Alessia's updated AS: Knight's Crest Earth Toss Fall Wishing Edge Thunder Surge Barrier Surge Fire Surge Sliding Dash Vance's updated AS: Spark Shot Restore Thundara Cure Aerora Stop Binding Strike Fire Dash Sliding Dash
Derrick nodded when she asked whether the rest of her friends could be freed. He saw no reason why not to. He had already signed himself up to saving her so, why not the rest of them? Besides, it wasn't like the person who was after her was going to let her go easily anyway. He might just have to kill the guy and the girls would be freed anyway. That whole business would have to go. Now that he thought of it, even if he dispatched the leader someone else might pick up the business. He could Axii them all. Or... He could kill them. He was started to prefer the idea of killing them. It was a more permanent solution. "I can free your friends too, Tatiana. Be assured of that." Derrick confirmed. He would have to tell her this sooner or later, but he had to figure out a payment. Now that the situation had changed, he couldn't just afford her the one option that he had considered as a last resort. Now he'd actually have to look at a monetary reward, or perhaps invoke the Law of Surprise. It was archaic, but it did work. Perhaps it would be rights to take a portion of the money of the man that was after her. Well, it wasn't like she could stop him now that he thought about it. He'd take a portion anyway. He needed it after all. "Remember, I am a Witcher. It pains me to say so, but I can't work for free. It feels a little disingenuous to ask, but I have to. It's part of the code." That, and he was broke and needed an excuse to himself to justify asking this poor lady for something for this job. However, he was a Witcher. He wasn't meant to have real emotions. He just knew he should feel bad for it.
Corruption: 18% Vasher had never met a mortal like this before. Even as he was beating down upon her with vicious strikes that would normally fell anyone that he faced, she refused to die. Instead, she counterattacked, wielding her scabbard to block his strikes. For once, the savage warrior was forced to stop his offence. Instead, the Demi-God stepped back, a look of fury etched on his face. Each of her strikes came in as fast as his might do and even as he attacked, she parried and got closer to him. He couldn't defend fast enough. It was a desperate effort to manage the strikes that she was making. Slowly, but surely, she got closer. With every step his main advantage disappeared. He couldn't think of what to do at this point. She had the tools to deny him his main advantage, and defence wasn't his strong suit. He had to think of something. That scabbard... It was easily the most annoying element. Vasher started changing his attacks, focusing his attacks on her sword arm's side. She couldn't effectively block and attack. The heavy onslaught continued and he was still forced to take steps back. One thing he knew for sure- He could last longer than this girl. He was a Demi-God! He was more than that! He was ancient and powerful! This body might be young, but the spirit inside knew more than they could possibly know! Secrets beyond imagination! An attack slipped through. Somehow, the girl had reached him and with a slash, cut into his armour across his stomach. There was a scything lance of pain as she broke the skin. It was nowhere near fatal, though it pained him, but it was a hit. An impossible hit. A hand fell from Duskfall and he touched the wound, to see if it had truly hit. It had. Blood lay on his hand. He looked up. The girl charged one more time. He threw himself to the side, rolling and getting back to his feet. Then, the girl had stopped. He saw her exhaustion. Sweat poured down her face and she looked out of breath. Vasher stood to his full height and snarled. "I am from the Age of Gods, girl. I shall not be denied!" Vasher roared. He sheathed Duskfall on his back and extended both of his hands out. Twin swords appeared in his hands. He would have to change his fighting style. While she wasn't going to be as quick, he would overwhelm her now. Duskfall was fast in his hands. These lighter weapons would be even faster. Vasher would carve the girl to pieces for her nerve. He charged her again, a bellow howling from his lips. He leaped into the air and swiped downwards as he approached. Upon landing, he became a furious whirl. The twin swords rained attack after attack upon her. The red light in his eyes glowed brighter than before. Vasher could feel Kalak trying to get some word in, some say in action, but crushed that. It wasn't time for him. He could take over again later. Right now, he had to make this woman pay for humiliating him in such a way, Now that she was exhausted, he would drive her before him with an unceasing flurry of blows. He would knock that sword and that infuriating scabbard away from her. Then, she would die alone upon this battlefield. He would see to that. Carissa couldn't get a shot off at the moment. She stepped up and fired one bolt before the fire below turned to her. She gritted her teeth. The situation was getting progressively worse. More and more were breaking through and there was nothing that she could do now. The tower itself would need defending inside. They were vulnerable to attack. If they didn't hold them off then... They were going to die. What was everyone else doing? They had to hold this, yet nobody seemed to be bloody helping! It was as if she, Ien and Aster of all people were the only ones that were trying to defend this. If they won, she was going to execute them unless they started to put in. Albeit, at this rate, she wasn't going to get the chance. Something gave her the impression that this battle was lost. She had no idea about Aster's progress in that stupid bet, which she started to regret. Her head wasn't in the game now. She shouldn't have distracted herself. The Huntress stayed down for now, biding her time. Those soldiers would report if something was coming. That would give her time to prepare. She gripped the crossbow that bit tighter. Carissa Kill Count: 20
"Yes Damian... I am unfit... Why did you have to remind me?" Vance complained, bemoaning his poor physical condition. He really needed to train and get stronger. If he didn't, he'd be utterly useless later in life. Why he never thought of actually trying to build some physical strength was beyond him. Then again, that would have involved him not reading or studying all the time, and that would involve being with some of the people that he thought less of. That just wouldn't do. "We're up here because..." Vance was slightly ashamed to admit to himself that he had no idea why he was really up here. Sure they wanted to look around but this... This was way too much effort, and for little reward to boot as far as he could tell, but then again there was more to this yet. He didn't have the time to finish that thought because Shani and the rest arrived. Immediately, she was complaining about the bridge. What he was more focused on was the fact that she had been able to climb up here by herself. He found herself in admiration somewhat. And then it dawned on him that Damian had managed the very same thing. Damian must teach me. I have to learn how to do this. And be strong. There is no way I am going to allow myself to be outdone here, even if I wasn't an outdoors person before! "The only reason I can think for the destruction of the bridge but not the interior is some sort of spell. Perhaps the rock simply wasn't caught in much of the 'blast' as it were? Otherwise, I can think of scarcely little capable. Having said that, he nodded along with what Thea was saying. "You raise an interesting point Thea. The truth of that will be revealed by a little exploration." With that, he began to walk a little, not straying far from other people or the entrance. The age of this mineshaft made him a little uneasy. He had heard horror stories of these collapsing. "Ee'll see ef Ee can think o' some better stories. Might have a couple ye might enjoy." Edric offered. And then he was sent downstairs. He didn't want to go downstairs. It was so much effort getting up to this bloody tower, to be sent down and then up again was just ridiculous. But somehow, he didn't feel like disobeying Porylusica. Maybe it was the eyes. Those were eyes you did not want to mess with. Instead, he nodded dutifully and then went down the stairs with Theodosia. He listened to what the girl had to say, and then he climbed all the way up those bloody stairs again. They needed to figure out a better way. Like a magical levitating tube or something. Yeah. That would be better. If only there was some kind of way of getting up and down towers quickly. Other than jumping down. That was a one way trip though. You'd never go back up. "Long story short, demons are a bunch o' mates who dinnae want ta rule their world, soo Theodoosia en all her wisdom summoned 'em here because she's friends with them. An' noo they're bein' hunted by people who dinnae like Incubi an' probably fer good reason." Edric explained, abridging the whole affair. "An' noo, Cassandra es letting the bastards feed off her. Only touchin' her hand apparently. As ef any of us believe tha' shite. En short, we're helping them."
"This man is going to marry someone that much younger than him? After raising her? She's practically his daughter for God's sake!" Dale exclaimed. This place was really terrible. It was so backwards and somehow this sort of thing was possible. It would never be allowed in Fiore that was for sure. Non-magic users... They had no damned standards at all! "Thanks for the information." Trevor turned to him now, and asked what the plan was. Now that they had a location on the Judge, it was going to be easy to find him and his ward again. Getting to this house couldn't be too hard and besides, if they were stuck, they could just ask someone. Everyone seemed to know the Judge for whatever reason. "Let's find this Beadle. We can come back for the judge any time I'd say." Dale answered. "Now, we just have to find him. Any ideas?" He posited the question to the group. Unsurprisingly, her suggestion was ignored. It was probably a good thing really, it wouldn't even have worked. They were now following the trail again, which is what they should have been doing in the first place all things considered. They began to walk deeper in, getting further away from the beach. The trees were getting thicker as was the vegetation. It was getting harder to see around her. She gripped her sword in its hilt. They had mentioned monsters. This looked like the kind of place where one would be found. Maybe several. And given that they were following tracks... Disaster soon struck. Somehow, a cliff surprised their leaders and they all fell. At that moment, naturally, the monster decided to show up. It was huge. She had never seen a beast like it in her life. Nevertheless, it was here and everyone needed defending. "Requip, Knight's Crest!" Alessia declared as she drew her sword. The spell, cast on instinct, the knowledge burned into her mind during the ceremony called forth the new power available to her. From seemingly nowhere appeared armour that wrapped around her body. It was heavy, but she felt safer with the steel carapace around her. Her sword seemed to change in ways that she couldn't quite understand, but it felt right. Perfect in fact. She stepped in front of Ander, the person she judged as most needing her protection. He was best off behind them, and she would not let any harm come to him. Nobody else was going to die, but she'd need to strike first. With herself in the way of their most vulnerable teammate, Alessia charged forwards at the creature. They had to capture them, but it'd need to be weakened first. Alessia used Requip: Knight's Crest and Knight's Charge
Corruption Level: 17% The Demi-God grudgingly admitted to himself that this girl was good at fighting. She was holding her own against the onslaught that he was delivering. Perhaps this would actually be a challenge yet. Surprisingly, she jumped back, avoiding his strike and powered towards him. Surprise flashed on his face for a moment and he twisted aside, allowing the weight of Duskfall to carry him. The first strike cut across his armour, biting into it though his move was quick enough that it did not penetrate further. The second missed as he was no longer there. That was the problem with upwards strikes. They had an incredibly limited arc in which they could land a successful hit. He grinned. His dodge made her overextend with that upwards strike. Vasher growled and the Zweihander's momentum, augmented by his own considerable strength carved towards Ien's exposed flank. He did not stop with that one strike, instead continuing to hack at her, now taking advantage of his edge - Duskfall was a lot longer than whatever that blade she wielded was. In the midst of the fight, he faintly heard a voice calling him in his ear, but he ignored it. All that the person calling would hear was a low, animalistic growling as the possessed Demi-God aimed to slaughter the foe before him. The Huntress soon realised that there was a problem. The security protocols would have been activated as soon as the tower was attacked. That meant that the blast doors were down, sealing her off from the battlefield below. As much as she wanted to get downstairs to fight Jayce, it wasn't an option. She cursed. There was only one thing for it. She had to keep an eye on the blast doors somehow so she could prepare when necessary. Luckily, there were a lot of soldiers here. "You four, get downstairs and watch the blast door! Run up and warn me if it's breached! The other three, cover the runner!" Carissa ordered over the howling roar of the battlefield. There were a lot of them out there still. She had accounted for 15 alone, but that wasn't going to be enough. She scanned the battlefield below for signs of other Demi-Gods that might be active in the area. As she did so, Carissa unloaded with her crossbow, sending four of the guards that Jayce had positioned outside the tower to their deaths. That should reduce some of his immediate reinforcements. Now they just had to hold the interior. Carissa Kill Count: 19
JEFFERY THE VOIDLING
He hurriedly wiped the sweat off his brow and started to stand up again. He dusted himself off and straightened his coat. He tried to put on his best 'normal' face, but it probably looked like he was pretending horribly because he was so damn tired from carrying her up here. "Yes, yes, I'm quite alright Thea don't worry." He said, attempting to reassure her that he was alright. He knew how protective she could get when it came to him, so he figured it was best for everyone if he pretended everything was just fine and there was nothing wrong. That way, she wouldn't get anxious and have a magical explosion again. And on a bridge... He shuddered at the thought. He looked over the edge to see what the ground looked like from up here. All it did was make him remember that they had to get down. If he wanted to get down again, there was no chance of using his magic up here, otherwise he was going to be in big trouble.
Carissa struggled to get her head up after that last shot. They seemed to be concentrating fire up there, orders of Jayce no doubt. She gritted her teeth in irritation. He was right down there, and distracted now! She could get a shot and bring down, or possibly at least wound the leader of the Order of the Hammer! The Huntress rushed across the battlement to a clear area where no soldiers stayed standing. They wouldn't be focusing fire there, so that should give her a chance to fire. She stood up, and then it happened. There was a blinding flash of light and a deep explosion. When her vision had recovered, she saw Jayce standing there, a bit of lightning arcing around him. In that moment, Carissa knew the power of the Demi-Gods. He was moving, leading his men in a charge and was moving out of her arc of fire. She cursed. If she couldn't get him from here, she'd soon have to change position. But, she could at least slow them up down there. Carissa loaded a second explosive bolt, gritting her teeth at the thought of having to waste one of these precious bolts and fired at the mass of troops heading for the hole that Jayce made. As with the formation, dirt and stone was flung up into the air and came raining down upon the soldiers, accompanied by a rain of blood and body parts as another five soldiers joined the rest of their comrades in hell. Carissa's kill count: 15 Corruption rating: 17% After his short rampage through the line of Shards, something unexpected happened. A voice called out to him. A confident one. A challenge? From one of them? The Demi-God grinned. Mortals. They were all brave, at least before the end came. All of their gusto vanished when they realised that truly, it was useless to resist. It was futile, and that death was before them. And he would not be merciful. The possessed Kalak advanced gleefully, bearing Nightfall in his hands. "I hope you are ready to face the end, mortal." Kalak snarled. He raised an arm and fired a pair of Shadow Lances at her instinctively. After that, with the corruption spreading through his body, inciting Vasher's feelings of rage, stirring the beast, he charged with reckless abandon. He swung with a brutal mixture of savagery and technique. While each strike seemed to fall at random, it flowed into the next. Vasher's raw offensive power was channelled at the moment. He would not let this mortal stand before him.
There was something off about the way she acted. Maybe it was the sickeningly sweet tone, perhaps it was the way her stomach grumbled with hunger when she was speaking to him. In fact, most damningly, she asked where the bathroom was and was sneaking off when she really could have just asked before she started going places that she clearly wasn't meant to be going. "It's this way, down the corridor. You seem to have taken a wrong turn Miss Kara." Aston raised an eyebrow. "Allow me to escort you. It's easy to get lost in the Bracklewood Manor when you don't know where you're going." He stepped to the side and gestured for him to walk next to him with a gracious smile. Something about her seemed massively off. He got the impression that he didn't want to let her out of his sight, especially given that their instructions were pretty clear and going the wrong way when she could have asked Lyra if she really needed to go to the bathroom just seemed plain suspicious. He'd ask Lyra on the way over there. If she recognised this Kara, then there wouldn't be any undue reason for trouble and he would make his apologies. Of course, if she didn't then...
Derrick nodded along with what she was saying and started thinking to himself. There was bound to be a solution here somewh- Wait. That was it. She had given him the solution to her problem and she hadn't realised it. Of course, it meant something serious for him. It would mean that he had to get involved and risk his life. He thought about it. Did he really want to get involved in this? He thought about it. He was a master of the Axii Sign, and that meant that he had more sway over people than most. There were risks involved. It would involve using Tatiana as bait to lure the people coming after her out. They were probably average collectors. Threatening enough to a young woman with nowhere to go, to most people truly. But Derrick was a Witcher. He was faster and stronger than they were. He had the Sign of Axii. And he had a damn good sword. The problem was, there was still a risk. And there was no pay for this job. And he was a monster slayer, not a killer. Nor did he know which city that she came from. He looked down at her, his mouth set in a hard line. There was always the payment. The option he offered to people with little else to give. She was wounded, crippled and abused by the looks of her. He wouldn't give that option until there was no other. And he considered something else. New as he might be, Aaron was still a Witcher, a part of their brotherhood. What would he think if he demanded that of his sister? Finally, Derrick spoke. "You don't have to run anymore. I have an idea." Derrick spoke. He looked her in the eyes. "These people who are coming for you. They're average. They're human. Debt collectors. They're not professional soldiers or swordsmen. I'm a Witcher. If we go to the city, we can bait them out. I don't even need to kill them. I'm a master of the Axii Sign. It allows a certain amount of influencing of people's minds. In my hands... I can find the person who wants you, and I can make him forget your debts. I could even make him forget you even existed. If that didn't work... I could kill him. End his life right there and then. After that, you wouldn't even matter. His business would be through."
"I'll figure something out. In any case... You'll have no luck in a place like this. In a bigger city, perhaps we'll find a healer for you." Derrick answered. He had no idea what to do about this woman's situation. It was clear that everything was out of his hands, so he would need to do something else. Going to a city was probably the best idea. Oxenfurt was an academic place. The university there probably had some decent scholars who could help her. Also, it would mean that he could make that meeting he had arranged with Olivia. He clicked his fingers and looked back at Tiana. "I have an idea. Oxenfurt university has a school for doctors there. If you're willing to ride, I can take you there." Derrick said, showing some adult sense. If he could get away with it, this was the last he'd play sensible. He was usually sensible. He couldn't afford not to be at the moment, but hopefully with a bit of luck that would change soon. He looked over at Kreuz. "If we do leave, that does of course mean that you'll have to leave." He pointed out. The Crow had trusted him to look after this place. If he was going to abandon ship, he'd do it knowing that it should be safe. At least for now.
"It will be dubious, but it's the only solution that we have." Vance agreed. He thought for a while as to how to realise the spell that he wanted. He began experimenting, writing out test script to try and make things work. He began by getting a rock to flutter up, and with that he began to experiment with himself. Forming the purple script into wings that were attached to his back, Vance was able to slowly but surely raise himself into the air on wings of Dark Écriture. He added extras to compensate for the weight of an extra person, but knew that his meagre strength could only hold someone light. "Thea, I shall take you up. Say, have you ever wanted to fly?" He asked, before picking up his daughter and pushing himself up. His jump only gained him a little distance into the air but the wings kicked in, pushing him up higher. He kept his face straight, but felt the burn of Thea's light weight in his weak arms, and so clasped her all the tighter as they climbed ever higher into the air. He didn't want to drop her at this height. Such a fall would surely kill her. He struggled harder and pumped magical energy into the questionable appendages in order to ascend. As soon as he was high enough, he hovered just above the bridge around 1 foot off the ground, then released Thea. Once her weight was lifted, Vance cancelled the spell and fell to the floor himself. He landed, panting on the ground and lying on his back, beads of sweat running down his face. "Okay, we made it..." Vance panted, wiping his forehead. "Just give me a minute or two to... Catch my breath... Gods I'm so unfit." Vance sat against the wall of the bridge to try and make himself more comfortable. This was kind of embarrassing, but what else was he meant to do? Human beings were heavy!
Support arrived soon after they started opening fire. She heard shots pinging off the wall she hid behind and felt a couple of shots fly just past her ear. The Huntress kept low, ensuring that her head didn't appear over the parapet as she moved across the walls to change position. The other soldiers with her were a surprising blessing in this instance. They could keep some of the fire off her. Carissa loaded a standard bolt, nothing special. Their formation was broken so a few shots should be able to dispatch some of the soldiers inside the formation. Hopefully, the more she killed, the easier it would be for the rest of the men up her to take apart that particular formation. Carissa raised her head and looked for the opening. At this angle, she could snipe a soldier in the front rank with a well aimed shot. Adjusting her aim, she pulled the trigger back and the bolt flew gracefully to bury itself in the neck of the soldier who quickly collapsed. She ducked behind a crenellation and reloaded, glad for the modifications she made. With a third bolt ready, she fired and struck another. She repeated thrice, bringing down another three with accurate hits, thinning out the first rank and leaving the inner ranks exposed to the other soldiers. She stood up to shoot again, then saw him. "Jayce..." She gasped, seeing him firing at her men with fury in his eyes. She wanted to kill him - Desperately. Looking down at the battlefield below, she didn't know if she had the time right now. That, and she was certain that somehow, those angry eyes had seen her. She glanced around, looking for another Demi-God. Perhaps there was another one she could kill. She had taken shots at Jayce before, she wouldn't be able to take him from this position, but a different one maybe. Carissa kill total: 10 Corruption: 10% Kalak watched more of the formation go down. He saw the figure flitting about in and out of view up there. Carissa Samarost. The woman who killed his mother. A snarl appeared on his face as he spotted her. Soldiers were dying to her, ten already. Ten too many. Kalak felt a rush. He knew that before he said he would leave that vengeance to Jayce... But he was going to be too slow. Kalak was getting inside to seize the armoury and the tower with it. He could be finished with the people there in a flash, leaving him time to get up to that damned witch and end her. That would be it. Get inside. Kill them all. Kill Carissa. Get inside. Kill them all. Kill Carissa. Kalak screamed. Everything burned. His body was on fire. Every inch of skin aflame, boiling and melting away. The Demi-God fell to one knee and his eyes flashed red before they shut. Kalak's eyes opened. Duskfall glowed bright red in his hand. The Demi-God stood to his full height and looked at the battlefield around him. He could see a group of soldiers in front of the tower. They would make for a good start. He sprinted towards them, Duskfall gripped in both hands with his teeth bared, appearing as fangs more so than teeth. His coat, now black, flapped behind him as savage red lines travelled up his body. Kalak leapt up into the air and swung the incandescent Zweihander in a wide arc as he drew down on the soldiers below. "DIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" The Demi-God roared as bodies started falling. Corruption: 15%
"Ah, I see, that would explain it. In any case, welcome to the Adventurer's Society! Please step inside and give Lyra your name." Aston said, stepping to the side and gesturing indoors to welcome her in. A few more entered and gave Lyra their names. He saw the strange druid fellow shuffle in with his staff, but paid him little other attention and stepped inside with Sanderson. However, as he did so he noticed something odd. He noticed a young lady (Kara) who was, for lack of a better way of saying it, sneaking through the building. He hadn't spotted her entering, and he was at the door. She wasn't part of the Society, nor was she a servant of the Bracklewoods. Even if she was invited in, she probably wasn't mean to be going that way. Aston walked briskly after her and called out. "Excuse me good lady, but you shouldn't really be back here. The hall you're meant to be going to is down the corridor this way." This should determine whether she was meant to be here or not. "And have you done as you were asked?" If she was meant to be here, then she'd know that she was meant to give her name to Lyra. If she didn't know then that would catch her out neatly. It seemed the other man of the wilderness was one with a tongue of wit on him, given the attitude that he displayed towards the armoured one that had questioned him. Of course, there was no need for the armoured man to be so rude, but surely that did not merit a response in kind? He shrugged to himself. Perhaps that was simply the way of it in these parts. Aedan waited until it was his turn before moving up to the woman he presumed was Lyra. He pulled his hood down for politeness' sake and smiled in a friendly manner. He bowed his head respectfully. "My name is Aedan Maedoc." He introduced himself simply and with another respectful nod, he continued into the next room they were meant to go to. There was quite a variety of people here, that was for sure.
"Fine, I'm sure I'll be able to spot the better looking version of you." Carissa spoke, ignoring his comment about preparing to lose. Ien spoke up. The battle was about to begin. She looked at the young lady. She had heard of her, a little at least. If she was as good a wielder of lightning as it was said, then she would be more than a match for Jayce. She would love nothing more than to bring back Jayce Reaver himself, but she was confident that Ien would be able to handle him while she dealt with other threats. If the worst came, then she'd be able to intervene. Carissa became all business. "Thank you, Ien." Carissa gave everyone a final glance, looking each in the eye. She gave Aster no special recognition. There was no time for that. "You know what to do everyone. Fight hard. If you die, take as many as you can with you. Remember why we fight, and carry that with you as you go out. For today, we face Jayce Reaver himself." With that, Carissa walked out on to the battlements of Sky Tower. She checked her equipment, all of her bolts, her knives and ensured her crossbow was ready. It was going to be a hell of a day. As the tortoise formations drew closer, Carissa got down on one knee and aimed her first bolt. She'd need to break through the formation. Carissa removed the first bolt and replaced it with an Explosive Bolt. She measured her distances and pulled back the latch on the bolt, sending it hurtling towards the formation she aimed for. The bolt hurtled through the air and slammed into the leg of a soldier in the second rank of the formation. She saw him stumble before the explosives went off. There was a loud whumph and a spray of dirt was kicked up, sending five men flying into the air, dead. It was a good start. Kalak's mouth curled into a half smile when the dwarf threw himself out of the window. That man... He had a sense of style. Admittedly, he was going to cost the war effort a lot of money in the long term with these antics, but that didn't make it any less amusing. Kalak drew forth Duskfall and followed Jayce as he jumped out of the window. He landed gracefully. More so than Throda at least, and The Valiant touched down behind them and disgorged its forces. Two hundred, it should be enough to take the tower. Under most circumstances, he would call this overboard, but not this time. This time having a numerical advantage would serve them well. Now, it was a question of whether the Shards had more soldiers inside than they did. If they did, it was going to be a tough fight. Kalak approached the tower fearlessly, bearing his Zweihander in two hands. His coat flicked out behind him as he strode forwards. His eyes scanned the structure ahead. As he did, he couldn't help but notice a plume of smoke in the distance and a stream of smoke in the sky. Did they actually fire at something in Sky Tower? But if so... He glanced over at the supposed crash-landing site. What's over there? He was returned to reality by an explosion as the dirt was kicked up by an explosion. Taking hits already. Damn.
Carissa smirked when he started talking about the view. "Don't start thinking about it too much Aster. If you think about that 'view' on the battlefield you might lose our little wager." She knew it was useless, but it was fun taking small shots at the embodiment of arrogance. How fun it would be to break that. How fun it would be to make him kneel before her and beg for mercy, to have some of his dignity given back. That was her plan. She would humiliate him, and remind him that his place was always beneath her. "Make that more points for her capture. If she's as stubborn as you then alive will be a lot harder than dead. But I'll make sure that I at least, don't kill her. Tell me what I'm looking for exactly. It'll be hard to spot her out of a crowd. And you wouldn't want her to die by accident, would you? After all, I'll be capable of keeping her alive. Nobody else will have the same scruples." She added a smile to that last part to try and bait him. She doubted that he would be able to resist that one at least. Given that he wanted her not to die, that should hopefully get a small reaction. When his hand was proffered, she took it and placed her hand deep into his so that he couldn't get a crushing grip, then shook it firmly. "When the battle starts, it begins. You have until then to prepare yourself." Carissa said challengingly with a confident smirk of her own. She wouldn't lose to this mongrel. That would be impossible. He had done nothing of value or interest, so surely it wouldn't be a problem for her to beat him.
"That's so pathetic. You have to point out that you're a whole eight minutes older to validate yourself. I suspect that she's at least eight times more tolerable than you. And don't you dare call me sweet cheeks." She was getting angrier the more she heard him speak. Carissa did not ask for much from the soldiers that she commanded, only that they obeyed and gave her the respect that she had earned as the human with the highest Demi-God killcount that had ever been recorded. The Huntress hoped that he would fall silent for a time, but he did not. She saw the cocky smirk on his face. She hated it. But, this was an opportunity. "Fine then, Aster. If I win then I get to do whatever I want with you. You too must obey me. You need to be put back in your place. I'll give you this one chance to forfeit with no consequences. They call me Huntress for a reason." She looked him in his eyes. As she did, she felt as if she got an impression of what exactly Aster wanted. She shivered at the thought. Her reckless anger had forced her to accept this wager. She couldn't possibly lose. Her pride was on the line. Everything she had built up to this point was now on the line. She was going to win. The Valiant was coming. That meant Jayce Reaver himself was on the way. She'd put a crossbow bolt between his eyes, and anyone who dared stand in her way. She would bring back his head and remind everyone, especially the arrogant Aster Surananayan, who they were dealing with when they came face to face with Carissa Samarost. She loaded a bolt into her crossbow and checked her twin knives. Despite it seeming so petty, this was going to be an intense battle for her own honour and skill.
"If I see Carissa, I'll ignore that capture order. She dies." Kalak replied flatly. There could be no mercy when it came to her. The amount of their blood she had shed was unforgivable. Not to mention both he and Jayce's personal grudges. He noticed that he made note of the armoury. That sounded like an objective. As fun as it would be to hunt down his mother's killer, he knew that his uncle wanted that revenge. Despite the protests of the dark side of Vasher, who demanded her blood in throes of rage, he would not deny the elder Demi-God his revenge. "I'll find this armoury. If it as you say, Uncle, then allow me to secure the ordnance. I'll leave the rest in your capable hands." Sky Tower fired, but there was nothing that he could see and apparently the crew were reporting the same. What did they fire at? Sky Tower is not fired so lightly... His musing was interrupted by Jayce's shouts. It seemed like they were coming in for a landing. He breathed in, closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He would calm himself and prepare before the battle came. He would need to focus, or the temptation would be too great for him to hold back. At the very thought, Vasher stirred. Both sides, Black and White, yearned for him to touch the tainted well of magic. His red eyes began to burn a little brighter. He could feel it happening, so looked down at the ground so people would not see. He closed his eyes and put his hands together, feigning a pre battle prayer. "Calm down Vasher. This isn't the time." He muttered angrily. He felt small surges of magic across his body where the forces of corruption exerted their influence. Beneath his armour which hid it all, he knew the red lines on his chest glowed bright red.
Edric turned at the sound of Cassie's voice. No, that wouldn't do. As soon as she suggested allowing them to suck the energy out of her instead, he shook his head and began to protest. "Cassie, ye cannae let them fill themselves off yer energy, tha's madness an' ye ken et." Edric protested, but his protests fell on deaf ears. She was set on it, and told him to start making a battle plan. He nodded, resigning himself to the fact that Cassandra would have to be subjected to whatever process they had to do. Just a hand touching? He didn't believe it. Demons... He didn't like this at all. If it was his choice, he wouldn't have helped now that he thought about it. They weren't part of their life, their world. Dale had talked about Deliora. From that, he knew that he couldn't tolerate any of their kin. "Feene. Ee'll figure somethin' oot. Take care o' yerself Cassie. Don' let them drain ye too much. I don' trust 'em." He glared at the five demons for a few seconds before turning to pay attention to Calxiyn's suggestion. "Aye. Ee'll fetch her for ye lot." Edric stalked towards the tower. Theodosia kept herself in there with MIkasa. As he walked over, he spotted Boreal standing by the entranceway, watching everything. His fist immediately bunched up. "The **** are ye doin' oot o' yer cell?" His bad mood was not helped by the man rolling up his left sleeve and displaying the emblem of Sapphire Eclipse on his forearm. "A Guild Member does not need to be in a cell. Ask Evanora if she's still up there if you don't believe me." The S-Class wizard shook his head. There was no faking that. He sighed and pushed past him, deliberately driving his shoulder into Boreal's. He reached Mikasa's cell and flung the door open unsubtly. "Oi, Theodosia. Yer needed downstairs. Somethin' aboot yer demon friends. Apparently they en't exactly popular." Edric stated. He looked over at Mikasa and nodded. "G'day Mikasa. How are ya? Things en the cell been alreet?" Why he decided to go listen to the girl sing, he did not know at first. The voice reminded him of one he knew, and the singing was beautiful. The girl was pretty enough, some might say she was more than that, but it wasn't about the girl. It was the song. He knew that song. He had heard it for many years. That was one of the songs that Johanna knew. A small ray of hope fell on him. Perhaps there was a chance to find her yet! That girl knew the same song, she must know Johanna as well. Or at least, something. As they approached the house, it felt as if it could only be fate that caused her to sing out of the window, to sing that specific song at that specific moment. And then, for whatever reason, she smiled at him. He was a little confused, but returned her smile regardless. It would be rude not to. What's going on here? This is just too much of a coincidence. Before he could think any more, an woman tugged on his arm, speaking frantically in her strange drawl. He was warned about Turpin. He smiled in a strange sort of amusement as he remembered the story of the girl named Johanna that Ms Lovette told them. "Frankly miss, I don't think the good judge could lay a finger on me if he tried. Nor on any of my friends here. But thank you for the warning." Dale spoke confidently. They were Wizards, and there was no sign of any magic here. "But since you seem to know a bit about him, care to elaborate?" "Maybe the password is something obvious? We could try to guess it. Maybe it's password?" She suggested, not being all that knowledgeable about these matters. Computers were fairly new to her and she didn't know an awful lot. "One other thing. Zephyr - What if someone who does know the password types it wrong? I doubt there'd be an alarm because it would always get set off. Having an alarm doesn't sound right to me."
