[Plot] [Open] Week 093: A Perilous and Felonious Infiltration

swaswj · Apr 11, 2016

A hearty laugh was Orator's response to the attempted intimidation. "Listen here, brother. For breaking me out of that cell, you have my thanks. To see where this is going, you've piqued my interest. Do not presume that I will meekly submit to the whims of a sellsword lacking vision, however. Cui prodest, brother -- in this venture, it's clear that my presence is worth more than your own." Orator looked over to the others, saying nothing but making his point clear: if Orator was lost, the reward for each person went down. If Reilly happened to disappear, however, suddenly the remaining members stood to gain more.

"Therefore, lead on!" Orator said again, clanging the two shields together. "If fate wills it, we'll come out together on the other side."

No more words were exchanged as the group rushed down the hallways, hearing the shouts of guards somewhere in the twists and turns behind them. It wouldn't be long before they were set upon from behind.

When they turned that last corner, they found a phalanx of five guards facing them. Only two of them actually bore shields -- kite shields, rather than the towering monstrosities that Orator had pilfered -- but the velen men wielding them were massive, almost monstrous, and each carried a battleaxe in their free hands. The archer they had seen earlier stood behind the pair, his compound bow drawn and leveled. The remaining two guards, both women, were unarmed, but stood at the ready.

Orator jumped forward, throwing one arm ahead of Reilly. An arrow blasted into the heavy shield, denting the solid metal before the shaft itself burst into splinters.

In the face of the wall ahead of them and the knowledge that more guards were not far behind, Orator stood up straight again and laughed, striding slowly forward.

[300/3050]

Dysney · Apr 12, 2016

Val rolled her eyes at Soldier from beneath her hood. He really was a novice at the whole leadership thing. Relaxing just a bit, she summoned Cora to her and set Amicus atop the drone before following the group. The hallway they'd left was a bit darker by the time her minions caught up to them, the drone returned to the engineer's side so Amicus could hand her a small metallic box.

With a hidden smile, Val pocketed the box. It would be fun to analyze the artificial lights later. She tightened the silencer on her nonlethal gun and wondered which guard to aim at. Fortunately, the Orator was engaging the guards. Val was loath to directly fight anyone that skilled and Aelflead and her friend probably couldn't handle being meat shields much longer.

"Sailor," she whispered harshly, nearing Aelflead's companion, "try and bind the archer if you get a chance. Don't get near the guards until he's down. We need your skills." The enlil glanced over at Solder, hoping he wouldn't throw a tantrum just because she was giving advice. In any case, Val figured the flashy mage would be more inclined to listen to a more polite request. "Please," she added as an after thought before motioning Deni over.

A plan was forming in the engineer's mind. There was no reason for them to fight fairly or for all of them to be targets for the bow and arrow. If they could provide backup from behind a barrier, Soldier, Tailor, and the Orator would be able to engage the guards without worrying about protecting those behind them (Aelflead was discounted because there was just no accounting for what that unpredictable woman would do). Quietly, she muttered a prayer to Aquila.

[292/1985]

Hey guys

Valero · Apr 13, 2016

Deni snickered at Orator's comments as the group traversed the corridors.

I like this guy, he thought to himself. Perhaps we should take him with us and ditch Soldier.

It was just a mental jest at first, but he wasn't sure whether he was actually considering it, should such a scenario unfold.

We might need to bin two of them to fit that mountain on board. Perhaps Soldier and Beggar. They're both narky enough.

Perhaps it was for the best that the rogue's thoughts were cut short when they encountered a healthy mass of guards. Deni's heartbeat suddenly grew heavier. There were five of them? They fought four on the rooftop, not even all at once, and Soldier nearly died. Instinctively, the slippery velen dodged behind Orator for cover.

Deni caught a glimpse of Ignis in the corner of his eye. When the giant laicar lunged forward to block an arrow for Reilly, Deni took the opportunity to join her. He arrived just in time to hear what the enlil woman was planning for the archer. The velen turned his blue eyes back to the group of enemies. He needed to pick a target.

The archer was an obvious choice, but if Sailor listened to Tinker then he wouldn't need to take him down. The two guards with the shields were prominent threats based on their sheer size, but the two unarmed women... why would there be unarmed guards in the Arx? Deni could only assume that they were spellcasters. Even in their situation, however, firing at two unarmed women just didn't seem right. That sort of mentality was going to get the rogue killed one day, he was sure of it.

"Do it," the grey-masked velen concurred, aiming his words at Hikaru. "Listen to her."

When Deni realised that Ignis' spell was nearly ready, his eyes scanned his targets. A wave of heat surged down his spine. His sharp teeth gritted together. They were raiding the Arx, it was no time for him to get soft and mushy over the opposite sex.

"To Infernalis with this!"

He cocked the hammer of the serpent's kiss and fired three rounds, twisting his wrist subtly between each shot to angle them at different targets. One for each of the unarmed women and one for the archer, all aimed as close to the shoulder as he could manage.

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Note

Mystydjinn · Apr 16, 2016

Sounds good to me. The redhead smirked at the giant of a man's comment to their 'fearless leader', and turned to look down the corridor that would be their exit.
Her first thought at seeing the axemen and archers was to turn and go down another hallway. If the guards had decided to send a wall like that to greet their intruders in one hallway they probably wouldn't have as much of a wall in a nearer one. Then again, she reasoned with a grimace, another hall just might mean something worse. She eyed the axes thoughtfully for a moment before tightening her grip on her sword and shaking her head. She hadn't learned to wield an axe, and while she knew she could handle the weight, it's distribution would take time to get used to that they didn't have. As such, the brawler decided she would do better to stick to what she was good at.

That in mind, the brawler ducked behind the magic shield rising in front of the enlil, while she 'suggested' orders to the pirate with his hands free who wasn't daydreaming for once. The brawler assumed that his most recent near death experience had wizened him up to the gravity of their situation. Either that or he was too excited by the now to disappear somewhere else.

Whichever one it was, the mage wasn't answering any questions about it. He was expecting a meeting with the enemy while they were freeing Orator, though he wasn't expecting to deal with battleaxes and shields in a hallway. He already felt himself at a disadvantage in the close quarters with even his naginata, but axes and arrows didn't leave much room to dance around.

He began spiraling his hands until the glowing yellow rings adorned them with their presence and flung it at the archer's midsection, aiming to catch and trap his bow arm against his body. The next golden ring lay still in his hand a second longer before that too was sent sailing through the air at the closest axe wielding guard to trap him and his weapon against him.

He took the time after to slip behind Orator and his monstrous shields while he gathered his thoughts for his next move, heeding the enlilian's warning.

[381]

Apeiron · Apr 19, 2016

Kincaid let loose a low whistle after seeing Orator defend his younger brother. While his earlier assessment of the other’s situation was accurate, it appeared as if Orator wasn’t going to be quick to discard any of them. By the other man’s words, unless any one of them became more of a hassle, each person on their team made them stronger, even if it was only in some small way.

As Tinker bellowed her orders, Kincaid went to work in his own way. He brought up his left hand to his face and waved it there, with the palm facing himself. The hallway filled with the spirits of Serpens who waited for Kincaid to finish his spell.

Crouching low and near his brother next to the corner, Tailor heard Thief curse. The hammer to the velen’s weapon clicked back in a sound that only Tailor was listening for.

Reaching deep within the wellspring of his heritage, Kincaid waited.

Thief’s gun barked, his first shot hurled down the hallway, and bronze dust surged up from the satchel at the Kincaid’s hip. He couldn’t take too long. As fast as his lips would allow, words spilled out of his lips, “As quick as he could, words spilled from his lips, “In a faraway, forgotten land, a tall statue would forever stand.”

Though the spirits of Serpens waited patiently, Aquila’s messengers knew urgency, and understood the cost of slow action. They appeared all at once by the hundreds, swimming above Serpens, the guards, the crew in a harmless storm, and did not stay there for long.

As soon as Kincaid had finished his spell the swarm descended, towards the terra regia that hung around the moonlighter and devoured it, absorbed it, making it one with themselves and his will.

The second shot rang out as the Tailor was halfway through the spell.

As the vague form of a robed woman holding a shield began to form in front of Kincaid, the laicar felt every inch of his body as it was flooded with adrenaline. It was a thrill he had enjoyed countless times before, and this time was no different.

The feeling was unmistakable and addicting, one which could make the world stand still for the span of a heartbeat before returning it to normal.

His muscles tightened, and without warning Tailor sprang forward, throwing himself recklessly into the hallway where he rolled to the opposite side where he came up onto his feet.

Kincaid had always prided himself on being light on his feet. Combined with quick reflexes and sharp eyes, he had proven countless times to his brother and enemies that his lack of muscle was not to be mistaken as a lack of skill.

Add to this mixture the laicar blood, and Kincaid had pulled off insane stunts that would have killed lesser men.

This time was no different. No sooner had he come up onto his feet, Tailor sprinted past Orator, Thief, and Sailor, rushing past them to close the distance.

If successful, he could take two guards down for a brief window.

[1692]

Hurr

swaswj · Apr 20, 2016

The archer, Avis, had another arrow nocked and ready in seconds, the gears of the compound bow spinning back. His eyes were locked on Orator's, then flicked up as Deniisis came into view. His arms turned slightly, adjusting their aim a split-second before his eyes followed. The arrow launched forward, launching past the towering man's shields to sink deeply into Reilly's leg, the broadhead erupting from the back of the man's knee.

Everything was chaos, then. Suppressed gunshots rushed out, punching into Avis' shoulder before he could nock the next arrow and burying into the arm of Maga, the dark-haired woman to his left. The hulking velen to his right was much faster than he appeared, though: mirroring Orator's earlier move, his shield jutted out to deflect the missile before it hit Marita, the blonde woman behind him. Immediately, she retaliated. A metallic triangle formed, and Marita tossed a sprinkle of coppery powder in the air as she struck the back of it: a pair of green bolts burst forth, aiming for Deniisis.

Hikaru's rings whirled in, but the throws were wild, falling well short of their targets. Before they could retaliate, though, the thief was right there in front of them, arms flicking out to spew a cloud of murky poison. Sinis, in the middle of dodging away from Hikaru's rings, avoided the worst of the cloud, but his companion took the full brunt of the attack in the face.

"Dex!" the blonde cried out, ducking back from the cloud herself. "O wondrous light," Marita incanted immediately, slapping a hand to Dex's shoulder. "Draw out afflicting venom, cure this ailment!" A blue orb appeared over the velen's head, immediately beginning to draw out the poison.

The velen wasn't waiting to be cured, though. He had seen Kincaid before the poison took his sight. With a grunt of effort, he lifted his axe up high and slammed it down, unleashing his raw fury in a burst that sundered the spectral woman in front of Kincaid and sent the thief tumbling to the floor. The other velen rushed in immediately, preparing to chop off something important before the spry thief could spring away.

Instead his face met Orator's shield as the towering man steamrolled him, barreling to the floor without hesitation. The prisoner relinquished the heavy shields immediately, snatching up the guard's axe and rushing to his feet.

"Enough!" the dark-haired woman shouted. Maga's hands sparkled with silvery droplets, emerging from the swirling portal in front of her and flicking forward. With that simple flick, a roaring vortex entered the world, spearing straight into Orator's chest, ribs snapping as he was thrown down in an instant.

The spell wasn't exhausted with just that, though, spiraling toward the hastily constructing shield and the two poor souls behind it.

[450/3500]

Notes

Valero · Apr 21, 2016

The velen threw himself out of the way of the first energy bolt. He felt the heat brush past his cheek. Had he not jerked his body in such an awkward motion, that attack could have hit him square in the face. There was no time for relief, though, as Thief only managed to twist out of the path of one of the two bolts. He grunted loudly in pain as the second bolt seared into his shoulder. The force of the attack sent Deni staggering backwards a few steps.

"Serpent's saggy tits," Deni muttered through gritted teeth. The ranged opponents were cutting them down as they tried to push down the corridor. Naturally, the gunslinger saw those as the most important targets. As the primary ranged combatant of their group, however, he couldn't take them down if both of the spellcasters and the bowman were aiming at him. He needed some support if he was going to weaken them enough for the close-combat oriented fighters to get close.

"Might need a hand, Tinker," he suggested. As the smoke from his new wound dissipated, he lifted the opposite arm and aimed down the sights of his auritium pistol once more. A fleeting moment of calm in the storm, suppressing the pain in his arm as he focussed on his target.

Suddenly, he switched his stance and swung his arm to the side. He loosed one bullet from the pistol on a trajectory that didn't seem like it was going to hit anyone at all. The round ricocheted off the wall and around the shield-bearers, directed towards Maga's collar.

[268/1,759]

Note

Dysney · Apr 21, 2016

The enlil was no longer behind the iron wall that had risen in front of her by the time Maga’s spell collided with it. The vortex of water crashed against the iron wall and subsided, leaving a large puddle where the barrier once stood.

“I got you,” Ignis replied, firing a shot at a wall, it hit at a sharp angle and was directed towards the other magic user. In the same instant a shield of vines and bark materialized between Reilly, the Orator, and their enemies. Cora fired a shot at the archer’s leg.

She grabbed Deni and pulled him behind her newest barrier, panting. Turning her head, she noted the Orator on the ground a few feet away and contemplated retrieving him ...if he was even alive.

[129/2114]

Techs

Apeiron · Apr 22, 2016

Kincaid didn’t have time to appreciate Orator’s wonderful timing, instead the he was too busy being amazed with himself for dodging the brunt the guard’s deadly over-head strike.

Had his adrenaline wore off a moment sooner, the moonlighter would have been as good as dead.

From where he lay on the ground, Kincaid wasted no time acting. Taking each of his hands he placed parallel to the ground, one above the other with palms facing inward. In a quick, circular motion, one hand going in the opposite direction of the other, Kincaid called for the spirits of Serpens once more.

And while he chose to forgo manifesting their bodies, he did not forget their existence. He felt the spirits as a simple presence around him. They danced and swirled about him like a windless breeze, felt more by the soul than as a brush against his skin.

They harnessed his will, magic, and dahlitium, manifesting Serpens’s power in his hands as two horse-shoe constructs.

With a snap of his hand, Kincaid tossed the first horse-shoe at the fallen guard, Sinis.

Without even looking to see if the spell connected, Kincaid rolled across the ground, and snapped his arm across, bringing the second binding down on the mage Marita.

[1900]

hurr

Tenchra · Apr 22, 2016

The fight had exploded faster than he thought it would. Perhaps he was kidding himself thinking it would not be a horrendous experience and hoping for something simple for once. Whatever was going on his mind was not working and he froze for a second when could have cost him his life, luckily, it only cost him his knee.

There was no pain, just a sensation of his flesh tearing open and the feeling of his limb not responding to his commands as it should. Blood was trickling down his leg and the arrow which had invaded him was still lodged inside. Crouching down to lower his profile the best he could, he gripped the arrow and snapped the shaft and pulled it out as he began chanting his mend spell as fast as he could. Placing his hands over his knee he washed over it with the spell. It would take a few moments for it to heal him enough to use his knee and until then there was not much he could do. Gripping his newly acquired sword in his hands he was hoping while the spell did its job he might he able to attempt to block any future arrows with it, or deflect it, or... something.

swaswj · Apr 22, 2016

The first of the sealing rings connected with Sinis in a shower of multicolored sparks, catching the man in an awkward position as he was trying to scramble to his feet. The second caught Marita off-guard, but the guard quickly finished her rushed incantation, surrounding the archer in a soft glow of healing light. She didn't need to move to summon her voice.

She did need to move to dodge, though. Her next incantation cut short as a bullet blasted into the side of her collar, dropping her down to her knees as blood began to pour from the hole in her armor.

Maga let out a sharp grunt of her own as she took a second bullet, herself. She slipped to one knee, panting from the pain, but her eyes flashed with determination. Avis wasn't so lucky as the hail of fire from the drone sent him sprawling. His bow clattered across the floor. Growling behind his helmet, the devoted guard quickly reached out for the bow, eager to put an arrow through the enemy's caster.

Instead, the bow was kicked aside. Avis looked up, stunned to see Orator glaring down at him. The towering laicar clutched one arm under his ribs, but stood straight and confident. Unarmed, and with fire burning in his legs, Avis just groaned and laid facedown on the ground.

"Think that shield is sturdy enough?" Orator asked mockingly as he faced off against the standing velen. Dex's vision hadn't yet cleared, but he could make out the man's shape, could recognize that voice. More importantly, he could see the silhouette of a battle-axe held in Orator's hand.

Dex let his kite shield drop to the ground in response and took his own axe in both hands. With no witty comeback in mind, with his fellow guards struggling with their injuries, he mustered all his strength and attacked. His battle-axe split through the air, aiming to cleave Orator straight down the middle. The head of the axe smashed into the floor, sending up a spray of stone flecks accompanied by a deafening report. Immediately, he knew he had erred.

Orator had taken one swift step backward, deftly avoiding the lethal attack. Then he stepped back in, bringing his stolen axe around in a wide arc. The blunt side of the axe-head split the guard's helmet as it slammed in, throwing the velen into unconsciousness as his body crumpled to the ground.

A warning rumble of thunder resounded, however, and Orator yelled, "Get down!" The dark-haired woman said nothing from where she stood behind a sharp-edged yellow diamond floating in the air. The hair of everyone in the hallway stood on end. Maga's hand touched the back of the plate and in that instant, it disappeared. In its place came a golden bolt of lightning, filling the hallway with a brief, blinding flash. The artificial lights shattered in the wake of the attack, dropping the hallway into blackness.

[500/4000]

Mystydjinn · Apr 22, 2016

"Calyx ster-" The spurii didn't get to get to finish her curse, as her train of thought was cut off by the sound of thunder exploding in her eardrums. The woman was fortunate enough to be near the ground when the woman's hand hit the bolt's portal, though fortune wasn't very helpful in that small hallway.

Aelflead was in too awkward a position to try for a roll, so she figured the next best thing would be to just be ready for it. She stayed put crouched on the ground, and lifted her blade on instinct, then hoped she wouldn't die for it.

The bolt collided head on with the the woman crouched mostly behind the group, and Aelflead's body spasmed against her will while the current went through her. The warrior bit back a roar of pain as the unnatural lightning flowed through the blade, her, and into the floor. In the darkness that followed the shocked warrior remained grouched on the ground and smoking slightly from the current, and still. Despite the rather dangerous course of her work, Aelf had never had to contend with taking lightning bolts dead to the on like that before.

Fire and brimstone, vines and rocks, hammers and bullets, but never a whole lighting bolt. That was kind of a new thing for her, and could probably run a small electrical safety seminar now with clips of that moment if she'd had a camera.

[241]

Dysney · Apr 23, 2016

Ignis didn't have time to catch her breath before she was forced to dodge again. Panic overtook her and the small woman grabbed Thief’s hand before diving away, transitioning into a smooth somersault across the hallway. Thief seemed to sense her intentions because he followed, groaning as he was yanked out of harm's way once more. He tumbled after Ignis a little less gracefully as their refuge shattered behind them.

Shots from Cora rang out in the dark in the general direction of the attack.

Ignis sat up and summoned her drone to her. Shaking and panting, she pulled Amicus from the depths of her cloak and pushed him onto Thief’s curled form. Images of the man with a harpoon through his leg from the year before haunted the engineer.

The velen bit back a grunt of pain as Amicus crawled under his shirt, but sighed in relief once the healing started to take effect. Disoriented, he turned his head toward Ignis and pushed himself up into a crouch.

“Watch your eyes and be ready to shoot or dodge,” Ignis whispered.

Thief squinted, confused, and tightened his grip on Serpent's Kiss.

A moment later the enlil opened her hand to reveal one of the artificial lights she'd stolen from the hallway and illuminate everyone's new positions.

[216/2330]

Apeiron · Apr 24, 2016

Tailor realized too late what was happening. He barely had enough time, as once more his body was flooded with adrenaline, this time by sheer instinct. The thunderous pang echoed along the hall as Maga palm slapped the portal to her spell, and Kincaid threw himself towards the mage, hoping to roll beyond her.

Lightning roared down the hall as the eldest Fortis brother hit the ground, and at his back he could feel an intense burning that forced a cry of pain from his lips.

Time froze for a split second, and the pain was etched into Kincaid’s mind, as well as a realization about what he had to do.

Kincaid was not a man of great fortitude, that had always been something his brother prided himself on, but he was a man of conviction. Through all of the pain, the moonlighter came up onto his feet, lowered his shoulder, and rammed the full weight of his body into the mage before he fell to the ground in pain, and frantically searched his body for one of his knives.

Even as he searched he could feel the adrenaline leaving his body, and the pain returning in full force.

[2130]

swaswj · Apr 25, 2016

In the wake of the blast came near silence. Lingering crackles of electricity could be heard, and soon after, the hoarse breathing and groans of the injured. When Ignis pulled out the light, it illuminated the scene of a disaster, a perfect picture of the brutality that had been condensed into such a tiny matter of moments.

Underneath Kincaid, Maga suddenly growled, pulling one arm out from behind her back with a knife. It bore the insignia of the Conexus on the crossguard. That blade marked her as an elite member of the organization, someone who had proven their reliability and determination in the line of duty. Now, she was prepared to stab the twitching criminal atop her, even as she bled from her bullet wounds, and after exhausting so much of her strength in one massive attack.

Before the knife came down, Orator grabbed her wrist in one strong hand, twisting hard to bend the arm behind her back and flip her over on her front, sending Kincaid sprawling over onto his back. "Don't," was all he said, twisting the arm further and further back, ignoring the woman's cries of pain until there was a sudden, audible pop and her fingers dropped the knife. Orator scooped up that knife and then he turned around and swung the axe in his other hand. The blade fell across the strings of the compound bow on the ground, ruining the weapon.

Avis, still very much alive and aware, winced and retracted his outstretched arm. He met Orator's eyes, understood then that the prisoner was reluctant but willing to put him down permanently. The guard weighed his options, considered his own knife, similar to Maga's. In the end he instead got up and rushed over to the velen that had been struck in the head.

He trusted that Orator wouldn't strike him down for it. Avis pulled out a bottle, forcing it to Dex's lips.

Nodding, Orator reached down and ripped a leather pouch from the side of Maga's belt, then grabbed a similar one from the healer. Marita voiced a protest, but with her own injuries, she was too weak to put up much of a fight. Already there was a pool of blood that had dripped down from the fingertips of her left arm, and probably a lot more beneath the armor. Orator reached into the pouch and withdrew two vials of glimmering silver powder, pressing them into Marita's good hand.

Then, he affixed both pouches to his belt, reached down and pulled Kincaid to his feet. "You," Orator started, then laughed and shook his head. "I will have to get your name." To the others, he called out, "Go! I'm following your lead, remember. If you can still move, then move!" He grunted away the pain from his own ribs as he went over to Reilly, grabbed the man by the shoulder and yanked him up to his feet. "Lean on me if you need, but we can't stay here, so move your feet!"

[500/4500]

Tenchra · Apr 26, 2016

Reilly was still feeling the effects of the Lightning attack that blasted through the hallway, luckily the attack was reduced somewhat due to his armor he bore. He struggled for a moment to get his body to react the way he needed it to. As Orator came over and helped him rise to his feet. “Thanks, but I can walk, there is no pain.”

Reilly looked to Orator and noticed his wounds. He sighed as he fell into his role quickly. He knew he was not the strongest and could not stand a fight for long, but his secondary skill was about to become his primary. His hands began to glow bright white as he began reciting the spells incantations as he placed them on Orators chest to close the wound and repair the broken bones.

“Don’t fail us now, we need you still.” Reilly walked over to his brother and patted his shoulder for a good job. “Techs, get to work on that elevator. Everyone else gather what you need and get to your feet. We need to move fast and get out of here. The battle will call the rest of the floor, and in our state we will die.”

(1533)

Mystydjinn · Apr 26, 2016

The roasted spurii groaned in pain as she stood, taking the lightning bolt head on was not a good idea in hindsight.

The woman's whole body was aching and raw, and though she couldn't see her hands beneath her gloves she could feel that they were probably read from the electrical assault. Just like the rest of me no doubt, the half-breed thought. Fried raw flesh nonetheless, there was no time to belly ache over being roasted with magic lightning. With hisses of pain slipping through her teeth with every step, Aelflead picked up her feet and went moving down the hall as quickly as she could without losing the others. She spared a glance at her gifted blade while she half walk jogged, and noticed the blade smoking slightly and giving off a quickly fading shimmer. Must be from taking that bolt. She didn't give much thought to it then, but she did make a note to name the thing later. It probably saved her life, at that at the very least was worth something.

Hikaru managed to fair slightly better than his friend after the thunderclap, though he had decided that lightning wasn't nearly as fun to get hit with as it was to watch. He had managed to dodge and roll to avoid most of the plasma, but he'd still been caught in the shoulder with it, and now a good half of his cloak was gone, leaving him in what looked like a torn black toga, and his arm was was a mess of... Flowers?

The man paused for a moment to admire the surprisingly stunning new addition to his tattoos, and decided that if the scars didn't stay he would get tattoos of them, and start not wearing shirts just to show them off. "Hm, maybe I should have taken that thing in the chest so it'd be symmetrical," the songen mused to himself while he while he began to follow after the group."I'll certainly have a tale to tell when I see my crew again."

[342]

Apeiron · Apr 28, 2016

Twice did people slap his damaged back, and twice Kincaid winced. Instantly remembering why it was he disliked Bellator and his followers. For all the show they could produce, there was simply too much pain behind it. Too much pain in learning it, how to hurt others, and even if you somehow managed to learn how to not directly hurt others with those spells, you were still trying to hurt them -- just not directly.

“I dunno about the rest of ye,” Tailor remarked, his words slurred either by the pain he felt or his accent, “but I’d rather not do tha’ again.” He then bent a knee and retrieved his satchel from the ground, inspecting the two frayed ends of the strap that’d come apart when the lightning grazed his back.

The pain made the moonlighter’s skin crawl, and an intense urge to scratch away the pain threatened to take over. He wouldn’t be carrying his bag as he had before.

Quickly tying the two ends together, Kincaid fished out a crowbar from his bag, telling his brother, “It no be my style, but let’s see if me own two hands are still good fer somethin’.”

The potion he had picked up earlier would have been great to use right about now, except it wasn’t likely to fix the burns the guard’s spell had left across his back.

He then paused to cast his dull green eyes at the still conscious guards. Dark thoughts skittered behind his mask-covered eyes, but they were gone as quickly as they’d come, and an arrogant smile replaced the grim look. Whatever the man’s thoughts were, they might not as well have been there at all for how quickly they changed.

Tipping his archer’s cap to Soldier, Tailor started walking away from the downed guards, he called back to Orator, “Ye shouldn’t be so kind. Someone’s liable to take advantage of that."

[2447]

hurr

Dysney · Apr 29, 2016

Ignis' shoulders sank with relief when the fight ended. She stood, finally catching her breath and helped Thief to his feet. The man stood gingerly, still sore from the last spell that hit him.

"Thanks for that." The velen brushed himself off and followed Soldier, Orator, and Tailor. He glanced at the guards behind him as they turned a corner, not quite comfortable with leaving them unbound.

Ignis nodded and grasped the artificial light in her fingers, lingering to watch the remaining group members go ahead. She deftly traced a familiar pattern in the air and exhaled a cloud of mist between them and the guards. With this done, the engineer nodded to herself and slipped the glowing orb back into its box as she walked quickly to catch up with the others. Hopefully this would be enough to prevent the guards from following them effectively.

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Stats

swaswj · May 5, 2016

"Many have had the chance," Orator replied to Kincaid, and though he left unclear how many had taken that chance, the fact that he still stood spoke volumes. "However, do not mistake a warrior's compassion for kindness. We fought because we are on opposing sides, and for no other reason, and thus there was no cause to pursue it beyond the natural conclusion. If it's the future you worry for, many more will be your adversaries seeking to avenge the loss of a friend than the loss of pride."

The tall laicar took a deep, relieved breath as Reilly's spell began to take effect, lessening the pain in his chest. While the group rushed down the hallway, though, Orator's clothing abruptly reverted back to prisoner's garb, the mask and cloak vanishing. Almost as an afterthought, the man etched a sigil in the air, returning the illusion that hid his prison clothes from sight.

The group came upon the room housing the elevator, settled into one corner of the tower. Thankfully, the area was unmanned, but any pursuing guards would find them there in a few brief minutes. It was a straight path from their last encounter, with no detours. The center of the room was a large, open circular shaft, with ten braided steel cables reaching from the ceiling all the way down the shaft. It was deep and dark, with no lights and no sign of the elevator itself. If their information was correct, the elevator was ten floors below them, an almost surely fatal drop for any but the enlil.

Orator ignored the shaft and dashed over to the door leading into the next hall. He hissed in frustration. "This hall is clear, but I see a lot of movement at the end. We won't be getting to the roof that way."

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