Posted February 23, 2018 The scene went watched. How could it not be? The gods watched as the village was sacked and its inhabitants fled, either to another land or their souls to the afterlife. The battle was merely one move in an eons long chess match between the two, but it was a pivotal one all the same. One of the Lord's Fortresses invaded. Hallowed land devastated. A new abomination revealed to her scrutinizing, knowing eye. The Baron ended his turn... The Lord lifted her hand. — — The massive Beast hadn't noticed her approach, and seemed preoccupied with something else. Something she couldn't see from where she was standing, but it didn't matter what it was. It gave her the opportunity to sneak up on the creature, allowing her quills to sink deep into it's stomach. Unfortunately, unlike most Beasts of normal, small size, the first attack wasn't nearly enough to bring it down. In fact, more than anything, it just looked mad. Well, the Beast wasn't focused on whatever it had been looking at. Instead, it was now staring directly at her, something dangerous looking dripping from its maw. Well, she had it's attention at least. Drawing in a sharp breath, Sonya swept backwards, retreating back a few streets and towards the mountain as a new set of glowing, white spikes snapped into place on her brass knuckles. As soon as the Beast lunged, however, she took a sharp turn, leaping onto an overturned cabbage cart to escape from its snapping teeth. Her fingers clenched around her weapon as she leapt off the cabbage cart and onto a nearby roof. Her shoes slipped for a split second on slippery tiles before she found her footing. Wheeling around, she jabbed again towards the Beast, sending four glowing white quills racing towards the air towards the creature's head. There wasn't a chance in hell she was going to be able to kill this thing. It was too big, too huge, and nothing realistically seemed like it could kill it except maybe Divine intervention. But she could run away and keep it's attention on her until everyone managed to flee into the mountain. With the Lord's power protecting that place, it wouldn't easily be able to get inside. — — Julius hummed to himself as he slipped quietly inside the Fortress through the ajar door. The Apostles by now had all flooded outside to fight, and nobody had made it up the mountainside yet to seek sanctuary inside the Fortress from the Beasts outside. Maybe they were all running in different directions. Or maybe they were just all dead. It didn't matter, since someone had left the door open and now he was inside. He was greeted with the sight of impossibly smooth white walls. The ceiling looked several dozen feet above and huge stone beams supported the ceiling along the walls. Several winding staircases led deeper and deeper into the mountain where, presumably, there was other things, but the edge was guarded by a railing to prevent people from falling down into the depths. But even just the entry was impossibly large, enough to make the castle that the Disciples live in feel incredibly small in comparison. "Geez," He said, kicking his feet slightly as he walked deeper inside the large, cavernous lair Apostles called home. "He might have some trouble with the door, but I bet Noodles could fit in here easily." Making his way to the railing, he leaned over the edge, glancing down as the many staircases splintered off into different paths into the mountain. "Why is this place so big?" — — Argus sighed as he made his way to the Castle, sliding beneath the shadows of the door with little trouble. Popping back into place inside, he frowned slightly. Julius going into that mountain seemed like a bad idea, but it wasn't like he could stop him. He was just a Beast, after all. He would have to trust Julius's judgement to keep himself out of trouble. Or avoid getting into more trouble. Oh well, it wasn't his problem. With a huff, Argus made his way back to the fireplace and laid down in a small basket nearby the fire, which at this point had died down to a few burning coals. Oh well, it was still warm enough. He closed his eyes and set about to actually properly falling asleep, like he had planned to do earlier until Cyrus's pacing had disrupted him. Share this post Link to post
Posted February 27, 2018 Candide gave a roll of his wrist. "Kidnapping- surprise invitation to a dungeon party of two." He winced at the wording. "Nevermind. Point taken." With that, he slowly walked over to where the Apostle was glued to. Clearly, he wanted some distance, so Candide granted it. As oblivious as Candide was to the nervousness the Apostle was feeling, he naturally behaved toward him as he would anyone displaying defensive posture. Going forward would have been too pushing. Had he been blinded by some emotion, personal space would have been ignored. Nothing came in retort to Damaris's observation. There wasn't anything incorrect about that. Speaking wasn't his best medium of communication. Singing would sway the Apostle though- and at the very least catch him off-guard. There was a time and place for it, but not now. "I hope you know what to do because I'm fairly sure I'll do something wrong." Candide picked out the pin and unrolled the wrap which wasn't all that long. It would do for a hand or limb, but it wouldn't help for something like an injury to the torso. Perhaps they didn't have proper supplies? Or perhaps this length was intentionally selected. Though from the manner Candide held the wrap- it was unlikely he just knew which wrap to grab. This was probably picked because it was smaller than the others. Once Candide got Damaris's hand in his own, he began to wrap the thin slits of broken skin. His gaze became narrowed, but focus didn't seem to come to them. Just small shifts in direction. Most of his body was stilled. Had he not been doing something he could have passed for a statue. The pin was pressed into place, holding the wrap in place. Candide blinked a few times, which was probably something akin to a show of satisfaction for him. The blank stare returned and Candide drummed his fingers along his knees. "Should Julius come see you- you might be put back in the smaller cell." Candide fished a key out of his pocket. "I can give you this- it will let you out, and you can come back and rest in this room. It- won't let you out of this place though. That takes a different key." Candide patted his side, and his eyes narrowed. Did I leave it outside..? Argus or Magnes can let me out later. Oh, well. Share this post Link to post
Posted March 11, 2018 The massive Beast seethed with rage having missed his target, distorted hisses and growls erupted from his maw as he redirected his attention back onto the Apostle. They were fast, slippery like fish but just like those aquatic dwellers the Lord's pawn was just waiting to be caught. Oh how Raghnall wanted nothing more than to be the Beast to do it. If she would just quit running however...it was really starting to get annoying. Not to mention how tiresome this hunt was becoming. Having seen the Apostle slip, Raghnall seized the chance to snap down onto the woman. Unfortunately his aim was off and the Beast got a mouthful of rubble instead, acid sizzling as it broke down the debris held in his mouth. "You're becoming a nuisance." He spat, the ridges along his spine raising with agitation. "Hold still already." Another attempt to attack was made in vain as the Beast couldn't manage to land a decent hit a second time. Perhaps it was his temper that affected his accuracy or maybe the Apostle was just that agile, either way whatever he was doing was getting him nowhere. Had to think of another way. Before there was a second to react, several glowing quills were already racing right for him, the only thing that could be done was to brace himself. A fierce scream tore out of Raghnall's mouth as he stepped back and clawed at his face to get the pain to subside. His vision, it was so hard to see, it was- his eye, she must have struck his eyes. Blood swelled up and flowed out of two of his eyes, the toxic liquid blurring whatever was left of his feeble eyesight. He swayed in place while his head desperately swiveled around to gather his bearings but the only thing he could detect at this point was scents and smells. Just great, this is exactly what I wanted. Without much of an option left, the large Beast slowly made as if to retreat. There was no point in continuing the onslaught if he couldn't see what he was doing, sure Raghnall was reckless but he knew his limits and this was one of them. Now if he could just navigate this city partially blind that would be fantastic. — — "I mean if this is a party shouldn't we be livening it up?" Damaris snickered with a grin, though his eyes barely registered Candide's discomfort. "Its alright though, I'm sure you'll get the hang of this whole social thing in no time. Even if it might be a little different for you." The Apostle much appreciated the respect the man had for his boundaries. It was almost as if he was consciously aware of his unease and for that he was thankful for. Kidnapping situations like these usually never called for anything so...relaxed, above anything else that was probably the only thing that didn't make sense to the Apostle. Just why was this guy being so approachable? Not like he was complaining about it that is. A shrug came from him followed by a sigh. Of course he knew how to patch himself up, that was like a basic skill. "All you have to do is unravel the cloth a bit, cut the length you want and then pin it into place. I don't think you'll have too much difficulty with it, kind of hard to mess it up now that I think about it." Damaris could feel his gaze settle onto Candide when he moved in to patch up his hand. At first the Apostle was zoned out, not paying too much mind until he felt the lad take hold of his hand. His hands were so cold to the touch though no matter how much Damaris wanted to initially pull away he stayed put, amber eyes watching intently as the man started his work. It was strange observing him however. Candide seemed so emotionless, stoic almost with the only expression his face held was his eyes. Those always seemed to express for him when nothing else did, or so that's what the Apostle could infer. Trying to figure out people could be such a tricky task. Whenever the man had finished, Damaris flexed his hands a good few times before nodding his satisfaction. This would have to do for now, bindings were holding nicely so that was a plus. "Thanks for this." Damaris smiled, turning back to look at Candide. "You did good." It took a solid moment to realize who this Julius fellow was but after some reflection he remembered the man back in town. Ah, it was that one. "Right, of course." He replied, taking the key from the other's hand and pocketing it safely away. No need to lose that one like the other one. Wait, was he seeing this correctly? Did he seriously lose the key to this cell? "You have got to be kidding me, you can't get any of us out of here, can you? Misplaced your key I assume?" Share this post Link to post
Posted March 14, 2018 Nahia braced against a wall as her wounds healed, yellow eyes narrowed as the Apostle fought. When she finally felt well enough to join the fray, she sprang at Raghnall once again. This time, she nimbly climbed up his back, clutching to his left side with her claws. Thank the Lord her claws could get under those massive scales. Otherwise, she'd have been thrown off ages ago. When she finally felt rooted enough, she began to dig. If she could pry up scales and expose soft skin, perhaps that Apostle could end him once and for all. It was then that the much larger Beast screamed, rearing up onto his hind legs to scratch at his eyes. Nahia clung on, but not for long. Instead, she was flung off onto a nearby roof, where the Apostle stood. In fact, it was by some miracle that she didn't crash into the Apostle. Instead, Nahia landed a few feet away. Fur and skin remain from where she skid to a stop. Ooh, that hadn't felt good. Nevertheless, Nahia scrambled to her feet once more. With a major crisis averted, her yellow eyes rested on the Apostle woman. And then flickered to that ruined house. Biting her lip, she glanced between the two several times. Would that Apostle kill her before she had a chance to save the child? Maybe...maybe talking it out would solve the problem. Raising both hands in the air carefully, Nahia's gaze continued to dart to the ruined house. "I'm not here to attack. I...There's a child. He was trapped in the rubble of a house. If you will not let me help him, please: do it yourself. I know he is still alive...." She could still smell him from the distance she was at. Hopefully that meant he was still alive. --- Slow, careful steps down the stairs echoed throughout the room. Still down from the events from earlier in the day, Matthew descended into the lounge much slower than usual. He felt useless during this emergency, and even more so due to his blindness. At least if he could see he could go and help. Even Aspen had gone out to administer aid. Instead, he was forced to remain within the Fortress walls. Sure, his injuries were far from healed...but he was doing well! At least, until he found out what that vile "weapon" of his could do. To say Matthew was in a bit of a slump was an understatement. At least, with no one around, he could remove his bandages. The air on his face made him feel human, at the very least. Once he was down the stairs, Matt began to unravel his bandages. It was a slow, moderately painful process, but it was nice to feel the air on his face again. He didn't have his vision anymore. Hell, he hardly had eyes from what Aspen said. He knew she and her dad were holding back how bad it really was. It must be awful to look at. Sighing, he wadded up the bandages in one hand. Given the circumstances, the chance to be alone was not as calming as it should have been. Slowly did he walk to the edge of the lounge, hands coming to grip the railing. He had been told that below was almost unseeable, it was so far down. His grip tightened on the raining until his knuckles turned white. He could do it. Nobody would be here to see, or to stop him. Tears burned at his eyes, the salt stinging far more than it should. It scored pain down his cheeks, turning the previously colorless tears red as it tore down raw skin. He'd lost everything. His family. His sight. His usefulness. The Apostles care for him out of pity. Lord took him in as some sort of cruel joke; his "weapon" was just insult to injury. And he hated it. Lifting his right hand, he summoned his violin in one fluid motion. He took it in both hands, gripping it so that the false wood of the instrument creaked with strain. Sniffling softly, Matt spoke through grit teeth. "I don't want this. I never wanted this!" As his voice rose in volume, he raised his awful joke of a weapon over his head. He brought it down onto the railing with a yell, slamming it into the metal beams angrily. He wasn't rewarded with the crunch of wood or the twang of snapping strings. No, the violin dissolved as soon as it touched steel, returning right to his cursed mark. "I don't want this...I just want him back..." --- Cyrus was sleeping. He had been sleeping for quite some time now. Magnes shuffled quietly into the room, a claws hand coming to rest on his forehead. He was warm...Not in the safe, human way, either. What was this called? Fever? That seemed correct. He darted about the room searching for supplies, and settled on a shirt. Then, with a sweep of his wing, he gathered condensation and rained it onto the cloth. From there, he settled it onto the Disciple's forehead. There. That would help. The Disciple stirred, groaning softly. Mm, he really must not be well. Magnes stood over the bed, tapping both index fingers together nervously. He should go get Julius, he would know what to do! But he hadn't seen Julius in quite some time....Candide would have to do. Cupping the sick man's face gently, his eyebrows drew together with concern. "I'll be right back with help, I promise." With a gust of air and a flurry of feathers, he was descending the stairs into the dungeon once more. Candide would be able to help! He didn't really have the option not to... Share this post Link to post
Posted March 15, 2018 (edited) It could talk. This thing, this horrible creature of malice and destruction could actually talk and speak as if it hadn’t just caused all of this destruction surrounded them. A shiver went down her spine as she bit her lower lip. Disgusting. Vulgar. Not only was the Baron pulling poor souls back from the grave, but now he was giving them the ability to parrot human speech. Why? To taunt them? To mock the Lord’s creations by showing he could create twisted shadows of his own? No time to think about it now. Her quills had made eye contact but it was by no means a lethal blow. Still, it was clearly painful as the creature reared back and clawed at his face. Her quills probably couldn’t be able to pierce the Beast’s thick skin, so managing to kill it was out of the question. Fortunately, the Beast apparently decided that it was done and turned away, blindly stumbling through the city. There was no guarantee it would really leave, but it didn’t look like it was rampaging anymore so much as it was just…leaving. That left her to deal with the smaller Beasts. The one in question had foolishly been appearing to assist her in the fight-or at least was using the fight as an opportunity to fight with the other Beast. In fighting was witnessed among Beasts, but it was rare when they were already attacking something else like a city. This one, apparently, was different. It had highly unusual behavior, and instead of going after her, it raised its hands in the air and looked towards a nearby, destroyed house. A sign of surrender. Speech was one thing, but now this thing was displaying signs of actual intelligence and human understanding. “I’m sure you care an awful lot about a human,” Sonya replied sarcastically, holding her fists at the ready as she quickly jumped off the roof, landing in a squat but never lowering her guard. Still, if there was a chance that there was a kid trapped in there, it was her responsibility to help him. “Stay right there,” She ordered, continuing to face the Beast as she inched closer to the destroyed house, refusing to turn her back on the creature. “Don’t think I’m done with you.” She was standing in front of the house, or at least what was left of it now. A good half of it was destroyed and hopefully if there was a kid under there he wasn’t trapped under all of that rubble. There was no way she’d be able to get him out in that case. But half of the house was still in tact, although shaky, so she began to carefully climb over the rubble to access it. It was mostly inaccessible, but there was a gap that she could carefully climb down into the remnants of the house. Sure enough, huddled in a corner and shaking, there was a child. Alive and mostly unhurt. “Shhhhh,” She whispered softly, forcing her voice comforting and warm. “I’m an Apostle, I’m here to help you. Are you hurt?” He looked mostly unharmed, but there was always a chance something had happened. Fortunately, the child-who appeared mostly shellshocked- mutely shook his head. “Okay, good. I’m going to take you to the Fortress now, okay? You’ll be safe there.” — — Julius froze when someone walked into the same room as him. Oh? He could have sworn everyone had left. But strangely enough, the person didn’t actually notice him. Or maybe it wasn’t strange at all since as he watched, the man unwound bandages from around his head, revealing what looked like a very bad injury. Oh, he was blind. As another surprise, with a flash of white a weapon snapped into place in the man’s hand. He was an Apostle. Except it wasn’t a weapon at all, it was a violin. Wow, that was hilarious. What was he going to do? Kill Beasts with music? He was blind on top of that so clearly the Lord was picking some silly people to be her fighting force. He almost couldn’t help laughing, honestly. Oh well, at least this would be mercifully easy. The poor Apostle probably wouldn’t even hear him coming since he could just walk along the air to get to him and pry his heart out before he even realized he wasn’t alone. Well, at least the Lord was making it easy. The Apostle could spend his last few moments cursing her for giving him something so silly as a violin. Except he hadn’t even moved before the Apostle suddenly began to yell and abruptly tried to break his own weapon. Julius tilted his head to the side before going still. With his clothes on it was impossible to see, but beneath his gloves the star on his hand pulsed with power and for a brief moment, his heart stopped. Fascinating. His eyes turned a vivid red color and his expression changed abruptly into a wide, toothy smile. ”Oh?” Julius purred, his words not his own as he stepped forward, never once making a sound as he seemed to glide along the ground. ”Who is this child that denies the Lord’s gifts?” His voice was deeper, raspier, as if he wasn’t quite sure how to actually speak. As he moved closer, he reached out with both hands and carefully, gently touched the sides of the Apostle’s face. ”Who are you?" Edited March 15, 2018 by pudding Share this post Link to post
Posted March 15, 2018 Nahia did not like Apostles. They made many attempts on her life and blindly served the Lord. But they were compassionate, and they knew how to take care of children. Running to save the trapped boy would have ended up with one of those quills through the heart. So even if Nahia didn't like Apostles, it was the only way to save that child. Her yellow eyes narrowed as the woman spoke, but Nahia didn't retort. She did, however, lower her hands as the Apostle slowly approached the house. postles were shallow-minded, but this woman was thoughtful enough not to kill Nahia on sight. "Is he well?" She called over, cupping her hands around her snout. It was stupid, getting so worked up over some human child. But she couldn't help but feel responsible for this whoke disaster. --- Matthew startled at an unfamiliar voice behind him, his head turning in the direction of the sound. He moved to wipe at his eyes, but was quickly stopped by a set of unfamiloar hands cupping his face. This wasn't Aspen. Nor was it her dad. Were Apostles already coming back? "I'm...My name's Matthew." He replied softly. He felt oddly subdued by this unknown Apostle. His voice was soothing, and hands cold against his burned flesh. The startled look on Matt's face faded to be replaced with a miserable, but oddly empty expression. He was exhausted. "Gifts are able to be returned. This is a burden." Matthew blank gaze rested on the stranger as he replied. He blinked slowly, painfully, in an effort to discourage more tears. "I'm the Lord's newest charity case." Share this post Link to post
Posted March 22, 2018 Accidental as it was, the Apostle realized the state of the matter. A familiar clammer up the stairs alerted Candide to the harpy's presence. Must have needed assistance with something- a convenient distraction from what was going on. Dwelling on this encounter was less than ideal. There was still much to be done- little time for sweet talking. Candide stood, humming as he went to the door. Just a little relaxing tune to get the Apostle more adjusted. Didn't need him shaken up by being alone in the basement. Candide met Magnes at the foot of the stairs. His stare was stagnant and unyielding. "Don't rush so quickly, you'll break something." Candide motioned with an arm to the stairway. "Show me what's wrong." The dungeon was easily left behind. This was obviously about Cyrus. Perhaps he was having a fit from being tired and his recovery? Wearing himself down would probably make the process take longer. Kind of a troublesome thing, but nothing to worry about for the time being. Once he was healed fully he'd be well worth the patience. Fire and ice- how fun to play with. Candide took the cool cloth off of Cyrus's forehead and wrung it out. He coated it in room temperate water and glanced over to Cyrus. For someone with a fever, one had to place a damp cloth, not a cool cloth on their forehead, chest and other main areas of absorption in regards to comfort. A cold rag would just dehydrate the skin and make the fever worse. "Every half hour..." Candide made a mental note of the time and made note of when he'd have to switch out the rag for a new one to keep the comfort optimal. Share this post Link to post
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