Unsteady Ground [IC]

[Zender_Solarheart]

Jered is very thankful to have evaded detection thus far; tiger-like agility or otherwise, keeping a low profile in a castle like this is quite the task. It doesn't help that all the bright colors would be hard for him to blend into, either...but hey, he's finally made it to the meeting spot. Now where's that angel...

...oh, there he is...and he happens to be the legendary Archangel Ayrenis! Jered can't help but take a step back from the revelation, especially when his mind factors in that this personification of righteous battle has been guiding him all this time. Once he regains the mental composure needed to do so, Jered bows to one knee in front of him, holding the Journal of Urun up for him to take and dispell the magic on.

"It is a great honor to be in your presence, oh mighty Archangel." Jered speaks with utmost respect for Ayrenis, knowing full well how mighty the holy being is. (Me, in the presence of the great Ayrenis? This is almost too much to fathom...)

[Icaelus]

Viv took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down. It hurt her to just even think about those excuses of people that had been her parents. But she had loved them so much..which had just made their betrayal hurt so much more. An arm wrapped around her and Viv glanced up at Cier, his face bitter at her story. She smiled at him and then turned back to the Margrave, who seemed at the very least, convinced of her story. The Margrave moved, as if he wanted to speak but was interrupted by a voice. Someone denouncing her last statement of Angels and Demons not being that different..and also something about threads?
Vivienne turned her head to look at the source of the voice, a tall raven-haired man dressed in the same uniform of the SVN soldiers, albeit without a facemask. Crowning upon his head was the trademark red beret of the SVN forces..but what caught her attention the most was the gleaming silver revolver that he whirled around on his finger, the metal throwing up reflections in the light of the Grand Hall with each revolution..
He stepped forward and Viv's breath caught in her throat. Would this man shoot her in front of the Margrave? She eventually remembered how to breathe and took in a much needed lungful of air as the man gave her a critical look, his eyes examining her from top to toe.

"This is really our new ally?"
Okay, he was pissing her off. Her previously miserable expression now replaced with anger, Viv opened her mouth to retort a few choice insults back but was interrupted by Cier. Viv inaudibly growled her annoyance. She didn't need Cier to fight her battles..but it was appreciated. It gave her time to calm herself and cool her head. Xierante stepped in, defusing the argument with a simple sentence. Which also provided Viv with information about who this Gralmich was..Commander of the SVN. One of the highest-ranking demons currently in Tear Stone. Viv was lucky that Cier had stepped in. It would not pay to earn the ire of a person like Gralmich..still, as Gralmich mentioned that both Nilgalos and Talphalos were under guard, she couldn't help asking.
"Why is Nil under guard? Aren't we on the same side here?"
Her sentence was seemingly ignored by Gralmich, who continued speaking to the Margrave. Okay. This guy was getting on her nerves. Maybe a moon laser or two would catch his attention..?
Cier soon cut into the conversation, impatience and anxiety obvious on his features.
"If it would have your nerves calmed, then you may search these halls. Just do not disturb our guests."
Xierante proposed to Cier. Off to search for the intruder, then..with Gralmich..? Ugh.
"You're coming with us? Fine. Don't get in our way."
Viv said shortly, her dislike of Gralmich obviously showing with that sentence. The smart thing to do was to have been polite but her own pride didn't like that option too much. The girl released Cier's hand and walked off to the west door which Xierante had gestured to in a huff.

[Reaver]

Razajin nods his head in acceptance of the limitations placed on him before he enters the next room that the kind SVN guard opened for him. He hasn't had a complete stealth mission in a while. Razajin usually goes for the stealth if you feel like it but kill every witness. Razajin is in such deep thought that he doesn't notice the giant orgy in front of him until he almost slips on some fluids. He corrects his footing before taking the whole sight in and his chin would have hit the floor if he had a potion that could do that. One of the girls partaking in the fun gives him a wink and it's almost enough for Razajin to abandon his mission and take part in these carnal pleasures but he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes as he navigates around the giant "party". He reaches the door qucikly opens the door eager to get out of that room before his willpower collapses.

[napsii]

Jered -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ayrenis peeled off a gauntlet to accept the Journal, whose leather cover almost immediately crackled and sparkled under the aura of light the Archangel radiated. He narrowed his eyes, watching sparks of black and gold snap at each other before with a silent spell, he calmed whatever wards guarded the journal. Looking to you, he motioned for you to stand back up.

"Jered, I honor your respect, but there is no need to treat me as such." spoke the Archangel, rather modestly, as he flipped open the cover. The demonic glyphs and runic writings were met by scrutiny -- rather than by confusion -- from Ayrenis. Though a warrior of the light, it seemed he was no stranger to the foreign and dark languages of the Underworld. Humming, he proceeded through the pages flip by flip, as if checking for something. Then, finding but blank pages toward the end, he whispered in Angelic a strange incantation to dispell the rest of the wards.

The Journal almost seemed to squeal as a black energy pulsed out, dissipating into the air like mist. The ink of the runes inside seemed to shift and shudder. Closing it shut, the Archangel handed the book back to you. Upon touching the "cleansed" book you immediately noted that it felt lighter and less imposing than prior.

"The Margrave's wards have been eliminated for now. But Jered, be cautious: I have observed this castle for many days, and few opportunities exist to escape." Ayrenis warned. Sliding his gauntlets back on, the angel tilted his chin toward a buzzing light on the ceiling and sighed breathlessly.

"But you should know what you are carrying, for your sake." he said, pausing.

"Several millennia ago, a lesser-known demonic sorcerer named Urun discovered that the essence of light and darkness existed within every living creature's souls, mortal or otherwise. This was something we angels had known for many years prior, but we had thought of it as an idea to observe, not a thing to touch. Urun, however, learned that he could wield the darkest confines of his opponents' hearts, using mere shadow magic. It was a deadly discovery -- one that Urun used as his key to the Archdemon's throne." Ayrenis spoke long-winded, observing painting on the wall.

"He used his new power to corrupt the ambitions and goals of his enemies -- twist them into his own army. Having crushed the Underworld beneath his heel, however, he turned his sights toward the mortal realm..." Ayrenis tensed noticeably.

"We intervened upon learning this. I was but a Darkslayer at the time, but I aided the assault into Urun's castle in the Underworld. We slew his Margraves, and eventually Urun himself, but we knew we could not leave with Urun's discoveries bordering on common knowledge. The Archangel Council, combining their expertise, wove a spell over the Underworld which eliminated the memory -- the knowledge -- of Urun's magic from what demons still lived." Ayrenis sighed wistfully.

"Jered, the very same magic of illusion and darkness wielded by demons today, even that of the current Archdemoness', is a phantom of Urun's power. But this book tells of powers long forgotten. Were the Margrave -- or the Archdemoness -- to unlock what I think it tells of, this war would twist in their favor. I would like to study it in further detail, to see what the Margrave has learned, but we must escape first." turning back to you, Ayrenis placed a hand on his sword grip.

"I must leave. Xierante knows I am here, and my presence is like a magnet to his armies. Protect the book, and escape via the western walls. Small encampments lie beyond them -- acquire a mount from there and head west to the edge of the plains. I shall meet you there. and Jered... do not get into any fights." the Archangel eyed you critically for a moment.

"Light protect us." he spoke, and with a great golden shimmer, was gone.

You spied a lone feather shimmering white and gold on the floor where he once stood. Perhaps you should take it.

Anyway, there is nothing more to do here. It would be best to get moving. The western walls were accessible out the western doors of the main complex, but you must head through the Grand Chamber -- just to the south -- to get there.

Razajin -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Escaping the room, you headed through the northern door and clicked it shut behind you, cutting short of the chorus of sounds from the other side. Nearly sweating, you looked up to the room before you. An SVN guard on the left side of the door glanced you a curious look, but returned to the room's other end without incident. The area here is far more quaint -- a cozy, decorated recreation room with a high ceiling and nice velvet carpet. Rows of tables for playing billiards and other such games are populated by demons smoking cigars. Blackjack and poker tables tended by well-dressed demons also sit nearby, the high rollers playing for vast quantities of Soul Essence, cash, soldiers, land titles or gold bars.

A boisterous laugh could be heard. Looking to a nearby poker table, you spied a jelly-bellied demon wearing a blue fur coat standing from his stool with a large bag of cash and a rolled up land deed in hand. It was Gliun. A jeweled silver rod hung from his belt! That was your target. Mirthful, the overweight demonic noble sipped his whisky and headed for the room''s western wall, which gave way to a marble colonnade with a pathway leading north, on the opposite side an identical gaming room. Stepping between the marble pillars, Gliun began to heard north, soon seeming to drop from sight from SVN guards. This was likely your chance, but you could not just attack him, unless...

A flickering shadow dragged your eyes to the ceiling. Leaping noiselessly from a small chandelier to the top of one of the marble pillars was a black garbed imp, his red eyes gleaming through his face mask. A dagger was tucked into his belt. Near Gliun, a second imp could be seen rustling around a suit of armor along the corridor wall. And yet a third poked his head out from a decorative tree to your right.

They locked eyes on you simultaneously and gave a "thumbs up".

"Psst, hey boss. It's us! We're gonna help ya out!" the tree-hanging imp spoke. "We'll distract 'em, then you swoop in and grab the rod!"

Giving a hand signal to the imps on the pillars, the third imp leapt from the tree onto the chandelier, where he whacked it with his dagger. Almost immediately, the crystal ornament exploded in a light show of rainbow colors and whistling noise, drawing curious stares from the onlookers, who wow'd at its sudden magnificence. Through the light show, the second imp would rustle around in the decorative armor suit, drawing a glance from Gliun while the first would leap across the ceiling, drawing the attention of the lone SVN guard.

Now was your chance, it seemed. Dash through the colonnade, grab the rod from Gliun's belt and hop outta here!

Vivienne -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Gralmich gave a dismissive laugh as he followed you through the large double doors, which slid open smoothly to reveal another grand, arched hallway inside. Not nearly as magnificent as the ones before, as this one had many doors branching out into the rest of the complex, but a sight to behold nonetheless. His leather shoes clacking on the marble flooring, the SVN commander stepped after you as Cier tried to pull you on ahead, a frown on his face. You imagine they weren't on the friendliest terms.

But to your convenience, the raven-haired gunman didn't pursue the subject of your distaste for him, instead sliding a revolver from its holster and whirling it around with that distinct noise and gleam under the light as he caught up.

"Dragons are dragons. Nilgalos might be ours, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't wreck this castle. This kind of thing happens all the time." he explained tersely in regards to your earlier question. It was blunt, but he had a point... neither Tal or Nil seemed to have much respect for any but themselves a choice few others. This drew a growl from Cier, whose ears twitched. His steps slowed to a leisurely pace, however. The halls seemed rather empty -- no intruder nor thief in sight so far.

You three walked for a while longer before Gralmich spoke:

"So, you're the Margrave's newest guest. And a mortal, too. How'd you end up here?" queried the commander, his revolver still orbiting around his finger like it had a mind of its own.

"She doesn't need to tell you." Cier mumbled.

Gralmich cocked his head tauntingly.

"Don't worry, I'm just curious." he spoke, looking to you.

"Besides, it's bad karma to treat me as the villain."

He had a point. (-5 Alignment)

Clife -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Beatrix hummed critically, her eyes dancing coldly between you three before she suddenly broke into a fit of coughing that shattered her harsh aura for just a moment, sprays of blood coughing up from her throat. Wiping a hand across her mouth, she settled her eyes back on you, seeming to have recovered from her fit of ill health. The woman does express herself as rather... shadowy to you, but she has all the features of a mortal, and lacks the signature red eyes of a demon.

"Good enough." she spoke of your alignment. You presumed from this she wasn't a friend of the demons, which was reassuring. But she hmph'd at your inconsiderate question.

"Is that not obvious? I had been travelling when we were attacked." she said, waving a hand over a previously unseen cluster of bodies: a small pile of demons and corrupted mortals, stacked neatly atop one another. As she was the last one standing from this group, that kind of handiwork doesn't heal your opinion of what kind of person she is.

Beatrix crossed her arms.

"I'm a human. Nothing less, nothing m--" she never finished her sentence.

At that precise instant, a loud whistle lit up the air above you, and all eyes turned up to see a brief glint as a black object howled its way to earth. It clicked in Jegen's head what was coming, and so he grabbed Reila and dove further into the ditch, but you and Beatrix could not react in time. A colossal, weighty explosion shattered the earth between you two like a deity's wrathful fist, the resounding shockwave picking you up and hurling you straight into the air like a ragdoll as massive chunks of earth and rock flew up in every direction. Your eardrums burst, deafening you, and your vision swam on the edge of unconsciousness as you fell back to earth, expecting death, but just as you would have hit the ground, another presence tickled at your mind...

Tranquility washed over you through the chaos, lightening your dim vision with a silver tint. A shivering feeling coursed through your body as the ground neared with ferocious speed, but like the saving grace it was, a cloud of silver energy split through the earth to catch you like a net, depositing you softly on the ground with your senses and vitality returning in an almost an instant. Your head touching against the ground, you felt that same enormous presence with you...

The Silverwood!

But you could not linger on it, and stood up to the sight of a crater in the earth where you had stood, exposing some of the Silverwood's giant roots. The earth shuddered, though, and began to bind itself back together under the tree's influence, eliminating the crater with supernatural speed. Nearby, a dazed Reila and Jegen poked their heads out from the ditch, but Beatrix... the woman was slumped, her body riddled with several enormous wounds onto the ground several yards away. Blood had hemorrhaged from her body, painting the ground large swaths of red. No way she could have survived that.

Glumly, you turned your eyes to the horizon. Six silhouettes could be seen coming over a nearby hill from the east, all armed and armored.

Reila and Jegen braced against each other, groaning in confusion. You were still dazed, but seemed intact...

Clife HP - 240/250
Reila HP - 95/100 (Dazed)
Jegen HP - 330/350 (Dazed)
Beatrix HP - 0/600 (Dead)

Sortaix -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

With all your arm strength, you hurled the Chema Bomb toward the ceiling. The grenade shattered with a green burst, releasing its corrosive contents onto the damp, porous stone of the stalacite. It fizzled, and for a few tense moments it seemed nothing would happen until with a great crack and groan, the practical stone spear detached and hurled down toward the two skeletons. While the first was far enough to dodge, the second could only make a feeble dive for safety. It was a partial success -- the stalacite crashed into the plateau, impaling the skeleton through its armor at the spine and splitting it in half in a chorus of shattering old bones (210 damage; lower body destroyed). But the skeleton's upper half -- arms and weapons included -- managed to escape its lower half's fate and give a hiss as it grasped the earth and spun toward you.

Slowly, it began to crawl along after you, but wasn't as much of a threat.

The second, witnessing your craftiness, was now on guard and raised its shield further as it pivoted to watch you. You dashed for the nearest edge of the plateau, finding your heels on the precipice of a nasty fall with the skeleton then closing in.

The skeleton was slow, and thus easy to fire upon, but its cautious pace made it more alert. Your first arrow embedded itself firmly in its shield, reeling it back and letting a second arrow fly through and strike it on the left hip through its armor, breaking off at the joint (30 damage; left leg locked up). It hissed. It was not disabled, but its leg oft locked up from the arrowhead in it. It was quick to close in, however. Before you could nock another arrow, the skeleton's shield slammed forward, impacting you in the upper body (15 damage) and sending you reeling backward, straight off the edge! But being charged with adrenaline, you were quick to snap a hand out to grasp the stone edge, leaving the armored skeleton above you and a dangerous drop below.

You had a hand free to return fire, but the skeleton was drawing up its weapon for another attack! If he hit your hands, you'd surely fall...

Nearby, the necromancer girl propped her chin on her palm and cocked an eyebrow expectantly.

"Aw, come on. Don't be a disappointment, heehee." she teased you from afar.

Sortaix HP - 335/350 (hanging precariously off an edge)
Skeleton Knight 1 HP - 270/300 (left leg locked up; moving in)
Skeleton Knight 2 HP - 90/300 (lower half gone; crawling along)
Necromancer Girl HP - ???/??? (still watching passively)

[MiscChaos]

Clife's still skeptical of the woman's injuries, but suddenly it doesn't matter as the world inverts and darkens. It'd been a while since she'd last been sent flying. She couldn't even properly remember when, just that this one is miraculously less painful. Still hovering just above unconsciousness is never fun. And then she isn't. She's enveloped in the warmest hug she's ever known, the feeling almost bringing her to tears even as it energizes her into a state like the explosion never happened before gently laying her to the ground. She picks herself up and thanks the Silverwood for it's intervention, still trying to blink back tears its display has caused her. It helps to see Beatrix dead and Reila and Jengen dazed though.

'Majestic Silverwood, please lend me your strength.' she pleads before she faces down their attackers.

"Identify yourselves!" she calls out, trying to draw their attention to her rather than the dazed two in the ditch. She realizes that's a great way to get a shell of whatever they're shooting to the face, so she prepares to use her nature magic to prepare a shield. Out of Silverwood if it will help her, but otherwise out of the surrounding area.

[Zender_Solarheart]

Jered listens intently to Ayrenis's long-winded, but very informative synopsis of this "Urun" sorcerer, and his earth-shattering discoveries. As the story progressed, his expression slowly changed from one of thoughtful attention, to shock and ominous realization. To think, knowledge of such weight could have been unlocked by the demons, were it not for him retrieving that journal...

...and now, he faces a difficult escape from the Tear Stone forces' grasp, with book in hand...this could get messy. "May that very light shine through the darkness, and bring hope to all." Jered speaks as Ayrenis vanishes in the golden light, both a prayer for good fortune, and a little uplifting statement to help brighten his own spirits.

To start on the aforementioned escape, Jered heads back to the Grand Chamber, swiftly but quietly, scooping up that lone feather from Ayrenis along the way...hey, you never know, it might be useful later. Once back out in that area, his tactical priority will focus on remaining undetected; he's a skilled fighter, yes, but he's no one-man army...

[Sortaix]

After Sort saw the stalactite crash down on the undead, he was quite happy. He was also aware the other skeleton was going to take him more seriously now. The shield proposed a problem, but he was still able to lock the things hip up, but it also knocked him off the edge, that he was thankfully able to grab. He did see the skeleton raise his weapon, knowing full well if it came down, he was going swimming. Sort then raised his free hand to blast the skeletons weapon out of his hand, then he would reach for the things foot and try to pull him off the edge of the plateau, hoping the thing wouldn't grab his boot, when it fell.

[Icaelus]

Viv frowned as Gralmich simply laughed at her question about the dragons as they walked through the doors. They led into another hallway, not as magnificent as the previous ones, the effect somewhat spoiled by the many doors leading into different places of the keep's complex.
The clacking of Gralmich's leather shoes on the marble floor indicated that he was keeping right behind her even as Cier pulled on her hand, trying to walk ahead far in front of Gralmich. He didn't like him much, did he? Well...Viv didn't, either. Not yet..or perhaps never. The SVN commander soon piped up on the topic of the two dragons, breaking the rather tense silence.
"That's..true."
Viv conceded Gralmich's point. A low growl from Cier announced his feelings, but he still slowed to an easier pace...great, her legs were aching. They continued on for a bit longer before Gralmich spoke up again, asking how a mortal like her could've ended up in Tear Stone. Cier immediately spoke in her place and Viv patted his hand reassuringly. Wasn't any harm to tell Gralmich.
"You probably heard me back in the hall..wasn't exactly whispering there, was I? And I guess you could say either my fate or pure coincidence itself brought me to meet Cier here, in his wolf form. I didn't have my memory back at the time and so..I was more trusting. He needed me to get a chalice full of tainted Soul Essence, which I did, and then we came back to here on Nilgalos' back..and so, here we are."
Viv spoke as they walked, explaining the previous events in an nutshell. She never liked explaining things. Viv glanced back at the silver revolver still spinning on Gralmich's finger and she subconsciously drew closer to Cier, accidentally bumping her head into his shoulder.

[Reaver]

Razajin gives the imps a small grin of appreciation before starting to get into position. When the distraction starts Razajin starts running at full speed completely ignoring everything around him except for the chubby demon and the rod. He vaults over one of the game tables and shoves a minor demon out of the way before reaching Gliun. He keeps running, only slowing for a few seconds to yank the rod out from his belt before speeding down the room. As he reaches the end wall Razajin runs up it with an assassin's practiced ease before flipping off of it and going back out through the door, giving the ninja imps a quick salute as he leaves. When he enters the orgy room he doesn't even blink as he completely focuses on doing his next feat. He starts sprinting towards the center of the room and before he reaches the beginning of the sex mosh-pit he jumps over the whole group activity with shadow magic fueling his distance and length of the jump. He lands with a few shadow tendrils clinging to his feet and he takes a deep breath and composes himself before going back into the room where Norith waites.

[napsii]

Jered -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Touching the feather seemed to have an opened a very ethereal presence to you. A hollow and yet warm feeling climbed up your arm, leeching into your chest as the feather seemed to have fluttered under some ghostly wind. Feeling frozen there for a moment, you felt yourself heave a number of heavy, swimming breaths before the feather in your hand vaporized into a breath of gold mist, leaving you feeling invigorated and... stronger (+250 SE). Moving on, you turned out the door and stepped into the halls, which by this time were rather empty. Most of the nobles in the lounges had dispatched, and even the tapestry-weaving imp had finished its work and packed up, leaving you free to proceed through the lofty corridors to a door toward the south. Without interference but a keen ear out for trouble, you found yourself at the southern wall of this large room, proceeding carefully into a large, tall and magnificent hall leading to the Grand Chamber. For a time, nothing happened -- the Grand Halls were rather quiet.

Approaching a junction to the Grand Chamber's northern entrance, you peeked your head around a corner only to snap it back in, heart pounding. The image of two rifle-wielding SVN soldiers flanking the door down the corridor was unmistakable, and knowing you could not bypass them, you decided to play a gutsy move to cross the junction and head westward. To some miracle, but a brief lapse in the soldiers' attention let you slip by into a westward corridor. It did not lead to the Grand Chamber, but rather some hallways west of it.

It made you wonder why Ayrenis had deemed you travel to the Chamber first. It seemed rather redundant. But theories came to mind as soon as not even five minutes later, you heard a number of voices from down a corner, in a hallway leading north to the T-junction near the western edge of the complex you found yourself near.

...

A loud series of bangs and explosions nearly knocked you off your feet as the whole complex suddenly shook! A draconic roar could be heard, followed by the pops of gunfire. What in the world?

"Dammit! Sorry, have to run." you heard a young male voice say, followed by the loud clacking of shoes dashing the opposite way down the corridor. A slamming door could be heard, and then only two voices...

You heard some whispering, followed by steps toward your direction!

Looking behind, you saw a number of SVN soldiers run by far down the hallway, heading toward the north. Dammit, it looked like you couldn't just back up!

Razajin -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The cover of the mild chaos is so consuming, your cloaked figure is like a breath of wind to the distracted onlookers. You managed to nuke a whole poker game by sliding over everyone's cards as they were distracted by the light show (how rude!) but thankfully there is no mishaps as you wind around pillar and dash across floor to make a practiced lunge for the odd silver rod Norith had treasured so. With a squick, you ripped it from the blue coated demon's belt and with some fancy acrobatics, dashed southward back out of the room as planned. Even through your adrenaline, though, the rod's effects on a living body became tangible. Coursing through your limbs as you held it was a cocktail of rage, lust and other weird emotions that flicked back and forth until you wisely shoved it into your clothes to cancel the strange sensations.

From mere caution, you disguised the object and slowed your pace as you neared the southern recreation room's exit. The SVN guards, being as keen as they were, would not be tolerable of someone running like a madman past their eyes.

Your heart was still racing as you stepped back into the quiet and cozy lounging room, the serenade from the nearby piano not doing much to calm your nerves as you stepped back to Norith, who tilted his head over his shoulder to spy you. Looking from what seemed to be his third steak, he waved you over.

Once within earshot, he clapped his hands together in delight.

"Well done, Razajin! Well done!" he praised you in a quick, excited whisper. Inviting you to sit again, he motioned for the rod and, accepting it, held it carefully by its leather handle. The Jarl ran a finger up and down its silver length, causing him to shiver.

He sighed, settling the atmosphere back into its previous slow pace.

"It gladdens me that you have retrieved this. Ones of this caliber are ungodly in expense. Excellent at parties, though!" commented the Jarl, tucking it away. He coughed and looked to you, sipping some black drink from a crystal glass.

"Now, let us dis-" he was cut off, as was the rest of the building.

A loud series of booms and bangs vibrated through the building, followed by a distant and hollow roar that was unmistakably draconic. While muted by a number of walls, it gave the entire room pause, and sent the SVN guards into alert, exchanging hand signals and waving their rifles around as if there were some unseen enemy. The Jarl frowned, blinking curiously.

"Oh, dear. That is not good at all. It must be those fine young dragon women. They are rather feisty at times... ah, it is a shame they are not for sale." Norith shook his head in disappointment as the nobles lit up with confused, bewildered chatter. You guess he meant Nilgalos and Talphalos, the Demonic and Angelic Dragons, respectively. They were originally forged by the Angels and Demons respectively, but had since lost most of their loyalty to their masters, instead choosing to hang around Tear Stone with each other, for the most part.

...And they had some rather nice figures in human form.

"Ah, well, you strike me as the one to 'check that out'. It seems to have come from the main complex. So I will give you your reward..." the Jarl suddenly procured what seemed to be a shimmering black and white ticket inlaid with runes from his pocket, handing it to you.

"Civen'cis once gave this to me, but I have no use for it. You may present it to her for a 40% discount on your next purchase. As well..." Norith raised a hand, prompting a ghostly, burning stream of energy to pour into your chest from his fingertips, making you shiver. (+270 SE).

"Essence, for the road... now, I have things to do, so it would be best if you left. Thank you for your services as well! I shall keep you in mind should you need any more work. Farewell." the Jarl inclined his head, and an SVN soldier tapped you on the shoulder indicating to the door. Time to leave. Or get shot in the face if you didn't want to. Whichever.

Vivienne -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Gralmich rubbed his chin thoughtfully at the synopsis of the day's events, before breaking into an intrigued laugh. It was innocent enough, but Cier made a point of frowning and letting his animal ears flop to voice his distaste of the raven-haired gunman. But the wolf boy did perk up, almost electrically, at your touch, turning his head toward the ground as not to embarrass himself with the hint of pink that'd crawled across his cheeks.

"Ah, so it was you who found that tainted Essence. Heh, nice work... we've been looking for that for a long time." commented the SVN commander, still whirling his revolver around. Eyeing you spy his revolver, he gave a theatrical toss into the air -- the well-hewed silver frame glinting in the light -- before catching it by the barrel. Thrusting an arm out, he offered it to you. Ironically, were you to pull the trigger right now you would have shot him right in the heart. But that'd be mean.

"It's not a bad piece of work. Here, take it." he spoke, placing it in your hand. The impression you got immediately was... weight. The revolver was deceptively heavy for how Gralmich had wielded it, but it felt lethal -- a true instrument of war. Between its fine engraving and custom-shaped, carved wood grip, you imagined it was worth a fortune despite it not reeking of magic, like most weapons today. The visible bottoms of the six bullets in the cylinder tempted you to squeeze the trigger.

Cier's ears shot back up as you bumped into him, and his hand unconsciously reached for your wrist.

About ten minutes later, Cier and Gralmich had thrown into a grisly debate about how to properly slay an Angel with an attack to heart until, turning another corridor--

Bang! The whole building shook under the force of a distant and sudden explosion, causing the crystal chandeliers dotting the ceilings to shake and rattle in apparent fear. To this backdrop, a loud, deep roar could be heard nearly as piercing as the continuing booms. The crackle of gunfire became faintly audible as well, prompting a curse from Gralmich. Taking back his revolver, he snorted.

"Dammit! Sorry, have to run." he touched his fingers to his temples in an arrogant salute and, turning heel, dashed off back down south with speed only a demon could muster, vanishing but seconds later.

Cier blinked, looking up and about.

"What the hell?" he gawked as the gunfire continued. His ears swiveled up and about.

"It's coming from the far north end. It must be Nil and Tal... Gralmich said they were holding them there." he declared with a bitter look of intensity. It was within a few seconds that the noises died out, though, leaving the corridors as quiet as ever, save for Cier's brief panting.

There was a tense silence for a good ten seconds, before a shadow could be seen flickering around the corridor instead. Cier tensed, his ears swiveling in that direction.

"Wait... there's someone there." he leaned over, whispering to you. His red eyes washing with alertness, he took a step forward, his hands tensing into fists.

It's him. you heard Cier speak in your mind as he continued to walk forward.

It's the thief. Uh, b-back up. He's dangerous! he suggested.

Clife -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As soon as you voiced your plea, you saw the miraculously unharmed Silverwood's bark began to shimmer -- its leaves began to rustle in an oddly animate reply. Numbness kindled in you, but little more could be felt as you stood observing the six figures prowl ever closer over the grassy hill. Their forms became distinct as they neared, proceeding toward you at a casual, though strident walk. The first visible two were a pair of red-skinned humanoid demons with the usual tail and horns dressed in identical steel armor and helmets with large visors, swords at the hip and painted shields on their wrist. On their chest was a neat gold and purple tabard, depicting a large, swirling and ferocious dragon -- the emblem of some ungodly demonic army unit.

Behind them sat a trio of grotesque, hunched over demons garbed in leather and chainmail, with tight fitting coifs that didn't disguise their ugly faces. That being said, they bore the same tabard as their more knightly companions and were geared for war with well-wrought crossbows in hand and pouches of quarrels lining their armor. Damned archers!

But most visible of all was the purple and gold garbed woman, looking perfectly human, wearing a distinct sneer on her face and what looked to be some kind of leather rod in hand:



Nearing you, the woman and what was obviously her 5 lackies paused. The trio of crossbowdemons fled for a nearby rock outcropping, loading their weapons while the two swordsdemons drew their blades and stood ready on either side of the woman.

Looking between you, Beatrix's bloodied corpse, the other bodies that'd been torn apart with whatever damned explosion that was before and the nearby Reila and Jegen, who poked their heads out of the ditch to observe curiously, she sniffed arrogantly.

"Nobody gave you permission to speak." she commanded in a young, clear voice -- maybe a bit naive and childish -- in reply to your question. It reeked of someone who had acclimated to absolute rule.

"I won't ask how you survived my artillery strike, but since you lived, you may as well explain what you're doing here before we wipe you off of Autum." she narrowed her eyes, snapping her strange leather rod against her palm. That was what hit you: an artillery strike! The fearsome, advanced field cannons used by many militaries had a penchant for being destructive if the crew's aim was true. To your surprise, though Reila and Jegen did not cower but rather spring from the bush, Reila's wood sword in hand and Jegen taking a long drink from his flask.

"Aw, shaddup, PUR-PULL FACE! I'm Reila Redspike and dat's Jegen and dat's uhh... Cliffy. Cliff? SHE'S SOMETHIN', I DUNNO! But yew ain't da boss 'round here!" Reila fired up, her face puffing red with childish hate. She skipped to your side, huffing hot breaths.

Jegen continued to drink, and the purple-eyed woman rubbed her temple with a sigh.

"Bandit children? That is all the Angels have to offer?" she spat, looking to you.

"I'll have you know that I am Lenore, commander of the Violet Dragons artillery battery. And I won't have this kind of nonsense. Now, explain yourself, and I'll let you run." she sniffed. Reila just growled, looking up to you with burning green eyes for your reply.

You felt a warm pulse beneath your feet, and the dizziness from the artillery blast seemed to fade...

Clife HP - 250/250 (supported by the Silverwood)
Reila HP - 100/100
Jegen HP - 340/350

Artillery Captain Lenore HP - 300/300
Demon Swordsman A HP - 300/300
Demon Swordsman B HP - 300/300
Demon Crossbowman A HP - 200/200
Demon Crossbowman B HP - 200/200
Demon Crossbowman C HP - 200/200

Sortaix -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

For a tense few moments, one could think all was lost. Your fingers had rapidly begun to slip on the damp stone lip of the plateau and the necromancer girl's derisive grin was almost enough pressure to force you off, but by some miracle you... pulled through? A sharp blast of light magic from your free hand, while poorly aimed and serving you to exhaust you somewhat with the spell's poor and hasty structure, had the desired effect and burned away at the skeleton's old, bony wrist (30 damage), prompting its blade to slip from its fingers as the skeleton hissed from the light magic.

Destabilized by this, the skeletal servant could not correct its balance to avoid your hand locking around its leg. It was heavy with its armor on, but with a mighty heave you managed to hurl the monster over you, prompting to let loose a wretched groan as it fell downward to the reservoir. Unfortunately, as it went down, the skeleton reached out a bony, almost claw-like hand in one last strike and reaved it across your back, the sheer impact slicing through your armor and cutting four bloody furrows into your flesh (40 damage). It was extraordinarily painful, but you managed to climb to your feet...

...where you were immediately met by the floored, half-body skeleton swinging its blade at your knee. It nicked you (5 damage) but not to any actual harm. Using it elbows, the skeleton continued to crawl at you. Below, a loud "sploosh" could be heard as the other skeleton slammed into the deep water, gone for good.

The necromancer girl gave a giddy clap of applause, her lips curling up into an almost seductive smile as you reappeared over the ledge. She was arguably good looking, when her face wasn't twisted with hate in your direction.

"Nice work, angel-boy..." she applauded quietly, stretching out on her stomach over the table and propping her elbows on it to rest her chin on her hands. Her legs swung back and forth up and down.

You felt blood leak from the wounds on your back (5 damage). They'd pain you until healed...

Sortaix HP - 285/350 (bleeding for minor damage per turn)
Skeleton Knight 2 HP - 90/300 (lower half gone; swinging at you)
Necromancer Girl HP - ???/??? (watching passively)

[Sortaix]

Sort climbed up onto the edge of the plateau, rather happy his plan worked, but not happy his back is bleeding. That really hurt, damn skeleton. Speaking of skeletons, one just took a swipe at his boot, giving him a little cut. Sort then ran around the undead creature, hopefully too fast for it to turn with him, and punted the little ankle-biter off the edge, into the water. He then put a hand to his back and used a little healing magic, to at least take the blood down a bit, before drawing his bow at the woman.
"Well, I am glad you enjoyed the show, Miss Evil Dress. Now, care to tell me what you're doing in this waterway?"
Sort said, standing a little exhausted and understandably annoyed.

[Reaver]

Razajin nods, handing the rod over to Norith. "Suggest me to your friends and colleagues. I work throughout the whole land of Autum and divine beings cost extr-" his words are knocked out of his mouth as the room rumbles and he inadvertently flinches. "Yes my Jarl I will be leaving soon to check it out. However I thank you for the reward, and I hope to see you or your nephew again." Razajin salutes Norith and takes the coupon before following the SVN soldier out the door and into the hallway. "Okay now to find the Margrave." he mutters as he starts walking.

[MiscChaos]

“Of course it’s demons. It couldn’t be anything but demons.” Clife thinks, taking in the 2 swordsmen and the 3 crossbowmen. The commander of this little unit is what frightens her the most, her composed, royalty-like disposition making her seem fierce even as it annoyed Clife. Still, Reila has the right idea. It’s time to show this bitch who’s in charge. There are no words that give away Clife’s intent to strike, just her gripping her spear and dashing straight at the enemy. Halfway into her charge, she calls upon the Silverwood, asking it to have its roots destroy as many crossbows as it can while she stabs at the throat of the closest swordsman, hoping that Reila and Jegen take the hint and give her some distract the other swordsman. She realizes all of them need to be close to the enemy to keep them from unleashing another artillery strike since she would rather not trouble the Silverwood by having to have it protect them from another one, seeing that, even if it was for a tiny bit, it was hurt the tree itself.

[Zender_Solarheart]

The moment the castle begins rocking from the outbreak of violent noises, Jered can't help but halt his pace in surprise, if only for a brief moment. Sounds like somebody started a battle...and judging by the draconic roar accompanying the shots, it seems the instigator was Tal herself. She certainly seemed proficient in wrecking the demons' forces, from what he could gather. The young male saying he had to run sounded rather confident, given the situation at hand...a commander, perhaps?

Whomever that may have been, Jered has bigger problems on his hands right now...such as the footsteps heading right for him. Noting that he can't just backpedal and find another route - courtesy of the SVN units further back - he takes a ready stance with his sword sheathed, but ready to be drawn on a moment's notice. If the person headed his way turns out to be hostile, he'll waste no time in incapacitating him/her with a swift hilt-strike to the gut, following up with a karate chop to the neck if that isn't quite enough for a knock-out. However, he wants to avoid actual killing blows if he can help it; better to not leave a trail of blood and corpses to be followed with. The Angel did tell him not to get into any fights here, but this is more to defend himself and avoid drawing attention.

[Icaelus]

"It was more or less just reaching through an anti-demon barrier. Cier took care of the guards."
Viv said, her gray eyes still tracking the movement of the silver revolver spinning on Gralmich's finger. He must've seen her looking at his revolver, for he suddenly flicked it up into the air and caught it perfectly by the barrel, holding out the handle to Vivienne. She blinked, surprised by Gralmich's sudden friendliness. The gun seemed quite important to him. For him to lend it to somebody he didn't really know at all yet. Viv nodded and stretched a single hand out, clasping the revolver's handle firmly. Gralmich let go and her hand was immediately weighed down to her side. Heavy, that was for sure.
"Uh..wow..I didn't expect it to be this heavy.."
Viv held it in both hands, admiring the advanced piece of technology. Autum did have guns, but definitely nothing like Gralmich's. Her memories told her that most guns in Autum right now were weak and very slow.
Ten minutes later, Viv was now happily spinning the revolver like Gralmich had been. Cier and Gralmich was now arguing how best to stab an Angel to death in the heart. A distant explosion rocked the building suddenly and Viv nearly let the silver revolver drop. Whoa, what the heck was that roar, too? Nil? Tal? Viv returned his gun, after which he then snapped out a two finger salute and turned away to break some sprinting sport records. Viv raised an eyebrow, looking at where Gralmich was originally at. He moved fast, that was for sure..
Viv frowned as the gunfire continued. What was happening..?
"Tal and Nil roaring honestly doesn't worry me as much as the gunfire..."
She voiced her worries, giving Cier an inquiring look as he suddenly leaned over, his voice a whisper..he had heard something..or someone. Viv's hands slowly moved to the shortsword she wore in a hilt at her side. She wasn't very good with it, but it was at least sharp and definitely more likely to protect her than her puny fists. Gods, she had to find a way to use Moonburst indoors..
We have to catch them, though. Isn't the Journal of Urun important?
Viv thought back, nevertheless complying with Cier and staying close to his side.

[napsii]

Jered + Vivienne -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Vivienne would hear Cier grumble as he neared the corner, the obviously humanoid silhouette of Jered just visible across the floor.

I don't know what dad does it with, but I just know it's important. he affirmed, sounding unsure of the Journal. Still walking, Cier would hunch down, his body suddenly enveloping in a torrent of shadows as he loosed a low, almost pained groan that would develop into a savage growl as the shadowy mass twisted and elongated, settling at last on the shape of a red-furred demonic wolf with a beige sigil marked into his fur, teeth and claws razor sharp.

With lightning speed, Cier's wolf form dashed around the corner, bucking his hind legs and lunging head first at the silhouette of Jered whose keen reflexes and senses gave him warning of the assault and allowed for a brief counterattack of a strike to the gut (10 damage) that had the wolf yelping with surprise. Spittle flying from his growling mouth, Cier would crash almost right into Jered, leaping off and pulling him around the corner, where the two would collapse face first to the floor in sight of Vivienne.

Damn! I thought he'd be an angel! commented Cier to Viv, skidding to a halt and flipping onto his legs ten feet from Jered.

Jered would not be slowed, however. Unfazed by the tumble, he'd have a sharp view of the awaiting Cier in front of him and Vivienne far down to his left.

"THERE HE IS!" a loud, commanding voice would light up the hallways. Looking behind him, Jered would spy two SVN soldiers, all armed with rifles extremely far down the hall. They must have detected the scuffle. Even worse, he and Viv could spot another duo of SVN down the corridor to his right, virtually trapping the tiger warrior between them, Vivienne and Cier. The four soldiers, however, seemed to hold their ground, instead lying prone and taking aim with their weapons from down the hall.

Cier growled, scratching his claws against the floor and dismissing the SVN. Instead, with a savage roar, he'd dash forward several feet and then lunge with ferocious speed for Jered, aiming to tackle him with an impact to the chest.

Viv, get back! Cier would warn to her telepathically with obvious concern.

Jered HP - 450/450
Vivienne HP - 200/200
Cier HP - 650/650

Razajin -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The path to the Margrave is one that seemed to have identified itself. Group by group, demons of all rank and stature seemed to be flocking toward the sprawling main complex. It was curious why, but panting and gossiping demons you passed on your way through the inner castle town would have mentioned the two dragons, Nilgalos and Talphalos, having exploded into yet another temper tantrum common of a dragon. Such occurrences made for primo entertainment, from what you could gleam. Hence, you hastened your steps through the castle town and made for the nearest doors to the main complex with anticipation racking your mind. As you would have expected, the nearest entryway was warded by two SVN, but they were being nearly crushed under the tide of curious demons (including one Corrupted ogre who was whacking people out of his way to get to the doors) who sought entrance.

The SVN were only where the Margrave was, however, and so you proceeded forward cautiously to the throng of twenty or so demons cramming against the door. Some attempted to pull them open, only to be met with a prick of a bayonet from one of the soldiers.

Heading up the path, you shoved your way past a few anxious demons to blaze into the thick of the crowd. Behind you, more and more piled up, but you managed to shove your way to the front of the pack with some effort. Looking up top, you also spied three distinct figures topping the stone battlements. Waving to you was the first of your imps, who procured a small, round object in his hand. With a hand signal to his two compadres, he'd chuck it downwards, right into the crowd...

Blam! The three bombs would detonate, releasing a goddess-awful amount of red smoke into the crowd. A touch of it caught your lungs, making you cough, but the idiots around you sucked up the most of it, leaving the crowd degenerating into a chaotic mess of sputtering demons who quickly began to disperse, after about a minute leaving you alone with the two SVN soldiers, who seemed perturbed as they waved their hands in front of their masked faces to clear the rest of the smoke. Up top, the imps quickly vanished.

"You again. What do you want this time?" the first soldier would question, waving away some more smoke. To your right, a jittery looking demon in a hooded gray cloak would tap his bony red finger, seeming nervous to get in as well.

Clife -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As soon as you bound into the fray, leaving Lenore to narrow her eyes and reach for the katana on her hip, the two demonic knights zoom forward like a blur for a two-faced interception of your blind rush. To your dismay, your spear -- which would have got Lenore through the eye -- is parried by an impressively quick sword before a heavy shield comes up under your stomach and slams you back to the dirt (10 damage), leaving you winded and for a moment, feeling like your fate is sealed as the second of the swordsmen moves in to impale you through the chest, until--

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Reila let out a screech that nearly had her voice cracking, leaping like a madgirl with her wood sword flailing at the second swordsdemon. Flinching under the sudden barrage, the demon stumbled back, Reila battering painfully at his armor with her wood weapon to no real damage, but succeeding in pushing him away. Intent on keeping his superior safe, the first retreats back with Lenore, who had quickly backpedaled toward the crossbowmen on the nearby hill, who were fumbling to load their weapons.

Glancing at the maniac Reila, you can't help but find her energy a little inspiring. Your stamina recovery is boosted! You would be able to leap back to your feet rather quickly under this inspiration and the force of the Silverwood beneath your feet. To your dismay, the tree seemed wary to engage in the violence, instead loosing a mental groan of distaste as if considering whether to help you so directly or not. Looking at the nearby Lenore, you spied the young woman holding her rod to the sky.

"If you want to speak with your sword, so be it! But you are good as dead." she threatened, raising the rod further.

"Prepare to fire main gun!" she declared loudly. You see a glimmer off on the horizon. That can't be good!

You heard a cough behind you as Jegen tucked away his flask, rolling his shoulders and walking up to you hastily with his eyes locked on the first swordsdemon who was now running out to face you two head on, as if to buy his superior time. The jelly-bellied trader clawed his hands, settling into a rather outlandish... martial arts style? It looks like he was more capable than you first thought!

"I am no fighter, but I will do my best to assist. Just get ready for whatever ungodly weapon this Lenore woman is preparing." he spoke to you.

Clife HP - 240/250 (supported by the Silverwood)
Reila HP - 100/100 (suppressing Demon Swordsman B)
Jegen HP - 350/350

Artillery Captain Lenore HP - 400/400 (directing artillery strike)
Demon Swordsman A HP - 300/300
Demon Swordsman B HP - 300/300 (suppressed by Reila; cannot attack you)
Demon Crossbowman A HP - 200/200 (loading weapon)
Demon Crossbowman B HP - 200/200 (loading weapon)
Demon Crossbowman C HP - 200/200 (loading weapon)

Sortaix -

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

With a mild pain in your foot, you managed to dismiss the half-bodied skeleton off the edge, a nice punt carrying it up and over the plateau, into the water with a satisfying splash. It hissed at you on the way down, as if to vow its revenge. In a shimmering glow, your light magic would bind the wounds on your back, prompting relief to wash through you as the stinging pain was suppressed, and the wounds sealed firmly enough to staunch the bleeding (+35 HP, bleeding stopped). You would still need medical attention, though.

No more obvious danger could be seen beyond the odd necromancer girl, who quickly swiveled into a sitting position to clap for you as you turned to her. Correcting her mussed hair, the ice-eyed necromancer gave you a good looking up and down as you approached. She did not seem too keen to fight, however -- an unusual stance for a necromancer in her position. Yet you felt you should keep an eye out for that dagger of hers, which was curiously absent.

She loosed a sigh as you readied your bow, crossing one leg over the other.

"Hey, angel-boy, relax. I won't hurt you." she bit her lip mischievously, looking to you sidelong in an entrancing fashion. "And if you have to know, I'm just doing my job." she said, hopping off the table and indicating to the neat stack of scrolls on a nearby shelf before striding over to you with slow steps, hands on her hips. Your magical intuition noted that although she reeked of necromantic magics and potions, she didn't seem to have any spells ready to strike. Nor did she look like she was very physically strong. Either way, she wasn't an outstanding threat should worse come to worse, you thought.

"I never caught your name," she said, stretching out an arm to gently push down the tip of the arrow nocked at your bow with a finger.

"I'm Marquette. You?" she raised an eyebrow expectantly.

Sortaix HP - 320/350
Marquette HP - 350/350

[Sortaix]

Sort watched the necromancer woman come toward him, she was rather nice looking and didn't appear to be a threat, but her dagger was notably out of sight. Which was cause enough to worry, as her plan was likely to act nice, get close, then commence with the stabbing, and the hurting. She was rather nice to look at though, so he simply took a step back as she introduced herself.
"My name is Sortaix Silent, Miss Marquette. You had a dagger I saw on you earlier, and until I can see you're not going to stab me with it, I would appreciate it, if you didn't come any closer. By the way, you said you were just doing your job, and what might your job be, Beautiful?"
Sort then put his bow away, but held an arrow in his hand, obviously intending to use it as a weapon, if necessary. He wanted a little bit of space between the girl and himself at least until he ascertained she was not a big threat.

[Reaver]

Razajin scowls at the lack of respects but decides not to say anything about it. "As I told your comrades I have word from the frontlines for he Margrave. Clearly as you can see I have been given the resources nessacary to complete this mission. In my report I am to tell him about the success of an experiment that we were conducting. It's highly confidential and the commander put it as highest priority." Razajin gives the twitchy demon a glance but doesn't find him that important or noticeable. He also sniffs the air and catches the scent of something that reminds him of his recent battle.

[Zender_Solarheart]

As the hilt-bash inadvertently results in his opponent dragging them both into a tumble, he does his best to quickly shake off the slight dizziness while he gets up. Then, he hears the SVN troops shouting down the hall...buggers are as unluckily-timed as he expected. Worse yet, they're blocking his path to the right and rear flanks, with Cier holding the path dead ahead. If he's getting out of this one, he'll need to get a little more creative...

Recalling Ayrenis's advice to avoid direct fighting, Jered fires an electrical bolt at Cier, but meant only to stun him. At the same time, he jumps forward to the forward wall on his right (i.e., Cier's left), and begins wall-jumping between the two, using electromagnetism on the walls to keep his footing between jumps. After all, a fortress like TSC likely contains some magnetic minerals in its stone architecture.

However, Jered also plans ahead, in case Cier dodges his stun-bolt, or simply isn't immobilized long enough by it for him to zip past. Should the wolf-demon attempt to yank him out of the air, he's ready to land another disabling attack. His current ideas are to either kick off of him for a little boost, fire another stun-bolt, or simply whack him in the face with another hilt-bash.

While doing all of this, Jered keeps one ear open for that clicking sound of an SVN pulling the trigger on his rifle. While he's not all that great at systematically dodging bullets, Jered does have other ideas on how to handle them, such as an electromagnetic barrier to ward them off...

[Icaelus]

Important, hm? Nice to know. And it's a journal. I suppose he reads it at tea-time. But mostly along the lines of reading, of course.
Viv rolled her eyes. Cier kind of missed the point of something at times. I mean, it's a book. Xierante sure as hell wouldn't be using it to smash people heads in. She saw the humanoid shadow of the thief, throwing itself across the floor. Not very good at stealth, this thief. Still one had to give him credit for getting this far into the heavily-guarded main keep of Tear Stone. Even if he did have the help of a dragon.
Cier abruptly hunched down, a mass of shadowy darkness enveloping him. A low growl, one that quickly deepened into a fierce, savage one escaped from his...snout. Viv watched in fascination as Cier completed his transformation from human to wolf.. She barely had time to examine Cier's wolf form longer as he suddenly burst forth around the corner at the intruder, not giving Viv time to give him back-up. A surprised yelp emitted from behind the corner.

"Cier!"
Viv cried out, abandoning the telepathy in her worry for the demon. With a rather unpracticed yank at the grip of her shortsword, Viv tugged it free of its leather scabbard and dashed up, where both the wolf Cier and the intruder tumbled into view. She skidded to a halt as Cier picked himself up and jumped away, putting some distance between him and Jered. He definitely seemed okay, at least. A yell from the side alerted her and she spun, catching sight of two SVN soldiers. The commotion must have attracted the keen attention of the elite SVN, as another pair of them approached from the other corridor. The intruder was running out of options, all the right ones evaporating away by the second and all the wrong ones simply throwing themselves in his face.
Viv raised her shortsword, nervously gripping it with both hands. Melee combat was definitely not suited for her physique, so she had never bothered much with it. And Moonburst in this environment wasn't an option at all, not unless she wanted to literally bring the roof down on them. Cier's voice warned her to back off out of the intruder's reach and Viv frowned at the sense of it. She would more likely be disarmed and used for a hostage if she even tried to attack Jered.
Ugh. I really need to find something that can channel Moonburst indoors..
Viv's annoyed thought would go through to Cier, having forgot in the heat of the moment to cut off the telepathy. She backpedaled slowly, keeping her sword in front of her in case the intruder rushed her. Not that it would do much good with Viv's ineptness at melee combat, but perhaps she would get lucky and the man would run up and impale himself on it.