Jeran nearly gagged on the foul taste of the cultist's blood. Ugh. And he had thought humans tasted disgusting. He made a second attempt to rip its throat out, hoping that this assassination attempt would at least disrupt the concentration of the assistants.
"Why would I want to keep up when there's, um.. Okay, I can't finish that flirting." He says, face going as red as Kitty's as he hurries after her.
One very cold and therefore very quick swim later they were both shivering and running back out of the lake to gather up clothes from wherever they'd been tossed earlier.
"Y-y-you know, I think that lake gets colder every t-t-time I visit here," she said, teeth chattering.
Keeps taking photos
Michael laughs as he gets dressed.
"It warms up in about a month, I promise. Or we could go a few more miles west."
riviarti catches the prying eye, and leads repp to the body.
"Look, we shouldn't stay out here. We're velnurable too out here."
"If you want to leave, fine." Repp snaps, his emotions getting the better of him right then. "Just find a Professor or someone to tell about this. Whoever did this deserves the same treatment they gave to Ginni." he replies harshly, continuing his slow pace, checking everything around him for anything that might be a clue.
Anahita takes a moment to glance over at Illithia, scanning her features briefly, then looking back up at the board and Vare's lecture.
After a moment, she nods and says, "Your recklessness is noted. I will investigate and share what I learn, in fact--"
She promptly goes quiet, looking straight ahead, mostly unmoving save for the basics required for indicating she is alive still.
After a few moments of this stillness, Illithia glances up at Vare, then back at Anahita. She delivers a few pokes to Anahita's ribs, which increase with intensity the longer the girl.
If Anahita remains like this for more than 10 seconds or so, Illithia begins to be alarmed...
She squeezed his hand. "So that's why you looked so uncomfortable when Asha talked about how she was treated. Because it brought back a painful memory of a girl who was treated badly because of her involvement with you, and you still feel guilty because you weren't able to help her."
Ehos returns the hand squeeze and forces a smile before displaying any more. 'Hey, I'm not Tyrrin. I don't think I can save the world. But one innocent girl, whose only mistake was wanting to have a little fun?' Ehos shook his head, looking somewhat dejected. 'Sorry. We've had enough self-pity for the past few days.'
After a few moments of this stillness, Illithia glances up at Vare, then back at Anahita. She delivers a few pokes to Anahita's ribs, which increase with intensity the longer the girl.
If Anahita remains like this for more than 10 seconds or so, Illithia begins to be alarmed...
This stillness, unlike the fluttering eyes and distant gaze, only lasts a mere six or so seconds, before she snaps alert again, as if released from an enchantment.
She immediately narrows her gaze at Illithia, who'd been poking her, then around the room.
"I have lost track of time, what has happened and for how long?" She frowns after speaking this, realizing full well where she is, and how she is not affording her Professor, regardless of their association, her best behavior.
The thought of that washes over her expressive features, and she looks downward, self-chastised at her manner.
Glancing towards Illithia, she whispers, "I apologize for my lapse, I'm unclear what happened or for how long." Even when out of control, she's polite.
Michael laughs as he gets dressed.
"It warms up in about a month, I promise. Or we could go a few more miles west."
"It does? But isn't it the beginning of fall? Is Anderail so far from Avalon that the seasons are different here?" she asked, curious, as she wrung the water out of her hair and pulled her clothes on.
She squeezed his hand. "So that's why you looked so uncomfortable when Asha talked about how she was treated. Because it brought back a painful memory of a girl who was treated badly because of her involvement with you, and you still feel guilty because you weren't able to help her."Ehos returns the hand squeeze and forces a smile before displaying any more. 'Hey, I'm not Tyrrin. I don't think I can save the world. But one innocent girl, whose only mistake was wanting to have a little fun?' Ehos shook his head, looking somewhat dejected. 'Sorry. We've had enough self-pity for the past few days.'
"It's only self-pity if you dwell on it. Nothing wrong with learning from past mistakes. Everyone has a few. Nobody is perfect. But little by little we can change to become better people. Still not perfect, but maybe moving on to new and different mistakes at least," she said with an encouraging smile.
"No, not really. Why do you ask?"
Taking a quick glance at Jeran, and seeing Vickory emerge, Casseus turns to a third caster and opens fire, knowing time is of the essence here.
Krays smiles at Morrivan.
"Yes what did you need?"
When Tarka appears, Krays just raises an eyeridge at her...
"Tarka I don't have time for your...wait, help with what? Weren't you with Ephebe?" he reaches out across the bond to check on his wife...
Al hears noises of a commotion in the woods again. Fearing the worst he flies to where he hears the noises, seeing a light skinned short person and a snail talking to each other...over the corpse of another young woman. He remembers the small footprint he found at the other crime scene, and approaches with caution, sword half out of it's sheathe.
"Who are you? What have you done?"
"No, not really. Why do you ask?"
"It just seemed weird to me that the lake would warm up right before winter."
Krays smiles at Morrivan.
"Yes what did you need?"
When Tarka appears, Krays just raises an eyeridge at her...
"Tarka I don't have time for your...wait, help with what? Weren't you with Ephebe?" he reaches out across the bond to check on his wife...
Ephebe is exhausted but unhurt. He has become familiar with this exhaustion as a symptom of ongoing disagreements with Kronos. She will recover on her own given (ha ha) time.
"It just does. It's never bothered anyone enough to check it out, and it doesn't hurt the wildlife, so we just leave well enough alone."
A small unobtrusive door is in the hallway near the cafeteria, and inside a being is grinning.
on a small smooth marble table a mask is spinning. The chin of the white ivory is in contact with the stone, and it sits in place, slowly rotating on the spot.
Al hears noises of a commotion in the woods again. Fearing the worst he flies to where he hears the noises, seeing a light skinned short person and a snail talking to each other...over the corpse of another young woman. He remembers the small footprint he found at the other crime scene, and approaches with caution, sword half out of it's sheathe.
"Who are you? What have you done?"
"well, I've done this gnome a favor and found his friend's corpse. i didn't have to, and it's made me late for class, and he seems to think I'm poorly of me due to my lack of desire to remain outside the safety of the wards."
"It just does. It's never bothered anyone enough to check it out, and it doesn't hurt the wildlife, so we just leave well enough alone."
"That's amazing. So does it never freeze over?" she asked as they climbed through the tree paths back to the Dacamara house.
"It does in very late winter."
"It does in very late winter."
"Wow. So it goes from cold to warm to cold again...I learn something new every time I come here," she said, laughing as they climbed back in the window to Michael's room.
"And this time it wasn't about just the lake." He adds quietly.
Ace tries to keep up with Mel, but she's talking too much over complicated stuff for him to follow "Mel, just tell me what we need to do in order to help Vai. All that techno babble went right over my head"
"And this time it wasn't about just the lake." He adds quietly.
She gave him a dazzling smile. "No, not just the lake," she agreed, unable to resist the temptation to kiss him one more time before they headed downstairs to get some breakfast.
Grim lands next to the dragon "Miss Ephebee? What's wrong did you strain yourself"
Grim lands next to the dragon "Miss Ephebee? What's wrong did you strain yourself"
::I'm just very tired, Grim,:: she said, faintly, barely awake.
"Oh can I help? Ooh the hot springs, oh or I could just let you sleep.. Sorry"
He sends his love over the bond...and she'll get the normal concern and empathy for her troubles with Kronos...
"Tarka, she will be alright. Her patron is trying to influence her or make a decision that Ephebe doesn't agree with. She'll recover, she just needs rest. But thank you for letting me know."
He turns back to Morrivan.
"I'm sorry, Morrivan. My wife comes first, of course. Now, what did you need?"
"well, I've done this gnome a favor and found his friend's corpse. i didn't have to, and it's made me late for class, and he seems to think I'm poorly of me due to my lack of desire to remain outside the safety of the wards."
Al hears noises of a commotion in the woods again. Fearing the worst he flies to where he hears the noises, seeing a light skinned short person and a snail talking to each other...over the corpse of another young woman. He remembers the small footprint he found at the other crime scene, and approaches with caution, sword half out of it's sheathe.
"Who are you? What have you done?"
"Are you sure he didn't ask you here to get you away from the wards?"
While not capable of doing these thing himself, Tybalt is good at getting meaning and simplifying.
"She needs me to be really cold to slow down the power as it goes through the bar and make an opening to heal her. What can you do with cold?"
Repp's eyes had narrowed suspiciously upon the maftet's arrival, and he had silently moved into a defensive posture. When the creature begins to make his accusations, Repp's eyes further narrow. "Be wary, Reviarti." Repp says quietly, his voice deadly calm and his eyes trained on the maftet's every move. "This creature has arrived just as we have, and has immediately begun to make blame-shifting accusations."
tarka nods and warps away, back to the group.
Repp's eyes had narrowed suspiciously upon the maftet's arrival, and he had silently moved into a defensive posture. When the creature begins to make his accusations, Repp's eyes further narrow. "Be wary, Reviarti." Repp says quietly, his voice deadly calm and his eyes trained on the maftet's every move. "This creature has arrived just as we have, and has immediately begun to make blame-shifting accusations."
"i think he's just as confused as we are. even if he's not, if that is him, he's already gotten away with more then one murder here. if he wanted to kill us, and was the murderer, i doubt being wary would help much."
Repp's eyes had narrowed suspiciously upon the maftet's arrival, and he had silently moved into a defensive posture. When the creature begins to make his accusations, Repp's eyes further narrow. "Be wary, Reviarti." Repp says quietly, his voice deadly calm and his eyes trained on the maftet's every move. "This creature has arrived just as we have, and has immediately begun to make blame-shifting accusations."
He looks at Repp's feet.
"At the last murder scene the only foot prints that were found were small ones, my suspicions are justified... however, I'd like to look for tracks again, before the scene is too disturbed. Please stand back."
Mel tries to explain more as she finishes setting up.
Tybs has the gist of it. where you come in Ace, is when the radiation heads toward Tybs it will try to warm him up. Now at the same time the cold will be neutralizing the radiation field as it leaves Vai. But during this process, she looks at Tybs with a serious yet sympathetic look
Tybs it may hurt, maybe alot. Looking back to Ace, Ace that is where you come in, I know you have healing ability, your job is really to do everything you can to encourage and heal Tybs. you will have to be able to identify where the pain is and work to heal it before it gets worse, the pain may cause Tybs to loose focus, we cannot afford to let that happen.
Looking to everyone else, I have aligned the AC current to be controlled via the scanner controls. I will scan Vai and when the opening occurs, I will signal the nanites to go to work.
If we are extra lucky, I will be able to trace the radiation back to the source and put a temporary block in place, but that is a real long shot, and if it will cause Vai any harm then I will not do that.
Getting into position OK everybody ready? Tybs its time for you to Chill out
Lang takes notice of Mrs Blackscales, and grim looking after her.
turning back to face her, Sifu blackscales, we can rest here as long as you need to. those hot spring pools are believed by some to have regenerative powers.
taking Sara's hand, and Midori's if she wants to, Lang will lead them to the echo cave. Grim, just take this tunnel to the end, we will be there, please hurry, we don't want you to miss anything.
As the tour moves on Halo gets a bit board, just walking up and down hallways looking at rooms has its limits.
Kim and Trista wandering the grounds looking almost completely lost.
Kim points to a building where there are several really young children playing. maybe over there, maybe someone over there will know where we need to go?[
Tybalt accepts the bar, clenching it tightly in both paws.
He closes his eyes and tunes out everything else in the room.
He focusses on the cold feeling. The harsh cold feeling he tries so hard to avoid. But now it has meaning. It can be used. Not just to hurt people or keep them away, but to heal.
Icy blue energy manifests around his paws, chilling the bar to near impossible negatives. The energy sends ice up his arms to his shoulders, then down and up covering him in thick frost.
Ace nods "Healing I can do. Should be no trouble there" He says confidently.
"Ya! They can help us. Let's go ask."
They get over to the group.
"Um. Hello. Can anyone help us find someone?"
"Yes, but you'll take forever if you stay normal size. Just try to find the girl we saw earlier or if you can't find her, the dark haired guy called Tryko."
"Yes master."
"Hey. No sass."
The fox takes off with the bottle as Kevin lays on his bed.
He rolls onto his side and looks at his beautiful new tea set. The wonderful glassy tea set...
The fox looking thing walks along the halls, following the arrows that take it past a group of younger looking beings, and some adult, eventually getting to a door marked SIM Room 3.
The door is shut from outside, and the current display on the wall, presuming such exists to inform others of the interior's contents and use, simply says, "Cultist City Assault: Engaged"
If the door here can be opened, (since who really locks the external door INTO a potentially high danger room that can't really kill you?), into the SIM Room, however, stepping past the door results in the Fox standing in a blank, default SIM Room and a floating 3D hologram sign.
The sign reads:
'Room in use for assault against demon worshiping cultists. Please use another room for serious SIM use. I've set it to ignore anyone except the keyed users. You'll know that's you, if yer reading this. - T'
The room itself is quiet and 'inactive' while the Fox is in there.
Cultist City Assualt
Jeran nearly gagged on the foul taste of the cultist's blood. Ugh. And he had thought humans tasted disgusting. He made a second attempt to rip its throat out, hoping that this assassination attempt would at least disrupt the concentration of the assistants.
Surprise goes out the window for some of the members in this massive chamber, especially whomever was mauled by a wolf.
Jeran has the initiative, and at this point, so close to the Ichor Caster, numerous attacks at once can easily occur, especially with the target prone on the floor-- easy pickings!
Numerous chomps and mauls later, now quite covered in the nasty ichor from the caster, he appears quite lifeless, or fading on it's way to whatever nether rewards await it.
Then the flunkies nearby do various things:
- Ichor Caster Flunkie 01 (ICF01), looks on in horror and utters a single word-- teleporting away, nearly immediately.
- Ichor Caster Flunkie 02 (ICF02), laughs at the death of his fellow robed person and pulls out a dagger while moving back, weaving hands and the like, shooting out a ray of blackness towards Jeran's form-- pure negative energy.
- Ichor Caster Flunkie 03 (ICF03), moves up, and weaves a spell, reaching out to touch the slain Ichor Caster, doing so rather defensively with a lot of concentration while at it. Ichor Caster himself, gasps air once again, seemingly raised right back from the dead after Jeran took all that time to rip him apart. His bleeding wounds sealed up.
- Ichor Caster Flunkie 04 (ICF04), steps away and casts a protective spell, which seems to fill the area around him, then fade.
- Ichor Caster Flunkie 08 (ICF08), steps away from Jeran and the Ichor Caster, weaving hands while starting a defensively cast spell of some sort.
- Ichor Caster Flunkie 05 through 07 (ICF05, 06 and 07), seems to continue their 'focus' on whatever he was doing previously, though he is aware of the 'fight'.
Jeran can definitely note that there are some additional targets that he doesn't 'see' in the room, though the stink of the place is getting harsher and harsher, especially due to the Gates.
-----
Also out of their peripheral vision, two massive clawed hands, dripping with blood and assorted other foul smelling 'ick', grip the edge of the Gate nearby, and get a firm grip, as if to 'pull' their own in, or keep the Gate open. A blast of disgusting, blood and 'ick' smell blows in, as the sound of something inhuman howls.
The foggy shadows about the ground in this room swirl and seem to move on their own accord.
Additionally-- the portal they stepped through, shuts quickly behind them.
Jello, the ooze turned fox cocks its head to the side as it reads the note.
It places the bottle in the middle of the floor, intending for Tryko to see it when he deactivates the Sim.
With its work done, it heads back to its masters room, hopping up and unlocking the door.
"I see you've turned back. May I?"
Cultist City Assualt
Taking a quick glance at Jeran, and seeing Vickory emerge, Casseus turns to a third caster and opens fire, knowing time is of the essence here.
Aiming his weapon at another of the primary casters, Casseus unloads his remaining rounds and they connect savagely. This fellow, apparently, was not as well protected. One arm removed and hole in chest later, the Gimpy Caster goes down, seemingly dead with normal blood and all that.
Right next to Casseus, the Armored Caster and flunkies do various things:
- The Armored Caster bellows out in the language no one knows, (it's not Abyssal) though sounds similar to what the Blonde spoke. He then proceeds to touch his chest, which knits up his wounds and a dark sense of blessing flows out from him. At the same time as that spell is woven, the shimmering illusion of normal robes and such fade away, revealing what appears a plate mail wearing humanoid. His eyes peering out with seething anger at Casseus, or insanity. It's hard to tell.
- Plate Caster Flunkie 01 (PCF01), looks at plate mail caster, after the yelling and makes a run into the Gate, yelling the same phrase in another voice, poof. Out of sight.
- Plate Caster Flunkie 02 (PCF02), wiggles his fingers and the like, launching out three magic missiles at Cassesus, with all the power and strength of non-empowered versions.
- Plate Caster Flunkie 03 (PCF03), proceeds to start a Summon Monster spell.
- Plate Caster Flunkie 04 (PCF04), weaves another spell, causing the pack of robed people to vanish from sight.
- Plate Caster Flunkie 05 (PCF05), remains where he fell, head removed from the ricochet earlier.
- Various other 'casting' sounds occur, but nothing specific towards Casseus.
Casseus, is in the middle of the room at this point, no one's within melee range, so he takes the time to reload, unaffected by anything else.
While doing so, the pack of casters near the Dead Caster (from this round's attack), seem to get very panicked. One or two teleport immediately away while their morale fails the others more soundly-- it's at this point that Casseus can see the Gate swell at their point, and suck in whoever's remaining, including the corpse. It promptly shuts after this -- one pack of casters 'gone'.
-----
Also out of their peripheral vision, two massive clawed hands, dripping with blood and assorted other foul smelling 'ick', grip the edge of the Gate near Jerna's Caster, and get a firm grip, as if to 'pull' their own in, or keep the Gate open. A blast of disgusting, blood and 'ick' smell blows in, as the sound of something inhuman howls.
The foggy shadows about the ground in this room swirl and seem to move on their own accord. Casseus has the nagging suspicion, with his Planar Lore, that this isn't just smoke and mist-- shadow demons or something.
Additionally-- the portal they stepped through, shuts quickly behind them.
Cultist City Assault
Vickory can hear the violence and what not occurring while she goes about doing her first Stone Shaping against one of the four central pillars. She will realize, though, that aside from gravity and such, and due to the limitations of 'fine detail isn't possible' per the magics, it might make for a poor attempt at 'crushing foes', but effort is being made.
One round later, while invisible, she can see some of the events going on and mostly hear things happening, as one 'slug' of pillar is somewhat prepared.
Gravity does reach up and start to get a hold on the piece, but it's not instant nor immediate in falling, let alone snapping free, yet. If she were flying and higher up, she could have a better effect though, since the limitation of touch prevents her affecting past a certain height.
Since she has the Tongues spell active, what she can hear yelled out, is "Blood and Souls for our Dark Masters!" twice, in two voices.
Additionally-- the portal they stepped through, shuts quickly behind them.
Cultist City Assault
With one Caster dead, and sucked into the Abyss, along with six of her/his flunkies (go demon worshipers!), that Gate shuts.
The remaining Gate, however, unaffected thus far by any assault, seems to widen further, doubling it's maw size.
The main Caster there, seeing his fellows being attacked and assaulted, barks out a few orders to his fellows around him, and then promptly teleports away.
Vickory can probably hear the orders, he says effectively in his non-Common Cultist language, "Guard the Gate, make the proper offerings, and kill the intruders. I go for sacrifices."
The eight that remain, consider a moment, while two seem to look at one another, and promptly teleport away as well, not quite sure if out of fear or abandoning their 'posts'.
The remaining six stand near the gate, one casts a spell which surrounds them with an obscuring mist, thus removing them from visual targeting sight by the hand cannon carrying Casseus. A few more other spells are cast, but they aren't /right/ next to anyone to be heard, nor seen once the mist is summoned.
NPC Count:
- 2 Principle Casters remain
- 28ish Caster Flunkies
- X 'things' in the room, per Jeran's Scent ability (stealthed/invisible)
- 2 Massive Clawed Hands trying to pull Jeran's Gate open
"I dunno. Maybe I should just let you stay that way."
"Hey! That's not funny..."
"Neither is letting me eat a horse."
"I thought you'd like it. I didn't know you'd flip out about."
"Ya. Sure. Just... don't again. I need to get used to this on my own terms."
The large blue dragon ooze releases the small part of his mind that keeps the spell in focus.
The fox breaks down. Ears shrink back down into it and the fur begins to run together, becoming a viscous orange semi-liquid. Bones loose their solidity and its limbs shrink back into its torso. It shrinks down into a small pool and then climbs up the table to take a rest in the glass mug it likes to lay dormant in.
"Thank you. I hate having bones and muscles and stuff. It's just-"
"So limiting. I know. I here it every time. Just wake me up when the bell rings the first time."
"Trust me. You'll know when that happens."
"Ya. OK."
Advaran rams the doors to the elementary gym at full throttle, slamming the handbrake and skidding to a halt at near breakneck speeds. "That is how you make an entrance," he says before examing the doors for damage.