Warehousing

[Zora]

Warehousing

Searing 50, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

Kira glanced at Jesse, catching the hint of caution in his whispered warning. "Be careful," he murmured just loud enough for her to hear. "I'm not entirely sure about these two."

She gave him a subtle nod, understanding his concerns. Their new companions were intriguing, but in a place like Trash Town, trust was a luxury. Watching Jesse blink up to join Hector, she turned her attention to the task at hand.

“Let’s see if I can get us up there. I assume you can’t fly or anything?” she said to Vergil.

Kira stood amidst the debris-strewn floor, her eyes fixated on a particularly large slab of metal. It was half-buried under piles of rusted machinery and tangled wires, its surface marred by years of neglect. This was going to be a challenge, she knew. Kinetics was often a delicate balance of power and precision, and what she was about to attempt required a generous measure of both.

She extended her hands towards the slab, not touching it but feeling the cool, distant metal through the threads of her magic. Drawing a deep breath, Kira began to weave her kinetic energy around the slab. She imagined tendrils of her power sliding beneath it, feeling for the weight and balance of the corroded metal.

“I’ll try to lift this up. Feel free to join me if ya want.”

The slab shuddered slightly as her magic took hold, a faint vibration that grew stronger. Kira's brow furrowed with concentration, her focus unwavering as she coaxed the slab upwards. She could feel the strain in her mind, like a muscle being stretched, the weight of the metal testing the limits of her control.

Slowly, the slab began to rise, peeling away from the pile of junk. Kira adjusted her stance, her feet firmly planted on the ground as she balanced the forces at play. The slab hovered in the air, a testament to her growing mastery over her abilities. But the effort was taxing. She could feel a bead of sweat trail down her temple, her arms trembled slightly from the exertion.

She steadied herself, taking another deep breath. The balcony wasn't far, but the distance felt like miles under the weight of the slab. Kira shifted her focus, visualizing the invisible path her magic would carve through the air. With a gentle push, she directed the slab towards the balcony, her powers acting as an unseen guide.

The journey was slow, every inch of movement a battle against gravity and the slab's significant mass. Kira's arms ached, and her mind swirled with the constant need to adjust for the slab's unwieldy nature. She was aware of every shift in its balance, every potential slip that could send it crashing down. As she neared the balcony, Kira's control wavered, a momentary lapse that caused the slab to dip alarmingly. Her heart raced, but she quickly regained her grip, her determination overriding the fatigue that crept into her limbs. With a final, concerted effort, she aligned the slab with the balcony, bringing it to a gentle stop.

Reaching the balcony, Kira stepped off the platform and placed it off to the side so she could use it again fi she needed to, her eyes sweeping the area for any signs of slimes or anything else of interest. She saw Jesse prodding some junk with his foot, clearly he hadn't found anything yet.

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying

[Hector]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

- - -

- - -

Hector had skittered off to some unseen location within the enclosed spaces of the factory almost immediately, having gone off on his own as he was so often wont to do. Vergil had half a mind to explore the more open spaces himself, hoping Hector would be fine by virtue of his own prowess and that of his Aidolon. However, it appeared that their new companions intended to stick together, and that both of them intended to follow after Hector.

And while Vergil wanted to trust them, he wasn't entirely keen on Hector being left alone with those who were still, ostensibly, strangers. Neither of them came across as inherently unstable or violent, but frankly, Hector could be both of those things. The elf would also, when left to his own devices, speak without thinking, and Vergil had no idea how their new friends would react if Hector let slip his vampirism– or even just the origins of his Aidolon; the Lady of Whispers was not an unknown figure even in the Imperium. She had been, after all, a high ranking general who served beneath Shaeoth both before and during His clash with Arcas. Many that knew of this tale would regard consorting with her ilk to be…more dangerous than they could suffer to let live. Especially so, here, actually, as the Imperium and those within it did not tend to look highly upon anything even vaguely tied to the divine.

For those reasons, Vergil decided to go along with the group. He could tell Kira's use of Kinetics was causing her some strain, and he knew himself to be…heavy.

"Oh, don't worry about me…I'm not sure how stable that metal would be should I join the two of you," he said, some nervous notes in his voice.

That was the downside of the bodily reinforcements he'd been slowly building upon over time– he had to be mindful of his weight, especially when standing on flimsy surfaces. So instead, he would make use of his Traversion and Blink up to a destination near where Kira and her companion had landed on the balcony. When he stepped through the tear in slipspace, Vergil appeared disoriented for the briefest of moments upon his arrival, but quickly recovered. He was good with portals, arguably prodigious, but the more abrupt acts of teleportation or out of body aspects of Traversion often gave him vertigo, stirring his aether in a way he found particularly uncomfortable.

Vergil stepped forward, opening the same door that Hector had gone in. Inside was what appeared to be an office; it must’ve been perfectly bland when it saw proper use; all the same cool greys that were standard in Imperium office spaces were present. Now, however, many of the surfaces were covered in dust, the furniture dilapidated, and there were signs that vagrants might’ve taken shelter here once upon a time.

On a sturdy, well made wooden desk sat a pigeon. One might think that it was a shame such fine woodwork had been left behind to rot in this pitiful place, but then there was that strange pigeon. The caliginous creature was no ordinary bird; its feathers looked bleached, possessing a marbled, grey to white texture and whorls of deep, stygian shadow wafted strangely from its body. Vergil recognized the bird for what it was right away– Al’Kassis poaching Hector’s Animus rune.

“Speak, spirit– why do you linger?” He didn’t have an interest in playing games, knowing that Hector and Al’Kassis both found it amusing to be obtuse more often than he’d like.

In response, the tenebrous bird ruffled his feathers, fluffing himself up to look a bit bigger, tilting his head in the process. The bird’s eyes held an empty look, simply staring at the vampyr for a moment. Still, Vergil's expression remained patient, expectant.

Then, a voice– a man’s, a silken sort of tenor, projected from the little bird. “The boy is exploring. I remain to take you to him; the connection he and I share allows me to keep track of him, irrespective of his want to wander.”

Listening to the spirit speak would be a strange experience, as his speech carried with it strange whispers; each word was accompanied by a subtle, susurrating chorus and the soft, mellifluous chiming of bells.

“Through the door behind me and down the hall to the left; skip two doors, enter the third. I believe he found the sentient green sludge the two of you indicated you sought,” the bird continued, voice lilting, the focus of his gaze shifting to the newcomers by the end.

"Foul things. I wonder after your purpose for them," he continued, the comment almost sounding snide.

And he spoke true; just as well, Hector didn’t really know much about green slimes. He and Vergil had come mostly for the metal ones; these things were a bit of a mystery to him. The room he was in was a mess; part of the floor in the far left corner had rotted away entirely, revealing part of the room below. Maybe the slimes had caused that? Hector hadn’t a clue. He also wasn’t sure exactly how many individual slimes were in here, as from the way they were squished together, it was hard to tell what was more than one slime versus a particularly large one. There had to be at least a few, though...certainly more than two.

Through Reminiscence, Hector had the ability to access Al’Kassis’ repertoire of skills, including manifesting the spirit’s miasma himself. Black, oily sludge pooled in the palm of his hand, and then the elf slung some of it at one of the slime creatures– the thing fizzed, emitting a hideous sort of hissing sound as the miasma drained vitality from it. The elf squinted, wanting to see if the creature would be able to dissipate the miasma itself.

- - -

Aidolon Speech

"Kathalan Tongue/Speech"

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"

[Zora]

Kira observed the interaction between Vergil and the bird with a mix of intrigue and skepticism. The scene was bizarre, even by the standards of her experiences with the arcane. The bird, with its ethereal feathers and the odd, whispering voice, seemed like something out of a surreal dream. She remained silent, her eyes darting between the bird and Vergil, absorbing the strange spectacle.

As the creature, or rather the spirit inhabiting it, provided directions, Kira's attention shifted back to the task at hand. "Well, that was... interesting," she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. The whole scenario with the bird struck her as strange, but she chose not to press further with questions. This was a realm of magic she knew little about, and sometimes, not knowing was better.

“I take it we’re going through that door then,” Kira said while looking it, but not two seconds after she spoke, a pile of junk slid to fall in front of it, effectively blocking it. How inconvenient.

"Guess I'll help clear the way," she said, stepping forward. With her kinetic abilities, she began to methodically move the heavy chunks of metal that littered their path. Each piece was pushed aside with a focused exertion of her powers, the metal groaning and scraping against the worn floor as she made a path.

The effort of moving from point A to point B was taxing. Unlike traversion mages who could phase through objects, Kira had to physically move each obstacle. She felt the strain in her mind and body as she manipulated the dense materials. She was careful not to disturb the precarious balance of the piled debris, aware that a wrong move could bring a cascade of junk crashing down and making noise that might attract unwanted attention.

One by one, the metal pieces were shifted, creating a navigable path through the cluttered floor. Kira wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling the exertion of her efforts. Yet, there was a sense of accomplishment in making the way forward, in using her magic to overcome the physical barriers before them.

As Kira worked, Jesse stayed close and asked Virgil, “what did you do to that bird, by the way?”

And after the doorway was cleared, Kira called out, "everything okay over there?" directed at Hector.

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying

[Hector]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

- - -

- - -

After delivering his message, the caliginous little creature cooed, ruffled his feathers, and then would appear to melt into shadowy sludge. The substance, strangely iridescent, might resemble something similar to motor oil or the like. Looking closely, there would be a thin, black tether extending from what remained to and beyond the crack beneath the door. In an instant, the sludge would egress, appearing to retract along that line, vanishing.

Unsurprisingly, Kira and Jesse both looked at least mildly concerned about whatever that interaction was– but to be fair, it'd have been more surprising to him if they weren't. They had, after all, admitted that they weren't all too familiar with Summoning and spirits alike.

But shortly after Kira commented about where they were next headed, something– perhaps their movement, but who could say– caused some of the building's rubble to collapse, barring their path. While it would've been possible, surely, for the three of them to clear the debris by hand, the use of the woman's Kinetics was certainly more convenient. And Vergil wasn't about to stop her; telling a stranger what to do felt rude, but just as well, he doubted there was any reason to call for a conservation of aether here.

But as she went about this endeavor, Jesse spoke up, inquiring after the nature of the strange bird.

“I've no control over that bird– that was Hector’s Aidolon; the spirit itself is the black miasma. Amorphous by nature, he can shift himself into a variety of shapes, the pigeon's just convenient because it takes no effort– it's a totem in Hector's Animus, so he also has access to it,” Vergil offered in explanation.

“The Aidolon and Summoner can create a sort of, ah…bridge between one another, share aether, magic, the like, so the stranger things you might see them do are usually combinations of each other's arcane tricks.”

Vergil also knew that Summoners were capable of eventually combining fully, body and soul, with their Aidolon, but he also knew Hector and Al'Kassis had yet to do this. He wasn't quite sure doing so would be a good idea, or how he'd ultimately feel toward the result, but one thing he did know was that Hector did what Hector wanted; ultimately, he'd not have a choice in the matter.

When Kira's Kinetic task completed, she stepped through the now cleared threshold and called to Hector.

The boy barely heard her; he didn't understand her words, rather, felt the vibration of her voice– his hearing was far more sensitive than normal, but his brain sometimes failed to process muffled sound into words properly.

In response, he stepped away from the slime, opening the door and peered back into the hall.

“Yeah– I found green slimes? If thats of interest to you, there's, uhm…at least a couple in here?” He'd tried to count again, but one of them was so lumpy and misshapen he couldn't quite be sure if it was a single slime or several stuck together.

- - -

Aidolon Speech

"Kathalan Tongue/Speech"

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"

[Zora]

Kira listened to Vergil's explanation about Hector's Aidolon with a blend of fascination and a hint of skepticism. "Aidolons and Summoners sharing magic... that's quite a concept," she mused aloud, her thoughts briefly wandering to the complexities of such a bond. "Shapeshifting into a pigeon for convenience, huh? Makes sense, but it's still a bit strange to wrap my head around."

As she and Jesse began walking towards where Hector had indicated, Jesse leaned closer to Kira and spoke in a low tone, "Try not to use much more magic today. You've already done a lot."

Kira sighed but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know, I’ll keep things mild from here on out" she replied reluctantly. The thought of limiting her use of magic was frustrating, but she understood the necessity. Overexertion could lead to dangerous consequences, and she couldn't afford to be reckless, especially in an environment as unpredictable as this one.

Reaching the door where Hector was, she peered inside, her gaze landing on the green slimes. The bizarre, lumpy shapes of the creatures captured her attention. "Green slimes, huh? They definitely look... interesting," she remarked, her tone conveying both intrigue and a hint of caution. "We should be careful around these things. They're not exactly what you'd call friendly."

Kira's eyes scanned the room, taking in the details and assessing the situation. Despite her earlier agreement to limit her magic use, she couldn't help but feel the urge to experiment, to see what these slimes were capable of. However, she reminded herself of Jesse's warning and decided to hold back, opting instead to observe and learn from what Hector was doing.

"Any idea how we should handle these?" she asked. Her question was directed at everyone though she drew her katana absent mindedly. She was just dying to know how it felt to cut through one.

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying

[Hector]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

- - -

- - -

Kira’s understandable confusion at the notion that the Aidolon’s pigeon shape was done for convenience managed to break Vergil’s usual austerity, pulling a breath of laughter out of him.

“I suppose I’ve spent enough time with them that I’ve forgotten how strange their magic can look,” he replied with a slight shrug.

“But as for sharing magic, the technique is called Reminiscence; to my understanding, many Summoners never quite grasp this skill, so even among other practitioners, it’s considered relatively rare.” Vergil was no Summoner himself, but he had been friends with many of the Kindred back in Zaichaer, and ever the academic, he learned much about it from them.

Vergil was able to pick up the quiet words shared between Jesse and Kira by virtue of his hearing being preternaturally acute, but he made no comment; he didn’t react, really. It wasn’t his business, for one, and for another, Jesse’s point was fair– the older vampyr had found himself saying the same sentiment to Hector many, many times in the past. The most egregious example of Hector’s recklessness wasn’t even that far back, either– it had occurred last Frost; like a dying star, the boy had nearly burned himself out from within.

But with the debris cleared and Hector’s location having been revealed, Vergil and the others moved to meet the elf where he was.

Hector cocked his head to Kira’s words when she indicated that the gelatinous creatures weren’t friendly. “They’re not? Hm.” He placed his hands on his hips, indignant– almost disappointed.

“But…handling them…I’m not sure. Do you want to collect them when all is said and done? What parts of them are useful to you, er…what should I preserve? If the creatures die, are they no longer useful? I…” Hector asked his questions rapidly before trailing off, bringing a hand to his lips in thought.

The truth of the matter was that these were creatures Hector had little to no experience with, and, consequently, didn’t know anything about. These beings were also, in large part, beyond Vergil’s repertoire of knowledge, too.

“All I know is that the cores have some value and the larger ones can grow pesticyte; we…can probably kill them?” It might’ve rang a bit strange for Vergil’s voice to sound so unsure.

The larger of the two vampyres spoke these words, too, whilst he was in the process of crossing the threshold into the room alongside Kira, Jesse, Hector and the slimes– a careless mistake, that, because the moment he placed his foot down after stepping up next to Hector, all of them would hear a sonorous creak, then an even more concerning crack– deafening for those with enhanced hearing– and the floor beneath the four of them shuddered as it began to give way. Hector had noted that the floor in the corner was falling to bits, likely due to the slimes’ making their ‘nest’ here, and apparently, Vergil’s weight was the proverbial straw upon the camel’s back.

Before any of them could react, they were falling– and so, too, were the slimes. Crashing down through the ceiling came five small slimes and one at the large end of medium. However, below them awaited a few more– one of which was quite the specimen!

It would be anyone’s guess what the room they’d fallen into once was. The upper floor consisted of eight smaller rooms, likely all offices of a sort, but down here was far more open– that being partially because some of the walls had collapsed aside from the major support beams, but even so, the combined space was probably a meeting room and a larger break room once upon a time. Maybe part of the space was used merely for storage? Frankly, with the amount of previous decay and scavenging, the space had simply become a shell to house refuse– and slimes; perfect for slimes.

Feasting in this broken building had allowed such sludgy specimens to flourish; it would appear that the largest of the bunch was tall enough to reach the ceiling– roughly ten feet in height, and likely another ten in diameter; the thing was as rotund as it was perfectly round. Truly, a work of art if one were a connoisseur of corpulent creatures. Further, they’d see two additional mid-sized slimes oozing ‘round the behemoth; perhaps the size of the largest of dog breeds. There lurked three additional small slimes on top of the five smaller ones that had fallen alongside trashtown’s intrepid spelunkers, and they were sized not unlike the standard housecat. In total, that amounted to eight small, three medium, and one on the verge of colossal.

To break his fall, Vergil utilized his ability to Blink before he was able to gain much momentum. Phasing briefly out of existence, he’d reappear low to the ground, stabilizing himself swiftly before rising to his feet once more. His gaze would immediately snap back to Hector, but luckily the elf would be fine; the boy wasn’t the most confident of fliers, but he was perfectly capable of flexing his wings enough to soften his own descent with little issue. But falling, realistically, was the least of their issues– as Kira had asked just before, however should the creatures be handled?

Nobody present would have much time to ponder that quandary, however, as the slimes, nigh mindlessly, ingressed upon them; the four of them were, after all, just more mere matter for the sludgies to consume.

Hector’s immediate reaction was to fold the fingers of his dominant hand, one he’d previously removed and pocketed the glove to, and squeeze tightly. The gesture was a subtle way of using sharpened, avian claws to cut open his palm, thus allowing him easy access to his own blood– but he didn’t bleed red. The substance mimicked the oily texture and inky blackness of the liquid his Aidolon was composed of, but he was able to manipulate it just the same. The caliginous substance floated into the air and then behind him before hardening into two metal, chain-linked whips that ultimately anchored to his lower back– each spiked at the end.

Lashing out at the nearest of the slimes, only a small one, the metallic tendril pierced it almost in half, leaving some of the twilit liquid behind. Hector’s Aidolon took advantage of this, enacting his ability to leech vitality through the remnants thereof. And in turn, what was left of the green slime began to fizz and burn away until naught but the core was left.

Vergil, on the other hand, reacted defensively. The four of them had fallen almost on top of several of the mid-size slimes, Kira precariously close to one, and he was doing his best to Ferry the creatures away from his allies, abstractly tossing them to the far corners of the room.

- - -

Aidolon Speech

"Kathalan"

"Vallenor"

"Common"

"Mythrasi"

[Zora]

Kira raised her eyebrows in mild amusement. "Well, I'm not an expert on slimes either, but from what I understand, their cores are valuable," she began, trying to recall what little she knew about these creatures. She had never hunted them herself, but she knew plenty of mercenaries and often overheard them talking about such things.

She continued, “I’d no idea that they could have dragonshards in them though. That sounds dangerous… in a good way.”

She was going to add some thoughts about how they should proceed but she couldn’t get a word out when the floor collapsed underneath them. As she fell, Kira’s instincts surged to the forefront. In a split second, she activated her kinetic abilities, trying to suspend herself in midair to avoid the plummet. Her aether surged out, creating an invisible cushion around her, slowing her descent. But the suddenness of the fall and the surprise of the situation made it challenging to maintain control. Her power flickered, unstable under the stress, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't hold the suspension. With a frustrated grunt, she found herself falling alongside Jesse and the others.

[this part differs from what you wrote]

The impact was jarring as Kira landed in one the slimes, its gelatinous bodies squelching under the sudden intrusion. She grimaced, feeling the sticky mass envelop her. Beside her, Jesse had managed to blink next to her and put his arms in the slime to try pulling her out. This proved to be a terrible idea as Jesse was also pulled into the creature. They were both stuck now and the slime seemed eager to start digesting them.

"Jesse!" Kira called out, though her words did not make it through the viscous substance she found herself in. Her movements were also sluggish, hindered by the sticky substance. Panic set in as she realized they needed to get free, and quickly.

“Guys, a hand?” she called out to the others. She had a good feeling that she could get herself and Jesse out of the mess if she had to, but she was already feeling a little light headed from magical over-exertion.

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying

[Hector]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

- - -

- - -

When Hector had landed and he realized that they were surrounded, his reaction was something borne of reflex– he didn’t think to look to his allies, rather, he lashed out into a routine of nigh mechanical offense. His blood-crafted chains quickly dispatched one slime with an exacting sort of precision, but before he could continue his almost automated assault, Kira’s voice pulled his conscious attention back to the surface and onto her and her companion’s predicament. He blinked, flustered, hesitation drawn on his features.

On the other hand, Vergil’s Blink had allowed him to both land and collect his wits before the others. His instincts, however, guided him toward defensive action. Which, at first, meant that he began to repeatedly cast Ferry on the nearest of the slimes because even though he saw Kira fall into one of the larger ones, he also saw Jesse begin to help her. It was only a few moments later when he looked back in their direction that he realized Jesse had failed in this endeavor and that now, both of them were partially entombed in one of the slimes.

As a group, their collective, sudden fall had alerted all of the slimes in the vicinity to their presence– and thus all of the jiggly fiends had begun their slow ingress toward what they surely perceived as sustenance. Luckily, however, the largest of the corpulent creatures was left to creep over to them from the far end of the spacious, combined room; it would take more than a moment for it to reach them. Vergil had also had the time to Ferry away all of the others which had been immediately threatening, the sole exclusion of that being the one Hector had destroyed– this endeavor served to buy the two of them time to free their companions before they’d then have to deal with that which remained.

Slimes in and of themselves would not be foes that, normally, presented much risk to experienced mages of any sort, really, but that was provided one could avoid ever getting close enough to come into corporeal contact with them– a task that had already been failed.

If either Jesse or Kira themselves had Traversion they could likely Blink out, but aside from that, Vergil was not so adept with the rune that he thought himself capable of weaving his magic precisely enough around creatures that were…entrapped in other creatures. Bizarre as such a scenario was, it was not something he'd encountered since he’d learnt the rune. And truth be told, he was mostly specialized in conjuring portals as opposed to anything else. He simply did not trust himself.

The physician feared that if he tried to teleport them out by means of Ferry or the like that he'd end up teleporting both his allies and the slime in which they were ensnared. And that would be…pointless, well, worse than that. It was a risk he didn't want to take straight away, lest he waste time…but then, for him, all that was left was using Vitalis. And if Vergil used the rune on anyone aside from himself, his casting lacked any semblance of subterfuge. Hector, at least, could wield the rune in a manner much more clandestine.

However, the elf might not even need to– his Aidolon was a crafty thing on its own. Much like the slimes, Al’Kassis was amorphous and possessed a never ending hunger, but unlike the slimes, he actually had advanced intelligence.

Hector and Vergil’s eyes met, and the younger vampyr nodded to the other, his visage appearing unconcerned.

From beneath him, Hector’s shadow, black as the void, extended forward over from where he stood to the slime and his two companions to then snake beneath the gelatinous monster. To Kira and Jesse, it would look like dye dropped into water–the upward ingress of black ink beset upon green jelly. It would be difficult to tell precisely what was happening, but surely, the slime was slowly ceasing to be; its body appeared to dissolve as if the shadow was absorbing it.

At first, this was far from fast, perhaps concerningly slow, even– but there would be no cause for concern. Within moments, more tenebrous tendrils came creeping into the slime, each making the process ever the swifter; it took about half a minute total for the creature in its entirety to be devoured. Kira and Jesse were now free and unharmed, with only the creature’s core and a pool of silent, stygian gloom left behind.

And now that they were free, Vergil's gaze flit briefly over each of them. "Are you alright? That slime can eat through exposed skin rather quickly," he inquired, words a little more rushed than normal.

At this point, he wouldn't have time for a proper triage but he at least wanted to keep track of their wellbeing.

During this process, Hector had once again turned his focus elsewhere; Al'Kassis was more than capable of acting completely independently of him. The two chains he had made once again lashed out to two of the slimes nearest to him, destroying them by the virtue of the same ability– only this pair was absorbed into Hector, whereas the the medium one (perhaps leaning more toward the smaller end of large) that contained the others was consumed wholly by eldritch spirit.

They were capable of doing so by virtue of an ability innate to the Aidolon, though such a skill could be utilized fully by each independently due to their enacted Reminiscence. Hector found it endlessly convenient as it satiated him the same way blood did; it was, after all, the essence of life contained within blood that his rune thrived upon. And this, too, was far more discreet than tearing crimson from creatures by way of Harvest or the like. That, and slimes did not have blood; through vampirism alone, he could not feed upon them…but this? Why, it worked like a charm.

And with that, five small slimes, two medium, and the behemoth remained.

- - -

Aidolon Speech

"Kathalan"

"Vallenor"

"Common"

"Mythrasi"

[Zora]

Thread Title

Timestamp, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

Kira and Jesse watched in awe as Hector's shadow extended towards the slime, a sight both mesmerizing and eerie. The way the shadow interacted with the slime was like nothing Kira had seen before… it was as if darkness itself was consuming the creature.

"Whoa," Kira murmured, her eyes fixed on the spectacle. The blackness spread through the slime like ink in water, a stark contrast against the greenish hue of the slime. Jesse, standing beside her, was equally captivated but also cautious. "That's some powerful magic," he commented quietly as he pulled his head free of the slime. His eyes narrowed as he observed the shadow's effect on the slime. He was always analytical, assessing the situation and the potential of the magic being used.

As the shadowy tendrils multiplied, the slime began to disintegrate more rapidly. Kira felt a sense of relief as they were freed from the sticky entrapment. Yet, there was also a hint of apprehension at the display of power. The shadow left nothing of the slime but its core and a pool of darkness.

Jesse said grimly, "that was definitely effective, but I'm glad that's not our usual method of dealing with things," he replied, his tone reflecting a blend of respect and unease towards Hector's ability.

Kira winced slightly as Vergil's concerned gaze swept over them. She hadn't noticed the light burns from the slime initially, too focused on the strange spectacle of Hector's magic. Now, feeling the sting of the burns, she realized their encounter had been more dangerous than she had initially thought.

"Yeah, we're okay," Kira responded, trying to sound more confident than she felt. She glanced down at her clothes, noticing the sizzled patches where the slime had made contact. "Looks like we got off with just some light burns. Nothing too serious."

Jesse, examining his own clothes, nodded in agreement. "Could've been worse. Thanks for saving us by the way" he said, his voice calm but with an undercurrent of concern. He looked at the remaining slimes, assessing the situation.

Kira glanced towards the largest slime, its massive form an intimidating sight. Determined, she focused her kinetic abilities, attempting to manipulate a large slab of rock to barricade the creature's progression. Her powers strained against the weight of the stone but overexertion was hardly a thought when her survival was concerned. The slab shifted, moving into place with a grinding sound, but the slime's reaction was immediate and unexpected. It simply absorbed the rock as if it were nothing, leaving Kira momentarily stunned.

"Damn," she exclaimed, frustration evident in her tone. She tried a different approach, pushing against the slime directly with her kinetic force. She could feel the resistance, like pushing against a wall of gelatin. Her efforts made an indentation in the slime's surface, but it was clear she couldn't stop it completely.

Jesse, observing her attempts, shook his head. "I don't think I can make a portal big enough to transport this thing," he said, his voice tinged with disappointment. "We need another plan."

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying

[Hector]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

- - -

- - -

Hector always wondered how any given individual would react if, for some reason, he did have to divulge his vampirism. And some places it was even harder to predict because, culturally, Vitalis was known in some places and in others, it was nothing more than a nebulous bit of folklore. The latter was how it was in the Gelerian Imperium, even despite the fact that the Inquisition actively employed those blessed with such a gift. On the whole, the rune's mere existence was silenced as much as possible and what tales did exist were regarded as little more than simply scary stories to tell in the dark. There was a nonzero chance that his new friends might not even recognize the rune for what it truly was at all.

Still, even with no erstwhile context, many would react with revulsion to the manipulations of blood and body that were cornerstone to the rune– it was better to veer away from using it, no matter how much the elf may be tempted to…at least, for now. Summoning was a magic viewed more positively than not, the strangeness of the spirits he worked with notwithstanding. Eerie and eldritch creatures were often easier to avoid being killed on sight for consorting with as opposed to the affront to life itself that many viewed Vitalis to be. There might still be some that hate denizens of the Void so much they would respond with equal malice, but at least Al'Kassis’ origins weren't readily apparent unless one knew what to look for.

Vergil could hazard a guess from the expressions and demeanor of the other two that Hector's magic was disconcerting to them. And while he was wary of this, there really wasn't another option, at that moment, that would've served any of them much better. The Kindred witch, however, appeared to be oblivious to any judgments that may have been passed.

As the other two dusted themselves off, they responded to Vergil's concerns stating minimal perceived damage. Good to hear– Necromancy wasn't incredibly useful in the heat of the moment and there were still several slimes continuing or restarting their advance.

To their words, he would nod, adding, “I can look the two of you over once the danger's passed if you'd like.”

And to Jesse's words of thanks, Hector smiled at him, but the mellifluous chorus of the Aidolon's voice responded before the elf could. “I'd say it was my pleasure, but the texture of slimes is…unpleasant.”The voice lacked any truly discernible emotion, sounding perhaps a bit lighthearted for the scenario if anything.

Kira tried to halt the ingress of the largest one by way of Kinetics, but both of her strategies failed– the thing merely enveloped her attempt to create a barrier whilst its weight and forward momentum overpowered her attempt to stop it outright. A pity, but not that unpredictable given how heavy that much slime must ultimately be. An abstract thought passed through Hector's head while she did this; how much did slimes weigh, generally, per cubic foot? Hm.

“Worst case scenario, you and I could likely work together to make a portal large enough to transport the slime somewhere else– but I'd rather the chance at killing it first; a creature that big might have something more valuable than just the core,” Vergil said in response to Jesse; the other's idea wasn't a bad one, but it was more of a last resort.

Given the position of the thing, too, they'd have to deal with it before they left; it was blocking the only visible exit. That is, unless they wanted to break down a wall, but doing so without knowing where the remaining integral support beams were could potentially bring the entire building down on top of them. Not a good idea, given how unstable the structure must be for them to have just fallen through what floor was once above where they now stood.

Given the conversation between the mortals (and half-mortals, technically), Al'Kassis took it upon himself to reposition. Across the floor did he go creeping ‘til he came into contact with the largest of the corpulent creatures, still appearing to be an esoteric extension of Hector's shadow. Given the slime's lack of conscious thought and ambiguous sensory perception, the only of the spirit's abilities that would tangibly do anything was his drain. This was fine in that it would work, but with the thing's size it would take at least ten minutes to drain on his own, during which it could still pursue the others even while weakened.

Seeing this, Hector's focus remained on dispatching the smaller slimes while Vergil stayed the course of repeatedly ferrying them away if ever they were to get too close. Over the next few minutes, Hector would manage to take out the remaining five of the smaller slimes leaving the medium and the weakened colossus. It was smaller than before but significantly closer, slowly boxing the group into the wall behind them.

- - -

Aidolon Speech

"Kathalan"

"Vallenor"

"Common"

"Mythrasi"