Author: Nix, Posted: Fri Feb 2, 2018 4:36 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Slowly, her magic was ebbing, the fight having been quite draining on her strength. It did not help that the phoenix was still readjusting her abilities and skills to match the wavelengths of magic in this land. Everything seemed to be on a different setting, a different tune, forcing her to learn a new dance to do the same tricks. Even now, engulfed in the flames as she was, there was only so much she could do, only so much damange she could heal. Mirannda watched helplessly as the scene unfold between Natsumi and the priest.

Yet, with herself now impaled, Natsumi was now calling him by another name, the name of the god Sardon. Did he take over the priest's body? Sardon killed his own creature, and was directing his attention at the Nameless One. Mirannda was cursing at herself for allowing herself to be thus immobilized. With the pair of them seemingly paralyzed, it would have been a perfect chance to actually attack! She watched as the dangerous weapon was called to Natsumi's side. If she pulled out the wax, wouldn't it just melt? Natsumi took care of that problem for her as the heat from Mirannda's flames were stolen, and ice extinguished them.

Now revealed, Mirannda plugged her ears with the wax handed to her earlier, and struggled onto her hands and knees. It was imperative she reached Shiloh. The phoenix did not have the time she needed. She had just managed to push herself to her feet, holding her stomach tightly, when the spell was finalized. Being forced to cover her eyes, Mirannda could not even stay upon her feet with the dangerous vibrations of a crumbling roof and shattering ruby. As the dust settled, she could see the light of the moons shining down through the new sun-roof, illuminating everything.

Natsumi was sprawled on the ground, Shiloh was walking toward her, running her mouth. Someone came and extracted Natsumi, advising they leave, if they could even hear him.Shiloh hoisted Mirannda up off the ground and over her shoulder as the pyramid began to crumble around them. Her self inflicted wounds were not happy with this new development, screaming at Mirannda with every bounce of Shiloh's step. Somewhere between carried as a heavy sack and exiting into the desert dunes, Mirannda's magic had completely dissipated, and she had passed out, her head bouncing dangerously and freely behind the woman.

If anyone was to describe the scene to Shiloh, they would say she carried a dark haired elf who was nearly burned to a crisp. There never was a redheaded woman by Mirannda's description at the camp. The story was not untrue, as her illusions had fallen, revealing her true appearance. When Mirannda finally woke, she immediately panicked, sitting up and nearly collapsing from the sudden flare of pain arching across her body. She was heavily bandaged, and her gear completely missing. There was a concerned coo. She lifted her head to see a familiar sight. Elata and found her way to her.

One of the nurses had seen Mirannda and convinced her to lay back down. She explained that Shiloh had carried her all the way here from lords knew where, both of them badly injured. She had been asleep for a couple of days. The fiery bird had entered and refused to leave Mirannda's side, so they left her alone as she was quiet and not bothering anyone. They had won, the mummies stopped coming back, and there was no more eerie light. When the woman finally left, Mirannda smiled at Elata and extended a hand. With a flutter, the avian cousin came closer to accept the gentle affection. "How about it? Want to help me out of here?"

The phoenix cried over various areas of Mirannda's body, aiding the magical healing spell she was casting. It took her a lot longer than she would have liked, as it was her own flame that did much of this damage. Finally, when all was said and done, her gear collected, Mirannda stood over Shiloh's sleeping form. "Do I owe you, or are we even? Either way, thank you for showing this sadly confused woman ultimate kindness and mercy." Shrugging her backpack further on her shoulders, Mirannda turned and left the healers camp, wondering where she should go next.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:12 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Pain…dullness. Being thrown against something as hard as a crystal did a number on her, even after she was running on adrenaline and the last vestiges of her healing from the others. Everything was getting distorted, sounds, sensations, and even images. Get up. Grasping onto whatever energy was left in her legs she tried to move, and a small crystal of aventurine began to glow softly from within her knapsack. Pushing herself off the ground her vision began to focus from being blurred to see the entire chamber devastated. Mirannda was injured, Natsumi wasn't doing well. It was the same as before. Even worse, that aura of malevolence had grown hundredfold. Weakly, she turned to see the crystal relatively undamaged and shining its sickly sheen brighter than ever. Despair flooded in, then the floodgates of it all broke once she saw Rudjek holding the sniper in the air.

But the atmosphere was stiff, tense. A new voice spoke from the lich's body and was far worse than that mad sycophant. Yet there was defiance in that battered body of hers as Natsumi refused to yield. With one arm hanging limp, she raised her weapon and held it in her teeth as a new surge of energy entered the stage. "I told you I'd make you bleed," came her last words before the world exploded. The deafening roar ripped through the upper chamber, blasting it apart like the epicenter of an earthquake. Without due preparation, Shiloh hadn't had the time to use the special wax the woman had given to her and Mirannda earlier. The sound was so loud and intense that her eardrums ruptured–the pain and spinning hitting her like a shockwave after all the noise went out. Grabbing her bleeding ears, she writhed shrieking like a banshee and eyes wide from her nerves in agony. Blinding light, a flood of sound followed by silence, waves upon waves of pain.

Then as soon as it was over, all was still. Reeling on the ground, her senses were a mess. Conflicts from a combination of sensory overload followed by intense sensory deprivation and a rush of adrenaline pouring into her system from her injuries made a heady cocktail that was the body's attempt for a coping mechanism. The tenebris amulet which had been slowly recharging was filled in an instant and overflowed its capacity–cracking violently. The sudden whiplash in emotions sent Shiloh over the edge, swinging from a fugue into rampant mania. The catharsis from unbottling it all had her laughing mad, cackling as she saw the ruby decimated once the dust settled and the stars finally shining down on them. "HAAAHH–WHAT'D I TELL YOU?!! THOUGHT WE COULDN'T DO IT, DID YOU?!! WELL Y'KNOW WHAT–EAT IT RUDJEK!!! YOUR GOD IS DEAD!!!"

She couldn't remember how she had gotten to her feet, or how she was even walking without a single twinge of pain. Her mind was running at a thousand miles a minute, and with her inhibitions effectively wiped out she was running her mouth too. Unable to hear her own words, she was shouting at the top of her lungs. But then, the pyramid started to shake and rumble. The blasted fragments were starting to reform, and she had enough of her logic processors running to know that they'd overstayed their welcome. As much as she wanted to rub it in the necromancer's face, they probably wouldn't get another chance to break out again. Mirannda was still down, but when Shiloh slung her over her shoulder like a burlap sack her body was still warm. Either way, as long as they weren't dead they could make it.

The mad dash out of the rapidly rebuilding structure was a blur that never got committed to memory. When she looked back on that night, there were only brief snippets of things scattered all over. Natsumi was picked up by some heavily-accented fellow, whose face Shiloh promptly forgot in her adrenaline-addled state. Then she ran down and out of the place screaming her head off, shouting insults and slinging other sacrilegious comments. The mummies were disoriented and in disarray, making her run through the Harena Desert dunes a breeze. She felt light as a feather and her limbs were like air. If anything had gotten in her way, she didn't remember. As she left behind a trail of trampled corpses, the lich commanded all of his forces to home in on the three of them to reclaim his equally trampled dignity.

"AHAHA SUCKERS!! JUST TRY AND GET ME YOU UNDEAD DOGS!! WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?!!" She screeched, running down another armed corpse that feebly tried to detain her. Ramming the sole of her boot into its face, she punted its head off into the distance as the body was crushed underfoot. That was the last thing she remembered before coming to in the hospital in Aestas. She was on a bed, strapped down and nearly bandaged from head to toe. When she tried to turn, she found her movement restricted and glanced down to see several thick corded ropes keeping her body in place. It was so annoyingly quiet, to where she didn't even realize that one of the medical staff had come in. When the woman saw she was awake, for some reason she looked unusually concerned and was approaching her slowly.

When Shiloh asked what was going on and why she was here, that was when she discovered she couldn't hear her voice. She was moving her lips, but there was no sound. Straining her throat, the nurse figured out that there was severe loss of hearing in addition to Shiloh's physical injuries and a cleric was called. Somehow they managed to make that constant pain in her ears go away, and as they did some sort of ritual she could finally pick up the distorted mumbling of their words. A salve of some sort was stuffed into her ears, and she was instructed via written orders not to clean them out. The next days her body felt like lead as the fatigue from her recovery was setting in. It was a difficult time for her, as every day felt like the same boring routine. Once the doctors considered her well enough to move around, she was no longer confined to the bed. By then her ears were more or less fully functional, and they gave her a summary of her prior condition upon returning to the outpost.

By some miracle, Shiloh had managed to make it all the way across the desert sands on her own to collapse in front of Aestas' front gate once her adrenaline high burnt out. From there she and Mirannda were hauled off by the guards to the hospital, where they soon found that although the adrenaline rush had ended–Shiloh's mania had not. It took several able-bodied men and women to restrain her and secure her to a bed where she was put under strict supervision for twenty-four hours a day. During that period of cooling off, she had attempted to break out at least five times due to a few oversights from the staff. That explained why when the nurse saw she had regained consciousness the woman was so wary. From the reports, even mages were cycled in every shift to induce paralysis if she tried to struggle. After the longest week of her life, Shiloh was discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health and several utterances of 'Good riddance'.

By then, Aestas had undergone a transformation. The winds were less punishing, the sands had abated, and the skies were no longer green. Soon she caught wind of the desert turning back into fertile farmland as springs and vegetation were emerging spontaneously. A new vibrancy flowed through the region, and the burdened spirits of the survivors here were lifted. It was like the land itself had been resurrected. People were leaving to return to their homes, and that reminded her that she needed to do the same. It had been a long couple of months, but finally it was finished.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 12:34 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Rudjek's fate took a turn for the worse beyond this newest, most terrible advancement, but so did the fate of my team under his relentless presence. Shiloh successfully wounded the behemoth that had been sent after her, rendering it useless to its master via a state of confused rage; but she had done so at the cost of grave, personal injury. Miraculously, she survived being subsequently thrown against the chaos ruby from several meters away and then falling to the ground below, but the injuries she sustained from that counterattack were too great to shrug off. She remained motionless on the ground following her landing, and that left only Mira still standing.

Soon, the phoenix would be wounded as well, but not by Rudjek's hand. His own beast distracted him long enough for the salamanders from before to overwhelm him, and their sacrifice allowed the high-priest's next victim to escape. Mirannda used that newfound freedom to approach me, but then foolishly threw it away. Rather than escape to fetch reinforcements, she wounded herself in a foolhardy, last attempt to end the battle. She used the same explosion spell I had guarded her from just moments prior, this time shielding me from its fire while also trying to reverse the damage I had already inflicted on myself.

The result of this attempt was nowhere near a victory. Instead, all it got us was an even angrier beast and yet another injured teammate. Rudjek's pet? It had taken most of the brunt, completely shielding its master from the blast even as salamanders covered every last inch of his body. This slowed its rampage considerably, true, but did not destroy it or the lich it served. To top off that situation, the healing Mirannda provided was barely enough to repair my ribs, whereas she had given herself 3rd degree burns in the attempt. No one could call that a victory for my team, especially since all three members were now severely wounded while our enemies still stood.

Despite this terrible twist of fate for us, however, Rudjek suffered far worse. Yes, the crystal he had been entrusted with was cracked considerably. Yes, his own pet had turned against him. Yet that was not the worst consequence he had endured since our battle began. In fact, Rudjek, as we had come to know him, was no longer around to see his any of his setbacks anymore.

After Mirannda retreated to the flames and I meekly sat up at the foot of the statue, I noticed that the battlefield's atmosphere began to twitch and distort. It was faint and could have been written off as a figment of my imagination, but then I noticed that the salamanders were retreating in mass as well. They were afraid of something, enough that they were now running out of the room to escape its signaled arrival. Ultimately, the only creature left moving in their wake was Rudjek's beast itself: a beast that had now turned its full attention toward its presently stationary owner.

At least, we thought that stationary figure was still Rudjek. The high priest's personality and gaze had dimmed considerably following Mira's escape, but I couldn't place what had caused this apparent shift until I saw him cut his own pet in two with barely even a smile. The sand whip he used to commit the act squealed terribly on the wind for the duration of its life, and then died out with the death yelp of the mutated dog it had slain.

"You three are brave, I'll give you that." A new voice now came from that mummified creature in front of us: this one dark and unfeeling. "But bravery does not equate to strength." Whoever had possessed Rudjek's body was now stretching, as if it had been a long time since they inhabited a body of their own. This mysterious individual continued his monologue during that "warm-up," while also taking great care to point out the newly created carcass next to him. "That is strength: the ability to unmake, in an instant, that which has been made in your name. You three, on the other hand, have only flailed like guppies in the pond of something you don't even know how to pay proper respect toward."

In that moment, my worst fears were realized. Sardon had returned, using his priest's body as a puppet to temporarily circumvent the last portion of his resurrection ritual. His arrival brought renewed vigor to the crystal overhead, causing it to begin healing itself even as the undead riders across the desert continued their search for sacrifices. Even more terrible, his arrival marked the final subjugation of the woman I loved. While I sat on the floor of his throne room listening to him gloat, a large mummy captured Robin outside the city limits; and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

"All your whining," Sardon said as he took that distressing image from my grasp. "All your effort and I still win. The last sacrifice is mine, and so I will be reborn tonight despite your best attempts to deny me what is rightfully mine." I instinctively tried to draw Toirneach in response that taunt, to fire off one more, desperate, last attempt. Maybe I thought I could escape and steal Robin away before he could get to her; or maybe I really thought I stood a chance of taking him down. Whatever my beliefs in that moment, however, Sardon wasn't intent on letting me do as I pleased. He quickly closed the distance between us before I could get off a clean shot, hitting Toirneach out of my hands, and then he easily lifting me up by the collar.

"You know, I recognize this scene in front of me," he said while dangling me about in the air like a toy. "A girl, almost a woman, providing me with a sacrificial item. Last time I took the item first with the intent of saving the girl for later. I paid for that choice with my life; so… lesson learned." Sardon's right hand transformed into a wicked blade just then: sharp and menacing. He aimed it straight at my chest, and then proclaimed his intent with that infamously twisted smile of his. "I think I'll give your heart to the last sacrifice before I consume her soul, and also let her watch her lover's corpse walk about as my servant. I need some entertainment for my birthday celebration, after all."

Sardon drove his blade toward my heart after that comment, but the end result of his attack was not what he intended. His dagger definitely impaled my shoulder, but, as was typical for overconfident people like him, he wasn't paying attention to the protection spell I had cast and that had deflected him at the last second. He also didn't notice the paralysis that came after until it was too late. Yes, Sardon had hurt me, but he had also repeated history in his foolish pride.

"What?!" Immobilized and confused, this shadow of an old god tried to remove himself from me, but soon realized he could not. The two of us were locked in stasis, even as blood dripped from my body onto the floor beneath us; and neither party was going anywhere unless I allowed it.

"So predictable," I repeated whilst scowling at this newly ensnared phantom. "Isn't that what your minion said, Sardon? Well, if you wanted a predictable opponent, the last thing you should have done is piss me off."

Unsurprisingly, this merited a scoff from Sardon himself.

"Did you forget I can't die and that you only have one arm left in this state? You're only delaying the inevitable, peasant." He still believed that he had the upper hand, so he didn't take my threat seriously. Who could blame him? I couldn't use my left arm anymore, and I was stuck dangling above the ground without the strength to remove myself from my opponent's clutches. Not only that, said opponent still had a blade right next to my heart that could kill me the instant the paralysis wore off. By conventional wisdom, that meant I had already lost the battle and the war.

However, conventional wisdom requires a conventional combatant, which I was not at the time of my final confrontation with Sardon. True, Toirneach was out of my grasp and required more than one arm to operate, but it could be summoned and didn't necessarily have to be held by hand. Knowing this, I summoned the implement of destruction to my right arm, and then stabilized it with my teeth so I could aim point blank at Sardon's head.

"I recall this situation too," I said via SAI as Sardon suddenly realized he was pinned between his beloved crystal and I. "Of a god thinking he had won, just before I shattered his dreams." In that moment, my own power surged. A jack-o-lantern phased into existence on my shoulder, and arcane empowerment swirled around my body. The air chilled as I absorbed heat from the surrounding area to power myself, causing sheets of ice to form on the nearby sandstone as my spectral arrow spell began to manifest. Last, but not least, the anima rings on my fingers flared once more, surging back to full occupancy as I absorbed more of the slain lieutenants upon their return. "I told you I'd make you bleed," I growled at Sardon through gritted teeth. The energy influx peaked immediately afterward, blinding the two of us as Toirneach shattered the sky with a final, deafening roar.

The old god could not have known how much of my hatred lined that shot, at least not until the loud blare filled the room. He heard it long before he felt it, and even longer before he smashed directly into the ruby he treasured so much. The Heart of Sardon was both literally and figuratively pierced by unbridled rage that night, and the attack that did it didn't stop with just a crack or two. Toirneach's bolt smashed a hole straight through that relic and then blew a massive chasm in the pyramid's roof until everyone within that final chamber could see the moons again. The spectral fire kept going even beyond that, scorching the sky above and obliterating Sardon in the loudest rebel yell to grace the battlefield yet.

Calm fell upon the ruby thereafter, silenced by the shattering of the renaissance I had used to suppress my pain. The massive gem finally stopped glowing for a time, and all the mummies throughout Harena simultaneously stopping moving. Robin was freed for that sacrifice, but, as for myself, I could no longer stand by her side.

After the blade was removed from my chest and Sardon's grasp released, I fell to the ground, barely alive. SAI kept me from bleeding to death and had summoned some last minute earplugs to keep me from going deaf, but even she could not heal me fast enough to get me back up on my feet. Not only that, I actually couldn't feel anything anymore. I was in so much pain that my body had shut down, leaving me a crumpled mess on the floor. I tried to tell it to get up and walk, tried to say that Rudjek or Sardon or whoever would be back soon enough and that I wouldn't be able to use Toirneach against them again thanks to it disintegrating from that last attack; but my muscles would listen. The only thing I had strength left to do was repeat Robin's name over and over through blood-soaked teeth, even as Jack came in through the ceiling to fetch me.

"I got you, frozen buddy of mine," I vaguely recall him shouting as he picked me up from the floor! He could sense the presence of Shiloh and Mirannda still in the room upon arrival, but knew he didn't have time to worry about them since I failed to immediately respond to his words and actions. In my family, any lack of snark from me was usually a bad sign, let alone if that lack was accompanied by severe wounds. As such, the mere sight of me made Jack worry, so he settled for a warning toward the two strangers before rushing me out of that chamber through its newly created roof-ramp and to the nearest hospital. "I suggest you two get out, just in case that prick comes back! As for me, I am definitely outtie!"

So ended my confrontation with Sardon: a conflict that would likely be lost to the ages just like all the others. Sadly, however, the war for Aysut, the backdrop for that entire battle, was far from over despite the mastermind being beaten. Minutes after his lord's defeat, Rudjek returned, and so the relentless pursuit began once more. The Heart of Sardon, it seemed, was not so easy to kill.

Author: Nix, Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2017 1:11 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

She had not been expecting Natsumi to protect her, not from her own spell. Then again, maybe Natsumi hadn't expect her to be fine from most flames, regardless that this was not one of the flames she could do anything about. While relieved not to have to endure her own flame, Mirannda was broken to see how Natsumi was deteriorating before her. Worse still was the advancement of that blasted priest, and Shiloh getting pretty pressed in her efforts to both avoid and damage her pursuer which was now pretty upset of being burned.

Before Mirannda could do anything to assist Natsumi, she was catapulted across the room with a single kick from Rudjek. The priest turned on her, bearing down as an oppressive force trying to push Mirannda into a tiny box. Fear threatened to keep Mirannda in inactivity as she raised her sword in a defensive position, trying to read the mummified creature for his next assault. Poor Shiloh went sailing into the ruby crystal.

This was terrible for the group, Mirannda was the last person standing, and she felt absolutely powerless! However, it was also a blessing in disguise. The creature that Shiloh had been distracting was berserk, enraged about the damage dealt by Shiloh. It rampaged through the room, attacking almost everything. Nothing was safe. A massive paw swiped at the ruby in its search for Shiloh. It turned and bore down upon Rudjek and Mirannda.

Rudjek turned his attention to the current threat to the crystal. At that time, many fire salamanders came from the hall behind them. As a massive wave, they advanced on Rudjek and climbed up on him. His dried wrappings began to smoke and smolder as they caught flame. As he was now distracted, Mirannda ran towards Natsumi. Praying that Shiloh had recast the spell to bounce the spells, Mirannda began casting the explosive spell once more, heat spilling out. The phoenix threw herself over the Nameless One, shielding her from her own spell.

The magic filled the room. Heat and flames seared and boiled the tender flesh exposed by fresh wounds of the grotesque creature. It was unknown what became of Rudjek. Yet, all Mirannda could think of was the searing heat that beat on her back, melting her flesh, her armor long disintegrated. But she did not scream. She was too focused on controlling the flames to stay away from the body beneath her, attempting as well to pour some healing magic into the lost goddess. They needed Natsumi, as awful as her well-being currently was.

Soon the explosion dissipated, and Mirannda crawled over to the nearest flame, one of the tapestries had caught on fire. It wouldn't last long, but it would be enough to start it. Thrusting her hand into the flame, Mirannda became one with the dancing heat and began to weave a healing spell into it as she was engulfed by its warmth. No longer was she the last one standing, yet she was the one with the least severe injuries. If Shiloh had been any closer, and the situation different, Mirannda may have attempted to heal her as well. As it was, Rudjek's beast was enraged even further, almost flailing and throwing itself against the crystal.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 6:56 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Just as she was working on handling the four-legged monstrosity, the room was set ablaze. Thankfully that spell she had cast out of reflex protected her against the magical fire, and unintentionally deflected onto the creature who had been pursuing her. The flames only made the hideous beast snarl in anger, and it was barely even singed. This lich certainly had a way with making things more frustrating by the minute. If the necromancer paid her no need, then that was even better. She couldn't wait to see his high-minded attitude crack and crumble in the face of futility. Mirannda's explosive attack was damaging the ruby more and had obliterated Rudjek, but moments later he reconstructed himself again. He wouldn't bite the dust until all of his power and the crystal's was spent.

Natsumi was at death's door, and knocking. They needed to take this thing down before they all fell, or else this whole battle would all be for naught. She watched with growing anxiety as Rudjek beat down the severely injured woman, kicking her into the wall. Things were not going according to plan. The lich then turned his attention towards the red-haired woman, so Shiloh half-heartedly assumed he saw her as the least threatening out of their group. The monster which she had successfully baited was still hot on her heels, and she was ducking and running as quick as she could. It tore through a stone pillar she had jumped behind, and was climbing up on the ceiling like some wretched, oversized lizard. It was fast and its movements erratic, and going in to deal damage would be suicide. As it threw a large piece of rubble at her head, she caught a glimpse of something gross and disgusting protruding from its torso. Since it had been on all fours running around, she hadn't noticed it until now. 

Regardless if it was natural, or by the necromancer's design–there was an ugly protrusion nearly bursting out from the center of its chest, with a gaping maw and a bulging eye. Even rotting corpses looked less awful. It was so repulsive that just looking at it made her want to stab it or set it on fire. Reaching into her knapsack, she grabbed a hold of something and threw it at the thing as hard as she could. Unfortunately what had gotten into her hands was a small cat statuette, not a dagger like she had intended. The figurine began to react to the magic flowing through the chamber, and its eyes lit up. With a small flash of light, an apparition of a housecat appeared and it immediately leaped at Rudjek's monster. The ghostly feline assaulted the creature's face, just like a living cat would causing it to growl and snarl fiercely–flailing about trying to tear it away. This serendipitous distraction was a golden opportunity, and Shiloh took it without hesitation.

With sword in hand, she threw her dragon-bone sword with all her might at the massive protruding eye in its chest. With both its main body and the living chest-tumor distracted, it couldn't react fast enough to prevent the blade from impaling its target. A hair-raising screech filled the chamber as it recoiled in agony, convulsing in a fit of pain. To rub salt into the wound, Shiloh then used telekinesis on the sword stuck in its torso and yanked it back out, tearing up the bulging tumorous mass even more. With her axe in hand, she was prepared to go in for the kill when the beast flew into a blind rage. It began ripping parts of the chamber up, throwing them everywhere like a spoiled brat in a tantrum. Debris was flying everywhere, smashing into the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and into the ruby. 

Shiloh was forced to dodge the constant barrage of rubble being hurled every which way, not noticing her actions were conveniently contributing to the crystal's accumulating damage. The last straw was when the wounded monster grabbed the remains of a shattered limestone pillar base and began smashing things around it. A piece went sailing through the air and hit her in the back, where her knapsack was. What little amount of the incoming blunt force that was absorbed through the clutter she had in there did nothing to prevent her from getting knocked her off her feet. No paralysis, so her spine was still functional, but this was the worst time to hit the ground. She'd forgotten to use a protection spell after the monster gave chase, and she was paying the price for it. Pushing herself up she scrambled to get moving when it leaped off the ceiling towards her.

Her first instinct was to summon her shield into her hands and smash it into the twisted aberration's face with all the force in her legs. Its thick sinews, skeletal structure, and powerful muscles meant it didn't do as much as she had intended, but it bought her a few precious seconds to crawl out from underneath. This time she applied both protection and the Keeper's Secret, not taking any more chances with her luck now that their strongest member was down. Her sword was meters away, and her axe wasn't long enough to cut in as deep. The repulsive flesh-protrusion was now a bloody mess thanks to her handiwork, but the fanged maw it had was only missing a few teeth. With a swipe of its forelimb, it grabbed Shiloh's left leg and threw her at the crimson crystal which was already worse for wear. An audible crack was heard upon impact, and the rogue slid off it onto the floor.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 7:58 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Shiloh, for all her survivalist instincts, ended up being the one to lead that beast away. She was taunting both it and its master, trying to draw their attention away from Mirannda and me by playing to the lowest denominator. In doing so, she thought to give us a chance to strike at the heart in their absence, but, ultimately, she only got half of her desired audience. The high priest himself? He just brushed her aside with disinterest.

"At least I'll have company," he responded to the badgering. "You won't be leaving either." Rudjek was definitely confident in his victory; yet he was also operating with a growing sense of tactical prowess by this point in the war. His joking demeanor was gradually fading in the face of repeated disappointments, and that transition was noticeable even before Mirannda's next attack.

That said, the phoenix definitely managed to exacerbate the problem. She dropped a sappy line about love once my motivation had been revealed, and then followed up the factually accurate statement with an explosion spell. Vast swathes of heat spilled out from the detonation point of that anomaly, empowered by magic and enchantment alike until the spell was powerful enough to consume the entire room. The magic even reached Rudjek's pet before receding, though failed to do anything more than injure it. Truthfully, Rudjek and the Heart took most of the damage instead.

As a result of that cataclysm, chunks of the ruby overhead had been taken apart. Rudjek was also temporarily obliterated, forcing him to reform over time while the rest of us regrouped. Meanwhile, I was left standing in front of Mirannda, having protected her once again from the magic flying about the room. My soul-powered, counter spell was enough to mitigate all leftover feedback from her explosion, so none of the brunt passed by me to return to her.

Despite that fortunate turn of events, however, my condition worsened from the attempt. Coughs turned to vomit, and my solid stance from before had already crumbled into a kneeling position. I could tell my body wasn't going to last much longer as I slowly lost the strength to stand up straight, and yet Rudjek was already reforming as if he was unfazed by our attacks.

"I don't understand you at all, Nameless One," he spoke calmly in the wake of our latest defiance. "You're exceeding the power meant to be used by a mortal right now; using my souls to do so even at the cost of your own body. And for what? Am I to believe you'd throw your power and achievements away for one strumpet and a smidgen of emotional comfort?"

Truth be told, the asshole had a point. I had my doubts about Robin: doubts that I was using a Renaissance artifact to overcome. And under the currently dire circumstances, I wouldn't have held it against anyone else had they chosen flee instead of fight in my position. Just as Mira had stated, though, reason was not enough to overwhelm the love driving me. I suppose that's why I was stupid enough to poke the reaper while on his doorstep and not expect retaliation.

"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. I told you downstairs what my intentions were, and you simply chose to ignore them like the arrogant prick you are." My supposed "last words," as it were. Rudjek didn't even crack a smile or laugh at them as he had the others before. Instead, he spoke calmly, and just before disappearing from sight.

"You truly are a sad and predictable creature," he said, and then kicked me in the ribs before I could move. The force sent me sailing across the room until I hit one of his statues, at which point I fell face down with several cracked ribs and a broken shoulder as rewards for my arrogance.

So it was that, with one blow, the seemingly incompetent high priest had removed me from the battlefield. "Evidently, I can't kill you two while your shield is still operational," he said while stepping in my blood after the fact, "so I've gone ahead and broken that shield." Rudjek had guessed that I was the only real threat in the room since I had the power to turn his own source against him, and thus he had focused me down. With me apparently out the way, he was reassured of his victory, and so turned his gaze toward the phoenix once more before walking menacingly toward her. "Let's try this again, little phoenix: this time without your pesky spell shield."

6

Author: Nix, Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 9:01 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Sadly, Rudjek seemed unfazed, going so far as to calling her attack an amusing light show and futile. Her face turned a bright red as he continued his taunting. So many retorts sprang to her lips, yet she held them back by the skin of her teeth. The living cannot so easily join the mummified corpses, not without a fair bit of torture. Mirannda had her fair share of torture, and refused to go through anything worse than what she had experienced. She did not want a leader to fear and cower from, to constantly worry about doing the slightest thing wrong.

Where was the respect? Genuine care? Despite how much she tried to run from her past, it was still who she was deep down. Mirannda could not erase it, could not scrub it from her heart. Persistence kept her here, good will toward humanity kept her fighting. So caught up in her thoughts, she had failed to pay attention to the flickering thunder bolts in Rudjek's hand, and lost her cool head in the middle of a battlefield. Time for scolding herself would have to wait as the appearance of time itself seemed to slow with adrenaline.

Thunder zigzagged through the air toward them, Natsumi in motion, counter spells springing forth from her reserves. Energy burst forth from Natsumi's hand, shielding them and bouncing the priest's spell back at him and that precious ruby. Her condition worsened, it seemed, as the battle was prolonged. How far was this possible lost goddess willing to push herself? Even the gods have limits. Rudjek ranted about collecting the souls he stole from various places. Mirannda thought that while they were not in control, they were fighting to regain it. ”You're right, we are stubborn. The Mother Flame will consume me completely before I bow to Sardon.”

No, the phoenix do not bow, they rise above the flames and ashes. Only in death must they bow, paying tribute to the goddess they deny every time they are reborn. She watched the images, not a single one meaning anything to her. If they were in Dae Luin, would she see Vincent and Jalaya fighting to protect their lot in life? Or Tobias, Chisera, Artaxiad, the pixie Luna, or anyone from Elysium Order? To see even an image of her beloved Sithoran would have been a blessing. Yet, every single image was someone out there fighting the mummies, people from Revaliir. Each of them were fighting to save someone, something. Here she was, attempting to help a bunch of strangers.

'Just one more sacrifice' he said, and all projections disappeared save one. It became clear to Mirannda why Natsumi was here, why she was fighting. While Rudjek was giving it the name of just one person, it was so much greater than that. ”Not Robin. Our weakness is love!” Any arguments from Mirannda were cut short as a great beast, terrible and hideous, crawled over the crystal. Did that thing have two sets of shoulders, one on top of the other and descending into the arms of the lower? One thing was for certain: as hideous as that thing was, she did not want to be caught in the ginormous hands powered by equally built muscles, or bit by those huge jaws. They would likely be bit clean in half if they did.

Shiloh taunted the beast, running around the chamber nimbly as she continued throwing out noise to keep the attention of the thing. Praying that she kept the terrible creature busy, Mirannda reached up with her free hand and grasped at the small bottle hanging on a partially hidden necklace. She hadn't thought to check it after the collapse of the rubble, and was quite pleased to see the bottle was still in tact, full of the tears of her cousins. Casting a minor spell to empower her magical ability, Mirannda held up her other hand, sword held backwards down the length of her arm as she concentrated on the center of the room.

Pulling deep on the flames, the phoenix blocked out her worries. Between Rudjek and the crystal, a small dot of flame appeared, being pierced by needles of light continuously. Each needle made the flame grow larger and larger until it was the size of a human skull. All needles disappeared into the ball of flame and it sat there, hovering in the middle of the room doing absolutely nothing. Suddenly, the it condensed to the size of a grain of sand. For a split second, it appeared as if it was a dud spell, useless flash. Until flames erupted in a huge explosion. It was now that Mirannda allowed herself to worry as the flames and energy rapidly consumed the room.

Hoping that the two women were protected from her spell, Mirannda knew that she was not and could never be. Immune to most flames as she was, it was her own fire she could not withstand. It would burn and scald, melt her flesh once it touched her. Still grasping her bottle of phoenix tears, Mirannda watched wide eyed as her own flame rushed toward her, the sound of her spell and the hungry element drowned out all else to her.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 11:52 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

So he was just another disposable sycophant after all. For all of his power and intimidation, it was disappointing. Rudjek was an incredibly powerful necromancer, possessing capabilities that far exceeded her wildest dreams. And yet when push came to shove, he couldn't even commit atrocities in his own name without using his former master as a crutch. If he reacted so much to a simple offhand comment, then he was a weaker person than she had thought. But even blind fools with endless power were still dangerous, and Rudjek was no fool. As she was still considering the best angle of attack, Mirannda jumped in and made the first move. Shiloh instinctively flinched as the reflected lightning from her attack came at her, in spite of having used that particular spell to ward off such things. It was her paranoia kicking in, that nagging doubt of the spell's limits. Thankfully, it worked as it should–sending the magical energy right back at the 'Heart of Sardon' it had came off of.

The lich didn't like that at all, and began to conjure up a spell of his own. Unlike the electricity from Mirannda earlier, Shiloh didn't have any confidence that she'd come out unscathed this time. As expected from a mad sorcerer, the attack flew faster than they could defend–until something, or someone blocked it. With an immense burst of magic, Natsumi had send the full brunt of Rudjek's lightning right into his precious crystal. The sound of damage being done was music to her ears, and she could see the small cracks in the surface. Now the real battle was about to begin. Having played their hand early, the enemy knew what they were up to. From this point on the difficulty would only increase and he would be on high alert. As if to add to the dire situation, Natsumi was starting to cough up blood. Shiloh could smell it from the small drops that were on the ground.

The necromancer began to gloat at the woman's sign of weakness. He was confident, grossly confident that he would succeed. It was pathetic and nauseating how he was barely able to contain his excitement at making things personal against the woman now standing with a sickly complexion. One more soul–he said. Just one more and then it would be the end. Or was it? All this talk of doom and gloom was making her stir-crazy; the whispers of the darkness from human hearts within her were becoming restless. It was both terrifying and intoxicating. "Just one more sacrifice, one more token of that wretched woman's descendants, and we can finally escape this hellish desert."

From the depths of her mind, she and the shadows within came to an unanimous agreement. "…One more sacrifice? Don't make me laugh–as if you will! Even if you manage to collect the last soul of your escapee's kindred, you'll never leave this wretched prison." Then, the lich called forth a hideous monstrosity. It was twisted and ugly, just as the rest of his creations had been. The wicked thing then leaped from the massive ruby and landed with a great impact not too far from them. The time for small talk was over, and things were going to get messy. Her natural instincts going into high gear, Shiloh dashed away as soon as she regained her footing. Adrenaline was flooding into her systems and all of her senses were at full power. Sending away her phoenix blade, she summoned what looked like an ordinary elven axe in her empty hand. "It's been a while since I've hunted beasts. Just try and get me, you sick dog!"

If Rudjek was willing to bet it all on a single sacrifice, then he had better be prepared to lose everything. Taunting the fiendish chimera, she began zigzagging around the chamber. With shouts and insults she egged it on, daring the hulking beast to give chase. As she did so she recast the Keeper's Secret on herself again, in case the necromancer or anyone else decided to send a magic attack her way. Shiloh was playing a game of cat and mouse, intending to let the monster's mindless bloodlust and desire for violence to do her work for her. To the others it looked like she was getting ahead of herself, perhaps even becoming a bit overconfident. Regardless, this was all according to her plan. The more misdirection she caused, the better her 'surprise' would be.   

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 2:51 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Shiloh and Mirannda joined me for that battle, and the former of the two started off with a surprisingly effective but mundane statement. As rogues went, Shiloh seemed quite capable of digs even when she wasn't trying to give them out. In fact, the very moment she insinuated we remind Rudjek of his mortality; he temporarily lost all presence of malevolence.

"Mortals are the weeds of this planet, incapable of functioning without leaders,"   he whined! "So long as we have those above us, we are complete!" In the end, even Rudjek himself was a blind drone, fixated on a singular goal that had been instilled in him centuries before his latest revival. Shiloh's words were like a dagger to that fragile mind, causing him to briefly flee towards the programming that had kept him sane all these years. He behaved like a pouting child because of it, at least until he was struck by Mirannda's chain lightning.

The attack came suddenly and with little warning, arcing through the room until it lit up Rudjek like a Gobethian lightbulb. The purpose was obvious. Mirannda had chosen to hide her intentions by choosing a spell that randomly targeted enemies. By doing so, she managed to strike at the gem while making the incident seem like a total accident. Ultimately, it worked. Her opponent barely noticed at all, even though he was brought back to his senses just in time to see the same attack reflect off of Shiloh and into his precious ruby.

"An amusing light show," he muttered as the wrathful glower returned to his face. "But ultimately futile, little phoenix." I can safely say that the high priest was still playing with his food by that point, but he also didn't take kindly to the small blemishes that now graced Sardon's Heart. His own fingers began to flicker with angry thunderbolts as a result of Mirannda's actions, and soon his menacing gaze turned toward her. "It's a shame really. With all that grunting from earlier, I could have easily welcomed you into the fold in your current body. Now I'll have to make one from sand after I destroy this current form instead."

Rudjek's intent was clear, even before he unleashed a powerful chain lightning of his own. The spell was enormous in comparison to what Mirannda had just zapped him with, possessing enough energy to vaporize both her and Shiloh where they stood; assuming, of course, that I hadn't intercepted it.

Borrowing from Shiloh's use of magical reflection, I placed myself directly in the path of that bolt, forming a large, white shield to bar its trajectory. The energy powering said shield erupted from one of my rings, consuming the soul within and redirecting Rudjek's attack back at him and his precious ruby. With that, the first true shot was fired; and Rudjek could only watch in contempt as his own magic struck his lord's heart, forming a significant crack along the nearest edge.

"Persistent, aren't we," he spat as the red dust from that impact fell to his feet? I couldn't answer him despite how much I wanted to, because my counter had taken a heavy toll on me. While my companions had been completely healed by my aura in the corridor and still seemed healthy, I did not share their fate. Instead, I looked like I was suffering from a terrible plague. I coughed up blood onto the sandstone in front of me immediately following my spellcast, and so I was disallowed from speaking during Rudjek's next rant. "Do you three not see the destruction Sardon's minions have wrought," he continued while conjuring up dozens of ghostly images from the blood-soaked battlefield outside? "All the souls we have collected, and you still think you're in control?! It won't be much longer, you stubborn creatures. Once we have enough, everyone will bow before Sardon once again, in the flesh! The heart just needs MORE!"

My eyes, tired as they were, managed to trace the walls of projection in that stifling room; and they wandered until they settled on the one portraying Robin. Rudjek was watching her in combat through one of his spies, and he waited till I knew that to get in a dig of his own. "Just one more sacrifice," he said as soon as our eyes focused on the same object, "one more token of that wretched woman's descendants, and we can finally escape this hellish desert."

Despite my best efforts, Rudjek's words in that moment elicited an expression of contempt from me. I gritted my teeth exactly as he desired, acting like the puppet he expected me to be in "his" play.

"So predictable, Nameless One," he laughed in my face! "I guess the infamous lost god does have her weaknesses after all; and that weakness's name is Robin." All the projections save for the one with my beloved in it immediately disappeared with that statement, revealing a monstrous creature that had infiltrated the room behind them. It crawled across Sardon's Heart like a sickeningly mutated wolf, and practically caused a miniature earthquake when its massive form landed next to Shiloh.




The quadrapedal creature was unlike anything native to the desert itself, too twisted and mangled by the chaotic energies overhead to be anything close to recognizable. The beholder-like parasite protruding from its chest made the ruby's effects on it abundantly clear, as did the beast's erratic attack pattern as it howled wildly against the backdrop of Rudjek's cackling.

Author: Nix, Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 11:45 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

All attention seemed to be on the opening barrier, drawing Mirannda's curiosity, anything to draw her mind from the ever constant pain. Something didn't seem right, what should have been a straight hall now housed a strange door. This door was completely different from the others she had notice, the sarcophagi being an odd decoration choice. Instantly, as the entrance granted an invitation to the group, the purpose was clear. They were being toyed with, a yo-yo rolling in for another throw against the leash.

Natsumi had given them little mounds of a purple substance. Holding one between her fingers, she was reminded of beeswax, having a similar texture. Warm magic washed over her, pain instantly disappearing. Bones knitted back together, and smoothed over the cracks. Her nerves were no longer screaming, and Mirannda felt a strangely euphoric sense of relief spread over her entire body. While she could complain her wishes being completely thrown out the proverbial window, the phoenix was so happy to discard the staff and shed the pain as water under the bridge. Testing her weight on the previously injured leg, Mirannda followed the women to the inviting open door, weapon now drawn in place of the cane.

Upon seeing the room within, the phoenix was floored by the grotesque grandeur. All of the gods could be seen, depicted in some way, with Sardon being the dominant being. It was an interesting choice to have one of them, however, in rubble without a name plate. For someone who knew nothing of the gods, Mirannda was quite interested now in learning more about them. Rudjek's voice filled the tomb, boastful and dripping with enticement. He was trying to build up for someone, to make an irresistible offer.

Having been trained for gathering intel, and making proper deductions on the knowledge picked up, Mirannda looked quite bored as she listened carefully. The broken statue was a goddess who completely expunged her existence from the minds of every living being. With the broken, nameless statue, it was only natural to assume that was who the priest referred to. He was specifically talking to Natsumi, yet was talking about the goddess. But he used the word “you”… Her mind made the connection, and she stared at the back of Natsumi's head, boredom turning to incredulity. They were with a goddess?

While Natsumi wasn't denying it, Mirannda was thinking back to their entire trek through the pyramid, figuring it made sense. How else could she hold the souls of the “captain” mummies? If Mirannda tried that, she was sure she couldn't hold more than one, two maximum. Rudjek stole her attention once more, she too shot him a glare, when he suggested that Natsumi eliminate herself and Shiloh. The phoenix could agree with Natsumi's actions, her statement, and her decision. Yet, if the same was given to her, would Mirannda have taken it? She had, not too long ago, made a similar deal with someone else.

Their target is the gem, most likely the storage of the collected energy. A malicious grin slowly consumed Mirannda's lips. ”I was once a slave to greed. Let me share my punishment with you.” There was only one spell she knew to cast at him that would harm the gem while hiding her true intentions. Lifting her free hand, fingers held close together, Mirannda blew on them gently, little sparks of blue lightning crackling around them. Slowly, she extended her fingers farther apart as more arced between them, the smile never fading. With the flick of her wrist, Mirannda sent the lightning at Rudjek.

She didn't care if it hit him or not. The spell did exactly what she intended. It struck him, bounced up into the air. Lightning hit the gem, dealing some damage to it. What she did not intend for, however, was for it to bounce once more off the gem. With a squeal, Mirannda unintentionally jumped back. Shiloh took the lightning. Instantly, she feared the worse, yet was shocked by what she saw. The woman was unharmed! In fact, more than that, the lightning bounced again! Mirannda couldn't believe her eyes as she watched the spell reflect back onto the gem.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:44 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

They were all hurt pretty badly, one way or another. To her surprise, it seemed like she had fared the best out of everyone. Half of it was due to Mirannda's help earlier, and the other half from coincidence. Natsumi wasn't looking too well either, and she was relieved that Mirannda by some miracle–was alive. Things were ramping up and that meant they were getting closer. If that necromancer was throwing high-level soldiers their way then they were on the right track. The way was no longer blocked, and instead of a long corridor there was…a door? Was the corridor a trick of the mind, or was it the door? Either way, this entire pyramid's structure wasn't consistent. 

One thing was for certain, and it was that sickening feeling she had felt out on the sands was stronger now. He was there, behind that door. That haughty, pompous coward who relied on petty tricks and slaves to do his dirty work. Right, she still wasn't done here. No matter what she couldn't lower her guard as this entire place was still a death-trap waiting to happen. Even though her voice held a quiver and her posture was unsteady, Natsumi held herself up. She handed Shiloh and Mirannda what looked like a strange, purplish waxy substance. She explained that it was beeswax, and to put them in their ears as soon as she used the strange weapon on her back. Judging by the description, that was the thing which nearly blew their ears out earlier. Natsumi then sent out a healing aura, and immediately the heaviness in her legs and shortness of breath was gone. With blades in hand, Shiloh was ready to go.

As they advanced forward, she heard a familiar voice echo in her mind. ~The gem is the target. Any damage done to Rudjek will just be shrugged off, so hit that gem and hit it hard.~  'You don't need to tell me twice.' Shiloh thought to herself. She had a bone to pick with this 'Rudjek' after what he put all of them through. They entered the room which the lich stood, and the magical power saturated in the air was making her stomach churn. It was like inhaling bog fumes, dense and overwhelming. Now they were here, they only had one shot at this. Fail, and they'd be forcibly recruited into the necromancer's ranks. There, in the back was the crystal Natsumi had mentioned. It was radiating with power, unseemly red and grossly grandiose. It was larger than she had expected, and there was no doubt this obscene thing was the core of the disasters in the desert. There were drawings–no, paintings of the same statue outside. Murals depicting the past glories of a deity who no longer existed. To top off this narcissistic show of sovereignty were statues of gold, each one showing him overtaking another. Shiloh had barely entered this world, and naturally she didn't recognize the significance of the figures. But either way, the base symbolism was clear: this fallen god considered himself the lord over all.

The undead necromancer then began to taunt them, Natsumi in particular. He was speaking about things she didn't understand, but she did pick up a few important points. 'Sardon'–the deity who was the embodiment of pride, the 'Nameless One'–another deity who was no longer in power, the 'Heart of Sardon'–the red gem which they needed to destroy. Whatever the lich was babbling on about was unimportant. All Shiloh wanted to do was to see the look on his face when his precious artifact of destruction was ground into dust. Natsumi was having none of it, and told him to cut to the chase. He did, and said should she choose to join him–they would reign over the world in Sardon's name. A laughable offer. Did he really think anyone would be so foolish to think that would work? A person like him wouldn't hesitate to stab a cohort in the back to claim all the power for himself once the world was theirs. Or he wouldn't even honor his agreement in the first place, and further his primary objective.

Before he could even continue his lousy attempt at making a bargain, Natsumi shot him in the face. Surprising, seeing how she was the most experienced and level-headed out of all of them, but Shiloh approved. Sadly this did absolutely nothing to Rudjek, as he simply regenerated and closed down negotiations permanently. "Fine, you can die with them," he sneered, rising as he flaunted his power. "Better to die with a conscience than to live as a slave to pride and treason!" Natsumi shot back. This was what they had been waiting for, and Shiloh was starting to grin beneath her cracked mask. "It seems like someone's forgotten what it's like to be mortal…why don't we give him a refresher course?"

For all of her bravado, she still wasn't ignoring their real objective. They had to act in a way where Rudjek wouldn't be paying attention to what they were really after. A basic assessment of everyone here so far told her that Natsumi was the one who posed the greatest threat to the lich, and just so happened to have the greatest power. She wasn't sure how strong Mirannda was, but Shiloh was sure a few hits from a sword wouldn't do anything against a massive conduit for souls. However, she had an idea… Fight magic with magic. She never would have thought to use this spell for anything outside the obvious, but this was the perfect opportunity. Casting the Keeper's Secret on herself, Shiloh was planning to use its deflective properties to send back any magical attack right onto the Heart. She just hoped the others would soon catch on before Rudjek did.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 11:40 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

[OOC: Consider this post a critical hit. >:D]

Up until that confirmation of Shiloh's safety, Mirannda's state declined into downright pitiful territory. From what little I can remember of our trek back up the pyramid, I recall thinking of her as a wounded puppy while watching her try to stabilize herself on a broken leg. I could have healed it in an instant had she let me, made it so she wasn't groaning in agony with every step, but her stubbornness kept me at bay. There was no healing to be had in that situation: only old curses from a distant land unrelated to Revaliir.

Truthfully, though, it wasn't like I was in the mood to override Mirannda's wishes anyway. I was in pain myself by the time Shiloh's pessimism was allowed to fill the air once more, so the ailments of a stranger were hardly in the realm of my immediate concerns. I actually didn't even speak to either of those two when we regrouped, instead just moving closer to Shiloh whilst the phoenix remarked on "points." I let the two of them converse without me in that place, instead choosing to watch the magical wall descend behind us from beyond my sweat drenched hair.

It was there, standing in the dim light of the pyramid's candles, that I saw something beyond the barrier that wasn't originally there. An ornate door had taken the place of the once empty hallway: an entrance flanked by oddly positioned sarcophagi. It remained shut upon first materializing, but wasted little time in remedying that predicament. After the shifting stone around it was allowed to settle, the entryway opened for us, revealing the throne room beyond as well as the high priest's intentions.

Rudjek, Sardon's chosen that had started this whole sordid affair, was inviting us into his private chambers. The entire temple was under his command, and he had used that power to allow us an expedited audience with him. The magical power coming from beyond his door made that obvious, but also left us with little information as to why he had experienced such a drastic change of heart. After all, for someone who had tried so hard to keep us at bay ever since we entered his home, Rudjek was suddenly being very forthcoming.

My suspicions were understandably high from this altered course, especially since my party had essentially just been given an open invitation to meet with who amounted to an enemy general. That thought in itself was terrifying, even without considering the state of my group. Mirannda could barely stand, and Shiloh was exhausted from her fight with 48. Neither was in any shape to fight, and the clock on my own power was already ticking rapidly away. These facts combined meant that the time for respect was over: enough that I stood in front of my companions to bar their path and garner their attention.

"I don't have the luxury of small talk right now," I said while taking out some lumps of purple beeswax and placing them in the hands of the two women. "Take these. Use them if you see me holding this weapon on my back. They'll block out the sound so you don't go deaf; and believe me, you'll need them unless you feel like having your hearing permanently damaged." After delivering those earplugs to guard against Toirneach's roar, I then slammed my fists together and emitted a greater healing aura around me. Both the rogue and the phoenix quickly found themselves back at full health thanks to that spell, allowing us to continue without fear of exhaustion.

I began moving into the room after that, but not without sending a telepathic message toward the two behind me.  ~The gem is the target. Any damage done to Rudjek will just be shrugged off, so hit that gem and hit it hard,~ I said while moving past the threshold. I was being careful with my words since I knew by this point that the walls had ears thanks to those bloody scarabs scurrying about. Rudjek would likely still protect the ruby regardless of any cautionary effort I exerted, true, but it was still in my best interest to reinforce his opinion of superiority. The longer he toyed with us thinking that he had the upper hand, the more damage we could do to his gem and the horde; or, at least, that was the thinking. My confidence in that plan was quicker to fade than a prostitute's virginity on her first working day.

When I stepped inside that chamber, I finally got a look at the size of the monstrosity behind Aysut's revival, and I suddenly had severe doubts on my group's expected utility. The chaotic energies of the gem had spread through the ceiling of sarcophagi, splitting them open and revealing their now empty contents. Surrounding these red crystal offshoots were several depictions of Sardon's acts in life, all painted in fluorescent dye that glowed in the darkness of the room. At the base of these fantastic murals were statues of gold: one for each deity that had ever risen. All of them, even the godslayer himself, were being dominated in some way by the old lord of chaos; with just one exception.

On the far side of the room, right next to the empty throne I had expected Rudjek to be seated in, was a lone, crumbled alcove. It had no statue of a deity in it, even if the statue of Sardon remained in a triumphant pose. Instead, all that remained was rubble collected around Sardon's feet, along with a blank nameplate that had been eroded by some unknown force.

I knew who was supposed to be in that place, and it was while I was staring at its empty facade that I began wondering why Rudjek hadn't tried to rebuild it with something more fitting of his lord. Sardon seemed the type who wouldn't suffer a monument that wasn't centered on his deeds, in my mind, and the lone statue just didn't fit with the pristine, exotic look that the rest of the chamber possessed.

My wonderment on that issue eventually transitioned to another, of course, just as soon as I noticed the high priest's conspicuous absence. His throne was empty, his room untouched, and he was nowhere to be found. Even still, his voice persisted in the void, carrying with it a certain edge of pride.

"Marvelous, isn't it," he asked without showing himself in that darkened tomb? "Sardon's will lives on in this place even after his death, and his law has been faithfully executed in preparation for his rebirth. Each statue in this room depicts his superiority over the other deities that graced the pantheon: exactly as he commanded upon its creation. The only exception thus far has been the deity who erased her existence from the world: the enigmatic Nameless One. But you know all about that, don't you? White One…"

I suddenly forgot that Shiloh and Mirannda were there when I heard this insinuation from Rudjek. I involuntarily glared at the darkness he was hiding in, now sent into fight or flight mode by the thought of my identity being compromised. Bad things happened when people discovered my past, and this priest was playing a dangerous game by bringing it up.

For some reason, however, he didn't see that revelation the same way I did. Instead, he addressed me cordially, saying, "No need for glares," before continuing with his explanation. "Who else possesses knowledge on how to steal souls from the Heart of Sardon himself and yet does not reek of the conclave? Who else possesses magical prowess on your level and yet does not deign to exist in the public eye? The dead know nothing of you. The living know nothing of you. Even the rocks themselves have forgotten you! Even if you hadn't practically revealed it to me with your words and gaze, it would be difficult not to conclude that you are the lost god."

'Idiot,' was all I could think of when I heard that last bit. Not Rudjek, but myself. My carelessness had allowed an ancient entity to come to the conclusion that I was the Nameless One, and I could immediately sense that this was going to lead to an "offer I couldn't refuse" scenario. The thought made my stomach ill, as if it wasn't already suffering under the effects of anima rings, and I became irritated enough from it that I interrupted Rudjek's monologue with a curt, "Get to the point."

I expected this to at least startle him, but it did not. He continued unhindered.

"You've been so very helpful thus far," he added in a sinister undertone. "We could do even more, you know. The knowledge of the woman once powerful enough to erase history itself combined with the powers of the Emperor of Chaos would be unstoppable! All you'd have to do is turn on those others that are just holding you back." In that moment, I knew Rudjek was referring to both Shiloh and Mirannda. Those two were obvious, but I wasn't quite yet dumb enough to not realize he was also referring to Robin. In exchange for life and power, the lich expected me to throw away everyone and everything else; even those people I cared most for in that wretched world of magic and gods. He arrogantly thought I'd accept the ludicrous deal too, going so far as to reappear in his throne just to ask the last bit of his offer. "Do we have a-?"

Ultimately, though, he never finished that sentence. I didn't have to think of my response because I already knew it, so I just sent that to him in the form of a highly explosive arrow. The projectile lodged itself in his teeth before he could speak any further, detonating and turning his bandaged head into a smoldering crater. "Typical," he stated after having to wait for his jaw to reform. "You're a mortal to the core: stubborn to a fault and too stupid to accept the best offer you could hope for."

Rudjek stood up from his throne then, his head still billowing smoke as he sent out a frightening magical aura. "Fine, you can die with them," he shouted, and suddenly the room lit up with multiple braziers. The final battle had begun, but not before I responded to Aysut's master with the utmost disdain.

"Better to die with a conscience than to live as a slave to pride and treason!"

Author: Nix, Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 8:47 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Thunk, step, slide All while attempting to suppress her pain, the resulting grunts and groans of perseverance still audible nonetheless. The phoneix did not pause to consider the fact that she might very well sound much like a spawn of Rudjek, mindless and shuffling. Leaning heavily on the provided cane, she would push the bottom out a short distance, half hop and held most of her weight with her hands on the cane as she moved the good leg forward. It was here that she'd grunt, as her ribcage protested her efforts to move at all. Dragging her broken leg behind her was the easy, and manageable part.

The beetles were screaming different curses at the pair for having defeated 66, renewing their plans to catch the women unawares and consuming their flesh. Mirannda easily dismissed their taunts, her attention completely absorbed by not falling over, or going blind as her vision threatened to darken with each passing moment. Maybe she should not have pushed off the healing skills of Natsumi so easily.

Underfoot, the pyramid rumbled and shook. Immediately, Mirannda grabbed onto a wall, preparing to slip into shadows just in case to prevent further injury. Which shadows she would slip into wasn't quite known, yet. While dust and tiny pieces of the structure pelted the pair, they could hear a cave in somewhere behind them, quite possibly near where the phoenix had perished. Unfortunately, the jostling eventually sent Mirannda sprawling to the ground. ”Fenehdis lasa!”

The curse, something very similar to “fuck me”, which was practically screamed out sent the fire salamanders scurrying, yet the phoenix had no intention to try and soothe them or call them back as she attempted the grueling task of standing once more. With the aid of the cane, it was a little easier this time. Even still, she muttered a plea. ”Fen'harel ir halam.” Every negative thing she was saying was in her adopted mother's native tongue.

The cane was pushed out. Thump. Her chest screamed and begged her, burning in retaliation of the excess movement just to move the one foot forward. Step. Even with the voices of near every nerve in her right leg, it was the easiest thing to ignore. Slide. This continued until they came to the antechamber which Shiloh had been fighting on. Green eyes took in the scene of the room, landing on Shiloh. Mirannda gave a sigh of relief. ”So we're all alive. Point one for us.” While she tried to smile at the attempt of lightening their grim predicament, it was ruined by the grimace of pain that flashed across her face.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 7:19 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

It was a direct hit, but he wasn't 'dead'. Either she'd missed, or she just needed to hammer it in a little more. "You fight well, girl," The distorted voice said. "But all good things must come to an end." This wasn't good. She knew that type of word choice. A person with his type of psyche only would say such things under one condition–self-termination. She flinched instinctively when she heard another weapon fling itself into his body, seeing the arm pinned down now without its blade. He'd never do that unless there was a catch, or something else up his sleeve. "I'll ask you a question before I disappear, what do you think happens when someone who feeds on magic is killed before their swell is consumed?"

She responded by raising her shield and backing away quickly, his words confirming her suspicions just before the undead exploded–releasing a powerful mass of unbridled magic energy. Dropping low to the ground, she tried to hide behind the small barrier of silver and tourmaline as it lashed out, devastating the surrounding chamber. An incredible force was battering against it, but in doing so a bright flash of light burst into the room in response to the magical backlash. Gritting her teeth she pushed back as hard as she could, subconsciously activating a protection spell as she struggled to keep the shield upright. It was like a rushing wind and a thunderous roar, blasting everything around her. When the energy's force was spent, the dust settled to reveal a heavily damaged antechamber. The only spot relatively pristine was where Shiloh laid, slumped over with her shield propped by both arms. Part of that arcane outburst had been reabsorbed back into her Tenebris amulet, but was not quite full to the breaking point. It would take time before she could utilize its power again. 

Her strength spent but not exhausted, Shiloh coughed as the shield clattered onto the floor by her side. "Seriously, what do you take me for? You think I wouldn't expect you to try pulling a fast one like that on me?" Leaning against the unmarred patch of wall, she sighed. "This is why you can never be too prepared." The weight on the switch keeping the enchanted slab up was now removed, and the way ahead was reopening again. Her entire body was aching, but she still had one more thing left to do before leaving. She had to beat that necromancer up with his own bloody crystal before shattering it before his very eyes. Hearing footsteps, she groaned as she was expecting more of the unholy priest's reinforcements. "For the love of…not this again."

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:19 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

This was the effect of the anima rings. Powerful artifacts in their own right, the accessories were originally made during the war between Angela and Dalanesca. Their intended purpose was to be used as a source of magical and physical empowerment drawn from souls, but, through tweaking with their base essence, I had managed to expand upon those available uses. When it came to the rings I was wearing inside Sardon's temple, I was utilizing them as massive pools of mana in addition to my own. This allowed me to use the souls contained within my rings for high-level spells without exhausting my own reserves, and therefore gave me a potentially unlimited source of mana in an area so infested with undead. But there was a catch; so long as I held more than a single soul in a single ring with that configuration, I would suffer feedback from the rings themselves. Mana pools can only grow so big before they became a detriment to the user, after all; and so I had inflicted self-harm upon myself by the time I reached Mirannda.

In fact, before I even saved the phoenix from her own murder, I had already begun snatching souls from the lieutenants that threatened us. Most of those I collected had been slain by hands outside the temple, and I had only encountered them by chance on their way back to be reborn. Their lack of a body during this transition made them especially easy to imprison, so I did; and, by using that exploit, I had already collected seven of their kind before taking 66's soul as well. Now, with his addition, I had eight, the absolute maximum number of souls I could contain without rendering myself catatonic. I needed to use a renaissance just to strengthen my will enough to endure the pain brought on by that threshold, but at least I had prepared myself to fight Rudjek even though I still couldn't hide my fatigue from an overly curious phoenix.

Mirannda asked if I was alright in that state, all while refusing my aid for her own injuries in a haughty display of bravado. I could tell without even trying that she wasn't going to let me anywhere near her to triage her wounds, so I just answered her question instead of trying to fight her stubbornness.

"No. I needed power, and all power comes with a price in this world. Certain limits exist for all bodies no matter if they are mortal or immortal, and right now I'm using a trick to break my own limits. Like you, I'll survive, but only so long as we find Rudjek and soon." I was already brimming with magic by that point, so I literally and subconsciously fashioned a cane directly from the sandstone wall next to Mirannda as we went. Beyond this gesture of good will, however, there was relative silence between us until we caught up to Shiloh: at least if you can call grunts of pain from a wounded phoenix silence.

Before we even reached the rogue, she was already at the climax of her battle with 48. Her final attack against him had driven a blade deep into priest's torso, narrowly missing his core but greatly compromising the integrity of his body. He could still have fought her in that condition, true, but he was no fool. Rather than attempt to prolong the inevitable, 48 "conceded."

"You fight well, girl," he said after the sword got stuck in the center of his chest. "But all good things must come to an end." There was a new form of eeriness to the ghostly warrior's voice as he talked for what seemed to be the final time: an almost joyous undertone. One would think he was graciously accepting defeat with that kind of attitude, but that was not the case this time. Instead, and before Shiloh had a chance to respond to him, 48 had his pinned arm throw its khopesh through his back and straight into his core."I'll ask you a question before I disappear," he explained without the slightest hint of pain or regret from his apparent suicide. "What do you think happens when someone who feeds on magic is killed before their swell is consumed?"

As if on cue, 48 began to disintegrate from this egregious self-attack, bringing forth a massive explosion of shadow magic. The spell Shiloh had been using to clear a path to the top of the pyramid before being stopped was now sent straight back at her, lunging without direction and tearing into the pyramid's foundations with great ferocity. This occurred just as Mirannda and I arrived within earshot, so we heard the spell go off at the same time that our footsteps finally reached our companion: provided, of course, that she was still alive to hear them.

Author: Nix, Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 12:48 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Mirannda watched the defeat of the mummy with wide eyes. Natsumi was taking the soul? There was a lot to learn about this land, its magic and the laws, and Natsumi was showing it with each passing moment. The armor crumbled to dust, her eyes still wide and unmoving as Natsumi approached her. Slowly, she began to shift her eyes to the woman approaching her with the tired voice. While Mirannda shed the shadows hiding her, Mirannda frowned at her, the fire salamanders abandoning the false circles and congregating around her once more.

As her somewhat flattened leg lay at an odd angle, her ribs aching, the phoenix involuntarily giggled. The salamanders decided to crawl upon her, singeing her armor but not her skin. "Ow, stop it, guy's that hurts." Not that her skin was affected by them, it was her broken ribs jostled by the laughter. Finally, when they stopped moving, Mirannda studied Natsumi. "No, I can survive. You don't look so great. Find me something to walk with, we need to find Shiloh, regroup. Are you okay?"

Each breath was punctuated with a grimace of pain. This was nothing compared to learning how to meld with the shadows, which felt like she was being torn apart. With great effort, Mirannda sat up, holding her ribs as if trying to hold herself together. Bracing herself on the nearby wall, she got her good leg underneath her and pushed herself up, grunting and pausing as each wave of pain threatened to consume her. Dragging her bum leg, Mirannda tried to hop a little ways forward, biting her tongue as the jolt to the broken bones shot mind numbing pain through her, gripping the wall trying hard not to let herself fall. If Natsumi attempted to do anything, Mirannda pushed her off, reiterating that Shiloh must be found.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:28 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Number 48 deflected her thrown sword and daggers easily, but thankfully these were all according to plan. All she needed was time, and that's exactly what she got. In those precious seconds she was able to bring a weapon that would be more of a threat and possibly level the playing field. The undead priest let out a condescending laugh when the first attacks were intercepted, however he wasn't expecting to have an arm missing. She wasn't fortunate enough to get both off in one swing, but she couldn't celebrate yet. The severed arm was still moving on the floor, and if she didn't hurry it would just reattach.

He soon figured out what she was intending to do, and changed tactics. Instead of letting her come to him, he was doing the reverse. He made the move to come at her offensively, keeping her on her feet so she wouldn't get another chance to attack. Time was ticking. Being forced to block using her hand holding the glaive, she only had her phoenix blade in her other hand. The length of the glaive did help keep her out of arms' reach, but it was also limiting her attacks. Even when she tried to switch hands he would keep the pressure on her so she was locked into defending. She had to get closer, before he regained his other arm. Should she throw her weapon again? No, he had already seen her do that once and wouldn't be foolish enough to let her pull the same stunt twice. There was also the risk of him getting a hold of her own weapons and using them against her. She had to change them out. 

Swinging her arm with the flaming sword, Shiloh shoved back at Number 48 with all her strength to shift the weight off her hand wielding the polearm. The blade's flames barely reached him, but at the last moment she swapped out the blade for a shield and let her momentum carry her further towards him. His parry ended up hitting silver and black bands of tourmaline, her best bet against him aside from the glaive. She had to be careful with that weapon as well, as its power inside the pyramid was severely limited. The overcast skies reduced how much sunlight it could absorb in the desert, and with each use its consecutive attacks would weaken. 

"Are those all the tricks you've got up your sleeve, girl?" He asked, a hint of self-satisfaction mixed with sarcasm in his voice. Pushing off, Shiloh muttered. "…Yeah, maybe." Her focus was somewhere else now, namely the severed limb crawling back to its main body. Throwing her glaive, she pinned it to the ground so it couldn't move any further. Moving to block his hits again, she reached into her pocket and threw a handful of drops of shimmering light when he was backing her up against the wall. There was a grunt of annoyance as the sundrops got into his face and disrupted the shadow magic he was using. This time, she'd deal a better-aimed blow, summoning the dragon bone sword she had thrown earlier. With shield raised and blade in hand, she stabbed towards the center of his being. One strike to his core, the essence of his undead body–and she'd be able to disable the switch to pass through.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Mon Oct 9, 2017 8:41 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Of course, while I originally thought 66 would be hard to defeat, he eventually proved himself to be a careless opponent. His physical prowess was no doubt terrifying, as Mirannda's use of shadows soon proved, but he talked and boasted like a child during the course of combat. That became even clearer once he started reacting to the scattered fireballs hitting his face.

"Hey, that's cheating," was what he began with; and it wasn't long after that that my holy arrow drove itself into his head, extracting another, "Stop!" Mirannda and I alternated our techniques to gradually force him back down the hallway, but that didn't last long before his temper flared. "THAT'S ENOUGH," he yelled in rage after the second arrow hit, and soon he raised his axe one more time. To the naked eye, he was too far away to attack in melee, but his next swing actually behaved like high-level wind magic. He struck horizontally, sending a bladed gust as sharp as steel straight for my head.

I ducked, of course, having seen the approaching slash marks on the walls of the corridor, but that first blade was hardly the last. More came after it, tearing the walls to shreds just after I erected another for protection. "You think you're the only ones with long-range attacks! I'll teach you, you pesky whores!" 66 ranted and raved beyond my new barrier, swinging madly all the while. He kept battering it down with every strike, hoping to berserk his way to victory.

That was his downfall. After his fifth swing, I saw an opening in his defense through a hole in the wall. He had brought the sharp end of his axe all the way back behind his body, thereby allowing me to teleport in front of him without risking an accidental axe to the face.

"What? What are you doing to me," he asked as soon as he realized what was happening in that instant. Before 66 could bring his arm back, my hand had lodged itself in the neck of his armor. He was completely paralyzed once I touched his soul, though not because of any spell from me. It was the empty anima ring I had on my offending hand, the same ring sucking the life force out of his twisted shell of a body.

"Same thing I did to 65 downstairs," I said once this siphon began. "You are destructive, just like he was, and you're practically immortal. But your biggest weaknesses are that you have neither a will nor a body of your own anymore. Your soul is just animating that armor at the behest of Rudjek, and the only things left of your former self are your personality and experience. Your freedom of will? That's an illusion. It makes your soul easy to pull out for someone with artifacts and expertise like me."

66 wasn't the first of these priests I had fought, just as my earlier speech had betrayed. Another one by the name of 65 had ambushed me just before I could reunite with Mirannda. His battle with me was short-lived, for 65 had actually been weaker than 66; but it was through him that I discovered the weak point of the priests as a whole. 66 realized this too late, even if he accepted defeat graciously.

"So I lost," he asked just before his soul was completely absorbed? "Well, that's disappointing. I was hoping for a longer fight." The armored ghost went limp just then, his energy completely gone. The armor itself crumbled to sand, no longer sustained by the chaos ruby's influence; and thus I was allowed to retrieve my hand so I could return to Mirannda.

Along the way back, I dispelled what little was left of my stone barrier, exposing the three patches of salamanders that had all miraculously survived. Mirannda was in one of those piles, but I couldn't tell which without using unnecessary mana. Rather than try, I asked her to come out of her own accord, though with no small amount of effort to try not sounding tired.

"You can come out now, Mirannda. You need healing, and I can provide it." Ironically, I probably looked like the one most in need of healing by that point. My stride had already grown sluggish once I absorbed 66 into one of the eight rings on my hands, and now I was starting to spit up blood whenever I talked. It wasn't much for now, but the small droplets that fell out of my mouth before I could wipe them off were a telltale sign of my waning health.

Author: Nix, Posted: Mon Oct 9, 2017 11:46 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

"Noo!" "Where are you going?" "Fleeing so soon?" Mirannda glanced around with a sudden sense of dread descending upon her. The beetles were quieting, she couldn't hear their thoughts anymore, their scurrying became more faint by the second. They were retreating, and it made the phoenix quite nervous. However, their was a new sound to take their place, metal grinding on stone, the foreboding announcement of the approach of something worse than mere scarabs.

"Unlikely." She was able to get out before he asked his rhetorical question, sounding much more confident than she felt. Mirannda felt disgusted by the comparison, for she was not undead, no necromancer controlled her rebirth. It was her connection to the Mother Flame. She breathed and bled, falling very much in the definition of being alive, just a part of the legendary races that rebirth. For a terrifying moment, she didn't see a monstrosity before her, but Sin, a vampire swathed in shadows, a dark cloak which hid his face, and a menacing bladed staff. He held it up over his head, poised to strike, his cackling sent shivers down her spine.

Twin arrows impaled his hands, the hallucination fading. Natsumi's voice further broke into her frightened state. As she stayed there, staring up the new opponent, cursing her physically weak state of being, her hand slid under a rock, where the shadows were deepest. Shadows reached up, engulfed the phoenix, and slithered back to whence they came, Mirannda now gone. It was one of the few things that Sin had taught her. Following the shadows, Mirannda moved easier now than earlier, suppressing all thoughts of pain, until she was behind Natsumi.

Unfortunately, none of the salamanders were able to be taken with her, as she had yet to figure that portion of her spell in these lands. They gave her position away as they followed her. "Flame moves!" "Follow the flame!" Still they surrounded her, and Mirannda tried to hold her giggle in. These little critters were not going to be helpful in any kind of stealth situations. 'Want to help me, little ones? Form three groups, two groups pretend I'm elsewhere, one stay here.' Though reluctant, they did as she asked. Remaining in the shadows, Mirannda would randomly move between the three locations the amphibians have chosen, assisting Natsumi in her fight with well aimed fireballs.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sun Oct 8, 2017 7:58 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Finally she had run into something that she couldn't just smash through. Her senses could feel the intense concentration of magic within the undead fighter, and her bottled fury was beginning to wane. The effects of her amulet were wearing off, and so was the initial surge of adrenaline. Shiloh was feeling her well of shadows thin out and slip away as soon as he entered the scene, another reason for her to be on guard. An enemy who couldn't die and had sentience was more of a danger than a thousand scarabs or a legion of mummies. This wasn't good. Whatever he was, this 'Number 48' was sapping her shadows. She wouldn't be able to rely on them this time.

Dual-wielding curved blades, leeching off negative power; it was like she was fighting a mirrored version of herself. The main difference laid in their state of being. If she wanted to get through, she'd have to kill him. Unfortunately that would just temporarily throw him out of commission. That necromancer of a prick up top could just raise his corpse again. Mirannda was dead, and Natsumi had been seen leaving the pyramid. She was on her own now. It was an odd situation; for once it did matter whether she lived or died. Ever since she had turned her back on human society, she had never given much thought to herself or her existence. Even when she survived her final execution, she was essentially getting by from day to day. She had placed her goals based on whether or not they would realistically fulfill her basic needs. Happiness was fleeting, so was sadness, anger, and other pleasantries. Her goal was, put simply–to live. When Number 48 voiced a death threat, she didn't respond with a sarcastic remark like she would have.

Why do you fight so hard to survive every day? To live, isn't it obvious? Then what is the purpose of living? Natsumi's words before the landslide hit answered for her. 'That's pretty much the whole point of life, Shiloh: don't die. Astronomically few succeed in that goal, true, but we'll manage.'    

Yes, they'd manage somehow. Her head was starting to cool, and she stopped using her shadow weaving. She still had a few questions that she wanted to find the answers for, and until then she wasn't going to let herself die. Looking back at the armed undead, she shot back: "If you want a favor from me, you're going to have to earn it." Throwing her wyvern bone blade, she followed up with a flurry of spectral daggers. If dirty tactics wasn't going to work, then she'd make him fight on her terms. Summoning a sun glaive into her free hand, she aimed to slice off Number 48's arms and try to damage the core of his being. The sooner she got him off that switch, the faster she could move ahead.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Sun Oct 8, 2017 2:33 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

After my internal crisis abated, events in the city started to spiral violently out of control. Thus far, only Shiloh, Mirannda and I had made our way into the pyramid and survived long enough to become thorns in Rudjek's side. After Mirannda's resurrection, though, that changed. The living began their counter siege against the high priest's forces; and clashes shook the outskirts of his domain. Rudjek, it seemed, had been surrounded thanks to his single minded focus on sacrifices, and so now the noose was tightening around his neck.

That said, the lich was far from beaten just because of the efforts of some brave militiamen. Most of the servants he had sent thus far were lesser undead: the rank and file that would fall from a single, well-placed strike. They were numerous, true, but also mindless. To be more effective, they needed leaders, and so Rudjek turned to his clergy.

Hidden in sarcophagi close to his chambers, Sardon's high priest had been stockpiling souls from strong villains and adventurers that had died during his unholy crusade. He preferred those with bloodthirsty tendencies, anyone who was closer to chaos and destruction than order or creation. Since the onset of his return, he had collected 79 such souls. Now, with the living striking back, he decided to awaken them.

"Go," he commanded, causing the eyes of each soldier to glow with the same red sheen as the crystal overhead.

_______

Most of those unholy "priests" left the pyramid via secret passageways, going outside to face the troublesome newcomers. There were a few, however, that remained behind to confront my group. One of them, a tall armored fellow with dual khopeshs at his command, went after Shiloh. He barred her path before she could reach the throne room, all while seeming to feed on the shadow magic she was pushing out.

"That's close enough, little girl," he greeted her with an eerily calm tone. He pointed one blade at her following that remark, unhindered and unmoving, then pressed a button with his foot that caused a thick, warded, stone slab to slide down behind him. "I am number 48," he continued, "and I will be entertaining you for High Priest Rudjek today. Do me a favor and die quickly. I could use a new comrade that isn't stupid like 66."

48, as he called himself, had once been a serial killer, and an expert swordsman to boot. Even in death, he maintained his unnervingly steely composure, showing no love or passion for anything other than the act of killing. He had also gained new abilities in his current form: for, like Shiloh, he had become highly skilled in shadow magic. He even developed the ability to feed on spells from that school, to the point that his strength was directly proportional to the amount of darkness in the room.

Shiloh would have a difficult time getting past this formidable foe, especially since the slab behind him was immune to spells and he was guarding the only switch to deactivate it.

______

Beyond 48, another of the priests, 66, circumvented Shiloh completely and found his way to the wounded Mirannda. His arrival caused the scarabs to hush and retreat, though his obnoxious voice and obsessive axe grinding prevented any quiet from taking place. His armored and haunting visage came upon the wounded phoenix shortly after she had called out for Shiloh and I, and so he started off his initial greeting with an almost happy conclusion that we were subdued.
 
"If you're looking for your friends, they're gone or so will be," he said, adjusting his appropriately skull-like helmet before continuing with a bout of curiosity. "You know, in a lot of ways you're like us. You died, but you're not really dead, are you?" The question was rhetorical, for 66 did not even wait for an answer before lifting his weapon. Instead, he was soon bearing down on Mirannda with the giant axe in tow. "I guess we'll have to find out how many times that works!"

He was aiming for her head, planning to decapitate the phoenix with a single stroke; but, instead, he soon found two arrows pinning his hand to a nearby wall. The force of the impact was strong enough to prevent his attack and give Mirannda, along with her salamander friends, time to retreat."That's not fair," 66 cried upon realizing this rejection! "You ruined my kill!"

Further down the hallway, I had arrived just in a nick of time to loose those shots before my companion tasted death a second time. My eyes were still red from crying earlier, but that hadn't dulled my sharpshooter skills with an Endapano Bow in the slightest. Mirannda was spared because of my actions, but she was definitely not safe just yet. I called out to her, knowing she was still in danger, then cocked some holy arrows for my next attack.

"Crawl away if you have to, Mirannda! He's far more powerful than the other undead!" 66 took notice of that insider knowledge I unintentionally provided. After all, I had just arrived and yet I already knew about his kind. The distraction this provided was likely useful to the phoenix, especially since it got her attacker talking for a short amount of time.

"Too true. I'm surprised you know that even though this is the first time we've met!" He paused, gradually pulling the arrows out of his hand without paying attention to his former target anymore. "I am number 66! I used to have another name, but that's not important anymore. Rudjek calls me that number, and I honestly don't care why so long as he gives me more people to cut up! And you're next in that line, ladies!"

Like 48, 66 had also been a serial killer. Ironically, the two had killed each other out on the dunes, and that was why 48 had a special distaste for him. Neither of them would go down easy, and neither of them were the last of the priests by a long shot.

Author: Nix, Posted: Sat Oct 7, 2017 6:39 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Her body lay there, blood seeping from the occasional wound here and there. It was unnoticed how her acquaintances seemed too preoccupied with their own internal emotions to pay her any heed. The fact that she is now crushed to save one of them and perished meant nothing at the moment. Mirannda floated deep into oblivion, no pain or emotion reached her. She wasn't even conscious enough to put any details to the experience of death.

As they went their separate ways, beetles screamed with excitement. A feast was laid bare before them, ready for the consumption. Yet they were sorely upset when one by one, then suddenly a whole gathering of little fire salamanders surrounded the deceased phoenix. Believing they had the advantage of numbers, the beetles still tried to acquire their meal. All they did was feed their natural enemies.

Flame erupted and plunged itself into her dark corner of nothingness. Its warmth embraced her, engulfed her and pulled on Mirannda. Slowly her consciousness returned to the cradle that was her mind. Every passing second, she was more and more aware of the things going on around her. First and foremost, nearly every nerve in her body was screaming. Secondly, she heard the strangest little battle cries all around. With the pain, she found it difficult to even listen to it.

"Our meal! Give us our meal!" "She'll make a tasty treat!" "Back off, you slimy lizard" "Yum! Scarab for dinner!" "All you can eat buffet, anyone?" "Come, try to get our flame, crunchy morsel." It was enough to annoy her as Mirannda forced her eyes open. She coughed, partially from her lungs crying out with the lack of oxygen, additionally from all the dust around her. Pain racked her body as she did, however, causing her to cry out, trying to double over herself. The movement did not do her any good, however, tears rushing to her eyes as she wanted to crawl into her body and hide away from everything.

Mirannda grabbed at a stone, attempting to drag herself out of the remaining rubble, only to collapse with another pained sound. All this pain would be worthless if Shiloh hadn't make it. Oh lords! Shiloh! "Shiloh?" she called, attempting to at least pull herself into a sitting position, grunting with the exertion. "Shiloh? Natsumi?" Silence filled her ears while the scarabs and lizards continued their little commotion around her, the beetles of course being upset she was no longer dead and can possibly defend herself. Broken ribs, possibly a broken leg or two, bruised all over. Her flame can reverse any damage that killed her, but apparently will not heal all of her injuries.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sat Oct 7, 2017 12:53 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Now let's play 'fair and square'. The last time she remembered hearing those words was from her own mouth, many years ago. The situation wasn't much different. Trapped in a game rigged for her to lose, with only one chance to win. What she didn't fully remember, was the outcome and how it ended–but she knew that somehow she'd won. So many similarities–a being with higher power looking down with a sneering smile and self-satisfaction, a game where the rules were bent to the maker. Now the only thing left to complete the comparison was a repeat of that outcome. 

She was supposed to have died ten times already. When she was sent to the gallows, the rope was weakened beforehand and it snapped when the weight of her body dangled from it. Merely passing out from having her windpipe constricted, her friends and family swiftly swept her away. When she was sent to rot in the bottom of a cell at the lowest level of the keep's dungeon, a brownie stole the guard's keys and slipped them to her through a hole in the wall. When millstones heavy enough to drag down a horse were tied to her ankles as she was sent adrift in a leaking rowboat, undines cut the ropes as they brought her ashore. When she was tied to the stake to be burned alive, a freak thunderstorm poured down rain heavier than had been seen in the past twenty years and caused severe flooding. The headsman's axehead came loose and fell before it could reach her neck, the guillotine jammed at the last second, and she pulled herself through the beatings and floggings. It was the last one where she wasn't able to run from, being buried alive with chains binding the coffin shut.

And yet she still lived. If some cosmic force wanted her to die, it would've done it already. The fact she was still alive and kicking meant she still had miles to go before the span of her thread was cut. Fueled by rage and adrenaline, Shiloh was hurtling forward to the top of the pyramid. Shadowy hands were tearing through the traps and waves of undead like those of the Hecatoncheires, throwing them aside or thrashing them like chaff in the wind. At one point a monstrous swarm of scarabs were sent her way, in an attempt to strip her down to the bones. Her amplified surge of negative emotions merged the shadow-hands into two large ones, which smashed the swarming cloud like a pesky fly. She then drained the vitality from the insects, causing them to clatter to the floor in a severely weakened state. 

Grief, anger, despair, fear, discontent, frustration–these swirled to create a volatile cocktail of a maelstrom that when lit by a single spark would send everything around her into pieces. Higher, just a little higher. Her eyes were wide beneath her cracked mask, staring as her senses were fully open to push her further. The pain was making her straddle the line between defiant determination and addled frenzy. Anything that got thrown in her way was run down, and soon she would be reaching the apex. And once she got there, she would crush that sorcerer under her heel and grind him into the dust of his precious crimson gem after she shattered it.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Sat Oct 7, 2017 10:40 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Yet that was exactly what I did: stopped at nothing. I thought, I could've sworn I was running alongside Shiloh after she declared war on Rudjek. In my head, that was what was happening; but when I noticed droplets hitting the sandstone beneath my feet I suddenly realized I was nowhere near the roguish woman. Rather than running forward, I had retreated all the way back to the entrance, and I hadn't been consciously aware of it until after I saw the statue of Sardon again. Those droplets? They were my tears.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, but it was the first time I felt so empty inside. I was crying, and yet I felt no happiness, no pain, nothing. I was running away again, but what was I running from? I didn't know.

I stood in that entrance for a time, trying to determine what had me so afraid. I tried to look toward Robin for guidance, but all my thoughts of her simply faded to black when I tried to recall. My memories had become encased in stone without my permission, and my attempts to reach them were no more effective than trying to use bare hands against a brick wall. Nothing worked, but, in the end, it was that hardened shield that allowed me to glimpse a sliver of the truth.

There had been other women before Robin, but, when the going got tough, I had either abandoned them or failed them. Most of their cases were failures; and also just puppy love. In truth, I had entertained crushes like them far more often in the past than I did now; but too many deaths and disappointments later had succeeded in spoiling my romanticism and optimism. The pain of loss became unbearable past a certain point, so I finally chose to model myself after a more emotionless counterpart: my mother.

Mother had long suffered from a condition that gradually stripped her of emotion even back then, or at least numbed her ability to feel. It turned her into a sociopathic workaholic, someone who dove themselves into theorems and technology all day rather than fraternizing. I thought that kind of attitude was what I needed when I was most vulnerable, what would save me from my misery; so I pursued it against my mother's behest. All that time, though, she warned me that she never truly lost her human emotion, and that her workaholic tendencies just drowned out her pain instead of absolving it. I never listened, sadly, not once; and it was only after I had what I desired that I realized how terrible a fate I had subjected myself to.

That was why I was running; because, for all my attempts to drown out my emotions, all I had succeeded in doing was painting a rosy tint over my reality. I wanted to run; to hide; to escape to a place where not even I could judge myself. Maybe then I could avoid responsibility and the possibility of failure. That's what my subconscious was telling my legs; yet, typically, I faltered, stopped in my tracks and wavering like a frightened child.

"Is this how you felt, Mother," I asked the wind while dithering in front of the flames again? I felt her in the back of my mind as soon as the words left my mouth: an entity that was always listening. Unlike the times I had talked to her before, though, she didn't impart any words of wisdom on this occasion. Instead, she guided my hands to summon something: a golden egg that I had long thought broken. The item was none other than one of the legendary Kichona Kiokus.

Since the day I had retrieved one of those crystalline eggs, I had seen nothing but static in its self-contained world. They were supposed to show a person their most treasured memory in the universe of Revaliir, but the sad truth was that I had none. My personal vision had always been nothing but a grainy film of nothingness: an empty void that would make even a hardened soldier shed tears. I didn't expect this to ever change, so I almost threw the egg away before opening it this most recent time.

SAI ended up stopping me, though. Before I could discard the golden egg, she controlled my arms and had me open it. There, under the dust of the forsaken tomb, my static was gone. In its place was the portrait of Robin's smile that I had painted when we first met. It was staring back at me with those closed eyes and its fragile expression of joy; almost like Robin herself was there cheering me on.

In that moment, when I started bawling loudly over the memory I had hidden from myself, I remembered what it was like to feel genuine love for another person. Robin's relationship with me was young compared to those of my past, and yet I already loved her enough for her to be part of my most precious memory on Revaliir. I had just been too afraid to admit to the truth; and, as a result, had almost abandoned her rather than try and risk failing to help her. Rudjek had taken advantage of that, something that became obvious when he taunted me again during my outflow of suppressed emotion.

"So that's what she looks like," he remarked from the temple walls again. "You've been good little helper, fox." This time, though, I displayed no outward anger. Instead, I slowly and quietly closed my memory and then stood up to head back into the catacombs.

"Thanks for toying with me," I said while sending the Kichona Kioku away. My choice of words in that moment seemed to confuse the high priest, so I ended getting a more genuine response this time.

"Thanks," he asked incredulously, to which I responded before breaking into a silent sprint back toward Mirannda's grave?

"Yes, thanks, because you gave me just enough time to cool off and realize what's important to me. I'm not a fox nor is my determining factor the color of my hair. I am a phantom in this world, a dream of the past, and a nameless one that hasn't wanted to live in the present for longer than you've been alive or dead. Now that I have a reason to change that, you want to take her away. I may fail to stop you in this, but I'm sure as hell going to make you bleed before I let you lay one finger on her. And if you don't have blood, then I will make you feel pain even if I have to resurrect you just to kill you again."

__________________

Meanwhile, back at Mirannda, the beetles from before had tried to surround her fallen body. They were preparing to feast, but, oddly enough, a large influx of their natural predators prevented that activity. Fire salamanders from the Sularian desert congregated around the fallen phoenix in mass, picking off scarabs before they could get close. They protected her from danger while also enjoying a meal of their own; almost as if they knew she would soon return.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Oct 5, 2017 9:52 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

The whole time they were walking, Shiloh's paraonia was growing with each passing moment. This was too good to be true. Why weren't there any traps? No spikes from the walls, no floors that gave way into barbed pits, no walls that grew closer before they crushed them flat, or the infamous quicksand trap. She didn't like this at all. If something seemed too good to be true, it likely was. It was only a matter of time before her anticipation was proved right. Turning off her aura sight had been a poor choice, but the worst part was somebody pushing her out of the way to take the fall. The tunnel collapsed on them, but most of the rubble was on Mirannda. Shiloh was still partially buried, and was in pain.

I knew it. I knew this would happen. One way or another it was going to end like this. This whole place is just a giant moving box of parts thanks to that dead mage. You shouldn't have taken any chances, but even then could you really hope to keep avoiding everything? He's pulling the strings. Even if you dodge one, he can just make more.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the reverberating voice of the one responsible for Aestas' grief. "How unfortunate. I can't raise a phoenix from the dead, and the rogue would have at least made a fitting servant to my lord. Ah well, another time." What did he just say? Who did this big-headed prick think he was? So he happened to be the high priest of a fallen god and a powerful necromancer. So what if he was? Shiloh's nihilism turned to anger and that smug attitude of his had her incensed. The fallen stones had created a sizable pool of shadows, and from beneath the rubble something began to twist and move. The shadows turned into ghastly arms that yanked the sandstone bricks off as a hand forced its way out from under. Pulling herself out, the battered figure of the rogue crawled out seething with fury. The mask had a fracture in it, but still held. From beneath, her eyes shone as she was absolutely livid.

"So that's how you're going to play, you filthy mage? As if I'd ever bend to a punk like you! I'm sending you to the Reaper in a hand basket! So it's all a game to you, huh? Well fine–now let's play 'fair and square'…" Boiling over with rage, a small innocuous amulet resting in her knapsack began to crack. Seeing red, the shadows went into a frenzy and she sent massing chunks of it flying behind them. Unintentionally uncovering more of Mirannda's fallen body, Shiloh pulled out her dragon-bone sword and her flaming blade in another. It didn't matter how strong this necromancer was–as soon as he was in her sights, she was going to tear him a new one–right between the eyes. She couldn't do anything about the redheaded woman now, but she told herself that she'd come back for her later, after she repaid the lich's favor for that little accident.

It didn't matter if she did die, she'd get back up and beat that conceited undead priest's corpse into the ground until he didn't have one. 

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Thu Oct 5, 2017 7:43 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Our party came to an agreement after the temple's energies reformed its prized sculpture, although not before a few more questions came my way. Shiloh – who had at last given her name – let her pessimism flood into the area around us. She remarked on our chances of our survival and how slim they were; and, while I could appreciate the realism, I still curbed it slightly with a spot of wisdom.

"That's pretty much the whole point of life, Shiloh: don't die. Astronomically few succeed in that goal, true, but we'll manage." Mirannda also made a comment in that time span, though hers was more on the optimist's side. She offered to help me without knowing my reasons for wishing the destruction of Rudjek's power: a rare gesture of kindness if I ever saw one. Being strangers to one another, however, made me leery of her aid, so I respectfully declined it with an unshifting expression. "I appreciate the thought, but you shouldn't make promises you can't be sure to keep."

Beyond that point, our trio reached an accord. We ventured forth through the sandstone tunnels, somehow experiencing a suspiciously high concentration of good luck. There were traps - that much I could tell - but something was disabling most of their number before they could activate. We also managed to avoid any and all dead ends no matter what direction we travelled, as if something beyond our perception was guiding us through the labyrinth. At first, I thought this was merely a sign of a begrudging welcome – an overall unsettling idea if true. After Mirannda was consumed by a trap I thought disabled, however, it became clear that the pyramid was just lulling us into complacency.

"How unfortunate." A ghostly wail echoed through the tunnel we were currently in immediately after those rocks collapsed it, sending a chill down my back. "I can't raise a phoenix from the dead, and the rogue would have at least made a fitting servant to my lord. Ah well, another time." I couldn't see what had happened to Shiloh just then, but I could definitely tell that Mirannda was dead even without the voice's proclamation. Likely, the speaker was Rudjek himself, now powerful enough to communicate with us through the walls, though there was no way to prove for certain.

Of course, if it was Rudjek, I thought at the time, why didn't he mention me? Admittedly I was curious about that missed detail; curious why I wasn't listed as part of his scheme yet. And, although I suspected he would lie in response to any question I asked on the matter, I still made the effort to point out the discrepancy.

"I suppose that means he doesn't much care what happens to me." But of course, Rudjek did care. His resultant chuckle in regard to my comment told me immediately that he was just playing with his food, even before he decided to make any follow-up statements.

"Oh, but I do, white one," he replied with some measure of smug cruelty. "I smell her on you: one of the few sacrifices not hidden away in that vexing camp. I know she's here in this desert, just waiting for Sardon's faithful to snatch her up. Because of her, you'll have the luxury of dying last. Consider it thanks for bringing a sacrifice to this desert so willingly; and without even being asked!"

The high priest's voice faded then, though not before he laughed at my consternation. Anger got the better of me in the immediate aftermath, causing me to crush a portion of the column I had used to stabilize myself during the cave in. My concern for Robin was now greater than ever, so much so that I didn't even bother to check on Shiloh or Mirannda anymore. Instead, I immediately summoned a spade to dig out the rubble blocking my path, all while holding a mental conversation with SAI.

'SAI, where are we,' I asked after breaking ground?
'About halfway to the top, by my calculations.'
'Good, because someone needs my boot up their ass.'
'Perhaps a shot from Toirneach would be more appropriate?'
'I like the way you think, but let's make it two shots.

It wasn't long after that final statement that I uncovered the smashed face of my former companion, but I just kept moving beyond her corpse without showing the slightest reaction. People died. That was reality; but, unlike what Mirannda had said before her demise, I didn't believe that any of the fatalities caused by Rudjek or his minions were on my hands. Mirannda's death was her own doing; and the only deaths that would ever be on my personal account were my own and my family's. For them, for Robin, I would stop at nothing to see safe: not even the sight of the many more corpses to come.

Author: Nix, Posted: Thu Oct 5, 2017 4:43 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Mirannda stood and brushed herself off. For the most part, she was fine, barely any scratch on her at all. Natsumi was giving another speech, yet it wasn't about gods, and easier to follow. She grinned at the woman. "Don't worry, dust it shall be." came a promise that Mirannda was unsure if she herself could follow up on. The smile faded as she watched the statue piece itself back together, the sight being quite disturbing like a swarm of rock beetles rushing to form a great piece of terrible art.

"Best not dally. The faster we can deal with this little problem, the less death we have on our hands." The phoenix turned, and more carefully this time, began to delve deeper into the pyramid. How many men and women would they bury, each one mutilated by leathery fingers and yellowed cotton. She had chosen to contemplate everything in silence, being quite careful as to where she was stepping. Mirannda wasn't keen on triggering another trap.

It was unknown how many were actually avoided, yet they had not triggered another one as far as she was aware. However, the deeper they went in, even with the spell put in place by Natsumi, the incessant whisperings of the beetles began to multiply as if the rumors of two people hearing and understanding them had stopped spreading. Constant buzzing from them was annoying, and beginning to grate on her nerves. People actually want this skill?

The phoenix paused for a minute, taking a swig of water from her canteen, trying to will her growing headache away. Magic was becoming more palpable, like a great pressure beginning to press down upon her firmly, her skin suddenly feeling a bit too small for her. A single voice turned into several until hundreds were begging for a particular trap to be tripped. Mirannda snapped her head up, ran as fast as she could, and tried to push Shiloh out of the way. Unfortunately, the trap was triggered regardless, causing an avalanche of rubble to fall. Not only was the way now blocked, but Mirannda was trapped under a nice layer of the heavy rocks, intense pain rushing through her brain before even her heart stopped working.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Oct 5, 2017 1:35 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

When she was given a recording several tiny voices, Shiloh stifled a laugh. It was a good thing she didn't understand them at the time, can you imagine the screams of bloody murder every time you reeled in a fish? The red haired woman referred to herself as Mirannda after recovering from that shock, which left  her the only one left not introduced. She was going to stop Mirannda from stumbling down the hall when her ears told her the redhead had triggered something as expected. "Oof! Please tell me that this is going to be the worst of these infernal booby traps!" Came her voice from further down. "No, it's not." Shiloh replied dryly. "If there's a chance of dodging it, then it's just a warning. Not enough overt murderous intent." Having survived a hanging, drowning, isolation in solitary confinement, a potential execution via beheading, being tied to burn at the stake, flogging, and a live burial–swinging weapons from the ceiling was just standard fare. It didn't make it any less awful however.

"…I'm Shiloh." She finally said, seeing they were waiting for her to introduce herself. Listening to Natsumi's analysis of the pyramid's structure, she grimaced beneath her mask. "Oh, wonderful. So the deeper we go the worse it becomes. They're really making it a gauntlet for anybody who wants this mess to end. If I had the choice, I'd be all for blasting a hole through to break whatever's powering the place." In response to Natsumi's sarcasm on crossing the flaming inferno outside, she gave a grunt of dissatisfaction. "All we have to do is make sure we don't die right? …Easier said then done." The pessimist in her knew not to get her hopes up too high. That was how you learned to appreciate the little things in life–like breathing.

Based on the newly given information, Shiloh came to a few conclusions. The first was that using her locus ability would give her a massive migraine thanks to the sheer amount of magic swimming around them. The next was that this mission was either all or nothing–take out the source or die trying, increasing the body count. And last but not least, no matter which choice they made it would be equally dangerous. And most importantly of all, trust nothing. The worst thing about magic was how versatile it could be used, which was going to be a real pain in the neck for them. "Well, let's get going. The longer we stay in here the sooner we'll run into a roadblock." Thanks to her paranoia, she had whatever she would need within an arm's distance.

Glancing behind to see if their wall of fire was still keeping ambushers out, she saw something moving in a very unsettling manner. Were those–stone fragments? No, those weren't just pieces of stone. It was when she saw an arm with legs coming out from the elbow that she recognized it was the statue that had tried to impale her earlier. Madness! This was madness! So basically nothing could be completely destroyed until they took out the sorcerer responsible? Gritting her teeth she clenched her hands in anger. This was completely unfair and that lit a fire in her, motivating her to send whoever made this deathly sandpit to the Circles. This was why she held an intense dislike towards mages; especially ones who used magic to twist things to their own advantage. Necromancer, sorcerer–same thing. 

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Thu Oct 5, 2017 12:34 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Events inside that sand-ridden tomb had a funny way of fluctuating between calm and chaos at a moment's notice during my initial visit to it. The fleeting silence brought about by the beetle retreat was one such example, for no sooner had Shiloh and I begun a conversation on that topic had yet another trap sprung further down the hall. This time, the target was Mirannda, whose careless footsteps nearly relieved her of her head. Almost completely in tune with what the rogue had surmised mere seconds before the trap's activation, the entire pyramid was proven to be a death trap; even if any sane mind could have guessed that from the living statue alone.

Regardless, and prior to the trap's activation, I had taken the time to have a little fun with the pessimist of the group. While Mirannda was recovering from her near mental breakdown, Shiloh had asked about the possibility of the scarabs returning. Rather than voice my opinion on the matter, I decided to have SAI playback my conversation with the beetles. This time, the words were translated into common so everyone could understand the story, though my party members might still have been confused by the fact that my clothes were "speaking" during the reenactment.

It was shortly after this skit that the hatchet finally came down; near perfectly synchronized with the masked scout's comment on worse things awaiting us.
   
"Perhaps that answers your questions, yet to be introduced scout," I remember asking her rhetorically after Mirannda snapped out of her dazed state. The next question for me to answer was related to my intentions in that place, and, while I took care not to reveal too much in case Rudjek was still listening, I did fill my two acquaintances in with enough information to make a decision. "Frankly," I began, "I have reason to reach the top of this place, so I will be going forward regardless of any traps along the way. I also have no doubt they will get worse." Touching my gloved hand to a nearby, glowing hieroglyphic, I continued. "I'm not sure you two are as attuned to magical energies as I am, but I can tell there's a vast network of power being channeled throughout this entire structure. The magic strengthens with altitude, so I'd wager that the source of the undead menace lies at the apex of this pyramid. If my guess is correct, damaging that source will also temporarily deactivate all undead in the immediate area. That would allow you two to egress, if you so pleased, even if we had to punch a hole through the pyramid's exterior to get you out faster. I, on the other hand, have a personal interest in seeing that this item shattered into dust, so I will not be leaving with you until my goal is assured." Finally turning back toward the entrance, I finished my statement to the four waiting ears. "Alternatively, you could try running through an oil fire and into the waiting arms of those mummies. I wouldn't recommend that option, though. Seems rather… unhealthy."

Unfortunately, I saw something I wished I hadn't following that remark. For one, the statue that I had so thoroughly shattered mere moments ago was slowly reforming on its pedestal. Each individual piece was growing legs like a scarab beetle, and using those newfound appendages to crawl back together. Meanwhile, the mummies from before were also leaving, as if they had found something more interesting out on the dunes. I feared they were either massing for another assault on Aestas or that they had found Robin. Either way, time was not on my side.

"Tch. Stubborn bastards just don't know when to quit."

Author: Nix, Posted: Thu Oct 5, 2017 11:21 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Natsumi lifted her hands to Mirannda's ears. A warm sensation overcame her, like a magic wrapping itself around her head. It was as if a piece of cotton was stuffed into her ears as the tiny voices became muted to a much more manageable experience. Instead of thousands of voices scurrying around in her mind, it was more like whispers, an annoying buzz on the edge of her hearing. An odd sense of relief and confusion was written all over her face.

Before coming to Revaliir, only one person had the audacity to use magic on her mind. That was a painful experience. She had been promised power if she was to do his bidding, yet the power came at a terrible price. In order to learn every spell, she inflicted pain to herself for hours as her consciousness became buried into a metaphysical world that he had ultimate control over. Every obstacle felt like it was lined with millions of thorns. Yet this was different, soothing. Mirannda understood the explanation, but was still trying to wrap her mind around the spell cast upon her.

Nearly stupefied, Mirannda absently took the offered chocolate and began to nibble at the end. Someone had touched her mind, hadn't tried to extract anything, force her to do something, or even stuff her into herself so that they may painfully teach her a new trick. "Thanks." Deep down, she knew she should shake off this timid, scared appearance, even if she was still rattled by her recent discovery. Trying her best, but still nibbling on her chocolate, Mirannda mumbled her name, "I'm Mirannda," as she turned to walk deeper into the pyramid, she wasn't quite paying attention to her footing.

Needless to say, buried under the sand is a pressure pad that was mostly hidden. She stepped on it and froze in place when she heard a clicking sound. Along the right wall, several stone paneling fell into the ground, and a giant axe swung out, nearly missing Mirannda as she dropped herself to the ground. "Oof! Please tell me that this is going to be the worst of these infernal booby traps!" Yup, she was thrown back into the proper state of mind with the near death experience.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Wed Oct 4, 2017 9:41 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

When the insects were gone, the red-haired woman started to freak out, acting like something was on or inside of her. Backing away to keep her distance, she had her mental questions answered by the other person in the group. Introducing herself as Natsumi, Shiloh merely shrugged at the woman's joking speech. Well, not like running around in a panic would do them any better. She then presented both of them with a bar of chocolate in apology for blowing out their ears. So that was where that blast had come from…

Taking the chocolate, Shiloh did what came natural for her. Peeling the wrapper partway open, she sniffed it. When she determined that there wasn't anything strange about the scent, she broke off a small corner and tilted up her mask. The piece disappeared into her mouth and she recovered her face. The rest was put away for later. Letting the piece melt on her tongue, she waited while testing for any signs of bitterness. Determining it wasn't poisoned, she swallowed. Sweets were a luxury for Shiloh, having spent most of her life getting by and saving for days ahead. Even after she had secured a stable influx of side jobs, she was frugal with her money. If things continued as they did, hopefully she'd have enough to start her own business and buy a place for herself.

Natsumi went over to the distressed redhead, and explained that she wasn't having a mental breakdown. Apparently she'd been unlucky in discovering the ability to hear the voices of the insects at one of the most inopportune of times. Shiloh made a face when Natsumi mentioned the insects' desire to eat them alive. Not that it was a surprise, but still unnerving. "Serves them right then. Did they really think they'd be getting an easy meal?" The noises then ceased, and it became too quiet. Shiloh's hearing wasn't to the degree that the red-haired woman had, but thousands of little legs stopping movement was noticeable. Natsumi then turned to look at the walls, like she could see where the beetles were hiding and addressed them. "I can see you through walls, you sorry sacks of protein." As if responding to her words, the scurrying resumed again.

"…So they'll be leaving us alone for a while I guess? Now if only the other vermin infesting this place could follow their example." She frowned looking at the waiting undead still at the pyramid's entrance. The pack started to thin out but she expected them to swarm back in once the flaming barrier died down. They were safe, for now. "Now what?" The couldn't back out, but should they go forward? "This whole place's a giant deathtrap, I doubt there are any 'safe' rooms. I bet there's worse things just waiting to greet us in there."

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Wed Oct 4, 2017 8:27 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Ultimately, the rogue with ill-fated luck was the one who eliminated that insect threat. I could see her from afar: wielding that phoenix blade of hers so effectively against the swarm. The beetles scattered in its wake, fleeing the light and flame until none were left in the open. Not all perished in the fire by the time I arrived, true, but their numbers had been reduced to cowering in the walls whilst the rest of us congregated.

Beyond that point, our surroundings seemed to calm considerably. The mummies behind us gave up trying to enter, instead choosing to loom beyond the flames like ever patient hunters. They'd pursue as soon as the grease fire died down, but not before.

'Smarter than they look,' I thought while looking back at them. My attention was swiftly grabbed back, though, just as soon as I heard Shiloh speak up.

"Indeed," I replied to her statement of fact; all before moving into my long overdue introduction. "Which means it might be best to know how to identify one another. You could call me Anne Marie, but it'd be factually inaccurate. Natsumi is far more appropriate." Yes, I still made a joke even after everything that had just happened to my company and me. Perhaps my companions would recognize this as nerves of steel or bravado, but it was honestly just my coping mechanism for wanting to be somewhere else: anywhere else. In fact, I proceeded to stay on that path of triviality, going so far as to offer chocolate to the two women in front of me even though we were still in the middle of a giant tomb. "And as an apology for the ears, here's some chocolate."

Sure enough, two bars of cacao butter sweetened with sugar appeared in my hands mere moments after that comment: one for each person other than myself. I handed them off to Shiloh and Miraanda without the slightest bit of hesitation, but then quickly noticed some strange behavior coming from the latter of those two. I thought perhaps she had been bitten by something – a poisonous scarab, for instance – but then she didn't display any outward signs of necrosis like I would expect from a poisonous insect bite.

In reality, what Miraanda was experiencing was just a sudden shift in her ability to hear. The incessant chattering of the scarabs around us was getting to her, but, quite predictably, she thought their tiny voices were just auditory hallucinations. I hadn't noticed that issue at first because I had subconsciously blocked out their chattering before I even entered the pyramid.  Years of experience since childhood made such actions second nature to me; but the same could not be said for someone just coming into their abilities like Miraanda was, especially around a nest as vast as Aysut. There were thousands of beetles in that place, and being unable to shut out their voices would be a hellacious experience for anyone, let alone your average mortal. Sadly, this possibility didn't occur to me until I heard the red-head screaming for the voices to stop, at which point I finally brought my hand gently toward her ear to help her before she ran away.

"Noisy buggers, aren't they," I asked while trying to stabilize the groundswell of magic around her head with a mind tower spell of my own? I looked at Shiloh following that question, and then promptly explained the most likely reason for our acquaintance's behavior. "I wouldn't worry about our friend here. It's very likely that she's just discovered an ability to communicate with insects so now she's hearing the scarabs and it's freaking her out. Half of them are running in terror from you; while the other half are talking about eating our innards. Either way, it'd definitely be unnerving for a first timer. I, myself, just blocked it out automatically upon entering the city, so I didn't notice at all."

The aforementioned insects must have been listening at that point, because I could suddenly hear a couple voices louder than the others during my explanation.

'Shit! She can hear us,' said one! While another followed up with, 'Everybody shut up! She'll think we went away!' Soon, the scurrying and chattering stopped. Every member of the swarm had seemingly gone into stealth mode at the drop of a hat. They thought this was their wisest course of action: to lay low until we least expected it. All they really did, however, was manage to incense me.

"I can see you through walls, you sorry sacks of protein," I said in response to their pathetic attempt at hiding, all while using my optics to spy on them in their tunnels. Almost in unison, their numbers sprang back to life once I said that, the second voice from before crying, 'Eek,'  before fleeing alongside his brethren! Those further down the tunnel still talked of eating and devouring, but they were much quieter once the others reached them. In fact, everything was much quieter in a few moments, finally leaving my trio in peace.

Author: Nix, Posted: Tue Oct 3, 2017 9:39 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

With her ears out of sorts, ringing in her own drums, Mirannda was quite surprised. Not only had the woman behind them effectively increased her idea by setting much of the entrance aflame, but the woman beside her had a flaming sword. The sword sang to her as it burned at the bugs that scurried about, bugs that she could easily see now. How their shells glowed brightly in the light, iridescent, it was almost entrancing.

Maybe it was because of the fact that she couldn't properly hear due to the attack from earlier, or because she was approaching a trance-like state while watching the beetles shine in the flames. It started out soft, almost inaudible, and began to crescendo. Tiny, shrill screams began to fill her head. Mirannda glanced around, thinking someone was in trouble. Just the three of them, though, and none of them were screaming, none of them sounded like tiny children. Soon, she had to cover her ears to try and drown out the sound, to little avail.

"Run away!" "The light! The Flame!" "It burns!" Mirannda spun around, highly confused. Who the hell was making all that ruckus!? A quick glance at the other two, and the phoenix knew they didn't hear it or let on that they could. "Escape to shadows!" There were thousands of voices, each one overlapping the next, each trying to get away from the flame, and screaming terrible deaths. Her eyes widened as she stared at the Phoenix Blade in Shiloh's hand. It couldn't be… No…

She had difficulties wrapping her head around the thought. Mirannda refused to believe that she can hear, let alone understand what a blasted beetle was saying. Yet deeper in, she could hear whispers of something wanting to bury itself in their flesh and eat their tender innards. The phoenix was not one to be afraid of much, yet this was too much. Haphazardly, she stumbled backward, and turned to try and run into the flames where the mummies burned. Let the flames try and scorch her! Even oblivion would be blessed relief from this torture of beetles talking to her. "Get them out!" She screamed, appearing quite delusional and paranoid.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Mon Oct 2, 2017 9:04 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

The pain was keeping her from working at peak performance so a swig from a healing potion helped take the sting off that sound-bomb. Then her senses cleared up a little and she felt an uncomfortable, nervous feeling as she heard skittering. She hated skittering. There was this other woman with claret red hair near her too, and more importantly there were bugs crawling everywhere. There was only one correct and efficient way to deal with this situation. Fire. Lots, and lots of fire. Normally she would be hissing beneath her breath muttering curses and complaints, but she had something that could remedy that nicely.

Yes she had a torch, but why settle for a puny flaming stick when you could have something that could cut and sear? Putting her dragon-bone blade away she summoned her second favorite sword into her hand–her phoenix blade. This had to be one of the best things since the discovery of fire and the wheel. Normally she wouldn't even deal with insects, but everything was out to kill you here in this place so it was justifiable. Swings from the sword set the scarabs alight, and they scampered around in a frenzy while they burnt to a crisp. "Bleeding insects…you're not getting anywhere near me. Burn like the little pests you are." Things had gone off on an awful start, and she wasn't letting anything get the jump on her this time. If she saw it, she would put it down immediately.

The life signatures in the area had decreased dramatically, not taking into account that the undead were not truly alive. Glancing behind she saw the only way out was also on fire. Wonderful. When the insects were thoroughly roasted, Shiloh picked one up and examined its burnt husk. She decided to pocket it, and bring it back to the scholars back at Aestas for study. She had never seen such beetles with shiny colored carapaces. Their sheen was reminiscent to cut emerald. With flaming sword in hand, she tapped her foot as she gave the place a once-over. It was then she finally noticed Natsumi, but not in the same way as before. She didn't even realize it was the person who kindly gave her a means to silence that bloody metal bird which was just a stinking replica–but for a moment she had a feeling of deja vu.  

Thinking she was still disoriented from having her eardrums blown out, she brushed it off. "…Well it looks like it's just the three of us." Raising her foot she stomped down crushing a dead scarab with a satisfying crunch.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Mon Oct 2, 2017 7:50 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

If you were to ask me whether I was sorry for using a less than ideal attack to take out Rudjek's statue, my automatic answer would have been no. Yes, I had acted hastily, but were the immediate results of my actions something to regret? Hardly. The mummies came barreling in, true, but I'd take an army of undead over a rampaging colossus any day; especially since said colossus had been far faster and in possession of exponentially more power than its alternative. The danger may not have abated completely because of my decision to use Toirneach, but it was at least reduced to something that could be outrun.

I was not unsympathetic to the plight of my companions, however. My lack of warning to them prior to the attack had left them woefully unprepared for it, and, as such, they were injured from the auditory feedback.  Toirneach's roar was deafening in the best of cases; and could cause permanent hearing loss even in the average human when activated at maximum volume. I had to specially make enchanted beeswax earplugs just to deal with the drawbacks from using such a weapon, and neither Shiloh nor Miraanda had access to that during their time in Aysut. So while I was left perfectly fine after the detonation, they were sent fleeing with tinnitus; pain; and, likely, hearing loss.

Yet, as one might imagine, I couldn't do much for them in the current circumstance other than send minor healing spells their way. We were surrounded by swarms of enemies on both sides: scarabs within and mummies without. In order to get anywhere, we were going to need to drive them off - at least temporarily - so I decided to lag behind Miraanda and Shiloh in order to think on possible ways of doing that. My healing spells were sent out to them just as I started to examine my options; but it was only after I saw Miraanda's fire attack that I got an idea: a truly devious and awful idea.

Toirneach was still red hot from its previous detonation, and now one of the mummies was on fire. That solitary flame wouldn't do much on its own against a horde, but the inner arsonist in me knew this only meant we had to make it bigger.

"Hold this for me," I said to the mummies as it occurred to me what to do. In an instant, three projectiles of bog slime magically formed in my hands before being launched at the horde itself. They didn't hold together all that well, falling apart in midair before impact. However, they did spread and splash about as intended, covering the entire pyramid entrance and most of the mummies in caustic ooze. The liquid spread so rapidly and far reaching that it even led a trail back to me several meters away from where I had been aiming.

I stood in front of that now slime-filled entrance for a short while longer, giving an innocent smile to the mummies before touching Toirneach's tip to the slick."Oh right," I proclaimed at that moment! "Bog slime is highly flammable…" Without even the slightest hint of warning, the goo from my earlier attack ignited from the heat of my weapon, turning the entry way into a greasy inferno. Mummies slipped and burned to immobility just from standing inside its area of effect, and, because I had used natural elements to create the chain reaction that bound them, I didn't have to maintain it. Instead, I easily left to rejoin the other two women in my party.

Meanwhile, said companions were dealing with the other menace. The bright light of the flames at the entrance had illuminated most of the scarabs surrounding the two, but, sadly, I was not in a position to assist them in their sorely needed extermination role. Thankfully, it was easy enough to tell that these bugs really didn't like illumination, judging from their attempts to stay in the ever-dwindling shadows. Perhaps that would be enough for Miraanda and Shiloh to deal with them before I had to.

Author: Nix, Posted: Mon Oct 2, 2017 12:41 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Sand kicked up, and Mirannda threw her arms up to protect her eyes at the very least. The irritating small grains were everywhere else, so it didn't matter if another layer thrust itself upon her. However, she froze at the sound of something similar to avalanche, stone grinding against stone instead of it falling and banging on itself. When the phoenix turned to look, her stomach plummeted. How in the world was she supposed to fight a living statue?!?

Stuffing her insecurities about the situation into a deep, dark hole within herself, Mirannda went to rush forward regardless. Before she could even get close enough to anything, a sound so loud and unexpected seem to explode around them, bouncing off the walls and echoed back upon all sound receptors. Mirannda's scream was lost in the cacophony, as if thousands of thunderclaps went off simultaneously in a tiny area. She succumbed to the assault on her ears by falling onto her knees, hands pressed over her ears as her sword was discarded.

This wouldn't do! They were vulnerable, not to mention now their presence was announced with spectacular volume. The phoenix tried to ignore the ringing in her ears as she grasped for her sword's hilt, pushing herself up off the ground with a grunt. Undead were pouring into through the entrance, cutting off their primary exit from this accursed place. She summoned a fireball and threw it into the face of a leading mummy, catching its wrappings aflame. Closing the distance between her and Shiloh, Mirannda placed her hand under an elbow and pointed further in. "That isn't going to distract them long." It was an attempt to get them away from a pressing matter to regroup from a blow to their eardrums.

As the trio delved deeper into the pyramid, there were scurrying sounds beyond the obvious shuffling and moaning of the creatures behind them. The experience was unsettling, giving her an odd sensation that things were crawling against her skin. "Why do I get the feeling we're not alone aside from our friends behind us?"

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sun Oct 1, 2017 11:44 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

While she was considering whether or not to enter, her ears picked up the sound of stone grinding against stone. Thank heavens she had excellent instincts, honed by years of barely surviving near-death experiences. To her absolute horror, the statue wielding the weapon began to move and thrust its weapon into the ground with pure killing intent. Naturally she was already out of its way by the time it hit, but this didn't take off the edge of seeing a stone spear leave gaping cracks in the ground. Her scream lodged itself into the top of her throat, escaping as a near noiseless gasp of terror as she began running from a statue that wanted to kill her for no reason. This happened every time. For some unholy reason, she had an uncanny ability to get into the worst situation possible. And like always, by the skin of her teeth she'd barely squeak by to live another day. Some might grow complacent and overconfident with their luck in such a case, but Shiloh cursed it vehemently.

"WHY ME?!! WHAT DID I DO?!" She hollered, directing a rhetorical question to the statue–and fate itself. "GO AWAY!! NOBODY LIKES YOU!!!" In a combination of outrage, fear, and confusion, she shouted angrily at it. Then it felt like her ears exploded, and she dropped to the floor with her hands over them, reeling from the sound. Good lord–that sound! For your average, run-of-the-mill human being it would just cause an unpleasant ringing in the ears and potentially temporary hearing loss, but for her it was like setting off a bomb inside her ear canals. Everything was spinning; existence was pain. She had to shut off all of her sensations from the outside world just to soothe her agitated nerves. Again her danger sense told her to get up and stop hurting, or else she wouldn't be able to feel pain anymore. Sure enough, as she forced herself to her feet she saw undead crawling in like ants discovering a piece of a fallen sweet roll. 

Not this again! Now the only way was to go deeper into the temple–the exact opposite of escaping. If she had any doubts on whether or not to go in, she was being thrust into it now. Throwing a despairing look at the source of that deafening noise, Shiloh grabbed her sword and bolted. Why oh why did that person ever think using a weapon with the sound of a thousand cannons was a good idea? Hastily summoning Silgun's Eye into her free hand, she held it over the right eye-hole of her mask to see if there were any traps lying in wait for fresh blood. Thankfully there weren't…yet, so she tried to find a place to hide. The rooms–cursed as they were–provided nothing. Nothing to serve as cover for even a small child. She began to hate this place already, and she was sure it reciprocated that sentiment.

"All I wanted was to map the layout of these ruins, see if there were any stragglers, and go home. But I guess somebody isn't going to let me." She fumed, nervously looking around with her sword in hand. If the walls started coming to life, she was done. Forget the mob of walking corpses outside, she wasn't putting up with that. There was not enough patience in the world for her to be dealing with this nonsense.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Sun Oct 1, 2017 10:40 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

In the end, my compatriot had little tolerance for long-winded speeches. I could tell from the lack of detail in her response that she probably only got half of what I was saying at best, but then the information I provided was hardly crucial to her objective in that graveyard of a city. History lessons aside, the only other thing that really mattered to anyone in Aysut that night was the complete and utter destruction of the ghost riders' commander – or, more precisely, the source from which he drew his power. Miraanda was a member of this latter group, according to her own words, so I was not at all surprised when she decided to go on without me after I nodded to her assumption.

Something that did surprise me, however, was the appearance of a certain thief's scent before the phoenix's departure. I smelled Shiloh on the wind long before she wound up near the depiction of Xunatar's slaying, but her identity had escaped me until I saw her scuffling about on the far side of the statue. She was keeping her distance, as was typical for a rogue of her stature; but I could still hear her when she self-narrated her short monologue. Ironically, we were both sharing similar thoughts about the statue in front of us, and that was a coincidence that brought a smile to my face in the otherwise dreary place.

Now, at this point, my group of three would probably have parted ways. We had similar goals, true, but all of us were loners. We didn't really like working with others unless required to – or at least that was my experience. However, the next words out of my mouth left us with little other choice than to cooperate with one another, even if that hadn't been my intention at all.

"Honestly," I had said once Shiloh appeared, "It never ceases to amaze me how much deities have in common with the mortals they despise. Sardon, like a village fool, pissed in his own well to say he owned it; and, just like that fool, he's been labeled inconsequential; condemned to obscurity where he belongs. Xunatar is more a threat than him now, and his flunkeys can't face that reality. That's why they create these tasteless statues."

Unfortunately for me and my biting tongue, Rudjek was listening at that moment. His anger became palpable in the air of the antechamber almost instantaneously, followed by the appearance of a sandstorm inside the room. The grains from said storm flowed viciously into the joints of the statue I had just criticized, bringing its sandstone likeness to life just as the winds died down.

"Apparently Mr. Tall Dark and Mummified heard me," I proclaimed as I saw the formerly inanimate Sardon now springing to life! I was prepared to confront him, to take responsibility for my own misstep; but something odd happened following his resurrection which prevented me from doing so. For some reason unknown to me, the statue turned away after his rebirth. He had been summoned to fight me, the one who had insulted his likeness, but, instead, he went after Shiloh. The colossus took his glaive and stabbed it in the rogue's general direction with enough force to crack the floor of the pyramid itself. He didn't stop with that, either, continuing to march in her general direction with no sign of abating violence.

Under normal circumstances, I would have tried to distract that stony behemoth away from the woman, especially since she had played no role in his awakening; but, frankly, that night had me more trigger happy than usual - a lot more. The statue had gotten his first and only attack in before I could counter, and, after that, he only lived for less than two seconds. A thunderous roar louder than even the most raucous of airship cannons filled the entire antechamber shortly thereafter, turning the living golem's hips into a pile of rubble and ash in a flash of light. For the first time in years, Toirneach had rang out, defeating Rudjek's minion in a single blow before sending it toppling to the ground.

This act of mine potentially saved Shiloh's life, but it also trapped our entire party inside the pyramid. I was wearing beeswax in my ears to protect them from the weapon's feedback at the time, so I didn't notice at first. After I removed the plugs, though, I heard the sound of every nearby mummy as they began congregating around the temple. They knew intruders had breached their perimeter now, and they were surrounding the pyramid to trap us inside. I didn't even need to inform the others in that room of this development, because the sight was plain to see. Undead streamed in through the main entrance like mosquitoes unto a fair maiden.

Author: Nix, Posted: Sun Oct 1, 2017 7:30 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Mirannda made an honest effort to keep up with the long explanation to a half-heartedly asked question. Sardon was greedy, failed and cursed the land, that part was easy. His minions… the mummies?… created a statue of Sardon exacting revenge on Xunatar, whom Mirannda could only assume was the current deity of chaos. At the end of it, she felt a bit dizzy.

She felt like she needed a nice bath in some hot springs, right about now. Maybe after this whole mummy business was over, she would do just that. Forget about the magic and her efforts to regain it, Mirannda would just sit there and soak in the warmth, relaxing in meditation. Has she even stopped to do that since she's been here? While her mind sidetracked, Mirannda nodded in ascent.

"One could say I'm the living opposite of these wrapped shufflers. As we are both assuming things, let me voice my thoughts on the key to this operation is hidden somewhere in that pyramid? T'would be my guess anyway. Probably hidden by some maze and a myriad of other traps." Without asking if she would be joined by the seemingly unprepared woman, Mirannda marched passed her confidently and headed down the pathway. Surely it wouldn't take them long to get to the pyramid from here, would it?

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sun Oct 1, 2017 7:51 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

She was one of the first to respond to the emergence of a lost city which time had forgotten. Coming along with a group of people, Shiloh helped build the base camp that was called Aestas. Most of what she did involved moving cargo and bringing supplies to the right places, but someone had to do the heavy lifting. There wasn't much else she could do. Soon enough more people were flooding in, some seeking treasure and some seeking other things. But venturing into uncharted territory meant casualties, and that was something the people at the outpost wanted to avoid. Knowing the terrain was half the battle, so when they needed volunteers to map out the acropolis she was one of them. Though in hindsight, she probably should have asked for a mount. This would've made getting there much easier.

"This place is way too big for my liking. There's not a lot of hiding places either, but at least the pathways are straightforward enough." Open spaces without much cover made evading the walking dead a little more difficult, and she didn't want to know what would happen if an entire swarm of them caught wind of her presence. After making a roundabout trip skirting the outer walls, she saw an opening to make way to the pyramid. Why did it have to be undead? Why couldn't it be something simpler, like rabid animals or defense systems?

Making it to the entrance, she hid herself by a pair of large statues until she determined the footsteps weren't belonging to the dearly departed. Leaving her hiding place, she looked upward and saw a depiction of someone stabbing somebody else. "…Just great. As if this place wasn't a literal death trap in itself. Not like we needed an ever-present reminder of our mortality." And whoever made this statue must be rather narcissistic too, seeing how usually people just made statues of themselves in a neutral pose than a posture of dominance. As long as said statues didn't come to life and try stabbing her, she could care less about the subject. Unbeknownst to her, she would cross paths with someone familiar but likely not remembered. Which was understandable, as Shiloh had sworn to bury the memory of a certain nearly-botched heist that made her stick with lower-risk jobs ever since.

Now a new decision was presented before her: to venture inward, or to continue mapping the outskirts? Both options would help her efforts in the long run, but one had more uncertainty in the mix. And uncertainty almost always meant risk. Outfitted in all her protective gear, her face was covered by a full-face mask to keep the sand out and her hands free. Pulling out an enchanted scroll she recorded her current progress in determining Aysut's layout, and tucked it away once she was finished. With her dragon-bone blade in hand she was doing her best to not draw the mummies' attention.

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Sun Oct 1, 2017 12:57 AM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

In hindsight, I will admit I appeared to be an oddity on that battlefield. Other explorers showed up with armor of some sort, anything to keep the undead riders at bay. I, on the other hand, was dressed only in simple clothing. I even had the audacity to don a dark overcoat in the middle of the desert, making myself seem to be more of a daft civilian than a hardened warrior. The only items that proved otherwise were my quivers, the Endapano Longbow on my back, and Toirneach in my hands, but any warrior familiar with normal archers would still have called me foolish for thinking these weapons would be effective countermeasures to the undead horde.

Even so, I never did get any comments about my lacking wardrobe during my initial interactions with the warriors invading Aysut. They either gave me a wide berth or were too concerned with their own wellbeing to care about a lone civilian stupid enough to wander into enemy territory without proper equipment. The phoenix in human form that approached me from behind at the pyramid's entrance was the first exception to that rule, although her first question was more of an information probe directed at current events rather than personal details about myself. She asked if her guess on the cause of the curse was correct, to which I responded with typically indifferent explanation.

"The opposite, really," I said while adjusting the red scarf around my neck to guard against the foul winds. "Sardon cursed this land for failing to appease his greed one year, and now his minions have risen from the dead to continue invoking his displeasure long after his disappearance and presumed death. This display in front of us is a recent creation by those minions: something meant as a mockery of the current deity of chaos. It depicts Sardon stabbing Xunatar, and the scratches on Xunatar's face are a result of the sculptor's rage rather than the piece's age." Only at this moment did I finally turn to face my companion of circumstance, letting Toirneach rest in my arms whilst continuing to speak. "But that's enough rhyme from me. As far as I'm concerned, Rudjek interrupted a very nice bath in the highland, hot spring resort I was visiting, and he's preventing me from going back to enjoy the luxury. Therefore, it's high time I smashed his crystal: a goal I'm assuming you share since you seem very much alive compared to the other humanoids in this city."

I hadn't thought to introduce myself to Mirannda back then, because my rule of thumb about war was always thus: most people I met would likely not survive to see me again. I didn't know the phoenix's strength, nor could I gauge her fate. For all I knew at the time of our initial interaction, she was just an expendable. Only time would prove me wrong.

Author: Nix, Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:56 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Another land, plagued by yet another war, started once again by a deity. How many did this make for Mirannda now? Yet, she was done picking sides. He wasn't here that she had found, and neither was Tobias. No one commanded her through her dreams, and yet here she was. At first, the phoenix was merely curious as to the commotion out in the desert. People had given her rumors, some feared the rise and Awakening of something ancient. Maybe, just maybe, she could regain some of her lost control over her magic in this war.If this was to be her new home, Mirannda decided she needed to do something to preserve it. Having an army of mummies shambling around did not seem safe in any sane thought. Avoiding them was easy enough, as Mirannda slunk through the shadows wherever she could. When it was impossible, she made no effort to even silence her movement. Apple red hair was pulled back into a tight pony-tail high upon her head, dark leather armor hid the vital parts of her body, and a sharp sword gripped ready in her hand. She was dressed for war.Mirannda headed deep into the city, hoping to find some way to end the source of the infestation of undead. After what seemed like an hour of wandering, Mirannda happened upon a fox-like woman, as pretty as starlight on a night of a full moon. She was observing a statue of some being, most likely a deity, doing some dastardly dead. With a smirk, as it was her way of hiding her uncertainty of herself, Mirannda spoke nonchalantly behind the woman. "So let me guess, some god slayed a bunch of people long ago, and now whoever was wronged now seeks vengeance against the world. Does that sum it up?"

Author: CodeNat, Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 8:41 PM, Post Subject: A Bribed Fox[R][Event][L:3]

Aysut's revival was certainly a moment of déjà vu when it occurred, though not because of some past memory of mine from the time of Sardon. Rather, the sudden appearance of a necropolis filled to the brim with undying enemies bore a remarkable resemblance to the time of madness that had afflicted Karith many years prior. There was, of course, a difference this time in that the invading army did not hail from a dual reality trying to invade this one. No, this enemy was a remnant of chaos, an ancient relic trying to claw its way back to relevancy.

In the past, I would have left well enough alone for that type of situation; allowed others to put an end to Sardon's legacy in my stead. Yet, like most things in my life since Robin came into the picture, my attitude had been encouraged to change. I found myself dragged out onto the battlefield not one day later than news reached us in the highlands, and was encouraged – well, bribed – to help defeat the menace.

Robin herself tagged along for this journey, though the two of us separated near the city itself. She stuck to the outskirts, trying to head off the mummies from attacking wounded adventurers making tactical retreats. Meanwhile, I headed deep into the city, arriving at the pyramid's entrance without so much as a scratch or trailing minion to bar my path. There, I came upon a sight that decreased my enthusiasm for the entire venture even more than it already had been: down into the depths of negative integers.

"Great," I said sarcastically while standing in front of the statue depicting Xunatar's slaying, "That's not just asking for this place to become a slaughterhouse. As if I needed a reason to be more uncomfortable." The mummies had yet to notice me by this point, but I could already hear others inside the city getting their attention. The sounds of skirmish filled the night sky like the squeals of pigs to the slaughter. It was enough to make me drink from my canteen filled with apple cider to try and dull my instincts. "The things I do for you, Robin."

Only a fool would stay in that place like I was, but then love-struck fools still qualified.