VitaVitaAR

The Elder Scrolls IV: Cyrodiil

"Ah---!"

I can hear the whizzing of the arrow through the air, even as I move forward. I can feel it disturbing the stillness around me, hurtling just past my head. I don't know if a single arrow could pierce the defenses cast on me, but I really don't feel like finding out.

The zombie I was able to cut through pretty easily. I honestly don't doubt that this incredible piece of work in my hands could do a pretty effective job of cutting through bone, I need to make sure they come apart as much as possible.

The zombie at least had some kind of semblance of needing a head, but I don't think something that's been worn away as much as a skeleton would.

---Not that I know much about undead, but it's just my guess.

Before the first of the nearest skeletons can fully raise its weapon, I push forward, using my weight behind the swing of the blade. I want to use my movement both to knock the skeleton apart as much as I can, but also get past the other and get closer to the one with a bow. I don't know just how many arrows I can take, so surely I should deal with the archer skeleton as fast as possible!

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"---Ah."

Fanilly had done it just on instinct, primarily. She'd seen Lady Gertrude in potential danger and done the first thing that had come to mind in order to protect her. So, admittedly, she may have been somewhat rough. If that was the case then obviously she regretted that particular fact. But even so, it was difficult to see how she'd acted incorrectly.

Even if it was plenty clear Lady Gertrude was difficult to deal with, she didn't want her to get hurt either. She was working as an ally, after all.

"I apologize if I was too rough," began Fanilly, quietly bowing her head, "But I don't think I was wrong. I don't want you to be harmed."

Not only had she proven to be valuable in a fight, but she'd effectively been entrusted to their care by her mentor. For those reasons alone, without even thinking about anything else, wasn't it only right for her to do everything she could to keep her safe?

What kind of Knight-Captain wouldn't do such a thing?

She briefly glanced at the strange, beautiful tree that now stood in the clearing.

Their path forward was so close, now. They just had to find a way to break through.

---

As it turned out, it was closer than Fanilly could ever have expected.

After fighting a Gannek, Sir Gerard, Sir Rolan, Dame Yael, and Sir Caulder had met with a powerful fae(apparently, the Moonlit Queen's sister?!) due to their intervention for the sake of a pair of Aessyr. Through this chain of events, they'd been granted a method to penetrate the fae realm and treat directly with the Moonlit Queen.

She'd described it as a key, but it appeared more like a swirling green-yellow-blue light that was now floating along beside Sir Gerard. Fanilly thought she could smell the scent of rain when she came near to it, and the closer it came the warmer the air had felt, like a pleasant spring day.

Lord Arken was rather irritated they were not going to prepare any further, but he'd cast some layer of defenses against fae manipulations over them regardless. Ultimately, they still had no real choice but to negotiate within the Fae Realm, but the defenses he'd implemented would ideally shield them from anything more severe long enough to at least withdraw and regroup.

As Knight-Captain, Fanilly would have to take partial lead of the negotiations with the Moonlit Queen, something that made her heart pound especially fiercely. But it was only correct simply due to her position of authority.

Aside from herself, Sir Fionn would also take a direct and prominent role in negotiations due to his experiences with the fae. This was their best chance as of now.

They had to regain the Duke's wits.

The sphere of light that was the 'key' simply had to be presented to the right location. It was found with relative ease, a ring of conspicuous mushrooms standing just beyond the new tree that had formed from the body of the wooden serpent.

The air twisted before her eyes, warping and collapsing in on itself. Then it spread, revealing a white void and---

Snow crunched beneath her feet.

It was the first thing Fanilly became aware of on arrival. When her gaze drifted downwards, there was no questioning it. That was indeed snow, covering the ground.

And yet there wasn't even a hint of chill in the air. If anything, it was pleasantly, mildly, warm.

And yet there was snow.

There wasn't a single star in the sky above. It was dominated, entirely, by the enormous moon.

But this wasn't Mayon's domain. The sight of the moon was normally familiar, and conforting, but the white sphere above had an alien quality. It was perfectly smooth, unlike the surface of the moon that normally showed clear shapes, and the light it emitted seemed far colder despite the warmth of the air.

The place that had emerged into was largely clear, but a few pitch black trees stood nearby. Further away, they grew denser, a forest of black trees with white leaves.

The air itself felt strange against her skin, tingling ever-so-slightly.

This was the Moonlit Queen's Fae Realm. This world was already an impossibility. A contradictory place of warmth, yet coldness. Fanilly hadn't exactly known what she should be prepared for, and yet somehow she hadn't imagined this realm of Monochrome contradictions. She almost felt off-balance, disoriented, as she attempted to take in her strange new surroundings.

Had she had a dream like this, once?

This place felt like some sort of strange, surreal place that could only be envisioned when one was sound asleep. The snow and black trees seemed to stretch on infinitely, and the Mayonless moon was far too large.

Did she feel anxious? Or comforted?

Cold? Or Warm?

Was it all of these sensations at once?

Her mind almost seemed to swim---

"So these are the intruders."

From behind them was a deep, male voice, and Fanilly couldn't help but instinctively place her hand to the hilt of her blade as she turned.

It was an exceptionally tall figure, human-shaped and wrapped in a black cloak. From what could be discerned of his shape, his height of at least three meters was the only thing that marked him as inhuman---

Until one looked at his face. For the figure had the head of a raven, black feathers and black beak, dark eyes regarding them with a lack of emotion.

The beak parted.

"What shall we do, milady?"

Fanilly's fingers clenched at her blade. Even in this Fae realm, where the laws of the world were dictated by the unseen Moonlit Queen, it was hard to shake the idea of fighting this surreal, dreamlike figure.

"Hmmm...~"

The next voice was far more playful, the voice of a girl.

She stepped out from behind the raven-headed man, cocking her head.

She was the size and shape of a young girl. Her skin was not merely pale, but white as the snow that surrounded them, though it faded into black on her lower arms and legs. Her sleepwear-like clothing was white, with black fringes and a black ribbon, and she wore no footwear. The snow was undisturbed by each step of her bare feet. The antler-like horns extending from her forehead stood out against the pitch black, spiked crown. Her large, shining eyes, too, were black, almost like those of some species of moth. But perhaps most striking was the girl's hair. Her exceptionally long tresses trailed upon the ground, pristine despite this and at least twice as long as she was tall.

"My my, what shall I do, indeed~?"

The girl's playful voice betrayed not the slightest hint of malice as she leaned forward, her eyes scanning over the knights.

There wasn't the slightest doubt in Fanilly's mind. Despite her childish appearance, this had to be the Moonlit Queen.

"You destroyed my guardian, didn't you?" she commented, cocking her head curiously as she did, "That's the only way you could get in, so don't be silly and try to lie about it~ Which one of you struck the final blow?"

She didn't sound angry. At least, insofar as Fanilly could tell.

But she didn't want to take the chance of her singling someone out.

"Y... you must be the Moonlit Queen," Fanilly began, stepping forward and removing her helmet "As for your guardian, it was our collective effort that---"

The fae girl frowned.

"I wasn't asking about that, you know," she cut the Knight-Captain off, "... Hmm... you have lovely hair, don't you? But you have it all tied up, you're hiding it..."

She snapped her fingers.

Fanilly wasn't entirely sure what happened. A tingle ran up her spine, and her scalp suddenly felt exceptionally warm. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but at the same time----

"A-augh?!"

Her hair.

It had burst free from its braid, and was now rapidly growing, pouring down her back. Her blonde locks swiftly reached her hips and then grew further, shimmering in the Mayonless moonlight as they plunged towards the ground.

In a matter of seconds, Fanilly's hair was now just as long as the Moonlit Queen's, a playful smirk crossing the fae girl's lips.

"Wh-wh... wha... I..."

For a few moments, Fanilly couldn't articulate herself, grasping weakly at her newly-grown hair. What? How did she do anything like this? Why... so long...?!

"Now, I just want to know~" the Moonlit Queen continued, "Which one struck the final blow~?"

The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel

• Name: Lisette Faalvar
• Gender: Female
• Race: Breton/Nord
• Appearance: Exactly what quirk of ancestry lead to Lisette's very short stature is difficult to guess at, especially given her partially Nord family line. She stands far shorter then most of her peers, at under five feet in height, with dark hair styled with blunt bangs and a tight bun. Her blue eyes are rather sharp, but she still has a rather youthful appearance. Her slim figure is typically clad in blue when she isn't wearing armor.
• Personality: Fittingly given her capabilities, Lisette possesses a particularly fiery and aggressive demeanor. Despite her short height(or perhaps because of it) she tends to display a rather irritable attitude in most situations, being rather sarcastic or dismissive to her peers and tending to admonish them more harshly then necessary for perceived failings. Despite this rather acidic personality, Lisette still deeply holds certain beliefs in her very core. Chiefly, that those who are strong should protect those who are weak. That those with power should use that power to achieve good. Indeed, her aspiration is one that strives for justice, and punishing the wicked. That being said, her extremely stubborn nature can be both a blessing and a curse in this regard. She will never stop and will never compromise when it comes to the destruction of evil and the salvation of those in need, but by the same token her acidic and irritable nature is only exaggerated by her stubborn behavior. She can be difficult to deal with. With that being said, Lisette's admonishing comments are declarations of an individual's stupidity are at least partially influenced by a desire to prevent them from doing what she sees as foolish and thus a form of attempting to help them. Deep down, despite all appearances, she does care for others. Her pursuit of justice is entirely born from this care.
• Brief Backstory: An girl orphaned by a terrible incident involving daedra, her initial desire to join the Vigilants of Stendarr was spurred by a desire to prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate. This is almost certainly want prompted her dedication to her task, and it is this that carried her through her training. Lisette dedicated herself completely to destroying the wicked and protecting the innocent, and excelled in wielding a warhammer despite her small stature. Her early missions as a Vigilant were simple and required dealing with relatively low-level threats, but as she grew in capability she was able to undertake more complicated and dangerous tasks. Even an incident in which many of her fellow Vigilants perished or became corrupted ended by her hand, and she proceeded to pursue a number of other high-level threats including a bizarre case of vampiric infestation beneath a certain city.
• Equipment: An large, enchanted warhammer that releases a fiery blast on impact. By using her small size and its heavy head, Lisette can use particularly mobile and aggressive attacks. She also carries a steel sword as a sidearm with a weaker flame enchant that simply causes the edge to burn. Her armor is composed of shining, silver plate and dark purple cloth.
• Skills: As noted previously, Lisette's skills lie primarily in offensive combat. She is highly aggressive and mobile, using the weight of her hammer as an asset rather than a hindrance to almost hurl herself forward at her opponents. She also uses some destruction spells, entirely fire-based, and has minor capability for healing spells.

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

• Name: Yukimura Souji/"Sephily"
• Age: 19
• Gender: Female("what")
• Race: High Elf
• Appearance: Standing at an intimidating 139 CM.("Why do I have to be so short, too?!")
• Personality: Souji is a studious person, but not the type to completely neglect his own free time. A fan of fantasy games and related media, he'd make time for them whenever he could in order to keep himself from burning out. Even after the accident, it's unlikely that Sephily will ever cease to approach things with that mindset. With that being said, it doesn't change the fact that her serious outlook leads to an easily exasperated personality. Her patience quickly wears thin when faced with foolish behavior or aggravating situations. While she deals well with complex problems in studies or in free time, she dislikes having to deal with stupid people and will vocally voice her displeasure. Due to her studious nature, it shouldn't be any surprise she takes well to things involving magic, commonly playing mage characters in games she enjoyed in her past life. Perhaps quite ironically, Souji's taste in female characters tended towards petite, surly types, which certainly adds another layer to her new form. Entirely embarrassed by this situation, she is unlikely to directly introduce her previous identity, though she's rather poor at hiding her awkward feelings about her new body. Why did she have to end up a cute girl, and why did she have to end up so short?! Why did she have to end up her type?!
  Regardless of her temperamental demeanor and awkwardness over her new body, Souji tends to try and do the right thing when presented with dangerous situations even if she might vocally complain about it. She has a habit of keeping new people at arm's length, and is likely to be embarrassed easily be close proximity to others for a variety of reasons.
• History: Prior to the tragic incident that claimed his life, Yukimura Souji's life wasn't particularly eventful. A capable student often sought for assistance with homework, he had a small number of friends that largely shared his own personal interests, and was able to maintain his own hobbies while succeeding well in his class work. Perhaps this induced some jealousy in some of his classmates during Middle School and High School, but he didn't suffer much of the effects from such feelings. Having just recently entered university, he was convinced to visit the US for vacation and---
  There was only one very unlucky casualty of the crash.
• Cheat: Her staff, which will begin with fairly basic but useful capabilities as a magical catalyst. As her skills develop, so to will the capabilities of her staff, permitting an increase in mana output, a decrease in the cost of spells, and various other benefits.
• Skill Name: Star Mirror
  • Skill Description: A living reflection of the world's stars. A special trait for a mage with an intrinsic connection to starlight, most common in high elves but overall very rare. Normally, learning star-based spells would require study of the cosmos, but Sephily has a natural affinity for the stars. The School of Astromancy is a variant of offensive magic drawing on celestial bodies, particularly the stars. It is known for highly destructive offensive spells, with even the basic level spells being fairly potent in combat.
• Other: Souji's favorite light novel is The Elf Mage Doesn't Approve, about a petite and tsundere elf mage and the protagonist's difficulties with her.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

The girl sucked in a deep breath.

This was beyond any of their prior opponents.

This was beyond anything she had seen before.

She could feel the power rippling through the air, washing over her body like an ocean's waves. Even more than the battle at sea, it felt like she was going to be plunged down and dragged under.

For an instant, a mere instant, her heart was frozen.

For that single instant, she couldn't help but feel fear surge through her very being.

She had been picked up by chance by a deserter, and it had lead her here.

What if her destiny was not as a grand hero? What if mere chance had gotten her this far, and now it was by mere chance that she would die?

What if

what if

what if

what if

The phrase ran itself through her mind over and over again as the muscles in her legs seemed to lock in place, her grip on her spada shaking. Her heart threatened to rip its way free from her chest with its incessant hammering.

what if---

...

That was just it, wasn't it?

Her mind went hurtling backwards in time. Back to old tales.

What could he have done, then? It's so frightening.

It was something that had played out in her mind ages ago.

When a legendary hero was faced with a monstrous, insurmountable beast. A creature that exceeded all his former foes, one who could destroy him in an instant.

It was scary.

What hope was there to stop it?

And yet he stood bravely. Even if he was terrified, even if he felt like it could be the end, he still stepped forward and gave it everything he could.

Even if it was by pure chance that he survived, even if it was by nothing but the thinnest possibility that he pulled through and succeeded, he still strove for that tiny, thin margin of possibility.

That was part of being a hero, wasn't it?

"... What are you doing, Robin Fey?"

The voice she heard was her own, speaking to herself aloud over the din of battle. In the few moments she had spent locked in place from fear, her allies had already stepped forward and given their all to stop Leviathan's attack.

"They're about to leave you behind. You can't let yourself be shown up."

---That was right.

What was she doing? Locking up on the spot, freezing in place from fear alone. She could still move, couldn't she? She was still breathing.

What kind of hero let their fear overcome them like that?

Her father wasn't who she thought he was all these years.

And maybe it was by pure chance that she'd came to this place.

But that chance still existed. That chance had still let her reach this place, still given her an opportunity to change this world and do good.

And that chance was now in the form of the slim opportunity they retained to stop this attack.

Robin stepped forward.

She'd never used this technique in battle before.

Could she even pull it off?

Maybe, maybe not. But heroes performed daring acts that could just as easily fail all the time.

She raised her spada, its luminescent blade glinting not only from its brilliant edge but from the energy that now surged along it.

Leviathan's attack wouldn't succeed.

"'O blossom, flower at the edge of my sword---"

Robin stepped forward. The world blurred around her.

She was at the very edge of Leviathan's barrier, now.

The first thrust was easy. She'd performed plenty of thrusts before, after all. It was what came after that would be the most difficult part.

Her right arm blurred.

A single second, a single fraction of a second, a single infinitesimal moment---

Not one passed between the first and second blow.

The technique was one that seemed unreachable, impossible. For most of her life, she couldn't wrap her head around how someone could ever strike four times at once.

But impossibilities were a given when one was a hero, weren't they?

The third came easier. Her blade danced in her hand, surging with brilliant light. The fourth followed naturally.

She could see the miniscule gap between each thrust. It was as if the world had come to a halt, for her.

But outside, it appeared the span of time between the impact of her first blow and her last simply did not exist.

Robin had struck four times in a single instant, each blow leaving behind a trail of golden light.

"Bloom resplendently---"

She twisted her body, dragging her blade across the barrier, biting at her opponent in her final strike.

"---Flash Rose!"

The light burst.

The flower opened.

For a scant few moments it lingered, a rose of golden light.

And then it was gone.

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

• Name: Yukimura Souji/"Sephily"
• Age: 19
• Gender: Female("what")
• Race: High Elf
• Appearance: Standing at an intimidating 139 CM.("Why do I have to be so short, too?!")
• Personality: Souji is a studious person, but not the type to completely neglect his own free time. A fan of fantasy games and related media, he'd make time for them whenever he could in order to keep himself from burning out. Even after the accident, it's unlikely that Sephily will ever cease to approach things with that mindset. With that being said, it doesn't change the fact that her serious outlook leads to an easily exasperated personality. Her patience quickly wears thin when faced with foolish behavior or aggravating situations. While she deals well with complex problems in studies or in free time, she dislikes having to deal with stupid people and will vocally voice her displeasure. Due to her studious nature, it shouldn't be any surprise she takes well to things involving magic, commonly playing mage characters in games she enjoyed in her past life. Perhaps quite ironically, Souji's taste in female characters tended towards petite, surly types, which certainly adds another layer to her new form. Entirely embarrassed by this situation, she is unlikely to directly introduce her previous identity, though she's rather poor at hiding her awkward feelings about her new body. Why did she have to end up a cute girl, and why did she have to end up so short?! Why did she have to end up her type?!
  Regardless of her temperamental demeanor and awkwardness over her new body, Souji tends to try and do the right thing when presented with dangerous situations even if she might vocally complain about it. She has a habit of keeping new people at arm's length, and is likely to be embarrassed easily be close proximity to others for a variety of reasons.
• History: Prior to the tragic incident that claimed his life, Yukimura Souji's life wasn't particularly eventful. A capable student often sought for assistance with homework, he had a small number of friends that largely shared his own personal interests, and was able to maintain his own hobbies while succeeding well in his class work. Perhaps this induced some jealousy in some of his classmates during Middle School and High School, but he didn't suffer much of the effects from such feelings. Having just recently entered university, he was convinced to visit the US for vacation and---
  There was only one very unlucky casualty of the crash.
• Cheat: Her staff, which will begin with fairly basic but useful capabilities as a magical catalyst. As her skills develop, so to will the capabilities of her staff, permitting an increase in mana output, a decrease in the cost of spells, and various other benefits.
• Skill Name: Star Mirror
  • Skill Description: A living reflection of the world's stars. A special trait for a mage with an intrinsic connection to starlight, most common in high elves but overall very rare. Normally, learning star-based spells would require study of the cosmos, but Sephily has a natural affinity for the stars. The School of Astromancy is a variant of offensive magic drawing on celestial bodies, particularly the stars. It is known for highly destructive offensive spells, with even the basic level spells being fairly potent in combat.
• Other: Souji's favorite light novel is The Elf Mage Doesn't Approve, about a petite and tsundere elf mage and the protagonist's difficulties with her.

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Heir to the Konpaku

Killing Fujiwara-san is no issue. I've done it before. She'll simply return, unaffected by whatever might have afflicted her. It's not natural, it's unsettling, but it means that fixing her sudden surge in killing intent on touching the orb shouldn't be an issue at all.

My hand returns to Roukanken's hilt---

And the fire fades.

Whatever it was, she brushed it aside easily.

"Vengeful spirits?"

The idea that so many are contained in that orb is creepy, to say the least. Hakurouken wasn't able to dispel those strange phantoms from the village in the same way as it normally could, too. I'm feeling confident I could still destroy them with Roukanken, but so many trapped inside that sphere without any clear way of getting them out---

"It definitely shouldn't just be sitting around here."

---Not that I know what to do with it. Yuyuko-sama would probably suggest---

I don't know if Yuyuko-sama would have any useful suggestions here.

"At the very least, it should be sealed away even more than it already is."

@Raineh Daze@FujiwaraPhoenix

---

The Scarlet Devil

"Hmph, curses? As if a curse matters to me."

---It probably didn't, at least. Even weakened, a curse so subtle I didn't even notice it wasn't likely to be enough to affect me. That being said, it's still irritating that I was even struck with a minor curse in the first place.

I hope that idiot in the tunnel was close enough to get crushed even more, now. Or maybe that the cave-in sealed them away down there and they'll never escape. It's the next best thing to cutting them down myself, but if we find them---

"Tch. I'll kill the one behind this, for sure."

I'm not going to hold back. I'll make them regret it.

But we haven't found them yet, and I'm not about to expose myself to such a dismal and unpleasant location so quickly.

"Anyway, that miko should be able to handle a few curses," I reply with a wave of my hand, "Besides, I'm starting to get a bit of an appetite."

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Drifting Pollen@Rezod92

The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel

• Name: Lisette Faalvar
• Gender: Female
• Race: Breton/Nord
• Appearance: Exactly what quirk of ancestry lead to Lisette's very short stature is difficult to guess at, especially given her partially Nord family line. She stands far shorter then most of her peers, at under five feet in height, with dark hair styled with blunt bangs and a tight bun. Her blue eyes are rather sharp, but she still has a rather youthful appearance. Her slim figure is typically clad in blue when she isn't wearing armor.
• Personality: Fittingly given her capabilities, Lisette possesses a particularly fiery and aggressive demeanor. Despite her short height(or perhaps because of it) she tends to display a rather irritable attitude in most situations, being rather sarcastic or dismissive to her peers and tending to admonish them more harshly then necessary for perceived failings. Despite this rather acidic personality, Lisette still deeply holds certain beliefs in her very core. Chiefly, that those who are strong should protect those who are weak. That those with power should use that power to achieve good. Indeed, her aspiration is one that strives for justice, and punishing the wicked. That being said, her extremely stubborn nature can be both a blessing and a curse in this regard. She will never stop and will never compromise when it comes to the destruction of evil and the salvation of those in need, but by the same token her acidic and irritable nature is only exaggerated by her stubborn behavior. She can be difficult to deal with. With that being said, Lisette's admonishing comments are declarations of an individual's stupidity are at least partially influenced by a desire to prevent them from doing what she sees as foolish and thus a form of attempting to help them. Deep down, despite all appearances, she does care for others. Her pursuit of justice is entirely born from this care.
• Brief Backstory: An girl orphaned by a terrible incident involving daedra, her initial desire to join the Vigilants of Stendarr was spurred by a desire to prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate. This is almost certainly want prompted her dedication to her task, and it is this that carried her through her training. Lisette dedicated herself completely to destroying the wicked and protecting the innocent, and excelled in wielding a warhammer despite her small stature. Her early missions as a Vigilant were simple and required dealing with relatively low-level threats, but as she grew in capability she was able to undertake more complicated and dangerous tasks. Even an incident in which many of her fellow Vigilants perished or became corrupted ended by her hand, and she proceeded to pursue a number of other high-level threats including a bizarre case of vampiric infestation beneath a certain city.
• Equipment: An large, enchanted warhammer that releases a fiery blast on impact. By using her small size and its heavy head, Lisette can use particularly mobile and aggressive attacks. She also carries a steel sword as a sidearm with a weaker flame enchant that simply causes the edge to burn. Her armor is composed of shining, silver plate and dark purple cloth.
• Skills: As noted previously, Lisette's skills lie primarily in offensive combat. She is highly aggressive and mobile, using the weight of her hammer as an asset rather than a hindrance to almost hurl herself forward at her opponents. She also uses some destruction spells, entirely fire-based, and has minor capability for healing spells.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Cyrodiil

The weapon in my hands almost completely distracts me from the spell that was just cast over me. It's honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. My instruction in blacksmithing never quite completed properly but I know enough to know what I'm looking at now is basically a treasure.

And I'm being trusted to use it?

Part of me wonders if this is a dream again.

But if it was, I probably wouldn't be having to face down undead. Then again, compared to assassins, they're not going to be as dangerous even if they're going to be a lot less pleasant to look at.

"... R-right."

Six undead, of some sort. That's actually not so bad. Compared to living assassins, for sure. And I'm better defended and better-equipped, now, too.

I volunteered so help, so... so---

I take a deep breath to help still my pounding heart, and step forward.

It's damp. And cooler then it is outside. I haven't exactly made a business of spelunking, but I know more or less what to expect from somewhere like this.

Normally it's not undead.

---!

Speaking of, there's one now!

The scent immediately hits me. I already got a bit of a whiff of it just stepping inside, but now the rotten, fetid odor of a moving corpse is striking me a lot harder. I hadn't even thought about that until now, I almost have to stop myself from gagging.

It's shambling, naked, with skin sloughing off to expose paled muscle tissue and bone, with some organs beneath. I think it was a man, but when it's this poorly-preserved it's not necessarily easy to tell. It's taller then me, too.

I inhale deeply through my mouth and step forward. It's unpleasant, it's grotesque, but it's not nearly as threatening as the living, breathing, assassins.

There's no mind in there. Not an intelligent one, anyway!

It's not as if I'm somehow perfect with a sword, but I'm not entirely without self-defense skills. I wouldn't have lasted very long in this situation without them.

I raise the sword, as it raises its arm and lurches forward, swinging it in an arc.

Rotten, soft flesh gives away easily. The bone is pretty brittle, too. The outcome when it comes to a sword of this high quality was clear long before I swung it.

The arm sails into the air first. Then, the blade reaches its neck.

Some kind of foul gunk comes from the moving corpse as I sever its arm and head, something I'd rather not think about.

---I don't think I'm mistaken. When it comes to undead, there's not much of a purpose in attacking anywhere but the most crippling spots. Decapitation is pretty disabling, right?

I step back to avoid the beheaded zombie as it falls forward.

One down.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"You would be correct, child of man," the smirking fae lady replied as she steepled her fingers, "While interfering with my elder sister's affairs is amusing in and of itself, I would like her to suffer a little more than that."

A thoughtful expression crossed her face for a few moments, as she crossed her long, shapely, pale legs once again, bare foot swaying gently back and forth.

"Hmmm..."

The silence was once again complete, aside from the sound of the fae lady's musing, and of Aithne managing to cuddle up to the still-somewhat-dazed Enfys even more closely.

It would be easy to mistake the other fae for statues, at this point.

"I believe... ah, yes, that will do nicely," the fae lady nodded to herself, before leaning forward once again.

"My elder sister collects things, you see," she began, "Things of little true value, that she treasures as a symbol of her personal power."

The fae lady's smirk only managed to grow wider.

"Take one from her. It matters very little what it is, simply that you give it to me. How you do it is also unimportant. In fact, it's unlikely you would have to commit theft. For you see---"

The fae lady gave a flourish with her right hand.

"---My elder sister is quite fond of wagers. The higher the stakes, the better. Defeat her, obtain your duke's wits and my prize, and you will have accomplished your mission."

She paused for a moment, blue eyes drifting from the Knights to the aessyr currently in Sir Rolan's care.

"As for our little sisters, they will remain here for now, until a suitable tree is found for them."

@HereComesTheSnow@Eisenhorn