Abysmal Souls Chapter 1: Soul Eater

[CT075]

"You say that like we've caused some grievance to you. Unless you just happen to be bloodthirsty enough that you're going to kill us all anyway."

Ormis hardly appreciated being threatened in the middle of the night, not in his current state of weakness. As much as he tried to hide it, he was trembling as he tried to hold his sword. If he had to give or block a moderately powerful blow, he'd be taken out in an instant.

"If this is in fact your house in which we've taken shelter, I apologize. But you're hardly in a position to be making demands at us. There's no way you could take us all on at once."

Edited April 11, 2011 by Camtech075

[Nanami Touko]

"Listen, lady, I don't want to blindly agree with you. Not really, but, I died earlier tonight, and I'd rather not die again. That, and I don't have a weapon on me to hand over to you. Fine with that?" Adrian rested his hands behind his head, leaning on the wall. "And, I don't really know why you're being so demanding of a group you've just come across, for no apparent reason." He tried to sound confident, doing a fairly good job. Of course, there was a very large sword extremely close to his face, so he was still wary. Ormis continued to strafe around the girl, probably having ignored Adrian's look, and that only annoyed Adrian more. "Listen, please, it's almost morning. Can't we all just... get some more sleep?" He rubbed one of his eyes whilst he spoke, and proceeded to yawn. "You three have fun, I'm going back to dreamland. Today's been too long..." And with that, Adrian rolled over and closed his eyes, trying to sleep amidst the chaos of them all.

[Kanami]

"Do we have any reason to comply?" Carrion questioned, acting awfully calm when she shouldn't have been. "You don't honestly expect anyone to listen to you when you charge in here with your weapon drawn do you? Handing our weapons over would just guarantee death" she looked at the woman closely "You don't look like some bandit, but who knows, those thugs come in all shapes and sizes these days." She noted the features on the womans face, definitely a Myan, though it was unusual for them to be traveling alone without a male counterpart or a child, so this one must be looking for a male.

"If you want to give birth, go ahead and sleep with any of these guys, I won't stop you" she said barely holding back a snigger.

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

'Your jibes would be amusing if you weren't coming off like a complete and utter asshole doing them. If that was your intention, much congratulations to you.'

With a quiet response to the sniggering red head and one that was filled with joyless weariness, she turned and calmly glared at the boy at the door, not really caring for anymore snide insults from someone who thought they were the toast of true wit.

'I apologise if I come across angry. To be honest, I am. I'm angry that I'm searching for someone no one seems to know, nor if they do, they refuse to say. Or I could say' now, her blade was slowly tapping the floor next to her, nerves and a slight anger issuing throughout her stance as her eyes began to narrow. 'That after being ambushed by one or two soldiers who wanted to 'break me in' for one reason or another, having to fight them off while trying to negotiate peacefully, trudging through then blood stained snow, then coming back here and wanting to lay down and finally, finally... this.' And quite calmer now, she slowly turned and began to walk, as if finally, everything around her felt... hazy.

'Go to sleep if you like. I'm not dealing with whiny children this night, especially not when I'm coming across as one myself.' And with that, she fell to the bed in the corner, firmly moving and stepping over Adrian aside, growling quietly to get off the floor and sleep with his wife, a quiet assumption that the redhead was his female friend or something similiar.

Edited April 12, 2011 by NagafenOfIvalice

[CT075]

"Tch..."

Ormis was too tired to really argue, and he needed to save strength for the raid tomorrow. Although, that was foolish, allowing someone to just barge in, potentially killing them all. If this woman could have done it, what was to say that the soldiers couldn't return and do the same?

"Well, if you guys are all going to sleep, I'll keep watch, I suppose. Because the last thing we need is some more soldiers coming in to try and break us in as well."

And with that, he sat against the wall, facing across the doorway so that he could rise and draw his sword at any provocation.

[Nanami Touko]

"Sounds like you've got a lot of problems on hand." Adrian said, keeping his eyes closed, as he lay against the wall. Just because you're mad doesn't mean you should get the right to shove us around and do whatever you want to, lady. As childish as we may be at the moment, you'll get nothing by acting the same. Adrian argued it over in his head, wanting not to start something more with this woman. Though, her growling about Riya being his wife set him off, as he sat up and glared at her with one open eye. "Excuse me? You think she's my WIFE?" He was more annoyed than surprised at this statement. He figured it was useless to argue it, since this girl seemed more stubborn than anything, and he could see the first signs of morning outside the door. Sleeping's pointless, now. He stretched and walked out the door.

"Geez, it really isn't that cold..." He said to himself, not as tired as he made himself seen in the shack. Having been brought back to life had actually restored his stamina, so, sleep wasn't much of an issue at the moment. The group that had been taken away was worrying him, though. Even with his new body, he didn't dare try anything on his own, though.

[Kanami]

"Better to be a whiny brat then a bloodthirsty whore" Carrion muttered as the woman tried to make herself comfortable, the fight in her eyes had clearly been snuffed out. Either way Carrions opinion of the woman fell drastically from it's already low position.

She's going to sleep in a room full of people she just threatened to kill?

Carrion looked over at Ormis who'd offered to keep watch, clearly even the bratty boy wasn't even that stupid. As his hands kept wandering towards his blade, and his eyes reflected awareness.

The remark about Adrian being her partner didn't bother her much though, in a sense they were partners now, and if you just looked at the part where they were going to spend the rest of their life together, it wasn't completely off. Though Carrion personally hoped she wouldn't be stuck with the boy forever, one meat shield was better then none, and it was more then likely that she'd encounter more trouble in the near future.

She was about to wander outside to get away from the boy who she'd fought, and the woman who'd threatened her, but when she saw Adrian head outside, she hesitated, and settled back down, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the other two conscious occupants. She'd been wandering where the Anri was the whole time, and somehow the overgrown lizard had managed to sleep through the whole thing.

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

Sleep is a blissful place for Obelia that holds no threats or sadness. She didn’t have nightmares all that often, despite everything. She just usually had one dream, so to enter sleep for her is like stepping into a warm bath, immersive and slightly tingly. This is why she didn't lean and stab the women who used that word, that specific word. But she did echo out to her with a quiet mumble before she slept..

'Your insults are as hollow as your head.'

And soon she drifted, quiet into the realms of dreams, nightmares and whatever else made up someone’s imagination. To dream of two people cradling her when she was tiny, instead of one. A simple dream but one that at least let her calm in her sleep. For a husband and wife, the red head and the grumpy boy made a pretty matching pair, an odd thought that emanated as her body began to heal up for now.

And maybe when she woke up, she'd apologise. Maybe.

[Nanami Touko]

He thought he saw Riya coming out after him, but, when he turned around she was still back in the shack. The sun had just started poking itself out over the mountains, and a few rays stuck Adrian's face. It was bright, but it was nice to see it after such a night, and it couldn't be more than four in the morning, by his reckoning. He thought about the woman's marriage comment once more. Riya's cute an' all, but I'd be worried about her trying to kill on a whim most of the time. I'd rather not be in a relationship with someone like that. He made himself chuckle, as he decided he wanted to test out this body of his.

He found the nearest tree, and took a deep breath. Alright, I've never been able to do this before, let's see if I can do it now. He looked up for the nearest branch, jumping for it, and getting a hand on it, finding himself able to pull his entire body up with his one arm. Not quickly, mind you, but, able after around ten seconds. Wow... That's really something. He sat on the branch, which was luckily thick enough to support his weight, and watched the sun come up. Maybe someone will come out, and I can have a nice conversation. It's been too long since I've had one.

[CT075]

Ormis jolted awake when the sun hit him in the face through a window, his hand flying to his sword. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, not with two people he didn't trust in the house with him. Getting up, he took a second to stretch, warming up his muscles for the exertion he'd probably be experiencing later. The boy looked around, noting that Scarlet was in the same spot where he'd last seen her, and Adrian was gone.

Don't tell me...

But the chef was simply outside, climbing a tree. Pausing to glance at the sky to see what time it was (it couldn't have been more than a few hours past midnight), he went outside, kind of bored.

"Hey, that's a nice trick. Did you spend a lot of time bulking up for that, or is it just some kind of side effect involved with coming back from the dead?"

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian looked down, surprised to see Ormis there. He thought that Ormis, of all people, would be resting, especially after how he'd dealt with those soldiers earlier. He must be doing something, I'm sure of it. No normal person could have THAT much energy. "That little fairy, Faye, told me that this body would be more powerful than my old one, and, it obviously is." Adrian talked about Faye like Ormis knew who he was talking about. "I haven't seen her since I got it back, though. I assume she's hiding back in the book, but..." by this point, Ormis was obviously giving Adrian a weird look. "Uh... You... don't think I'm crazy for talking about a little purple fairy that only I and, presumably, Carrion can see, right? I mean, she is real." Adrian scratched his head again, something of a habit or a nervous twitch for him. Yep, he'll think I'm a loony.

[CT075]

"...Faye?"

Adrian clearly knew something that Ormis didn't about the witch.

Little... fairy? In that book?

"That's... uh... well..."

The kid shrugged, fairly confused.

Not that I ever understood magic before...

"Oh well. Doesn't matter."

Ormis was about to climb the tree himself, but his knees buckled when he tried to pull himself up. He cursed, then tried to jump up. He fell flat on his back.

"Dammit..."

[roymbrog]

Susan woke up cold and sore from sleeping on the ground. She pulled the cloak around her again (it somehow became loose overnight) and tried to sleep. No use. All she could do was shiver and fidget. She opened her eyes and looked around to see that Grant was already awake. She sighed and sat up, stretching her arms.

"Uh... good morning. How long have you been up?" she asked, looking outside at the growing light. Didn't she ask them to wake her? "You have a plan yet? No, wait, are you even still planning on busting out?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Haha, having some trouble, Ormis?" Adrian couldn't believe that Ormis was tired enough to not be able to climb a little tree like this. He could only laugh at the futile attempt. "Listen, go get some rest. Carrion probably sapped a lot of your energy when she tried to save me." Speaking of, what's she doing out in Saph? There has to be a reason. She's not stupid enough to just go around setting people on fire for fun... right? Adrian hoped she had an ulterior motive, since he'd be stuck with her for a while now. he wanted his actions to be at least meaningful, rather than destroying his own country a little. "I'll keep watch, alright? I'd rather have you back to full if we have to fight later."

[CT075]

Ormis chuckled, still lying down.

"Eh, I guess you're right. Ugh..."

He rolled over, then used the tree to prop himself up.

"There's no way I'm gonna fall back asleep, if that's what you're suggesting, but I think I'll sit out here for a while. I don't really trust either of the women in there, so..."

He trailed off. Something about the current situation just felt kind of off, almost like a particularly vivid dream. The boy sighed, and leaned his head against the tree.

"So how are we gonna go get those other two back? We don't even know where they were taken, or why."

[ReformBlade]

Mornings were never fun for Grant, but he could deal. "I'm good, haven't been up too long, and yeah it's still on I suppose, but timing it will make or break it I say... That aside, how are you, all things considered?" He hoped she could pull her own weight once they busted out, but it wouldn't be the first time he'd have to pull more than his own load.

(Edit: I derped.)

Edited April 16, 2011 by SlaveBlade

[roymbrog]

Susan yawned and stood up, cracking her back. "I can fight, now that I have a weapon," she said, taking out her newly returned dagger. The gem's glow had gone dull since yesterday and she started recharging the handle. The enchanted weapon could give them an advantage, if she actually got it working properly. Satisfied with the bright yellow hue the handle regained, she hid it back in her coat. "If we're going to go through the trouble of breaking out, I need to get my tome. It's invaluable."

[ReformBlade]

"It looked pretty regular to me. Then again, most books just look like books to me. However, I take it from how you're reacting you can't just get a new one" He snapped his finger lightly, "Like that, right? Heirloom or something?" As much as he wanted to just get to safety somewhere, he didn't much like having to go out of his way to get some tome either. But forcing someone else to die for something they couldn't apparently live without, or so he interpreted, wouldn't sit well with him either. Fuck mornings...

[roymbrog]

She knew getting to safely was probably best, but now that a good night's sleep had dispelled her depression from the previous day, or at least enough that she could see the point of escaping, she felt she needed to retrieve all her belongings. "I'm not asking you to help me get it. That's too selfish. However, it would help us escape and defend ourselves later, in addition to it being, you know, important," she said. "It's a completely unique tome written by my mother. I guess you could call it an heirloom in the making...?"

[ReformBlade]

"What's so unique about it, if I may ask? Isn't it just an Ice Tome?" He supposed it looked kinda different in color, but other than that he was befuddled as to how it was unique. "I don't mean to offend, I'm just not a... magically inclined person, which I know comes as a huge surprise to you" He added sarcastically.

[roymbrog]

…Just an Ice Tome. Hadn’t he seen her using it earlier? “It’s not an Ice Tome,” she said a little more coldly than she intended. “It’s a water tome. In addition to attacking I can use it to heal wounds…” She stopped. She didn’t feel like explaining right now. Weren’t they supposed to be escaping? “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. We get a plan of escape, you run; I’ll get the tome and catch up later. Now, where the hell is Greg?” While it was still dark, and he could well be sitting in the shadows, she hadn’t seen or heard him since she woke. As much as she detested him he was still vital in pulling off any sort of break out.

[ReformBlade]

"A water tome?" He said in slight amazement. He figured the ice had just melted that fast upon contact with the fire, he didn't remember anything other than that off the top of his head either. "Interesting... but yeah, you have the right of it." He stood up and stretched as well, cracking his kneck while he was at it. "Breaking out would be the simplest part here, getting out with your book will be difficult as sin. But I think we can manage both. And..." He walked up to the entrance, looking outside and around as best he could. Seeing no one, he went on but still kept his voice quiet, "I think we can just go without him. With all the commotion we're about to cause, I think he'll wake up and know exactly what's going on, giving him a golden opportunity..."

[Nanami Touko]

"After what's happened recently, I don't see a reason to not trust Carrion, but... that other woman. Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't trust her." Adrian was biased towards Carrion, after speaking with Faye. She didn't seem like that terrible of a person, and he wanted to give her a chance. She'd saved his life; there was some good in her. Now, that swordswoman... I don't think I'm going to get along well with her. She'd probably as soon kill me as she would look at me. I bet the only reason she didn't earlier was because she was tired, or something.

"How? I was expecting you to have a plan, honestly. You're more for fighting than I am, Ormis." Though, as to where they were taken, that wouldn't be a problem. The snow had stopped, and the footprints from the soldiers would still be fresh in the snow. Following them back to wherever Susan and the emerald guy were being held would be simple. "Ormis, listen" Adrian said, jumping off of his branch, into the snow, "you think of a battle plan, for if we have to fight. I know how we'll find where they were taken. I don't think we need to worry about the why."

[CT075]

"Well, my battle plan would be to straight out bumrush wherever they're being kept, but we all know that's suicide. I mean, I'm all for elaborate plans and strategies, but in the end whatever I come up with would end in a straight out charge."

Ormis paused. He truly had no idea how well they'd fare against the fighting force of the most powerful nation on the continent, but he'd wager that they had a pretty good shot at success, assuming that Emerald and Susan had the brains to recognize a commotion when it happened. Then the lightbulb went off.

"Hm... assuming Emerald and Susan are still alive, flat out charging them would be the best solution. We create enough of a distraction for them to get out of wherever, and then we either run or beat the crap out of whoever's left."

Ormis grinned.

"Unless you want to try and be stealthy with a team of five people around what may as well be a heavily guarded prison fortress."

[ReformBlade]

Taking a step back from the entrance, he took a deep breath and looked over to Susan. "So..." he began quietly, "Do you want to do this, or do you want to see what fate has in store for us...?"