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Post by othus on Feb 18, 2020 7:24:34 GMT
"I, um...thank you my lord?"-Leor replied at huntsman slightly confused, not sure of what he meant by acid resistance or any of that. The Poreal ran for the shield as indicated by spears. Ela quickly following him.
"Dragon...born? I am a Poreal milady, have you ever met my kind?"- He inquired. When Ela gave him her jacket his eyes teared up a little
"T-thank you very much! I am not worthy of it!"- He said, happily picking up the shield as he was previously instructed. Leor's happiness only lasted for a moment as the grue attacked, despite the grue being nearly invisible and silent, he could still smell the creature, Leor blocked the beak with the shield and kicked the backplate in order to jump out of harms way, not contesting the creature's power in any way.
As Leor regained his footing, he quickly went back to the barricade set by spears and Onyx.
"I am very sorry milady! the grue broke the shield!"- He told spears, slightly shaking in fear as he had failed his task.
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Post by TimePuppy on Feb 27, 2020 17:06:08 GMT
The ice wasn't effective enough to deal with the slime so it managed to tear off the last spotlight. How bad this was became apparent instantly. The choker now focused on attacking their forces and the grue came back, angrier than ever. Despite staring at the darkness, Spears couldn't see it coming. Luckily, for want of a better word, it focused on Leor and Elatha instead of her. It chewed right through Leor's shield for which he apologized.
"Don't worry about it," she told him. "As long as you're fine." She pulled back slightly while she figured out what to do. Then Elatha lit up. Excellent. Her shield turned back into a spear as she rushed forward, assuming the flames would weaken or frighten the creature enough to let her stab at its chest.
On top of the wall, Bowie waited for instructions now the tide turned once more.
"Fire at the grue," Melin instructed him. "The choker appears immune to physical arrows."
"Yes, sir." Bowie replied, firing into the moving darkness. Meanwhile, Melin considered the choker puzzle. Ice was useful for not super effective as he's hoped. It was also clearly well-trained considering it focused on the lights before the people attacking it. Again, its construction made it immune to physical attacks too. Maybe if its chemical structure was attacked directly somehow...
"Bowie! Change of plans! Go grab one of the acid bolts!"
"Sir!" The archer peered over the wall with a second of hesitation, then let an arrow drop down. Using it to teleport, he grabbed a crossbow from one of the fallen dwarves.
"Eve, get away from it!" Melin shouted as Bowie fired the acid bolt at the choker.
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Post by HungryHunter on Feb 28, 2020 23:20:54 GMT
As those already in the tight tunnel faced the massive grue, Cherry’s skeletons ran past, firing into the darkness. Piercing bolts flew right between their bones without harm, and they seemed to chuckle as their guns rattled off into the darkness. The grue’s scream rose to a high, piercing wail when Elatha’s flames erupted across her body. Her light seared its flesh, making hair curl and smoulder all across its body. Lom lunged in with her, bathing the entire tunnel in blue, and their swords left blazing wounds across its body.
The grue shoved back into the corner, but there was no room to evade the light. It lashed out its head, but instead of stabbing directly with its beak, it flicked its head behind, trying to grab her shirt with its beak and throw her bodily down the tunnel, among the dwarves. One massive paw swung down at Lom, forcing her to retreat lest she be squashed. The grue galloped away, rushing out of the hallway, seeking the darkness of the clearing. All it found was Cherry. She screamed when it came into view, her green glow heightening. Deadening bolts were thrown at its back, necrotic damage barely noticed, but light putting smoking holes in its hide. It reached up to pluck her from the air like a pesky fly, but it had not noticed the tiny skeleton waddling below her feet.
It watched the enormous creature above attack its master and its eyes glowed. With a noise like the last air escaping a dying man’s lungs, twin beams of glacier blue light, punched through the grue’s chest and out its back. It stumbled back, rasping as blood splattered the floor, coming right from its lungs now. The choker did not seem to notice any of this, putting its attention towards Eve. Its slime pressed over her face, covering her nose and mouth. She struggled fruitlessly, its strength keeping her pinned. Then a crossbow bolt sank into its chest. It didn’t react for a second, not until its body began to cave in. Its body lurched forwards, top wobbling like unbalanced jello. Its open arm lashed out, trying to grab Bowie and slam him into the ground to stop him from continuing his attacks.
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Post by RedLenai on Feb 29, 2020 0:07:41 GMT
Elatha continued to increase the flames coming from her palms and almost reaching her shoulders. Anyone that had met Derek in the past would notice that his flames were nothing compared to the ones from his mother, and even the color was brighter. She threw one of her blades against the grue's body but it was a bit too late to notice its head was charging ready to attack her. Elatha moved as fast as she could to evade the beak but the only thing that got stuck was her long curly hair. She got lift in the air, there wasn't much time to think for a comeback, she had to run away as the dwarvs were too much for her alone- She regreted it so much, but with her remaining sword she cut her hair and with her free hand she threw a fireball before teleporting closer to Lom. Her curls were now uncontrolled, messy and her face couldn't hide the fact that she was disgusted with her sacrifice-look.
Tell me what to do now, I don't want to think about my hair... - She asked Lom with complete honesty
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Post by othus on Feb 29, 2020 0:18:53 GMT
Leor looked at the creature. it didn't look like it could feel pain, then again, people were making slow advances towards dealing with it, but with the ground littered with knocked out dwarves, their lives were definitely at risk. Leor picked one of the acid bolts, examining it while at the same time looking at the damage they had made.
"These things?"- He thought to himself as he began to pick them off the floor.
"S-sorry, I'm going to borrow these for a while, is that ok? yes?? no? I-I wont take long, I promise!"-He told an unconscious dwarf as he picked as many as he could. When Leor had right around ten he ran towards the jelly-like monster.
"I got this I got this! don't fire at me please!"- He told everyone on his team as he jumped towards the creature, looking to get engulfed entirely by it, but not whithout cracking open the acid tips first.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 6, 2020 17:40:02 GMT
A physical attack didn't seem to effective against the grue either, not just the slime. Spears couldn't complain though. All the people radiating light were doing quite well against it. So she did the one thing she could. She used the well-polished tip of her spear to reflect their light at the grue and do what little damage she could that way.
Meanwhile, Bowie saw the effect of the acid bolt and grabbed another. But crossbows were a nasty thing. They took a while to reload which left him open for the devourer to grab. It slammed him into the ground, making him drop his weapon. While he struggled to grab it, Leor ran past him. Bowie and Melin could only watch in stunned silence as Leor ran into the creature with the acid bolts. Only after the deed was done could Bowie gurgle out a weak "Stop, don't... You'll die..."
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 7, 2020 9:28:38 GMT
The grue was cringing away, trying to hide as light came from all angles. Loms attacks seared deadly holes across its hide, and spears did little to help, reflecting even more light across its hide. Onyx glanced back and saw it stumbling, but nobody moved to finish the job. When Elatha’s fireball lit up the hallway and sent dwarves tumbling, he had his chance. He pulled his arm back and with a mighty chuck, he threw his sword. Even with his prodigious strength, it shouldn’t have flown like it did, sailing in a perfect arc to the grue’s neck. While the grue’s neck was thin, it was unbelievably strong, tougher than steel cables. Onyx’s blade only bit halfway through, stopping in its spine. The grue stumbled for a moment until the sword ripped its way back out, spinning back into Onyx’s hand. Pieces of vertebrae and windpipe splattered the floor. The grue circled for a second, mindlessly chasing its tail until it collapsed, black blood darkening the ground around it, filling the craters of the earth with midnight.
The choker did not relinquish its grip on Eve or Bowie as Leor came running. It just kept mindlessly working at extinguishing the targets it already had instead of the one running right at it. Leor dove into the Choker unimpeded, sinking under its jellied surface without resistance. He slowed to a stop, white foam of the acid clouding up the goo around him. Within a second, it had begun to jolt and revulse away from the acid, but it was too late. The slime around Leor went first, losing its viscosity and becoming liquid, quickly running away from him. The rest of it collapsed quickly, releasing Eve and Bowie as what remained sluggishly crawled away, seeking shelter. Onyx glanced between the hallway and those still in the clearing. The dwarves had cleared out for now it seemed, and the people needed his attention.
He ran out, performing a quick triage. Cherry was just spooked. Eve seemed to be fine, the choker’s parts fleeing her body, one or two being chased by Becky for reasons unknown to Onyx. Bowie might have some broken bones after that slam. Leor, however, had just dove into a monster and blasted it point blank with acid. “Kid! Anybody here know a thing about medicine? We’ve got wounded.” Fucking hell. All the people he got and none of them were healers, as far as he knew. “I’ve been known to check out a body or two.” Huntsman chimed in, putting a hand on Onyx’s shoulder, quickly shrugged off.
“Also I literally pull people apart and eat them, so I know roughly where their organs should be.” He leered over everybody visible. “The necromancer’s a baby and should be sent home, the bow guy is broken and should be fed to me, Eve’s a bitch, and the redhead needs a checkup!” Huntsman sprang over Onyx before he could stop him, stooping over the poreal. “How’s the acid resistance holding up?” He checked for burns or other marks, among other things.
“That went well. You know what would have been great? Some goblin commandos. Could have got you those.” Red fingers ran along the scrying pool’s rim. No response came from the hunched figure on the throne behind him. “You wasted my grue and my choker with shoddy tactics. We didn’t need to fight that battle at all. The elemental will destroy the mountain anyway. Or did you just want to get at Drakenskal?” Now a great groan came, like stone scraping stone. “Hah! That’s it!” The hobgoblin turned from the pool, striding up the stairs to the throne.
Two dwarven guards put their halberds to his neck, stopping his ascent. “...look. I bear you no ill will. You are putting some hefty cash in my pockets. I want you to succeed as much as these guys.” He waved at the followers. Another groan rumbled from the throne, shaking the whole room. “Still personal… but strategic enough. How much leeway can I have on this?” A slight rumble this time, barely enough to be heard. “I can work with that.” His grin was vicious as he turned, drawing two glittering scimitars from the sheathes at his back.
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Post by RedLenai on Mar 7, 2020 18:26:44 GMT
Crap - Elatha sighed as she massaged the back of her neck that now was uncovered after she had to cut her own hair. She teleported where the rest was, to make sure everyone were fine... or maybe not. As she checked on them, the only one that seemed to need some help was Bowie. Well - She raised her voice - I know spells, how to use plants as medicine as well I had some edible healing marbles on my jack-- - She stopped when she saw that the kid she gave her jacket just got everything melted again. Well.. the jacket wasn't an issue. But a kid nude with a bunch of adults and... a weird creature like Huntsman didn't seem the best enviroment.She was going to let Bowie choose over what would be best for him, as well for anyone else that was wounded and didn't spoke yet. Going closer to the red-haired boy she, she tried to shush away the shapeshifter. Whatever his intention was it wasn't going to happen if she was there.
Ya' get yer' hands off of the kiddo, I had to listen to ya' in the damn tunnel I know yer' fishy - She said as she grabbed Leor by his shoulders to move him away from the other. Now what she needed to do was to find new clothes for the boy, she didn't thought the Jacket will melt away even if it could even tolerate her flames, but well, dwarf technology was something she never studied. However as she walked with the boy away from such a dangerous predator she glanced by accident, just to look away almost immediatly. She had both terrible and pleasant memories, the only thing she was thankful is that her son wasn't going to kill a girl in the bed just for having a ridiculous size like his father or this other kid.
Guys, we need to give him some clothes. Onyx, tell me there is like, no big as fuck wall or dome or whatever. I can teleport back to my nephew's apartment... take some clothes from my son and try to make sure it fits the kid over here... And some extra clothes for everyone just in case... please tell me I can... - She said completely embarrassed and trying to avoid eye contact with everybody, was it necessary? Dwarfs didn't do this to kill their enemies probably, they surely were nasty and perverted like Huntsman, she had no doubt of that. She wasn't even speaking with broken words, neither some slangs or whatever, she was speaking as if she was someone else, someone a bit more delicate than she seemed to be.
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Post by othus on Mar 8, 2020 2:40:37 GMT
As Huntsman arrived to check on Leor, he greeted him with a smile, a couple tears showing
"I-I'm perfectly fine my lord, not sad at all...not sad at all!"- He replied hiding his tears as he noticed his clothes were now gone.
Leor was now naked, but that in itself didn't bother him all that much, if anyone saw his back, they would see it was scarred beyond measure, if anyone saw his front, well...they would notice he was far beyond well endowed.
"Milady?"- he replied confused as she moved him away from huntsman
"I...thank you...even though i ruined your gift so quickly...I promise to take better care of it next time!" -He said as he leaned in and kissed her right below her ear, a Poreal way of expressing gratitude.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 9, 2020 21:16:42 GMT
Spears didn't feel like she was of much use in that fight. That was fine though. Her real specialty came after a fight. To Onyx's question, she replied, "I have nurse training. I can look over the wounded. You included, Mr. Onyx. Let's gather everyone in one place so I can perform a check-up."
Spears wasn't the only one who possessed medical knowledge though. That's what she thought for a second at least. Then Huntsman performed his "diagnosees". His mockery of proper medicine ticked her off greatly and she wouldn't let him go without a tongue lashing. "How dare you, sir. Mocking people who might require medical attention is horrendous. You insult medicine and everyone who practices it. And now you're pestering a patent who bravely stepped in to protect everyone here, getting hurt in the process. Apologize and stand over there," she pointed to the wall, "while I bandage everyone up."
Regardless of Huntsman's response, Spears pushed past the sickening shapeshifter to give Leor a checkup while Elatha comforted him. He didn't seem to have any damage from the fight, but his back was scarred past what one would expect from a warrior. Most of the scars looked like whip scars even. "Are you feeling okay, Mr. Leor? You don't seem to be wounded, but your scars seem to be plentiful. If you feel pain from them, you should receive treatment for that."
Leor's brave actions saved Bowie who'd merely ended up with a bruised arm and a broken rib thanks to the poreal. The blond not-queen showed some concern for him and was offering some healing when she got distracted by more pressing issues concerning Leor. Bowie couldn't blame her. The hero needed the attention and it wasn't like Bowie actually required the healing. Melin climbed down from the wall and knelt beside Bowie. He took the bow and extracted the soul, dematerializing Bowie's body. While that didn't instantly repair the damage Bowie took, the soul would repair itself far faster. He'll be good as new soon.
Melin stood up and stowed the bow away in his bag of holding. "I'll leave Spears out so she can patch everyone up." He respectfully avoided looking at the naked Leor. "In the meantime, perhaps we should discuss how to proceed? It seems we'll meet far more organized resistance than just terrified animals. Proceeding nonchalantly could spell disaster."
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 10, 2020 6:16:35 GMT
“Oh, calm your tits pikey. They’re all fine. More than fine in this chap’s case.” Huntsman delightedly eyed Leor’s body until he noticed his scars. The placement of them was unusual. Fighters got most of their scars on the fronts of their body, but he was nearly totally intact in front and a mess behind. He didn’t have the historical knowledge to put it together. “Well somebody likes it rough. You know, I can provide that.” He flicked a barbed tongue at Leor as Becky ceased her chase to peep around Spears. “Big.” Was all she said with an appreciative nod.
“Alright you heathens, get back to work!” Eve came stomping up, grabbing the two by their shoulders. “Huntsman, chase down what’s left of the choker. Spray its bits with acid until there’s no bits left. Becky, you’re on grease monkey duty with me. Move your asses or the lost spotlights are on your paychecks!” Becky and Huntsman instantly darted away and Eve turned to the poreal. “Just a word of advice, kid. You can say no. Any time you want. And when it’s somebody like Huntsman, you should probably say it right away all the time.” She patted his shoulder and walked past, looking up at Cherry.
“Hey! I got a job for you!” She yelled up. Cherry startled, then dropped down to her level, still wide-eyed and out of it. “Your skeletons. How smart are they? I saw they can use guns. If you raised the dwarves could they do that? Could they help set up more spotlights?” Eve didn’t touch Cherry. Her body language was more defensive than Leor’s, arms hugging her body. “I… no, they’re not that smart. And I’d need to make them skeletons to still use their crossbows, but it would take hours to macerate them…” She seemed to be thinking slowly. “Pff, try a few minutes. Huntsman! When you’re done with the choker, you can eat the dwarves, but don’t hurt the bones!” Eve called and Huntsman grew an arm to throw her a thumbs up while he spat acid over a little yellow lump. “Animate the skeletons and have them set up a perimeter. Report back to me when you’re done.” Eve waited for Cherry to signal that she got it and fly off to relax. Some people didn’t belong on a battlefield.
Back with the Poreal, the dwarves checked in on Leor. Onyx frowned and looked away, turning his back to Leor. “Humans are baffling.” He knew they had too little body hair, but that was absurd. And the junk… they weren’t all that big, were they? He had the irrational impulse to ask Lom as if she would know. Idiot. He was supposed to be working to save his mountain and he was comparing dicks with humans. “You can teleport out just fine. The trick is getting back. We should be shallow enough it’s fine, just make it quick. I’m giving us fifteen minutes to regroup before we go anywhere.” He sighed and rubbed his head. Lom, however, was humming to herself like nothing was wrong, barely even seeing to notice Leor.
“You’re taking this awfully well.” He grumbled. “Yeah, well… this isn’t that weird. I mean, that he’s a human is. But a few of the less integrated goblins in my village believe clothing is optional. I’ve seen it, is what I’m saying. Oh hey!” Lom darted off when she spotted Huntsman hunting down another choker chunk. “Lemmie have this one!” Pulling a glass jar from an unknown location, she let Huntsman chase it right in and sealed it up tight. The blob thrashed like a raging ocean for a few seconds before settling silently like an oversized lump of earwax at the bottom. A single eye opened up to stare listlessly at the lid.
“Oh, this is a beauty! You're gonna be so helpful later! Reminds me! Onyx, help me get the grue’s beak!” She darted over and Onyx shrugged, following. While she looked the beast’s massive head and thought carefully, Onyx casually hefted his blade. Two swings, even with his blade. Two and he cleaved the beak off, leaving it detached for Lom to scoop into her arms. “I bet my parents can make something truly amazing with this.” She admired the beak, every smooth surface and jagged point. Onyx didn’t get it, but he loved watching her gush about something. It was nice.
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Post by othus on Mar 10, 2020 7:27:29 GMT
"Scars? Oh, n-no, they don't hurt anymore..."- Leor replied at spears shyly as he tried looking at his back, why would someone even care about his condition? she was a strange individual.
Huntsman's comment made him slightly back away in fear, was he gonna hurt him now? why?! did he do something he shouldn't have?
"I don't like pain, my lord..."-Leor replied slightly trembling, Becky's comment just left him slightly confused as to what she was talking about. Fortunately, Eve gave him a break as she made both go away. Her words of advice were somewhat disturbing to the Poreal though. Even if Eve said it was okay to refuse, he was hard wired to do as told, not only that, but he feared punishment in return, most of them save for Spears and Elatha terrified him.
As his team began to interact with the bodies Leor finally noticed a lot of the dwarves weren't simply knocked out, he walked in shock towards the grue, they had killed it as well.
"This is wrong"-He said while doing his best not to cry, they were even tearing apart its body as he watched...Leor sat down on the floor.
*How would I even say no to people like them?*- He reflected on what eve had told him, their cruelty was just too scary for him to even say anything.
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Post by RedLenai on Mar 10, 2020 14:43:07 GMT
Elatha agreed with Spears. As they both checked on the Poreal, Elatha already knew from before he mentioned being a slave so those marks were probably caused by the abuse of authority of those who where his "owners". She was slowly attracting the boy to her body in an attempt of giving him confort with a hug, but immediatly snapped out of her trance when Onyx called her.
I won't take long, Beard-On! Maybe take a bath? - She joked before returning to the poreal who out of the blue gave her a kiss under her ear. Not having long hair to cover up and the sudden action made her body shiver generating light blue celtic tribal patterns from her face to her right arm. It immediatly dissappeared after a few seconds - D-Don't worry about the clothes, I-I'll make sure to use a spell so they can last longer
She then zapped, leaving nothing but blue lighting behind. As she promised, she returned rather quickly with some clothes that were delicately folded and gave it to everyone. The clothes were protected with magic that prevented them from melting away and even resist high temperatures, however when they were handed over to everyone their became pocket sized, for a better transport.
She moved towards Melin while she handed him some of the spare clothes - Are ya' sure Bowie will be fine? I can heal him with magic in nothin', I do it to myself all the time - She said, showing the burnt scar on her right arm, that one was the bigger, but if Melin paid attention he would notice there were tiny, some longer and other shorter scars as well, caused by years of fencing or "playing" with animals. But even if she was already talking to the animancer, her head turned when she felt the smell of milk becoming stronger. Letting a sigh escape she excused herself for a moment and went with the devastated poreal.
Leor, it would be best if you dress up, I don't know if poreals get sick, but it'll be better before we continue - She apporeached him, handing the boy some underwear, black pants, a shirt and even a pair of tennis. She spoked as soft as she could, she didn't want to make him feel worse than before. Glancing at the grue and the dwarves, she realized it, he was still young and the situation was overpowering him - I know you said you'd like no one to get hurt, back at Onyx's house... - She was having a hard time finding the right words, scratching her cheek - But... there are times you cannot control what happens... No one wants to die but.. ugh... Sometimes you don't have a choice - She sighed once again - I'll tell you a secret, okay? I... have to kill an angel, to take back my son, my Kingdom... - She showed the poreal the scar she had on her right arm, it still hurt, the burning sensation wasn't going to leave her alone for a long period of time - There is no other choice for me, as this angel wants to destroy everything... I'll fight to don't lose the only thing that I care about - She smiled at him, standing up to let the boy get dressed - You're a nice kid Leor, don't let the situation break your spirit
She returned with the rest, to finally assist Melin in case Bowie wanted to heal up. She thought about it, if she had raised Derek the talk wouldn't have been any different. Most of driaochtas, especially the ones that were in the militia, had this talk with their parents, superior, teachers and even colleagues. She wasn't sure if that would help Leor, or if it'll make him leave the place as Onyx told him before. Those that suffered were the ones that grieved the most for peace, she understood that. Sometimes you can prevent the bloodshed, sometimes not.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 12, 2020 18:36:10 GMT
"Well, since you seem alright, I'll go check up on the others," Spears said, patting Leor on the head. He was too cute for her to resist. But she couldn't devote all her attention to him, so she went over to Eve. Her and Onyx were the only two she knew for sure had to have been hurt, but the way Onyx was moving around it was more likely his wounds were very minor. Eve was dunked in the choker, however. Spears didn't believe Eve had the same level of resistance to whatever composed the creature as Leor did. Or the acid Leor used.
"Are you alright, Ms. Eve? I saw the choker consumed you and then Leor rushed in with the acid. Let me look you over for wounds." Spears instructed.
Meanwhile, Melin received the outfit Elatha teleported inside. They had a bit of a... Cool vibe to them. Too cool for him, in fact. But he wasn't going to complain. "Thank you," he said, putting the outfit in his bag. "I'll keep them in case I need them. But yes, I'm sure Bowie doesn't need healing. He's already dead after all. Healing ghosts usually has the opposite effect on them, no?"
While she went off to talk to Leor, Melin thought about the scars she had. Healed with her magic or not, she certainly had an interesting life. Full of adventuring, no doubt. She'd probably seen a lot of interesting places she could tell him about. But before that, there was a more pressing question he had for her when she came back. "Uh, do you mind if I ask you something? Why do you call Onyx Beard-on?"
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 13, 2020 6:49:47 GMT
“I don’t know what the thing was, but I think I’m fine. I didn’t feel any acid. Just… sticky.” Eve grimaced. She’d change into the clothes Elatha offered, but it wouldn’t matter. “It’s a fungus. We don’t see them very often. They’re from pretty far to the… uh, west, you guys call it?” Lom cocked her head. “South.” Onyx corrected. “Right, that. I don’t know much about it, but there’s a whole fungal kingdom under the tropics. You call the warm wet spots the tropics, yeah? That’s so crazy! The surface is weird! Anyway, it was just gonna suffocate you and feed on your rotting body over time.” Lom said without weight.
Onyx didn’t interject again, just watching everything around him. He was uncomfortable pausing even this long, even if there was good reason. He saw Huntsman knelt over his kin, lucking the last bits of flesh from their bones. Who were they? They weren’t armed like anybody in the surrounding mountains. Factionalists? One mentioned the true king, but he had no idea what that even meant. He barely held real power. Huntsman’s teeth tore open another throat while Cherry’s magic made his last victim clatter to life. They didn’t have time for interrogations, but he still very desperately wanted to know where they were from. He stood as Huntsman came plodding back, swollen to a hulking ogre tottering on four limbs, two hooked claws dragging on the ground.
“Done. You guys can go deeper. We’ve got the door.” Somehow his canine mouth produced normal human speech. “Good.” Onyx nodded, walking to an open space and turning to look at the whole group as Cherry floated back into view. “The tunnel before us leads deeper. Before I worried about the regular beasts of the dark, opportunistic monsters that would attack any traveller who passed by. Now we know that there is an opposing force under this mountain that desires to stop us for reasons unknown. We can expect further attacks, and likely more organized ones now that a few of them returned to warn the others. It’s all going to be more dangerous from here on out. If you want to return to the surface or remain here guarding the door, I do not blame you. Otherwise, we are going. Thank you for guarding the door, Eve.” “No problem. I won’t even take it out of your paycheck. Besides the equipment and travel costs, of course.” “Hm. Let’s go.”
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Post by othus on Mar 13, 2020 8:04:32 GMT
Leor took the clothes and dressed up, blushing up a bit when spears patted his head. that was such a strange sensation!
The young Poreal put on the shoes Ela had given him but did not tie up the laces. As he inspected all the new pieces of clothing he had gotten he smiled a little, he was quite happy, but he was still listening to what Ela was saying. Leor took a second to take in everything she said and finally replied at Ela.
"There is always a choice milady. I am not saying doing the right thing will turn things in your favor, but doing the right thing has nothing to do with personal gain. At least, that's what I think!"
Leor straightened himself and seemingly saluted, putting a fist on his chest
"So long as I breathe, I won't take a life. No matter what!"- He said as he proudly walked away while giving big clumsy steps due to the shoes.
As the Poreal rejoined the group, he did his best to ignore what huntsman and Cherry were doing, both were most definitely void of morals as he knew them, so it was best to avoid them at all cost. Huntsman particularly was terrifying in the way he ate the dwarves, so, when the opportunity arrived to part ways with him Leor immediately took it.
"I'll...head down as well my lord!" He said while looking away from the group. Thankfully, Shura's Ancient Gear was still in perfect condition after the fight, should he still wear it as a necklace? as much as it was sinful, it was best to keep it close!
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Post by RedLenai on Mar 13, 2020 13:03:19 GMT
Elatha thought carefully what Melin said, scratching the back of her neck felt strange now that her hair was short at that lenght - It may depend... grace could work, driaochtas have a part of their magic that has it. Mostly from our angelical ancestors so probably it could work, but if ya' know what it best for him I won't argue with ya'
As she watched Leor trying to walk with the shoes she chuckled a bit, she may need to help him specially to tie his shoelaces. She answered to Melin's question with a bright smile - Well, he has a Beard! Right? And his name is ON-yx - She said prideful as if that was the most originaly nickname for a person - I don't think he'll like bein' called after a flower ya' know? By the way! Yer' hair is as pretty as a Lunaria Flower! - She said before going to help the new improved Poreal.
As Onyx spoke, Elatha bent over to tie his shoelaces, not before catching his attention so the Poreal could learn how to do it in the future. But if he had trouble remembering it she won't hesitate to help him. Once she finished she glanced one more time at the boy - Hehe! I didn't pay enough attention at first! But you resemble a Camellia - She happily said.
All right, Beard-On! Let's go!! - She said with a lot of excitment, ready to break some bones! She was happy she hadn't to spend more time with Huntsman, the shapeshifter annoyed her enough to don't even want to meet him again.
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Post by TimePuppy on Mar 17, 2020 21:59:25 GMT
"Oh." Melin stared at Elatha when she explained the nickname. "That is true." He said, keeping his best pokerface to not show how silly the logic seemed to him. Luckily, she shifted the topic slightly. He looked at a strand of his hair. "Thank you. No one ever compared it to a flower, but I appreciate the compliment." Melin chose to stay silent about the intense process of grooming he undertook to leave the best first impression he could. Wait, did this mean she was going to call him Lunaria from now on?
Meanwhile, Spears listened to Eve's explanation of the choker's mechanics and Lom's nonchalant explanation of how they feed. "Alright. Then you've not been damaged on the outside. If you experience trouble breathing though, you should seek immediate medical attention. Breathing in foreign substances like living fungus can potentially lead to death if not treated. Now, for the last patient..." Spears turned toward Onyx, but Melin stopped her.
"He seems to be alright. We shouldn't waste too much time considering the scale of the danger we're working to stop," he said.
Spears was torn between the duty her soul felt and Melin's words. In the end her boss won out and she nodded. Melin separated the soul from the weapon and stowed both away. Walking up to Onyx, he said: "I decided I would assist you already. I'm following you down." He wasn't one to back out on his word. And besides, huntsman disturbed him more than the grue or the choker. The new shape it took was very unusual. Disturbing, even. He would be glad to get away from the creature.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 18, 2020 6:23:45 GMT
Onyx contained a groan of agony when Elatha explained her nickname for him. That’s what it was about? He resolved to keep tabs on her when they met up with Lom’s people, lest she say something stupid and offend them. The empty eyesockets of dwarves he had killed watched him pass as he led the group deeper into the tunnel. All available light sources turned on, making the hallways passable. Lom floated in the lead, a vibrant blue guiding light. She pointed out the correct path, dangerous spots, and, most importantly to her, landmarks. There was “Surgenvek”, where the goblin god Surg had licked a wall and left a purple streak. A little further were the Eddengedd carvings, depicting a long and rambling story with no beginning or end. And of course the horny cavern, with its many suggestive stalactites that bored goblins had carved to be even more suggestive. Lom wouldn’t stop nudging Onyx there, and he was glad when they left, for a moment, anyway. In front of them was an exceptionally tiny goblin. A child, it took Onyx a moment to recognize. Scrawny and naked, it was as unpleasant as any other goblin. Knobby-kneed, big-headed, arms too long and legs too short. He felt bad about his judgement as soon as he made it. This was a member of Lom’s people. She was half that… somehow. It took him another second to realize it wasn’t supposed to be here, but it was already screaming and running by the time he figured that out. “Lom, your village-” “Is still five tunnels down. Something’s up.” Onyx put a hand on his arm band, ready to summon his sword at any moment. Lom put a hand on his shoulder when a crowd of goblins and dwarves, bristling with spears, came stomping around the corner. They came to a confused stop when the saw Lom, huddling in a mass, points of their pikes just short of the group. Lom hopped forward, rattling something in kedked. A blue dwarf stepped from the group and they exchanged a quick conversation. Onyx couldn’t understand a word, but he could read Lom’s body language. Her usual bounce slowed as she listened, wings drooping. After a few more muttered exchanges, she turned to the group. “Everybody, this is my tribe. They were… I’ll explain it in a minute. I want to see my parents.” Lom flew ahead. “...fine.” Onyx waved her off. She knew the stakes. She’d make it quick. The army parted to let them through, looking curiously at everybody coming through. Onyx wondered if they had ever seen humans before from some of their faces. They cowered away from Cherry in particular, shivering at the aura of chill around her. “Don’t scare or antagonize our guests. Most of them don’t speak any surface languages, so don’t even try to talk to them.” Onyx was uncomfortable among the tribe. The goblins were bad enough. Heads in every shape, but always too big, snaggly teeth, enormous dark eyes and floppy ears, they were a menagerie of nightmares. He was more distressed, though, by the dwarves. They were as dressed-down as the goblins, most clad in little more than tattered loincloths and bright war paints, only a few in armor made from the skins of beasts. Worse, their beards were cropped short or shaved entirely. They were barely dwarves anymore. Or was he the strange one? After all, he was the outsider here. A suit and flowing beard were as alien to them as their garb was to him. If this was the norm for Lom, what did she see him him? Was he exotic? He supposed that part of her had appealed to him, so perhaps it worked the other way around too. It was with a grim scowl that he entered the main cavern. It was tight, maybe 40 by 70 feet, packed with small tents. The crying of children filled the air, and the smell of death with it. Onyx saw the dead lying in woven rafts that could not be set to sail. More joined them as a goblin shaman finished off the dying with a red crystal knife, absorbing their life force to give to those who were merely injured. Crossbow bolts could be seen in both the dead and the injured. He hesitated a moment looking at the blood running from goblin veins and sighed. “Melin. Can Spears help?” He asked as they came up to Lom. She waved and patted the ground for Onyx and the rest to sit. Onyx guessed the people in front of the tent were Lom’s parents. The goblin was blue and splotchy, head totally cylindrical, covered in wrinkled flesh. He tried to avoid looking at her bare chest. As petite as she was, it was still rather disconcerting to see how uncaring of modesty this entire tribe was. The dwarf was middle-aged, somewhere between 80 and 120. Red stubbled lined his jaw. Both had swords at their hips, similar to Lom’s in shape. “Onyx, these are my parents. Don’t worry, they know about you.” Lom explained quickly. They both stared at him awkwardly and sat down. “I’ll translate if you have any questions. My parents are artificers. They make the best goods in the tribe out of things I hunt. They don’t have access to their tools, but they managed to carry some of their stuff up. If anybody has a request, they’ll provide it for free. As for my tribe… we were attacked. By dwarves from below. They drove my people out with their weapons. They’ll have the town now. It… won’t be easy to take.” She pointed to some scratches in the stone. “This is our village. There’s a couple ways in, but they’re all risky. We can get into the trash chute from above, but there’s monsters in there. We could come over the river, but only if somebody knows how to get over the canyon it’s in. And lastly, there’s the main path in, but they’ll be defending that, and it’s made for people our height. The rest of you will be in trouble. I don’t know what to pick. But we need to take my village back! They can’t get away with this!” Lom yelled. “Calm down. We’ll get your village back. But it’s going to be hard. I would value your insight. Which paths do you think are best?” He turned to everybody else. “Perhaps we should split up…” He mumbled.
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Post by othus on Mar 18, 2020 7:40:26 GMT
"Um, What's a Camelia?"- Leor replied confused with a shy smile as he tilted his head to one side. He liked Ela, she was probably a kind woman, a little weird though, who would even want to talk to a Lower Poreal?
Leor looked around, the sight of pure misery was all too familiar, it would seem pain and suffering were the same on this planet as well. Leor composed himself as he tried to think of a way to help all those people, they certainly needed their homes back!
As the group sat down to think of a way to approach the village, Leor began to think of the path that had the least amount of resistance.
"I-I'll go down the canyon if Lord Drakenskal allows it, maybe someone else can come with me?"- He replied, knowing it was less likely for him to find a fight there.
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