[Plot] [Open] Week 111: Apostasy//Evocation

Nargles · Jul 19, 2016

Apostasy//Evocation

The festival grounds were packed to the brim. The size of gathered crowd grew in number, all wanting to see the celestial event. While eclipses were relatively common with three moons orbiting the planet, the eclipse of Lacunar would immediately be followed up by the eclipse of Tus. With both Lacunar and Aestus as new moons, for that night none of the three moons would be visible in the night sky.

The festivities were spread over three days, the event selected as a clever marketing event by the savvier merchant guilds. Moon-themed everything was on sale at the market stalls. Moon lollipops in three sizes, makeshift eclipse viewers, even various moon-themed mascot characters to entertain the younger audiences were some of the most popular attractions.

In fact, the marketing campaign had been so effective that even the most reclusive of individuals were inevitably attracted to the festival square. Much to the chagrin of security, well-known and distinctly seedy criminals were partaking in the festivities, though their goals were less than scrupulous.

As the predicted time for the eclipse drew closer, the crowd slowly began to approach the center of the square where the view was best. Lacunar slowly began to approach Caesar, the lunar disk beginning to shadow the brilliant star. The bright sky began to dim, the moon slowly beginning to cast an umbral disk over the planet. As the light began to fade, the crowd grew in excitement, moments away from the full eclipse. The gathered group grew silent, the sun fully blocked from view. Gasps of awe and shock were the only noises; the patrons were enthralled by the spectacle.

Crash!

The earth shook, many individuals falling to the ground as the entire planet shuddered. Piercing screams could be heard throughout the city, shocking and surprising the spectators. They looked around frantically, uneasy murmurs breaking out around the crowd.

A young demon tamer felt an uneasy pull. His shackled demon materialized in front of him, the portal to the hellish domain opening suddenly in front of him. Appearing distinctly canine in form, though corrupted by the influence of demons, the hellhound barked loudly as it struggled against the chains the shackled it. The velen tamer struggled to contain his beast, as other tamers in the crowd were soon forced to do the same.

Panic broke out, the crowd scattering in every direction, summoned demons appearing out of portals only to be forced back by their masters. The screams increased in pitch and frequency, the blotted out sun hanging out uneasily in the sky.

All manner of monstrosity crawled out of the woodwork. These demons were known to frequent the city consisting hundreds of species and types. However, the eclipse ritual imbued them with new strength, an allegiance to a demonic master calling them to action. Seeing this as their moment, they began to raze the city. The sky was littered with the power of Bellator.

On the horizon, the wings of fresh hell approached.

[500]

Read This

Abbey Rose · Jul 19, 2016

A woman screamed as she burst out of a large inn, clutching a small baby in her arms. Behind her, small implike creatures rampaged, knocking over tables, cabinets, and people. They did not heed her departure, but merely delighted in whatever havoc they could cause. Four or five of the small red beasts would pin a man down for another one to stab with one of their small, serrated knives.

At some point, one or quite possibly many of them knocked down a lamp, filling the building with fire. Their laughter matched perfectly with the loud crackling of the blaze, and as the building collapsed, dozens of the little creatures spilled out onto the streets, searching for anything they could break or burn or bloody their knives on.

Though mostly kept together via pack mentality, one devil stood out above the rest. Twice the height of his brethren, he gripped a trident in both hands as he made half-hearted attempts to direct the small horde into some semblance of a cohesive group. Even then, they mostly surged at the nearest people and places, little thought to their decisions other than the destruction of whatever they came across.

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Mystydjinn · Jul 19, 2016

A figure clad in a black cloak stood coughing from the wreckage, seeming to have stumbled out of the building moments before or having survived the destruction of the structure itself.

The only distinguishing qualities on the figure were red hair tied into a ridiculously sloppy high ponytail, and the sword it was holding that looked bigger than itself. It's body language said the warrior looked a mix between mildly irritated and bewildered. A response most likely a result of waking up to the world ending by trial of a black sun and demons in the streets.

Not exactly your typical Mercadies, but what exactly is normal anyway? It's all subjective.

Regardless of that, the redheaded inn survivor didn't have time to worry about that, they had a goal in mind and it didn't account for pint-sized arsonists acting full of themselves and destroying the inn she had the misfortune to stay in.

Best solution? Cut anything standing between her and her way out the city in two, and hopefully not get sidetracked along the way.

Her first target was the group of naked arses who'd been unfortunate or foolish enough to earn her ire. She raised her blade up onto her shoulder one handed and closed in on the trident toting imp with three strides from behind. Then with a gruff cry, swung pulling the blade down and off her shoulder at an angle, poised to crush the thing in one strike and be done with it.

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combat notes

Valero · Jul 20, 2016

"Ahh, shit biscuits," Deni groaned. He was sitting at the bar in a crowded inn when all of the chaos broke loose. The building began to empty at once, dozens of patrons that crowded the establishment shoving past him. He had leaned his chest over his drink to prevent it from being knocked over. If his instincts were right, he was going to need it.

Once the building was mostly clear, he grasped his whiskey and darted for the stairs. Taking two or three at a time with each big stride, the pale velen scaled them in a matter of moments before he barged into an abandoned room, slamming the door shut behind him. His pulse raced as he reacted as swiftly as he could. A wave of heat was already slithering down his spine and he hadn't even entered the carnage.

"It can't be the end of days just yet," he muttered to himself as he placed his whiskey on the windowsill. He then knocked a table onto its side and dragged it towards the window. "I was going to have another date with Ignis next week. Just couldn't have waited until then, could it?"

Deni lined the table up so its legs were either side of the window and the surface faced the door. A few webbed fingers ran down to his belt to make sure he still had his auritium pistol. The sense of relief he felt when he caressed its familiar, intricate details was completely overwhelmed when he looked out of the window. A building across the way was already on fire. A bunch of nasty little shits were already prancing about, though it looked as though somebody was already engaging their leader.

"Fucking joy," he mumbled. "Perhaps it'd be best not to accidentally shoot that person."

The sharpshooter lifted his recently-crafted sniper rifle off his back. The two levers sprung out of the weapon, pointing back towards him at an angle, not dissimilar to that of a crossbow. He climbed over the table and crouched at the window, aiming the gun down to the street below.

A single deep breath as he closed one eye and gazed down the sight.

He exhaled slowly.

The bolt was loosed from the weapon, aimed at one of the imps in the crowd.

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Note

Chef Bryardee · Jul 20, 2016

Helpless citizens scattered. All of the jubilation of just moments ago was replaced by louder screams of panic, and dreadful howling. A brave few remained to stave off the hellions escaping into their realm and swarming the metropolis. Looking on the dark curtain overhead as they ran away, the fearful could see a countless number of deformed and monstrous silhouettes swimming through the sky and raining down in every direction on the metropolis. Women nor children were spared.

Spilling out into the streets, the citizens of Terminus raced every which way with little consideration for those around them. Some were trampled in all of the commotion. The avenue was thronged with a bevy of people and predators, onlookers unable to make any sense of the almost apocalyptic scene before them.

One man in particular was able to retain just enough of his composure in those terrifying moments. Standing on the roof of a high-rise, the tall and dark-skinned individual backpedaled slowly away from the mass herd of demons flying overhead. Beneath the pitch-tinted lenses of his square-framed sunglasses, the gunsmith watched with wide eyes as the city was taken.

“What the f...!” the enlil behind him stuttered.

Without a word, Tycho kept moving back and away from them all. He could sense the man flushed with terror, the rifle in his hands gripped hard in his completely frozen hands.

“Holy shit!” he hollered again, his feathers shaking wildly on his arms and neck.

Nothing made Tycho consider ripping it away from him; none of the hellions had noticed either of them yet, and they were only a few meters away from the fleeting safety of the interior. There were two pistols and a knuckle blade on his person if it came to that. Only if. Looking on the man, Tycho could see him fighting internally to rise above the fear strangling him, the rifle in his clawed gripped slowly lifting up.

Tycho picked up his pace.

“Holy shit!”

Looking down the sights, the avian couldn’t focus; hundreds of beasts cluttered the scope, each of them as terrifying as the last. The swarm overhead began to move in their direction but still, none of them looked on the pair. His finger shook inside the trigger guard, hesitant to shoot.

“Holy shit!”

Tycho parted his lips to shout “No!”. His words were drowned out by the echoing report of semi-automatic fire.

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Apeiron · Jul 20, 2016

Just to the south of the Ruby Jewel, as the ensnaring chaos began to spread in other parts of Terminus, Kincaid looked up from the book in his hands and leaned closer to the window of his bed. In the distance, what should have been the lights of festivities were now at odds with the familiar glow of fire that tainted the blue sky.

In the streets, groups Terminus Guard in their armor hustled towards the destruction. For a moment, the thief debated if he should join in the fun. It wasn’t until he saw a platoon of Conexus members, all following behind the guards, that he made his decision.

Taking up his cutlass, and quickly slapping on whatever good clothes he could find, Kincaid made his way through Semper Mihi until he reached the front door. Though he did not particularly care what happened, he did not want to miss it if both the Guard and the Conexus were involved.

Kincaid shut the door behind himself and then looked up. Momentary surprise stopped the thief, as unfamiliar shapes filled the square court yard below the landing. Though not a man who learned the taming arts like his brother, the thief was familiar enough to know what he saw: demons who had managed to rid themselves of their masters.

As he looked on, the thief could distantly hear the flapping of leathery wings.

Kincaid looked over his shoulder to the small engraved plate on the front of his home, the one that read in flowing script “Semper Mihi” and immediately found the words ironic.

Turning back to the small gathering of demonic creatures, a smile split the thief’s face as he muttered, “Well then, it’s a party now isn’t it? How absurd."

He inhaled sharply before drawing his cutlass.

"Perfect.”

[300]

More Info

Nargles · Jul 20, 2016

The flapping of heavy wings rose to a deafening timbre. Three gargoyle demons landed at once with a shriek in the center of the Emerald Jewel. However, their presence was immediately overshadowed by their lord landing. An immense draconic beast landed with a heavy thud. It expanded its wings to its full wingspan, the size of which spanned the entire open street.

“Buuuurrrnnnnnnnnn,” it roared in a deep bass.

The gargoyles behind it excitedly began to jump around, clutching tridents in each of their hands. The beasts were the height of an average Velen, though possessing extremely muscular frames. Their skin were ashy granite colors, accompanying their imposing stature. The statuesque beings held black tridents which glowed with an ominous red light. Around their wrists were broken shackles, finally freed from their old masters. They scattered to the north, west and east. Screams accompanying their movements. Stabbing at everyone who unfortunately ended up in their path, a path of destruction was left in their wake.

The black, draconic demon on the other hand was the truly imposing sight. It towered over most other demons, easily reaching five stories in height. Its immense frame easily crushed the buildings that unfortunately were built where it landed. An empty, ram-shaped skull was visible on its face. The eye-sockets radiated a dim light. As it opened its mouth, a grotesque, enormous, bloodshot eyeball surveyed the landscape.

It extended its wings, the underside colored a blood-red. As it gathered energy, the veins below the skin became visible and formed a runic pattern. They glowed a bright crimson, the vigor reaching maximum capacity.

Four oval portals appeared around it facing the cardinal directions. Each appeared as rings of flame, the inside of the ovals colored a similar crimson as the vigor that flowed through its veins. With a cataclysmic roar and a violent detonation, three immense pillars of flames launched outwards in each direction. Buildings, people, even other demons caught in the blast were charred to a crisp. Left around it was a smoldering mass of what once was city.

The spectacular structure known as the Triumphare loomed ahead. With a heavy step, it moved forward slowly. The ground shaking as the beast began to approach the stadium. Already energy began to collect in its wings, recharging for another explosive assault.

[890]

Note

Abbey Rose · Jul 21, 2016

The lead imp turned, seeing the approaching woman with blade in hand. His own weapon came up to block as an eldritch screech passed through its pointed teeth. His eyes met hers. There was a look of defiance in them. The two gazes met like warriors of ages past.

Then the blade met the imp, shearing through its weapon and hitting it with the force of a localized explosion.

The horde was scattered from the force of the impact, soot from their fallen brother falling onto them. Some died on the impact with the walls. One even died from an otherwise unnoticed shot through the skull. Many died as they were thrown into the fire.

For each one that died, however, there was another. The survivors struggled to their feet, laughing and screeching as pain coursed through their small forms. They brandished their knives at the woman who had suddenly appeared in their midst. One, particularly smart by the standards of the knee-high beasts, grabbed one half of their ex-leader’s trident and, using as one would use a scepter, pointed at the interloper.

They charged as one. Brandishing knives they went to tackle her, trying to stab anywhere that they could vaguely see an inkling of flesh.

207/404

Calm Down

Mystydjinn · Jul 21, 2016

The redhead with the cloak on drew her sword onto her shoulder as she stood up from her strike and snickered, taunting the tiny beasts.

"I thought you demons were supposed to be tougher than that," she teased , bringing her the blade across her vision in a basic arc at the first few imps to leap after her. "Where's that fire power denizens of Infernalis?" The figure brandished the blade again and moved to cut a line through the throng of annoying beasts, and charged forward blade flashing in an arc in front of her as she began trying to move through the crowd.

"Certainly persistent though," she grumbled, kicking one of the beasts away from her, and shoulder checked another that'd leapt off the inn's rubble at her head.

[130]

surprised

Valero · Jul 22, 2016

The barrel of the rifle released a little smoke after firing its first round, but Deni kept his eye down the sight. His vision washed over the hooded figure briefly as he tried to aim at another little imp. He managed to get a brief glance at the face beneath the hood.

"Is that... Aelflead?" he muttered to himself. "Oh, it is fucking Aelflead."

Before he could moan too much, a huge roar drowned out all other sounds. The walls around him reverberated at the sound of the beast landing. The velen's blue eyes widened as he eyed the dragon through his scope. His gills contracted, absent-mindedly. His heart skipped a beat. That thing? In the middle of Terminus? Then the gunfire started.

The sniper hid his head beneath the window.

"Aquila's arse, put your fucking gun down!"

Deni braved the random hail of fire that passed his way. He lifted his head over the window and aimed at the dragon. His resolve was quivering at just the sight of the thing and it wasn’t even looking in his direction.

“No, I’m not going to piss it off,” he reassured himself. Instead, he leaned forward a little further and fixed his sights on one of the gargoyles.

He tried for a deep breath, but found himself hyperventilating. For a moment, the rogue focussed on his breathing.

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Back in control.

A short smirk appeared on his face as his aim rested on the significantly smaller winged demon.

He pulled the trigger and fired another bolt, this time aimed at the gargoyle.

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Apeiron · Jul 22, 2016

The bark of Deni’s rifle was echoed by another, this one further away, but no less accurate as it struck towards the gargoyle.

From nearly one hundred meters away, Ioannes Furvus lowered his newly fashioned bolt-action rifle. Without really thinking, the young man slapped the bolt up and back, chambering another round as he reversed the action. He rose from his kneeling position, his eyes quickly scanning the unfolding chaos from his perch on one of the yet untouched rooftops.

That wouldn’t last. Not for very long. His shot had drawn attention to himself, and some of the imps now flew towards him.

The wanderer turned on his heels, then, and short-cut his way down by leaping from a set of pipes to some crates before he landed flat on his feet in a small alleyway.

Fear gripped at him. It told him to run, to flee and save his own life. It waged a silent war with his other nature, the one that demanded he strike out for the dragon where he could justify his existance.

Neither would win today. Not while the innocent screamed in terror, and he could so something. But to do that, he needed to be closer. The scattered fighters that were holding their own, they were men and women of courage, but they were disjointed and uncoordinated. Their flailing would do nothing to help Terminus.

Taking a deep breath, steadying himself for what was to come, he began to move, shouting, “Palamedes!” above the clamor and din.

Though he could not see his companion, Ioannes knew the vorax was moving.

As Ioannes emerged from the mouth of the alley, he once more lifted his rifle and chose a target. This one an imp that was harassing a velen woman. He did not stop moving as he took aim, instead showing his skill and familiarity with the weapon by pulling the trigger as he moved.

He could not stop moving. He would not. Come whatever obstacles he would make his way towards the others.

A weak golden light began to cascade from the laicar. As it did, he calmly counted under his breath, “Three.”

[655]

Stuffs

Dysney · Jul 23, 2016

Ignis had been lurking at the edge of the festival grounds when the demons swarmed the area, debating on whether or not she could join the festivities without being spotted. The crash had knocked the enlil off her feet, leaving her to scramble up quickly and leap out of the way of falling debris. The wanted woman quickly yanked the hood of her cloak down to obscure the top half of her face; the lower half was covered by a scarf pulled up over her nose.

Dark brown eyes assessed the ensuing chaos from beneath the fur trimmed edge of the dark grey hood. Imps, gargoyles, and other demons --many of which she couldn't name-- ran amok battling people or trying to tear up buildings.

The enlil woman frowned, taking cover behind some rubble to think. She picked off a few imps with well placed shots, moving to a new position to avoid being noticed. Amicus sat atop Cora and the two minions flew upwards to observe. Amicus alerted Ignis to a trio of imps running up behind his overseer. The drone reduced two of them to black dust with a spray of bullets before they could complete their charge. Ignis put a bullet between the eyes of the third before moving on.

She ducked behind an overturned cart. Above her, Cora sought out the nearest exit in case of the worst.

What Amicus saw next Ignis could hardly believe. A large dragon flapping its massive wings as it made its way away in the direction of the kinchaa stadium. The enlil would have pinched herself or ordered Amicus to check again had she not heard the creature bellow before flying away.

This was absolutely fantastic! Terrifying, yes, Ignis was plenty worried she and others could be overrun by the demons or hurt, but never in her life had she expected to see a real live dragon.

"I have to see this," she muttered to herself. She looked up to her familiar.

Amicus didn't like the idea. He wiggled and shook from his position atop Cora to tell his contractor so.

Ignis wasn't going to miss out on a dragon.

Amicus sighed, knowing his overseer might run off to see the beast with or without his approval. Still radiating disapproval, he waved a branchlike arm. Vines and branches appeared next to Ignis, weaving themselves together to form a horizontal platform.

The Ignis grinned up at her familiar, ignoring his worry, and hopped up onto the platform. The branches and vines held her weight, lifting to carry Ignis at top speed towards the Triumphare stadium. Cora and Amicus settled onto the makeshift sleigh in front of her.

[446]

Shadowthread · Jul 23, 2016

Dante had been training in the stadium when the demon invasion had begun. Some of the menaces had wandered to the stadium and the athlete had unfortunately called out to them to grab their attention to something else than plundering the stadium. Four imps had circled the kinner who could read from their peculiar movements that they were preparing to cast what he assumed was a bellator spell.

A brief glance down he knew there were two kins right at his feet and couple meters in between the imps and him. In a fluid motion Dante ducked, picking up the kins and in a spinning move threw one of them at the ones directly in front and behind him. Without waiting if they would hit their intended targets the athlete sprinted towards the imp on his left and punched at the imps face with his left arm.

In the midst of combat the athlete failed to notice the impending presence that was the dragon slowly approaching the Triumphare.

[170]

Abbey Rose · Jul 23, 2016

The warriors, rogues, and citizens waged their counterattacks against the demon horde. Shots rang out. Holes were drilled into gargoyle wings. Imps were crushed under the weight of heavy blows. Other demons were shredded by concentrated fire.

Yet still they came.

It was fire and madness that drove them. They had no worries for their own lives, as that life was in no danger. Afterall, if they died here, then they would simply go back to their home plane, ready to fight again. So they fought and yelled and died.

And in their revelry, the town burned.

Those with fighting prowess were doing their best. Small pockets of calm could almost be seen, and civilians tried their best to flock to those spots. The demons were content to let them, wanting to get all of their food and fun all concentrated in one space. They did, however, give time to throw balls of globular fire at their backs, though they did not pursue. There was no reason for them to stop and chase down stragglers.

Not when they were having so much fun as it was.

Those in perches found gargoyles flying towards them, heedless of their dead. Those on the grounds were forced into frantic swings as imps swarmed them from all sides. Their only reprieve was that the larger demons ignored this part of town, looking for priority targets among the landmarks and military buildings. That was little benefit to them, however, as a thousand small creatures could kill just as surely as one or two large ones.

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Chef Bryardee · Jul 23, 2016

Tycho emerged cautiously from the hotel vestibule, his amber eyes sweeping the vast and devastated intersection. Each footfall was followed by the sharp crunch of glass fragments under his boots; instead of stepping through the revolving door, he simply walked through one of the shattered window panes bordering either side of it. A cacophony of gunshots and screams were heard in the distance, where the orange-red glow cast across the clouds originated from, and only a few panicked citizens remained in the streets.

In the gunsmith’s hand was a semi-automatic hunting rifle. There were speckles of blood on the outside of the barrel, and shallow scratch marks all over the gun. Tycho was alone this time. His customer decided to stay on the roof; the avian chose to defend his city against the crusading hordes.

Tycho didn’t bother to argue with him.

If anything was worth battling creatures from another realm, it was his own shop. Aside from that, if it did come down to having to fend them off, he’d do it from a better standpoint than this; there were dozens of firearms and explosives in the storeroom, and only a single clip of forty five-caliber rounds at his disposal now.

The fires flowed inevitably toward Guns & Game every second. Tycho would avoid the calamity as best as he could -- even though it apparently refused to avoid him.

[234 / 633]

Tenchra · Jul 23, 2016

Reilly had returned to Terminus while Hospitium was being painted and furniture was being moved inside. The final touches were all that were left, well for the clean version of his business. The darker side still had some stuff to do and he needed to meet with some men, but as the ground shook, and buildings were decimated, something told him the meeting was going to have to wait.

Climbing up yo top of a building he got a good view of the city. Fights were breaking out everywhere , but none of that really caught his attention unlike the giant, demonic dragon ravaging the city. He did not move right away as his mind was still in shock and processing just what was going on. Everyone was busy with the small weaklings and it seemed no one was going after the dragon.

Remembering that he did study some demonology and had yet find a demon and beat it’s name out of it, he smirked a bit. This was a good chance to find a name. Demons all around, he had easy pickings, but someone his brother’s antics had took a small toll on his mind as he set his sights on the dragon. What would it say about the man who could chain and command a demonic demon at will? He could picture his loud mouth brother staring in awe at his minion, and he could not help but let out a loud laugh.

Running along the roofs as best he could he chased after the dragon, he was not going to let this opportunity escape him, he wanted that name but he also had to keep reminding himself that this was a demonic dragon and he needed to be cautious or else he could die very easily. Great risk, great reward he told himself.

[304]

Nargles · Jul 23, 2016

Demons continued to swarm the city, the chaos and confusion feeding into the strength of those demons who were bound to weak masters. The appearance of the draconic demon appeared to rally their strength. Ravaging the path forward, the infernal force continued to move towards the stadium. With each step a tremor shook through the ground, as the beast appeared almost mythic in gravitas.

Smoke danced through the sky, buildings alight and smoldering from the aftermath of the demon’s first inferno. An omen of things to come, its bloodlust filled the city with continued unease. The solar corona still dimmed the skies, the eclipse continuing for the time being.

[1000] - Final

Read

Mystydjinn · Jul 23, 2016

"Visdamnit! Get out of my way!"

The cloaked barbarian growled her frustration, kicking an imp into a wall as she did so. She was covered in tiny insignificant cuts from the annoying beast's blades and claws, and her hair was more of a mess than usual; her rage stemming from the lack of an end to the visdamned beasts.

Aelflead had begun swinging her sword wildly at one point, trying to swat the beasts like flies there were so many of them. Eventually she found a reprieve to take a breather, and leaned panting now, against the side of a charred building.

Only then did she look up and notice the monster strolling through town. Her jaw dropped at the sheer size of the immense demon, then hardened into a glare of recognition. "You must be leading all these little bastards aren't you?" She murmured half to herself and at the beast paying her no mind and decided, "I'm gonna lop your head off and mount it on somebody's wall."

After her self-declaration the barbarian ran off towards the beast, breathing still haggard from fighting and gaze set; and pulled the cloak away from her head, revealing her face fully and noting the various wanted signs burning on the ground with her likeness on them in the same moment. She shrugged them off though, in light of the attack she figured no one who pursued bounties that high would be dumb enough to stick around looking for her, inwardly though she cringed.

And what does that say about me I wonder. She didn't honestly have much of a reason to be going after a dragon rampaging though the city now that she thought about it. The woman glanced to either side of her and frowned with mild concern at the destruction, by the sound of the screaming going on she knew there were all manner of people dying, women, men, pureblood, and spurii. Not to say she particularly cared about them, but seeing the bustling city be reduced to ashes brought her own mortality into perspective as she ran towards what was most likely a flaming death.

She was still running towards it though, so she figured that said something too. What exactly it said, she wasn't sure yet, but she'd already made her decision;
and Aelflead Kirastes didn't back out from a fight, she'd just have to figure out why she was fighting later.

[Final] 405 of 783
To ze dragon

Valero · Jul 24, 2016

The pelagic gunslinger released a sigh after the second shot, his breath dispersing the smoke that emanated from the rifle. Despite practically holding himself out of the window, the imps didn't seem able to see beyond what was directly in front of them. They were far too distracted by Aelflead and the other citizens on the ground to pay any attention to the sniper. That suited him. He didn't plan on getting ripped to shreds by a horde of the little shits.

Deni remained with one eye closed, staring down the sight of prae excidiis. Before he could fix his vision on another one of the flying demons, however, the dragon lurched forward. He immediately turned and analysed the behaviour of the beast, trying to determine whether it was heading his way. It wasn't. If not for the imps, he would have smiled in relief. That was one less thing to worry about.

Something unusual appeared in his periphery. The velen's eyebrows raised in astonishment at the sight. A little wooden creature atop a floating drone. The mons infans was instantly recognisable to Deni, and the drone confirmed the suspicion that forced its way to the front of his mind.

"Amicus? And Cora?" he muttered beneath his breath. His stomach began to tie itself in knots. They were right near the humongous beast. A sense of dread washed over him. He knew that Ignis had to be nearby if they were there.

"What's that woman doing?!" he growled, reverting to his guttural tongue for just a moment. "For fucks sake!"

A flourish of his arm and the rifle was flung over his shoulder. He reached down to his belt and pulled out his signature auritium pistol, the serpent's kiss. Without even a thought, the rogue leapt out of the window and grasped the guttering with his free hand, lowering himself onto a table outside the inn. Moving as swiftly as his long legs (and sleeveless black trenchcoat) would allow, Deni sprinted down the street. He ignored the terrified, bewildered citizens that fled in the opposite direction. He ignored the poor innocents that screamed as demons tore into their flesh. There was only one thing on his mind as he bolted towards the stadium, shooting any imps that came too close to him. He was determined to get there and his fear of the denizens of Infernalis wasn't going to stop him.

[401/1,048] Final

Apeiron · Jul 27, 2016

Ioannes was making progress, slowing working his way inwards towards Terminus where he had seen the other fighters before. Some of the city’s residents had started to gather around him. Terrified and desperate, they stumbled through the burning streets clinging to their valuables or their loved ones. Only a few bothered to carry any sort of weapon, and fewer had grabbed whatever was closest to them to act as a weapon.

“One,” Ioannes muttered to himself as he fired off the last bullet to his rifle. In a fluid, practiced, motion, the paludian dropped his empty magazine and loaded a new one. The bolt of his rifle made a satisfying clack as he chambered the next round.

The people were starting to fight back, if only a little. But it was a start. With every round he fired, the people grew bolder, as if each shot was a declaration that ignited their very souls. He could hear them. A whisper against the chorus of chaos, but growing into a chant that would not be silenced easily.

It said: We will not die quietly. We are the people of Araevis. A cataclysm could not stop us, so neither will you.

Ioannes’s drew on that chant. He let it guide his aim as he picked his targets amid the swarm of imps. Counting, “Five.” as his rifle barked. The imp burst into a ball of smoke as his bullet found its mark, and he pulled the bolt back to ready the next bullet. “Can’t keep this up,” he remarked, not out of pessimism, but because each shot he fired did nothing to help. He was one man, and while his actions bolstered these people, it would not be enough. What if the imps never stopped? What if they continued endlessly?

His bullets would not last.

The laicar turned to the nearest person, a woman of velen descent with thick braided hair, and told her, “We need to find someplace we can hole-up in.” He broke his sentence long enough to find his next target -- another imp, this one attacking a family of three. Without pausing, Ioannes opened fire on the demon, saw the puff of smoke, then lowered his rifle. “I can’t watch every direction at once. Is there any place around here that’s not burning?”

[1039]

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[Plot] [Open] Week 111: Apostasy//Evocation

Hollywood Meets Bollywood

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King of Condiments

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Hollywood Meets Bollywood

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That One Guy

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King of Condiments

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Hollywood Meets Bollywood

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