[Seasonal Event] Dark Hearts D: Who Wants To Live Forever?

[Pegasus]

This world had only one sweet moment set aside for us.......

He was winning. The Beast knew he was and he knew that Drakeson would die - but he was making him work for it. The pair of them were using every strategy, every tactic they could and, in fairness to him, Drakeson was holding the Beast off.

Right up until the noise which cracked around them - not that of the volcano or the undulating land, although that was a constant. No. This was an indication that the Deputy, and his men, had arrived.

The Beast had backup. "Elias..." whispered Amelia and Rodrigues von Smooglenuff pulled her close. He wanted to tell her to run, to hide but he knew. There was nowhere for her to go.

82nd Ymiden, 718

The first thing that happened was that the Deputy arrived, with the men behind him. They spread out and took cover, then aim. They did not attack, not yet, because there was no need. The battle raged in front of them - and it was an astonishing sight to behold. Both of the men fought with astonishing skill and yet, the Beast had just a slight edge. Just a slight one.

In many ways though, it would be the one who lost attention, the first one to make a mistake. That might well determine who would be the first one to die. It wasn't long before the first rag-tag group more or less fell through the portal behind them. First Amaris and then, Patrick half carrying Nalin they made it through without anyone being sheared in half or anything. Which was good. And as they stepped through they saw the Deputy who they knew and his men, fanned out and ready to fire but not doing so. They were closer to the volcano and the heat was enormous, oppressive and uncomfortable.

Ash rained down on them, small hailstones of hot stone, too. The ground continued to shake and roll around and they saw two men (they didn't know either of them) fighting. Baron von Smooglenuff (who none of them knew) and a woman (also unknown) were standing, arms around each other and watching, wide eyed

And the fight continued. Lights flashed around them, blades spun impossibly fast and both men had cuts. They were tiring, the two of them. Moments had passed stretched into hours and then, another portal opened and this one had the group from Ishallr. Those who chose to follow Sephira through saw a number of things.

They saw the two men fighting - for Sephira, of course, one was Elias. The Baron had his arms around her mother. There were others, spread around the place and moving into better positions of cover. Obviously unsure of who they were, the archers - under the direction of the Deputy, raised crossbows at them.

As reality warped and they stepped through, they might spot Patrick who had just finished pulling Nalin through. Or Amaris who had stumbled forward and was in the process of falling to one knee.

Or they might, perhaps, focus on the fight.... As his spark recognised her, Elias Drakeson was briefly, momentarily distracted and it was all his opponent needed. Elias glanced at Sephira and his eyes lit, briefly, with recognition and delight.

And that was all it took.

As the Ishallr group stepped through, the Beast plunged his long dagger - a mirror to the one Sephira had found in the cave - through Elias' throat and his eyes widened as Amelia Blackwood screamed. Blood trickled from his mouth and he crumpled to the floor.

New Thread!!

Situation Critical
So. You have the following. Imagine that the layout of the combat is in a clock face. The "time" I give you is where on the circle you are. The distance is how far from the very center of that clock face you are.

Elias & The Beast are fighting right, slap bang in the center.
The Baron & Amelia are standing in front of Smooglenuff Manor. They are at 3 o'clock, roughly 20ft away from the battle.
Patrick, Nalin and Amaris are at 9 o'clock. They are about 40ft away from the battle.
The Ishallr group are at 7 o'clock. They are also about 40ft away from the battle.
The Deputy and his people have spread out to between 11 - 2 o'clock. They are about 45ft away from the battle.

Map

Map of Faldrass

► Show Spoiler

NPC

Your opponent is: The Beast
At the moment, you know the following about him:

• He is not a very nice man
• He is used to working with the dead
• He is able to skin someone's face in one movement
• He has no emotions (?)
• He has a tendency to talk to the dead / dying
• He likes the taste of blood

OOC Info

I will post again on the 5th August I will not be able to extend this.
No posting order.
Please don't control the NPCs.
Have fun!
PM me if there's a question.[/mod]

Objectives

There are no objectives as you are in combat. You have injured comrades, very bad bad guys and all sorts of things happening.

If you are in the original Faldrass group (Leader: Amaris) you have 20 seconds of time
If you are in the original Ishallr group (Leader: Sephira) you have 10 seconds.


All note This is very much a Bad Situation. Your pcs are in extreme danger. Enjoy!

[Sephira]

The tell-tale boom of the portal opening might have startled others but to Sephira it was a welcome relief. The other Rupturer stepped through along with a small group of Flame Elements and an unknown woman who hurried toward Rey’na. She nodded toward the Elements and waved over her backup, two mages that took up positions on either side of her. One of them was Su’an the Flame Assistant, she was a Defier and something of a friend to Sephira. The other was more unfamiliar to her but she knew that he was a man capable of manifesting shields. They were both excellent choices for a foray into the unknown.

While the Rey’na was healed and Rynata was questioning the slaves Sephira walked over to speak with the other Rupturer.
“This is a mess.” She said whilst cursing under her breath.

“See what information you can get from them.” She ordered softly while pointing toward the slaves. “They should be compliant with your demands, they stopped resisting the moment we killed their master.”

After relaying what she could to the Rupturer, she turned toward the erupting silhouette of Faldrass in the distance. Her lips narrowed into a thin line as she watched the wash of red and orange light dance across the horizon. They would be going into unknown danger, her team would need to be wary if they were all to survive.

“Get us as close to Smooglenuff’s estate as you can.” Sephira ordered somberly while she mentally tugged on the connection with Elias that she could feel burning brightly in her consciousness.

The portal was opened and the Special Assistant turned to her team.

“We’re moving out, those of you that are coming, stay behind me. We don’t know what we are going to find out there. “ Her expression softened notably as she looked out at her companions, pausing momentarily to realize that Rey’na was recovering. That was a blessing.

“Protect each other and watch each other’s backs.” She paused before continuing, “My mother is on Faldrass, I won’t pretend that I don’t have selfish reasons for going. But we need to do everything we can to evacuate the island and figure out what exactly is going on. “ With those words Sephira gripped Wyvern tightly, holding the unsheathed sword at the ready in her hand. She fully expected the worst, the moment that they stepped through that portal.

Quickly, she shucked off the cold weather gear, leaving the mage in her black leather armor. The cold rasped at her skin with icy fingers but thankfully she wouldn’t need to contend with it for long.

After waiting for her group to depart she went through first, her eyes up and alert for what came next. The portal swirled around her before she felt heat blossom across her body. She was on Faldrass and she could instantly feel the intensity of the erupting volcano. That’s when everything went sideways.

The incandescent light of the portal cleared as she stepped through and the scene revealed itself.

Elias...

After all this time of searching in vain to find any hint of his killer...here he was and he was truly alive. Her teacher, initiator and mentor stood before her battle worn and flecked with wounds. His violet eyes turned to her and they met, if only for a flash. Emotions rippled through her, rage at being lied to, betrayal that he hadn’t trusted her, but more than any other emotion she felt relief and joy at seeing him again. But that joy was shattered before she had a trill to relish in it because that’s when Elias’s enemy struck and blood erupted from her master’s throat.

She had been a very different young woman when they had last spoken. Sephira had been a reckless girl who didn’t quite understand the world back then. Now she was different, she had changed in ways that even she didn’t fully understand. She had spent seasons as a Flame Element, suffered with the guilt of her part in the deaths of hundreds and faced the ever growing threat of her Sparks consuming her. Sephira Blackwood was changed, and right in that moment it made all the difference in the world.

Because when she once would have balked and hesitated, instead she acted.

Sephira wasn’t quite sure what happened in the trills that followed because she moved on pure instinct.

She wouldn’t andcouldn’t allow him to die all over again in front of her. Not now that she had found him again.

She knew her mother was there, standing with the Baron, and she caught sight of the archers taking aim at her team. Pure undiluted instinct poured into her muscles and made her move before she realized what she was doing. She wouldn’t fail like she had in Cylus, she wouldn’t allow another to die because of her.

First she had to protect her team, and she knew that she needed help to do that.

“Rey’na!” Sephira roared sharply whilst she sent Ether screaming into her Rupturing Spark. She trusted her comrade and fellow Element and she knew she would be there at her back.

Her eyes were set alight with crimson light and runes lit up with the same radiance across her entire body. Glancing into the air above the men with the crossbows she chose a position to the left to better position her ally and tore open a scarlet portal. The Ingress opened right in front of Rey’na, giving the spear wielding Element a perfect window to launch herself out of so that she could strike at the bowmen aiming for them. She could cross the distance in an instant and be given the element of surprise.

At the moment that she opened the portal for Rey'na the other two Flame Element mages moved forward to provide cover for the team. Su'an The Flame Assistant raced forward across the central area, moving to get in range of the bowmen and the Deputy. All while the second Element's mage moved along side her. He was a young man with golden eyes and especially sharp features. The mage reached out with his hands and a shield made of pure light erupted in front of the bowmen, providing hopefully enough cover for the Sephira's emerging team. While he did this Su'an shot past him, crossing at least half the distance to the archers and the Deputy before launching a conical torrent of flames toward the right hand side of the group.


Sephira gave Rey’na a couple seconds to make the leap before she released her hold on the portal and ripped open a Blink that she leapt through with a snarl, bringing Wyvern up at the ready. Her glowing red eyes were fixed on the Beast.

As she passed through the Blink portal there was an ear shattering boom, as her Spark reveled in her rage, making her portal louder and more thunderous than normal. The woman appeared in a flash of crimson radiance right between Elias and the Beast, lancing her sword out in a diagonal slice that aimed squarely for his torso. She went for the largest target in the hope of simply getting him away from her wounded master.

Musical Inspiration

"Out of Time"

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Rey'na]

With every fibre of her being, Rey'na held on. She was determined, persistent and stubborn. When she had made the promise to Sephira at the beginning of the day she had meant it, and when she had shown Sephira her true colors the first day she met she meant it too. Rey wanted to change her life for the better, become the hero that her sister was. That she had always dreamed of being before and after Lisirra. It was what she wanted, what she craved - and she would not back down.
As the healing took place, she kept that determination, until the wound on her chest was just a small cut. Her clothes, of course, were still torn. But it was enough, she wouldn't let a small wound stop her. People needed her and she knew it. Her friends, her sister and every person in Scalvoris might depend on her - their lives in her hands. She was willing to risk her life for them once, to bleed on the floor with fear of death. She was willing to do it again. After all, what better road to redemption was there?

When it was time to go, Rey'na stood behind Sephira, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let's do this" she nodded to the woman, before taking a step back and letting her do what she had to. Rey knew enough about people to know that while having people around helped, the battle would always be internal. Nobody could fight the wars in your head for you, nobody but the person who's head it was. Even when she had been cured by Moseke, Rey had to fight away the pain. So she gave the woman space, removing her cold gear for when they entered the portal. Biting cold grabbed at her.
Eventually she stepped through, and the place was hell. Battles, burning heat and loud sounds. It was chaotic, almost terrifying to witness. Rey thought what happened at their mission was bad, but it was nothing like this. Injuries as far as she could see, painful ones too. Combat progressing with great skill and fury. And immediately, she saw the crossbows - eyes sharpening. Fortunately, Sephira was alert and ready, a portal appearing with her name called. Rey turned and gave one small nod, before leaping through the portal without hesitation.

Time seemed to slow for her as her thoughts ran rapid, readying herself for the attack. She had almost died, as far as she saw it. Without that healer, and without her friend Toraj she would have been dead, her throat cut wide and her blood flooding the snow. But now she survived, and she was here. Her life had been spared today, and if she had to risk it again she intended on. But her priority? Get everyone out alive - including herself.
Then she was ready. As she appeared, a few feet in the air and behind the men, her spear was raised and ready. By the time she landed, she went for a strike, aiming to slam into the back of an archer. If he screamed, all the better - it would draw attention away from the others. If she didn't manage the air attack the woman would slash open any man's stomach with Windsong.

The spear would sing for all to hear.

Musical Inspiration

[Patrick]

The heat felt greater the closer they reached the portal, with Amaris the first one to crossover in a pained tumble evidently. Patrick had no idea what to expect when they would reach the other side, but by now he had little care as to what it could be. Survival was all that mattered, and if he could keep his comrades alive this time around then surely; the man would find some small ounce of redemption in himself. Nalin seemed closer and closer to death with each step and Patrick nearly became livid because of it, probably because it was on his watch that two more people were on the brink of death.

They all were.

Blood soaked into his armor as well as his hands as he held Nalin up, however it was his own blood which slowly trickled down the side of his head. The world somehow still felt in a swirl as he pushed himself harder, and as the ground seemed to groan and tremble he felt his surroundings shutter. They had crossed through, only to pretty much fall forward as well since the group were all seriously injured. Patrick's tumble forward had been spent making sure Nalin fell onto his side, not his front or back, so that the bolts in the man wouldn't press further into his body. The Rharnian himself looked a little worse for wear as he rested on hands and knees, unsure of the fact that his crossbow had made it over in the nick of time. Had Amaris dropped it?

Of course hhe must have. He was a fool to think he could manage carrying the weapon, when he was injured with bolts in his shoulder and hip as well. Patrick shook his head to sharpen the dulled senses in his head, sweltering heat and ash the only real things he could register completely. There was a fight going on though, of that he could see as the field of battle swirled heavily around two centered figures. He recognized the Deputy and his gang right away, not so surprised to see that they were here and armed with crossbows lined ahead. There were the two figures fighting and then two others that stood together, one a more feminine quality compared to the other she clung to. What was going on? Was this where the gang wanted to reach? The Smooglenuff character.... was he here?

The two caught in swordplay seemed to dance and move in a way which the Rharnian never saw, their blades impossible to track in the thickening storm of ash hailed from above. It was incredibly hot here now and far more unbearable than what Patrick felt comfortable with, and the fact that he was here to see whatever this was... somehow it felt as though fates had arranged for this event to unfold. Here. Now. At the center of everything while this island turned into a fiery hell, there stood two figures determined to change the fate of the world. And then the crackling sound of tearing filled the air over yonder, towards his right several paces away a portal ripped the space as others joined the field.

Who were they?

Patrick immediately recognized one. The scarlet haired woman who served the Elementals, the others however didn't appear recognizable. Suddenly rage and eagerness took over, as the figure at the center of this event took a deathblow to the throat. Immediately it seemed as though the group that joined in felt determined to act, to fight and stand up against the syndicate that stood here at the heart of it all. The Beast. He was truly a cruel and conniving man, even if Pat knew very little of him from the investigation at the marketplace. But here... now... in the thick of everything, the Rharnian felt something intense growing. He looked back to Amaris and Nalin and then back to the center, back to where all the fighting and chaos continued to ensue. Somehow even the heat of this arena they were suddenly caught up in seemed far off, as the Rharnian felt fire in his own heart as he pushed to a full stand.

He might not have had his crossbow to help but he still had his sword.

"Amaris stay down, look after Nalin if you can." Patrick asked of him since the two were far too injured to add in on this fight, regardless the Rharnian couldn't allow himself to stand aside any longer. Ri fluttered beside his head frantically as he stared hard at the scene, eyes narrowing down on the three engaged at the center now; and then the Deputy with his gang all spread to the north of them. Oh yes. He had a score to settle with that bastard, and now that they weren't alone he'd definitely pitch in with his meager sword skills. With the sword strap removed from his shoulder again Patrick took the first step forward, the scabbard clutched hard as he unsheathed the weapon from it's resting place. Though nothing compared to the thunderous sounds of the Rupturer present, the metallic ring of his sword somehow felt poetic once shone free from the scabbard.

With the piece thrown to the side and his weapon gripped more tightly than before, Patrick's narrowed gaze centered on the group of men as he wanted to assail them; there was a credible distance to cover but it looked as though another had moved first. Another woman. The one with the Rupturer, she'd taken to attack the archers and she wouldn't be alone. While he counted on her move to distract them for the moment, he charged in fast and hard with the sword trailing behind him. Though each step felt heavier the closer he drew in, his approach did not falter as he covered the gap between him and the Deputy's men.

He came in from their left with the intention to sweep his sword into a crossover, from his left side, with the swing of his blade aimed for the neck or shoulder of his first target.

Musical Inspiration

[Hookor Crook]

There was an old expression, Horace used to say to Hookor...Out of the pot, and into the campfire. It was usually spoken when the young half-eidisi had gotten himself into worse trouble trying to cover up for a previous offense.

"Now you've done it." his father would often add.

And so here it was for the young medic now. He had just witnessed healing magic, that to be frank, was near miraculous in its power. It was more than he could have ever done with all of his teaching and medical experience. He had watched a woman on death's door rise but a moment after the magic was performed, and proceed to launch herself along with their party leader, into the unknown.

---and now it was decision time. All of his life, Hookor had been conservative, undaring. Yet now, here he stood, contemplating a leap into the unknown. Crook looked about at those who were left, then glanced to where he knew, over the hills, lay the town he now called home. His school, his friends, all back there. But then he thought of one particular friend. He knew what she would say. Sometimes we have to take a chance. Life is to precious to always play it safe. Hookor chuckled, as the words seemed counter intuitive. To her, to Faith, they were not. He understood it now. Life was a one way horse ride, a journey from the village of birth to the city of death. The choices made on the journey was what one would use to write the prose that would make the story of it.

Yet deep in the back of his logical brain, Hookor wanted to counter those notions with one, very practical, notion of his own. Life could also be very short. One should take all caution to insure it was not.

"we'll see." was all he said as he shook his head, thinking he might regret it, and then plunged head long with Rey'na, Sephira and the others...

They would need a medic surely...would they not?

------

Absolute madness. Insanity was sobriety compared to this chaos. Out of the pot and into the campfire indeed. Before Hookor was a battle scene, being fought on multiple fronts. Upon arrival, Crook immediately looked for members of his team to insure they were ok. Once he had done so, the blue skinned doctor in training simply crouched to avoid arrow fire, looked for cover, and yelled,

"Medic here!!!"

[Rynata]

Having never before been called 'mistress' in her life, Rynata blinked at their disarmed captive but nevertheless listened to what she had to say. The information she was given left the former slave's mouth in a scared stream of words. There was little to no doubt that she didn't have a clue what any of it meant and was simply parroting what she herself had gathered from her time with Raven. Rynata didn't have a much better time either, but she knew enough to string vital pieces of information together. It didn't sound good, all things considered.

Catching the attention of the team leader as well as the rest of the Element team that had just arrived, Rynata relayed the intelligence she had gained. Rey'na seemed to be faring much better under the care of the medical help that had materialized with the backup.

"The woman," she said, looking toward the mangled body on the ice, "is called Raven. Or was, I suppose," she amended. "The followers told me there are more like her. Most likely for each of the blockades. That's Immortals Tongue, Faldrass, and now no longer Ishallr. Their aim is to attack the portals sitting along a fracture. To destroy the island. Something about ripping reality open where it is torn already."

Turning serious eyes to Sephira, she added, "They mentioned Sweetwine as a portal location as well, captain. That might have something to do with our previous expedition."

All too soon they were moving out to Faldrass. Nodding attentively at Sephira's protective orders, Rynata took a deep breath to brace herself against the magical journey. She'd never done anything like this before and squinted as she stepped after the first few of the party. Her muscles tense from the cold and from anticipating some unnatural magical jolt were hit with a hot blast of air. The sudden switch in temperature made her eyes go wide, which was just as well because the scene in front of her was a sight to take in.
Two men, front and center. One falling and a woman screaming. Familiar dread archers, bows raising uncertainly but surely. Amaris to left, staggering weakly and tipping toward the ground. Was that blood on the Faldrass team?

The two Elements raced toward the archers and Rynata would later be able to recall her own survival instinct take hold in that moment. Diving out of the line of fire, she sprinted toward Amaris and her team, utilizing the cover of the two mages. Running out like that was a little nerve wracking to say the least, but her body seemed to decide it was safer than standing still.

Sliding to a halt by their Faldrass counterparts, Rynata dropped to the ground by the injured, just as a blood soaked man stamped past with a sword in hand. Both Amaris and the pale man had bolts sticking out of them, and there was no question as to where they had come from. The pale stranger was positively ghostly from blood loss and even Rynata could tell that a projectile to the abdomen wasn't ideal at all. She wanted to pull the bolts out. She really did. Those things were causing them so much pain. Still, removing them sounded like delicate business, and what would she do after ripping them out like a drunk sailor with the cork to a bottle of fizzing spirits. Watch them bleed to death? She didn't have sutures and she doubted their enemies would allow such peace.

"Amaris? What can I do? Hookor! Some help?" she managed breathlessly, ripping off her jacket even as she spoke. There was a tightness in her chest, not from the brief run but from the amount of blood staining the man's clothes. Tearing away any fabric in the way, Rynata placed her own jacket over the wound and pressed down around it, working around the bolt.

The man didn't seem to be conscious.

"Mister! Wake up! Can you hear me?"

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[Nalin Marit]

Nalin Marit
5th of Ashan, 718

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"Common" "Common Sign" "Scalveen"

Pain, endless pain start seeping through his body, and cold, he felt so unbelievably cold, but he could feel the sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He gasped for air as Patrick collapsed with him laying him on his side. Probably to try and avoid moving the bolts anymore. But they both were already pierced all the way through him. It was a wonder he wasn't drowning in his own blood at this point.

He looked around as best he could without moving too much. His eyes started fluttering shut. He was cold, but overheating.. it was like he had Ink Bloom all over again. Maybe he did. Wasn't that why he'd come to Scalv Town not long ago again? This time without.. who? Who was it that he'd left without this time. A soft frown covered his face as confusion filled his head. He shook his head slowly but nothing worked and eventually the thought faded away as chaos started to occur in the sides of his vision

He was vaguely aware that there were more people now. Amaris was unwell, and he was really bad, he was bleeding out... and his consciousness was definitely fading. The ashes that were falling from the sky were like snow.. but it wasn't the soft silence of snow that surrounded him. Raging volcano's and women. It was like hell's version on snow, the ash getting in his throat and in his wounds. It stung, it burned. He could barely do anything to protect himself. Fighting, he could hear it, but he felt so weak.... his limbs wouldn't listen to him. no matter how much he wanted to get up, his fingers were the only thing that moved as his eyes started to close once more. his breathing starting to slow. He didn't want to go... but why? What was stopping him.. he had no one to care for, and no one to care for him.

No, that was wrong. It had to be wrong. But why. His eyes fluttered once more as he tried to breath without taking in too much of the volcano ashes. He was hearing things.. but things didn't make sense. The order seemed all wrong... Bangs, screams, calls for help, a medic.. medic? Wasn't that what he needed? But who was it that? He felt someone trying to press at his clothing, maybe pull it off? But they wouldn't be able to, he had leather armor on over his regular clothing. Full leather body armor.. the arrow's would have to come out first.

"Me...dic...Nalin... ca..n't die.. yet.. not yet.."

Nalin coughed up blood and vomit that had been sitting in his mouth.. he looked absolutely disgusting at this moment. In if Faith saw him in this condition what would she think of it? Probably just sigh and ask him what she'd said about taking it easy. A small smile actually cracked against his quivering lips for a trill. He was going to die wasn't he? He was going to die.. and be forgotten. He.. hadn't been able to spread hope, love and protection like Xiur had wanted. Was he a disappointment... what immortal was it that handled death and fate again? It was too hard to remember. His eyes feeling more and more droopy.

If only he'd been able to see to it that that man paid for what he'd done. If he'd been able to get his revenge on his father. But he wasn't strong enough. Even if he woke up now.. he might never be strong enough again. His body started shaking as Rynata started trying to at least staunch the bleeding. His time was almost out. Something needed to be done, now.

[Amaris]

Amaris, now somewhat used to the pain, could think a little more clearly. He could comprehend Patrick’s direction, more lucidly following through to stay low with Nalin. But now he needed to care for the man and his own wounds, blood soaking through his clothing. But every step was becoming more of a burden on his body, hip and shoulder still echoing their displeasure with his every move. It was a relief to drop down to the floor, impact leaving him with another shock of pain, but dulled quickly.

Reinforcements had arrived, but maybe not as quickly as they would have wished. Between the two men fighting, one had fallen as Sephira arrived through her own portal. Was it further relief that had him relaxing, or the very real possibility of passing out? He was still losing blood, though perhaps not as quickly as he might have been. A familiar voice - two, really - sounded off to what sounded like a distance but was probably not. One shouting medic and the other asking what could be done.

“Stop the bleeding.” The instruction was given feebly, gaze sliding over to Rynata as she worked on Nalin. “I have a kit.” Using his own good hand, he worked his bag off his shoulder and slid it over to the woman, a grimace now firmly set on his face. “In there; you should be able to find bandages.” They did not have time to cauterize wounds, and it was likely that a more serious approach would need to be taken if they survived this. “Mr. Nalin first.”

If Hookor was close enough to hear these instructions, the mixed blood would direct his attention to assisting in pulling out the arrows. With only one truly working hand and waning strength, Amaris was not all too confident they would be able to remove them without causing further damage. And then, that would make them even more useless in this whole ordeal.

[Pegasus]

There are moments which define your life - and your death. These moments are sometimes the most mundane choices, seemingly unimportant until hindsight reveals them for what they are.

And then, there are moments like this. Moments so vital, so significant to so many people that Vri himself stood and watched, sight unseen by any of those present and yet, his presence hung over them all.

Death.

Love.

Sorrow.

Remembrance.

That was what had brought them here, after all. The mortals who fought here embodied him and his Domains and Vri observed as the living and the dying battled in the name of love and sorrow. Fingers steepled together, he waited to see how this would end, watching patiently. Standing with the twins who watched, silently, Vri sighed and simply observed.

They were, after all, infinitely patient.

82nd Ymiden, 718

Sephira appeared first.

It was just a split trill before the others did but, in that moment Elias saw her, her mother saw her and everything seemed to stop. Eyes met, recognition dawned and feelings ran rife.

And all hell broke loose.

Sephira and Rey'na moved. Rey'na moved through Sephira's portal and she landed, a whirling dervish of swinging spear. It was an amazing sight to anyone who saw it and, as the first of the archers fell with a scream of surprise and pain. This did, indeed, catch the attention of the other archers, but whether that was a good thing for Rey'na or not very much remained to be seen. Patrick, however, came to her side and he moved to also attack them, his sword swinging.

Without even really trying to, the two of them worked well together. Rey took down one, on the far right, Patrick's sword embedded deep in the neck of the one on the far left. That left three of them in between the strangers. Their actions had been a surprise to the archers and, as such, they were turning in shock and did not attack.

That would not last long.

However, the torrent of flame caused them to move, the two of them in the line of it, diving to the ground. Whether they'd avoided the fire or been burnt to a crisp was impossible to tell right now, as the flames shot over them. Hookor, meanwhile, took cover and let others know that he was there as a medic should he be needed. Amaris and Rynata, though, were near to Nalin - as was Hoookor when he looked over, seeing the situation. Amaris didn't physically do any medicine but told Rynata what to do.

But, Amaris slid the medicine bag, told Rynata to stop the bleeding. If she let go of the pressure on Nalin's wound to do so, she would do more harm than good. There was blood everywhere and the only one working on Nalin was the untrained medic. Not even competent and it was not enough.

It was not enough.

Rynata was elbow deep in blood - stomach wounds are notoriously difficult and Rynata didn't have the skill to save him. The two trained medics did not act as quickly as Nalin needed them to and he felt the world slip away from him, darkness descending on him. Rynata's desperate plea for help was not enough and she was alone with him as he stopped breathing.

And stop breathing he did.

For Nalin, it was peaceful. He had no pain, he was comfortable and warm. Somewhere, there was the sound of someone singing and, as he felt his life ending, the song he heard was a gentle one, soothing him as the darkness took him and his final breath rattled slowly out of his pale chest.

Amaris, meanwhile, had been doing far too much moving around with such injuries and the pain he was in was immense. As he tried to ignore it, sliding the bag over to Rynata, as he tried to move, he felt a sudden deep snap in his shoulder which caused his whole body to jerk in response. And that, in turn, hurt his hip which, as he shifted, he could feel the bone grinding against the bolt in there. Sephira, meanwhile, was deling with her own issues. She had teleported to directly in between the Beast and Elias. Her sword flashed and the Beast's eyes widened, not expecting the blow. As her sword, given to her by Elias, flashed, Sephira realised that it glowed. It had never done that before.

Even surprised, though, as he no doubt was, the Beast moved. It wasn't enough though and she still cut him, albeit nowhere near deep enough to do any lasting or even debilitating in the moment damage, leaving a thin line of blood across his chest.

A deep crimson glow emanated from Wyvern and even though the cut was not enough to give someone like this man reason to pause or even notice it, he paled and let out a growl of pain and his breathing quickened. Just for a moment, Sephira saw the wound glowing the same as Wyvern was, although that stopped as soon as the sword and wound no longer touched. As Elias fell to the ground behind her, however, the Beast acted out of what seemed to be instinct and he backhanded Sephira across the face.

The force of it knocked one of her teeth loose. Her head snapped and blood flowed in her mouth.

"Bitch!"

And then, he moved to attack her. His speed with his cruel looking sword - somewhat larger than a short sword, with a slightly jagged edge and vicious point was astronomical and it shot out, aiming straight for her throat.

Where We Are Now!

Situation Critical
Nalin has just stopped breathing.
Two of the archers are dead - three remaining. Of those three, two are EITHER crispy or laying on the floor.
Amaris is in a very bad state
Elias (NPC) has fallen
Sephira is engaged in combat with The Beast
Patrick and Rey'na are pretty much equidistant to the one remaining archer, or the battle between Sephira and the Beast.
Rynata is absolutely covered in blood and other, less pleasant stuff.
ALL PCs (except Nalin and Amaris) can get to any area in their next post.

Map

Map of Faldrass

► Show Spoiler

NPC

Your opponent is: The Beast
At the moment, you know the following about him:

• He is not a very nice man
• He is used to working with the dead
• He is able to skin someone's face in one movement
• He has no emotions (?)
• He has a tendency to talk to the dead / dying
• He likes the taste of blood

OOC Info

I will post again on the 12th August I will not be able to extend this.
No posting order.
Please don't control the NPCs.
Have fun!
PM me if there's a question.[/mod]

Objectives

There are no objectives as you are in combat. You have injured comrades, very bad bad guys and all sorts of things happening.

All of you have about 15 seconds at this point to act. There are three distinct "situations" happening.
The fight in the middle
The injured team mates
The archers and the Deputy. For those who know, btw, the Deputy is the one who remains standing.

If you stay in your current "situation" then you have all 15 seconds there.
If you move - you'll need to take that into account.

All note This is very much a Bad Situation. Your pcs are in extreme danger. Enjoy!

[Rey'na]

Rey had no idea of the spectacle her and her spear proved to be, but she knew her intentions. One slash to take the man down. As her spear swung through the air the beautifully sharp blade sung its song, the air slicing in two before it planted itself into the man - another song leaving his mouth. Adamantite met flesh and tore through him like he was made of thin paper, his blood and life bursting out of his body.
Behind her, she heard the movements of a rush and was immediately met with an ally taking down another man, his sword slicing through his neck and lodging into it. Rey'na gave him a small nod before turning to face the other three. That was until a burst of flame devoured whatever sight of them she had. Rey had avoided being hit by the fire, fortunately for her, before turning to look to Sephira.

'Bitch!'

Rey'na's eyes widened as she saw her friend knocked to the floor. Exhaustion was starting to run through her, she knew it. Her short break from healing had rejuvenated her plenty, but she was still in an intense situation. Heartbeats rang through her ear as panic came over her. But she couldn't right now, she wouldn't let herself be afraid or scared or weak. Quickly, tears of fear in her eyes, she looked at Patrick. "Finish them off!" she ordered the stranger, pointing to the archers before running to Sephira's aid.
As she ran forward, her head ran with thoughts of Sephira. Spear raised, the girl looked to her friend, blood evident around her mouth as the man went for a strike. Whether Rey'na would be quick enough or not, she didn't know. But in an attempt to get his attention, she screamed a vicious, bloodthirsty cry of anger. Hatred burned in her bones. She had killed one today, a vicious woman trying to take away her life or her friends. She couldn't handle it, the thought of losing people again. So much so, she almost found herself reverting back to who she once was - the idea of causing pain better than the mercy she would normally hand out.

When she had joined the Elements, Sephira had been there. On their first mission, she had shown her heart to Seph, trying to spare those that did wrong for the sake of giving another chance. It had been one of the first times in Seasons she had let herself so close to someone. Then, today had happened, and in the frozen wasteland they had been attacked in Rey'na had charged at full speed towards her own death. Yet she had nothing to prove to Sephira, nothing to make up for. But none of this was about showing Sephira who she was. None of it had ever been, not even the day she had joined the Elements. It had been about protecting Scalvoris. And most important, protecting her friend.
Whether she was fast enough or not, with a tear in her eyes at the memories and sights around her, Rey'na charged. Her spear would aim for his hand, intending to slice it off. Should his attack turn to her, she wouldn't back down. Whatever it took to bring this man down, and to save her friend's life, she would do it. If it was his life for hers, like it had almost been earlier, then she would treat it now like she did then - without fear.

Pier and Pre be with me.

Musical Inspiration