Apostles of The Way (In Character)(Completed)

[Novama]

This is a fantasy adventure RP that follows a group of magic knights called 'Apostles' as they battle and persuade their way across the land in a quest to retrieve a stolen relic and see justice carried out.

If you wish to join us, have additional questions, or simply want to chat, you can find additional information and a link to our discord server in the first post of our OOC here:
Apostles of The Way (Out Of Character)

 

[GhostofManchester]

TLDR; Payne considers following Jeremiah, but opts to jump in the river and release a chaos croak, incapacitating and distracting many ratmen.

Glancing from the horde of ratmen to the river Payne considered his options. If he followed Jeremiah, he might be able to retrieve the soul of a large ratman. If he dove into the water, he could assume his true form and release a mighty Chaos Croak, likely wounding many of the ratmen around him, and distracting countless more.

His selfish desires, he decided didn't matter, if it meant protecting the lives of his fellow Apostles. He was far enough away from them that they likely wouldn't see him transform.

As the ratmen moved in on his position, Payne leapt backwards into the river, submerging himself fully. He felt the water flow around him, hydrating his dry skin. Payne let it flow into him, allowing his true form to slip out. He was no longer a man. Now, he was a monster.

Peaking his head out of the water, Payne drew himself onto a clear patch of shore. The ratmen noticed his large form immediately. As they charged at his body, Payne took in a deep breath, building chaos up in his chest in the process. Just as the ratmen reach him, Payne let loose.

CRRRRRRRRRR-OOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAKKKKK!

The nearby ratmen screamed, as their eardrums burst. Further off ratmen stopped what they were doing to cover their ears. Even further off, ratmen turned to see what the source of the loud noise was. Payne looked over what he had done, then grabbed a large rock and began smashing the heads of the screaming ratmen.

 

[Novama]

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Situation

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​

Time: 6:30 PM
Date: October 16th 327(CE)
Weather: Cloudy with a stiff breeze. Rain is coming down in a specific area. Chilling temperatures. Lightning of various kinds flashes regularly. A lot darker now.
Those Involved: @Ariel @happydeath @GhostofManchester @CaptainLiterally @lXlGamemaster @TheEccentric @Rebelle @Huntress @The Last Curse @chaosheart13 @Lore Magus @Karyra @slifer @DangoYumi @Miora
TooLongDidn'tRead: The band of Apostles reached a critical juncture in the battle. Whether or not their decisions up to that point would come back to haunt them was close at hand...

Note From The Author: (For the sake of all, whatever I post is meant to be what is. Regardless of preconceived notions of who is where and doing what, if I post something, that's what is currently happening and should be used as reference for future posts. If confused about what's going on, ask me. I actually read the posts, so I generally have an idea of the big picture.)
Post Listening:

East Side Rear Guard (side of river opposite Taruhm and to the rear of the front line combat)
Giles, Diana, Stella, Knell, and Llawr were able to secure the rear and were easily dispatching the few stragglers that scampered toward them. They were too far away to shout and be heard by those in the true chaos of the front line, but they could easily scheme among themselves. As they discussed, they saw the valiant charges and pushes of their allies into the thick of the horde. With overwhelming power their allies plowed through the rats were sent flying in every direction, sometimes in pieces.

The push did not last long, however. The numbers were too great and the Apostles only cooperated in small cells if they cooperated at all.

East Side Central Vanguard Team (East of river and front line center force)
Sorod and Tomoe worked together and were able to push all the way to the first Large Rat Man. Like a commander born to battle, the beast did not shy from the Guardian's challenge and sent waves of brainless rat men to their deaths just to gum up the statue's forward charge. By the time it reached the commander, its force was not what it needed to be and the Rat Man stopped Sorod cold as one hand grabbed the edge of the shield and the other grappled the spear. While not quite as big or sturdy as Sorod, The Rat Man Commander proved itself to be quite strong. However, it was even more cunning. In the moment Sorod's charge ended, the rat man had dozens of rats swarm the momentarily immobilized Guardian. His aura of suppression was not enough to get all of them unless he poured even more of his chaos into the technique, but his energy was already a little over half spent until he rested.

Fortunately, due to Sorod's reckless charge and active abilities, he was drying an overwhelming amount of aggro upon himself. Tomoe was ignored by all but stragglers left in the war path the two had created. She would perhaps be the only one able to bail Sorod out in time. The rats chaos infused weapons and teeth chipped away at the giants body. What was inconsequential nicks and scuffs before, were starting to add up and become more than the giant could shrug off if left alone.

East Side Water Flank Team (East of river and left of center by the bank of the river)
Similar to central flank, the team of Jeremiah, Payne, and Zayne were running into tough opposition due to the ever growing numbers on the front line. For every foot of ground covered and enemy slain, it felt like twice the obstacle awaited just beyond. Despite Jeremiah's best efforts, his momentarily lapse in offensive and degredation of attack in the face of growing odds earned him some light injuries. Similar to Zayne, the pair were starting to feel the weariness of battle. The reckless release of fire from Zayne, nearly cooked Payne and Jeremiah, but they were able to salvage enough protection for themselves between the mounds of corpses and their aquatic abilities. Despite the friendly fire, the fire attack was extensive enough that it earned them some reprieved from the fighting, however, it was short lived. Rats commanded by their leaders stampeded through the flames to their deaths, to claw and stab at Zayne as they fell to ash. Zayne was now considerably injured with a cut on his left arm that hampered its function and would not stop bleeding on its own.

West Side Taruhm Team
The comparably larger force of ratmen were crashing against the walls of the fortress town of Taruhm. Standing against them with limited support from the town, Althea, Ren, and Lilirel were holding out well before Ren raised an icy spike wall to create a temporary barricade from the ratmen to kill themselves with. It was then Althea voiced the desire to cross the river and join the other apostles. Arguably, the east teams were in more dire need of her assistance at that time, particularly those on the east bank. It would take Althea a little while to swim over, but when she does arrive, she'll find a fat frog bashing disabled rat men. She would have been one of the few that could have witnessed Payne's transformation due to her high prescience making her aware of things others might not be. Not far off, she would see Zayne and Jeremiah pained states with rat men on the rebound not far off.

Lilirel, meanwhile, would feel the fatigue of her abilities starting to seep in. With less than half her energy left until she rested some, perhaps then was a good time to pull back. However, if both Ren and Lilirel pulled back, the fortress would definitely be overran to the point where it would come down to the walls holding up to the endless assault long enough for the storm to end. Granted choices were few. If either one of them stayed behind alone, they would only buy a little bit of time.

 

[TheEccentric]

TooLongDidn'tRead: Sorod Boi getting kinda panicky, he noticing this a bad idea. He calls Tomoe for help, stops AOE Suppression and goes for Increased Defense.

His momentum tore through the masses of rats, sending corpses flying after being battered by his shield. This is fun. He enjoyed being this deep in war, being the warrior he believed himself to be. Unfortunately, with his inexperience, the price of not knowing about the world caught up to him before he could say Sorod. Although the issuing of his challenge went swimmingly, he noticed too late that his opponent didn't plan to take his charge personally, annoyed, Sorod killed the tides the Large Rat sent at his direction. With this, his prideful momentum disappeared, and with it, unexpected worry followed when the Large Rat halted his movements.

Hearing and feeling the chittering and chattering all over himself, Sorod roared in anger, and swung his shield at the Large Rat in an attempt to topple it into the ground. The peerless armor he greatly prided started to wear and tear from the bites and the scratches, and for a brief moment, he tried to look around him for support. Seeing no one but the Red Lady, he called out to her as he immediately followed the bash with a strong stab, with the intent of comboing the Large Rat by sending it prone and embedding Longinus into its skull. "SO-RED LADY, DEAL WITH THE SMALL FRY, BURN THEM-ROD!", choosing to ignore the surging cannon fodder around him, his focus turned to defeating his opponent. The sanguine glow of Wall's Suppression disappeared, only to be replaced by a polished sheen that covered his entire being. "SO-THROUGH THICK AND THIN-ROD!"

He activated THROUGH THICK AND THIN, despite the depleting energy that he could feel coursing through him.

Mentions: @Ariel

 

[DangoYumi]

TL;DR: Stella decided to go help Sorod and Tomoe, hoping that after that they would be able to help her take down the Chaos Crystal and end this horde.

Stella kept the light dome up while keeping her eyes on Knell, her energy slowly draining from her. Thankfully Knell answered fairly quickly and called out to Sorod, although Stella wasn't sure if Knell's words reached him. Before she could decide on anything else however, she noticed something happening with Sorod. She watched as he battled the endless flow of ratmen, unable to even catch a break. She could see his mouth forming some words, but due to all the sounds of battle she couldn't make out anything he was saying. She glanced over at the direction he was looking at and immediately noticed the firey Tomoe that was nearby, and her eyes landed back on Sorod just in time to see him glow in a faint light.

Stella knew the best choice right now was to go and help Sorod, as she would definitely need as much help as she could get trying to take down the Chaos Crystal. "Knell, let's go help Sorod! Then we can go destroy the Crystal. Follow me!" she spoke, placing her hands together causing the dome to slowly collapse. A ball of light began to form between her palms, and right as the dome completely fades away, she takes aim and throws the ball of light at the enemies in front of her and Knell. "Ball of light, blind their sight!"

The ball of light she created was the size of a tennis ball, and it wouldn't take much of her energy to form it. Once it landed it would explode and blind the enemies around it. Right after she threw the trap she created she immediately summoned her shield, and took out her pocket knife as she began running towards Sorod, using her shield and knife to attack any enemies that were in the way.

Interactions: @chaosheart13
Mentions: @TheEccentric @Ariel

 

[Karyra]

Interactions: @lXlGamemaster @Huntress
Tl;DR: Ren calls for her and Lilirel to charge forward towards the Larger Ratman
​

Althea would be able to take care of herself, and while those on the west probably were Hurt, Ren wasn't a healer. She was a Wolf. She was a Monster made of Chaos and hatred and fear.

"Kill the big one that way!" Ren pointed to the north, where the Larger Ratman was. "Kill the Flithy and maybe we can help the Little Mage!"

Ren didn't know a lot, but she knew what a Big One looked like and Big Ones typically were the ones to kill and stop the worst of it. Ren didn't wait for an answer from the Big Lady, just ran and activated Ice Wolf. Her entire body frosted over, enclosing her face and mask in icy spikes which darted out to kill Ratmen as she went, trying to clear a path to follow for Lillrel to follow.

Ren pointed at the larger Ratman.

"I'll freeze you and shatter you! Filthy! Vermin!"

 

[GhostofManchester]

TLDR; Payne shouts out to anyone who can hear him to head for the heart of the storm. Then he heads as close to the heart as he can get, and works at clearing the way.

Payne smashed the skull of ratman after ratman. It was a bloodbath, Taking a break for a moment, he surveyed the carnage around him. Heaps of bodies lay around him. The more distant ones dazed by his croak were already back to their senses. And a countless horde remained farther still.

He looked at the horde. And then back to the river. He could turn tail right now, and escape down the river. It wouldn't take that long to resume human form, and the ratmen would likely ignore him if he kept his head down until then. No. This was no time to turn craven. This battle... this storm... it needed to end, and quick.

Payne took a deep breath and croaked out with all the volume he could muster: "STOP THE CHAOS STORM. CRRROOOAAK. DESTROY THE HEART OF THE STORM. CRRRRRRRROOOOOOAAAK. HEAD TO THE CENTER OF THE STORM, DESTROY THE HEART. CRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAK!"

Payne's croaks were loud. He had put a small amount of chaos into it, only to add volume to his message. With any luck more than just ratmen had heard his croaking. Many of the nearby ratmen that had heard his croaking began to charge at him.

Before they could move into strike Payne, he was already back in the river, swimming his way upstream. Though he had an advantage of size in this form, he wasn't fast enough on land to risk fighting so many all at once. The boulder he had been using to smash them wouldn't have been effective in a real fight either.

Payne swam in the direction of the heart of the storm, trying to get as close to it as he could through the water. Better to head for the source, than focusing on the grunts.

Pulling himself on the shore, he began building up another Chaos Croak. He would clear the way. He could only hope that someone with better ranged capabilities than he had heard his call.

 

[Huntress]

TLDR:

• Lilirel hears Payne's call out and catches him swimming up the river. Smart.
• She's making her way towards Ren, just passed her ice wall.
• She's wasting time debating on how to approach this fight, unsure if her strategy will work.

Watching those further in the center of the battlefield carry on in their fight, even taking on one of the generals, had Lilirel clenching her jaw. They needed assistance and Lily was feeling the fatigue starting to kick it. Althea was already making her way to help whoever she could across the river, that left her with Ren, who was now pushing to attack a general. Before Lily could say anything in response, Sorenthath was already charging forward. Trying her best to analyze the situation Lily started moving towards the riverbed. She heard large, coarse words boom through the air and looked around in confusion for a moment, she barely caught a glimpse of the source as it dove into the water. To swim up the river was smart, none of the enemies were in the water. She could see the shape just beneath the surface as it moved along.

They had to reach the storm and destroy the heart. Peeking over the side of the wall towards the storm to the north Lilirel sighed. The horde was never ending, a sea of ratmen before them and no one knew what would happen if they managed to kill a general. Would the force under that general's control subside? Would they simply turn to dust? Or would the next closest general take over that horde? They had to either kill one and find out or ignore the army of vermin and go straight to the storm. Huffing as she dropped into the water and climbed back up and out just passed the ice wall, Lilirel moved towards Ren. She had to make her decision soon, the more tired she grew the less chances she had in succeeding with her last-ditch effort.
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Interactions:
N/A

Mentions:
Althea - @lXlGamemaster
Sorenthath - @Karyra
Payne - @GhostofManchester

 

[happymech99]

_____________________________________
TL;DR
> Being injured, Zayne begins retreating while parrying attacks till he reaches closer towards the river with Payne and Jeremiah. Letting the fire that covered his body fade.
> After Payne's instructions, he runs off along the river away from the incoming forces while telling Jeremiah not to follow him.
> Once far enough from anyone that might be get hurt because of him, he morphs into the phoenix and flies off towards the center of the storm.
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For a while, blowing through the hordes of rats had become almost an ease aside from the draining of energy and the growing fatigue that took over him little by little with each passing second the battle raged on. Though as Zayne's fire continued to spread among one rat after another, the sight of how the rats mindlessly stomped over the corpses of their own comrades to charge at him from the commands of the larger rat men; it had once again become overwhelming that even his fire could not burn through this many enemies all at once.
Turning his gaze over his shoulder simply to check the status of Payne and Jeremiah, just seeing the damage he had done to the grass being burnt to the crisp had made him realize his reckless action of setting himself ablaze near so many allies.

Losing focus on the battle just for a moment had him become even more injured as a blade had slashed at his left arm causing it to begin bleeding to the point that it nearly had gone limp on his side from the exhaustion his body was already going through and just how deep the wound was. Cursing under his breath, the fire that once covered his body quickly faded leaving only small patches of fire on the ground around him as well as along his shoulders and different parts of his body.
Resorting to nothing more than backing away from his approaching demise, Zayne could only attempt to parry where strike came at him with only minor success as he was only injured further with smaller cuts from time to time.

"Are you telling me...no one has figured out how to end this yet?!" Shouting out loud merely to himself even as he backed himself ever closer towards the river near Jeremiah and where Payne had been.

Just as he reached beside Jeremiah, the unexpected calling that came from Payne following the croaking that he gave off had Zayne redirect his attention towards the center of the storm where a strange red floating object resided in the center of the growing storm. Throughout the entire time the battle was being waged, this was the first time he had actually taken full notice of the center of the storm. "Destroy...the heart--?" Commenting it to himself as he was quickly cut off from further rat men charging to attack yet again, forcing Zayne to defend himself before rushing off to the side even as the rats chased him down.

"Jeremiah...! Don't follow me! I need space for this!" Shouting over his shoulder since he knew the last thing he needed was yet another person to be hurt because of him being reckless in decisions. 'Okay...Okay...I got this this. Breathe, keep your mind clear..' Letting his own thoughts wander to attempt and remember his training during the time he spent at The Abbey and what Abbot instructed of him. Knowing well enough if this were to work, it would drain him of every last bit of energy he had left but if he didn't try than there was a chance this battle might never end.
Shutting his eyes and taking in a deep breath, by the time Zayne knew he had made enough distance between him and his surrounding allies; the instant he reopened his eyes, they flared a bright yellowish orange.
The darkness that covered the battleground quickly lit up where he stood just to have his original physical form reappear that of a large flaming bird that towered over the rat men; letting out a call similar to that of a hawk, he took to the sky to attempt and take out the heart of the storm with what energy he still had.
_____________________________________
Mentions
@GhostofManchester
Interactions
@slifer ​

 

[lXlGamemaster]

TLDR:
- Healing Dust ends
- Althea uses Ren's barricade to launch herself into the river
- Althea joins the East Side Water Flank Team and uses Healing Bolt to heal Payne and Zayne

The battle around her was getting more and more intense by the second. She was able to hop from head to head for a while, but those that were hurt were immediately healed due to her Healing Dust and were in hot pursuit of her. Whenever she was airborne she could see the group by the river and see how badly they were being injured.

After using one ratman's head as a springboard, Althea latched her chained beartrap onto the highest point of Ren's ice wall and used it to swing into the river. The swing wasn't as powerful as she hoped, only landing her halfway into the river, and as the impact hit her she noticed that Healing Dust had lost its effect.

I just... need to... make it across...

Every muscle screamed as Althea forced herself to swim. With her weight combined with the backpack full of gear, it made the trip very exhausting. She took a moment to breath as she watched the fight around her. Zayne had transformed into a beautiful pheonix and was flying into the storm, Payne had also transformed and was swimming downstream to get closer as well. As she panted, Ren, covered in head to toe with ice, was clearing a path for Lilirel.

A stray ratman ran up and delivered a blow to Althea, launching her across the river bank. It hurt, but it was enough to prod her into moving again. Pointing her fingers, Althea shot two instances of Healing Bolt: one towards the closer Payne, and the other towards Zayne. Payne was closer, so she was able to arch the bolt directly into him, but Zayne was an entirely different story. Not only was he in the air, but he was moving way faster than anyone on the ground. Breaking into a run, Althea kept the bolt moving, but had to hope that it would find its mark as she ran to keep up with Ren and Lilirel. She hoped that if she held the back of the line, she would be able to fend off ratmen with one beartrap and heal with her other hand, but the fight was taking its toll.

 

[Lore Magus]

Llawr Silpad​

---

TL;DR:
-Llawr explains to Diana and Giles about the Storm's core
-When he sees Zayne's phoenix transformation, without realizing what it is, he rushes towards the other Apostles to help and inform them


Glad for his comrades' cooperation, Llawr pushed even harder to help them clear the ratmen faster. It took only a few minutes before the group of bipedal rodents got whittled down enough that Llawr could now speak his mind. "Okay, so like I mentioned there's a way we can end this battle quickly. You guys may not be able to see it because of the darkness, but farther up North there's a point where the Storm is spiraling really thickly. All of my senses have been screaming at me that that's the source of all this Chaos, so I believe that if we manage to somehow destroy that source then we can end this Storm!" He paused for a moment in order to allow his allies to absorb what he was saying. Before he began talking again, however, he saw a bright burst of flames by the riverside where he knew Zayne and two other Apostles he didn't know had been.

"It looks like the battle is getting dangerous for the other Apostles. I'm going to run ahead to help them and let them know about the source of the Storm! May The Way guide you to join us," he finished, before running full speed towards the area where the Apostles appeared to him to be congregating. With Blessing of Venta still active he covered a lot of ground; he just hoped he would make it in time to make a difference.










Interactions

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• Diana - @CaptainLiterally
• Giles - @The Last Curse

 

[slifer]

TLDR: Jeremiah leaves to help Payne out, still bleeding and stabbing everything he can. Alone and surrounded, he chooses the survival option- diving under the water.

"Fine." Jeremiah replied to Zayne, his face briefly showing how annoyed he was at the fact that he had literally came to help Zayne, and now his hard work was all for nothing. It took some advance stabbing and maneuvering, but he worked his way back towards Payne and the river.
He could hear Payne's croak- telling to get the source of the storm, whatever that meant, before Zayne lit himself on fire- like an extremely obvious beacon. Glancing back towards the river, he could see...no one was there.

Shit, there was so many of them, and he was without backup. Well, there was no choice. Jeremiah turned and ran the last few feet, slicing himself a path before diving into the river, fully submerging himself in the cold water. As the water touched his skin, it changed, becoming sleeker and extremely well situated to being underwater, his siren form there to see for anyone who was in the water. His senses came alive as he reverted, the predator in him awakening- relishing the chance to cause havoc in the water he was now occupying. It had been so long that he was able to let that side of him out that joy infected him, turning a grim need to kill into bloodlust.

A sharp and pointy grin split his face as he reacted, swimming in the water with his powerful tail towards the rats that spilled over the edge. Any rats that went into the river were pulled under the water, their throats ripped out with ease with his webbed fingers and teeth- his knives in their sheathes as they weren't that useful underwater. Rat bodies soon started piling up on the river floor as he worked. Normally he would have eaten a few of the rat-men, but they were infected with Chaos- not included in Jeremiah's healthy, balanced diet. Even the wounds on his arms seemed inconsequential when he was like this- the predator in him alive and finally free to act how it wanted after being suppressed and ignored for so long. Even now, he was making his way in the direction of Payne and Althea, leaving rat bodies in his wake. For a moment all he could think about was attacking them, until he remembered what they were to him- allies and other Apostles.

Interaction:
Zayne- @happydeath

Mention:
Payne- @GhostofManchester
Althea- @IXIGamemaster

 

[Miora]

TLDR: Positioned herself besides Diana's tree. After the first wave she retreated to the storm and examined the battlefield. She decided to assist the central vanguard.

Injuries:

- Gash to her upper back.
- Deep incisions across both hands.
- A cut above her right brow.
- Bite to her shoulder.

Ability usage:

- Maintained Thunderstorm
- Storm Surfing

​

At the edge of the battlefield the thick of white flashes of lightning scorched the earth. Marks of black coveted by bodies surrounded a single entity. Drenched in rain, exhaustion setting in the eyes. As breath spluttered across a bloodied mouth. A circle was drawn about her. Bodies of rat men fenced her in, but they were caged. As she moved freely. But found herself retreating to the edge of the Tree Diana had thrown. She used it to cover her back, only attacks from the front were open to the rat men.​

​

Without fear three charged her, one jumped high above her the other two were head on cantering towards her, blades brandished. In a flurry, the staff once held against her back in a single hand swooped in an arc to her front and slammed against the chest of the vermin sending him back through the air. In her attempt to avoid the charging vermin, she ducked into a sweeping motion and deftly took one by surprise but the other was quicker, and caught her against the shoulder as it latched onto her back. With the intent on piercing her neck.​

​

In a haste of panic Helio dropped her staff and grabbed at the blade of the weapon. Slicing open her palms and fingers. A sharp cry followed by a whimper as she held onto the blade and picked herself up. With the creature on her back its first attack hindered. Its teeth found her shoulder and ripped open a wound. In response Helio sensed an on coming strike of lightning and sheltered herself beneath it. She remained unharmed but the creature slide from her back, lifeless.​

​

As the numbers became to great for Helio to handle, she grabbed her staff and lunged for the lightning strike to her left and transported herself into the thunderstorm. Her body flickered at every flash of lightning a mere silhouette. She used her time to glance at the battlefield. Those at the river were too far but the central group were close enough to warrant assistance.​

​

She mustered the rest of her strength. Commanding the thunderstorm to move in the central groups direction, where Sorod, Tomoe and Stella currently were. The land below drenched in rain and lesser strikes of lightning, most landed around Tomoe, and one behind Stella. As she came to be above them. Helio descended down a lightning strike. Her calculations were slightly off as she commanded the strike. She landed not on the ground.​

​

But on the Body of the fortress. A cloak of electricity briefly rippled across Sorod's body, electrifying some of the ratmen. It was unstable as he moved but she held her footing. "Well this is unexpected." she stated. The thunderstorm receded as her energy was depleted almost entirely. "You two seem to be bonding. Maybe I'll collect a gift from the rubble later. I do hope I'm invited to the ceremony."​

Interactions:

@TheEccentric - Sorod

Mentions:

@CaptainLiterally - Diana
@DangoYumi - Stella
@Ariel - Tomoe

 

[The Last Curse]

TLDR:
-Giles processes Llwar's info and runs to rendezvous with the most northern Apostle

Giles scratched at his chin as he took in the Sith's words. The storm seemed to have no intent on stopping on its lonesome and his party members were starting to look a tad weary, with a quick end to this nightmare they could all continue on with their mission, and get that dreadful smell of rat out of their nostrils.

He turned face towards Diana and spoke excitedly, "Did ya hear? That boy said we could end this thing in a jiffy! All we gotta do is go north!". He rapidly pointed North but gave a small groan as soon as he realized what lies ahead, "Where all the rats are...". Giles wouldn't let this discourage him, with a few tugs on his hat and a crack of his back, he immediately ran towards the most northern thing around him, Sorod. With his help it'd be ridiculously easy to push forward.


He turned to issue a few parting words, "Come on! We gotta help the big guy out! Don't keep me waitin".

Mentions:
@CaptainLiterally
@Lore Magus
@TheEccentric

 

[Novama]

---

Situation

---

​

Time: 12:00 PM
Date: October 17th 327(CE)
Weather: Partly cloudy with otherwise blue skies and cool weather and a warm sun.
Those Involved: @Ariel @happydeath @GhostofManchester @CaptainLiterally @lXlGamemaster @TheEccentric @Rebelle @Huntress @The Last Curse @chaosheart13 @Lore Magus @Karyra @slifer @DangoYumi @Miora
TooLongDidn'tRead: The Chaos Storm was defeated and the Apostles have time to recuperate from the battle and reflect on things within the fortress town of Taruhm...

Note From The Author: (For the sake of all, whatever I post is meant to be what is. Try not to post against what has been established. There was some confusion in the last round due to someone posting something their character wouldn't have known. The party has free roam of the town. I encourage rp'ing together some and with the npc's of the town.)
Post Listening:

The following day from the battle with the Chaos Storm, the Apostles would rise from sleep or stasis to the bustling fortress town of Taruhm that had taken them in. At the conclusion of the battle, several of the fighters were in need of medical treatment and all could use a rest. While some walked themselves in, others were carried in after the heavy gates were opened. Rest was made available to them in the local Tavern, the Soldier Barracks, and the Medic Quarter. Unfortunately, nothing but the barely wide enough streets were big enough for Sorod.

Tavern

Those that chose or were deposited in the Inn would awake the next morning in comfortable beds and the smell of a warm hearty breakfast. The patrons of the Tavern that morning were many and all had looks of awe and gratitude to the Apostles. The breakfast that morning would be on the house. Conversation and merriment filled the air as the people excitedly conversed about what they had witnessed or their plans since the storm would not keep them trapped or get them killed. It was almost stifling but preferable to being swamped in rats again.

Barracks

Those that stayed with the soldiers or were taken there would each have a cot or sleeping mat to themselves. The battle had made sleep come easy for most despite the less comfortable arrangements. The soldiers, who had also been fighting from the battlements, were also weary and did not bother the Apostles the next morning in the same way the townsfolk might. With respect and their own dignity, the soldiers gave preference to the Apostles in the lines of the communal bathroom and mess hall. Breakfast was a simply mishmash of oats, nuts, dried fruit that was not much different from the meals they might have had back at the Abbey. Despite the early hour, Commander Cobalt was already barking drill commands to his men in the training yard outside.

Medic Quarter

Those most injured and unconscious were most likely taken here. The town's most skilled healers were on hand treating soldiers that had managed to get injured in the battle. While their abilities relied mainly on the science of medicine more than chaos use, they did have certain concoctions on hand to aid in faster healing. The Medic Quarter was like a hospital with multiple floors and rooms. Some were large and hosted several beds separated by little more than draw curtains. Some were private rooms. Additionally, the food that greeted the Apostles the next day was pre sliced fruits and veggies of bland flavors. The Apostles would likely wake covered in bandages and splints for anything broken. What senses they had early in the morning would likely note the moans of the injured, the sick, and the less fortunate. The smells weren't much better despite a desperate attempt to mask it with herbs that hung in every room and hall. Additionally, there were some sources of Chaos in the hospital in personnel only rooms and corridors meant for research.[/QUOTE]

 

[Huntress]

TLDR:

• Lilirel chose to help whoever needed to get to the Medic Quarter after the battle.
• She then made her way to the Tavern for what was meant to be a single drink which turned into a night of several, ending with a drunk Lilirel.
• She's woken up next to someone in her bed, not quite sure who she had managed to drag up to her room the night prior.
• Lily is hungover.

Once the trick to defeating the storm was recognized by all, the group of Apostles seemed to make quick work of the chaos storm and rat-men. To have been taken by surprise like that surely hadn't helped with preparing for the battle, everyone going their own way and everyone calling out to each other. They had created their own little chaos within the danger they had faced. What mattered was that it was over now and they had come out on top.

Lilirel had chosen to help whoever couldn't make their way off the battlefield alone, taking whoever she could to the Medic Quarter. Once she had confirmed that her injured comrades were safe she would leave. A drink was certainly warranted after that battle and Lilirel found herself sitting within a Tavern. One drink may have led to several others, which in turn may have caused Lilirel to perhaps stir up a little bit of a commotion in good fun.

She had not laid alone that night.

The Brute stirred in her sleep, the smell of rich and hearty foods wafting into her nose. There was a deep inhale, a small smile coming across Lily's lips. As she exhaled, she turned around in her bed, finding it difficult to get comfortable as she felt the presence of another. Grunting she slowly opened groggy eyes, a blurred figure before her, her inhale was sharp as her eyes opened wider. Pushing herself back slightly she almost fell off the bed as she tried to get a wider view of whoever was in her bed with her. Scoffing with a roll of her eyes, Lilirel groaned as she flopped back down on the bed. Her palm came to cover her eyes as she ran her hand down her face. There was a heavy sigh as she looked down at herself, undergarments still on. Pushing herself up she swung her legs over the side of the bed, elbows planted on her knees as she cradled her throbbing head, messy waves creating a curtain of raven black hair around her face.

"Geez…" She muttered barely above a whisper.

One-night stands weren't something Lilirel indulged in, at least not under a sober mind. When she managed to drink herself into darkness, she typically found two outcomes the next day, a destroyed tavern or someone laying next to her. Despite not being a one-night stand fan, it was the preferred outcome to a destroyed tavern or inn.
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[Karyra]

Interactions:
Mentions: @Huntress
Tl;DR: Ren retreated to the Inn, slept early and guarded her door. Then she went down to breakfast in the Tavern. She doesn't like how many people are there and wants to leave with another Apostle.
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Ren had been scraped up and tired by the end of the battle, but she skirted help from Little Mage because she didn't want to be a Bad and take from the others. Diana looked espcially bad, and Ren figured that it would be best to leave the rest of the Apostles to their own healing methods. Some got drunk, others just went into the infirmary, and they all more or less scattered around. Which meant that Ren had to face the villagers. Alone.

People didn't like it when she slept on the street, and more importantly it was full of Not Safe people.

"I need a room," Ren said. Compared to before, this sounded rehearsed. Calculated. Ren had a few select phrases memorized to pretend to be a normal person.

"Sure. Just you or...?" the innkeeper asked, watching the Big Lady carefully. By now, Ren had noted that the Big Lady had let the Funny Juice work and was probably already Funny Headed.

"Just Ren. Please do not disturb the room." Ren said, hoping for the interaction to finish soon.

"Okay," the innkeeper didn't say much more, handing over the key and Ren was gone.

She quickly dashed up the stairs, opened the door, locked it, and breathed a sigh of relief. Just like that, she was alone again. When it was just the others like her, it was easy. But she was Bad. Ren sat down on the floor and folded her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. She missed Wolfe. Wolfe knew how to speak right, and Ren never could grasp Big Words without him.

Ren was waiting for the innkeeper to realize that they had let in a monster. A Bad, in other words.

"Ren, you aren't a monster. You're just a little girl with a little Chaos mixed in. I love you just the same."

Ren stood up and pulled the sheets and blankets off the bed, pulling the bunch to the door and stuffing them into a nest in front of it, carefully making sure that it the door opened it wouldn't go far before it would hit her. Nobody could sneak in without alerting her from this way. Next, Ren went to the window and propped the mattress against it. She also put some of the other furniture around it so that no one could sneak in without causing them to move and squeak the old floorboards.

This was routine for Ren by now, partially driven by paranoia, partially driven by habit, Ren didn't want to be hurt while she was resting. Just because she'd been taken in by the Abbey didn't mean that there weren't people who wanted to see Ren hurt.

She curled up in the next of blankets and pillows, happier to sleep on the floor than on the bed itself, anyway. The cuts, bruises, and scrapes burned lightly as she let her final bit of adrenaline leave, so Ren applied a little ice over them, to ease the pain. It was nothing major, and if Little Mage was worried, then maybe Ren would let her help. But she really didn't want to be a burden on her.

~~~

Night passed quickly without incident, and Ren was already putting things back generally where they were. Some of the sheets were put back messily, but Ren tried her best.

Ren then went back downstairs, carefully sticking her head around corners to make sure she didn't see anyone from the town up and about quite yet. She was up early, so nobody was really doing much yet, including the Apostles. Thankfully, she could sit down and eat breakfast before she had to deal with too many people.

She might need to find someone who was good with Big Words and follow them later. Those types of people typically knew how to give her tasks to accomplish. Even if it was just 'make ice' or 'sit in the corner until I'm done'. Ren was especially good at the Corner Game.

Ren contentedly started in on her bacon, bacon, and a side of toast. Ren was happily content with meat, but of all the Breakfast Things, bacon was her favorite. However, things around her were getting more and more Loud, and since the influx of people were all talking about what the others did, Ren just hoped to get away with eating her breakfast and then either returning to her room or finding another Apostle.

 

[GhostofManchester]

TLDR: Payne waits in the river to recuperate, and then chills in the bar. He tries to listen to the soul of a ratman commander that he captured.

Payne had croaked and croaked until he was spent. With the chaos on the battlefield diminishing as the storm vanished, the ratmen were easy work. He'd even managed to nab the soul of one of the big ratmen during the last skirmishes. After gathering that, however he knew to make himself scarce. A very small amount of his fellow Apostles had certainly seen his true form, and fortunately none had attacked him on sight. Still, the same could not be said for the soldiers of Taruhm. Payne had to make a swift retreat once he was spotted by a group that was searching for wounded.

Payne lay near the bottom of the river for several hours that night, letting his wounds recover in the gentle currents that flowed around him. Then, he assumed his human-form, and walked into Taruhm.

Finding the tavern that his fellow Apostles were staying at, Payne slipped in and took a seat in a quiet corner. He drank a tall glass of water, and munched on some dried typha he had found by the river's edge.

Silently, he pulled out the jar with ratmen commander's soul in it. He was very curious of what the commander had to say, why it was there most of all. Hopefully more interesting than the light chattering about food that he had heard some of the lesser ratmen's souls whisper as they departed from their bodies. Unscrewing the lid slightly, a light glow settled on the table around him. He listened intently to hear what the soul had to say.

 

[TheEccentric]

TooLongDidn'tRead: Sorod is very frustrated about the battle, the shortcomings he showed and the damage he sustained make him fume with silent anger. Unlike the others, he is outside the city, standing at the gate. Because he is The Guardian, and he must always take his post. But, for once, he leaves his post to vent, by going to the riverside to relieve himself via spear training.

Sorod is standing. His eternal gaze stretches to the horizon he can't see beyond, his limited vision though is enough for the Iron Golem, it needn't pierce any mountain nor forest for him to know... the world is alive. Just like he. It moves on its own, it has autonomy; it is an expansive swathe that he wishes to explore one day. These thoughts are what's currently filling this large metal man, though something at the back of his mind irked him. He, The Guardian, was almost defeated. The defense he fully believed in, degraded and brutalized by mere vermin, beings he thought he'd put beneath his iron boot. They took advantage of his challenge instead of fighting against him head-on, that dastardly "Rat Lord", the fancy name he gave his opponent, used its foot soldiers to halt his charge! It used army tactics in a duel!

Though he spoke no sound as he stared southward, the souls within his chest hole aren't willing to let a slight like that come to pass in silence. They moaned quite loudly, with wails of anger and lamentation adding into the damned gurgles and whimpers that mixed in with the moans. He is standing, and guarding the Gate. Why? Because that's his job! Years, decades, nay, centuries! Before The Abbey even existed, he had already stood in one spot, doing what he's best at. Though, this new gate is still unfamiliar to him, so from time to time, he shifted and looked to the east, where his old home is. He liked that place a lot, he could "feel" the warmth of the bright ball in the sky on his back every morning. Right now? It's only warming one side of him, and that makes him a bit disappointed.

His linear thoughts flew back to what happened in the Chaos Storm, and he could shake to himself with grinding shifts. He could've done better! His excitement for battle led to him leaving his companions behind to fend for their own hides! He, who was tasked to protect them by The Abbot, forgot his quest and instead opted for the momentary satisfaction of battle and war! Just thinking about it, he gave a stomp out of nowhere, and started walking farther away from the walls. He is... ashamed. Pulling out Longinus, he started to tear up a storm near the riverside, swinging and stabbing the spear against imaginary foes. Wind rumbled at his spear's descending cuts and thrusting strike. Now that he moved himself away from the shade of the wall, the chinks and marks on his armor are now more noticeable. Hundreds of "scars", though they're closing albeit at a slow pace, the fact that they inflicted damage is embarrassing enough! In his lonesome, Sorod decided to train himself.

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[CaptainLiterally]

TLDR: Diana has concern for baby and cowboy, later chills in a tavern, lookin for a pal

The overgrown flower tying back Diana's hair fell onto the ground, later tumbling away as the wind carried it to where it pleased. She shifted uncomfortably as she watched what was left of the battle recede like the colorful clouds above their heads. The aftermath of any battle always slapped the ginger across the face, no matter how inhuman the enemy was.

Diana quickly shook her head as she came to her senses, picking up her skirts and dashing to Llwar and Giles as well as any other Apostles nearby.

"Are either of you hurt? Are you both alright?" she asked, her eyebrows creased in worry.

~~

Diana idly stirred the pink drink on the wooden tavern table in front of her. Her head rested on her left arm on the table as she watched the concoction swirl about before her, wondering why she bought it in the first place. She wasn't really thinking about anything of importance except that it was rather difficult to smile that day. What if those weird rat things had families? Diana sat up and leaned back in her chair, shaking her head as if she was shaking away her thoughts. Her mind always traveled to that realm after battles; the one where maybe the enemy wasn't so bad after all and she shouldn't have done what she had. She despised that little realm. The memory of how ruthlessly the rat-men tore at her friends cleared up her mind for the time being.

The redhead sighed and began to look around the room for anyone to talk to. She was always happier when she was with her friends.


~~

• Giles - The Last Curse
• Llawr- Lore Magus

 

[happymech99]

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TL;DR
> Passed out near the gate into the town.
> Wakes up in the medic quarters and tears off any tubes that might be injecting him with medicine and leaves the medic quarters.
> At a café a few blocks away from the medic quarters to find an old man.
Extra
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After the seemingly endless battle had concluded and Zayne had crashed into the ground creating the small crater that he awoke in after a few minutes had gone by of him being in his passed out state; with practically no energy left in his body to continue fighting and his wounds rendering him nearly immobile, all the sapphire haired male could do with use his sword as support to stand and lean against it each time he jabbed it into the ground to help him walk forward until he had reached the town.
The closer he had gotten to the town, the more he felt his energy leave his body until his own conscious finally gave out from the exhaustion and forced his body to finally give in before finally losing consciousness near the gate.

---

Waking the next morning only to find himself on a small bed with his entire chest wrapped in bloodied bandages by this point due to his wounds as well as his entire left arm completely bandaged as well. The sounds of the injured and sick rung through his ears while he laid there staring up at the ceiling in silence for the next passing moments. Eventually, Zayne helped himself carefully out of the bed while tearing off the tubes that were injecting medicine into his body the entire time. Pushing aside the curtains that hid him from the view of visitors, even as nurses and doctors pleaded him to return to his bed to rest, the male pressed forward to leave the infirmary without a word as to why he wanted to leave the facility in a rather rushed pace.

This was not the first time he had come to Taruhm and the last thing he needed now was anyone to end up recognizing him and causing trouble to brew up because of him. The only other place he could think of that would even possibly welcome him and keep him hidden from the public was a few blocks away from this place.

By the time he had reached the exit to the building, he made sure to grab his sheathed sword as well as a large hooded coat that someone had hung on one of the chairs nearby, slipping the coat on so that he could hide the bandages that his body was covered in; he hurried his way out of the building to reach his destination; a small café that took him a several minutes to reach due to the change of how the town looked since the last time he had seen the place.
Soon enough, once Zayne had reached the café, he paused only to take a long hard look at the large red wooden lettering of the name to the café which had been posted right above the door; Last Stop Café. The café was on the first floor of what appeared to had been a small apartment as the two other floors above appeared to have no one living inside of it from it's old run-down appearance.

With a heavy sigh, Zayne entered the establishment only to shift his gaze around the empty room that only consisted of a table on the left and right side of a small square room, each table only consisting on two chairs each. In the front was an old wooden counter that had a cash register on it while next to the counter was a display shelf that showed samples of different pastries and their prices were listed on a large black board that hung on the back wall. "Ahem...Um...Mister Yang? Are y-you home?" The idea of calling out for the old man who ran the café was almost terrifying to the young male since the last time he had ever seen this man, Zayne was no more than a boy who was had just reached his teenage years; it had been several years since he had seen this man and it wasn't like Zayne had left the town or this place the best of ways.

Eventually, the sound of a wooden cane hitting the wooden floorboard could be heard entering the room from the door that led into the backroom until the sight of an elderly man who held one hand on his back to support himself while his other hand rested against the handle of his cane came into view. Just seeing this elderly man almost made Zayne want to run out of the room yet he stood his ground.

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