Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 75, PP = 60, EP = 85, Status = Fine

The Theronian mage stopped and glanced back at Alex when she spoke his impromptu title, a frown immediately creasing his face. "You presumably imply that I came from the arena, which is false. We had a strike team ready to eliminate your partner - and you if necessary - from the moment you entered the city. A fallen angel and a half-dragon are not threats that we take lightly. Be glad that we opted for an arrest rather than an assassination as some of those on the Queen's council suggested. Your sword will be returned to you if your partner is found innocent, or after the sentence has been carried out if she is found guilty. Not before. Providing the temptation for this one's associates to storm the Tower Goldspike in an effort to rescue her, possibly killing or injuring Theronian citizens, is too great a risk. Besides, you will not be inhibited in your private investigations, and this city is safe - largely because of precautions like this I might add - so you will not need to be armed." He paused briefly and pursed his lips, "If you fear for your safety from Arclan Clay's associates, then a contingent of guards can be assigned to you. I extend the same offer to your daughter."

After Alex offered whatever reply she might like to the mage's flatly delivered statement, he would leave her to the company of her friends and associates. Ria was glaring at the backs of the guards as they led Aes away with a very vehement look of hatred, and neither Andrast nor Lady Albatross seemed to have taken the conversation that the authorities wouldn't be returning Alex's weapons very well either.

Later, Angelle allowed herself to sit down onto the bed without ever releasing Alex, her head nuzzled tightly against her mother's chest while her wings maintained their sentient grip. "They.... They...." she began haltingly, and after giving a wordless whine Angelle seemed to break down even further. The sobs wracking her body grew more intense by the second, and for a few moments that was all that Angelle seemed able to do. After a couple of minutes, however, she managed to collect herself enough to speak again; "They... They were.... Wrong! Horrible! I've.... I've never seen anything so scary.... They were underneath us, beneath the ground. I didn't see them... Physically, but... I don't know, I felt them. Even through daddy, I felt them. They were.... Huge. Like, bigger than ten of dad." It was fairly clear that Angelle meant in a manner other than the physical, but if whoever had killed Arclan so easily dwarfed Aescila in power then it was difficult to explain how Alex, Aescila, and every mage in the arena had missed them when Angelle hadn't. "They... They just reached up with like.... A tiny string of themselves, and ripped off the field over the man you were fighting.

"When... When he died, they.... They took him. The string, it wrapped around him and yanked him over to dad, and then pulled down and.... And he just vanished! It was all so fast.... I could barely follow it. Dad started having one of her... Her visions just as it was happening. That's why I don't think she could follow it... Or maybe she did, and just didn't want to say it in front of those guards! I don't know... But they were definitely somewhere below us, and below the arena." Her companions having heard all of that, two of the three of them seemed uncertain about what it might mean. Lady Albatross, however, was rubbing her chin and frowning darkly, and a moment after Angelle had finished speaking she said; "That's.... Strange. But I suppose that it fits...." The faerie trailed off without explaining herself, and neither Dingroria nor Andrast had any apparent insight into what she might have meant.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

By this point it wouldn't take much for Alex to get annoyed, and listening to this mage was more than enough. Assassination squads, confiscation, and that same arrogance that made them think they were ready for whatever attack may come. It was nearly enough to make her tail lash out at some random, innocent object just to she could release some of the frustration she felt building in her gut. But despite her growing irritation Alex willed herself to calm. It took a good few seconds, but a drawn out breath proved that she wasn't about to start recklessly destroying furniture.

Once she felt her anger contained it was time to consider what the mage had said. "You truly believe I would be so foolish? You think I would attack the people holding my Mate when so many..." Her eyes centered straight onto the guard that had accompanied the mage. "...seem so eager to see her slain?" That in itself was an insult on her honor, and Alex had to take a moment to calm her growing ire once more. "...Fine. If you truly fear me then go ahead and keep my blade. But return my shield. If we are attacked I refuse to stand idle while being defended by people who have orders to kill me!" And once she received her answer she would address his offer for protection. "If my daughter wishes for an escort then she can request one. I will not. But I would like a representative." Having someone close at hand that would legitimize any investigation she performed would definitely be useful.


The bed itself wasn't anything truly special, but in that moment a soft surface for her crying daughter was more than Alex could ever ask for. But the sudden breakdown from the girl had the woman worried, and she stroked her daughter in an effort to help calm her nerves. And after a bit Alex finally heard what Angelle had to say. She spoke of some creature, something twisted and horrible that waited beneath everyone's feet, and this thing simply extended a thread of itself up into the arena and tore Arclan's protection from him in an instant. But it didn't simply stop at that. That lone spiritual tendril snared Arclan's spirit just so it could drag him toward Aes, and once that was done it simply sucked Arclan down into whatever oblivion awaited him beneath the arena.

It was definitely an odd tale. And disconcerting. If this was entirely true, and there was no reason to deny it, then there was a creature out there that dwarfed Aescila's strength. And for some reason it was interfering within the affairs of both mortals and faeries. At this point Alex had no choice but to track it down, but once it was cornered what next? How could she face it? A creature capable of scoffing at an angel's power was not something Alex could merely beat into submission. And if this thing was truly responsible for the horrors of today then she simply couldn't destroy it. She would need proof of its involvement, proof of its existence. How in the world was she going to manage that?

Even while she was preoccupied by those thoughts Alex still caught the odd behavior from Lady Albatross. It seemed the Lady had something already in mind that matched what Angelle had said, so that meant Albatross had some prior knowledge of what they faced. "Well, at least we knew where to start..." That was true enough, and if the mage agreed to Alex's request they would have some time before they would need to move. So it seemed as good a time as any to let the all loosen up a bit with a few drinks. Alex would suggest as much during their wait, and as they all got comfortable either at the bar or simply ordered a few bottles to take up to the room Alex turned her attention back toward the faerie noble. "Before we begin I'd like to know what you've been thinking, my lady. Something about what Angelle said caught your attention."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 75, PP = 60, EP = 85, Status = Fine

"You arrived in the company of a fallen angel and killed an esteemed member of the community on your first day in our city. You tell me whether I should be worried about you trying to help your Mate fight her way out if things look like they aren't going your way, dragonkin?" the mage spat back irritably following Alex's angry words. A moment later, hints of that irritation remained in his voice despite his obvious efforts to maintain a more diplomatic tone; "We have orders to subdue. We are not barbarians who kill unnecessarily, but you must realize the danger posed by a being of such power as a fallen angel, particularly given their storied malevolence. In any other community she'd likely have been killed without asking for a surrender, likely with you along with her. Your kind aren't known for their benevolence any more than the fallen. I understand that this isn't pleasant, but we're handling this with as much restraint as we reasonably can given the nature of what we're dealing with. You and your Mate could easily wipe out several city blocks in the blink of an eye if you wanted to, killing who knows how many. That's not including whatever your daughter might be capable of either! No one here knows you well enough to reliably vouch for your character in Therion either. Maybe you and your Mate aren't the monsters that your racial heritage would suggest. But we don't know that, and that kind of danger isn't something that we can afford to take chances with. We're allowing you your freedom to investigate this yourself, we aren't restricting your movements beyond keeping you inside of the city, and we aren't forcing sealing collars on you or your daughter to make sure you don't try to burn down the city. That's honestly the best that I can offer."

He paused briefly, but then said; "I'll send orders to have your shield released. You can pick it up at the arena or wait for someone to bring it to you later tonight. A representative will be left waiting for you outside whenever you choose to leave, they'll be able to arrange a full escort if you want one for your daughter. Good day ma'am." The mage's last words were delivered in a tone of finality, and after that he turned away from Alex and walked out without another word, most likely only stopped if she decided to attack him from behind.

Later, after Angelle had told her story, Lady Albatross nodded solemnly and said; "A start is better than we had before. Shall we be off to the arena to see about examining the spot where this mysterious being might be, or would you prefer a nightcap first?" When Alex suggested they go down for a drink, Dingroria immediately said from out in the hall; "I'm all for that! Lets get downstairs!" Sir Andrast, who had entered the room following the departure of the guards, quickly spoke up; "Pardon, but... What about your daughter? I'd be more than willing to provide for her safety on my estates while we're out looking for clues, if you'd prefer. I don't think leaving her by herself would be very wise in her present state." Her daughter looked up from Alex's shoulder at her with pleading blood-shot eyes, still whimpering in the aftermath of her crying and clearly unwilling to be parted from Alex's side.

Once Alex had decided what to do with Angelle, a conversation that would likely take a while, and opted either to go downstairs or remain up in the room and send for a few bottles, Lady Albatross would frown disconcertedly and let out a sigh at Alex's question. "Something did catch my attention, yes. I don't know if it's useful per se, but it's something...." she replied, trailing off into another deep sigh. After a momentary pause, she explained; "The number of beings that could pull off what happened in the arena are few enough, but those that fit Angelle's description.... Are fewer still. I obviously don't know everyone in creation, but judging by what she said... I'd say that Arclan Clay was killed either by one of the Queens.... Or by an Outsider. A very very powerful Outsider. I couldn't even begin to guess at motives at this point, but it's what I think... As much as I'm hoping that I'm very very wrong."

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Termite
The mage was starting to lose his composure, enough that Alex was starting to work herself up to actually answering the ass with a fist to the neck. But even so she could still understand where he was coming from, and though he was completely mistaken about everything that happened a man such as him in a city this large just couldn't take the chance.

But gods was he an ass.

That was her thought when he finally left, her tongue being held from throwing some of his own logic back in his face. Besides, there was more to worry about, and it was currently clinging to her as if she would be lost as well. Alex could do little more then return the affection, but when Sir Gregor offered his home as a place to stay it made the woman pause. Angelle may not be ready for what was coming, but simply abandoning her in a time of crisis was no better. That was why she simply stared into her daughter's eyes, and after a bit she finally acted. "Do you know what may happen?"


Tassadar
Her daughter, despite her relative immaturity compared to the rest of the room, was not a fool. Nor was she blind. The question was loaded, and Angelle obviously knew it judging by the look in her eyes, one that Alex would be able to recognize with the same ease with which she read the girl's father. After a moment's pause in which the rest of the room remained as silent as a tomb, Angelle whispered back; "No..... But.... But I don't want you to go away!"


Termite
That answer was truthful, and Alex knew she couldn't spare the girl anything less. Not after what she had seen. "We need to find this thing to save your father, and we'll probably have to fight. I may end up doing the same thing to someone else. Someone else may do the same thing to me. But I need to go." And there she waited for Angelle's reaction.


Tassadar
Tension ran like lightning through Angelle's body as she listened to Alex's reply, and she all but jumped visibly when she mentioned that she herself might be killed in the process. It was clear that nothing might have terrified her more than the possibility that Alex pointed out so bluntly. But Angelle had inherited a few things from Alex, and one of them was most definitely courage. "I... I want to go with you...." she said, her voice soft and quiet but filled with a spark of determination. "I don't want you to get hurt.... Maybe I can stop it from happening?"


Termite
A hand came up to rest on top of the hybrid's head, and though it looked like nothing more than affection there was something else to it. Alex concentrated a tiny bit of herself and used it to look within her daughter, and no doubt Angelle would notice it the moment it happened. But Alex wanted to get a feel for her daughter's strength. Her potential. And after a bit the spiritual gaze ended as both arms moved to grip the girl's shoulders. "If you come this is going to be your first true battle. I want you to promise to take care of yourself before everyone else."


Tassadar
Angelle held perfectly still as she examined her, seeing into the depths of her daughter's powerful spirit. She definitely had the strength to overcome, but whether or not she had the tempermant to properly control her powers was another story. After another brief pause, Angelle nodded and said; "I promise... I won't be any trouble!"


Termite
"Then that's that." Alex rose and looked toward the Therion knight. "My apologies, Sir Gregor, but Angelle shall be accompanying us. So... Let's see if we can find some privacy downstairs. If not we'll bring a few drinks up so we can talk without scaring anyone else."


Tassadar
Sir Gregor nodded, offering no argument to Alex's firm declaration. Lady Albatross pursed her lips, but offered no complaint, and so the matter was decided. When Alex rose, so did Angelle, and again her allies merely nodded at her suggestion and then followed her downstairs. The bar proved to be practically empty following the guards tromping through, and an isolated little booth in the back wasn't hard to pick out. They still looked like the oddest bunch one ever could see, but at least they had a degree of privacy, and a waitress came by to see to their drinks. "Ale," Dingroria stated bluntly, "A tankard if you please." Lady Albatross cooed, "Elven wine for me child. With a strawberry in it if you have any fresh." Sir Andrast gave a thoughtful hum before making his order; "Lannistrian 407, on the rocks." That left Alex to order for herself, and possibly for Angelle.


Termite
"The mead was good, I'd like some more. And..." A thoughtful look was given to Angelle. "...if you have anything with just a hint of a kick bring it out."


Tassadar
"Daquiri then," the barmaid replied simply, and then left to acquire their drinks. She was back within moments, placing a mug of mead in front of Alex, a thick crystalline glass filled with ice and a brown liquid in front of sir Andrast, a frothing tankard for Ria, a wine glass with a strawberry in it for Albatross, and a similar glass with a brighter liquid for Angelle. "That'll be.... Twenty denarii all together."


Termite
Her father and all his brethren would probably balk at Alex for what came next, but she simply pulled out the coins and handed them to the barmaid without even the slightest bit of hesitation. She also gave everyone a chance to simply enjoy the drinks, but soon enough she asked Albatross a question and what followed was a direction she never would have guessed. Or even really understood. "So Queen or Outsider. I doubt a Queen would risk something like that herself when she can be exposed and caught red-handed. That leaves Outsider." Alex took another good drink before it finally came. "So what's an Outsider?"


Tassadar
Every time Alex said the word "outsider" Lady Albatross gave a little shiver, her expression souring to the point that the sidhe almost looked ill. When Alex had asked the ever-present question, the faerie gave a deep sigh before draining her glass, fruit and all, in one gulp. Swallowing it all down, she explained; "Outsiders are... Creatures from beyond our world, but not like the invaders or demons. The aliens are strange, yes, but clearly made of flesh and blood. They follow most of the same basic rules that life here does. Outsiders..... Don't. They are things beyond comprehension to mortal and immortal alike. Even looking at them is a horror onto itself, and can drive a lesser mind to utter madness even if it's one of the lesser specimens. The greater ones.... Well, be thankful that they cannot cross into our world without a great deal of help. If they could, we'd all be dead. If we were extremely lucky. I know this description isn't particularly useful, but in truth they cannot adequately be described by mortal language. We can't even perceive them in their entirety as we are. But I digress - they are beings of absolute evil and undefinable horror, and the more dangerous ones send their servants out to try and carve a path into our world on a regular basis. The angels are the predominant force preventing them from doing that, which is why the invasion stretched them so thin and was so poorly answered. If one is here, and did this... Then they've both eliminated a dangerous adversary in killing Arclan, and fermented chaos among its enemies."


Termite
Alex was having a bit of trouble seeing just how surreal these creatures could be. She simply couldn't wrap her mind around something that defied explanation. But something else was vying for her attention, something that seemed related to the events of the day, and after a bit it finally hit her. A moment later Alex excused herself to rummage through her things, and once she returned she held the mysterious box she bought. She didn't say a word, but she showed the reliefs to Lady Albatross to see what she thought of them.


Tassadar
Taking the box, Lady Albatross examined it with a deep scowl while the rest of the people at the table stared at it in confusion. "Where did you get this?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.


Termite
"I bought it earlier today at the Trading Hall. The man who sold it to me said it could alter fate."


Tassadar
Staring at it for a long moment, she pointed to one of the alien figures and said; "These are examples of the lesser variants of outsiders. Their spawn and their minions. They are dangerous, but not insurmountable. That said, a being capable of doing what was done today would be above and beyond them." She handed the box back to Alex, "I cannot take this from you, much as I would like to. Don't open it."


Termite
There was something about this box that had Albatross nearly as spooked as she looked when Alex had mentioned the outsiders so casually earlier, but at that moment Alex wasn't going to pursue that line. "I don't plan on it." But it also didn't leave her side. It was pocketed and kept hidden, but with the Lady's reaction Alex couldn't help but feel that maybe that strange peddler was being honest. It wouldn't hurt to keep it handy just in case there was nothing that could be done to protect Angelle. It was what she paid for... "So, now we have a possible enemy and a possible motive. Do you think Therion authorities would accept that?" Somehow Alex doubted it.


Tassadar
"Unfortunately, no. Humans - and mortals in general - know nothing of outsiders for a reason. Even immortals are not immune to their manipulations, and the fewer that know of them the less of a connection they have to this world. Therion knows nothing of them, and to change that would expose thousands, millions to their influence. We might blame it on an individual outsider, if we find it, but we'd have to label it a demon or some such."


Termite
So, they needed to defeat a monster with the strength of a Queen, and they needed to do so without rousing too much attention. And somehow prove Aes's innocence without revealing the Outsider's existence. Simple... "Oh good lords..." A breath of frustration left the dragoness. "I accidentally kill a Winter Knight, I find Roko, I find my brother, and my Mate is arrested all in the same day. And now we have to deal with more abominations..."


Tassadar
"Who's Roko?" the faerie asked, her attention far more focused than she would be were such an idle question. "Is it like this for you every time you go on vacation?" Ria piped in suddenly, a note of levity in her voice that had been noticeably absent from the table up until that point.


Termite
"My first lover who I thought had been killed." That was about as much information as Alex was willing to volunteer at the moment, so when Ria asked her question the dragon gladly answered it. "This is my first vacation, so technically yes."


Tassadar
"Welp.... I, uhhh, don't have anything prepared for that answer. Gimme a minute!" Ria said, making a game attempt at keeping her tone light even though she drew an annoyed look from both Albatross and Gregor. "He isn't important to our present concerns then," the faerie said firmly, "Nor, do I think, is your brother. I know it makes me sound like a berating parent, but you ought to push your other concerns aside for now, Alexandra. This is too touchy a situation to risk distractions. For now, we should concentrate on our next step. Planning for what we'll do when we catch whatever did this can wait until we have more information. Do we have any leads other than the arena to go on?"


Termite
Another sigh followed. "I know, just wondering why my life suddenly became so busy." But Lady Albatross was right, and Alex took a moment to clear her thoughts a bit and focus on the task at hand. "Nothing tangible, but Aes did tell me to follow the white light. I'm going to assume its related to her Insight, so that's something to look for."


Tassadar
Lady Albatross nodded, "We'll have to keep an eye out for that then, though even I haven't the slightest idea of what it might mean. Shall we finish our drinks and be off then? The longer we wait, the colder the trail will become."


Termite
"Of course." At that Alex relaxed a bit simply to enjoy her drink, and as she finished it she started wondering who Therion would leave as a representative to follow Alex's investigation.


Tassadar
The mead was as good as ever, and if the mannerisms from the others were to be read accurately the same could be said for the other drinks. The only one who didn't seem quite pleased with their beverage was Angelle, who after taking a sip of the alcohol glared at it as if the drink had somehow betrayed her, and sipped it more cautiously afterwards. Alex's daughter was the last to finish her drink, and in that time Alex got a good idea of the drinking habits of her tablemates. Lady Albatross seemed to find alcohol distasteful in general, but had grown sufficiently used to it that she could savor the stuff if found in the right accompaniment. Dingroria, perhaps unsurprisingly, seemed to enjoy the booze simply because it was booze, draining her tankard the quickest of them despite that it held the greatest volume among their assorted drinks. Sir Andrast, in contrast, drank his quickly, but with the eagerness of one who'd drunk before and drunk much harder than they were now, the tiny edges of a haunted look appearing on his face as he briefly stared off into space.

Once all of them had finished, they rose with Alex in the lead and departed, and outside they found a lone man clad in a somewhat shabby example of the uniform of a Therion guard, a hand-rolled cigarette clenched between his teeth with an ember burning at the tip. The man's age was indeterminate, his face weathered and scarred but still mildly at least mildly handsome, perhaps made more so by the combination of ruggedness and experience evident in it. His hair was kept cut short and hadn't start to recede, but was starting to grey in places in a manner similar to Sir Gregor's. He glanced at aside as the door into the tavern opened and Alex and her entourage came pouring out, barely batting an eyelash at the strange ensemble. "Alexandra Alistar, I take it?" the man asked sardonically without removing the cigarette from his mouth, a grin cracking across his otherwise serious features. "I'm Lieutenant Calkis. I'll be your official escort for the purpose of this investigation," he stated simply, and held out a hand in offering.


Termite
Alex...wasn't quite sure what to make of this man... He seemed rather scruffy, but appearances and all that. It was pretty obvious he had done this for quite some time, the light speckling of gray in his hair a sign of age and the general age of the uniform itself only strengthened that image. "Indeed." Alex took his hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you for your presence. We're prepared to start, and we believe we have a lead worth pursuing. We'll be returning to the Arena. Are you familiar with it?" And if he was... "Are there any tunnels or catacombs beneath it that don't see much use?"


Tassadar
The Lieutenant's handshake was just as firm as Alex's, and he answered her questions quickly and promptly; "Yeah, I know of it." Followed by; "Yes. There's a lot of old structure underneath the arena from back when we used to pit slaves against wild animals, plus the sewers beneath all of that. Neither see much visitation except for the bit that serves as the fighter's pit for the arena. They said they'd send your shield over, do you want to wait for that or try to meet it on the way?"


Termite
"If we know which way it's being brought then let's catch it. Otherwise I'd rather wait."


Tassadar
"There's only one road to the arena from here unless they decided to take back alleys. Not likely. Come on then," he said, and then glanced at the assorted group following Alex and grinned such that his teeth were bare, sporting some unusually long canines. "Try to keep up you lot! Don't get lost now!" None of her companions took very well to that, not even Ria, but they fell in line anyway, Angelle clinging to Alex's side and the rest following along at varying distances. After only a short while their guard escort held up his hand and said; "Hold on, that's them!" He pointed to a group of four guards surrounding a woman whom Alex would recognize as the mage that she'd spoken to at the arena, and approached them with that same broad grin a moment later. "You looking for that one?" he said, gesturing with his thumb toward Alex, and the woman bearing her wrapped shield looked visibly relieved. "Yes," she said, and broke from her escort to offer Alex a wrapped parcel of a familiar shape and size, and when she grabbed it, weight.


Termite
Well, she could add irreverent to the list of flaws this man showed, but though it bothered most everyone else Alex wasn't going to let it get to her. It was probably why she merely raised an eyebrow at being referred to as 'that one', but the sight of the mage was far more important in her eyes. "We meet again." Seeing only the shield had her annoyed once more, but as much as it looked like it was aimed at the woman it truly wasn't, and she accepted the package and immediately opened it.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Tassadar
The mousy young woman looked mildly frightened at the look that Alex gave her, even if the emotions weren't directed against her. Opening the wrapped package, Alex found her shield, both fully intact and showing a fresh polishing. "We can't give you back your sword yet, but we hope you'll take this as a gesture of good faith!" the woman said, showing clearly that the line was rehearsed.


Termite
Alex merely looked it over for a few seconds before lifting and placing it back into the empty harness on her back. "Thank you for caring for it." A nod of the head was given to the woman, and Alex suppressed the annoyance she felt so she would no longer felt threatened. "I just wish you would have told me the truth about why you were holding my weapon."


Tassadar
"What do you mean?" the mage asked, appearing genuinely confused.


Termite
"You told me you were merely going to run tests on my sword and return it as quickly as possible, but then I was told that it had been confiscated and would remain so until the trial was complete."


Tassadar
"Oh.... Well that's what I thought was going to happen!" she replied exasperatedly, "I didn't know it was going to be detained for any other reason! If I had, I'd have told you. I didn't make that decision, and I'm sorry that my higherups made it so that what I said to you wasn't the truth. I'm just a medic! This is all way above my pay grade!"


Termite
"I see. My apologies." A sigh of regret was let out, and Alex gave the woman a gentle pat on the shoulder. At that the mage was free to do whatever she wished, and unless there was anything else to do Alex would start heading for the Arena once more.


Tassadar
As it turned out, the mage was just going back to the arena anyway, and as such she had a bit more of an escort along the way there after the mage hesitantly nodded her understanding. Their designated escort hummed a fast marching tune all the way there, and after they'd parted ways from the man Alex found herself facing the same man who'd allowed her into the arena in the first place at the door. "You again eh? I think they still won't give up your sword lass, sorry to say," he said frankly, "Or were you here for something else? I was told that you're to be allowed to look around if you like. Is that what you're here for?"


Termite
"Yes. We'll need access to the lower areas of the Arena and the tunnels that lie beneath it."


Tassadar
"....Well alright then," he said simply, after which he opened the door for them. "Be careful down there yah? We haven't exactly been checking up on it much. There might be rats." Stepping ahead of Alex, her guard escort said; "Nothing to worry about then! Rats won't be a problem. Come along now, I know the way." Taking the lead, he took them down into the pit and through a small side door that Alex hadn't been through before, entering a narrow, dirty passageway. "Keep close ladies and gents, these parts are dangerous!" he called back as he drew out a small glowing sphere and set it to hover about his head, casting ample light by which to see. It smelled like rust and rot and disease down here, and it only got worse the deeper in Alex and company went, but none of her companions save for Angelle were displaying any fear at the prospect. "Did you know specifically where you were trying to go? Like, did you have a general area? Cuz there's a lot of tunnels down here."


Termite
The smell was definitely something else, but Alex persevered. She had to. There was too much riding on how well this investigation went, and she wasn't going to let something like this bother her. "There are two general areas I'd like to examine. The first is beneath where I killed Arclan. The second is beneath the stands where my daughter was sitting." Hopefully there would be some residual trace where the Outsider's power had been most focused, and someone should be able to pick up on it if they were close enough.


Tassadar
"Well, I don't know where either of those spots are, but I can figure out where your daughter was if she can remember the aisle number," Lieutenant Calkis stated simply. It took Angelle a moment, but she eventually spat out; "Aisle.... 44. I think." The girl's ancestral memories had gone a long way toward improving her education, but they unfortunately lacked in reading and writing, and she hadn't even had a concept for mathematics before she'd been taught about it. "Aisle 44 it is! If we have to, we can go up to the surface and look, just to be sure," the guardsman said brightly, and led them through the dank, cramped halls. What followed was a brief but very unpleasant journey, one in which Ria had to crouch and Lady Albatross had to cover her nose, but soon enough it was over. They arrived at an intersection in the tunnels, a structure supported by four archways, A circle had been drawn in the floor by what looked like the crumblings of freshly dried leaves, and it was in a muted tone and with an uncharacteristic scowl that Calkis declared; "Here we are."


Termite
"This doesn't exactly look natural..." Especially since she hadn't seen any leaves up to that point. It looked like someone had employed some kind of ritual. "Lady Albatross, any insight into what this could have been used for?"


Tassadar
"It isn't," both Calkis and Gregor said at once, after which they briefly traded glares before setting about watching down each of the passages. "Give me a moment," the faerie lord stated smoothly as she knelt down, picking up some of the crumbled leaves and examining them. "Strange.... But not contrary to my assumptions...." she murmured under her breath. The faerie lord cast a spell, causing a small burst of magic that, as far as Alex could tell, didn't do anything. "Hrm..... As I suspected.... But why now?" she added, her voice all but imperceptible to all but the most perceptive, one of whom was Alex. It was just then, as the faerie was casting another spell, that Alex heard a faint click, a tiny fleck of stone falling at her feet. She glanced up..... And saw something long and thin, something serpentine and covered in slimy, scaly skin. Something eyeless and black... And as she soon found out, sporting a mouth full of two inch long, razor-sharp teeth.

(Perception: Failure. By 2. Attack: Automatic hit. Damage: After armor Alex takes 73 damage, dropping her to 2 HP. Her allies don't fare much better, though Angelle and Albatross aren't attacked.)

The creature on the ceiling let out a shriek unlike anything that Alex had ever heard before, a cry so piercing and horrible that it nearly struck her deaf right then and there, and over which she couldn't hear her daughter's terrified scream or the cries of her companions. What she did hear were the chorus of shrieks that answered it, coming from all around them, and then there was a brilliant flash of red-tinged fangs, and agony erupted from Alex's neck as the monstrous serpent's fangs tore right into the half-dragon's throat. It was only by the narrowest of margins that Alex kept from having her throat torn out completely, as the beast could easily have torn all the way down to the bone. She saw that first hand as she recoiled away, the monster pulling back for another strike and giving her a brief opportunity to see what was unfolding around her. Gregor's head and face were both covered in blood, and he was holding up his shield and stumbling blindly backwards into the circle while facing another of the monsters. Ria had one of them latched onto her massive arm, and Alex got to watch as it tore away, taking a chuck of skin and muscle right along with it. Calkis was down, fallen to hands and knees with his throat simply gone entirely. Albatross was leaping to her feet as if in slow motion, and Angelle was gazing about in obvious panic, a look of pure terror in her her daughter's eyes as she looked upon the abominations.


Termite
The small stone should have been more than enough warning. Alex should have set herself on the defensive the moment even the slightest of unknown movements was made, but her focus was resting too far entirely on Albatross as she prepared for whatever spell she was casting about. That was Alex's thought as she found some serpentine THING lunging and sinking its fangs directly into her neck. It was a near miracle that she managed to escape with her throat still attached, and as the creature prepared for another she found that someone else hadn't been as lucky. The lieutenant had collapsed, his throat simply gone, and Gregor and Ria looked no better than Alex did. Thankfully the Lady and Angelle were unhurt, but the girl was absolutely horrified at the scene in front of her. If she didn't move then something awful was going to happen, and Alex refused to let that happen. She tried to yell, but her torn throat made it an effort that sent flecks of blood spitting out of her mouth. That wouldn't do. Alex focused her strength, bore it down into herself and summoned her ancestor's indomitable will until it exploded out of her in a blast of pure heat. "Angelle! Move!" Her voice wouldn't be denied, not now, and as she turned she swore she wasn't going to let these things simply tear her apart.

(Dragon's Pride, X=10)


Tassadar
(Dragon's Pride X = 10, Alex has paid 10 EP and is paying 4 EP upkeep. The monster misses her this round. Albatross sends a lightning bolt down a corridor that fries a couple of them.)

Seeing the condition of her mother didn't seem to to do much to help Angelle's state of mind, but her sudden shout despite the blood flowing freely from her neck, threatening to cause the dragonkin to choke to death on it if she didn't simply bleed out first, spurred her into action. Rising to her feet, Lady Albatross gathered power as quickly as she'd ever seen and sent a bolt of black-and-red lightning down the corridor that none of them were guarding. A flash illuminated several of the creatures before they were reduced to little more than dust, and the faerie quickly called; "Go! Go!" Sir Andrast suddenly blazed with light, enacting the same power he'd used to fight Alex in the arena above them, and thankfully this time it availed him better, allowing him to fend off a second bite from the one that had almost killed him and then strike back, smashing it against the wall with his shield and then taking its head from its body with the followup. "You want a taste, you ugly little shits!?" Ria roared savagely, swinging her club in both hands and literally crushing one of the creatures into paste. Unfortunately, no less than a dozen more were closing on the massive oni, and while she was warding them off for the moment, there was no way that she'd be able to hold them back for long when so many were coming from so many different angles. The massive woman simply didn't have the room to move in the narrow tunnels, a disadvantage that their own opponents did not share. That fact nearly cost Alex her life, but a quick motion of her shield blocked the monstrous serpent's bite before it could touch her flesh. Calkis, in the meantime, was shuddering and vomiting up blood onto the floor, his flesh boiling and twisting for reasons that Alex could only hope to guess at at the moment. Angelle and Albatross, in the meantime, were rushing down the corridor that the faerie's magic had briefly opened, but Alex could see more of the serpent's clinging to the walls, ready to dive in at her daughter and her mentor at a moment's notice.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

So many... So many spots of trouble... Alex had a brief flashback to something similar. Two years ago during the grand battle between the reclamation force and the mass of Invaders Alex found herself wading through a small war that was quickly devolving into a losing struggle for the faeries and the the few allies that had joined them. The support mages came under heavy attack, the knights were being battered by enemy forces while a massive fireball shocked them enough to leave them stunned, and the last of the giant trolls was being corrupted by a pair of those mindless slimes. Now she saw her allies bleeding, the front-line fighters barely holding the enemy off while another lay on the floor rapidly dying while his flesh warped for lords knew whatever reason. Angelle and Albatross lay unhurt, but they were surrounding by more of these damned things and would soon be overwhelmed.

Alex had managed to solve the problems of the past with one well-placed attack and a strategic movement let her allies recover, and in this moment she saw no other choice then to try and pull the same miracle out of this clusterfuck. "INCOMING!" She screamed it as loud as she could down the tunnel the faerie and her daughter had taken, and as it finished her voice shifted into a momentary shriek of draconic might before the fire she gathered was finally released. It sped down that passageway to complete its task, but even then Alex was shifting elsewhere. "Ria! Back! Protect Calkis! Gregor! Cover!" She urged the demon to step back to protect the lieutenant, and if Ria moved Alex would cross over to act as a decoy for the monstrosities that had surrounded her. Her shield and her strength should allow her to hold the enemy back while Sir Gregor hopefully covered their flank, and if the enemies in the tunnel were adequately taken care of then Ria would be free to see to the guard and hopefully either get him to Angelle and Albatross in time or see to his survival herself.

Spoiler

Attacking the tunnel serpents with Dragon's Breath with Defensive Fighting at 10 Hit for 10 Dodge to assist Ria

Dragon's Pride X = 10
+50 Dodge
+50 Resistance
+30 Perception

Dragon's Breath with conditions...
If I can angle any attack so that Alex will hit all the creatures in an explosion without hitting Albatross/Angelle and without collapsing the tunnel then X=9
(2d6)*9 Heat damage
If that's impossible then use a cone/line at X=7 to reduce some of the damage those two will take when they dodge it
(2d6)*7 Heat damage
+55 Attack

Defensive Fighting
-10 Attack
+10 Dodge for Ria

All that should give me:

Dragon's Breath: (2d6)*9 Heat damage
Attack: +45
Dodge: 112 (+18 Round Heavy Shield) (+2 Aescila's Gift) (+10 Unarmed) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus)
Resistance: 75 (+3 Lucky) (+6 Breastplate) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus/PP.Damage)
Perception: 65 (+3 Lucky) (+2 Aescila's Gift)

Ria Dodge +10

Also Alex is moving to become the primary target for all creatures currently surrounding Ria.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 2/75, PP = 60, EP = 60/85, Status = Badly Injured, Dragon's Pride X = 10

NPC Stats
Angelle: HP = 50, PP = 49, EP = 47/61, Status = Fine
Lady Albatross: HP = 160, PP = 135, EP = 135, Status = Fine
Dingroria: HP = 44/115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Injured
Sir Andrast: HP = 1/70, PP = 50, EP = 64/90, Status = Badly Injured, Battle Aura X = 10
Lieutenant Calkis: HP = 152, PP = 54, EP = 54, Status = Fine, Werewolf Form

Rolls

Spoiler

Alex breaths fire! As discussed over ye VMs, she can hit the one side of Angelle and Albatross with a cone, and then goes to cover Ria with her Defensive Fighting of 10!
Attack: She hits 'em quite nicely.
Damage: 2 + 3 = 5 * 9 = 45 - 10 = 35 damage.

Ria squishes a thingy.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 2 + 72 - 10 - 5 = 86 damage. Splat.

Sir Andrast slaps and slashes with 10 points of defensive fighting.
Attacks: Both hit.
Damage (shield) : 5 + 5 + 5 + 29 - 10 + 30 = 64 damage.
Damage (sword) : 3 + 5 + 39 - 10 + 30 = 67 damage.
Total of 131 damage. Splink schlick.

Lady Albatross uses Spell Control and Empowered Spell on Cone of Flame for a total of 14 EP and -6 casting, with the spell being treated as a total of 3 levels higher after all is accounted for.
Casting: Success.
Attack: Hit all in its area.
Damage: 5 + 1 + 9 = 15 * 7 = 105 - 10 = 95 damage. Buuuuuurn.

Angelle panic blasts the same group that Alex hit with Holy Fire X = 12.
Attack: Hit all.
Damage: 1 + 4 + 1 + 1 = 7 * 15 = 85 - 10 = 75 damage.

A bunch of monsters attack Alex and Sir Andrast, four attacks against each.
Attacks: All miss.

Two monsters attack Ria.
Attacks: Both hit. Fawk.
Damage: 1 + 1 + 43 - 39 = 6 damage per hit.

Calkis completes his transformation and mauls the shit out of a creature.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 7 + 2 + 65 - 10 = 64 damage.

The volume of Alex's voice as it echoed through the shrieks of their attackers all but guaranteed that Angelle and Albatross had heard her, but neither had the time to show any reaction to her words given their situation. Albatross just kept on dragging Angelle forward as fast as she could, but Alex spotted an opportunity to aid them without catching them in the crossfire, and so she took it. Heaving in as deep a breath as she could with her shredded throat, Alex expelled a gout of dragonfire onto the serpents encroaching upon her fleeing allies. The flames washed across the stone support beams and their enemies alike, but her neck wound ensured that the magical fire wasn't as potent as it could have been both through the pain that it caused and through the flames that slipped out through the holes in her neck. As such, while she left the creatures burned, they were still squirming towards Angelle and Albatross with hungry maws wide.

Lady Albatross turned to the side that Alex hadn't tried to clear while the half-dragon's flames were still burning, and unleashed a wave of magical fire upon the encroaching snakes that Alex could sense held a great deal more power than her own. When the flames cleared, leaving the air dangerously thick with smoke, there was nothing left in the faerie's wake but dust and the now glowing support beams. Unfortunately, she didn't turn quickly enough to deal with the tide coming from the opposite side, and the swarm of serpents washed over them within seconds. Alex heard her daughter's terrified scream, and it seemed certain that she was about to be torn apart.... Until white flames exploded outwards, annihilating the creatures and leaving Albatross and Angelle both completely unharmed. Again they ran ahead, reaching an intersection which the swarm of creatures didn't seem to be holding yet, and then vanished from Alex's sight, leaving her to deal with those threatening to tear her and the other three fighters apart.

"On it!" the massive oni called as Alex rushed past her, putting herself between the enemies and the large woman so that she could scoop up the downed guardsman. Sir Andrast backed toward her, forming half of a square facing outward toward the oncoming swarm, and then they were forced to defend themselves. Hungry maws came at Alex from every direction, seeking to lay claim to her flesh and devour her in full, but now that the element of surprise was lost it seemed that they were far less deadly. Strike after would-be strike simply bounced off of her shield, never even coming close to her body, and beside her Andrast fared just as well. The knight had had time to set himself properly, however, and thus as his foes swarmed in he was able to lash out in turn, smashing one against a pillar with a lightning-quick bash from his shield and splitting another in half with his sword. Despite that he thinned their numbers, he wouldn't be able to keep that up forever, and there were far more of them than they'd likely be able to kill before they were overwhelmed.

"What the fuck!?" Alex heard Ria exclaim from over her shoulder, and suddenly the piercing shrieks of the black serpents were joined by an equally deafening sound that was half bestial roar and half savage canine howl. Before she could even turn around, a dark, furry streak flashed over Alex's head, catching a serpent in its jaws and then latching onto one of the stone pillars with claws that were like butcher knives. at which point it hung there just over their heads while gnawing on its kill. The beast was both vaguely canine and vaguely humanoid, its form bipedal but its legs jointed like those of a wolf, its forelimbs as much like human arms as the deadly limbs of a wild animal. Dark fur of the same color as that which had been atop Lieutenant Calkis' head covered its body, and the shreds of his uniform clung to its body, but its face was entirely that of a wild beast. The monster's wolflike jaws bit down, severing the serpent it had clenched in between them cleanly in half, and then it let out another savage roar in answer to the chorus of inhuman shrieks that the serpents railed up at it.

There came a loud smashing sound from behind her, followed by a pair of pained grunts from Ria, and suddenly Alex felt the oni at her back. "They're all around us," she grunted, and if Alex glanced behind she would see that Ria wasn't quite right.... Yet. The gap left by Angelle and Albatross was still present, but it was being filled in at an alarming rate. Alex would have to make the choice right then and there, either to make a break for it or try to edge towards the exit while defending themselves as best they could, and what they would do (if anything) about the beast clinging to the support pillar above them.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

The moment Alex spouted her flame she jerked her head to the side. She hadn't really considered how her breath would be affected by her wounds, and as that fire raced out of her she felt it pouring through the holes in her neck and spreading. It it fucking HURT. A part of her knew it wouldn't damage her. This was her fire. It was a part of her being. Unless she actively tried to strain herself her flesh would remain untouched. But that was still some gods be damned dragonfire rushing through raw flesh. It made it feel like she was burning even larger holes in her neck, and once that fire was finally out Alex was quite relieved.

That was until she heard her daughter shriek. The moment she took to clear her senses prevented Alex from noticing that those creatures she burned were still intact, and suddenly seeing a swarm of them leaping after the hybrid had her nearly panicking right there. But thankfully that scream was followed by a burst of white fire that completely incinerated those snakes and left both Angelle and Albatross unscathed. Seeing them escape down an uninfested path was a relief, even if it left the fighters without any support. They would just have to clear their own path out of there.

As Alex joined the melee things were starting to look a little better, but Ria's sudden cry led to a massive hulk of dark fur bounding right over Alex's head. The dragon wasn't sure what to make of that thing, not until it came to a rest and savagely tore its prey in half a snap of its jaws. That in itself was enough to make the woman take a single step back. She knew what that thing was. She knew who it was. She even knew what kind of gods forsaken power it possessed. But this was the first time she'd ever actually seen a werewolf in the flesh, and despite everything she'd been told actually witnessing that raw destructive power simply tearing into a living creature with such contempt had her taking a step back in reflex.

That step soon had her bumping against Ria, and upon hearing the oni's grunt Alex spared a look back to confirm. And there she saw...an opening. They could still escape. If they hurried they could make it through the path that Angelle and Albatross had opened. But that would also leave them a little more exposed. But staying here would simply leave them getting surrounded, and there was no telling how well they could manage a slow retreat against these things. And then there was Calkis. Despite how much of a beast he had become Alex simply couldn't leave him behind. He was still a Therion authority, and he was a witness to the odd ritual circle they had found. His word would hold more merit in court, and combined with Albatross's testimony it should be enough to keep Aes from simply being handed to the Queen of Winter.

So how was she going to get everyone to safety while getting the rather beastly lieutenant to follow? "Ria, Gregor, try to get as far into that tunnel as you can and prevent more of these bastards from cutting us off. I'll sit at its mouth and prevent anymore from following." Considering how cramped Ria was when moving through them Alex's bulk would keep the serpents from the chamber from simply slithering past, and it would also force them into a bottleneck that would make defense much easier. And as she set herself to beat back each snake that tried to go through her there was one more thing she needed to do. She whistled. Or she tried as best she could. The holes in her neck made it difficult, but she would manage one way or another. And hopefully that would catch Calkis's attention. If he was going to act like nothing more than a savage wolf then she would treat him as such. He needed to escape as well, and if the only way he would was by directing his rage elsewhere then Alex would take it. She would hold him back and urge him to retreat alongside them all, and once they were relatively safe she would deal with this monster on her own.

Spoiler

Move to the tunnel mouth
Defensive Stance with Defensive Fighting at 10 Hit for 10 Dodge


Dragon's Pride 10
+50 Dodge
+50 Resistance
+30 Perception

Defensive Stance
Counter all attacks that miss Alex (exclude Calkis if he takes a shot at her)
+10 Dodge

Defensive Fighting
-10 Attack
+10 Dodge


Stats should be:


Dodge: 122 (+18 Round Heavy Shield) (+2 Aescila's Gift) (+10 Unarmed) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus)
Resistance: 75 (+3 Lucky) (+6 Breastplate) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus/PP.Damage)
Perception: 65 (+3 Lucky) (+2 Aescila's Gift)

Unarmed: (d20 + 45) [1d8 + 29] {Blunt}
Round Heavy Shield: (d20 + 55) [3d6 + 25] {Blunt}, DB = 18, EV = 0


And I realize I've never questioned this. With Defensive Stance does a character only counter with one weapon, or do they counter with both?

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 2/75, PP = 60, EP = 56/85, Status = Badly Injured, Dragon's Pride X = 10

NPC Stats
Angelle: HP = 50, PP = 49, EP = 47/61, Status = Fine
Lady Albatross: HP = 160, PP = 135, EP = 135, Status = Fine
Dingroria: HP = 44/115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Injured
Sir Andrast: HP = 1/70, PP = 50, EP = 56/90, Status = Badly Injured, Battle Aura X = 10
Lieutenant Calkis: HP = 152, PP = 54, EP = 54, Status = Fine, Werewolf Form

Rolls

Spoiler

You get an unarmed strike and a shield bash for counters.

Attacks against Alex: all miss.
Counterpunch: All hit.
Counterbash: All hit.
Damage (unarmed) : 7 + 29 - 10 = 26 damage.
Damage (shield) : 1 + 1 + 4 + 25 - 10 = 21 damage.
Not enough to kill them, unfortunately.

Andrast does the same thing as Alex but without the defensive fighting. Ria just attacks one enemy with 20 points of defensive fighting and moves.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 3 + 5 + 7 +5 + 72 - 10 = 88 damage. One more down.

Attacks against Andrast: All miss.
Counterslash: All hit.
Counterbash: All hit.
Damage (sword) : 2 + 6 + 39 - 10 + 30 = 67 damage.
Damage (shield) : 2 + 2 + 5 + 29 - 10 + 30 = 58 damage.
That is enough to kill them!

Calkis gores a monster.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 8 + 3 + 65 - 10 = 66 damage.

"Right!" Ria said immediately following Alex's command, but Andrast seemed intent on arguing the point, as he replied; "You can't hold off so many on your own! At least let me watch your back!" Ria grabbed him and shunted him forward before Alex even needed to try and argue him down, shouting over the hiss of the approaching serpents; "Get up there fancy pants! You've gotta hold the door for the ladies!" He didn't have much of a choice at that point and thusly dropped the argument, as he was forced to start fending off the rush of monsters while Ria went along behind him. The oni smashed down one of the creatures as it flung itself at the knight, but far more impressive was the warrior's performance against them. Serpent after serpent rushed at the glowing armored figure, but each was swatted aside by the man's shield and then severed in half at one point or another by his sword, killing close to a half dozen in quick succession.

Alex, for her part, was left to do much the same, but without her sword or a magical enhancement to her strength her attacks weren't so lethal. Her shield and her fist smacked down monster after monster, and some others were crushed beneath her boots, but they just kept on coming. Their slimy flesh, despite appearing soft and pliant, was as hard as steel and thick enough that Alex's knuckles began to hurt even through her gauntlets. The werewolf on the ceiling, despite the noises, turned its bloodied maw Alex's way instantly as her ragged whistle left her lips, the effort causing nearly as much pain as her fiery breath. It roared again and lunged at her as she began to back away while fending off the wave of creatures, but it intercepted a jumping serpent along the way and killed it instead of attacking her immediately. She made it to the next passageway where Sir Andrast stood defensively after another few moments, and as they made it closer the snakes seemed to back off, receding away into the darkness. Their dead were simply gone, though the stains left by their black blood remained.

The werewolf looked about to follow them off, but then turned to Alex and flattened its ears, a repetition of the motion it had made when she'd whistled. "The other tunnels are clear.... As far as I can tell!" Ria whispered urgently, having moved ahead of Andrast to check the next intersection. That left Alex and the knight facing off against the Lieutenant, who was slowly stalking toward them, claws grinding against the stone columns in several places. The beast looked as if it could lunge at them at any moment, and there was no doubting that it would be incredibly dangerous if left to roam the streets of Therion. Leaving it down here would be just as problematic, as it would likely sign the guardsman's death warrant at the hands of the monsters roaming the tunnels. "Alright.... So what do we do about.... That?" Sir Gregor whispered hoarsely beside her while holding his shield against Alex's, forming a bulwark against the opponent. The knight was bloodied and still expending his energies to empower himself just as she was, though given how heavily he was sweating at that point, it was unlikely that he was quite as efficient at it as Alex was.

The dragoness likely didn't have long to decide on how to deal with the werewolf, however, as it was drawing closer by the second... And regardless of the man that it had once been, the beast definitely didn't look friendly.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

For a moment Alex ground her teeth together as Sir Gregor nearly demanded to sit beside her instead of covering their path of escape, but before she could turn and kick him down the tunnel Ria swung past and simply grabbed them man to set him into position. For that the dragoness was grateful, and a moment later she turned back to deal with whatever threat was heading her way.

What followed next was a small lesson in humility. The serpents didn't give her one bit of trouble. Her shield managed to stop them cold, her fist or tail or foot lashing out to either knock them further back or grind them into the ground, but no matter how well she held her ground she just couldn't kill any of the little bastards. Andrast didn't have that problem. He knocked each one down and split them in half the moment they rushed for him. Ria didn't have that problem. She simply flattened them into paste with every swing. Neither did the werewolf. It simply tore them into bits. Albatross roasted an entire group with a single attack, and Angelle completely annihilated another. But Alex? Not one single kill. She'd nearly been killed, her throat was still a mess, she could feel her nerves burning whenever she tried to so much as whistle let alone talk, and all throughout this giant cluster fuck she had yet to earn her vengeance against even one of these assholes.

A moment later a mental boot flashed through her head and kicked that useless thought to the side. She had enough to worry about simply trying to stay alive without some stray thought distracting with dreams of vengeance. And it was a good thing she did. Calkis was now heading her way, and even if he one of those serpents drew his attention she had no wish to simply sit there as he landed. Standing next to a mindless mass of muscle and claw and uncontrollable fury was generally frowned upon.

As the group's retreat reached further down the tunnels the serpents started pulling back and went into hiding. That meant that they were either resting nearby or were charged with defending that ritual circle. But Alex couldn't give those options that much thought. Calkis was focused on her, and if those flat ears said anything then he was preparing to launch himself at them anytime now. As Alex was preparing for this she was quickly joined by Andras, the both of them using their shields to create a single barrier that would be that much more difficult to overcome. Ria arrived at nearly the same time with the blessed news that the tunnels looked clear, or at least as much as she could tell. That only left the obvious question of what to do with the werewolf...

Alex needed him alive. He was a witness to foul play that did not involve Aes. She also needed to keep herself alive. She couldn't help Aes if she was dead. She could just knock him out, but dragging an unconscious body through these tunnels nearly sounded like a death sentence. Calkis needed to be subdued and somehow kept mobile. That didn't leave very many options... But Alex was going to try. "Sir Gregor, how long until you need to power down?"

"A minute or so. Maybe more if I reduce the power of it," the knight replied quickly and smoothly, keeping his eyes centered solely on the werewolf in front of him.

That gave her some room to work. "Ria, if I give you a shot can you choke him unconscious?"

"If I've got to..." the oni replied nervously, issuing a quick glance at the beast as it stalked ever closer to them, "I'd prefer to keep my hands aware from those teeth though."

"If it comes to that I'll make sure he doesn't touch you." That gave her a backup plan. An unconscious Calkis was far better than an uncontrollable ball of rage and death. "All right, I'm going to try something very stupid. Sir Gregor, cover me while I get ready. Ria, get ready to pounce when I say." A deep breath was taken, and under it Alex let out a small prayer that this would hopefully work.

The warrior took a single step back, and once she set herself in place she let out a roar. A blast of heat erupted from her skin, as the air around her warped with its presence her body did the same. Alex's scales spread until her entire body had become covered by her draconic hide. Not an inch of human skin could be found, and after only a couple seconds the blast of heated air washing off of her finally died. Her body appeared to collapse, but an instant later her unarmed hand braced the rest of her weight as she nearly crouched on three legs and turned her eyes toward the werewolf. She locked eyes with the beast, her own lips starting to curl back to snarl at it, and in doing so she revealed some sharper teeth that looked just as capable of tearing through flesh as Calkis's did.

She took only a single second to analyze her prey, but once that passed she shot forward and slammed her body straight into him. She led with her still shielded arm, and as it connected she placed her entire body behind it and used her own momentum to knock the wolf onto his back. Following that she pounced, and after she was determined to wrestle him until she felt she could hold him under her grip and leave him helpless. Once she managed that her mouth would open and fall to his neck, and the beast would suddenly feel the points of Alex's teeth nearly ready to rip his throat out just like the serpents had done to his human form. But she never clamped down. She simply held him there, a low growl rumbling in her town throat even as an intense heat could be felt bubbling up from the back of her throat. If he tried to struggle out of it her mouth would close a little tighter, not enough to seriously hurt the wolf but more than enough to threaten him and show him who was the alpha. And that was her plan. She'd seen dogs struggling much the same way, and she was hoping that by proving dominance Calkis would be more willing to follow her without attacking either her or her companions. She just had to hope that there was some reason left in the creature, even if it left him as nothing more than a beast.

Spoiler

Start off with Draconic Transformation at X = 13, Upkeep = 8

Draconic Transformation 13
+52 Attack
+52 Grapple
+52 Melee Damage
+26 Armor

Dragon's Pride 10
+50 Dodge
+50 Resistance
+30 Perception

And then we're going for Grapple, then Submission. The opening shield charge was just for fluff. Stats should be:

Dodge: 122 (+18 Round Heavy Shield) (+2 Aescila's Gift) (+10 Unarmed) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus)
Armor: 35 (+16 Breastplate)
Resistance: 75 (+3 Lucky) (+6 Breastplate) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus/PP.Damage)
Perception: 65 (+3 Lucky) (+2 Aescila's Gift)
Grapple: 112 (+3 Lucky) (+52 Attack)

Of course this may not work, so...

But no matter how much Alex planned there were too many unknowns. She was unsure if Gregor could withstand the werewolf's attack or not. She was unsure whether her transformation was strong enough to match the werewolf's sheer brute strength. She was unsure if Calkis had enough of a mind as a beast to recognize when it was bested. If any of those conditions looked like they might fail then she would need to put him down. And that too would start with her shield. Whether she was still rushing to meet him or struggling for dominance on the ground she would use pull her arm back before forcing it straight up and through the beast's chin. It would send the werewolf down to the ground, and as it hit Alex would suddenly bellow "NOW!" to Ria. Once the oni was moving in Alex would join in, and the she would do her best to keep Calkis under control until Ria had finally rendered him unconscious.

Spoiler

If Gregor gets hurt or Alex can't adequately control Calkis or Calkis just keeps on going "RAWR RAWR" then start with Shield Slam then go for group grapple with Ria

Shield Slam
Shield Bash only
+10 Damage
Can cause Prone (Resist check)

Non-lethal attack so Alex isn't doing too much damage to Calkis. Stats are the same as above and include:

Round Heavy Shield: (d20 + 117) [3d6 + 87] {Blunt}, DB = 18, EV = 0

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 2/75, PP = 60, EP = 27/85, Status = Badly Injured, Dragon's Pride X = 10, Draconic Transformation X = 13

NPC Stats
Angelle: HP = 50, PP = 49, EP = 47/61, Status = Fine
Lady Albatross: HP = 160, PP = 135, EP = 135, Status = Fine
Dingroria: HP = 44/115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Injured
Sir Andrast: HP = 0/70, PP = 50, EP = 48/90, Status = Critically Injured
Lieutenant Calkis: HP = 0/100, PP = 45, EP = 45, Status = Unconscious

Rolls

Spoiler

Alex pays her 4 EP upkeep for Dragon's Pride and activates Draconic Transformation X = 13, bringing her costs this round to 17 EP and increasing her upkeep to 12 EP for each subsequent round.

In the meantime, Sir Andrast uses Full Defense and then Calkis tries to maul him.
Attack: 15 + 111 = 126 vs 121 = 61 + 30 (Full Defense) + 30 (Battle Aura) == Hit. Well, fuck.
Damage: 10 + 3 + 65 + 10 - 27 = 61 damage. That's 60 more HP than he had, >.>

Ria smacks Calkis off of Andrast before ye knight can be killed using Golf Swing.
Attack: Automatic Hit.
Damage: 2 + 6 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 72 - 22 = 74 damage.
Resistance: Calkis wins, but he's still thrown back 10 feet even though he isn't knocked prone.

Then, upkeeps are paid and Alex lunges for ye shield slam!
Attack: Automatic Hit.
Damage: 5 + 5 + 3 + 87 - 22 = 78 damage, exactly enough to mechanically knock him out.

Alex piles on and Ria comes in and chokes him to unconsciousness for fluff.

Perception: Success.

Alex's two comrades that were sane of mind nodded and enacted the plan, Andrast taking a step forward and firmly putting his shield between himself (and Alex behind him) and the werewolf that was slowly stalking toward them, while Ria stepped up beside Alex and waited in case she needed help with subduing the beast. Unfortunately, as was often the case, her plan did not survive contact with the enemy.

Andrast was, by all definitions, a fairly skilled fighter, his experience making up for the diminishment of his body's capabilities. He was blazing with his own spiritual energies and had set himself up as best he could to receive that werewolf without risking further injury. He only needed to buy Alex a few seconds to complete her transformation, at which point she'd be the one in danger of suffering the beast's fury. Despite all that, Calkis' bestial rage proved greater than the knight's ability to defend himself even in those few shorts seconds. As Alex roared and emanated a wave of fiery heat, the werewolf responded with a roar of his own and shot forward like a dark furry lightning bolt. A ring of something heavy slamming against steel and the scraping of something hard grinding against metal joined the twin roars, but as Alex's began to play out as her transformation drew to a close, the man-beast's only grew louder.

Sir Gregor was thrown from his feet and slammed onto his back by the fury of Calkis' charge, having only enough time to let out a startled gasp that was left inaudible amidst the other sounds taking place in the cramped hall before the werewolf was on top of him. The glow emanating from the knight's body ensured that the brutality that followed was displayed with crystal clarity for Alex and a momentarily stunned Dingroria to see, however much they might have preferred it to remain hidden in darkness. Andrast had had the sense to keep his shield over his face as he'd gone down, and even though it wasn't glowing as the rest of him was the light shed by his body illuminated the gashes torn into the steel by the werewolf's claws. That barrier of steel wouldn't last more than another few seconds under Calkis' assault, but unfortunately the beast didn't seem stupid enough to try and go through it. Reaching around the side of Andrast's shield, Alex could see blood erupt from the knight's shield arm as the werewolf grabbed him by his just barely exposed elbow, claws digging through the joint in the plating and yanking the arm sideways. The popping sound of Gregor's arm coming out of its socket was only barely detectable through the pained scream that the warrior unleashed, but the tearing sound as the flesh of his elbow gave way was all too readily apparent as well. Unfortunately, though that sound had snapped Ria out of her stupor and started the oni moving, she wasn't fast enough to intervene.... At least not before the gory show played through its second act.

An eruption of blood added a red tinge to Andrast's white glow as his shield arm was torn off at the elbow and flung aside, and with the main barrier between beast and prey removed, Calkis went to town. More blood shot out as the werewolf started tearing into his chest and abdomen with his claws, but that paled in comparison to the spurt of gore that erupted out as the beast clamped its jaws onto the man's shoulder. Loud as Andrast's agonized screams were by that point, they didn't drown out the crunching of bone as his shoulder and collar bone were crushed beneath the force of the werewolf's jaws, his armor offering next to no protection against the werewolf's overpowering maw. Andrast's glow winked out just as Ria came within range, her club coming down and then back up in an arc that took it into Calkis' midsection despite his position on top of Sir Gregor, the force of her blow carrying the beast off of its victim and sending it hurtling away. Despite his sudden flight and the pained yelp that he'd emitted when hit, Calkis flipped in midair and landed in a position that was ready for another lunge.

Fortunately, by that point Alex's transformation was finished, and she was able to interpose herself between Ria and Calkis with a lunge no less swift than that of the beast that she targeted. Her shield came up and slammed into the monster's chin hard enough to throw him into the air, and this time he was sufficiently stunned that he ended up on his back and didn't immediately rebound. Alex was on top of the beast in an instant, and Ria soon after, but it became clear from the beast's greatly weakened struggles that her blow to its chin had taken most of the fight out of it. With Alex holding it down, her shield pinning one of his hands to the ground while her free hand held his other down by the wrist, Ria reached in and grabbed him by the neck with both of her massive hands. The oni squeezed his throat tightly, holding his head down and away from both of them while quite effectively cutting off his air supply, if the werewolf's choked whimpering was to be believed. It didn't take long before the beast went limp completely beneath the two of them, though even then Ria held on for another few moments just to make sure. Calkis only finally began to shift back into his human form while Ria pulled away with a savage scowl on her face, and within a few moments he was reduced to a man dressed in the shabby remains of his already shabby uniform, breathing raggedly and unconscious, and somewhat worse for wear courtesy of the oni's rough handling.

"Fucker," the oni spat agitatedly before turning around, at which point her scowl was replaced by a look of horror, "By the gods!" If she turned around, she'd see the very same sight that had produced that reaction from Dingroria. Andrast was lying on his back in a rapidly spreading pool of his own blood, the only sign of life evident from his body being that his numerous wounds were all still bleeding so profusely. His left arm was gone at the elbow, the lower part having been tossed aside down towards the ritual circle with the man's shield still attached after Calkis' had torn it off. His right shoulder had been impacted by the werewolf's bite, the bone crushed, the skin and muscle shredded, and jagged sections of shredded steel embedded in his flesh from the damage down to his own plate armor. That Calkis had managed to do so much damage in so little time was telling of his devastating power in his bestial form, though even a glance at the now half-naked man would show that he was incredibly well muscled for a man of his apparent age.

"What do we do now?" Ria asked quietly, her gaze turning to Alex. There had been a barely detectable note of haggard panic in the oni's voice, one that she was perhaps a bit more attuned to in the state she'd entered while preparing to subdue Calkis, but Ria was doing a good job of holding herself together. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that Alex heard as the oni spoke. A slightly familiar slithering had sounded from out in the darkness of the tunnels from which they'd come, the soft rasping noise belying the danger of the creatures that were undoubtedly causing it. Whether or not Ria had heard the noise wasn't precisely clear, but only a second after speaking she quickly added; "I can carry them both, but I won't be able to fight if I do.... And even if I only care one, I'll still have trouble defending myself if more of those fucking snakes show up!"

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Too slow... Alex could feel her scales shifting by the second, could feel the heat of her transformation crawling over her skin until it settled and hardened into an almost indestructible armor. Too slow...! She could feel her muscles tightening beneath her skin, the very fiber of her strength coiling until she could practically hear herself straining to keep her own power contained. But even then there was only one thought running through her mind. Gods dammit, hurry UP! But no matter how hard she willed this change to finish all she could do was watch. Sir Gregor stepped forward, his mass blocking Calkis from interrupting Alex as she gathered her strength, but the beast didn't seem to care. It simply turned its attention to the knight, and the man was forced to pay the price.

Andrast was taken down, and the beast followed him the entire way. Though he had the sense to protect himself with his shield as he fell it was far from a perfect defense, and the one flaw that lay exposed was soon shown to the world. With a small roar and a wrench Alex was forced to witness the maiming of the honorable knight, and the tortured cries of agony that followed had her own shield arm twitching wildly in sympathy. Sir Gregor's arm was simply tossed like so much fodder, the limb itself being lost back to the site of the circle and the ambush, and with that last line of defense gone the beast was free to do as it pleased. Fang and claw fell upon the helpless man, a gory display that blossomed once those massive jaws clamped and tore through the knight's shoulder and left a mangled mess that could only have been made much worse had Ria not acted and batted the werewolf off of the man.

Even then the beast that was Calkis merely righted itself and was prepared to lunge once more. "BASTARD!" Unfortunately for it Alex was finally finished. The moment her strength had settled she shot forward and struck. It was no slower than the werewolf's lunge, but where his was savage brutality Alex's was calculated and controlled. Her shield snapped up to catch the monster by its chin, and with it her strength bore through him until he was forcefully thrown into the air and came crashing down in a dazed heap that left the beast struggling to regain its senses. And Alex followed it just as it followed Andrast. She pinned the creatures limbs, and a moment later Ria swooped in and latched onto the wolf's neck and refused to let go. Soon after Alex could hear the thing whimpering as it was choked, but right then she was beyond caring. All she wanted was to keep this beast from tearing into either of them, and only as it started shifting back into the form of a man did Alex finally release what pressure she kept.

With the one threat dealt with the half-dragon let out a small breath, but that was the only bit of relief she could afford. Andrast was bleeding. Heavily. It looked like it would be a miracle if he even survived, but right now he was still holding onto life. He needed to be moved. Now. Especially once she caught that damned slithering once again. Those snakes were still lingering in the area, and the obvious scent of blood was most likely rousing them from from their earlier retreat. They had yet to show themselves, and for that Alex was thankful, but this didn't give them much room to work.

Whether Ria heard the approach of the snakes or not was anyone's guess, but either way she realized they needed to move. Alex listened to her for a moment while keeping an ear open for the snakes approach, and a second later she answered. "Carry them both. Quickly. Snakes are incoming, and if they get too close I'll hold them off." With that she released the hold on her draconic strength, and a small flash of fire left the warrior standing as she had when she faced both Ria and Andrast back in the arena. "Focus on finding the faerie and my daughter." But that strength she released was being held on a tether, and as they started moving Alex tried to keep most of it ready. She wasn't sure where the snakes were, and if there was enough time she would use that energy to try to at least stabilize Andrast until he could receive proper care. But if even one of those little assholes appeared then she would simply let that energy go and ready herself. Above all else she needed to make sure they didn't get overwhelmed.

Spoiler

Drop Draconic Transformation to X = 5, Upkeep = 0

Draconic Transformation 5
+20 Attack
+20 Grapple
+20 Melee Damage
+10 Armor

Dragon's Pride 10
+50 Dodge
+50 Resistance
+30 Perception

We're having Ria carry both men, and Alex will cover her while they retreat. If there are no threats then Alex will cast Heat (Lv2 Fire) with Empower Spell for 10 EP to try to keep Andrast from bleeding out.

Heat: (2 + 3)*(2d6 + 20/5 +2) = 5(2d6 + 6)

If enemies start popping in and there's no way to avoid confrontation then Alex will take a defensive position to keep the snakes from attacking Ria/Andrast/Calkis with Defensive Stance.

Defensive Stance
Counter all attacks that miss Alex
+10 Dodge

All affected stats should be:

Speed: 21
Dodge: 122 (+18 Round Heavy Shield) (+2 Aescila's Gift) (+10 Unarmed) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus)
Armor: 19 (+16 Breastplate)
Resistance: 75 (+3 Lucky) (+6 Breastplate) (+10 vs Magic/Powers/Succubus/PP.Damage)
Perception: 65 (+3 Lucky) (+2 Aescila's Gift)
Grapple: 70 (+3 Lucky)

Unarmed: (d20 + 75) [1d8 + 49] {Blunt}
Round Heavy Shield: (d20 + 85) [3d6 + 45] {Blunt}, DB = 18, EV = 0

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 2/75, PP = 60, EP = 9/85, Status = Badly Injured, Low on Energy, Dragon's Pride X = 10, Draconic Transformation X = 5

NPC Stats
Angelle: HP = 50, PP = 49, EP = 47/61, Status = Fine?
Lady Albatross: HP = 160, PP = 135, EP = ??/135, Status = Fine?
Dingroria: HP = 44/115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Injured
Sir Andrast: HP = 70, PP = 50, EP = 48/90, Status = Unconscious
Lieutenant Calkis: HP = 0/100, PP = 45, EP = 45, Status = Unconscious

Rolls

Spoiler

Alex reduces Draconic Transformation to X = 5, meaning her upkeep's at 4 EP from Dragon's Pride. She gets a moment to cast her spell and hopefully save Andrast for another 10 EP.
Casting: Success.
Healing: 6 + 5 + 4 + 2 = 17 * 5 = 85 HP.

After that, the serpents come in for noms.
Stealth: Alex wins.
Attacks: All miss.
Alex's Counterattacks: All hit.
Damage (Sword) : 1 + 49 - 10 = 40 damage.
Damage (Shield) : 2 + 5 + 4 + 45 - 10 = 46 damage.
Alex gets some kills!

Also, fucking A names.

Ria didn't waste any more time, attaching her club to her backpack and scooping up Andrast's unconscious body. She waited only long enough for Alex to cast her spell, which the serpents thankfully held off long enough for her to complete, before grabbing Calkis' unconscious body and throwing it over when shoulder, briefly cradling Andrast with one arm. Her magic had halted the knight's bleeding and restored some color to his broken body, the infusion of the dragon's own fiery life force pushing him back from the precipice of death, at least for the moment. Alex took up the rear while the oni trundled on ahead, searching for the path that Albatross and Angelle had taken, and it wasn't long before the monstrous creatures acquired the courage to make another pass at the dragoness. Injured as she was, Alex was prepared for the monsters this time, and as the slithering creatures surged toward her she held her shield up and came to a stop.

The first she intercepted with a hand rather than her shield, smacking it against the wall and allowing her to decapitate it with the edge of her shield just like Calkis had with his jaws in werewolf form. The next two crashed against her shield as she got it back into place, and they both rebounded off and remained stunned just long enough for her to step up and stomp on both of them, crushing their skulls beneath her booted feet. The next one came at her high, but that too was deflected off of her shield, and then it too met its end. Again and again the creatures flung themselves at her, hungry maws wide, but the dragoness was an impassible wall against the monstrous serpents, and she killed nine of them before those that remained retreated back into the darkness.

"Alex!" Ria called from down the hall, the oni having gone far ahead, though she hadn't been assaulted by anything while Alex held the archway into the passage that she'd seen her daughter and faerie ally vanish down earlier. There was no sign of either of them now, but Ria started through the tunnels beneath the arena shortly as soon as Alex was beside her again, proceeding through the narrow passageways as quickly as her massive frame could with her added encumbrance. Whether the oni knew where she was going or not was difficult to tell, as after a while everything started to look the same. It wasn't too terribly long before they arrived at a ladder leading up, however, and Ria paused beside and glanced at Alex, holding still for a second before hurriedly saying; "I've got no idea where they might have gone, but your daughter was with a faerie lady. They're probably already out of here, and I don't know how long Sir Andrast's going to last like this. This might be a way out, but it might also be a trap. What do you want to do?" The oni's words were delivered crisply and cleanly, and her eyes were flitting around the surrounding tunnels even as she spoke.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Now. It was a sudden realization that simply fell over the half-breed as if it were nothing more than an obvious fact. She turned in the archway and set her stance, and as Ria carried the slightly more stable Andrast and the still unconscious Calkis from danger Alex held her ground and prepared to face the serpents. They finally worked up enough courage to attack the injured dragon once again. And she made them pay for it. One by one she knocked them down, a slap or fist or shield stunning them long enough to crush with either her hands or her feet or simply the edge of her shield, and soon enough the ones that remained simply collapsed and escaped once again now that they no longer had the element of surprise working in their favor.

As the snakes fled Alex watched them cower off into some dark corner of the tunnels, and she let out a a huff of contempt for the little bastards before she turned and rejoined the oni. From there they tried to find their own path to freedom, Andrast's condition nearly demanding that they hurry, but after a few turns it started to feel more like aimless wandering. When they finally found that ladder Ria confirmed that they were lost, and the demon asked Alex what should be done. The dragoness took a moment to look to the ladder then the surroundings, then she started making for it. "Even if we don't know where this leads simply wandering around on the lower levels would get us eventually surrounded by those things. We know we need to move up to get out. So let's go." Of course Alex was making sure she was the first to head upstairs. Ria was burdened with two unconscious bodies, and though the woman was tough Alex felt like she was more likely to survive a trap.

But that wasn't the only precaution she was taking. Though her aura never changed its strength she directed it toward the opening and let her heat pour over their heads. If anything was waiting to ambush them then Alex should be able to sense their presence, especially since she was bathing the area with her own. And as she started climbing she also kept a metaphysical eye out for something else. She was forcing her strength to flare at a concentrated point. Angelle should be able to sense it, and even if she couldn't then Albatross surely would. Hopefully one of them would answer. Some direction would be nice right about now...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 2/75, PP = 60, EP = 5/85, Status = Badly Injured, Low on Energy, Dragon's Pride X = 10, Draconic Transformation X = 5

NPC Stats
Angelle: HP = 50, PP = 49, EP = 47/61, Status = Fine?
Lady Albatross: HP = 160, PP = 135, EP = ??/135, Status = Fine?
Dingroria: HP = 44/115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Injured
Sir Andrast: HP = 70, PP = 50, EP = 48/90, Status = Unconscious
Lieutenant Calkis: HP = 0/100, PP = 45, EP = 45, Status = Unconscious

Ria nodded in agreement, but allowed Alex to go up ahead of her. The ladder was fairly tall, and she could already see that the massive oni would have some trouble making it through the narrow opening at the top, particularly with her cargo of unconscious men. The outpouring of her aura as she climbed allowed her to sense what lay above, at least to a degree, and while she couldn't make out anything specific about them beyond a sense of normalcy compared to the serpents that had assaulted them, there were certainly something alive up there.

There was a steel pad at the top of the ladder, but a single push was enough to break the rust holding it to its base, and she could have easily lifted it out with her normal strength. Daylight streamed down onto her as she shifted it aside, momentarily blinding Alex, and she heard a gasp of surprise from someone standing nearby as it slid all the way aside. A few seconds later the blinding light was blocked out by a humanoid figure, and she recognized a hand offered down to her. Whether she took it or not, Alex was out of the hole in moments unless she decided to go back down for some reason, and after the spots started to clear she realized that she was standing just outside of the arena, and that the man that had helped her up was the arena doorman.

"What in Doraleous' name happened to you!?" the man asked incredulously, staring both at the wounds still evident on Alex's neck despite her partial draconic transformation, and at her additional draconic features themselves. A Therion guard came rushing up as well, obviously no less concerned, but then Ria called up from below; "Somebody give me a hand! This opening wasn't built for someone my size!" The doorman glanced down and started as Ria lifted Calkis' shabby, form out of the hole, but was quick to recover and help by grabbing the unconscious guard and pulling him out of the way. Ria squeezed through a moment later with Andrast cradled against her bosom, having some difficulty but refusing to release the fallen knight until after she had her feet on the ground. The guard knelt down and examined Calkis in the meantime, and a crowd began to form around them as people noticed the laundry list of strange things about the group, though there was still no sign of Angelle or Albatross.

"What happened to this man?" the guard demanded as he straightened, looking from Calkis to Andrast and starting as he noted that the knight was missing half of an arm. He glanced back at another guard who'd come onto the scene and said; "Get the Arachmage. And the captain. Now!" The other guard nodded and ran off into the arena while the man turned back to Alex, his expression grim, and said; "You're the one who killed that knight here earlier, aren't you? I was told you'd be in the area. Would you mind explaining why you came up here with a guard unconscious and a royal knight missing an arm? And why two of your party are missing? And, for that matter, how you came to be so injured?"

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

With nothing threatening them the higher they climbed Alex simply pushed forward, a part idly wondering what would be found once the ladder came to an end. That was eventually answered by a steel pad. Parts of it were rusted over, but that quickly came undone once it was hit by one draconic fist. And once it moved the two women were graced by the light of the sun blinding them and giving the dragoness no small amount of relief.

A part of that fled once a body moved forward and blocked the light, but the offered hand was quickly accepted, and Alex was soon pulled free and finally had the chance to learn where she was. Looks like we were closer than we thought... The arena and the doorman were both a welcome sight, but his surprise as well as the arriving guard's were ignored. She hadn't seen or felt a thing from either Angelle or Albatross, and Alex was hoping that either one of them was wandering around out here.

Once both unconscious men and the demon that carried them were safely on the street Alex realized that the missing women were still MIA. That held her focus enough to almost force her to miss the questions being thrown at her, but after a bit she turned to the guard with a bit of a scowl on her face. "We were investigating, we found something, but we were ambushed by something I've never seen before. The two missing women managed to escape while we held back our attackers. Calkis was attacked, that led to Andrast losing his arm, and we eventually escaped and made our way here.

"Now if you'll excuse me my daughter is still missing." And with that Alex completely ignored the man and started focusing. Her attention turned toward the manhole they just left, and after a bit she turned it over toward the arena. Earlier Ria said that Angelle most likely managed to escape to safety since Lady Albatross was with her, and if that was true then they would have arrived within the arena by now. But if that were true then they would have already been out here once Alex started throwing her aura around. They could simply be working their way through the halls of the coliseum, but that seemed unlikely. At the very least Angelle would have started making a fuss, and the doorman wouldn't be this surprised to see the half-dragon emerge. That meant that they were still down there. Or...

No, don't even think it. Albatross would never let anything happen to either Angelle or herself. But no matter how much Alex tried to convince herself that everything was fine her mind kept slipping toward thoughts that made her nearly cringe with worry. She needed to do something, anything that would help bring her little girl back safely. But for all her strength she had nothing at her disposal that would ultimately help. And her reserves were running low. She would need to relax soon, but with her daughter still missing she couldn't bring herself to ease her strength. She'd need to start dipping into her ring once more...

A rather strange thought crossed her mind, and she immediately latched her fire into the warmth of Summer. The Signet Ring responded in an instant, and Alex started going through the spiritual motions needed to summon a faerie. "Albatross, Albatross, Albatross..." That was sure to grab the lady's attention. "Do not answer this summon." And Alex cut the small ritual before it could complete. But it had come so close that it had to have tugged her spirit, and that should be clue enough to say that the rest of the group was safely above ground. There was absolutely no reason to stay underground.

Spoiler

If I need to actually spend EP to do this then use the energy needed for the summoning from the ring. If I'm overstepping my boundaries then let me know.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 2/75, PP = 60, EP = 1/85, Status = Badly Injured, Critically Low on Energy, Dragon's Pride X = 10, Draconic Transformation X = 5, Telepathy from Lady Albatross

NPC Stats
Angelle: HP = 50, PP = 49, EP = 47/61, Status = Fine?
Lady Albatross: HP = 160, PP = 135, EP = ??/135, Status = Fine?
Dingroria: HP = 44/115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Injured
Sir Andrast: HP = 70, PP = 50, EP = 48/90, Status = Unconscious
Lieutenant Calkis: HP = 0/100, PP = 45, EP = 45, Status = Unconscious

(You don't need to spend EP, but you are out of it via upkeep.)

The man, after Alex's hasty explanation, scowled deeply and opened his mouth to speak more, but Ria interjected; "Don't even bother friend, she's got more important concerns than you right now." Issuing her magical contact towards the faerie that had been with her daughter last, Alex felt the call almost but answered, but when she pulled the magic back there came a sudden mental contact from a familiarly chaotic mind; 'We're alright. I teleported us out as soon as we were clear. I was going to come back for you but Angelle wouldn't let me. We're outside the city, but I can come to you if I need to. Just let me know when.'

The faerie held the contact in case she had anything to say in turn, but Alex had other concerns as the familiar figures of the mage and guard captain that had arrested Aescila only about an hour or so ago came striding out of the arena entrance with an entire squad of guards behind them. "Come up from your investigation have you, halfbreed?" the guard captain said smugly, the tone with which he addressed her race one of clear disrespect. The mage shot him an annoyed glare again, and approached with hands folded behind his back and a calm expression, leaving the guards to form a half circle behind him without really coming into range, their expressions grim and displaying a clear readiness for violence. "What happened?" he demanded calmly, and the guard to whom Alex had been speaking plainly explained; "She said they were attacked down below by.... Something. The other two that went down with them escaped... Somehow. The guard and the knight were both taken out, she didn't say how."

The mage turned to Alex and scowled, examining her slowly, and after a moment nodded, causing the guards to fan out in a way that caused Ria to very slowly straighten behind her. "So," the mage began while the smug guard captain strode around him, interposing himself between Alex and the man doing the talking. "I am to understand it that.... Upon going into the catacombs, you were attacked by... Something... And then a powerful magical creature and your daughter escaped.... Somehow.... But during the attack, the only two trustworthy members of your party were incapacitated, including a lieutenant of the guard sent to provide legitimacy to your investigation, and a knight sword to the service of the city and its Queen. Am I getting this right?" The mage's approximation was spoken calmly and quietly, but the tension around them seemed to rise with every single word. The commoners around them started backing away and getting to cover, and Ria slowly shifted into a stance that would allow her to draw her club quickly while the guards formed a loose perimeter around her and Alex. Though the threat of impending violence was clear, the guardsmen hadn't gone for their weapons yet themselves, and held back calmly for orders while their commander allowed Alex a chance to respond.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Termite
When Alex finally heard the faerie's voice she quite visibly relaxed. 'No, no, we're...relatively fine... Just start heading over. Maybe pop into the Arena so you don't surprise the crowd gathering around us.'

Tassadar
'Very well. We'll be there soon,' Albatross stated simply, and then closed the psychic connection.

Termite
That was a relief, enough so that Alex relaxed the fires that were fueling her current form, but as she was pressing a hand and reaching into the well that lay within the Signet Ring the approach of the captain and the Archmage caused her to pause. She could read the language even before anyone spoke, and once the fanned out in an aggressive formation she couldn't help but frown. But she also rose a hand and motioned for Ria to stand down, and she showed as much by harnessing her shield to her back. "So this is how things are going down, then? Very well. Magus." At that she sat down relatively near but outside arm's reach of the unconscious men. "I'll explain myself, but only if you sit with me. And if you're so worried about me attacking then you should realize that I have absolutely no energy and feel like I'm about to bleed out."

Tassadar
When Alex holstered her shield and sat down, the reaction of the guards and the magus could only be surmised as surprised, and even Ria was not immune to such, though she backed down and assumed as relaxed a stance as she could in such a situation. "A cornered beast is still a beast," the magus said simply in response, his tone lacking the disrespect that might normally be expected from such a statement. It was clear that, whatever his person beliefs might be, he was acting largely out of prudence rather than malice, and so he gingerly stepped forward around the guard and sat in a cross legged position, well away from Alex. The guards didn't opt to join them, but instead opted to remain standing with well hidden looks of nervous confusion. "Your injuries can be seen to, but I would prefer to have them examined first. The validity of your claims is.... Questionable, without further details."

Termite
"I was actually going to ask you to look at them. Talking right now is a pain in the ass." A moment was taken to judge distances, and Alex figured she could be relatively quiet without everyone else overhearing. "And I had a question concerning Calkis."

Tassadar
"I suspected as much," the mage replied simply, and then gestured for the guard captain to examine Alex. The man hesitated for a moment, his expression sour, but he obeyed. Kneeling down beside her, he grabbed her somewhat roughly by the chin and tilted her head up forcefully, examining her shredded throat through the scales she'd grown to keep the wound from paining her too severely. For several moments he simply examined it, at one point reaching another hand up to paw at it in a manner that was fairly excruciatingly painful to the half-dragon, but eventually pulled his bloodied hands away and grunted; "Teeth. Definitely teeth." He glanced at the magus with a look that was half smug and half concerned, but he simply nodded and gestured for the guard to get back. "How did you receive these injuries?"

Termite
The inspection was welcomed, but the rough handling was most definitely not. Alex had to force herself to keep from growling, especially when he started poking at her exposed flesh, but once he was finally done she turned her sneer away from him and spat out a dollop of bloody phlegm. A deep breath was taken, and then she finally continued. "We asked Calkis to bring us underneath the seats where my Mate and my daughter sat. When we arrived we found a ritual circle formed of dried leaves. The faerie noble with us started investigating, but before she finished were we ambushed by some sort of mutated snake. Black, eyeless, many teeth, highly aggressive. They nearly ripped Sir Gregor's and my throat out." At this point she leaned closer so this next part wouldn't be broadcast to either the other guards or the small crowd. "Calkis wasn't so lucky."

Tassadar
"He walked it off then. It sounds like him," the magus mused lightly after Alex had delivered her explanation. He glanced at the guard captain and asked; "Were they his?" The guard frowned and glanced at Alex, staring for several moments before looking back at the magus and reluctantly saying; "No. The holes are too small and neat. If they were his, she wouldn't have a neck anymore." The magus nodded and turned back to Alex, casually lifting a hand and flinging a bolt of green light that caught Alex in the throat. Her flesh knitted itself neatly back together within the span of a handful of seconds, the effect equivalent in potency to the magic she'd used to stabilize Andrast after Calkis had got to him. "What about me?" Ria demanded, scowling at the magus and motioning to the wounds on her arms. "Those are not life threatening," he stated simply, but then tossed a healing bolt at her anyway. A third went to Andrast, and then a fourth at Calkis, at which point he looked back at Alex and said; "Your explanation lacks important details, but is generally acceptable. That said, it does nothing to clear your mate of the charges against her."

Termite
With her neck finally mended Alex took in a deep breath and let loose a bloodless sigh that felt remarkable after the past several minutes. "I understand, but it's a start. It showed that there was more to this event than what everyone saw. Calkis and Sir Gregor will confirm this."

Tassadar
"Undoubtedly," the magus said lightly, "What that brings up, however, is what you intend to do next. I am very curious as to-" the man was cut off suddenly by a familiar cry; "Mommy!" Angelle shot out of the arena tunnel like a rocket and came to Alex, sliding over the paving stones into a desperately tight hug. Lady Albatross came walking out a few seconds later, her lips curved into an amused grin.

Termite
The sudden interruption had Alex automatically turning, and a moment later she found a blur of color barreling into her and knocking her to the ground. And she didn't care in the slightest. She simply held the hybrid close and pet her hair for a bit.

Tassadar
While it was difficult to see with Angelle clinging to her and sobbing, Alex noted the unease of some of the guards fading around her, some even smiling at the display between mother and daughter. Parental affection, it seemed, was a universal language. As that was happening, Calkis began to stir, and after a few moments awakened and shot up to a sitting position. The guard took one glance around, and then a second in which he spotted Alex on the ground with her daughter sobbing over her prone form, at which point he paled visibly. "Not her, she's fine!" Ria stated grimly, and some of the color returned to Calkis' face as he glanced up at the oni. "It's him you've gotta worry about!" she added grimly gesturing towards the still unconscious Sir Andrast, and again the guardsman paled visibly. "Oh... I didn't!" he stated, but it was phrased as a question. "Yah did!" Ria confirmed with a sort of grim satisfaction, and after a few moments of staring at the disarmed knight the guard erupted in a stream of curses. It didn't last long, however, as Lady Albatross waved a hand and suddenly silenced him, causing him to stare at himself in confusion. "Not in front of the child!" the faerie stated plainly, and he sat back and looked miserable while Angelle continued to ignore the rest of the world and nuzzle into Alex's shoulder.

Termite
Though she couldn't really see it Alex still heard what was happening, and by the end of it she started pulling her daughter and herself back up so they were sitting against each other. "Can anything be done for him?"

Tassadar
"Yes," the magus said, beating Lady Albatross to the punch and drawing an annoyed look from the faerie. Seemingly content to ignore her completely, however, he continued; "It is possible for his arm to be regrown, but it is difficult and dangerous magic, and doesn't always work. For the moment, he'll be taken to a hospital to recover. Surgery will likely be necessary to remove the damaged portions of his armor," saying that caused Calkis to frown miserably, "but rest assured that his care will be seen to. He is one of ours." He fell silent, and Angelle began to calm against Alex's shoulder, her fright once more spent.

Termite
"That's good." Alex took a moment to look her ally over, and once that was done she turned back toward the mage. "I intend to go back down. I can't leave this unfinished."

Tassadar
"I can't recommend that, but such is your prerogative. A contingent will be organized to clear the place within the hour if you'd prefer to wait."

Termite
"Lady Albatross, do you need more time with that circle?"

Tassadar
"I must speak to you in private," the faerie lord replied, her voice carefully neutral.

Termite
"As you wish, my lady." At that Alex bowed her head before returning to the Archmage. "Please prepare your contingent. They may not be needed, but better safe than sorry."

Tassadar
"The order is already given," he stated simply in reply, "You need only await their organization and arrival."

Termite
"Thank you." At that she pulled herself to her feet and offered the man a nod of respect. "If you'll please excuse me." And if nothing else was needed she was prepared to find a quiet place to speak with Albatross.

Tassadar
He, too, rose to his feet, and nodded back. Passing the guard with Angelle clinging to her side, Alex noticed that the man was scowling angrily, but he said nothing and made no effort to get in her way. Albatross took her into a narrow alcove a moment later, but said nothing until she'd managed to shake off Angelle.

Termite
That man... Something was wrong with him, something that was being targeted solely on Alex, or at least that much it seemed. But he had nothing he could do, and Alex simply walked by without paying him too much attention. At that Alex carefully pulled herself from her daughter's grasp. "Give me a few seconds, okay?"

Tassadar
Angelle hesitated, her instincts obviously urging her to remain close to Alex, but after a moment she nodded and stepped back, allowing Alex to have a moment alone with Lady Albatross. "That wasn't outsider magic," Lady Albatross began immediately, a worried frown creasing her unnaturally beautiful features.

Termite
If it wasn't Outsider than that left one other choice. "Winter Court?"

Tassadar
Albatross hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, "No. It wasn't Winter either, but it was faerie. That sort of magic only comes from....." Albatross paused suddenly, a shocked expression on her face, and a heartbeat later a crackling sound emanated from the faerie. She raised a hand and found it covered in ice, ice that was spreading with loud crackling noises up her arm, covering her like a second skin. The air around them chilled to the point that even Alex was forced to shiver, and the sky darkened as clouds covered over the sun.

Termite
Shit. Seeing a noble suddenly encased completely in ice was never a good thing, and with the sky turning dark Alex wasn't quite sure what the hell was going to happen. But she readied her shield and prepared to tap into the small reserve of power hidden within both of her rings.

Tassadar
Uninterrupted, the ice spread up Albatross' arm and onto her torso, eventually completely encasing the faerie in wintery ice. A cold wind swept through the narrow alcove a moment later, and the encased faerie simply shattered into a pile at her feet... Or at least seemed to. There was no gore present, and the icy remains were too small to include the whole of her mass. Icy rain began to fall outside, causing the others to move for cover, but other than that nothing else of note happened.

Termite
SHIT! Seeing a noble suddenly shatter into a million pieces was far worse, but after a moment or two of staring Alex finally noticed that the pieces didn't quite match the whole. And there were no Albatross bits to worry about. It still left her directionless, and Alex wasn't quite sure what to do at that point. Might as well go for broke. "Hello?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 75, PP = 60, EP = 1/85, Status = Critically Low on Energy

NPC Stats
Angelle: HP = 50, PP = 49, EP = 61, Status = Fine
Lady Albatross: HP = 160, PP = 135, EP = 135, Status = Fine
Dingroria: HP = 115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Fine
Sir Andrast: HP = 70, PP = 50, EP = 90, Status = Unconscious
Lieutenant Calkis: HP = 100, PP = 45, EP = 45, Status = Fine

Silence reigned around Alex, and no answer came in response to her greeting. No replies, no signs... Not even a hint at another presence. Whatever had taken Albatross, or done whatever had been done to the faerie lord, they were no longer present. "Alex!" Ria called her name a moment later, coming to peek around the corner into the alcove into which she and Albatross had gone to speak privately, and upon seeing Alex she adopted a relieved expression and said; "There you are! Where did Lady Albatross go? Did she take Angelle to safety again?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 75, PP = 60, EP = 85, Status = Fine

NPC Stats
Dingroria: HP = 115, PP = 55, EP = 60, Status = Fine
Archmage Aebard Narderwil: HP = 75, PP = 90, EP = 101/105, Status = Fine, Find

Chat Log:

Spoiler

Termite: With nothing greeting her Alex felt somewhat apprehensive, but that all changed when Ria made her appearance. She didn't make any noticeable reaction, but inside she started fuming. That growing tension started to release itself as a clenched fist, and though she had yet to move any watching would swear the dragoness looked ready to punch a whole in the wall. But she kept her calm, at least enough to finally reply. "No. I have no idea what happened to Albatross, and I sure as Hell don't know where my daughter has gone." At that point she truly dipped into her ring to restore some of her reserves (absorb 20 EP) and she attempted the same trick she used to signal the Lady earlier.

Tassadar003: Restoring some of her energies, Alex attempted to call out to the lost Lady Albatross only to receive.... Nothing. Whether she finished the summoning or not, the Lady Albatross offered no answer to her summoning, and Ria looked at her worriedly throughout her frustrated actions. "But... If you don't.... What happened?"

Termite: And attempt to complete she did. When that ultimately failed Alex turned that power inward and summoned up the will of her ancestors, her attention and focus spreading out to see if she could find some trace of either the missing faerie or the missing Angelle. "She was preparing to tell me something related to the circle, but before she did she was encased in ice. I didn't act quickly enough, and when the ice shattered I thought she may have been killed. But there are no pieces of her here. But she's not answering me, which means either someone is interfering or someone has taken her..."

Tassadar003: The oni listened intently, scowling harder by the second, and then let out a stressed sigh and said; "Then what do we do now? That was.... Our last lead. Maybe go back down to that circle?" The search revealed only traces of the faerie's presence, the shadow of her left by her presence. A similar footprint was left of Angelle, and if she followed those traces she would find it ended at another pile of broken ice, in which sat a small folded piece of paper that the icy rain did not touch.

Termite: Alex followed whatever trace she could find, and when she came upon the second pile of ice and the paper that it held she approached cautiously put retrieved the note all the same. Someone obviously wanted to send her a message.

Tassadar003: The note, when opened, had only a single word upon, written in flowing script and red ink carrying an eerily familiar scent; "Leave."

Termite: This proved it. This proved both, actually. Someone was interfering, and by the looks of things they were taking both missing women as hostages. Someone wanted Alex to simply up and quit, and thought a tiny part of her considered it for a small moment she soon realized that was the last thing she could do. Her Mate was imprisoned for the Winter Knight's death, and if nothing was done then Winter would claim her angel. Alex would definitely loose someone she loved that way. But the small threat left in that note meant Angelle was in as much danger. There was no telling what would happen to the dragon's child if she continued. And there was no guarantee that simply stopping would return her daughter. For all she knew Angelle could just as easily be killed simply because whoever kidnapped her didn't want to be revealed. As long as Alex kept pushing forward Angelle could be used as some bit of pressure, and that ensured that the girl held value and would be preserved. Of course that could all turn into one gigantic mistake, but Alex simply didn't have any other choice at the moment. But there was something she could do, and after a quick motion to have Ria follow her out into public she started speaking under her breath so no one else would hear over the ambient noise of the city. "We continue for now and see if we can't find whoever sent this." At that she rapped the note gently, and as she did she took a more interested look at the thing. That smell was lingering in her conscious, and she tried to drag that eerie sense of familiarity out into the open.

Tassadar003: Ria had to bend down slightly so that Alex could whisper to her, but the oni nodded to what she said anyway despite being somewhat at a loss. The smell, after a moment's examination, was revealed to be a confirmation of the threat implied by the taking of Angelle. It was blood. Specifically, it was her daughter's blood. As Alex was left with the discomfort of that realization, the magus came to her and said; "The patrol group will be here any minute, and Sir Andrast has been taken to the hospital. Are you prepared to show us what you found in the catacombs?"

Termite: Once the painful realization came to a head Alex cringed inwardly before letting out a subdued but quite disconcerting smile. Someone was going to pay this. Dearly. She'd completely destroyed Dina when the mad angel simply threatened her unborn daughter. If Alex ever caught the soul her actually harmed Angelle there was no telling what kind of atrocity she would commit. But past that she simply folded her note and kept it close at hand. Using the hybrid's blood sent an obvious message, but beyond that it could be considered quite the stupid mistake. The approach of the archmage made that only that much clearer as Alex focused on how she could turn this around. "I am ready." She just needed some way to signal the mage that she wanted some privacy with him. Absolute privacy. The kind that no other observer could break through no matter how hard they tried. But how would she do that without revealing more than she already has? And then it came to her. As they started descending she recalled a number of codes that were used by various forces all throughout the Crolian lands, some that only soldiers and mercenaries could use to communicate with each other without resorting to psychic links or spiritual contact. And all it took was a simply tap of the finger against the stone walls that surrounded her. It became a rhythm, one that the captain would obviously recognize if the mage never did. (( Stretching the boundaries a bit, but I figured there'd be some form of Morse code, so using that to say "Help!" ))


Tassadar003: The patrol of guards were there soon, a small army of soldiers, all veterans by the look of them, and then Alex and her group were back down into the catacombs. Calkis wasn't with them, Andrast had been taken off, and Angelle and Albatross were gone, but she still had Ria with her among the companions she'd taken previously. When Alex began her patterned tapping against the wall, the guards around her were quick to grow agitated by the noise. After she'd repeated the message a few times, the guard captain glanced at her and said; "Stop that! What in the hell are you doing that for? Are you trying to signal to someone down here?" There was obvious suspicion in the man's voice, and the magus seemed to share a degree of the man's distrust, though it was tinged with curiosity as well.

Termite: <Oh gods dammit all...> The fact that the captain just yelled it out like that had Alex simply staring at him with a slight scowl, and as she did she folded her arms over her chest so her tapping wouldn't be heard but could be seen completely. [Y.e.s.y.o.u.y.a.m.o.r.o.n] Not the best way to go about it, but how sometimes a slap to the face was needed. [A.n.d.h.i.m.i.f.h.e.c.a.n.u.n.d.e.r.s.t.a.n.d.] A slight nod was given to the mage.

Tassadar003: Alex's tapping against her armor produced a much more muted sound, and after a moment the guard captain scowled harder. "Really? You want to do this now?" he said aloud, but then the mage responded in code via knocking his fingers against the wall; [W.H.A.T.I.S.I.T.]

Termite: [I.n.e.e.d.p.r.i.v.a.c.y.E.n.o.u.g.h.t.o.m.a.k.e.s.u.r.e.n.o.o.n.e.c.a.n.s.p.y.o.n.w.h.a.t.I.n.e.e.d.t.o.s.h.o.w.y.o.u.]

Tassadar003: There was some hesitation in the mage's reaction, but after a moment he motioned for the guard captain and the three of them went off together, the rest of the company pausing to wait. Stepping into a narrow alcove, the magus closed his hands together and then spread them wide, creating a bubble that spread and encompassed the three of them. The world beyond the bubble was left dark and silent, and the magus then said aloud; "What? What must you show us that requires so much secrecy?"

13:43 Termite: Alex took out her note and unfolded it before handing it over. "What does this look like to you?"

Tassadar003: Taking the note, he glanced at it for a moment before looking back up at her with a frown. "A threat, I would suspect. I take it that it's written in blood?"

Termite: "My daughter's blood. I found it sitting in a pile of ice where the girl was last standing. I didn't see what happened to her, but I watched as the faerie I was speaking with was encased within a shell of ice that shattered and left no trace of her behind."

Tassadar003: "Well then...." he muttered, scratching his head while the guard scowled harder. "It seems you have even more troubles to deal with than before. Given that it was ice that took them both, I suspect you're thinking that the Winter Court was involved?"

Termite: "Not entirely sure. Albatross was telling me about the circle before she vanished, and she said it was faerie magic, just not Winter. She was taken before she could finish. We may learn more once we arrive at the circle, but before that I want to know something." She tapped the bloody word with purpose. "Can you track my daughter with this without showing our hand? I want to catch the bastard that did this before they have a chance to act on this threat."

Tassadar003: "If it's her blood, tracking her would be easy so long as she isn't being shielded in some way.... And if it isn't Winter, I don't know what it might be. Wyldefae perhaps?"

Termite: Alex had no clue what the Wyldefae were, but knowing that Angelle could be tracked was a bit of a relief. Of course she also had to be realistic. "Knowing my current luck she probably will be, but I'd like to try all the same."

Tassadar003: "Doing it now might alert them that we're onto them... So, once we've investigated the circle you found I'll see what I can do."

Termite: "I appreciate it." Unless there was anything else left to add then Alex was ready to continue.

Tassadar003: There seemed to be nothing left to add, and the magus dropped the energy shield, allowing them to resume. A few moments later they entered the tunnels that had taken them to the circle, and the serpents were nowhere to be found. The circle was unchanged, but even the dead serpents were gone without a trace, leaving only the bloodstains that she and her companions had left there. "Is this it?" the magus asked somewhat unnecessarily.

Termite: Not wanting to be ambushed like she was before Alex immediately strengthened her senses before they arrived (Dragon's Pride 6) and kept an eye out for anything unusual. The circle still remained as well as the bloody stains, but no sign of the snakes was to be had. "Yes." That also meant Andrast's severed arm should be somewhere near, and she took the effort to look for that as well.

Tassadar003: Andrast's arm was nowhere to be found, though she did find his shield a few feet away.... Thoroughly chewed up. The magus, in the meantime, knelt down and examined the circle while the guards fanned out, the place filled with magical light emanating from their swords. "I can't be sure what for.... But this is obviously a ritual circle. I'll need a few minutes," he said, and then started incanting while Alex was left to idle with the guards. A few moments later, the magus rose up from his examination, his expression grim. "It seems... That your description of events in the arena is a bit more plausible. This circle was used to trap a soul."

Termite: Alex simply waited there, and once the magus reported his findings she simply nodded. "Does any trace of the soul remain?"

Tassadar003: "No, it was taken by someone. Can't tell who. Lets get out of here, if we're going to find out who did this the one's that took your daughter seem to be our only lead," the magus said, and then started doing just that, though the guards were left to search the catacombs.

Termite: There was nothing to say at that point. Alex simply continued following the mage's lead, and oddly enough she kept Andrast's shield with her.

There was a brief period, while exiting the catacombs beneath the arena, in which Alex and Dingroria were alone with the archmage. The oni seemed somewhat displeased to be extending her time in the man's presence, but she made no complaint as they moved through the darkened hallways, and soon enough were back out in the dim light and frozen drizzle of the outdoors. Turning to the two of them with a light frown, the magus said; "So. Since we're going to be extending our company somewhat, I suppose I ought to introduce myself properly. My name is Aebard Narderwil, archmage of the third order, sworn servant of Therion. The title gets a bit old to spit out in full, so just call me Aebard." Dingroria, still scowling, said; "Well... Aebard.... I hope there won't be any more delays in taking care of the little issue with Alex's mate. We've pretty much cleared her by this point, and I think she might want to say a few things to whoever kidnapped her daughter!" The oni finished with a huff, but Aebard let out a sigh and shook his head, replying; "I'm afraid that it's not that simple. There are still procedures to take care of before she can be released, including her trial, and I believe you had an outstanding concern about the Winter Court involving itself in this matter. Finding your daughter will likely go hand in hand with finding whoever organized the death of Arclan Clay, meaning you'll have something to prove your own innocence and that of your mate to both the Therion courts and to whoever comes from Winter. Unless Milday Alistar has an objection, I would posit the idea that we should go and find your daughter, or at least attempt to."

Unless Alex raised some objection to this plan, the magus would hold out a hand for the note written in her daughter's blood. When she handed it off, he raised it and muttered a quick incantation that produced no visible or audible result but caused the mage to let out a surprised grunt. "Well..." he said as he turned, "It looks like our mysterious assassins are less prepared than we thought. I know where your daughter is... Or at least I'm getting a location. It's outside the city, in the woods, so if you've got anyone else that you want to ask for help you should think about talking to them now. I plan on acquiring some help of my own before we head out, but I can do that at the city gates."