VitaVitaAR

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Kordelia was still distracted, but Giselle was no longer in immediate risk of her body being destroyed. And thus, Aleksiya could target her goal.

A spike of ice formed above her right hand, vapor pouring off of her pale arm as she took aim.

"I apologize for any misunderstandings, Kordelia," she spoke as she aimed squarely at the grotesque altar, and the massive creature's exposed heart beating right before her eyes. If nothing else, this would alleviate the source of the taint. Even if it didn't free Kordelia from whatever influenced her mind, it could at least do that much.

It was, to put it simply, sad to see her fellow Lord in this state. And thus she would do whatever she could to alleviate it, and free her from the madness that now took her.

"You were always one of my favorites, no matter how I teased you, you know."

There was a flash of blue-white, and with a crystalline whistle the spear of ice was unleashed, hurtling through the air and directly towards the altar.

@Rune_Alchemist@Click This

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Duck under a swing of an axe.

Get around him.

The tip of the blade finds his back.

Velvetica drew her right hand back, Starshine stained crimson from the blood of the cultists as the man's corpse fell forward. It was at that moment that a sound like a tremendous roll of thunder struck the battlefield.

Just as the Steel Princess had anticipated.

The aftermath of Gisela's spell left many of the cultists simply vaporized completely. Others were aflame, or turned into unrecognizable, charred chunks.

Any that remained were stunned, scattered, and easily taken prisoner or slain on the spot if they resisted.

Velvetica flicked the blood from Starshine. Excellent work. There were no casualties on their side, though a few of her men had suffered injury they were not in any serious or immediate danger. The healers could attend to to them as the rest of the Lions pressed on to the main goal.

The Cultist's camp. Needless to say, it was likely the many fighters were dead, but the camp was unlikely to be unguarded. Perhaps by the dead who had been stolen, or perhaps by stronger fighters.

"Lions, you have done well," she began, "But there is little time to waist. Now that we have destroyed their raiders, we can move onto their camp and crush this twisted cult where it hides."

That was their assassin's cue. To move on to the camp herself and take care of the necromancer who surely lurked there. To decapitate the cult as soon as they arrived, to make the extermination of the death worshippers all the more swift.

Indeed, Velvetica soon lead her forces onwards.

The cult lurked beneath a rocky outcropping. It seemed as if there was a deeper passage down into the mighty rock, perhaps carved by the long-disappeared creators of the tombs in this region.

For there to be a severely diminished cult presence should hardly have been a surprise, given how many of them had appeared to take their bait.

But Velvetica found herself perplexed at the complete absence of any guards are all. No cultists. No animate corpses.

And more than that, it seemed as if their effigies had been destroyed here as well...

Torches smashed. Barriers broken. But there was no other force here that would have done such a thing. Even Lord Ostaric's men hadn't been this way yet.

"... This isn't right," Velvetica's eyes narrowed, "There shouldn't have been anyone else here, and if they were being attacked they wouldn't have taken our bait."

As they grew closer, she could see blood splattered on the base of the stone, near the entrance to the chamber carved into the rock. The doorway was surrounded by leering, stone faces.

@Raineh Daze@Rin@AzureKnight@Psyker Landshark@The Otter@VKAllen@Eisenhorn@Crimson Paladin@Conscripts@HereComesTheSnow@Octo@PigeonOfAstora

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

To be honest, this was quite a bit to deal with at once. Dame Serenity's words took Fanilly somewhat off-guard, and it was followed by the revelation that basically every single knight present had experienced the strange dream. At this point, the young Knight-Captain had to wonder if every single Knight in Candaeln had.

And to top it all off, the rabbit-eared girl revealed herself to have been sent by the Witch-Knight, from Akitsushima, through methods that Fanilly could barely even understand. Though her grasp of Veltan was not exactly fluent, she picked up enough of it to know most of what she had said before Sir Lein elected to provide a more thorough translation.

What did this mean for the dreams? What did this mean for any of it?

It had to mean something.

The girl-knight took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. Putting aside the matter of the dream, it was best to begin with their guest.

"I... very well," she said, bowing her head, "A direct emmisary of one of the founding Knights will always be welcome within Candaeln's walls regardless of purpose, and... well, I think any of us will be happy to see a demonstration of your skills."

Her awareness of Akitsushiman combat techniques was vague, but she understood that they were different then ones she was familiar with due to a different sort of martial history and make of their weapons.

@ERode@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze@Conscripts@Crimson Paladin

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Cutest... little things...

Already this situation was not exactly what she'd been hoping for. She could hardly blame the giant for not knowing who they were talking about, but that really wasn't the issue.

Certainly, it was a bad time to be ascending a mountain. Fio could tell that much, which is why she'd already been intending on making camp. But the way the Giant spoke about them was simply confirmation of what she already thought in the first place.

She had no intention of scaling the mountain tonight if the person offering to carry them was going to address them like that. Every fiber of the Sword Witch's being screamed out not to accept it.

"... We'll be making camp for the night," she said, after only a moment's delay.

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

Elizstrazia didn't know very much about sewing at all.

But when she saw that the maid in charge of making the outfits had so many bandages, she wondered if she had a habit of storing the needles on her own body. Didn't Viatrix know how to fix things like that? Pride in your own appearance and wellbeing was important, so why would you just let bandages cover it up instead of doing something about it?!

Undress?

"Hehehe..."

It began as a low chuckle, but soon it swelled, the scale demon's hands on her hips.

"WAHAHAHA! Behold, true beauty!"

There was zero hesitation. Why should she hesitate in the least? There was not a single part of her body she lacked pride in.

And so, in a single motion, the petite demon whipped off her dress. It quickly became apparent that the flimsy, light garment had been the only thing she was wearing at all.

While there was a very faint color to her cheeks, any hint of minding being exposed among strangers at all was practically nonexistent compared to the overpowering swell of a scale demon's pride. It simply wasn't in their nature to be bothered by bearing it all.

Her body was small, and slim, and lacking any real signs of any maturity or growth in the slightest. And yet, Elizstrazia behaved as if she had just revealed the figure of the loveliest and most beautiful woman in the world to the maids.

It was simply a testimony to how she felt about herself.

"Well? What do you think?"

The smug smile on Elizstrazia's lips was practically oozing with arrogance, her hands once again on her hips as her tail swished from side to side excitedly.

She was expecting praise, no doubt.

"Aren't I the most lovely thing you've ever laid eyes upon? Feel free to drop down and kiss my feet, and I won't mind if you swoon!"

@Click This@Pyromania99@Rune_Alchemist@AzureKnight

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

"Tch, Kordelia, don't you remember? When we play-fought, this was always your worst trick."

High water content made it all the easier. She'd barely had to put effort in, as the air rapidly chilled, a branch of ice stretching from the palm of Aleksiya's hand and coming into contact with the outstretched tentacles. Ice crept along them almost immediately, their wet and watery form no longer proving so malleable and difficult to cut through when they were suddenly far more brittle and frail.

Kordelia's mind was elsewhere. That much was certain. Reaching out to her with words, at least at the moment, was an exercise in futility. But that didn't necessarily mean attacking her directly was the solution, either. It wasn't as if it wasn't, of course, but if there was another option...

The way she had clutched her chest... the altar? The beating heart... perhaps it was a simply an assumption, but it had corrupted other forms of life.

Ice began to form above Aleksiya's free hand. Destroying it, certainly wasn't a terrible idea.

@Rune_Alchemist@Click This

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

The fight had begun in earnest.

In a a battle like this, managing her forces any more than she already had simply wasn't necessary unless something changed. She had organized them, given them their commands, and sprang their trap.

Now it was all a matter of crushing the rats caught within it.

Starshine shimmered.

A masked figure turned with barely any time to witness her leaving the ground, the glittering edge of her blade carving a path cleanly through his throat and unleashing a spurt of red as he toppled backwards.

If they worshipped death so much, they could experience it first-hand.

Another cultist, more prepared.

Velvetica's slim body darted to the side as his axe swung down, meeting empty air. In the very same breath, the girl's blade was thrust inwards and upwards. Leather was no match for Starshine's craftsmanship.

His corpse hadn't even fallen before she reached her next target.

He put everything into a swing of his longsword, leaning into the blow, desperation in his barely visible eyes.

Velvetica saw fit to reward him with another cut throat.

Efficiency. Speed. The core of Enneteca. Kill swiftly and without mercy.

The Steel Princess had already hit her fourth target. Her mind was focused. Narrowed.

Kill all of them. Ensure her forces did the same. Ensure they succeeded while suffering little to no casualties.

Starshine's edge took the man's life before he could comprehend the blade's thrust.

The cultists had not expected the ambush, to say the least. Taken by surprise as they were, that did not mean they were incapable of fighting back.

However, their efforts were hampered by the fact that these were far more dangerous foes then they had expected, and the raiders further back had already suffered multiple casualties before even joining the battle.

It was clear, no matter how zealous they were, there was a disparity in the quality of the clashing forces.

Another thrust in the air pierced another man's throat.

It would only be a matter of time before the enemy was utterly destroyed, or their remaining forces fled.

@Raineh Daze@Rin@AzureKnight@Psyker Landshark@The Otter@VKAllen@Eisenhorn@Crimson Paladin@Conscripts@HereComesTheSnow@Octo@PigeonOfAstora

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fanilly hesitated.

Not only had she experienced the very same dream, but that hadn't been what Dame Serenity was speaking about in the first place?

A dream...

Once, when she was very young, she had dreamt of being a healer. Perhaps it was tales of Saint Anissa the Beautiful that had made her latch onto such an idea. The image of the lovely, silver-haired lady of moonlight, whose soothing touch mended all those whole ailed.

That was before she truly came to comprehend the duty she was to be raised for. Before she understood that being a healer was not such a simple thing.

Still, the desire to help people in some way remained.

"I..." Fanilly tailed off, then took a deep breath, "I did. When I was very small, I wanted to be a healer. Of course, I had no aptitude for it, and beyond that I had been born under a full moon."

Her grip gently adjusted on the hilt of her sword, her legs tensing as she adjusted her footing, her stance widening. A training duel was familiar territory for, though she hadn't directly engaged in one since she had formally entered her position as Knight-Captain of the Iron Roses.

"I... probably thought it would make me beautiful and beloved, like Saint Anissa," she added, sheepishly. The motives of a very young child are very rarely entirely pure, after all. "But I think after that, I think..."

Fanilly trailed off. She wasn't entirely certain if it was purely pressure from without or from within that had caused her dream, her desire for the future, to change. At times she felt so much pressure that it threatened to crush her.

But at the same time, the Iron Rose Knights were an order of virtue and compassion. Protection for the weak. Punishment for the wicked. But not with cruelty, but with justice.

But even so-

"I think... I-"

She was torn from her thoughts when Sir Steffen realized that he had had the very same dream the prior night.

That was impossible to be a coincidence. Two people was already strange, but three?

Before she could say anything to him, however, Sir Lein appeared, with a...

She was already clearly foreign. Fanilly, when she was only seven years old, had once seen a young lady and a young man with similar features at a party. They had been from the distant, faraway land of Akitsushima.

And with them had been two more young ladies with similar features, both incredibly beautiful, wearing foreign, silken, extravagant garb.

And with the ears of rabbits.

The swordswoman who now entered the training yard, shared that particular trait.

"... Ah?"

It was a surprise, to say the least. The visit of some sort of Akitsushiman diplomat or anyone of the sort hadn't been mentioned once to her prior. Surely, she would have been informed...

Her stance relaxed.

"Sir Lein, and..." she hesitated, "You are from Akitsushima, yes? I am Knight-Captain Fanilly Danbalion, and I'd like to formally welcome you to Candaeln."

@ERode@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze@Conscripts

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

"Tch, Sura-"

The mystic blade materialized from blue lights, as Fio swiftly tucked the jar containing Wisp into her bag. How irritating, idiot bandits deciding that they needed to charge in now. Shouldn't it have been obvious what the outcome would be? Did they really want to die that badly?

"-Create-"

But the bandits just ran right past them.

It was moments later that she learned precisely why.

The woman was enormous. It was one thing knowing how big giants were from an intellectual standpoint, it was another thing entirely actually seeing one in person.

It perhaps didn't help that Fio herself was so small, but that was a point she would never be willing to admit to.

Before she could calm down and speak, trying to stop her heart from beating quite so quickly at the realization of how massive this woman was, Luna had already stepped up and introduced herself.

Her blade disappearing, Fio gathered herself, straightened her hat, and stepped forward.

"I am Fio Fan Falisse, the leader of this expedition. This is Dame Elnith, and Dame Lunalel already introduced herself," she began, taking her skirt in one hand and curtsying politely, before gesturing to the knights in turn, "We come on behalf of Queen Sorcha Mulryan, seeking the knowledge and expertise of a skilled Giant smith."

As luck would have it, that hammer looked more like a tool then a weapon.

Though given its sheer size, anything hit by it would be dead all the same.

"Were those bandits causing trouble?"

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

"Tch..."

She was plenty refined and elegant! How did anyone expect her to act when she was just attacked out of no-where?! Urgh, she was a scale demon, so wasn't her very existence refined enough?!

At least not everyone here appeared completely insane, even if some of them were a little annoying. Still, they'd just learn how much they needed to respect her later, then.

Elizstrazia was largely silent for the rest of the tour, though anyone paying attention would note she was checking to make sure all the dorms had windows. She was trying to be subtle, but there was one thing the scale demon practically never was.

At least when it came to things like this.

When they arrived at the store rooms, the small girl folded her slender arms across her chest.

"It was fine," she said, in response to Mariarca's question, "Except for the psycho who attacked me for no good reason on the training fields. She's not fine at all."

Given how much less harsh her language was, it was possible Viatrix's words had made her try to reign herself in. Slightly. At least while on the tour.

It was unlikely it would last beyond that.

@Click This@Pyromania99@Rune_Alchemist@AzureKnight