Setting
Default Location for The Garden: Rise of The Nameless
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
The Garden is a part of 
The Garden: Rise of The Nameless.
12 Characters Here
Kira [151] Once a slave now a freedom fighter and a stubborn warrior to boot, trapped by a past she seems doomed to return to.
Volga Argonar [149] "Cattle die and kinsmen die, thyself too soon must die, but one thing never, I ween, will die, The doom on each one dead"
Charmeine Lucifen d'Autriche [147] "Nature is a beautiful thing... yet it has to mock me by ruining my dresses with its dirt..."
Ivan Witherbane [144] "Magic is not to be wielded by the weak of heart or mind."
Rosa Gerzon [128] The cat walks alone.
Allan Denton [114] "This sucks."
Wayland "Brimstone" Smith [80] "Hammer and anvil! Can you hear their beat? Can you hear the screaming? Can you hear the keening of the blades?"
Anima Lumen [44] "Praise the sun! May it light the way ahead."
Elena Greywater [32] "The sea gives as the sea gets, and the sea always gets all."
Mister Man [9] Hello.
Start Character Here »
The party progressed and as time passed, it grew harder for Rosa to concentrate on her books. As more and more of these filthy noisy humans had more to drink, they grew louder and more barbaric. She excused herself from the scholarly table, still carrying the three books she took from the pile, and got up to hopefully find a way back to her quiet though bare room without having to deal with any more damnable magic.
On the way, she passed a strange pair of a bright green human-shaped slime mold and odd human with bright white hair and... wings? Another bird-woman? Instinctively, she pulled away from them. Slime molds were poisonous and she was in no shape to deal with any more bird-people. She retained an handful of scars from her last encounter with them. She silently padded in the opposite direction and her eye caught River leaving the party too. On the surface he still appeared human, but she did see the tricks he did with his tail. Nekos in her world had a different type of transformation than she did. They had the ears and tails of cats in natural form, but they could also dissolve or hide those traits if they had a need. Rosa's own ears never faded in her transformations, but why should she hide her superiority to these humans? Why did River? She admitted his fur was an odd color, but that was the only reason she could think he would want to hide anything. Why not find out? She started to follow him.
On the way, she passed a strange pair of a bright green human-shaped slime mold and odd human with bright white hair and... wings? Another bird-woman? Instinctively, she pulled away from them. Slime molds were poisonous and she was in no shape to deal with any more bird-people. She retained an handful of scars from her last encounter with them. She silently padded in the opposite direction and her eye caught River leaving the party too. On the surface he still appeared human, but she did see the tricks he did with his tail. Nekos in her world had a different type of transformation than she did. They had the ears and tails of cats in natural form, but they could also dissolve or hide those traits if they had a need. Rosa's own ears never faded in her transformations, but why should she hide her superiority to these humans? Why did River? She admitted his fur was an odd color, but that was the only reason she could think he would want to hide anything. Why not find out? She started to follow him.
Kira
Kira was impressed to say the least, frost was rare and unwieldy, it wasn't often she saw it in action. Although she hadn't expected such a direct approach she couldn't help but laugh and nod at her question. Perhaps this world wouldn't be so bad after all, good company, good alcohol, and only an unforeseen amount of eldritch horrors and their minions between her and the good life. Sounds easy.
She eventually extracted herself from the maiden of war and drunkenly spun, holding out her hand to the woman and pointing towards the very edge of the camp. "Come on then, we'll want a good spot for the fireworks!" She said with a gleeful grin, she'd spotted River walking off by himself and from what she gathered the box read out strength, so if he was going to be alone to do something the show had to be good.
Lazarus
Lazarus grinned and brought his hands up in a boxing style happy with her choice of dance. The Vampire ducked under the blows and sent two quick jabs her way aiming either side of her head before kicking straight up in front of her face and settling again. He settled into the pattern of the dance, dodging punches and blows and following her strikes and then returning his own. Slowly increasing the tempo of the spar dance until it matched the flurry of death he revelled in.
With each round of their dance he grinned wider and before he knew it his fingers were showing the first signs of excitement, glowing red pinpoints of flame that danced and left wispy trails of light as he moved, and so their dance became in his eyes exactly what it should be. Some of the other party goers had even stopped to watch the dance and a few of the more physical Nameless began to copy them, making a sloppy job and accidentally dealing glancing blows or direct hits with jovial laughter.
Luka
Luka had to hurry, there wasn't much time until the seals were gone and they came back. She ran out into the plains, trailing decay behind her as she went and pulling her clothes tight to her body trying to contain it for as long as possible. Eventually she reached a point far enough away and pulled off her head, letting the first wisp of green smoke float free as her fur and cat ears were free to enjoy the cool air. She waited for a few seconds and then it began, a column of green light roared forth from the base of her feet into the sky and within moments everything around her withered and died, the ring of destruction extending so far as to reach the edge of Lazarus and Elena's dance. Within the centre of the decay continued to stand Luka, and with a swing of her hand like a conductor green string-like tendrils extended from her finger tips to the ground, she had learned the quickest way to burn the energy was to summon it but each time she did she lost more control.
It seemed however she didn't have a choice, as the strands of energy met the ground and searched through the earth they were suddenly yanked. With a yelp of pain Luka held on, holding her hands in place and refusing to move, she'd changed her mind. It couldn't come out, not now, not ever, but it was too late. With slow painful yanks the first hand tore through the earth and dug into the earth, followed by another. Finally as the decayed ground fell apart what she had feared came to ground, he stood in a purple suit and was immensely tall, an obscenely tall crooked top hat sat atop his head and wild flowing black hair extended from under it. He wore white gloves, unsullied by his nap in the earth and a gasmask like breathing apparatus that he tore away liberally to reveal what marked him the most as something to be feared. No matter how you looked at him there was no face, there was nothing, just glowing orange eyes of some bestial monster and a row of razor sharp yellow teeth that grinned madly.
He took a step toward the terrified Luka and his presence seemed to permeate the very air around him, the sky darkened and without her consent the border of decay began to skirt into the Nameless camp with every move he made. He took in a deep breathe into nothingness and sighed "It's good to be home.".
River
River could sense he was being followed, but he didn't care. He had decided to exit the party and show Vinn's test how The Nameless fought and for that he'd need to seal himself up anyway, it was Rosa who was on his heels, the cat girl. She may have felt some kinship or curiosity about him and his lineage and he would be happy to indulge her, but first he needed to remind The Nameless of who they were, and that would require more than words.
As he found an empty spot, he noted the beam of light that began from Luka and the ring of decay and knew what it meant. She had run out of time, she'd just burn it off and be back to her normal cute self, it was such a shame to be burdened at such a young age. He had offered to try and fix her soul if it was the issue, but something in her made her say no even though her eyes screamed for help, he had no choice but to accept her choice but had always wondered. As he continued to walk his body became slowly encased in a purple aura that waxed and waned like a candle in the wind, slowly growing and growing, before he could turn and warn Rosa something else caught his attention while his mouth was open. The sky had darkened and Luka's ring had grew and even from this distance he could feel the darkness that penetrated the soul of the creature she had summoned. He shrugged to Rosa and snapped his fingers "Sorry madame, I'll be back, I've got a bone to pick with this terrible lighting, ruins the mood so to speak." he quipped with a click of his tongue, and then he was gone.
Across the plain he landed, encased in his aura as he grabbed Luka, throwing her behind him unceremoniously as a gigantic wall of ice formed in an instant and became a cubed cage. The wall reached beyond the clouds above and was densely packed, without a single expression or even a sarcastic quip he threw a punch packed with his full strength at the man, no, the monster, Luka had brought back and to his surprise his fist stopped centimetres short of a white glove clenched in mid attack itself. Between the two hands was two fingers and an oversized wizards hat pierced by two horns stood out to River as he glanced at the interference, Vinn stood in his full glory, as tall as River was and in a tight black outfit that clung to his lithe body. All at once the power that had been contained fired back from the blockage, behind River an onslaught of unadulterated burning anger flooded the gigantic cube. An explosion of lord level power that cracked and buckled the gigantic ice wall as the purplish-red energy leaked out. Behind the monster was simply the shockwave of air that originated from his punch, air that tore apart the dirt and buckled the ice wall behind it much like Rivers soul-charged attack had. Vinn waited until the two lowered their hands and the ice wall crumbled and before it fell he shrank back into his tiny form, toddling towards Luka and putting a comforting hand on her furry head as he helped her up. He looked to The Nameless camp and then back to River.
"Sorry I'm late!" He chimed happily, waddling off back to the camp with Luka as his escort, comforting the teary eyed girl. The monster chortled and slowly lumbered behind the pair in pursuit, following his "master". River looked back at him in disgust and began to follow his friends before a dark guttural voice whispered through the air from the sickening beast. "You know you'll never find her...." The Incubus bristled bitterly but trudged on all the same, unable to do anything for now he simply walked back to the camp in silence. In turn the creatures smile widened and a horrific chuckle floated through the air. Step by step the returned monster began to clean up, his suit mended, the dirt had been blown away, his mask returned to cover his mouth and a cane found its way into his hands as he walked until he strode forth tall and confident while River tailed bitterly behind.
At the top of the camp, the box buzzed to life in a pentuple feedback of numbers. "8,10,10, 11,7" but this time nobody cheered, the party would have to wait for a moment.
Allan
Before there were any responses to be had it seemed there was some stuff going down.
Fantastic Allan mentally groaned in utter sarcasm as he lazily pushed himself out of his chair and on to his feet. With what was for him a short hop he jumped over the table and started on his way to the site where all the commotion and what-not was going down.
Casually strolling over towards the scene he watched as some weirdo in robes summoned a dude in a top hat. Allan just cocked an eyebrow at the figure as he cast off his gas mask revealing the features underneath. Stupid looking top hat? Check. Ridiculous colored suit complete with poor stitching? Check. Scraggly hair? Check. Yellowing teeth? Check. Well that just about says it all. He looked the stranger up and down, taking in the various details.
"This guy looks like half of the people at a steampunk convention." He spoke aloud, no one but himself being his intended audience. He continued to watch as a guy with selective cat features in an outfit almost as pretentious as the guy he was squaring off against built a really big cage made of ice. After a few seconds two waves of force impacted the ice, causing it to crumble into pieces revealing the bunch inside.
With a bored expression he casually watched from the edge of the dead zone as Vinn escorted his gaggle of bizarre looking strangers along up into the camp. Now that whatever the heck that was had happened Allan was seriously considering going and sitting back down since nothing important was really happening anyways.
Before there were any responses to be had it seemed there was some stuff going down.
Fantastic Allan mentally groaned in utter sarcasm as he lazily pushed himself out of his chair and on to his feet. With what was for him a short hop he jumped over the table and started on his way to the site where all the commotion and what-not was going down.
Casually strolling over towards the scene he watched as some weirdo in robes summoned a dude in a top hat. Allan just cocked an eyebrow at the figure as he cast off his gas mask revealing the features underneath. Stupid looking top hat? Check. Ridiculous colored suit complete with poor stitching? Check. Scraggly hair? Check. Yellowing teeth? Check. Well that just about says it all. He looked the stranger up and down, taking in the various details.
"This guy looks like half of the people at a steampunk convention." He spoke aloud, no one but himself being his intended audience. He continued to watch as a guy with selective cat features in an outfit almost as pretentious as the guy he was squaring off against built a really big cage made of ice. After a few seconds two waves of force impacted the ice, causing it to crumble into pieces revealing the bunch inside.
With a bored expression he casually watched from the edge of the dead zone as Vinn escorted his gaggle of bizarre looking strangers along up into the camp. Now that whatever the heck that was had happened Allan was seriously considering going and sitting back down since nothing important was really happening anyways.
Volga's buzz was starting to fade as Kira showed her approval of her magics. She smiled at this while trying to ignore a headache before Kira got up causing her brow to furrow for a slight moment. Her smile however did return when Kira turned back to her with her hand held out. Which she took eagerly before standing up and nodding to her beckoning towards the passing River before witnessing Luka's release of necrotic magics. Volga would not go passed the edge of the circle of death it created "I think This is very visible from here, don't you?". She watched with Kira in hand as the beast rose from the ground only to clash with River and Vinn. Volga wondered how the small cat-girl contained so much power without completely loosing her wits. "Impressive.." She said giving Kira a pat on the back "But they've never seen the likes of us". War flashed in her eyes as she smiled up at the sky pondering the legacy she may or may not have left behind in her past life and mumbled to herself "and they'll never see the likes of us again". She pondered this a bit longer and then thought out loud "I need a drink..".
Even when it was merely a trail of dying grass Ivan had felt a certain degree of uneasiness, now with that aura of decay and death forming around her, and with the summon of this malicious figure he felt a mixture of disgust and anger. To think the creature he just had a dance with was a necromancer of all things. He took a quick look at his hands to confirm that they weren't decaying, which fortunately they weren't. Though from what she had said and what he had seen he reasoned that those clothes were there to contain that power, at least temporarily. It seemed she simply wasn't in control of that power, not an uncommon sight for him, the primary reason why those born with gifts are taken into the college or similar institutions was their lack of control over their gift.
As the decay spread further and got close to Ivan he, almost on instinct, he countered it by spreading a small aura of life essence, just enough for him to comfortably stand in. Though for the grass it may not have mattered one way or another as within that same aura the air cooled to the freezing point. From within this radiant beacon of life he looked how another of the nameless tired to combat the vile creature that had been summoned, at least until Vinn intervened.
With his anger still visible on his face, though hard to read for anyone who hadn't worked with Ivan for a long time, he watched as the four as they walked back to camp. He did not quite understand why Vinn had allowed that vile creature to stay within this realm of existence, but given how Vinn has been thus far, it seemed likely that there was a good reason hiding somewhere. "Had to be another necromancer hadn't it. It appears that fate has a particular fondness of haunting one with their past." He mumbled, unaware that the four may have been close enough to hear it.
Ivan then looked over to the box which appeared to have sprung to life spewing out five new numbers for him to puzzle with. It appeared to have some sort of trigger, but he could not figure out what it was. Most likely it had something to do with what had just happened, but there were no logical connections and it didn't make sense given how the box had spewed out the number four previously. Such an odd contraption, he would have wanted to pull it apart and find out what makes it tick, but he doubted the others would let him do that.
As the decay spread further and got close to Ivan he, almost on instinct, he countered it by spreading a small aura of life essence, just enough for him to comfortably stand in. Though for the grass it may not have mattered one way or another as within that same aura the air cooled to the freezing point. From within this radiant beacon of life he looked how another of the nameless tired to combat the vile creature that had been summoned, at least until Vinn intervened.
With his anger still visible on his face, though hard to read for anyone who hadn't worked with Ivan for a long time, he watched as the four as they walked back to camp. He did not quite understand why Vinn had allowed that vile creature to stay within this realm of existence, but given how Vinn has been thus far, it seemed likely that there was a good reason hiding somewhere. "Had to be another necromancer hadn't it. It appears that fate has a particular fondness of haunting one with their past." He mumbled, unaware that the four may have been close enough to hear it.
Ivan then looked over to the box which appeared to have sprung to life spewing out five new numbers for him to puzzle with. It appeared to have some sort of trigger, but he could not figure out what it was. Most likely it had something to do with what had just happened, but there were no logical connections and it didn't make sense given how the box had spewed out the number four previously. Such an odd contraption, he would have wanted to pull it apart and find out what makes it tick, but he doubted the others would let him do that.
Rosa missed the other girl running from the party, as she caught up with River, and clutched the books against her small chest. As she followed him, he started glowing and she felt damnable magic again. How the hell did she end up in a magician's convention? River's magic didn't affect her as badly as the other magic, she felt growing though. This other magic was exponentially worse than anything she felt before. River made a comment that she would have responded to with a snide remark, if she was feeling better. As it stood, she felt hot, weak, and queasy.
The sudden suffocating weakness stopped her in her tracks, and she dropped to her knees wheezing. From there she felt a terrible force pressing towards her. GET UP! GET UP! She thought desperately, but her limbs refused to obey. Just peachy. All the scrapes she survived, including something she wished to never remember, and she would die some place far from home that she knew nothing about.
When the sickening surge paused or cut off, she had no idea which, the young woman shivered. Her skin paled and her lightweight tunic clung to damp skin. Greater power showed itself and she feared it would crush her. Rosa lay face down on top of the books she dropped when the first surge broke too close for comfort. Her body twisted and rippled, until a jaguar took her place and a defiant roar broke over the plains. A trapped animal seeking death for those who would harm her.
The sudden suffocating weakness stopped her in her tracks, and she dropped to her knees wheezing. From there she felt a terrible force pressing towards her. GET UP! GET UP! She thought desperately, but her limbs refused to obey. Just peachy. All the scrapes she survived, including something she wished to never remember, and she would die some place far from home that she knew nothing about.
When the sickening surge paused or cut off, she had no idea which, the young woman shivered. Her skin paled and her lightweight tunic clung to damp skin. Greater power showed itself and she feared it would crush her. Rosa lay face down on top of the books she dropped when the first surge broke too close for comfort. Her body twisted and rippled, until a jaguar took her place and a defiant roar broke over the plains. A trapped animal seeking death for those who would harm her.
Charmeine
Charmeine followed behind her friend, her eyes trailing down to the palm of her hand. Even though she was fully cleansed of the poisonous virus, she couldn't help herself. What if it only disguised the disease? What if it was still slowly weakening her? The whitette swallowed hard, picking her head up as the two suddenly came to a halt. The princess would proceed to study the young man before her as Anima introduced the two of them. A fairly tall man. His features were dark, but he hunched over slightly. He didn't seem to give two shits about the two woman.
The princess snorted at his reply. It was just amusing that Anima had put so much thought into her words, and he didn't even think twice about his. If she were not so tired, she probably would of reacted differently. Perhaps a good nag and smack across the head. However, that was not the case. Charmeine decided she had enough for the day.
More for me, he thinks. Lamenting his inability to get drunk with every drink. It had been nothing but one question after another since coming here. This world, this Garden. The fighting didn't phase him. The death. The killing. Those things were nothing to him. They passed into and through him. One moment to the next, not burdening his soul for even a fraction of an instant. He would drown this world in an ocean of blood if that is what it would take. One world, for the fate of all worlds. Fair trade. He breaths out a long solemn sigh, smoke spilling out of his mouth, and from there escaping under his arms as it hits the table. Weighing the lives of the few against the lives of the many... Yeah, he was good at that.
"Get your head in the game, Smith." He growls at himself. His voice ragged, brittle around the edges like broken glass. He was beginning to doubt he even knew who he was anymore. He was comfortable here. That's what scared him. What set his teeth on edge. He was never comfortable anywhere. Not in a long time. He was a predator. A self wielded sword, poised at the throats of everyone around him. He was irreparably broken. Those were the facts as he knew them.
At least. Before he came here. Now. Now, he felt sluggish. Off kilter, like he wasn't all of himself. The familiar beat of hammer on steel in his head, in his soul. No longer as comforting as it should be. The tempo felt wrong, the echo of the steel tinny too his ears. The fire. Felt cold. Like he was used to the sun, and all he had for warmth was a candle. It had never felt wrong before, now he felt like a stranger in his own skin, he remembered things he couldn't remember and white noise bled into the space where the memories should be. Blackness gnawed at the edges of his soul, oozing like disease into a gaping wound in his soul he was only now seeing. Accompanied by the screams, the plea of his name from a womans voice into his mind. A voice that filled him with such a sense of failure and loss that it was almost a physical thing. And the laughter. Always the laughter. As insane as it was evil. Laughter that made him want nothing more than to set the world ablaze and drown it in a sea of swords. Alien feelings assaulting him in such magnitude that he didn't even know what were his and what were not. He grunts as molten blood dribbles from his nose, only to be reabsorbed a moment later. he shakes the feelings off.
Fishing the card from before out of his breast pocket he idly traces his name with his thumb, the jagged brittle lettering almost seeming to mock him. "Why do you distress me so." He whispers to the world. Barely registering the man who had declined from sharing a drink from him before looming over him. Until he speaks. Wayland's eyes settle heavily onto the man, talking in his features again from closer up. Wayland laughs. The sound as brittle and as sharp as the pieces of a shattered sword. He wanted to ask how he planned to help him, when he(Wayland) could not even help himself, then strange man lay his pipe on the table and Wayland's world came screeching to a halt.
With a sound like crashing steel, hammer glanced off the side of the anvil and the notice of a thousand thousand blades turned towards the source of the discord. It settled into his forge like a thorn but the hammer started again. It was something he could only just grasp, because the pipe that was not a pipe still held the concept of metal, and that put it in his purview, if only just.
A rent opened where it touched, into shadow and nothingness and fire screamed forth to meet it. But, how do you burn chaos. Beasts moved beyond the shadow, stalking along in the wake of the dark. Twisting this way and that. Their movements incomprehensible to a mind built on structure Too many eyes, too many legs, too many arms, too many heads. They peered into the light, eyes curious and amused. Mouths filled with too many teeth smiling far too wide their ruinous hunger clear to all, and still the hammer carried on, the beat slow and heavy as if unsure, but every echo of steel carrying a note as inevitable as the tide, and ever so slowly his world twisted to find a place for them. Somewhere in the dark, away from the others they settled, ever watchful, ever patient and ever hungry.
Wayland came back to himself with a low roar. The sound like someone raking through shattered steel, but there was an undertone now. Something alien and unfathomable. Color and sound come rushing back all at once, it takes him a second to realize the lack of noise and he takes it as an excuse to be away from the disconcerting man, and his pipe that was not a pipe.
As he stands he realizes the feel of the air had changed. A chill seemed to have settled into the world and there was a feeling... Like, something familiar, something that shouldn't be familiar, something that. Could. Not. Be. Familiar. It set his teeth on edge. Made his blood flare in heat, his eyes coming to glow with inner light as his core respond to the sudden unexplainable hatred. He rakes his vision across the assembled people, all the while a constant growl comes from his mouth with every exhale, accompanied by copious amounts of choking ash and smoke, the growl slowly growing louder as his breath comes faster and faster. The sounds like tortured steel, like death, swords piercing flesh and the screams of those dying. The noise in his head almost deafening as the hammer strikes faster and faster.
He stalks forward almost against his own will, the grass curling and turning to ash from the heat being emitted by his body, leaving smoldering footprints in his wake. He moves toward the people coming down the hill with purpose he can't fathom. The box buzzing to life as he passes, flickering between "1-2", but the number are like shadows upon the screen, as if not really there but any looking could see them. His eyes scanning those returning, raking across Vinn and Luka as if not seeing them, glancing across River until they rest upon.
"You!" He roars, voice echoing across the hill like the ringing of blades. A taloned finger pointing at the thing in the suit and top hat, the heat rolling off Wayland's body making portions of his clothes catch fire, and the ground in a circle around him to burn, the air distorting around him. As he Points right between the twin orbs of orange light sitting in the middle of shadow that were its eyes. The shadowy numbers on the box ghost higher, flickering between "3-4".
"I know you." His mind, his very soul rebels against the statement, white noise and static deafening in his mind but it's met by the roar of fire. Fire that burn even him with its brilliance. It makes even the laughter stop, until it starts to howl in anger and for an instant he can hear laughter like the tinkling of bells. A sound that lift him up in ways he can't explain before he's drowned in the roar of the flames.
"I hate you." But I don't know why... The thought is poisonous, bringing the static back to his soul. His anger is like a physical thing, pressing into the back of his eyes. Willing him forward, willing him to shred the grinning monster before him as his voice carries across to those assembled. The heat from his breath so great that it was almost heavy, the shadowy numbers on the box creep ever higher, flickering between "5-6".
Words flee him in a rush of heat, with a clashing of hammer and anvil, a roar of fire, a thousand different battlecries, in a memory of steel. He's confused, terrified of his own mind. He does the only thing he can. He roars long, and he roars loud. Leaning towards the abomination before him, the creature hiding behind a smile. His taloned hands splayed at his sides ready to rip and tear, his feet set to fight, to charge into his enemies. The sound is different than before. Like a monster, a dragon made of swords and steel. Ash spills from his mouth as he howls, settling to the ground before him. Blanketing the grass that isn't already burned, the heat wave that follows after blowing it away from him. And the box ticks up a final time, a shadowy "7" appearing before Wayland simply stops. Toppling backward to stare at the sky, clothes smoking, his body cooling rapidly as the glow leaves his eyes, his soul/mind in turmoil trying to, once again reconcile itself. The numbers disappearing at the same time, the box goes dark.
"Get your head in the game, Smith." He growls at himself. His voice ragged, brittle around the edges like broken glass. He was beginning to doubt he even knew who he was anymore. He was comfortable here. That's what scared him. What set his teeth on edge. He was never comfortable anywhere. Not in a long time. He was a predator. A self wielded sword, poised at the throats of everyone around him. He was irreparably broken. Those were the facts as he knew them.
At least. Before he came here. Now. Now, he felt sluggish. Off kilter, like he wasn't all of himself. The familiar beat of hammer on steel in his head, in his soul. No longer as comforting as it should be. The tempo felt wrong, the echo of the steel tinny too his ears. The fire. Felt cold. Like he was used to the sun, and all he had for warmth was a candle. It had never felt wrong before, now he felt like a stranger in his own skin, he remembered things he couldn't remember and white noise bled into the space where the memories should be. Blackness gnawed at the edges of his soul, oozing like disease into a gaping wound in his soul he was only now seeing. Accompanied by the screams, the plea of his name from a womans voice into his mind. A voice that filled him with such a sense of failure and loss that it was almost a physical thing. And the laughter. Always the laughter. As insane as it was evil. Laughter that made him want nothing more than to set the world ablaze and drown it in a sea of swords. Alien feelings assaulting him in such magnitude that he didn't even know what were his and what were not. He grunts as molten blood dribbles from his nose, only to be reabsorbed a moment later. he shakes the feelings off.
Fishing the card from before out of his breast pocket he idly traces his name with his thumb, the jagged brittle lettering almost seeming to mock him. "Why do you distress me so." He whispers to the world. Barely registering the man who had declined from sharing a drink from him before looming over him. Until he speaks. Wayland's eyes settle heavily onto the man, talking in his features again from closer up. Wayland laughs. The sound as brittle and as sharp as the pieces of a shattered sword. He wanted to ask how he planned to help him, when he(Wayland) could not even help himself, then strange man lay his pipe on the table and Wayland's world came screeching to a halt.
With a sound like crashing steel, hammer glanced off the side of the anvil and the notice of a thousand thousand blades turned towards the source of the discord. It settled into his forge like a thorn but the hammer started again. It was something he could only just grasp, because the pipe that was not a pipe still held the concept of metal, and that put it in his purview, if only just.
A rent opened where it touched, into shadow and nothingness and fire screamed forth to meet it. But, how do you burn chaos. Beasts moved beyond the shadow, stalking along in the wake of the dark. Twisting this way and that. Their movements incomprehensible to a mind built on structure Too many eyes, too many legs, too many arms, too many heads. They peered into the light, eyes curious and amused. Mouths filled with too many teeth smiling far too wide their ruinous hunger clear to all, and still the hammer carried on, the beat slow and heavy as if unsure, but every echo of steel carrying a note as inevitable as the tide, and ever so slowly his world twisted to find a place for them. Somewhere in the dark, away from the others they settled, ever watchful, ever patient and ever hungry.
Wayland came back to himself with a low roar. The sound like someone raking through shattered steel, but there was an undertone now. Something alien and unfathomable. Color and sound come rushing back all at once, it takes him a second to realize the lack of noise and he takes it as an excuse to be away from the disconcerting man, and his pipe that was not a pipe.
As he stands he realizes the feel of the air had changed. A chill seemed to have settled into the world and there was a feeling... Like, something familiar, something that shouldn't be familiar, something that. Could. Not. Be. Familiar. It set his teeth on edge. Made his blood flare in heat, his eyes coming to glow with inner light as his core respond to the sudden unexplainable hatred. He rakes his vision across the assembled people, all the while a constant growl comes from his mouth with every exhale, accompanied by copious amounts of choking ash and smoke, the growl slowly growing louder as his breath comes faster and faster. The sounds like tortured steel, like death, swords piercing flesh and the screams of those dying. The noise in his head almost deafening as the hammer strikes faster and faster.
He stalks forward almost against his own will, the grass curling and turning to ash from the heat being emitted by his body, leaving smoldering footprints in his wake. He moves toward the people coming down the hill with purpose he can't fathom. The box buzzing to life as he passes, flickering between "1-2", but the number are like shadows upon the screen, as if not really there but any looking could see them. His eyes scanning those returning, raking across Vinn and Luka as if not seeing them, glancing across River until they rest upon.
"You!" He roars, voice echoing across the hill like the ringing of blades. A taloned finger pointing at the thing in the suit and top hat, the heat rolling off Wayland's body making portions of his clothes catch fire, and the ground in a circle around him to burn, the air distorting around him. As he Points right between the twin orbs of orange light sitting in the middle of shadow that were its eyes. The shadowy numbers on the box ghost higher, flickering between "3-4".
"I know you." His mind, his very soul rebels against the statement, white noise and static deafening in his mind but it's met by the roar of fire. Fire that burn even him with its brilliance. It makes even the laughter stop, until it starts to howl in anger and for an instant he can hear laughter like the tinkling of bells. A sound that lift him up in ways he can't explain before he's drowned in the roar of the flames.
"I hate you." But I don't know why... The thought is poisonous, bringing the static back to his soul. His anger is like a physical thing, pressing into the back of his eyes. Willing him forward, willing him to shred the grinning monster before him as his voice carries across to those assembled. The heat from his breath so great that it was almost heavy, the shadowy numbers on the box creep ever higher, flickering between "5-6".
Words flee him in a rush of heat, with a clashing of hammer and anvil, a roar of fire, a thousand different battlecries, in a memory of steel. He's confused, terrified of his own mind. He does the only thing he can. He roars long, and he roars loud. Leaning towards the abomination before him, the creature hiding behind a smile. His taloned hands splayed at his sides ready to rip and tear, his feet set to fight, to charge into his enemies. The sound is different than before. Like a monster, a dragon made of swords and steel. Ash spills from his mouth as he howls, settling to the ground before him. Blanketing the grass that isn't already burned, the heat wave that follows after blowing it away from him. And the box ticks up a final time, a shadowy "7" appearing before Wayland simply stops. Toppling backward to stare at the sky, clothes smoking, his body cooling rapidly as the glow leaves his eyes, his soul/mind in turmoil trying to, once again reconcile itself. The numbers disappearing at the same time, the box goes dark.
Another roar of rage and pain echoed her own, but of course it hurt her ears too. A horrid grating sound louder and higher pitched than any of the previous human noise. Now the cat was beyond sick of it! Because she shifted in a panic, her more intelligent sensibilities were gone temporarily, and she forgot about her precious books and the fact she was in a strange place. The cat's only motivation to stop her pain. The only way she knew was to attack.
The two-hundred pound jaguar charged full speed towards the noise and ugly monster thing. Her only thoughts to fight, destroy and kill. A very good reason NOT to mess with trapped animals.
Unfortunately, before she could get close enough the smell and taste of fire and ash burned her senses. Physical, noisy, and soft monsters she could kill easily with claws and teeth, but fire - fire cannot be fought with her present weapons. Fire eats claws and teeth until nothing is left. Green eyes widened and muscles tensed. Retreat! Her instincts screamed! The charge slowed, as the cat dug her claws in the ground and redirected herself somewhere away from both the smells of fire and death. The ugly beast smelled of death and felt evil. Evil felt like bugs crawling under her skin. Those bugs also must be destroyed!
Both the noise and madness of the party had faded with the presence of great and dangerous magic. Suddenly all was quiet, including the grating, screeching, howling noise. The fire apparently died, though the closer the cat came to a single human-like creature on the ground, she could still smell smoke. Was it dead? Tensely, she waited at a distance. Confusion and fear darkened the green eyes, as Rosa twitched her feline head and pricked ears between the apparent human on the ground and that death-monster. She crouched, just within sight of them both, with the tip of her jaguar tail twitching restlessly.
The two-hundred pound jaguar charged full speed towards the noise and ugly monster thing. Her only thoughts to fight, destroy and kill. A very good reason NOT to mess with trapped animals.
Unfortunately, before she could get close enough the smell and taste of fire and ash burned her senses. Physical, noisy, and soft monsters she could kill easily with claws and teeth, but fire - fire cannot be fought with her present weapons. Fire eats claws and teeth until nothing is left. Green eyes widened and muscles tensed. Retreat! Her instincts screamed! The charge slowed, as the cat dug her claws in the ground and redirected herself somewhere away from both the smells of fire and death. The ugly beast smelled of death and felt evil. Evil felt like bugs crawling under her skin. Those bugs also must be destroyed!
Both the noise and madness of the party had faded with the presence of great and dangerous magic. Suddenly all was quiet, including the grating, screeching, howling noise. The fire apparently died, though the closer the cat came to a single human-like creature on the ground, she could still smell smoke. Was it dead? Tensely, she waited at a distance. Confusion and fear darkened the green eyes, as Rosa twitched her feline head and pricked ears between the apparent human on the ground and that death-monster. She crouched, just within sight of them both, with the tip of her jaguar tail twitching restlessly.
Vinn
The furball that was Vinn strolled towards the party, or more, waddled, one hand holding Luka's comfortingly as the other two trailed behind. Vinn eventually waddled his way to the box and sat Luka down to relax, patting her on the head good naturedly, as Thedas and Nero came to her side to comfort and offer aid. Apocalys and River stood at the very edge of the camp, both of them stared at the flickering ghostly numbers and grinned wide fanged grins for entirely different reasons, Apocalys would not reply to Wayland's assertion of hate instead he would continue to just grin. River eventually noticed Rosa's current state amidst the unfolding events. He took tentative steps towards her and let his ears and tail swish up and out, crouching low and holding a gentle hand out to her to try and coax her into calming down.
With an awkward cough Vinn clambered on top of the box with the aid of Nero's outstretched arm and began what seemed to be a prepared speech "Hey there folks! I uuuh..apologize for being late, I'd like to introduce the ex-leader of The Nameless, Aizen, or Apocalys if you'd prefer to use his real name. He'll be leaving very soon...right?" Apocalys laughed and waved him off, but the look Vinn gave him said that staying wasn't an option. "Now then....the way this world works is simple, guilds or cities create terms for a "Game", that can be anything from betting on cards to a tournament to the death, and The Wager. The Winner or Winners gets the wagered prize and raise their standing on the guild ladder, the ladder is determined by The Garden itself and the difficulty of the wager and the game. By determined by The Garden, I mean that the place you are currently in, and will be for the foreseeable future, is in fact a living entity. It runs this worlds laws, it monitors the games and it is what keeps the lords here cycle after cycle." He paused for a moment to take a breath and let it sink in before tapping the box below his feet.
"Currently The Nameless are on even terms with everyone else, in exactly two months the first guild game commences and usually the lords would awaken...this cycle as you already know, they're early. In those two months you must achieve one thing, and that is making this box read out a 1. This box takes in every factor of ones power, whether your strength is physical, magical, healing or toughness, it will take it into account and give you a general reading. This level is a basic term, if somebody achieves a higher level that does not mean you cannot beat them, keep that in mind. To survive and participate in this game however...I'm setting the minimum, without achieving a reading, you will surely die."
Vinn wobbled off of the Box and pointed to Apocalys "Right, now begone!" He commanded, Apocalys grinned and shrugged, winking at the terrified Luka before dissapearing in engulfing green flame, Vinn coughed awkwardly and adjusted his overly large hat.
"So....uhm..oh right! The Game! The upcoming game is a tournament, you will be randomly given an opponent and a match time, each win is two points, each loss is no points, each draw is one point. Before you get excited Blitz, the rookies will be handling this tournament, with supervision, the rest of you grab a number and move out! Not that I don't trust you guys, but with the Lords awakened so early we can't take any chances. The Tourney will be fulll of new people and guilds so its the perfect opportunity to get used to this world and its rules, you'll be staying here for the month but feel free to enjoy and explore the city while you train. I think I've talked enough, so I'll save some of the other stuff for the end of the month!" He rambled on, as he came to a stop he held his hands behind his back, as if waiting for any questions.
Finally he clicked his fingers and the camp was surrounded by a myriad of doors, each with a name or a label on it, one for each person, a workshop, a kitchen. Vinn was footing the bill for training, and each room was custom built for its occupant, if two people entered the same door they'd find their rooms merged for that time. Living and utility rooms however would be universal, the rookies would have to learn to live together.
Kira
Kira grinned and nudged her Viking companion "Told you it'd be quite a show, too bad about the following monologue. How about we get wasted and start on our own 'training' lover mine? I saw a rather busty angel floating around the place who might be worth checking out....entirely professionally of course~" Kira jested, cupping her hands in front of her chest suggestively at the word 'professionally'.
She wrapped her arm around Volga's and cheerfully, and quite sneakily, lead her towards the tent she saw Charmeine enter before the monologue began.
Volga looked down at her companion and although reluctant to drink further gave the same idiotic smile at the mention of 'training' and then a more natural smile at her new title. She opened her mouth to respond but instead raised an eyebrow at the mention of the unusually frilly Valkyrie (Volga's death was almost a hundred years before the introduction of Christianity by missionaries in the mid 7th century)from the initial meeting of the new guild members. She also remembered the tales and songs of the affairs certain Valkyries would have with human warriors and returned to her idiotic grin and nodded agreeably to Kira's suggestion. She then allowed herself to be lead along by Kira while trying to step quietly and crouch low to match her companion's stealth to lesser success wholly and willingly anticipant to Kira's little flight of mischief.
Allan
Lots of stuff happened. None of it really worth noting.
Before he started considered the possibility of trying to punch holes through reality in order to escape this seemingly never ending frat party the midget hopped up on the big black box and started laying down what was going on. Finally, an explanation as to what's going on.
And so he listened. His scowl couldn't possibly grow any more pronounced so his face simply settled for furrowing his eyebrows as Vinn continued on with his spiel. Remember when I said it couldn't possibly get any worse? It's too late to take that back isn't it? He waited until Vinn was finished speaking before giving a heavy sigh of annoyance. He walked forward, stepping out from the faceless crowd and into view to say his part.
"Right, I have a question. What's the point?" He folded his arms across his chest as he continued. "What I mean is why are we even doing the tournaments in the first place? I get that we wanna keep the lords in check so they don't get off this hunk of rock but where do these competitions fall into place? Are we just doing them so the lords don't get anything? Is this just some game of tug of war for resources?"
All questions he needed to ask. Given his purpose it was important to know exactly what it is he's even fighting to accomplish. He just wants off-worlders to stay off his world regardless of where their from. Heaven, Hell, The Garden and anywhere else, anyone and everyone who wasn't native to his earth were well invited to scram. After the amount of damage the two sides had done to humanity in general he was not well disposed to the idea of other things entering the fray.
Lots of stuff happened. None of it really worth noting.
Before he started considered the possibility of trying to punch holes through reality in order to escape this seemingly never ending frat party the midget hopped up on the big black box and started laying down what was going on. Finally, an explanation as to what's going on.
And so he listened. His scowl couldn't possibly grow any more pronounced so his face simply settled for furrowing his eyebrows as Vinn continued on with his spiel. Remember when I said it couldn't possibly get any worse? It's too late to take that back isn't it? He waited until Vinn was finished speaking before giving a heavy sigh of annoyance. He walked forward, stepping out from the faceless crowd and into view to say his part.
"Right, I have a question. What's the point?" He folded his arms across his chest as he continued. "What I mean is why are we even doing the tournaments in the first place? I get that we wanna keep the lords in check so they don't get off this hunk of rock but where do these competitions fall into place? Are we just doing them so the lords don't get anything? Is this just some game of tug of war for resources?"
All questions he needed to ask. Given his purpose it was important to know exactly what it is he's even fighting to accomplish. He just wants off-worlders to stay off his world regardless of where their from. Heaven, Hell, The Garden and anywhere else, anyone and everyone who wasn't native to his earth were well invited to scram. After the amount of damage the two sides had done to humanity in general he was not well disposed to the idea of other things entering the fray.
Finally, this was exactly what Ivan needed. An explanation, vital information, perhaps more than he strictly needed, but with his appetite for knowledge awakened by this information it felt lacking, left him wanting more. Like everything so far, every shred of information and every experience, it just led to an ever increasing maze of intertwined questions. How much power would you need to accrue to get that reading of 1, and how does it scale upwards? How did that box even know who and what to read... Oh, how temped he was to try and take it apart, make it reveal it's secrets to him. Who were these lords Vinn mentioned and how strong are they? But no matter how many questions came up in his mind, there was a faint feeling in the deepest part of his mind that kept telling him that it did not matter, that all would reveal itself in due time, and that there were more pressing matters at hand. It was quite a disturbing feeling as it went against the very nature of his self to not pursue knowledge wherever it presented itself, made even more disturbing by the fact that he almost didn't notice it's existence as it hid in his sub-conscious.
In a sense however that feeling was correct as there indeed was a more immediate matter at hand. No matter how that box calculated it, he still needed to get that reading, otherwise this vault of knowledge right within his grasp could very well lock shut in his face, and he only had one month to achieve it. If at all possible, he not only should prevent being shut out of this vault, but also consolidate his standing in the future by aiming as high as he could.
Then his thoughts were disrupted by a voice from the crowd, who for the most part voice some very reasonable concerns about the necessity of a tournament. Personally Ivan wasn't quite thrilled by the prospect of a tournament either. Especially since by the sound of it, it would consist of multiple one versus one duels. He had combat training and experience, though a bit light on said experience as he'd been kept busy with work in the labs for the most part, but a duel style was completely foreign terrain for him. He could hoard as much power as he wanted and his lack of experience could still end up being fatal.
Keeping some of his attention on what Vinn's response to this cry for answers would be Ivan looked at the doors that Vinn in his usual fashion had made appear. They were labeled, a lot of names, some of which he was sure he had seen on some of the lazul cards, presumably this meant they were personal rooms. It didn't take long for him to spot the door with his name on it and what appeared to be commonly shared rooms, most notably the workshop. Hopefully it had the tools he'd need to create his own, if not that could become quite the time sink. Not exactly an appealing prospect, however one way or another he, like any other, needed the tools of his trade to do anything significant. As he felt quite similar to how an archer without a bow must feel.
Still waiting for an answer from Vinn he walked off to the door that had his name. Not sure if sound would carry through into the room beyond that door he decided to just lean on it for now whilst he awaited the answer.
In a sense however that feeling was correct as there indeed was a more immediate matter at hand. No matter how that box calculated it, he still needed to get that reading, otherwise this vault of knowledge right within his grasp could very well lock shut in his face, and he only had one month to achieve it. If at all possible, he not only should prevent being shut out of this vault, but also consolidate his standing in the future by aiming as high as he could.
Then his thoughts were disrupted by a voice from the crowd, who for the most part voice some very reasonable concerns about the necessity of a tournament. Personally Ivan wasn't quite thrilled by the prospect of a tournament either. Especially since by the sound of it, it would consist of multiple one versus one duels. He had combat training and experience, though a bit light on said experience as he'd been kept busy with work in the labs for the most part, but a duel style was completely foreign terrain for him. He could hoard as much power as he wanted and his lack of experience could still end up being fatal.
Keeping some of his attention on what Vinn's response to this cry for answers would be Ivan looked at the doors that Vinn in his usual fashion had made appear. They were labeled, a lot of names, some of which he was sure he had seen on some of the lazul cards, presumably this meant they were personal rooms. It didn't take long for him to spot the door with his name on it and what appeared to be commonly shared rooms, most notably the workshop. Hopefully it had the tools he'd need to create his own, if not that could become quite the time sink. Not exactly an appealing prospect, however one way or another he, like any other, needed the tools of his trade to do anything significant. As he felt quite similar to how an archer without a bow must feel.
Still waiting for an answer from Vinn he walked off to the door that had his name. Not sure if sound would carry through into the room beyond that door he decided to just lean on it for now whilst he awaited the answer.
This'll do, Elena thought, carefully watching each movement her 'dance' partner made and acting accordingly. Punches, kicks, parries alike were all countered quickly and gracefully - Lazarus seemed to forget that they weren't exactly sparring because his movements became faster and faster exponentially as time progressed.
"I hope you're watching where you're swinging," Elena grinned, barely dodging a strike that missed her head by a heartbeat even with the split-second assistance of her water-augmented movement. "You maintain this pace and I'm not going to be able to keep up." Time for a change of pace of her own. A glistening torrent of water both swirled around and between them at random intervals, but with a gliding smoothness that made it seem natural. It was fast enough to pack a punch, should he actually get hit by it, but that probably wasn't very likely - still, it was a spectacle to watch from an outsider's perspective. She stepped it up a notch while she was at it, stomping the ground to blast a small ring of water geysers around them, appearing quickly but sequentially. That one was just for aesthetic, but it seemed fitting.
"I hope you're watching where you're swinging," Elena grinned, barely dodging a strike that missed her head by a heartbeat even with the split-second assistance of her water-augmented movement. "You maintain this pace and I'm not going to be able to keep up." Time for a change of pace of her own. A glistening torrent of water both swirled around and between them at random intervals, but with a gliding smoothness that made it seem natural. It was fast enough to pack a punch, should he actually get hit by it, but that probably wasn't very likely - still, it was a spectacle to watch from an outsider's perspective. She stepped it up a notch while she was at it, stomping the ground to blast a small ring of water geysers around them, appearing quickly but sequentially. That one was just for aesthetic, but it seemed fitting.
Vinn
Vinn knew the question was coming, but he still wasn't entirely sure about the answer himself. So he settled on giving the best one he could "It's how we decide who will fight the lords in the end, and how The Garden throws around its rewards. It has its own vassals just as The Lords do, what makes them scary is their ability to alter Games at will. A game is a divine contract not just a competition, it makes us fight and grow stronger, and in the end the top guild and their allies will stand alone against The Lords. Every other guild in The Garden will be needed just to defend from the Vassals and their minions who are nothing to sneeze at, as I understand it took three of you and Blitz to temporarily disable KH4 when he was a Vassal, and a low one at that. In short, its the best system we have to decide our leader, doll out resources, earn The Gardens boons and challenge The Lords on their own turf before they build up their assault." Vinn ranted, spouting his lengthy drivel as nonchalantly as he could.
It was hard to explain something he barely understood himself, The Garden was a mysterious entity, and although everything he said he was true. He couldn't help but feel the most honest answer was 'because that's how it wants it to be'. In the end they hadn't much choice in the matter anyway, millenia of prep couldn't be swapped, not only that but The Garden wouldn't allow it.
"Before you ask, no I'm not a Vassal, one of the Vassals summoned you all here, for a hefty price I've heard. As for your supervising buddies, they'll be Nero, Laz, Dom, Luka and Riv, you'll be stuck with us for the foreseeable future so now might be a good time to make some buddies." He commented, tipping his head in a motion that might have been meant to be a tip of his hat, had he not a reason to keep his hat so firmly in place.
Lazarus
Lazarus slowly calmed down his dance, surprised the Naval Officer kept her composure and continued the dance despite all that was occuring, he grinned again and decided he definitely liked this girl, the addition of the water was a nice touch and its use surprised him. Eventually he halted entirely, spinning out of her reach and raising his leg directly skyward before slamming it down, a small pulse of bloody liquid bursting in a ring to reflect her own ring of geysers.
"You continue to surprise and impress, I look forward to seeing you in the fields of battle. Keep me in mind if you ever want a sparring partner for real, or if you just want someone to drink with." He said with a grin, nodding his head towards Vinn as he listed off the supervisors "It seems we'll be in close company regardless." he commented.
Vinn knew the question was coming, but he still wasn't entirely sure about the answer himself. So he settled on giving the best one he could "It's how we decide who will fight the lords in the end, and how The Garden throws around its rewards. It has its own vassals just as The Lords do, what makes them scary is their ability to alter Games at will. A game is a divine contract not just a competition, it makes us fight and grow stronger, and in the end the top guild and their allies will stand alone against The Lords. Every other guild in The Garden will be needed just to defend from the Vassals and their minions who are nothing to sneeze at, as I understand it took three of you and Blitz to temporarily disable KH4 when he was a Vassal, and a low one at that. In short, its the best system we have to decide our leader, doll out resources, earn The Gardens boons and challenge The Lords on their own turf before they build up their assault." Vinn ranted, spouting his lengthy drivel as nonchalantly as he could.
It was hard to explain something he barely understood himself, The Garden was a mysterious entity, and although everything he said he was true. He couldn't help but feel the most honest answer was 'because that's how it wants it to be'. In the end they hadn't much choice in the matter anyway, millenia of prep couldn't be swapped, not only that but The Garden wouldn't allow it.
"Before you ask, no I'm not a Vassal, one of the Vassals summoned you all here, for a hefty price I've heard. As for your supervising buddies, they'll be Nero, Laz, Dom, Luka and Riv, you'll be stuck with us for the foreseeable future so now might be a good time to make some buddies." He commented, tipping his head in a motion that might have been meant to be a tip of his hat, had he not a reason to keep his hat so firmly in place.
Lazarus
Lazarus slowly calmed down his dance, surprised the Naval Officer kept her composure and continued the dance despite all that was occuring, he grinned again and decided he definitely liked this girl, the addition of the water was a nice touch and its use surprised him. Eventually he halted entirely, spinning out of her reach and raising his leg directly skyward before slamming it down, a small pulse of bloody liquid bursting in a ring to reflect her own ring of geysers.
"You continue to surprise and impress, I look forward to seeing you in the fields of battle. Keep me in mind if you ever want a sparring partner for real, or if you just want someone to drink with." He said with a grin, nodding his head towards Vinn as he listed off the supervisors "It seems we'll be in close company regardless." he commented.
"That's an idea I can get behind," Elena responded, watching Lazarus momentarily begin to settle down before putting distance between them and releasing a crimson nova. Immediately recognizing it as a liquid, she quickly made hand movements to disperse and redirect it, though she only succeeded at the dispersion part. "That was blood, wasn't it?" she asked. Though the answer to the question seemed fairly obvious enough, she was first able to tell in the instance that she partially manipulated the substance rather than through observation. She could control her own blood well enough, but when it came to the blood of others, she found her ability to exert force on it rather lacking and has subsequently discarded its use. This much was evident by her display of just barely being able to divert a low-pressure wave with a small volume instead of swirling it around her, as was her intention. Other liquids usually had the same treatment, or were even more difficulty control - either that, or not at all. "You do know that belongs in your body, right?" she added jokingly.
Allan
He was quite well prepared to not be happy with the answer he had asked for and not in vain as he listened to Vinn's little spiel. The more he spoke the more Allan disliked the very thought of it. The Garden, these games and especially the idea of being signed on a divine contract were all bitter pills he was now being handed. He wouldn't of gone through with this but unfortunately as the old adage goes he has to swallow.
After all the lords needed to be stopped right? But in order to stop them they needed to appease the Garden by going through it's little games. It was a big puppet show and much like a hand-puppet he definitely did feel as though something had metaphorically shoved it's hand somewhere uncomfortable and was moving him, and the rest of the newcomers for that matter, about as it pleased.
"Riiight, best system... What a load of crap." He muttered as he turned and started on his way to his door.
Someone should tell that vassal he should get his money back 'cause he sure as hell paid way too much to wind up bagging me of all things. He thought to himself as he walked up to the door with his name on it. Coming to a standstill in front of his door he looked it up and down, sizing it up.
After a moment of thoughtful calculation he threw a powerful kick at the door, his foot slamming into the flat surface with a loud wham. The force of the hit produced a large rush of displaced air, the sound of his supernaturally strong blow echoing outwards. If it weren't for his socks and pants observers would be able to see his foot now a shade of light sky blue and glowing brightly like a neon sign. Still, despite the force behind the kick the only thing that moved was the air. It seemed magic doors weren't going to be victim to his angst today.
"Bloody hell." He swore under his breath as he took his foot off and opened the door by it's handle as it's maker intended. With his back to the party he stepped in and shut the door behind him, happy just to be out of there.
He was quite well prepared to not be happy with the answer he had asked for and not in vain as he listened to Vinn's little spiel. The more he spoke the more Allan disliked the very thought of it. The Garden, these games and especially the idea of being signed on a divine contract were all bitter pills he was now being handed. He wouldn't of gone through with this but unfortunately as the old adage goes he has to swallow.
After all the lords needed to be stopped right? But in order to stop them they needed to appease the Garden by going through it's little games. It was a big puppet show and much like a hand-puppet he definitely did feel as though something had metaphorically shoved it's hand somewhere uncomfortable and was moving him, and the rest of the newcomers for that matter, about as it pleased.
"Riiight, best system... What a load of crap." He muttered as he turned and started on his way to his door.
Someone should tell that vassal he should get his money back 'cause he sure as hell paid way too much to wind up bagging me of all things. He thought to himself as he walked up to the door with his name on it. Coming to a standstill in front of his door he looked it up and down, sizing it up.
After a moment of thoughtful calculation he threw a powerful kick at the door, his foot slamming into the flat surface with a loud wham. The force of the hit produced a large rush of displaced air, the sound of his supernaturally strong blow echoing outwards. If it weren't for his socks and pants observers would be able to see his foot now a shade of light sky blue and glowing brightly like a neon sign. Still, despite the force behind the kick the only thing that moved was the air. It seemed magic doors weren't going to be victim to his angst today.
"Bloody hell." He swore under his breath as he took his foot off and opened the door by it's handle as it's maker intended. With his back to the party he stepped in and shut the door behind him, happy just to be out of there.
Despite the somewhat playful tilt of the strange Neko Tom's ears, Rosa pulled back. She gave a coughing grunt and tipped her head slightly more towards Wayland on the ground in a questioning gesture, but she remained guarded, especially with the evil death-monster still around. Unfortunately, the monster's presence made it difficult for her to pay attention to Vinn's monologue.
Evil monster must Die! Hmmf! Stinky humans and weird Neko were in her way. Sometimes her dual nature was a pain. There were no more expanding death rings, but she hadn't won her bloody fight yet. Too many people were between her and her prey! Too many people she couldn't eat. A weird little furball was above her and talking. The biped understood that the furball was of some importance, but the cat didn't care. The cat still wanted to fight and kill. Rosa gave a rumbling growl, a warning. Nobody moved and the furball was still talking. Finally, Finally, her other form's thought processes broke through!
Wait! What's this about contracts and lords and vassals? She shook back into her bipedal form to use the advantages of human speech. "I don't remember signing any contract. Who or what are these lords and vassals? If they're so bad and this Garden is supposedly so smart, why can't it just kick them out itself? Why do you need us?"
She realized a little too late that it might not be in her best interest to argue with not only her boss, but the whatsit that saved her life at least once.
Evil monster must Die! Hmmf! Stinky humans and weird Neko were in her way. Sometimes her dual nature was a pain. There were no more expanding death rings, but she hadn't won her bloody fight yet. Too many people were between her and her prey! Too many people she couldn't eat. A weird little furball was above her and talking. The biped understood that the furball was of some importance, but the cat didn't care. The cat still wanted to fight and kill. Rosa gave a rumbling growl, a warning. Nobody moved and the furball was still talking. Finally, Finally, her other form's thought processes broke through!
Wait! What's this about contracts and lords and vassals? She shook back into her bipedal form to use the advantages of human speech. "I don't remember signing any contract. Who or what are these lords and vassals? If they're so bad and this Garden is supposedly so smart, why can't it just kick them out itself? Why do you need us?"
She realized a little too late that it might not be in her best interest to argue with not only her boss, but the whatsit that saved her life at least once.
Charmeine
The young seraph took a seat in her room, pulling off her gloves and folding them neatly beside her. She ran a hand through her hair, letting out a groan as the fatigue was finally setting in. There was some sort of commotion going on outside, one that she could barely understand. It was a speech of some sorts, to which she listened to gingerly. It was an explanation on why they were here, why they were fighting. The whitette found herself seemingly... careless. She used to be so focused on her home, but now it seemed nothing mattered but sleep right now. That, and her own well being.
Charmeine picked up her head as she heard a sound, flickering her eyes and scanning the room before her. She suddenly felt tense, slowly getting to her feet and twiddling her thumbs. "... A... Anima?" She called weakly, wondering if it were her slime friend. However, no answer would come to her. This would only make the princess even more jumpy, feeling behind her desperately for her weapon.
Vinn
Vinn winced as Allan made his dramatic exit, readjusting his wobbling hat "Well...someones a bit cranky....as for signing contracts, maybe contract was the wrong word...The Garden makes a big fancy scroll with all the rules on it for each individual game as its made, and the participants agree to abide by them and The Garden sets the stage!....so to speak. Kicking them out kind of defeats the purpose of the reality converging anomaly that keeps them trapped here instead of reaving across existence. This place apparently used to just be a meeting point for each world, but then the lords came and well...now its a battlefield, and it takes everything The Garden has to keep it all in check. " He paused and pondered his options for a moment.
"No they have to be dealt with for good, and its up to existence to deal with its own problems. The Vassals are...well on nobodies side, they run the high end games and punish corrupt guilds, The Lords Vassals are either mind-controlled or corrupt inhabitants filled with portions of the lords power, they work on their behalf and can bend the rules of games a bit. Lords are....powerful, pure evil, the classics of your average reality ending creatures, they may look like a human, they may be a giant winged monster, they're all different. Whether you believe it or not or trust the system, we need you, and otherwise we can say goodbye to life in advance."
Vinn nodded at the doors and it looked like his eyes smiled "For now, welcome to a new home!" He chimed happily.
Lazarus
Lazarus smiled at Elena's comment and began re-wrapping himself up in bandages starting with his hands "That's true, but when your supply is infinite and your need few, you learn to adapt. I have no shortage of bandages either, the biggest struggle is keeping the blood in check, adrenaline control and all that." He joked, almost halfway up his arm with the bandages.
"Water may not be my thing, but liquids and biology in general? I would be happy to oblige with helping you play with that. " He offered, grinning again and letting a 'spark' of blood dance across his skin.
Kira
"Ssshhh~ Lets just...when I open this flap lets introduce ourselves and pretend that a hug is the greatest sign of respect for our people and then...then we can get a reaaalll close look, and whenever we see her from now we can just...take a lookie." Kira whispered to Volga drunkenly, counting down on her hands, 5...4...3...2...7...1! Kira dramatically flipped the tent flap up and strolled in, coughing awkwardly as she entered, taking a deeep breath and lining up a little trick she'd learned as a slave at parties.
"I'm sorry if we startled you madame, my names Kira, me and my companion simply wanted to greet you and extend our admiration for you in the previous battle with a show of respect from our people, and invite you to rest and train with us while we're together in this world, there are rooms just outside with our names on them which we would be honoured to escort you to if you wish to retire." Kira said with a low bow, trying to put as respectful a tone in her voice as she could manage, being able to manipulate fine metals was a blessing when it came to finding a way to temporarily keep alcohol at bay, and a neat trick to boot. She held a thumbs up discretely behind her back to Volga and waited for her to follow along. If they were stuck here then they might as well enjoy it as much as possible after all.
Volga listened intently to Kira's prank through a drunken haze as she followed her in both listening and movement. She nodded to Kira grasping most of what she had said and watched the silent countdown with an all too familiar unease at the expectation of a need for improvisation. She watched Kira stroll into the tent dramatically before trying to do the same and struggling with the low entrance and fighting with the flap and ending up stumbling in instead of making an entrance. She listened enviously at the clarity of Kira's voice and her resistance to alcohol before noticing the thumbs-up. Taking this as a go-ahead, she moved with a here-goes-something type of motivation before hugging and lifting the frilly valkyrie "Greetings and well-wishings to you new and honored comrade!!".
Anima
She paid careful attention to what was said and done. She took to listening to the words of Vinn, making sure to note everything that was said. The nature of their task was a worrying one but as she recalled it was the job of those under the tutelage of the sun's ways to combat the darkness and protect others from it's clutches. It made a lot of sense the purpose behind their solemn but nonetheless necessary duty to undertake the continued entrapment of these lords he described. Her duty was to protect those that these lords threatened from harm, a commitment she took quite seriously.
After all the excitement from Vinn's announcement started to dwindle she looked about to see her new friend was not in sight. Alas, her mind had completely forgotten the previous task they had tackled. I was showing Princess Charmeine to this tent! Oh Sun forgive such forgetfulness. She momentarily admonished herself before hearing some talking within the tent itself. She could of sworn she heard Charmeine mention her name before a couple other voices pitched in.
A tad surprised by the sudden influx of company right behind her back she turned and re-entered the tent to be graced with a rather surprising scene. A large and clearly inebriated warrior woman had picked princess Charmeine up while a younger elven looking girl looked on. At once a combination of confusion and surprise composed Anima's current expression as she tried to figure out just what exactly was going on. "I-is everything alright Princess Charmeine?"
She paid careful attention to what was said and done. She took to listening to the words of Vinn, making sure to note everything that was said. The nature of their task was a worrying one but as she recalled it was the job of those under the tutelage of the sun's ways to combat the darkness and protect others from it's clutches. It made a lot of sense the purpose behind their solemn but nonetheless necessary duty to undertake the continued entrapment of these lords he described. Her duty was to protect those that these lords threatened from harm, a commitment she took quite seriously.
After all the excitement from Vinn's announcement started to dwindle she looked about to see her new friend was not in sight. Alas, her mind had completely forgotten the previous task they had tackled. I was showing Princess Charmeine to this tent! Oh Sun forgive such forgetfulness. She momentarily admonished herself before hearing some talking within the tent itself. She could of sworn she heard Charmeine mention her name before a couple other voices pitched in.
A tad surprised by the sudden influx of company right behind her back she turned and re-entered the tent to be graced with a rather surprising scene. A large and clearly inebriated warrior woman had picked princess Charmeine up while a younger elven looking girl looked on. At once a combination of confusion and surprise composed Anima's current expression as she tried to figure out just what exactly was going on. "I-is everything alright Princess Charmeine?"
Charmeine
The seraph grasped her weapon tightly in her hand, gritting her teeth and pointing it to the entrance of the tent. She placed her index finger on the trigger, slowly pulled back and...
Another warrior-- two -- popped in.
Charmeine's eyes widened, jerking her arm back as her weapon went off. However, she was able to absorb the arrow's energy before it would hit the ceiling. It was much like the sound of popping a balloon. The princess stumbled back a few steps, taking in a sharp breath as she lowered her arm. She took a few moments to study the elf before her.
The first thing she'd notice is Kira's hair. Charmeine's eyes flickered, then narrowed. What a peculiar color. Her whole kingdom was white, blue, and maybe even yellow. But things like red? Orange? Yes, they existed, but for hair? Huh. The whitette's gaze trailed down her body, only listening to half the words Kira babbled about. Her armor was dirty, and made of cheap material. However, her gloves seemed well crafted with the finest of metals. Charmeine slowly placed her weapon down on a side table.
"Training?" She asked, her eyebrows perking with interest. A good challenge here and there was heavenly. But was that really required? She is the Daughter of Seraphiel, almighty! However, the whitette was both entertained and flattered that the Elven woman would invite her to tag along. "... Well, normally it's not my traditional wa-"
Charmeine was interrupted when the second warrior stepped forward. Another lass with red hair, but only one color this time. She was tall and slim. Her eyes had a beautiful emerald sheen, and had features of a tribal woman. The seraph was insulted that she had already come so close, finding herself jump back as she extended her arms. Charmeine was never touched. Even as a baby, rarely was she ever held by her guardians. It was seen as pointless, therefore it was not done. The princess let out a helpless squeal as she had suddenly become airborn, kicking her legs furiously. "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME?! I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN!!" Charmeine snarled.
Just then, the powerful healer from before walked into the scene. She looked to her quickly, her expression becoming relived. "Anima!" She exclaimed, "G-Get her off of me!!"
The answers Vinn gave were.... Unsatisfactory to a certain degree, but would have to do for now. Ivan opened the door he had been leaning on whilst listening to Vinn. Immediately he was met by a plethora of familiar smells, burning candle wax, ink, parchment and a colorful mix of herbal and flower scents. As he entered he noticed how dark the entire room was, only dimly lit by a few candles spread through the room and the dark wood that dominated the room didn't do the room any favors in brightening it up. The only places that were decently lit were a scribes desk and the trays with plants in the furthest corner of the room. Ivan walked to the bed squeezed into one of the other corners footboard facing the door. He sat down on the bed with a sigh. Today had been quite a busy day so far, and it seemed it was far from over, too much to do before he could even consider sleeping. He took a few moments to think over the events thus far, and the flood of information that had crashed down on him.
Having taken in most of what had happened thus far and let it settle for a bit, he stood up again, left his room and head for the workshop. There was little time for dilly dallying, he needed to get to the point where he could get a reading out of that box, but even if that was possible for him as he was now, he'd need something however minor to be able to fight with any form of competence.
Entering the workshop Ivan found some tools he could use for his own handiwork. Though it was only a set of tools for cutting and setting gems, it was all he needed. He grabbed some iron and sand, not exactly the best choices for what he wanted, but even if he wanted to use better materials it would require more T-energy to infuse and work than he had available. He took the materials and the set of tools to one of the workbenches. First things first, he needed to make the base. He grabbed some of the iron and heated it to a forge-able temperature, making sure to redirect the heat spilling from the iron back into the iron.
With some audible protests of the metal Ivan applied force, turning the chunk of iron into a hexagonal prism. The protests continued as the sides of the prism narrowed down into six beams, one on each corner, revealing the hollow inside. With a snapping sound he then bend each of the beams outward along the length creating a sharp bend halfway down the length of the beams. Finally the flat hexagonal top and bottom were shaped, bend outwards from the middle, giving the entire figure the shape of a hexagonal bipyramid, about the size of a human head. He then grabbed some more of the iron and formed that into a ring large enough to be used as a handle and attached it to the top.
With the base completed, now it was time for the real magic. Slowly across the entire base indentations appeared, forming slots for gems to be set in. Then came the task of making the gems. He restructured the sand with a dash of iron to reform into crystals of citrine, the rough crystals that were formed then required to be cut to the right shapes and sizes. That's where the tools came into play, and Ivan cut the rough crystals into the very intricate patterns of runic symbols, making sure not to cut the crystals that could fracture the crystal. Afterwards he set each and every of the gems in their intended location, carefully making minute adjustments to ensure the direction and orientation of the gem was perfect.
To finalize the piece only a few more steps would be needed. He heated the apex of the downward facing pyramid and cut it off the rest of the piece. Using the iron and the remainder of the sand he formed an hexagonal pyramid of greenish black obsidian, and slotted that back where the apex had been cut out. Now it was time to finalize everything, turn this decorative piece into something with function. Using the last bit of T-energy stored in the crystals he had produced after the battle, he infused all the runic shaped gems and the obsidian apex at the bottom. The citrine crystals dull sheen became brighter and cleaner as if all minute impurities had vanished from the crystal, and the obsidian green sheen became stronger, but at the same time a lot darker.
Ivan grabbed the artifact by the ring at the top and a pale green flame appeared in the center of the bipyramid. He then spun the lantern around and looked at the runes, taking the time to carefully read and confirm he hadn't made any mistakes. "Heart of flame, heart of winter, Pale light in the darkness, Hear my legends, Speak my name, For I am Fen Fire." The runes read. It all seemed to correct, not that Ivan had enough power left to fix any mistakes right now. Satisfied with his creation he left the workshop with it in hand.
Having taken in most of what had happened thus far and let it settle for a bit, he stood up again, left his room and head for the workshop. There was little time for dilly dallying, he needed to get to the point where he could get a reading out of that box, but even if that was possible for him as he was now, he'd need something however minor to be able to fight with any form of competence.
Entering the workshop Ivan found some tools he could use for his own handiwork. Though it was only a set of tools for cutting and setting gems, it was all he needed. He grabbed some iron and sand, not exactly the best choices for what he wanted, but even if he wanted to use better materials it would require more T-energy to infuse and work than he had available. He took the materials and the set of tools to one of the workbenches. First things first, he needed to make the base. He grabbed some of the iron and heated it to a forge-able temperature, making sure to redirect the heat spilling from the iron back into the iron.
With some audible protests of the metal Ivan applied force, turning the chunk of iron into a hexagonal prism. The protests continued as the sides of the prism narrowed down into six beams, one on each corner, revealing the hollow inside. With a snapping sound he then bend each of the beams outward along the length creating a sharp bend halfway down the length of the beams. Finally the flat hexagonal top and bottom were shaped, bend outwards from the middle, giving the entire figure the shape of a hexagonal bipyramid, about the size of a human head. He then grabbed some more of the iron and formed that into a ring large enough to be used as a handle and attached it to the top.
With the base completed, now it was time for the real magic. Slowly across the entire base indentations appeared, forming slots for gems to be set in. Then came the task of making the gems. He restructured the sand with a dash of iron to reform into crystals of citrine, the rough crystals that were formed then required to be cut to the right shapes and sizes. That's where the tools came into play, and Ivan cut the rough crystals into the very intricate patterns of runic symbols, making sure not to cut the crystals that could fracture the crystal. Afterwards he set each and every of the gems in their intended location, carefully making minute adjustments to ensure the direction and orientation of the gem was perfect.
To finalize the piece only a few more steps would be needed. He heated the apex of the downward facing pyramid and cut it off the rest of the piece. Using the iron and the remainder of the sand he formed an hexagonal pyramid of greenish black obsidian, and slotted that back where the apex had been cut out. Now it was time to finalize everything, turn this decorative piece into something with function. Using the last bit of T-energy stored in the crystals he had produced after the battle, he infused all the runic shaped gems and the obsidian apex at the bottom. The citrine crystals dull sheen became brighter and cleaner as if all minute impurities had vanished from the crystal, and the obsidian green sheen became stronger, but at the same time a lot darker.
Ivan grabbed the artifact by the ring at the top and a pale green flame appeared in the center of the bipyramid. He then spun the lantern around and looked at the runes, taking the time to carefully read and confirm he hadn't made any mistakes. "Heart of flame, heart of winter, Pale light in the darkness, Hear my legends, Speak my name, For I am Fen Fire." The runes read. It all seemed to correct, not that Ivan had enough power left to fix any mistakes right now. Satisfied with his creation he left the workshop with it in hand.
Volga lifted the whitette up by the sides as one would a small child with about the same level of effort. She looked up at her, at first waiting for her to finish her sentence and then in utter confusion at her sudden irritability. She turned her head side ways as she heard her plea to someone else in the tent for release. Volga found this to be mildly absurd as she would readily place the strange creature that could no longer be confused as a valkyrie back on the ground if only asked properly. However, the woman chose to instead kick and scream as a child would. Unaware of the cultural differences, Volga saw this as the behavior characteristic of a spoiled noble's spoiled child. She then turned to see the slime standing in the door and catch the odd phrasing of the spoiled noble's daughter. She caught this as so absurd that she turned to reply in genuine confusion "I am not on you...". She thought of this for a moment and smiled for a brief second before snapping back to reality and adding "If this is how you act towards the simple embraced of a comrade then I doubt be able to handle someone on top of you". The whitett's behavior and lack good sportsmanship had ruined the novelty of the prank so Volga ultimately set her back down and released her near offended at being spoken to so impersonally by a comrade. She turned and walked back to Kira picking her up instead "My head aches and I wish to retire to my room...". Her voice was weary from more than just simple insult as bittersweet memories of fallen comrades of impeccable humor and sportsmanship came back to her faded and came back less detailed.