VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

With the skeletons largely knocked to the ground, disabled or destroyed for the most part, the moment to focus on the great undead was at hand. Fanilly had judged it the greatest threat in the room, even more dangerous then the living conspirator beyond it. As the arrows were loosed, she was already moving alongside Gerard, to reach the monstrosity and do as much damage as possible to it before it could make a move.

The air-coated arrow struck the creature in its shoulder just as it prepared to swing. Immediately its arm twisted a skin tore and flesh ripped, pressurized wind erupting through its corrupted anatomy to rip through its decayed flesh. The sheer force of its descending arm falling to the side caused the head of its hammer to pulverize a wayward skeleton, crushing it into the stone floor even as the limb was nearly entirely severed.

When it attempted to move its arm once more, the last remaining strands of tissue snapped, and it fell free entirely.

And the arrows to its legs, two, caused it to stumble, stagger, briefly hitting one knee as it was disrupted. It made no sound, even when Lein's arrow struck it in its unseen face, but even if was incapable of feeling pain it was clear that its movement was at least briefly ceased.

As such, it was unable to do much to halt Gerard's attack, and the sound of the mace striking it in the leg was that of an ugly crack, as bone almost certainly shattered, flesh smoldering from the divine weapon's impact.

It was strong, but slow and mindless. Fanilly had judged their opponent correctly! This monster would go down swiftly, and then they'd be able to advance to the final level!

The Knight-Captain sprinted forward as the undead creature raised its remaining hand, her blade cleaving through the stale air and biting into its wrist. The arc of her swing parted flesh and slipped through bone, and in a flash, trailing foul green and black fluids, the creature's hand went sailing through the air.

With all its offensive options taken from it, surely there was little more threat it posed.

Fanilly drew her sword back.

"We-ah?!"

Something suddenly erupted from the stump of the undead's arm, wrapping around her wrist. It was followed by more of its kind, like so many red worms, swiftly attempting to encase the girl's sword arm.

"Wh-wha?!"

For a few moments, Fanilly couldn't help but panic. The red tendrils, what appeared to be the monster's weaponized muscular tissue, were encasing her arm swiftly, traveling towards her shoulder and attempting to reach her face. Her heart hammering, her eyes widening, for that moment her composure had entirely shattered as she desperately attempted to tug herself free.

It was trying to reach into her head and kill her, it was running across her and trying to find any space it would be able to tear her open and kill her. It was trying. It was so close. She wasn't able to cut it. She couldn't-

Fanilly's body tensed as she slammed one foot back, bracing herself, as she positioned her body as far back as possible to make room for a clean blow to cut through the muscle tissue tendrils.

An order wasn't needed here.

Needless to say, she was still afraid, but even without waiting for her knights she was reaching with her still-free arm for the dagger on her waist. The faster she was free the faster she was away from it the faster they'd be able to kill it...!

From the the monster's ruined shoulder, more of the red tendrils emerged, coiling through the air in a sickly crimson mass.

With this in mind, it was likely a decisive blow was required to end the beast.

Either the head, or destroying as much of the torso as possible.

@Rune_Alchemist@VahkiDane@HereComesTheSnow@Raineh Daze

---

When Fionn came in direct contact with the wicked spirit, anywhere his skin touched it was struck with a sensation not unlike burning. But it wasn't the warm fire of Reon, scouring wickedness and evil from the world.

It was cold. A burning, furious cold, an absence of light and life. Not the soothing coolness of Mayon's waters, or the chill of her ice as it sealed away darkness.

It was a howling darkness, the dead of winter when nothing stirs.

But even this creature was not immune to harm.

First the blade to its throat, which did not kill it but caused it to writhe, disrupting its attempts to claw through Fionn in order to reach its true target. Then the second blade, the dagger to its abdomen, causing a dark mist to emerge from the injury around the blade as it let out another shriek.

But the final blow was Nicomede's weaponization of the remaining holy water. Its entire existence a wicked thing, and with the fires of Reon already licking its spiritual body, the holy water suddenly coating it before freezing inwards and piercing its body caused it to let out a truly unearthly sound, one that was more akin to the howling of wind or the rattling of dead branches then anything produced by a living thing.

"D-Dame Tyaethe..."

Elisandre was still hugging her younger sister close, covering her eyes as the vampire paladin caught the both of them. The warmth of her body was in sharp contrast to the almost palpable frigidity of the thing as it fell to the ground, spasming, twitching, a blue flame now beginning to spread from the center of its body as it started to break apart.

The Princess looked away, unable to watch any longer.

"... Well, it scarcely looks as if my assistance was required," a new voice spoke.

It belonged to a young man, clad in purple and black robes, one hand with its fingers wrapped around a smooth dark grey staff. It was tipped with a spherical purple gem. His features were perhaps best described as beautiful rather then handsome, and he wore his dark purple hair long and straight.

Some would perhaps recognize him as the court mage, Arken Heartwood. His family was of some reknown, son the court mage and daughter having made some name for herself even though she was still a student.

He was accompanied by the Crown Knight who had been sent to fetch him, eyes lingering on the spasming shape of the wicked spirit's dwindling corporeal form.

He approached without hesitation, kneeling beside it.

"Hmm... Interesting. A wicked spirit, certainly, but..." he commented to himself as he examined what little remained of it.

@Krayzikk@The Otter@Psyker Landshark@Raineh Daze

The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

• Name: "Elizstrazia"
• Gender: "Female. Are you blind or something?"
• Race: "Scale Demon. Isn't that hilarious? A scale demon, working with you maids? It makes me want to laugh so hard I throw up!"
• Photo ID: "Feel free to show me your admiration." (Note: Elizstrazia stands at around 134 cm. Drawing attention to her height is not advisable.)
• Relevant Abilities: "I'm a scale demon, so it's only natural I'm faster and stronger then any of you. I can tear a man's throat out with my bare hands! Do you want to see it? And that's without even putting any effort in! Naturally, I'm good at preserving my beauty with barriers. But don't go thinking I'll extend them to anyone else. If they really want my protection, I suppose they'll just have to stand behind me. That's where they belong, anyway. Cooking? Cleaning? What do you take me for?" (Note: Elizstrazia's skills as a maid are woeful. So many glasses broken. Do not expect anything but the bare minimum.)
• Tell us about yourself: "Hmph. Do you need anything else? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm cooperating with you in the first place? Just point me at them. I'll rip them apart. That's what you want, isn't it? I'll tear them apart and remain an unchanging beauty. I'll be the diamond outshining all these other common jewels and covered in blood. And I'll show them. They'll get what's coming." (Note: Elizstrazia shows a particular propensity for violence in combat. In spite of her pride in her appearance, she's not above even using her teeth in battle. She should operate effectively in most combat scenarios. However, be aware she expresses clear signs of suffering from severe claustrophobia, especially when alone.)
• Work history: "... This is my first job. Is that what you want? That's all you're getting. Just give me something to kill already." (Note: When Elizstrazia first arrived, she was severely malnourished, resulting is listlessness and physical fragility. She was also suffering from multiple injuries, chiefly to her hands, arms, legs, and feet. She reacted violently to initial attempts to treat her, but eventually did not struggle any further. It is perhaps only due to her fragile state she did not take any lives. Her physical recovery has been remarkable.)
• Tools you are skilled with: "I won't pick up a broom, if that's what you're asking. Hmph." (Note: Elizstrazia insists she will only use a weapon "when it's back". She will not take up any other weapons nor use any cleaning tools given to her, and instead fights entirely barehanded.)
• Occult Knowledge: "What? You have to ask? Are you some kind of idiot? Are you stupid? You have to be. Fine. I'll answer. Time. I'm a scale demon, it's only natural I can touch time itself. Do you know what happens when you make someone's liver touch its future self? Reality itself can't handle it. It tries to! It tries so hard to reconcile what just happened. A little too hard for the rest of their body! All their guts come spilling out all over the floor! Ah, but that's not all I can do! Hit somebody and draw out the pain, slow down their perception of time so they feel it for that much longer! I can delay injuries, or make them worse faster. And I can show you a lot more too..." (Note: Elizstrazia exhibits a usage of time manipulation she refers to as "Time Crush". By coming into contact with an object, or the particles in the air, she can force them to interact with multiple versions of themselves from the immediate past and present. This results in an explosive interaction as reality attempts to reconcile the coexistence of multiple versions of the same object. At its smallest scale she most commonly utilizes it on internal organs in an opponent, but it can extend to roughly half the size of a city block at the cost of a great deal of her own energy. An excellent counter to Blood Demons.)

The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

• Name: "Elizstrazia"
• Gender: "Female. Are you blind or something?"
• Race: "Scale Demon. Isn't that hilarious? A scale demon, working with you maids? It makes me want to laugh so hard I throw up!"
• Photo ID: "Feel free to show me your admiration." (Note: Elizstrazia stands at around 134 cm. Drawing attention to her height is not advisable.)
• Relevant Abilities: "I'm a scale demon, so it's only natural I'm faster and stronger then any of you. I can tear a man's throat out with my bare hands! Do you want to see it? And that's without even putting any effort in! Naturally, I'm good at preserving my beauty with barriers. But don't go thinking I'll extend them to anyone else. If they really want my protection, I suppose they'll just have to stand behind me. That's where they belong, anyway. Cooking? Cleaning? What do you take me for?" (Note: Elizstrazia's skills as a maid are woeful. So many glasses broken. Do not expect anything but the bare minimum.)
• Tell us about yourself: "Hmph. Do you need anything else? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm cooperating with you in the first place? Just point me at them. I'll rip them apart. That's what you want, isn't it? I'll tear them apart and remain an unchanging beauty. I'll be the diamond outshining all these other common jewels and covered in blood. And I'll show them. They'll get what's coming." (Note: Elizstrazia shows a particular propensity for violence in combat. In spite of her pride in her appearance, she's not above even using her teeth in battle. She should operate effectively in most combat scenarios. However, be aware she expresses clear signs of suffering from severe claustrophobia, especially when alone.)
• Work history: "... This is my first job. Is that what you want? That's all you're getting. Just give me something to kill already." (Note: When Elizstrazia first arrived, she was severely malnourished, resulting is listlessness and physical fragility. She was also suffering from multiple injuries, chiefly to her hands, arms, legs, and feet. She reacted violently to initial attempts to treat her, but eventually did not struggle any further. It is perhaps only due to her fragile state she did not take any lives. Her physical recovery has been remarkable.)
• Tools you are skilled with: "I won't pick up a broom, if that's what you're asking. Hmph." (Note: Elizstrazia insists she will only use a weapon "when it's back". She will not take up any other weapons nor use any cleaning tools given to her, and instead fights entirely barehanded.)
• Occult Knowledge: "What? You have to ask? Are you some kind of idiot? Are you stupid? You have to be. Fine. I'll answer. Time. I'm a scale demon, it's only natural I can touch time itself. Do you know what happens when you make someone's liver touch its future self? Reality itself can't handle it. It tries to! It tries so hard to reconcile what just happened. A little too hard for the rest of their body! All their guts come spilling out all over the floor! Ah, but that's not all I can do! Hit somebody and draw out the pain, slow down their perception of time so they feel it for that much longer! I can delay injuries, or make them worse faster. And I can show you a lot more too..." (Note: Elizstrazia exhibits a usage of time manipulation she refers to as "Time Crush". By coming into contact with an object, or the particles in the air, she can force them to interact with multiple versions of themselves from the immediate past and present. This results in an explosive interaction as reality attempts to reconcile the coexistence of multiple versions of the same object. At its smallest scale she most commonly utilizes it on internal organs in an opponent, but it can extend to roughly half the size of a city block at the cost of a great deal of her own energy. An excellent counter to Blood Demons.)

I Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game, But———?! (Now Accepting)

For several moments, Anne was completely silent. She didn't quite know how to respond to Serrica's offer. Certainly, she was an ally character in the game, but at the same time she didn't remember anything quite happening like this. It didn't seem the same.

"Er... thank you," she said, bowing her head as she reached out to accept the handshake. No matter what else was going on, it was quite a generous offer. Even if it didn't feel anything like the way Serrica felt in the game. Maybe it was just the difference between a video game and reality? That could be the case, but some things had seemed exactly the same as the game while others had diverged.

Certainly, part of this had to just be from different actions taking place causing things to change in different ways. But that couldn't be the only explanation for everything, could it?

It felt like everything was becoming even more complicated by the second.

@Pyromania99

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

The bones rattled to that, scattered across the floor under the blows of the knights. But any skeleton that did not suffer major damage to its structure had already begun to rise again, pulling itself together and gripping its weapon to fight once more.

One such undead was greeted with the blade of Fanilly's sword, striking its skull, cutting into the bone and sending it stumbling before a followup with the pommel caved its head inwards, causing it to collapse to the floor once again.

Indeed, for Necromancers, the benefit of skeletal undead was the difficulty with which to permanently disable them. On the other hand, they were also quite easily knocked apart compared to their fleshier counterparts.

The numbers of the initial group of skeletons were dwindling. The burst of wind from Cecilia's arrow had caused many of them to collapse to the ground and tumble apart in pieces, forced to pull themselves together in order to rise once more. This made them easy pickings, and considerably cut the number of those that posed an immediate threat.

Even still, Fanilly found herself knocking another skeleton apart as it raised its rusted sword, cutting into its spine in order to make its attempt at rising just a bit more difficult.

"We're almost through!" she called to the other knights. But even as she spoke, another group of skeletons marched up the steps, brandishing their weapons as their jaws opened soundlessly.

That wasn't all, for alongside them was a large, grotesque figure. It was an undead of some description, but larger then any of the others seen before. Bloated was perhaps the best way to describe it. In one large hand it gripped a hefty, rough-looking black iron hammer, its head obscured entirely by a ragged hood. Aside from pants, it was without any further form of armor, but its bloated form would make it harder to cut apart. Its warped, decaying figure did not appear to be entirely human-like, but its exact nature was difficult to make out.

"Iron Roses!" called Fanilly, "Disable the skeletons and then cut down the giant abomination! Finishing the skeletons can wait until it's been slain!"

If they could disable all the skeletons, then cut down the massive undead, then that would make the followup far easier.

But beyond the skeletons, and the bloated undead, was another very much alive figure. A man clad in leather armor, appearing to be in his late twenties perhaps, several daggers on his waist and a gleaming red gem hanging from his neck. He was eyeing the Roses warily, using the skeletons and the massive undead as a barrier between himself and the knights.

That mush have been one of the other conspirators. It fell in line with what Tili had described!

But without finishing the undead off first, reaching him simply wasn't a possibility.

@Creative Chaos@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Psychic Loser@VahkiDane@HereComesTheSnow@Erode@Conscripts

---

As the knights assembled beyond the door, the Princesses both approached, trying to peer beyond it and see what was going on. The moment that Elisandre caught a glimpse, she swiftly grasped Maletha and covered her eyes.

Whatever was going to happen, she had guessed that it wasn't something she should be watching.

The moment the oils ignited, a hideous shriek seemed to arise from the very air itself. A hazy form appeared above the nem, its shape impossible to fully make out as it warped and twisted in the air. All that could be discerned was two long-fingered hands, wrapped around Tili's throat.

The screeching grew in volume, until the finger seemed to shimmer strangely and finally release the nem's through, leaving her sputtering, coughing, squirming on the ground.

The exorcism had been a success.

The hazy, misty figure was somewhat more distinct now. A skull-like face perched upon a long neck, a hunched, skinless figure exposing bone and sinew, a mane of hair stretching from its head and down its back. It was not much larger then Tili herself, but its hands were as wide as dinner plates and possessed long, thin fingers tipped in sharp nails.

"Then it was a wicked spirit," Adeforth's eyes narrowed, one hand placed on his blade, "It's lucky we had one of the clergy at our disposal. If no-"

The creature sprang into the air, suddenly hurling itself towards the princesses. Was this some sort of backup plan? If it wasn't intercepted in time...!

@Krayzikk@The Otter@Psyker Landshark@Raineh Daze

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

". . ."

She was tired. She was already irritated.

That was enough to make this stupid little fairy's intrusion even more aggravating then it would have been otherwise.

But then the useelie opened her brainless little mouth.

And she spoke.

And the words she said...

Had she come here with a desire for punishment? Was this unseelie a twisted mashochist who wanted to suffer? Perhaps that explained her behavior.

Fio's left eye twitched as she watched the utterly pathetic display of the fae's attempt to curse her. She could barely even detect it, it was such a weak buildup of magic that it might not have even existed. What was it going to do? Turn the tips of her hair purple? Give her a minor cough?

Whatever the case, she wasn't about to give this idiot the satisfaction of a successful curse.

"Moonlit Shine," she said, in a casual, noncommittal manner as she put only the barest amount of mana into applying a ward to herself. It wasn't necessary, really, given how weak the curse would almost certainly be, but it was a perfect demonstration of the distance between the two of them.

The only sign it had been cast was a brief blue-white light that flowed across Fio's body, before she simply reached out to grab the unseelie from the air.

"A child? That's what you called me. A child," she said, wrapping her slender fingers tightly around the tiny fae's small body, "You're not talking to a child, you total idiot!"

Placing her free hand to her chest, Fio continued.

"I am Fio Fan Falisse, and I am going to make you remember that name, you brainless little moron! You absolute fool. Maybe you secretly wanted to be be punished, and that's why you came here?!"

As she spoke, her free hand left her chest and sharply prodded the unseelie's cheek. By this point, the seething fire within her heart had completely overpowered her physical exhaustion. The Sword Witch was utterly livid. This stupid unseelie came here first intending to curse the Queen and then her, and yet she was that week? She was that utterly stupid? And so dumb she thought she was a child on top of that?

She was perfectly mature! Perfectly adult! Who would ever make that mistake!? Only an idiot! That's just how stupid this unseelie was!

"I have not had the best day recently, and lo and behold, a pathetic little ignoramus whose magical power is so low she couldn't curse a frog has decided to volunteer herself to help me let my stress out! If she's stupid enough to call me a child, I can't tell if it's idiocy or masochism that made her decide to help out!"

@Rune_Alchemist

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Still clutching the pillow tightly to her slim, petite frame, Fio didn't move to prevent Sir Vyrell's departure, instead glaring at a space on the wall irritably as she lay on the bed.

That stupid, stupid Sorcha.

After all that effort she put in, she couldn't even be here...

Under most circumstances, Fio Fan Falisse would never have considered ever falling asleep in Sorcha's bed. Doing so was tantamount to surrender. To allowing all sorts of misfortune to befall her.

It was, to put it simply, placing herself in needless danger.

However, the exhaustion that had overtaken her after the experience in Cethlann's dream was impossible to ignore. As she gripped the pillow tighter, her eyelids began to grow heavier, dropping as her glare became less focused. Indeed, it seemed everything was catching up to the Sword Witch as she lay on the Queen's exquisitely, extremely comfortable bed.

Her resistance to falling asleep was rapidly crumbling.

At least, until something cut through her exhaustion.

She caught sight of the tiny figure fluttering through the window, commenting to herself entirely obliviously as she fluttered over to the plates. Trash queen. Prank.

Fio was certainly angry with Sorcha, but at the same time she was in her service.

This was a matter of pride.

"Sura, spectral swords. Bar the exit."

The blade shimmered into view, and with a wave the window was promptly blocked by the glowing blue form of multiple blades interlocking to create a barrier.

"A prank, unseelie? You were going to prank her?" she commented, placing the pillow to the side and rising to her fee.

Perfect. There was no escape from the room, and she had someone to take her frustration out on.

Someone who unquestionably deserved it.

"I think you're the one who invited a little bit of pranking."

@Rune_Alchemist

Strange Gospel: A Heavily Persona-Inspired Urban Fantasy RP

Shiratori briefly seemed to pause a moment when referred to in such a familiar fashion, but she quickly recovered, giving Nozaki a smile of her own.

"What a coincidence! I'm heading the same way, we can walk together."

Certainly, this reaction would just appear to be a friendly attempt to get to know a fellow student, as Shiratori Naoko approached the boy.

But the timing would certainly feel a little strange, perhaps, if one were to pause and think about it. For someone to approach right out of the blue after something so unusual occurred.

While Shiratori was silent for a few moments, when she next spoke, perhaps it would make the truth obvious. Or perhaps it wouldn't.

"So, um..." she trailed off for a moment, "Have you noticed anything strange going on, lately? I know everyone is talking about that Strange Gospel thing, but that can't be true, right? It's not as if that kind of thing can really happen, right?"

Even as she spoke, she paused for a moment, idly glancing around. It was likely it would appear as a perfectly normal behavior, something any ordinary person might do on a walk.

But Shiratori was checking to make sure no-one was in earshot before she spoke again.

@Bartimaeus

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

So this was the source of the beasts. The location where they had found their entry. It certainly possessed a different feel then the rest of the human town, and the bloodstains indicated that the humans here had been torn apart quite swiftly. Or perhaps that there was more then mere notes being taken in this place. The scent of blood and beasts from deeper inside, towards the room Dragan had entered, perhaps implied the latter possibility.

Given her fellow Lord had chosen to head deeper inside, Aleksiya took it upon herself to instead investigate the scattered notes.

"Meddling in such things... no wonder they brought pain upon their people," she complained with a sigh, "Idiots."

The other people in the village weren't to blame, of course, but whoever was in charge of this place certainly was.

But they'd seemingly reaped their harvest already.

Far more curious was the contents of the notes themselves.

Humans and beasts alike, warped by something deeper in the forest? The fact that whoever had penned the notes concluded a vampire was responsible? The place where one fell...

A smirk crossed the diminutive vampire's lips.

"Ah, perfect timing," she declared when her fellow lord returned, "I'd gathered as much, to be honest. Whatever idiot was in charge here succeeded only in bringing about their own deaths, and the deaths of the underserving. Or rather..."

Aleksiya raised one of the notes.

"That's what I would say, if not for this. Perhaps we can root out the source of these beasts and discover the resting place of another one of our fellows, hmm?"

@Psyker Landshark@Rune_Alchemist

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Taka: Yes, we are!