Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 1/48, Status = Pregnant, Low on Energy

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 38/62, Status = Fine

Lily and Laena at least manage to keep the faeries and Garrett from attacking the demons outright via their mediating intervention, though the human still scowled foully at the assembled demons and the faerie's were similarly distrustful. "Trouble? Why would we have any trouble?" Letris asked innocently, "I am sure that you would be happy to accompany us to our encampment, now wouldn't you? The added security would surely inhibit any violence~" There was something at least mildly menacing about the manner in which the knight's last sentence was delivered, but there was little they could do about it now that they were outnumbered, unless they wanted to start a fight.

Unless they wanted to do so, Laena, Lily, and Garrett would lead the fey, now surrounded by demons, through the rest of the jungle toward the ruins that were their destination. About half an hour later they'd arrived at a clearing containing a great stone ruin, which was surrounded by a camp of freshly erected tents... And a small army of demons. "Come with me," Letris said simply, and the group would be led through a gauntlet of leering demons of varying types, until they arrived at a tent in which a man sat upon a chair, idly reading a book.

That book was shut as they filtered in past the guards, and the man stood up, looking entirely human by all appearances. "Ahhhh, Letris, you've returned! And here I thought you'd gotten yourself killed!" the man said, and the knight bowed and replied; "Fortunately, such was not the case~ These faeries and their harpy and human associates were responsible for my absence, and the elimination of my patrol group. For reasons they have not yet adequately explained, I might add.... Though the human is something of a racist. I brought them to speak with you, Commander Vidrien." The demon, quirking an eyebrow, looked to the group while Garrett fumed silently and said; "Is this true? Do you have some sort of problem with us?"

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

This is a bad idea and you know it. Just kill the demons and be done with it. Lily flutters her wings nervously as she hears Banshee whispering in her mind and does her best to ignore the surrounding demons.

As they arrive to the orderly camp and a large number of demons appears, a single black streak appears in the sidhe's hair, though she does not notice it herself. Rubbing her arm, Lily follows Letris through the camp, to meet the apparent leader of the demons. As Lentris introduces them, Lily bows her head slightly before addressing the demon. "It was simply a misunderstanding, Commander. We were led to understand that you would be entirely hostile, and possibly after the same artefact as we are."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 1/48, Status = Pregnant, Low on Energy

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 38/62, Status = Fine

"Oh really? Just a misunderstanding was it?" the demon replied bemusedly, and Lily and Laena would hear Letris snickering under her breath. His pause was too brief to allow either of them to do more than glare at the demon knight, something that Garrett indulged in before looking back to the camp leader as he spoke again; "So, your misunderstanding cost me the lives of several of the people under my command, and you think.... What? That that's just okay?" He seemed about to burst out into laughter at that point, but on he continued; "You are very silly people.... But as I am in an indulgent mood, what artifact do you speak of? I wasn't aware of any artifacts present in these ruins in particular, merely that something of value lay within." Just then Lily would feel a spell suddenly close around them, one that she had used not too terribly long ago to prevent the demon knight standing in that very room from lying. At the same time, Letris slowly rotated and gently raised a hand to rest upon the hilt of her greatsword, a smile playing across her unnaturally beautiful features. "Go on then.... I am very curious as to what you might have to reveal~" the male demon said calmly, folding his hands in front of him as another magic slowly gathered around him, one that Lily would realize wasn't meant to harm in any capacity, but rather as a protective measure.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

It seemed that the fae still were quite unhappy with this plan based on their reactions to the demons, and Laena was starting to dislike Letris a fair bit. Her attitude was just so annoying and mocking, so… unserious. The now much bigger group headed on through the jungle, though, now escorted by quite a few demons, the harpy gliding lazily just a bit above their heads. It was only a half-hour’s walk to their destination, a clearing within which rested a rather impressive stone ruin. It was quite tall, a sort of rectangular structure that went up and up towards the sky, smaller rectangles on each level. She was sort of surprised she hadn’t known something like this was here. It was surrounded by a large number of tents, more than Laena could count with a quick look, so fighting was definitely out of the question under almost any circumstances. She perched herself on the ground next to Garrett and began to hop along next to him through the camp, demons glaring at them as they passed, the knight leading them to their ultimate destination. There was a larger tent in the center, and inside there was a man simply reading from a book. He seemed human, as much so as Canderous, and he apparently was the leader of this little army. He and Letris exchanged words, quite annoying words, and he quickly asked them if they had an issue with the demons.

Lily answered first, and the demon quickly objected to her idea that it was a simple misunderstanding, likely because they had killed a number of the demons, and then went on to ask them about the artifact they were after, and Laena recognized that the ritual the fae had used before was now turned against them, that they would be unable to lie. She chose that moment to speak up. "I’ve no issue with you, no. The misunderstanding comes from the fact that these fae here believe you’ve done something rather unpleasant to one of their relatives. I’m sure you’ve just been treating him to tea all this time though" she said, throwing some of Letris’ joking attitude back at the demons. "As for the artifact, I don’t know a lot of details about it myself. You may have noticed this place is crawling with little gray things. I’m told it will help us ward them off somehow, so that’s why I’m here."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 48, Status = Pregnant, Fine

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Laena lied.
Resistance: Vidrien wins.

Laena, attempting to withhold the truth of her knowledge of the artifact that they searched for, was stopped in mid sentence as she attempted to lie to the demons. She had managed to get the rest of her response out, and besides a widened grin from the two demons they offered no comment on that initially, instead responding to her first statement. She had been present for Canderous' discussion of the potential of the legendary artifacts, and knew that they were going for the Shield in particular here.

"Ahhh, you mean the one who came here with that rude message?" the demon commander replied, shifting his gaze to Laena in a manner that left Garret very uncomfortable beside her. "He is here... And unharmed. He took to the company of one of our associates before he left, and after... Enjoying... Her, he decided that it was within his interests to stay. You may go and visit him if you like, I am sure that he would be delighted to see you... Wherever he is." He glanced at the faerie's, some of whom offered Laena annoyed glares as she tried to pin the blame on them for assaulting the demon patrol, and said; "That they counseled as such does not surprise me.... They have fought and killed our kind for centuries, have they not?"

Turning his gaze back to Laena while Letris remained readied between them and the speaker, Vidrien continued; "I am sure that you know more than that... And I think that it would aid us in trusting your intentions a good bit more if you would share those details with us."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Laena, of course, hadn’t thought she was lying until she found herself suddenly unable to speak any further. At most she was obfuscating the truth a little bit, at least in her mind. The demons ignored it for the moment, though Letris’ stupid grin became wider and even more stupid. The leader spoke of the fae that had come to speak with them… apparently he was still there, after having taken a shine to the sexual habits of the demons. She didn’t know how much of that to trust, but she didn’t say anything about it. The fae, of course, didn’t seem amused at her, but they didn’t need to be at this point, they could all sort that out later. She shrugged a bit when the demon asked her about the conflict between fae and demons in a way she assumed was rhetorical. "It’s a shield of some sort, and I’m really none too clear on the details. It could supposedly help us deal with the blasted aliens swarming this place" the harpy said, shrugging again. "We haven’t got any interest in anything else in these ruins."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 48, Status = Pregnant, Fine

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

"Much better," Vidrian replied smoothly once Laena explained about the shield, and then paused to ponder for a moment while Garrett and the faeries glared at him collectively. "That's not the most useful bits of information. Might you know a little bit more?" he said, turning his attention to Lily.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Lily's eyes harden as she hears about the fate of the fae who was sent here as a messenger, but she lets Laena continue speaking.

Lily hesitates, not wanting to share what she knows with the demon, yet seeing little else in the way of options. "We really don't know very much. It's patterned to look like a flower and it's a part of a set which is supposed to have great powers when used together."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 48, Status = Pregnant, Fine

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

"Oh really? What might this set be called? What are the other pieces?"

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

"It's called the Metathratan Lotus. The other pieces are an amulet, a helm and a suit of armour, each crafted to resemble their namesake. You seem quite numerous for treasure hunters after a vague rumour, by the way. Lily replies, coolly answering the demon's gaze.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 48, Status = Pregnant, Fine

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

"Interesting...." The demon said speculatively, "very interesting.... So you're going to go into those ruins, retrieve a priceless artifact, and just... Take it away? For what purpose?" His grin broadened, but it was the demon knight acting as his guard who replied; "We often embark of such expeditions between conquests. Artifacts are valuable regardless of their race of origin, and it's hardly the first time we've picked a place containing items of great value by chance."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Laena got just a slight bit nervous over telling the demons so much specific information, but not too much so. When the leader asked for what purpose they wanted the artifact she spoke up soon enough, replying "as I said before, it’s said to be an item that will help us drive off the aliens. A fairly pressing concern for all who live here. That’s all I need to know about it." And so it was. As long as the information seemed legitimate, she hardly cared about the details of how it was to help.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 48, Status = Pregnant, Fine

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

Indeed...." Vidrian mused skeptically, and then he simply said; "Okay!" He and Letris grinned, but Garrett spoke up incredulously; "You can't be serious! It's not that easy.... You aren't just going to let us go down there, no strings attached!?" Grinning even more broadly, Vidrian said; "Of course I am! That's exactly what I'd planned on doing all along!"

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Lily frowns. Allowing them to snoop around like that for no price WAS highly suspicious, especially since it seemed that the demons were hunting artifacts themselves. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be much choice in the matter; this way they might get without fighting which would be preferable; the demons had the numbers to be troublesome even though apparently most of them were, for the lack of a better word, rabble. Lily gives the commander a small curtsy. "You have our gratitude, then. Is there anything you'd have us know before we start searching?"

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Apparently the demons were going to let the lot of them enter into the ruins to search for the artifact they were interested in, “no strings attached.” Laena rolled her eyes at Garrett’s disbelief, knowing full well what the demons’ plan was, or at least she thought she did; the ruins were dangerous. They would let the group of fae and friends do the dirty work, potentially dying in the process, and then either go in behind them and take whatever they wanted, or try to kill them and take the artifact when they were ready to come out. They would have to be careful… but that was nothing new. The harpy didn’t say anything or make any motions in reply, content to let Lily do the talking for the moment.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 48, Status = Pregnant, Fine

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

"Nope~" the demon would reply, followed by a light chuckle that would put the hairs on the backs of their necks standing. "You'll be going in alone though, just you three~ That lot can take their friend - if they can convince him to leave - and be on their way. One faerie is bad enough, we're not going to put up with a whole slew of them snooping about." The faerie group gathered in the tent looked ready to protest that demand, but Letris would finger her greatsword again and they would fall silent, looking merely annoyed at the prospect.

"I believe we're done here, so if you'll just be off now... That would be dandy!" Delivered in a dismissive tone, it was clear enough that the demon was done with them, and the obviously annoyed faeries began to file out of the tent while Letris and Vidrian watched with looks of amusement.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Shooting an annoyed look at the demon, Lily follows the other fae out of the tent. As she does, her golden hair slowly turns black as if someone was pouring ink over it and she concentrates. Muttering an incantation of power in a mocking tone the sidhe quite literally draws on the potential luck all around her and focuses it on herself and herself only before closing her eyes, spinning around a few times and starting to walk into a random direction before opening her eyes again. Muttering another incantation, she focuses on sensing magic around her, hoping to find some sign of the artifact.

Spoiler

Casting Greatest Luck Manipulation followed by Detect Magic

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Laena didn’t like these demons. Not one bit. The leader’s dark little chuckle and the dismissive, unserious tone all of them used towards her and the others was just a confirmation of that fact. She wasn’t too bothered that the fae couldn’t come with the three of them, because they were probably pretty annoyed with them anyway, and the ruins would probably be somewhat close quarters even just with them. The harpy was in no mood to stick around longer than necessary, and she would head out after Lily with no more than a blank stare on her face. The fae’s hair shifted colors again… did that mean something? She began to cast some spells that Laena didn’t really understand, doing something that made no real sense to her. She didn’t feel it would be good to interrupt, though, and there was little she could do to help with the searching magically. She imagined she might be able to help get into the ruins if that were needed, but her primary role was physical, not magical.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Laena: HP = 71, PP = 58, EP = 48, Status = Pregnant, Fine

Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 52/62, Status = Fine, Greatest Luck Manipulation

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting: Lily succeeds. Not beeg surprise.
Perception: ???

Striding out into the camp and casting first one spell and then the next, particularly by opening with a spell that had drastic effects for anyone with any magical senses whatsoever as well as being of a school that demons had literally invented, turned out to have not been the best plan if Lily wished to maintain a calm atmosphere. As her hair flashed every figure in the camp was suddenly staring at her, and the demons looked anything but friendly as each seemed prepared to leap on her at once like a pack of enraged wolves. Thankfully, the harmless nature of her spell disarmed the situation quickly enough, and only Garret produced a further reaction while he and Laena observed the sudden brief change that had come over their angelic counterpart. Namely, he let out a surprised gasp and stopped, dropping into a readied stance and saying; "Gah! You.... What did you just do?"

Her efforts to detect the location of the artifact out in the camp would be met with little success. If the portion of the Metathran Lotus that they sought was out in the camp, it wasn't in the immediate vicinity of the leader's camp, and her efforts earned her a throbbing headache as her mind was suddenly overwhelmed with more information than it could process at once. Every demon within the radius of her spell triggered, revealing Letris as dangerously powerful and possessed of magics of her own and Vidrian as even more so, while a trio of goblins standing guard only just barely registered, and several other demons nearby registered as succubi and mages. Items with minor enchantments were to be had as well, Letris's sword registering as powerfully enchanted while her darksteel armor pinged due to the minor magics inherent in its material, and similar low level enchantments were present on many items around them, including the lightstones hanging around them to provide light to the camp. Minor enchantments and their aftereffects filled the air as well, leaving the sidhe mage stuck with a large quantity of confusing material wallowing about in her head.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Though her efforts are quickly rewarded with a hefty headache, Lily maintains her concentration. "I'll explain later Garrett. Right now I need to concentrate."

Trying to shut off all the minor and demonic auras, Lily continues walking forwards, hoping to find more success away from the camp and still trusting in her spells to guide her, or at least not willing to give up just yet. Her hair stays black, but she manages to maintain enough self-control to not let Banshee take over despite all the demons she is now acutely aware of.