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Hunters: Part One
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 10:49 am
by Taelian
Veldas, 21st of Glade, Year 120
It had taken over a week of planning to get to this point, but they were here; prepared. Or as much as they could be. It was going to be a challenge for their lives -- Taelian very well knew that in these secluded forests, he could very well die. But he had always known that, being involved as he was with this ill-fated revolution. Riven, if he remembered his own lost Arlaed, would certainly be sad . . . but this was the price one had to pay for the Black Sigil. Fealty to death.
They had been preparing in a cabin, one they'd rented from a rural authority not associated with the city of Grimholdt. That way, they would not be exposed early by any connection the Joseph's may have had to the landlords of Grimholdt-proper. About thirteen hours ago, Taelian had contracted the Marghozad to join them, allowing his aether to replenish over time as part of his early preparation of the battle. Now, he felt almost fully stocked, with the two black Aldir hounds standing to either side of Rhylor, who they had been instructed to follow.
Taelian had a satchel at his waist, and within it were six silver daggers, all Enkindled save for one, as he could only Enkindle six weapons at a time. Of course, Ard Fuil was holstered at his side, with the Enkindling running perfectly along the indents of the blade, a molten trail searing across where the weapon's blood was meant to accumulate and flow, to be absorbed by the dragonshard at its core. Eleanor and Rhylor were equally ready -- Eleanor was currently utilizing Searing, communing with the specters around them to keep tabs on the location of the approaching party. They had been informing her of their approach, and apparently now they were only minutes away. Once they passed by the cabin, the Ebon Knights would spring from it and begin their assault. Taelian would begin by using wide, sweeping attacks, forcing the Cardinals to distance from one another and effectively herding them into two isolated areas of the forest. He needed to be absolutely perfect -- all of them would have to begin their assault with Emblem, and Taelian would need to force the Cardinals to keep a distance by assailing them with his floating daggers, manipulated by Gallow Warrior.
A single mistake, and they would all die. There was no running from Dranoch if they failed; wavering only solidified one's death. They were faster, highly cunning, and utterly precise.
They could hear movement outside of the cabin, finally. The windows were boarded shut and they were all totally quiet, unmoving; they knew of the Dranoch's superior senses, so they all had to quietly lay against the cabin's wooden furniture, tightly controlling their breathing and staying still so as to prevent any unintended movements. Fortunately, the Cardinals did not seem to notice them, and they continued their banal conversation.
"...of course they gave me a proper deal, but--"
"Yoren, must you always tire the children with your talk of business and trade? Let's talk about Lisa's suitor, Halon. Do you think he'll be willing to become a Dranoch? Have you even gestured towards the idea?"
"Mother," the young woman replied. "I have no interest in Halon. He does have great character, but he comes from a family scarcely a thread above the middle of the road. He..."
The voices began to grow distant. Only seconds now, and their trap would be sprung. The tension was increasing in everyone's chest; the overwhelm of anxiety came and just as quickly receded, consumed by a need, the call to action. All of them knew what needed to be done.
Re: Hunters: Part One
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 11:08 am
by Taelian
There were two doors: one at the entrance of the cabin, and one leading into the back-garden, only separated from the rest of the forest by a small fence that could easily be leaped over or cut through. On Eleanor's signal, they were meant to exit separately; Taelian was to go through the garden exit, and the other two through the front door. While Taelian initially drew their attention, the two Marghozad would run to tackle Clara, and Eleanor and Rhylor would perform a coordinated assault against Yoren. Taelian, meanwhile, would perform large cleaving attacks with his Pyromancy to disperse the group and potentially kill any Dranoch who failed to react. His first attack would need to be Cleanse for better efficiency, only he barely knew of Cleanse and had never successfully performed it. This was, quite literally, a trial by fire.
"...You'll use Cleanse, and we'll all be consumed by the flame. As Eleanor and I are immune, it won't harm us, it will only attach to our armor. The Shrivenflame corroding through our equipment will give us an advantage against Clara and Yoren, as any attacks against us with their claws will be met with severe backlash."
It was an excellent strategy. He'd even thought of it himself -- well, all but the flaming armor part. That was Rhylor's genius.
Now, with Eleanor beginning to signal, everything began. Taelian immediately began to focus on visualizing Cleanse in his head as he quickly sprinted for the cabin's secondary exit, remembering the times he'd seen a Revenant or Vendrael perform the ability. They would smash the ground with their weapon, the initiation similar to the ability Trail, though with a sea of fire expanding outward in a cone. Taelian focused his aether, focused on the Enkindling of his blade, the Shrivenflame and the fear and the necessity of it all -- he needed to do this right. Or at least something close to right. He wasn't a born legend like Aldrin, to whom everything came so naturally. But he had talent, and a skill for the magic, and the drive to defend his allies.
The Ebon Knight barged through the door. The Marghozad immediately winded around the corner, tackling Clara and successfully locking their teeth around her, the two hauling her away from the radius of the Cleanse to protect themselves. They continued to bite and snap into her, the woman fighting back fiercely with her claws.
Taelian stood before the simple garden of flowers, carrots, cabbages; an orange tree stood beside him at the edge of the fence. He imagined all of it burning. He imagined the startled faces of the Dranoch before him, already beginning to twist with rage into their disfigured shapes, all also being consumed by flame. Taelian slammed his blade into the ground and launched his aether outward through it, using the Enkindled weapon as a conduit. The garden was lit aflame as the sea began to churn and wash forward like a wave, but early on it appeared to split into three disconnected trails, rather than the full triangular shape he intended it to be. The Cleanse was imperfect; he cursed. The trails managed to bunch the Dranoch more tightly together, however, as they sought to evade the failed Cleanse's outer edges, as it expanded forward like a three-pronged rake, a trident of fire. Taelian's weapon rose, and quickly he slammed it against the soil again.
This time, the Cleanse was right. It washed forward with incredible velocity, and for a moment he was certain it would kill all four of the unoccupied members of the Joseph family, their entire bounty slayed by one ability. But as Eleanor and Rhylor converged onto them, he noticed a surge of energy beginning to expand; Yoren created a portal, and quickly he and his children funneled through. The sudden action left him startled and exhausted, as the portal did not appear to be formed with the greatest cohesion, and Crossing had already begun to penalize him for his sloppy and unstable act. Yet despite this potential moment of vulnerability, Taelian glanced to the right and noticed one already tragic thing:
The Marghozad were both already dead.
Re: Hunters: Part One
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 11:25 am
by Taelian
Clara stood before them, black bile spewing from her lips; it appeared she had torn through one of their throats with her fangs, and had cleaved the other apart with the serrated length of her claws. Taelian quickly realized the location of the second portal, as he heard movement through the cabin. They were attempting to burst out from behind him, killing him in a surprise. The Ebon Knight quickly turned and slammed his blade against the soil once more, using another Cleanse. Within moments, the Cabin was consumed in flame as the Sigilfire washed over it, all of those outside staring in marvel at the grand structure of wood consumed utterly by fire.
From within, he heard screams. Only one pitch, however, seemingly that of a young man's. Most likely he had just enveloped and killed Larsson with fire, though that meant Lisa, Erik and Yoren were still alive, and were likely not far from striking. Performing one unsuccessful and two successful cleanses back-to-back, on top of the aether still taken from him by the Marghozad, Taelian began to heave as he felt fatigue run over him. He was already close to overstepping; it wasn't shocking, Cleanse was his most powerful ability, and it was unknown to him until this moment. Using it three times . . . it had taken a lot out of him. The quick succession of it all, only moreso.
Eleanor and Rhylor quickly chased after Clara, who actively began to run from them in order to keep a distance. The two of them began flinging Flamelances at her, flinging forward at a high velocity. Their first round missed, but Eleanor's second lance managed to impale Clara through the left side of her chest, forcing the woman to scream as she fell onto her knees, barely keeping herself from falling by reactively pressing her palms against the grass. She wheezed and sputtered out a mess of thick, grotesquely colored blood, before weakly rising once more onto her feet. A portal opened from behind Eleanor; it was Yoren. Taelian immediately reacted by drawing out his silver daggers with Gallow Warrior, one of them flinging forward at the Cardinal at an accelerated pace, attempting to defend his ally. But a blade ran through the woman's chest, and simultaneously the dagger plunged through Yoren's eye, Taelian manipulating it to lunge deep into his brain. He collapsed, dead, though not long after the Ashwraith fell.
The rest of the Cardinals, Erik and Lisa, rapidly converged onto Rhylor as he threw another Flamelance at the Cardinals' immobile matron. It managed to land, searing through her chest and throwing her onto the ground. She appeared to go limp, the two Shrivenflame lances razing her from within. Yoren was cut down, diced aggressively by claws. Taelian managed to slice through Erik's shoulder with one of his daggers, but it was done. Eleanor and Rhylor were dead. Clara, Yoren and Larsson were dead. It was Taelian against the last two that remained.
Re: Hunters: Part One
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2020 10:01 am
by Mirage
Taelian
Lores
Sigilic Pyromancy: Cleanse
Sigilic Pyromancy: Cleanse has a conal radius
Sigilic Pyromancy: Cleanse is performed similarly to Trail
Sigilic Pyromancy: Gallow Warrior: Precisely manipulating small weapons simultaneously
Blades: Daggers
Blades: Through the eye
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points 5
Comments:
This one certainly was action packed! I'll save comments until the end of part 2. For now enjoy the points! All 5 can go toward Pyromancy.
You can add +5 toward Black Remedy Progression as well. I will update your secrets thread! See you in the next!
Question your Reality,
Mirage