Beneath the Shadows Prologue: With a Single Step

[Bluedoom]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4157553/

Rimsky felt searing pain on his other hand- thankfully the archer wasn't hitting his good hand, so he was still able to shoot fine. Still, the pain shot up his adrenaline levels- he was going to survive this no matter what. Maybe take out that unsuspecting guy who was wielding a lance.

Firing two arrows, one hit the bandit's vital spots- one hit the thigh, the other hit his arm. The bandit was very much weakened, and Rimsky beamed with pride as he saw the fruits of his archery training(even though he never had been in a real battle before).

Rimsky is at resolve, so 5HIT and 6MT at raw stats. 5HIT>4 EVD, 6-5= 1 MT at base.

Rimsky(5,1,1)- CRITICAL HIT! Damage- (1+1)*2= 4 damage

Rimsky(2,5,1)- Damage-(1+5)= 6 damage

Ruffian B- 2/12 HP

[Snike]

Having fallen back after the light mage bandit burnt his arm, Jacob finally ignored his pain and returned to the battle. With a single blow through the chest, the recruit dispatched the enemy's last unmounted archer, and hopefully helped Rimsky out a bit.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4157608/

6,3,4 = Hit!

6 + 3 = 9 points of damage! Bandit C is defeated!

Jacob gains 5 points.

Jacob 10/15

Bandit C 0/9

[Ether]

This was it, this was great! Blood pumping, Aina was ready for any foe, she could feel the dull ring of adrenaline as it rushed through her, exciting her! That was all that was passing through her head as she stalked towards where the fight had moved since her last kill, a grin on her face. They would pay for choosing this place, she decided, ignoring the painful throbbing in her head... it was probably just the blow she had taken...

As she hefted her sword and was about to charge, the woman stopped. Painful throbbing had ceded to intense burning, beneath the patch Aina wore... this was no adrenaline, this was...

"Grah... hah! Fuckin'... doctor." She cursed, clutching at the patch in a meaningless attempt to dull the pain. It took periodic maintenance to keep a certain iconic wound in check, and it would seem the last checkup had been done improperly by whatever town doctor she had gone to... hell if she could remember now. All that registered in her head was the searing pain in her ghost of an eye, and the warm blood that now trickled out from the patch from the infected socket.

"Damn it..." She growled... her medicine must have still been in the inn... her sword clattering to the ground beside her as she retched backward from the fighting. What a damn time for the festering in her wound to break through the alcohol and make itself known.

[Vestige]

He had blacked out for a amount of time that was unknown to him, but he felt the breathe of life once more. Looking up, he saw Sayina towering over him, healing him no doubt. He was thankful to the healer, and grateful to still be among the living. He was having difficulties standing however, and he was forced to use his sword as a makeshift cane, putting the full brunt of his weight upon the petite thing. He wasn't sure if he'd be of much use in his state, the best thing he could now do for his allies was survive.

[eclipse]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4157624/

Raelyn decided to go after one of the mounted units. It wasn't like these guys were any good, right? A swift knock to the head proved otherwise, and she went down like a sack of bricks.

Raelyn has been KO'd!

(OC: Bandit Rider C took 5 damage from that)

[Rothene]

Seeing Zeff fall, Caslan quickly sprang out of hiding, intent on riding in to rescue the guy or at least his body. The mercenary owed Caslan a favour in friendship for having him clean his coat, the elven mage was not intent on letting the guy die yet. Then Caslan saw Sayina beat him to Zeff and saved the guy.

Whoo, safe no...the mage's tohughts were interrupted as he heard a triumphant cry from a bandit nearby, and saw Raelyn fall like a sack of bricks. Anger welled up in Caslan again as he had yet gotten used to seeing comrades get strike down in battle. Summoning as much water from two barrels nearby, the elven mage wrapped the water around the riding bandit and slammed him hard against a wall leaving a few blood stains and sack of crushed bones.

Caslan then rode to Raelyn's position and dismounted, placing Joey between him, Raelyn and any other foes. He then ordered his mount "Joey, stay still!"\

Turning to Raelyn's prone form, Caslan did not notice any blood on her, but he decided to cradle her in an upright position and shake her lightly asking, "Hey, wake up, you'll be fine."

At least he thinks he detected a pulse on her.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4157659/ 5, 4, 2, 5, 4, 5

Hit!

8 + 4 - 2 = 10 damage!

Rider C KO!

Rider C 0/12

Caslan 12/12 +5Points

Caslan activates his last use of Stealth.

[eclipse]

Her head hurt. Her everything hurt. A voice called to her. She wanted to tell it to go away and leave her be, but it didn't want to leave her alone. This was too painful to be a hangover. She willed her eyes open, and saw someone over her. Her mind told her the voice was male, but refused to give her any more info. Her head hurt like crazy, but the pain meant that she was alive. The voice spoke again. This person wasn't an enemy.

"Dunno who you are, but the next one's on the house. Jus' tell 'em Raelyn sent ya," she mumbled. Her normally sharp memory was a mess. She'd need a few days to recover from this. "Sorry, but I can't do any more for ya. You're a real sweetie, y'know that?" she said with a weak smile.

[Toogee]

Chandra smiled as Erebus attempted to woo her in his condition, but then she grimaced as blood spluttered out of his mouth. It was both charming and disgusting at the same time. With a battle going on around them, this wasn't exactly a good time to explain the ring on her hand that he was currently holding.

"I think that's the blood loss talking," Chandra replied, rejecting his advances. That was when she felt her pain melt away amidst the healing light provided by Sayina. She nodded her thanks to the healer as she rose back on her feet.

"Hold on, Erebus," Chandra said. "I'm going help finish these guys off. We're almost done."

The dark mage walked back to the battlefield, eyeing a wounded ruffian. Two arrows were already embedded in his body; clearly he was suffering. And yet, the ruffian still posed a threat to the others. Chandra quickly approached him to end his pain. Once again, dark magic wrapped around her fingers, forming claws at the tips. Coming up from behind, Chandra grabbed his face with one hand and stabbed him with the other.

"Rest now," she whispered in his ear as the mage slowly let her victim fall to the ground.

Chandra vs. Ruffian B

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4157798/

[2,1,4]= Hit!

7mt-1res=6 damage

Chandra: 12/12

Ruffian B: -4/9

+5 points

Edited August 3, 2013 by Toogee

[Bluedoom]

Before Rimsky shot at the lance guy he noticed Zeff falling to the ground, unconscious. Rimsky was a little taken aback by that, since that guy seemed to have the most potential out of their lot. Either he was really unlucky, or he was all bark but no bite.

Luckily Sayina raised Zeff back to consciousness, which made RImsky feel more confident about their team's efforts.

What he didn't expect, after firing his shots, was Raelyn falling. She seemed to be self-assured, so Rimsky thought she'd know what she was doing, but apparently it wasn't the case this time. Gritting his teeth, he tried to remain calm and alert. Chandra had just slammed the bandit he had just shot with dark energy, and the bandit slumped to the ground. With only healer and the other mounted bandit left, Rimsky became cautious. He was already wounded; it was best he didn't let his guard down towards the end of this battle.

[Snike]

Enemy Phase
All that were left of the bandits was the healer and a lone lance wielder.

The rider figured he'd at least try and take another bloke down. So he aimed for the guy who killed his buddies the archer and his other rider. He hit, but didn't managed to eliminate the lance wielder.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4158650/
Hit!
-5 HP!
Jacob 5/15

His healer companion finally stopped his own bleeding, and so could only look on.

Bandit A 0/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (rip)
Bandit B 0/18 (Passive-Aggressive)(Aced)
--
Bandit C 0/9 (Aggressive) (Speared)
Bandit Rider A 0/12 (Aggressive) (Stuck)
--
Bandit Rider B 12/12 (Aggressive) (Lance)
Bandit Rider C 0/12(Aggressive) (Bow)
--
Ruffian A 0/15(Aggressive) (Rust)
Ruffian B 12/12 (Aggressive) (Earth)
--
Ruffian C 0/18 (Aggressive) (Ash)
Bandit Caster A 2/9(Aggressive) (N/A)
--
Bandit Caster B 0/9 (Aggressive) (Feathered)
--
Bandit Blaster A 0/9 (Aggressive) (Dirt)
Bandit Blaster B 0/9 (Aggressive) (Minced)
--
Christopher 0/18 (Erratic) (Quiver)

Other Phase

[scorri]

Sayina raced back to the fallen dark magic user he had left barely patched up. "Ok, let me help you now. I am sorry it took so long, but there is only so much I can do as one healer." Muttering spells under his breath, he placed his staff on the magic user's injuries. Once that was done, he let out a sigh. "Ok, next person."

Sayina heals Erebus

Erebus: 12/12

Bandit A 0/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (rip)

Bandit B 0/18 (Passive-Aggressive)(Aced)
--
Bandit C 0/9 (Aggressive) (Speared)
Bandit Rider A 0/12 (Aggressive) (Stuck)
--
Bandit Rider B 12/12 (Aggressive) (Lance)
Bandit Rider C 0/12(Aggressive) (Bow)
--
Ruffian A 0/15(Aggressive) (Rust)
Ruffian B 12/12 (Aggressive) (Earth)
--
Ruffian C 0/18 (Aggressive) (Ash)
Bandit Caster A 2/9(Aggressive) (N/A)
--
Bandit Caster B 0/9 (Aggressive) (Feathered)
--
Bandit Blaster A 0/9 (Aggressive) (Dirt)
Bandit Blaster B 0/9 (Aggressive) (Minced)
--
Christopher 0/18 (Erratic) (Quiver)

Aina 12/18
Caslan 12/12
Chandra 12/12
Erebus 12/12
Ernce 14/15
Jacob 5/15
Leon 12/12
Malachi 6/12
Mira 18/18
Raelyn 0/9
Rayil 9/12
Rimsky 5/15
Zeff 11/15
***
Sayina 10/18 (Erratic)

Player Phase #5

[Ether]

Stumbling her way over to Sayina, Aina made a grab at the elven man's leg before he rode off, her free hand still clutching at her eye, blood trickling down her face by this point.

"Sayina... I need, I need p-painkillers or somethin'." She asked, her voice having defaulted to a low growl.

[scorri]

Sayina frowned. Quickly muttering under his breath, he touched near the girl's eye. "That should take care of some of it. As for the rest..." He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small pellet. "Here, suck on this. That should take away most of the pain. It won't be perfect. Let me take a look at that eye later on, ok?"

[Ether]

Taking the medicine, Aina popped it into her mouth as instructed.

"Definitely... there ain't many of 'em left, so I'm gonna retreat." Aina told the healer, as she made her way back over to her dropped sword, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

[Rothene]

Alright, she's fine, thought Caslan. Spotting Sayina, the elf weaved a quick spell to cause some water to float before Sayina, then lead back to Caslan's position in order to draw the other elf's attention. There was a technique to store verbal messages into water orbs that would release it upon bursting, but Caslan was not proficient enough in such delicate spellcraft.

To make sure Sayina got the right idea, Caslan stuck his torso out and waved while mouthing silently, "Mercenary down."

[scorri]

Seeing the water bubbles floating near him, Sayina glanced around until he spied the water mage. Seeing the body in his arms, he cursed under his breath and urged Snowflake into a gallop towards him. Swinging down out of the saddle, he knelt down and quickly started to chant under his breath. Placing his staff on the wound, he watched as it slowly began to close up. Her breath evened out and he sighed. She was still unconscious, but she wouldn't die soon. "She will live. I do not know when she will wake up, but she will live."

[Eail]

As Erebus felt the healing light wash over his form, he couldn't say it helped all that much. He wasn't dying at this point, but with the arrow still sticking out of his shoulder he didn't dare use his left arm. There were only two enemies left, and he'd be damned if the only thing he contributed in this battle was getting shot.

Seeing Chandra back on her feet, and the technique she used brought back memories for the dark mage. Uncle had taught him a similar technique not long before his death. While Chandra's was more controlled, and almost like a scalpel, this version was a bit more... interesting. Focusing his built up reserves into his good arm, Erebus's right hand was was being covered in a dark shroud that looked positively demonic.... Uncle always did have a sense of style. Testing out his shrouded appendage, the dark mage knew exactly what to do with it, grin forming on his face as he pulled his hood back down.

Rushing forward at a speed that probably wasn't healthy for someone so injured, Erebus shoved his clawed hand straight through the chest of one of the remaining bandits. A crazed smile on his face, that only his victim would be able to see for the moment he still lived, as he ripped his arm out of the man's chest.

[spoiler= Roll]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4158702/

It's an outright kill

Bandit Caster A dead

[Oersted]

"Damnit!" Ernce swore in rage as he darted around the battlefield looking for bandits to kill. He wasn't angry about the lack of bandits to kill. He was upset that several of his allies had been downed and that he hadn't seen Mira for the entire battle; for all he knew she was off telling Andre or Adari his secret. Not to mention he had promised to watch her back and he couldn't very well do that if he couldn't find her. "Of all the times... to play hide 'n seek..." Ernce mumbled under his breath. He was actually getting physically tired from running around so much.

As he temporarily stopped to catch his breath he spotted one of his allies staggering about the battlefield without any clear direction in mind. He recognized him as the white-haired guy that had been talking with Mira and had been the first one to almost die. "That must've been the first time he saw someone die," Ernce mused, referring to how the shaman had killed the priest. Unfortunately Ernce realized he wasn't the only one who'd seen him; the last bandit, a rider, had seen the mercenary as well and deemed him fit to take to hell with him. Ernce had to buy his fellow merc some time at least.

Before the rider could complete his charge at Ernce's unexpecting comrade Ernce intercepted him with a stab to his side. The rider was gravely injured but somehow was still able to keep atop his horse and, as if stabbing his everyday food with a fork, pierced Ernce's shoulder with his lance. Had Ernce not swung his lance to redirect the rider's lance in time it would have instead impaled his upper torso and would've been a much more serious wound. Unfortunately it was his good shoulder that had been pierced and he could no longer stall the rider.

With a sneer the rider removed his lance and rode towards the dazed mercenary; clearly meaning to come back to finish Ernce after he'd killed him. "Get back here you bastard!" Ernce shouted in a mix of pain and fury at the charging rider as his lance dropped from his hand. He had to kneel onto his knees to keep himself upright. He hoped that the other mercenary heard his shout at least. If not, he was probably dead.

Ernce attacks Bandit Rider B http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4159098/ 4,6,1 4, 6, 5

6+4 = 10-5 = 5>0 Hit!

5+6-4 = 7 Damage dealt!

Bandit Rider B counters.

8+4 = 12-5 = 7>0 Hit!

5+6 = 11-4 = 7 [blocked] = 3

Ernce 11/15

Bandit Rider 5/12

+1 point

Edited August 3, 2013 by Oersted

[Psych]

ugh scorri's a nerd

leon heals zeff

[Vestige]

Zeff's eyes widened as he looked at the horrors that were happening in his proximity. Though he had wanted to be merciful to the healer and finish him in one clean shot, the practitioner of magic had not been so merciful. The method of killing was absolutely sickening to him. He wanted out, and he wanted out now. Picking himself up off his sword, he wanted to make a mad dash for any spot with clearance, but the earlier attack he had suffered had left him dazed and disoriented. He wasn't sure where he was going, and he didn't care, as long as he could escape.

The lack of vision however proved to be a detriment, and he soon found himself face to face with yet another enemy. He had been wounded, but Zeff was in no position to fight. "L-l-leave me alone! G-g-g-get away from me you bastard!" However, the bandit would have none of that. Zeff's fear was seeping from every pore in his body. It was apparent to anyone who could produce an inkling of thought that he would be an easy target, and an even easier kill. The bandit reared his arm up for a fatal stab with his lance. He would have given up, and he was seconds away from death, but as it were to happen with those who were at death's door, he was given a short chance to change his fate. Voices flooded his mind, and those that resonated the loudest were of his new comrades, and especially the one of the woman who had hired him. "Well, ya've got guts, if nothin else."

The adrenaline had been hard at work, and it was only now that he decided to kick it into high gear. "I'M NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!" With all the speed he could muster, he put his glove on and threw his arm out in defense. The spear had pierced through his metal glove, and subsequently his arm, but that didn't matter. He felt no pain. Grabbing a hold of the spear, he clumsily yanked it closer towards him, causing the stunned bandit to stumble forward. Mercy be damned, he was going to be the one to walk out of this fight. He moved forward as best as he could and pushed through the man's neck with his sword, holding himself there before falling over.

He started to cry.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4159104/

HIT: 6+5=11(Zeff) - 5(Rider) = Attack Land!
Damage: 5+4=9(Zeff) -4(Rider) = 5 Damage!

Zeff just manages to make it. Woo~
Bandit - DEAD.
+5 points

[Parrhesia]

Malachi panted, blood streaming from his shoulder. Breathing heavily, he pulled Zeff up from the ground. "C'mon, show some backbone," he muttered. "This... this'd be your first time, aye?"

[Snike]

As the last bandit fell, a silence began to fall over the village. The mercenaries had routed the bandits, for the time being. It was time for them to lick their wounds.

Victory!

Average: 7 + 5(solo Bonus) + 10(Objective) = 22

New starting points: 52

OOC: Any participant who earned less than 7 points in-combat is automatically bumped up to 7 points then given the bonuses. Anyone over keeps their excess points.

Jacob flinched as he shuffled over to Sayina. Burn aside, that last bandit had really done a number on his side, and it hurt just to move.

"D'you have a vuln to spare?" he asked the elven healer, breathing heavily. "Sort of got scraped up."

[eclipse]

Her head hurt. Raelyn's ears picked up the sound of. . .crying? She gingerly picked herself up off the ground, and winced. She'd have to take it easy for a few days. She slowly made her way over to the slumped-over swordsman and Malachi. It was the kid who'd been overly eager to join.

"Hey. Welcome to being a mercenary. When the fighting gets rough, it's their lives or yours. I'm glad that they're the ones that are dead. . .but if you think that this ain't your thing, I won't stop you." She stopped and bit her lip as the world began to tilt. "Maybe you'll make it big, maybe you'll end up dead like those bandits, or maybe you'll end up makin' a fool of yourself like I did earlier. You got the power of your own life in your hands, kid. I kinda want you to stick around, 'cause I wanna see what else you'll do with yourself." She turned to Malachi. "Some fool or other ran up to check on me in the middle of battle. Didja catch who? I know it wasn't you, 'cause you look like you have more sense than that." Her sense of balance could take no more. She sat down heavily, and cursed her own inattentiveness. She was lucky to escape with her life this time.

[Lyunn]

Having been separated from both Zeff and Ernce as the battle turned from bad to worse, Mira was careful to keep her distance fromn all the enemies, not too interested in fighting against an enemy she wasn't familiar with. Just as others distrusted her to be loyal to the group, Mira too wasn't convinced that someone wouldn't take the opportunity to knock her out. She wasn't wanted here, and she was well aware of it, and to be picked off by some 'stray' shot or swing was something she strongly prefered to avoid if possible.

Plus, there was something else she wanted to do. Weaving past enemies and allies alike. It was surprising to see that none of the bandit took to attacking her, the rare ocassions they'd started heading her way they'd either been swiftly picked off, or disrupted by another mercenary leaving her in the clear. She supposed she didn't look like much of a threat, and she wasn't attacking them, so the bandits had opted to deal with her later.

Checking the faces of several of the fallen, she doubted she'd find the face she was looking for amongst the bandits seeing as how the man she was looking for was more a thief. But the two occupations were interwoven closely enough for her to check nonetheless. Dealing a merciful blow to a bandit here and there, most, if not all the bandits she came across were either dead, or on the brink of it. The act of finishing someone off didn't bother her all that much. A bitter after taste, but she'd be losing no sleep over it tonight. She contemplated giving some of her own 'team mates' the same treatment, but the leader pointy was reviving them here, there and everywhere, so she figured it'd be best not to try anything too brash.

As the final bandit fell, Mira looked around, counting the number of people standing and confirming they hadn't lost anyone. There was one or two being carried around, and most were injured enough to not be completely in the clear, but they were still moving. More than what could be said for the guys lying on the floor. She was probably the only one who didn't have a single scratch on her, in fact she hadn't even broken a sweat yet.

Being yelled at was something she expected, but technically her only orders from Andre were to grab her weapon and be outside. She'd done that. And while she didn't really want to listen to Sayina, his orders too had been to head north and defend the village. The former she'd done, and the latter hadn't been in danger at any stage. Furthermore there hadn't even been any orders to engage as the battle had started with the bandits rushing them. Contract wise she hadn't taken a step out of line. And she'd done her part by finishing of three bandits... even if they were literally taking their last breath.

[Rothene]

Watching Zeff take down the last bandit, Caslan kept his tome in the folds of his clothing and turned to survey the positions of the other mercenaries. From his safe location, he had been able to survey that no one who fell had not gotten back up on their feet.

Just as he was about to bring Joey with him to the crowd, Joey refused to budge and instead nudged its head towards the water. Understanding what the horse wanted, Caslan casted a spell to draw the water he had blasted some enemies with into a spherical orb of water and carefully directed it to Joey to drink. He was spoiling the horse with constant supply of water free of impurities, but that was also why the horse never thought of leaving it's rider's side.

Squatting with his back leaning on one of the village house walls, Caslan continued watching the other mercenaries talk among themselves with a lazy expression while barely concentrating on the spell he had cast while Joey drank noisily.

***

Gulp, gulp, Joey drank the ball of water before him. The first time its elven rider has done something like this, Joey had been leery at it, unsure what to make of it. It took the elf's actions of drinking from it to convince Joey it was safe to drink from. And that was when it discovered how bland water truly was. Like, where was the salty taste in it? The crunchy flavour? This was boring, tasted boring, drinking water had never felt so boring. Not like it was any bit exciting to begin with, so, no loss there. But, to humour its rider, Joey accepted the gesture whenever Caslan performed his, in its mind petty trick.