• Closed • Yet the Resolute Never Give in to Darkness

Arlo, Tio, Sephira, Kura, Vega, Max, Lavana

Once an isolated and dying township, an influx of academics, adventurers and thrill seekers have made Scalvoris Town their home. From scholars' tea shops to a new satellite campus for Viden Academy, this is an exciting place to visit or make your home!

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Aegis
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Yet the Resolute Never Give in to Darkness

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Early Morning of Cylus 29th, immediately following This
and This
All that separated the men and women of this night was a wall of stone. All it took to reunite Arlo with the love of his life was to defeat this new enemy. All that was needed for the women to escape their hard fought victory was the helping hand the men could provide. And every person had their choice to make, and make it fast they must. For in less than single bit, the women would be buried forever. And the collapse of such a structure could be very unpredictable. Would it still trigger the explosive materials in the warehouse? Would it collapse the entire block of warehouses and apartments around the alley?

Kura and Sephira and the twins had watched the vengeance filled Earth Elements flee down the steps, to an exit that only they knew, that only they could escape through. These troops made their way into the connecting ring of all the balconies and found their exit wall. A blade in the right crack, a brick pulled free, and the wall crumbled away, just as it had been designed to do. And they scrambled over it, and up the steps that led into another warehouse within their control.

Through a wooden door, they found their freedom. Or thought they had. There waiting for them was Captain Liovah and her white hat, one of the only women to have evaded capture, a thin frown upon her face, scimitar and dagger in hand. And behind her was the rest of her true crew, not the bastards that had joined and immediately betrayed them. They were all still groggy from the effects of the gas bombs, but all were armed and ready to take a piece out of someone's arse.

"Seems this is the rats' nest after all."

She nodded her head to the side, pointing to a couple of men who appeared to have been tied to beams and tortured, gagged and bloody and crying. There was a long stare down in silence, no one spoke. The Earth Elements knew they were outnumbered, backs to a wall. They were done.

"You all are not going anywhere."

The ground shook, and every person at the docks felt it. The chamber collapsed, and with it, the main warehouse, the neighboring warehouse, and the apartments across the alley. Dust billowed all through the night, spraying outward from every opening. There was a series of smaller explosions from the main warehouse, much less potent than the single massive explosion that had been planned, but blasts nonetheless.

And the dust hung heavy, and the world was quiet, everyone waiting for something, anything, a noise, a movement, anything at all, to break the cacophony of silence.
 ! Message from: Aegis
Congratulations! You're all dead! Or rather, could be! Time to decide your fates! Arlo, Tio, Kura, Max, Vega, Lavana, and Sephira, your replies must come here, the men should post first, then the women in any order. Escape or die. There are no questions this round.
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Lavana Tharn
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Tharn
How could Lavana have known? Shed fought hard to protect those around her and had failed, not only this she had failed miserably. No one to tell her that the earth masks had been allies until it was all but too late. She couldn't undo what had been done, she saw danger and acted on it. No military campaign complete without it's share of blunders.

Shed defended Sephira bravely in her time of need, and had managed to doom them all in the process as a series of unfortunate events had begun unfurling around them.

As rocks began falling she witnessed a spear of earth shoot through Maxines foot. Her amber eyes widened in horror and disbelief as more rocks had begun falling. Shed almost been ready to leap off the balcony to try and get to her.

The twins were with Sephira and Lavana was bleeding rapidly from the weeping cuts around her body and the stab wound that leaked profusely even if shed attempted to plug it with cloth. Shed only realized her mistake until after Kura told her shed set her sights on the wrong target as shed attempted to secure Sephira and get her to safety.

Shed failed on every level and accepted death as her fate, was she going up or down? They'd pushed hard to claim the balcony, was there enough left in her to get back down the stairs?

Shed taken a back seat to reason as madness began to take hold of the mortal born once again. Shed been bestowed the gift of guilt, and couldn't shake it. It was her fault Max had been wounded, it was her fault they'd been trapped like rats.

The twins were tired but together they could get Sephira down below with haste. She nodded to them to assist the portal wizard. Lavana had ascended the stairs to get to her, and shed be damned if the rupturer would be left behind.

Kura might have been tapped on divine power but Lavana had faith in her.

The women that had been freed that still survived the onslaught "Ladies head down below, see what you girls can muster on the wall below it's really your only shot out, and break that woman off that earthen lance if you don't those twins will kill you; I promise you. Hail Raskalarn for her greatest failure has saved you." It was really all Lavana had left, an idle threat to save Max, and a direction for the freed captives to take in a last ditch effort to save themselves. They had stamina and vigor and plenty of fight left in them, they could get there far faster then her. She wouldn't have one help her and slow them down in the process, and each freed girl could tip the balance; shed choose everyone else over herself resource management geared for there self preservation in order to try and undo the mess she had caused.

The mortal born was a wounded hindrance as she moved haphazardly on trembling ground as more rocks began to fall. Shed do it on her own, shed earned it as Raskalarns Greatest Failure as each step brought her closer to the end game as falling debris were crashing around her and the stair case. She was weak now and lethargic but shed keep moving despite how tired and heavy she felt as she used the rail for support on her way back down.

That was that, there was nothing left in the tank as Lavana hit the dirt floor without the support of the rail. If shed go out it would be with that stupid shit eating grin on her face.

After all she was a crazy bitch, but not a selfish one.

Lavana took a breath and griped the dirt, exhaustion was overcoming her but she wasn't going to die In this cess pit like this. Shed pull herself up off the ground, and keeping moving till shed stumbled across the spear shed thrown and missed in the ground looking at the the fire element that sported a hole where his eye should have been. Keep your eye on the prize tiger Lavana cackled at her internal musing finding humor to rally vigor to continue.

Shed use it like a walking stick as she tread the ground slowly and methodically making her way forward as she navigating the terrain as the sky was falling. Fighting with herself and sore body, but her friend was in the distance it was enough to keep Lavana driven as shed keep her pace trying to hurry along as the building shook.

If the freed sacrifices hadn't done there job Lavana, using her spear as support would kick the earthen spike using her strong legs to knock the top off the shaft so Max could pull her foot free. "Max, the fuck? I leave you alone for two trills and you get fucked up worse then Vega."If she needed support shed have it, as with Vega well she still hadn't rightly forgiven her for that whole Arlo ordeal but it wasn't really the time to piss and moan about it. "Id tell you to break a leg Vega but it looks like you got it all figured out, glad to see you with the living though."The freed sacrifices would be working on the wall as others would join to do more.
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Tio Silver
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Was there an Immortal of explosions? Or maybe one of those mortalborn? Anyone that he could pray to to save his sorry ass?

These were the thoughts that crossed through Tio's mind as the world started to explode around him. First of all came some sort of red gas bomb that seemed like it was probably poisonous, but looked far too sinister to risk testing his racial immunity against. Then came an explosion that quite literally blew him off his feet and flung him through the air in an involuntary backflip before landing flat on his arse. Getting through this door was proving to be a very painful experience, and one he hoped was going to be over soon.

Yet for as clumsy as their fumbling around on the door seemed to be it turned out they had been doing something right at the very least, as they eventually reached a point where they were able to open it! Behind it lay a wall of cracked earth that Arlo seemed to be pretty sure was all that separated them from the kidnapped women.

"Okay then... how do we get through this?" He asked Arlo. "We could try to push it down, but I have no idea if the two of us have enough strength for that. Or..." He glanced over at the pile of various explosives they'd cut away from the door trap. "One of those could be small enough to blow up this wall without setting the other explosives off. Your-... girlfriend? Wife? Whatever Firefly is to you-... is down there, so I'll follow your lead. Your choice boss."

If Arlo wanted to push the wall down, blow it up or whatever Tio would follow his lead. From the way he kept shooting glances over at the explosives however it was pretty clear that he was keen on using them, and if Arlo chose that method he would get a tinderbox out of his domain bag to ignite the fuse.

Yet whatever the case with the wall turned out to be it was overshadowed by the fact that the warehouse started to collapse in front of him, and when the wall came down one way or another Tio was already set to run away like a pack of ravenous hounds were after him.
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Fast Facts
Noticeable quirks your character can see when threading with Tio.

Floats

Tio floats in the air, usually just a foot off the ground.

Explodeibur

Tio wears a scary looking gauntlet on his right hand that is clearly magical. It creates explosions.

Mercury

Tio has a masked alter ego who leads The Court of Miracles.

Enchanting Voice

Tio's voice has hypnotic properties.
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Arlo Creede
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Yet the Resolute Never Give in to Darkness

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That he and Tio knew very little about explosives, became fairly evident, judging by the number of mishaps they inadvertently set off. All while actually trying to prevent them. Each fuse he cut through, each box or crate he rattled came complete with the very real possibility that he could blow himself up, or him and Tio and possibly more besides, in a heartbeat. And based on what he'd seen, what he'd witnessed and the realization that came with it, Arlo couldn't have claimed that he cared.

On the other hand he'd seen something more that gave him hope. Some...turning around of events for lack of better phrasing. It was that hope that kept him going. Like Tio though, he didn't come through it unscathed. Still, there was the wall and he was all for blowing a hole in the thing in order for them to get through. "A diri," he said to Tio just before the ground shook beneath their feet, and while he was searching for a small something to blow the wall to bits with. "Lyova's a diri, Vega is my..." And then the explanation was cut off by the ground rumbling round their feet, the walls rocking around them and the rafters tumbling down in pieces.

There wasn't time to run, or even think clearly. Only time to hunker down against and cover his head best he could as the warehouse collapsed in on them. And when it finally stopped, there was the dust in the air and the strange silence. Pushing a broken off piece of a rafter off him along with a small mound of stones, Arlo coughed out the dust from his lungs, struggled to his feet and called out "Vega!" After all, it appeared that the troublesome wall had come down, right along with the rest of it.

Before his head had even cleared, Arlo was climbing over the wreckage, throwing it out of the way first when he couldn't. He'd seen where Vega was after all, thanks to the mirror and hopefully that was still where she'd be. "Vega!" He enlisted Lyova too, asking her to dart ahead of him and show him the way, and when he got to her, he'd scoop her up in his arms and carry her out so long as he could, before more of the place collapsed around them.
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Vega
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The woman came to help her and Vega looked at her, pale faced and shaking all over. She'd just died. Adrenaline ran through her body, causing her to tremble even more as she looked at Max and smiled. "Thanks," was all she got out before the redhead cried out in pain. "Furdlin' snit a whippet, that 'urts," the pain was immense and Vega felt waves of nausea wash over her as Max grabbed and splinted her leg. Yet, she was grateful in ways she'd have a hard time putting into words. With a glance at Lavana she raised an eyebrow as the woman joked, but all she could and did say was the simple truth. "Good to see you." As the attack on Max came, though, she cried out in surprise, sweat matting her head and the cry turned to one of pain as she reached out to help. "Stay still! It's gonna 'urt!" Vega said and she grit her teeth together as she leaned and saw what the problem was. She had to get Max's foot off that thing and she grabbed the woman's arm, leaning down to use her strength to snap off the spear as close to the foot as she could get and then lift Max's foot off it in as upward a move, as straight a move as possible.

Vega felt dizziness threatening in on her and the pain in her legs was such that explosions of light were going off in front of her eyes. She couldn't die here, she was convinced. The twins had brought her back to him, and she would get out and... then the wall where she had pointed exploded and Vega didn't need to wait until the smoke cleared. "ARLO!! Arlo!! I'm here!" She knew he'd find her, she knew that the twins had let her come back for him because he needed her and she needed him, and in that moment she did not doubt that it was him. "ARLO!"

As she saw him, once the dust had cleared, Vega let out a single sob, "ARLO!" The sight of him was almost enough to be her undoing and she tried to steel herself, yet she cried out through clenched jaw as he scooped her up, her leg falling misshapen to one side and the other leg not much better. It was a strange sensation, the pain in her legs overwhelming and the feeling of relief much, much more. All she had to do, she knew, was stay awake, stay awake and be with him and she would be alright. She clung on to him but, at the same time, she wrapped her arm around Max. "We've got to get out. All of us, Arlo!" She was sobbing, pale and sweating, her eyes almost completely devoid of colour and pure white and her skin was hot and clammy to the touch. She was in a complete state no doubt about it, but with the arm she did it, she held on to him as though she could not let go. "I knew you'd come, I knew. I told them, Arlo, about us. I told them, an' they let me back. But I hurt my legs an' I burned, it burned." She was half way to delirious, the pain of every movement was close to unbearable and Vega buried her face in him, trying not to pass out or throw up but instead holding on to the man she had known would come and trying to get Max to come with them. She'd half carry her if that was what Max needed, but she hoped that the woman could take some of the weight and strain herself.

Because they had to get out of here.


Last edited by Vega on Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 638
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Vega's skin has a reflective metallic sheen with a red glow. Her eyes still swirl biqaj colours, but one colour is always bright red which glows like fire. She has a bright red glow in her chest, situated directly under the mark of a heart (Daia mark) in the middle of a glowing silver dragon on her chest (Xiur). She's unnaturally warm to the touch
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Sephira
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Her head swam as she lay prone on the floor, nearby blood pooled under the deceased Wind Mask, the mage looking away from the corpse as memory of the last few trills flashed through her mind. She had killed...no...murdered two men and led a handful of others to their deaths. The weight of those actions weighed on her, making her arms and legs feel like bags of lead. Her etheric channels felt raw even though her spark hungered for more. Sephira lay there, trying silently to calm her spark, to sooth it back to sleep, but it seemed as if that otherworldly alien presence intertwined with her soul had other ideas.

As she dimly noted the twins nearing her and Lavana emerging onto the balcony to do battle with the remaining Earth cultists, the mage felt her spark pulse with a ravenous intent. From time to time her spark acted out, casting the occasional blink portal on its own if fueled by enough of her fear but this was different. Her spark was making a choice, and forcing her to begin drawing in the surrounding ether against her will. Sephira seized on the ground as her body twisted painfully as ether swam into her, roaring through her veins, setting her witchmark alight in her eyes. Scarlet radiance bled into her tears as she strained to stop what was about to happen, but there was no use. She was mortal, and her spark was something she could not even begin to comprehend. Her spark was awakening, it's influence over her growing.

A portal, larger than she had ever made before roared into life above her within the ceiling of the amphitheater, her spark reveling in it’s opening as crackling arcs of crimson energy rippled around her. A pain like no other tore through her already exhausted magical channels as the portal tore began destabilizing the structure around them, rubble falling from above. Her spark seemed amused at its new found influence over its host but similarly seemed satisfied with its accomplishment. The portal dissipated almost as quickly as it arrived, but not without sending the surrounding area into chaos.

Sephira sobbed, gasping as the magically induced pain subsided and the twins finally made it to her; grabbing her firmly by the arms to tow her to her feet. It was then that the mage looked up across the balcony to see Lavana fighting off the enemy cultists and freeing the captive women. She always seemed to be there when Sephira needed her, once during that terrible storm and now tonight. The Element sheathed her saber and leaned on the shoulder of one of the twins as they helped her toward the stair leading down from the balcony.

“We always seemed to meet at the worst times.” She uttered with a strained voice at the half garbed and bloodied woman. If Lavana turned to her Sephira would give a faint salute to the mortal born before turning towards the stairs.

At Lavana’s direction the freed captives were making their way to the earthen wall as the world crumbled around them. Sephira followed, an arm born by each of the twins as they hurriedly got the mage down the stairs, dodging stray chunks of rock as they went. The mage walked with a limp, using her good leg to propel her along with the help of the mysterious women. Every now and then her vision would go sideways before righting itself. She had never pushed herself this far, obviously this motion sickness was the result. Focusing on taking one step at a time the three finally made it to the bottom.

At that moment there was a terrible tremor that ran through the structure that sent dust rippling throughout the chamber and the twins increased their speed. Sephira could only give Vega and Max a passing glass as it seemed someone had broken through from the exit to help them. A man dashed through and grabbed Vega in his arms before carrying her off from where he had come from.

The captives we relatively uninjured and were sprinting through the newly opened wall. Sephira stopped at the entrance, brushing off the nearest twin at her left shoulder and motioned toward the injured Max and Lavana.

Lavana had apparently made it to the ground flood amid the chaos as well and was helping the other woman get her leg free of some ugly trap.
“Please go help them.” She said, pointing toward the other women. The twins seemed loyal to Lavana as they had followed her up to the balcony, hopefully the one she had spoken to would go help Max and Lavana as best she could. They all had to survive this. The dark haired women from up above was nowhere to be seen as of yet, but the last Sephira had seen the woman was alive and hopefully capable of getting downstairs herself.
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Kura Wolfsdotter
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Unfortunately, her efforts with the earth element cultists were in vain. It didn't matter much though, she thought, as they made their escape. If she and the captives didn't get out soon, they'd be dead anyway. Kura pulled the power from the arrow she hadn't fired back into her own body, then dropped the arrow. It wasn't enough to fix her vision, but she could run for her life at least. She did, however, pause briefly on her way out to pick up the shattered pieces of Midnight. While the enchanted bow may be broken, it might not be beyond repair. Even if it was, it was a good trophy and deserved a place of honor. As she slipped her broken bow into her quiver, she heard Lavana's attempt to muster the frightened women and rolled her eyes. "Lavana, we have got to work on your motivational speeches." she said, keeping step with the other Mortalborn as they headed down the stairs. In truth, it wasn't just the wound slowing her down.

She was exhausted, had drawn beyond her limits. She had grown complacent and it had cost her, could cost her more. She had to save what gas she had left for when she had no other option. For now though, her current speed was sufficient to get them to the cracked wall just as it opened. Lavana evidently knew the woman who had nearly killed the Earth Mask, though she judged he had escaped. "Bloody earth defier. Next time I'll put one in his head before he ever sees me comin'." she snarled, leaning against the wall near the newly opened exit as Lavan went to help her friend.

"Good to see you, Arlo." she said to the man in the hat as he ran through to save Vega, before she looked through the new door way. "Tio, is that you, lad? Playin' the hero again, I see." she said with a laugh, before she exited out the door. Truth was, she was both too injured and exhausted to be of any help to anyone. The only thing she could do now was hope they could make it out and not be a burden to them.
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Mercedes
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The explosion offset a strange, and unusual sequence of events which brought about strange crimson fumes. The scene had been something strange like Mercedes had never seen before, and bewilderment set in mercilessly. The temperature changed drastically for a moment, and the cooler air intertwined with that of the warm. However, when the doors appeared Tio and Arlo immediately went to work in order to open them. The door flung open, and the moment that it did he heard a name exit one of their lips, and Mercedes too followed behind them. Where had Max been amidst all of the chaos; if she had not notified him of her presence she had been known to cause trouble. In more than one case where she fled his sight; she found herself in danger. Mercedes thought this case could be no different, and rushed in behind the fools who set to make the explosions cease. What kept them separated had been nothing more than a large stone wall. However, the explosions set in motion instability, and the “Structure” seemed to crumble, and fall apart.

There were other characters in the vicinity, but Mercedes could care less about any of them and their strange reunions. Max had been the important one among them all, and without hesitation he yelled into the darkness before him. The dust had been particularly disorienting to him; as the mutation of flame that danced within his irises provided him with slight night vision. However, the disadvantage had been clear when the dust particles seemed to distort his vision more than anything else. With a deep inhalation, and exhalation; The Sorcerer took a moment of pause to observe and attempt to mentally organize the chaos. All that he overheard had been “please go help them.”, and Mercedes made the assumption Max had been left behind.

“Maxine!” Mercedes screamed at the top of his lungs until all of the breath had been snatched from his lungs. The Sorcerer needed to act quickly if he was to protect, and or save Max from certain death. She could not die; she had not yet brought his children into Idalos. If Max died so would he; as her death would have been his fault. Mercedes was the foolish one; he allowed her to leave his side, and when she did chaos transpired. She would not die, not this trial, and not on his watch. Mercedes charged into the fray of corrupt elements. The Sorcerer darted past some of the other injured individuals, and on the ground before him was his beloved Maxine. While Vega and Arlo too were present, and Mercedes watched as she made an attempt to move the spear. However, The Sorcerer had no interest in allowing that task to continue. He simply gave the females hands a gentle push away as to release her grip. The job needed to be done, but Mercedes carried too much pride. He did not require any helping hand when it came to his love.

Following the motion to swat away Vegas hands,

He knelt before her, and while he was not a strong man he could assist her. What happened to her foot, and what left all of these people in such gnarled states? Why had Maxine been the only one who remained within the confides of the death-trap? Why had no one elected to help her through the endeavor? She had been left behind by her comrades, and could have very easily died if a single rock would have collapsed upon her form. Mercedes had a new body, and to her he was nothing more than a stranger, but his witchbrands and mutations remained the same. His flaming cerulean irises certainly would be recognized by his lover first and foremost.

He grasped hold of her arm, and struggled to lift her arm across his shoulder. His opposite hand had been placed above her hip, and coiled around her with a tight grip. He used what little strength he had in his form to raise his legs. Max stood with him, and he paced out from the entrance alongside her whilst she stumbled and attempted to put weight on her gnarled heel.

“What the absolute fuck happened here?! You could have been killed!” Mercedes spoke aloud in a very easily recognizable tone. His entire frame shook as he struggled to half-carry her across the short distance to safety with the remainder of the group.

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Max
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Instead of running as she was wont to do, Max had elected to rush to aid a familiar face, whose violent death and resurrection had doubled her as a seemingly powerful ally. She could downplay it all she wanted. The fact remained that the characteristically selfish woman had dared to undertake selfless acts that night to help others. One might go so far as to point out it was a testament to the notion she did care for another person after all. Yet like all good deeds, her last didn't go unpunished. She'd called out for a spear. Earth Mask, a villain she'd thought she'd sent to his grave, had obliged her by sending an earthen one up through the ground to skewer her foot in place and hinder her escape.

Maxine's shriek was one of both surprise and anguish as she dropped to one knee. For a few moments she couldn't hear, couldn't see. Her brain was overwhelmed by the sensation of punctured tissue and bones forcibly split apart. There were even a couple trills where she'd forgotten to breathe. She looked down upon the stony point protruding from the top of her foot, instantly regretting it when she spied bits of her own bloodied flesh hanging from the tip. Another shout of pain echoed about the unstable chamber when the top of the earthen spike by kicked free first by Lavana.
"Fuck off," Max addressed the imperial's jibe in a strained voice while Vega set to shortening the spear further. "And get yourself out of here before the place comes down...or...I'll show you...fucked up. FUCK!"

Vega suddenly managed to do what Max was struggling to work up the courage to do, wrenching her foot free of its skewer. She collapsed on hands and knees beside what was left of the spike. Black dots filled her vision. She could feel her limbs beginning to go weak, her brain threatening to shut down in order to save itself from the agony that came with her freedom. "Thanks, Red," she managed with faint lucidity. So focused was she on willing her exhausted body and mind back into much needed motion, the chaos surrounding her seemed like distant background: the tearing open of a portal, explosions, and the crumbling of the very structure she remained within.

Max was too tired to think, to move, to speak. Despite the intensity of pain centered in her foot, she could feel it too with every expansion of her lungs. A strange warmth had started to spread on her flank where she knew Water Mask had managed to get her with a spear of his own. The instinct of self preservation was strong in the orphan though. She felt the presence of Vega suddenly leave from beside her as Arlo rushed into the chamber. A collection of ceiling stones smashed into the earth nearby. People were running. Some had already made it to the safety of the opened wall. She was in the middle of motivating herself up when she felt someone grasp her.

The Rusalka lifted her head and forced herself onward in the direction of Vega's insistent coaxing. For half the distance she'd managed to keep up, but the moment she tried to foolishly put weight on her injured foot was folly. Maxine dropped again into the dirt with a shout. The building was starting to collapse far more violently, and with every shake that came with a cascade of stones, her existential panic grew. She made a push to find Vega's outstretched arm again, desperately trying in vain to avoid sharing a grave with cultist traitors she'd slain only moments ago. Then she heard her name.

A stranger, ironically handsome in the swirl of chaos and death, knelt beside her with a brooding fury that seized her while their world fell. Her brow furrowed at first. The trill her caramel eyes found his fiery gaze everything changed. A broad, stupid grin spread across her weary face. Like the feral cat in the alleyway, she'd come to realize she could spot her lover in any form he took."Merces," Maxine voiced his name, breathless. She had grown too fatigued and preoccupied to finished what both had known she had intended to say next.

I knew you'd come for me...

Max hastily seized a hold of him as soon as his hands wrapped around her body. His presence gave her a final burst of willpower that allowed her keep pace. She did her best to support the majority of her weight when she could to speed and ease their efforts. To his typical admonishment all the while, she certainly had enough energy left to roll her eyes. Little did he realize, she didn't even receive the worst of the experience compared to Vega. "I could ask you the same question," Max pointed out lowly with a wince, gesturing to his new figure as they moved through the safety of the doorway with the others. "I see you've slipped into something riddled with fewer bolts. I like it. Remind me to give you a proper thank you after you get me the fuck home."
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Aegis
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Yet the Resolute Never Give in to Darkness

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The reinforcements had finally arrived, sooner than they might have, had Sephira and Kura not sent for them. But as often is the case, they came too late to be much of us. An entire block of buildings at the docks were gone. The air was so silent, eerie, as the cloud of dust began to settle. And out from it, came the first of the survivors, a man many knew by name, carrying a crippled, redheaded firebrand. Arlo and Vega were met with a group of Elements, predominately Land Troops, with Rand Broson at the helm, the stern look on his face an ever present landmark. The Militant didn't have to give any orders, immediately the troops rushed forward into the dust, past Arlo and Vega.

The men offered assistance to those that seemed to need it, helping the various injured women out of the ruins, a close call of it for the lot it seemed. Rand sent runners to the Order, to construction workers, dock workers, to any able bodies to help deal with this catastrophe. His orders were clear, succinct, and unwavering. And it wasn't long until the entire area was bustling. Broson was among his troops, giving clothing to the survivors, carrying debris, as they started a rescue on the collapsed apartments.

But when he was told that Councilor Kura was among the survivors, as was one of his Flames, he broke off from his work. Marching up to the women, his stare particularly harsh upon Sephira, one that made it clear that she was not to speak in this moment. "Councilor. What has happened here? You sent word for me to close the docks, which I have, only to find a quarter of them leveled. Many of the Land Troops meant to be on duty right now are missing, and I'm now hearing that posts all over the city are vacant as well. Tell me, now."

He could see she was injured, but none of them appeared to be imminently fatal, so they could wait. Knowing her, she'd likely have waited to allow the healers from the Order to triage the more severe cases. And so he waited, patiently, ready to listen, for there was no way that Kura was involved and didn't possess more than enough knowledge of the situation. She was a shrewd politician, and observant beyond her means.

Among the rubble of the apartments, a woman a few might recognized rushed forward with a pained wail. "My baby! My baby's in there!" Leshli, the receptionist from the Council Hall, was being held back by a Land Troop, him trying to tell her that the building was too dangerous to approach, that the rescues were underway. And she wasn't the only one. Many families were fractured when the apartments came down. Leshli had been at the Hall, getting paperwork ready for an upcoming meeting, and finishing other chores her position required.

Many children had been in these apartments, for they were the more affordable, family housing, being closer to the docks, so less desirable than those who wanted to live in a nicer neighborhood. Dock workers, shipwrights, sailors, teamsters, many of the working class lived there. Husbands looked on emptily, their worlds shattered. Mothers screamed. Sisters cried. Brothers fought. So many families, irreparably damaged. And still, those affected by this tragedy, those that still lived, worked hard to begin digging out the loved ones crushed. As an old friend of Rand's had once said, "Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping," and tonight was no different.

When Kura was finished speaking, regardless of what she said, for Rand was more than able to take in the most appalling of information with his stoicism. He then turned to Sephira, his eyes hard, harsh, unyielding, "What were you doing there? Report in. Leave nothing out."

Many of the survivors were left to the healers, some treated upon the spot, others carried on litters back to the Order. It was a beehive of activity, and many seemed to have been slipped through the cracks. No one else was stopped as Kura and Sephira had been. Warm clothing was provided, food, drink, medical attention to those who needed it. But many were forgotten as more important matters were attended to. After all, the lot of them, Max and Merces, Lavana and the twins, Arlo and Vega, Tio and the dozens of women who'd been captured, survived. And survivors were often forgotten in ways that the dead and dying are not. There was no parade, no celebration, no gratitude or appreciation given. There were no heroes among these survivors, not to the public that was looking on in panic and fear. Only victims.

And so, work continued.

But soon, attitudes began to change, for some of the survivors had started to spread the word, that this entire nightmare was caused at the hands of the males among the Elements. And only Elements. Soon, arguments and scuffles broke out, as grief stricken relatives and friends lashed out against the troops that were there to help. Rand barked out an order for his troops to back down, to not draw their weapons. The troops withdrew from the rubble of the apartments and the warehouses, and soon, many eyes were cast suspiciously upon the soldiers. Trust in the military was now heavily fractured. Rand knew there was only one option in this moment. He turned to a runner, "Bring me Thorst Fall."

Meanwhile, out of sight of the immediate area, out of mind, a captain with dark eyes and a white, tri-cornered hat looked upon her ship with a vicious, satisfied smile upon her face. From the yards of her ships' masts, several Earth Elements hung idly from rope, their stomachs slashed open, their entrails hanging out and dripping upon the deck. "Let that be a lesson to the rest of them." Her entire crew, save one Lotharro man, looked on proudly. Their mission had been mostly a success. But it was time to begin hunting down the rest of the scum, for surely the entire lot of them did not die this night. And she would be willing to bet her hat that now that the cult had been exposed, she'd gained many allies. All they had to do was come to her.
 ! Message from: Aegis
So it seems you've survived. Damn That's wonderful news! I will be posting one final time after everyone posts. You will have the opportunity for 2 more posts. Keep in mind that you must meet or exceed 1500 words in this story in order to receive rewards. I'm allowing 5 questions per person. Please try to use the answers provided in your post.

I will provide some up front answers now that may help some of you if you need a bit more detail. Healers are available for patch up, though serious wounds will be taken to the Order for further treatment (as some of you have already started threads doing). There may be women NPCs among the survivors that your character recognizes, up to you. You may assume that some working class NPCs your character knows are among the grief stricken relatives that lived in the apartment.
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