Xinnidy Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 "Huh... well, okay. Thank you." Magic sounded progressively more handy as it was explained to Üllr, who sat and nodded as Koba shower the tome. "Do you have to read it?" Further piqued by the concept, Üllr relaxed and leaned against the wagon as wind started flowing. "Ah... nice." It was really welcome at that point, to stave off the warmth. "Did not know, magic could do that..." For all it was worth, he only knew the combat and hyperspecific uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 Tio kept her own poise as neutral as was possible. This was a little bit of a tenser situation than she had been expecting. "Aha... So you're one of the Gaffney, it's very nice to meet you, though I wish it was under less concerning circumstances." Suddenly, Kazran's show of force--outside of the obvious control of a trade route and river--made sense. A clouded warlord was an affront to a number of Islexians; more than easy to drum up support with his followers, and other Islexians. Disputes like this one were common in Islexia, though, rarely between the larger warlords. They were in a constant state of jockeying for position, but the recent years saw the Belrose come to dominate Islexia with the other large warlords joining with them to cement their own power, effectively creating their own council of sorts. This didn't stop the larger warlords from crushing the smaller ones, and taking them over. Tio frowned as Cassandra launched into an explanation of how volatile their presence made things. Tio pondered for a moment, before deciding to stride over to the clouded woman. "Hold it, what are you doing, Evoker?" Kieran spoke up, ignoring what Cassandra said about him. If he let anything have to Cass on his watch, he'd have to explain to Owen. "I need to inform her a bit of the reality of this situation. Unfortunately, I can't just air it out in front of all of you." Tio first stopped a bit of a distance from Cass, "Firstly, you can be sure that I am completely aware of how gung-ho the Belrose are about taking any opportunity to strike at Glacies. Elisa and I are already devising ways to keep out of sight, such as..." Tio waved her hand out wide, glittering with magical energy, before she vanished. "Huh???" Nita's mouth fell, head looking all around, "Wh-where did she...?" "I'm still here, of course," Tio reappeared in a flash of light, "But I can use my magic in a limited fashion to render ourselves unseen. We already intended on disguises, so you can be sure that we're taking this absolutely seriously." Tio then leaned up to Cassandra's ear, "And between you and I for the moment, considering what our mission is... there's a fairly strong chance that the Belrose have already cast the first stone. We just want to make sure that it ends with that stone." Tio pulled herself back, and fixed her hair, "Otherwise, of course we agree to your request." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 "Hhh..." Tio's little trick was certainly impressive. For a mage to do that, she had to be excessively powerful. Someone no one in Islexia-- not in this region, should be fucking with. The tip off about the Belrose family would better suit Owen, so Cass would make sure that he heard it, no matter what. "Well... If you're going to agree to all things otherwise, I don't have a reason to force the issue, not right now. You can discuss exact details with Owen when we reach Eslcas. For now, let's get you all resting so we can travel early tomorrow... Maybe you and your wife can show me some more of your tricks in private." Cass couldn't help herself, smirking and walking past her. "Alright! Let's go. Come on, all you Iron Tigers..." Cass started walking off towards the village, not waiting for anyone else. Alvira slowly let go of Tasha and watched her leave, tilting her head slightly. "What a hurricane of a woman... I guess we get nice beds today, at least... Just gotta ignore all the stares from the locals, I suppose..." Alvira sighed and turned towards the wagons. She had to make sure everyone was aware, and things weren't laid about, if they were going to move again. "Hope the beds are good, at least..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted June 26, 2023 Share Posted June 26, 2023 (edited) "Mmm, for some people this would probably be harder, but I've always specialized in smaller magics. I'm not especially strong when it comes to combat magics, but my control over fine tuned uses is where I can show off." Koba sighed, letting the magical wind pick up in strength slightly, increasing the cooling as he peaked out the front of the wagon. "Honestly, I should have been doing this sooner, but I, uh... Lets say I have a hard time meeting new people. At least I can do this now. Though, looks like I might not have the chance to do it for much longer. The group seems to be getting ready to move. We have some visitors, friendly it seems, but it's got everyone all gathered up." He frowned slightly, staring at the newcomers. Islexians. Sure, one was Clouded, but that didn't mean he trusted the group. He was going to have to keep an eye out tonight, that much was clear. Good thing I'm used to not a lot of sleep... Cin sighed, trying to not get too caught up in the memories of what had happened with the Crows. Turning away from Syndra, he watched as the group was approached by Renais, Miria, and some newcomers, including what seemed to be a shark clouded, who seemed to be in charge. That's rare for Islexia... "Well, at least all the information came out before it caused problems. It was good talking to you, Syndra. Lets hope all this worry doesn't culminate in anything, yes?" He inclined his head slightly, and then walked over to his audience, gesturing over to the newcomers as he did. "Looks like we've found our contacts. Hopefully it means we can keep moving soon." He shook his head, reaching out and grabbing Siorel's hand as he looked them over. "The less time we have to spend in this country the better. It has me all antsy, like I'm about to catch someone constantly watching me from just out of the corner of my eye. I'll be glad when this is all over, not that it will be over any time soon..." Edited June 27, 2023 by scorri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted June 27, 2023 Author Share Posted June 27, 2023 With current plans forming, and the arrival of Cassandra Gaffney, one half of the Tiger's current employers, the growing mercenary unit was afforded a roof over their heads, and a bed for the evening. The 'inn' was more makeshift than had been expected; Sipa was out of the way thanks to the more traveled highway and so, it had fallen a bit into destitution. Add in the fact that the area had been impressed upon by Kazran's constant infractions, and the place could be said to be struggling. They still made do turning what had been a small military garrison back from the monarchy era into both a storage, and resting place maintained by the city guard and those who saw fit to help out. It was certainly better than being in the outdoors, but not by much. Eslcas would be much more welcoming in that regard. The clouded and monsters were informed that it was probably best for them to remain inside, and not venture the streets of Sipa; even if Owen was in control of the area, the anti clouded and monster sentiment remained rooted. It was a solemn reminder that from here, things only got more perilous for those with monster blood. Kieran, and Nita escorted Cass elsewhere, and left the Tigers to their own devices. Tomorrow they would return, and they would make the trek towards Eslcas. Night fell like any other had in Islexia; the Tigers preparing themselves for the inevitability of conflict with Kazran. Once he was dealt with, their trek through Islexia would become that much easier. Just one more evening before they begin their newest mission... Except, that mission would be waiting longer than an evening. A shadow long over due had crept up on the sleeping Tiger; one of revenge, and intrigue. A group of cloaked figures, perhaps twenty strong approached the quiet building from all directions. Only one man remained distinct; a tanned, white haired man who wore the same cloak as the others, but chose to keep his hood down. He scanned the building, and looked high into the sky. The bright moon above them almost in position, almost time to strike. He turned to the nearest man to him, "Krauser. Have you and the others ascertained where all of our targets are? I'd like to make this as quick as possible; the longer we remain, the longer the fools will have time to organize and try to mount resistance." The figure removed his hood to reveal a man with his an eye closed shut, and a deep gash across it. His fair, almost pale skin didn't match, the gruff nature of his size, and voice, "Mmm. One in each building. Belrose in the right building, center room. The dragon's in the north, right room. Then the..." The man paused for a second, "The pink one's in the left building. The Evokers also are in the top building, closest to the pink girl." "...Perfect. If our intelligence is correct, the Evokers will be slow to respond, and if necessary, we can make that even slower. You hear that, Cyro? You'll be handling the capture of the dragon, so you'll be in the center building. Krauser, I wouldn't deprive you of getting to see your old friend so you will handle the Belrose. I will be capturing the Rhapsodia. In the event that the situation turns sour, divert all resources to capturing the Belrose. The others would be scrumptious specimens to work with, but the Belrose gives us a much stronger foothold in Islexia, and the Maestra will not have us falter there." He looked up to the sky again, gauging the movement of the shimmering celestial body above. "It appears that it is almost time. Take whatever you need of the people present. Anyone who gets in your way can be viewed as collateral." "Hold on, Luthier." The white haired man stopped, "Yes, Krauser?" The man smiled at Luthier, "Could I... kill Nyxied? If she gets in my way?" Luthier paused a moment, and then smiled back, "To be frank, Krauser. I think you'll want to see what happens to her when her past comes back to haunt her in a way she hadn't expected. I think you'll get much more fun out of it! But, if not, the next time you see her, you'll be allowed to do as you please! It's the least you deserve for what she did to you. Now... go and get in position. The fun is about to begin~" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 Marigold yawned-- out of boredom. She'd been kept up by her lack of a need to sleep and idle thoughts about the upcoming endeavour. Plus, thoughts about Kieran, Cassandra, Nita... The whole group, really. "This is gonna be a huge mess... But it's the mess we wanted, this whole time. Take out Kazran, stop this part of Islexia from being the mess that it is... Start stopping it, anyway... Ahhhn, mannnnn..." She stretched and yawned again, legs dangling idly over the edge of the tree she'd climbed herself into. It gave her a good vantage point, and to her credit, she was watching the annex. She wanted to make sure nothing went wrong, so even if she didn't have the best eyes, she'd keep them open all night. "Hope we can just leave for Eslcas in the morning, no issues..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 Gean sat at the barely hobbled together object that was a desk in the inn room. Due to the nature of things she and Mikoto had spent most of the day inside, which didn't bother her, it was another barrier from the heat. Switching to a more nocturnal schedule meant she was awake completely at this point, opting to write in her journal while the night passed on. This wasn't how I expected our reunion to go, and I'm not sure what to say to you yet. From this journey alone I have many questions, though I fear you will not answer them... The mermaid wrote some more words to this letter before staying her hand, stuck in how to proceed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted June 27, 2023 Author Share Posted June 27, 2023 (edited) The encroaching shadow split into three groups--the same number of targets. Luthier, and his group had moved off to the west. Krauser gathered his group, and moved to the east, facing beaming as a long, awaited reunion was close at hand. He couldn't think about much more than that; after years of believing her dead--his revenge taken from him--she turns up in the middle of a mission. It was a stroke of luck that Galari herself would have prized. He found a hand on his shoulder. "Hmm. What?" One of the figures following him sighed. Krauser was rarely like this. The man might have been slow at times, but there was a refined nature to his mission sense. Generally. "Hold up." One of the cloaked figures raised a hand as they started to get set, the moon approaching the agreed upon point. They pointed up into the tree. "Someone's up there. Damn poor job of trying to hide. Unlucky too. One of you, go and make some noise. You're with me. We'll subdue them the moment they come to investigate. Boss said lethal blows if they get in the way." A smaller cloaked figure nodded, and headed off into some bushes, and began rustling them. "Let's go. The others are already moving to their spots, we can't be late with this." Marigold's attention was suddenly pulled away from the annex to the sound of rustling bushes. She turned her head and looked down, squinting into the darkness, sighing hard. "Alright, alright..." With a lazy flop, she fell from the tree onto all fours, taking a second to pick herself up and brush off her hands. "Who's out here making trouble? Come to scare ol' Marigold? Eh? Come on out." She idly unclipped her axe from her belt and spun it around a bit, yawning once more. Silence from the bush at Marigold's call, but then almost as quickly as she'd stepped into view, there were quick footsteps towards her. No loud shout, just movement, and suddenly steel coming straight towards Marigold's throat. Another swing came towards the woman's axe as she unclipped it. "Huh--" The blade cut across the back of her throat, nearly taking her head off, her limbs tensing and then going limp and she fell to the ground, without the chance to retaliate as the second swing took her hand. Well, this is lovely! She silently sighed, obviously unable to draw breath, mind racing for a solution to this... At least they didn't take off my head entirely, but I'll still have to wait a good five or ten before things close up... Ahhhh, what the fuck, man? She sighed again. One of the cloaked figured clicked their tongues as their strike had been intended to completely sever the woman's head, but he'd been off a fair bit. Somehow, it felt easier than it should have been, but that made things more frustrating. He went to check on his kill, but felt a hand on his shoulder. "What's the point of checking? You nearly took their head off... no one's breathing after that." They looked up at the sky. "The others are going to be waiting for the signal... You know that the Reaper's gonna kill us if we fuck this mission up, so let's get a move on." The other figure poked at Marigold's head with his foot before nodding, "You've got a point. Let's go. We need to be prepared to open an escape route for him with the Belrose..." The two assailants ran over to one of the doors of the complex, and began setting themselves up, checking the doors, and waiting for the signal. Idiots... Who's coming after us, anyway? Not the village. None of those people would get the jump on me like this... Then... Kazran? No... He prefers the frontal approach. Shows of power. Unless... They're not here for Cass. They're here for-- Ah, fuck, Reaper. Of course! Dammit! Heal you useless body! HEAL! The hand still attached twitched ever so slightly, her neck fixing itself, but the wound was deep and with things barely attached, it would take time for things to reconnect on their own. The one time I wish this worked faster... Tio looked over the notes that she had been making regarding Versaris's request as the wire was placed very neatly on her desk. She made sure never to handle it physically; the magic interwoven into the instrument would affect her quite drastically, and she was intent on never finding out just how much. She yawned before frowning, normally being up this late was a pastime not anything difficult. This had been the first evening since their bout with Mercuria since she'd made an effort to get back into her routine. She looked over at Elisa, normally she'd be up along with her, and then would simply wake in the morning to do her exercise, but she was fast asleep. Elisa was certainly improving but the amount of strain that it had placed on them was frightening. Tio looked down at her hand gently tugging her dress as she looked on before sighing and returning to her work. Another yawn escaped her lips, "Mmm... This is so very frustrating..." Luthier and his group arrived at their first door. The complex was an old, and fairly poorly designed garrison. Too many doors, and vantage points, and not particularly great defensive value in the building's placement. "Secure this route of escape. No matter how quickly we move, they will try to fight back." Krauser was likely already at his position and brimming with excitement at being so close to revenge. Yet, if he went full bore on it now, the chance that the Belrose was harmed was high. Krauser was best defined as a beast, a man who had two halves. One an easily distracted fool, and the other, a man who's instinct was to fight, and to kill. Effective when it came down it, but a liability if allowed to run wild in a scenario like this. "You three remain here. The rest of you will secure the courtyard; if any of the mercenaries try to interfere you cut them down. I will move alone to secure the western target. Move when Cyro's unit gives the signal." With that the man's white hair billowed behind him as he made his way into the courtyard towards the building's main opening. Edited June 27, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 (edited) Cyro lead his men towards the right side of the top-most building, their footsteps quiet and unassuming. He was tasked with the dragon, likely resting with the group's defacto leader. She was a formidable Clouded, to be sure, but his magic would handle her, and the dragon would fight back to no avail. Gently resting against the door to their room, Cyro pressed an ear up on it, the quiet sounds of breathing echoing in the chamber. Still asleep. Good. With quick motions, he bent over and stuffed two pins into the door's lock, the quiet clack of it unlocking following shortly. He glanced back at his men, two of them covering an exit, the other two backing him up. The dragon would need to be carried, after all. Alright... He placed two fingers in his mouth and quickly blew a small whistle into the night air... Mikoto was idly reading as Renais slept and Aegean wrote, slowly drifting her gaze to the mermaid. She picked herself up and sauntered over, draping her arms around Gean. "Honey... I know you've been sleeping during the day to avoid the heat, but perhaps you should try and sleep now, especially since we have a proper bed? It'd be good for you, y'know..." The fox pouted ever so slightly, giving Gean something of a squeeze-- "Mm?" Her ear twitched, gaze turning towards the window of their room. "Was that a whistle...?" ... How very concerning... Gotta save her. Save yourself. Kill them. Kill HIM. KILL KILL KILL-- Iris shot awake. Something had whistled. Something was wrong. The adrenaline coursing through her tipped her mind off to the chance that something was going wrong... She'd been very paranoid for the past while of travel. The voice inside her made so much sense, but then Aly told her to ignore it, leaving her at a crossroads. Still, that was neither here nor there. She crawled up into Ullr's side of the bed, shaking him gently, "Ullr! Ullr, wake up! Something is wrong! Something bad!" Edited June 27, 2023 by Nanami Touko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 Koba had snuck out of his room, and up onto the roof once he realized who he was rooming with. He'd already been in an anxious enough state, he didn't need to add sleeping in the same room as one of the Hecatian military to that. He had brought a pillow and blanket, wrapping himself up in a cranny of the roof, hoping to get a decent night's sleep. His wish was not to be, as he was suddenly awoken by a low faint whistle. He kept low, slowly rolling towards the edge, peering over at the scene below. The courtyard was full of cloaked figures, led by a man with white hair. He shrunk down, every instinct in his body yelling at him to hide, to stay away. As he began to shrink away, Tio's voice echoed in his head, reminding him that she had brought him along because she thought he would be useful, reminding him that he needed to grow to help his family. He took a deep breath, pulling out his tome. Quietly whispering the spell, he formed a compressed ball of wind in his hand. He gave a quick flick of his wrist and it went flying at the window nearest where he remembered Tio and Elisa heading to their room. The ball expanded as it slammed into the window, the quiet of the night broken by the sound of a shattering window. He quickly tried to duck back out of sight, hoping his stunt would both wake people up but not draw too much attention his way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted June 27, 2023 Author Share Posted June 27, 2023 "Hmm, hmm, hmm... Ah, Cyro is always wonderfully on time. Such a wonderful man... Time for the party to begin~" With the whistle blown, the force began to swarm. The four remaining doors to buildings were forced open, and small groups of cloaked figured moved inside. Luthier himself did as he said, and glided his way down to the door where the Rhapsodia was to be waiting. Three signatures inside, and one was positively malevolent. "My... I see what you're so afraid of, my dear Cyro. How unfortunate for her that you've warned me~" The man pulled a staff from his pocket, and waved it in front of the door as two of the cloaked figures ran past. "Deal with the Evokers. Make sure that they don't interfere. After that, help the other secure the targets. I won't need you here." They nodded, and continued down the hallway as the door clicked open. Then he heard a window near to them crash. Someone else? Interesting... I must not have been paying as much attention as I should have... No matter. They'll not get the chance to strike. In the eastern building, silence was not at all the name of the game. On the whistle a man charged from the main door into the door immediately in front of it, forcing the door open without fanfare. The man grinned as he stepped inside, looking now at the blue haired woman jolted awake. "Belrose. Which means... Yes... It is you." His grin widened even more as his eyes fell on Nyxied. His former friend. His former boss. The one who betrayed him and left him for dead. He turned his eyes back to Syndra, manical glee etched onto his face. "You're mine." Tio heard a whistle, and then... suddenly noises from all over outside. "What in the..." Tio stood up from her chair, when she heard footsteps rapidly approaching their room. "There's no way..." Then as if to compound the suddenly flurry of events, Tio heard the window outside crash. "Elisa! Wake, something wro--" Tio opened the door midsentence, and saw two figures running directly towards them. One looked up and said something, and the other threw something in Tio's direction. One of them raised their hand, and Tio read a spell being cast, a fire spell, Tio quickly went to cast... before realizing what was being thrown. Wait... Oh shit! The spell was cast, and Tio began shutting her door again, but was too slow. The vial burst upon getting hit with the fire spell, both exploding and then bursting into a thick smoke. Tio found herself hit with the door as the force pushed it back into her knocking her down. "Damn it!" Tio immediately canceled her spell as the smoke wafted into their room. Tio could feel the magical energy from the smoke; it wasn't immediately dangerous, but as long it was there, trying to cast magic would activate the spell inside, and detonate. "Who... in Islexia would...?" She didn't hear the assailants outside leave, which meant that they were likely hanging outside. At any other time, dealing with such a simple trick would have been so easy, but she wasn't sure she could defuse the smoke, and protect herself and Elisa if they realized that she could defuse it. Did they know that Elisa and I were...? Who the hell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy12510 Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 Shit. Shit shit shit shit. Syndra was forced awake by the brute opening the door to the room she and Nyxied were in. With how bold an entrance he made it was clear he wasn't alone. The fact he said her last name aloud meant only one thing; whoever he was with, they were there for her. How'd I end up so careless... Syndra just shook her head, as dire as the situation was she did know one thing; these thugs needed her alive to get any sort of non-eternal reward, and as long as that was true, there was a way to make sure as few people got hurt as possible. "Damn it... fine then." Eyeing him up, the man looked overly enthused to be here, so this was more than just a job, it was personal somehow. This must be one of Nyxied's companions from her time in the underground. Syndra climbed over her partner still on the bed, making contact in an attempt to wake her up without saying as such, and said. "If you're here for me then let's get going. I know when I'm outmatched." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 It was a long day for Renais, the tiredness hung over her like a cloud and she fell into a deep slumber. The kind that would take a charming prince or princess to wake her up...or a shattered window. "!" As deep a sleeper as Renais was she still picked up on that with her strong hearing. The pinkette sat up quick, dressed in a simple white shirt and dark shorts. "Gean? Mikoto?" She whispered out as she took a nearby staff in her hand. "...are you both al-" She stopped herself as she heard some loud footsteps before the door. Her red eyes traced over, and her grip tensed up over her staff handle. "..." Renais looked worried, but not nearly as much as she could have been if Mikoto and Gean weren't here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Gean leaned back as Mikoto urged her to bed. "Sorry Miko, but I just wanted to get these words on paper since we're supposed to run into my uncle soon." In the case that Jeremiah wouldn't speak to her on everything, she still wanted to try in one way or the other. "I'll wrap up soo-" Mikoto turned her head towards the window. "Something the matter?" The rest of the group should have been sleeping. Suddenly there was a crash of a window. Gean started to stand up, only for a loud boom to fire off. "Uh, I don't think we're alone ladies." Gean tensed up, a bad feeling about everything creeping up her spine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Miria's sleep was light. There was already the whistle. Well, that was weird... She thought she could sleep it off, but then there was the sound of a window breaking. That shot the girl immediately from her position. Then there was an explosion. Miria slipped into her boots, and picked up her weapon belt. She wiped her eyes, trying to wake herself up. Soon after, she focused, and there was a flash, and she was in her armor. She armed a sword, and carefully pushed her door open. From her view, there were... it looked like figures up and around the inn. It was too dark, she couldn't get a good idea on how many their were. It was then she noticed a figure who went to one of the rooms down from her. Isn't that the trio's room? Miria wasn't sure what was going on, but she approached the person, sword drawn, maintaining her fear. "What do you think you're doing?" Was all she asked, barely feet away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 The sudden crashing of glass, footsteps, the muffled sound of some sort of ignition. Mikoto picked herself up from Aegean, almost moving towards the door, before freezing in place. This is not something to take idly. I can feel that. Who IS that? No, no, this is bad! With the Evokers as tired as they are... "Renais, Gean, get up, and get behind me. Don't leave out the windows; there are likely others cutting off the exits and while I know you're strong Gean, if they came prepared, a few pure weapons will make short work of you." Her tails flared and she produced her tome, magic encircling her, baring her teeth towards the door, hoping they'd sense her pressure and get scared off-- professional or not, she wasn't to be trifled with-- And there she was. Voice ringing out into the night. Poor, sweet Miria. Mikoto's grimace faded into panic as she dropped her guard and her magic, rushing to the door and opening it in the hopes of being able to save her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakezuGD Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Though Cass's pushiness had been a bit of a bother, Tasha had managed to finish her work at the inn with some difficulty, and went to sleep after a meal and some quality time with her girlfriend, as usual. Little did she know that she'd have more reason to be pissed off than probably ever before in just a few hours. While the initial sounds only got an uncomfortable stir from the tiger, the sharp noise of a breaking window made her ears twitch and jolted her awake, grabbing the revolver next to their bed in a flash and quickly scanning the room to see that it wasn't their window, her focus shifting to the door to their room. Her aim held steady, her free hand slid over to the dragon sleeping next to her, maybe not even needing to considering how close together they had to be with a single bed like this, and all the noise that had already happened. "Vira, wake up! Something's going on!" She had to hope that a loud whisper wasn't loud enough to alert whoever might have been listening in... Elisa was totally lights out while Tio still worried and researched into the night, but even if the shattered window and shout weren't enough to wake her, the smoke now in their room definitely was, coughing as she slid from the bed to the floor, shambling over to the window to their room to get it open. She was too disoriented to realize this wasn't ordinary smoke, but thankfully she at least knew better than to create fire where there's smoke on intuition. "W, what the fuck!? What's going on?" Taking a moment to relax and gather her thoughts seemingly wasn't an option... What a mess to wake up to, and unable to do most of what she should at that. Two crashing doors immediately made Ferid leap out of bed, pulling the loaded gun from his belt. Only a couple seconds of assessment added breaking glass to the matter, and using any moment of noise he could, he made his way to his room's door without being heard. If anything he'd trained for was correct, this was a night attack, and he needed to confirm who and how many. In just his black undershirt and pants, he wouldn't be recognizable as any kind of military either... so no matter who they were, they'd at the very least feel sorry for disturbing his sleep. This was Islexia, so they probably wouldn't have Clouded in the group, which hopefully gave Ferid an edge he could exploit, ready to open his door and take shots at the people he expected to be waiting behind it as soon as there was another loud noise to mask it. He could take down five people before having to reach for his spears, a horrible choice of weapon in tight quarters though they were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 (edited) "Ah... don't worry. It's not your job, right?" To Üllr, Koba seemed too apologetic... whatever his reasons, Üllr didn't mind his lack of action before then. "This is nice though, thanks..." A chill breeze really would stave things off... "Mmmrr... hnn...?" Grumbling and slow to open his eyes, Üllr was roused from his sleep by Iris, whom he could quickly tell was agitate over something. "What, happened?" His hearing was pretty good, but not enough to disturb his sleep (blame finally seeing the benefit of matresses), leaving him oblivious to the previous noise. "What bad?" Still instilled by Iris' concern, Üllr quickly slid himself off of bed, subsequently greeted by the sound of a shattered window and an eplosion. It didn't take much at all to get him in fight mode, with that. "Fight?! Let's... careful, let's go." What a time... Edited June 28, 2023 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDRHAWK Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Tanya shot up like a start, as soon as she heard Miria’s voice from outside the door. What the hell was going on, and why did this put her on edge? She grabbed her lance and took off out of the room towards the sound of Miria’s voice, pausing when she saw the fox merchant from before - Mikoto, she thinks? - coming from a different area to give Miria a hand. Well, may as well give them a hand, if she could. Tanya did, at least, keep a decent enough distance away from the two and their mystery attacker, in the event that she needed to get them out of dodge. Still, if push came to shove, she had military training, and she wasn’t afraid to use it. Nyx groaned, head still throbbing as she slowly pulled herself up. Why was this so much worse than when she was drinking? “Fuck, Synnie, come back t’bed…” She muttered out, before her eyes opened, slowly but surely, and… wait, what the fuck was he doing here? ”Krauser?! Th’fuck ye doin’ in m’room?! Hold on, how th’fuck did y’even know m’ ‘ere?!” Well, shit. Nyx probably should have expected this, especially knowing the Underground might be on their asses. But… she had a dame to protect. So, now more awake than she had felt in days, Nyx hopped out of bed. “Look, Krau, if yer ‘ere fer Synnie, y’can rightly fuck off. If’n yer ‘ere fer me, though… well, ye can try, at least.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Though she had struggled to fall asleep due to the insufferable heat and her skin's tendency to dry out from said heat, Alriana was quick to wake at the various sounds echoing throughout the compound they had been put up in. It was a first for her, waking with a start to the sound of glass breaking. A quick glance at their window revealed it wasn't theirs's, but it did little to ease the rush of emotions as she quickly reached for the set of daggers that Versaris had told her to keep on the night stand. "Versaris, wake up!" She yelled in as much of a whisper as she could, her tail slamming into the waking notelf's stomach with a thwap. "Something's happening. Very bad!" She wasn't sure how she knew that, but the feeling permeated through her being; she was absolutely certain something terrible was happening. She moved to jump off the bed, claw reaching for the door in a blatant attempt to throw it open. The sound of glass breaking stirred Versaris, keeping his motions slow until he could get an eye on-- "Ghahn!?" Aly's tail slammed into him, making him wake up proper, sitting up in bed and gasping for air in the shock of it all! "Aly, stop!" He kept his voice quiet but rushed, jumping off the bed and grabbing her, holding her back from the door. If she tried to stab him or break free, so be it. "If we rush out there, whatever's happening gets us caught up in it too... Patience. Slowly. The lights in here are still off. Our window isn't broken, the door is closed... We have the element of surprise, so we should use it. Now..." He let go of her and took a breath, nodding. "Quietly... Check around the door and see if our rooms are being watched." He fetched his sword and a shirt, throwing it over himself. "I'll be right behind you." "Rgghh!" Alriana let out a quiet, low growl as she was suddenly grabbed in a bear hug in her attempt to rush out of their room, struggling by instinct but not enough to break Versaris' grip. As he spoke and explained his reasoning she calmed down and stopped struggling. The sudden rush of adrenaline and the base urge to attack whatever was beyond her door subsided, if only slightly. "Right..." She answered in a whisper, dropping down to the floor and peaking under the door. There weren't people outside their door, or at least not that she could see. Slowly, quietly, she opened their door enough to peak through the slight crack, using her tail to maneuver herself get vantage points impossible for anyone else. Truly no one seemed to be outside their door. She looked to Versaris, waiting for his guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Dammit... Whoever had broken that window was rousing the whole complex, which meant they had to work fast. Cyro crackled with electricity and magic, blasting Natalya without a second's hesitation. If it caught Alvira, so be it. If the dragon died, all they would lose was Luthier's fun... He just had to make sure the tiger was out of commission. Alvira shook awake from Tasha's prodding-- only to see her rocked with thunder magic and suffer some of it herself! "Gahhnn, grahhhNN!" It hurt! Terribly, but it was far from enough to put her down with her resistances to magic. Tasha was another story, she didn't know how the tiger was faring, but she couldn't sit there with worry! She conjured some ice and leapt from the bed, tossing the magic at their intruder without a moment's hesitation! "S-Something! Come on, come on...!" Iris threw a shirt over herself, scurrying out of the room and staying low to the ground. There wasn't anyone outside their room, directly, but there was a presence guarding the exit to the south of the compound. She didn't want to rush into that, she was primed, but still fighting back that fear, panting quietly and quickly. "Wh-What is...?" Her eyes shot down the hallways towards a few other bodies, Miria, Tanya, Mikoto, and someone she didn't know... "U-Ullr! That way!" Iris bit back her fear, not enough to rush in and engage, but enough to stalk towards the situation, keeping low on the ground. Versaris followed quietly after Aly, peeking around the door as it opened. There was a commotion a few rooms down, what sounded like Nyx shouting, and ever so clearly a guard at the door to the south of the complex... He couldn't tell what they were armed with, not behind the door, but these were professionals. To get the jump on all of them like this, and to already be in some of their rooms... This is either a trap set by Cassandra, or a more sinister group finally catching up to us. With this level of professionalism, and considering we're in Islexia, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this is the underground... But learning can come later. Safety first. "Aly," he whispered, right behind her, "there's a man, maybe two, guarding the door to the south... I don't know what they're wielding, but we can probably take them together. Then, we wrap back around to Nyx and Syndra's room, see what we can do... You understand?" Hopefully they didn't get held up for long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 "Hhr? Oh..." Leaving the room was enough to make Üllr realize he should mind his noise. Despite the explosion, things were sparse, people acting under the veil of night. He'd need to be careful, along with Iris. "Careful, I don't know who that is." Noting the presence on the south himself, as well as the body beside the familiar group, Üllr followed Iris and crawled closer, trying to hear anything of worth while being mindful of his presence. Doesn't seem good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemask 96 Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Gean immediately took a defensive position, grabbing her axe and standing close by Renais. Whatever was outside their door, it wasn't good. Mikoto was already in combat position when... "Wait Miko-" suddenly the fox was darting to the door, something clearly wrong. Jesse stirred lightly in her bed something was happening in the hallway, but sleep and the wear of travel was still clinging on strongly. "Wha?" A yawn escaped the knight's lips mid word, unaware of what truly was happening at the inn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary on the Winds Posted June 28, 2023 Author Share Posted June 28, 2023 (edited) Tio covered her mouth and nose, her body aching a bit from being knocked back by the door, "I... don't know! Keep out of the doorway, Elisa! Whoever," Tio coughed, "Whoever did this, is... still out there!" Tio took off her mantle, and began using it as a fan, trying to focus the smoke out of the room. Her temper was starting to flare. Surprise attacks were one thing, surprise attacks where she couldn't push back were another, and surprise attacks where Elisa was actually in danger was a bridge too far. But there was a glaring issue in all of this. Either the enemy was respecting the threat that she and Elisa were, or there was some other reason why they hadn't pushed the attack here. What's happening... who could this possibly be to have this kind of equipment and tactics? Tio paused to think about what Celine had said, what she had warned them about, and then Elisa's concern over Renais, and the two concerning figures that she'd met with back in Cerezia. "...Oh no. Elisa, we have to get out there, and put a," Tio coughed as some of the smoke caught in her throat, eliciting a frustrated groan from the older Evoker as she began fanning the dangerous material away again. They better hope that they're long gone by the time I'm able to fight back... Tio then froze as she felt a familiar pulse of magic, the unmistakeable pulse of light magic... and dangerously powerful light magic as well. "...Aura?" Panic set in on Tio's face, none of the Tigers could cast a spell of that caliber, which meant that it was being used against one of them! "No, no, no..." Tio began fanning harder. Luthier listened in as sounds of combat seemed to amplify the moment the festivities began. He sighed, the best laid plans only survived until one hit the ground. The explosion up ahead meant that the Evokers likely had been awake, but that would stymy them for a little while. More importantly were the hurried footsteps from behind him. It seems like one of the Tigers was quick to gear themselves. He looked over his shoulder at the glimmering gold adorning her, and a sword in her hand. Interestingly enough, the moment that the girl spoke, the interesting signature inside the room began moving towards the door. He first focused with the staff in his hand on the magical signature as it moved; in its haste, it wouldn't put up as much as a struggle against something it couldn't know was coming. Though, it seemed as if it was stronger than he'd expected, and the spell didn't properly take hold. "Intriguing..." He turned his focus back to the newcomer--his new hostage--with a tilted head and smile. "Nothing, my dear. I'm simply here to help friends off to sleep. Though, perhaps, I can start with you~" He idly pointed his hand down the hallway, and light energy formed on his fingertips, illuminating his face. Yet, it was the movement coming towards the door that he was most focused on. The girl in gold was but a useful tool. I just need to wait until the Kitsune steps outside... Krauser's head tilted as Syndra, and Nyx had opposite reactions to his presence. Her calm resignation to his presence was refreshing, and perfectly beneficial... because it meant what he wanted to do could still end the way he needed to it end. His confusion turned into glee as he began laughing. "That's all you say? After leaving me for dead?" The man tapped his disfigured face, "You put an arrow here. Hehehehahaha! Try? There will be no try!" Krauser then took a step, and then reached for Nyx's being, aiming for the woman's neck. Edited June 28, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy12510 Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 It figured the kind of person coming at her was more mindless best than man. Whatever history this Krauser and Nyxied had didn't matter in the moment, what mattered was he ignored her and went after Nyxied, and Syndra wasn't going to simply stand there and let it happen. Instinct taking over, she tried to swiftly kick him in the groin, trying to help her partner, if it could. She was never the most physical of specimens after all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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