< Sunlight For Darkness | Ex Pulplogs | Questioning the Dark >
ST Just as Falling Darkness was about to retreat from the company of Carmine, two things occur. The first is that Corve scoops his daughter up into his arms and disappears in a swirl of sunlight and golden motes. The second is that Myrrh and Xar approach the scene, dragging along the mangled, armless body of Hunter.
ST Falling Darkness opens his mouth, obviously surprised in the worst way. His expression quickly goes from smug to astonished to fearful to enraged and he reaches for his twin swords. Hunter's expression remains dull and pained. The only hope he has is the mental domination he still holds over the will-sapped Myrrh.
Myrrh "Well would you look at that!"
Myrrh "It's almost like he doesn't want to see us..."
Xar`Rex "Of course he does not."
Carmine "...Corve?!" Carmine exclaims, whirling in time to see the last whisps of ... gold?
Myrrh "Wait where did Corve go?"
Myrrh gives Falling Darkness a look as he aims his rifle at him.
ST Hunter pulls weakly at Myrrh's mental sleeve. The Deathknight is still working his mind-magic to encourage Myrrh to get him set free. Now, faced with a Solar Warrior and an angry Abyssal, Hunter's attempts are more desperate. The idea that Hunter should be set free is hammering around Myrrh's head relentlessly.
Carmine readjusts her pose to a much more fighty one, now that Sun isn't around to be woken up and/or traumatised.
Carmine "It was Corve's turn last time. Now he's gone away."
ST "You mean he ran away, like the little Lamb he is!" Darkness taunts Carmine, his swords raises to ward off her own glowing weapon. He's picked up a new sword since last time he visited: a nasty-looking Soulsteel wedge set with black-red teeth from some inhuman beast. The dark aura around the weapon tugs at Carmine hungrily.
Myrrh "Ah well then, he might miss falling darkness...Xar let that fool go, we've got a two armed monster to deal with!"
Xar`Rex shrugs and dumps Hunter off to the side, though his legs are well-tied together, and his remaining arm is tied against his nearly-naked body. His armor and weapon are in one of the sacks they were using to collect the eggs in. Xar also carefully sets down the eggs, some distance away from Hunter.
Carmine lets her essence flow out from her, to empower the sunlit blade in her weapon further, though sunlight is somehow limmed with a corona of black shadow. "He has his daughter to think of. Every time you've run it's just been your own skin you wanted to save!"
Myrrh "Where did you get the new sticker anyway? Doesn't look like soulsteel to me..."
Myrrh "The teeth I mean. What your big snake boss give you a few baby teeth?
ST Falling Darkness gives Myrrh a close-up look at his new sword, driving it's point towards the Twilight's face in a blindingly fast lunge that carries him several feet away from Carmine and her dark-edged sunlight sword.
Myrrh starts before turning into a blur of essence as he moves out of the new razor weapons way! "Well not that close..."
ST continues along his same path even as Myrrh evaporates out from under the blade. His demon-toothed sword bites deep into the stony form of Xar!
Xar`Rex roars, intercepting the blade with his claws, bashing it aside
Falling Darkness The blade takes with it a good chunk of Xar's forearm and one of his claws. His precious, precious claws. The Deathknight smirks at Xar
Carmine "LEAVE. THEM. ALONE!" Carmine screams as she charges towards the abyssal, her blade a line of furious sunfire, trailing void-black contrails in the air as she brings the weapon around in deadly arcs.
Myrrh "Damnit Xar, find those chunks, the bug can graft them on later!"
Xar`Rex howls, grimacing and pulling his arm back. "You will pay for that."
Falling Darkness ducks away from the attack even has the darkness around him mixes the black aura invading Carmine's sunlight, pushing the blade off course.
Falling Darkness "You seem to have gotten a bit worse since our last encounter, Carmine."
Myrrh decides that not being skewered and getting to a spot to take pot shots at a mummy IS the better part of Valor and scrambles away from the abyssal and towards some cover.
Xar`Rex lunges for the Abyssal, his footsteps shaking the ground. The enormous mouth of a living statue, bristling with fangs blocks the vision of Falling Darkness, and all he can see is gleaming stone.
Falling Darkness For a brief moment that is, indeed true. Until of course that nasty new sword gets in the way of Xar's mouth rather unpleasantly.
Falling Darkness The sword drives forward, digging into Xar's mouth in a nasty anti-bite attack that, after striking, tears through Xar's face and whips around to strike at Carmine before she can strike him.
Xar`Rex rears back as the sword's edge slices towards him, and catches the sword by its teeth with his remaining claws, slowing its strike and deflecting it to the side
Carmine Carmine laughs as the blow fails to even scratch her skin. "As do you, Falling Darkness!" she calls out, her blade drinking deep of his blood. And doesn't stop, turning the counter into a relentless assault, blade flashing twice more, seeking further gaps in his defences, trying to take him apart.
Falling Darkness staggers back, spitting out a mouthful of blood as Carmine's third strike scrapes across his throat, leaving a red line. The gash in his side is dripping a much larger tide of red, staining the snow around him. He glowers silently at his foe
Myrrh scrambles up a small pile of snow before carefuly laying down some sort of...odd...bipod of sorts. His breath visible in the air he lies down in the ice and snow bracing the full weight of the rifle against his shoulder. He starts cranking some sort of lever before looking down the sights and opening fire with a loud essence fuel ka-boom!
Falling Darkness proceeds to utterly ignore Myrrh's attack except for a vague wrist-flick that deflects the bullet down into the permafrost.
Myrrh can be heard to yell in the distance "Oh COME ON!"
Xar`Rex uses Falling Darkness' distraction to come upon him from the side, spinning to wrap his spiked tail around the man's midsection, and squeeze
Captain Oteki wanders up behind Myrrh, crouching down on the balls of his feet beside the Solar and looking over the scene. "Looks like ye lot've been busy."
Myrrh "Very. I hate that damn mummy. Corve took Sun with him and that one armed fellow was the nice hunter. Xar didn't appreciate his ruse."
Xar`Rex crushes the abyssal's chest, and restricts him from moving
Carmine smiles down at her enwrapped foe and then slices her sword across his back, openning up four great gashes in the jet black rags.
Captain Oteki nods. "Sorry I missed out, then, lad." he notes. "When ye lot've finished killing that there mummy-wrapped one, do ye mind if I take a look through 'is things? I 'ave a vested interest in further investigation o'the recent shenanigans."
Falling Darkness glares at Carmine, as he struggles with the giant lizard. The robes glitter with a darkness beyond black as the Void eats Carmine's damage. "Let me go, you overgrown gecko!"
Xar`Rex "Not until you are dead!"
Myrrh "Hmph. Let's see him wiggle out of THIS one!" Adjusts his aim slightly, channeling as much essence into his now hissing rifle as he can and then fires at Falling Darkness' mummy melon!
Falling Darkness grunts as he calls up another portal to the Void, sucking Myrrh's bullet down into Oblivion. He is unarmed and didnt have to wiggle at all!
Captain Oteki straightens to his feet. "I'm gonna try somethin'." he says quietly, before sinking into a... frankly kind of creepy... martial arts stance, limbs askance. With a quick series of swirling motions, he flicks his fingers in the direction of the mummy, and four nigh-invisible threads flicker forth from his fingertips.
Falling Darkness sends two of the threads into the Void but can't muster the strength of will to do away with the last two. As the razor-sharp threads bite into him, the Deathknight gives a hoarse grunt and sags in Xar's grip. It seems Oteki has delivered the nigh-mortal wound. Though the Abyssal still clings to life, he does so only by fingernails and teeth. Even Xar's "gentle" embrace might snuff him out now.
Xar`Rex shakes him a little suspiciously, to make sure he's not moving. "He is not dead yet. We should question him."
Carmine "He will only tell us lies and make more promises!"
Myrrh "Yes but we need some sort of filter.
Myrrh "We learn nothing if he's dead. And now we have two of them."
Myrrh "We can check their stories against eachother."
Myrrh "We just need a very strong set of chain..."
Xar`Rex "Yes. If he lies, we will kill him."
Carmine "But Corve isn't here to tell us that..."
Xar`Rex "We will bring them to Corve."
Captain Oteki exits his Martial Arts stance, which actually seems to involve a number of unusual popping and cracking noises, and skips on down the hill to examine the corpse. "First, however, I be plannin' to take everythin' the lad owns. In me extensive experience in the matter, I've learned that one is less likely to run away when naked."
Captain Oteki pauses momentarily. "Plus, I be startin' to feel more than a little naked meself, havin' been walkin' around without a blade for so long."
Myrrh "I wouldn't touch the rags. The swords need to be out of his grip however..."
Xar`Rex "These swords are evil. We should destroy them."
Carmine nods "We should."
Myrrh "We should. I'm not sure how with soulsteel but I think i'll work on it."
Captain Oteki quirks an eyebrow. "Ye can destroy them all ye like when we get back to th'Omen. Right now I be needin' some form o'weapon that ain't a steelcaster I barely know how to use. Deal?"
Myrrh "At the very least we should try for the poor souls trapped inside.."
Xar`Rex "Perhaps we can forge them into chains to hold him. That would be fitting."
Xar`Rex "Why do you not have your sword, Oteki?"
Captain Oteki pauses in his expert looting of the unconscious Abyssal, and glances up at the Dragon King. "That be a bit of a long story, me large reptilian friend, but I'll be certain t'explain it just as soon as we be safely out o' spooky-darkness-land an' somewhere warm."
ST Xar and Myrrh notice very quickly that something is missing. No..Falling Darkness is still there. And Carmine. Blood stains. Oteki. Themselves....Carmine said that Corve disappeared himself and Sun on his own...what could be missing? There's the sacks of eggs, and Hunter's gear...oh.
ST It seems that in the distraction of the battle with Falling Darkness and everyone getting all maimed, Hunter slipped his ropes.
ST Carmine too notices this rather quickly.
Xar`Rex grumbles. "Hunter is gone."
Carmine frowns.
Captain Oteki glances around a little, before returning to removing wrappings and weapons and whatever else Failing Dorkness is carrying. "I hate it when they do that."
Myrrh "Good. He can tell the others we have their leader...or whatever the mummy is."
ST The unconscious body of Falling Darkness yields up a pair of Soulsteel swords, a black metal serpent necklace, a heavy bracelet hidden under his wrappings forged from some kind of steel, the wrappings themselves made of heavy, possibly magical, linens...and three Hearthstones. None, of course, work at all for the Circle.
ST Oh, and his eyepatch. Which is probably magical, since it too is made of Soulsteel.
Captain Oteki whistles while he works, shoving every single thing, magical or no, into his satchel. Except the swords, which he just carries. And the eyepatch. "Y'know, I've always wanted one of these." he says with a grin, and sticks it on his head.
Carmine just looks at the pair with disbelief.
Myrrh "Oteki maybe that's not a great idea..."
Xar`Rex "Did you just..."
ST The eyepatch is a good fit for Oteki. In fact, it even adjusts itself to fit him perfectly. For a moment, Oteki can't see anything through it. Then he feels a sudden, agonizingly intense pain in his covered eye.
Xar`Rex pokes around, trying to find Hunter's trail
Captain Oteki "OWSHITFUCK!" he shouts, slapping a hand over one eye. "Stupid damn Abyssals and your bloody damn ow felching bloody hornswabble ow shit!"
Xar`Rex stops, and stares at Oteki.
ST Blood runs from under the eyepatch as it turns pure, horribly black, reflecting the Void. Then it slowly returns to its normal grey color. A ring the same violet color of Oteki's eye slowly appears on the patch, just like the grey circle it had worn when on Falling Darkness.
Carmine "...Oteki!" She rushes over to the man, concerned
Myrrh "I think we're going to need a way to regrow an eye...can you do that Carmine?" Very carefuly approaches poor Oteki. "You're going to be alright Oteki!"
Captain Oteki waves a hand in front of his face. "Huh. That's interestin' enough."
Carmine "Of course I can! Here, let me ... what's interesting?"
Myrrh "Oteki, can you hear me? Just breath deep, don't panic. I know how this feels and...what's interesting?"
Xar`Rex sighs, figuring the others have this taken care of, and continues looking for Hunter
ST Hunter's tracks are gone, hidden by snow and, if Xar is right, magic. The Deathknight must have used his last Essence reserves to escape with some sort of dark Charm..
Captain Oteki sways a little, wincing repeatedly, and then rights himself, gathering up the rest of the newly-acquired trinkets. "On the one hand," he explains through a wincing grimace, "there be some issues with blinding pain, which be leadin' me t'think that me eye's gone. On th'other," he adds, peering at the bracelet before slipping it into his satchel, "I seem t'be able t'see, an' in some ways better'n before, I think."
Myrrh "Oteki maybe you should take that off...I mean it's made out of soulsteel and not to mention it just took out your EYE..."
Xar`Rex comes back, disgruntled, and gives Falling Darkness a little kick, to make up for the fact that he can't kick Hunter.
Captain Oteki looks at Myrrh incredulously. "If'n I be missin' an eye, wouldn't it be better for me to not remove th'eyepatch that be lettin' me see anyway? An' besides, it may come in handy. Though I be thinkin' that it be a good idea to get ye to take a look at me other new toys before I go puttin' em on. I ain't too keen on losin' any other major organs."
Captain Oteki straightens, slinging the soulsteel swords over a shoulder with a wince. "In any case, we need t'be gettin' out o'here while the gettin' be good. I need a drink."
Myrrh "right." Helps gather up everything including falling darkness and heads for the ship!
Xar`Rex nods. "Let us leave this shadowland."
Carmine is still fairly sure they should just stab him and have Xar burn the body.
Captain Oteki makes with the exiting of the Shadowland, occasionally pausing to wave a hand in front of his face, making sure that he can still see.
ST Oteki's underworld vision does not fade. It is still giving him a hideous headache, from seeing everything in a strange double-vision of light and darkness. Not to mention that his eaten eye is still screaming and dripping blood down his face.
Captain Oteki occasionally sways about a little. "This is gonna require some time to grow accustomed to."
Myrrh "Oteki you really should just take that off and let Carmine heal you. It's not good and you're bleeding everywhere!"
Captain Oteki shrugs, and gives a wincing grin. "It's always been me policy to let things run their preordained course before abortin' me actions an' interferin'. I'll give a day an' a night, long enough to get back t'the ship. If'n I'm still bleedin' and wailin' in blindin' agony by that time, Ye can pry the thing off me face an' make with yer healin' hands. Until then, I can see the underworld!"
Carmine "That's because we're in it."
Captain Oteki points up and slightly to the right. "Not anymore. We left the spookyland, oh, about eight minutes ago. That be the main source o'me renewed agonizin' pain. Seein' both at once be irritatin'."
< Sunlight For Darkness | Ex Pulplogs | Questioning the Dark >
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