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Post by othus on Mar 20, 2018 8:23:27 GMT
"whoa, you can use ki?! can anyone use that?!" Ann really wanted to learn such a technique, but it probably would be quite difficult.
Gianni then gave his take on where they should go.
"I'm absolutely fine with Gianni's suggestion"
Ann knew this type of stuff was beyond her knowledge, and it ticked her off, as she always thought of herself as being quite educated, but with hidden world stuff, it was expected.
"Again, I'm gonna be on the back, hopefully, we will find some more interesting things and less scary stuff in this direction."
they began their walk on the angled path.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 21, 2018 2:57:50 GMT
-No objections from me laddie, just mind the string, we don’t want to trip and alert them we’re here.- Percival replied, supporting Gianni’s plan, but reminding them of the makeshift alarm system he set on the hallway. As they worked their way through the long curving tunnel, he decided to reply Ann’s question. - I just know the basics, some of my comrades in the Bounty Hunter Association are more adept at using Ki, they tend to be Martial Artist who broke past the boundaries of mundane combat, either through training or trauma.- The path took a sharp turn to the right reaching another large room, this time bigger than before, but with the same dome-like shape. The area was almost in complete darkness, the low radiance of Percival’s sword being the only source of light. -Just a second.- He squeezed past Gianni, entering first to the area, roughly 20 meters in diameter with the highest spot in the ceiling reaching 5 mts. The Old Mercenary looked around, ready to react to any unseen danger, but soon he realized that this room lacked any other entrance apart from the hallway the just walked.
-The coast is clear.- He commented, while he started to use the same ability he used to light up the previous room, revealing more details. The room, as mentioned earlier was bigger, but clearly it wasn’t just the size, but in this case it seemed more decorated, the carvings were even more lavish and parts of it, just to highlight them, were coated in gold, either paint or actual golden molten and then filling small cavities. Once again there was a story on these carvings, but unlike the last time, were it started at the right of the doorway, it was clear, thanks to how it was set, that the story moved on the opposite direction.
A figure, sharing pictographic indicators with the master, but looking much smaller, surrounded by scrolls The master, still looking younger, attempting his first spells. The master, now closer to his full size, working in some kind of school. The master, seeing his school burn. The master, losing himself on trees, becoming the hermit.
But the centerpiece of the room was opposite to the doorway, as a large stone box, like a coffin, was carved into the wall and in contrast to everything else, the lid wasn’t made of white jade, but out of Obsidian. A large slab of black crystalline rock, ominous and awe-inspiring, it was around 2 mts tall and 1.5 mts wide. Engraved on it were several designs mostly consisting on incomplete circles chaining each other, all of them made of gold. Each circle had a different size and length, but all of them were missing a piece and were crossed with another, forming a chain like design surrounding the lid.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 21, 2018 6:09:53 GMT
"I used to work in a Hidden World department store. There were a bunch of big guys who used ki in the workout gear section all the time. As far as I can tell from what they always talked about, ki is easier to unlock when your body is at its physical limits already. I wouldn't really know from experience though." Gianni had to admit that it was at least partially that the meat heads had turned him off of the concept, but mostly he just didn't have time or money for working out. Until his published works on the abandoned community in Texas, he had been working at Vorpal's and trying to make clothes and study archaeology all at the same time.
Now he was only balancing two of those, but that still wasn't much time for pushups. He glanced at his scrawny arms. They certainly hadn't done a good job against the jiangshi earlier. Perhaps he should make some time in his schedule for it. He filed away the thought when they reached the bottom of the tunnel. He fixated on the three major features immediately. Coffin, no other exit, carvings. "Nobody touch that coffin." He immediately warned, giving it a wide berth as he approached the art.
He quickly realized the backwards nature of the piece, looking back up the tunnel. "It starts here... strange. This must be a very important room." He looked back at the coffin. If it was meant to start here, this coffin had to be especially significant. He stopped about two feet away from its surface, studying the symbols on it without touching it. Every inch of his body itched to pry it open and see what was inside. But just as much, his wiser half insisted he hold back. He did a frustrated dance of pacing back and forth in front of it, examining every angle. Finally, he came to a conclusion that satisfied both halves. "If there's something dangerous in this, it could wake up behind us and ambush us later. Can you try prying it open, Percival? If it doesn't seem like it'll give without damaging it, stop. I want this intact for a proper study. Ann, cover Percival." Gianni flicked out a few strings onto the lid to pull from the side, adding what little strength he had to the attempt.
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Post by othus on Mar 21, 2018 10:34:31 GMT
*I wonder if I could ever use ki...perhaps if I train under a martial arts master...that would be so cool.*
Ann was wondering about all the stuff she could do with such an ability until she was brought back to reality. the sight of that obsidian block sent a chill down her spine, all her instincts were telling her not to get close to it, and Gianni's warnings only reassured her gut feeling.
as for her progress, that second mural was everything she needed, the virtual machine displayed a message confirming she had achieved yet another level.
"I think now is a good time to bet on Arsenal, hopefully, something will come out that can blast those vampires"
Ann set all 10 level points towards her Dexterity, an icon popped up.
*Dex lvl 15, Far Cry Pack added to the virtual shop*
-Recurve Bow and arrows -Flare Gun -Flamethrower -Japanese Tanto
*Dex lvl 20, Special ammo and misc added to the virtual shop*
-Explosive Arrows -Repair Tool
"that's it? 10 points for that?! is any of this even useful? I got an outdated weapon and a fckin bow?!"
the loot was disappointing, to say the least, but it was showtime, Gianni wanted the obsidian coffin open, something Ann was very much against, but she put her trust in Gianni. he surely knew better.
Ann covered Percival as requested, she unholstered her gun and bought a flare gun, which would probably help in case of an emergency. she didn't have those fancy spells of Percival, and getting lost in the dark would probably mean a horrible death (again).
She stood behind the warrior as they tried to open up the coffin, Ann hoped with all her heart it wasn't yet another Jiangshi with a fancy taste, maybe it wouldn't be a treasure but at this point, an actual corpse would be good enough.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 24, 2018 3:31:43 GMT
-Don’t diss bows lassie!- Percival jokingly played the scandalized old man role. -In my day a bow was more than enough to kill somebody and you actually needed training for it.- He even shook his fist menacingly, like an old coot, but he stopped, chuckling. -Don’t mind me, I used to live in a place with really good archers.- His eyes looked away from them, as if he was seeing the rolling green hills of his homeland. -When I was younger…- He turned to face them with a childish, yet sad, smile. -I used to taunt them because I once thought attacking from afar was the coward’s way.- His smile turned sour and his voice lowered into a whisper. -Maybe more of my friends would’ve survived until old age if they used bows.- There was a moment of silence from the Old Mercenary, who lowered his head in a gesture of mourning for the lives lost on his past. This reverent moment last less than half a minute, but the sadness was almost palpable around him, making him look a bit smaller than what he actually was.
Percival shook his head, exhaling a long, drawn out puff of air, almost as if he was trying to blow the ghosts of his past away. His face gradually returned to neutral expression as he moved towards the coffin. -I’ll open this then, just a second.- He took some of the liquid on his pocket, coating his blade, that became brighter. -Now that I’m ready, I think I have something for this situation.- He rummaged on his coat and pulled out the crowbar he salvaged from the guide’s buggy. Percival left his blade leaning against the wall. He crouched and rubbed his hands on the dusty floor, to dry the palms and allow him more grip. He stood up and slowly prodded the tip of the crowbar into the side of the coffin, slowly placing force on it, to function as a lever. He could’ve gone full force from the start, but he wanted to limit the damage to the coffin, as Gianni requested, plus this wasn’t his first rodeo when it came to tomb raiding.
The obsidian slab slowly opened, weirdly without making a sound, as whoever made it was careful enough to carve the bottom of the lid in such way that it would touch the floor while sliding to the side, as Percival was moving it. -I think I only need a bit more to pry it open.- The Old Mercenary gradually added more torque to the lever and the coffin cover completely opened, sliding to the left (As Percy started pushing from the right) The inside of the coffin was completely covered with paper charms, in any direction and crossing in every angle, looking less like some arcane arrangement and more like the facade of a dive bar in Liverpool on the 70’s. Resting on the charm mattress was a mummified corpse, which was completely covered in paper charms. The frame was thin, as surely most of the moisture had evaporated from the corpse in this weather conditions. Jewelry of all shapes and sizes hanged from every extremity of the corpse, clearly from different origin, a treasure trove of culture, as there was even Roman looking pieces.
But most notable, 4 of the charms in the corpse’s body were lit up with a light bluish light shining out from the half faded symbols inscribed on them.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 24, 2018 7:12:13 GMT
"A flare gun sounds useful against what we're dealing with. A flare right in their face should cause them some damage with its light. As for the flamethrower, please don't use one in here. You could deplete our oxygen or worse, damage something priceless." Gianni had to think when Pecival mentioned his friends. They might have lived if they used bows? While in the Hidden World, bows may be more common, that still sounded like Percival dated back to at least the 1400s. Could he actually be that old? It was entirely possible. He stepped back and let Percival work, spotting the first bits of light trickling out of the coffin. He raised his hands, ready to guard his face if he had to. Instead, he quickly lowered them and was creeping forward for a closer look.
"Well, this is fascinating." Gianni looked close at the paper charms without touching them. He didn't want to risk damaging them, and contact could do more than that if he was unlucky. Anything that glowed was not to be touched; he had learned that much in the Texas ruins. "Do you think this is the man depicted in the carvings? It would explain the importance given to his place of rest. He snapped a few pictures, then put a hand on the lid. "Just in case, I'm sealing this up." He stuck threads onto the lip of the casket and gave one last look at the withered corpse. When the lid was closed, it would be sealed like it was stuck together with superglue until he touched the thread and undid the effect himself.
The dead didn't bother him when they didn't move. He found the undead uncanny and unpleasant. But a body this old had long lost is macabre reminders that a soul had once rested within. It was just another artifact. He looked past worn away eyes and weathered skin to the jewelry that dangled, noting the origins of what he could recognize. Truly a cosmopolitan corpse. "Percival, do you recognize these? They might just be decorative like I suspect the rest is, but I think they're important. What purpose would a dead body have for a magic charm?" They weren't for preservation, or the body wouldn't be mummified. Protection from grave robbers? That might make more sense. Disguise your traps as fabulous treasure.
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Post by othus on Mar 24, 2018 8:17:50 GMT
"W-well I guess it wasn't that bad then!" Ann could probably see herself using a bow, after all, Lara (croft) was one of her idols.
"The flare gun isn't half bad either, i never thought it could be used as a weapon, thanks for the advice," she said as she took it out again and swapped her Glock for it. a gun wouldn't do much to a Jiangshi, but the light had proved its worth against the creatures, the flamethrower, of course, was useless inside a place like this. Ann had no combat experience, but she knew the consequences of using such a thing underground.
As they opened the coffin Ann couldn't help but feel afraid, and the revealed corpse almost made her pull the trigger. However, the calm looks of her teammates stopped her from doing something stupid.
"this is probably a good time to send data, I don't know what I'm looking at, but it must be important. Ann quickly added the images to her database.
"In any case, thanks for locking it so soon., that thing gave me the creeps."
Akane looked around again, she wasn't gonna get surprised by anything again.
"I'm guessing we are gonna go now to the other side yes? the one probably filled with monsters and traps"
somehow Ann was hoping they'd be done with the research, though it was probably not going to be the case, as she herself hadn't finished her quest.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 26, 2018 4:16:19 GMT
Percival shuffled through the photos. He picked 3 out of the lot. -This is an old Gaelic Druidic Charm, usually associated with a high ranking member of nobility or at the very least a very esteemed individual.- The photo he showed was a golden open hoop that was placed on the mummy’s neck, loaded with inscriptions and decorative gems. -The ring here is from imperial Rome, pretty expensive.- A golden ring with a large purple gemstone, cleary a sign of importance as surely Gianni knew that purple was usually reserved for the Emperor. -Finally this one has nordic flavor, but with some hints of christian influence.- It was a silver cross necklace, but in the middle of the cross there was a single eye, maybe a mixture of catholic and norse dogma in some important city from Scandinavia. Percival seems to have a keen eye for antiques.
-You need something with stopping power lassie.- The Old Mercenary advised. -If you stop them on their tracks you get time and time is what your brain needs to plan ahead.- Percival rummaged into his pockets getting a small notepad and pen. He quickly drew a diagram for Ann. -These things don’t feel pain, but they’re susceptible to the laws of physics, just get something that packs enough punch and aim for something structurally weak.- His diagram pointed the joints, especially the ankles and knees. -Jiangshi are already slow, if you diminish their speed even more you get a lot of time to think about how to properly dismantle them.- He then circled the head. -Once you’re sure their movement is impaired you need to go for the head, usually they have external or internal charms placed there, aim carefully if you can see them and shoot them with your guns.- He expanded the diagram even more, adding a small reproduction of a charm.
-Most charms have protection wards against weapons, as they’re the weak point of the Jiangshi, but the ones here are pretty old, so their wards are done to block weapons of that age, I think that bullets, with enough cadence and accuracy might shatter the ward.- He smiled. - Even if older magic is longer lasting and overall more powerful that modern arcane practices, a lot has passed through generations of refinement.- He cut the page out of the small notebook handing it to Ann. -The Jiangshi my colleagues at the BHA create have magnetic wards, something that wasn’t common or known around the time the ones guarding this place were created.- He stood as tall as he could, trying to radiate confidence to Gianni and Ann. -There might be traps, but we can deal with them if we’re careful enough.- He raised his thumb and added. -The first rule of tomb raiding is <Don’t Panic>.- He glanced at Gianni. -So do you need more time in this chamber or should we continue laddie?-
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 26, 2018 7:53:15 GMT
"So the latest of those, the Norse one, is within the date range I already had in mind for this tomb, roughly 1,000 years back. Christianity entered Scandinavia just a little before that. That suggests I was right." Gianni faintly smiled. Good deduction lead to good results. "Yeah, I'm ready to go. There's only so much I can figure out looking at this alone right now. I'm not any sort of omniexpert." He couldn't wait to bring a team in, but right now they had to go through the rest of this place.
He closed the lid, sealing it until he chose to open it later. If the mummy started moving, it shouldn't be able to get out. Equally, if somebody else came to open it, they shouldn't be able to. The possibility of this made him pause. "That's strange..." He yanked the thread and the casket opened again. He looked over the mummy a few times over. There was no sign anything was missing. "Those men who entered before us should have stripped this mummy of everything, but the casket wasn't even open when we got here. Either they went the other way, or they don't care about treasure." He closed it again, stepping away with a furrowed brow. He was consumed in a dark storm of thoughts as he left the casket.
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Post by othus on Mar 29, 2018 3:01:45 GMT
"Alright! thanks for the info! I gotta start taking some notes!"
Ann was thinking about just how much of her arsenal was actually effective against the Jiangshi, it all came to two weapons: her shotgun and her flare gun.
*As long as I have both equipped I can fight, going by what Percival told me, I should have no problems defending myself after this.*
"it's a good thing having you two around, I would have never made it through this on my own... I am ready to go, I don't think this one is gonna cause us any trouble, so we can check back on him after we are done with the rest of the tomb." it might just be the case that the next rooms could be filled with monsters, but Percival made Ann feel all that much safer, and her stats were higher than before, she hadn't noticed yet, but her agility doubled in such a short span, maybe she would be putting it to the test soon.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 29, 2018 3:58:51 GMT
The group made their way towards the room they came from, leaving the coffin room behind. -Careful with the rope.- Percival pointed out again, to avoid them from making unnecessary noise. But right as they would, possibly, be jumping over it, the sound of metal cans clanking reached them, coming from the other passage they would have to take if the wanted to go deeper into the tomb. -Quiet.- The Old Mercenary whispered while putting his finger over his mouth, gesturing for silence. The sounds of hops echoed in the hallway. -One...no... two.- Percival kept whispering while gesturing the number of Jiangshi he felt were moving towards the first circular room. -What do we do?- He asked Gianni, while preparing his blade for combat, adding a new layer of liquid to it. The Jiangshi were getting closer by the second, their hopping moving towards the group, surely they were already about to enter the 1st room, still illuminated by Percival’s “spell”.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 29, 2018 5:07:32 GMT
Gianni froze when Percival said to be quiet. He felt them through the floor just a second later. "Yeah, that's two. Keep the rope there. When they trip, stab one. Ann, I'll try to drag the other one over to the side so it doesn't attack while Percival kills the first. Can you help me with that? I could use your strength. And if it gets up too quickly, I could use your shotgun." Gianni glanced back at the coffin.
"Hm... yeah, it's too late to bolt for the other room. We're better off staying here, as much as I would rather not." His voice grew slightly shaky. He didn't want their wild fists flying around in this room, at risk of smashing apart the coffin's lid. At best, a priceless artifact was destroyed. At worst, another undead creature awoke behind them. And a priceless artifact was destroyed. He quickly started laying threads until a web was formed in front of the coffin, an intricate pattern meant to lessen the impact of any object attempting to pass through. "I'm not sure this will stop their fists, but it'll certainly slow them down. If we need to, we can hide behind this ourselves. I made it small so it wouldn't be in the way, so you'll have to be careful about tucking in your limbs." He informed the others, rubbing his scalp. Using too meany threads at once made his head feel prickly and tired.
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Post by othus on Mar 29, 2018 8:01:10 GMT
Ann nodded at Gianni's plan, it was better if they ambushed them on the larger room than if they were to encounter both at the main one.
*Combat it is*
Ann unholstered her flare gun and waited for the VM to pile up enough points for a shotgun, it wouldn't take too much time anyways.
As the Jiangashi were getting closer Ann followed Gianni and split up with Percival, this time it would be them ambushing the creatures, they had the surprise factor and using it properly could end the combat swiftly.
the more of those creatures Ann faced, the more confident she felt about taking them on, in fact, this was the first time her nervousness didn't get the best of her, she managed to breathe in a calm manner and her pulse was barely above normal, the cold sweat did not stop but that was expected. the wound on her stomach began to hurt a little, it wasn't from actual damage but from a reaction of muscle memory. Ann really hoped that killing those two would cure her of that reaction.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 30, 2018 4:33:37 GMT
Percival nodded and his breathing changed. Out there it wasn’t noticeable, but in close quarters it was pretty clear he seemed to change his entire breathing and posture when he was about to fight. It was just a stance, it seemed to be a product of years upon years of experience and knowledge of his own body, that allowed him to prepare for fights putting his body in some kind of hyper-efficient state. It was similar to breathing techniques in martial arts, but there was something deeper. He placed his back against the wall, to the right of the doorway. His fingers clutching his blade, trying to to use too much pressure. The Old Mercenary put his ear as close as he could to the opening trying to get a basic idea of the Jiangshi’s proximity. He made a gesture towards Gianni, pointing the other side of the door, then pointing the webbing and finally the lower quarter of the door. He mouthed the word “TRAP” as he did.
The Chinese Hopping Vampires reached the room the group just visited and turned towards the hallway that would take them to the Coffin Chamber. Their rhythmic jumps echoed against the smooth white jade walls. TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP. The first one jumped without tripping. TAP-TAP-TAP-T-. The second one stopped moving. The first one continued getting ever closer to the doorway. Percival closed his eyes and started muttering with that strange choir of voices behind his own.
His blade lighted up, this time around brighter than before, almost as if the edge of the weapon was made out of the sun itself. The first Jiangshi was coming into the room, while the second attempted to jump, but got tangled itself into the makeshift alarm Percival made, falling to the floor with a loud CLANG! Upon hearing that Percival gulped, realizing that he made a tactical error. He assumed all the Jiangshi in the Tomb would be similar, sharing the same traits, but he was wrong. As the light from the sigils he created reached the incoming Jiangshi he leaned to see it in the corner of his eye. The Chinese Vampire was covered in armor, thick and rusted plates, inscribed in a similar way as the paper charms used for Taoist Sorcery. They were trapped in a room without a backdoor, with a fortified energy draining monster closing the only exit. -Move away from the doorway! - He proclaimed as he turned around and moved away from cover, looking directly at the lifeless, empty eyes of the Jiangshi. -Try to hinder his movements while I look for a weak point on it's armor.-
He was going to serve as a distraction while the others would attempt to reduce the creature’s mobility. Yet this particular “model” had another trick inside his sleeve, one that was hidden because of the hallway and the low light.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 30, 2018 5:38:36 GMT
"No no no..." Gianni mumbled as he backed up. Armor!? He already couldn't do anything to them! I need to learn how to use a weapon. My fists haven't been good against anything I've fought in a ruin. "Ann... um... try to help me lure it into my web!" Sweat broke out on his face and he took a shuddering breath. He hadn't gotten so close to the others. Could these ones still extend their arms? He'd find out soon enough he supposed. A last sharp breath and he was off, up the wall to flank the armored abomination. He ran next to it and waved his arms, making noises that should be stronger to catch its attention like he wanted. "Come on! This way!" He half-shouted before pushing off the wall to go right over its head, landing closer to the web. If he got it close enough, maybe Ann could drive it back with a flare? Would it back away from harmful light or was it not intelligent enough?
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Post by othus on Mar 31, 2018 5:51:54 GMT
*what the hell? why is this one more equipped?! the flare won't work unless I use it on point blank! ugh! screw it! you are going down!*
Ann used Gianni's distraction to get closer to the creature, she tried to split away from Gianni as much as she could, and then she rushed at top speed, she was twice as fast as before now, and it showed, most of the distance between the creature and her was closed almost in an instant but ann left out some meters in case it had ranged attacks. As she rushed towards the Jiangshi she fired her flare aimed at the creature's head and neck area, she was aiming while running so her precision wasn't at its best. in any case, not only would that flare illuminate the target, but also hopefully blind it or even harm it.
As the flare left the barrel she immediately dropped her gun and a new weapon took its place. the Remington 870 shotgun. Ann unloaded as many shots as she could on the creature not caring for a particular aim point while she dashed backward in order to create distance again. her point count would go to 0 before 6 shots and she would be out of options.
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Post by Kuma on Apr 3, 2018 1:57:40 GMT
The Jiangshi hopped towards the net, following Gianni’s provocations. With each clanging jump he grew ever closer, until finally his legs and extended arms got entangled into the Arachnid Archaeologist’s web. -Good going laddie!- Percival congratulated Gianni as he slowly approached the enemy, staying clear enough to allow Ann, who dashed forward, enough space to work. Her first shot hit the creature right in the neck. Thankfully that area wasn’t as heavily armored as the rest of the body, so small burn marks appeared as the flare got stuck on the upper rim of the cuirass the creature was wearing, allowing the heat to focus into a single spot, scorching it. The light didn’t seem to bother the creature though. Following the flare, Ann peppered the undead abomination with buckshot from her shotgun. Ann didn’t aim the blasts, but each one managed to pierce at least with one fragment the insides of the Jiangshi, finding its way through the creases and cracks of the armor. The flare didn’t bother the creature, but it was clear that the shotgun blasts at the very least had cause some internal damage, as one of the flanks of his armor, broken by a shot and then pierced into by a second, was turning into sand, dropping to the floor and forming a small pile of dust.
-VERY NICE LASS!- Percival roared as she moved backwards and he charged in, his blade shining on his hand. For a moment the old and worn out Mercenary, rushing into battle, looked more like a youthful Knight, rather than his current weary body and clothing. His blade wasn’t shining through magical means, it was reflecting the radiant sunlight from a distant battlefield in the past. But alas, that might just been a momentary illusion, a trick of the mind, as he even if he didn’t look the part, Percival was clearing walking the walk, display such gallant advance. He took the last step before entering the creature’s range with the momentum of a cavalryman about to skewer some poor footsoldier with his spear. As he closed the gap he positioned his sword into a stabbing motion, placing the still intact side of the crossguard on his shoulder, so he would sink the blade with all his weight into the creature’s dried up body. The tip made contact with a loud screech, hitting the shoulder plate inner rim, but thanks to the immobilization the webs provided and the damage done to the armor by Ann, the blade piercing through it as it shattered, since the hit reached one of the cracks caused by the Virtual Warrior’s shotgun blasts.
-BACK TO THE GRAVE WITH YOU!- Percival proclaimed with a triumphant tone as his blade sunk deeply through the shoulder of the creature, coming out on its back. The golden light radiating from the edge pulsated for a moment and then proceeded to release the charged energy into the being’s body. The skin under the armor started to burn up with golden sparks, making a smile appear on Percival’s tired face. But his celebration was short lived, as a strange sound echoed on the room, like a very old and rusty spring being released, or some sort of cogwheel suddenly spinning into its original position. Hidden by the shadows of the corridor behind it, the group, who lacked any efficient super senses, ignored the peculiarity of this type of Jiangshi. A second set of arms come out directly opposite to the regular pair. And upon being damaged the rudimentary instructions “programmed” into its charm sprung this defensive mechanism, making gears that connected both sets of arm spin. The arms up front pulled out and down, while the ones behind rushed over it’s shoulders and connected one monster of a double hammer strike on the unsuspecting Percival.
The veteran was fast enough, thanks to his intuition, to move his head to the side, avoiding the attack by a literal hair’s width. But the armored fists fell hard on his shoulder. A loud CRACK, echoing in the Coffin Chamber, was more than enough to tell that the attack broke Percival’s clavicle. The Old Mercenary collapsed into a knee, while the magic of his sword slowly expanded into the remaining organic component of the Jiangshi, turning them into dust, leaving the strange contraption with the 4 arms on the ground, while further ahead, his companion fought to stand up, still entangled in Percival’s alarm. The Old Mercenary let out a mute scream, mouthing his pain without emitting a sound, then he clenched his teeth and rolled to the side, leaving the field of view of the next creature, but also leaving his sword behind. He slumped against the wall, trembling while his left hand held his right shoulder.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 3, 2018 7:05:42 GMT
Gianni frowned when the flare bounced off the Jiangshi wouldn't damage. So the light wasn't enough. At least the shotgun was working. Interesting that a part of the Jiangshi could be reduced to dust while the rest survived. How did that work? He wished he could properly see its body and study that as it dissolved. Percival's strike seemed to have it down. Gianni watched sparks fly as dust slithered through the cracks in its armor. It seemed to be done, until he heard an unnatural clank.
"Percival, look out!" He yelled, too late as the Jiangshi's fists were already coming down. He stared at the Jiangshi until it completely collapsed. He needed to make sure it was done. He was still putting the situation together. Where were they hiding those arms? Did the other one have arms like that too? How badly hurt was Percival? He didn't look like he was dying. That was good. They could handle the other first. He looked at the sword on the ground and up at the fallen Jiangshi. Threads flicked out and whipped the blade off the ground and into his hands. "Ann! Their neck is a weak point!" He held the sword out for her and extended more threads. He could tie up the Jiangshi and protect Ann while she cut.
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Post by othus on Apr 3, 2018 7:41:32 GMT
"we did it!", Ann dropped the shotgun on the ground as it began to dissolve into thin air, then she cleaned up her sweat and let out a sigh of relief, this time, the Jiangshi couldn't react to the barrage of attacks. it seemed the creature was down until the loud crack from Percival's bones covered the room.
"PERCIVAL! ARE YOU OK?!!" Ann lowered her guard, she did not remember the fight was not over yet. Gianni, with a much cooler head, took Percival's sword and extended it to her., Ann felt the emotion piling up.
"I'm on it!!" Ann rushed as she grabbed the sword by the hilt, her speed was cutting the wind, her boots making strident noise on every step, echoing all over the white chamber, she was furious as she grabbed the blade, her grip was tight, almost too tight, to the point it almost made her hands bleed. Ann dashed until the creature was in weapon range and finally jumped a good couple of meters up, swinging down the blade in a somersault motion over the creatures head, a loud battlecry came with the attack.
"DIE!!!!"
there was no finesse in her cut, as she swung down the ancient blade more like an axe or a hammer. the idea was to decapitate or crush the creatures head/neck and nothing less.
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Post by Kuma on Apr 4, 2018 4:37:04 GMT
Percival, dazed by the pain, was barely able to focus, jolts surged from his wound, travelling through his nerves right into his brain, that felt like it was being jackhammered by the aching and broken bone. His eyes darted around the room desperately trying to focus on something, but it was to no avail, white lights danced on his field of view as the outer rim of his vision darkened. He wasn’t in any kind of state to warn Gianni and Ann about how much of a bad idea was to grab his sword. Gianni would be the first to realize this, as, the moment he touched the blade, a chorus of voices invaded his mind.
Uncweðende! Lama! Bewerigend! Rídend! Bealdor! Forræda! The archaic voices stopped. If Gianni had enough idiomatic knowledge he might work out that the voices shouted in Old English. Ann was the next to hear the voices, but instead of the set Gianni heard, with choir-like harmony, like gregorian chants, she heard a mismatched and overlapped cacophony of words while a slight organic warmth came out from the hilt
LUIGEBROGAID… BAETH! AMUS AIRBEDRAIC! CRUINBORD RITIRE! OBLAE O DERRIT! LINAIGERUIRI BATH! The blade pierced deep into the downed creature’s neck, severing it from the body. The radiant golden flames licked the skin moving radially out from the point of impact, consuming with their divine powers the dried up husk of the creatures that once, a long time ago, were humans. If Ann didn’t release the blade, the voices would get louder and images would flood her head. A golden haired woman carrying a majestic chalice.The canopy of a frozen forest, seen through the eyes of a young and wild man. An old and dusty throne room with a bed-ridden king, surrounded by faceless servants projecting menacing aura and focused on whoever was standing in her point of view. A young man with auburn hair fighting with a swan emblazoning his shield, wading through hordes of savage looking men and finally falling, dogpiled by them and stabbed. Other images were also there, but flashed to fast for Ann to see them, if she didn’t drop the blade after the attack. This continued, while the second Jiangshi was slowly turning into a pile of dust, underneath the Virtual Warrior's feet.
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