[Immortals' Tongue] In this place of wrath and tears

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura sighed when it became clear they were going to the ruins, but didn't object, falling in beside Treloar as they headed towards the ruins. "Let's keep an eye on Qit'ria and Tio, shall we? Kali and Pash are stable enough, but Tio seems to have some deep seated anger against this place and an agenda. Qit'ria...just doesn't seem to be on board with this whole teamwork thing." she said, grimacing as she spoke, keeping her voice pitched low so only Treloar could hear her. Then she followed the rest to the ruins, not speaking. There was enough to occupy her with the all the dead animals about apparently being eaten by Moss.

As they walked, the storm got worse and worse, till they couldn't even hear each other. As they walked, Kura kept an eye on her companion, noting their actions, especially once they got to the now moss covered base camp. Pash definitely seemed to want them to do...something. Pointing to Treloar and his pouch. Meanwhile, Tio wanted them to go to the ruins, but Kura was increasingly certain that heading into the ruins was not a wise idea. But Pash's motions caught in her mind and she moved closer to Treloar as she tried to puzzle out what he meant. What did Treloar have in his pouches that Pash thought could help.

Then, it clicked and she moved until she was standing right next to Treloar. She was about to speak when she noticed Qit's light go out in the corner of her eyes. She looked at the loner Sev'ryn, glad her glasses meant her vision wasn't hindered. Qit was behaving oddly, that was for sure. She kept an eye on the other Sev'ryn as she spoke to Treloar. "I think he wants you to use your snowflakes!" she said, almost yelling in Treloar's ear to make sure he heard her. If he didn't, she'd keep getting louder and closer until he did. "Is it safe in this weather?" she asked, worried about what would happen to them if they got hit by those snowflakes.

[Kali'rial]

40th Vhalar, 717

Kali’rial pulled her cloak close around her, the hood up to protect her from the stinging ice that battered them in the wild storm. It was so much worse than before, or it felt it. Her amber eyes scanned the torn and moss-twisted creatures around them, frown deeply etched on her face. This was an abhorrent waste of life, the fingermarks of the Child Immortal everywhere she looked.

Standing close to the seafaring minstrel, the brunette could sense Sarkis in the group. He was weakened and hurt, but felt no pain and seemed to be healing. Thank Karem for Her gifts. Again, the huntress used breathing to centre herself, feeling a surge of something. Awareness? She focused on that feeling, something more than just her ability to sense prey animals.

Shielding her eyes, Kali looked at Tio in the storm as they reached the campsite, taking in his wild gestures and shouting as well as the carpet of vile moss that covered the site. The touch of Pash’s hand on her side prompted the Sev’ryn to hold it, looking back at him with a worried frown.

“Don’t step on the moss!” She yelled, both following and guiding as they moved through the camp cautiously. Suddenly he let her go, yelling and gesturing at Treloar. Throw? Not fire again, that would be a death sentence. Maybe. Oh, oh! Yes, the ice bombs.

The dying of a torchlight caught Kali’s attention. Kura? Qit? She couldn’t tell in this weather damn it. The brunette huntress nodded at Pash, they had to do something, before this weather actually killed them. The way to the ruins was blocked by moss, what else was there.

“Freeze it, yes!” She yelled over the howling gale, shivering and sniffing in the cold.

[Pegasus]

It matters not how straight the gait,
How charged with punishment the scroll.

The thunder roared above them like the Immortals themselves were angry. Ice lashed from the skies and those of them who shouted (with one exception) were simply not heard by anyone else. No matter how hard they shouted, the others did not hear them. Not even lip reading, because they were so busy shielding their eyes and face from the shards of ice and biting wind.
Tio
Tio shouted, which didn't help, but then he pointed to the ruins. However, that would mean stepping on moss, and quite a lot of it. They might not be able to communicate a lot, but they could communicate enough that they all knew that most folks thought that touching the Moss was a Very Bad Idea.
Pashl
The bard tried to raise his voice about the winds, but it simply didn't carry. So, his warning to not touch went unheard. But Pash learned, quickly, and when he was communicating the need to freeze the moss, he did so with words, but also with sign and gesture.

Secret Achievement Unlocked: A Song of Ice & Fire: Unlocked. Pash will receive a specific reward at the end of the thread.
Qit'ria
Qit'ria was planning her escape, choosing her movements carefully. She was largely separate from the group, both by design and circumstance. However, Qit'ria planned her escape carefully and she was ready to move the moment the rest of the group made their way to the ruins.

Except, they didn't.
Kura
The politician in the group was concerned with the "outlying" members of the group, Tio and Qit. Kura, too, made herself heard and understood, though unlike Pash she did that with only one person. But that person was Treloar as she put her mouth next to his ear and she yelled.
Kali'rial
The young Sev'ryn huntress knew that this place was wrong, that they needed to take action. However, she shouted ~ attempting to shout over the wind and her voice was stolen away by it.

All....

Treloar took charge. Kind of.

He gestured for them all to come around - not so that they could hear, but so that they could see. Then, he held out his hands - in one of them was one of the snowcrystals, which he held in a frozen rag. In the other there was a twig. He touched the snowcrystal to the twig and it froze the thing, immediately.

Treloar then held a twig with a piece of cloth on it. The cloth, which he tied to the twig, whipped in the wind. Touching the twig to the snowcrystal, the twig froze, but the cloth didn't. So then, he moved his hand over to almost touch the snowcrystal and then stopped and made a face, shaking his head. No. Bad plan.

Then he pointed to Qit, Tio - the two uninjured ones and he pointed to the snowcrystal in his hand. Then, to the trees. Would they understand? They should get as high as they could. Because maybe then, according to Treloar's gestures, they could throw them. Then, he gestured, Kura and Pash could run forward, on the frozen moss, and throw the next two snowcrystals. Then, they could cover while he and Kali'rial threw the last two. They didn't know how well it would work, but Treloar pointed to his sack and held up six fingers. They had six of them.

IF that was what they chose to do, he'd pass them out and so on. If not, he'd listen intently.

Objectives:

Decide Will you follow the plan outlined by Treloar following Pash's suggestion? Or will you do something different?

That's a lot of moss What are you going to do here then?

OOC Info

!

Message from: Pegasus

Ok lovely people. This round, I'd like you to have a pm / skype / whatever you need to do conversation and decide on your course of action as a group, then post your actions as an individual. The first person to post -if you're not following Treloar's plan of how to implement Pash's idea, then please let me know what the group plan is in your post. I will post again on 12th December One post between mod posts please. No posting order. You may, of course, control your own NPCs, but not mine. There are a number of hidden objectives throughout the game. I will let you know if you unlock them. May the Immortals have mercy on you all

NPCs

The ranking member of the Elements is Treloar:

► Show Spoiler

He is in the Air Troops
He is in charge of the Elements here.
He is a biqaj/human mixed blood.
He seems friendly -and is happy to take charge.
He believes it is important to respect the dead
He doesn't like rude people
He's pretty spry on his feet.

With him are:
Don'ial (a Sev'ryn female)

Sten (a human male)

None of them have healing skills

Other stuff!

Thread format. The format I'm using and the idea of the things being unlocked etc. Massive thanks to Straylor, who ran one of the best threads I've ever been in, a long time ago in a faraway place. I hope he finds us here one day - but props to him!

[Qit'ria]

Common Text
Xanthean Text
Kashehino Text

Qit watched as the snow crystal froze the stick and not the cloth, and understood. Natural objects or living things only would be frozen. Qit picked up the bottom of her cloak, and one of her throwing knives, and cut away a swath of the ragged cloth. It seemed she would not be slinking away just yet, for not playing the part would stick out so heavily. So when Treloar offered up the snowcrystals, Qit stepped forward and took hers in the cloth. It was... lighter than she'd expected it to be. And with these winds, a good throw would be difficult.

But... She pulled out one of her javelins, and unraveled the wire from her doused torch. She touched the crystal to the metal tip, and seeing no activation of the freezing magic, smiled. She held it there and wrapped the wire around it, securing it to the tip, and covered it with the cloth. She then slipped the javelin back into its strap upon her back.

She then looked up and down the trees, seeing which hung out over the moss the most. There was a large birch, with its papery bark, with a few bigger branches. The tree itself only swayed a bit in the heavy winds, showing how sturdy it was. Qit walked up to it, around it, looking at the lowest branches, more than twice her height up it. Qit shrugged her pack to the ground and dug several of her throwing knives from it, and tying them into the rope that held her breeches up. She slammed the first into the bark, as high as she could reach. She then reached down and grabbed a rock, and used it to hammer it in deeper. She reached up, grabbed it and pulled herself up the tree, pressing her rough, dirty feet against the slippery trunk. It was slow, arduous, but as she managed to pull herself up even with her knife, she slammed another into the trunk, an arm's length above the first.

Using both knives as leverage, Qit awkwardly pulled herself up, until she was able to get a foot atop the first knife's handle. Balancing precariously, one hand on the second knife, she used her free hand to pluck another knife and stuck it in above her. This awkward, arduous, tiring climb kept up until she finally reached the first branch. She pulled herself up and over it, huffing and puffing. Half her knives had been used, but now that she was in the branches, the climb would be easier.

Except the blasted winds from the storm raged harder up here. Qit looked down, struggling to see the darkness of the moss from here, but knew it to be a bit out in front of her. She moved to stand up, when the shifting of weight caused her to slip on the papery bark of the branch. Her foot flung out, and she found herself falling. With a heavy thud, her lower ribs crashed into the branch, and all her breath was knocked from her. She managed to get and arm hooked around the limb before completely falling away. Grimacing in pain at the throbbing rib, she swung her leg over the branch and got back upon it.

Taking a moment to recover, rubbing at her ribs, Qit continued her ascent, being as careful as she could. Each step, each grip was perilous in the wind the rain, the slippery bark. Finally she reached a massive branch that stuck out further than the others. She laid against it, and inchwormed her way along it, slowly, feeling the entire tree shake and wobble at this height. The rain drops stung at her eyes with how hard they raged. And in this moment of peril, she completely forgot about her own plan. She was simply determined to get this done. For it seemed she was the only one able, in her mind. The branch dipped low under her weight, bobbed and wove in the winds, as Qit held on with her thighs, locking her ankles underneath.

She drew her javelin with the snowcrystal attached, and readied it by removing the cloth, and waited. As it bounced, and bucked, Qit held on, fighting to keep her back straight, her stomach muscles tight. She didn't have her legs to help plant her throwing posture, so she to do this all from the hip. Just like throwing from horseback. Something she'd never done. And so she waited for the winds, ignoring the booms of the lightning, using her free hand to wipe away the cruel drops of rain that stung her eyes. Her back ached, her legs going numb from the tight grip, until for a single moment, the winds shifted, and stopped battering her. And in that moment, Qit twisted from the hip, her waist following through, and with a loud, feral scream, she threw her javelin down toward the moss.

It wobbled in the winds, but it flew true. It struck the moss and the crystal shattered, sending its icy touch spreading outward. And with a pump of the arm, Qit cheered.

Then the branch she sat upon snapped.

And with it she fell. Qit and branch slammed into the first branch beneath her, sending her tumbling backwards. She held on for dear life as it fell to the next branch. It stopped suddenly, slamming hard into her groin and bouncing her off, her gripped legs splaying free. And she fell hard into the rain softened ground below, landing on her side with a heavy thud and a pained groan. Qit was slow to rise, hurting all over, her cloak obscuring her vision about her briefly. Her throwing arm and right hip hurt, but her ribs were on fire.

[Tio Silver]

When Treloar called them around and began communicating his plan in gestures, it soon became pretty obvious that Tio wasn't quite following the plan. He got the part where he wasn't supposed to touch the ice crystals with his bare hands or else he'd freeze himself, but beyond that the signs went right over his head. Was he supposed to use the ice crystals to freeze the trees? Were he and Qit supposed to go hide in the trees while Pash and Kali leaped into the moss in a glorious act of self-sacrifice? Without words he struggled to understand how the string of pointing and charades moves connected together.

Luckily Qit'ria grasped what they were supposed to do, and took one of the ice crystals to tie to the tip of her javelin. Hesitantly Tio took another ice crystal wrapped in cloth, and watched in confusion as the sev'ryn rushed over to the forest and started... stabbing the tree? It was only when Qit'ria started to climb up the daggers towards the tree branches the he finally realized what he was supposed to do, and with a start ran over to a different tree. Without a weight to add onto it like Qit's javelin he needed to be a lot closer to the moss in order to throw it with some accuracy in this wind, so his plan was to try and throw his crystal into the space between wherever Qit's landed and the outside of the moss area to connect the two together, making a nice long path for Pash and Kali to use.

When he reached a suitable tree Tio dug the grappling hook out of his backpack, spun it around to build up momentum, and then threw it up into the branches. The hook caught on a thick, sturdy one, and after a quick check to make sure it wouldn't slip of Tio gripped the cloth holding the ice crystal between his teeth and began to clamber up the rope. The wind blew him around wildly, causing him to bump into the tree trunk a couple of times, but eventually he reached his tree branch, and wrapped an arm around to hang off the bottom of it like a monkey.

Qit'ria's ice javelin zipped out from the treeline, striking a large area of moss and quickly freezing it under a layer of ice. Now that he knew where to aim Tio took the wrapped ice crystal out of his mouth and held onto the corners of the cloth to turn it into a makeshift sling. With a much force as he could reasonably control he shot the crystal forwards, and watched as it sailed through the air and hit a patch of moss way off target, but still close enough to link Qit'ria's patch to the corner of the moss field.

With his task completed Tio let himself slide down the rope, and landed nicely down on the ground. After a few tries at flicking he got the grappling hook to come loose, and he rewrapped it and put it back into his backpack before heading back to the group. But he only got a few feet before he came across Qit'ria, crumpled in a heap on the ground and surrounded by branches. When he realized what happened, Tio ran over as fast as he could.

"Qit! You okay?! What can I do to help?" He had no medical skill, but he did at least have a medical kit he could use. That should help with something right?

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[Pash Raj'oriq]

Thank the Immortals, Treolar understood the tall Biqaj. A bit of relief flooded the salty bard despite the deafening thunder and whipping winds, Pash cautiously extending trust to the man who was in a way a replacement for their last guide, the guide who had betrayed them, the guide who had nearly killed him. He smiled and nodded, watching the man's explanations in very dramatic pantomime, looking around for a few trill to make sure everyone else was also paying attention. His glance may have lingered cautiously on Qit'ria, but it was more out of concern for translation than out of a singular lack of trust.

Not that anyone could speak, anyway.

The rain and ice bit at his soaked clothes and sore skin, wounds stinging. The snow crystal could only affect certain materials, he observed, and Pash tucked that information away for the future, unable to plan anything about his ship, The Muse, while in the middle of this somewhat harrowing experience.

Taking his snow crystal and looking to Kura to say that he was ready, he moved with the woman to wait for their turns, watching the other Sevir huntress and Tio head toward the trees. Both of their tosses appeared accurate enough, the crystals hitting the ground and spreading out a layer of ice over everything within their impressive radius. One was a bit further than the other, and, unfortunately, no one could hear the crash when Qit'ria fell from the tree, the storm too angry in their ears.

Once the ground was frozen, he was ready, carefully moving as fast as he could over the slippery, crunchy ground without misstepping until he reached a few feet from the edge of the frozen radius. Pash made sure to move in coordination with Kura, not wanting to get too separated lest some other creature shambled from the ruins or out of his field of vision. Pausing only to weigh the crystal in his hand and judge his distance, the tall Biqaj lobbed the thing toward the next swath of moss, tide pool gaze watching it hit the ground without rolling, watching the immediate freezing of the ground with rapt fascination.

He looked to Kura, empty hand lifting the torch Qit'ria had given him as it sputtered and endured the storm while his body shifted into a more combat-ready stance now that his task was done, wanting to keep watch for the others to follow. It was horrible for the salty bard not to be able to hear, and even if he could reach out and brush the tangles of all of his companions, he certainly had no idea what else was out there. All he could do was keep a look out and attempt to be prepared for the worst this twisted Island seemed to have for them.

[Kali'rial]

40th Vhalar, 717

Kali’rial came closer, watching the charade from Treolar with intent. She understood, or rather she believed she understood.

One, don’t touch the crystal with bare hands.
Two, Tio and Qit would go first then Kura and Pash
Three, herself and Treolar were last.

Turning, her eyes found the faint blue form of her bonded.

“Sarkis, can you go ahead? I want to know what we’re stepping into.” She communicated telepathically to the wolf, knowing he was safe in spirit form.

Taking the cloth covered crystal in hand, she move to wait as Tio and Qit moved, watching the icy path spread out as they threw theirs first. The distance covered was impressive, but it required the next team to move in. Her fellow Sevir plummeting to the ground was lost in the howl of the storm and the whipping of the ice and rain.

As Pash and Kura moved in, the huntress followed close behind, ignoring the chill in her feet as she stepped across the frozen ground. They threw, the movement landing the next pathway for her to follow.

Nodding to Treolar, the Sev’ryn moved forward once more, weighing the ice crystal in hand. She’d not had much throwing weapon experience, save for that one time she tossed a tunawa. Underhand, for control and range given the injury to her shoulder, she aimed and released. The minute it left her hand, the brunette huntress pulled and nocked an arrow, ready for the worst.

The pathway was ready, and therefore could let them in, or let the mossters out. One way or another, she was ready to move ahead.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura waited as the rest of the group approached Treloar, staying next to him as he pantomimed his explanation of how they were going to use the snowflakes. It was as good a plan as she could see in the situation and she nodded her understanding. She took her cloth covered snowflake and held it in her good arm as she and Pash waited for Tio and Qit to do their part of the plan. Fortunately, both of the two more volatile members of the group seemed to be on board with this plan and their part of the plan went well.

She was watching Tio and Qit when they threw, but she followed the arc of their snowflakes as they threw them, and thus didn't notice Qit's accident. The Mortalborn moved forward at the same time as Pash, staying close to the biqaj as the crossed the frozen moss. She was wary of the ruins entrance, watching for any sign of movement. She stopped at the very edge of the frozen moss and threw her snowflake at the same time as Pash, aiming for the same part of the moss as her companion but to the side of his own throw, so that they'd freeze more of the moss.

The moment her snowflake was in the air, and thus out of her control, Kura pulled her bow out of her quiver and put an arrow to the string, grimacing as the process strained her injured arm. She'd have to deal with it, if anything came out of the ruins while Kali'rial and Treloar were attempting to throw their own snowflakes, they'd need support. Which is why Kura waited until the two were past her, then started to follow them, so that she wouldn't be too far away to help if need be. Phelan was in spirit form, still healing from his burns, but he'd be able to help if need be. All they needed now was for the last throw to work...

[Pegasus]

I am the master of my fate.

They had a plan. It had been conceived between them, they each had a part to play. And so, the group moved.
Tio & Qit ~ Phase 1
The only two uninjured were the first round of attack against this growing menace. Qit'ria used every available tool and piece of equipment available to her and she climbed the birch tree, using knives and rocks as means of holding on and keeping grip. It was sensible of her to do that, the simple truth was that the weather was so wild that they were in constant danger. Still, she climbed her tree.

Tio, after some initial confusion, realised the plan and he ran forward. He didn't climb in the same way and because of that he was blown and buffeted a lot on his way up, but he made it up there. The two of them executed a really very successful plan.

With a minor hiccup or two. However, Tio saw Qit'ria fall and he ran over to her with his medical kit at the ready!
Pash & Kura ~ Phase 2
The bard and the mortalborn watched, both of them moving with speed and tactics, which was good. They ran, took their places and threw their snowcrystals. The things were light, but both Pash and Kura were careful and tactical about where they threw and so, thus far, they had maximised the space covered by the freezing crystal effect.

They could only hope it made a difference. As the two of them took up ready positions, preparing to fight, then they could all only hope.
Kali'rial & Treloar ~ Phase 3
They moved forward. In many ways theirs was the most dangerous part of the task, it put them closest, after all. But as they threw their snowcrystals, the pair of them and both immediately drew weapons, ready.

And before them, the door to the ruins. They got to watch, Kali'rial more than the others, although Pash and Kura could also see, the ice literally moving forward. It continued to move, after it should have, and as they watched, just for a moment, there was a sudden rapid spread of the ice, the moss beneath it dying and withering.

All....

It gained momentum.

The growing freeze, it gained in momentum as they stood together. They could see it and, more than that, they could see the moss underneath it die, almost melting away. Like a fire burning it away, but without all of the collateral damage associated with fire. Yet it seemed like nature herself was angry at this turn of events. Lightning struck the ground mere feet away from Kali'rial, charging the air with static. Then, it struck again, this time on the ruins.

Just at the moment that the door exploded outwards. Literally, splintered wood flew and both Kali'rial and Treloar would probably get the very edges of it. If they'd been right in front, any one of them, they might well have died. But it exploded out in just the second that lightning struck it, lighting the skies in stark, harsh light.

Pash, of course, had been here before, but he'd never got to the point of going into the ruins. His group had not made it that far. However, the door that exploded out was the one that a slave had been cowering next to. They were standing in that exact same place, in a very different situation now. As the door exploded out, Pash, Kali and Kura got to see that behind that door was a single large room. It was filled with moss, literally filled with it and in the middle of the room was something Kali'rial would recognise. Sort of. So would Tio if he wasn't tending to Qit'ria.

It was a bowl on a plinth. Just like the one they'd seen in their ruins. Except, rather than containing water, the bowl was full of moss. It was like the moss was pouring out of it, in fact. Like it was the very center of the whole thing.

But really, they'd be more likely to be worried about the large, incredibly large, mosster. Once, it had been mortal. Maybe human, frankly by the size of it maybe Lotharro. Whatever it had been, now it was large, covered in moss and charging at them. They'd learned a lot about those creatures, albeit at a cost, and they'd have to put all of it to good use now, because this one easily twice as broad, strong looking and running out of the room with the plinth. As it ran, it lifted it's arms and the four of them at the front got to see that, from the bowl on the plinth was emerging another one, another mosster, arms free and pulling itself up.

The giant mosster would be able to strike any one of the four of them very very soon. In the few split trill they had before that happened, what would they do?

Meanwhile, Tio was bent over Qit'ria, whose ribs were burning and who was awash with pain. Not so much, though, that they didn't both hear the shuffling noise as the two Elements who had accompanied Treloar, both of whom were now covered in moss, moved in to attack the much more isolated pair, arriving from the path the group had already taken.

Objectives:

Think Fast! Will you attack the giant mosster, the plinth or do something else?

Damnit, we lost the NPCs Incoming moss covered Elements attacking our two outlyers.

OOC Info

!

Message from: Pegasus

Oops - a day late, sorry! Ok. We are once more in a combat situation. No time for talking, the four facing the ruins (Pash, Kali, Kura & Treloar) have got seconds before a gnarly giant mosster is nibbling at your ankles. Tio and Qit, you've got 2 x smaller troubles. I will post again on 18th December ~ sooner if you've all posted by then. One post between mod posts please. No posting order. You may, of course, control your own NPCs, but not mine. There are a number of hidden objectives throughout the game. I will let you know if you unlock them. May the Immortals have mercy on you all

NPCs

The ranking member of the Elements is Treloar:

► Show Spoiler

He is in the Air Troops
He is in charge of the Elements here.
He is a biqaj/human mixed blood.
He seems friendly -and is happy to take charge.
He believes it is important to respect the dead
He doesn't like rude people
He's pretty spry on his feet.

With him are:
Don'ial (a Sev'ryn female mosster)

Sten (a human male mosster))

None of them have healing skills

Other stuff!

Thread format. The format I'm using and the idea of the things being unlocked etc. Massive thanks to Straylor, who ran one of the best threads I've ever been in, a long time ago in a faraway place. I hope he finds us here one day - but props to him!

[Tio Silver]

Before he could begin to attempt any first aid on Qit'ria, the sound of something shuffling in the nearby vegetation caught Tio's attention. That must be the others, come to help when they saw Qit fall from her tree! The element soldiers were sure to have more experience in medicine that he did. Thank goodness for that, because he couldn't even begin to guess how to go about checking for or fixing broken bones.

"Hey guys! Over here!" He shouted, waving at the two humanoid silhouettes he could make out coming from the treeline towards them, who as they got closer he was relieved to see was the two element soldiers who'd gone off to try and land their Scalvwing. But that relief turned to dread as a stray bolt of lightning cast a flash of light upon them, and Tio got a glimpse of the dark moss covering their bodies and their cold, lifeless eyes. Blast it, not them too! How many more people had to die before this nightmare came to an end?!

The mossters were too close now for him to have enough time to get a firebomb from his bag and relight his torch, which had been blown out by the storm, and so Tio dropped them both on the ground near Qit'ria and stepped forward into the clearing between her and the mossters. He had no idea how injured the Sev'ryn was, but if she was in no shape to fight with him then hopefully she could still prepare and throw one instead while he held them off. Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky as he drew his cutlass from its sheath and settled into a fighting stance, and the blue of his eyes turned into an unsettling glowing amber colour as he unbottled the rage that'd knotted up in his chest when Kitty died, filling his blood with furious adrenaline and causing the mark of Syroa to reveal itself. Against the darkness of the stormy night they burned clear and bright, almost as if his eyes were literally on fire. There could be doubt that he intended to utterly destroy the two mossters before him, old comrades or not.

Now then, how should he go about it? He wasn't so skilled as to think that he could overwhelm the creatures with strength or skill with the sword, but seeing the moss-covered corpses of all those animals before had given him an idea. He didn't know how exactly the moss took over a body, but it seemed logical to assume that the process killed the host since the animal corpse hadn't been eaten. If so then that meant the moss was simply puppeteering dead bodies, and that gave him a special advantage over them. Digging deep into his soul, Tio fed ether into the spark of necromancy within him, and felt his witchmark appear around his eye as the power of the spark responded to his call. If Qit'ria was behind him then she likely wouldn't realize what was happening, for Tio made only a few string-pulling like movements with one hand that would be concealed by his back, but with his spark Tio reached out towards the mosster that'd once been Sten and tried to force control over its body, then make it turn and attack the one that'd been Don'ial.

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