Of Monsters and Men

Discussion in 'Retirement Home' started by Magick, Sep 26, 2015.

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  1. Relatively Sane Gummi Ship Junkie

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    Vyle glanced at the man. Now he looked closer, the man did carry a sickle. True, it wasn't the best weapon, but a weapon nonetheless. He glanced around the fog. Was it just him, or were there shadows moving in the mist? It was probably his imagination playing tricks on him. "We're looking for a man named Solomon. A mage. Creepy man, black robes, black mask. I think you'd like him" Vyle said passive-aggressively "He raised an army of the dead after the battle and headed away, but we're not sure where. Have you seen him? He's difficult to miss, always laughing and making monologues to himself"

    Willow rode slightly closer giving away nothing and remaining at a respectful distance. "Interesting. I see no instruments. What do you play, your horses?" Willow smiled sidelong at him "Or maybe you're a travelling choir, of a hundred or so people?" she laughed shortly "Let's dispense with the lies. I'm looking for a mage by the name of Zephyr, it is very important I find him before certain other people do"

    Violet knelt down to be on a level with the young girl "You should be glad that you get to just play all day girl, be grateful for Archon's generosity" She stated emotionlessly, a glare at the girl. Before she suddenly stood "Archon is busy today" delivering a reckoning to the dopplers. "However. I can teach you, if you wish"
     
  2. CrownMoksha Decimo

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    No sooner than he had muttered that, someone had appeared out of the fog. This served to quickly put Zephyr on edge as one of his hands moved to his newly acquired blade. He didn't draw them just yet for he didn't know if this guy was a threat or not. Seeing the sickle that was on his back, he assumed that he knew how to us it. Zephyr felt himself be tugged closer by Teliana. He held no objections to the action, for there surely was a good reason for it given the situation that they were in and Zephyr choose to trust Ana in her decision.
     
  3. GarrettFinch Hollow Bastion Committee

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    'won't be an aweful lot to see there, Lass, maybe a bruise but you won't see all the organs that are internally bleeding all over you, the world is fun that way.' "I would not call the world fun. We just need to as Witchers make the necessary sacrifice." There was not much else to say. She continued to walk on the path. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to help the man go find something to healp eal his arm, but he was not having any of it.
     
  4. Vladek515 Hollow Bastion Committee

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    The Vampire seemed to understand him as he answered. "I can't say I have seen him, he had probably left before I arrived. As for liking him, if he raises an army of the dead he and I cannot be friends. The dead should not be brought back to life, their flesh should feed the land." Tobias stated calmly, he didn't take the passive aggresive bait and get riled up, it was rather pointless to anyways. "I cannot help you, I am afraid I know nothing of this... Solomon, you speak of. Now please, tell your friends not to be so tense, there's nothing to fear here. Anything else I could be of assistance with?" He knew full well that his necrophages were moving about in the mists, but they hadn't threatened them in the slightest so what was there to be afraid of.

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    "No, looking at the world and seeing the shitpile it is, is definitely going to be very great for your mental state..." Alastar said sarcasticly, by the Gods what was this woman's problem. He now understood why Derrick was so glad that he had ran into Alastar when they met in Oxenfurt, what a depressing little individual this one. And it would also explain Derrick's reaction when this little crazy bint came walking up to their campsite. He pitied the man for having to put up with that ****. Thinking of Derrick he wondered where the hell he had ended up after that portal and with who, did he make it to the Kaer in one piece and what about Treasa? Was she somewhere safe? He knew there'd be hell to pay for himself if, no, when he found her again. He would find her again, unless death found him first but he had some nice advice for death, to go **** itself and leave him in peace...
     
  5. Magick ~Meaner then my demons~

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    Teliana snapped her fingers, a small fire appearing in her palm, illuminating the immediate area. It couldn't penetrate the fog, but just the comfort of the element's warmth in her palm was enough, for now. She didn't want to be back here. She didn't want to be facing another calm, yet emotionless man. His voice brought back memories that shouldn't have been dredged up, and she couldn't stand it.

    "We shouldn't be here." She whispered, the fire growing larger in her hand before she lowered it, peering uneasily around her. It would be all too easy for something to attack them here, where their visibility was reduced and the one enemy they could see was apparently nonthreatening. Just too easy. She reached back, using the hand that didn't contain fire to gently grab hold of
    Vyle's shirt, just to make sure he was still there, that he hadn't vanished. She would be okay if he was there.

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    Zack winced as his lie was exposed, in his panic he hadn't considered that. And the name...."That's not a common name, to be sure." He replied, looking up at Willow on the horse. "What makes you better then the other people?" He asked. "Maybe this mage is running from you, to these certain other people. How am I to know?" He narrowed his eyes. "What are you, anyway? You called me out on my lies, I might as well return the favor. No woman would get far riding through these lands, alone and by herself. No one is riding around these lands, at all."
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    As Terra and Sweallow wandered the not even close to wilds of White Orchard, a snuffling sound be heard. The sound was accompanied by cracking, and munching. It stops as they draw closer, then the sound of heavy footfalls approaches.

    A wild Beserker has appeared!

    Go Terra and Sweallow!
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2016
  6. Relatively Sane Gummi Ship Junkie

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    Vyle's eyes panned the surrounding area slowly. He noticed Ana grabbing his shirt and a smile flickered across his face as he glanced at her. Slowly, and reluctantly, he moved her hand off his shirt. He didn't want the strange man to see any kind of weakness in them. "I see" he replied calmly "I suppose we shall be leaving you then" he slowly began to back away from the man, looking everywhere as he did. The mist unnerved him. Anything could come from anywhere. "Keep an eye out" he told Ana and Zephyr, quiet enough that the man could not hear, as they began to head away from the strange man.

    Willow sighed sadly and gazed into the middle distance with grief "He's on the run from witch hunters, you see. He escaped them once before, and they won't let him get away again. I need to find him before they do" she explained convincingly "You are right, most women wouldn't get far. But I'm not most women. I can protect him, I'm perhaps his only hope right now" she looked into the distance, her expression unreadable "You sure you haven't seen him? He's young, blonde. Was wearing dimeritium shackles for a while..." she paused, alarm crossing her face as she looked at the man pleadingly "Please, I know you don't trust me but I need to find him! You have no idea what they'll do to him!"
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2016
  7. Aelin Best Waifu

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    "I know that I should be glad, but I have never had to just play. I don't know what to do with myself. Sorry." Annabelle apologized as she held her hands in front of her and look down slightly. "Would you really teach me? I would love that. You are so good with earth magic. It is stronger than mine. I would love you to show me how to be strong like you." Annabelle replied to Violet. She was getting excited now. A smile spread across her face. She felt very out of place here, so if there was a lesson of some sort it would make her feel better.
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    Terra's head snapped towards the sound before she pushed Sweallow behind her. "Story time has to wait, we have company." Terra said as she took stance ready to fight. She started with casting a barrier around her and Sweallow to protect them with one hand, while in the other she was working a magic that was not seen at first. There was a crack of static in the sky before dark clouds formed over top of the creature. Terra made another move with her hand as lightning came crashing down at it. In the meantime her barrier crackled and flickered as she tried to maintain both magics at once. She was not as trained as she used to be and after the injury and the magical effort used in the last fight, she as finding it more difficult to control a high amount of magic, but she was not going to stop. Terra slowly backed away to try to give them more space between them and the beast. "Don't touch the barrier, or you will get electrocuted." Terra instructed harshly.
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    Seth was startled at Tessa's outburst but decided not to say anything. He watched as Matilda's eyes saddened unsure what to say next. Though despite the upset girl in front of him, he didn't linger or offer a word of comfort or anything. He simply turned and followed after Tessa. He didn't look to see if Adoline followed, or stayed with Matilda, or went his own way. It didn't matter too much. The man could handle himself. Matilda was a rich little girl. Tessa could take care of herself but he hated the thought of leaving her. He raced after Tessa but didn't say anything as he reached her. She needed to cool down so Seth would keep his mouth shut and not dare to make it any worse. She would calm down and talk to him when she was ready.
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    Keenan found himself running his fingers through his hair a few times as the silence continued on. He wished that things could be easier with Veera. He wished he could just talk and joke with her like he did with the others. Things were just so tense. He could deal with it though, after all right before he left he had to get between a fight with an angry dwarf and a elf. That was a tense situation if you ever saw one. In the end neither creature died and actually went out for a beer after, and Keenan himself had escaped with only one new scar. Nasty temper that dwarf did have, as most dwarves did. So after that, this tense situation was manageable if not just slightly annoying. He couldn't walk away however due to the nature of the task at hand. So he followed Veera over the hill and through the woods.
     
  8. CrownMoksha Decimo

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    The talk between Vyle and man before them appeared to have gone without anyone resorting to violence, but regardless of that Zephyr remained tense at this whole situation. The primary cause of that was the fog that surrounded them. If one person was hiding in the fog, who knows just what else was there waiting. This guy may not have decided to attack them right off the bat, but that didn't mean that whatever else was sitting in wait in the fog wouldn't. Even if Vyle had't said anything, Zephyr would've likely kept looking around them as unnoticeable as he could as they made their way out.

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    Kruez walked in silence behind both Keenan and Veera as they continued towards their destination. There wasn't much conversing going on during their walk, though it wasn't like there was much to take about in the first place. They had decided to follow behind Veera despite her giving them the option to turn away. Whether it was due to her being concerned for them or just wanting to handle this matter alone wasn't known, but Kruez was leaning for the latter. What was known that whatever hell awaited them ahead, that had chosen to face it head on.

    Moments after Terra had spoken, Sweallow had heard cracking and munching as well as the following heavy footsteps. Upon seeing the berseker, his first instinct was to reach to his side for his weapon, but that was when he'd realized that he didn't bring his weapon with him. Sweallow cursed to himself. Of course he didn't expect to actually need to bring his weapon along with him given that they were just going out for a short walk, but he should've brought it along for the just in case faction. A factor that didn't include a berserker attack. "Right." Sweallow responded, within Terra's barrier.
     
  9. Vladek515 Hollow Bastion Committee

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    The man merely stood "Terribly sorry, I couldn't help you out on this, I do wish you good luck on your quest to fight this abomination, truly hope you succeed too." Tobias told the vampire "We can both agree such things should not be, can't we?" Tobias had caught the weakness in them, but why exploit it. "Please do come again, it gets so terribly lonely around here." He called over as they disappeared into the fog, he was alone once more, the preparations were still being made, his personal guard came back to him as the graveirs flocked back to him, he petted on on the head as he sat down, it putting it's head on his lap. "I know, Jeremy, I know, they won't come back here, they never do." Tobias said "Say want to hear a tune? Yes of course you do." He took out his fiddle as the Graveirs sat in a semi-circle around him as he played on his fiddle the shrill sound of it moving through the mist and throughout a good portion of the city.
     
  10. Magick ~Meaner then my demons~

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    Ana sighed inwardly, though she said nothing as Vyle removed her hand. It was a weakness, but one she desperately needed. Still, it seemed they were being let go without too much trouble. Carefully making their way back towards the outskirts of the city, she couldn't help but notice the eeriness the fog created as it wrapped around burned out husks of houses and shops. Stains still covered the stones they walked on, remnants of the battle and the people that lost limb and life during. She paused as they past the fountain, that fateful circle of stone. The water was a dark color now, though whether it was the lack of sunlight, or gore, she could not tell.

    "One moment." She murmured, stepping away from the
    group. Her hands burst into flames, both illuminating her way and warning any potential enemies of her intent to harm. She ran one burning finger along the stone where she had sat, her eyes distant. If she hadn't been here...if she had been somewhere else, or more careful and wary, how different would things be? Would she have retained her magic? Been able to help turn the tide of battle, or save innocent lives? She didn't know. She would never know.

    What had happened to the two who had turned her in? She wondered bitterly how much they had been paid for her. She would never forget that woman's face. It was burned into her mind, right next to Milosh's, and Solomon's. Ana had never put much stock in revenge, but as she studied her scarred hands, barely healed, she knew that should she ever meet any of those people ever again, there would be a reckoning.

    Turning back, she returned to
    Vyle and Zephyr. "Let's get out of here before something tries to kill us." She murmured, brushing past both of them to take the lead, her hands still burning bright, her mind in the not too distant past.

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    Veera led Kruez and Keenan up the path, and around a bend. Finally, the castle where Solomon seemed to have taken up residence came into view. She approached slowly, cautiously, half expecting to be attacked, or at least called out as she walked up to the gates. Curiously enough, it had been left open. Had they come here, and left? The smell of death and disease filled her nose, and Veera grimaced, though she pressed on. She needed to just bear with the stench, if only to make sure there were no traps nearby.

    She didn't look back to see if
    Kruez and Keenan had followed her. She would have assumed they did, after their declarations, but if they got cold feet now, she wouldn't blame them. Pausing in the entry way, she looked around, half expecting at least a skeleton to jump out from behind the fireplace, or under the table. But no, the room appeared empty. As she continued on to the great hall, the only sound was her footsteps, and her own heart thundering in her ears. She half wanted to call out for the necromancer, but that would only make things worse if he was here, and somehow didn't know she had intruded. If this was a trap, well....it wouldn't make a difference.

    There was food upon the table, but no fire, no torches lit, everything desert. Veera peered at the table, narrowing her eyes in wary curiosity as she spied a substance that looked similar to the eggs fished laid. But why would it be served at the table, as if to eat? Alongside that, however strangely placed, was a roasted hog, still on the spit, and taking up most of the table. Veera's stomach rumbled, but she ignored it and stopped, listening. What faintly sounded like piano music had begun to echo through the halls, so soft that if she hadn't had the senses she did, Veera would have questioned whether she had missed it playing before.

    A short time later, she descended the stairs, hand still on the hilt of her silver sword. The entire castle had turned up empty, and the damned piano music was still playing, yet there was no one to be found. Had
    Solomon simply left? Found a new place? She went back towards the great hall, confused, and irritated.

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    Zack frowned. The woman, if she was lying, was doing an excellent job of it. So well in fact, that he couldn't tell which parts could be lies and which could be truths. No one else would have known that Zephyr had been chased by witch hunters, or that he had the shackles on his wrists. No one else except who Zephyr had trusted, and his captors. Though it was still a possibility in Zack's mind that Willow might be one of the people who wanted to harm Zephyr, he couldn't take the chance that Willow really did care, and only wanted to help a friend. If it had been him, and Tessa? He pitied the poor man that would stand in the way.

    "I can show you where I saw him last." Zack finally offered. "There may be a trail from there." He turned, and began to walk in the west. He would keep an eye on
    Willow, see if she slipped up, and if she did, then he would do what he could do best. And if he died, well Lila, and Angeal and Riel would be able to keep their people safe. He had confidence in them to do the right thing, just like he had the confidence he was doing the right thing. If he didn't, then what kind of a leader was he?

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    The giant bear charged Terra's barrier, ignoring the shocks and sparks that ran over its fur. They stung, but he was a bear. His fur was thick enough to stand the coldest of Skellige's winters for months on end, if he couldn't take a little pain, what kind of berserker was he? He smashed against the barrier, head first. Shaking it against the pain, he crashed it again. The sorceress wouldn't be able to hold the spell forever. And he found himself wondering how her companion tasted. The little man smelled quite good, after all.
     
  11. GarrettFinch Hollow Bastion Committee

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    She continued to walk. The world was in a sad state. "The world maybe in a sad state..." She was going to say more but, she stopped herself. The man lived in a sad state and she did not think that there was much she could say to the man to help him. The world was dark, yes but, there need to be seen the light. If someone let the darkness get to them then it would it was as simple as that. The darkness needed to be shown that it would not be stopped so easily.
     
  12. Aelin Best Waifu

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    Approaching the castle Keenan drew his Silver sword just in case. He held it in front of him as he quietly stepped forward, following close behind Veera and making sure to keep an eye on her back. Is breath was steady despite the creepy feeling this place was giving him. Whatever was going on here, whatever Crow was having Veera do, or however that was working, it was not safe. Even with two of them there, he still didn't feel like they would have a handle on the situation.

    The table was set ready to eat, but no one could be seen. A trap most likely, this mage was expecting them most likely. Keenan made sure to be extra vigilant while they moved around the castle of sorts. Each new area they reached he tried to search for the source of the piano that was echoing through the residence, with no luck. Their breaths and that piano were the only things heard, but even still it seemed impossible to track it down. With that being said it only made Keenan more wary. He stayed close to
    Veera, always watching her back as so they wouldn't get attacked from behind. If something was coming to kill them, at least one of them would see it before it was too late.

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    As the bear smashed against the barrier, Terra's magic shuttered against the force. This was certainly the battle of the bear and the maiden fair. Unable to hold both spells much longer, the storm that had started above the bear had come to an abrupt halt and the barrier strengthened slightly. Still if the bear kept pounding on it, it wouldn't last long. "When this barrier comes down, you are going to run and find shelter. I will deal with the bear. Ready? Go!" As Terra was giving her orders, she was charging a spell. As she told Sweallow to go, the barrier collapsed but all the magic from it poured into her other spell as she released it. A huge blast of concentrated energy bust forth at the bear. This move left Terra a little tired and out of it. She swayed slightly but stayed upright as she prepared for the possibility of needing another couple spells to finish it off. After that she knew that she would be out of commission for a little bit, there was only so much magic energy that she could use at once, and maintaining two spells took a lot out of her. Though she had always managed to find enough energy to get herself out of a sticky situation, after that though it was never a fun time.
     
  13. Frosch Traverse Town Homebody

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    The evening sun sent out long shadows before it as Ellyn reentered the Nilfgaardian camp. This time she didn't bother pausing at the two guards at the gate; they would remember her, and even if they didn't she wasn't about to stop for a simple corporal when she had so much of importance of her mind.
    She made a beeline for Ardal's tents, keeping Oak moving at a fast pace barely avoiding trampling those that got in her way. Oak for one wouldn't have minded running one of those small humans over.
    Ellyn pulled back sharply on the reigns, and Oak skidded to a halt in front of their destination. Before he had settle back down Ellyn had already leaped off, dashing onward. She spotting Ardal fussing around the tents and men: presumably mustering them for the investigation of Pontarsfork. Well, plans had changed, but the men would still be necessary. In fact, she would need many more.

    "Ardal," she barked urgently as she approached the soldier. "I need to see the commander of this camp. Things in Pontarsfork are much worse than they appeared at first glance." Gods knew they'd looked shit in the first place. "We will need every man in this camp, and maybe then some. Gods help us if your commander doesn't listen to me."


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    Stone ground against stone, cracked with pressure, rock chippings fell to the floor, and Evander walked. He leaned heavily on the surgeon to his side, but he fucking walked. A flash of genius, really, and about as far as he had ever stretched his knowledge of magic and sheer power. Evander had never been much of a healer, as evidenced by the scars that marred his body that any mage with a good understanding of healing could have erased, but if he was anything it was god damn tough. He could ignore the constant pain.
    His stroke of genius had simply been to create new limbs. Not grow new ones of course, he wasn't capable of that. These legs and arm were of hard granite, infused into the ends of his real limbs with magic. It fucking hurt, but a small flow of magic staved off that pain, and even if he didn't maintain that magic he could ignore the pain.

    "... miracle of medicine, this will change the world!" The surgeon was rambling at his side. "Riches untold are before us, and rulers shall flock to my care!" Evander tried shutting the man's voice out of his mind. Gods, the man was an idiot. But Evander needed him for now. For now...
    The mage eased himself back into the bed, to rest. This was still a learning process. His left leg still wasn't rotating correctly, and both legs needed be shifted slightly in the way they aligned with the rest of his limbs. As for his left arm, right now it was still a chunk of rock that could only make basic movements. While he worked out those kinks, he could rest here in this small room, alone and shut off from everyone else. Aside from the idiot surgeon.

    "But soon, soon we'll be back in the world."
    "Yes, very soon. Back with a vengeance."
     
  14. al215 Kingdom Keeper

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    After the meeting with the nobility, the Emperor retired to a chamber somewhere inside the Imperial Palace. The room was lit by a large candelabra in the centre of the room, beneath which stood a table with books, maps and papers scattered across it. The corners of the room were cast into shadows by the bookshelves that filled the rest of the room. Upon closer inspection, one would see reports dating back hundreds of years, reference materials on factions both present and past and a comprehensive history of the territories of Nilfgaard. It was a library of information that the Emperors would need. Inside the room stood the Emperor with two of his most trusted advisors, and certain members of the Imperial Guard who he knew could be trusted. They stood there in their armour, expressionless in their visored helmets, armour black and trimmed with gold. Cahir was the last into the room, having kept the other two waiting while he finished up his business with the nobility of the country that day. The head of Nilfgaardian Intelligence, Declan Aedd Aenye had told him that there was an urgent matter to attend to in the North, something that they might wish to consider. Naturally, he had summoned Artorias who was always a pillar of wisdom and now they met in the chamber.
    "Your Imperial Majesty." Declan bowed. The Emperor gave his old friend a smile. He was a couple of years younger than the Emperor, with similar black hair that tumbled down to his shoulders. He was cleanly shaven. The other man in the room was clad in elegant robes with a high collar, a long beard on his face - An intentional image of wisdom.
    "Your majesty." Spoke one of the few sorcerers still alive in Nilfgaard. To him, Cahir nodded and assumed his place at the table. Only one man was missing, but General Joachim Caerme aep Ymladda was excused. He had a war to settle. All of that was in good time and this new development might change their plans a little, combined with the plans that the Emperor was aware of.
    "I am glad to see you assembled here. Before we go on, protocol is still in effect. This is not a casual meeting." The reminder was aimed towards Declan, who had the occasional habit of forgetting that they were not children any more and their long-standing friendship starting from childhood did not permit him to overstep his bounds. Otherwise, he was a tirelessly loyal, intelligent and therefore ideal for his position. "Agent Declan, you have something that needs to be brought to my attention?" The head of intelligence cleared his head and pushed an envelope over to Cahir.
    "Yes, Emperor. This letter." The Emperor of Nilfgaard picked it up, removing the letter from its container and read it through quickly, then replaced the letter in its envelope.
    "I see. We have an opportunity here. The Doppler population of the North is being oppressed by Archon, and following an uprising in Oxenfurt the city was overrun by monsters." Cahir frowned and stroked his chin, considering what to do about this. "We have allies clearly. If we can unite these Dopplers with us, then we can make use of them in our efforts. Aedd Aenye, we have a garrison in the North do we not?"
    "Yes, we do. Do you propose that we direct them there?" Declan asked. He nodded.
    "Precisely. These Dopplers can stand with us. If they seek their freedom and are willing to fight for it, then I am more than happy to lend my assistance. They will have a freer world when we take the country from their king. Speaking of our operatives, I presume that Milosh is doing well?" He inquired.
    "Yes my Emperor. In his latest report, it would appear that he has taken Crow's Perch and is making a nuisance of himself in the lands of Velen." He nodded approvingly.
    "Good. It seems that Redania is in chaos. It will fall to a stronger power than their King to restore order. That is where we step in. It will be easy, when many of their problems are puppets dancing on our strings."
    "If I may Emperor, then we should tread lightly around Milosh. He has ambitions of his own." Cahir nodded understandingly.
    "Yes, but he does not have an Empire. We do. If he proves troublesome and works outside of our interests as our puppet then..." He needed not finish his sentence. They knew exactly what their Emperor was suggesting. None of them could think of a reasonable counterargument to the point. Declan broke the following silence.
    "Sir, what of the Oxenfurt trouble?"
    "I will inform General Caerme aep Ymladda of it, and instruct him to avoid the city. It will be a costly sink of resources and one that can wait until we have established power in the North for ourselves. Once Redania lies in our control, we can send in the army to purge the city as best we can. Perhaps we should consider re-instituting an order of Witchers if it proves to require specialists. However, I suspect that the army will suffice, so long as we are careful."


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    The soldiers offered no resistance when Ellyn returned. They had seen her ride out with one of theirs and presumed that she was coming back for a reason. Ardal was mustering up his group, directing the soldiers to get their equipment. Gordon and Matilda were standing around watching, unsure of what to do. Both of them stood close to each other. It was one of the only comforts that they had left, given that their previous lives had been destroyed. They saw Ellyn ride in and Gordon approached, glad of her return. Inadvertently, she had saved his life, and she was doing everything that she could to help them. He admired her. She was a real hero. Ardal turned to look at her, then nodded.
    "I trust your judgement. Follow me." Ardal nodded and looked to Gordon and Matilda. "Stay there, Ellyn and I will be back soon. We've got to see the general." Gordon nodded.
    "Don't be too long Ardal." Matilda called. Gordon knew that she was feeling insecure, and rightfully so. She loved him, and she was going to need him. Ellyn and Ardal walked through the Niflgaardian camp until they reached the command tent. There were halted by two soldiers kitted in plate armour and wielding halberds.
    "What business do you have with the General, Corporal? Who is this?" One spoke in Nilfgaardian. The Corporal saluted respectfully.
    "I bring someone to speak to the General. It is urgent business concerning a nearby village." He replied. The one that hadn't spoken looked inside the tent and nodded to someone inside. The general emerged then. His hair was cut so short you could see his scalp and he appeared to be an older man, perhaps in his fifties. He looked at Ardal, then at Ellyn. He looked at them.
    "You'd best come in." He spoke. "I daresay I know who you are, the General informed me you may appear." He beckoned the two of them into the command tent where he sat them down around a table. The other staff looked at them curiously, as this was quite the irregularity. However, the were not going to question it.
    "Tell me, what brings you here? And proof, if you will."

    Meanwhile, in Novigrad...

    "And they were devils I tell ya!" The Dwarf Wilfred Hoover stood upon a table, beside him sat Boenn Cerbin, his Aen Seidhe companion. "The leader o' tha' pack o' nightmares, was a man! Ragged robes, mask an' hat! He stood upon the well an' spoke to us! An' when we denied him, he unleashed 'em. Bodies. Walking. The skin rotting of their bones even as they tore the villagers to shreds. Me friends died back there. I lived by running through me forge, cutting one down at the legs and beheading it. Another one, covered in boils and pustules like some diseased thing tried ta catch me, but I jammed a polein it and it didnae get close!" He didn't mention how close it did get. He didn't want them to think he was infected with whatever horrid disease it was carrying.
    "Boenn here didnae live in Pontarsfork itself, but in the forest outside. He's a hunter. He got me outta there, pulling me away in me despair. But I tell all of ya right here, beware him. Beware the Deathbringer. Beware his walking corpses. Bury yer dead well, or burn 'em. I fear that he'll do the same to the village, making them inta monsters, and then what? Who knows where he'll come next?"
    "If you know anyone in villages nearby, send them a warning about what's coming. We don't know where they've gone, but they could strike out again." Boenn added, giving a less dramatic and more prudent bit of advice.


    [​IMG]

    Derrick groaned, waking up again after a rest in the surgery that they had holed up in after they arrived. His back was much better. His metabolism had closed the wound, but as he moved it twinged. He wasn't going to be wanting to do anything too stressful. Reaching to his back, he could feel the raw, tense scar flesh where it had scraped him along the back. He was going to have a lasting memory of that encounter in the form of three large scars. He decided to opt out of a shirt for now, not particularly wanting to cause himself unnecessary discomfort while they were still inside. Not far from him, he could see Treasa in a cot not dissimilar. As she moved around, he saw scars in the shape of claw marks across her bare back. He squinted, not entirely sure whether he had seen that right. He knew full well that those were not from the encounter with whatever the hell it was. He grimaced. Whatever did it, it must have hurt like hell. Since they were both in such ****** conditions, and were recovering, he whistled to get her attention. He was going to find out.
    "Hey, Treasa! You alright over there?" He called, making the basic check to ensure that she was okay. Hopefully that blow to the head hadn't done too serious damage and she was back in form. "Just noticed something. Claw marks, on your back. Looks like some wild animal did you in a while ago." He sat up so he could pay attention.



    [​IMG]

    Adolin saw that Tessa was furious and she stormed off. He watched with a raised eyebrow as she spoke, vaguely amused but he sensed that this was a long time coming. The impression that he got from this rather self-righteous group was that she needed taking care of. From what he could tell, she was old enough to make her own decisions and clearly wanted to have that freedom. It wasn't his place to intervene, but apparently things were getting out of hand and these were people that he might actually need. He followed after them and before she could get too far he clamped a hand on Tessa's shoulder.
    "Fool girl. What are you going to achieve by going out there?" He demanded. He spun her around by her shoulder so that she faced him, then put his other hand on her shoulder. "I know what it's like to lose. My parents were killed by a Witcher for no other reason than they were a Doppler. But instead of charging after him when I was young, I waited. I grew older, I nursed my vengeance and prepared. I sought him out, and found him." He gestured to the swords on his back.
    "I killed him. Wait, prepare, and then we strike. Rushing headlong against a force that is beyond you alone will only waste your life." Adolin spoke, impassioned. "Instead, hold your anger and nurse its flame. I brought justice against Carrak of Cintra, and against the whole Witcher order. I'm tired of seeing our kind slaughtered for no reason. Did you see Oxenfurt? They did it wrong. They didn't go big enough." He looked around to see if anyone was nearby. He couldn't see anyone that could be a danger.
    "Help me. Get your friend here too. Let's find the Dopplers of Novigrad, save who we can and strike out. We'll visit the villages, gathering as many as we can and we'll make an army. And then we'll fight back. Don't waste your life now. There's so much more you can do with your life. I'm going to need allies. I can't do this alone." His voice became insistent. He had to unite who he could. The killings were going to come, and there was no way of stopping that. All he could do was try to make the most of the people that were there that he could save. "So, what'll it be?"
     
  15. Vladek515 Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
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    Olivia was somehow less interesting to talk to than say the trees that they walked past or the road they travelled down, she clearly didn't grasp the concept of sarcasm. After a long journey where Alastar didn't say too much because his jokes and sarcasm would be lost on the poor girl, only making him miss Treasa's presence more and more. As they travelled over the mountains and through the woods towards the Kaer the witcher enjoyed the surroundings as much as he could and cursed beneath his breath because of his broken arm. When the Kaer came into view though, Alastar stopped for a moment, nailed to the ground in horror. The Kaer was gone for the most part, the outer walls were still relatively recognisable but the main keep was just gone. Treasa... was all he could think of... he had lost her in the portal when he and Olivia got scattered into the city of Oxenfurt. She had gone through to it's intended target... the Kaer... she was gone.... he had failed her... if he could cry the mighty Yaruga would have paled in comparrison.

    As the shock left him, which took quite a while, he charged down the path. Rage coursing through him, anger at himself, anger because it was easier to feel anger than the hurt he felt inside. She was gone and it had been his fault, he hadn't even been there by her side when she passed away as he had always imagined he would. He had failed her not just once but twice, he hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye...He just ran and ran down the path, his throat feeling as if it were squeezed shut. His heart beating like the thundering hooves of a cavalry charge. He charged through what remained of the gates into what once was the courtyard. The once mighty fortress was nothing but rubble now. He started to run around wildly trying to find any trace of his neice, finding none but the broken body of
    the Crow. There was no sign of her maybe she had been buried beneath the rubble and was still alive against all odds, but looking at the devastation wrought upon the once mighty castle he doubted that very much, still he called out her name with all the sound his voice could muster, trying to call out to his neice in vain.
     
  16. Magick ~Meaner then my demons~

    Joined:
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    The True North.
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    Treasa woke slowly. The ringing in her head was nearly gone, though the headache remained. She didn't feel dizzy anymore, and her ribs had been wrapped, the bandages circling around her chest. Still, even with that covering she pulled the sheet up over herself as she sat. It had been psychological torture for the doctor to even touch her, until the assistant must have realized what was going on and took over, using instruction from the doctor, who proceeded to work on Derrick, to get the job done.

    After that, there had been some form of herbal medication, ad Treasa had drifted off into an uneasy sleep. She gently felt the receding lump on the back of her head, wincing, before turning her face slightly, her cheek pressing against the warmth of her bare shoulder as she glanced at
    Derrick's half naked form. "You aren't far off." She said, reaching back somewhat self consciously to let her fingers drift along the tops of the warped skin.

    "It was a wild animal, in a way." Her heart began to pound when the roar of the animal echoed in her ears, the faint ghost of its claws raking down her back as she screamed. The quiet snuffles of apology, the look of such intense pain in its eyes when it realized what it had done. Bears could only fight their instincts for so long, after all...

    "He said it was a lost art. The only ones who knew how to do it, how to harness the magic were left in Skellige, hiding in caverns and forests, their wilder natures taken over." She turned her face away, letting her hair cascade over the other shoulder. "I almost died that day. Probably the closest call I've ever had, besides those bandits." But she didn't want to delve further into her darker past. "Tell me,
    Derrick." She turned back to face him, eyes dark with memories. "Have you ever faced down a berserker?"

    [​IMG]
    Just as Adolin's hand clamped down on her shoulder, Tessa's hand went to her dagger. She grabbed the hilt in her hand, spinning it around and flicking the blade toward Adolin's throat, her eyes burning. She was sick of being grabbed, of being told what to do, of being treated like glass. She wasn't made of such fragile stuff, hadn't Bryce raised her better then that? As Adolin spoke, she withdrew the knife, and averted her gaze. He had no way of knowing that Bryce was the one who had started Oxenfurt, the one who had begun the revolution, and the one who had caused it to fall apart.

    "We're going to do this right. We're going to save people. Not make them suffer instead." She replied, putting the knife away and reaching out a hand for
    Seth, whom she thought was close by. "We won't make it worse. We'll make it better."
     
  17. Aelin Best Waifu

    Joined:
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    British Columbia, Canada
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    Matilda stood there too stunned to speak or move. She had not expected Tessa to explode on her as she had. She didn't think the girl would react so harshly to her trying to keep herself from getting more injured. She simply wanted to help them, she had meant no harm. Her eyes prickled with tears, but she refused to let them flow as she watched both Tessa and Seth, along with Adolin walk away and leave her by herself. She supposed she said she would go off on her own anyways, so it shouldn't hurt so much, but still despite only knowing the pair for a couple days, it almost felt like losing a friend.

    Matilda turned to quietly walk away, and as she moved she thought about what Tessa had said. She said that she didn't have a human family. If not that then what? The realization hit Matilda all at once. The girl was a doppler, her companions likely were as well if that was the case. She was so worked up cause they were in danger, all their kind. Didn't Tessa realize she would have helped get as many dopplers out as she could have. Her and her brother were actively involved with an organization that smuggled innocent people out of danger, no matter their race.

    It was too late to do anything about it now. Matilda had to continue looking for her brother. That being said, stopping by her brothers friends house first would still be a good idea. Perhaps he knew something, or at least watch Gregory for a little while. Matilda made her way straight to the iron forge of a blacksmith in town. She kept her head held high as she entered, making sure to look like a noble woman just looking for a small dagger to protect herself. She reached near the back and was greeted by an older man. He had a grim look on his face as he brought her into the back room and started to explain the situation to Matilda. Talon had been there and he had said he was going the place where they played as children. Matilda thanked him and then left, her bow firmly on her shoulder, and a new cloak on, provided by her friend.

    Matilda made her way through the streets until she reached the river that her brother and her used to play at often. She walked around a bit before heading towards the bridge, after making sure no one was watching. As she reached it she noticed not one, but two people. Her brother and some other man. Her brother was seated holding his shoulder as a blood stain could be seen through his shirt. "Greg stay here!" She ordered her brother as she rushed towards Talon. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into?" Her voice was slightly angry, but more sad and worried. "Who are you?" She then asked Xross, hoping he was not some undercover guard or some crap like that.
    [​IMG]
    What was he getting dragged into? What the hell was he getting dragged into? Why was he going along with this? Well he knew why, it was because of the beautiful girl that was reaching for his hand beside him. The girl who let him be a real normal person despite his mistakes. The person who made him believe that good people do exist and he had a chance to be one. So if that meant helping her with a revelation against the god damned king, then he would do it with no hesitations.

    "Then lets do it, lets come up with a plan and see who we can get together and we will do this right. We won't let anyone get hurt to reach the goal, not any of our own, and not any innocents. If we kill innocent people to achieve this, then we are no better than them. Lets find a place to sit down and make an actual plan okay. Away from the public eye. Any idea where hotshot?" Seth asked Adolin.
     
  18. GarrettFinch Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
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    Olivia's pov:

    Olivia Fulmar banner.png

    She continued to walked when the Kaer came into view. Kaer was gone. She was not sure how it happened. Her first thoughts went to the portal that brought her and Alastar together. She watched as Alastar charge down the path. She had nothing better to do but to follow him. She reached the man's side. Something big had to cause this. She knew what the next step would be but did not know if Alastar was ready for it. After some time of not saying anything she thought it would be a good time to say something to Alastar. "The others could have ended up somewhere else like we did. There is not really a way to find out one way or another." Her mind went to the medallion on her, while it was possible to use it to reach the other Witchers she did not know if she want to find out using it. "I can reach the other Witchers if you would like", She told Alastar. One thing that was for sure was that they needed to find the living Witchers that were out there. With that she looked at the home that was more more.



    Ethan's pov:

    Ethan Banner 1.png

    Morning came and went. Time was unknown. It was now time that he should get going. He figured that he should stop somewhere and get things before he headed out. He began walking in Novigrad finding a building and went into it. He was going to get some food before heading out, but shock on who he saw when he went into the building was unreal. The dwarf Wilfred Hoover sat at a table. He wondered what that man was doing here. He walked up to the man. "Wilfred? What are you doing here? I was about to head back to your village I found out the information on that sword." He looked at the man. he did not seem like the type to leave town all that often but, people surprise you sometimes.
     
  19. Vladek515 Hollow Bastion Committee

    Joined:
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    The bear school witcher whirled around on his heel to face Olivia a look of rage on his face, he needed someone to take it all out on and unluckily for Olivia she was the only other person there and while like some smart person. "How do you know that huh? Got some ****ing magical proof that she is somehow out there or are you just lying to my face to try and make me feel better?" Alastar shouted at the girl "Try your fancy little trick if you think it helps and don't try to ****ing cheer me up, not much anyone can at this point." Alastar went on "Honestly why the **** would you ask to do something if it could potentially help in this thing instead of just ****ing doing it. You honestly should try and use your damn brain when thinking of such ****ing things. Of bloody course I want you to try if it even has the slightest ****ing chance of telling me that my last relative isn't in fact dead but very much alive. Go on, get on with it I don't want to waste time standing the **** around when I could go ona murderous rampage." Alastar raged on, he had zero patience at this point and zero tolerance for Olivia's antics.
     
  20. CrownMoksha Decimo

    Joined:
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    As Ana took the lead in leading them out of the city, Zephyr followed without saying a word. He had an uneasy feeling the moment he stepped into the fog and couldn't wait to get out. There weren't all that many times were he was that tense about going somewhere, but given past experiences he had a good reason to be not only tense, but cautious. This was new to him, however he wouldn't let it hinder him from making progress. Instead he would simply use it to better himself in certain situations.

    [​IMG]

    Venturing into the castle behind Veera, Kruez had started to look around at their surroundings. Much like Veera he was expecting something to come out, especially given the things few things that he's been told about Solomon. Plus it seemed odd to him that a castle would be left as empty as it was so far. It didn't add up and in the event something was actually up, Kruez continued to keep an eye out while trailing behind Veera. Odder still was the sight of the food that was seemingly just left there. The food did look appealing, especially given that the mage hadn't eaten anything. However that wouldn't be the best of ideas given their locations. Thus Kruez turned away from the food and continued to follow behind Veera.

    [​IMG]

    As much as he hated to admit it, Xross was actually started to get bored with this idle chatter with Talon and unfortunately he didn't seemed to be the type to physically respond to his taunting. That or he just hadn't found the right buttons yet. If the was the latter, then he must have gotten close with his remarks about having someone that cared about him. An assumption that turned out to be true when someone else had joined them. Two people to be exact, a little boy and a girl. "Me? Think of me as a 'guardian' of sorts. Simply keeping eye on your brother here." Xross answered.

    Despite being unarmed and basically unable to do anything in his current situation, Sweallow fortunately did have some form of training in the event he was caught unarmed. None of which covered being attacked by a berserker unarmed of course, but there were still somethings that he could use to assist in his predicament. He saw the look the that bear had given him which had further put him on guard. Once the barrier had fallen and Terra gave her order, Sweallow did in fact run, but not to far away from the battle. With her injuries and the shape she was in, Terra wouldn't last long against the beast on her own and while he couldn't be that much of a help offensively, he could at least be a distraction for her while she thought of some form of counterattack. Sweallow had ran towards a loose pile of concrete, broken from some other means. He grabbed a handful and turned back towards where he had ran from and threw one of the pieces towards the berserker. If he could somehow blind it, it would be a good place to start. Assuming he didn't lose a limb in the process.
     
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