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If the slaver guards didn't regard her before, they certainly would now; knowing this, Agatha already prepared to put every bit of effort into sprinting as quickly as possible. Holding nothing that could be classified as a weapon, her only hope - barring extreme dumb luck - was taking advantage of her lack of equipments, she had nothing weighing her down while the guards wore armor and carried weapons; however, if they had speed-enhancing boots or something, then she was fucked. Ah, whatever, she had made her choice, no turning back now!...

...Then the ceiling broke apart, its structure gave way under extreme pressure from above. Barely a few seconds later, Agatha betrayed her own conviction by turning around, all of her muscles rooted in place as a cacophony of sounds echoed on the walls; screams, splintering wooden boards, metal cages slamming down, and commotions from the hall above, all together performing a chaotic symphony. Brown eyes widened as the dust cleared, revealing a mighty warrior, one of the tallest human she ever saw... if he was even human. From the looks of things, he was the one responsible for the gaping hole on the ceiling, most likely one of the assaulters. “Well, what are you all waiting for? Get out!" He bellowed, the sheer power of his voice unnerving the supposedly competent guards, He didn't look like an Astopolian Knight and while she couldn't agree more regarding his treatment of the fat slaver bastard, one important question was still up in the air, was he friend... or foe?

"Don’t know which one of you is Agatha, but your maid’s underground, looking for you!”

Friend.

Thank you for Elaina!

"Hey!!" Agatha cupped her hands near her mouth so her voice could reach the mighty warrior, "Over here! Gotcha!" She grinned wide, a determined look plastered on her face as if every bit of her exhaustion, frustration, and desperation vanished into thin air. "Stay alive. you hear?!" She was sure Elaina had arranged everything from beginning to end, she could always count on the ex-assassin's schemes. Turning back around, her leadership instincts took over as she motioned with her right arm for the female - soon to be ex - slaves to follow her, "Come on! This way!!" numerous bare feet shook the ground, the human stampede dashing away towards the corridor, towards freedom.

"Heh, yep. Not really 'luck' if you think about it, she planned this all along, I'm sure." The brunette's faithful grin didn't relent as she turned her head slightly at her fellow Heiress, "That's Elaina alright." In her current situation, Agatha failed to notice the bit of sarcasm in the title spoken by Alexa, she laughed heartily, "She's not exactly my 'maid', more like... eh, it's complicated. I will explain later, for now, onwards to liberty! Come on, everyone!" She spurred the horde following her, "Don't let up! Go go go go!!!"

Alas, she was no seer, there was no way she could notice Tulian casting his spell on the mercenary, or that her childhood best friend was here, or the most important of all, that it'd make the mercenary unwittingly assault the aforementioned friend. By the time Jacts succumbed to his inner beast and Lyra jumping into the fray, Agatha and co were already traversing down the stairs with Tulian catching up a short moment later.

At some point during their daring escape, the group's advances were suddenly halted just before they got off the staircase...



Red, red, and more red. The whole corridor was literally painted in red, thick stench of fresh blood suffocated the very air around them, ripped flesh, spilled organs, crushed bits of bone strewn everywhere as if a mad painter just unleashed his demented creativity here. "What... the... fuck...!?" As a travelling adventurer, Agatha thought she had seen it all, but... holy shit... who... what could have done this? The brunette audibly gulped, her hands clenched into fists, barely keeping herself together. The wails, gags, and thuds from the group behind her snapped Agatha out of her trance. "S... stay where you are, g-girls... I'll just..." Daring herself to step forward, the heiress examined the scene closer, trying to spot if the culprit was still here... "...!?" oh she found someone alright, someone so very familiar to Agatha that even through the her blood-drenched form, she could spot those red locks... and her uniform.

"E... Elaina?!" Agatha abandoned everything as she scampered forward to the dying girl, kneeling down, her arms went to grab Elaina's shoulders as she gently flipped the girl around. "N... no..." She didn't want to believe it, she would never believe it! Yet... her features were unmistakable even if parts of her mouth was missing. "No..." Agatha closed her eyes, but tears still flowed through, running down her cheeks. "E-Elai-... kuh... no..." She's still alive, her family could afford the best healing money could offer, Elaina would live through this, she definitely would, no one could touch her. "Elainaaaa...." The brave upbeat young woman from before was quickly replaced by a quivering, broken girl; her voice stuttering and rasped with gagged sobs.

"W... whoever did this... I... I will find them... I... will kill them!!!" Not giving a single flying fuck about the insane amount of blood drenching her skin and dress, Agatha held the dying maid close to her, putting her forehead against hers, "Please stay with me... please, please stay with me... don't you die on me! I won't allow you to die on me!!!" Her tears dripped to splash against Elaina's face, "I am your Mistress! I forbid you to die! I order you to stay with me, you hear this, Elaina?! C-cause if you don't... I... I..." She was at a loss for words.

@Psyker Landshark @Warm Regret

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Seeing that the hulk of a man standing before him had a change in demeanor, Tulian knew that the spell had taken effect and so he turned into a steady jog to join up with the others. By the time he reached the exit to the stairway, he heard a horrific scream and a stomach-turning snap. The flow of time nearly came to a stop in that instant and he turned his head slowly, just in time to see Jacts discard Erantus’s decapitated body like some headless doll. A trembling breath escaped his soft lips, as he witnessed whatever humanity Jacts once had, completely leave his body. The spell affected individuals in different ways and in hindsight, casting such an unpredictable spell on someone who’s body was already impossibly strong, may not have been the best course of action. Because of him, this mercenary now had blood on his hands and that may not have been what the poor soul wanted. Soon, the man known as Jacts turned his rage on the armed guards, shedding even more blood and Tulian finally took in a breath as he followed the others. “What have I done?” he whispered.

Catching up with Alexa and Agatha, he fell in line as the latter had assumed the leadership role, which seemed appropriate. She enthusiastically lead them down the stairs and to what she perceived would be their freedom. Tulian however, remained withdrawn and distracted, wondering what was happening behind them. It was true that Erantus and the guards were his enemies but their deaths wasn’t what he wanted and once the spell on Jacts wore off, it may not have been what the mercenary wanted either. He remained quiet as the group descended the stairs into the mystery below and about halfway down, he became aware that they were being followed. The shallow murmurs that pursued them did not bode well, neither did the sounds of those who had fallen behind. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Tulian had been looking behind him, however when his attention was brought forward, he saw nothing but carnage. It was the second time that day he became petrified by what he saw.

There was blood everywhere and an overpowering aroma of death. His blue and gold eyes pulsed with intensity at the butchery before him. It was clear that he was upset, yet there was little change in his visage. Not only were these people killed but whomever was responsible for slaying them, appeared to revel in it. Neither guard nor slave was spared from the massacre, yet there was one girl still breathing albeit barely. Tulian stood with the others and looked on in sorrow as Agatha approached the poor girl clinging to life. It turned out to be her friend, Elaina. Tulian remembered Agatha talking about her at length when they were held captive together. Letting his eyes fall, he thought back to how cheerful Agatha had been when talking about her friend and maid, now their was only anguish, as lucid tears fell from her face. Tulian slowly turned away from the heart-wrenching scene, to peer into the darkness behind him. He could hear them approaching, whomever it was that was following them, and with each passing moment, they grew closer.

He didn’t think they would be able to outrun their pursuers much longer and without any weapons, they weren’t capable of truly defending themselves either. Were they in store for the same fate as the victims at their feet? Tulian thought about casting an earth spell to block the stairwell and buy them some time, but without talentium, something like that would take time and time was something they didn’t have. Furthermore, there were still a few stragglers coming down the staircase and Tulian didn’t want to be responsible for any more deaths. Turning back towards the gory scene, he slowly approached Agatha and gently placed a slender hand on her shoulder. Looking down at both her and her injured friend with a somber expression, he spoke softlly. “We have to go now Agatha, we’ll take her with us but we have to leave this place now. I don’t know what was responsible for this genocide, it’s a miracle that your friend survived but we should get as far away from here as possible, in case whatever did this comes back.” Looking behind him again at the stairs they had just descended, the alarming sound of pursuit grew in his elongated ears.

“It won’t be long now. I fear whatever has been chasing us will be here soon. We need to escape this place… or find somewhere to hide… or defend ourselves somehow…” Turning his head again, he looked back down at her, royal blue hair swept over his left eye, partially hiding his stoic features. “…But whatever we do, we need to keep moving…”

@Psyker Landshark @Izurich

 

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Her eyes went wide. Vampires? What a joke. A cosmic joke. But then, was this not the perfect opportunity? Benedicta's expression remained stone still, though now it seemed as if she were simply stuck in that infinitesimally tiny period of time where one had to suddenly lay out their whole life mentally as preparation for survival. In that tiny speck of a second, Benedicta's eyes remained fixed towards the tall vampire's eyes, staring past them.

She resolutely acted, carrying out her plan. Still imbued with Drakanael's power, she hopped up several feet in the blink of an eye without any delay. The talentium rings burned through the air just underneath her heels and she kicked a foot into the vampire's face. Benedicta turned over midair, angling herself parallel to the ground and extended her polearm to the vampire that had disappeared behind her. As her whole body spun so did her hair, swinging in an arc that just barely slipped through the closing grasp of her second assailant. As she landed and her third assailant's low kick inevitably had missed, she was faced, briefly, with a moment to herself. Indoors the use of Apocalypse was questionable, and she shifted once again to channeling Invictus Nator.

Against multiple enemies, Humbling Strike generally proved more efficacious. Ganging up meant, more often than not, that you thought less of your own perfect combat and more of seeking an opening in the single opponent. You had the unfair advantage, after all, if you were ganging up on someone. Guarding yourself was less important when the person you were attacking was forced to continually block multiple strikes from all angles. Benedicta could only hope these vampires weren't reflective enough to realize it.

 
Ah, the situation was less than optimal. Unarmed. Close quarters. Enclosed space. Melee opponent. Lyra had jumped down into a downright mess. She knew not who the man before her was and what his business was with her, but her immediate reaction was to set up a tenable defense, as inconvenient her situation might have been. She had no way to parry any attacks driven towards her, so she had to rely on her own shielding magic.

As quickly as she’d dropped from above, she moved to widen the distance between her and the blood-stained brute. Flicking fingers as she made this retreat, translucent shields began to form up in front of her until there was a row of six. Swiping the air with another index finger, the six plates collapsed in on each other, forming a single layered hexagonal plate in front her to maximize her defense. Dimly aware of what seemed to be another exchange of combat behind her, she finally stopped backpedaling. Finally, she materialized an ethereal lance in her hand. Against him, she judged that such a weapon likely only hold against a single blow. The alternative was to start spamming them at him at point blank range, saturating the room, but without the aid of her staff, such an effort would be exceeding her capability to maintain such an offensive.

In other words, Lyra was likely down right and fucked, but she refused to acknowledge it. Even her defenses would be slowly whittled down until she had nothing left. The alternative for her was to seek help from what appeared to be the intruding knights from earlier, or the crowd, who’d she established as almost entirely made up of her group of interest, the vampires. Unfortunately, she’d lost her chance to fraternize with them, and she was unwilling to call for aid from the knight duo that seemed to be in the room along with her.

Dropping down a bit defensively, she turned to staring down Jacts from afar. Speaking in a flat voice, she called to him. “You are attacking the wrong person.”
 

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Red. Nothing but red. Even considering some of more unsavory mercenary jobs, Alexa had never seen such utter slaughter before. Still, she'd seen enough dead and killed enough that she was able to contain her revulsion, forcing herself to start searching through the corpses for any sign of Ashe or Wynn. There would be time to process what she'd seen later. For now, she had to find her friend. And Wynn.

A good amount of searching later turned up no sign of Ashe, but Alexa did find an unconscious Wynn. A quick inspection revealed that she was uninjured, but covered in blood and practically comatose. When prodding didn't seem to wake her up, Alexa shifted her focus to looting the dead guards, coming up with a talentium spear. With her newfound weapon in hand, Alexa extended a hand, grinning fiercely as lightning crackled in her palm for the first time in days.

Turning to the others, Alexa shook her head, laying a hand on Agatha's shoulder.

"Calm down! She's still alive. Take her, get out of here, and get medical help." With that, she glanced at Tulian, pointing to Wynn's unconscious form. "Take her and get her out of here. I don't like that bitch, but I owe her that much. I'm going to stay behind and search for my friend. Don't worry if the pursuers come after me." A wry grin as she twirled her spear experimentally, getting a feel for it weight and grip. "Now that I finally have Talentium again, I have enough straight line speed to leg it out of here if they come for me."

@Warm Regret @Izurich
 

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The small tunnels magnified the harsh winds several folds, and even the layers upon layers of clothing were not enough to block the biting chill. It also made hearing anything from further within essentially impossible as he could barely hear his own footsteps as he hurried forward under the darkness left by snuffed out torches. At the very least, his eyes adjusted quickly to compensate for the lack of any light and he continued on unimpeded.

A snarl slipped from his lips as an unwelcome surge of heat began to run through his veins. It drove back the chill that had begun to seep through his thick skin, but did not stop there and continued to push his body temperature higher and higher. Even as his vision grew hazy and steam rolled off his bare skin, Araki continued forward unfalteringly. It wasn’t until an ethereal procession came into sight that he stilled, unsure of what was before him. In his confusion, one of the shackled spirits still stood out among the chained, and his stare did not go unnoticed. For a moment they regarded one another before the chains pulled her away with the rest of the procession.

In their wake, the spirits left still air and that was when the overwhelming scent finally hit Araki. The sharp tang cut through the haze that enveloped his mind and instinct shoved itself into the debate that already raged in his mind. Did he turn back and pursue the odd sight? Continue forward in search of what filled the air with this cloying scent and the captives he had originally come here for?

The burning sensation radiated by the pearl did not help, but he still didn’t dare to simply discard it. Even in his condition, Araki’s remained rational enough to figure that whoever was behind the procession was in all likelihood a vampire or witch. Not an individual he would have liked to face at his best, and almost certainly not in his current state. It was more than just interest as he almost felt compelled to do something to preserve the dying sparks of light within their eyes, but in the end he faced forward instead.

Pressing onward, the scent only grew more powerful until a red haze overlaid his vision. Shaking his head in disgust as he felt saliva flow in response, he came to a stop several steps from the gore-painted room. Someone wailed at the center of the room, clutching their fallen comrade, while the rest stood by the far wall, but he paid them barely any notice as he looked, wide-eyed, between each brutalized corpse. Even the carnage of his village could not compare, and he slowly stepped forward, shivering slightly as he felt the blood that pooled all over the floor. An alarmed scream did not pierce the haze that clung to his mind, but the recognition of a familiar face managed to.

Alexa!” Another look at those gathered revealed no Ashe, but a new yet familiar visage. Her appearance had been ethereal and indistinct, but also enough that she was instantly recognizable the moment Araki laid eyes on her unconscious form. Uncertainty surged as he glanced down the tunnel he had come from. Her body was quite clearly intact, so if that had been her soul then it must have been forcibly extracted. 'Focus!' Easier thought than done given the feverish haze and heat continued to affect him, but he did manage to reign in his thoughts. His primary concern for the moment was Ashe though, but heading deeper into enemy territory while in his condition seemed rather foolish, and Araki was not so out of it that he did not realize that.

"If you're going to head back to look for Ashe, I'll try and buy you some time." He could certainly hear the sounds and noises growing closer with each passing moment, and even if Alexa did not intend to stay back it didn't look like everyone here was capable of escaping if the pursuers weren't impeded in some fashion. His magic surged outwards, rippling over everyone present, before several of Talentium spears rose from the floor. The shafts were broken or the Talentium spear tip shattered in some cases, but the weapons could still offer a considerable boost to one's capability in such a state. The weapons shook mid-air before they plunged into the ground just before the escapees, an invitation for anyone who could use the material to take up arms much like Alexa had.
 
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With her lifelong maid slash bodyguard and friend dying in her arms, tethering between life and death, Agatha felt an overwhelming despair as if she never knew anguish before. Her whole world crumbled around her, the crimson stone walls, blood-drenched floor, and everyone but her maid all melted like candles.."Elaina..." Her journey, accomplishments, adventures, everything didn't matter if in the end, she had to watch Elaina's death in her embrace.

"K-kuh... ha... hic... Ela-... ha..." All kinds of emotions violently mixing in her mind, Agatha didn't know whether she should feel angry or sad; the escaping Heiress was lost, literally and figuratively. Most likely, Agatha would stay still for an indefinite amount of time if not for Tulian's melodic voice flowing into her ears, "Ha...?!" She raised her head, her whole body tensing, her senses painfully brought back to reality. "...Yeah." Yes, Tulian was right, there was no use standing around like an idiot, Elaina would die and the monster responsible may still be here, they'd have to get moving.

Her acquaintance, Alexa, had the same thought as the blue-haired Elf. Apparently, she found someone she knew among the slaughtered in a similar state as Elaina, alive but barely, cementing one more solid reason why they should get going as soon as possible. "Unh..." Agatha nodded firmly at the fellow heiress, "Thank you, both of you." with encouragement from both Tulian and Alexa, she got a grip on herself as she stood up, carefully carrying Elaina in a bridal carry. "I'm sorry... I wish I could help, but..." She cast her eyes down at the dying girl then back at Alexa, "Yeah." the reason was obvious.

In these bleak moments, another figure arrived, it only took one word out of the teenaged boy for Agatha to know he was a friendly face. "...Friend of yours, Alexa?" Well, wonderful, Agatha was slightly less worried for her acquaintance knowing she wouldn't be alone. In normal circumstances, the brunette would watch with awe and interest at Araki's display of telekinetic power, but right now, all she wanted was to get urgent medical help for Elaina, everything else was secondary. "Stay safe, both of you." She turned at the group of slaves, "Everyone! Pick up a weapon and follow me!!" She commanded, using her voice to offset the turbulence in her heart, "Let's get out of here!" With that marching order, Agatha's bare feet splashed on the crimson pools, getting as far away as possible from the scene. "...Elaina, we'll be home soon... stay with me, sister."

Due to carrying Elaina and lacking any accessories or clothing but her simple white dress, Agatha couldn't carry a spear, at least not without endangering the broken girl, but no matter, if worse came to worst, she could always ask one of the slaves to give her one.

@Psyker Landshark @Warm Regret @Zombehs

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Vampires.

Myriel couldn't believe her own eyes. While, in the end, the presence of those vile creatures made sense, the young Keep girl didn't expect an outcome like this at all. A smile formed on her face as she fully realized the magnitude of this change of situation. The two of them were blessed, truly, what was supposed to be a simple rescue-operation turned into a purge. Upon full realization of this, Myriel's doubts and insecurity were replaced by confidence and zeal. Sure, she was actually never before in a real battle against vampires before BUT she prepared her entire life for a situation like this. And now it was time to put all that wisdom to practice... just too bad she only had her Talentium Gauntlet.

"Begone vile creatures!" With a rather pitiful battle-cry Myriel charged towards the group of three vampires that ganked upon her sister, aiming for the vampire who just got a boot to the head. Aiming for his general chest area, Myriel's gauntlet gave off an icy chill by the time it would hopefully make contact with the enemies body and, by doing so, would create a myriad of impaling ice spikes at the point of impact.
 




It felt like he was sinking in an undertow of despair, it was just one disheartening event after another but slowly the tides of fate were beginning to turn. In his hopelessness, he failed to realize that the slain guards lay beside their talentium infused weapons. He turned his head to look at Alexa as she picked up such a weapon, granting her some sort of magical ability. With the restoration of her powers, so too did her confidence as she volunteered to stay behind while insisting the others escape. She also requested that he get another female victim to safety, one who had apparently survived the deadly attack. Nodding his head at her, he did as he was asked, requesting the assistance of one of the other slaves to help the girl onto his back. The added weight would slow him down but it probably wouldn’t have mattered much in this situation anyway. Once secure, he turned to look at the dark haired girl. “Are you sure about this?” He asked quietly. His softened blue and gold eyes depicting an unspoken empathy.

Suddenly, a voice called out to Alexa from behind him and upon turning, he saw it belonged to a young man. Apparently he was yet another acquaintance. Tulian began to wonder if he was the only person among them who was truly alone. After the brief reunion, Alexa decided to look for her friend and the new comer decided to stay behind and fend off the oncoming threat. Tulian wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for them to split up as he assumed their chances of survival would be split as well but it wasn’t his place to tell them what to do, besides, he was just grateful that they were giving him and the others a chance to escape. The boy suddenly used his power to seek out and present the weapons of those that had fallen, at least the ones that were salvageable. Like Agatha, Tulian’s hands were full at the moment so he was unable to carry anything but Wynn, however he did notice that several of the slaves had chosen to take up a weapon. Hopefully this would come in handy if a future threat presented itself.

Learning a lesson from his encounter with Jacts, Tulian took a different approach this time and looked at Araki with a beauty that seemed effortless. “Thank you… but…who are you?” He asked softly. At this point, Agatha had regained her resolve and for the first time, Tulian was beginning to think that they might actually succeed in escaping. Like Agatha, he too would be useless in a fight, with Wynn on his back. He nodded when Agatha acknowledged being in a similar situation, then asking them to be cautious. “Yes, please be careful. Don’t worry. We’ll lead the others to safety.” Tulian added, somewhat insipidly. Agatha gave a rallying call for the others to follow her to freedom and with Wynn on secured on his back, he followed. Turning his head to look back at Alexa and Araki, he silently hoped that he would see them again one day.

@Psyker Landshark @Izurich @Zombehs


 
@Skyswimsky @Asuras
The vampire stumbled back a step as Benedicta’s foot slammed into his face. A pleasant crunch sounded underneath, blood spraying from the broken nose, before, like melted wax, the bloodied nose straightened itself. Her polearm met no target though, passing through thin air as the vampire behind her melted once more into the shadows. Landing and channeling Invictus Nator, she faced the remaining two, just as her sister slammed into the back of one of them.

Myriel’s gauntlet smashed into the vampire’s back, ice magic bursting from the blackened surface as it gouged into flesh. But before those spikes met their target, the vampire’s back exploded, two dozen spears of blood launching into the young knight’s body and forcing her away. Turning to face his new foe, he was about to launch himself upon her, when a single flash stopped him.

The requirements for Humbling Strike was met, and the vampire was diagonally bisected, his heart halved. Not even a scream made its way out of his mouth before he fell face-first onto the floor, legs still twitching.

However, it was too soon for both to celebrate. The remaining visible vampire chanted in a dark language, and suddenly, both knights sunk into the ground, knee-deep in a shadowy substance. Though not wholly capable of moving, their mobility was heavily hampered by this unholy magic, rendering it almost impossible to dodge.

Appearing from that shadowy pool, the vampire that had previously disappeared reached out from behind Myriel, wrapping his arms around her head, moments away from twisting it off like a bottle cap.

@Click This
Lyra’s words fell upon uncomprehending ears, as her show of magic, both defensive and offensive, only served to anger the behemoth further. With a tempestuous charge, the man instantly closed the distance between himself and Lyra, bringing down his gargantuan blade onto her six-fold shield. It fractured, cracked, and then split in half, dissolving into formless mana particles.

She really was in a tight spot now. Although she didn’t have her staff with her, she was honestly surprised that the ridiculously strong mercenary was able to punch through the entirety of her defenses, leaving her only with a flimsy, ill-conjured polearm. Given the destruction he wrought on the plates, even the normally confident mage had little faith in the weapon she held. Jumping back rapidly, Lyra still seemed to keep her composure, looking for alternative method of egress knowing that at the moment, she had little chance against the berserk Jacts. Spotting what seemed to be either a corridor or staircase some thirty meters away, she tried to make a rapid retreat towards it, expending mana on single plates behind her in an attempt to slow the blade-wielding man’s advance.

The difference in physical ability really was monstrous. As Lyra attempted to make her escape, Jacts charged straight into her. The shields she hastily erected were more or less useless as they broke under the force of his relentless pursuit, and before she could make five steps towards the corridor, the man shoulder-tackled her, sending the girl flying.

Jacts went flying through the barriers as if they were made of paper, looking back briefly to mild distress, she tried to pick of the pace of her running, but she was no match for his inhuman speed. Luckily she was tackled and not skewered with his ridiculously large weapon, sending her flying towards her goal. She tumbled down the dimly lit stairwell, cloth, limbs, and hair flying about before coming to a crash at the landing of the steps. Somehow though, she didn’t seem to break anything and made it out with scratches and some sore spots. Slightly disoriented, she scrambled herself together to push further on down the corridor and away from Jacts.

The stench of blood was even apparent from there, as Lyra saw what remained of the few slaves who weren’t able to escape in time. Bloodless pieces of flesh were all that remained as she continued to head down the staircase. Behind her, the sound of stone crumbling and Jacts’s unending battlecry could be heard, while in front of her, the stench of blood was growing stronger and stronger, accompanied by a bloodlust so thick that she could almost feel it.

It would appear that, in this situation, she may soon find herself sandwiched between two very hard places.

@Zombehs @Psyker Landshark
Unfortunately, there were only four Talentium spears to begin with, and the women who did take the spears used their enhanced magic and strength to aid in the retreat of everyone else. Alone in the slaughterhouse, Araki could hear the oncoming wave that would soon descend upon him. Just thirty seconds later, he caught the first glimpse of a swarm of bats, and instantly erected a telekinetic barrier.

The pressure put on him was tremendous, as the vampiric wave smashed against the invisible shield. He could feel his joints popping and his magical energy quickly draining from repairing the many cracks that were soon appearing in the barrier. But he held. He stopped the tide and stood his ground, all the way until the vampires resumed their humanoid form.

In a split second, his barrier was utterly decimated by countless magical spells, and Araki was sent flying into the opposing wall, as the first of the vampiric host stepped in.

“Oh,” the first aristocrat said, “Whoever did this did some nice work.”

@Warm Regret @Izurich
Escaping was easier than expected.

It was a relatively straight forwards run out of the Tower, and soon, the group of slaves, headed by Tulian and Agatha, were out in the open, their bare feet against the snowy ground. Compared to the cacophony of the Tower, the outside air was absolutely silent, as if the chaos back then was merely a dream.

But now that they were out, what were they to do?

In Illiserev, money was everything, but as they were, none of them had any.
 
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Moments later in their harrowing escape, Agatha, Tulian, and the others could see a spot of light, the literal end of a tunnel. "Not much longer... " Narrowing her eyes and keeping Elaina's head close to her bosom, the brunette exerted her legs to keep moving, to not waver, if she failed now, she'd never live this down. So much had been sacrificed so she could reclaim her freedom. The deceased slaves were a mournful loss, even the heiress knew that saving them all was impossible, but at least, all wasn't for naught. Now, she could only hope The Mercenary, Alexa, her telekinetic male friend, and those left behind would survive through the bloody chaos in there.

The cold breeze of the outside world washed over them, bare feet stepping on white snow. "Ha... ha..." Misty breaths streamed out from Agatha's mouth, her blood-drenched form wobbling slightly before she quickly stood straight, driven by willpower and desperate need to save her maid. "...." In silence, she swiveled her body around at Tulian and escaped slaves. She took a brief moment to examine their conditions, they were tired, hungry, half-naked; the only tool for self-defense were three damaged Talentium spears.

"....Everyone." Agatha sighed, then took a deep breath, With a ragtag group like this, she must assert her authority if they were to survive. Agatha turned at Tulian for a second, eyes shifting between the unconscious girl named 'Wynn' and his deep dual-colored eyes, giving him a small smile, she faced the group once more. "I am Agatha Nightingale, Heiress of the Nightingale House and Captain of the Lughanta airship!!" The young woman shouted, her voice piercing through the mists, "In the name of my family and by my own life, I make sure each and every one of you will be granted proper jobs in the Household, including food, clothes, and accommodation! We, Nightingales, do not condone slavery, all of you will hold legal paid occupations." This should get them riled up, "However." for the hard part, "I can only do that if we survive, I will not sugarcoat our situation, it is bad. I lost contact with my crew and airship, we have two in critical condition, no money, and only three chipped spears as our means for defending ourselves."

"This doesn't mean we should just give up! Those who stayed inside are risking their very lives for us, we will not fail them!" Agatha used her anger to spur her onwards, "Here's what we're going to do, our best bet is to find the Lughanta, my airship; and if possible, one of my crews, we have supplies, clothes, and housing in it."

The young woman turned at Tulian, lowering her voice so only he could hear, "I say we stay together as a group during the search, especially since we have elves among us, separating is too risky... but, I want to hear your opinion, Tulian."

@Warm Regret

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Nothing. Absolutely no trace of Ashe. Still, at least there was some consolation in that it meant that Ashe likely wasn't brutally slaughtered in this room. As Alexa debated whether or not to give up on the search, the decision was made for her when vampires began stepping into the room, shattering Araki's barrier and sending him flying into the wall.

Shit. Was he even conscious? Alexa stepped over towards Araki, keeping one hand gripped on her spear as she knelt down, checking the boy's breathing while glaring at the vampires that began to enter the room.

"So. This auction really hasn't been going your way, huh? Look at all these lost profits." She snarked, hoping to keep their attention occupied on her as Araki recovered. "Who would've thought that a few Astopolians and some random psychopath would have ruined all this so spectacularly? Bet you're not feeling too happy at the moment, eh? Are the would-be saviors dead, then?"

@Zombehs
 
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Still fully conscious, Araki coughed quietly several times at the pain that wracked his entire back. Nothing was broken, but the shattered and cracked wall spoke of just how powerful the impact had been. His eyes widened slightly as Alexa began to taunt the vampires, and he couldn’t figure out why she thought it was a good idea. They were busy admiring the nauseating display of gore, but now they were probably focused solely on the two of them!

Planting a hand against the ground, Araki rose to his feet, dust falling from his hair and shoulders as he did so. As he tried to stand a wave of dizziness washed over Araki and he collapsed to the ground with a quiet groan. The clatter of his bucklers against the stone floor probably only served to draw more attention to the pair, and it was pretty clear to Alexa that his condition was not from the harsh blow alone. Each exhale was a cloud of white vapor, and she could practically feel the heat that radiated from his body next to him.

Just go,” he hissed out towards Alexa as he wrestled with the fever for control of his body, "and take my coin pouch if you can." While Araki still had no idea what the hell the pearl's purpose was besides being an immense hindrance, he was fairly certain that disastrous consequences were probable if it fell into these vampires' hands.
 




Hustling through the halls, the group of slaves were a blur of white dresses and frantic breaths as their bare feet padded against the cold stone floor. Tulian looked ahead of them when he felt the cold sting of winter on his partially bare skin. There was a small light that grew brighter as they ran, until they emerged from the dungeon and out onto the snow covered earth. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the crisp air deeply as it filled and rejuvenated his lungs. It was a refreshing change from the dank and stagnant air they had been forced to breathe underground. Opening his eyes to a land filled in pure white, he allowed his body to relax for the first time in a while. They did it. They made it out alive, they were free, but they still weren’t out of the woods yet.

A cold gust of wind blew from the west, tugging at his dress and playing with his azure hair. He reached up slowly to brush a few tresses from his bang out of his face but the wind was having none of it. He listened as Agatha tried to energize the others, assuring them that they had a place within her family’s company. All this was based on the assumption that they could survive until then, which meant finding her crew and airship. Her words were inspiring, and it reminded him of the first time they met. She had a way of instilling people with hope and a flame that was hard to extinguish. Tulian wished he could be more like her and while the other slaves all began to converse and raise each others’ spirits, Tulian stood there with a blank and distant expression in his golden blue eyes.

It seemed like they still had a long road ahead of them but Tulian wasn’t sure if he could follow Agatha just yet. They wouldn’t survive very long in Illiserev, not without money. Perhaps there was some still inside the hall. He was sure there was a stash of gold somewhere but he didn’t think it would be worth it to risk their lives going back inside for a chance to find it…he did however feel he owed the unknown crystallian some assistance. Was it really ok for him to run away when that boy put his life on the line for him and the others? And then there was the mercenary whose name he did not know. It was a mistake casting the Savage Heart spell on him to begin with, it was a monster he created, so he felt he had to try and make things right.

Agatha’s voice brought him out of his thoughts and he raised his head to look at her. She wanted to know what he thought about them staying together and although he agreed with everything she said and wanted nothing more than to accept, when he opened his mouth the words that came out were. “I can’t…” It wasn’t as if he didn’t have any skills. If he were just an ordinary slave, he wouldn’t have any problem with not looking back but he felt like he would be doing himself and those who tried to save him a disservice if he didn’t at least try to help make things right. They had 3 talentium spear tips and if he could use one, well at least he would have a fighting chance. “I….I have to go back. You should lead the others to safety, I’ll catch up to you. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine…I’ll find you.” He said with the same hollow tone and blank look he always wore. Truthfully he didn’t know if he believed those words but he was so good at hiding his true feelings, there was no way Agatha could tell.

@Izurich

 


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With the cries of Jacts behind her, and the unknown ahead of her, Lyra pressed on. Somehow, the materialized pole-arm had not broken in her tumble, and she clutched the weapon defensively as she made her way down the corridor. Having realized the dire straits she was in, she did her best to pour her unamplified mana into the lance and into a pair of shields that she kept forward and at her flank, covering all her bases.

It was not before long, however, that continuing forward looked more and more like a dubious option; as she entered deeper in, the smell of blood became apparent, intensifying the more she approached it. Ahead of her were the mangled corpses of slaves, almost unrecognizable as human flesh. It was certainly a curiosity, but almost feeling a certain bloodlust still in the area, she decided it was not a good idea to stick around and examine the gory scene.

She knew it was likely, however, that she would have to fight again. If it came down to that, she was likely going to be under-powered and overwhelmed by whatever that approached her, as was with the berserk mercenary behind her. Perhaps she could somehow bait him to whatever it was in front, should it be actively hostile? It was yet to be seen.

Regardless, it was clear that what she was approaching were her fellow crowd members from earlier, or at least, what she assumed them to be. After all, there were few amongst humans that would suck the blood dry of even dismembered corpses.

She approached casually. She wasn't so naive to amble in there without a care in the world, but she didn't intend to fight them either, so producing a non-threatening posture was probably better, considering she didn't yet know their disposition nor was she particularly well equipped to fight anybody other than a common guard at the moment. After all, her goal was to find her friend.
 
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Swamped in darkness. Benedicta struggled to lift her legs from the abyssal pool that gripped her like a gravity spell. She grunted, putting all she had into lifting herself from the mire. Her gaze was focused, for a moment, upon the blackness beneath her, but a sense of... something, urged her to turn to her sister. Her eyes darted to Myriel, and instantly her heart fluttered. Time slowed as the vampire reached its arms around her head, intent on outright killing her in one jerk.

Benedicta's resolve skyrocketed. Her own personal training surged forth at its most maximal efficacy, and she channeled her third and last sword skill. Both weapons held before her, she unleashed the chant in but a split second. A grandiose light, fit to dispel undead from their crypts, shone brightly within the stageroom. Her determination propelled her from the pool of darkness, shedding evil in favor of legs blessed in wings of light. Just as instantly as her feet returned to true earth, Benedicta swung her sword in an upwards glance, attempting to sever the vampire's arm in one clean sweep.

 
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Myriel's attack connected.

It was just like she imagined, the vampire not really aware of her, hitting him was an easy task anyways. However, as her attack connected, things started to go south, before the Knight Errant could execute her magical enhanced attack to its fullest, she had to quickly jump back to avoid getting hit by any serious damage of the enemies retaliation attack. "Tzch..." With her chance gone to quickly take out one of those insects, she readied herself to fight her assailant in a more proper manner. Or so she thought, as her attacker got obliterated out of nowhere.

Right, her big sister had rather powerful abilities available to her, nonetheless, the girl was surprised by the sudden death for just a split-second, enough for her to become trapped in some kind of dark-magic quicksand ground thing that severely hampered her mobility. Even worse, Myriel didn't have enough time to get out of the pool before another vampire appeared behind her who was more than willing to break her neck. Without a weapon and her legs unavailable to even turn around proper, all Myriel could do was trying to stop his arms from doing their dirty work with her own while trying to freeze at least part of him with more ice-magic. Every single sense of hers was occupied with this single vampire and her own survival, making her completely oblivious to Benedicta being way-more-useful than herself.
 
@Izurich @Warm Regret
White. Cold. Deserted.

Agatha’s plan may have been fine if it was any season other than winter, but, ultimately, where was she getting her confidence from? Illiserevan winters were cold and unforgiving, and the last time she had seen her crew members was four days ago, in an environment much more friendly than this. Their best bet in the long run may, indeed, be to find the Lughanta, but the long run did not make up for their current predicament. Out in the water-freezing, skin-biting winds, their desperate situation did not change, and perhaps the idea of ‘escape’ was a mistake to begin with. Elaina, bloodied and weakened as she was, hung limply against the twin-tailed girl’s body, her too-pale body shivering uncontrollably. One of the three women who held onto the Talentium spear was casting a spell of fire between chattering lips, a wall of flames encircling the group for a few moments, before she clicked her tongue.

Talentium-empowered magic made the spell much too powerful for something as simple as ‘warming a group of individuals’, but without it, the effect would be too weak.

“Your airship is fine and all,” another girl said, leaning against a friend, “But most of us came from Dansila. We don’t need jobs. We…just want to get back home.”

Others nodded in assent, with only the few elven maidens staying mute throughout this.

“But,” a bespectacled girl interjected, “Illiserev’s air ports are usually closed due to weather…shit, how far even is Yuimas from a non-Braxton town?”

The spear-wielder who had cast the wall of flame previously bit her lip. “Where do we even go from here?! The people who saved us are probably dead, and there’s no reason for any of the scumbags in this cesspool to shelter us anyways!”

@Psyker Landshark @Zombehs @Click This
The vampires didn’t even notice Lyra as she approached from behind. As far as they knew, she was one of them, a prospective slave-purchaser, someone who was just as vampiric as they were when it came to her interests. Giving the young lady no attention, they instead turned their attention to the two meals that remained. One had a mouth, but that was easily silenced if the aristocrat had any modicum of skill, while the other was a child, either feverish or incredibly horny. There was an undercurrent of disappointment through the crowd of vampires after they were finished with marvelling the work of one of their own. After all that effort, only two were alive.

The necrophiliacs amongst them were pleased, if nothing else.

Taking a step forward, one of the vampires reached out with a hand, a flash of light bouncing off his blurred visage. He lunged towards Alexa, intent on grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the wall, only to pause.

The crowd turned around, collectively sensing something.

Boom.

A streak of lightning burst past Lyra, a massive slab of steel passing a mere inch over her head. Slamming into the crowd of vampires, three were almost instantly splattered as the floor shook violently. A wave of burning air echoed from the epicenter of the meteoric impact. The berserker had arrived once more, and all he saw before him were enemies.

Lines of saliva splattered from his mouth as he roared, his body heaving from incomprehensible rage and exhaustion. Lightning still crackled from his body, and he still possessed the mammoth speed that tore apart vampires and humans alike, but the man was slowing, and the vampires could see it.

Those two whelps could wait. Though the meat would be tougher, the entertainment would be greater.

@Asuras @Skyswimsky
As the vampire moved to finish off the raven-haired washboard, Myriel’s hands latched into his arms, digging into the flesh with a surprising amount of strength. The vampire grunted, veins popping up on his arms as he fought against the almost-equal power of the Astopolian Knight Errant. Frost was beginning to form on his limbs, but he ignored it, singlemindedly focusing on the task of twisting off her head. Arms and legs simply come back when one was a vampire, after all.

That confidence, though, was his downfall.

The darkness of the crypt-like Hall was cast away by a resplendent light as Benedicta, bearing wings of light, lashed outwards as he was absorbed in his duties. The cry of alarm from his companion was too late, as the talentium blade of Benedicta’s sword cleaved into his bicep, narrowly missing Myriel’s own hands. Blood spewed from that wound, as all strength was suddenly lost in one of his arms.

With that sudden advantage, Myriel flung the arms of the vampire off her head, drops of cold blood on her face. The vampire stumbled back for a moment, more surprised than in pain, but his ally was quick to respond. Planting his hands into the pool of darkness, words of corruption spewed from his mouth as the shadow-mage poured his magical energy outwards. Congealed shadows burst upwards, a geyser of foul darkness that blinded the two knight errants.

And, within the cover of complete darkness, the injured vampire dashed behind the golden-haired woman who killed his master and injured himself, splayed fingers intent on sinking into her back and tearing out her heart.
 
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"..." The heiress's reddish brown eyes narrowed in confusion mixed with bubbling exasperation as the first two words spoken by her elven companion after a long pause were 'I can't'. Her bewilderment only grew with each nonsensical statement spewed from Tulian's lips until at one point, the bubble burst, "What?!" she didn't even try to lower her voice. The brunette stomped towards Tulian, bare feet thudding against dirty white snow, "Go back?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Agatha snarled like a lioness baring her fangs, a mother scolding her unruly son, "What can you do other than committing suicide? A-are you even hearing yourself right now?!"

So flabbergasted, Agatha couldn't remotely understand just why Tulian could even consider going back was a viable option. His stupid answer was not what she was looking for when she asked for his opinion. "I won't allow you to go back." Still holding Elaina close to her, Agatha took a deep breath, regaining some of her composure, "I won't let you throw away the chance Elaina gave you, she, Alexa, everyone." Agatha cast her eyes down at the young woman in his arms, "Besides, Alexa trusted you with her friend, please honor that trust." Truth to be told, if Tulian still insisted on going, there was nothing Agatha could do to stop him, she sincerely hoped he'd see reason.

"...!?" The wounded maid's shivers made Agatha realize just how cold the environment around them truly was. "H-hang in there, Elaina..." Agatha's bone-white teeth clattered, embracing her maid tight, doing what she could to share body heat. The fiery walls spawning around them brought Agatha's attention back at the ragtag group of escaped girls along with the warmth caressing her skin and seeping through her pores. "Thank you..." Good thinking, everything would be for naught if they succumbed to the cold. "...Come on everyone." The heiress gestured for the group to gather closer as they expressed their concerns.

"I see..." Agatha nodded at one girl, "Then I will take you all back to Dansila, my family, including myself, has numerous contacts there, our business often involves partnership with Dansilan companies." Easy enough, no reason to refuse. She also noticed the female elves among them just watching, "Hey, chin up. My offer still stands, I will employ you. If you want proof, my brave maid here is an elf. " Agatha sighed, casting her eyes down at Elaina, "A slave would never go this far to rescue her master... she is my childhood friend, my comrade, my protector, as I am hers."

Raising her gaze once more, Agatha listened to the glasses-wearing girl and the spearwoman voicing out their worries, "Hey, hey... stay strong, alright? We'll stay together, things are bleak, that much is obvious, but like hell if we're going to just stand here and do nothing! If you think they're already dead, then do not let their sacrifices be in vain!" The Heiress eyed each and every person around her, "Alright, staying here is dangerous. Let's move, go around the front." Deep in her heart, she sincerely hoped a crew of hers would be there... from the many men and women serving in the Lughanta, surely there would be at least one who was looking for their Captain.

@Warm Regret

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Positive that Agatha would give him a mouthful, he braced himself for the assault of expletives that was sure to come. He merely turned his head to the side and cast his gaze away as she proceeded to berate him in front of the others, he expected nothing less from the short tempered heiress. He couldn’t help but find some truth to her words which caused him even more distress. Things were so much simpler when belonged to Reingard. He had no free will of his own, so he didn’t have to make any tough decisions. Is this what freedom was? Somehow he thought there would be less struggling. He had a choice to make and no matter what he chose, he would have to live with the outcome of the one he didn’t choose. They were temporarily distracted by the wall of fire that briefly encompassed them. He didn’t remember the last time fire felt so good. It warmed him and the others for a few moments but the bitter cold was unrelenting.

Looking behind him at the hall of death they had just escaped, then forward at the group of huddling women desperate for warmth, he lowered his eyes to the snow covered ground and shifted the weight of the unknown girl on his back. He wanted to return and lend his assistance to the others but Agatha and the freed slaves were still in danger as well. He was torn. Maybe he was too hasty in trying to go back. Agatha and the girls were still in trouble too. Wouldn’t everything that happened in that hall of sorrow be for naught, if they were to perish in this snow covered wasteland? There was still so much to figure out, like what to do when they reached town, how to obtain some form of currency, locating Agatha’s missing ship and crew and getting the slaves to safety but the most pressing issue was surviving this cold.

It felt like the blood in his extremities had run so cold he couldn’t even feel them anymore. If he had been suffering this badly, it must have been the same for the others, or worse. Once again, Agatha was able to rally the group of women to follow her and she began to lead them back to the entrance. Tulian wasn’t sure how long it would take them to walk around to the entrance or how much the furious cold would hamper their progress. Looking at the worried faces of all the women around him, and there shivering bodies, he shook his head and returned his gaze to Agatha. “Wait…Agatha. I think you might need my help more than the others.” He said somberly, as he walked quietly beside her with Wynn secure on his back. “Agatha, do you think we should make the trek now or take a moment to warm ourselves and plan our next move? I can make a shelter for us if we need a moment to organize ourselves. Depending on how far we have to travel, I’m not sure if we won’t do more harm to ourselves than good in this cold.”

@Izurich

 
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