[Moderated Quest - Prologue] An Ill Omen

Out of Character:

Closed to those that signed up. Only 4 are active at a time. Post limit is 72 hours. Failure to post within deadline forfeits involvement and permits a reserve to take your place.

Arriving as they so opted, the scene stretched before them. The main road through the northern forest opens to a stretch of plains along the mountain ridge's base. Tilled soil and ruined crops stretch out for miles. Buildings fashioned from stone, mortar, and thatch mark the heart of three villages, but life no longer beats in the barren dirt roads. Most buildings still stand untouched with open doors. Others hiss and crackle from the fires which razed them. The stone walls of few bear the marks of brute force used to topple them and many are peppered with the remnant effects of elemental magicks.

Though no bodies or remains can be seen, puddles and smears of blood mix with the mud or decorate the occasional crate, barrel, wagon, or home. With a wandering eye, a sword, bow, or pitchfork lay cold and neglected on the ground or rooted firmly in the earth. Silence breathes on the wind where even the birds nor livestock dare make their presence known. With threatening clouds overhead and the sharp breeze from the Mountains of Dawn, dread seeps its way into the minds of those who witness it.

A story midst the carnage begs to be told. A mystery of who, what, and why lingers. Were there survivors? Where are the bodies? Why would someone or something do this?

The only movement is that of the flora and debris in the wind. And, of course, the presence of those who arrive.

Out of Character:

The scene is set. Make your introductions. No additional data is given at this time, but don't let that stop you from investigating. I will play out more information and action as the thread progresses. Ask questions or collaborate in the recruitment thread.

Though Devyn generally wasn’t the type to jump at official jobs, this one was different. For one, the reward was enough to sustain her and her odd habits for a long time, leaving plenty of room for things like experimenting. It would allow her to buy the supplies she couldn’t, help pay the bill, and ensure that she wouldn’t be forced to beg some money from her father. That would be just degrading. The reward would be very fine indeed. It just happened to be the only reason she could think of as well. Still, she probably wouldn’t be alone in that aspect, and so there really was nothing wrong with wanting some extra money. As long as she got the job done, was there really any reason to question her motivations?

However, her motivation was quickly shifting as she stood to the side of the main road, staring out at the scene in front of her.

It was midday, and so the sun was high in the grey sky, mostly obscured by the gathering clouds, hurrying across the dull silver expanse like soldiers marching to war. The brisk breeze pierced each layer of her clothing and seemed to blow right through her, chilling the woman’s insides with each forceful gust. It stirred her hair, causing the stray tendrils to easily slip out from her dark brown bun and flit across her face. She ignored them, button nose twitching slightly as one teased the edge of her cheek.

From the front, Vyn most likely would have seemed lost in thought, her green eyes unfocused, as if she wasn’t looking at anything, despite the intensity of her gaze. From the back, any viewer with basic skills of observation would have known what she was looking at.

Rising from the ground was the mountain. It was a mountain, like every other, and so for the time being, Vyn paid it no mind. The plains stretched out from the road she was standing on, and it was its contents that she was most interested in. The farmlands were trashed, but her eyes moved past them too, to rest upon the three villages that stood in plain sight. Constructed out of the standard material, the extraordinary condition of the buildings had more to do with the fact that some were burnt to the ground, while others still beared marks of opponents past. The dirt roads were completely abandoned, not a lick of life to be seen traversing their rough paths.

Though from her current position, Vyn couldn’t see much, she could see discarded weapons, smell the metallic tang of blood, and note the lack of life. All seemed to be still, and she was certain that the only person here at the moment was her. For once, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. One thing that was certain, was that it all seemed way more unnatural than your average demolition of whole townships. While blood soaked the ground crimson, there was no obvious sign of where the blood had come from. When looking at the aftermath of a battle or any kind of destruction, there normally was at least one corpse. Here, no deceased bodies littered the ground, as per the norm. There was no sign of any survivors either, or at least any survivors who had stayed. It was no wonder that the Aleran Guard had sent out those advertisements. This was just plain suspicious.

Vyn adjusted the strap of her belt and looked down to fish out the parchment from one of the many pockets. Several squadrons of the Queen's Guard have gone missing and scouts report no signs of remains. The bandits are to be considered highly dangerous and seem to utilize an unknown form of magic. Vyn frowned and folded it back up again, stuffing it back. That only served to enhance the aura of mystery and dread. This was curious, and Vyn, and dumb as it might have been, was determined to know more about it.

She surely wouldn’t be alone for long, though. After all, she’d seen many of the advertisements on the way here, and even before that. A reward, the promise of adventure and a mystery to solve would most likely draw attention, and so for a second or two, the inventor toyed with the idea of waiting for someone. After all, this was clearly marked as a danger zone, and going in alone probably wouldn’t be the safest course of action. Still, she’d been alone on the trek to the villages, and she had iron rods to hit people with. Vyn didn’t need help, and while it might have made the situation safer, was there really that big of a difference about to be made?

About to start forwards, she paused as the sound of an approaching someone hit her ears. And, the backup has arrived. Either, that or it’s someone less inclined to help me, and more inclined to murder me. They would be twice as far as they appeared, though, because of her enhanced hearing. I guess going in alone isn’t the best option anymore. Vyn sighed and turned to face the approaching newcomer, pale face blank but short body tensed. Her callused hands crept to the handle of her iron rods and slowly drew the right one out from her belt, leaving her left hand on top of the other one.

“Who’s there?”

(Short, give me more to go on next time around people)
Vincent Cain could smell the smoke long before the town had come into sight. He emerged from the shadows, his blade gripped tightly in hands. His sapphire eyes shot from the familiar woman to the destruction behind her.

“Another alarm?” he quipped raising an eyebrow.

Surely the joke was in bad taste, but in cases like this humor was the only thing to keep Vincent from losing his cool. He raised his free, gloved hand to his golden mane and smoother several out of line strands back into place. Gently chewing his lip he strode past the mechanic, his indigo robes billowing behind him. His eyes scanned the entire scene, looking for something, anything to indicate the nature of this attack. Instead he simply found nothing. The flames might be proof the attack was recent, the wet blood was also a sign of that as well. But depending on the weather, and how much fuel the fire had, it could have happened hours if not at least a day ago.

His mind raced along all of the possible conclusions at a blistering pace. The notice had claimed that this was the work of common banditry. ‘But common bandits don’t commit mass murder on this scale or this cleanly. Nor can they take out several regiments of the guard…’ he mused to himself. He glanced from blood puddle to blood puddle. ‘Gory, could be the work of walkers from the other side of the mountain…’ his eyes trailed along to the blast marks along the walls, eliciting a sigh of relief

‘I don’t know of any zombies that can cast spells…’ he thought to himself. That meant his issues in Raiaera hadn’t bled over the mountains just yet. The plague lands were contained, and thus less of a problem in the future. He continued to ignore his female companion for a moment longer as he glanced along the wreckage. “Welp…” he trailed off. “I’ve seen a lot of shit in my day, but this has me stumped…” he turned to companion and smiled, “Any ideas?”

Shifter closed his eyes in concentration. Smudging the black of the burnt ash between his thumb and index finger. He stood up right from his kneeling position and leant back against the smoke scarred stone wall. Even with all its current damage it was strong enough to remain standing and standing strong. Shifter tried to contemplate what this all meant, the destruction, the death and deception of everything around him. Had he truly believed this was just a war of common thugs and bandits he wouldn't be here, he'd be somewhere much more intriguing.

This tired and destroyed place was just another stain on the surface of Alerar's beauty. One that scarred enough for the residents to take notice, and that was a rare thing, something or someone that scared the untouchable authority of Alerar. Were they really scared? Or was it a ruse to fool the general public? Still, even with these thoughts that breezed over his mind. That's all they were, thoughts and conjectures that held no foundation. He didn't believe in the wax sealed paperwork that now resided in his back pocket. Yet, he understood that something of great wonderment was going on here and if he could solve it first, maybe he could benefit from it before anyone else.

He tilted his head to his right as the sound of footsteps and then light conversation breezed over his ears. A couple of would be detectives had wandered into the dilapidated town. Investigating the same blood, the same fires and destruction, the same mystery that now plagued this land.

He gripped his cautious hand on the hilt of this hook blade. Are they really just....others...Or is this a trap...

He remained close to the wall, as silent as a shadow and peered around the wall. There they stood, curious eyed and uncertain futures. A trap out here needn't be so well thought out, they would just be slaughtered if they really needed to. His nervous grip lessoned.

No...They aren't a trap. No one is looking for us. At least, not right now.

He didn't trust these letters, he didn't trust this world and he wasn't going to just trust these new people, but as long as he remained the one in hiding behind this wall, they weren't going to trust him either. He was the only one being secretive right now, but maybe, it was time to investigate who they were. He couldn't stay hidden forever.

He stepped out from behind the half collapsed building, naturally so silent, so he kicked some lose stones to announce his presence. His dark leather attire now removed from the dim shade of the structures shadow. It was far from a sunny day, but it was more than just the natural cloud line that shadowed this dead town. It was this type of thing that scared away the many, but Shifter was one of the few, and while he was no fool, he was never afraid of anything.

Cain was in strange territory, that was for sure. He was nowhere near the sea, could no longer hear its waves or smell the salty air. He had taken an on shore job because frankly, the money was too good to pass up. He was dressed in hessian boots, sail cloth slops, a shirt and waistcoat, his blue sea going coat absent any decoration, and his tricorn hat.

The first thing he had noticed was the smell, charred wood mixed with blood. He gave his mule a gig and guided it towards the smell. As he drew closer, his eyes focused on the traces of smoke and finally the village came into his full view. He could see two other people already, with possible a a third moving to join them. They didn't seem hostile, cautious yes, rugged absolutely, but not hostile at-least not to one another and he was not one to immediately consider someone his enemy untill they showed their colors.

As he approached he spoke in a voice loud enough to be heard over the roar of a full broadside. "A'hoy there" he hailed the group as he closed in. Cain was typically a jolly sort even in the gravest circumstances. Even in savage combat he felt a touch jovial. But at the next moment he remembered those that had died near by and he gave the area something of a more respectable air. He quietly guided his mule over to the rest of the group and stepped off.

While he was respectful he still had a partial smile on his face and his green eyes seemed to shine like emeralds. "Good day, I am Captain Cain Jodin." he introduced himself touching his knuckle to his hat "How may I best be of service?" He asked in earnest, he really didn't know how he could help on land but he was an amiable fellow at any rate.

Out of Character:

We are switching to a 72 hour limit starting from the time of this post. To make it fair, I am removing post order. If you would like to maintain post order, talk it out via the recruitment thread or other means. All four players have 72 hours to post from the time of this post.

Now, four bodies stirred among the silence, out of place. The howling wind swept through the skeletal remains of the village as a deep bellow of thunder roared in the distance. In one of the nearby homes still intact, a clatter sounded. Metal and wood against stone. Nothing left the home, but the question begged, was something still inside?

Meanwhile, the scattered rays of sun which peaked through the dense clouds above caught light on something in the fields. Nested somewhere in the dried and dead crops, an object glistened. However, as the clouds crept along, the sun swept its natural spotlight further across the field and it glittered with not one, but many of these unknown shards. In fact, under the boot of Vincent Cain uncomfortably prodded one of these foreign objects. Clear, pointed on both sides, and cleanly cut facets along the length. Holding it, however, would feel unusual, as if heavier than it should be or a light wave of fatigue.

Another building, still smoldering, finally gave way under the force of the wind. Stone walls crumbled and collapsed, sending a plume of ash and smoke into the air.

[Meanwhile, much further away in a location unknown...]

?????: "Sir, the glyphs picked up four more targets in the AO."

?????: "Bandits again?"

?????: "Doesn't seem like it. Three males and a female. Armed."

?????: "Have they noticed anything yet?"

?????: "Just one another, but they don't seem to be actively investigating."

?????: "Perhaps just stranded adventurers? Nomads? Send the nearest decoy. See how they respond."

?????: "Yes sir, activating decoy 029. Time to AO, 5 minutes."

Out of Character:

I encourage taking a look around. Examining the scene for anything odd. Magical score marks, blood, dried crops, building interiors, discarded weapons, glimmering shards, etc. If you'd like more information about an area you're exploring, PM me. I'll give you whatever relevant details of the scene I have that won't reveal too much, but allow you to portray more to the group.

"Right. Haha, very funny," Vyn crossed her arms and glared at the man standing in front of her. It was one time! And really, not that big of a deal. One alarm exploded! She turned to glance behind her at the scene of destruction once more, face stuck in the scowl. She doubted any alarm, no matter how powerful could deal this kind of destruction, plus the rest of the mysterious damage. What could deal it, she had no idea, though. Vyn hadn't really ever been out of Ettermire much, and since being transported to Beinost, she hadn't seen much either. Normal sights were all she'd seen, or at least normal for her. No extraordinary sights were to be found, and so this was even more of a shock to her.

While she had been pondering the nature of the damage, Vincent had walked past her and seemed to be muttering to himself as well, hovering over the same question as she. What had caused this damage?

When her companion turned back to her and addressed her once more, Vyn frowned and turned to face him, green eyes reaching past his frame. The destruction was the same as it was the last time she'd looked, with no obvious clue as to what had caused this mass destruction.

"Well, standing here doing nothin doesn't seem very productive. Maybe check out the scene more closely?" Vyn shrugged and walked forward so that she was next to him, still looking out at the destruction. Why would anyone want to do this? What purpose does it serve? Though she stared out at the burnt world around them, he rethought were still floating behind her where she'd left them, buzzing with new theories, none of which matched up or even made sense. It really was a baffling scene, one which certainly had more to it than both she or Vincent could think of at the moment.

The clattering of stones sounded from a distance away, and Vyn's head immediately snapped to the source of the noise, the hand with the rod tightening almost imperceptibly. It was another man, one with light skin, but strange, darker patches dotting his skin as well. How peculiar... Black hair and black eyes were noted, along with his dark, leather clothing that enforced a mysterious look. The stones probably weren't a mistake. Vyn tilted her head and peered at him more closely, as if seeing the man from the side would change his appearance somehow.

"I don't s'pose you know anything bout this mess," she said casually, expression neutral. How long has he been there, just... watching? More importantly, though, did he mean any harm, and what brought him to this particular destination? Of course, he too had probably been drawn by the ads, but what was his purpose? Money? To investigate? Did he come out of the goodness of his heart? In fact, the appearance of Vincent had lowered her guard. Not once had she even questioned why he was there. Why is he here?

"Why are you tw-"

She was cut off by the appearance of yet another man, the likes of which seemed... different. For one, he was dressed differently. His hat was certainly unique.

"Hello to you too," she said instead, a tight smile on her face as she turned to address the newcomer. "I'm... Vyn," she said hesitantly, the smile sliding off. "If you're here to deal with the 'bandits' or whatever they are, then I s'pose that'd be a great place to start. Like, figuring out what happened," she said, glancing around critically.

As the clouds parted, and light poured forth from the gap like a pent up breath, Vyn froze, eyes glued to the now shimmering field, which sparkled with a newfound glow that she doubted had always been there.

Ignoring the others to step closer to the field, Vyn squinted at the sight and then turned back round to face them, scanning the ground for more of what had caught the light.

"What is that?"

Vince’s eyes darted from new arrival to arrival, ‘A…pirate, a mechanic, a really creepy dude, and a badass walk into a destroyed village…’ The jokes seemed to write themselves. The scholar listened to the words of the mechanic intently. His eyes shot from Pirate to…person, assessing their strengths. If they were going to be dealing with the perpetrators, he would need to know he could trust these people.

“What is that?”

The words pulled Vince from his thoughts and his eyes darted to the field where several objects glittered in the sunlight. The scholar took a single step forward, and stopped as he heard something go skittering behind him. His eyes darted down to a simple shard shining in the sunlight. Growling, the scholar kneeled down and picked it up. Something about the cut of the gem seemed…familiar. As he raised it up for further examination, it seemed to grow…heavier.

Interesting.

He turned the gem over in his hand, and watched as teal sparks seemingly jumped from his palm to the crystal. The scholar scowled and held it up for the others to see. “Anyone ever seen anything like this before?” His eyes shot from the gem to the scorch marks on the wall. Something seemed eerily familiar…

Too familiar.

Cain smiled at the young lady, took his hat off pressed it against his chest , bowed and said "Ma'am" placed his hat back on his head and began to look around. As the sun crossed in the sky he observed the shimmering of the land around him. ~Land didn't move right~ was his first thought as he contemplated things. "It looks similar to the sun reflecting off the water. But there aint any water." Cain shook his head a moment and picked up a crystal. It felt like he had been swing his saber at the near end of a particular demanding boarding action. "These gems don't signify to me." Cain said to the general population.

As two of the group began looking over the gems or crystals Cain began to look around the sound of clatter, clatter; clang, clang caught his ears. He passed one building and it got quieter. It might have been nothing his hearing wasn't what it should be being so close to cannon fire quite often but it might of been something and he turned the other direction and listened again for it to get louder. "Does any one else hear that clattering?!" Cain asked in his gun deck voice and he followed the sound checking doors and giving solid seaman like raps to the ones that didn't open easily or at all.

He was curious he had seen plenty of strange things as he traveled but land always seemed different. Then again he didn't go this far into the land. Stopping at another door "A'hoy there. Any one in there?" he rapped with a heavy thump thump thump.

Shifter so far avoided the pleasantries, greeting with his dark eyes as they glanced about the towns guests. Though, this was due mainly as he silently investigated who they were.


They could call out and shout as much as they pleased, they could dig in the earth and inspect objects and debris, but they were was little else to be found in this dead of a village. At least that was what he believed, but Shifter was far from an investigator of any sorts. His opinion built on arrogance and even laziness more than that of factual knowledge.


The bright rays of light almost didn’t fit with the gloomy shattered village, and as the crunching collapse of damaged stone wall finally echoed over the awkward silence it gave Shifter the feeling he must be right about this dead of a place. The glistening light of the sun sparkled off the ground unnaturally, like glass or fresh water it felt uneasy on the eyes as it flickered.


Shifter shadowed his eyes with his forearm and the group, regardless of the unknown between themselves, seemed to start searching the land more thoroughly. Whether they were a unanimous team of investigators or a private individual who happened to now be competing for the same goal, their goal seemed far beyond them– at least for now.


Why am I here? Everything about this place seems wrong.


Shifter just didn’t trust this village, nor did he trust the people who now resided within it. He looked around more cautiously, even if they were innocent or naive adventurers, Shifter would always be cautious. For now the others could look around for clues about this place, while he could ensure of their, or more importantly his own safety.


Empty hills and silent trees moved only by the breeze, untouched rock and torched stone lay marking nearly all of the tired grassy plain in its entirety. Was this really the remnants of a battle, or was it the fool’s gold for the greedy and foolish. Silently he already moved out of direct sight and found yet another sparkling gem of light. This wasn't the first he had seen since he arrived, but only as they paid it attention did he feel he should do the same.

A couple resided in his pocket but only as a potential to exchange for profit at a later date. Should he have seen this as a clue? He doubted it, there was far too much of it to have been something worthwhile, otherwise this village could have been a long time rich.

Maybe I should really be trying to understand what these are?

Cain Jodin found silence. Until, another clatter sounded from the interior of the hut. Scratch and skitter lead to another series of racket. No words nor whimpers replied to the pirate. An animal? A child in fear? The dark interior lead little detail from the outside.

The sound of hooves beating against the worn path made way through the opening at the forest's edge. From it, emerged horse and cloaked rider. Garbs of brown linen wrapped around his form as slack fluttered in his wake. Upon arriving at the village scene, his gloved hands pulled the reigns, forcing his steed to its hindquarters in protest. When his mount steadied, the rider dismounted, throwing back his hood.

"Afternoon," he bellowed in a hoarse, seasoned voice. Pale skin and sharp emerald eyes cut a path of observation to the four within sight. Messy curls of earthen brown framed his chiseled features, nearly devoid of visible defect or blemish. From the sides, two tipped ears barely broke the thicket of hair - an elf.

"Terrance Lor'enahr, with the Alerar Guard," he stated firmly, the beams of sunlight bringing notice to glimmer under his robes he quickly adjusted from view. "State your business. This land is off limits to strangers."

Meanwhile, as Vincent turned the gem over in his hand, a weight would increase almost exponentially. What once fell like a few ounces now felt as if several pounds. The heavier it became, the more it began to glow with Vincent's blue sparks. Until it finally leveled off and flashed bright. A crack formed in its pristine facets and the gem shook threateningly as if it were about to explode.

Shifter's weighted pockets, on the other hand, remained quiet. Yet, an uncomfortable sense of fatigue crept into notice. A connection to the effect of Vince's?

Terrance eyed Vince's predicament and an expression mixed of shock and confusion painted across his face.

"Quick!," he shouted with a step back. "Throw it!" The albino Alerian turned away, shielding his face with an arm.

Hopefully the scholar would heed his warning. Time was limited.

---

[Meanwhile, elsewhere.]

"Scout 029 has arrived, but... there's something you might want to see."

"What is it?"

Footsteps echoed, followed by brief silence.

"You see that?"

"Is it--? No... It's exceeding capacity? Perhaps a mage?"

"Uncertain, no incantation was done or similar magical trigger. Latent energy?"

"Hmm..."

"Sir?"

"Activate and ready the first wave. We might have some real test subjects to try out. Finally, something better than bandits."

"Yessir. First wave is ready. Waiting for your mark."

Cain was just about to open the door to the skittering shifting thing what ever it was when his ears picked up the rumble of hooves. Quite different from the livery rented mutinous sod of a mule that he had rode, these were pure blood beautiful, hard rode horses of good stock. What was most catching was when Cain let his eyes focus on the lead rider was pale. From the look of the cloths, the horses and the way the lead rider held him self Cain figured that he was of some import or at-least thought himself as of some import.

Cain marked the door with the skittering rattling thing in his mind and by a mark with his saber and sheathing his blade approached the incoming riders. In reply to the riders "Ahoy, good after noon" said in a voice that could carry over two hundred yards of ocean. Followed by a more subdued "Our business is with the Guard Captain of Ettermire and the Aleran Guard. Here are our papers sir." With that Cain reached into a coat pocket and produced the wax sealed letter showing the request for bold adventurers and the map showing the location where soldiers and villagers had disappeared.

"I am Cain Join, Captain of the Peregrine." He introduced himself the removal of his hat. The Other members the group he didn't know well enough to introduce so he refrained from doing so. He could have mentioned that the Peregrine was a letter of marque for the Corone Republic but it wouldn't have signified in this nation so he left it alone. Cain finished and replaced his tricorn hat upon his head. He than stepped back and let the others introduce them selves with the clattering sound in the back of his mind.

Vyn watched in silence as the others poked around a bit, eyes narrowed. Something was most certainly off about the whole scenario, and os for the moment, the inventor was perfectly happy to sit back and let other people explore. After all, if they ran into trouble, the first casualty certainly wouldn't be her, and so she would have more time to prepare for any dangers that might come their way. Instead, she stared at the mysterious looking one as he traveled out of her direct course of view, and then switched to the other man (Captain Cain Jodin?) as he went to investigate a strange clattering noise. What is that?

"I can hear it," she stated plainly, taking a few steps in his direction before pausing to cock her head to the side. Are those hooves?

Another new arrival came into view, with pointed ears and, pale skin and green eyes. Elf. What are they doing here? As the man called out a greeting and then demanded to know their business, Vyn sighed and shifted her weight. What was with all these people and wanting to know other's business? Did it look like they were a bunch of bandits waiting to attack some unfortunate victims? Why the fuck did he think they were there? The captain seemed not to see it that way, and acquiesced easily, pulling out his papers. Eh. Well, I guess it doesn't really hurt...

"Same for me," she muttered, digging around in her belt a bit before pulling out the crumpled advertisements. However, she gave the elf no name and immediately stuffed the paper back into her belt, eye straying to take in the village more.

Along with the village, Vyn caught sight of the sparks flying from Vincent's hands, and started, turning to face it with eyes wide. What was happening? All of this mystery shit was seriously confusing and seemed to be getting weirder and weirder by the minute. A crack spread through the gem as it shook and bright flashes of light emanated from it, causing the woman to squint and continue to stare at the stone in bewilderment. Should he really be holding that? This is why you always let other people touch the mysterious objects first...

The elf was getting to be quite panicked by now, which only made her squint harder. Does he know what's going on? If he does,why doesn't everyone else know about it? What makes him so special?

"Yes, Vincent. Do drop the weird rock spittin' blue sparks," she said quickly, backing away. It looked like both the situation and rock were out of hand at the moment, and she didn't fancy getting caught up in whatever it was. Plus, if the man was about to get his hand blown off or something, it probably wouldn't be for the best.

Vince didn’t need to be told thrice, with a flick of the wrist he sent the shard flying into the distance. Just in time it seemed, the moment the shard was a safe distance away it exploded into a spark of teal. The scholar’s eyes furrowed upon this discovery and suddenly the gears clicked.

Magicicyte.

The Empress of the Tarot Hierarchy used several weapons fueled by this mysterious mineral, and it appeared Vincent had just stumbled upon a very low grade product. However, Vincent was an Emperor, not a fool. The fact that the man knew what he was holding was probably a sign that he knew something about who had done this. Feigning ignorance the scholar reached into his robe and pulled out a similar parchment.

“Names Vinnie, thanks for saving my skin there sir.” The scholar then bowed and flashed a toothy grin. “Any idea what that gem was sir? It was awfully…explosive.” The scholar held out his hand to shake the man’s. Whilst doing so he reached out mentally to one Alyssa Snow with the help of a fancy device she had loaned him.

‘Alyssa can you hear me? I need a lowdown on you guns ASAP. I think I’m about to get shot at by a bunch of shitty knockoffs.’

[Meanwhile, elsewhere...]

"They got the message."

"Perfect. Deploy the first wave. This time, we'll get some real field data."

---

The crystal flew from Vincent's hand and ruptured like a firework. Streams of light trailed behind shards, skipping and clattering against the world terrain. A few motes harmlessly bounced off Terrance's arm, sparing his eyes from misfortune. As the light faded and ringing from the percussion dwindled, Terrance faced the group yet again. Much to his confusion, four became three. The stranger furthest from him had vanished and Shifter was no where to be seen. Terrance lowered his brow in suspicion.

"Captain Jodin," he began, assuming this man held highest rank of the three. "I appreciate your willingness to assist. As you can see, there are forces at work here beyond our knowledge."

He moved his sharp gaze to Vincent, paying no mind to the teenage girl.

"I'm afraid I'm as dumbfounded as you and frankly, it's the first time I've seen them do that." The albino's voice held pause and his tone strangely wavered. As he spoke, his expression remained flat and stern. Almost too calm for the scene around them and the oddity saturated in every charred stone and burning building.

It was that very moment, Terrance winced as if pained with a sudden migraine. His hand lifted to clutch his head, opening the flaps of his cloak wide enough to expose the source of the glimmer upon his arrival. A contraption, unseen to the likes of any Althanian hung from a strap across his chest. Its precision machined lines, polished metallic surface, and oddly shaped handle resembled closest to the stock of a heavy crossbow yet lacked the limbs for propelling bolts.

Terrance's steed snorted with a shake of its mane and an uneasy stomp of its hooves. Then, as if startled, it loosed a harrowing neigh and reared to its hindquarters. The Alerian's grip fell from the reigns and no sooner did it feel the slack of freedom did the mustang slam itself to the ground and kick into a full sprint.

"You have to run," Terrance groaned, his arms shaking as if resisting an unseen shackle. "Find. Cover. Now."

The brewing storm overhead flashed and rumbled its own threat. In the wake of the thunder, two small marks hissed on the wall near Cain's head. Not there moments ago, the stone seemed scorched by fire and the familiar red glow of heat dissipated from the center of the black crater. Similarly, a new hole hissed in his valued tricorn.

From the mountain ridges, silhouettes emerged from the rocky craigs. Patches of earth and stacks of scorched hay stirred. From the land of silence, two dozen men of varied appearance crawled, each holding an object of similar form to Terrance.

"Run!" Terrance roared as he armed himself with the strange weapon. He raised it toward the three and put his finger on the trigger. Seemingly, the glimmer of life dulled from the Alerian's eyes and his face fell slack. Cold, menacing eyes stared down the length of the weapon, framing Devyn past its tip.

"Fire." The single word echoed from source unknown.

Terrance squeezed the trigger and a haze of frost spat from the weapon's mouth as three pointed bolts of ice sped toward the inventor. From behind, a volley of golf ball sized fireballs, crackling arcs of lightning, and unseen jets of concussive air loosed toward them. Each newcomer at the source of one attack or another.

Across the plains, the familiar hiss of rain began and the moist scent of wet earth washed away the stench of smoke and ash.

---

[Elsewhere...]

"The first wave has engaged, but we have a problem with 029."

"I noticed. Shame. He had the most intact personality and appearance of the first batch... Minus the pigmentation."

"What should we do?"

"Same as the others. Have him self terminate."

*Sounds of hissing, tapping, and strange feedback.*

"No good. 029 isn't accepting the command. He's becoming self-aware."

"Have the first wave eliminate him. Make it a priority! If he leaks anything, they'll have us executed!"

"Roger."

*More strange feedback.*

---

"Vince?" the feminine voice echoed into his mind through unexpected static. "Is that you? I'm having a hard time hearing you..."

Then, the connection severed, leaving the scholar with a headache as though punched directly in the back of the head.

Out of Character:

Shifter's Shadow is disqualified for failing to meet the 72 hour deadline. SirArtemis will be joining you this round. Ask questions in the recruitment thread or via PM about anything you didn't understand or want more information on.

Artemis had been watching from the mountain ridge, eyes darting around the landscape and zooming in and out to absorb as many details as he could. Silence and stillness not more than half an hour prior now erupted with activity. Clearly those below had no desire to be tactful or patient in their investigation, choosing instead to blindly waltz into the fray and hope for the best. Not the route Artemis would have taken, clearly.

Yet despite how much he had wanted to stay clear of the group and perhaps trail them, maybe even avoid them and search for these supposed bandits on his own, he now felt compelled to intervene. When two dozen men and women had erupted from the mountain he stood upon, though at a lower altitude than he, the choice to stay out of it was ripped from his grasp.

Seeing the rain come in as well as the elemental power of the attackers, he quickly donned the head and glove attachments of his gade undersuit and hopped out onto the edge of a large crag that jutted out of the mountainside. He lifted his arm up and willed his sentient weapon, Judicis, back into its natural form: a bow. Pulling back where a string should have been, black energy conjured quickly where the arrow too should have been. As Artemis let fly at one of the men storming out of the mountainside, the projectile struck true and knocked the attacker unconscious.

’At least they aren’t immune to magic,’ he thought gratefully. He quickly notched another magical projectile and let fly, picking off targets almost as quickly as they rushed out of the side. He started from the back, hoping to minimize the chance of being spotted. After all, Artemis was a man of stealth and not being noticed when he didn’t want to be proved natural to the vagabond.

Atop the mountain he knew he would look like a humanoid covered head to toe in all black cloth and leather, raining down arrows of black energy as well – such an absurd notion. Still, he had no choice. Something sinister lingered in this place and he would certainly find out more once he had the chance.

“Initus Daros,” he mumbled through his mask, activating the magic of his obsidian earring.

“Artemis?” a voice responded seconds later.

“Who else would it be, Daros? Do you have a lot of friends who use this kind of magic?” Artemis growled in frustration.

“Thought I’d ask. What’s going on? You sound . . . occupied.”

“I’m sending you visual. I hope you’re ready.” Without warning Artemis activated the second layer of magic, sending a constant stream of visual to his magical ally who remained safely in his home in Knife’s Edge.

“Oh boy,” Daros added. “You’re lucky I was lounging about. I wasn’t ready! But boy it looks like you’re having fun!”

“Daros, what are they using. Those weapons - they look like magical guns of some kind.”

“Hmm, hard to say. You’ll have to get closer. Can you take one from them?” The question caused a grumble from Artemis, frustration clear on the man’s face.

“Damn it Daros, fine. I’ll contact you soon if I can get one in my hand. Don’t go anywhere! Terminus.” And as quickly as it had begun, the link was broken. Artemis continued to let arrows fly as though they were just droplets of water raining from above, joining the downpour as subtly as Artemis had joined the fray.

He had struck down plenty of the attackers, unsure as to how many would remain down, and returned his bow to the form of a black bracer upon his left wrist. Using his enhanced boots and natural agility, he began to scale the mountainside quickly, moving toward the remaining attackers who had left his range with remarkable speed.

Whether he had wanted to or not, soon he would be joining those down below. Yet again he found himself in a fight that he could have avoided.

Everything up to this point had been rather disorienting. However, as the events took an unexpected turn, Vyn could only begin to imagine what might happen next. As the elf revealed the strange contraption of some sort strapped to his chest, her eyes widened, taking in the unexpected object. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, and judging by the point, it probably wasn't something made for healing purposes. What? It's so... But now was not the time to admire whatever new creation was before them, for it seemed that Terrence had other plans.

The man uttered his warning, which only served to befuddle the woman even more, who had not moved a muscle since his words. The sky rumbled overhead, and while she paid it no mind for the moment, she was only too aware of it. It sounded different than any storm she'd ever heard before, almost as if it were its own entity, ready to devour the innocent bystanders below. A hissing noise soon followed, and her eyes darted over to the stone wall, where two rather nasty looking scorch marks resided. Vyn's gaze travelled to the captain nearby, and noted the hole in his hat as well, throat beginning to dry. I'm pretty sure that wasn't there before.

Even more movement was upon the landscape, and she twisted to watch that as well, almost forgetting about the strange elf in the process. By the end of the day, if she was still alive, her neck would be very sore. The ominous silhouettes with very similar contraptions to Terrence were visible, and seeing them caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. Knowing her hair, it was more likely all of it had risen, though. He has the same sort of weapons as these mysterious strangers marching towards us. This is not good.

The call for them to run once more caught her attention. What really caught her attention, though, was the contraption on Terrence's chest, the one that happened to be pointed directly at her. It was most definitely not for healing. It was most definitely not for beneficial purposes either. The elf was being very bipolar. What type of person calls for people to run, and then points some pointy thingy at them the next second?! Scrambling backwards as much as she could, Vyn gulped when her back hit the wall of the building behind, belt jabbing into her waist.

"Hey, now, is that really neces-" Devyn quickly stopped talking and dropped to the ground, rolling forwards as she did so in an attempt to avoid the three bolts of ice. Let's not die today. All I wanted was some easy money! Too much to ask for?

Cain had just given his papers to the pale elf and thus was close enough to take action. He grabbed what ever projectile weapon the pale elf was firing and forced it up as best he could. At the same time he grabbed the projectile weapon Cain drove his knee into the pale elf stomach. Cain was by no means any sort of martial artist but he knew that a good swift kick to the stomach can knock the wind out of even a healthy orc; and his kick was a touch faster than normal.

There was other concerns of course the other combatants popping up and firing from the hills and the like but his main concern was a live prisoner. All the while he was struggling with the pale elf Cain lamented "Why is it always magic?! Every time there is some major problem any where there is magic involved! Belay your firearm elf!" He gave another swift kick into the elfs stomach.

It's not that Cain hated magic it was more that he didn't really have an answer for it. He was a fair tactician at sea, he could fight as any good adventure and he was quick but he had no answer for magic. He didn't know any of its properties he only knew that a lot of the end results ended in situations like he was currently in.

Vincent dropped to the ground with practiced ease. In his line of work ducking from surprise fire was quickly learned, or else. The Emperor’s eyes shot from Devyn, to the pirate with a now significantly cooler looking hat, and then to the man who seemed to disappear. Several more shots rained down, but Vince hardly had time to notice. Terrence was having a murderous episode himself it seemed, and he had given away what Vince assumed they were being shot at with.

“They’ve got fucking guns…” the scholar hissed to himself as he scanned the surrounding area for cover. A crumbled stone wall that once partitioned a garden from the road stood just high enough for the scholar to seek shelter from the assailants he knew of. Without a second thought he dove for the mechanic on the ground, scooping her into his arms and diving behind the cover. The pirate had opted for some close quarters combat, and it appeared another man had joined the fray in the distance.

Instinctively the scholar snapped his fingers and summoned a glowing Tarot card, shimmering in teal sparks. He took a moment to take aim at the foes in the distance and flung it with terrifying precision. After flinging several cards the scholar turned back to watch the sailor in his fight. Several ice shards flew towards the grappling pirate looking to aim true.

The scholar grimaced and projectiles, focusing in on them. “Cease.” He growled, willing his entire mind on the shots. The shards froze midair, losing all momentum. He held his focus for a moment and then dropped the shards on the ground, his head throbbing. Something was wrong, why had he been cut off from Alyssa?


"We need to get out of this fucking town!" Vincent growled. "We're in a slaughter zone..."

Heated bolts of fire laced across the damp stone and mud with violent hissing. Shards of ice screamed past the four with mere inches of error and shattered against battered walls. The arcs of lightning, however, danced across the falling rain like webs of light.

Terrance loosed another volley of lethal shots into the air as he struggled with Cain. The ablino grunted as he tried to wrest control from the pirate. Shock flashed across his face as the first knee embedded into the elf's stomach. The air from his lungs pushed out from the blow, eyes wide and mouth open. Yet, his grip remained firm. Terrance clenched his teeth and readied to slam the butt of the rifle into Cain's head, but a second knee checked his attempt. The albino wheezed an exhale he didn't think capable. His knees shook, eyes glazed over, and grip fell slack from the rifle. As his body fell to the muddy puddles at their feet, the leather strap pulled taught to the rifle, taking it with him to the ground - pirate in tow if struggle persisted.

Terrance was out.

A shot of lightning flashed across the sky with deep, percussive thunder in tow. Two weaponized versions of nature's fury lashed across the damp ground, sending crackling light surging through Terrance's body and energizing the water at Cain's feet. Electricity snapped and popped, aiming to electrocute the pirate through his boots and spread out toward Vincent and Devyn.

The soldiers on the mountain side continued their reign of fire, removing mysterious boxes from the underbelly of their limbless magic crossbows and replacing them with new ones. A source of munition? As each new bolt of fire, ice, wind, or lightning roared from the muzzle, a small crystalline shard spat from the side of each weapon. One of these soldiers lined up a shot with the little girl in his sights. He put tension on the trigger until an arrow of darkness slammed into his mid back and sundered the consciousness from his body.

"Sniper!" shouted the splotched skinned half-orc beside him before he too was knocked unconscious by a magical volley.

Half of the remaining muzzles turned toward the mountainside, firing blindly as the elemental projectiles peppered the landscape.

"There!" a red and blonde teen shouted, pointing out the fast moving figure of their attacker.

Like trained military, their fire converged on the source of moment, blasting stones beside Artemis with their magical payload. Three balls of fire and two concussive voids of wind sped his way, all seeming to lead his movement with calculated accuracy. Meanwhile, an unnatural force invaded his mind, and severed his link to the obsidian artifact on his ear. Similarly, the unspoken bond between warrior and weapon fractured. Though still present in its most basic form, Judicis now felt distant, as if something has abruptly placed itself between them. As a result, an aching headache manifested in the back of Artemis's mind.

Those not focused on the new attacker took aim on the three still exposed in the village streets. Ice bolts fired toward Vincent only to cease and drop in place mid-air. The soldiers to the left and right were launched several feet backwards as magical cards slammed into them and erupted with sparks of blue. Two dozen became halved in the blink of an eye, but elemental ballistics still rained down upon them.

All the while, the storm whipped up its fierce winds, billowing down the mountain side. Another arc of lighting stretched from the skies above and slammed into the nearby fields. Mud, dirt, and water sprayed form the impact with crystals and fragments in tow. As these unknown facets flew through the air, they lit up with light similar to before and exploded just as the one Vince held. Not only had the enemy fire put them in peril, but now nature's wrath threatened to turn the stretch of land into a mine field. One bolt of lightning became a MIRV of exploding crystal shards.

Out of Character:

TL|DR - Artemis took out a few soldiers, but managed to get some attention he could have done without. His link to the outside world is severed as is his similar mental connection to his weapon. The reason of which has yet to be identified by the players and attempts to utilize mental contact create an increased headache. Five rounds (three fire, two wind) are on course to connect. Vincent similarly took out a few soldiers and spared Cain a free session of acupuncture. However, the lightning rounds from the attackers are providing trouble for anyone standing in water. He too is cut off from the outside world and is affected by a dull, throbbing headache with any attempt. Cain has successfully disarmed Terrance, but has yet to wrest the weapon from his body thanks to the leather strap around the torso. Lightning rounds from the attacker have electrocuted Terrance and their effect is unknown (lethal or incapacitating). The rounds have energized the puddles of rain and are attempting to do the same to Cain as they did to Terrance. Devyn is largely unaffected in this post. She is at an angle where rounds have limited chance to affect her, but the electricity in the water may prove troublesome to her. All of them have noticed that when the lightning strikes nearby, it not only throws up dirt, rock, and mud where it impacts, but tosses around the mysterious crystals littered everywhere. These crystals are energized by the lightning and explode in flight, raining shards and shrapnel. Cover is highly advised. The attackers are affected by magic similarly to anyone else. Communications via mental or magical means within and outside of the area are suspiciously cut off. Each projectile spell is not lethal in its own right, but packs quite the wallop. Fire projectiles are infinitely less lethal, but the electrical ones are more potent with less range thanks to the rain. Ice shards and wind blasts are not affected by the weather. Attackers are of varying skin color, eye color, and hair color. Their garbs are standard civilian with no identifying markers. Each one has an unusual trait that is nearly unheard of like a red and white eye. Skin splotched with darker or lighter patches. Horns on some and tails on others without similar demonic identifiers. All of them are seemingly a mashup of world races (orc, elf, dwarf, human, draconian, fey, etc). I am free for questions.

Despite his efforts, Artemis still drew the attention of more than a few pairs of eyes. However unfortunate, he knew he’d be able to handle it on his own and giving a distraction to his likely allies seemed a worthwhile chance to take. Strangely, a sudden onset of a headache filtered into his senses, seeming both out of place and certainly unwelcome.

He’d have to worry about that later. A trio of fireballs and a pair of gusty rushes of air raced toward Artemis, threatening his pathway. Realizing the danger, he took stock of his opponents down below and found a trio clustered together.

’That’s my mark.’ His body vanished, jumping almost fifty feet away just behind the trio. His blades erupted from their sheathes with a speed that seemed unnatural as their black metal ripped their lives away. His weapons, enchanted to slice through organic material like butter, did just that – he pierced vital organs with the precision of a surgeon, dropping the three while the fireballs and wind gusts struck hard where he should have been. The confusion granted Artemis precious seconds as the troops were unable to tell if they had gotten their mark.

While the rest looked around for where the black figure had gone Artemis continued his hunt. His movements remained quick and silent as he pushed off the rocky surface of the mountain toward another duo whose weapons were still pointed up at the mountain and scouring for signs of their enemy.

His blades rode the wind, slicing horizontally in a spinning dance of darkness – one, two – and their voices were silenced forever. Turning once more, he noted those that remained standing, pressing off the stones and rushing toward them. He knew he would be noticed by these ones, but with his speed, perhaps they would be caught unprepared and flat footed.

After all, an avatar of death was wiping Althanas clean of their stain. They would need a miracle to stop this dark figure from punctuating the end of each of their stories. Their narrative had reached its climax.

Devyn stumbled out of Vincents arms, hands patting down her sides as she made sure that everything was still on her. She didn't seem to have lost anything vital, and so she sighed thankfully and turned to Vincent, uttering a hastened "thank you" before drawing her dagger. She certainly hadn't been very useful so far, but with her close range weapons, she hadn't been exactly sure what to do. Now wasn't the time to hesitate, however, and so she drew back her arm and flung the dagger at a nearby attacker, watching with satisfaction as the man with the strange contraption went down. She could always retrieve it later, and Vyn knew she wasn't yet completely defenseless. After all, she had her iron rods and a number of sharp bits of metal hanging from her waist.

A sizzling drew her attention, and glancing to the source of the noise, Vyn yelped, backpedaling from the advancing patch of water, which seemed to be crackling with electricity.

"Vincent! Oi, electricity!" she yelled at the man, head swinging round to search for any better places of cover. This was getting increasingly dangerous, with various bolts of... elements flying all over the place, as well as the mysterious stones which exploded near electricity. Yes, she'd definitely have to look out for those as well. The shards of rock were flying too, and she tried her best to keep them all in sight. Being hit by one of those probably wouldn't turn out very well for her or anyone else in the small group of unfortunate civilians. There seemed to be a mysterious sniper somewhere in the trees, but seeing as their opponents had begun to shoot at him, she doubted that he was hostile towards them, something that she was very thankful for.

Yes, we need to get out of here now. Either that or find cover so that we can regroup. A flash of movement dragged her attention as she stood braced against the wall. It was a newcomer, who probably was the sniper originally from the trees. All this was madness, and so she slowly started to slide along the wall towards the house that Cain had started to investigate before being interrupted by the now defeated Terrance. They had never found out what had made the noise, but she figured that opening the door wouldn't hurt. If it truly was empty of people, there might be things that they could use in there, like extra weapons, since flinging her iron rods would surely be a mistake.

Stopping at the door with a sabre mark through it, Vyn swiftly pushed it open and peeked inside, hand on a rod, ears straining for any sign that trouble was coming from behind. Noise decimated the entire village, the sound of shouting, shots being fired and running feet. It was risky to turn her back but also risky to go in with no usable weapon. Hopefully, whatever had made that noise, if there had been a noise wasn't dangerous, there at all, or in the best case scenario, could help them.

Cain couldn't help but to appreciate the effects of rapid and accurate gun practice.He couldn't help but smile "Very fine practice" he commented as the fire erupted from the hill and it looked as if it were slowing thanks to the mysterious stranger. Shots passed unto the pale elfs body ~So much for a live prisoner~ was the thought that passed through his head as the electrical shots ran through the elf's body.

The question was did he have time to do what flashed through his head? His thinking was that if he could get the elemental firearm from his unconscious assailant he could return fire and maybe coordinate a counter offensive. A fast person could get away from the fire and Cain was faster than most. Cain let the pale elf drop his hand still loosely holding on the barrel of the weapon letting it slide. As soon as the pale elf hit the ground Cain tugged on the weapon until the leather straps were taut. Drawing his cutlass he cut the leather straps, he then pivoted on his foot and made a beeline for the door that he had marked before every thing went all a hoo.

Cain upon making it to the buildings he flattened himself against a wall. He had to run things though his mind he had seen crossbows fired, he had fired his own pistols, and he had seen this elemental firearm fired. From what he could tell what ever it fired a little more than half of its rounds. He was not used to firing any thing like a rifle but the concept was the same. He ducked his head out to see the enemy position and back out of the firing lines. Aiming accurately at this distance would take too long, aim amidships was the plan. He once again stepped out aimed for the center of the enemy group and fired a trio of shots from his captured elemental firearm. The first shot was low and sent the stone erupting into fragments, the next pelted one of the enemy combatants along with the last shot.

Lightning was starting to cause the spent crystals to erupt just as if it had stuck a powder magazine. "Looks like she's coming on to a strong blow!" Cain shouted there was a touch of exhilaration in his voice as he kept under cover. He watched the pale elf's body from time to time ...was it breathing? He might have to investigate if he got the chance. Damn circumstances causing him to abandon his plans.

All around the scholar, shit was hitting the fan. He watched as the sniper went to town, slaying three men as if they were an inconvenience. He watched the pirate make a move for the gun, and he watched the mechanic dash off looking for cover that was slightly less thundery. The scholar listened to the mechanic’s very astute conversation and quickly changed venue with a dash and a roll to be crouching behind another garden wall. He silently thanked the villagers and their astute sense of walling in their various gardens and farms with good stone and mortar. Crouched in cover he hissed as Devyn left his sight, ducking into an abandoned building.

“OI I CAN’T KEEP YOUR ASS SAFE IF YOU KEEP WANDERING OFF!” he howled as he glanced over his cover at the remaining fire squad. Growling he glanced behind him looking for something to end this fight quickly. That’s when he saw the wagon. Well, more like the remains of a heavily charred wagon, but the massive center axle had been doused in the rain, and was still a formidably massive piece of wood. Ducked, the scholar hatched a scheme so harebrained it might just work…

He rolled forward and blinked once, twice, three times to close the gap between him and the massive would be projectile. Gripping it with both arms he hoisted it onto his shoulders with a grunt, groaning slightly with the sheer size of the massive club. Normally it would take two or three men to simply carry this thing with great difficulty, let alone to throw it.

But Vince was about seven men, give or take.

Roaring he spun once, twice, three times before sending the massive log careening through the air at the horde of gunmen. Without looking to see if it hit, the scholar quickly ducked into cover after the mechanic.

As Devyn entered the dark, muggy residence, faint light leaked in. A single room. At the back, a hearth with a cold iron pot dangling above the blackened remains of a fire with moldy stew congealed inside. The center of the room stood a table, it's surface stained unevenly by a dark, dry fluid. Knives of various size buried deep in the grains at the four corners. Chairs that once stood for the residents lay still on the floor, scattered about. The ripe scent of copper loomed in the air. From the table, similar dark splotches decorated the floor, one trail leading to the far wall where three beds stood evenly apart - two large, one small. The trail led under the smallest of the three where linen sheets had been drenched in dried maroon. At the foot of the bed, a doll of twine, buttons, and hay stared lifelessly at Devyn. The hand-print of a child marked its crudely fashioned body.

The shelves to the opposite side of the wall stirred and various decorations cascaded to the floor. Flashes of elemental energies illuminated a pair of yellow eyes upon the top shelf. A faint hiss came from them as the pirate hurriedly entered.

Outside, Terrance's body lay in a pool of muddy water. The heavy downpour pelted his damp clothes. A breath. Though softly, his chest raised, and fell. The signs of air stirred the puddle growing by his lips, bubbling slightly as the puddle grew to envelop his lips. Stray shots hissed, crackled, and skittered across the street beside him as the majority focused on the building where Devyn and Cain took refuge. Small fireballs pelted the thatch roofing, threatening to ignite it, but staved by the storm.

"Two targets, building to the right! Move up!" one combatant shouted. "Forty nine! Take point!"

Only the sound of rain, and spell fire replied.

"Forty nine!", the demi-human with several horns and a lack of hair called out. He turned, only to find the felled body of his comrade and the flash of steel in the night bite at his throat. The soldier opened his mouth to bark another command but only the thick gore of crimson bubbled forth. His final act of life clutched two hands at a split throat and collapsed to the rocky mountainside.

The clatter of rock shifted the attention of the forward party, their rifles downrange toward the crude residence. Seeing Artemis, mid-stride, they directed their weapons toward his airborne body. Fingers readied on the triggers, the range far too short to dodge.

Grunt! Crack! GYAAAAAH~!

The weight of a wood axle slammed into the men, splinters sundering the flesh of those in close proximity and knocking others to their back. Only a duo of the two dozen remained. One, a female elf with unusual, red markings on her skin, clambered for her rifle across the damp and rocky earth. The other, a duo toned, winged fey looking no older than twelve, lifted his rifle toward Artemis and managed to squeeze off the last two bolts of ice from his magazine.

The onslaught of fire had ceased. Only the howl of wind, the percussion of thunder, and the roar of rainfall remained. As Vince took refuge inside with the others, the hairs of his arm stood on end. Mere fractions of a second later a column of light erupted just beside the home. Dirt, rock, and explosive crystals shot out, aimed to test the structural integrity of the home. The crack of thunder roared so loudly, it shook the earth and rattled more objects from the shelves of the residence. Crystals exploded and blasted chunks of thatch free from the roof, rain pouring in from the openings. Stray shards scattered about the room, punturing holes in the bedding, breaking clay plates, and hitting anything that may or may not be in their way.

During the mayhem a large, blue crystal fell from the shelves. Bound to it, a piece of parchment. As the stone came to rest near Devyn's feet, a heavy crossbow and quiver of nearly twenty bolts shifted in the corner and toppled to its side. The feline upon the top shelf, skittered with a howl and lept onto Cain's head. It's sharp claws bit deep and knocked his tricorn free from his head as it bolted for the shelter of one of the larger beds.

---

"Sir, they've nearly eliminated all of the first wave..."

*A dry, amused laugh, dripping with venom*

"Excellent. Truly excellent!"

"Sir?"

"This data is phenomenal! What of 029?"

"He was disarmed and I cannot confirm his vitals. Look."

"Hmm... If he's not dead, the mud will surely suffocate him."

"What about the field subjects? What are your orders?"

"Prime the second wave. Have they finished repairs?"

"Yessir. And I had them primed moments ago. They are ready to deploy."

"Perfect. Activate them and send them out."

"Yessir!"

*More strange feedback*

"Sir?"

"What is it?"

"What if they escape?"

"They won't. The second wave has proven efficient. Even so, no one would believe their stories..."

*mumbled* "... I hope you're right..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Second wave activated. Time to AO, 5 minutes from the eastern village!"

Out of Character:

Plenty of data and opportunities here. Let me know if you have any questions or need more specific details of something. TL|DR: Artemis is successful in his attack, but has two projectiles squared for his back. Vincent successfully neutralized much of the remaining forces. Devyn & Cain have taken refuge in the home and the scene is painted out for them. There are two remaining troops and a breathing Terrance. A crystal in the room has fallen near Devyn and a piece of paper is tied to it with twine. The message reads below in the spoiler should you choose to read it. Spoiler: *Written in charcoal* This is my special rock. Mommy and Daddy said I can't keep it. They say the bad men will come. If I hide it really good, no one will know! If you find this, put it back, it's mine! It's really cool and if you keep it by the fire, it will glow! Be careful though, if you drop it when its glowing, fire will shoot out! - Elizabeth's Rock

Artemis heard a pair of shots screech and crackle as they fired behind him. Turning to the sound he saw two frosty projectiles aimed his way. He crossed his daggers in front of him as a makeshift shield, letting the bullets strike the dehlar coating of his weapons with a sharp crack each. They struck hard, exploding upon impact with a chilly energy that coated the weapons slightly and landed upon Artemis’ armor. Thankfully, his undersuit absorbed some of its energy; that and his weapons had all but neutralized the shots.

He saw horror splay across his foe’s young face. ’Too many kids fucking die in wars that aren’t theirs,’ he thought angrily. He lowered his daggers, sheathing them quickly before lifting his bracer and transforming the weapon once more before firing another pair of projectiles out – one for the boy and one for an elf scurrying upon the ground to retrieve her weapon. As they struck true, he saw the fae boy and the elven lass fall limp upon the ground, unconscious like many of their allies.

He reverted Judicis once again and raced over to the sleeping fae, pressing his bracer against the boy’s exposed skin. He then stood and raced over to the elf, doing the same, followed quickly by the others he had knocked out but not killed. Judicis would absorb their memories and sort through it, perhaps shedding some insight on the happenings of the area as clearly this wasn’t a case of simple bandits.

’Judicis,’ Artemis thought, reaching out to the sentient voice. Strangely, he heard no reply and his headache came back to the forefront of his thoughts. “Damn it,” he mumbled softly through his mask. “Bandits my ass. What group of bandits can suppress sentient artifacts so easily?” He rushed on to his allies, hoping that Judicis’ magic had at least properly collected the information. One man in particular had drawn his attention – the pale elf who rode in on a horse.

Artemis approached the man who lay upon the ground, turning him over. As he did, the figure gasped, his eyes rushing back and forth as though waking from a horrible nightmare. Artemis pressed his bracer against his forehead, copying over his memory into Judicis as he did the others.

Artemis removed his mask, his bright blue eyes looking at the pale elf. “I take it you want to live, and I’m not one to kill needlessly. I’ve seen enough battle to know when a man is being used like a tool, and you, my pale friend, are someone’s tool. Tell me who pulls the strings, and whether you help me beyond that or not, I will sever them. My instinct tells me we have little time, and I trust my instinct, so tell me what you can and quickly.”

His words landed upon the elf as heavily as the countless rain drops that began to soak the young man’s dark hair and scruff, washing away what little blood had accumulated on his armor during the brief altercation. Another crack of lightning struck nearby, the rumble rolling through the ground and vibrating through his very bones.

Whatever was at work here, they were organized and dangerous. And one thing he could say for certain – his allies were as far from organized as a group could be.

Before she'd fully stepped through the door, Devyn felt something... off. Maybe it was the fact that everything was so much more quiet. To go from the chaos outside to this ominous lack of noise was like stepping into another world, and she wasn't quite sure if she liked this world or not. It was dark in the space, and as the woman squinted, gaze raking the single room, the "offness" seemed more prominent than ever. There were no obvious signs of whatever had made the noise, but that didn't calm her nerves. It could be anywhere or nowhere at all, and that in itself was disquieting.

After staring at her surroundings for a few more moments, Vyn located the sense of unease that lingered in the place. It seemed completely abandoned, with the iron pot at the back and the scattered furniture. The less normal looking objects of interest were enough to make you wonder what happened, yet turn away from ever finding out. The knives looked to be useful, but something held her back from picking them up immediately. The odd, dried fluid on the table and the strange splotches on the floor had no apparent source. As Devyn followed the trail with her eyes and came to rest upon the stained bedsheet and doll, she shivered. It was like there was a presence in the room, watching, despite the fact that whoever had resided in it was long gone.

This was the residence of one of the villagers. They lived here until something happened, something bad. Absently, Vyn wondered if the rest of the houses were like this. Did they seem to be deserted for much longer than they actually had been? Did this coppery scent linger in each room, never to fade? Did it drift by on each floor?

A clattering sound could be heard, and the woman snapped to attention as she watched various ornaments fall off of the shelves, a flash of light illuminating a pair of yellow eyes. Taking a few steps back, she spun around quickly to look at Cain as he entered the building, relief showing clearly on her face. It wasn't one of the attackers. However, Vincent still hadn't arrived. Brushing away the inkling of concern, she turned back to face the table in silence, moving a few steps forward so that she was standing by its edge.

Gather your wits. It's just a table full of knives, nothing truly unusual. Reaching out to grab a medium-sized knife with a serrated edge, Vyn yanked it from the table and adjusted the grip so that it fell comfortably into her hand. She repeated the process with the next few knives and then turned back to the Captain, an unspoken question in her gaze. What made that noise, then?

The silence was stronger than ever, and she turned away again. This had been the only respite from whatever this mess was, and there were better things to do than stare at people with questions they couldn't answer. This time, it was the doll that pulled her in, staring creepily at the woman from its perch on the floor. Vyn had never liked dolls, but this one she decided she'd dislike very strongly. It was quite possibly the most nerve-wracking doll she'd seen yet. The hand print and buttons didn't help in the slightest.

When Vince arrived, it wasn't the door that alerted her. instead, it was the thunder. And then, it was the explosive crystals raining down upon the structure like cannon balls, blasting the thatched roof open and letting the rain pour down into the room. The shards of crystal ricocheted round, and the crashing of various objects could be heard over the roar of the sky.

"What the fuck? Can we get even a freaking minute of rest?" she cursed, eyes wide. To make matters even worse, her hair had begun to get wet. It would take forever to begin combing it.

The stone by her feet held the most attention, though, and so Vyn ducked down, both to avoid any shards and to pick up the stone. It had a piece of parchment strapped to it as well, and so she deftly tore it away, callused fingers sure while the rest of her body shook.

This is my special rock. Mommy and Daddy said I can't keep it. They say the bad men will come. If I hide it really good, no one will know! If you find this, put it back, it's mine! It's really cool and if you keep it by the fire, it will glow! Be careful though, if you drop it when its glowing, fire will shoot out!
- Elizabeth's Rock

"Vince, Cain," Vyn began, clutching the charcoal stained parchment and stone in her hands, the swaying knives hanging from her belt. "Maybe you guys should see this,"

Vincent had instinctively rolled out of the house to avoid the shrapnel. He watched the cat burst from the house like a bat out of hell, and he snatched it into his arms and shushed it, shielding it from the rain and gently stroking it as he walked inside. Surely the cat had seen hell these past few days, and the last thing it needed was to be wandering around where it could get hurt. The feline let out a low grumble from its throat and hissed at the scholar, but its teeth and claw couldn’t even pierce Vincent’s skin.

“Maybe you guys should see this.”

The words pulled Vincent’s eyes from the cat to the mechanic, who held a very familiar stone in her hand. Vince paused for a moment and took a sharp breath. His fears were confirmed, Magicite. He’d seen this sort of application before, in the guns of his partner in crime leading the Hierarchy, Alyssa Snow. This stone mirrored the ones in her twin pistols, so he imagined it did something similar. He took the note with one hand, cradling the cat who had calmed down significantly in the other. After reading it over, the scholar nodded grimly.

“I only vaguely know of one organization that would know of, and can actively use these crystals in weapons. If we’ve just pissed them off, I’m afraid we’re in a danger…” He paused and handed the note over to Cain who glanced over it curiously. He glanced over the rifle in the pirates hands curiously.

“May I see that?” The scholar asked raising an eyebrow. The pirate nodded, preoccupied with the letter and passed the gun along. Vince ran his hand down the barrel of the gun, checked the sights, and rested the butt against his shoulder. Resting his cheek on the stock he peered down the sights, careful to keep his finger off the trigger. Turning out the door, and making sure his path was clear, he placed his finger on the trigger and squeezed a shot off. A bolt of ice spiraled out of the barrel, and as the action sprang open one of those strange crystals flew out like a spent bullet cartridge. The scholar cooed slightly.

“We’re going to need to be a lot more careful…these things are way more accurate than your standard muskets…”

Cain grimaced as the cat clawed about his head and poor tricorn. He'd have to invest in a new one when he made it back to port. "Bloody minded, mutinous sod!" he cursed and took oaths but he understood how panicked such a creature would be and held not true ill will.

Cain read the note "this sounds like magic" Cain said handing the note back. "I have no answer for it, and it don't signify." Cain retrieved his elemental firearm from Vince "Thank you" he smiled at the mage? sorcerer? what ever he was. "I think I will go scout and collect some more ammo." He had felt almost lubberly when it came to magic, he understood the very basics of how the elemental firearm worked and went out.

He made his way up the hill where some of the attackers had popped out of. When he made it to their sniper nests he found...crap. Literally, the attackers were waiting days for Cain and his group to show up and as such crapped in their nests. Looking a moment longer Cain found what he was looking for. The little boxes that fit into the bottom of the fire arms. He'd figure out how they worked as he kept a watch.

He sat on a rock and scanned his surroundings. At sea he had an unabated view of eighty miles in any given direction. But now His view was blocked by trees, rocks, mountains, buildings and every thing else between him and the horizon. Never the less he saw movement. It was in the trees. He'd better let his group know "On deck there! Strange Sai....Strange group approaching. Two points to starboard! In the trees!" He shouted above the din of the storm. For those that didn't understand nautical terms he pointed in the general direction with the barrel of his elemental rifle.

He checked the box in his elemental firearm looked like twelve shots left. Not counting the extra boxes he had just collected from the dead and smelly snipers nest. "Yes this should answer well against what ever magic might be coming our way." Cain said to himself.

Birds of various shape and size which had taken to the treeline for refuge took flight to the dark, stormy skies. Their startled cries called out to one another in warning. The group called out by Cain marched onward, about two scores strong. The limited light from cloud cover obscured the finer details, but they moved linearly and in rows of three.

The front formation consisted of low, stocky forms - wider than they were tall and unusual in shape. This consisted of a much smaller fraction of the group and moved awkwardly as if labored by great weight or forcibly moved.

The mid line consisted of the greatest number, nearly half the total group. Varying height, they all seemed humanoid, and familiar to the two dozen already scattered across the mountainside.

The rear line consisted of about a dozen more humanoid figures. Compared to the mid line, they held something larger in their hands. Staffs? Bows? Whatever they were, they seemed thinner and longer than the contraptions already seen.

Meanwhile, Terrance's shocked and dazed expression met the determined scowl of Artemis. His mouth opened to form words, but a volley of stomach contents spilled forth instead. Coughing, sputtering, and reeling from the equivalent of hostage torture, the elf struggled to regain his sense of time, place, and self.

"I-- You-- They'll kill us," Terrance rambled nonsensically. The albino winced, hand gripping at his stomach then another on his skull. "Hnngk!"

"They're in my head! Oh, gods it hurts! I can't-- They want my to..." Terrance clenched his teeth, and forced a breath into his lungs. The hand on his stomach sloshed through the mud, then patted at his chest, then hips.

"Where is it?!" he winced. When his fingers found the separated leather strap, Terrance's eyes shot open. He glanced over Artemis, unfamiliar with the figure and unable to determine friend or foe. The object he desired, however, was not on this stranger's person. Immediately, Terrance shot his hand into the folds of is drenched cloak and from it produced the likeness of a revolver. He firmly thrust it toward Artemis, finger tense on the trigger. Then, he motioned it toward his own temple.

"I'm dead one way or another, there's nothing you can do. Just get out of here!" The firearm pressed against Terrance's head, he closed his eyes, and...

---

Elsewhere...

"Wave two is about two minutes out, and it looks like 029 is still alive."

"Damn it! Is he talking?"

"The lighting strikes are causing interference, I can't make it out, but it looks like he won't be a problem soon enough."

"He won't do it. Not after becoming self aware. Tell the marksmen to make him the primary target. As for the other bodies, terminate them. You know the protocol."

"Yessir."

---

The bodies scattered throughout the mountainside, unconscious or otherwise, convulsed. Those that had been knocked out woke enough to let loose a harrowing scream of agony. Screams drowned out into gurgles and sputters as the flesh from the base of their neck warped and twisted. Like a scene of nightmares, wet pops, slurps, and sharp cracks sounded off as skin, muscle and bone burned with a deep umber light. Each body writhed and twisted as embers stretched across their skin, bubbling, hissing, and turning to ash. Each corpse left a blackened stain.

Out of Character:

Terrance is in a state of panic. He has not yet pulled the trigger, but if no effort is made to stop him, he will kill himself. He is hesitating out of doubt, confusion, and fear. The bodies have all vanished and in quite the gruesome manner. Those that have been exposed to the effects of high temperature magic and witnessed the scene might have an inkling. Any weapons that were on the corpses at that time were also lost, many of which similarly strapped to them like Terrance. Speaking of, Terrance is exempt from the strange disappearances. Artemis: When you review the memories, you will find them hazed, broken, and fleeting. At best, you will see series of images from the victims' eyes. The details of which will be difficult to make out, part of the effect of what is cutting off communications. By attempting to commune with your bracer, the headaches of the mental strain will hit you like a Monday morning hangover. Of all the images, you will gather a theme of details: Clean and nearly flawless machined walls. Strange artificial lighting unlike any torch or lantern, similar to sunlight, but no clouds or sky overhead. Only more walls. Glass cylinders large enough to hold a body, seen as though under water. Cleanly cut dark elves, but only masked faces as the victim is subject to immense pain. Spells being shot from a rifle downrange at stationary targets, as others to the left and right do the same. Lastly, the dark hideouts of their nests as they emerged to open fire on people, children, bandits, merchants... Cain: You have not been noticed yet. You've found a total of six spare magazines from your scouting. They are all partially full with 5-7 rounds each. Many of the magazines used were on the corpses that vanished. Others: Currently safe. Still raining. Windy. Lightning still a potential threat. Devyn: The mechanic might recognize a sound familiar to her off in the distance. Sounds like metal against metal similar to a forged hinge, high pitched with a slight rattle as if the tolerance between the metal wasn't close enough for smooth, silent operation or in need of a thicker lubricant. Again, I'm open for questions. I'd also suggest deciding what you all want to do as a team. Do you have enough information? Do you want to flee? Do you want to complete the mission? How far are you willing to go for answers? etc.

Cain called out numbers "Two score enemy vanguard in formation! Able and armed with elemental guns and unknown contraptions! Moving briskly!" He had ideas but he didn't have time to convey them back. He was high, the two most powerful of the group were lower. If they could draw the enemy force in to a basin, town square or other semi-enclosed space and force them to cluster Cain could fire form behind and above while the other fired from the front he was after all positioned in a prime snipers nest.

Cain would wait and watch however the situation would go. If the group decided to cut and run Cain would be right behind them giving them covering fire. But if they did decide to stay and fight Cain would do what he could from his filth filled snipers nest. Either way he was soon going to be busy.

All of a sudden all of the former enemy combatants seemed to turn inside out and disappear. "How very ghoulish." Cain said to himself watching the next wave march toward the decimated village. Out of pure curiosity Cain probed the six inch blood stained area that was left from one of the enemies. He knew the wind and current, he could come up with a caper to give himself and his ship the weather-gage, he could follow specific stars to his destination hell he even measured the curve of Althanas but when it came to magic things he had no answer. He would some day and these guns gave him an idea on how.

Artemis grabbed the weapon that the elf had pointed at himself before he could pull the trigger and tossed it aside. “Don’t be a fool, it doesn’t need to come to that.” While still over the man, he shifted Judicis into a bow, quickly drawing an arrow back of black mist and launching it into the man’s chest and knocking him unconscious. “Besides, I’ll need you alive.” In just as brief a moment the bow was back as a bracer and Artemis heard the shouts of one of his own from the mountainside where he had taken a vantage point. His warnings rang clear and as Artemis looked around he saw the troops off in the distance.

Realizing the urgency he took the elf and slung him over his shoulder, quickly racing toward the base of the mountain where his ally sat perched like a vulture patiently waiting. Artemis’ speed and strength made quick work of the task and he set the body against a large stone so that the enemy didn’t have a line of sight. “I hope you’re a good shot!” Artemis called at the man with the rifle. He turned back toward the approaching enemies and prepared Judicis once again.

He tried briefly to access whatever information Judicis may have gathered but struggled to reach him, only accelerating his headache. “Damn it what the hell is causing this?” he growled through the pain, giving up on the task for the time being and putting on his mask once more. He rushed forward and as he jogged he began to fire crimson arrows of energy this time, volleying at the group in the hopes of disrupting their formation. These were arrows of magic after all, not vulnerable to gravity or weather, and they rushed through the rain toward the front line of men. Wherever they struck, they’d explode upon impact.

“Hey you two! Get out of that house and give us a hand! There’s more!” He hoped the man on the mountain had been loud enough, but if not, the duo inside had heard now for sure. He’d need help if they wanted to survive this, and truth be told, the idea of the gold had long since left Artemis’ thoughts. He continued his run, firing arrows while in motion and making himself a difficult target to hit. He hoped the diversion would benefit his group and let the rifleman land some shots on those who got distracted. As though right on cue, as Artemis opened fire he heard the familiar yet strange sounds the rifles made come from the mountain as the man in the tricorne joined the fray.

’Let’s see how well trained they are, Artemis though.

Devyn grabbed the note and tucked it back into her pocket for future reference. If they managed to make it out of this situation alive, studying it a bit more would most likely be the best course of action, and so keeping it safe would be handy. The pirate had exited the room, and as she turned to face the door as well, a loud voice rang out from the outside of the building. It was the newcomer whose name she didn't know, and as his words sunk in, she resisted the urge to facepalm. They really couldn't catch a break.

"Coming!" Yanking one last knife from the table, Vyn dashed out the door to peer out at the approaching wave of enemies, which were certainly different from the last ones. For one, some of them were more similar in appearance, and the attack seemed more planned, as a designated formation was clearly visible. There didn't seem to be too many of them, but enough to give trouble, and definitely enough to overwhelm the small group, depending on the skills of their approaching foes. The pirate wasn't in sight, and so she glanced around to look for him, eyebrows furrowed. There! The man was perched upon the hill, stolen elemental weapon at the ready.

Vyn tilted her head to study the group, eyebrows furrowing even more as a familiar sound greeted her ears. It was one that grated on her nerves very easily. After all, it wasn't pleasant to hear, and just thinking of the calculations that were almost perfect, but not quite made her cringe. It made her want to march over and fix it, and out of habit, she started towards the source, eyes grazing over the form of the other man, before realizing what she was doing. What the hell is making that fucking sound? There shouldn't have been anything of the sort happening out here in the middle of nowhere. And so, something unnatural had to be causing it. I wonder what could be unnatural in the midst of all this chaos... I wonder. Rolling her eyes, she gazed at the wave with a newfound interest before snapping out of it once more and drawing a dagger from her belt.

Darting forward, Vyn flung it at one of the figures front row and charged into the gap created when they'd fallen. An iron rod flashed, and she retracted it, stabbing forwards once with the sharpened tip before backing up, leaving the rod-pierced man to fall to the ground, tripping one of his comrades. Vyn stared at her darkened rod with mild interest and then shrugged, drawing another dagger and throwing it fiercely into the crowd, watching as another one dropped.

Where are they coming from?

Vince left the house, and watched in horror as the mechanic dove straight into combat. He could almost hear the echo of her screaming “LEEEROOOOY JEEEENKINS,” as his blood ran cold. Time seemed to move slowly as the scholar’s eyes darted around, he needed to get Devyn out of her predicament and quickly. The glimmer of several spent cartridges caught the scholar’s eyes, and a dastardly plan hatched in his brain. His boots dug into the mud, propelling him forward as he hit his top speed in a matter of seconds. He darted past the archer and let out a quick shout.

“Open fire on the outer enemies, save the center for me!” He closed the gap with several strides, swooping to gather a fistful of spent cartridges as he did so. Satisfied he was armed properly, he blinked forward twice, putting himself between Devyn and her recently downed enemy. Time slowed down as the scholar took a deep breath and turned to slam a palm into the mechanic’s chest.

“Deep breath and hold!” He commanded. He attempted something he’d never thought about doing before, he channeled the same energy that he used to move himself about into the mechanic and visualized the ranger. Flexing, he willed the energy to flood into her. Instead of blinking himself to that location, Devyn found herself vanishing in a cloud of blue sparks and reappearing by the ranger. With his free hand, the scholar let his fistful of fragments fly, gritting his teeth as he felt them draining his ambient energy. He’d barely have enough magic left in him to escape, let alone perform this final gambit. His blonde hair whipping in the wind, the scholar let out one command.

“KNEEL.” The word left his lips like a crack of thunder, his eyes igniting into twin infernos of teal. He felt energy pour from his body, forcing his opponents downward with quadruple the weight of gravity, enough force to crush the average man’s bones. Yet that wasn’t what he was hoping to accomplish, he grinned as he watched his still airborne projectiles begin to flash violently as his energy overloaded them. The scholar also noted several crystals on the ground already had begun to shimmer as well. Confident his deadly minefield was ready to pop, the scholar gritted his teeth, and with the last vestiges of his magical energies willed himself backwards in a flash of blue light.

The crystals detonated violently, the scholar still slightly within the blast radius as they erupted into a blast of teal energy. Vincent found himself flung off his feet, flying backwards towards the archer and the mechanic, several shards of shrapnel finding shallow purchase in his chest. Not deep enough to be fatal, but grave enough wounds that the scholar would be needing immediate treatment. He felt himself land with a PLOP, sliding violently through the muck for a foot or so before reaching a stop, his ears ringing and his eyes watering. Sparks of teal energy danced across his skin as he moaned for a moment, declaring his status amongst the living.

“Did I get em coach?”

The moving battalion of attackers did not expect the first arrow. Covered by the flash of lightning, the glowing red projectile slammed into the rightmost linemen and ruptured with explosive force. Searing hot plasma from the magical bolt washed over the formation, forcing them to advert their eyes. They did not catch reprieve from Artemis' onslaught as more crimson bolts followed suit. This time, however, the projectiles violently collided with an illuminescent wall of light blue. Two, three, four, the arrows exploded against transparent light while smaller bolts of ice peppered the wall to the pirate's inevitable disapproval.

It wasn't until now, that the finer details became visible in the raging swath of rain and wind. Lightning cracked across the clouds above, bringing light to the machined edges of steel, iron, and bronze. Eight units of Aleran engineering stood defiant with brilliant shields of light held in front of them. The shield of the rightmost automation flickered and faded, exposing the warped, cracked, and wrenched metal from Artemis' bow. The light which lit several points along its body faded and went out.

"RETURN FIRE!" shouted a stocky dwarf completely void of hair, beard, and eyebrow.

The midline riflemen, identical to those before, braced ten men against the back of the waist high automatons. Rifles braced and stance firm, the second group stood off center, behind those in front of them - a firing line. Meanwhile, the little over a dozen with longer weapons took to similar formations on each end of the group, two groups of eight. The front four took a kneeling stance with the back four braced against their shoulders.

"TAKE AIM! FIRE FREELY!" the dwarf shouted.

A storm of magic ripped free from their barrels. Small rounds peppered the buildings, trees, and struggled to pin down the archer who continued to pound against their unusual defenses. Meanwhile, the groups of marksmen to each side took careful aim at the pirate.

None of them expected the mechanic.

The young girl threw her blade into one of the automations, a lucky shot that wedged into the whining hinge of the machine. It turned to deal with her only to have the blade catch and jam the inner workings of the prototype. Just enough time for her to lance a soldier in the chest and drop him to his back, subsequently knocking the man behind him off balance. Her final knife left her grip and indeed dropped a man, but only to his knees to avoid an otherwise fatal blow to the neck.

Shields up and now centered in the midst of three dozen armed soldiers, attention turned to the bold girl. A rifle butt lashed out from any one of many soldiers, catching the girl square in the temple. Before a report could be fired from the muzzle of a gun, Vincent entered the fray from thin air. A fist, chant, and flash later, Devyn vanished from sight, marking her new arrival by Artemis and Cain who valiantly continued their return fire.

All in good time too.

At the center of the pack, another explosion erupted and from it, Vincent's body flew like a less than graceful ragdoll to where his comrades fought.

---

Elsewhere...

"Damn! That explosion took out one of the glyphs! Quick! Switch to Glyph Delta!"

*Strange feedback*

"Switched sir..."

*Moment of silence*

"Damn, they're awfully resourceful. How is that one able to do that with the Magicyte? It's low grade, sure, but to detonate it so quickly... Hmm..."

"Sir?"

"I want him captured. Kill the others or drive them out, I don't care, but I want that one captured!"

"He just took out most of the first wave and pulled off a maneuver we don't even know anything about!"

"Kah'leahl! I gave you an order! Execute it!"

"Yessir..."

"Ready the Behemoth if you have to!"

"Sir?!"

"I won't correct you again!"

"Yessir..."

---

Only about 50 yards behind Cain, a strange symbol began to glow on a rather inconspicuous stone. Moments later, the storm targeted the pirate in his tree - a high point in a lightning storm equipped with a metal saber. The hairs on his arms stood, but didn't provide nearly enough warning when lightning crashed down upon him. The cartridges spent by his rifle and on the ground beneath ruptured into shrapnel. The tree split in two, seam glowing with hot embers and put the pirate on his back, condition unknown.

Meanwhile, motes of blue light danced around within the smoke of the explosion like squadrons of fireflies dancing in the night. A gust of wind swept down the mountain and washed the haze into the treeline. The carnage lay exposed to the heavy rain.

Nearly a dozen bodies lay mangled in the mud. Some sputtered their final death song, others screamed in agony as gaping wounds seeped freely, unable to clot in the constant rainfall. Two of the remaining seven automatons stood like lifeless monoliths, their exterior seemingly ruptured from the inside out. Bolts, sheet metal, and polished steel lay scattered from their man-made bodies, some of which now buried in the corpses of the damned.

Gruesome as it were, the true horror remained in the living. Still a score strong, three soldiers stood behind one of five automations. Shields which protected them flickered as though ready to drop. However, before another attack could be made, the soldiers took to firing formation and laid down a wall of elemental bullets on the survivors. The two marksmen that survived Vincen't attack held their fire. Within the sights of their longer weapons, they squared in the quickly moving archer. Two thunderous reports sounded loud enough to wash out the sound of thunder. Projectiles of ice faster than the normal eye could track sped toward Artemis. One missed by the hair of a babe, but the other slammed into the archer with enough force to take him to the ground.

At the distance they were at, the marksmen could not confirm the location of the hit or even if it was lethal. With the archer's speed, the hit was a fair percentage of luck over skill. Regardless, the two of them pulled a lever on their weapons and ejected a red-hot steaming crystal that hissed and crackled as it fell into the mud.

Nature does not favor good nor bad. It does not differentiate. One of the five groups suddenly became consumed in light, the percussion of the bolt knocking wind from those nearby. At the center of the column, the metal creation sparked, shook, groaned and ruptured from the inside out. Like barrel of gunpowder filled with bolts and scrap-metal, it exploded and tore those nearby to a messy pulp of meat and bone. The soldiers couldn't even scream as their lives were torn from them by mother nature herself.

Only sixteen remained, both sides now riddled with injury and loss.

Out of Character:

TL|DR: 40 has been reduced to 16 consisiting of 4 mechanical automations with three soldiers behind each one. Of those 12 soldiers, two of them are armed with a stronger, slower firing elemental weapon. Artemis: Took out one automation. And distracted them from effectively murdering Devyn as she charged them on foot. However, in the fray, Aretmis has been struck by an ice bolt. The location of the injury I have left to you. If an ability allows you to negate damage, you can describe it, but this was not "dodged". The force is enough to have knocked you down or at least staggered you to a near complete stop. If you have questions, ask me. Devyn: Her initial attack jammed one of the automations to which I attribute to her mechanical prowess. Another attack punctured the lung of an attacker. The final one dropped a man, but only to his knees to dodge (shifty wording usage, I know). By putting herself into the fray of 40 unknowns, he has been struck in the temple by the butt of a rifle. I'll leave it to you the state your character is in after that blow. As you were about to get killed, execution style, Vincent teleported you to where Artemis and Cain are. Cain: The second wave was prepared for fire from stolen elemental weapons. Your attacks are neutralized by their strange defenses. While they did not do any damage to you, your high perch and metal saber have proven as a lightning rod. You have been struck by lightning. While the act of being struck is not necessarily fatal (google taught me something today), you have been knocked out of your perch. Your spent rounds and the spent rounds of the fallen have detonated. I leave the details of the damage taken to you. Vince: You got'em son, just not all of them. Devyn is safe and you pretty much hurt yourself. I appreciate your realism of doing massive damage, but also not getting off scott free. While you are the majority of their muscle, I think you should be able to hulk mode yourself out of a few "flesh wounds" (punctured lungs withstanding if you went that far). Plus, and I may be wrong, I believe you have some healing shenanigans? Anywho, no direct damage dealt to you from the enemy, but you've interested them enough to warrant the desire to be captured. To all: The shields these things use are like walls of light. About 10' wide by 6' tall and allow projectiles from one side to pass through while negating projectiles from the other side. Large bodies can pass through it without damage so long as they do not exceed a certain velocity. The automations, as you may have gathered, do have a power source. They are made of steel, iron, and bronze in the appropriate areas needing reinforcement, plating, or basic functionality. Each one is glowing from several points indicating a number of things for you to figure out. They are prone to the lightning to disastrous effects. The rain and mud certainly won't help with mechanical joints, so mobility is also limited as the groups are now scattered from the road to the muddy fields. If you have any questions, let me know. Do not forget about Terrance, the blue stone, or the glowing mark mentioned at around the time of the dialogue "elsewhere". While your characters are not aware of it, you now have a name of the unkowns.

The scholar’s ears rang violently as he attempted to sit up. Several spots of red began to blossom from his chest, sending agony shooting through his entire body. Sparks danced violently as he lifted his head lightly to look at his injuries. Five slender shards of the destroyed crystals jutted out of his torso, making him look like an incredibly pretentious pincushion. Grunting, the scholar tried to raise his arms, pleased to find that while they were sore, they would still function. Gritting his teeth the scholar went to work. His hands darted over his body with a surgeon’s precision, tearing each shard out with paradoxical brutality. Each removed shard sent a hiss from the scholar’s lips, and a slight spurt of blood along with it. After all five were gone, sparks danced around the wounds working to close them.

Wasting no time, Vincent rolled onto his stomach and began to lift himself up. One on his knees the scholar let out a string of swears as he patted himself down. “These fucking clothes were brand fucking new. I’m sending these motherfuckers my goddamn bill.” He grunted and tore his robe and undershirt, leaving him bare-chested, clothed in only a pair of leather trousers and boots. Five distinct gashes glowed ominously as they seeped blood slowly. Raising to his feet the scholar growled some more and snapped his fingers. In one hand, a glove appeared in a burst of clouds. Clenching his fist, several plates that resided on the top spun outwards and formed a circular steel shield. In his other hand, a large Dehlar blade appeared. Taking a moment to glance over the blade he’d stolen from his mentor, Vincent pondered for moment.

What would Tobias do right now?

“He’d kill them and fuck their mothers,” The scholar muttered woozily as he struggled to maintain his balance. Already the blood had clotted, thanks to his enhanced healing factor, and within an hour or so he would be right as rain. As for right now, well, the scholar ventured he was still going to be more useful than the pirate. With his hair slicked to his face, the scholar let out a roar and began his charge, hoping to draw the others attention. It was at this point he noticed that the pirate had been struck by lightning, and the archer he’d yet to say a word to had just been shot.

It was time for Vince to do all the work again.

Even injured, the scholar was able to pick up intense amounts of speed, with acceleration rivaling that of the average piece of shit Honda. He closed the gap between him and the remaining troops rapidly and cursed as one of the two with the bigger guns turned to aim at him and let a shot loose. Thinking quickly the scholar dove to the ground on his stomach, using his momentum to slide forward in the slick mud. He winced as his wounds tore open and began to bleed again, but at least he wasn’t getting shot again. He slid under the legs of one of the machines and using both his arms he pressed down launching himself onto his feet. He slid for a moment and pirouetted, slashing the throat of two soldiers with his blade, and bashing the skull in of one of the others with nothing but his shield and brute force.

The machine they’d cowered behind attempted to pivot, but slipped and fell in the mud. Using the same logic Vince had learned from playing any videogame ever, he carefully slashed at the joints and glowing bits before buggering off for cover. Several shots whistled behind him as he ran, indicating that he’d at least succeeded into catching their attention before he found himself hiding behind another building.

“Oi, free asskickings over here!” Vince exclaimed. “Limited time offer, come and get it while I’m still injured.”

Speed and agility can only take you so far in life. He remembered the lesson that Hawk had taught him, a dark elf that trained Artemis when he was just a boy, and now vividly remembered as a blast of ice slammed the left side of his body. When the projectile struck Artemis felt grateful for his gade undersuit as it absorbed at least some of the frost, though the attack destroyed pieces of the fabric. The force sent him soaring and he barely reacted quickly enough to shift Judicis back into a bracer before his body slid across the mud. Eventually a large boulder stopped his movement and he felt numbness across his left side.

’If only I could do that with my frost magic.’ As he recovered his wits he heard an explosion and noticed the blast that one of his ally’s had created, though somehow enemies still stood. He saw the man blink away though not behind any cover and collapse from the exertion and the explosion.

He noticed the girl unconscious and quickly blinked over to her, dragging her through the mud the brief distance to the stone where the pale elf sat unconscious and setting her there as well. ’This feels uncomfortable. It’s like I’m collecting unconscious bodies.’ He looked up to where the man with the tricorne had been and shouted, “Are you okay up there?” He waited a few moments and didn’t hear anything.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and started to rub his left arm, hoping to bring some blood flow back to the region as quickly as possible. He peered around the corner of the large stone that served as their shield, taking stock of the situation and hoping to get a headcount of enemies that seemed to still be a threat. ’A little over a dozen left and it looks like I may be alone. Lovely.’

“This is why I prefer subtle,” he complained to himself aloud.

Just then, the man who’d triggered the explosion began to stir, pulling the shrapnel from his chest and rising from the ground with a blade and shield ready for battle and approached the enemies. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Why did I bother getting involved in this? I’m stuck with a bunch of people with absolutely no sense.” He was just barely beginning to regain any sense of feeling in his left arm and cursed under his breath, leaving the cover of the stone and beginning to jog toward his ally. “Fuck it, I only need one hand for this anyway.”

Cain saw Vyn just appear and out cold, followed by Vinces climatic entrance. He followed their paths and a soft glow which got brighter caught his eye...Then every thing turned white, the next thing Cain new he was on the ground having a conversation with him self that seemed to last for ever but really took less than a moment.

~Am I dead?~

~No, death wouldn't hurt this much.~

There was pain in his leg, hip and heel, on his side was a smouldering hole where the lightning struck him through his saber, and on his heel was the lightnings exit and there was a branch the size of his thumb sticking through his leg.

~Get up! Move! If you don't move you will die! Move and fight, out or down!~

Cain looked at his leg and gripped the branch and started to pull the branch out. It wouldn't move at first so he twisted it and felt its knots and spurs tare his muscles. The branch gave way and started to move out his skin parting from the meat of his leg and the little knots started tearing skin as well. Finally the branch came out and Cain tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and stuffed it into the hole that was left.

He took another moment and examined himself; his powder and shot didn't explode which was good, his sea coat prevented most of the crystal shards from digging into his flesh and his elemental rifle was intact. Groaning a bit Cain lurched to a covered position and opened fire. He cycled one clip to no avail thanks to the enemies shields but at-least it was a distraction for his compatriots. He cycled a few more rounds from his next magicite box and again nothing.

The hair on Cains arms rose followed by loud clap of lightning. This gave him an idea and he grinned through the catastrophic amount of pain he should have been in save for the adrenaline rush. He gathered two or three hand fulls of spent crystals, some he shot some that were from the previous wave of enemies and bound them up in what was left of his waistcoat. He then kissed his sword "forgive me for what I'm about to do" ran it through the vest and threw it into the middle of the enemy group. It didn't have to be too accurate but close counted.

The steel, the thirsty magicite and luck all combined into one violent explosion when the lightning was drawn through the cavalry saber, arched through the magicite and the entire makeshift bomb erupted. Cain didn't know how big it was going to be but when every thing went up, it was as if the lightning had struck the powder magazine of a sloop of war.

What a caper!

Cain turned his attention back to that soft glow. It easy to find and he fired at it with what ever was left in his second clip. Three shots and the glyph fizzled out. Cains last thought was to look for the next glyph.

The first thing Vyn was aware of was the pounding in her head. It was awful and seemed to resonate through her body, throbbing with each breath. She didn't want to open her eyes. Faintly, the mechanic was aware of the noise all around her. Yes, the noise was very loud. It sounded like there was a lot going on as well, something very important, but she couldn't quite remember what. Still foggy on the details, and confused as to why she had this hangover-like headache, the girl shifted slightly, a loud groan accentuating the action. Lazily opening her eyes, she blinked a few times, immediately raising a hand to cover her eyes as bright flashes of light appeared and then vanished.

"Oh, fuck. What the- what happened...?" Turning her head to the side, her eyes widened considerably as she observed the unconscious man next to her, the unconscious man who was currently, maybe shifting? Or could just be her. With the whole headache thing. Whatever it was, the elf was not going to be waking up. With another groan, Vyn clumsily patted herself down. There was a knife, somewhere along her belt, and she grabbed it and brought the pommel down on his head, roughly about where his temple was. The knife clattered to the ground. Vyn stared at it uncomprehendingly for a few moments before picking it up and dragging her knees underneath her, slowly turning her head to take in the scene.

Vince was... somewhere. Squinting at the too bright light, Vyn staggered to her feet, finally honing in upon the wave of things that seemed to be attracted to a building. A building that was... yelling? A building that was yelling with Vincent's voice? Yeah, that didn't make too much sense. He was probably okay, though, even if his voice might have had some trouble. After all, didn't he have that weird but cool magic thing-a-ma-bobber?

Nearer by were the two people that she didn't know too well, the pirate and the archer dude. He was on the move but seemed to be injured somewhat. Then again, it could still just be her wobbly senses. The pirate seemed to be injured as well, and appeared very disheveled, hair wild. It was quite a peculiar sight, and so she stared for a few moments. His hair looks kind of like a wind-tossed porcupine...

The girl smiled at the thought and then observed as the thing the porcupine head had tossed exploded. Wait, wait, wait what? The fuck exploded? Shaking her head and then doubling over at the nausea that followed, Vyn groaned yet again, the throbbing at her temple growing. And so shaking her head was out. By now, her knees were getting numb, and so she slowly stumbled to her feet, hand slapping the rock she'd been leaning on in an effort to get to her feet. And now to figure this out. I did something dumb, but that's given.

Vyn wobbled on her feet, knees quivering underneath the weight of the rest of her body as she stared down at where the magicite had exploded. Remnants of the machine caught her interest, and so she slowly started in that direction, the memories of what had happened beginning to make sense. She really had been dumb. However, she was still alive, for some apparent reason, and so now, the best thing to do would be to well, move on and try to survive some more.

The machines had somehow been combined with magic or some sort of thing like that. It was beyond interesting. It was ingenious, and she couldn't quite figure out how it had happened. However, if they made it out of the slaughterhouse alive, it was certainly something worth exploring. And maybe this was the last wave. Maybe they could recuperate and then she could look at whatever was left of the deadly automatons. And maybe they could-

Letting out a small squeak, Vyn tripped over her feet and fell to the ground, the world spinning around her as the earth tilted and all noise grew and faded.

"Ugh." Nausea had come back in full force, and so she bent over and retched, stomach heaving as nothing came out. After more of this, Vyn staggered to her feet for the second time, facing the way she'd come before realizing and the turning. Lovely. Now to just... keep on moving.

War. One word best defined the happenings across these open fields. Screams trailed behind explosions, shouts rang out between gunfire, lighting crawled across the sky followed by the deep bellows of thunder.

"Incoming! Get do--"

Another violent rupture of magicyte turned men to mist mid warning. Lightning coursed through steel saber and ignited dead crystals with new life. Shards of metal and bone scattered across rain-soaked fields. The percussion of thunder mixed with explosions rocked the remaining soldiers. Three lay limp beside the flickering lights of a fallen machine, face down and chests still.

Two groups looked to both crater and corpses, teeth clenched in anger and resolve.

"Take them out!" roared a sniper as his shot blew a melon sized hole in the stone and mortar wall where Vincent hid.

"AoE out!" another shouted, lobbing an unusual object through the air.

It landed with a skitter and a splash near the pirate and archer. A crystal about the size of a fist glimmered with the light of the storm above. Then, the unthinkable happened.

The stone crackled and hissed with the white hot embers of a fire. The mud around it bubbled and steamed. The rain evaporated before it could touch its glowing facets. Then, like heat of a molten forge, the stone burst into a column of fire. As quick as it had reached its twelve foot height, the pyroclastic force dissipated. In the middle of swirled and dried clay now rest a glowing red-hot stone.

"Throw them out! Everyone deploy AoE stones!"

Then, like villagers shunning a witch, the remaining six soldiers cast their eerie crystals toward where their enemy hid. As the stones fell, they pulled rifles up and took aim, waiting for their prey to leave cover for safety.

As the rain hissed against the previous stone's surface, it cooled and the clear blue facets of a massive blue crystal could be seen. A crystal similar to one they'd seen before...

---

Elsewhere...

"Shit!"

*Strange feedback*

"What happened?! Where's the feed?!"

"I don't know! I think they took it out!"

"Damn it, switch to another Glyph!"

"I'm trying! That last explosion and the the storm are causing interference! The lighting is affecting the relays! Hnnk!"

*sounds of grunting, labored breaths and clattering objects*

"You're trying my patience, boy. We're independent from law, now. I could dispose of you and no one would care..."

*dull thud followed by panicked gasps*

"Now get me a damn visual!"

*scraping and clatter"

"Y-yessir! Activating Gamma Glyph. I-It's near the perimeter so the visual is at a distance. I-It's the best we have."

"They look like fucking ants! How am I suppose to observe from this far?!"

"I-I'm sorry sir!"

"Thaynes be damned. That's enough! I want the Behemoth deployed! Level the whole damn test site!"

"Sir?!"

*a dull thwak followed by a thud and clatter*

"I'll do it myself..."

*Strange feedback*

---

Out of Character:

Short quick, and simple post. The only threat to contend with is sustained enemy fire and now grenade like crystals that cause singularities about six meters wide. The fuse is about three seconds after coming to a stop where they land. The stones glow like crackling embers, then erupt into a column of fire. The column lasts for only about a second then fizzles out like a dust tornado. There are six stones in total scattered near your cover. Keep in mind you have an unconscious hostage in the vicinity and Devyn has a stone that looks eerily similar to the ones being thrown. I'll leave the details to you and give you a chance to mop up.