NO DOMINION

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Tyrannosaurus Rekt

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“The spell of war is finished. Five hundred years have passed, and there has only been peace. I will not have it falter in the wake of this minor problem. Summon members from the Army—talented ones, but expendable. Send them to take care of the problem.”
“What if the problem is—“
“Especially if the problem comes from the other Immortals. They’ve outlived their usefulness.”
“That’s a suicide mission.”
“Hah! Then they will live up to their name.”

CITADEL:: 578AU:: DUSK:: 30TH DAY OF FALL

The day isn’t bright or warm, but it’s very loud. The Citadel is filled to the brim with people. Their bodies choke the artery-like streets. Moving through them is near impossible. Yet, the ebb and flow of the crowd seemed constant. It’s overcast with a chill in the air, but people don’t notice. Nothing could dampen Unification Day. It was the anniversary of when the wars stopped and the Immortals rose to power. While none of the Immortals have been seen in years, there are still caricatures drawn onto paper and tied to wooden sticks. Children grab them, placing them over their face and pretending to be the great Generals. They dart between the legs of bystanders. There are numerous Exis’s. They are mixed in with a few Anons and Arselles. An occasional Markus pops up, exclaiming about being the smartest out of all of them. Sol and Gob are never seen. Actually, many believe the vendors don’t even fiddle with the representations of the Corpse King. “He’s not a hero for children,” they would say.

The celebration moved forward, into the heart of the city. There the crowds gathered underneath the Floating City, a massive body of land tethered to the ground by massive chains. Everyone knew Exis lived there. No one had any hopes of seeing him. It was mainly where the fireworks would ignite from.

Yet, that’s not where the Army was summoned. They would move against the flow of the crowd towards the edges of the Citadel. Remnants of an old city still pocked the newer architecture. It was unknown why it still remained and wasn’t built over like much of the Citadel. Maybe it hadn’t been seen yet by the city’s officials or maybe it was something more than that.

One such monument was an old church. Most theology was dead now, but the ruins of it could be found everywhere. The walls around it were high and the gates were locked—or should have been. The old iron wrought structure was slightly opened. The path beyond it was impeded on by snarling foliage left uncheck for many years. The doors of the church were fully open, allowing what little light that escaped the clouds to shine in.

Inside were numerous pews. They were disarrayed and invaded the central walkway with no pattern or reasoning. One would have to maneuver around them to get to the podium in the front. It was massive and made of stone. There was a golden symbol inlaid into it. Whatever god it used to represent no longer had any bearing. The symbol was pretty but not much else.

A man stood behind the podium. He had his elbow propped up and his head rested in his hand. His other hand was busy holding a book, the title was emblazoned in gold “The Livery Maiden and the Dishonored Knight.” The author was Sten Revna. The man’s mouth moved as his eyes scanned the words. He broke into a smile and looked up—still no one there.

“They should call it Army of Tardiness, not Army of the Dead,” he said, grumbling.

He was not a tall man, average in height and stature. He wore dark robes with gold and green embroidery on them. His skin was a deep blue-gray, his eyes black except for a pale blue iris. His ears were pointed and made far more noticeable by the short way he wore his dark hair. His age was not discernable. He looked like a groundborne but not much else. His tale flicked on either side of the podium like a metronome as he read.

A deep rumble punctuated the igniting of the fireworks. That was when the members of the Army were supposed to meet at the old church. “Hm,” he said. “Maybe I’m a little ahead of schedule.” He closed his book and laid it flat against the podium. He grabbed the basket by his feet and carried it to the closest pew. He looked over its contents. It was a bundle of scrolls, one for each person on this mission. He knew what was written inside. It was a Royal Writ, giving the individual who carried it the power to pretty much do whatever they wanted on the High King’s orders.

The man frowned. He didn’t like such grand sweeps of power, but he wasn’t the High King. He was just a messenger and a liaison for the Rat King. Nothing special. He, personally, was not a part of the Army. He was nothing more than a counselor, making sure that the power wasn’t overly abused. Couldn’t have cities burning just for the sake of it.

There was a rattle and then a smooth gust of air poured through the church. The man narrowed his eyes. He could feel it, a presence. He stretched out with this magic trying to figure out what it was, but the feeling was slippery like trying to hold onto water. He didn’t know any of the members of the Army to have such power. They were powerful, yes, but there was a substance to them. This was… not right.

“Aravak,” he cursed in groundborne. They’d been compromised.

From the sweeping shadows of the church, a creature solidified itself from the darkness. It had the head of a crow, with four eyes on either side of its black beak. Its body was that of a black dire wolf. It set its gaze towards the man. He took a step back. It was between him and the exit.

The creature leapt, the man dodged to the right and scrambled underneath the pew. The creature landed and turned, loping towards the pew and landing on top of it. Its massive claws swatted at the man. He was squeezed himself away from the creature’s grasp.

“They better hurry,” he said.
 
Note: For what happens when she -gets- to the meeting spot, look under the line. For those who aren't in the mood to read le novels.

Fire danced over everything that was once familiar and all those she had known were eerily still.

She rode against the tide of revelers, a lone soldier, one of the Dead wading through the lifeblood of the Citadel. They parted around the lone horseman like a river, only sparing a glance in passing - there was a celebration to get to, dancing fires to admire. Everyone loves fireworks, after all. Even she felt a tinge of regret that she couldn't stay and watch the sky be painted in all the colours of the rainbow. There was almost a pulse to the city on days like these, where most were given to a single purpose - be it celebration or mourning and Olayne couldn't help but admire the ebb and flow of their auras. It painted the world in lights that most would never see. The fireworks were starting soon, though. She had to hurry on her way.

Just as the crowds started to thin out and the streets almost started to look spacious, she heard the patter of little feet, running toward her. A tug on the reins of her mare, the gentle, resolute being halted obediently. As she stroked its mane, Olayne looked down upon the child that'd ran away from the crowd to catch up with her. It was a little girl, a mask meant to resemble the King himself pulled up over her forehead to show her smiling features. Almost bashfully, the little one reached up, offering a bouquet of white lillies.

''Your majesty, you humble me.'' She crooned, feigning a bashfulness and humility of her own, Olayne saluted with all the posture and propriety that royalty deserved and reached down, gently plucking the flowers from the child's grasp. She offered a smile which lingered, even as the tiny lordling skipped away, giggling almost melodically. Olayne followed her with her eyes, and saw her return to the side of an old woman. There was something familiar about her aura - nay, it was one she'd known, long ago. She'd forgotten the woman's face, but the gentle nature, tempered by the wisdom of age...it was someone she'd known, in another life. She searched for the old woman's eyes and found them, staring blindly, infirm, into the ether. Nostalgia described the feelings brewing in her quite aptly, as she lingered for a few moments more, watching as the child lead the wizened old woman down the serpentine streets, toward the heart of the city.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The rest of the journey was spent silently, in contemplation - with the streets having grown more and more sparsely populated, there was little to distract her. She was alone for the last stretch of her journey, weaving the lillies into her hair, and the mane of her mount. A mailed hand reached up, gently brushing away the very beginnings of a pair of tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. There was some solace, something to celebrate...in knowing that she'd not yet been forgotten. She tugged on her mare's reins, halting again.

This time, she found a looming house of an ancient faith, long forgotten, no doubt abandoned when the gods went silent. Or the people found new ones who spoke. Olayne's eyes instantly narrowed as she found the doors flung open, and the sounds of a struggle coming from within. Someone was in there - attacking the one she was supposed to meet. Within a heartbeat she'd dismounted, and pulled a gleaming sword from its scabbard at her mare's side, a second spared to tie the beast securely, before broad strides sent the warrior up the steps to stand at the threshold.

Inhuman eyes adjusted easily to the gloom within - and her posture broadened and brought her center of mass lower. It was reflex at this point - but the sight of a hulking, unnatural beast gave her pause. There was someone out there, who still opposed the King, an errant thought occured to her, even as she caught a glimpse of an unarmed man scrambling to escape the claws of the beast. She grit her teeth - a whirlwind memories welling up, she -wanted- to believe this to be an opportunity. Olayne stilled her heart. Impulse, wouldn't see any justice done.

I don't know that I want to throw my lot in with the makers and masters of nightmares.

She surged forward, hand reaching out, wrapping around the shaft of an old brazier mounted on a long, thin metal rod, flames still flickering as she ran deeper into this old church. The darkness seemed to well around the amalgamation, mirroring its aura - imposing, inhuman. She extended her own - welling up her presence like a roaring beast, making herself well known even before she'd drawn close enough for the multitude eyes of the monster to catch a glimpse of her. She breathed in deep - and shouted at the top of her lungs, echoing off the empty walls of the church. Fire and blade brandished, the air of a challenger, the creature leapt off of the pew, giving the man a moment of respite. It surged at Olayne, claws reaching out like razors.

She battered an outstretched paw away with the flaming end of the brazier, embers disturbed, fire growing fainter. The creature was already on the advance. Another claw came down from the left, and another jab of the coals forced its retreat. An ungodly crow issued from its beat, as it reared up. It was about to pounce. Olayne lowered her stance further. In another heartbeat, the thing had launched itself to pounce upon her. Throwing herself to the side, she left behind the brazier, nimbly rolling on the dusty floor, she got to her feet just in time to see claws rake into stone like it was butter, and its beak tear into the ground where she'd been but a moment before. Still. An opening. Its side was exposed.

Blade in hand, she adjusted her grip - and lunged. The edge cut through the air, straight and true as ever. She only had to hope that her strength and steel would be enough to pierce through the hide and find purchase on the flesh beneath..
 
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Within the streets of The Citadel, a masked figure moved, slowly and ominously through the streets of The Citadel. Their thick, plated leather boots slowly clanking against the paved ground, and their thin and slender body working to weave through the thick crowd, the masked individual was a frowned upon individual. Not many knew about Lakkta Iosapp: the wandering core magician.

Continuing to slowly move, the black figure stopped at a small garden, their breathing heavy and loud through the mask. Then, people watched with odd looks as the robed figure bent over to pick some lilies, examining them with a black-gloved hand, looking at them curiously through the white eyes of their mask. Deciding they liked what they saw, the hooded figure pocketed the flowers, before moving on.

Even though not many knew about her - Lakkta knew she wasn't a sight to behold. Dressing like this only raised suspicion, as she received scowls and disgusted looks every now and again. Bumping into one of the crowd sometimes caused Lakkta to fall over, causing her to steadily get back to her feet, mumbling a barely audible: "Sorry..." before moving on.

Moving against the crowd began to get painful and tedious for Lakkta without use of her powers, but she knew she wouldn't be late despite these hold-ups; she'd been sure to leave extra-early. Some may have wondered how such a frail and careless person like Lakkta had come to join The Army of The Dead in the first place - but those who'd seen her work, knew her uses.

Doing her best to remember the directions given to her, Lakkta supposed she was almost there. She couldn't ignore summons from her new master. The fact that she was actually wanted somewhere - the fact that somebody actually wanted her to be a part of something - kept Lakkta faithful to her commanders. And so, she moved to the edge of The Citadel, the crowds slowly thinning the further she managed to progress, onwards to the abandoned building she'd been informed about.

When Lakkta arrived, for a moment, she took in the scenery around her. Most would've thought the cracked-open, rusted iron gate and general abandoned feel of the place wasn't inviting, but Lakkta thought the area reeked a strange sense of forgotten beauty. Even the plants around the area, that were long, overgrown, and generally withered - seemed to be pretty and intricate in their own little way. Anyway. Enough admiring the place. She supposed she should head inside, to meet up with her fellow Army members.

When faced with the wrought iron gate that was slightly open, Lakkta thought for a moment. She could always squeeze through, but...

Soon enough, Lakkta was floating over the gate as if the gravity of the world had suddenly lowered drastically. Floating through the air in a lazy manner, Lakkta took in her surroundings casually, before gently landing on the ground. A throwing medium flew back into her hand as she inhaled through her mask, looking at the path ahead. It was always good to refresh herself with her Core Magic, especially when nobody was looking.

It was only a few steps down the path, however, before Lakkta heard the loud shout of a female voice coming from the building ahead. She paused for a moment, cocking her head confusedly. Crouching and moving a little closer, something certainly didn't seem right. Sounds of a general rukkus seemed to come from within the old church. Lakkta pondered this for a moment. Perhaps some of the Army members were having a squabble? Maybe it'd be best not to go in for a little while...

In the case that wasn't a friendly fight, however, Lakkta grabbed a fistful of throwing mediums, Core Magic discreetly beginning to flow through her fingers with an unsteady groan as she prepped her magic. Carefully, Lakkta peered through the doorway, her black clothes blending in with the faded light, and the white eyes of her mask shining bright as she looked at the scene in front of her.



~ In the Church ~

"...Oh..."

That was all that came from Lakkta's lips as she entered the church. She'd walked into something both interesting and quite disturbing. This, as she'd expected, was not a friendly fight between Army members.

To put the current situation simply, a sword-wielding woman was charging against a monstrosity of a creature, with a man draped in dark robes also in the thick of it as well. The church was old, dusty, and held deep shadows in some areas. A clutter of old wooden pews would make it difficult for Lakkta to run up there and help out - but luckily for her, she was best at a distance.

Whilst Lakkta wasn't too sure what the situation was: it was safe to assume that the half-raven, half-wolf, mutated abomination was her enemy, and the two humanoids were her allies? The monster... what was it? A creature that seemed to radiate darkness and obscenity, and the talons of the creature seemed to slash with terrible force. It was a fairly agile and very brutal monster, and it needed to be handled with extreme caution. It was obvious what Lakkta would need to help the others do. Kill it quickly and swiftly, and burn the remains.

It didn't take long for her heightened perception to take in the layout of the church, the look of the monster, and what her options were. Either go for a full assault of G.P.E. blades on the monster, or try and slow it down with a gravitational pull so it could be fought much easier. The sword-wielding woman seemed to throw her swings with a good amount of power, and her poise was good - perfect. She could keep the beast busy, whilst Lakkta assaulted it with throwing mediums. What the male could do was a mystery, but it looked like Lakkta might need to help pull him out of the thick of the fight at some point. He wasn't heavily armed.

Ending the fight as quick as possible was crucial. Tightening her grip around the throwing mediums, Lakkta prepared her Core Magic - her left hand aching as the magic coarsed through her veins.

...Here we go...

Lakkta's movements were quick and efficient. A throwing medium whizzed out of her hand, and sunk into a crack on the left side of the church wall. Dashing towards the thrown medium, bizarrely, Lakkta jumped towards the medium implanted on the wall, and with a click of her fingers, her body shifted positions mid-air, before she stood perfectly still on the vertical wall, running up it a little, whilst her left hand hovered with an apparent strain, glowing with a faint white energy.

Her body was literally standing sideways, defying the laws of gravity. But that was what a Core Magic user did. Not to defy the laws of gravity... but to rewrite them to their own will. In this position on the wall, it'd be much harder for the creature to reach Lakkta - and now - she could get to work. Though she'd need the others to end the fight quickly, she couldn't maintain this position for long.

"...Keep it busy..." Lakkta's muffled voice said in a monotone to her two comrades, though they probably didn't hear. 90% of the time, a pin dropping would be louder than Lakkta's words. The female swordsman seemed to be doing just that, anyway.

From her vantage point, Lakkta waited for the sword-wielding woman to finish her strike, before gripping 3 throwing mediums in her right hand, and hurling the trio for the eyes on the right side of the beast. The three blades shot through the air like little metal bullets - and even with the gravitational pull affecting them, the trajectory was predicted almost perfectly by Lakkta, as the blades curved from the side of the wall, and went straight in the creature's direction. This first attack was more to see what her enemy could do, as she hadn't seen much of the creature yet. If the creature was fast and dodged them, Lakkta knew she'd need to slow it down with a gravitational pull for the others. If the creature got hit by them, though, that would be even better.

...The others would hopefully soon come, too. When her concentration was in full swing - like now - Lakkta was a force to be reckoned with. What she lacked in strength and muscle, was made up for with her incredible co-ordination and control for her age.

This thing was a threat, but not enough for Lakkta to lose her calm frame of mind. She'd fought worse things. And much worse people. So... eliminate first. Questions later.
 
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Vando's focus was broken for only a moment to watch as fireworks exploded in a brilliant display of silver and gold far behind and above him. He marveled at them for a moment and wondered if it were possible to attach a firework to an arrow, he would have to find out. However the task at hand required his attention more, he turned on one heel and began his march agaisnt the ebb and flow of people. Few would assume Vando's place in the Army of the dead, his hair unkempt and slow gait didn't give off the impression of a soldier. His leather armor was only in a few pieces thatche required, a breastplate lined with thin metal, shin guards and greaves of the simmiliar make, offering him some protection but without hindering his movement very much.

A few satchels with extra string, arrows and then like adorned his belt and a quiver with a cap rest over his right leg, and his bow laid tightly slung across his body. He absent mindedly checked them with his hands to be sure he had not forgotten anything as he was now nearing the gates of the town. After confirming he had everything he stepped through the gate and headed towards the church.

After a brisk stroll, Vando had arrived at the church, they'd always given him a bad feeling, churches. Something about the mystery and unknown aspect of the old gods made him uneasy, never the less he noticed from a short distance a commotion going on inside the Church, he stopped and closed his eye for a moment and then exhaled deeply. Upon opening his eye Vando could make out the vague shapes of humans, three of them, one was on the ground it seemed and the other two appreaed to be attacking something. Vando concentrated deeply and was instantly struck with a foreboding aura. Whatever they were fighting in there was definitely inhuman.

An owl flew up past the large opening where a window used to be on the side of the church when it came down it was no longer an owl, but Vando. One of the many perks of being an Ascalaphus was flight though limited, it proves itself extremely useful time and time again. Vando peered in through the window and saw the large beast and the two fighting it, Vando took a brief moment to survey the situation. The two fighting the beast had to be members of the Army, the third however, he doubted as he was not making an attempt to fight. Vando stood up and pulled his bow in front of him, quickly nocking an arrow and letting it fly towards one of the beasts many eyes.
 
It was a simple task for Toran to move against the throng that made their way towards the center of the city. His weapon was one that had to be carried in hand thanks to its size, even as a sheath hid the blade from sight. Even if the dull thump as he drove its butt into the ground wasn’t enough to give him room, the half-Ogre’s stature earned him his own bubble of personal space. Dull yellow eyes swept around him, his lips ever upturned in a small grin. He could feel the fear and wariness his presence brought to the common-folk, in a way many people never would. He did not bask nor revel in it, but there was some satisfaction in knowing his capabilities.

His path only grew less crowded as he ventured further from the celebrations, allowing him to pick up the pace. Long strides carried him forward briskly and the architecture shifted around him as he crossed from district to district. Sometimes the variation was quite distinct, others too minor for him to notice, but what was in use was in good condition. It was the signs of disrepair, buildings left to the passage of time that told Toran he approached his destination. He paused to take in his surroundings, wondering exactly what steps he needed to take to arrive at the church that was their designated meeting point. A few moments of studying and he nodded, confident that his sense of direction would not lead him wrong.

Turns out that it didn’t, at least for the most part. He had ended up at a dead end twice, but eventually he stood before slightly opened gates, rust and other signs of its age quite apparent. He grasped the metal and nudged it gently to test its strength and raised an eyebrow as it opened further albeit with a strained screech. Not his problem to deal with though and the opening was large enough for him to comfortably step through now. He did so and continued towards the church that laid at the end of the path. Foliage that dared to impede his path was brushed aside without a concern, branches often snapping and falling only to be crushed beneath his feet. Auras tickled at the edge of his perception and he frowned at the oddness of one in particular. The commotion from within the church reached him a while later as he approached the thrown open doors.

There was no telltale clash of weapons, the cries of warriors as they clashed with foes, but the rushed sounds of footsteps and other things over stone. Weapon propped upon his shoulder, he strode up to the entrance and quite nearly had to duck to step within. Blocking much of what little light already streamed into the building, his shadow stretched far as he blinked to take in the situation. Despite the fact that battle was ahead of him, Toran did not charge to join in the fray. The building was hardly conducive to his weapon of choice, pews scattered at random bound to interfere. Beyond that, there were already numerous individuals engaged with the creature and to add him in would only make the situation more chaotic. Instead he simply took a deep breath and roared. “Everybody out! Now!” Why they continued to fight a single creature within the confines of the building was beyond him.
 
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The creature jerked its head quickly towards Olyane. It pecked but missed her. It was too busy following the flying armored woman, Lakkata. Oylane’s blade found purchase in its front, right shoulder. The creature released a nasty scream and leapt away from the woman. The strike wasn’t enough to disable its arm, but black blood poured from the wound.

Its red-blood pupils shrunk as Lakkata’s blades shot towards it. It flattened itself to the ground. Two of the blades missed, but one struck it hard in the back. It let out a fearsome yowl and from its back erupted metal quills—once compressed into its black fur. It yelled again. Two quills, the length of an arrow, shot towards Oylane. Three launched towards Lakkata.

At that moment, Vando’s arrow pierced one of its many eyes. It screamed and a burst of quills erupted from its back. They went all around the church, in varying directions.

The man was able to slide out from underneath the pew as the group engaged the massive creature. He rolled away from the metal quills, barely missing being struck by one. He slid behind the podium. The man said nothing, though. Instead, he rifled through something by the podium.

The creature was about to leap at the nearest body when Toran’s voice struck loud and hard throughout the church. The creature turned towards it and ran at full strength. It had its beak leveled at Toran’s abdomen and its claws ready to rip him down the middle.
 
Renvar disliked Unification Day. When he was young, he hated it because he wasn't allowed to participate and risk hurting someone. His interest in the holiday waned as he grew older, but he always found the absences of some of the Immortals irksome. The way it's celebrated now, they make it seem like Exis did all the work with two 'fair maidens' clinging to his legs. However, what he most disliked about it was the noise. The cacophonous panoply of noise permeated every part and level of the city and was incredibly distracting, making reading, writing and work in general difficult propositions at best.

Fortunately, he had received orders to meet with the Army, excusing him from the trying task of working on yet another medical journal during all this racket. Renvar stepped out of his basement laboratory and headed through the crowds towards the meeting point. On his way there, he stopped briefly to browse through a book stand to see if anything caught his eye. Nothing did, but an excerpt read aloud caught his ear. “'She lay on the bed, shaking like a scared leaf.' A scared leaf?” The line was met with tittering from a small group of friends reading a work by Sten Revna. The Lonely Noble and the Court Mage, if I'm not mistaken. Renvar thought. The simile in that one definitely needed some work. He hurried on, not wanting to be subject to a second-hand critical reception of his own work.

After leaving the more populated areas of the Citadel, he arrived at the ancient place of worship where they were meeting. Somewhat ironic that the Army of the Dead meets in a house of dead gods. Maybe we should start recruiting deities. As he approached he began hearing noises of battle. He hurried in through the front door, hoping to find out what was going on. He came across Toran Ibaki by the door, shouting at people scattered through the church to flee. It took him a moment to spot the black monstrosity bearing down upon him and Toran. With a yelp of terror, Renvar flung himself over a pew in a mad, instinctual and undignified attempt to flee. What the Six is that thing and why is it not dead?
 
Satisfaction crowned Olayne's features as she saw flesh break before steel. There was something fundamentally true about it - steel marks flesh, but flesh cannot mark steel - there was a surety, a calm and confidence that came with that knowledge. A boon that it did not fail today.

''If it bleeds..'' she didn't have time to finish her thought, alas, as she felt the shift in the being's aura before she heard the whistling of its quills through the air. A prayer of thanks crossed her mind, perhaps the gods were not so dead, seeing as they'd left all this cover lying around for just such an occasion. Within a heartbeat she'd flung herself to find shelter behind it again. One quill struck struck wood, piercing half-way through. The other one struck lower, on the right side thankfully, and didn't puncture too deep. Still stung something fierce, though, probably grazed a rib, but the armor stopped it well enough. She hissed and instinctively reached down to grab the bone-like length sticking out of her side. Reason conquered, however - and her grip loosened. ''Break the length off, cut the rest out when you're safe.'' she thought. A mailed hand wrapped around the bony protrusion, and with a sharp motion and a firm grip, most of the quill was now in her hand, what little of it remained imbedded would have to wait. Ripping it out would only cause bleeding. Pain, unlike bleeding, doesn't kill you.

She didn't need to see or hear the others that had found their way into this dilapidated construct. No time to waste reaching out to inspect them more closely, Olayne focused on the monster that snapped its beak and raked its claws at them all with equal aplomb. She paused, a mere instant before she was about to leave her cover - as she felt a surge of pain and anger course through the thing as it was struck, time and again. Just as she stilled her movements, the pew before her practically splintered open, as a barrage of quills imbedded themselves into the wood, sticking out mere inches from her body. And still a smirk escaped her - perhaps this god -was- watching. Hopefully amused.

Now she rose, cautiously, a pair of silvery eyes slowly popping up from behind the pew, or what little of it remained, skewered by quills as it was. The thing was distracted - these others had come at a very opportune time. The beating of wings. A shadow gliding through the shadows, hurling shards of shining steel.

''Everybody out! Now!''

A tower of muscle with a booming voice to match...and a finely dressed gentleman, diving behind the pews.

''Great minds think alike.''

A similar distraction to what she'd used. But this giant of a man, brazenly standing in the open intended to fight the monster fairly and Olayne felt all the more blessed by whatever deity once dwelled here to find herself in relative safety. The beast was too quick to outrun, the retreat the Groundborne cried for was out of the question, but this distraction couldn't go to waste. She took to her feet with impeccable grace, stepping off from the pew before her, broad, leaping strides carrying her from one discarded piece of furniture to the next, making her dash for the charging beast all the swifter. She was a leaf on the wind. Hopefully her divine providence wasn't about to expire.

One final leap, wood cracking beneath her as she cut through the air like an arrow - blade held overhead. As the creature descended upon the Groundborne warrior, she would cut deep into its flank, bringing the full weight of her body behind a vicious blow aimed for the same spot she'd struck before. A crippled beast could fall with ease. But this amalgamation already fought like a devil out of hell.
 
A quick swing swatted the single quill that had missed all the obstacles to fly towards him. With a metallic clang, it hit the ground and bounced several times before it came to a stop. “Or not!” He remarked at the reveal of this new capability, devastating without any cover to hide behind. His focus switched quickly once the threat was taken care of, back to the creature who only had eyes for him now. With a grin as it charged towards him, he pushed the others out of his perception so as to limit the effect of his “abilities” on them. The sheath came off easily, the blade shining slightly as it caught the light that came in from behind Toran.

A casual flick was enough to send the leather covering towards the creature as a distraction even as the hand was pulled back to grip the pole. It was clearly an unnatural creature, perhaps lacking in the ability to feel fear. From the way it had tried to avoid attacks it obviously knew of danger, and that was enough for Toran to work with. He breathed in quickly, but drew more than air into his lungs, gathering the Aura that was his own as well.

“Die!” It was more than just a shout that he hurled at the beast. His Aura infused with his voice to strike and hammer at the creature's own. A step forward allowed him to drop his stance low and meet the monster’s charge as he thrust the polearm out in a rapid jab to gut the creature. While potentially fatal he did not commit fully to the blow. There was more than enough reason to be wary of its ability to hurl the quills upon its back as projectiles. He could see the splintered wood as tips poked out from the back of many pews, and had felt firsthand the force behind one when he had deflected it.
 
The noise of festivities roared around them as their size cut them a path through the crowd. Keren didn't mind when worried Highborne parents pulled their children out of their way, or when those children looked up at them with unabashed wonder. It just came with being so large and so strange. And possibly from carrying a two handed battle ax like it was a staff. Two curved horns poked out of the hood on their cloak, allowing them to shield their ears from the noise of the crowd. With Unification Day in full swing, the normally tolerable wave of noise crested into a wall.

However, a little noise couldn't stop them. No, Keren had places to be, people to meet, and it wouldn't do them well to be late because of anything. With that in mind, they hasted their steps, eager to find out why they had been called as a member of the Army.

An old church was the meeting point, away from the crowd and hopefully much quieter. As Keren approached the ruins, their ears picked up sounds of fighting. And a voice too loud to forget. Hiking the ax over their shoulder, they hurried to the battle. They could see several members of the Army already engaged. Four to be exact...

Keren recoiled as the scent of the beast hit them. Unbearable was too kind a word. They covered their mouth and nose with a hand. Movement inside the church caught their eyes. The others seemed to have a handle on the creature and there could've been injured inside. The moment it was safe to, they sprinted into the church. The interior was wrecked by the battle but the two inside seemed to be okay, judging by appearances. Keren couldn't tell much from that however. Keeping an ear out for any changes in the battle, they quickly jogged over to the man in the pews and made to help him up if need be.

"What in the Six's names is that thing?" They asked, not really expecting much of an answer. It didn't look like anything they had seen prior.
 
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[glow=red]Location || Roaming around the Citadel [/glow]

Claudia would be kidding herself if she said she wasn't excited along with everyone else on this festive day. She'd even woken up all on her own today, no help from Saree needed today. She always enjoyed the time she got to visit the Citadel. Especially if it was for special occasions, like today. Just the air itself seem electrified and it was honestly fun and exciting to be in the Citadel at this time. Besides, back when she was home with the Ma'archy, they just stayed shut up in their little area. Not bothering to go anywhere else, content with living their sheltered life. And though she loved her people and her family, Claudia couldn't hide the adventurous spirit that she had. That's why she was glad she volunteered to join the Army. She had the opportunity to see places she otherwise would've never seen. Now, though, she was walking around enjoying the laughs and the chatter in the streets as everyone celebrated the end of wars today. She had managed to sneak away from Saree and the responsibilities they had to do and get herself some food to snack on. Now that she had it, though, she was at a loss. Claudia was terrible with directions and it was usually Saree who lead her around.

She turned around slowly puffing her cheeks out in a slight pout. She thought he would've gone looking for her once he realized she was gone. But alas he was nowhere to be found. "Good for nothing maggot" she whined. Suddenly she felt more uneasy now that she was in an unfamiliar area without anyone to guide her. Sure she could handle herself for the most part, but she's always had Saree at her side. She noticed she did tend to get a little anxious when he wasn't around. She shrugged then started to wander around. She was confident that he would find her at some point. Then they could finally leave to meet up at this church or something. She would probably get scolded for being late again. A wicked smirk graced her lips just at the thought of it. "Should be fun," she said to herself before popping another piece of food from her bag in her mouth.

While she was walking around she heard a commotion around her. Turning to see what was going on she saw a two drunk guys picking on some kids. Kids whose parents didn't seem to be around. Claudia's forehead wrinkled as she continued to watch what was going on. They were causing quite the commotion yet no one was doing to save these kids. Claudia gripped her bag tightly, not wanting to jump in just yet. Maybe it would all calm down-- That's when one of the guys shoved the kid that had been standing protectively in front of a small girl. That was all that Claudia needed. She handed off her bag to someone, "Hold that," she ordered before marching over to the guy that shoved the kid. Grabbing his shoulder she whipped him around in one swift movement so that he was facing her. That's when she let her other, free hand connect with his face. Sending him reeling backwards. Holding his face. Claudia paid him no more attention after that. Instead, she looked at the children. "Get out of here, I won't say it twice,"

Nodding the kids hustled off and Claudia turned her attention towards her two targets. "What the fuck wazzat for?" one of the men spat in her direction. Claudia kept the blank expression on her face. Like suddenly she was bored with them. "I don't recall saying you could speak to me," She said looking away from them. The drunk men scoffed at her, the second one making a face at her, "Who's this bitch thinks she is?" Claudia cocked an eyebrow at the man. "Excuse me? You'll regret that." While the whole confrontation went on a crowd started to gather. "Oh yeah? Who's gonna make me? Yous? Ha!" Claudia straightened the gloves she had on, without looking at them she continued, "Afraid you're gonna lose to a girl? Typical man, running from a challenge with his tail in between his legs" The men didn't take to this comment very well. "Oh yeah? Let's have it then!" They shouted lunging at her. Claudia snapped her brown eyes up at them, grinning before ducking, dodging a sloppily thrown jab in her direction. She tightly balled up her fist and slammed it into the guys stomach, making him lose his breath. The other guy swung at her with a broken bottle, just in time Claudia raised up her hand, grabbing the man's arm and used his momentum to throw him over her shoulder and onto the ground. She continued the move as she twisted his wrist, making him howl in pain and drop the broken bottle. She kicked the bottle away from them still grinning, her breathing increased due to the adrenaline.

"What? Don't tell me it's over you two? C'mon! We're just getting started," The last part of her sentence her voice dropped to its dangerously low range. What could she say? Fighting got her...excited.
Characters Mentioned:

@WishfulNemo - Saree Nett
 
A small gathering took place apart from the festivities, a couple of average highbornes spoke idly to Rhi'Ihs as she filled three fairly large leather canteens with well-drawn water. Their intent was to drag her back and have her join in on the fun, but she refused as politely as she could manage. She'd grown to enjoy spending time with the commonfolk of the surface world, but there was no time for it at the moment. She had somewhere to be, something to do - Something of great import, no doubt. That was a thought that pleased her to no end and fought away any temptation of shirking her duties. One canteen left to fill, then she'd be off.

As she began to pour water into that last container, a small boy approached the group. On catching sight of the child, Rhi'Ihs drew back and emitted something of a mix between a hiss and a growl, baring rows of razor-sharp teeth that turned an otherwise lovely face into something of horror. The child withdrew at the same time, moving to place one of the other adults between himself and the scary fish woman. She lowered her head shamefully, something she'd have never done had she not taken to life above water. "I am sorry, little one. Forgive, please", she said, to which the boy peeked at her and quietly replied, "It's alright. I didn't mean to startle you, miss Rhi. Mom says I should have a bell, heh."

She nodded and smiled slightly. It wasn't that he'd simply caught her unaware, it was that he did so while wearing one of those damned festival masks. Rhi'Ihs didn't like the masks, they were unnerving for reasons unknown even to herself. There was just something about them that struck fear deep into her heart. It was done with now though, she could ignore it and get back to the task at hand. That is, until the child's three friends rushed to join him, each donning masks of their own. She dropped what was in her hands and scrambled to flee, leaving with just the two canteens she'd successfully filled and replaced at her hip.

It had been foolish to run away, especially without at least grabbing up her weapon first, but she'd acted on instinct rather than logic. The finned brute might have heard giggling as she ran away if the sound hadn't been drowned by her own screeching. Her heart beat wildly, even as she got a hold of herself and calmed. Fortunately, she'd taken off in the right direction, as was evident by the shape of the building ahead that matched the shape described to her previously. Arriving unarmed would be an embarrassment, but she'd tarried too much already to turn back and retrieve it. That's what she told herself, but in truth it was little more than an excuse to prevent herself a heart-attack. Once the rapid rise and fall of her leather-clad chest ceased, she gathered herself and carried forward to the church.

From outside she could hear the familiar boom of the groundborne breaker's voice, commanding someone to die. That was invitation enough to send her bounding into the building to join whatever battle had ensued. She'd pass the half-ogre and set her sights on the crow-headed beast, rushing toward it. She'd fail to notice the other combatants engaging the creature beyond Toran and lunge at it with arms outstretched for a potential tackle and grapple, effectively placing herself in a position to catch some friendly-fire and possibly ruining her allies' strikes. With some luck, she'd reach her target after Olayne's leaping strike landed and avoid Toran's rapid jabs.. But the chances of her initial attack ending in success were slim.
 
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When the volley of three quills was directed at Lakkta, her focus was near her peak. A simple sidestep was all it took, as the three quills changed their coarse in midair as they neared Lakkta, homing in towards the medium implanted on the side of the wall, instead of her. She could literally hear the arrow-like quill ring through the dusty air of the church as it neared hitting her, but thankfully, her gravitational pull messed up the angle of the three shots completely.

The creature seemed agile, but one of the throwing mediums had hit. Perfect.

Lakkta thought the situation was under control, but suddenly, when an arrow hit the beast in the eye - a spray of quills went flying in random directions around the room. A sharp breath came from Lakkta's mask as she instincitvely raised her arm to block the onslaught out of nowhere, but a mumble of pain came from under her mask as two arrows sunk into her right forearm. Another quill, orginally going to miss Lakkta, curved into her thigh due to the gravitational pull she'd created, causing her to stumble from her sideways position on the church wall, and land on the floor against a pew with a painful thump.

Blood trickling from her arm and leg, Lakkta breathed heavily. Projectiles aimed at her, she could dodge. But randomly spread projectiles were unpredictable, and her gravitational field pulled unwanted projectiles in. Idiot. She should've anticipated that. Thankfully, the wounds weren't extremely deep, but she knew she'd be walking with a limp until her leg was fixed up. Oh no... what if the quills were poisonous, or cursed? She could be down for the count already.

Focus. Focus...

Ignoring the pain, Lakkta stumbled back up to her feet on normal ground this time, squinting at the monster. Somebody loud had mentioned fighting it outside, but that idea was risky. What if the beast ran away and went after the civilians in the city? They had to keep it contained in here, and 'disarm' the creature before somebody got seriously hurt by those quills.

Thankfully, though, Lakkta had an idea.

More had showed up. Melee fighters. Perfect. The sword wielder had attacked from behind the creature, and now another sword user and a bizarre-looking hammer wielder were attacking it from the other side. One man had just ran across the pews in a blind panic - to which Lakkta would usually help him get to cover, but another bizarre-looking type of creature was doing just that. She needed cover and distance from the creature - going on the walls was out of the question, as she'd be well out in the open there.

Lakkta remembered that one of the men - the one in the dark robes and with the blue skin - had slid behind the podium at the back. Hmm. That seemed like a good position. Dashing as fast as she could for the podium with a slight limp due to the arrow in her thigh, Lakkta crouched behind the podium with man. The masked face observed him for a moment, white eyes carefully watching as he rummaged about. He probably had something powerful up his sleeve, so Lakkta left him to it.


Lakkta risen, looking across the Church from the podium. It was still busy. Good. Taking deep breaths, Lakkta swiped off the glove from her left hand, revealing a glowing white Core tattoo, placed upon olive skin. The energy around the hand seemed to make the air around it wobble unsteadily, creating a bizarre hum. Hovering her outstretched hand towards the creature, she aimed for the throwing medium implanted within its back.

As soon as the creature made a powerful gesture, or if it looked like it was about to fire quills again - Lakkta was going to send a burst of Core Magic through the medium in the creature's back: a short, abrupt burst. The change in gravity would likely cause pain and maybe even knock the creature over, as the creature's back would literally become its centre of gravity for a brief second. But more importantly, it would make any quills fired bend towards its own back for a brief moment, hopefully giving people more time to react to the arrow spray.

 
Saree Nett

Children darting from side to side, checking out the offered goods at each stand, high on excitement. Couples who were strolling between leisurely, smiling sweetly at each other as they shared a treat. The festivities of Unification day made everyone live a little more frivolous today, their money easily spent, and their worries pushed away for tomorrow to fret.

However, not for the Ma’archy; Saree Nett. Never for him. Not as long as he had a Claudia Cardinale to worry over. The female had the uncanny talent of doing the exact opposite of what Saree wanted her to do, even if he didn’t voice these wishes out loud for her to hear. The same went for today, where the mistress had jumped around and ran to and fro in childish excitement. So much that the young servant had lost sight of the other Ma’archy when he got cut off by the crowd. This was exactly why he had been against the idea of coming to the festival at all. He didn’t have the time for this and neither did his mistress.

That was another thing. They were expected today to meet at the church of the forgotten gods. A deep sigh escaped Saree as he thought how they were surely to be the last to arrive. With the mistress’s sense of direction she surely wouldn’t have gotten herself to the church, not even by accident. No, Saree had to find the woman himself first before he could go to the rendezvous, for the mistress would never arrive on her own. With that in mind the tanned male followed the stands that offered food, knowing that it was either that, or a fight with Claudia. He just hoped that it wasn’t the latter.

“Is it a fight?”

There he had it. Saree winced a little as he heard a woman gasp in surprise, hand covering her open mouth as he could read 'scandalous' all over her face. There was no need to be so dramatic, he thought.

“What is happening?”

A child asked, jumping up and down against the crowd, hoping to see what was happening. Fat chance however. The kid didn't even reach the waist yet of the adults surrounding it. Saree rolled his eyes, proceeding his way into the mass.

“That lady took on two men at once!”

Wincing a little at these words Saree was by now confident that Claudia was involved. A lady taking on several men at once? That sounded like something only his mistress was capable of. “In Exis’s name, please let me be wrong…” Saree prayed to himself fruitlessly, diving into the crowd as he pushed his way onward. Using his elbows the tall lad ignored the nasty glares he received from the bystanders, eyes fixated to the front as he heard the sound of punches and a body falling to the ground.

"What? Don't tell me it's over you two? C'mon! We're just getting started," came the familiar voice of Claudia. Internally Saree groaned to himself for being right. Quickly stumbling out of the crowd he stepped into the circle his mistress was finding herself in. Why couldn’t fate ever have him the pleasure of being wrong for once?

“We’re not starting anything, mistress!” Saree interrupted as he walked up to the female. Why did she have to put him on the spot so much? "We must get going, everyone is waiting for us, mistress," the servant mumbled to the female, hoping to coax her into going with him instead of continuing the fight. Hearing the murmurs of disapproval around him the servant gritted his teeth a little, his temper slightly taking over. Why didn't they jump in to beat these dimwits themselves if they wished for this savage entertainment so much?

“There is nothing to see here!” he snarled at the crowd before taking Claudia by the arm and pulling her away. He ignored the two with whom Claudia had been fighting with. They probably deserved it, besides, it wasn’t his job to apologise or get them any sort of medical attention. “To the side,” he commanded against the wall of people who were still staring at the whole scene. Back straight and eyes ablaze, he was exuding the confidence, authority, and arrogance the Ma'archy was known for. The people quickly went on their way, stepping aside to let him pass as Saree marched onwards.​
 
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A triumphant "Hah!" Came from Vando as his arrow found a home in one of the creature's eyes. This was cut short as a flurry of quills exploded into the church several of which flew through the open window Vando was perched in. "Damnit!" Vando hissed as the quills flew by him grazing the left side of his face next to his eye and a second firmly planting itself in his leather armor in his left shoulder sending him backwards out of the open window.

He managed to correct himself in time to land on his feet but did so awkwardly and tumbled as he did, Vando quickly stood up and assesed his damage. He pulled the quill from his shoulder the armor had stopped most of the damage put the very tip of the quill found skin and punctured it. The damage was minimal but he could feel small trickle of blood come from the fresh wound.

Vando ran towards the entrance of the church, scooping his bow from the ground a long the way. More members of the Army had shown up, and some significant damage had been done to the beast but it was far from over. Vando spotted the new arrivals, and noted their locations around him so he would know where not to fire. The booming voice he's heard earlier undoubtedly came from the tall half-orge, his aura was exceptionally strong, he took note of this and strategically placed himself behind him, hoping to shoot and arrow in conjunction with his swipes and simultaneously shielding himself. Vando figured the half-orge could probably handle a blow from that creature better than he could.
 
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[glow=red]Location || Roaming around the Citadel [/glow]

Claudia had her free hand raised, ready to slam her fist down on one of the guys she had pinned down. It seemed like the world was moving in slow motion around her. That tended to happen when she was fighting. All the adrenaline got to her and it seemed like she had sped up while the world around her slowed down. She also knew she shouldn't care about sticking up for some kids. It wasn't any of her business. But then again she always tended to end up in these situations. She just couldn't help it, her body would act on its own sometimes. Sticking up for people even though in her brain she was telling herself that she didn't care. Happened when she was little and protected Saree from his punishment. Some things never change.

Just as her fist was seconds from connecting with the side of the man's face Claudia was snapped out of her trance by a familiar voice. “We’re not starting anything, mistress!” Her deep brown orbs slowly turned to where the source of the shout came from. Saree was standing there, inside the circle, looking like the happiest man in the land. Ha, right. He was probably angry with her, maybe a dash bit disappointed too. Her lips twitched, wanting to form a cocky smirk at this. But that wouldn't help the situation she was in. "Took you long enough to find me, slave, " she said with a short huff as she teased Saree. "We must get going, everyone is waiting for us, mistress," Claudia rolled her eyes. Yes, she already knew they would be late so what was the point in rushing now. Besides, it wasn't like she had planned to get in a fight. It just sort of, happened.

“There is nothing to see here!” Saree snapped at the crowd causing Claudia's eyes to widen and her eyebrow to raise at him. He certainly was grumpy, no thanks to her probably. Ah well, she always seemed to be trouble for Saree but no one said looking after her would be a breeze. He signed up for this job and Claudia was certainly putting him to work. That's when Saree grabbed her arm, Claudia's eyes quickly glancing down then back up at him. He was gripping her pretty tightly, but nothing she couldn't handle. He sure was being 'more aggressive' than usual. Claudia clumsily followed after Saree as he dragged her around. "H-hey! Easy" she muttered to him. “To the side,” Saree ordered from the now dispersing crowd. Claudia spotted the person she gave her bag of food to earlier and she claimed it as they passed. "You better not have eaten any" she glared in their direction. They raised both of their hands up as if to say they were innocent.

Once they were out of the crowd's way she yanked her arm out of Saree's grasp. "How long were you going to continue dragging me around? Remember your place" She said with a pout in his direction. She angrily shoved some food from her bag in her mouth. She wasn't really angry with Saree. Just in a general mood of displeasure emitting around her. "I didn't need your help just so you know. I had everything under control. " She spoke under her breath. "Whatever, where are we headed?" She asked, turning her brown orbs to the direction Saree was.
 
Aolan, Manhunter Extraordinaire

“You know, three hours is a long time to sit and drink by yourself.” Aolan’s eyes went from his mead to the tavernkeep’s own and held them. “Not that it’s burdening me any.”

“I give you gold and you give me drinks, eh, Keep?” Aolan’s low voice came just as the tavernkeep’s eyes broke contact and he snatched up a pewter cup to wipe. It wasn’t even wet at all, he’d wiped it a few minutes ago. Aolan couldn’t blame the man. He just went back to sipping his mead in silence and letting his attention flit from conversation to conversation. Someone was having troubles with the missus. Another man was talking to a fellow about going around back, but what business was it of Aolan’s who a man decided to love. Or at least fuck. He took another sip.

“I’m not going to have to worry about you, am I? I’ve seen your type before.” The Keep said, trying his best at making idle conversation or actually concerned the man who hadn’t started trouble in three hours was going to have a sudden change of heart because the wind blew in a direction he didn’t like.

“I’ve learned I make poor company.” He sniffed, scratching an itch on his stubbled chin, “Who’d start a fight, though?”

“Oh, there’s always a couple of the bastards about. You’d be surprised how many fights’ve been in a place like this, being so close to the church and all. You’d think some form o’ holiness could touch this place, but people are people. Groundborne, Highborne, whatever.” The Keep sighed, “Never any peace, not even today.”

“Mm.” Aolan showed the bottom of his pewter cup to the ceiling and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. He slid a copper towards the barkeep, “For your trouble.”

He scooped up his crossbow to cradle it in his crossed arms as he exited the tavern. Right next to the door, though he didn’t stop to gawp at it, the two lovebirds were tangling their beards with each other. What a happy day for the city, fireworks and all. The old church was just across the street and a wee walk away from the tavern. Most people who found themselves on the streets knew it, but no one had been inside. Superstition told them it was haunted by the ghosts of the old gods worshiped in the archaic buildings. Down south a ways and east, they had it that chicken’s blood should be smeared on the door handles as a peace offering. What they’d want with the stuff was beyond him. Though, when he was a few steps away from the door, an ear-piercing screech was heard from inside. The people on the street stopped what they were doing for all of a few moments before going on with their business, but Aolan’s eyes narrowed and he pressed the stock of his crossbow into his shoulder.

He took a breath, raised his leg and kicked the door open to find a gaggle of fighters shooting and chopping at, and hiding from, one ugly creature. He spent a moment gawking, another moment assessing the situation and decided to raise his bow, take a bead and let loose a bolt. He didn’t wait to see if it found purchase in the beast as he dove for cover behind the pews. He nocked another bolt and shot up from behind the wooden barrier, controlling his breathing and then letting another bolt loose when he was ready and had a clear shot.
 
Saree Nett

As effective as his earlier outburst had been, just as hard he fell because of Claudia. Pulling her arm out of his grasp she made a bitter comment at him, one that still stung a little even after all these years. However, unlike what had previously been, Saree let it go. He had learnt to accept his position by now.

Sighing at the sight of the bag his mistress held in hand Saree slowly shook his head. Of course, food was involved as well. It surprised him that she hadn’t tried to shove any of it down, or up, the brawlers earlier. Though, so he supposed, she might have considered her food to be too precious for them. Cue to another deep sigh.

“Sure, mistress, if only you could control that temper of yours,” was the tired reply from the male. The jab probably wasn’t the smartest comment to make right now, but Saree had learnt to put up with Claudia’s fists as well. By now, and especially in his current mood, the male cared nothing about whatever was going to be swung at him. The years of Claudia knocking him down to the ground had made his skin thick.

Besides, the mistress was surely going to put the blame on him for losing her. Punishment was inevitable by now.

“We are expected at the church of the old gods,” Saree continued, quickly making his way forward into the direction that they had to go.

Even if punishment unavoidable Saree did like to put it off for as long as he could.

“Don’t get distracted again, mistress. I’m not sure if I will find you a second time,” Saree called over his shoulder. That was partially a lie. He would always go and look for his mistress, no matter what situation. Saree just didn’t like to admit such to Claudia, not wanting to bloat her ego up any further.

Luckily the crowd was becoming less dense the nearer they got to their meeting point. A few lonesome stands still stood at the sides, making little business as the majority of the people were found at the centre. The old architecture doomed up asides from them. Ruins and rumbles of what once had been part of their habitat surrounding them.

“Careful, mistress. Don’t trip,” he warned Claudia. Though he knew that the female could take a fall better than him, the servant couldn’t help but fuss a little over her. It was his job after all. Besides, it would be a disgrace to have the mistress come into the meeting covered in dust. Though, as they were already late, and she had already been involved in a fight with a commoner, the male wondered how much of that grace remained.

Stopping in his steps the male stuck his arm out to block Claudia, eyes frowning up against the decaying building they stood in front of. They had arrived, however, the sounds coming from out of it didn’t sound like that of a meeting at all. A bloodcurdling scream was heard, not one that Saree would expect to escape the lips of a citizen, or an Army member.

Much time he didn't get to think it over, for soon after projectiles shot out of the building. A violent attack, flying around without a target and randomly going around for a hit. It shattered the windows, shot through holes and bored into the ground, trees, and ruins.

“Mistress!” Saree’s first reaction was to cover the smaller female from whatever was heading their way, but also from the glass that fell down with it. With one spin of his body he had pulled the other into his chest, arms raised up to cover his own head. He could feel pieces of glass chipping at him, but that was of no matter. With his healing ability these wounds would be gone in no time. It was his mistress he was truly worried about, for he had sworn to protect her.

The whole scene had been very unwelcoming to their arrival, finishing Saree’s thoughts earlier. Pulling out an arrow and his bow the male carefully scanned out the area, looking out for other dangers before closing into the door that was a slightly ajar. As if it had been forced open earlier. Pushing himself against the wall, next to the entrance, Saree peeked around the corner, examining the situation within.

The first thing he saw was the black creature and its red eyes. Rather hard to spot, seeing its size. Quickly Saree assessed what the status was right now, determining how the attackers of the beast were faring against it. He noted how one of its eyes bled, bled liquid going down from it. He took in the several wounds marred its grotesque body, and where the others were positioned, what their weapons were. Observations he needed to know so that he could make use of himself effectively.

The male took in a few breaths, readying his bow and arrow as he searched for a mark to hit. The eyes would be a good start, blinding the creature would make it easier to attack. However, that would mean having to throw himself into its view. The male knew that he simply didn’t possess the ability to attack the black being head on, so it would be wise to remain out of its sight.

However, so he determined, he didn’t need to hit straight into the target to hurt. He didn't need a bulls-eye to deter the creature. He wasn't intend on wounding it gravely, if he could catch it off guard then his job had been fulfilled. If he could pull it out of its pace, then he had reached his goal.

Determined Saree made his decision, stepping out of the shadows of the wall, into the entrance, and pulled the bow. His breath was steady, his weight shifted a little to the leg at the back, his dominant hand drew and kept the string in hold whilst his other hand moved the bow into the position needed to hit.

Either the back of its head, or grazing it at the side, hopefully an eye or two. That was his aim. Narrowing his eyes the white haired lad then released the arrow, watching it fly through the air. He didn’t wait to see whether his arrow would hit or not. After its release Saree had quickly sought for refugee behind another rubble of the church, with a swift roll over the ground he already prepared the next arrow. It would be too risky to go back to the wall from where he came earlier. With no knowledge of the intelligence of the monster Saree didn’t want to take any risks.

And knowing his mistress he would have to find himself within the building sooner or later anyway...​
 
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[glow=red]Location || Roaming around the Citadel || Church of the Old gods [/glow]

“Sure, mistress, if only you could control that temper of yours,” Saree quipped while walking beside her. Claudia's brown orbs narrowed in his direction as she took one of her pasteries and threw it at him, puffing her cheeks out in defiance before turning away from him, "Ladies like me don't have tempers" she said to him as a sad excuse of a comeback from her. She already knew her temper tended to get her into more trouble that it was worth but, she couldn't just sit by and let kids be bullied, just like she couldn't just "watch" whenever she interacted on someone else's behalf. She just wasn't capable of being that heartless. Another reason why she was an obvious failure of the Ma'archy. Which she was reminded of being almost every day. She sighed before popping another one of her sweet pastries into her mouth, 'stress eating' in a way. It was a bad habit she had developed when she was little that she let her emotions control her diet. That being said, she never really had the opportunity to become overweight because she was constantly moving or working out or training. That still didn't make her unhealthy habit okay.

“We are expected at the church of the old gods,” Saree said taking the lead, knowing by now that Claudia sure as hell didn't know where this said church was located, “Don’t get distracted again, mistress. I’m not sure if I will find you a second time,” Claudia just rolled her eyes and waved him off. "Maybe you should pay more attention next time and not lose me." The crowd around them was slowly but surely starting to dissipate the further they traveled. Claudia frowned, she didn't mind being out in the middle of nowhere but there was always trouble out in the middle of nowhere. As they continued she took note that the structure of some of the architecture looked like it would crumble if the slightest wind blew. “Careful, mistress. Don’t trip,” Saree warned her, startling Claudia, making her jump a bit. "I'm fine, Saree,"

Still it didn't seem like he was paying much attention to her anyway. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, almost making Claudia run into him, holding his hand out in front of her as if to restrict her from moving forward. She frowned, "What?--" That's when a bloodcurdling shriek was released from inside the church. Claudia flinched quickly covering her ears and frowning. What in the hell was going on in there? Well, she didn't have time to really ask Saree what was going on before he was shouting at her. “Mistress!” He quickly turned around pulling her into an embrace and shielding her from something. In the confusion, she dropped the remainder of her sweets eyes wide in confusion and panic but still clinging to him. Projectiles like glass and others things were shot out of the church at high speeds and Saree was protecting her from them. Her heartbeat was racing, she didn't understand what was going on. On top of all that, the one person that meant the most to her was putting himself in harms way to protect her. She was gonna give him a good beating after this.

When it seemed to be clear Saree let go of her and pulled out his bow scanning the area. Claudia bent down looking at the projectiles on the ground, frowning at things that looked like black feathers. The speed at which they came at them could've easily damaged them. Her frown deepened as she eyed her treats, now wasted on the ground. She blamed whatever was inside the church for her wasting her food. It was a shame, she was really enjoying it too. Frowning she drew out one of her swords and marched into the building. Once she was inside she took in quickly how light was starting to fade and if they didn't act quickly it would be night. The next thing she noted was that the creature was dark with red eyes that gave Claudia the creeps. She gripped her sword tightly. Just charging in wouldn't do her any good this time, the creature could just release more of its killer quills and make a kabob out of her. Saree was on the move and she bit her lip. She couldn't just stand here and do nothing, that wasn't her style.

That's when she got the idea. She remembered Saree telling her to watch out earlier because the structure around here looked shaky. Claudia could use that to her advantage. Use her magic and alter the gravity in the area, cause some debris to fall at the bird. Best case scenario the bird would be crushed the end. Second, best case the bird would avoid the debris opening up an opportunity for the people here to strike it down. Claudia nodded looking for a good place to cause some good debris to fall on the bird. The key was making sure she didn't do too much that caused the building to come down too. That wouldn't be good. Control is what she needed. Licking her lips she raised her hand at the point she judged would be good for debris to fall on the bird. Now she just needed to time it correctly.
 
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The creature barreled towards Toran. It barely payed attention to its surroundings. Olyane’s blade bit deep into the wound she’d previously made. The creature let out a fearsome yowl and twisted its body, throwing her off of it and into some pews.

It was bleeding but its focus was still on Toran. The pain renewed its vigor. It leapt at the half-ogre. It screeched over Toran’s aural powers, momentum of its stride unhindered by the magic. It didn’t register fear—only rage. Its underbelly was raked by Toran’s javelin. It snagged one claw into Toran’s shoulder and went to grab the other shoulder with its free claw when Vando’s arrow hit it snuggly in the back.

The creature scrambled up and turned his attention to Renvar and Keren behind the pews but a body hit it hard. Rhi’Ihs grappled the creature and pinned it down. It bucked wildly against her strength but had a hard time breaking free.

At that moment, its body lost substance—or at least a solid feeling. It slid from her grasp like an oily puddle. The arrows in its body moved through the blackish soup and hit the ground. It reformed in the same shape it was before but also in the same condition.

Aolan’s crossbow bolt and Saree’s arrow sunk into its flesh. Angered and surrounded, the creature raised its quills again. This time they sprouted all over its body, fully ready to take down anything around it.

As soon as they launched though, Lakkata enacted her gravitation medium and caused the quills to slam back into the creature’s body. Right after that, Claudia brought the weak part of the church down on the creature’s body.

A wooden beam and rocks crushed the creature under it. There was a moment of silence before a loud screech erupted through the church. Much like earlier, the creature turned to black liquid and oozed from between the cracks. This time, though, it didn’t form as a wolf-creature but a giant crow.

Desken stood up from behind the podium and threw a small knife at the creature. It caught in its leg, but it didn’t turn to fight the Groundborne. Instead, it flapped a few time and flew out of the church from the hole in the ceiling.

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Desken frowned and brushed the podium off. Except for a heavy layer of dust, his book was okay. He took it and tucked it into his belt. Oh, he was sure there’d be time to read it with these idiots surrounding him. He walked over to the Royal Writ scrolls and picked them up from the ground. They were all still there and intact. The wicker basket they had been in was destroyed, though.

“Very fine work,” he said, addressing everyone. “That, of course, is sarcasm. You’re all underprepared children. And, yes, I do see the ones of you that just hid.” His eyes narrowed at Renvar and Keren.

“Still, the High King trusts you—for whatever reason—and I’m obliged to obey that trust. So, these are for you. They’re Royal Writs. They’ll allow you to do whatever you wish, within reason of course.” Desken paused. “Look at me, getting ahead of myself.” He cleared his throat. “I am Desken O’Esollen. I’m an Arcane Investigator for the Rat King. I’ve been asked to join you on your quest. What’s your quest, you ask. Well, have a seat.”

He didn’t wait for anyone take their seats and instead he kept talking. “Entire settlements and cities have been disappearing in almost an instant. Food is still warm on the table, chores halfway done, and no sign of the pack animals that the villagers use. There’s no sign of struggle—nothing. The Arcane Investigators have looked into it with little avail. I’m assuming that this attack means that whoever is doing it, is watching us though.” He sighed. “This is not the first attack, though. The one previous to this nearly wiped out all the Investigators. That’s why the High King has called upon you members of the Army and has given you these Writs.

“There’s something you should know though. They give you power to do anything—I mean anything. Especially if it means killing the other Immortals.” He pulled one out of the pile he held against his body. “So, come take one and ask your questions. I’m sure you have them. Oh, and before you ask the: ‘what’s the next step’ one, I already know. I tethered my conscious onto that blade I threw. Hopefully, it’ll help me locate our next target. Really surprised no one else thought to do that.”

The group before him was not the finest he’d seen, but they’d been more than talented. A few were injured, but they weren’t dead. The Arcane Investigators hadn’t held up that well. He sighed. How was he going to tell them that this was a suicide mission?[/hr]
 
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