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

"We will," was all Neil gave her, hefting the rifle as arrows sizzled by. One struck the crate behind Neil, Emmaline squeaking and ducking behind the stone wall. Four beastmen shoulder rushed the large doorway below, slamming their stout bodies into it and bouncing off, the door holding strong at the moment. Neil had locked it and shoved crates and a desk against it, and there was no other entrance on the lowest floor. It was Imperial law that the lowest floors of every establishment not behind two stone walls would have no windows or else suffer a tax, because of just such an occasion as an attack by beastmen. Of course, they did not expect such a thing in the midst of Nuln, but for once Neil thought a law made by meaningless bureaucracy served him well.

She chucked the case at Neil, and with a grimace he caught it and without pausing, dumped it out of the window and onto the beastmen, who in their wisdom discovered that their axes might be used for more than carving up flesh. They started hacking at the door with wild abandon, before the crate clunked into a horned head and sent the beast to the ground. The others stopped stupidly, and after considering the situation, decided to laugh at their comrade as the cheap booze spilled out over the stones. Neil ducked under another arrow, and had to spend his bullet on one of the archers. The bullet carved through the ungor's throat satisfyingly, but it left Neil needing to reload in order to ignite the flames below. Emmaline thrust herself forward and incanted quickly, a small spark falling from her wriggling hands like a fiery snowflake and landing on the running alcohol. Flames raced across the floor and ran up the legs of the beastman below them, engulfing the one who still had the crate stuck to its head.

"Ok, now we just wait until the flames are out and then we go?" Emmaline asked, even as Neil yanked her out of the way of another arrow. She smiled and fluttered her lashes at him guiltily, and he grinned.

"Yeah, just gotta wait for that." He reassured her, mounting his hochland rifle on the window and dispatching the last of the archers. Reloading one final time, Neil told Emmaline to grab the bags. She did so, and when she returned she saw Neil triple knotting a rope around the pillar foundation of the second floor. He wrapped the rope around his arm and held his free hand out for Emmaline to take. She took it, and he pulled her close.

"Treat this like a regular job. Be inconspicuous, try not to get caught, and when in doubt, run."

As Emmaline was lifted up to the window as Neil placed a foot upon it, she clung to him. "Do we know where we're going?" She asked, trepidation in her voice. Below, three beastmen were dead and one burnt one had plunged himself into the water around the island and was trying to pull itself back up onto shore.

"Yes. No.... vaguely." He said, and let the fall keep her from responding. He leaped out with her and she screamed for a moment before the rope went taut and Neil let it slide through his hand until they touched upon the ground. Only a few flames were left on the spot. Neil held his nose, the scent of burnt beastman and crisp hair permeating them.

"Smells like your cooking," Neil said with a smile. Emmaline smacked him on the back of the head, but she shared a grin from the jest.

Over the bridge, they only needed to make it another street before they would find a gutter grating. Then they just had to get in it, and they would be relatively home free.

Dark Streets - Urban Shadows

Ǫlni The Forgemaster

---

When Ǫlni lifted his head from his labors, he blinked in amazement and worry. Whoever had made this bullet... No, no he would tell Valkyrie Cykali first. He stomped out of the smithy and entered the warehouse, where Harald was explaining to the Valkyrie exactly who he was.

"What is a... 'residency?'" The Valkyrie asked, but Ǫlni interrupted them by shoving between them.

"Harald, thanks for yer help. Ye may go now." The Dwarf said dismissively.

"Go? What? You drove me here!" Harald exclaimed. Ǫlni looked at him quizzically.

"It's just a few miles..." The Dwarf explained, but when he saw Harald wasn't going anywhere, he shook his bearded head. He wondered how man had become so soft in the centuries of his slumber, and decided to blame the country. "Americans!"

"I'm norwegian!"

Ǫlni ignored him, holding the bullet up in front of the Valkyrie's face. "Whoever made this thing knew fae magic. They enchanted it to see ye and penetrate yer armor and flesh, and I'll bet they're still looking for ye. One doesn't go through that much trouble to not finish the job. Do ye have any mortal enemies or mortals that might be in league with any foes?"

Hello from Singapore!

@chongjasmine Lovely to meet you!

Pax Astra

"ETA?" Tiber asked as bullets punched through the aluminum lining in the walls. A ricochet pinged off the interior's southern wall and cut his leg, but he didn't move. Sabatine ducked in and out of the crates, providing just enough of a buffer past the wall to halt the straight shot of incoming projectiles.

"Two paces!" She called, shouldering her Vesta and firing two rounds. Someone outside screamed in a pained panic. Her third round ended it abruptly and she ducked as a mass of returned fire punctured the wall by her position. One lucky bullet found a soft spot in the crate but Ceres watched over Sabatine. The shard flew just passed her head as she reloaded, paying as little attention to it as Tiber had.

Sabatine rolled to a different position and tried something risky, eschewing the safety of the crates and peeking through a bullet hole to give a more accurate reading of the enemy position. Almost immediately she cried "Now!" and vaulted over the closest crates as Tiber hit the button.

A concussive shockwave shoved against the building, followed by a wave of heat and a roaring as three remote detonated mines with layers of 12-ounce, C-3 explosive's launched flame and an array of 6mm steel cubes flying in all directions. As Tiber dove into cover next to Sabatine, holes rang through the wall like fletchlets in an immense shotgun blast. Four seconds rolled by as the two soldiers collected themselves, wringing out the ringing in their ears and getting to their feet. It was all the time they had before bullets rang on the walls and punched through the floorboards of the second story floor.

Tiber and Sabatine rolled in opposite directions, catching a glimpse of two men who had the relatively intelligent decision to flank the building and enter through the gaping hole in his baygate. Unfortunately, they didn't count on Legionnaire discipline. Tiber and Sabatine moved in unison, halting their rolls in a prone position and sending two clean shots. Sabatine's bullet hit the man right on the nose, literally, severing the spinal cord and sending shrapnel of bone into his brain. Tiber's bullet cut through the left thug's chest cavity and hit perfectly into his heart. Both men stumbled and dropped without a sound.