"Uh, okay?" Cosmo said to the woman, scratching the back of his head with his right hand - it took a little effort to make sure not to hit himself with a targe. With that, he ran off to the entrance of the cave to see what was going on. But he realized he was going the wrong direction, so after turning back, he actually ran off to the cave's entrance this time.
He noticed he was jingling as he ran, and saw that he was covered in silly-looking armor made out of metal rings and tinted completely white. It felt like he was wearing a very a cold hoodie and sweat pants. He would have preferred having a black-and-red knight's helmet, or nothing at all, since the metal tickled his ears.
edited 12th Sep '12 8:10:13 PM by nman
Sad.... :(
Well…on the bright side the Nightmare were all they had to contend now. On the not-so bright side they were completely immune to bullets. On the pretty terrible side, there were 5 of them attacking him now.
Packing the pistol into convenient (and pretty anachronistic, considering the medieval aesthetic of the armor) holster, he held the ax with both hands and dashed towards them. However his intent was not so much to fight them, then to charge through them and help Jane.
Has a compulsive editing and re-editing disorder.
Dreams of Revenge
Jerome was disoriented by the darkness and (metaphorically) floored by the pain: even with military training, it had been such a long time ago and the agony* was unparalleled by anything he had experienced before or since. He landed with a meaty thump, gasping from the residual effects of the pain as he regained awareness of his surroundings.
The most obvious change was the fearsome glaive now resting innocently on top of him; where it had come from, Jerome could not say. He also felt that his body was slightly heavier, almost as if it was weighed down by light armour. Which, in fact, it was. Peeking out from under a quietly elegant yet practical set of silvery robes was golden armour, though it lacked adornments and anything else which might snag on the robe.
The glaive, meanwhile, was jet black and reflected the light, while small inlays of gold and silver metal ran up and down its' length in flowing lines and zig-zags. Even stranger, Jerome felt like he knew how to use it, even though he had never handled a polearm in his entire life. Getting to his feet with the occasional stagger as his mind shook off the last of its' disorientation, he said to Sophie, "We will. Thank you."
With that he moved purposefully out of the cave, keeping his weapon ready to strike any Nightmares who thought him an easy target. He noted the absence of the Hexra with interest. Once it had become an even contest, it seemed they had no intention of staying around.
Locking you up on radar since '09
State of Mind
Cosmo and Jerome found themselves with a new situation:
With an inhuman shriek, the Nightmare Darrel had fired at toppled over. An arrow was lodged in its side, cutting deep into the flesh. The creature's black blood oozed from the wound as it crashed into the ground. The monster right behind was running too close and too fast and ran right into its fallen comrade. It hit the ground face first as well.
One of the other two continued towards it's designated target, but the last monster snarled at Darrel. The one that had tripped before got up. Together, they now ran towards Darrel. Only one was left to attack Byron. With a huge leap, it land directly beside the Knight of Molten Steel and slashed with its claws at his stomach.
One Nightmare hovering over Jane was struck in the head by a multicolored beam of light. Another Nightmare just barely dodged a beam, only to get hit by another. Both seemed dazed as they tried to get up, stumbling around like they were blind. They did not get long to recover as Larry swung his weapon into their small bodies.
One thing was established at that moment. Nightmares, when affected by physical objects, proved incredibly squishy. Bones cracked inside as Larry smashed into the monsters and the two fell dead onto the ground.
One that hadn't been stunned jumped out of the way and then jumped back towards Larry, clawing at his leg.
Five on one, Adam found all the monsters he was engaged with leaping at him, claws and fangs bared. Wild eyes looked at him with mad desire. Two of them were violently thrown out of the way by blocks of ice. Leartes had come up running, one hand raised to shoot ice while the other had his tomahawk ready.
Just outside the cave, three Nightmares had scaled the cliff and were waiting above. As soon as Cosmo and Jerome had exited, they jumped upon them. Biting at their heads and necks.
Nightmares: 28
edited 15th Sep '12 11:42:18 AM by Parable
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
"DUCK!" Cosmo yelled at Jerome, as he put his arms out and started spinning around wildly, yelling.
edited 15th Sep '12 12:18:07 PM by nman
Dreams of Revenge
Jerome was briefly overwhelmed by what he saw, but he recovered quickly. So, the Nightmares were not quite as invincible as he had seen thus far. Admittedly, the weapons they were using must have had some sort of special quality to affect the Nightmares, but they were certainly more fragile than he anticipated. He didn't need telling twice as he stooped low, brandishing his glaive in an experimental arc over his head, trying to avoid striking Cosmo as he did so.
He was rather confused as he heard the crackle of... was that electricity? Sure enough, small bolts of lightning were curling and clawing their way around the glaive, though they remained firmly attracted to the weapon rather than anything else. Jerome wasn't about to question the unusual occurance (or even make the connection that he was the cause of the lightning), focusing on staying alive more than anything. Investigation could come when - or if - he got through this encounter.
Locking you up on radar since '09
Never Trust
Larry kicked at the Nightmare clawing at his leg with his free foot. If it came loose and was still alive he would hit it with his staff and then, if he was close enough to maybe try to pick her up and make a dash for the cave.
edited 16th Sep '12 4:00:28 AM by tricksterson
Trump delenda est
THE SLORG!
Darrel - cave entrance
Darrel's tactic of easing up the load for the hammer wielder had worked, making that guy's job easier. Unfortunately, the act caught the attention of two of the Nightmares that were charging him, and they both decided to switch target to Darrel, leaving only one going for the melee fighter. Darrel certainly hadn't planned for that.
Darrel quickly grabbed another arrow and readied it, then fired at the closer of the two approaching Nightmares. He feared he wouldn't have time for the second arrow just standing there, so as soon as he fired he started to run off to the side next to the rocks, reaching for a second arrow from the quiver as he ran.
You are reading this.
State of Mind
One of the Nightmares going for Cosmo was immediately flung off. It hit the cliff it had just jumped from, the creatures soft flesh hitting the rocky wall with a sickening slam. It fell dead back on the dirt a few moments later. The other monster had manged to avoid getting swiped in midair and was now clinging to Cosmo's arm, biting at his shoulder.
Jerome's quick swing also made contact. The sharp end of the glaive striking the Nightmare that was making at attempt on his head. Instead, it was the Nightmares head that had its head struck off. Jerome has hit the neck and the creature's cranium came clean off. Both body and head splashed into the mud, sparks flickering for a bit where metal had struck flesh.
If he looked ahead, Jerome would see three more of the monsters coming at him.
Larry was having trouble dislodging the Nightmare that had latched onto his foot. To make matters worse, another chose that moment to jump on his back.
For someone who had been on the verge of getting his throat ripped out just a minute or so earlier, Darrel was handling himself well. another Nightmare fell victim to an arrow. Falling to the ground, it was ignored by its compatriot who charged recklessly at Darrel. Darrel back away and fired again, at that close range it was impossible to miss. Another dead monster. Darrel was now free to aid anyone else in the vicinity.
Unseen by anyone, two Nightmares had made their way into the cave from climbing down the ledge. Spotting Sophie, the grinned their horrible, fanged grins and slowly advanced on the tired girl.
Nightmares: 24
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
"Ugh, get off!" Cosmo yelled, and continued to yell. But he didn't stop spinning - he didn't have too much of an idea what to do. Instead he put both of his hands on the nightmare's skull and grabbed on tight, as he tried to bring it around.
edited 16th Sep '12 3:01:21 PM by nman
Never Trust
Larry threw himself onto his back and started rolling around trying to dislodge the Nightmare on it. He also folded up his staff and used it as a club on the Nightmare attached to his leg.
edited 16th Sep '12 3:28:20 PM by tricksterson
Trump delenda est
THE SLORG!
Darrel - outside the cave
Putting a bit of distance while preparing the arrow had worked it seemed, giving Darrel the time he needed to put said arrow into the second Nightmare and clear up his own troubles for the moment. Getting another arrow ready, Darrel made a quick check of the battlefield to see where an arrow or two would come most in handy.
Two of the other Human combatants now had Nightmares actively attacking them. One had chosen to spin around to get his off while the other threw himself on the ground and tried rolling. Both meant they were in positions that Darrel couldn't safely shoot at the Nightmare without risk of hitting the person; except for the one on the leg of the grounded man. Darrel fired his arrow at that Nightmare, aiming a little lower on its torso to reduce chance of hitting the man's leg.
Then, if he had time, Darrel would ready another arrow and fire it at one of the three Nightmares that were approaching the old man.
You are reading this.
Dreams of Revenge
" Oh, great, " mumbled Jerome darkly as he saw the three new opponents who wanted to try their luck. He had barely registered the decapitation of the first vile creature, but a lucky strike was hardly reason to get cocky. Adopting a more guarded stance - he feared hitting the flailing Cosmo by accident - Jerome waited until the Nightmares were in range before he thrusted with the glaive, hoping to use their forward momentum against them.
Locking you up on radar since '09
Sad.... :(
Adam Smith
It was clear that those little imps would never let him move past them. Two of them were suddenly blow out of the air by a chunk of ice. With something close to terror, Adam realized that he knew it would happen moments before it happened. As Leartes intervened in his behalf, he could fell his concentration and killing intent, seeing his attack before it happened. And he realized that he could feel the rage and blood-lust of the remaining Nightmares, almost feeling the wounds they desired to inflict onto his body. Instinctively, he threw himself to the side, and rolled on the ground, using the momentum to get back on his feet, as he dodged the attack of the enemy. He took a deep breath.
"Alright. Here I go."
Brandishing his ax, Adam counterattacked, swinging it in wide arc at the closest Nightmare, intending to continue with the attack until all three of them were dead.
Has a compulsive editing and re-editing disorder.
State of Mind
In what had the be the first instance of one Nightmare helping another, Cosmo's arms were seized by two more of the monsters leaping up and pulling on his limbs, forcing him to drop the one he was trying to crush to death. The Nightmare dropped to the mud. The other two ceased their assault on Cosmo and grabbed the other one, running off into the forest with unnatural hoots and cries.
Larry's rolling and thrashing forced the Nightmare on him to let go and scamper away. Repeated blows to the head finally caused the other monster wrapped around his leg to let go as well before it was bludgeoned to death. As luck would have it, before it could put any distance between itself and the Knight, Darrel's arrow struck it from behind. The monster took a moment to look confused before collapsing dead onto the ground.
His next target had much better luck. The faster moving Nightmare avoided the arrow while moving to attack Jerome. For all the good that did, as Jerome's glaive connected with it's abdomen. The other two backed off as the impaled creature struggled for a few moments to pull itself off the weapon. It would have been comical except the Nightmare's body simply gave out and died right there on the pole.
Adam's telepathic abilities, once properly focused, proved incredibly useful on the Nightmares he was fighting. So long as he focused on one at a time, he could tell what they were going to do before they did it. Two fell to his axe and the third about to jump him was struck down by Leartes and his tomahawk.
Nightmares: 19
Having lost more then a third of their numbers, the Nightmares had apparently had enough. Some scampered into the forest. Others seemed to sink into the ground, as if the physical world was no boundary to them. They disappeared without so much as a trace except the foot prints in the mud where they had been standing. More disturbingly, the dead bodies of the Nightmares taken out by everyone began to dissipate. Almost like they were evaporating, from longest dead to most recently killed, they simply dissolved into the air.
Within moments, everything was still. There were no more Nightmares. There was no sign or sound of life from anywhere in the forest or cave save the Knights. The rain began slowing to a drizzle, then stopped entirely.
Leartes looked around wildly for a moment.
"Okay, what the HELL was that all about!?"
Nightmares: 0
edited 21st Sep '12 9:27:33 AM by Parable
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
Never Trust
"Don't know man," Larry said as he got to his feet and moved to Jayne's body. He picked her up and slung one of her arms over his shoulder but was handicapped by the fact that he wasn't much taller or heavier than her. "Someone want to give me a hand here?"
Trump delenda est
Dreams of Revenge
Jerome's brows beetled as he saw the Nightmares disappear into thin air, as incorporeal as their names suggested. The thought that this was all some sort of bizarre waking dream persisted strongly in his mind; this was all far too surreal to be reality... wasn't it?
His attention snapped back to the present at Larry's question; the man spoke with a familiar accent, and he wondered if he had perhaps unwittingly met him during one of his visits to civilisation. Pushing aside the question as he tried to help Larry support Jayne, he said, "Certainly."
Locking you up on radar since '09
Red-headed Smasher
Sophie
The girl had did her part before hand by fending off the weird bird lady. The young lass walked up and out of the cave, despite her legs that screamed out for a BREAK. "So.. so it's over, right guys?" Sophie said as she addressed everyone around her.
"Hey you! Nano-something or other!"
Never Trust
"I guess? For now anyway?"
Trump delenda est
THE SLORG!
Darrel
By the time the Nightmares were retreating, Darrel had already started readying another arrow. Despite the Nightmares suddenly being gone, he kept that arrow ready to fire for a bit, string pulled back and scanning around for any reemergence of Nightmares. Darrel didn't trust that they were really gone, at least, not at first.
A few others started to speak, and a couple of them started to help the unconscious lady. After a few moments, Darrel finally seemed satisfied enough to at least stop keeping the string of the bow held back; though, he did keep the arrow held there anyway. "Seems that it's over" Darrel said to nobody in particular as he kept looking around for any movement. "Still, we shouldn't stay here; this is dangerous territory. I left a shuttle craft back in the city, but..." he trailed off as he looked over the group.
"There's no way it can hold all of us" Darrel added simply. He also started to notice how bizarre their outfits seemed, at least compared to what he was used to. In the heat of the battle, he had pretty much forgotten about his own change of attire.
edited 21st Sep '12 6:54:50 PM by FirockFinion
You are reading this.
Cosmo shrugged as the nightmares ran off. "No, wait!" he said, running up to the others, as he started to pull the girl away from Larry, "We need to take her into the cave. I was cut bad but that magic rock fixed me up. It should make her better too."
Never Trust
"Okay," Larry said and nodded. "Besides, I figure she has to go through what we all did too right? 'Magical destiny' and all that crap?"
Trump delenda est
"Hell if I know," Cosmo said. "I just know it's a magic rock." He turned around, "Oh, hey, you know how it works," he said to Sophie.
State of Mind
He was cold and wet. Leartes tried to shake off the mud that he had fallen into earlier. Unlike his orange coat, it turned out his new garb was not waterproof.
"Man, this is nuts." Leartes moaned. He sloshed his way through the mud towards where the others were gathering. "Why am I even here? Why am I listening to dreams? Am I still dreaming? I'm still dreaming aren't I?"
The blue and white clad man was almost satisfied with that conclusion until something else clicked in his brain. "Wait, you can't feel pain in a dream. I feel pain now. Well not now, but I was feeling it earlier." His hands went up in despair, "Oh, man, I'm not dreaming! This is real! How is this real? What am I even wear- "
Leartes actually took a moment off from his hysterics to look at the unconscious Jane.
"Hey, less talking, more moving! She's gonna bleed to death at this rate!"
edited 22nd Sep '12 1:13:15 PM by Parable
"What a century this week has been." - Seung Min Kim
Sophie — The Cave
"Ugh." thud, she fell onto the ground as Cosmo's full weight had been pressed upon her without remorse. "Okay, that one hurt."
This world hates me.
The Knight of the Shield stood up as Cosmo puleld himself off of her. "Okay, you guys go on and help the others fight, I've done my part." she was still tired from the use of the shield magic and the fight with the bird lady.
"Hey you! Nano-something or other!"