153 replies to this topic

[Crimson Lego]

ooc: My bad; I’ll improvise on that one too.

Hearing Jordan’s voice moving the Calatians to order, Leo got to his feet, grunting in slight pain at the bruises in his side as he did so. Wiping the dust off his back, he picked up his rifle and followed the other Vikings towards the exit. Mellish and the other guys better be doing their job right; if not, we won’t survive a minute in Olimandias. When he took a moment to think about it, the dwarf wasn’t too certain how far the capital city was from the mountains’ location. He had told the scouts at least 20 miles, but it may have been somewhat further. I’m way too tired for this; we better come up with something good before going home.

Trekking after his troops, Leo noticed Bob killing a deer quickly with his bare hands, and then walking slowly towards a cave in the mountains. What the hell is he doing? We’re supposed to be finding a way into the open Lands! Sighing, he walked over to where the man was; he then heard him say, “Ey, boys (and de ladies). I do believe I've found sometin..”.

“Huh? What’d you find?” asked the dwarf; he moved over to Bob’s side and looked hard into the darkness. “I don’t see anything interesting.” A moment later, Turtlelot came over and made a comment. After hearing it, Leo could feel the same thing the other 2 were. There’s something valuable in this cave…which means we should probably go into it.

Glancing over at Bob, he asked the obvious question. “What do you think is inside? A new weapon we can use, like the Sword of Diel?”

“I dunno, mon,” replied the man softly. “I just know dat we should probably tak a gud look in dere.”

Shrugging, Leo gestured to the rest of the group. “Everyone over here!” he shouted. “We have found something important.”

---------------------------------

5 miles away from the Calatian convoy, 5 Vikings, Corporal Mellish and Private Benson amongst them, rode horses deeper into the Cursed Lands. Normally, the Snakeheads and Huscarls would have been arguing about battle tactics for the entire trip, but the vitality of the mission kept everybody silent as they traveled north towards the former Alliance capital of Olimandias. Mellish himself had been briefing the men on the mission they were assigned to by General Crimson; all of the other Calatians had serious expressions on their face as they listened to the man speak.

“…so keep an eye out for survivors,” advised Mellish. “There’s probably a lot of Cursed right now, so watch out for those too.”

One of the Huscarls finally spoke up. “What exactly did the general say he wanted from this trip?”

“Just a scout of the city.”

A moment later, Benson spoke up. “Something’s not right.”

Mellish turned around in confusion. “What do you mean? There aren’t any Cursed even close to us.”

“General Crimson said Olimandias was only 20 miles away; we’ve barely even entered what was left of the Alliance!”

“So what are you saying, Private? You think Crimson doesn’t know how to count?”

“I think you know exactly what I’m saying, Corporal.” Pausing for emphasis, Benson gazed around at his fellow comrades. “He’s under the Curse now. That’s why he sent us out here to die.”

A moment later, all of the other Calatians began laughing. Unfortunately, they were too amused to see Benson’s sword swinging around in a full circle, cutting directly into their chests. Their deaths were instantaneous. Sending the horses off with a gunshot, Benson made several cuts on his arm before turning around and riding back south to the Taj-Nar Mountains.

[Khallos]

OoC: Back to the land of electricity and now internet.

Shrugging, Leo gestured to the rest of the group. “Everyone over here!” he shouted. “We have found something important.”

Khallos walked over to Leo, perhaps something useful to the mission had been found. Khallos had no intention of going deeper than necessary into these Cursed Lands. Looking up the slope as the rest of the group assembled, he felt unsettled.

"A cave?" he asked Leo. "I mean seriously, could there be anything more ominous for us to explore here abouts. We managed to get through a ruined town without us ending up Cursed-snacks or as one of them, but this is testing our luck."

Before Khallos could continue his pessamistic ramble, Bob put a hand on his shoulder. "Dis cave draws me towards it, its sigficance is too great to be simply ignored".

Khallos shrugged, Bob wouldn't needlessly risk lives on a mad venture without reason, in fact he reckoned the islander would be the last to fall to madness of any of them.

"Even so, this all feels like a trap, I'm up for entering, but only with the greatest caution", Khallos added.

[Kwicky Koala]

Catt huffed. One day people would answer his questions... he walked over to the others gathered round the cave entrance.

"Well, we'll need these" he said, holding out some sticks with oily rags on the end. "Suppose some of the convoy will have to remain up top too. No bother, we've probably cleared the area of Cursed for a while, our stuff won't get stolen."

He was feeling a lot better. Drawing blood had that effect sometimes, you felt back in the game. And if they were exploring a cave in the mountains, in these mountains, they would be going underground. That sounded good to Catt.

[Sir Deimos]

Synile approached the group from behind and placed his arms around the shoulders of Khallos and Catterick.

"Kinda like old times eh?" Synile gave Khallos a pat on his back, "C'mon man. We should be used to places like this. Who knows. Maybe it's an entrance to the Labyrinth, lovingly crafted by the Goddess herself." Without so much as a second thought Synile grabs one of the torches Catterick was offering to the group. Igniting the torch in his left hands, Synile unsheathes his katana and walks into the darkness.

[Crimson Lego]

Pursing his lips as he gazed at the cave Synile had just recklessly entered, Leo was weighing the choices of continuing the northern trek into former Alliance territory, or entering the cave Bob had discovered. When I think about it, it’s a harder choice than one would have imagined, he grimaced. He then decided on thinking about the results or consequences of each choice; as the highest-ranking officer in the group, Leo knew the ultimate decision for the Vikings was down to him. If the Calatians chose to move north, they would have a better chance of finding survivors and picking up other things as well. It was also much less risky traveling in broad daylight than complete darkness. That would boost the team’s morale. If the dwarf chose to lead his men down into the underground cave, they would eventually find whatever Bob’s senses were detecting, and perhaps use it to their advantage. Of course, we could also be jumped at anytime, and this newly found aura-giving thing could be another trap. A bunch of Cursed would have the option to chase and pin us down there. The dangers of the latter plan clearly outweighed the positive results.

However, Leo had also kept what Jordan had said was the key to keep sane in mind for the majority of the trip. We all need a purpose; walking aimlessly around the Cursed Lands in hopes of finding normal people probably doesn’t count. The fact that some of the Cursed were also getting smarter didn’t seem to help that notion. Doing a quick head count, the general estimated that at least 10 Calatians could have succumbed to the plague. Putting two and two together, he knew that the cave darkness would be the perfect environment to spring a trap for those that were still sane. If we tried fighting them, we’d probably end up killing our own.

After considering the matter for a few more minutes, Leo finally made his decision; the expression on his face was one of firm resolve. Turning to address the entire crowd, he spoke with a firm tone. “Boys…I spent a bit thinking about it, and I believe we should head into the cave. The Cursed Lands is as vast as the continent of Verden,” continued the dwarf, gesturing to the mountains and plains in their sight. “If we did find anything, it would take us at least 2 months to get it all back to Snowpeak. Therefore, I am in favour of going with Bob into the cave. Any of you are welcome to come along.”

With that, Leo took a torch from Catt’s hand, lit it, readied his rifle, and descended into the darkness with a resolved look. More than a few Calatians followed, their own weapons held tightly…but in fear. Glancing at the remainder of the group, Bob merely shrugged and went forth into the cave

[JRPomazon]

They were nuts. Each one of them had to be insane. Oh, let's walk into the dark cave where an ambush or something god awful and WORSE is waiting for us. With this in mind, it was safe to assume what Jordan's views on entering the cave were. So he didn't follow Leo or Synile's example, at least not right away. But the sad thing was, being here wasn't all that much better. In fact, he knew that the area outside this cave was very dangerous because he knew the cursed from before were stil close. Still hunting. He turned back to the cave, a rather dreary sight to see. The last of the vikings were making there way through the entrance, a gaping wound in the side of a mountain.

There wasn't very much a choice it seemed, despite his controversial view as to whether or not entering the cave was, in fact, suicide. He was now 90% sure that it was. At least for someone. Trailing behind the others by a few feet, he put one foot in front of the other and proceeded onward.

Edited by JRPomazon, 26 July 2010 - 05:12 PM.

[Steel Samurai]

As those who chose to enter the cave ventured further inside, something curious began to happen to the tunnel behind them. The darkness just outside the torchlight grew, twisting and turning, warping the passage behind them until the exit to the cave . . . was no longer visible. One of the Snakeheads turned, looked behind them.

"The . . . the entrance! It's gone!." The tunnel had not turned a whit.

Bob came up behind him, put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hold steady mon. It mean we be getting closer. Closer to the source."

"No, no, this is bad. thisisbad. getmeoutGETMEOUT."

The Snakehead began clawing at his chest, and then his head.

"OUTOUTOUTOUTTT."

He ran off into the darkness, screaming.

"Keep your guards up mon . . . we be fallin' to de curse much quicker here . . . it be concentrated . . . powerful. We be close though. Very very close . . ."

Bob walked further into the pitch darkness of the cave, torch aloft.

[Kwicky Koala]

Travelling at the head of the pack with his fellow Loddies, Catt had been enjoying the subterranean jaunt, which, as Synile predicted, did remind him a little of old times. Like some kind of reverse flower, a warm feeling began to creep over his body and reinvigorated him away from the sunlight: he'd lived in hot deserts and icy peaks, but it was always a treat to go underground, despite the danger. The Labyrinth had been the largest underground area in the known world in its day. Could it really have been totally destroyed? Underground folk, underground creatures...were resourceful. They always found a way to survive.

Catt wasn't worried when the entrance closed up. It was a trip, really. He was feeling ready for anything, not taking his eyes off Bob, who somehow seemed to have replaced Jordan as the group's guide. Whether he was trustworthy or not, the moment was definately his. Unfortunately, a Snakehead had run off in panic as their escape route vanished, leaving the remaining soldiers scared and demoralised (their numbers were already down by five from Leo's order to scout Olimandias). Catt watched some of the kinder members of the group offer a few words of support, but most kept quiet, anxious not to bring up the idea of looking for the young man, surely a fool's errand. At least at the moment there was only one path, so it was possible they would meet up with the soldier later, alive or dead, sane or cursed. Catt was just grateful it hadn't been either of his two friends.

As far as he was concerned, it was pointless looking for the Curse in his fellow travellers. I mean, who wouldn't look agitated and rattled in this situation? All the same, it looked like some of the soldiers were drifting apart, casting glances at each other, beginning to doubt each other's sanity... was this prudence or paranoia? Could the disipline of a trained combat group survive in a place like this, or were the only winners destined to be the individuals, heroes with strong, singular wills? Looking back at Nico and Luka, he called out to them:

"Hey, hold on to your minds, guys. But hold on to each other."

[Crimson Lego]

Letting out a sigh as he watched the maddened Snakehead run deeper into the cave, Leo felt, and not for the first time, pissed off at the way the power of Lazu had destroyed the entire continent. Before that thing 2 years ago, nobody was screaming around once they were unable to see any light, he thought furiously. Wanting to raise his axe and attack the cave walls in anger, the dwarf stopped himself the second after the thought sprang to his mind. I’ve got to maintain my purpose, he reminded himself, taking a few deep breaths. If he didn’t do so, he knew the Curse would make easy work of him; that could not be allowed to happen under any circumstances.

As the group traveled deeper into the cave, which began to move downwards at a slight angle, Leo thought about what Bob had just said after the insane Calatian ran off in front of the group. The Curse is more concentrated here than in other places? Does that mean there could be a source? Brushing a few spider webs out of his way with the torch, Leo continued to ponder the possibility and what it could mean for the Kingdom. If we can utilize it or find a way to stop the Curse, it would make Chikara…a lot weaker. The survivors of the Cataclysm could even resettle the Lands, rebuilding the domains that had been lost those few years ago. Koridai would cease to exist…and everything will be alright again. The Alliance will still be gone, and the Woods will flourish again.

As soon as that thought came into his mind, the dwarf shook his head, trying to clarify his thoughts. What the hell am I thinking about? Re-colonizing the Cursed Lands? The trees of the Woods growing back? He was now certain that the Curse was once again manipulating his thoughts, while working slowly to erase the purpose he was meant to follow. All we have to do is find this source, destroy it if necessary, and go home. Selena would probably be satisfied with that.

Lost in his own thoughts, Leo walked directly into Bob; he staggered backwards in surprise, but managed to hold his balance. “Why did you stop?” he asked. “I don’t see or hear anything yet.”

Instead of responding, Bob held up a finger and began to draw his sword from its sheath. “Dere’s sometink around, mon,” he whispered. “Sometink bad.”

“Is it the source of whatever you were sensing?” said the general in reply; his left hand was gripped on the handle of his battleaxe, while the other was readying his rifle. “Is it close?”

“30 feet, yo left.”

He looked; there was a passage that revealed nothing but darkness. “In there?”

“Ya. Use da torch ya got; when you see it, fire your rifle.”

“You sure about this?” replied Leo uncertainly; he was starting to have doubts about Bob’s tactical thinking. “It could alert others in this place to our presence.”

“Dere’s mo behin’ him getting ready ta attack too, so hopefully it’ll scare dem off. We be movin’ into a wider area, so dat should give us a betta place ta fight.”

Shrugging in response, Leo abruptly turned and hurled the torch into the passageway; for an instant, he froze in fear as the fire illuminated the face of the fleeing Snakehead, whose face was now contorted with anger and hatred. “CONTACT!” screamed the dwarf as he fired a single shot at the man. The bullet went straight into the man’s head, killing him instantly and knocking him to the ground. Blackened blood sprayed from the open wound; the gunshot itself had brought many Calatians to their senses, and some were beginning to panic.

Reloading the now empty chamber of his gun, Leo could already hear more Cursed charging down the passageway. “Spread out!” he shouted. “I wanna see plenty of room between everybody. Five men is a juicy opportunity for the Cursed; one is a waste of time. Snakeheads, execute I-Formation!” The dwarf hoped that his command, which was a codename for back-to-back fighting, would keep more Calatians alive in the battle.

At that moment, several Cursed charged out of the passageway, their screams echoing throughout the cavern. Dropping his rifle and swinging his axe, Leo was knocked down from behind and found himself in a wrestling match with a Cursed Verdenien for possession of his weapon. Great. I finally find myself in a decent one-on-one match, and I don’t even have a chance to defend myself.

Edited by Leo Crimson, 28 July 2010 - 05:08 PM.

[Khallos]

Khallos saw the Cursed Snakehead go down blood bubbling from the hole through his skull. He'd have killed the man himself if he'd got within arm's reach, better dead than like that. Still it was Leo's man, and Khallos was glad that at least he'd been given rest by his commander.

Suddenly cursed were rushing at them from the dark. For some reason bloodcrazed souless folk running at him down small passages slightly unsettled him, but Khallos just couldn't put his finger on the why. Flinging his shield on his back, Khallos drew his sabre from his back scabbard. The combination of his Labyrinth enhanced night vision and the soul seeking thirst of the sword made it almost unnecessary for him to hold a torch (perhaps souless was a tad untrue for the Cursed, they gained a twisted red fuzziness). Secondly drawing a long axe Khallos clumsily threw it at the nearest Cursed and not too unsurprisingly caught it in the face with the haft, not the blade, knocking it to the floor.

Seeing one leap on Leo, Khallos swung to his defence. He had planned to dramatically rip the axe from the thing's forehead and continue fighting, he found himself fighting with only one blade. Sidestepping another one he was forced away from Leo as it hacked at Khallos' arm with and axe, the blow glancing off his mail hauberk. Khallos backhanded it with the sabre's guard and drew his Viking sword in a flash, slicing it across the Cursed's chest while his sabre was thrust upwards through throat and into its skull. Twisting and pulling Khallos drew out the sabre, and turned to face another cursed as he saw Leo still struggling on the floor.

[JRPomazon]

A flurry of breathes and motions, tossed about in the air like a swarm of bees protecting their hive. It was uncertain just how many cursed were present now in the dark depths of this cave. Being only a few feet from the vikings, he thanked his previous hesitation for not being in the middle of this mess. There was, unfortunately little he could do to help them. He could not discern between the cursed the vikings, there were too many to distinguish one another. And even if he was able to, a cave is no place to fight with a spear and his only close range weapon, a worn down carving knife, had been shattered previously. He was defenseless, or so a trio of cursed would assume as they crept from the rocks and darkness to go straight for Jordan's neck. However, the man carrying the title 'Whirlwind Spear' was not without his defenses. As the cursed men lunged toward Jordan, they fond themselves panting on the ground gasping for whatever breath of air they could find. An air vacuum surrounded Jordan, a void space completely absent of air held together with Jordan power of Wind Manipulation using his armor as a medium. Any creature, friend or enemy, who came too close would succumb to suffocation.

Jordan knew he could not hold this vacuum forever, for it would either expand throughout the rest of the cave and suffocate the other vikings or leave Jordan exhausted and vulnerable to another attack. The panting stopped, the cursed who had fallen either dead or unconscious. He would have to leave the fighting to the rest of the vikings, this was all he could do to just keep himself alive in the dark.

[Kwicky Koala]

The Cursed kept on coming, surrounding them from all sides. Never an orthodox fighter in these situations, Catt stabbed the first man he encountered with his torch by mistake, lighting him on fire, which was probably bad news for everyone involved but looked wayyy cool.

"Always remember... to put out a fire completely.... when you've finished with it!!" he snarled, stamping out the flames on the prostrate man, laid low by his sword.

One thing you could say about the Cursed: they gave it their all, and they didn't allow their enemies any respite, even in death. They didn't mask their faces with helmets or hoods, only hate. You always knew it was a human being you had killed, even if it was a crazed one made cruel beyond belief. They weren't mutants as Catt had envisioned, only their minds and perceptions seemed warped. It was strange to think how many were dropping like flies before them. Would they ever let up?

There was no glory to be won in fighting such opponents, but neither was it like shooting fish in a barrel. More like resisting a powerful cyclone or tempest, waves and waves of rangy flesh encircling and pressing up against the harried Vikings. They spread out, attempting to ride the crests or else let the waves pass by, not break against their ranks at full force. Catt was using every trick he knew to draw the foe away from the vulnerable, from tripping them up to stumbling himself in a feint that caught one man offguard, - all the while slashing with his sword and making unflinching, remorseless chops with his hatchet.

It looked for a moment like the worst was over. Or was it?

[Sir Turtlelot]

It wasn't long after entering the cave until one of the Snakeheads ran off screaming about wanting to get out. He could see that the other men around him were on the verge of doing the same thing. Turtlelot could feel the dark energy of the cave but it had no effect on him. Whether it was the magic of the suit protecting him or his dwelling in the afterlife had built an immunity to it, the energy didn't effect him any.

Some time after walking through tunnels, they came back across the crazed Snakehead, who Leo was forced to shoot. Soon after a swarm of Cursed began piling into the tunnel and attacking the Calatians. Turtlelot had to resort to fighting them unarmed, since his spear was useless in this situation and he couldn't risk using the Sword of Diel, since he was not able to fully control its power yet.

Slamming his spear into the ground, Turtlelot grabbed ahold of one of the Cursed that was lunging at him and hurled it at the wall. He then turned and elbowed another one in the head. Turtlelot quickly scanned the area. The Calatians were highly outnumbered. Turtlelot pulled his spear from the ground and hit a Cursed that was about to attack Leo from behind. "General, if we don't find a way out of here or at least into a more open area, they're going to overwhelm us."

A moment or two after, a very loud growling was overheard through the fighting. The Cursed stopped what they were doing, looked up and took off running down the tunnel. The loud growling was heard again, only this time it was louder and closer.

[JRPomazon]

The breathes he could feel in the air had begun to dwindle down. He released the vacuum around him and concentrated on the area around him. The tired vikings were panting heavily after their struggle in the dark, but it appeared as though most of them were alive. However, the growling that echoed throughout the cave was something best avoided. They needed to get out of here, the darkness left most of them at a total disadvantage (excluding the former Labyrinth warriors). So Jordan concentrated harder, sensing his way through the cave by the air currents coming in and out of the cave. There had to be an exit, despite the fact that the entrance had vanished.

He opened his eyes, feeling the wind blowing at him from the side. An exit? He rushed over to one of the vikings and grabbed his torch from his hands.

"I found an exit, follow me!"

He ran over to an entrance coming from the side of the cave wall, the source of the breeze he felt. With any luck, there was a way out at the end of the path.

[Twinrova]

Rova was one of the last to enter the cave, her own doubts about this action drowned out by her cluelessness about what else they were supposed to do. They'd entered the Cursed Lands with a vague idea of what they were supposed to do, and exploring this cave gave them a better sense of direction and purpose. She would have felt safer taking her bear with her, but he'd obviously take up too much room. She left Bill at the entrance and, with a swig of her flask, stepped in behind Jordan. They'd barely entered the dark cave when the entrance closed up behind them and one of the Snakeheads totally lost his mind, and a few minutes later, his life. This wasn't a good sign.

With a snap of her fingers, a ball of flames ignited in Rova's outstretched hand. The flames acted as her own torch as Leo led the group further into the tunnel. Being at the back of the group inhibited her view of what was going on, but from what she gathered another influx of the Cursed was attacking them. The space they were fighting in wasn't large enough to accommodate everyone, and so Rova kept to the back and picked off what enemies she could with her magic. She ultimately preferred this method anyway, as the glaive strapped to her back wasn't her forte. Simultaneous jets of magic flowed from each hand, one spouting flames and the other frost. The fire launched itself at any member of the Cursed it could find, while the frost encased many limbs in a thick layer of ice. In some instances it even froze an enemy's leg to the ground, making them easier to defeat.

It seemed to creep up out of nowhere, but after a few moments, the viking woman noticed she was rather enjoying herself. It gave her some kind of sick pleasure to see her foes flailing around on fire, or else defeated easily due to being weighted down by several pounds of ice. Almost as quick as this new attitude hit her, it was gone. She began to hold back some, a little afraid at what she'd just felt... But in what seemed like only 30 seconds, the Cursed began to flee the way they came, ending the battle right then and there. Well. That was that.

It was right then that Rova noticed something dangling in front of her face. A spider. "Motherfuck!" She yelled and jumped backwards, thrashing and beating imaginary creepy-crawlies off her body. She stopped, glanced back up at the spider, and sent a small jet of fire at it. With a sigh and shiver, she looked around and noticed a few people staring at her. "..Sorry. Spider."

Rova straightened herself out and adjusted her glaive, then made to follow Jordan and tried not to look too eager to leave. Spider-infested caves really weren't her thing.

[Crimson Lego]

ooc: It’s very late in Canada right now, so I apologize in advance if some of this post seems a little rushed.

Releasing the axe with one hand and grabbing the throat of his opponent, Leo was able to take the Cursed man’s concentration off for long enough so he could gain an advantage in the skirmish. Pushing the Cursed off, he swung his axe down, crushing the man’s face and nearly cutting his skull in half. Took me long enough, thought the dwarf grimly. Moving back to a safer location, he picked up a torch on the ground and quickly relit it.

Up to a few feet in front of him, the battle was hard to discern through the darkness and number of weapons flying around. For a moment, it looked as though the Calatians were driving the cave inhabitants back to their home, but then some would turn on their comrades and kill at least one. The men are getting scared and panicking, thought Leo as he rejoined the fighting. He wasn’t sure how many of the original expedition remained, but was certain it would be much less than those that had set out from Snowpeak Ruins. If anybody dies here, it’ll be my fault. I led them down. It’s my fault that we’re even in this situation. Ducking under the swing of a sword, the dwarf quickly punched the Cursed in the face and drove its own weapon into its body. Pushing the corpse aside, he surveyed the small room for any familiar faces, using the torch as a light source for his vision. Come on, give me Khallos, Catt, Jordan, anybody! As if his demand had been answered, Leo nearly walked right into Khallos, who was busy holding off a few Cursed using his sword. Nearby, he could also see Jordan; oddly, he also noticed that any Cursed attempting to attack the wind master was falling ot the ground and writhing in pain. Looks like he’s using some type of spell to protect himself.

Soon enough, the Cursed retreated back to their own dwellings, leaving the Calatians to themselves. Putting his head between his knees, the dwarf looked up and did a quick head count by trying to see the outlines in the darkness. We’ve lost at least 5; acceptable, considering our current situation. He knew the next objective was to either find the source of the problem or fall back; unfortunately, the latter didn’t seem to be possible. We have no exit or communication with the outside world.

A moment later, Leo heard Jordan shout something about an exit; exhaling in relief, he retrieved his rifle and walked after the man. As he passed by Lady Rova, he saw her swear loudly and burn up what appeared to be a spider with a small flame. Huh. Interesting. Shrugging, the general moved up quickly behind his men, even having to push a few through the opening in the wall.

As the Vikings traversed through yet another twisting passageway, Leo wasn’t certain they were getting anywhere near an exit out of the doomed cave. The air was definitely not getting any thinner, and there was no sign of sunlight from anywhere in the passage. Was Bob crazy for doing this? pondered the dwarf. Could he have succumbed to the Curse already? The former Korento inhabitant had not said much since the last battle, and he didn’t seem to be very energetic either. We’ll have to see and wait.

After 10 minutes of traveling, the Calatians finally reached a cavern at least 10 times larger than the one they had been in previously. However, there were no signs of light, only a gust of air; the cavern also smelled like bad breath. Why is it moving into the center of this room? Gripping his rifle tightly, Leo realized the truth behind the wind current and why it was stank. “Can anybody see what that thing is?” he said quietly in fear. We’re not alone.

[Steel Samurai]

OOC: Leo I am going to have your character perform an action realquick.
A roar echoed throughout the cavern.

"Dere be sometin in front of us mon." Bob said, the whites of his eyes glistening in the yellow torchlight. "Sometin' big."


One of the snakeheads muttered something about stating the obvious. Bob grinned at the man, filed teeth shiny in a dark face.

"Heeyy dere little soldier. Do your friend Mistah Bob a favor and throw dis at de big animal in front of us." He tossed the soldier a small bag filled with powder of some kind. The soldier looked nervously at Leo, who nodded. The soldier took a step forward, sweat beading on his forehead like pimples on a youth. Snort. A gust of foul wind, with saliva and mucus embedded in it hit him full in the face. He took another step. A stain on the rear of his tunic bespoke of a slight loss in control of his bowels. Another step. There was the smallest hint of a growl from in front of him, and the soldier screamed like a fourteen year old at one of Steel's parades, tossed the half-opened pouch towards the large shape before him in the blackness, and ran back to the group, trying to hide behind Leo's short and stocky frame.

The powder hung in the air, even when the leather pouch it had been contained in fell to the ground. Not that anyone could see that that was the case until Bob yelled one word. "Marley!"

The particles each turned somehow into a tiny, angry little flame hornet, which began swarming around the room, lighting the whole thing as well as a massive bonfire.

In the middle of the room stood a massive, (and I mean really, really big. His head nearly touched the top of the cavern) black dog. He had no irises or pupils, the thing seemed to be blind. Ignoring the sheer improbability of such a creature managing to survive in a cave which it was unlikely he could get out of, or the vast quantities of food it would have to eat to even stay alive, everyone looked suitably scared.

The dog sniffed the air and began to step forward, what seemed to be a hungry smile upon his lips. Of course, he was a dog, so it was a bit hard to tell whether that was just their imaginations or not.

Without warning, there was a clap, and the dog stopped dead in its tracks.

What seemed to be a man in a long black cloak, clasped about the neck with a gold chain encrusted with rubies stepped forward. His skin was grey, and dirty white hair fell to his shoulders. His teeth and lips were red, pointed, and his black eyes had a glint in them that was definitely not human.

"Welcome, travelers. You have heard, I see my call. I am called . . . Juvenal, and I have summoned you here for a reason."

[Crimson Lego]

Wishing the Snakehead behind him would find a better spot to hide instead of next to his ass, Leo tentatively raised his rifle towards the man, but then decided against it. If I try to shoot him, he’ll probably just knock it to the side and set the dog loose. Wishing for some sort of deliverance, he glanced back at his men and signaled for them to keep their weapons at the ready. “Only attack on my cue; this guy Juvenal doesn’t seem to be somebody we should mess with,” whispered the dwarf quickly.

The man laughed in response, clapping his hands several times in amusement. “How proud you must of your soldiers, Leo Crimson,” said Juvenal. “Unfortunately for you, I can smell their fear in the air; there are none in this room that are not afraid to die.”

Surprised at the statement, Leo tried to come up with a good response. “You know nothing about dying. It is one thing every person on this planet will have to face sooner or later, either through old age or a sword in the chest. I’m willing to bet that the same is gonna happen to you in a few years.”

Again, Juvenal laughed. “Have you never heard of immortality? You know, never dying people? There’s at least one person in your Kingdom of Calatia that possesses it.”

“Let’s hear a name.”

“Selena Nadir. Over 600 years old. So was her friend, Chikara. Both of them were inhabitants of the Labyrinth to the north of us.s”

Unimpressed with the fact Juvenal said, Leo decided to play the game differently; he lowered his rifle and gestured towards the dog. “This your pet?”

“Aye. He’ll consume all of you in 5 minutes if I tell him to.”

Nodding, the dwarf set his rifle aside, trying to make conversation with Juvenal. “So what did you exactly call us up here for?” he demanded. “Is it just to feed your dog, or is there something important about the Cursed Lands that you know of?”

[JRPomazon]

Jordan froze in place, his eyes wide with fear. Contrary to what many would assume that the giant hound was the source of Jordan's fear, the being known as Juvenal was what frightened him the most. He felt confident that the dog could be handled if the need arose. There was a night several month prior to this journey when the blind seer Tiresias had a most startling vision. Although he only saw glimpses of it's form, he kept repeated the name Juvenal over and over as if it were being hammered into his mind. The vision was so powerful that he almost was lost to the brink of madness. From what little Tiresias knew, this being was not to be trifled with. And what a horrible being he turned out to be.

Forcing himself to move, Jordan moved himself to the front of the vikings. Juvenal smiled as he noticed what was going on.

"Ah, if it isn't the Gale Emperor of the Cursed Lands. At last we meet."

Jordan froze again, he did not expect to be recognized.

"At ease warrior, your reputation has merely preceded you. I have been watching you and your allies in grey for some time, you've done well for yourself to last as long as you have in these lands."

"Humans are survivors, we are not to be taken lightly." Jordan replied.

"HA! How could I take creatures that are so pliable in the depths of this Madness seriously? You of all people should know this."

"Have you come only to belittle us? I was under the impression that you had, in your own words, summoned us for a reason."

"And indeed I have. But I have affairs only with those from Calatia. You, Gale Emperor, are expendable. So I hope you understand that if something were to happen to you there would be, as I'm sure you would say, no skin off my bones."

The large dog licked his lips, it's monstrous tongue was enough to give nightmares. Bob was beginning to look nervous too.

"But what I can say for certain, Calatians and outsiders alike, is that we all share a common enemy."

Jordan was now certain that he had just entered the worse possible scenario.

Edited by JRPomazon, 30 July 2010 - 05:28 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

As Juvenal finished up his conversation with Jordan, whom he seemed to know quite well by name or appearance, Leo began to wonder whether it was possible to turn the stranger into any ally. The dog would come in useful for a big siege, but this guy looks like he’s good with magic too. From experience, Leo was certain that no dog on the planet was as big as the one they faced now; it had to be enlarged through sorcery and trained to its master’s preference as well. Neither of those would be able to happen through physical means. If he could be convinced that the Calatians were in league with his own intentions, Juvenal could be willing to work with the Kingdom against whatever common enemy they had. I sure hope it’s the Empire.

Unfortunately, Leo also knew the consequences of having a powerful sorcerer of Juvenal as an ally. If he was allowed enough freedom inside Snowpeak, Juvenal could get as much information as he wanted (with the help of his pet), and nobody would be able to stop him. Except Lazu, and he’s probably not going to bother doing so. Wishing, he had a better choice, the dwarf decided just to stick with getting out of the cavern first.

Sighing in resignation, Leo interrupted the lengthy conversation between Juvenal and Jordan. “What kind of people do you want to fight as much as us?” he asked. “Is it the Holy Empire of Koridai, or maybe somebody inside it?”

[Steel Samurai]

Juvenal's voice was light, pleasant, friendly. The opposite of what one might expect from his somewhat sinister appearance. He stepped forward again, glancing at each of the small party that remained, looking into their souls. His gaze lit upon Turtlelot, and a light smile played upon his lips.

"And the bearer of the Sword of Diel is among us, I see. That is good. That is good indeed." He began pacing.

"I called you here in order that I might have communication with your leader, Selena. No, I do not have a missive or epistle for you to deliver. There is a far more efficient, and far safer way for us to confer. You have, I believe, the capacity to wound Ahrem. But you cannot kill her. I can, but only with your help. I have hated that woman for longer even than Selena herself has been alive. But I get ahead of myself."

He produced a strange dark jewel from his shadowy cloak.

"Now, through this jewel one of you will be possessed with the spirit of Selena herself, drawn over time and space to have parley with us here. It must be one who touched her recently. And one who is willing to allow their bodies to be manipulated by another. Who is willing to undergo this?"

[Twinrova]

OOC: Sorry if there are any typos in this. Posting from my phone.

Rova wasn't quite sure what to make of this man, if that's what he even was. His appearance certainly wasn't entirely human, and his eyes had an almost alien-like feel to them... She was wary, but the fact that he'd chased away the Cursed and hadn't yet harmed any of the Calatians was a good sign. She pulled her eyes away from his strange face and set her gaze upon the stone in his hand. She didn't know who 'Ahrem' was, but she had a pretty good guess.

"Oh, that'd be me. I have totally touched her recently." Rova grinned, winking at the crowd around her. She left it at that and let everyone draw theirown conclusions. Hopefully those conclusions would manage to go further than she actually had. She never missed a chance to gloat where Lena was concerned, even if there technically wasn't anything backing it up.

"So I have to let her possess me, huh?" The viking woman stepped forward and grinned again. "Sounds kinda kinky...I'm game. What do I have to do?"

[Steel Samurai]

Juvenal grinned, his red teeth glimmering like little rubies. Bob peered closely at them, and discovered that, in point of fact, that's exactly what they were. Sharp, pointed rubies. Whether grown or ground, it was difficult to say, but the fact remained that this . . . person, whoever he was, had fucking gemstones in his mouth. Bob elbowed Leo in the side.

"Eyy mon, dere be a pretty fortune in 'is mout ey? But I doon't like him. He give me de jeeblies he does. De smell of de curse is stronger on dis one than any I seen."

Juvenal tossed Rova the black gem, shaped like a diamond but the size of her palm.

"Just think of Selena, and open yourself to her. The stone will let you converse mentally with her. You have to convince her to let her spirit be placed into your body, for a moment."

[Twinrova]

The black diamond felt heavy in her palm, but Rova closed her fist around it and held it tight. It was ice cold. "Open myself to her, huh? Been doing that for the past five thousand years..." She muttered and closed her eyes, then thought of Selena. She still couldn't wipe that grin off her face, especially now with the images running through her mind. "Hopefully she'll open her spirit a little easier than she does her legs..."

Hey Lena! Hey hey hey Lena hey Lena! Rova called out to Selena in her usual fashion, though doing so mentally and expecting her to answer wasn't something she was familiar with. She felt a little self conscious standing there with her eyes closed, not really doing anything as far as the others could see. Leeeeenaaaaa...

Suddenly the gem grew very, very hot.

[Selena]

Selena had spent the better part of the day coordinating troop movements and had built up a sweat after running around Snowpeak for several hours. As such, it was time for a well deserved break. A bowl of strawberries and cranberries sat next to her personal bath. A bottle of vodka was not far off. Selena was fully reclined, one leg resting up against the edge of the tub and an arm resting on her stomach. Her eyes were shut, trying to tune out the world around her. Between the warmth of the water and the vodka, Selena was almost ready to fall asleep right there in the bath.

And then.

Hey.

Hey Lena.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey, listen.

Hey.

Leeeeeenaaaaa.


Selena opened her eyes and looked around. Rova? No, she wasn't there. Selena knew that sensation. It was a mental communication - not unlike what Chik could do now that they had established a connection. If that's what one wanted to call it. But Rova hadn't...? Oh, what the hell.

WHAT?

And then there was a mental explanation.

Damn it all, fine. This had better be good. Why doesn't anyone ever make an appointment with my secretary?

Selena shut her eyes again and concentrated. She was hardly in any condition to go making personal visits, but if it was merely a soul transfer into Rova's body, then it would be no problem. Assuming Rova had clothes on. Which she hopefully did. Selena felt herself sink away, lost in the darkness of the spirit realm, and waited to come back up on the other side...

[Steel Samurai]

Juvenal watched as Rova fell to the ground, the gem clutched tightly in her hands.

"Their spirits are in flight," he said. "Any moment now."


It was not long before Rova's eyelids opened, revealing two shining pupilless orbs.

"Eyy mon. Shining eyes. Who'd have thought?" Bob said, narrowing his eyes at the sight of RovaLena struggling to her feet.

"It may take you a minute or two to become used to the way that body works." Juvenal said, a curious look in his eyes. "But until then, we have much to discuss."


* * * *

Rova's spirit soared over the mountains to the north of Calatia, the snow and trees appearing as green polkadots on a massive white blanket from this altitude. It was not long before Snowhead itself was in sight. She zoomed down towards the grey-stoned castle, passing easily through solid walls and wooden floors alike. The soldiers around her seemed to take no notice. The path was winding, uncertain, but it lead inexorably towards one place: Lena's bedchambers.

The body of Selena opened its eyes, still submerged in the bath. There were no pupils to be seen in her shining orbs.


* * * *


"The call, the uneasiness you have felt over the last few days, emanating from this very spot. That has been me." Juvenal said, a dark throne materializing from the grey smoke that surrounded his feet. He sat and looked directly into LenaRova's eyes. "I needed to contact you, but could not risk physically coming to you, for various reasons, none of them important at the moment.

"If I am not wrong, we have a common enemy. Ahrem, god of Chaos, who has given his power to Chikara. You may know him better as Lazu, but I have known him for a long, long time. Known him and hated him. My name is Juvenal. What I am is of no concern to you. What is of concern to you, is that while you may have the capacity to wound Ahrem, you have no power to kill him. I do. But I cannot do it without your help. Without the Sword of Diel, in the area, I cannot even get close to the god. It functions as a catalyst, the soap that allows water to clean oil. Even then, though, Chikara will be too strong. No, there is another way . . ."

[Selena]

Selena felt herself be pulled up to her feet, but her head was still spinning from the sudden transfer. She looked down and confirmed that she was indeed using Rova's body. She opened and closed "her" hands repeatedly to get used to the sensation, then brought them up to feel that oh-so-subtle bird skull mask that Rova kept on her head. Selena lifted it up and held it at "her" side, as she was never one for helmets of any kind. She quickly turned to look at the Calatians and was pleased to see that they were all safe and soun- oh, look a dog! He was cute. Wait, no. Back to serious. This was important stuff.

Selena shifted her shining gaze back to Juvenal, an unusually stern expression now upon Rova's face. "I understand the need for distance. I do have a tendency to stab people repeatedly." A smirk. "You know, for someone who hates Lazu, you make ready use of his tactics. 'It is of no concern to you.' Of course it isn't. The previous avatar of Lazu used to say such things. Perhaps you're a stepbrother that had a falling out?"

She shifted her weight back and forth, still getting used to Rova's body type. If she did have to fight - which she hoped that she didn't because magic was not her thing and Rova used lots of it - then she would have to feel a bit more comfortable in her new skin. Odd that she didn't feel Rova's spirit clanking around in the rafters.

"This sounds like a marvelous co-dependency. You'll understand, of course, that I need a bit more information before I trust a sketchy man in a cave with the most powerful sword in existence."

Selena then paused. She truly didn't feel Rova's spirit anywhere. Not even a nagging whine. But where would it have...?

Oh.

...Oh god.

She tried her best to repress the look of horror that wanted to surface.

[Twinrova]

OOC: Thanks for the comparison to a certain obnoxious fairy there, Lena. I'll overlook it since this is pretty much the best day of my life.


Rova heard Selena's reply, though maybe a little less enthuiastic than she'd hoped. But then she felt herself rising, up, up, up, and her consciousness faded away as her body dropped to the ground. Her spirit soared far back the way the Calatians had come, all the way back to their homeland, until it sank down towards its destination. Not long after leaving her body, she awoke, and the first thing she noticed was she was wet. She frowned, momentarily confused, but as she opened her eyes she put two and two together.

The first thing Rova saw was a body. Selena's body. Her body, for the time being... And what a body it was. LenaRova's lips split into a wicked grin, and for awhile all she could do was stare. There it was. Totally naked. And in the bath, no less! Who'd have thought the first time she'd see Lena naked would be under these circumstances? All those years of chasing after her... And now Selena's body was her own to do with as she pleased. Rova couldn't really help where her hands began to wander; she'd had this course of action planned out ever since she first laid eyes on Selena...though, she had to admit, she'd always imagined Selena and herself both being in their own bodies. Still, this was much more than Rova had expected to experience on her expedition to the Cursed La-

...Hang on. The 'Cursed Lands'? No, no. More like the Land of Kittens and Cookies and Rapture and--

"TITS!"

Selena's voice echoed loudly in the bathroom. Rova hoped no one had heard her. She hadn't even meant to speak, but at that moment she'd fully realized what her eyes were seeing. Lena. Naked! She really ought to go on more missions if outcomes like this one were to be had. Rova reached up with 'her' hand and grabbed some of Lena's hair, stroking and smelling it like the creeper she was.

Then Rova had an idea. She suddenly stood up and stepped out of the bath, stopping only to dry herself off, and then walked out into Selena's bedroom. 'Her' eyes scanned the interior until she found it...Lena's dresser. Rova smirked and opened the drawers until she found one filled with undergarments. She hurriedly threw on a robe and shoved a few choice items from that drawer into the pockets. Rova didn't know how much time she had, and she wanted to stow her prize in her own room before Lena's spirit came back to reclaim her body. Her naked body!

[JRPomazon]

Jordan turned back from Juvenal to see the transformed LenaRova . . . RovaLena . . . oh whatever, it was still the damn fossil in there.

"Welcome to the party fossil, I'm happy you could join us. I have to say, I LOVE the new look. And this suicide mission you sent these people on? FANTASTIC, I am inspired."

The blatant sarcasm helped Jordan feel less troubled. Although the menacing man on the other side of the cave wasn't helping him feel welcome.

[Chikara Nadir]

"And what do you think you're doing?" Rova - or rather, Selena with the mind of a hopeless pervert inhabiting her body - found herself suddenly far from alone. A dozen other eyes were immediately on her naked body, all residing within the single form of the very being whose voice shouted loud to shake the rafters and weaken the knees of the dripping 'Lena' lookalike.

Chikara stood a breath away, guarding the door to freedom with manicured talons at her hips, a single index finger tapping at the gold cord that wrapped round her white chiffon robes. Her scarlet eyes looked the imitator up and down, glaring fiercely with a look of near-disgust that dripped down her face into a lip-curled sneer. "Who are you, and what have you done with Lena?"

She slipped forward faster than the eye could see, pulling herself up to the other woman's side and whispering in her ear, "I thought I taught you better than this. Your attention is nil, your aura is off. Are you that drunk? Or have you been delving into smoking mountain weeds? You should be ashamed…it's almost enough to make me not want to spend the evening with you. I should at least toss you out into the snow as I did with that annoying little girl you tend to keep by your side." She reached to slide a smooth hand against the woman's shoulder, under her loose bathrobe. "Then again, I suppose I can wait on cooling you off until after we've at least warmed up a few degrees."