Cobalt did his best to orientate himself, and then moved towards the door for a second time. Maybe his collision with the wall had had more of an effect than he had originally thought, or maybe some malicious spirit had decided to torment him, but yet again, Cobalt's best laid plans went awry. He had barely managed a pace before he seemed to stumble, and the wall rushed towards him again. At the last minute, Cobalt managed to reach an arm up and catch himself. He staggered slightly as he struggled to regain his balance, and tried to shake off whatever affliction had been clouding his judgement. For a second time, he was grateful of the darkness hopefully obscuring him from the other guests. At this rate, he was starting to doubt if he was ever going to escape this infernal room!
Through the infuriatingly evasive doorway, Cobalt could hear the other's beginning to explore whatever lay beyond. As far as he could tell, he was one of the only guests actually left in 'Confinement', and the thought wasn't making his own getting out of the room any easier. Neither was the cold. Cobalt could feel it in his bones now, and he pulled his jacket tight around him, although it did little to stave off the chill in the air. If he didn't get out of this room soon, then it was going to be more than his pride that was hurt. To be this close to freedom and yet to continually fail in achieving it was infuriating. Cobalt reached out through the darkness, doing what he could to feel the frame, so that hopefully the next time he tried to make it out, he would be more successful. Failure left a bitter taste in Cobalt's mouth.
Character current location: Shadowell Manor: Confinement (Attic) Characters attempted actions: Orientate himself with the doorway to try and make further attempts to move through it more successful (hopefully) Any and all skills being used: Perception Why each skill is being called: Perception, to try and perceive the doorway Desired location of the character: Same as current location
William had braced himself for the coming storm, prepared to put his body between those who needed protection, and the foul creature before him. The problem was, the storm faltered before it reached him, and there didn't seem to be anyone who really needed his protection. The pale 'Virginia' had already passed him, hurling one of her axes and tearing through the creature's shoulder. The flamboyant Russian almost seemed more invigorated after being thrown across the church, leaping to his feet with no small dose of theatricality, his thrown dagger cutting into the shifting smoke that formed the creature. The other Russian stood over the Duchess, but whatever effect performing the ritual had had on the Duchess, she was clearly recovering, and as William watched, a flock of crows burst through one of the stained glass windows and fell upon the creature, wrapping it in what looked to be a flaming tapestry. William recognized the flock from the road earlier, and as he glanced across to the Duchess, he saw her hand moving, almost as if she was conducting a black feathered orchestra.
He caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eyes, and saw that even Millicent was no longer behind him, her newly-acquired sword drawn now, the horror of seeing her fiance's ungodly transformation seemingly shaken. As the creature roared and screamed, the flames from the tapestry all around it, William risked a glance over his shoulder. The barb from the Irishwoman didn't go un-noticed, but he wasn't surprised. He had crossed the woman when they had first met, and there had hardly been time for him to try and seek forgiveness. Regardless, he could take barbed remarks, as long as they remained on the same side, or as close to it as they could manage. And she was clearly a valuable asset, the Celtic runes that had emerged from the ground at their feet were still glowing, and judging by the cries from the creature, they were hurting it. Even the blonde woman had armed herself, although the weapon she held appeared to be an improvised one.
Something in the creature's hellish cries changed, and William's attention snapped back to it. It was still wrapped in the flaming tapestry, but as William watched, the flames began to burn black, and he could have sworn the creature seemed to grow. When it roared again, the force of it almost knocked William a step back. The axe and daggers had seemed to cut the creature, or at least part the black smoke, even if only for a moment, but it was still standing. William cursed the fact that he didn't have any throwing weapons, and that he'd left his rifle with Azrael back at Port Annan. It might have done nothing to the creature, but as it stood, William couldn't do anything unless he got close to it, and until he knew it could even be hurt, he could just be charging to his death.
For now, William's greatest use, at least in his opinion, was to protect those that did have ranged weapons, to give them the freedom to use them, and to protect against any retaliation from the creature. He tried to get a read on the creature, to try and predict it's next move, but even without the haze that still clung to the world around William, the creature was a writhing mass of shadow and flame. He had no clue what it was, let alone what it was going to do, so all he could do was deal with what he did know. Millicent was moving off to his right, the blonde woman and the Irishwoman were still behind him, and the others were scattered around the church in front of him. In terms of someone for William to move to defend, there was a clear choice. Part of him was drawing him to follow Millicent, another part of him wanted to move towards the Duchess, but for now, logic was winning out.
The stranger, although William hardly knew any of the figures in the church, was surprisingly agile for a man of his apparently advanced years, and he clearly had some power, as his dagger flashed back to his hand for a second time. But as far as William could see, he wasn't heavily armed, and he was one of the closest to the creature. His dagger seemed to be doing some damage at least, and William doubted the creature would tolerate it for a third time if it didn't have to. With that in mind, William moved forwards, moving closer to the bearded stranger. As he moved, he heard the Russian that was still standing over the Duchess begin to talk, claiming to have had a vision, although his words were like a riddle to William. William didn't doubt that the man had the power to have visions, after all, he was trained in Hadd himself, and was all too familiar with the fleeting glimpses of truth. But for now, William didn't have time to try and decipher the riddle. He did what he could to commit it to memory, and then he placed himself between the creature and the stranger.
Character current location: Gretna Green - Church Characters attempted actions: Ready himself for conflict, and defending Ny from the creature in case it attacks Any and all skills being used: Cnut, Kadlin Why each skill is being called: Cnut, for preparing himself for fighting with his shortswords. Kadlin, for preparing himself for fighting without them. Desired location of the character: Same as current location
Cobalt was quickly growing impatient again. Being trapped inside this 'Confinement' had been bad enough, but he felt like he had been fumbling in the dark for hours now. Even now that the window of escape, or rather the door, had been opened, it still remained infuriatingly out of reach. Not only that, but it was cold, true cold now. Ever since the lamps had spluttered out, he had felt the chill in the air, but now it was bitterly cold, and it cut through his dinner attire like he was wearing nothing at all. He clamped his teeth together to stop them from chattering, and then pushed forwards. He practically ran towards the dim outline of the door, desperate for whatever freedom the space beyond could offer.
Cobalt didn't know if it was the cold, the darkness, or some combination of the two, but his judgement proved to be a little... off. Instead of the welcoming embrace of freedom that the door promised, Cobalt instead found himself becoming far more acquaintance with the rather unwelcoming embrace of the wall a few feet to the left of the doorway. With a dull thud, Cobalt collided with the wall, the force of it sending him staggering back a pace, trying to blink away the daze. Through some stroke of luck, he emerged from his brief encounter remarkably unscathed, aside from a slight headache, and a stinging nose. He glanced around, but in the darkness he couldn't know if anyone was nearby, or had been in any position to witness his mistake. The darkness may well have been a blessing in this case, for Cobalt hardly wanted his fellow guests to think he was a simpleton. After all, he knew how much his opinion of 'the planner' had dipped after she had managed to impale her own leg.
As if on cue, Cobalt heard a voice that he recognized all too well cry out, followed by a resounding thud, the distinctive sound of something heavy falling to the ground with some force. It was still too dark for Cobalt to make out his own hand in front of his face, let alone anything happening anywhere else in the room, but judging by the groans and sounds of movement that followed the thud, it sounded like 'the planner' had unfortunately survived whatever had caused them to cry out. A shame, but by the sounds of it, they were likely to trip and fall down the first stairs they came to, darkness or otherwise. A more cynical man might comment on the hypocrisy of Cobalt condemning someone for their inclination towards accidents, but thankfully, Cobalt was not a more cynical man, and despite the stinging pain still emanating from his nose, he failed to see the irony.
Turning back towards the door, or at least where he was pretty sure the door was, Cobalt tried to shake the last of the daze from his head, ignoring the slight ringing in his ears. He was going to get out of this room, even if it meant running through a wall. For a start, outside meant freedom and warmth. And more importantly, there were a lot more pretty women outside than there were inside.
The song seemed to tug on William's soul, calling him towards it's source, but William kept his ground. He had drawn his line in the sand, and he wasn't going to cross it on a whim. Besides, if they all made it out of this mess, then there was a chance he'd be able to hear the Duchess sing again. Whereas if they died in this church, then the world would be robbed of the music. The very thought almost hurt William, like a pang in his heart, and the humming from his violin faltered. He could charge forwards to try and protect the music, or he could stay where he was and live to hear music again, any music. He had subconsciously been biting his lip as this internal conflict raged, but the taste of blood in his mouth seemed to shake him out of it.
William could half-hear a conversation going on behind him, but his attention was focused on the creature, watching it's every move as he tried to comprehend the threat before them. But even as he tried to look at it, it seemed to shift, making it impossible to identify it, even if William had ever encountered anything like it before, which he hadn't. It was as if the very fabric of the creature was formed from the same haze that still clung to the world all around him. A thought reared it's head at the back of William's mind, that this creature could be the source of that haze, or another side-effect of the haze, but William didn't have time for those questions. Not while the creature still stood.
A flurry of movement caught William's eye, and he watched in awe as the flamboyant Russian leapt through the air, spinning and flipping with an agility that William had never seen before. It was as majestic and entrancing as the music that accompanied it, and to William, it appeared to be some type of dance, the notes of the song weaving with the movements. William was too stunned to question the sense of dancing in front of such a creature, but the flash of steel that he saw in the Russian's hands as he moved through the air suggested that this was something not simply for entertainment. The purpose was beyond William though. Just another thing about the Russian's that bewildered William.
As quickly as it had sprung up, the music ended, and William couldn't help but frown slightly at the loss. His frown only deepened when he noticed that for all his flips, the Russian didn't seem to have actually done anything. He wasn't the only one to notice the lull, and for the first time, the creature moved. And it moved fast. One arm... William stopped himself. He didn't know what the creature was, let alone what to call it's body parts, but the wispy shape that slammed into the Russian's chest, and sent him sailing across the church, certainly looked like an arm, so William settled for that. The Duchess cried out as her compatriot's trajectory was abruptly halted by one of the church pews, but William didn't have time to look away to check on him, as the creature was already moving again.
It leapt through the air, and landed on the front pews itself, the wood splintering under it's weight. William struggled to follow it's movements, eyes straining as his grip on his weapons tightened. Not only did it move with an unnatural speed, but every-time he tried to focus on it, it's form seemed to shift, the black seeming to merge with red in places, and the darkness seeming to draw in the light around it. Whatever this creature was, it seemed to ooze ungodly power. It barely seemed phased by the fact it was on hallowed ground. A flash of silver flew past William, and past the creature, and William dared to look away from the creature for a moment to see the strange man that had seemed so cheery earlier, had taken a step towards the creature. A flick of the man's wrist, and the silver flashed back, a dagger returning to his hand, and tearing through the creature's form as it did.
The creature didn't fall though. In fact, the creature barely seemed to notice. William didn't know what the creature was, but he knew wild animals, and he knew what an animal about to charge looked like. He didn't turn to look back at the others, William simply moved, very slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements, so that he was standing squarely between the creature and where Millicent had been standing when he had last looked at her. When he spoke, his voice was low and steady.
"Whatever weapon you have, get ready to use it."
Character current location: Gretna Green - Church Characters attempted actions: Ready himself for conflict, and defending those who need defending at the back of the church Any and all skills being used: Cnut, Kadlin Why each skill is being called: Cnut, for preparing himself for fighting with his shortswords. Kadlin, for preparing himself for fighting without them. Desired location of the character: Same as current location
Cobalt's brow furrowed slightly as he tried to focus. The door was open, but he still needed to get there. The light coming through the doorway was dim, and it did little to she any real light on their situation, so his progress was still slow. Even so, he pushed onwards. The sooner he was out of this room, the better. He kept his hand against the wall as he moved, using it as his guide. Luck seemed to at least be somewhat on his side, and he managed to stay on his feet, his path apparently clear. As he neared the door, he slowed. He could see silhouettes moving in the half-light, and he didn't want to blunder forward and collide with one of the other guests. Not yet at least.
One of their number had braved the next step already, a figure stepping through the unconventionally opened doorway, and reporting back. It wasn't the most revealing, but it was more than Cobalt could tell for himself, so he was grateful regardless. By the sounds of it, they had plenty of paths before them, and seeing as they were still apparently being left to their own devices up here, Cobalt was inclined to explore. If nothing else, it meant that once they were out of 'Confinement', then they weren't as bound to each other's presence. There were definitely one or two guests that Cobalt would happily spend some time apart from. As if on cue, the voice of 'the planner' piped up again, and Cobalt had to hold back a sigh.
The woman still seemed obsessed with the idea of planning, and in truth, Cobalt was almost impressed she hadn't dropped it by now. Nearly every other guest present had dismissed her idea, and yet she continued. Before Cobalt could open his mouth to berate her himself, one of the other guests did, in a fairly impressive manner. Considering the new speaker was the same voice that had announced their freedom, and therefore likely the same person that had won said freedom, Cobalt decided that this was a woman it could be worthwhile staying close to. If nothing else, she seemed to have her head screwed on right. Before he could reach her, however, she slipped through the doorway as well, into the unknown beyond. Cobalt frowned again, and took a step closer to the door. As far as he was concerned, his future lay beyond that door, and he wanted that future to be as imminent as possible.
When the shadow dropped from above, William stopped listening to the conversations of those around him. He didn't question how he had missed it the first time, he didn't think about the other's reactions, it was pure instinct that drove his motions. He took a few steps, his eyes never leaving the creature as he placed himself between the shadow and Millicent, and then he reached slowly over his shoulder, and pulled his Kopis from it's sheath across his back. In his right hand, he held a Dirk birthed from the finest forges in Europe, the same Dirk that he had taken from his father's dying hand, the same Dirk that had been driven through countless blackened hearts. And in his left hand, William held something that was all at once both newer and older. The design of the kopis had been drawn from the pages of antiquity, but the blade had been forged in the East less than a decade past, and William was yet to encounter a creature, man or beast that it could not split open.
The creature was still at the far end of the church, seeming to enjoy it's dramatic entrance as it lurked over the alter. The Russian's stood together, closest to it, while the other's within the church were still gathered by the door. William's every muscle was ready for action, but what happened next threw him off entirely. Through the subdued silence that had descended after the creature leapt from above, there came a voice. There came a song. It was hauntingly beautiful, unlike anything William had ever heard, and he could only watch, awestruck, as the Duchess seemed to sing towards the creature itself. William could hear his violin hum along to the tune, crying out to be freed from the case that William had slung over his shoulder. He had spent his life with music flowing through his veins just as surely as blood, and the song that came from the lips of the Duchess seemed to hold more power than any mere tune, almost as if witchcraft was weaved between the notes, and it made William's every hair stand on end.
'Virginia' passed him, moving towards the creature and calling out in a foreign language, but William barely noticed. The music... The music was bewitching. Somehow, William managed to tear his gaze away, just for a moment, as he glanced at the group that was still left at the back of the church. The stranger stood nearby, and William still didn't know what to make of the man who seemed to be enjoying their situation quite so much, but his face was intact, and if the Duchess seemed to trust him, then that was good enough for William. For now at least. Millicent seemed to have shaken off her fear, and William was sure that she knew how to use the weapons she was now armed with. That left the two newest arrivals. The Irishwoman presumably could handle herself, William had first met her in the middle of a bloodbath after all, and even as he thought about it, she suggested finding protection, seemingly to the room in general. So she was trained at least, William was sure to make a mental note of that. He had already irked her once, he didn't intend on making a habit of it. The blonde, William next to nothing about, he didn't even have a name. She didn't appear to be armed, but William was careful not to inspect her too closely. He didn't know if she could handle herself in a fight, but considering the world they lived in, William doubted she would be completely defenseless.
William turned back to the developing scene at the front of the church, and his brow furrowed. His heart seemed to yearn to stride forward and put his body on the line so that the music would not be stopped, his violin humming, urging him forwards, but William had not survived as a wanderer for as long as he had by following every whim of his heart. He knew he wasn't a fighter, he was under no illusion of that. His training had been to survive, and he had done well in that regard so far. Charging headlong towards whatever that creature was, not even knowing if his blades could make a dent, may well have made a good story, but William didn't want to make a story he wouldn't be around to tell. He looked back at the strange group, and made his decision, managing half a smile as he spoke.
"It's no good running, there could be more of these things waiting for us. Besides, there's strength in numbers."
He turned to the Irishwoman now, nodding his head slightly as he spoke again.
"Please do, ma'am. It would be greatly appreciated."
With that, he turned back towards the creature itself, taking a deep breath as he readied himself for whatever would be unleashed next. He hoped that those who pushed forwards would be able to handle the creature, but if they broke, or the creature decided to try and prey on softer targets, William would be waiting for it.
Character current location: Gretna Green - Church Characters attempted actions: Ready himself for conflict, and defending those who need defending at the back of the church Any and all skills being used: Cnut, Kadlin Why each skill is being called: Cnut, for preparing himself for fighting with his shortswords. Kadlin, for preparing himself for fighting without them. Desired location of the character: Same as current location
Progress, by the sounds of it they were finally making some progress. The female voice coming from the far side of the room had found the lock, and apparently some weak hinges. Cobalt didn't have a set plan for what he was going to do when he got to the door, but he knew that it was the place to be if they were ever going to get out of this infernal room. Moving slowly, always keeping one hand on the wall to his left, and feeling forward with the other, Cobalt began the long journey around the edge of the room, and towards the far door, and the promise of freedom.
It wasn't long until his progress faltered. His previous foray into the darkness, to reach the door he was now leaving behind, had been fairly easy, because he had known there was nothing standing in his way, and the other guests had been elsewhere in the room. But now he was venturing into the unknown, and he had no idea where the other guests were. In theory, all he had to do was follow the wall, and he would reach the far door. But that theory was relying on no-one moving into his way, and more importantly, it was relying on Shadowell Manor obeying the laws of logic. And yet while Cobalt faltered, there was another guest who was clearly having no such issues.
There was a brief sound of metal straining against metal, and then the clatter of metal falling to the floor. Cobalt frowned for a moment, straining for some other clue. The same sequence of sounds came again, and then silence fell, a silence that seemed thick with anticipation. And then a heavy thud echoed through the room. Even the dim light streaming through the open doorway caused William to blink, his eyes accustomed to darkness. The slim silhouette, framed by the doorway, theatrically bowed as she stood in the midst of her presumed handiwork. Cobalt couldn't help but smile at the promise of freedom, calling out to their supposed savior.
Millicent had apparently caught sight of the newcomers as well, and William heard her asking after Lady Kirkpatrick. In truth, the thought of the old woman hadn't even crossed William's mind, but that was largely because he struggled to imagine the Lady Kirkpatrick not being 'alright'. In fact, William wouldn't be surprised if she outlived them all. His train of thought was derailed as he glanced across at Millicent. Was it possible that she was more attractive now that she had a sword hanging at her hip? And if she was, what did that say about William? Trying to shake the thought from his head, he turned back to the church doors in time to see the blonde newcomer step forward, clearly recognizing Millicent. Not only that, but she asked after Lord Rutherford, and William felt a chill run down his spine. The man... William stopped himself. He struggled to call Rutherford a 'man', but he didn't have the knowledge to know what to call him instead, so he settled for the simplistic. That 'thing' was still out there somewhere, and William hoped he had seen the last of Lord Rutherford.
A rush of movement from the front of the church caught William's attention, and when he turned towards the alter, his jaw dropped. He was riveted in place as he watched the surreal 'Danse Macabre' between a specter, seemingly Death itself, and a shadowy figure that William half recognized as the corpse that still lay at the feet of the Duchess. The ethereal scream seemed to freeze the very blood in William's veins, and it wasn't until the light had faded away that William could bring himself to move, looking around wildly. He caught Millicent's eye, just for an instant, but it didn't look like she had any more idea about what had happened than he did. A voice that William didn't recognise seemed almost thrilled at what they had all just witnessed, but William's every nerve was still on edge. When he heard Millicent gasp, he instinctively followed her gaze upwards.
What he saw surprised William, because he didn't see anything. Old rafters crossed the church roof and cast shadows across the roof itself, but as far as William could see, that was it. He frowned as he looked back to Millicent, unsure whether he should question her, only to see that she had gripped the hilt of her newly-acquired sword. The pale woman, 'Virginia', was looking upwards as well, and pulling out a pair of dark axes. William's confusion was only growing, and as he looked around at the others, to see if they had also been swept up in this apparent madness, he was slight reassured. He heard one of the Russian's suggest they leave the church, but the two women still by the doorway seemed to share William's confusion, the Irish woman from earlier demanding to know what was going on, while the blonde reaching for something, presumably a weapon, as she also called for an explanation. William opened his mouth to echo them, but some instinct dragged William's gaze upwards for a second time. Maybe there was something in the shadows... Something he'd missed the first time...
Character current location: Gretna Green - Church Characters attempted actions: See what is in the rafters that has caught the other's attention Any and all skills being used: Perception Why each skill is being called: To make an observation Desired location of the character: Same as current location
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