That's a shame, but if it's not fun for you anymore I understand. Take care!
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"I do not think our report of the streets would do much good." Anastasia relates with a look of regret, "It is chaos. Demons do as they please, be that fighting or staging... plays? Some crusaders have lost leave of their senses their morale is so low. People are desperate and just trying to survive however they can. I feel if we retraced our steps it would be entirely different." The women seemed despondent as she spoke, but then her features hardened. "I need to see the barkeep." she stated flatly before heading into the in.
Anastasia pauses a moment as she watches the reunion, briefly wondering about the circumstance that brought the two together. She drags her thumb across the broad side of her new warhammer, and looks down into the metal a moment at her reflection. When Irabeth steps forward she does likewise, presenting her hand in invitation. "Well met." she offers, "I am Anastasia Tirajen Armat of Andoran. If you have further need of my service simply say the word. There were not many demons in the rift we fell into, and note nearly enough cultists."
Anastasia holds the wagon's lead over her shoulders, firmly gripped in either hand. She leaned forward and used them as support while she caught her breath. Her brow and neck were both wet with sweat she could feel on the back of her shirt. "That we do." she agrees, "Don't tell me to take it around the back either. Point me to the tavern keep. I have need of them."
Ana adjusted her pack and gave her warhammer a few experimental squeezes. "Anything good there?" she asks the others, "Or can we hurry on toe defender's hearth to find the missus?" Her muscles tensed periodically all on their own. The woman had seemed agitated ever since she had taken her mutagen.
Ana scowls up at the hole in the ceiling and curses. "If Irabeth isn't here we need to get moving." she reasoned, "The death of a cultist isn't as pressing a concern."
Ana gives a brief look over the cultist to make sure he was dead, before she also move to the bedroom. With equal lack of care. When she meets the door it is with the determination of finding out who the stronger was. Seemingly determined to bulldoze any obstacle in short order.
This is a concerning trend.
Ana downs her extract and mutagen just outside the door. "If she's hurt there's no time for sneaking." she reasons, "I'm not sneaky, but you should be able to follow. I'll do my best."
"Not sure about a lock, but this is our last stop before defender's hearth yes?" Ana asks her comrades. With a grim smile she draws out her mutagen and an extract. "I can knock the door down, or wait to take these until one of our group unlocks it. If anyone can, let me drink these before we head in."
Anastasia moves to grab Irabeth by the back of her collar like a child. "You should know better." she scolded in a low growl.
Anastasia gives Angahaar a sour look but says nothing more in the moment.
As the group collects the "soldiers" around the wagon Ana doesn't help out. Giving a look of consideration to the wagon and the armor clad civilians. Finally, she sighs deeply and reaches for one of her readied extract vials. Uncorking it and drinking deep of the draught. The alcohol suspension had enough kick to make her lips tingle, and she smiled as she joined the others. Reaching down with one hand she scooped up one of the men like an errant toddler and laid him in the wagon. Scooping them up one by one before she went around to the front of it and took up the pull arms. "The Tirabade house then?" she reasoned before beginning to pull the wagon.
Slow beats dead, and I have been in a LOT of campaigns that died. <3
As the demon turns to flee Ana swats at it angrily. A snarl of outrage comes from her at the thought of the terrible creature escaping to do this again.
As the demon comes in and attacks Anastasia she winces, her body tensing from the pain, and then she turns to the sightless source of her pain. Her lips curling into a snarl of a smile as she saw it was no longer sightless. "Gotcha." she grinned, warhammer gripped tightly. She swung up her warhammer in an anger fueled swing.
Anastasia watches the Ayaal act out of the corner of her eye, and then sucks in a breath as she was nicked on the hip by one of the slashes that came in across her hip. She wasn't sure if the blade had actually marked her flesh or just stung. Her face tightened, and her features grew angry. She did, however make a measure backhand at the soldier who had just injured her.
Ana charged in beside Angahaar, playing along with the demons plot for the moment while the others could work to deal with them. She gave a half hearted slap at one of the villagers with her warhammer, trying not to cause serious harm. "Traitors..." she stated flatly, "Destroy us or we will lay you low right here. Rawr."
No worries. Both campaigns I am not DM'ing have been slow. It has helped me focus on what I've been running all the more. <3
"Would you like to be left a weapon, just in case?" Anastasia asks.
Ana kept the young girl close to her and said nothing as the crusaders moved on, still acting the protective older sister. "Thankfully I did not need to excise the disease." she remarks dourly in response to Ayaal's remark. The tall woman was calming, but still seemed to have her dander up a bit after the close call with confrontation. She was taking steadying breaths and her hand still lingered on the handle of her warhammer.
Ana's scarred features soften and she returns the hug despite her surprise. "My name is Anastasia little one." she offers with a thin smile. She gives a sidelong look to Ayaal at the mention of Defender's Heart. It would be good to get more people to safety.
"It is your choice if you give up or continue on." Ana remarks, "No one can find your strength for you. It is something we all have to struggle with." She puts her warhammer away and steps forward to place her hands on the child the crusaders had threatened. "Are you alright girl?" she asks, "We can take you to safety."
"Cold iron cuts through demon resistance you ignorant clod!" Ana shouts the woman down, "I am an alchemist! There are no properties to innocent blood that differs from that of any other. The power of faith is in a person's heart. You can't cut it out and bottle it. Step back from the girl, or you will be fighting me the moment you touch her." Anastasia hefts her hammer and clenches her other enlarge person extract in her shield hand.
Ana finally gets to be the big sister! Yes!
Anastasia's brow shoots up in surprise at the sight of a drawn sword being leveled at the girl. "CULTISTS!" she shouts in fury, "Step away from that child! I will crush your backs under my hammer if you lay a hand on her!"
"Well, to Gwerm manor? We can leave another of our civilians at their ease." Ana suggests.
Ana pauses at the mention of the worm man. Interesting concept. Rather than a mutation to the body it is a transmutation or... translocation of the spirit to another vessel? Frightening. Despite he chosen word to describe the process her mind was clearly reeling over the implications and potential implementation. Looking over the spellbook Ana raised her brow in a note of surprise. Huh, I can work some of these into formulae. I think.
Anastasia frowns at the decision to stay. "We can't afford to stay here." she remarks, "I would advise you all to abandon the library, painful as it may be, and come with us." She was tense as she spoke, obviously uncomfortable with the thought of leaving someone behind. Ayaal's suggestion at least gave her something better to do with her time. She had at least a pair of minutes left on her current extract. She began to try and shove several of the emptied book cases over toward the door. They could be tipped over after the group left.
Anastasia raises her warhammer high, even higher with her increased size, and brings it straight down on the cultist's head.
Anastasia circles around the man they have ringed, needing to circle the hostages to get to him without trampling anyone under her boots.
Anastasia waste no time once she is certain magic is afoot. She clears the door and gives an angry scowl at the cultist on her left who shot at her. She brings her warhammer back in a feigned strike, but instead lowers her shoulder and brings her shield level with the smaller enemies face to bowl him over. Giving a furious shout as she swings through his space to try and lay him out.
Anastasia trails behind the nimble Ayaal, giving space so as to not ruin her ambush. She reaches for a vial as they move, but hesitates as she considers the travel left in there day. "Might end up a bit of a slog..." she softly notes to herself before she reaches for a different vial instead. Taking one of her extracts of enlarge she had previously prepared and bringing it to her lips. Waiting to drink it until the arrow was freed. As Ayaal attacked and Angaharr came through the door it was Anastasia who burst through the opening a moment later. Large and in charge, shouting to draw the main focus of their enemies. Whoever it might be.
Kind of did my holidays in November with how busy December is at work. Christmas was my first two days off all month! <3
"You should come with us." Ana reasons to the couple they met, "Every moment you linger here another demon could show up. We're picking our way to Defender's Hearth. I don't know much, but it should be safe there."
Ana clicks her tongue as her slingstone goes wide. They needed to kill this beast in a hurry. Now that she was closer she discarded the leather thong of her sling and took up her warhammer again in both hands. Clenching her jaw and clenching her fists needlessly hard into the wrapped handle of her hammer. "I'll kill it!" she called out to Angahaar. She let her anger come to her like the worn edge of a hatchet. Tensing her body before charging forward at this... abrikandilu... thing. She brought her hammer in a downward strike with her full momentum.
Anastasia didn't reply to Ayaal's question. She wasn't versed in picking out what kind of demon this might be. Only in killing it. She clipped her warhammer's strap to her belt and drew out her sling. Setting a sling stone whirling before loosing it at the creature.
Yup! Hit every objective along the way to rest and defense!
Ana shrugged, her armor lifting on her frame as she did so. "I just figured we'd get found out either way." she admitted, "Better it be us two while the rest go unnoticed. I'm not going to try and give you orders though."
"A reasonable approach..." Ana reluctantly agrees. Bridling her desire to start cutting through demons and cultists by reminding herself they had civilians with them. "Angahaar and I aren't well suited for it with our armor though. We should likely take point." she admitted, "If something spots us they won't necessarily see our civilians." With that said, Ana will place her shield onto her back and take up her warhammer in both hands. Keeping an eye out she took point. They had several objectives on their way, and she didn't like the idea of having to double back later.
Seems to reason we can hit objectives on our way to a safe place to rest.
Yes, I apologize. I will get some posting up in the morning. Things have been rough here. I should be back to regular posting again.
"Yes..." Ana slowly agrees after making note of Horgus' attitude.
She shares Angahaar's want for combat with the forces besieging the city, and she claps the man on the shoulder in solidarity. Again, her shield is brought up to shoulder height and her warhammer is hefted. "Let's clear a path for everyone else." she agrees.
Want to apologize for my short absence. I have been sick all month, and working overtime worsened it recently. Then, as if that wasn't enough I wrenched my neck over the weekend. I should have taken the time to give a heads up, but never considered I would have a run of misfortune all together.
Polite and prestigious alchemist? Absolutely. Andoran enough to troll a noble? Guilty...
Ana dips her chin, a solemn expression on her face as Ayaal suggests a small ceremony. "I'll not turn down such a blessing." she agrees. She grows thoughtful at Othniel's explanation of his heritage. But despite her obvious consideration there is a downturn of her lips. "In utero mutation..." she considers, "You're very lucky. Most alchemists have abandoned such mutations for how hazardous they can prove to the mother and child. I am sorry to hear of your parents. Family is... well, that's not my place to comment." Overall the conversation seemed sobering, but when it was over she pulled out her notes and started to add to them. Seemingly finding something worth jotting down from the brief conversation. Looking at their civilian cargo Ana gives an annoyed sniff. "The first thing we need to do once on the surface is find safety for you three." she reminds them, "Just because it's above ground doesn't mean we can expect all the demons to be vanquished and ran out of the city walls." She casts a sidelong look to Ayaal. "Introductions are likely in order." she explains, "But I would not speak for my betters. My lord, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself?" She favored Horgus with a fake smile, clearly intending to trouble him with more introductions or subject Ayaal to it. Maybe both.
Ana bristled at Angahaar's complaint but then purposely calmed. "Yes, because clearly such things have zero effect on one's performance." she sarcastically noted. She then reached over with a gloved hand to run her finger over one of his scaled arms. Then retracted it to look at her fingertip as if checking for dust. She gave an amused huff of a laugh as Ayaal explained her heritage. "A Garuda I would wager." she replied, "Crossing owls with other animals has been notoriously less pleasant." As they all agree to head to the surface Ana nods and hefts her warhammer up onto a shoulder. "If it burns I will do my best to throw the cultists on their own fire, and quench it with demon blood." she added. A harder edge to her tone at the promise.
One part concern over their heritage, two parts curiosity about tails and bird eyes. |