Seeing himself defeat the last of the cultists, Terra let out a squawk of triumph before flying back and perching on Familius' shoulder again and, seemingly, falling asleep as usual. Familius heard Adel's warning about the day's excitement and replied
"I am inclined to agree, be wary. All of you."
The Silly Gloom
"I've always been the cautious type, mister." Aisel speaks as she puts the gun back under the redingote. Thoughts still run deep behind her cool facade. There's a certain something unnerving about the 'blessed one'. Perhaps the fact that she's never seen anything of such calibre, and that it's not even in any record in the Observers' archive. It's possible that those with higher clearance level would know of a creature of such occult origin, but then again, she'd like to believe she's among those of the highest level.
This is troubling, and in so many aspects.
On the foundation of glass a dream is built. And, like glass, it shatters.
The Blinder
"So, this is the power of Sehkret?" Johnathan asked, gore coated him, and steamed in the cool night sky. "I suppose that more lurk ahead of us." He walked forward, and with one heavy kick, knocked over the effigy, there was only one god and this was not his work
Good to be back
Adel started to walk forward, guiding the group through a broken down wall of an abandoned, darkened house, it looked like there were some firebombs laying around near the stairs. Perhaps they'd be useful.
Adel also immediately spotted an old man on an amplified wheelchair and immediately ran forward and cut him down just as he was turning around and preparing a gatling gun.
"Whew." He then opened the door and looked outside. It looked like a pretty busy night of the hunt - there were a large group of hunters gathered around a tree, which had an effigy of some sort of goddess.
It looked like the same goddess the Sekhret worshipers were burning, but portrayed more regally.
He of course stepped back, to make sure they were not rushed all at once. "Looks like we have a big party going on out there."
edited 19th Apr '15 8:28:17 PM by NickTheSwing
The Blinder
"We are not avoiding the Sehkret?" Johnathan asked, walking over to the man in the wheelchair, throwing the corpse to the ground and righting the chair. "It seems we have been blessed then."
Good to be back
The Silly Gloom
More to kill? Surely this doesn't seem one of the better days in her career.
"I'd... object." Aisel responses to Johnathan's supposed enthusiasm, but her tone is clearly relenting. "But then again, I'm not in the position to say that we can afford other options."
Of all the routes she knows, and note that the woman's knowledge of the city is purely based on the city's original blueprint, all of them are probably unavailable now, accounting for all the collapsed infrastructure and the outright warped nature of Yggdrasil in its current state. Not to mention, of course, the Sekhret cultists in their proximity, rending any safe escape impossible. The Church of Sekhret, just what sort of depravity lurks here in Yggdrasil?
The fun has only just begun, she's afraid.
The cultists outside are numerous, and while her companions can certainly match their number with strength and prowess, Aisel's own Intervention may prove lacking against the crowd. Still, she's an Observer, and the Observers' trick certainly isn't that puny handgun. When it comes to it, she'll be ready.
On the foundation of glass a dream is built. And, like glass, it shatters.
The Fantabulous
Sho Yon was inclined to share Aisel's sentiment given the number of hunters and how 'smoothly' their previous encounter with effigy worshipers went. "Perhaps we could cause a distraction and either separate them, to dispatch them with greater ease - or avoid them altogether." The monk suggested in a whisper, keeping out of sight from the crowd. She saw the firebombs nearby, extending a finger towards them, "An explosion, maybe? "
Yon still had blood congealing on her shoes and staff, making her feel almost uncomfortable but strived to let the sensation pass."
“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
Seeing the amount of cultists ahead of him, Familius groaned inwardly; he was not ready to summon again, controlling the skeletons to their bitter end had taken its toll on his arcane energies. He could perhaps do one more before needing to rest, and so he voiced his opinions-Terra seemingly nodding in agreement on his shoulder "I agree. A fight so soon after our last encounter may not be wise."
Dinah steps forward and whispers in Adel's ear, "Y-You know, I could...I could..."
He shook his head, looking around and whispering back, "There's a time and place for things, my lady, and the time for that hasn't come. Not to say its not useful, but we need to be...conservative."
However, it looked like there was someone walking around outside, besides the cultists. Going by his garb, it was apparently a fellow Hunter.
Immediately the attention of the cultists went to him.
This resulted in half of them splitting off to deal with the new enemy, and half staying behind.
Adel smirked confidently, "Now this number I think we can handle."
Einhart shattered another sword and yanked away the human skin held fast by it, then stepping away from a sweeping strike by Tzuphiel. The creature was not strong in the way he remembered it being, so he was able to go about this easier in some ways.
Shifting the mode of his sword back to broadsword, he leaped up and destroyed a sword impaled in the creature's back.
He grunted as the tail threw him away from Tzuphiel, though thankfully its axe hadn't gone into that.
Breathing easier now as its attacks came slower but stronger, he hoped the others were not having too difficult of an introduction to Yggdrasil.
edited 22nd Apr '15 9:25:09 PM by NickTheSwing
The Silly Gloom
A bit of firework should serve them well, Aisel thinks. They're lucky, indeed, to find intact, ready-to-use firebombs laying around in a place such as this. Or are they really intact? That needs finding out. Maybe not now, as Familius points out. Now's too soon considering what they just faced. But again, maybe they don't really have the luxury of choice.
But then, a certain thing happens, and it's definitely not by choice. A hunter, out of nowhere, approaches the cultist pack. A foolish one, it appears, wandering alone in Yggdrasil, but maybe he's the fool they need right now.
Aisel keeps quiet and heads straight to the firebomb pile near the stairs. She looks through all of them, trying to determine which one should work still. Firebombs are a military ware she's not too familiar with, but at least the woman can tell which one goes boom, and which one doesn't. After a few seconds of inspection, which tells her that all of them, miraculously, are still in working condition, she grabs three of them, leaving the rest for her companions.
"Free light show in a few minutes, ladies and gentlemen. Grab your tickets."
edited 23rd Apr '15 8:29:22 AM by arreimil
On the foundation of glass a dream is built. And, like glass, it shatters.
Dinah walks forward, Adel keeping near her - evidently she wants to watch the explosions happen.
Adelheid mused that she always did seem to like fire, for whatever reason. She claimed it made "nice noises".
Well, maybe it was less something to be surprised about...
He prepared himself in case there were any survivors of the volley about to happen.
"A light show you say? This may be just what we need." Familius remarks with Terra squawking his approval of the plan, however Familius makes sure to distance himself from the Fire. The last thing he wants is Fire anywhere near him.
As the firebombs exploded, burning the cultists alive in a grand show of violence - in the view of some individuals, the cultists almost seemed to dance as the fire moved across them in a wave.
Perhaps those firebombs were a bit strong...
Adel looked back at Familius and outright asked, "So...are you ever gonna explain how you conjure skeletons and stuff like that?"
Familius looks surprised for an instant by Adel's question before returning his face to the usual sour, suspicious expression and answering the question.
"Why do you ask? They do the job, don't they?"
The Blinder
Ohnathab seized the wheelchair, walking out to the cultists and firing into the crosd Sith the battling gun.
Good to be back
The remaining cultists dead, Adel walked out with Johnathan and whistled, "My, that was quite the display..."
And that was when the hunter who had distracted the cultists earlier returned. He looked like a tall, thin and rather leery black haired man, clad in a black shirt and some odd sort of vest connected at the front by threads, black tanned leather pants, and boots completing a profile rather eerie looking.
"My my my, that was admittedly quite impressive." His hands were covered by long bladed claw weapons, the right hand toying with the head of one of the cultists, severed cleanly from the neck, "hehehehe, quite the night, isn't it? Full'a beasts and monstrosities..."
The Blinder
Johnathan bowed, a salute to a fellow hunter. "Aye, beautiful night for a hunt. What's your name brother?"
Good to be back
"And the same, I suppose, to you...my name is Mairgan, I've been hunting here for quite a while. I've seen every kind of sick freak in this big ol' town."
He seemed to look Johnathan over, as if familiar with him from something in the past, a grimace coming over him for an instant and then his dark grin showed again, "And I suppose you were sent into this big menagerie to discover the root of the problem. Well, lucky for you, I'm a slightly helpful sort - look out for madmen, cultists and priests partaking in rituals to appease vengeful goddesses."
Adel seemed to glare at him, really not liking what the other hunter was doing with that cultist's head. He was very sure this guy was bad news, and he had heard that name somewhere before, and definitely not in a good context.
The Blinder
"Yes." Johnathan kept one hand on his hilt, something of this Hunter, was off. And that generally meant one thing. "We've hunted together, haven't we?" He asked, a memory forming.
Good to be back
"Oh...oh, yes, I believe we had in the past. Not entirely good memories...as I recall, you older fellows got together and deemed me a disgrace. Yggdrasil's Hunters are very welcoming, however."
While it was not immediately remembered, there was a memory that this was someone who was called "Spiteful Mairgan". It is said that there are those in the land who are born with certain dark urges, and they either learn and master these urges, or prey upon their fellow men.
He had been sent out of the official Hunting organization in disgrace, due to his attitudes and the fact he had apparently, at one point, most likely killed a young woman who had "refused him". With those very claws.
Adel too got the impression something was off about this guy, but he wasn't being hostile, and if he fought and killed the beasts...yeah, this could be a complicated decision.
The Blinder
Johnathan drew his saber. "There is no honor in the hunting of innocents." He told the hunter, an edge to his voice.
Good to be back
This hunter seemed very suspicious. Even more suspicious than every person that currently surrounded Familius. He could feel the tension between this man and Johnathan and it was thick enough to cut with a knife. Deciding to stand back and wait for the aggression to die down, Familius took a step back and watched what was going to happen next, silently.
The Silly Gloom
Mairgan. Now that's the name she's heard before. A peculiar fellow from what she can tell, attributed with deeds most likely abhorred by the civilised worlds. But he's in Yggdrasil now, and in Yggdrasil, even a monster is of some use. That is, if it serves your purpose still.
Aisel stands firm, but completely silent, as with Familius, overlooking Johnathan, Adel, and the hunter. She observes, that's what she does.
On the foundation of glass a dream is built. And, like glass, it shatters.
"Ohoh, she was far from innocent, her beastly refusal hurt deep...deep...hence why she got wrath and death..."
More unnerving chuckling, and then the once-honored hunter continued, "Now, I don't think I have much more business here. Except to inform you about a particularly troublesome beast."
He took out a scroll in a metal container, and put it down on the ground, and then promptly ran off.
Adel smiled when Mairgan left and sighed, "So, now that that is outta our way, lets see what kind of beast it is." To tell the truth he was quite glad that distasteful, horrid "man" was gone.
edited 2nd May '15 5:54:59 PM by NickTheSwing
As the two striking, stabbing attacks pierced the Blessed One's eye again, the creature started to fall forward as blood veritably poured out of its shattered, broken apart head, somehow, a final shriek echoing through the area as the monstrous beast perished. Though its remains seemed to evaporate, rather than rest on the floor.
Adel got a distinct feeling that this wasn't finished yet, even as Familius struck down the last of the cultists - they'd definitely be fighting either that beast or one like it again, in the future.
He breathed deeply, striding back to Dinah's side, "Well, that was exciting...okay, rather terrifying too, but we got through that in one piece." Looking over at the path forward, he sighed, "Though I don't think today's quite done with excitement just yet."