Chronicles of Drasil (IC)

[Inferi]

Huh, so the people she was with weren’t completely useless. That was good, and it could make this fight a lot easier. She wasn’t sure about ice being as conductive as water, but since that wasn’t her area of expertise she decided not to comment on it. If they were wrong, well, they were wrong, and tactics would have to be changed. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a fatal error if they were.

Before they really got anywhere else, though, shouts came from outside, and Reggie confirms that the bandits have arrived early. Good. Leona didn’t want to wait here until night anyways, and the heat outside would make fighting conditions uncomfortable for everyone else. Maybe they were surrounded and outnumbered, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have some kind of advantage.

As their employer gives the indication that they should get ready, Leona takes both whips off her belt and prepares a casting of her Lava Darts. Anyone peeking in the wagon would get one hell of a surprise, and it would serve as an excellent opener when she leapt out as well.

[Angel_Slayer_Alcatraz]

( ooc: I should have known you would pull that)
"My name is Nyx, it is nice to meet you Victor"
She bowed slightly
"As for the sword, in your language it's name means "Blood Harvester" even i don't know much about it"
She lies about his and looks away slowly

[jayjaycaps]

Half listening to the bandits, Jace cracked his knuckles. Taking the water he had swirling around him, he brought it down to his left fist. Surrounding the hand and elongating it on one side, Jace froze it around his hand. The result was an ice katar molded around Jace's hand, preventing him from letting go, even if he wanted to. He could melt the ice whenever he wanted, but until then, the sharp blade would provide a nice surprise for the bandits.

Getting up, Jace twirled Quicksilver around in his free hand. A quick stab forwards and slash back to test his katar, Jace was satisfied. Crouching into a ready position, Jace got as close to the tarp covering him as he could. In his mind he went over his plan, going over his moves. This was the part Jace loved the most, besides getting his pay. The moment before the fight, when every muscle in his body was tense, his brain working overtime to power his magic, Quicksilver becoming a silver blur as he ideal twirled, spun flipped, and twisted it around in anticipation- this was the happiest Jace had been in a long time.

[Reaver]

Ramses grimaces as the guard walks towards him. "I had no intention of bribery, only buying a room, sir. Maybe we can talk this out later? I have a meeting I have to attend." He tries to keep an innocent look on his face but fails as soon as he watches Marco pass him by with the Mage girl in tow. Ramses's hand slowly slides to his sword as he stares into the guard's face. "I'm deeply sorry for this misunderstanding but it just costed you, your life." He rips his sword out, whipping it across the guard's neck before turning to face the duo. He pulls his other sword, taking a defensive pose while the guard's blood splashes across his green cloak behind him. "MARCO TURILLI! YOU ARE WANTED BY THE KNIGHTHOOD OF KOIN! SURRENDER NOW OR ME AND MY ASSOCIATE, STANDING NEXT TO YOU WILL COLLECT THE REWARD FOR YOUR DEATH!" At least now if things went bad maybe the knighthood would have to take the fall for this. Besides if his words could cause chaos in the crowd or between Marco and the girl, all the better.

[Icaelus]

You could almost hear the crickets chirping in the silence of the moment as Marco basically ignored her for the first few seconds..and then completely surprising her by calling out her real name, which she hadn't mentioned since even coming to this town. Damn it, did this guy know everything?
"Uh. Okay..could you come out?"
Irie said, a bit awkwardly. She wasn't used to having her cover blown right out of the water, even if it was quite the makeshift one. The man soon obliged, door opening to admit the very man himself. He was dressed exactly how the information had mentioned. Outstanding in many different drab colors. This guy could really use a fashion magazine..
"So! Yeah! Protective custody, that's right."
Regaining a bit of her old composure back, Irie sighed as Marco mentioned that there was a man that wanted his life. The man in the green cloak downstairs immediately came to mind..could be innocent, probably not. Either way, she was going to be on her guard..

And bloody hell, was she right to be on her guard or what? If there was another Irie in some parallel dimension that didn't put up her guard during this particular moment, she would've traveled to that very dimension just to rub it in her own face, screaming "I TOLD YOU SO!".
But cutting right to the point, yeah, she was prepared.
As they walked downstairs, Irie shot the man in the green cloak a suspicious look. He was being held up by the guard that had let her through..good thing. Could possibly buy them some time till they left...
"Or not."
Irie cursed under her breath as the man drew his sword, slashing the guard's neck in a surprise attack and spinning to face them, accusing her..of being his associate, here to take Marco's life unless he surrendered? Shit.
"The Knighthood doesn't kill innocents, you impersonating son of a slug."
The Knighthood Magician growled, spinning Hurricane to sharp attention. She gave the room a cursory glance. People were already panicking and it would do no good to start a battle in this confined space, where the nature of her magic could harm bystanders easily..

"Cards of Storm, Ventus."
Irie whispered as she drew a pair of cards from her Thundergod's deck, the magical deck of cards blessed with the element of Air. Caution: Do not play poker with this deck. She flicked the cards at the would-be assassin, the cards blasting forth from her hand with razor-edged deadliness, homing right in on the man. They would serve to distract the man at the very least..
"We should leave now. Please trust me, Mr Turilli."
She smiled grimly at the man as she stepped closer to him, wrapping a slender arm around Marco's waist tightly and pointing them both towards the door.
"Might wanna hold on tight!"
She grinned impishly at him as she charged up Air Displacer at Hurricane's tip, blasting them right out the open doors and into the outdoors.

[Zender_Solarheart]

Xiaotou

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

“Aww, isn’t that cute?” Alcor taunts as you erect the No Way defense (-10 SP), then…walks right through it. No seriously, he just waltzed through your barrier – getting zapped in the process, by the way – and comes out like those sparks and razor-sharp winds were nothing at all, despite the various small scratches visible on him now (3 damage). No reaction of pain, no acknowledgement of his wounds, however minor they are…he just ignored it all.

“Well well, you’re even hotter up close, baby. How’s about you and me hit up the bar and- FIVE PHANTOMS!”

Cutting his own mocking pick-up line short, Alcor vanishes from view in a puff of black mist, then reappears…with four clones of himself, arranged in a star-like formation around you. Of course, you have only enough time to process that fact, as they immediately dart in on you all at once. You can manage only to deflect the attacks to your front and left side, leaving the remaining 3 to punch at your right bicep, left shoulder, and lower back area. Once again, the power behind those strikes seems moderated, further suggesting Alcor’s just playing with you (5 damage per hit x 3 hits = 15 damage total). Once his attack finishes, he warps again, standing just outside your arm's reach...but he doesn't attack again.

“Y’know what, sweet-cheeks? I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll let you get a shot in on me.” In a seemingly suicidal choice of actions, Alcor unbuttons his shirt partway, baring his chest for you to see. “Aim wherever you like, toots. My head, my neck...hell, if you want, go straight for the killing blow! I won’t use any magic until you’re done, either; all you have to worry about are these hands of mine. Well, what’ll it be?”

{Battle Stats}

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

:Xiaotou:
Health: 50%.
SP: 95/200.
Status: Battle-fatigued, but still good enough to fight.

:Alcor:
Health: 100%
Status: Brave? Or stupid?

Irie vs Ramses (Be warned: you two have a bit of a read...)

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As Ramses makes his move, Marco's left eye gives off another faint red glow beneath the drab cloth placed over it. Before he can so much as utter a word in response, however, Irie's already retorting on her own, and getting them both the hell outta dodge (and using up 55 SP in the process)...

...Or so Irie would've liked, as now, a group of 5 more hitmen now have them surrounded. While Irie herself wouldn't be able to tell, Ramses (should he choose to head outside) can easily note that they're not part of the Sentinels; whoever these guys are, he has no affiliation with them. Each of the five newcomers draw their weapons - all of those being crossbows - and let loose upon both Marco and Irie. This could be the end...

"Eye of Truth, Level 2."

While uttering what sounds like a magical incantation, Marco himself springs into action, back-flipping and sweeping his leather-gloved hands to literally catch every crossbow bolt out of the air. Landing with as much flair as when he took off, he crushes the wooden bolts in his palms, and unsheathes his own weapons: Blind Guardian and Nightwish. Blind Guardian is, for the most part, your typical shortsword, with its only unique feature being a cracked Glyph Sphere set in the center of its cross-guard. Nightwish is the more visually-unique weapon, having a cone-shaped blade more akin to a knight's jousting lance; what its true function is in his arsenal, only Marco himself would know. With his twin swords revealed, Marco raises up his left arm, and unveils his third weapon of choice: Graveworm, a spring-loaded wrist weapon that uses a spear-head at the end of a grappling chain. Firing that weapon at the thug on the far right, Marco stabs him in the chest with Graveworm, and uses his body as literal dead weight to knock the other 4 to the ground, retracting Graveworm immediately afterward. With the mooks mopped up, Marco turns to look back at Ramses, untying the cloth strap over his left eye...

...revealing what looks more like an iron ball with a red light in it, as opposed to an actual eye.

"I see...your name is...Ramses." Marco utters, while Ramses' skull may feel like there's something crawling around inside of it, as if a worm was slithering across the surface of his brain. "You know your target, but neither your client, nor his true aims. You're being used, as I suspected...so there is no need for you to die here. Begone, and I will spare you." While some may find his choice of words to be compassionate and/or merciful, Marco's tone of voice is cold and emotionless, as if his wish not to kill Ramses is merely calculation of the most efficient choice of action.

At this point, Irie could attempt to run for it again, or stand her ground. Similarly, Ramses can either fight this man now, who may or may not be able to read minds...or he can run off to fight another day.

NOTE: Irie's SP is now at 145/200.

Amber

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Nodding his head "yes" to acknowledge the agreement, Jered motions for you to follow him. "Our caravan is this way. We have some spare canteens you can use, but we must depart immediately; the Swimming Shrine waits only until dusk." Once you reach the Locksmith's caravan, you travel for about an hour or so before reaching...

Location: The Swimming Shrine.

You and your fellow Guildsmen now stand in front of the legendary Swimming Shrine, which is even more impressive up-close than the rumors said. Its shape is akin to a pyramid, but closer inspection reveals a strange pattern in the stonework, as if to resemble a gigantic stone rattlesnake coiled up like a pyramid, with the entrance fashioned much like its open jaw. Surprisingly, the entryway is unblocked and has no door, allowing free entry...but just because it's easy to get in, doesn't necessarily mean getting out will be as easy...

(BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_YE7A-k4wU)

Inside the Shrine, you're greeted by a wide entry hall, with massive spear-holding statues on either side. The way ahead, however, is blocked by a large stone door, tightly sealed shut. In front of it is a stone slab with ancient text scribbled all over it. Jered motions for his number-one scholar, Lixus, to read the text. Lixus is a young man with long, blonde hair, and a face that, on occasion, has had him mistaken for a girl. However, his ability to translate the ancient written language of ruins such as these has made him an invaluable asset to the Past's Locksmiths, for obvious reasons. "Ye who desire entry...seek out the Guardian of the Half Moon...and gain wisdom from his armament." "Any idea what that means?" Jered asks. "Not for certain...but I have a hunch one of these sentinel-like statues is the 'Guardian of the Half Moon' it speaks of." "Alright then, let's start looking around. Amber, could you and your buddies help us out?"

Jo

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

After swapping, your new hand is as follows:
3 of Diamonds;
6 of Diamonds;
Queen of Clubs;
5 of Hears; and
King of Spades.

Once again, your hand is a "junk" hand, worth nothing in terms of present score. It also has no duplicate numbers, so anything like a Three of a Kind or Full House on the next swap is a long shot. However, you have a chance for a Straight if you keep either the 3, 5, and 6, or the Queen and King. You could also hang onto the 3 and 6 of Diamonds and aim for a Flush. In the end, though, it comes down to whether your final hand can beat your opponents. Speaking of which...

By now, Alex has finished his first mug of ale, and gotten halfway through his refill. Greg, on the other hand, has only half-finished his first one, obviously playing it safe with his intoxication. Having drank so much alcohol in such a short time, Alex suddenly lets out a hiccup, and says something heavily slurred, though you could've sworn he mentioned "Dwarves" and "hairy little women" somewhere in there. Whatever he said, it hopefully wasn't too important, as he subsequently falls out of his seat, passed out cold from his drunkenness.

"Ugh, not again..." Greg mutters. "I keep telling him to watch it, but does he listen? Nope. *sigh*...well, let's just say he forfeits by default, so now it's just you and me." Greg swaps two of his cards for replacements from the deck, then adds: "So...how about we have one more round of swapping or passing, then lay 'em on the table? Or would you rather call the hands now?"

Jace and Leona

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The very moment the curtains open up, Locke, Reggie, and Bill let loose with their attacks of choice. Locke unleashes an electric scatter-shot to stun the three bandits up front, allowing Bill to smack each of them with little pebbles he carries with him, all strengthened by his Earth magic. Reggie follows that up with his Water-empowered crossbow, nailing an additional bandit in the face with a bolt of pure ice. All of this clears the way for Jace and Leona to jump out, where 4 more bandits await them.

The two bandits near the middle wield axes in their right hands, while the two outward bandits pull out crudely-fashioned swords. None of these weapons have any P-Tech enhancements, giving an immediate advantage to the entire anti-bandit squad, though Reggie, Locke, and Bill are tied up with other enemies on the fringes of the combat zone. This leaves Jace and Leona to deal with the nearest 4 bandits as they see fit. Show 'em who's boss.

Nyx

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

(Well, if you're bringing Nyx into an RP chock-full of my own characters, I might as well have Victor in as well, eh? )

"A pleasure to meet you, Nyx." Victor replies. "You know, I've always wanted to visit the Pramizian continent at least once, to see their culture for myself. While I know more of it than most 'outsiders,' much of it was learned through eyewitness accounts, and books they wrote. I have yet to look upon it with my own two eyes." He might be making small talk right now, but Victor's expressions through both words and body language imply a deep interest in Pramiz's culture, as if he had dreamed of going there ever since he was a child. That would explain why your dress and sword caught his attention so quickly.

Out of the corner of your eye, you can spot some random muscle-head at a nearby table looking over, most likely ogling you. He has yet to stand up or make any advances, but there's no guarantee he won't stay like that...

Eircee Tearlon (Taria)

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Your presence in Erimos is for different reasons than most travelers, as you're currently looking into reports on a malfunctioning P-Tech Wellspring. These water-producing gadgets are what sustain the many towns and outposts dotting Geodia's vast desert, meaning that if one goes out, the resulting drought could have disastrous consequences for the entire town. Being an expert in Water-related P-Tech, you have been called in by request, which implies the problem is something that a run-of-the-mill technician can't fix alone. That suspicion was confirmed when you heard the details from the Wellspring's usual maintenance man:

"It's odd, really. The device itself shows no signs of damage or disrepair, and its processes for converting Prana into water all work just fine. The issue lies in how it fails to take in any Prana in the first place."

Considering that the Glyph Sphere for a P-Tech Wellspring is designed specifically to take in Prana automatically, without any configuration or go-ahead commands in the mix. Normally, this would be due to the sphere being damaged, but as stated earlier, it's in perfect condition aside from the whole "doesn't absorb Prana" thing. With the device in front of you, and your Sphere Analysis Interface (SAI) projected in front of you via the special ring that technicians like yourself use, you have all the tools needed to start figuring this out. How do you begin?

[Taria]

Eircee take a good look at the outer structure of the well to try and figure out which type of model this aquafier device is in particular. Utilizing her SAI interface she bring up a 360 degree holograhic project of the glyph sphere to see if she can spot any minute physical defect that could have been over looked. She then checks the sphere's glyph inscription codes to see if there any variation with what it's supposed to do, and what the code is actually telling the device to do. Her eyes quickly scan over the many lines and grooves that Prana-technitions use to translate commands through the Prana, her acute mind quickly translating all of the data as if the sphere where telling her exactly what it has been told to do.

[joeyjoey61297]

Jo looks up and doesnt answer she waves her hand low to insinuate that she wants to keep going, she didn't mind another round of swapping in fact she had already put her cards that she didnt want down on the table to swap them out. The cards she had left in her hand were the 3 and 6 of diamonds and 5 of hearts. She was hoping for that straight, looking at Greg she asks "So what's my treasure look like." trying to make him scared and make a bad decision so that she can win the game. She kept a straight face but tried to make herself look excited to give off the illusion that she had a good hand.

[Inferi]

Finally, there were able to do something. The opening assault by their comrades appeared to be effective, but then again the element of surprise was something that had decided the course of battles throughout history. Whoever had that element had the upper hand for as long as it lasted, and usually it was enough to decide the course of the fight. Hopefully theirs was enough to thin the number of bandits enough to make the remaining amount easy for the group to take out. The lack of P-Tech equipment on the opposing side, at least from what she could see, was encouraging as well, and hopefully it was an indication of what the entire group had.

Her time to jump out was fast approaching, though, and such thoughts turned to strategies of battle. Given the density of enemies she was fighting, a sweeping attack seemed to be the smartest. That meant her best choice would be Hell’s Lash, as the extended tongues of flame from the end of the whips would be long enough to both surprise enemies and get inside their weapon range without putting her in danger. Not to mention the fire would be enough to set wood, if they had anything like that, including weapon shafts, on fire.

Putting this plan into action as she jumped out of the wagon, Leona’s whips burst into flame, illuminating the front of her body with eerie shadows. Taking a run towards the four bandits, Leona swung the whip in her left hand in a cross-wise motion, sending the extended tongue of flame lashing forward and over three of the bandits. The only one that she didn’t go for an attack on was the one on the far left, as he was out of range of the whip’s extended lash. Shifting her path to the right, Leona’s right whip then came in, aiming for the arm of the far right bandit that was holding the sword. If the whip connected, its barbed tips would bit into the bandit’s arm, painfully ripping clothing and skin and likely making him drop the weapon. Add in the fact that the whip was covered with intense flames, and it was unlikely that, if it connected, the bandit would be able to think about anything besides his ruined arm.

Even if he did manage to dodge, there was still the extended tongue of fire to deal with. It had the range to go past him and hit the next bandit if he got out of the way completely, and would easily lash over his body if the whip connected as planned or he tried to jump back.

[daxtinator396]

Amber looked around the ruin with awe... she was finally here. A place no other explorer had set foot in before. She began to eagerly look around for anything artifacts until she was snapped out of her stupor for things by Jered asking her to help look for something else. Ooo something else to look for! She called out to her little group,"Alright boys you heard him! Start looking... I think we are looking for one of those statues to have a half moon in it... or maybe one behind it. Let's hurry along." She said with a smile and began to search carefully.

[jayjaycaps]

Jace would have liked to take note of how exactly the front three bandits got taken out, but he was already out of the wagon by the time they were. He was silently thankful that his comrades had acted so quickly though; Jace probably would have ran right into them. Sprinting off of the wagon, he made sure one of his footsteps landed right on the face of one of the downed assailants.

As he rushed the remanding four, Jace was vaguely aware of Leona using some sort of flame/whip attack to his right. It only hit three out of the four bandits, leaving Jace a clear shot at the one on the far left. "Way to leave some for me, Leona." Jace muttered jokingly as he neared his target. Jace feinted forwards, at the last minute sidestepping to the left while extending his katar across his body, hopefully slicing the bandit's side. Once behind the bandit, Jace would quickly kick the bandit in the back, hopefully causing him to stumble forwards. "That the best you guys have got?" Jace taunted. Nervously twirling Quicksilver around and keeping on his toes, Jace took a quick scan of the battle.

It seemed like Leona had her side of things pretty well taken care of, that whip of hers proving quite useful. He couldn't suppress a smug grin though as he silently gloated about his superior combat abilities. A whip is only good if your target keeps their distance. Too bad that ain't Jace's style... Being a sell sword, he couldn't help but size up his allies. You never know when you might be hired to kill one of them... Despite Leona's initial attack on all three of her opponents, two out of three of them were free to ruin her day. Deciding it'd be a good idea to see how she handles that situation, Jace refocused on his previous opponent, who must be recovering by now. Jumping around a little from pure excitement, Jace couldn't help but shout out another taunt. "Come on, get up! Come at me! Do you even lift?" Twirling Quicksilver around again, Jace prepped himself for the incoming counter attack.

[jayjaycaps]

(Due to some problems with Reaver and LoK, I will be posting for him.)

Ramses leaned against the entrance of the inn, watching Marco mop the floor with those goons. "Clearly someone hired some amateurs to do a professional's job." While he can't say that the little show wasn't entertaining it did show him all of Marco's weapons. That Graveworm seemed like a troublemaker but it was nothing Ramses couldn't handle. Marco's mind reading was slightly more impressive and Ramses showed his awe with a slow clap. "Oh! So not only is my target a experienced brawler, he can read minds too! I won't be leaving though. How bad would it sound if the leader of the Sentinel Guild fled before a one-eye warrior and a stripper in tights? I think I'll fight this one out." He gives a slight wink to Irie before drawing his dual katanas. "Last chance. Surrender, Marco and I'll make it quick. The Lady may leave now unless she wants to possibly share your fate and I would greatly prefer her dismissal."

[MiscChaos]

"Oh come on!" she shouts ((in an echo of her player's sentiments)) as the bastard walks right through her barrier. It's really starting to fucking piss her off that anything she does to this man warrants a laugh from him at best and then, wait for it, oh yes, pain right after. Still, it's not like she can just lay down and give up. She has people waiting for her at home that she MUST get back to, no matter what. Then the man bares his chest to her, telling her to take a shot. This is a trap. Most definitely a trap. Stupidly so. It's also her best chance of getting the fuck out of wherever the hell this freak of nature sent her though, so she'll be going all out for it. She doubts she can overwhelm him, it's a freak of nature after all, but maybe she can at least amuse him enough so that she can go back to Xue.

So she queues up almost every spell she's got, planning to use them in quick succession. First she uses No Conscience on both of her blades, creating a blade of wind to follow her attacks. Then she kicks off and uses No Restrictions to up her speed and give her attack much more weight and lethality. Once she's in range, she uses No Chance to do additional damage to the man since she sincerely doubts he'll be caught up in the tornado. Once that's all done, she cuts down diagonally with both blades across his bared chest, letting the blade of wind behind Xiao stay where it is and make a double cut while redirecting the wind sword behind Tou to go behind the man's neck, trying to relieve him of his head. This is an all-out, last chance assault. She knows she'll be too exhausted to do much of anything afterwards, but there's really nothing else she can do at this point.

[Icaelus]

What was the thing they said? Out of the pan and right into the fire? Yeah, more like bloody inferno. Displacing them out of the inn had seemed like a good idea at the time before the five assassins turned up, surrounding them in an instant. And those crossbows looked plenty deadly. The best Irie could hope for right now was probably that they wanted to take Marco hostage..and not shoot them right there. Magic had it's uses, but was it faster than shooting a crossbow? Seemed like she was going to find out in a moment.

Not bothering to yell out the name of her magic attack as she cast it - something considered taboo by most magicians, Irie drew a hand of cards and was just about to throw them when the hitmen fired all at once. Sigh. Crossbows, one, Magic, zero. Or that had been what she thought before Marco uttered some magic incantation, moving into a backflip and then swiping every crossbow bolt out of the air before landing. Whoa. Fuck you then, crossbows.
She watched as Marco then dispatched the five hitmen, stabbing one with some harpoon-like contraption and swinging his victim into the remaining four, collapsing them into a pile of tangled limbs. She wasn't so sure about the stabbed hitman, but the remaining four would live through that with some fight left in them.
She stepped over to the pile, raising Hurricane to one of the assassins still conscious.
"By the authority of the Knighthood, you all are under arrest. Move and I'll displace your face."
The magician growled, just before she activated her spell, Stun Baton and applied a liberal shock to the man. She watched as the lightning conducted itself through the five hitmen, who had all unfortunately been in contact with each another. They were all unconscious in seconds.
Efficient.
Irie smiled as she turned back, returning her attention to Ramses who was just stepping out of the inn after them. Marco had untied the bandanna over his left eye..a curiosity of Irie's that had been sparked ever since their meeting just five minutes ago. It..looked like an iron ball with a red light where the pupil would be. Not natural, of course..
She glanced to Ramses quickly, her eyes hostile as the man moved forward, flapping open his ugly lip to toss forward some choice remarks about her clothing.

"Stripper in tights? I'll have you know it's a specially tailored suit..unlike what you cavemen wear. Cloaks..hmph."
Irie retorted at Ramses' insult, stepping forward at his challenge. She gave a quick glance to Marco, who also happened to be dressed in a cloak.
"Uh, no offense. Your cloak's cool."
The girl shrugged as she twirled her cane to a stop on the ground, leaning on it. She watched Ramses draw his two swords..which seemed a bit inadequate for Marco ever since she had watched the man take out the five assassins in a blink of an eye. The man was a monster, jeez. And what was up with that eye, she didn't know. He definitely hadn't been born with the damn thing, that was for sure.
"I'm staying. Can't let Edge bust my ass. I really don't need a pay cut right now. Sides, he'll mop you up real quick so I can afford to wait."
Irie grinned impishly at the man.

[Zender_Solarheart]

Xiaotou

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Two of your three strikes in this attack ring true. The attempt to decapitate Alcor is evaded, but in the process, he is left wide open to your slashes across his chest. A splash of blood from the freshly-opened wounds punctuates the kill (deathblow!), and Alcor's body slumps to the blood-flowing ground in silence. However, the moment you turn your back on the fallen foe...

"Well, I'll be damned...you got me...hehehehe..."

The enemy you just dealt an obscenely lethal blow to rises to his feet once more, the wounds sealing themselves up, and some of the blood from the basin magically flowing into him to replace what was lost. "Two confessions, doll. One, you were kinda boned from the beginning here, what with me being immortal and all that. And two..." Alcor wastes no time darting in front of you in a movement too fast for you to follow, grips your throat, and hoists you up into the air.

"Come to think of it, though...the goal here is to destabilize the world order...and I think you vanishing will do that just as well...meh, why not? Instead of killing you, I'll take you in as a new toy. And don't worry; by the time you're brainwashed, you'll be happy to do it all day..." Suddenly, something strikes the back of your neck, and you black out...

...but instead of some sex-smelling dungeon, or whatever Alcor had planned for you, you awaken in a carriage.

"Ah, you're awake. That's good; these girls have been worried sick about you." As your vision clears, you notice the girls that were your backup are kneeling right at your bedside, and the youngest of them seems to break down into tears of joy, muttering incoherent statements of gratitude. "You're likely wondering where we are, correct? This is the head caravan of History's Architects, and I am its leader, Shelby Alkaid."

Shelby Alkaid? History's Architects? Oh wait...now you remember. History's Architects is a guild made for studying ancient P-Tech artifacts - most of which are unearthed by the Past's Locksmiths - and using their findings to improve the P-Tech the Federation uses. Were it not for them, the Guilds would've had far inferior tech compared to Koin, assuming they got any at all. The current leader - Shelby Alkaid - is a 31-year-old woman with a stunningly young look for her age, appearing far more like a 22-year-old in every way possible.

"We will reach Erimos by sundown. Until then, please rest in here." With that, Shelby leaves you and your companions to catch up on things.

Irie vs Ramses

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Marco's eye blinks red a few times as he looks at Ramses, who will once again feel that odd sensation in his skull. "You will not harm anyone, Mr. Cordunov." he mutters without emotion, stepping forward with his cone-shaped sword up in a defensive posture. Mr. Turilli, obviously, wants Ramses to make the first move, but what Irie may do here is up to her.

Irie Christings-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VS---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ramses Cordunov

{Irie}
Health: 100%
Status: Normal.

{Ramses}
Health: 100%
Status: Normal.

{Marco}
Health: 100.00%.
Status: Guarding.

Amber

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

While everyone present searches the place top to bottom, none of the statues - or anything, for that matter - depicts the half-moon symbol implied by the message. Not a single object appears to correlate to the message...and then...

"Outsiders...what business have you here?"

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hmKkEHi6FE)
Suddenly, a red-haired man dressed in a white karate robe with armor plating on the legs, shoulders, and forearms descends from a trap-door in the ceiling. He wastes no time in moving to a defensive martial arts stance, and says: "I am Yamato Ryushin, Guardian of the Half Moon, and master of Musou Ryuuken. If your intent is to pilfer these ruins, leave now, or perish within them."

"Well...this is random." Jered remarks, then steps forward. "We are not bandits, Mr. Ryushin, nor are we grave-robbers. I am Jered Alkaid, Keymaster of the Past's Locksmiths. We seek relics from the ancient days so that we may learn our history, not to line our pockets. Please understand, we have no intention of harming or defacing this shrine, or any other." For several seconds, tensions run so high in the air, one could assume a knife could cut it like butter...

"...very well. Your eyes proclaim the truth of your words. However, I am not to allow any of the artifacts within to be removed. If it is knowledge you seek, then follow me; I know precisely where to start." Yamato then walks over to the massive stone door, places his hand on a square indentation in the door, and it slides open automatically, almost as if some mechanical device had pulled it open...odd."Oh, and one more thing...follow closely. Only I know the safe path through these halls; stray but a little, and the traps within shall claim your lives."

Yamato's appearance pic:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Image link failed, so I had to upload the pic itself...

Aledy aka Yamato reference pic.jpg (41.81 KiB) Viewed 1028 times

Jo

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Since Alex technically lost by default, I'll show you soon enough. I gotta wonder what your treasure may be, though..." Greg does his best to act all calm and collected, but with every glance in your direction causing him to blush again, that's speaking somewhat loosely. With the final round of swapping done, your hand now looks like this:

3 of Diamonds
6 of Diamonds
5 of Hearts
4 of Clubs
2 of Hearts

2, 3, 4, 5, 6...there's your Straight!

"Alright. Let's lay 'em on the table." Greg comments, letting you set yours down on what can be presumed is "ladies first." He gives an impressed smile at your hand. "Lady Luck seems to like you..." he remarks, then lays his hand down in response.

"...but apparently, she likes me more."

Looking over his hand, you see that it's made up of the Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Spades. Wait...that's a Straight Flush! Clearly, Spades is Greg's strong suit, because that's not an easy hand to get. It beats your own hand, too, but all things considered, his victory is well-earned. "Well, since Alex lost first, but I beat you in the end, we both get to share our treasures, eh?" he comments, looking at you with a bashful smile, then proceeds to pick up his brother, and start carrying him piggyback to their room, motioning for you to follow. "Treasure's in our room. Follow me."

Jace and Leona

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Leona's attack proves successful in part, as her first whiplash burns across the three intended targets with ease. The two with axes not only see the wooden handles torched to ash by her flames, but also cuts them with some deep 3rd-degree burns, scalding their vitals on the way through (deathblow + Double Kill!) The one on the far right manages to duck beneath her follow-up whip, but since the one next to him was already dead from the first strike, it pretty much proves null.

Jace's attack, however, finds himself not quite as lucky. Perhaps being a little more skilled than his cohorts, the bandit brings up his sword to block the ice katar, then turn around to be kicked in the gut by Jace (8 damage). Unfortunately, he's also built a little tougher, and quickly regains his footing to press his own attack. Raising his sword above his head, he brings it down in a downward swipe, which Jace's reflexes allow him to dodge nicely...but the bandit doesn't give him a chance to counter-attack, as he quickly jumps out of reach and takes up a defensive stance, his sword held in front of his face, and pointed diagonally up and to his left side.

{Battle Stats}

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

{Jace}
Health: 100%
SP: 190/200.
Status: Normal.

{Leona}
Health: 100%
SP: 190/200.
Status: Normal.

Sword Bandit 1:
Health: 100%
Status: Fighting Leona.

Sword Bandit 2:
Health: 92%
Status: Fighting Jace.

Eircee

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

While your projection of the Glyph Sphere confirms there's no physical damage, you do find something odd about the inscription codes. Normally, a code-word is used to determine what element correlates to the Glyph Sphere's task; these code words are the names of colors specific to each element, spelled in a scrambled manner. In this case, the code-word should be "Lebu," which correlates to the blue color often associated with water. However, the code-word you find is actually "Ethwi," one which - in terms of known Glyph Sphere syntax - would cause the sphere to flicker between black and white, an error signal that notifies of a syntax fault. The problem is, no such signal was given, implying that the code-word is indeed valid...but what it causes the sphere to do remains to be seen.

Now that you have a better look at it, you can also see that the Glyph Sphere itself bears a slightly lighter tint of blue than the rest in this region...no wait, that's not right. It was the same tint of blue before you pulled up the display, but now it's lighter...was it changing color while you worked on it?

[MiscChaos]

First Xiao's eyes widened in surprise. Did... did she really just do it? Then a wild grin, the embodiment of joy itself, spreads across her face. She did it! The bastard's dead! His chest cut wide open confirms it! She turns around to start a victory dance. The fucker is... talking to her. She turns back around to see the man closing up his wounds and replacing the blood with some of the shit that flows so freely here. Immortal? Her eyes widen again, unbelieving of what she just heard, but the proof is right in front of her. This asshole just closed up her basically tearing his chest out like it was nothing! She can't win against a freak like that! She actually takes a step back in fear before he grabs her by the throat so fast she doesn't actually see it. Just one second she's looking at him, the next she's struggling to breath. When he announces his plans for her, immortality be damned, she starts kicking and cutting at him wherever she can! Damned if she'll spend the rest of her live fighting this asshole cause she sure as hell... she never finishes the thought as darkness suddenly envelopes her.

Then she wakes, ready to fight to the last, only to realize that's not necessary. When she sees her girls around her, she breaks into tears herself. Just a few what felt like seconds ago, she was prepared never see her family again. Now here they are. Image and rest be damned, she sweeps all of them into a hug, still openly weeping tears of joy. "Miahua. Jun. Fu. I thought I'd never see you girls again." she sobs, tightening her embrace. Especially around Fu since the girl herself had broken into tears. In Xiao's embrace, the other two break down too, the lot of them just becoming a mess of tears and tangled arms gripping each other like they're afraid they'll disappear if they let go. The surrealism of waking up next to her girls hasn't faded just yet, so that's an actual fear for Xiao right now. It takes a long while, but they finally disconnect from each other, though Fu stays in Xiao's lap, happy to have her back. Xiao doesn't fault her. The girl's only 14 after all. She wouldn't even be out here if her leader could've found someone more capable in such short notice. Still, the only people more capable than Fu are the people in this very caravan and the veterans on base.

"So what exactly happened?" she asks once she can trust herself to speak without her voice cracking with emotion. "One minute I'm fighting for dear life, the next I'm surrounded by my girls. Do I have you to thank for this, Shelby daren?" She refers to Shelby in such a respectful manner both because of what she's done for her and the fact that life would be much harder without her and the History's Architects. "Ah, I'm sorry to be rude. As you probably know, I am Xiaotou of the Lost Pockets." she says as an introduction. She would normally lie about who she is, that kind of information being so rare that only the Lost Pockets themselves and select few people actually know what she looks like, but this is her savior, deserving of every bit of respect she can give.

[Taria]

Eircee comes to the conclusion that this glyph sphere is functioning exactly as it is intended. However, the only question that remains to be asked is what were the inentions of the one who designed it? It is definately not the same as other sphere's she has spoken with before, and the purpoe of the inscription "Ethwi" for white eludes her. Was someone trying to make this sphere produce ice?

Remember that she is here for a reason Eircee looks up at the man who is along with her. "This sphere has been constructed erroniously and will need to be replaced." She states simply as she confiscates the spheres. "Do you happen to know the person who was responsible for this sphere's creation?" She adds as a follow up question, concealing her eagerness to unlock the secret intentions behind this particular glyph sphere. Having brought her inscription gear with her, as she prefers to have it nearby even when she is not on the job, Eircee wonders if she has the proper materials to reproduce the glyph sphere required. Knowing she definately has the inscription tools available she goes ahead and informs the man, If you provide me with the required materials I should be able to produce exactly what you need to get this well working again."

[daxtinator396]

(Your pic isn't right x.x) Amber was disappointed. Her well formed hunch was proved incorrect. Stupid temple... her disappointment changed to eager curiosity as the man descended from the ceiling. Ooo a way in! She looked with interest at his stance,"Hmm... martial artist? Cool!" She said with glee. She frowns at the mention of pilfering. They are no pilferers! She keeps the info to herself in case that Yamato guy decides not to let them in,"Come on guys we better follow. Listen to him though." She said and hung back for a second to whisper to them,"We don't touch anything until I say." She then strode off with her small group in tow.

[Inferi]

As the two bandits crumpled to the ground, their bodies burned through by the tongue of flame that she had sent their way, the pyromancer couldn’t help but be just a little surprised. Sure, the intent had been to kill them, but actually having it happen to two out of the three opponents she had aimed it at wasn’t a situation that really came up all that often. Not that she was going to complain. A success like that, while most certainly advantageous, had served to even the odds more than anything else, and she wasn’t going to mess up by prematurely celebrating.

The fact that the bandit ducked under her whip but didn’t make any motion towards her made Leona grin mentally, although her outward appearance stayed as focused as ever. In this situation, while that was one of the better ways to dodge that assault, it left him completely open for a follow-up from the whip that had spawned the first attack. As she brought the whip that had been aimed at him back under control, reading it for another lash, the one in her other hand came around, reversing direction and speeding towards the lower legs of the bandit as she continued to move in a circular fashion around him. Should the whip connect, enough of it was extended that it should be able to wrap around the bandit’s right leg, upon which she would pull it as hard as she could, hopefully pulling the leg out from under the bandit and making him fall to the ground. Even if it didn’t knock him down, the barbs would cause some fairly painful injury from the pull if his leg was reasonably unarmored. If she was incredibly lucky, which was very unlikely, it might even make him drop his weapon, although that would just be nice and was not something she was counting on.

If it missed, then she would quickly retract the whip, preparing herself for whatever the bandit might be doing to counter. She was still out of range of his sword, so he would need to take time to close the gap before actually attacking. That would give her time to prepare, and with most likely him off-balance from dodging the attack it should be more than enough for her to make an effective block, counter, or whatever else was necessary. A spell would likely end him right here, but she wanted to conserve what she could for when it really mattered.

While most of her attention was focused on her single enemy, she was also keeping an eye out for anything else coming in to join her fight. Getting surprised was the last thing she wanted to have happen right now.

[jayjaycaps]

Well, son of a bitch... Jace muses to himself. That figures. Leona takes out two guys with one shot, and I fuck up with this one. No fair! Deciding he wouldn't leave this guy another chance, Jace grits his teeth and charges, going over each move carefully in his mind.

Running straight towards the bandit, Jace tears across the sand while melting his katar and creating a light mist around him. Just before Jace collides with the bandit's sword, he freezes the mist into small ice daggers, and sends them all flying at the bandit's face/eyes. Using this as a distraction, he quickly falls to the ground, his momentum allowing him to slide in between the bandit's legs. Once past the bandit, Jace stops him self with one foot, and pushes off of it back towards the bandit's back. Once close enough, he unleashes a whirlwind series of attacks with Quicksilver. First, a quick and deep slash across the back, heading diagonally down to the left. Once there, he flips Quicksilver up, slashing upwards against the bandit's left arm. With Quicksilver now above his opponent, he goes in for the killing blow, a side swipe at the neck. To bring it all home, he kicks the bandit in the back again, the rush of adrenaline starting to get to him. Huffing and puffing, Jace brought all the water he had used and placed it back into his canteen.