Jump to content

Abysmal Souls: Chapter 3 and 4 (surprise)


ReformBlade
 Share

Recommended Posts

Ken

"I-I don't know where she is! P-Please d-don't..."

The child seemed distressed, Ken quickly returned to his regular gentle self.

"I apologize, my child. I did not mean to scare you. My family have been serving her house for many generations, the thought of her attempting such a dangerous spell terrifies me. We all possess something called mana, some of us more than others. A spell that complex requires a vast pool of mana, normally only possessed by those gifted by the Goddess. I only pray that her devotion can pull her through."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 1.3k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

'Down the corridor, four doors to your right.'

The voice echoes from the doorway to Grant;s room and the dark haired woman with red eyes watches the now changed knight, the girl with him and the priest. Her eyes watch quietly and she explains only briefly.

'She is in a coma of sorts. If you wish to go offer her prayers, do so. I have done... all I can, I'd guess.' She sounds a bit odd in tone, almost empty of a specific emotion. She nods her head to the group and then, she's gone, out of doorway view and her footsteps heard on the stairs below her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Elune

With her crossbow in hand, it would be better for her to leave. Lazarynth was relatively nearby, and there she would be able to disguise her appearance again, hopefully.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"What? He didn't tell you?" There was a small look of surprise on her face, but ultimately she just sighed, cleared her throat and went on, "You know of that group of people who were going around, trying to imitate me, right? Well, turns out a few of them have been sighted. Whether it's actually just some thugs or it really is that cult, people are getting hurt and killed in my goddamn name here, and I'm not putting up with it." When she finished her reasoning, she pointed to Teis, "He's going for some personal reasons which I'm not really gonna pry into, and as far as I know, everyone else is just following..."

She felt odd. Most people would jump at the opportunity to try and kill her for fame and glory. Maybe being in Shuthra made her a less appealing target? She didn't know, but she liked not being hunted explicitly for once.

---

Seilynda hid behind the knight, apparently this new priest scaring her. Grant still felt bad about it, and yet... his stomach gurgled. "Uh, sir Ken? I really, really do not wish to be rude, but I haven't eaten anything at all today so I think I'd really like to get on that. Now that you know where Lucinda is, you can go see if you can help her, right? If you're still there when I'm done, we can talk further I guess..." He didn't want to be completely rude and shut the door on the guy, but he did have his hand on the handle, waiting for him to go away.

Edited by SlaveBlade
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ken

"Now that you know where Lucinda is, you can go see if you can help her, right?"

"Thank you for your help. I'll go see to her right away. May the Goddess be with you." he replied.

He hurried to the room, following the directions he had been given. He opened the door, there was no mistaken, it was her room. She lay there on the bed, he could barely feel her presence at all. She had most likely used all her mana and ended up in a trance. He had never been this close to her before, in the past he had only seen her during ceremonies. Not that he had any right to have done. He was merely a priest. He knelt beside her, with his hands clasped together.

"Please my Goddess, hear my prayer

Allow your child, and my master to follow your light

Guide her back to this world, lighting the way with your brilliance."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"You need some new material. Don't worry, we'll work on it. You'll be a full fledged clown in no time, and that ladle of yours will be the perfect prop!"

"And then we can shoot you out of a cannon, after you breath some fire at the audience. We'll be a smash hit! And we won't have to worry about you getting hurt from the cannon, because you'll just come back to life after!" He seriously contemplated doing that. They really could make a lot of money out of it, but he shook the idea out of his head. Of course, Carrion had to go and reveal herself to the entire group, which... well, Adrian froze and waited for someone to make a move. Luckily, no one did. Only the large man in the back did anything, which was laugh.

"Gotta say, I thought you'd be a bit more...sinister-looking."

This comment make him smirk, as he himself thought she would've been, as well. "What, you can't be powerful, without looking evil? I think she looks fine being as cute and tiny as she is." Adrian could joke all he wanted, but Carrion would definitely have the last laugh.

-----

Amera, finally paying attention to the conversation, needed to ask, "Well, wouldn't it make sense for me to jump in there first? I mean, I'm fast, and I can probably take a hit better than the lot of you." She boasted once again, not intending to offend anyone, but most likely coming off as such.

Edited by seph1212
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Yes, it's all fun and games being a tiny little thing against trained people." Adrian's joke struck the wrong cord with Carrion. She didn't like how useless she felt when she was out of mana, and it was mostly due to her size. She can't use a sword or a lance, definitely not an axe with her frame. Once she was spent, that was that. She went on towards the supposed sighting, the lake actually off in the distance. If one looked closely, there was some movement outside of an old home there, but Carrion couldn't really tell who or possibly what was going on down there. "Amera, if you want to go in first that's your business. Just keep in mind that we won't be able to back you up if you're by yourself like that. I'll try, but I make no guarantees. Also, we dont' even know who we're actually going for, so do NOT just go in like that, now that I think about it..."

---

Grant turned around clunkily to face Seilynda, giving what he hoped was a warm smile. "Are you hungry now?" He went over to the small table and began eating the table itself bits of everything she brought up. He could eat the world right now he was so empty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Ah... Sorry." He kinda felt bad, now. Sure she was cute and tiny, but, with how her life was, being tiny wasn't something that would help. It was obvious that the comment made her upset, though. She had been smiling the moment before. He ran up next to her, wondering what he could say. "Uh... I didn't know that would make you that upset. I could teach you how to fight with a sword, if you want. Your body size would work well with one. Better than a lance or an axe." He didn't really know if that was what upset her, but, he figured her talking about trained fighters had something to do with using weapons, and he'd never seen her use one.

-----

"O-Oh, alright. I can wait." She was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't be able to rush in and help, but it made sense. After all, there was no point in her rushing in and killing some random person, or getting a large ball of fire thrown at her face. The last part of Carrion's comment made her wonder for a moment. "You know, we didn't really get much information from that priest other than they were situated on the lake. Maybe it's not even this lake?"

Edited by seph1212
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Danyon

"You know, we didn't really get much information from that priest other than they were situated on the lake. Maybe it's not even this lake?"

When Danyon heard this, he rudely interrupted, knowing this Anri girl was wrong. "There are two main lakes in this land, and the other is situated in the main area of Astarte. There are several other smaller ones, of course, but they aren't even significant enough to be put on the map. The next nearest lake from here is at Ayreh, and that doesn't make sense - It has to be this one here." He couldn't get ready to go. He had a gut feeling whatever the group was looking for was there.

Elune

Lazarynth is over the hill, and while there's a damn lot of shit there, it shouldn't be too bad. Elune decided that she'd go over nearer to the lake, to at least go the somewhat scenic route.

As she went over the hills, she saw smoke rising and heard the clanging of metal against each other. She smelt the air, and the smoke was unnaturally... stronger.

What in hell...? She dismounted her horse and looked towards the battle scene, and saw sorcerers dressed in red and black, as well as two groups of mercenaries, fighting it out. Some of them were also dressed in red and black attires. Those who weren't were dying quickly.

Danyon

He saw the smoke rising from near the lake. It was probably whatever the group was chasing, he figured. "Come on, we gotta go!" He rode ahead on his horse, not letting the rest catch up to him. If anything, he could draw whatever it was out, or at least come back to say what they were up against.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gideon yawned as he watched the banter between Carrion and her boyfriend. Less than tactful, wasn't he? But it didn't keep his attention for long. By the time he smelt the smoke, their resident horseman was already riding ahead. "Never a dull moment..." he grumbled as he picked up his pace, trying to catch up. Though he got ahead of the rest of the group, it was futile for him to be running after a horse, and he knew it. "We going or what?" he called over his shoulder at the rest of them. If they didn't charge now...

He shouldered the axe Teis had given him and ran faster after the horseman. Showtime...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"There are two main lakes in this land, and the other is situated in the main area of Astarte. There are several other smaller ones, of course, but they aren't even significant enough to be put on the map. The next nearest lake from here is at Ayreh, and that doesn't make sense - It has to be this one here."

"Ah-- well, geez." Amera didn't really appreciate her question being so rudely answer by the man, but before she could smack him for it, he was already off on his horse. "Hey! get back here, you!" She got down on all fours and chased after him, not keeping up with the horse, of course, but shooting past the tall man who had already started running. "Hurry up!" she blared at him, as she went by.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gideon hated running. Especially when he was carrying heavy stuff. It didn't help that an Anri just shot past him, making him feel slow. "So help me..." he grumbled as he tried to pick up his pace a bit. It wasn't terribly effective. With his luck, he'd be out of breath when he got there...why couldn't Carrion just teleport them or something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'"When we get time, sure. However, you don't have a sword and I'd need something much lighter than what you're probably thinking." She got the scent of fire and smoke in her nostrils as she inhaled deeply. "OK, they've got the right of it, let's make haste here, and you, Adrian, just stay close, alright? We'll sort out any problems afterward about weaponry." She went into a run to try and catch up to the new axe man, her thirst for a good scrap finally being quenched. She gathered up mana in her hands as she went, hoping to make this quick.

Meanwhile, the mercenaries seemed to have gotten much less than what the bargained for, most of them burnt corpses by now, a dozen robed figures strewn about standing over them, making sure their targets were dead by means of stabbing or crushing the skull. They were brutal and had a certain zeal for violence and mayhem. Most turned their heads at the newcomers coming at them head on. Many scoffed but one among them, a man with a more ornate style to his robes stepped forward and launched a small ball of fire at the fast approaching horseman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Danyon

The fireball was approaching him, probably unavoidable now. There was only one way to prevent himself from taking too much damage, so he took it.

He quickly dismounted and ran, letting his horse take the hit for him. As he ran, he searched his main bag for his bow. He couldn't fight as well without a horse, and maybe this would let him practice some archery skills.

Elune

She could make out members of the group whom had defeated her earlier. The armoured knight, the young amateur, and several others she didn't know. In any case, their opposition was tough, but if she turned on her former captors she'd be dead anyway.

She loaded a bolt, made sure her knife was within reach, and made her way down the mountain side. When she was within range of the first mercenaries, she aimed and fired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When he got to the battlefield, Gideon saw a charred horse and a dismounted knight with a bow. That Anri was nowhere in sight. His chest tightened a bit - maybe charging in was a bad idea. There was a hooded man throwing fireballs, probably their leader, but he seemed occupied with the other man, so Gideon focused on the rest of them.

A few cultists approached him, brandishing swords and creepy grins. Judging by their stances, they weren't untrained, but they weren't particularly strong either. Gideon grinned and brandished his lighter axe in his left hand, taking a step back. They were about fifty paces away. He took his heavier axe from his back with his right hand and held it at his side. Forty paces. There seemed to be four of them focused on him, and of those three had swords. The fourth had a particularly nasty-looking mace, whose head was covered in fresh blood. Thirty paces.

Gideon lifted his left arm above him, using the weight of his heavier axe to counterbalance, and swung in a wide arc from left to right, letting go of the light axe just before he finished the motion. The axe spun with a series of heavy whooshing noises towards the rightmost cultist, and connected with his face, knocking him to the ground with a satisfying crunch. The cultist dropped his sword and writhed for a moment before falling limp, the ground next to his face steadily turning crimson. The other three stopped at twenty-five paces, clearly a bit shaken by this display, but then they charged him, weapons above their heads.

Taking his axe in both hands, Gideon brought it in front of him, ready to retaliate. I'll get out of this with two cuts, he thought to himself, smirking. Just two. Reinforcements would be nice, but he could take a gaggle of crazy cultists with swords...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Adrian wasn't about to charge in fists flying, he was far too small to do that. Though, something scared him about Carrion. She seemed extremely eager to have this battle, and he didn't know if it was because they'd been impersonating her, or for some other reason. Nevertheless, he made sure to keep up with her pace. The least he could do would be jump in front of her and take a blow, if needed.

-----

"Aaaaaaallllright!" Amera yelled, as one of the men wielding a club came at her. He swung quicker than expected, as her arm came up to block it. The resounding noise was extremely unpleasant, but it was better her arm than her face, the latter of which grimaced in pain. But rather than sit there and give him an opening, she quickly grabbed the man's wrist, and sharply twisted it. He shrieked, the club fell, and Amera sprang up, he foot flying up into his chin. He flew back, and wasn't going to be getting up soon. Her arm, though, was a bit worse for ware, and another two men were already coming in her direction. Just gonna have to deal with this...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'Ah.... it's quite a day.'

She speaks these words, drawing back the dark hood across her hair and brown, messy hair let down. She grins up through spectacles at the sky and the sun burning overhead. And with the burning sun in the sky, she can only feel a slight happiness that the day is drawing on. The clouds grow and recede with the passing of time and for now, Carrie feels at peace. She glances downward and just ahead, her feet tired though not entirely blistered. Not entirely. Her shoes, worn leather brown, feel a bit ripped and the soles torn up and her yawn echoes as she has tried to walk overnight here. Surprisingly, it's taken a bit longer then she though to reach Lazarnyth. But she's here, she thinks with a grin. And maybe now, she'll find a good place to stay.

Edited by NagafenOfIvalice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Danyon

He managed to fire off one arrow before retreating even further. He'd be able to get them from a distance hopefully. When he felt safe, he looked for where his arrows were.

He counted only 5. I'm fucking screwed, aren't I?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Aaaaaaallllright!" Wait. Gideon knew that voice. In his periphery he saw the Anri from before. Her arm seemed a bit messed up, but other than that she was probably okay. Once he was done here, he'd have to get to her, just to have a bit of insurance...

In that moment of distraction, one cultist swung at his head. Instinctively he ducked, sending his right elbow into the man's gut, then knocking him prone with a shoulder to the jaw. From there, he swung his axe at full force down onto the second cultist's shoulder, evoking an unpleasant howl of pain from him as he fell to the ground. Gideon quickly pulled his axe from the man's shoulder, turning just in time to narrowly dodge a square hit from the last cultist's mace. The swing still nicked him, causing him to wince as blood dripped down the side of his head. It would get in his eye if he didn't cover that wound fast...With a roar he lunged at the cultist, headbutting him square in the nose and following through with an axe-blade to the ribs. There was another crunch as the man's ribs shattered under the force of the blow, and he quickly began to cough up blood, his expression a horrified one as he sank to his knees, clutching his chest.

Gideon wiped the blood from his forehead and took a deep breath, walking towards his lighter axe and stomping the first man's head into the ground as he passed. Had to be sure he was dead, after all. He quickly broke into a run when he remembered that the Anri was still fighting. As he grabbed his axe, he made a wide turn and dashed at the men going after her, one weapon in each hand as he went. They were too close to her for him to be able to throw, so he would just have to lunge...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amera decided that using her hands on these two would be a bad idea, seeing as she really only had one. The other was broken and disjointed from that club hit. She could fix the disjoint, but the break would take a while to heal itself, and time she did not have. She also noticed the large man from before barreling in on the two men. She could run and let him handle them... or have some fun instead! She ran at one of the men, the one with another club, as a sword would be too dangerous if it connected. Within five feet of him, she jumped, the expression of enjoyment on the man's face instantly changing to confusion. "Haaaaaaaaa!" Amera's knee struck down into his face with a sickening crunch. He fell over and twitched, and she rolled a bit, being unable to stop herself with one arm. "Haa... haa... Damn..." She was already out of breath, her arm probably bleeding internally, as the remaining man, pulled a three sixty and walked over to her tired form. "Awwwww, poor girl! Can't handle yourself against a few good men?!" He made the motion to chop off her head, and all she could do was cringe and hope he somehow missed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ormis

"Whoooooo-hooooooooo!"

Ormis charged straight into the knot of men wielding various weapons, all bigger than him. However, Ormis never really thought of that as a disadvantage. He was fairly quick, and his small size didn't help his opponents' accuracy much. Darting in between enemies, he mostly made glancing blows on a few men at a time, then dodging away so they would hit each other. A simple strategy, though he picked up several wounds himself. His sword arm hurt after a while, legs had various cuts and scrapes, nothing major.

Then a huge impact hit his side, knocking him sprawling. Ugh... My sword arm is completely numb, and I think my other arm is broken...

He got up, still hanging onto his sword, and faced his opponent. It was...

"Remember me, runt?"

It was the same man who had broken his first sword two years ago, before his parents died. The man who had gotten Ormis his job at the guild.

Teis

Teis rushed the group with a roar. Each swing of his axe brought down another man, and it was only when a huge man wielding a club almost as long as Teis was tall smashed his chest-plate in did he falter.

Dammit... Gonna have to replace that sooner or later.

This time being slightly more wary, he walked in, making sure to hold the flat side of his axe to take the brunt of another blow. A few minutes later, he found himself next to the large man, the man who'd named himself Gideon. Before he could say anything, though, Gideon dashed away, to go help out the Anri girl.

No point in throwing... just gonna rush them, hm?

The momentary distraction was all it took for another man, backed by three others, to nail the side of his head. Ears ringing, he brought his other arm up to ward off a blow, then drove it into his enemy's ribs, breaking a few of them. Teis kicked him out of the way, then faced them, both hands on his axe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'HAAAAHHHHH!'

It's a theatric's shout and from what her father has taught her, her blade raised and her florm charging from nearby forest. Following on ahead, she's watched the group as she had began to think of the wolf man of her fathers stories, but large groups heading on ahead with such a look to them of battle-readiness, it is intriguing to say the least. Plus, the girl, Amera. To see her go off and die before her suspicions are confirmed would suck. Simply put and yet no less meaning in those words. So she'd walked on ahead and kept herself watching them, silent as she strayed lightly between trees and kept a cats eye on them. Her mother had shown her enough woods, her father a good enough natural tracker. So she tracks them to the lake. To the group they throw them selves at and she goes silent, seeing the colours and the rumours of the Crimson Witch’s Cult. It doesn't add up entirely, why they're here, or the reason at all.

So at the attack, she stays wary, stupefied silently at the fire thrown and the bloodied battle that begins to unfold. Death comes and she silently watches, just a bit sick from watching, even from a distance, the administration of death. So she runs as finally, she can hear the calls of men, not the good ones, in happiness as they try to inflict death on others. Langley runs straight into the fray.

'COME AT ME, CADS!'

Though not with the best repertoire of words.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn my speed...Gideon forced his legs to carry him faster than they usually did, driven by the fact that she seemed to be losing. Once she hit the ground, he dropped his heavier axe to hasten himself further. "Awwwww, poor girl! Can't handle yourself against a few good men?!" the cultist cried as he raised his arm, presumably to take the Anri's head off. Luckily, Gideon was in range at this point.

He drew back and tossed his axe in front of him, losing his running momentum for a moment as the axe sailed through the air - and into the cultist's skull. The force of the throw knocked him to the side, and his arm came down just above the Anri's head, his sword taking some of her hair instead of her life. As the cultist rolled on the ground clutching at his head and screaming, Gideon drove his boot into the man's stomach and pulled his axe out, shouldering it. He spat on the bleeding man and scowled. "Mind your flank," he growled as he rolled the man over and walked to pick up his other axe.

By now, the wound on his forehead was starting to get to him, and he swayed a bit as he picked the rusty weapon up. "You okay?" he asked the Anri, his eyes glazed over with delirium. This was a pain in the ass...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The swish of the blade was almost too much for Amera to handle as she literally felt it cutting off hair. She screamed, expecting the blade to cut straight through her neck within seconds. She'd heard a woman scream before hand, wondering what that was about, though... Wait... wait, I'm still thinking... and, my head's still here...? Wha... She quickly glanced up. The tall man from before had saved her, in the nick of time, it seemed. She then glanced behind her, the woman from the inn standing a few feet away from a nearby wood. A small group of men had broken off from the main mercenaries to attack her. Amera would have to thank them both, but for now, she had to get a grip. If she let herself get into a situation like this again, the man who saved might not be able to do it twice. "I... I'm fine. Thanks, really. You... saved my life." She spoke as she stood, making sure there were no other mercs close by. They luckily seemed preoccupied with the rest of their group, if only for the moment. She then noticed the blood beginning to poor out of his head. "Never mind me, what about you?! Your head's bleeding!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Father. Mother. Forgive me for what I'm about to do.

'Let's dance, boys.'

Her words are spoken through a grin and with the three, the first a leering, gaunt figure in a slipped back hood, revealing pale, watery eyes and tiny indigo irises, he raises his sword as his other two companions dart around her, to surround her. And it works to an extant. The second twirls past his companion, bulky and grinning as he takes a light pole-axe, twisting it in his hands to suddenly thrusting it at her midriff, hoping to pierce her stomach. She winces as with her sudden swing, darting forward so her feet are spread apart, her body twists slightly and her sword, two hands holding the handle, literally crashes against the gaunt ones blade, her stomach cut by the pole-axe. Yet the gaunt man blinks, confusion reigns as he jumps, his sword clattered as he didn't quite expect the strength coming from her. An overestimation on his part.

She chuckles though. The third man didn't quite make it to starting position. Because as his rather thin figure tried to dart around, sword raised with a snarl of malice across his features, her tail had slipped around, suddenly tugging around his ankles and she had winced again, a snarl of her own as he'd tried, vainly, to cut her tail, a gash across it's side resulting from this wild flailing, yet his form, followed with a cry, slumped back and rolling across the floor. As she'd stepped back and held her arm up, taking a cut with a guttural wince across the arm by the pole-axe man, his own grin growing with each cut... ugh.. a sadist I see.. and taking her blade in one hand, she raises her shoulder, letting his next manic stab rebound, with a small flinch at the re-verb and his slow roar of anger that no blood is drawn, as his weapon only grazes the pauldron on her shoulder.

The one trying to get up, she kicks as she dives back, her boots sole meeting his testicles and making his eyes water, panting as her tail slips from him. She watches the gaunt man clamber for his sword and then she grins, a slow call to him as his eyes widen, bulging like a goldfish, then narrow..

'Come on, wretch, you think the blade makes the skill all by itself? Give it a good swing, come on..' He glares.. anger flickers across him and she smiles. His swing comes and she takes it. One stab to her side, standing still as the pole-axeman thinks they have her, even with their comrade whining at his balls, as his pole-axe draws her blood and embeds her side. But her pain, the white hot pain of the wound, doesn't matter. Because as he swings the sword, she grins. And falls backwards.

The pole-axeman blinks.. a confusion.. yet.. he cries out, suddenly tugged, his pride for his weapon not meaning he lets go.. so he trips, the swing of the sword using gaunt man meaning his over swing takes him forward, wobbling.. tripping.. both of them, over the whining body of their third man, both crying out as she dives her hands, growling as she grips their clothes collars, tugs with all her might, ignoring the smell of her own blood. And tosses them with all her strength, both crying and screaming as their bodies are tossed back and their hands land with resounding thuds against the mud..

She pants.. pants hard.. and delivers a swift kick to the groaning man in front of her, to his stomach to hush him, yet shakes, bleeding and trying to sit up, a small coughing smile..

Better then I'd.. hoped.

Edited by NagafenOfIvalice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...