Laeral, Jurial Plains
The town was a nice place. Well, it looked nice. Marching all day here meant that even a pile of ragged clothes looked pretty good to sleep on. Earth people focused on their arms, not legs. The marching, for Kisikoni Ayalen was worse than anything else they put him through. So used to his arms doing most of the moving, his legs tired easily and required long hours of training to work them up to suitable standards. The woman that lead him and the other recruits here stopped. It was hard to believe she was a woman, especially since deep humans were shorter than most. Many females he encountered, from whatever race, always stood at least an inch over his head. Halflings were different, and it made Kisikoni feel like the giant. He smiled at that thought, but the woman herself had a set of lungs indirectly related to her height.
"Line up scrubs! Time ta' meet the man who'll be bossing you around for the next three-hundred and sixty-five days of your life. For those of you who missed it the first time, I'm Sid." She said with a smirk
He snapped to attention, listening to the new man, a brightly dressed young human male step up. "Good evening. I am Captain Liu-Wen, and that," he said while pointing as Sid, "Is first-sargeant Grimsmirk. We lead the fourtieth legion within the Legion of Ashes. We shall be addressed as such until given permission to do otherwise. You will speak only when addressed directly. From this day forward, your lives are no longer your own. They belong to Norr. To the Paragon." Wrath smoothed out the paper he had been given and began at the front of the line. "As I announce your squad assignment, you may proceed to enter the town of Laeral. You are required to report to the Boulon Brother's Inn by midnight." The man said gruffly.
Liu-Wen? That name struck a chord in his mind. However, now was not the time for such trifles. He continued to listen until he was assigned to the halfling's squad. Deep in the caves, everyone depended on everyone else for survival- no gender barriers existed, but taking orders from a woman nearly two feet shorter than himself was rather unnerving. He noted early on that she too carried a crossbow, though not as large and clunky as his was. He saluted to the halfling vice-captain and made for the town like most of the others. He had been separated from his own five-man squad earlier to be signed up for the lacking 40th Legion. He briefly wondered how they were doing before disappearing into the city lights.
The shops provided little joy for Kisikoni and his meager funds. Outside of maintaining his equipment and purchasing supplies, it left very little money for the Deep Human to spend. He ended up not buying anything. He merely wandered through the alleys, and found himself spending the most time gambling with fake money along with some older men. The older men would be spinning a top, and based on the symbol one would groan in mock frustration and the other would giggling like his birthday had come early. Trying his hand at it, Kisikoni eventually left the table with a single sweet. A considerable reward, as he was a novice gambler himself.
Before long, he grew tired of walking, and entered the Boulon Brother's Inn quite earlier than he had anticipated. He ordered himself filling meal, as he was going to need the energy to march ten miles and expect to be fighting from there. He paid with some of his own money, because the Paragon's budget was stretched just as thin as their soldiers. As the platter of food arrived, he quickly dug in. He noted sourly that his hands used to be his utensils, but now he was using a fork and knife. Slowly, his own traditions of old slipped from his grasp. It did not deter him, though, from filling his stomach.
The howling wind. Dark skies, screeching metal. Red flowers bloomed in the sky and on chests.
"Come and get some, boys!" cackled a distinctly feminine voice. A kiss. A crack.
Rivers of steel and red freely flowed. Blackened, sturdy, and a web of metal.
The observant deep human sat back and tried to take his mind off the last crossbow. Of course, when they drew sharpened swords fresh-from-the-armory, the man got a little worried. Training was fine and all, but hacking at each other is a bad idea without blocks. However, he decided to remain on hold. The human looked like he knew what he was doing. After the initial blow, he was not so sure. Kisikoni was never truly a weapons fighter. He knew that weapons were an extension of the hand, but he felt more at home up-close and personal. A fist-fight was where he really excelled, which is why he watched with fascination when the beserker contorted his body to block the back-shot from the Assassin Elf. He knew the reasonings behind body mechanics, which is what his fighting stems on- the knowledge of how limbs can move.
As the third contact took place Kisikoni began to worry for the healing Beserker. Instructional fighting was fine and all, but with the Assassin taking advantage of his weak spots with her blinding speed, there might be blood. Of course, he trusted the elf not to intentionally harm, but if Caine didn't react quickly enough even a dulled weapon could hurt him. And that'd just be trouble for the medics.
Spectating the fight began to put a little hop into Kisikoni's own hands. He wanted to get in on this, but this was an instructional fight. If anything, he could probably teach them a thing or two about hand-to-hand combat, but when it came to weaponry, he was only at about the same level as them. Give or take. He was beginning to get an idea of how the two fought in combat. As pertaining to their names, Talae often relied on her speed and agility to attack weak points. Caine liked to force opponents into submission. Kisikoni began to think about his own habits when fighting, and decided to try and correct them- as habits often lead into patterns, and patterns could easily be predicted by a dextrous enemy.
The Nightmarian Spider giggled at the remark. "Oh yes. Grim little bastards, no?" She replied. Neira, huh? She could get used to her. She was only half-serious with her remark about the ants, but her eight eyes did catch the subtle reaction. She remembered fondly the many denizens of the hive-city. She wondered if the Queen was still alive.
She decided to answer the Dragonfly's question. She saw no reason in enlightening her, especially after her fifth glass and her vision was already blurred as hell. "Me? Dear, I haven't seen Ecclavaria in over ninety years." She said, almost amused at how much time had passed since her expulsion. "I was exiled. Didn't want to fight in a war against other races. I was an idiot, because what am I doing now? Fighting." She laughed. "The one thing I haven't forgotten was this." She held her glass up to the sky, sloshing some liquor onto the bar table. In an instant, the liquid had gone down her throat. She paused. She almost forgotten her manners.
"My name is Murecialga Yan'vega. Mercy for short, dear." She hesitated slightly, her voluminous red eyes returning to the next glass. "Tell me, dear. How were things in the little Hive City before you left?"
Kisikoni bared his teeth as the Lord of Earth granted his prayer- but his following attack missed. However, three of his comrades had taken the opportunity to strike the dragon. It tried to take flight, but their Lamia friend had begun to impede it's wing movements with her wicked blades. The gust of air stunned Kisikoni, and he only barely managed to get away as the Dragon slammed onto the wall. "Damn it!" Kisikoni swore, the shock of the dragon right in front of him motivating him to scramble to his feet. Though the dragon was wounded in several places, it still managed to retain a healthy amount of hate- which it focused on Kisikoni himself and those behind him. Probably Talae and Beelzes. He dodged the swipes, noting that they had such force it could tear off a limb if he tried to block and if it made contact it would kill him instantly.
He couldn't outpace it, as it was much larger and it's reach was huge. He was granted a reprieve, as Talae had thrown a bottle of strange liquid at the dragon. He wondered where his Darkguard was, and it was further down the wall dealing with some guards while it cleared the way. Makes sense, a Darkguard can't take on a Dragon- otherwise they would have raised a massive army of them- and the powerful magic-wielding races would have been floored with the slaying spells. He took his chance, but now Children were beginning to scale the walls, sending orbs of fire up and razing those that tried to combat their ascent up. He turned and ran, ducking past another angry slash from the dragon Jakanther. He wasn't as fast as Talae, and he relied a lot upon close combat to deal damage. This dragon was way out of his league- now that his one trick had been used against the monstrous being.
Children began to attack in gusto. "Talae! The wall!" He called in warning, as she was beginning to try and flank the dragon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duran and the Lamia- Sarish begin to make their way toward the dragon. Thank Lord Earth. He clashed with a single Child that wielded a spear, breaking a part and leaping away just as another thrown slash from the dragon nearly sliced his arms off. He backed further away, hoping that Talae was alright taking on the dragon head on. The best he could do was continue distracting the dragon and the Children from attacking her as best he could. He couldn't concentrate anymore- as the battlefield had become cluttered with enemies. His fear tactic would not work, and he desperately flailed at the child, who leapt away to avoid the heavy butterfly sword. By the gods, there were so many. His Darkguard managed to come back to him, and beat back a child that was flanking Kisikoni. The deep human then remembered the abilities of the armor, but decided to keep it on. Using it to best a single child would be a poor waste of it's strength if he wasn't being outnumbered yet. With his Darkguard acting as a nice shield that hit back, Kisikoni could fight slightly more comfortably.
Suddenly, flames burst on the ground, sending Kisikoni dancing away. More children. His Darkguard was completely occupied with several Children, taking some damage from the fire and weapons. The dragon seemed preoccupied, but Jakanther would be on him in no time. Fireballs and swords sang a vicious melody. Suddenly the ground at Kisikoni's feet combusted, and he got away just in time to avoid the catching of the fire- just as another flaming orb made contact with him. His heightened senses alerted him, but mid-jump was a terrible place to be when trying to absorb a hit. He raised his arms.
His enchanted Live Armor absorbed much of the impact. If it weren't for the armor, Kisikoni would have been fried to a crisp. The charred leather fell off in blackened scraps, all the defensive magic drained from it- as well as probably any ability he had. His left arm was numb. Looking down, he saw terrible burns, and was nearly sick. As the pain began to set in, Kisikoni screamed in agony, collapsing against the battlements of the wall. Surge. Surge damn it, SURGE. He thought angrily, but his armor failed to respond. Everyone else seemed to be doing so well- but Kisikoni himself had been wounded terribly. The thought humiliated him, cursing at his burned arm and looking up to see several Children occupying his Darkguard- and two more beginning to take notice. Kisikoni had to act fast. But how?
After awhile, Kisikoni gave up trying to get Faera to start stuttering in embarrassment. He waved his hand. "Nevermind." He said as Talae stepped in. A quick, dry comment about his morning and Kisikoni gave a slight grimace. Hangovers were never fun. He could remember the party, but everything aside from Talae mentioning she had a hangover cure (miraculously), it was mostly just a blur. From the time he had left the building to the time he woke up, he had suffered many bruises and his clothes were wet beyond belief.
"Good morning Talae. Say, you wouldn't happen to know why my clothes were soaked and I was bruised all over, would you?" He asked. He rubbed his head- the alcohol was starting to affect his memory now too. He had been indulging in many drinking binges since his inductment into the army 10 years ago, and though he was used to it, he had developed a slight dependence on the stuff to wash away stress. In the caves, they would often do meditation near confirmed chambers of methane- the howling from the rocky walls would soothe and clear the mind. With no time nor large chambers of methane, he was forced to find something else.
He didn't really need a response, some part of him didn't really want to know. So when Talae had left to start packing things again, he didn't pursue her for an answer to his question. "Thank you for the elixir. It worked many wonders." He said instead, before falling into an awkward silence. He had long since packed his things- the supplies were tightened and on his back as of now.
More rain. It never seemed to let up. The brief respites were nice, but he really preferred invading the city rather than attacking blindly in the rain. He shivered slightly- the caves were never, ever this cold. He hated the cold. It was only later when Kisikoni was desperately chafing his arms to produce heat that Wrath spoke- devoid of all empathy. He still wasn't sure what was causing these changes in mood- before he seemed a little more stressed and easy-going. Now he was cold, driven, and calm. And he was physically stronger. He remembered that the man claimed to fight with spellsong- now he was using the Twin Hooks, weapons made famous by the Wind General Fong in the old Civie Primah War.
Yes, he could see well, despite the infernal weather. Years of trained eyes sweeping the dark caves for even the slightest of faults to ensure safety testified to it. He drew his blades, and to the deep human's surprise the commander drew out vials. Described as Snakesglove, Kisikoni did not recognize the name. He took a vial, examining the color and weight. It looked like the poisons a rivaling tribe used. He only hoped that it was just as instantaneous and lethal in it's effects.
He tipped the edges of his butterfly swords with the poison, taking care not to cut himself of accidentally swallow some of the poison. It was strangely adhesive and resisted to rain as the commander said. He replaced the stopper on the excess poison and readied his blades. Talae gave him a nudge, and confirmed his readiness. Kisikoni smiled, at her. "Right behind you." He said, waiting for her to take off. She tapped the armor, something Kisikoni hastily did himself. He forgot that the armor had special physical abilities. He zipped off after her, not as graceful or as quiet as she was. Darting off toward the right, he cleaned up what Talae wrecked, jabbing rather large wounds into startled enemies compared to Talae's dagger wounds. His blades were a lot wider and thicker than Talae's weaponry, so the swords themselves probably dealt some serious damage, about as much as the poison itself. He confirmed the quick-acting effects of the poison, but did not know whether they would kill as quickly. He decided that Wrath's judgement in poisons was as good as any, proceeding right behind his dark elf partner.
He arrived to see her struggling with a child, and Kisikoni decided to butt in before opponents for himself showed up. He sunk the drier blade into the child's back in one fluid motion, kicking away and giving a slight nod to Talae before the sounds of scuffling began to rouse others. "Work quickly." He signaled, giving the hand-motion for 'speed'. He quickly disappeared from that spot, tearing through a tent and jabbing everyone in it. He then broke through another, and once he was out, the hand on his leg slackened and came loose. He broke the vial, applying the last of the poison to his left blade- as that was all that was left to coat his swords. Besides, then the right one could be used for trading blows without wasting the poison.
Fireballs began flying now, as Kisikoni dodged one that was aimed for him. He knew first-hand how painful the burns were despite how cleanly the armor healed it. If he were to be hit by a fireball, he would probably curl up and leave himself as a easy target for a child. He parried a slightly sluggish child, still getting into the rhythm of fighting and quickly jabbed him in the side. He raised his blades, looking around wildly for Talae.
Nihalistrix the Black's CastleShe wanted to complain. Here she was, being rescued and they still weren't done fighting. Obviously not very professional if you find a way in but don't have a plan to get out. She almost raised this on various occasions, all of them within five seconds of each other, but beggars can't be choosers. She bared her fangs in a deceptive, sweet smile at the attackers. It did little to phase them. She had hung back, leaving her saviors to inadvertently take on most of the fighting. She was rather exhausted from the fight, and artificial energy just didn't feel right to her. Nevertheless, they still managed to find a way to break through and attempt to engage her.
She regarded the two attackers with all eight of her voluminous red eyes, and began swinging her large Meteor hammer to gain momentum. One brandished a saber- strong and something Mercy should keep her eye on if she didn't want to lose her Hammers this early. The other wielded a halberd. She dodged the initial jab of the Halberd, lashing out with her legs instead of the swinging metal ball. The saber flashed wickedly, but her armored legs more-or-less deflected the blow. It hurt, but the saber didn't penetrate more than a few centimeters through. The two attackers stumbled back, and Mercy used a large sweeping motion, wraping the rope around one's legs and watching the weighted ball smash the kneecap. The man couldn't maintain a good stance with his halberd, and fell, clutching at his shattered knee while Mercy pulled the weapon back. The saber flashed again, slicing in a overhand cut. Mercy darted to the side, onto the walls and brought the swinging weight over and around. The ball crushed the child's hand, sending the saber clanging to the floor. Mercy then leapt, falling onto the child which nearly managed to launch a ball of fire at her. She quickly crushed his face by stomping once, then brought the Meteor hammer in another overhand swing, crushing the other child's skull as he struggled to get up. She smiled sweetly, taking a globule of meat and crunching on it. Still spicy as ever- enchanted by the flames of the Dragons.
She then turned her attention to her allies, which had formed a wall of combat. To prevent the castle defenders from breaking and surrounding, she plugged the hole herself. She had a hard time swinging the meteor hammers in such a cramped space, so she decided to cut the momentum and used a shorter reach- the ball humming in little lethal circles. Bones cracked and broke under her weight, and she had to fight a very defensive battle with only a shirt to cover her frail torso area.
The Deep Human began to quicken his pace, flashing to the next Child and ducking past his guard to land a blade in his gut. Kisikoni was slightly giddy, hoping that he might have some level of control over his power at this point to make use of it without letting the being take over. His legs strained, and he realized that he was moving at a pace that was much faster than his legs (built for crouching and crawling in the tunnels) were made for. That was when the being in his head laughed coldly.
You really are stupid. What makes you think this sort of thing doesn't have backlash? it asked.
Kisikoni wanted to reply, but the thing was right. If he had been more aware, he would have felt the power simply numbing the pain of his muscles almost tearing itself up in exertion. He slowed down significantly, Talae shouted something over the confusion, but it was lost as she began to grapple with another opponent. He would have to talk to her afterward about this. He didn't really get a chance to with the medics, and he at least wanted his partner to know. Pel had kind of put the question in his face the moment he woke up instead of inquiring about it. Speaking of which, as he clashed with another child, he looked around for the Halfling, who was looking at him with an expression similar to distress. He flashed a quick, reassuring smile- it was all he could do while he tried not to let the child break his guard.
As the lines began to shift between the children and the Legion, Kisikoni felt his opponents drift further and further into the wall until there were few left, and the fighting would very soon begin in the streets. Disposing of another child by bringing his knee up and stunning her, he sank a blade into her neck before tossing her off the wall. His legs flashed hot and cold, and despite the numbing effects of the slightly amused being, he felt himself perspiring due to the dull ache in his legs.
Here, have a gift. It said, releasing the hold it had on Kisikoni's legs. The thorn-like growths and leather-like skin that covered Kisikoni's legs retreated, and left raw, torn legs in it's wake. Kisikoni wobbled and immediately collapsed to the ground of the wall, his face contorted in shock and pain.
I own you now. Never forget that. it said flatly. Kisikoni tried to flex his thighs and legs, but was only met with protesting pain and fire in his ankles.
RPG
