Carnival of Rust

[Nobudi]

Lucia's eyes flickered over to the Beastman once over. Somehow, she got the feeling that he was going to be an all too familiar face soon, but she decided to let him leave without a word. After all, if they met again, there'd probably be time to learn more about him. As for the High Priest, she stared at the bottom of the cup before speaking. "I'm not quite sure if it was directly responsible for the murder of one of my family's servants, but the way that it was attempting to discourage me was telling me what I needed to know. I would have continued following it too, had I not had my stumble and encounter with you, High Priest." She took a small sip of her tea, holding it in her mouth to savor the flavor, before gulping it down. She settled the cup down and stood. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, and may you continue the good work. I must report back to my family," she said with a small curtsey before departing.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Certainly not lost, intrigued for sure though." Said Cee Cee as she shifted her weight. "I hunt in these woods and plains quite often. As far as I knew I was the only one that ventured outside the city. You lot are nomads though, right? What has driven you to such a cold unwelcoming place?" She asked calmly. It seemed that she didn't have much to fear from the rovers at the moment. They were kind enough to speak with her, even ask if she had lost her way. "I hunted earlier this morning and starting traveling towards a tower that I saw in the distance. I've never seen a manmade structure about the wood, seemed ripe to investigate? Do you know anything about what I speak?"

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Chris Culgan

The hooded figure with the horns tenting his hood replies in a deep and harsh voice "We are Nomads, yes, and that would be why we're here. We're not welcome anywhere, thus we are forced to live outside the cities... this location just happens to be one place we are not driven out of."

The Nomad sitting next to him rests his hand on the horned Nomad's shoulder and adds to his statement "We typically set up camp in Black Forests until we're noticed by what few people travel outside the walls, then we move to avoid trouble. This just happened to be the closest one to where we were previously... however, I suggest staying far away from the black forest near Siarnaq we had jus-"

The friendly Nomad was cut off by the woman before he was done "Hunter, just stay out of Siarnaq. As for the tower... it's not so much a tower, as a Spire. We have not closely investigated the spires, but they generate black smoke at seemingly random intervals, and they have been rising in seemingly random locations, over night. As far as we can tell, they're simply black spikes rising from the ground, and have no doors or windows. I know not what they are for, where they come from, or why they appear."

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Saphira happily stretched her arms out when she was outside the gates. What a lovely day! People really didn’t understand how beautiful it was outside the city, fearfully holing themselves up inside the walls. Blackwood forest sounded more ominous than it was, but she needed to be careful about the Death Knights. Threading lightly and keeping an eye out for anything unusual should make sure Saphira could see and avoid them before she was attacked. Another day, another adventure!

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Saphira Perinther

Saphira briskly walked towards the Black Forest, detailed as the target location in her intel. Off in the distance, coming into view, was a black spire ascending from the ground. Having been outside the walls before, Saphira had not seen one of these. As she drew closer to the Spire, another abnormal sight greeted her; a steady stream of people in ragged clothing were stumbling past the aforementioned spire, towards the Black Forest that Saphira was traveling to.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Amun made sure to do just as Sidrick did, giving a polite bow before he left. Had to maintain good relations and be polite, after all. He then followed the strange feeling, taking a rather suspicious route that he could tell from experience, led to the city's gate. He's wandered over there every now and then in his strolls, and found it odd that he was being led there again. Why would this mysterious figure travel there? Was it planning on escaping? Why would it call to him then, if that is what it wished for? His curiosity continued to build as he got closer and closer to it, yet he was still prepared in case he didn't like the answers. Amun's previously mentioned strolls taught him quite a lot about the city of Cielo, and if need be, he could bolt to a more populated area, where the figure would be less likely to attack or follow him. It would have the advantage if it hopped across the rooftops, but he was quite quick and agile himself. He was certain he could escape from just one creepy masked person jumping across rooftops.

But maybe not five. Amun stopped in his tracks, feeling the pull in multiple directions and the chilling and uncomfortable feeling. He looked around quickly, and his confidence began to wane, as his worrying grew. Five. No, six, he counted. Six of those odd masked figures, surrounding him, staring... at him. He had a bad feeling that maybe, juuuust maybe, his curiosity and overconfidence landed him in some trouble. Thankfully, there was a knight nearby. He eyed him, hoping the knight could see him and maybe the figures surrounding him...

And the fool was writing on a notepad. A notepad. Amun glared at the incompetent fool. Of all the things to be doing INSTEAD of his job, he was writing in a NOTEPAD. He'd understand if the man were with a beautiful woman or even on a lunch break or something, but no, he was writing in a notepad. When he was needed most to do his job and protect a very important citizen... the weredog ignored this information and his annoyance, instead remembering his possibly dangerous situation. He needed to get the knight to help him, but he had a sinking suspicion that these figures wouldn't let that happen. So... he had to play it cool, maybe bait them to attack and make some sort of slip up, then slide through their vigilant watch to get to the knight and get his cooperation. It was the best plan he could figure in his situation, and it was the one he'd have to stick with.

So with that in mind, Amun choose to wait it out, ready to bolt at the slightest sign of an attack to the knight, with his hand close to the hidden weapon he was taught to always have on him.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Amun Khufu

The figures all stared at him from their positions, they didn't even move a muscle, and they really had no reason to. Who would be looking for silhouettes on a rooftop? Nearby, the knight finished what he was writing and looked over at Amun "GOOD EVENING, SIR. WHAT CAN I, SIR COLE, DO FOR YOU TODAY?" he shouted, he cleared his throat afterwords, and in a normal voice, repeated himself, somewhat "Ahem. Good evening, sir, what can I, Sir Cole, do for you today?" he asked, setting down his note pad. He still seemed blissfully unaware of the situation, and didn't even look in the gneral direction of any of the figures. The knight himself seemed like a relatively strong man, as his armor was very large, and his voice was gruff. On his back, he was wearing a standard Cielo sword.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Orcs, it just had to be orcs. Of all the races in the world, they are probably one of the worst. Anastasia exhaled heavily as they walked towards it. She thought about all the stories she heard of them, all the terrible things they have done, the atrocious acts they have committed. It pisses her off. Her eyes became redder and brighter as she surveyed the camp. She couldn't really tell how many there were, but probably more than she could handle unfortunately. Her eyes then laid on the sign that displayed the leader of the camp. Dickfuck the Dongsmasher. What a fucking name. Anastasia clenched her hands into fists and tried to stay at least somewhat calm.

"Did you know these guys were here?" Anastasia asked her companion. Her tone laced with poorly subdued rage. She would probably have known, of course its possible they set up shop real recently but either way. The very idea of talking to a Orc made her want to punch something. Still, she kept walking though, wary of what these cretins might do.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia Ursa

The girl closed her eyes and got control of her breathing after a moment, then shook her head "I knew someone was here, I was unaware that they were orcs, or we wouldn't be going this way." she replied, in the calmest voice she could muster.

As they drew closer to the encampment, they were spotted by two patrolling guards, who POWER WALKED(https://media.giphy.com/media/R1WSlTDjU71wk/giphy.gif) over to the pair. This was not odd, as the other orcs in view were also POWER WALKING as they were patrolling. The pair of orcs came to stop in front of Anastasia and the little girl, blocking their path. The larger of the two, sporting the biggest jaw Anastasia had ever seen on any creature, spoke up "'UT BUSNESS 'AS YE IN DIS 'ERE NECK O' DA WOODS, SISTAS?" with the other piping up after him "YEH, YEH, DIS 'ERE PLAINS BE OWNED BY DA MIGHTY DICKFUCK DA DONGSMASHER!" both were yelling loudly, yet the volume seemed completely normal for the two of them, and as a matter of fact, was completely normal for all orcs, as they were renowned for being loud and generally unbearable. The pair was wearing crude armor with construction striped and black and white checkered sections, and were holding a club and a sword that was so rusty, it may as well have been a club, and both orcs stood roughly 11 feet tall, standard orc height, and had six fingers on each hand. With both creatures standing so close, the little girl shrunk back behind Anastasia, as if using her as a shield.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

She nods, listening to what Sir Prize had to say. “Thank you, Sir… Prize!” she froze up on the spot for a moment, as she felt the ground shake, she looked towards the woman standing behind her as she lectured her about joining a conversation. “I’m s-sorry.” She shrunk back a bit, frightened by the woman's display of brute force. “I didn’t mean to cut in like that, but I was in a bit of a hurry.” She looked to Sir Prize who informed her that Amalie is also heading out of the city. She nodded in response, As Amalie grabbed her shoulder, a feeling pain surging through her as Amalie Squeezed it roughly “Well... hopefully I don’t slow you down...” She blushed a bit, clueless as to why she felt a bit warm down below, despite, or possibly because, of the situation.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Annie Doyle

After Sir Prize finished signing Annie out, she crawled through the open door to outside, down the corridor, and out the final door with many locks, with Amalie close behind her. Upon exiting the city walls, Amalie took a look around, placing herself in front of Annie as she checked their surroundings. "Odd", the woman began "There's not a single beat in sight..." she said, taking several steps forward, into the tall grass ahead. After several moments of moving around through the grass, the woman straightened up and looked over at Annie, announcing "The area is surprisingly clear... on one hand, it means there are no monsters. On the other hand, it means something else is camping off ahead. "

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lucia's eyes flickered over to the Beastman once over. Somehow, she got the feeling that he was going to be an all too familiar face soon, but she decided to let him leave without a word. After all, if they met again, there'd probably be time to learn more about him. As for the High Priest, she stared at the bottom of the cup before speaking. "I'm not quite sure if it was directly responsible for the murder of one of my family's servants, but the way that it was attempting to discourage me was telling me what I needed to know. I would have continued following it too, had I not had my stumble and encounter with you, High Priest." She took a small sip of her tea, holding it in her mouth to savor the flavor, before gulping it down. She settled the cup down and stood. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, and may you continue the good work. I must report back to my family," she said with a small curtsey before departing.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

LuLu Von Cielo

The priest stood up and bowed, but afterwards, he paused for a moment before hesitantly adding "Madame, if it's not too much trouble, would you check up on that Beastman before you go? He went in the direction of the creature you were pursuing, and I fear he may be searching for it. If so, he could be in danger and would be in need of assistance." after he had finished asking the question, he slowly lowered himself back into his seat and awaited a response from LuLu, the little girl by his said remaining silent.

[mrblah]

Ah, the knight noticed him. It was quite fortunate that he didn't even have to do anything to cause this... but apparently, said knight didn't notice the danger Amun was in. The creatures hadn't attacked yet, so it must be that they aren't concerned by the possible help he may be receiving. Should he try to gesture to one of them? Would that tip him off and make him realize what's going on, or would they attack if he did so? Another option could be that he could just... calmly walk over to the knight, and hope for the best. Maybe they would just let him go?

No, that was a stupid plan. Why would they do that after luring him into this trap, as they did? It must be that they're confident they could either defeat the knight, take him quickly, or whatever else that he's not thinking of... which is worrisome if it's the former. This Sir Cole didn't look like a slouch in battle. If they weren't intimidated by him... Amun breathed in to try and steady his nerves. He needed to be calm, and simply take an approach. He didn't have enough information on hand to be contemplating so heavily between two options. So with that, Amun took a step into Sir Cole's direction, planning to slowly move over to the knight, hoping that he was as learned in combat as he looked to be. "Please make your way towards me, Sir Cole. I need assistance." He spoke in a tight voice, almost speaking too quietly to be heard.

[lilbooth]

"So they are springing from the ground overnight and this is not the first one you have seen?" Replied Cee Cee to the Rovers that sat around the campfire. "If there is more than one spire then perhaps they are arranged in some sort of pattern. Where is the next closest spire if you lot happen to remember?" She asked as she glanced toward the black obelisk. She was less keen to investigate the spire rather than a tower. A large dark ominous looking tower, surely there would be something to find inside. But a spire, with no doors, or windows, just occasionally puffing smoke. She hadn't the faintest idea what it could be used for, or how it came about. She was slightly more intrigued because according to the rovers, there was more than one. Which meant there could be more than two, there could be many spires surfacing. That was a worrying thought. If such a spire where to come up in the forest it would surely scare away the animals that she hunts, and if they continued forward into the plains closer to the Calt, the city itself could be in danger.

"Thank you for the information, and the uh, hospitality. I'm off to take a closer look. I'll likely be hunting in the words shortly after, should you see some game come sprinting by your camp,
it was likely my prey."

[Littlemankitten]

Anastasia exhaled heavily. "Fan fucking tastic." she mumbled as the orcs noticed her. More than a little annoyed at her companion she watched as the orcs... "Walked" towards them in the most ridiculous manner possible. Anastasia half gasped half laughed as the orcs approached. All aura of seriousness and terror temporarily vanished around the orcs, replaced with a comical gait that seemed so out of place it felt like she was in a poorly written play at a theater. By the time the orcs were actually talking Anastasia had a smirk she didn't even bother to hide, her anger against the orcs subsiding as she tries to make sense of what she just saw.

Her eyes twitch a little as the orcs speak. Such a vile twist on launguage and so loud she just want to rip out their vocal cords so they would just shut up. Unfortunatley she knew trying to keep them quiet would probably be a very bad in this situation so she let them speak. When her ears stopped bleeding she crossed her arms and tried to retain a somwhat calm composure. "On my way to beat some guy into a bloody, but still living, pulp for pissing off the wrong person." From what she knew orcs probably would respect a show of aggresion and force. Then again, she didn't know if orcs even felt respect. Regardless, honesty was, probably, the course of action right now in dealing with these barbarians.

[starwacher]

She bows her head and thanks the knight. “Thank you Sir Prize.” She heads out with Amalie as they leave the city, something no sane person would do. When Amalie scans their surroundings, she also does the same, keep close to her, sidearm at the ready. Even though she wasn't the best shot, she knew how to hold the gun so it wouldn’t hit her if the face. She nods when Amalies claims the coast is clear. “So is that good thing or a bad thing then?” she asks, unsure of what to think of it, maybe that might where her Objective is or maybe it could be raiders.

[Nobudi]

Lucia was in quite the jam. On one hand, she could continue to look for her mysterious escapee. But on the other, she really did need to head home to get her family's help in identifying the being. Also, another part of her didn't like the beast boy. Something about him rubbed on her the wrong way. But then and again, the High Priest did ask her personally...

She sighed, "I shall do as I can High Priest," she said respectfully. "But I fear I cannot guarantee fully that I will encounter him again. Should I manage to, then I shall give what aid I can, but I must soon head home to report to my family." She bowed deeply before the priest and walked in the last known direction of the beast boy. Why did she get the feeling that this was going to suck?

[Randomizer4]

Saphira scratched her forehead. What could this spire be? When coming closer she noticed all the ragged people. They weren’t walking, you could say they were dragging themselves. Trying to stay out of sight, Saphira tried to overhear if they were having any conversation. If it was nothing, she would examine the Spire from a distance. That thing… wasn’t here before was it? If nothing peculiar happened directly, she would move on. She could always take a closer look on the way back. Such a huge structure wouldn’t go anywhere and it would be easier without these… people around.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ah, the knight noticed him. It was quite fortunate that he didn't even have to do anything to cause this... but apparently, said knight didn't notice the danger Amun was in. The creatures hadn't attacked yet, so it must be that they aren't concerned by the possible help he may be receiving. Should he try to gesture to one of them? Would that tip him off and make him realize what's going on, or would they attack if he did so? Another option could be that he could just... calmly walk over to the knight, and hope for the best. Maybe they would just let him go?

No, that was a stupid plan. Why would they do that after luring him into this trap, as they did? It must be that they're confident they could either defeat the knight, take him quickly, or whatever else that he's not thinking of... which is worrisome if it's the former. This Sir Cole didn't look like a slouch in battle. If they weren't intimidated by him... Amun breathed in to try and steady his nerves. He needed to be calm, and simply take an approach. He didn't have enough information on hand to be contemplating so heavily between two options. So with that, Amun took a step into Sir Cole's direction, planning to slowly move over to the knight, hoping that he was as learned in combat as he looked to be. "Please make your way towards me, Sir Cole. I need assistance." He spoke in a tight voice, almost speaking too quietly to be heard.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Amun Khufu

The knight looked up at Amun, through the darkness of his helmet and nodded his head, stepping forward and standing near him. His thick metal helmet rotated as the knight seemed to look for what seemed to be distressing Amun. The knight's voice grumbled from within his helmet, echoing "What seems to be the problem, sir?" he said, his metal-coated fingers flexing as he prepared to grab for his weapon. Knights in Cielo are taught a special technique that allows them to draw their blade and hold it at the read in a fraction of a second. Other City-States circulate rumors that Cielo knights are so quick that they create sonic booms when they draw their blades.

The creatures on the rooftops shifted very slightly, moving further into cover, but the knight didn't seem to notice the movement. Out of the corner of his eye, Amun could see the girl from earlier, with the priest, who had been on the ground when he arrived, showing up on the scene and looking around, but couldn't be sure of whether or not she had noticed the creatures hiding on the rooftops.

Before Amun could respond to the knight's question, the city began to shake, and the intercoms began announcing electronically "The city of Cielo is now docking with Fero, please sit down or brace yourself against a nearby structure for support until the docking process has finished."

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"So they are springing from the ground overnight and this is not the first one you have seen?" Replied Cee Cee to the Rovers that sat around the campfire. "If there is more than one spire then perhaps they are arranged in some sort of pattern. Where is the next closest spire if you lot happen to remember?" She asked as she glanced toward the black obelisk. She was less keen to investigate the spire rather than a tower. A large dark ominous looking tower, surely there would be something to find inside. But a spire, with no doors, or windows, just occasionally puffing smoke. She hadn't the faintest idea what it could be used for, or how it came about. She was slightly more intrigued because according to the rovers, there was more than one. Which meant there could be more than two, there could be many spires surfacing. That was a worrying thought. If such a spire where to come up in the forest it would surely scare away the animals that she hunts, and if they continued forward into the plains closer to the Calt, the city itself could be in danger.

"Thank you for the information, and the uh, hospitality. I'm off to take a closer look. I'll likely be hunting in the words shortly after, should you see some game come sprinting by your camp,
it was likely my prey."

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

CeeCee

The Rovers glanced at each other, then the female one shrugged her shoulders. "The next closest one, that we know of, is off in yonder southern planes. Assuming, of course, another hasn't sprung up even closer... do be careful." she informed, they then bid CeeCee goodbye with a friendly wave.

The Rovers watched as CeeCee walked by, and she could feel the eyes in the other camps on her as she walked. Not in an uncomfortable or unfriendly way, but in a wary and curious one. None of the trees in the area were beginning to rot, suggesting that the Rovers had not been there long.

As CeeCee drew closer to the Spire, its smooth black surface with no details just in view now, she could feel the ground pulsating beneath her, like a heartbeat, with purple vine-like structures stitching themselves through the dirt beneath her.

With the Spire now only about two meters away, standing in a clearing, she could see that the Spire was very tall, with the top no longer in view from this distance. Across on the other side of the clearing, CeeCee could make out hunched, gangly, stumbling people on the other side of the woods, about five of them could be made out from this vantage point, but the woods were so dark that the silhouettes were all that could be seen of them. The creatures didn't seem to notice her.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia exhaled heavily. "Fan fucking tastic." she mumbled as the orcs noticed her. More than a little annoyed at her companion she watched as the orcs... "Walked" towards them in the most ridiculous manner possible. Anastasia half gasped half laughed as the orcs approached. All aura of seriousness and terror temporarily vanished around the orcs, replaced with a comical gait that seemed so out of place it felt like she was in a poorly written play at a theater. By the time the orcs were actually talking Anastasia had a smirk she didn't even bother to hide, her anger against the orcs subsiding as she tries to make sense of what she just saw.

Her eyes twitch a little as the orcs speak. Such a vile twist on launguage and so loud she just want to rip out their vocal cords so they would just shut up. Unfortunatley she knew trying to keep them quiet would probably be a very bad in this situation so she let them speak. When her ears stopped bleeding she crossed her arms and tried to retain a somwhat calm composure. "On my way to beat some guy into a bloody, but still living, pulp for pissing off the wrong person." From what she knew orcs probably would respect a show of aggresion and force. Then again, she didn't know if orcs even felt respect. Regardless, honesty was, probably, the course of action right now in dealing with these barbarians.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia Ursa

The orcs both raised their eyebrows and looked Anastasia up and down "AH, YOU IZ LOOKIN' FOH AH FIGHT? WELL, YOU IZ IN LUCK, CUZ DICKFUCK, THE ALMIGHTEH DONGSMASHAH, ONLY LETZ TEH STRONG THROUGH DIZ HERE GATE." said the bigger of the two orcs. They motioned to the two women, as two more massive orcs joined them and stood behind Ana and the girl. The two new orcs walked with their hands on the their shoulders, practically shoving them after the two orcs in the lead. As they were being led forward, the little girl leaned in and tugged on Anastasia's dress, and stood on her tip toes, before whispering to her in a very low and soft voice "We've been followed..." she said, motioning back behind them with her head, but the orcs behind them were blocking her view, and Ana didn't get to see what the girl was referring to.

They were led near the center of the encampment. It was a ragged place, with patchwork tents all around, and a giant pit in the middle, with ropes rolled up on the outside. Over the pit stood a high up throne, made of red-painted wood, the only sturdy thing in the entire encampment. Upon it sat the largest orc Ana had ever seen or heard of, so muscular that his muscles could have had their own muscles upon them. The towering orc had to have been at least 17 feet tall, possibly 20, and looked to be capable of snapping a golem in half. Even more odd, this Orc seemed to be wearing a skin tight, bright blue suit, with red flame designs on the arms and legs, and a matching skull cap with a black visor, covering his eyes. The suit was tight enough to show off his gigantic muscles, and a huge bulge beneath the crotch of his suit.

As the group approached, the massive orc showed a look of interest, and the orc that had spoken before piped up "LURD DICKFUCK, DAH GREAT AND ALMIGHTEH DONGSMASHAH, THESE GUESTS WISH TO PASS THROUGH DAH GATE, DO YOU WISH TO HAVE A WORD WIFF DEM?!"

The massive orc, apparently Dickfuck, the Dongsmasher, spoke in a voice that sounded more like a scream of rage contorting itself into what vaguely resembled words, "SPEAK FOH YOSELVES, YA HUMY GITZ! WHAT DO YEE WANT FROM DAH DONGSMASHAH!? YEE WOULD NORMALLEH NEED TO BRING TRIBUTE, BUT DAH ALMIGHTEH DICKFUCK IS IN A GOOD MOOD TODAY!" he finished, before waiting for the women to speak up.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

She bows her head and thanks the knight. “Thank you Sir Prize.” She heads out with Amalie as they leave the city, something no sane person would do. When Amalie scans their surroundings, she also does the same, keep close to her, sidearm at the ready. Even though she wasn't the best shot, she knew how to hold the gun so it wouldn’t hit her if the face. She nods when Amalies claims the coast is clear. “So is that good thing or a bad thing then?” she asks, unsure of what to think of it, maybe that might where her Objective is or maybe it could be raiders.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Annie Doyle

Amalie shook her head and sighed "Well, we can't be sure of one or the other. Though, there is a possibility that if the monsters aren't here, there could be something even worse." She quickly moved behind Annie and began shoving her forward impatiently "Come on, we're burning daylight, and sure as hell don't want to be here at night."

They hurried along for what seemed like miles, until finally they came to a stop outside a clearing, with an encampment up ahead. Amalie grabbed Annie by her shoulder and pulled her down behind some tall grass, where they hoped they wouldn't be seen. Up ahead, Orcs could be seen patrolling the area, with an encampment of patched up tents up ahead. From where they were crouched, they could see two women that they could barely make out being led into the camp by four orcs. Amalie turned to Annie and whispered to her "I don't think there's a way around, what do you propose we do?" then waited for her to take the lead.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lucia was in quite the jam. On one hand, she could continue to look for her mysterious escapee. But on the other, she really did need to head home to get her family's help in identifying the being. Also, another part of her didn't like the beast boy. Something about him rubbed on her the wrong way. But then and again, the High Priest did ask her personally...

She sighed, "I shall do as I can High Priest," she said respectfully. "But I fear I cannot guarantee fully that I will encounter him again. Should I manage to, then I shall give what aid I can, but I must soon head home to report to my family." She bowed deeply before the priest and walked in the last known direction of the beast boy. Why did she get the feeling that this was going to suck?

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

LuLu

The High Priest nodded and thanked her as she left.

LuLu made her way to the gate, and was greeted by the sight of Sir Cole, a knight she had spoken with briefly before, stepping away from his post and taking a battle ready stance as he scanned the area, placing himself in front of the beastman protectively.

As she looked, onward, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, a silhouetted figure standing on a rooftop, hiding behind a chimney. Then another. Then several more. There were a total of five of the strange entity she had been chasing, hiding on the rooftops nearby. One specifically put a finger to the darkness beneath its hood, as if shushing her, then moved lower behind the chimney.

Suddenly, the city began to shake as the intercoms announced that the city was docking with Fero.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Saphira scratched her forehead. What could this spire be? When coming closer she noticed all the ragged people. They weren’t walking, you could say they were dragging themselves. Trying to stay out of sight, Saphira tried to overhear if they were having any conversation. If it was nothing, she would examine the Spire from a distance. That thing… wasn’t here before was it? If nothing peculiar happened directly, she would move on. She could always take a closer look on the way back. Such a huge structure wouldn’t go anywhere and it would be easier without these… people around.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Saphira

She got a better look at the spire as she got closer, it was simply a smooth, black structure, extremely tall to such an extent that she couldn't see the top, with puffs of black smoke shooting from the top every so often. The ground around it was pulsating, with purple vine-like plants stitching through the ground around it.

As Saphira got closer, she couldn't so much hear words, as grumbling and raspy groaning. A small group of the ragged people suddenly stopped, one falling over due to the sudden stop, and jerked themselves to look in Saphira's direction. It was several human-sized creatures, and one large creature, and as they suddenly started lurching in Saphira's direction, she could finally get a good look at them.



These creatures certainly weren't Wanderers, they were living corpses, and they were coming towards Saphira, holding rusted weapons, and already in the process of decaying, their joints groaning and cracking with age, as they made their way for the girl.

[Littlemankitten]

Greeeeeaaat, this plan backfired. Anastasia was not amused, in fact she was quite pissed off about all of this, but she knew better than to try and start a fight with an entire encampment of orcs. So, much to her distaste, she decided to follow the orcs to the middle. When her companion said they were being followed, she nodded in confirmation, though she didn't quite know exactly what she meant. She needed to think of a plan, the orcs said that the leader would allow her through a show of strength, so perhaps that was her best gambit, it was certainly the one she knew how to do best.

At the sight of the leader however, she couldn't help but chuckle a little. These orcs were the most ridiculous creatures she had ever seen, not only did they walk in the most comical way, but their leader dressed in a way that was hard to take seriously. Anastasia wasn't sure if it was meant to show off his muscles, or if the leader thought it looked good on him or what, all she knew is it look completely silly to her. She let him talk while she resisted the urge to burst out laughing. She wasn't sure if she should be angry, amused, scared, or any combination of those.

When the orc finished talking, Anastasia crossed her arms and looked straight into the eyes of this hulking mass of muscle. "We wish to pass through this area so I may fulfill my contract of teaching someone a lesson about pissing off the wrong people. I'm not sure what you may want from us in exchange of passage, but we can work something out." Anastasia wasn't very good at diplomacy, she preferred to punch her way through her problems, yet for now it seemed to be her best option.

[lilbooth]

Cee Cee took note of the total number of Rovers and camps as she walked through the forest. She was happy to see that the trees where still in good health. As she grew closer to the spire and began to feel the pulse-like tremors in the ground and see the strange coloration, she gripped her chakram and lowered herself closer to the earth.She stayed still for a few moments feeling the pulses, trying to feel out a rhythm. Though sickly and unnatural looking the purple did have quite a nice color to it. Before she dared approach the spire any closer she noticed the silhouettes in the woods. She stayed low and crept closer keeping the spire between herself and the strange figures. Before she got too close she let out a brief howl. It was a good way to see what sort of threat she was dealing with if any at all. Most intelligent life would be glancing around for the sound, perhaps if they were weary travelers they would flee or chat nervously. If they were others shifters they may howl or growl back. So much to learn from such a simple sound.

[mrblah]

Seeing his possible enemies shrink further into hiding and possibly more allies, Amun felt reassured. His chances of surviving the encounter had to have jumped considerably. He kept his attention on the mysterious figures as he responded to Sir Co - or not. He was used to the usual shaking of Cielo, and on instinct alone he braced himself as best he could to keep his footing and resist falling. The tone and announcement of their arrival that followed had slightly complicated things. Of all the times for them to land...

"... Seems this will have to wait." He was speaking both to the knight and the roofmen. He hoped they'd fall off from all the shaking, but Amun seriously doubted they would with their skill and experience. Carefully (as he was still wary of the masked entities), Amun moved away from their position to the nearest wall, crouching down to brace himself against it.

[Randomizer4]

Saphira was baffled by the huge structure, but before she could theorise about it, her mind jumped to the present danger. These… things… definitely weren’t human or any other living being. They must be held together by magic! Perhaps from the spire? Saphira would have loved to take them apart right here, right now, but she couldn’t. Not without knowing how to fight them and being outnumbered. It was time to run. Nimbly turning around, she started sprinting in the opposite direction, hoping to use the terrain to shake off the living dead.

[starwacher]

She nods as she takes the lead, “What happened that got you stuck out here in the middle of the night?” She asked as they kept traveling. As they make their way to the camp her eyes scan the area, while her guide tells of the grim news. She looked at the two other women who were being led in, but she doubted they could save them, nevertheless she tried to see if there was anything they could do to help. “I think we can maybe sneak past them if we use their tent as cover.” She looked to see if there was a break between the patrols. “If we move quickly and watch where we're going, we can maybe slip by without them seeing us."

[Nobudi]

Lucia had no idea where exactly to go, but a rough estimation was going to the gate. Not that it had use most of the time, considering the height at which Cielo flew through the air. But since she remembered that the city would be docking rather soon, it'd probably be the best time for any assassin to make their escape then and there. So when she actually got to the gate, she was in for quite the surprise. There was not one hidden, but a total of five, form which she could see. How many more could be hiding in the shadows?

She saw one of them shush her, but she wasn't going to have any of that. "Hey!" she cried out, just after which the ground beneath her began to rumble and shake. A fair distance away, a siren wailed for a short moment before the City Announcement System began to do it's job, announcing to get to a safe location and brace for docking. She cried out, and began to drag herself to a nearby building to brace herself.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Greeeeeaaat, this plan backfired. Anastasia was not amused, in fact she was quite pissed off about all of this, but she knew better than to try and start a fight with an entire encampment of orcs. So, much to her distaste, she decided to follow the orcs to the middle. When her companion said they were being followed, she nodded in confirmation, though she didn't quite know exactly what she meant. She needed to think of a plan, the orcs said that the leader would allow her through a show of strength, so perhaps that was her best gambit, it was certainly the one she knew how to do best.

At the sight of the leader however, she couldn't help but chuckle a little. These orcs were the most ridiculous creatures she had ever seen, not only did they walk in the most comical way, but their leader dressed in a way that was hard to take seriously. Anastasia wasn't sure if it was meant to show off his muscles, or if the leader thought it looked good on him or what, all she knew is it look completely silly to her. She let him talk while she resisted the urge to burst out laughing. She wasn't sure if she should be angry, amused, scared, or any combination of those.

When the orc finished talking, Anastasia crossed her arms and looked straight into the eyes of this hulking mass of muscle. "We wish to pass through this area so I may fulfill my contract of teaching someone a lesson about pissing off the wrong people. I'm not sure what you may want from us in exchange of passage, but we can work something out." Anastasia wasn't very good at diplomacy, she preferred to punch her way through her problems, yet for now it seemed to be her best option.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia Ursa

Idalia tugged at Anastasia's skirt twice with her left hand, and looked directly at the two people tailing them. A white-haired girl who resembled a Death Knight, with white hair, a huge sword, and black clothing. She was wearing black boots and a torn one-piece with a skirt. The other girl was a short redhead, with red eyes, who was wearing a red dress with a red overcoat, and black leggings. They were both crouching behind a tent.

Dickfuck, the Dongsmasher, suddenly followed Idalia's gaze and turned his head towards the two girls, exclaiming "AH, IT LOOKZ LIKE WE MISSED TWO OF YOU, EH? GAHDS, GRAB-EM, AND THROW DA RED ONE IN DA PIT."

Several guards power walked over to the two girls. One of them, the death-knight-looking girl hefted her sword and looked prepared for a fight, but once two more joined the first, she put her sword back, muttering something to the red-head. She was led over to where Anastasia and Idalia were standing, while two orcs grabbed the redhead and pitched her haphazardly into the pit, with a loud 'thud'.

Dickfuck then looked at the girl he just had thrown in the pit, yelling "NOW, YOU HUMY GIT, YOU AND DA GREY ONE WILL ENTERTAIN ME, TO EARN DA" RIGHT OF PASSAGE THROUGH DIS HERE CAMP. IF YOUZ DO NAWT ENTERTAIN ME, I'LL SENDZ MEH BOYZ TO PILE ON YOU!"

He then looked at Anastasia, continuing loudly "I ERD DAT DA GREY ONES AWE STRONG, SO PROVE IT BY BEATING UP AND HUMILIATING DIS HUMY GIT! ENTERTAIN ME, AND YOU MAY PASS THROUGH DIS ERE CAMP!"

He then warned everyone else not to interfere, and threw a staff down at Annie, nearly hitting her, but only embedding the staff into the ground. Idalia leaned as close as she could and whispered to Anastasia "These orcs are very strange, for orcs... an orc would usually tell you to kill her, but he specifically said beat up and humiliate." she brushed a strand of hair out of her face and continued "... I wonder what he means by humiliate..." a confused look making its way across her face.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

She nods as she takes the lead, “What happened that got you stuck out here in the middle of the night?” She asked as they kept traveling. As they make their way to the camp her eyes scan the area, while her guide tells of the grim news. She looked at the two other women who were being led in, but she doubted they could save them, nevertheless she tried to see if there was anything they could do to help. “I think we can maybe sneak past them if we use their tent as cover.” She looked to see if there was a break between the patrols. “If we move quickly and watch where we're going, we can maybe slip by without them seeing us."

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Annie Doyle

You attempt to sneak past the guards when you see a break in the patrol.

STEALTH CHECK SUCCESS

Annie and her companion make a break for it, hunching down low as they run behind the tents sneaking up to the clearing in the middle of the camp, where they can see the little girl and the Spectross woman in the black one-piece. The Spectross woman had white hair and grey skin, and was wearing a black striped one-piece with frills around the hips. She was with a short girl, with black hair, who was wearing a purple frock. They were both standing before a colossal orc, who was wearing a skin-tight, elastic blue suit, with flame designs on the arms and legs. He was sitting on a throne, looking down at the two, speaking in a voice that sounded like a scream of rage contorting itself into words, asking why they were there, and what they wanted. The Spectross woman replied, but her voice was at a reasonable volume, thus she couldn't be heard.

The Spectross woman, who was very tall, yet dwarfed by the massive orc, was stating that the two of them wanted to pass through the area and didn't know what to exchange for it. The dark-haired girl looked to the side, directly at Annie, showing that she knew they were there.

STEALTH CHECK FAILED

The colossal orc suddenly follows the dark-haired short girl's gaze and exclaims "AH, IT LOOKZ LIKE WE MISSED TWO OF YOU, EH? GAHDS, GRAB-EM, AND THROW DA RED ONE IN DA PIT!"

Two guard orcs in rusted, breaking equipment, each ten feet tall, power walked over to Annie and Amalie, standing on each side of them as they stood between the tents. Amalie drew her sword and hefted it in defense, however two more guards stood before her, and she wavered very briefly before whispering back at Annie "I'm not sure I can beat an entire encampment of orcs, too many bodies on the map... we'll just have to go along with it for now." she whispered, replacing her weapon onto her back.

STRENGTH CHECK FAILED

Two of the orcs escorted Amalie over beside the Spectross woman and the short dark-haired girl, while the two remaining orcs lifted Annie by her arms and pitched her into the pit in the center of the encampment, causing her to land hard, flat on her back, some rocks digging into her side, and one impacting her head, causing her vision to blur.

The colossal orc on the throne then yelled down at Annie "NOW, YOU HUMY GIT, YOU AND DA GREY ONE WILL ENTERTAIN ME, TO EARN DA" RIGHT OF PASSAGE THROUGH DIS HERE CAMP. IF YOUZ DO NAWT ENTERTAIN ME, I'LL SENDZ MEH BOYZ TO PILE ON YOU! BEAT UP AND UMILIATE DA GREY ONE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED!" he said, in his scream-like voice.

He then looked at the Spectross and in the same unreasonably loud, scream-like voice, continued "I ERD DAT DA GREY ONES AWE STRONG, SO PROVE IT BY BEATING UP AND UMILIATING DIS HUMY GIT! ENTERTAIN ME, AND YOU MAY PASS THROUGH DIS ERE CAMP!"

He then continued, addressing everyone in the camp "ANYONE WHO INTERFERES WILL 'AVE TO FACE DA WRATH OF DA ALMIGHTY DICKFUCK DA DONGSMASHER!" he then grabbed a crudely carved staff from behind him and threw it down into the pit, nearly hitting Annie, but only embedding it into the ground beside her head.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Cee Cee took note of the total number of Rovers and camps as she walked through the forest. She was happy to see that the trees were still in good health. As she grew closer to the spire and began to feel the pulse-like tremors in the ground and see the strange coloration, she gripped her chakram and lowered herself closer to the earth. She stayed still for a few moments feeling the pulses, trying to feel out a rhythm. Though sickly and unnatural looking the purple did have quite a nice color to it. Before she dared approach the spire any closer she noticed the silhouettes in the woods. She stayed low and crept closer keeping the spire between herself and the strange figures. Before she got too close she let out a brief howl. It was a good way to see what sort of threat she was dealing with if any at all. Most intelligent life would be glancing around for the sound, perhaps if they were weary travelers they would flee or chat nervously. If they were others shifters they may howl or growl back. So much to learn from such a simple sound.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

CeeCee

The six of the closer creatures jerked around erratically, and started looking for the source of the sound, stumbling around in no specific direction for several moments, before suddenly stumbling, half running, half tripping around, in the direction of CeeCee, groaning and flailing their limbs. As they got closer, CeeCee was able to get a better look at them.


They were rotting creatures, with torn tissue, exposed bones, and ripped clothes. By all rights, they looked dead, and as though they shouldn't even be standing, let alone walking.

A purple aura, similar to that pulsing across the roots threading themselves through the ground, was also very dimly, barely noticeably, radiating off the bodies of the creatures who were lunging at CeeCee from their long distance away. While the creatures didn't look very strong, there were a decent number of them.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Seeing his possible enemies shrink further into hiding and possibly more allies, Amun felt reassured. His chances of surviving the encounter had to have jumped considerably. He kept his attention on the mysterious figures as he responded to Sir Co - or not. He was used to the usual shaking of Cielo, and on instinct alone he braced himself as best he could to keep his footing and resist falling. The tone and announcement of their arrival that followed had slightly complicated things. Of all the times for them to land...

"... Seems this will have to wait." He was speaking both to the knight and the roofmen. He hoped they'd fall off from all the shaking, but Amun seriously doubted they would with their skill and experience. Carefully (as he was still wary of the masked entities), Amun moved away from their position to the nearest wall, crouching down to brace himself against it.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Amun Khufu

The city finally stopped shaking and the gates began opening automatically. As suddenly as the gates had opened, even more of the creatures on the roofs, four of them, plus one larger one, dressed in a mask with a tube attached, a black overcoat, and a top hat, holding a large sword-like weapon with a rotating blade, with saw teeth, and steam firing out the back. He and the other creatures walked past the trio, seemingly ignoring them, and walking straight ahead.



Sir Cole shouted after them, in a loud voice "Halt! You must sign in before entering the city!" he called, grabbing his clipboard and tapping it with a metal finger, still holding his the handle of his sword, prepared to strike.

The large man in the mask stopped, and turned, hefting his strange weapon at the ready, then swinging it at Sir Cole, which Sir Cole blocked at lightning speed, the force of the strike creating a shock wave which knocked LuLu and Amun off their feet and forced the man to skid backwards, without losing his footing, in the meantime, the other masked creatures began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, escaping out of sight.

The mystery man activated his weapon, causing the saw teeth to grind against Sir Cole's weapon, creating showers of sparks in all directions. The two men began swinging at each other, matching each blow and counter-attacking, circling each other slowly as they attempted to take advantage of every opening, and create others. Sir Cole brought his iron boot up and launched a kick at the mystery man, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backwards a few inches. The mystery man quickly closed the distance again and launched another quick attack, which Sir Cole easily parried, however the mystery man used his other hand to grab a spike-like dagger from his sleeve, and stabbed Sir Cole in the knee, bringing him to the ground. The man then walked briskly away, not bothering to finish Sir Cole off. As the man walked away, Sir Cole shouted after him "Halt! You cannot escape the knights of Cielo!" as he slowly dragged himself across the ground with one hand and hefted his sword with the other, the man vanishing out of sight with the rest of the masked creatures.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lucia had no idea where exactly to go, but a rough estimation was going to the gate. Not that it had use most of the time, considering the height at which Cielo flew through the air. But since she remembered that the city would be docking rather soon, it'd probably be the best time for any assassin to make their escape then and there. So when she actually got to the gate, she was in for quite the surprise. There was not one hidden, but a total of five, form which she could see. How many more could be hiding in the shadows?

She saw one of them shush her, but she wasn't going to have any of that. "Hey!" she cried out, just after which the ground beneath her began to rumble and shake. A fair distance away, a siren wailed for a short moment before the City Announcement System began to do it's job, announcing to get to a safe location and brace for docking. She cried out, and began to drag herself to a nearby building to brace herself.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

LuLu Cielo

The city finally stopped shaking and the gates began opening automatically. As suddenly as the gates had opened, even more of the creatures on the roofs, four of them, plus one larger one, dressed in a mask with a tube attached, a black overcoat, and a top hat, holding a large sword-like weapon with a rotating blade, with saw teeth, and steam firing out the back. He and the other creatures walked past the trio, seemingly ignoring them, and walking straight ahead.



Sir Cole shouted after them, in a loud voice "Halt! You must sign in before entering the city!" he called, grabbing his clipboard and tapping it with a metal finger, still holding his the handle of his sword, prepared to strike.

The large man in the mask stopped, and turned, hefting his strange weapon at the ready, then swinging it at Sir Cole, which Sir Cole blocked at lightning speed, the force of the strike creating a shock wave which knocked LuLu and Amun off their feet and forced the man to skid backwards, without losing his footing, in the meantime, the other masked creatures began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, escaping out of sight.

The mystery man activated his weapon, causing the saw teeth to grind against Sir Cole's weapon, creating showers of sparks in all directions. The two men began swinging at each other, matching each blow and counter-attacking, circling each other slowly as they attempted to take advantage of every opening, and create others. Sir Cole brought his iron boot up and launched a kick at the mystery man, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backwards a few inches. The mystery man quickly closed the distance again and launched another quick attack, which Sir Cole easily parried, however the mystery man used his other hand to grab a spike-like dagger from his sleeve, and stabbed Sir Cole in the knee, bringing him to the ground. The man then walked briskly away, not bothering to finish Sir Cole off. As the man walked away, Sir Cole shouted after him "Halt! You cannot escape the knights of Cielo!" as he slowly dragged himself across the ground with one hand and hefted his sword with the other, the man vanishing out of sight with the rest of the masked creatures.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Saphira was baffled by the huge structure, but before she could theorise about it, her mind jumped to the present danger. These… things… definitely weren’t human or any other living being. They must be held together by magic! Perhaps from the spire? Saphira would have loved to take them apart right here, right now, but she couldn’t. Not without knowing how to fight them and being outnumbered. It was time to run. Nimbly turning around, she started sprinting in the opposite direction, hoping to use the terrain to shake off the living dead.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Saphira
You try to escape the creatures by running.

SPEED CHECK FAILED

Saphira outruns the larger creature, but the smaller ones catch up to her and surround her, prepared
to fight.

(Fight will be conducted on the server, then added into Randomizer's post.)

[mrblah]

With the city beginning to calm as it landed, Amun stood up to his full height, exactly 2 seconds after the shaking stopped. His time on Cielo's taught him that 2 seconds is the appropriate time to wait for any shaking to settle. Hearing the gate open, he gave a quick glance over to it, mostly just to confirm that nothing interesting was happening there as he then moved his attention back to the -

Wait... there was more of the strange figures, and a larger one that looked to be their leader. Amun stayed still and alert as they passed, his eyes scanning the obviously threatening presence that was this gang of mysterious humanoids, ready to jump away or pull out his hidden weapon at any show of danger. He almost facepalmed at the knight's obliviousness. Couldn't the man see that these clearly suspicious individuals didn't care for the law? But strangely, the creature stopped. He had a very bad feeling when it turned its head to Sir Cole - and the immediate attack that threw him off his feet answered those worries. He was quick to roll with it, natural instincts trained into him commanding him to get an eye on the enemy. With his head raised, he watched the epic and short battle between the inhumanly strong beings. It was... terrifying. Amazing. He's been in a few dangerous situations with violent people, but never were those people capable of throwing him off his feet with a single swing. This was a higher level battle than what he was used to, and it left him distracted. The sheer power the two held demanded respect, something he never thought he'd give to Sir Cole.

Sir Cole's defeat was quick. So quick, Amun had to register that the fight was over. It ended with a simple stab in the leg, just like that. Even if the knight clearly had more power than one would credit him for, he was still a man. A man fighting something that didn't even seem human... or any of the other races. He walked over to Sir Cole after the danger passed, feeling slightly... ashamed that he couldn't do much more than that. He judged the man as harshly as he did rather quickly, but in the end, it was Sir Cole who could fight off that terrible opponent, and not him. He showed none of this in his body language, crouching down to help the knight up. It was the least he could do. "I believe it's over, Sir Cole. I'm afraid it's escaped."

[Littlemankitten]

Anastasia smiles a little when she sees the two newcomers. They just made things a lot easier for her. The girl that looked like a death knight would be a nice fight. In fact, those two must look very similar to her and her companion. A large, intimidating fighter with a smaller, cute looking escort. Anastasia followed the two with her eyes for a while as they were escorted to her, giving a slight nod of respect towards the knight. Anyone that could wield a sword or any other weapon like that was a worthy adversary. In fact, Anastasia was so sure that they were going to make her fight the knight, that when they threw the small redhead into the pit and told her she would be fighting Anastasia her face contorted in disapproval. The girl looked weak even for a human. Having that small girl fight Anastasia seemed sadistic on the orcs part. Then again they were orcs, so they probably just wanted to see a human get beat up by a much stronger adversary. Despite her dislike of the situation however, she simply nodded at the orc when he addressed her.

Looking down at Idalia, she grunted softly and whispered back. "Really, none of what these orcs have done can really be considered 'ordinary.' In fact, I could argue that them not wanting that girl dead is the most ordinary thing they have done so far... I'll do my best to make sure I don't outright kill the poor girl though... Also, I think I have a pretty good idea of what he means by humiliate, just think of what his name is, and then you'll understand. But I definitely won't be doing that if I can help it" She then turns away and heads over to the small redhead, looming over her, being almost 2 feet taller. She pitied the poor girl, and frankly Anastasia didn't want to fight her, after all, it didn't seem much like a fight. Then again the girl might have a trick up her sleeve she didn't know about, so she shouldn't give up any of her advantages just for the sake of fairness as much as she wanted to. Anastasia was just going to have to make this quick for the poor girl. Grabbing her hammer that was on her back, a rusty old metal hammer that despite its state still had a lot of heft to it, she looked at the girl as her eyes glowed a soft red. "I'll try and make this quick for you."

Anastasia wasn't surprised when the girl pulled out a gun. Poor thing probably couldn't kill a rat with just her hands. The state of the girls gun was laughable, but then again her hammer wasn't that much better. Regardless, it was humorous to see the girl have to move up to practically point blank range to even hope to it her with what must be the most inaccurate firearm in existence. Even then, one of the two shots she fired still missed. There were two sharp hissing sounds as the steam compresses to fire the bullets, and Anastasia felt a slight sting on her arm. Looking at the wound, Anastasia could see the bullet was lodged into her flesh, yet had only barley managed to pierce the skin. She grabbed the bullet from her arm and held it in front of her, making sure Annie could see it. She had a wide grin on her face. "That was cute. Now its my turn." Saying that, Anastasia hefted her hammer and swung it towards the side girl who was now very close. The girl made it quite easy for Anastasia to hit her, getting so close and all. Anastasia barley felt any resistance on her hammer as she hit the poor girl. The sheer momentum kept the hammer going as it slammed into her side and swung her up into the air slightly. Anastasia heard a sickening crack as the girl fell to the ground. The head of the hammer landed heavily on the ground next to the girl and a puff of dust went outwards.

The girl then counterattacked by grabbing the staff that was thrown at her. Anastasia chuckles a little at the girls futile attempts to hit her. She had to admire her spirit, even against a clearly superior foe she tried to fight back. Her attack barely even hurt. Deciding to just put the girl out of her misery, she swung the hammer back up, and then slammed it back down onto the girl. She seemed to pass out almost instantly, a direct hit straight into her stomach. Blood had spurted out of her mouth and made a sharp gasp for air, then was silent. Anastasia honestly wouldn't of been that surprised if she had killed her, even though she tried not to. Regardless, what's done is done. Slinging the now slightly bloody hammer on her back, she looked over back to the big orc, brushing herself off. "Was that entertaining enough for you?"

[Nobudi]

Lucia was still quite unsteady from the descent and docking of the city, but the beings, five of which she could count, did not seem to have any problem. In fact, they seemed all too calm, brazenly and easily walking over to the gate while everyone in the vicinity struggled to even get to their feet. Sir Cole, a man of good integrity, if a bit absent at times tried to stop them. The air in front of her froze for just a second, as if the world stood still. And with a single motion, the biggest one, most likely the leader of the group, managed to strike, but Sir Cole only managed to block at the literal last moment before contact. The resulting force between them made Lucia feel weightless as she was suddenly in the air.

As she was blown away by the aftershock of such a collision, she could only let out a shriek and tucked into a ball, trying to roll out of becoming a smearing the ground as a fine red pulp. As she killed her momentum, she oriented herself as she drew her guns. The battle continued for naught more than a few seconds, more than enough time to realize that they were all outmatched. Sir Cole was no slouch in a fight, but he was simply decimated. As the fight ended in the Strange Being's favor, they left, which left the fallen knight and the beastman Khufu over his prone form. "Sir Cole!" she cried out as she went over to check on him before sharply turning to the boy and said, "Khufu, correct? We must warn the Knights, I'll go. And please," she asked earnestly before bowing to the Beastman, "Care for Sir Cole. He's a good man."
With that, she took off. The City needed to know.

[starwacher]

Annie screams as she is thrown into the ring on her back. Her vison blurs and she lets out a muffled gasp from the impact. She immediately feels helpless looking when she looks up at Anastasia. "H-hey there. " She blushes a bit. "So did the big scary orc guy just set us up to fight a each other?" The answer quickly becomes apparent as she shrieks when the staff almost hit her in the head. "This is why I hate going out beyond the wall."

She stands up and try's pulling the staff out of the ground. Struggling for a while, she finally pulls it out and loses balance, landing on her ass. She once again looks up at Anastasia. "So has anyone ever told you, that you have nice legs?" She smiles as she tries to alleviate the overwhelming tension that is getting to her. looking around the surrounding area for something to pick up to use against her opponent Annie then stood up as and pulls out her gun attempting to aim for the spectross's arm in order to secure a non-fatal hit Firing off two shots (using Riot) at the spectross, she then trys to run away in an attempt to keep her distances. "I'm sorry about shooting at you but you look spectross Suddenly, the enemy closes the distance between them faster than she would of liked. Before she knew it a giant hammer swung into her ribs, pain shooting through her as she goes particularly flying away a few meters.(edited)
She picks herself back up but was barely bereaving breathing. "I'm....I'm ok I can ....still do this.." She wheezes and limps over to the spectross trying to hit her with the staff that was given to her. "I must do something!" She tells herself, swinging helplessly at her opponent Annie then manages to land her staff on the spectross's shoulder though she quickly saw that just like the bullet it did next to no damage. She wasn't even sure if the spectross felt it. as She looks up, feeling completely helpless "I can't do this." She says, as if realizing the futility of these past few minutes. Her body shivers instinctively as she knows exactly what is about to happen next.

Unable to do anything but watch as the hammer swings back down onto her. She lets out a gasp as the air is knocked out of her, the taste of copper filling her mouth. It wasn't even that painful, she was only conscious for a few moments before everything went black