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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 4, 2018 5:34:52 GMT
Gianni didn't speak a word of Old English. He only foggily realized that's what it was when the words echoed in his skull. Gregorian chant? Did Gregorian chant and Old English overlap in time period? It wasn't Gianni's specialty really. He tried to memorize the words, but only having sounds to go on made them quickly fade. Damn! Maybe Ann is hearing the same thing? "Anna, try to remember anything you're hearing!" He called almost ignoring that she was attacking the Jiangshi until she did the flip. He didn't think she was so agile. It didn't look like a very skilled use of the weapon, but it was certainly a powerful one, as the Jiangshi's head was split from its body.
As the Jiangshi crumbled, Gianni started over to the body. He needed to examine the extra arms! He didn't get such good look before. He halted in his path. Wait. Forgetting something. Right, Ann must have heard stuff holding that sword! Wait, no, not that, there was something- "Percival! Hold still!" Gianni turned 90 degrees to dart up to Percival's side. "Are you alright? Is anything broken?" At best, Percival could set a broken limb by wrapping it up, but even if it was his arm, Gianni didn't even have stick and ancient tombs weren't a good place to find them. "Oh, Ann! Did you hear anything holding the sword? Try to recall it very clearly!" He looked at her with eyes sparkling with a desire to know.
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Post by othus on Apr 4, 2018 5:44:41 GMT
When Ann grabbed the sword she could have sworn she heard something, but her anger clouded her mind and dulled her senses, her newfound agility also felt unreal, distracting her even more. However, a barrage of voices and images dropped on her head with more intensity as she finished her move, the flashbacks became too intense as she dropped on her knees, the unknown language triggered the dictionary skill but that only made things worse, as it re-read on Ann the gibberish in English at the same time. too many voices, too many images, she could only catch a few: Oathbreaker Servant of .....Dragon Round ...... Knight Ann went into shock after the first set of images and lost herself into the visions, the sword kept increasing the intensity on them, making Ann feel as if she was in a living nightmare. After some seconds, she finally had to let go of the blade to grip her head from the pain. then, the voices were gone. Ann collapsed to the ground, next to the ashes of the creature. She did not lose consciousness, as she immediately tried to get back up., but to no avail. she dropped on the ground once more as she panted, confused and exhausted. "what...in the world...was that?!" Ann raised her body a little just to speak to Gianni. "I only got a few, is Percival ok? I saw a lady and a chalice...then a forest, the voices were saying something about an oathbreaker, a knight and a dragon... I'm sorry... I cant recall it all that well."
out of all the things that happened to her today, that was the weirdest one. even coming back from the dead was more pleasant.
*Percival...just who are you?*
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Post by Kuma on Apr 10, 2018 4:04:57 GMT
Percival’s sword fell off from Ann’s hand and noisily bounced on the floor a couple of times before sliding. The clanking and later the screeching, coming from it, echoed in the room and the hallway. Following the fading sound, the Virtual Warrior’s question was the next sound that echoed, lingering in the air for a fleeting moment before a glacial silence took over the room. The Old Mercenary looked at the sword and then his eyes slowly moved towards his current comrades-in-arms. He gradually moved his hand from his injured shoulder and towards his inner pocket, taking the golden canteen from inside it and taking a small sip before putting it away. What before was obscured by his body and clothing, this time was painfully obvious. As the liquid went down his throat golden light coursed his body, moving towards the injured area and suddenly, with a nasty sounding crack, and a wince coming out from his mouth, the bone was fused back into one piece, as if the wound never happened. Weirdly enough other stuff changed, as parts of his greying hair regained some of its color.
-Shouldn’t drink too much… I’m getting sloppy.- He whispered, more to himself than to them, as he stood up, wiping the dust from his clothing with his hands. Still without replying to Ann’s question, he walked forward until reaching his weapon, crouching with considerable less strain than he showed before and picking his sword from the ground, sheathing it behind his back. The Old Mercenary lowered his head, knowing that he shouldn’t talk, but feeling forced to give an explanation to his comrades, as to him trusting his comrades was a lesson he learnt many years ago. He tried to speak, but stopped before letting out a single syllable, scratching the side of his face, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and concern, as he rarely shared this information. Even his face looked a bit younger, with some of the lines and wrinkles gone, before he was close to 60, but now he looked as if he was on his mid 40’s. -I’m…- He started, but stopped again, scratching the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable by the situation.
-I’m Peredur son of Efwc, Knight of Camelot, servant of Arthur Pendragon and protector of the Realms of Britannia and Wales.- He proclaimed, without a hint of his usually laid back tone, his voice emanating a strange sense of grandeur and authority that was lacking until now. -I’m over 1000 years old and I’ve been searching for somebody all this time.- His eyes slowly got charged with sadness. - ‘tis my responsibility, my burden and my curse, to roam this world for how many years is necessary until atoning for my sins and finding somebody worthy enough to deliver the weight of the responsibility I carry, before reaching the embrace of the reaper and meeting my comrades of arms leaving this prison of weathered flesh and bone my soul inhabits.-
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 10, 2018 4:57:48 GMT
Gianni winced at the healing process. He had never been exposed to healing magic, but it never seemed pleasant in action. "Yeah, Percival's fine." He mumbled, focusing on the sword instead. He was worried Ann had damaged it, but it seemed unlikely getting dropped could harm a magical artifact. Durability was always the first thing they cast on those. He paid attention to Percival again when he spoke. "A real knight of Arthur..." He stared in awe.
"You must be over 1,500 years old... no, 1,600! The things you have to have seen! I thought Arthur was entirely or mostly legendary, but to speak to one of his knights, it's like finding Atlantis, if, well, it wasn't a tourist destination! The version of Atlantis mundanes believe in! Tell me everything... about..." The light was fading in Gianni's eyes, like he was stomping out the embers fueling it. "I'm sorry. I got carried away by the possibilities. That was... crass." He hung his head, blushing a deeper purple than his strange skin tone usually allowed. His odd bangs seemed to droop to match his mood.
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Post by othus on Apr 12, 2018 4:59:30 GMT
"H-hold on a second! over 1000 years old?! yet you look even younger now!"
Ann would have laughed off the man a couple of weeks ago, but she was just raised from the dead some hours ago, and considering the number of lives she had, she would potentially live for half a millennia...Immortality was no longer fiction, it was also a part of her.
*Then...the stories are true? about Merlin, the King, and Excalibur ?!...*
Ann couldn't bring herself to ask Percival, asking too many things about such a delicate topic wasn't the best idea, she composed herself as got up from the ground.
"Do not worry, whatever your burden is, you have to know you can count on me to help, no matter how many years it takes. You say you have committed some sins in the past, but right now, you have saved our lives more times than we could possibly count.To me you are no longer just Peredur, son of Efwc, you are Percival, our friend, and I am truly indebted to you"
Ann had looked up to very few people in her life, she grew up without a father figure and her mother passed away too soon. she made a friend which she truly admired, but it would seem destiny had to send her away from her as well. she had been alone for most of her life and without true purpose, now that she witnessed for the first time what loyalty and commitment truly look like, she wanted to stay and watch this unfold to the very end, no matter how long it took, she too wanted to be like him one day. A sudden thought crossed her mind...
*Akane... I wish you were here to meet this man.*
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Post by Kuma on Apr 15, 2018 3:32:36 GMT
-Not all the stories are right… not even half.- He started talking, his tone carrying an importance that lacked until now. -Most of the tales you’ve heard tend to be told from two different sides, but truly, the story about Camelot is a story about two warring nations realizing that war wasn’t the way of the future and extending an olive branch.- The nostalgia on his voice was almost palpable, the sounds coming out into the air like puffs of smoke, weaving a tapestry of past events, legends and myths. -But we need to consider our situation…- The magical atmosphere got broken by the sound of clanking cans on the trap placed in the hallway going out the adjacent room. -We have company and we can’t take a trip to memory lane with them hopping behind us.- He first looked at Gianni. -I might give you some interesting coordinates for you to check on if we survive this, I’ll go with you of course.- He smiled. -Just to be on the safe side.- He then focused on Ann. -Those were heavy words las... Ann, and I thank you for them- His smile grew wider and warmer. - Do not worry about me, worry about our situation first, if there is a lesson learnt from my experience is that you can’t live looking to the past, you need to be wary of the present, so you can have a brighter future.-
The noise of hopping was getting closer, this time around it was a bit more than 2. They were as heavy as the ones before, meaning they might be equally outfitted as the pair the group just defeated. -We need to get ready!- He proclaimed, darting towards the wall, readying his sword for the next wave of enemies.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 15, 2018 8:04:15 GMT
Gianni couldn't help his recovering enthusiasm as Percival dripped tantalizing clues about the past. "I won't pry if you don't want to say anything about it... but it would be appreciated." Gianni clearly still had a lot to learn about Percival. The old man had seen things he couldn't imagine. I guess that's the thing about being old. So many experiences. Gianni absentmindedly touched his shirt, feeling the scar lying underneath. He had a few experiences of his own. Would he readily share them? No, he decided. I wouldn't. I won't pressure him into it if he's not ready.
The idea of not knowing still tormented him as he set up string traps, but he drove it away with a good dose of fear. He walked onto the ceiling to dangle some strings down to about the head level of the Jiangshi. "Their necks are vulnerable. Ann was able to cut right through one. I figure if I get their helmets stuck, they'll either come off or they'll stretch their necks trying to move. Or, well, they'll break the strings, but they'll be stuck for a few seconds at least." Gianni dropped off the ceiling to lay a few more threads across the ground to trip up those whose heads weren't caught. Lastly, he backed up and perched on the armor left behind by one of the Jiangshi they fought before. He lay down, peering inside for any mechanisms he could find. Maybe he could work it to attack the Jiangshi. Most likely not; he was smart, but that didn't translate to mechanical skill. He could barely work his television.
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Post by othus on Apr 16, 2018 6:02:04 GMT
Ann was happy to see Percival smiling again, but he was right, if she wanted to help him, they needed to survive this first.
"You are right! more are coming!"
Ann had leveled up, but she did not notice because of the episode she had with the sword, her points were sent to her HP. she summoned a tanto, it wasn't as good as Percival's sword but it was a fantastic blade for a non-magical weapon. being 30 centimeters long, it would require quite a close range for it to be effective, but she was confident that with Gianni's new strategy they would have it easier.
"once Gianni gets them stuck we have to strike fast, let's not give them time to react"
Ann positioned herself next to Percival. If they were to strike then Percival could go first, should that not be enough Ann could finish them with her smaller weapon.
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Post by Kuma on Apr 17, 2018 3:43:46 GMT
Something was wrong, the noise of the Jiangshi, their stomping hops, had stopped. Not even the echo of their heavy dried up bodies hitting the ground remained. Percival body tensed up, seemingly he didn’t just lose the graying hair, but also regained some muscular mass. He looked big before, but now he was actually imposing. The not so old Mercenary leaned for a second into the doorway, trying to quickly scan the situation, but thankfully his reflexes had also been rejuvenated, as the moment he peeked something was coming right towards him. -DAGNABBIT!- He cursed as he roughly avoided the incoming object, leaning against the curved wall to avoid falling flat on his ass. From the shadows of the doorway a massive thing flew into the room, it seemed like a large triangular blade, coming out two large rusty metallic cylinders that were connected to one of the Jiangshi by chains. It seems as if both arms joined into a single weapon, akin to a massive and wide spear head or the lower half of an anchor. The weapon sailed through the air, propelled by whatever mystical energy was powering the Jiangshi and loudly crashed against the wall opposite to the doorway, hitting the side of the coffin and cracking the wall.
The white jade wall was sundered by the impact, pieces of the engraved tale falling to the floor, cracking into smaller pieces. The coffin, that seemed to be affixed to the wall, started leaning forward until in crashed against the floor, thankfully without breaking, but the interesting thing was behind it. There was a cavity hidden by it, like man sized indentation in the wall and there was a single paper charm resting there, sticking out from the wall. Percival, who was getting his bearings back, saw the situation on the corner of his eye and reacted quickly. The chains connecting the weapon, still piercing the wall and the Jiangshi were slowly tensing up, so it would return back to its sender. He took a step forward, slowly narrowing his eyes to focus his vision and when the chain reached maximum tightness he launched his body forward, lunging at the chain and putting his blade through the links of both chains and pierced the wall. His sword suddenly blocked the retraction mechanism. -Laddie, check that charm, Ann, if you still have some firepower I need you to shoot the hallway, I’m preparing a spell.-
And with that said he crouched, pulling out more oily liquid in the tip of his fingers and a small notebook. -Damn it all, my memory isn’t what it used to be.- He started tracing a magical circle on the ground, hoping that his sword, Ann’s covering fire and Gianni threads gave him enough time to prepare this. -This is a one time only thing, can’t believe I’m using it now.- Percival was really worried, as he clearly saw, even with just the glimpse he had of the adjacent room, that it was crowded with Jiangshi, so was the hallway.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 17, 2018 5:48:16 GMT
Gianni yelped and hid in the armor when the arrow sailed right over his head. He peaked out and saw the arrowhead's impact, turning pale when he saw the damage to the coffin. No. How could they!? A priceless artifact, irreparably damaged! But behind it, there was something more, something he hadn't seen before. Curiosity carried him forward before Percival even asked him to. He scrambled past his own threads to the back of the room. The coffin sat at an angle now like an ajar door. He looked nervously back. The spearhead-launcher was stuck for now. He wouldn't be sliced in half by it if he acted quick. He turned back and examined the charm. What was it? Was there any way to remove it from the wall without damaging it? Before even trying, he took pictures. It was important to preserve its context before altering it in any way.
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Post by othus on Apr 18, 2018 2:10:20 GMT
"what the F*CK?!!" Ann jumped out of the way, though the projectile wasn't really close to hitting her. she checked her point count, to see if she could really help Percival with firepower, last time she checked she was out of points, but she did not take into account her max point count was being expanded as she leveled up. her base points were now 20, and that was enough to buy an AR-15, which she immediately did.
"All I need is to distract them right?! I'm on it!"
Ann rushed to the hallway, only to find the path cluttered with Jiangshi.
"Bring it on!" Ann began shooting at them with the intention of stalling them all as much as possible, with her current agility, she was confident she could dodge their attacks. still, she kept a healthy distance from them.
*what is Percival doing right now?! we need to get the hell out of here!...no, I have to trust him and stall them for as long as possible!*
She kept shooting at the most fragile parts of the Jiangshi, though she knew it was a fruitless effort, it was all down to Percival at this point.
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Post by Kuma on Apr 19, 2018 4:15:17 GMT
As Ann peppered the hallway with the AR-15, the bullets seemingly incapable of piercing the armored hide of these group of Jiangshi, but each impact had enough stopping power to push them back, adding their miserable mobility, it made them crash against each other and against the walls, one of them even falling down, between the impacts and the threads. Percival was muttering to himself as he kept drawing a magical circle. Energy slowly coalesced into the oily liquid in the floor, it was different from his usually golden radiance, as this time around a warm breeze enveloped the area, slowly spinning towards the circle, carrying small green particles that gave the whole room an almost forest-like atmosphere. The discordant ancient voices speaking in old gaelic swelled around him, this time not just chanting but actually manifesting as ghostly visages of old men with long unkempt beards, dirt covered faces and brown hooded tunics, everyone of them coming out of the magical circle like smoke filtering through a small hole, expanding in the room. It was clear this was taking a toll on Percival, who was sweating profusely and already some of his white hairs were starting to reappear on his head.
DAIG RUIRI AIRLENG CLOISTID MO GAIRM
CAEMAID…
BREOAID…
MALARTAID! The voices accompanied Percival on his chanting, as he returned to looking the age he was before he drank from the Canteen. The circle shone and the wind swirled violently around it as the specks of light floating on the currents shifted from spring green to volcanic red. The Magical Circle became bright red, as the setting sun and started spewing sparks, like a lit bonfire after a large piece of wood cracks because of the heat, collapsing over the embers. The sparks turned into radiant flames as the spirits also changed in hue alongside the magical circle, spinning around a newly formed sphere of fire that projected flickering light, making the whole room have a heavy contrast between shadows and light. The spectral shapes of ancient druids floated around it while moving the sphere, until it reached the in-between point from the doorway up to the Jiangshi. Percival proclaimed the last three words of the enchantment again, this time without the chanting accompanying him.
CAEMAID… BREOAID… MALARTAID! The sphere exploded into a blast, funneled through the hallway towards the Jiangshi, burning the two closest into a crisp, the flames licking Gianni’s threads and getting into the creatures through the cracks caused by the impact of the AR-15. Yet the blast didn’t stopped seemingly it floated there, forming some kind of barrier blocking the advance of the Jiangshi. Such was the intensity that the chains melted, dropping down. Percival picked his blade as it fell, pulling it out from the chain-links and piercing the floor with it, falling in one knee. Sweat poured down his, once again, wrinkled face. He was breathing heavily, but the fire barrier was still there, seemingly independent of him. -That will stop them for a while, we can think how to get out and search for a better area to…- He he took a deep breath, clearly exhausted. - ...Fight them off.- He turned to Gianni. -So how’s that going laddie?- The charm in the wall was better conserved and larger than the rest and had several ancient ideograms that formed a phrase, roughly translated to english as. “The river flows around the rocks, to find a way, so does every man, who sometimes needs to make a circle before it makes a line” What could these cryptic words mean? And what was their relation to the mysterious charm sticking in the wall? Those are questions for our intrepid Tomb Raiders to answer.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 28, 2018 5:52:49 GMT
Gianni tried to focus on the charm despite the bullets and lights and druids. It was difficult. He kept wanting to pull the spirits aside and interview them as he mumbled his way through the translation. Despite the distraction, he quickly pieced together the sentence, saying it aloud a couple times as he mulled it over. A riddle? Would solving it help out? He read it a few more times, quickly thinking of many possibilities. The river could be the passage of time, the flow of chi, or blood through the body. What would that make the circle though? Or the rocks?
A different idea came to mind when he saw the toppled coffin. Could the river be precious metal flowing around gemstones? He looked at the coffin and despaired. "Oh, no..." If it had to do with the jewelry decorating the mummy inside, her certainly couldn't get it now. That coffin had to be over a ton. There was nothing that could be used as a lever in a barren tomb like this. He desperately looked to the charm again, as if it could help. His eyes glazed over as the ran over the line over and over again until it dawned on him. It wasn't the jewelry. Delicately, he removed the charm from the wall and took off running. He ran past Ann and Percival to make a circle of the whole room. Every room in the tomb was circular. Would making a full circle reveal something? Carefully, he ran his fingertips along the wall, searching for anything that lay hidden.
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Post by othus on Apr 28, 2018 21:57:08 GMT
"Ummm, Gianni...you got this right?! that barrier probably won't stay for long!" Ann spoke loudly as she nervously eyed at the bunch of undead.
She then headed towards Percival, trying to help him recover by lending him her shoulder.
"What was that?!...nevermind, It's ok, we have gained some valuable time thanks to your spell. I have explosive arrows, If the worst comes to it, I'll sacrifice myself with the undead, one might not do much but I plan to blow myself up with multiple at the same time, since I can't afford to fail I have to be as close as possible, you two need to find an escape route, I seriously doubt they would build this without adding another way out."
Ann had no knowledge whatsoever about ancient tombs, and she could barely handle the stress of the situation, so the riddle was unsolvable to her. if someone were to sort that out, it would have to be Gianni.
"it's all good, I know you can do this one Gianni. Percival, can you try lending him a hand? I will make some distance between us in case you guys don't make it in time." As she left Percival with Gianni, Ann bought her recurve bow, 5 explosive arrows appeared on her back along with a quiver, the fact that the Jiangshi were there meant Ann kept adding points non stop, and that was a good thing, she kept collecting explosive arrows as time passed.
"Alright, let's see if my luck ain't all that bad," she took a deep breath and headed towards the Jiangshi. Ann began laying the explosive arrowheads at her feet, she set a final one on her bow as she was gonna shoot it right at the pile of explosives, ready to blow herself up along with the creatures.
"COME ON!!! YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?! IT'S NOT GONNA COME CHEAP!" Ann shouted at the creatures as if to give herself some extra courage, the spell was still in place, so she was able to get somewhat close. the arrowheads would not explode unless they were shot from the bow, but the explosion should trigger the rest with ease. 20 explosive arrowheads were the amount she managed to pile up
*In my next life, I'll learn how to use this damn bow...for now, this is the best I can do.*
"I'll see you guys soon!" She shouted at them with a smile
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Post by Kuma on Apr 29, 2018 4:03:04 GMT
As Ann charged forward, she suddenly was met with the strange view of a wall instead of a hallway full of chinese zombies silhouettes behind a decreasing fire barrier. The room itself was spinning, as if the center of it was set on a record player, the floor and the walls moved counterclockwise. Percival tried to support himself against the wall, as the centrifuge force of the sudden movement pushed him against it. -Dagnabbit! What’s happening!?- He proclaimed, puzzled by the spinning. Seemingly Gianni pulling out the charm made the whole room spin, taking the doorway, from pointing roughly to the West and making it face the East, revealing a new hallway, this time around dimly lit by strange magical light sources, bolted to the alabaster walls. The soft bluish glow gave the hallway an eerie feel, as it stretched deep into the bowels of the tomb, with a soft decline being swallowed by shadows on regular intervals, in the places were the weak lights didn’t reach. The Old Knight managed to stand up, after falling against the wall. He could hear the Jiangshi behind him, but clearly their attacks would take a while before breaking the 2 mts thick white Jade.
-I think we’re safe for now, thanks for that one la… Gianni…- Once again it seemed as if speaking his comrades names was some kind of rite of passage for Percival, maybe using “Laddie and Lass” as a way to keep a professional distance, but after being saved by them said distance melts away. -So, what do we do know?- He asked, looking first at Ann, still holding 20 explosive arrows and then turning to face Gianni.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 29, 2018 7:59:59 GMT
Gianni pitched forward when the room began moving, but managed not to fall when his feet anchored to the ground. He rode out the shift before gingerly releasing his grip to stumble towards Ann. "Do not do that." He flicked out a thread to grab away the arrow she was ready to loose into the explosive puddle at her feet. Underground there's too many risks, even if you're immortal. We could have a cave-in." He was a bit queasy from the spinning room, so he gently gave the arrow back lest he drop it.
When Percival asked what they were going to do, Gianni looked at the path that had opened up. It was a dim, haunted-looking path that lay ahead. Just looking at it made Gianni break out in a cold sweat. However, they had little other choice. "We'll have to go forward. Just give me a minute here." Gianni knelt and took a little wooden frame from his backpack. He slid the charm between the two pieces of glass the frame held and twisted a knob on the side, clenching the glass together in an airtight seal. "There. Now if we need it again, it'll be intact, and if we don't, I can bring it back for study." He stowed it safely in his bag and looked at Percival's face, newly lined and grey. "Hold on. Percival, are you alright? That... thing you did seemed to really drain you." Gianni resisted the urge to ask if he could summon up the druids again for an interview. You couldn't understand them anyway! Focus Gianni!
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Post by othus on Apr 30, 2018 18:10:27 GMT
"Well, thank god I didn't have to blow up myself," Ann said as the explosive arrows disappeared into thin air
"are you two holding up well? we should really get moving before those things catch up, we might have gained some extra time, but it doesn't look like this is gonna get us out of here"
Ann wondered why was this room lit while the entrance and previous rooms were not, perhaps they were getting closer to the bottom of this? magic was more enticing to her than frightening for sure, perhaps that is one of the things that come from ignorance, like a moth that flies towards the flame.
"well, it looks a little bit scarier than before, but I don't think it could be any uglier than the bunch of undead back there, what do you say guys? shall we go?"
She ventured into the newly found hall, unarmed for now, but hopefully, they would find something other than monsters.
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Post by Kuma on May 1, 2018 3:29:30 GMT
As the adrenaline of the situation faded away Percival started thinking about the situation they were in and what they almost did. First he replied to Gianni’s inquiry. -I’m okay, just got back to my actual…- He made an awkward pause. -...my body’s actual age, I get younger when I drink from the Grail to heal my wounds, but I spend that energy if I cast anything big.- He pulls the golden canteen out. -This was made by adding the life force of 200 Gaelic Druids and Christian Mystics, who teamed up by the design of Merlin, all as a way to protect England.- The Old Knight shook his head, trying to dispel the memories swirling inside his mind, as they would only distract him from the job at hand. While Gianni carefully collected the charm he moved towards Ann, who already jumped over the downed coffin and entered the next hallway. He walked up to her and placed his hand over her shoulder. -We need to talk.- He announced gravely.
-You might think having “extra-lives” is a boon, but I’m talking from experience here.- His eyes, usually softer and almost paternal turned harsh, as if a dam was broken, releasing every ounce of pain hiding behind Percival’s surface, bubbling out through his eyes, displaying endless sorrow. -Immortality always comes with a price-tag, you might not see it yet, but maybe soon or hopefully later, you might find it.- He lowered his eyes for a second, containing tears eager to come out. He placed his other hand into her shoulder, rising his face and looking intensely at the Virtual Warrior in front of him. -The laws of offer and demand do not affect lives, so having multiple ones shouldn’t lower it’s value.- He was actually speaking out of experience. -It not just pain Ann, you might’ve not noticed yet as these powers are new to you, but I started noticing it soon after my curse started.- He lowered his voice, moving closer to her, his shadow looming over Ann.
-Each time I fall I can feel something pulling me deeper.- Fear wasn’t something he showcase a lot until know, but his whispers were charged of existential dread. -Coming back is unnatural Ann, it shouldn’t happen.- His voice became deeper, almost akin to the ancestral tone of the druids trapped inside the Grail. -You can’t invite Death and then stop it while it's on its way, if one invites death, death will come.- He released her shoulders, his grip had been getting increasingly stronger as he talked and he realized, by the whiteness of his fingers, that maybe he was putting too much force into it. -Just something to think about, try not to take your life in a blaze of glory, even if you have more than one to give.- He then returned to the main room to check the state of the wall blocking the Jiangshi path before turning towards the group and joining them in the long hallway, that seemingly extended into the shadows.
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Post by HungryHunter on May 2, 2018 4:52:42 GMT
Gianni was about to leave down the hallway when Percival started talking to Ann. Gianni stopped to let them talk. It was a little embarrassing to listen in. It clearly was meant only for Ann. Gianni wasn't really sure how long he would live, but he certainly wasn't going to come back to life. It wasn't really something he could understand and so it felt overly intimate, a biological detail he wasn't supposed to be privy too. He wandered back to the wall with the Jiangshi and felt it. His enhanced sense of touch could just barely feel them pummeling the wall. It was plenty thick to defend them a while yet.
He passed Percival walking back and nodded to Ann as he entered the hallway. His fingers ran along the wall, touch taking over where sight wasn't enough. "Be ready with flashlights in case it's darker at the bottom." He warned, pulling his own from his backpack. He could rely entirely on touch in a pinch, but his friends would be helpless. Humans were so pathetic in the dark. Ran into EVERYTHING. How they had survived on a planet that was dark half the time was a mystery.
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Post by othus on May 2, 2018 5:06:47 GMT
Ann felt the weight of Percival's words, not only in her heart, but also on her shoulders, the warrior of old still had quite the grip despite his age, and Ann felt it all too well, not a grip of anger but one full of sorrow and regret, shame covered her as she heard Percival's words. Perhaps Ann indeed thought too lightly of her life, she had to get that -as unreal as this felt- it wasn't just some video game. As Percival eased his grip on her Ann grabbed his arm back with both hands as if trying to stop him from going away, she couldn't bear to look him in the eye, but she still spoke nonetheless.
"I...I understand this is all wrong, I did not ask for this! I don't even know what is going on with my body! -she said as tears began welling up in her eyes- it is just that I don't wanna see either of you die! I am not as strong as you, nor as clever as Gianni... I have very little to offer...I feel so useless and powerless...I thought that perhaps with my life...". Ann leaned her head on Percival's chest, grabbing him by the clothes ever so tightly as she tried to cry in silence. perhaps the weight of it all finally came to her. after a short while, she finally let Percival go.
"I'm sorry, I must have ruined your clothes," she said as she tried to wipe her tears as fast as possible while still sobbing a little, she tried to compose herself further. "I will be better, trust me, one day, it will be me the one who will protect you."
Ann stood in the hallway dealing with her own thoughts as Percival went to check the main hall. she steeled herself for the things to come. At that time, Gianni came from the previous room with advice, something that managed to get Ann out of her mind and made her stay sharp in the mission.
"Thanks, Gianni, will do" Ann turned on the little flashlight she carried in her pocket as they advanced.
*I will live, and I will protect them*
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