That is a pretty sweet blade.... Looks good in your hands, Yingzen....
Oh my gosh.... That sword is so beautiful....
Blake scoffs turning away trying to hide his envy at the gorgeous blade, spinning his revolver and holstering it.
I like my Gina better. I guess it's nice if ya like that kinda thing.
Derrik is currently tending to the body of the partially eaten girl.. healing somewhat to its slightly original state and placing her body in a more comfortable, natural position. As the rest of the group discovers the technicolor blade, he catches the power of its aura an instinctively feels it is similar to Excalibur. "It seems you have also been chosen Yingzen to wield the power of our ancestors... We congratulate you... but this girl is a reminder that it is a grim time "
Daisy cannot bring herself to look at the half-eaten girl.... She fixes her eyes on the perfect beauty of Dawnsaber as a distraction from the terrible ugliness of the other sight....
Bluff to conceal her revulsion and distress
Sense Motive to detect Daisy's revulsion toward the half-eaten corpse ....
Mikey moves to Daisy's side and puts an arm around her, walking her away toward the west stairwell.
That's a damn pretty sword, huh, kid?
Nods at Derrik as he holds the sword That it is my friend
Derrik passively senses Daisy's plight and is glad that Mikey takes up the mantle to make her feel better.. For all the power he has been given.. Derrik was never the best at the softer emotions. After giving a prayer for the girl he stands back on his legs and nods to the group. " Let us continue... Lest we want more like her to suffer a similar fate "
Marcus just kind of stands around awkwardly.
I've never been good with the distraught women.
"Marie, do you think you could, uh, do some female bonding stuff or something over there?" he whispers.
His wife nods and walks over, patting Daisy on the shoulder and giving her a hug.
Feel free to make an avatar for Marie and post for her, if it adds flavor to our little tale. :)
Having performed a field funeral of sorts for the half-eaten girl, the FOs continue their raid on the Silver Tower....
Yingzen and Mr Clean melt into the shadows about 60 feet ahead of the others, who are lead by Derrik and MJ, with Daisy and Radsworth in the middle rank, and Greer (and Marie) in the back rank....
Up the western stairs they climb, listening for sounds of enemies....
Stealth and Perceptions from our scouts, please, and Perceptions from the rest as well....
The rank stench of rotting food hits the adventurers as they climb to the 8th floor....
The 8th floor is arranged as a series of kiosks surrounding a central cluster of four larger shops. The entire level appears to be a food court or cafeteria, with tables and chairs filling the spaces between the outer kiosks and the central shops.
The bones and skulls of humans are visible scattered in a few places....
A little girl, no more than 9 years old, is standing in front of a Fanny Mae's ice cream and pretzels kiosk, weeping....
Derrik is disgusted at the display before him though it does not waver his senses.
Perception
Wuh? W-whuzzat? Sounds....of foots....stepping on me bloody stairs....little girls blubbering an' foots....stomping on me bloody stairs....how the f#%& am I s'posed to write me music with that rubbish in the background?
Yingzen does not visually perceive the evil presence that invisibly stalks this level....
Nor is Yingzen perceived by the presence....
Marcus looks at the little girl sadly.
"Come, Marie, let's see if there's anything we can do for her."
He walks over to the girl.
"Hello? My name is Marcus, and this is my wife Marie. What's your name? Are you lost?"
The little girl looks up at Marcus with big blue eyes and nods.
My dad was going to meet me here.... We were gonna have ice cream.... But he hasn't come yet, and I'm getting worried about him....
"I'm sure he has a very good reason for not showing up on time. Would you like to come with us and try to look for him? This isn't a good place for a little girl to stay all alone."
I....was gonna buy dad's ice cream with my birthday money....
The little girl shows Marcus a $20 bill, smiling proudly....
Initiative
*sigh*
'Ere we go again with the bloody ice cream story....man....I'm never gonna get any bloody music written for me next bloody album!
Marcus and Marie smile back at her.
"Well then, we'll just have to make sure you get some ice cream!" Marcus exclaims.
He looks sidelong at the rest of the group.
"Don't suppose any of you have some ice cream fixin's around, do you?" he whispers.
"Honey, focus. Shouldn't we be trying to make sure she's safe, first?"
Marie crouches down next to the girl.
"Your daddy must love you very much, huh? I don't think he'd like for you to be here, it's not safe. What do you say we get you out of here and look for your daddy? We can get some ice cream for you along the way." she says as she smiles.
Where is my dad?.... Did....did the skeleton monster get him, too?
Fresh tears well in the little girls big blue eyes....
Please tell me this little girl's not a g-- um, not like, uh, Casper....
Looking more than a little scared, but smiling and wide-eyed, Daisy kneels down next to Marie (unknowingly) and addresses the little girl....
What skeleton monster, sweetheart?
Appearing suddenly about 15 feet away from the little girl, near the central four shops, is a horror from a madman's darkest nightmares--a hulking, cadaverous, hybrid of insect and skeleton, some nine feet tall, with a scorpion-like tail!
She means me, the prince o' f%$+in' darkness, baby....
Blake watches Marcus' exchange with the little girl, completely oblivious to her true nature... That is until MJ's "Casper" comment. The cogs finally began turning as he began to connect the dots and his eyes dart around the group at the mention of the Bag of Bones.
Blake nearly s#!ts himself when the Bone Devil appears as he fumbles to pull his weapon out.
"Well, that was an abrupt answer to the question."
He snaps his head to the side.
"Marie, get the girl behind me if you can."
Marie grabs the little girl by the hand.
"Come now, child, come over here so we can protect you from the big bad skeleton man. He won't hurt you."
Initiatives, por favor....
Initiative
Holy giant Skeletor, Batman!!
Initiative
EWWW!! I don't need no shaman's songs to tell me what you are, unholy bone-daddy!
Izzat so little girl?.... Well, how's about I bite your pretty little head off, an' skin your mates alive, then, 'cause.... I'm the bloody Prince o' f~!*in' Darkness, baby....
Taking Marie's hand, the little girl points at the towering, skeletal devil....
That's the Skeleton Monster! He hurt me, really bad!
Her big blue eyes are wide with terror....
Yingzen!
Mr Clean!
Ozzy the Bone Devil!
Marcus Greer!
Daisy!
Mikey Jay!
TBD: Derrik and Radsworth!
Eeeeek! Eeeeeek!!
yingzen strikes from the shadows with an intensity that few have seen. as dawnsaber connects with the devil Yingzen speaks in infernal. I am death and to Hell you shall return. This realm is not yours and the souls you have tormented shall be avenged.