84 replies to this topic

[JRPomazon]

"As far as safety is concerned, probably not a good idea." Jordan said, looking over the landscape.

"Well, better get moving."

With that Jordan headed into the settlement. As he took his first steps into the city, the fog climbed up to Jordan's knees. Everything looked dead to him, the homes in disrepair and the devoid of life. Shivers crept up his spine, but he showed no fear on his face. He knew this place wasn't abandoned, there was something here. Something lurking among the fog. The sky grew darker the farther into the city the two of them went, an unnatural shade covered this place. The destination was the large building in the center of the city, which appeared to be some sort of temple.

A sound echoed throughout the streets of the city, a rustling noise coming from all directions. Jordan paused and drew his second glaive.

"Something is coming." He said quietly.

There was silence, the only thing Jordan could hear was his breathing. Something was coming, but with this fog it was impossible to see too far ahead. The fog needed to go. Jordan took his glaive and began spinning it over his head. At first, he looked like he was doing something foolish, but there was a method to his madness. He was creating a breeze that blew away from him and Leo, pushing the fog further away. The breeze slowly grew stronger, blowing the fog further back and revealing several rotting corpses laying on the ground. The sight of those bodies made Jordan falter, dropping his polearm weapon on the ground. He quickly picked it up, but still remained in shock from the sight. The fog was slowly creeping back and with it, the forsaken people of this place. They wore archaic leather hides as clothing and had tribal marking on their bodies. Their skin color was darker than Jordan or Leo. And much like the other locals of this place, they had eyes of an unnatural black and horns protruding from their heads.

There were men, women and children marching on the two of them, each and everyone of them fueled by their desire to kill the intruders.

Edited by JRPomazon, 21 February 2009 - 01:34 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

Seeing the horned people emerge, Leo immediately felt they were not welcome. "Uh, hi?" he said without any confidence. A nearby one snarled at him and Leo drew his knife. "Look, we don't wanna hurt you." He leaned to Jordan and whispered. "Reckon this is what killed that last expedition?"

[JRPomazon]

"Yeah, I'd say this probably did them in." Jordan said as the horde moved in.

They were coming in from all sides, which left Jordan and Leo with little time to act.

"What do you propose we do?" He asked the dwarf.

[Crimson Lego]

Chuckling, Leo readied his axe in case of an attack.

"Well, we got 2 choices here. Stand and fight and get our asses owned, or run back up that passageway, get trapped and still get our asses kicked." Laughing for no reason, he finished off. "What do you think?"

[JRPomazon]

Jordan laughed heartily after hearing Leo's response.

"I think your ideas suck." Jordan said, smiling brightly and full of optimism.

"I'll try one of my own then." He said, as he swung his glaive at the horde coming from the right, creating a violent gust of wind that send many of them on their backs. He glanced over to his left to find more of them coming and countered their march with another swung. This was only to delay them from moving as quickly, it wasn't a permanent fix. They got on their feet quicker than the knights did. Then there was the issue of the ones coming from the temple building in the center. Jordan leaped into the air, several feet above the homes and other buildings. After a brief moment of pause midair, he came rushing down in the middle of the fray and speared one of the cursed people. Jordan's landing created a blast of wind that send everything around him flying in all directions.

Bodies were smashed into the sides of the clay homes and into others who where unfortunate enough to be in the way at the time. This was more like it. It created an opportunity that would give Jordan and Leo time to advance. Jordan pulled his spear out of the body he pierced, now mutilated by his attack and called out to Leo:

"Quickly dwarf!"

With that, the two of them rushed into the center of the settlement, to the temple that possibly housed the wicked beast.

Edited by JRPomazon, 21 February 2009 - 10:38 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

Leo had watched in amazement as Jordan used his weapon to send monsters flying in all directions. When he heard "Hurry dwarf!" he sprinted for the center. Some of the beasts were able to get in their way, but Leo just punched them out. Charging in, he ran through the doorway, panting and waited for Jordan. "Hurry!"

[JRPomazon]

Many more of the cursed people had begun to arrive at the scene, crawling from the roofs and windows of the nearby homes. Jordan ran as fast as he could in order to escape the horde, heading for the temple entrance. Leo was surprisingly quick for a dwarf, to have made it that far that quickly. He entered the temple and looked behind him to find that the horde has stopped moving. They stood perfectly still, as if time had just stop. They slowly dispersed shortly after, wandering off in different directions.

"What the hell?" Jordan said, confused by their retreat.

[Crimson Lego]

Watching the people retreat, Leo was just as confused as Jordan. "Why didn't they come after us? It's not like we have anywhere to run." he said. Then he felt a presence behind him. "I think I found the reason, Jordan." he said slowly, not wanting to turn around. Hand on his knife, he knew the monster was probably in this room.

[JRPomazon]

"Indeed you have, you vile cur!"

Jordan looked back to find one of the three knights from earlier, swinging his sword to strike down Leo. Jordan swung his glaive at the oncoming attack, knocking the sword out his wielder's hand. The sword was sent over to the other side of the large entrance, a dimly lit room decorated in various tribal markings and wall paintings. The knight drew his shield premtively, in case Jordan tried to strike, but as surprised to see that Jordan did not attempt to strike him.

"Pick up your sword." Jordan said to the bewildered knight.

"Well, go on! I don't like unfair fights, so pick it up!" He said, pointing at the sword.

"Do not think I will be deceived by this noble act traitor." He said as he went to get his sword back, watching Jordan and Leo carefully while he did so.

"Fine, think what you will, I'm not here to win any popularity contest." Jordan said, irritated by the knight's assumptions of him.

"But attacking from the dark is a pretty tasteless tactic if you ask me."

The knight grunted in response to Jordan's comment and readied his sword.

[Crimson Lego]

Startled by the appearance of the knights, Leo charged at the knight with his axe. Swinging it, it was blocked by the sword and brought down. Ducking, Leo kicked the knight backwards, then swung his weapon down. Knocking the sword out, he prepared to chop off the head of the knight. Waiting for the knight to scramble and grab his weapon, Leo leaned on his axe and started up a rather boring conversation.

"So....you guys are the so-called "monsters"? What happened to the expedition?"

[Selena]

"Støðgaðu!"

A heavily accented shout breaks through the scuffle. The knights freeze in place, even if on the verge of striking. The four torches in each corner of the temple's main hall light by themselves, illuminating the interior. Strange writing fills the walls, and large paintings of unknown characters and battles consume everyone's view. A woman with heavily tanned skin stands on the entry stairs of the temple, ornately clothed in decorated silk. She holds a large golden staff in her left hand. Her dark hair is tied back in an elaborate fashion. She stares at Jordan and Leo with bloodshot and angry eyes. At long last, she takes a step forward. The knights shrink to the back of the room, bowing and trembling in her presence. Several other people, not monstrous in any fashion, begin to gather around the temple to watch the events unfold. All have very different facial features than anything seen on Verden, the home continent of the dorms. They range from extremely pale to quite dark. All are holding weapons.

The woman approaches Jordan and sniffs the air about him. She makes a face. "Bah! Forugur!"

"Dama?" Another of the individuals asks.

She ignores him, instead focusing on Jordan. She speaks awkwardly in the common language. "You are not from Vildmark or Viraat! You are another of those filthy, godless foreigners! Like them!"

The Hall Knights all tremble as she waves her hand in their direction.

[JRPomazon]

"Well ma'am, in all do respect we've been told of a godless beast roaming these lands." Jordan said, lowering his glaive.

"It seems to me you got a story to tell about everything that has happened here. Several men came here before us recently, what has become of them?"

Edited by JRPomazon, 23 February 2009 - 02:38 AM.

[Crimson Lego]

Frowning, Leo had his hand drift towards his knife, then decided against it.

"Do you have any idea of what killed the last expedition?" he asked, trying to phrase it carefully. Leo had no wanting of getting killed by asking tricky questions.

[Selena]

The woman smiled slowly, devilishly. "A few young foreigner men came to this place. We gave them an invitation to become one with the Talons. They refused."

A few of the well clothed and still human members of the 'audience' came forward to stand next to their apparent mistress, the beastly individuals remaining outside. All of the subverted, monstrous humans were dressed in a wide range of fashions, ranging from the exotic to something as mundane as pirate gear. Among them, several expeditionary soldiers of the Fortress were present - the lost scouting party that had vanished just after the war. Everyone was clearly from different cultures and from different parts of the world, each caught in the same net. The room began to feel tense as the lady's companions slowly surrounded both Leo and Jordan.

"Nobody leaves this place," the lady explained, her voice taking a turn for the venomous. "They would escape and tell Vildmark about our home. This is our place. It is pure - a sanctuary to Lazu, our great god. It shall not be tainted by outside power. You will join us, or you will suffer the curse laid upon those who did not have the wisdom to willingly join their soul with Lazu and the Talons."

"What is your choice?"

[Crimson Lego]

Looking around, Leo thought that joining these people wasn't something he wanted. So he would try to find a way out, and maybe buy time for Jordan to think something up.

"What will happen if we get cursed? Do we turn into them?" he asked, pointing at the horned peoples, who seemed ready to attack.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan looked the priestess straight in the eye. He stayed perfectly calm, though within himself was a great and violent rage. He wanted to destroy this place, destroy those who spread it's darkness and destroy the god who compelled them to do so. He only have one of his glaives left, he couldn't do as much as he normally could. But he would be damned if he allowed this farce to continue. He raised his polearm at the priestess.

"Is your god so great that you would would forsake others in his name? What you worship is not a god, but a demon! I refuse to take part in this sick joke!"

He looked over to the fallen knights in the back, who still remained frightened from their superior.

"Have you forgotten your pride?" Jordan asked Einz and his other companions, disgusted to see such fine warriors tremble in fear. He looked back to the priestess.

"So, you have chosen death?" She asked.

"No ma'am, I've chosen to stop you." Jordan said, positioned for battle.

"Prepare yourselves!"

Jordan swung his weapon, slamming the blade unto the stone tiles to shatter them into pieces. As the strike created a gust, pieces of the shattered floor were launched into the cult followers, striking them blindly. The priestess vanished amidst the excitement, leaving monsters and cult followers to take care of the two.

Edited by JRPomazon, 25 February 2009 - 12:36 AM.

[Crimson Lego]

Preparing himself, Leo knew he would never succumb to this female's proposal. If he was to die, he would do it as a free dwarf. When Jordan made his move and drove back some of the monsters, he swung his axe.

"Charge!" he roared and sprinted forward. The monsters replied with their own battle cry and came at him. Stopping, Leo leapt in the air and brought his axe down, creating a shockwave that knocked over some of the monsters. Looking to his left, he knew the knights will still unsure of what to do.

"Help us!' he cried out. "Save your honour!"

[JRPomazon]

As Jordan and Leo fought off the cultists one after another the knights remained unmoved. They stood in the back, watching the battle continue. Jordan swung his spear to create a gust of wind, but the effect of the attack was far from useful. Within the confines of temple with no air circulating throughout it's halls, Jordan had little wind he could control. He had to resort to fighting normally. Although Jordan was skilled with his weapon, there was only so much he could do with this many opponents. He struck them down, one after another but the attacks continued. He felt something graze his arm, discovering a dagger poised to slit his throat.

He jabbed his shoulder into the man's head, causing him to fall like a rock in the water. He had been taking the lives of the cursed people and now he was killing cultists. Killing others wasn't his normal method of dealing with enemies, why had he gone so far as to kill these people who may not even have control of themselves? Jordan's sight was beginning to wane, something was amiss. He looked over to his shoulder and grasped his wound. Was the blade that struck him poisonous? Damn, to fall for such tricks. Jordan dropped his weapon and fell the ground, everything went blank.

Jordan awoke from his lucid sleep, tied with what appeared to be rope. He looked up to find the priestess by a fiery altar, chanting in a language he couldn't understand. Leo wasn't around, he must have either escape or have been killed. Jordan's glaive was missing as well. However, he found his weapon in the hands of one of the fallen knights, who were standing by the priestess as she chanted. The only comfort Jordan had right now was the damaged ceiling on this medium sized chamber which let in a cool breeze.

Edited by JRPomazon, 25 February 2009 - 10:23 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

Fighting off monsters, Leo saw several monsters and other cult members fall. Looking around, he saw one of them wound Jordan with a dagger. Soon, he saw the pirate fall and carried away. Roaring in frustration, he snatched up a nearby scimitar and used both weapons to fight back. Catching a glimpse of the priestess, Leo tried to head that way, but was blocked by horned people, who seemed to be retreating. Confused, Leo knew that they were going to convert Jordan to their....insanity. Running after, he soon came to a locked door.

“Open up!” When nobody responded, the dwarf used his axe and hack at the door. On the 5th hack, the door broke into splinters and Leo leapt in, weapons at the ready. Looking in, he saw Jordan bound up, and the priestess chanting; the knights were standing nearby. At the sight of him, they sprang into action, charging at Leo. Throwing the scimitar to Jordan, he hoped he knew what to do with it. “Prepare to die!” he roared, charging at the knights. It would all end here.

[JRPomazon]

"Go." The priestess commanded, sending the knights to intercept Leo. The scimitar landed a couple of inches from Jordan, who was surprised the dwarf had such a good throwing arm. However, his hands were bound separately and his body was still numb from the dagger's poison. Even though his change to escape was only a few inches away, he could not obtain it.

The knights began to use formations much like the first encounter they had on the mountain trail. They would try to corner Leo and seal off all forms of escape. Then it was checkmate. They already began moving, but Jordan could not see exactly what was going on. Everything was shrouded in haze, everything but the altar and the hole in the ceiling.

The priestess came into view now, her wicked smile disgusting an already groggy Jordan. She placed her hand on Jordan's head, her touch felt cold and painful.

"Now, suffer a fate greater than death and let the spirit of Lazu consume you."

No, this isn't good. For something like this to happen, to lose everything in life. To become a monster. . . NO! NOT LIKE THIS! STOP! STOP!

"STOP!"

Something happened just then that was not foreseen by either Jordan or the priestess that moment. It was all a blur to him as he found himself unbound by the rope and away from the priestess. The only thing Jordan could see was a green tattered cape that waved softly in the breeze. The knight known as Ferdinand Einz was his unexpected savior.

OoC: Edited Original Post

Edited by JRPomazon, 26 February 2009 - 05:01 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

As the priestess ordered the knights to attack Leo, he had already drawn his knife. Slashing at them, they kept back but managed to form a closed ring around him. Then all of a sudden, he heard a shout. "Stop!" from one of the knights. Before he knew it, the one named Einz or whatnot had darted at Jordan, unbound him and got him away from the evil female. Confused, Leo turned to face the priestess, who looked shocked.

"Now you'll get what's coming to you, you monster!" cried Leo.

The priestess smiled and cackled. "No, you!" she shouted as the scimitar Leo had thrown at Jordan soared towards her hand. As she grasped it, the blade turned to flames. Turning to Jordan and Einz, she aimed the blade at them.

"Now you 2 will get what's coming to you!" she cried as flames roared towards the duo.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: Jordan was the one who screamed Stop. You know, immense amount of fear and what not about a fate worse than death.

Einz dropped his massive sword and removed his helmet, his arms shaking as if he were fighting his own body. His face was just like the others, He grabbed the large horns protruding from his forehead and held them tight. He howled as he ripped the horns from his head, taking the pieces of bone along with parts of his skin out. Blood poured down on his face as his eyes gained a new clarity.

The remaining knights loyal to the priestess flocked to her side, not sharing Einz's sympathetic motives.

"Your weapon is behind you." Einz said, his voice still monstrous. Jordan nodded and quickly grabbed his weapon.

The flames from the priestess' attack came charging at the three of them, a wall of fire that would most likely prove to be fatal. Jordan swung his glaive straight down the middle, sending the flames in other directions. The priestess sneer and motioned to the two other knights.

"Kill them!" The priestess shouted as the two knights charged.

Edited by JRPomazon, 27 February 2009 - 12:24 AM.

[Crimson Lego]

Shocked at what Einz had done to himself, Leo knew they had a new ally. As the other two attacked, Leo used his axe to block their attacks and shove them back. Meanwhile, the former monster knight had engaged his former comrade, trading sword blows and attacks. As Leo continued to fight his knight, he slightly stumbled back, and that was a mistake. The knight's punch caught him in the gut, sending him flying backwards. Gasping in pain, Leo tried to sit up. "He-help!" he gasped.

[JRPomazon]

"Leo!" Jordan shouted as he rushed to the scene. However, his charge was haulted by a wall of fire that appeared in front of him. He looked over to find the priestess with a vile grin on her face. She wanted Jordan's head and she was going to do whatever she could to get it. The cursed knights rushed to double team on Leo, attempting to finish the dwarf. However, Einz countered the attacks with his large shield.

"Go!" he shouted to Jordan. He turned back to the front to see his former comrades, viciously striking his shield without thought or mercy.

"Jared . . . Kale . . . I shall give you peace my brothers." He said to the cursed knights, who could only reply with hisses and howls.

The priestess had retreated from the room, heading for a small opening by the altar. However, her wall of flame was not easily disenchanted. Jordan had only one choice but to go after her alone. He rushed to the other side of the room and followed her, leaving Leo and Einz behind.

"You two better stay alive!" Jordan shouted as he ran to the opening in the wall.

OoC: Ok Leo, control the battle with the knights. Einz is an NPC, so feel free to control him anyway you like. I'll take the priestess.

[Crimson Lego]

As Jordan ran off, Leo turned his attention back to the other knights and Einz. At a glance, he could easily tell he was going to fall. Swinging his axe, Leo knocked one off balance. That gave Einz the chance to shove his shield forward, sending the other knight staggering back.

"Guys, you have to turn!" shouted Einz. His former friends merely snarled and charged again. Sighing, Einz swung his blade. It was blocked by one knight and his shield was knocked out of his hand by the second. Soon, they had Einz against the wall, which was what Leo had been waiting for. Crying a battle yell, he leaped in the air and performed his special attack, sending both knights flying backwards into the opposite side and knocking them out. Panting, Leo helped Einz up.

"You ok?" he asked the knight.

"Yeah." replied Ferdinand. Most of his face was covered in blood from the ripping of the horns. Examining the wounds, Leo calculated the danger. "They're non-lifethreatening." Einz nodded and retrieved his weapons.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan entered the next chamber, chasing after the priestess. The new room was very open, small windows circling the walls letting in a small amount of light. The sky outside was dark, it was only logical that the inside quarters of a building would be darker. Jordan slowly crept inside, keeping his guard up. Was the enemy attempting to use this darkness to their advantage?

OoC: Not really feeling creative today, sorry.

[Crimson Lego]

After tying up the other knights, Leo and Ferdinand Einz entered the small opening which Jordan had gone through a few moments ago. Wary, Einz went first, keeping his hand up. Leo trailed behind, knife in hand. Looking around, Leo noticed that it was almost completely dark inside, with a minimal amount of light cracking through windows. Suddenly, they were right behind Jordan.

"Jordan, it's us. Where's the priestess?" hissed Leo. He didn't like this, not at all.

OoC: Same. Maybe it'll be better tomorrow.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: how did you managed to get past a wall of fire? Alright, where were we?

Jordan turned back to find both Leo and Einz, who had found there way past a wall of flame and into the same room as Jordan. He was surprised, but it wasn't like he wasn't grateful to have help. Jordan's thoughts would later be interrupted by the clash of thunder and the shine of lighting that illuminated the room. The light revealed that the party was far from alone as yet another mob of cultists, armed with a variety of weapons (half of which Jordan had never even seen before). Clearly this was a trap, especially since the priestess wasn't in sight.

"Damn it all." Jordan muttered.

Einz charged past Jordan and Leo and with a massive swing of his sword, slayed 4 of the cultists who stood in their way.

"GO!" He shouted. There was another door on the other side of the room, which from Jordan's current location appeared to be several feet away. As Einz as a distraction, he and the dwarf might be able to make the distance without too much trouble. Jordan nodded and with Leo rushed through the opening. Several swords and spears were aimed at the duo as they fled, but their strikes were easy to dodge or parry. Einz was a powerful presence in that room, the enemy knew that they would have to slay him first in order to proceed. Whether or not this method would give Jordan and Leo the time they needed was all up to the ancient knight.

Edited by JRPomazon, 01 March 2009 - 01:30 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

While Einz fought off the cultists, Leo knew he couldn't hold for long. Turning around quickly, he hurled his axe at the them. It swung straight at their heads and decapitated them. Catching it as it came back, Leo repeated the tactic until he could tell there were too many. Sprinting towards the opening, he dove towards the door and knocked it open, followed by Jordan. Gasping, Leo managed to get up.

"Einz!" he cried out to the knight. The warrior seemed to be falling more quickly now, grasping a wound on his right arm tightly. Looking towards them, Ferdinand Einz smiled. A second later, Leo's view was blocked by dozens of cultists, ready to kill the knight.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan decided to keep his eyes facing forward, looking back wasn't a luxury he could afford. So he kept running forward, trying to keep idle thoughts to a minimum. How many times has this cult come in and absorbed a civilization like this? How many monsters have they unleashed and was it really all worth it? Followings a small passage from the fight in the other room led to the outdoors. They were standing on a roof to one of the rooms, just how high had they traveled? The sky was dark, obscured by great clouds that held a storm that raged on in the sky. To his side Jordan discovered a small walkway that appeared to lead to the roof.

"You holding up alright Leo?" Jordan asked the dwarf.