Rultaos

The Witch Hunt

Don't stress yourself out over it Aphelion, that's just gonna make it harder for you to recover XD. Post when you can post.

The Witch Hunt

So let me get this straight... The Mist is basically air-based, addictive drugs/relaxants? I mean, it helps out depressed people IRL at times xD

Rultaos

Sort of. It's very mild at the edges, unless you're not exactly happy with your life. Then it's effect is far, far more powerful. Deeper in, it's full on mind control/charm spell. Basically, it's a lingering charm spell cloud.

Laue

Ah I see... Guess that gives me a better idea of how characters should act there =)

When the Walls Beckon - (IC/OOC)

Well... I'm currently writing up a character before I send it to Nariata for evaluation if that means anything .__.

The Witch Hunt

So let me get this straight... The Mist is basically air-based, addictive drugs/relaxants? I mean, it helps out depressed people IRL at times xD

The Witch Hunt

Finally managed to post. Didnt do much other than cover everything that's happened so far. The Guild update didn't make writing any easier as I had to edit everything I had written beforehand >_<. Again, I apologize for keeping everyone waiting. I'll do what I can to be more active from here on.

The Witch Hunt

Yesterday's battle

The battle was over before it even began. The bandits were slaughtered and The Paladins managed to utterly destroy the clan. However this was not right at all. Varkasan knew these people would not fight until they had all died; bandits didn't possess that kind of loyalty to a cause, and they most certainly would not jeopardize the lives of their fellows in such a manner. He was expecting a surrender or at the very least a retreat, but neither happened. Even with the battle over, he kept his blade unsheathed and shield at the ready. He had a bad feeling that their mission was not over yet. Captain Tines had begun inspecting a bandit corpse. "What the?!"The Captain loudly exclaimed. He had apparently found something odd and had ordered the recruits to check the other bodies. Varkasan was about to check the corpse of the last bandit he had killed when suddenly, yelps of pain could suddenly be heard from the Captain and two other recruits. Out of surprise, he shot his head up from his inspection. And then he felt it. Some kind of sudden burning, piercing sensation around the back of his skull. It felt like some kind of worm or root trying to burrow and spread. Alicia had shot swords of light into the air revealing a terrifying wraith with countless tendrils and tethers extending from it. "MAGIC!" Varkasan thought frantically as he applied Luminous Blessing to his helmet to scorch away the tendril. It succeeded in cutting the connection, but the Luminosity burn reached a little inside him as well. "AUGH...!" He exclaimed in pain as he felt the sensation of fire within the back of his head. He knelt down and supported himself using his sword to keep himself from collapsing until the pain went away. But he continued applying Luminous Blessing to his entire armor set to ensure that the tendrils would not penetrate him again. A majority of the recruits were able to sever the connection in time, but The Captain and a couple others were not so lucky. Their eyes showed a completely different person from the one they knew. They were no longer their allies, they were puppets under the control of whoever the Mage behind this was. Varkasan was still recovering from the pain he had subjected himself to, but he stood up and assumed a combat stance as he faced the possessed Paladins and reincarnated bandits. He slowly backed up into a group of friendlies as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. The other recruits were ready to barrage their opponent with Luminosity and bring the wraith crashing and burning to the ground. However, the Mage taunted them through the voices of its puppets, telling them that any attempt to destroy the wraith would kill all who were attached to it.. "Damn it all! Protocol warns us against the use of Luminosity towards Mind-Affecting Magic unless absolutely necessary... Would this situation count as necessary...?" Varkasan thought, already weighing whether or not they should sacrifice the Captain and fellow recruits. However, Alicia already had a plan. "Defensive fighters, try to pin down our comrades without harming them. Others must destroy the brands on the bandits. I will look for the one controlling the avatar. He must be somewhere in the line of sight of this place. Go!" She commanded, immediately taking the role of unofficial leader after the incapacitation of Captain Tines. Varkasan saw the logic in this and followed the order. He removed the Luminous Blessing from his sword and shield as he charged at their controlled Captain, slamming the broad side of the shield right into him. However, the Captain was much stronger than he anticipated, and pushed him off with surprising force, causing Vark to stumble backwards. He maintained his footing however as he realized that the other bandit puppets were starting to attack again. He was unsure how to handle them all at once when suddenly a Paladin wearing heavy plate armor ran and tackled Captain Tines to the ground using a large tower shield. "Aradus?!" Varkasan said, recognizing the armor of his friend. A number of recruits had gathered around them as well, and could see others rushing around their controlled allies. **"Keep the wretches off of me! I'll hold down the captain!"** He commanded as he slammed his free hand into one of the Captain's arms to pin it to the ground. "You heard him! Hold back the enemy until the puppetmaster is found!" Varkasan said, rallying the nearby recruits as they engaged the bandits. Varkasan's way of dealing with them were to stun them with his shield before knocking them out with the hilt of his sword. Removing the brands with Luminosity would be much simpler, however it meant giving the bandit an agonized, burning death. No one deserved that, and Varkasan wished to avoid such incidents unless necessary. He also trusted Alicia to be able to find the Mage behind this and end their control of the puppets before things got out of hand. If there was anyone he knew who could put a swift end to a fight, it was Alicia. Suddenly however, he heard Aradus begin shouting. "HEY! NO! STOP! I need help! Somebody hold his other limbs dow- GAH!" His friend exclaimed. Varkasan turned around and saw Aradus jump backwards off Captain Tines and sat down on the ground as the captain's entire body caught on Luminous fire. The wraith disappeared from the sky along with all the tethers and the recruits stopped fighting as they looked upon what was happening. Captain Tines and the controlled recruits had ignited their own brands and caused themselves to light on fire from the effects of Luminosity. No longer under the control of the wraith, the captain and the other recruits began screaming in agony as the mana-fueled fire consumed them. No one could do anything but stare in shock and horror. Eventually, the flames died down as the life faded from them. "I...I... Couldn't stop him... He managed to ignite somehow even with... I'm sorry..." Aradus said, lowering his head and unable to get the words out of his mouth. With no one threatening them anymore, Varkasan approached his friend. "You did what you could. This was not your fault..." He said as he turned towards the young Mage that Alicia had managed to corner in the treeline. One of the recruits charged at the weakened Mage in a vengeful frenzy... Only to be cut down by some form shadow claw. Another Mage emerged, this one looking to be a girl no older than 10, but no one could deny her magical aura. The strength of her mana could be felt in the air, so one did not need to witness her claw to be aware of her magical power. "Defensive formations and Luminosity at the ready!" Varkasan commanded at the recruits nearby him as he applied Luminosity to his weapons. This was obviously a Mage they were not prepared to deal with yet. The ease with which she killed one of the recruits was enough to tell them just how large the gap in power between her and the Paladins were. Varkasan had his doubts as to whether they would be able to survive this one, but his fears were partially put to rest when Overlord Levran arrived. The powerful Paladin engaged the little Mage in an impressive display of power. Varkasan and the other recruits knew to stay out of the Overlord's way, and only provide assistance when ordered to, or if Levran seemed as if he was losing. What caught them off guard however, was the little girl producing shadow copies of herself, which began assaulting all the recruits. The few seconds of surprise were all that was needed to wound and incapacitate the inexperienced Paladins. Those who managed to react in time were able to reorganize and separate from each others' shadows to lessen the amount of clones facing them. Even though the shadow copies were clearly inferior to the original, Varkasan still had much trouble going toe-to-toe with one. Her speed was inhuman and her attacks were relentless. It took all of his knowledge of blocks and counterattacks to bring the clone down. Even though he survived his duel with the shadow copy, Varkasan was still worried because the original was still around, and they were dueling Overlord Levran at their full power after withdrawing the clones. Levran seemed to only be equal to the young Mage in terms of power, and was forced to use one of his most powerful Luminosity attacks to finish her. It as all over in a blinding flash. The battle was finished, but their hardships were far from over. At least that's what Varkasan thought when he filed in with the rest of them to report to Levran to do a head count and body count. ---------------------------

The Following day

There wasn't much to have talked about last night, and Varkasan was not in the mood for it either. He had seen fellow recruits (some he had known very well) get slaughtered and wounded just like that. Some of his friends seemed to have been too fatigued from yesterday's events to be up for chit-chat anyway, so he decided to sleep in early and get his energy back after a night watch was offered by Levran.He didnt realize how tired he was when he passed out inside his tent after setting aside his items. The next ting he knew, he was hearing the sounds of saws cutting wood, and hammer hitting nail. Emerging from the tent, he saw that construction had already begun, and Overlord Levran was gathering the recruits. He saw Zalfn jump down from a wooden scaffolding and join them. He was wearing his clothes instead of his armor, and he looked mildly sweaty. "Been working my ass off all morning. Maybe you've gotten enough energy to take my job after this meeting?" Zalfn asked Varkasan. "As long as you're not just avoiding your assignment, heh... How is Aradus by the way? He seemed off last night." Varkasan responded. "Ah, him... He's still not over what happened with the Captain yesterday. To be honest, I dont blame him, the man burned right before his eyes. But don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine soon. We can see him again later. Right now we must listen to what our saviour, The Overlord has to say." Zalfn answered, adopting a cheery tone towards the end. The Overlord introduced them to the new replacement for their commanding officer. She was a vastly different person from Captain Tines. She seemed much more cheerful and not as uptight as him, but Levran assured them all she was a highly experienced Paladin and that they were in good and capable hands. Varkasan gave a salute as she greeted them, acknowledging that she was their superior in both name and skill (if her armor and supposed promotion offers were anything to go by). "We'll do our best to serve underneath you" He said, before lowering it. She seemed easygoing, yes, but that didn't mean that they were excused from showing her any respect. After the introduction, the recruits decided to have some breakfast before being given their next assignment. Varkasan sat down and began eating. While filling his stomach, he saw the blonde woman, Freiya. She seemed to be practicing something, it resembled some form of unarmed fighting style, but it was nothing that they were ever taught in training. It seemed a little sloppy, but he knew that he should not mistake it for incompetence, Freiya had proved time and again how dangerous she was in a fight. There was another recruit, Steven was his name. Varkasan didn't really recognize the boy much, all he knew about him was that he was young, and spent a lot of time with another recruit by the name of Drakul. He was a quiet and reserved one. Varkasan felt he was a little too young to be on the battlefield, but he had shown talent with his arrows. He also remembered seeing something on his face after the battle had ended as they cleared the bodies and assisted the wounded. It seemed like a mix of sadness and empathy, not just for the Paladins, but even for the bandits. He seemed like a kind man who did not even want to raise his weapon. Varkasan could understand where it was coming from, but he knew one couldn't afford to hesitate in a fight. It was either your life or theirs. But still, he didn't think someone like him should even be within a Paladin platoon; a kind heart was a rare thing, and to have it corrupted by blood, death, and loss would be truly tragic. He looked around and saw Aradus along with a few other recruits. The Heavy Knight still looked somber, but he did not seem weak at all. Varkasan hoped that Zalfn was right, but he knew mental scars ran deeper than any wound. He was mainly worried that his friend might do something reckless if ever he felt the need to "redeem himself"... There wasn't much time to brood on matters however. Peaceful as it might be now, Varkasan had a feeling it wouldn't last long. they were in frontier, far from any control or influence of the capital. Runaway Mages and immoral Rogues populated the wilds, and they needed to be ready for anything that happened. If yesterday's events were anything to go by, the recruits were severely unprepared for a Mage attack. They needed to learn quickly, or they would all die before this campaign was over.