The Inverted Spire | Page 3

The Inverted Spire
Discussion in 'DM Challenges' started by Ashifili, Mar 5, 2018.
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    • 116 / 121 HP



    As they continued to traverse the forest, as he was looking towards his front as he was at the back of the two who had scouted ahead of the party, he suddenly felt something different as he stared at the two. Specifically at the violet-clothed black-haired woman who he had tossed the berry towards. He felt his heart beating loudly as his eyes was just focused on that woman named Destiny Divebird. Is this love? Yes it should be. He wanted to protect this woman from all harm. If possible, he wanted to shield this woman from all the hurt she was going to experience. And if there's going to be someone that would try to steal her from him...

    He then stared with sharp eyes at the only other male in the party. Yes. That person who always call him Haru when he was not. But more importantly, he was a male. Yes. Should he dare to try to steal his precious bird away from him, he would be dead. As brutal a death as possible... But wait. He had always desired to be a hero. Would it be counter-productive if he would kill someone just to be with the woman she loved? No. All heroes had a leading lady. And he would make sure, that he would be the only hero that she would know. No one else.

    He then noticed that even when they unequipped everything, the clothes on them were still wet. As he then noticed his precious bird was wet as well, he then materialized his spare coat, and then suddenly he wrapped it on Destiny.

    "You look cold from all the swimming we had done. Here, should keep you warm while I prepare the things needed for a campfire."
    He then shouted, "Hey, should we rest for a bit? Destiny needed to warm up, and we should gather everything needed for a campfire. I would gather the wood. I'll be back in a bit." As he moved forward to gather the wood needed for a campfire, he then scouted the place if there should be something for them to be wary about. As much as possible, he did not want to have Destiny hurt by something that they did not foresee. As he came back from his gathering of wood, he then laid them at his front. Of course he did not forget Destiny as he then materialized a huge log, and then feeling it for a soft spot, he then said to her, "Of course we should have something for a woman to sit on. Here, Destiny, sit here, it is comfy enough."

    Progressing (30), Scout (30), Stealth (30), Recovery (10)
    ↑ +15 mod, Progressing ↑
    58
    Roll / Tracker
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2018

    • 84 / 118 HP


    +6 HP from Recovery (self)​


    Feeling a bit better after taking care of the cut on his face, Iván let the others go before him. He was contemplating numerous things in his head as they walked, including whether it was truly too late to abandon these people, when he felt someone watching him. It was Haru, seemingly agitated for some reason. Did Iván do something to him? Maybe it was during that thing with those girls and those men? Maybe it was earlier when he fell on his head? Maybe Haru was expecting Iván to catch him in his arms instead of catching him with his face? Iván narrowed his eyes under his dark-tinted goggles. “What?”

    Iván felt a little relieved when Haru did not respond and instead turned his attention to one of them girls, the one that wasn’t Portia. What was that one’s name again? He checked his mental notes quickly. Ah, right, Destiny. Sounds like the name of that girl his roommate took home one drunken night. He wondered what ever happened to that other girl. Iván doubted being that cheap would be great for her finances.

    His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Haru going on about warmth and wetness and wood. It was a great idea, taking a rest. All of them, with the exception of the girl that fell down naked earlier, what was her name? Temperance?, looked to be in terrible shape. Well, most of them. Portia was missing one ear, gross, and Haru went up that tree with the disgusting thing on his back. Iván himself had his face cut but at least he was able to fix it right away.

    “That sounds like a great idea,” Iván deadpanned before taking a seat beside Destiny, on the ground, without a log from Haru. It was cool. His butt wasn’t that sensitive. The ground would do for him. Iván sighed, finding himself in deep contemplation once more. Maybe we should eat Haru…


    Progress (30), Stealth (30), Scout (30), Recovery (10)
    ↑ +20 mod, Stealth ↑
    1
    Roll / Tracker
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2018
  1. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    Nat 1 Event: Activate
    It was a mistake.

    But it was a dangerous one.

    Temperance wasn’t there to illuminate them of what they were to do, after all. She hadn’t told them yet of the lights on the stones, of the magical framework lying within each of those cairns. And Ivan, wearing his sunglasses, could not have noticed the spark of light that shimmered beneath. As he leaned back, his hand pressed against the stone, pressed against the spark, and everything…everything came to life.

    It was as if his soul was being torn out of his body, a horrid sucking noise as his very essence was drained. Almost immediately, phantasmal radiance spidercracked from the epicenter that was his hand, veins of power reaching out like lightning for the dozens of cairns placed all around the plaza. Mana. It was mana that was being sucked out of his body, mana that gave the structures all around him new might. Ghostly lights scorched out the inscriptions within the cairns as they shook violently. His own UI disintegrated in the madness, Ivan blinded by static noise and absolutely drained. The temperature spiked downwards, normally ‘cold’ temperatures becoming lethal as the air itself turned white, each cairn seeking to draw heat to itself. Frost formed where flesh was, a subzero hell created by the endothermic processes of the arcane structures.

    And, when they had wrung him dry, the structures stopped their shaking.

    Black ooze poured from unseen seams within the stone, an odorless goop that held the same sense of foreboding that the cave entrance itself had present. Pure pitch, a blackness that no light could illuminate. And, disregarding the freezing temperatures, it rushed towards them like a wave, tainted ink already staining their legs.

    The adventurers had to move, lest they be reduced to blocks of ice, lest they be consumed by the pools of black mud that seeped all around.

    They had to escape.

    Ivan’s prone form remained there, unmoving, much too suspectible to the encroaching ooze. Would they leave him to rot, for endangering them all? Or would one of them choose to shoulder his burden, and bring him along despite that deadly mistake?

    The benefits gained from the Rest option are nulled. @Portia Ahrens @Iván Carl @Destiny Divebird @Bradwynne receive 20 HP damage due to the extreme cold. 50 Supply is lost. You must decide on a path immediately, and escape whatever you have released. If someone decides to carry Ivan with them, their own rolls will be automatically halved.
     
  2. Rat

    Rat

    • 115 / 125 HP


    A great many things began to happen all at once. Ignoring the progress of the others, Temperance examined the cairn and studied it.

    Blinking, she poured some of her own magic into the thing to feed its... battery, as it were, and entice a reaction from the magitech device. Should she inform the others? None were magitech experts that she knew of... one had mentioned tinkering, hadn't they? Or had she only imagined that? Honestly, she'd ignored everyone else for the most part, like flies buzzing near her ear as she tried to get on with the adventure. Well she was certainly reaping the rewards of that negligence now!

    Disgusted, Temperance took several steps back and left the... thing... where it was. Supposedly it could restore their dwindling supplies, but... ew. Just absolutely ew, no.
    She checked their team comm channel to find that people were discussed the recent monster attack and their hunting in the area. She sent them a quick warning not to fuck with the cairns, and when they began to accuse her of doing something wrong, proceeded to tell them off. She was ready to make her way back now...

    And then the wave of cold came, and froze her to her wet-clothed core. Even from over where she was, she could feel the heat sapping from things, and see the lights. Lights brighter and bolder than the one she had seen moments before, in the cairn...
    God.
    Damn.
    It.
    Opening the comm thread again, she began to announce her return, ready to help bail them out of whatever evil they'd gotten involved with. It was like children and hot stoves. Tell them not to touch the thing, and what do they do? Summon a shoggoth, of course, because why not? She entered the area they were in, saw the ooze seeping across the ground, wrapping about legs. That was absolutely not good, and she didn't want to go near it. But... that sunglasses guy was frozen in place. Possibly literally? It was her job as the rogue/healer to move through danger to make sure that those in need of help got it.. So, sprinting through the sludge, she reached Ivan and proceeded to press against him, back to back. Pulling rope and belts from her inventory, she strapped the man to her back, then proceeded to get get the hell out of dodge, hoping that others followed.

    "You smooze, you lose!!" she growled as she began to jump down the ledges, trying not to fall to her death. Worst case scenario, she had a living impact cushion to absorb her fall. Right? Right. When she found out who had caused this whole thing, she was going to murder them dead.

    Progress (100)
    ↑ +15 Progress Mod↑
    76 and 74
    Roll / Tracker
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 8, 2018

    • 56 / 116 HP

    • -20 HP from extreme cold


    Portia did her best to try and not be foolish with any of the steps she took as the permission to accompany the female into the unknown finally came. Along with their little journey, a few words and comments of the recent battle against the water monster were exchanged, followed by the inevitable concern of the female walking beside her. @Destiny Divebird had made an offer to check her injury for her, and so, she removed the bandage stained with her own blood, allowing it to fall into one of her empty hands. ''It's the first time something like this happened while I was in here... I don't know how to feel about it, other than the pain, I mean. How are your wounds, by the way? I saw that thing managed to land a blow on you, too.''

    ''Ah, it's gross and it hurts like a bitch,'' her words came out as more a plea to be careful if she tried to touch the wounded area than an actual warning for the woman's safety.

    While she busied herself with the injured side of Portia's head, her hand moved to bring the game's UI into vision once again, opening the panel that allowed her to communicate with the rest of the party who had currently stayed behind them. A quick message she sent to the others, informing them of the pair's current location and a warning to be careful with their steps should they choose to try and follow them into the plaza.

    When the rest of the group arrived, all hell broke loose.

    Bradwynne put special emphasis on Destiny's comfort and safety, going to the extent of gathering supplies in order for her to stay warm while he turned his back on the rest of the party. She leaned in closer to the woman at her side, mumbling underneath her breath with curiosity palpable on every word of her sentence. ''A fan of yours or..?''

    But before she could even dare to finish that thought, her question was left hanging in the air, for something far more important appeared in the mere span of seconds. Iván fell to the ground as yet another creature was brought to life before the party's eyes, seemingly using the masked man's energy as a means to obtain whatever amount of energy was required to acquire its horrible form. Not a moment later, the healer of the party, who had been missing from the little gathering all of this time, came into view and quickly sprung into action, rescuing their teammate and making a run for their lives.

    Portia, too, did the same, mimicking the woman's movements with those of her own as she burst into a run after the figure into one of the paths the duo had discovered earlier that day. This was certainly not the way she would've chosen to go, but now, when danger was looming over their heads, it was the only solution they could afford.

    Progress (100)
    ↑ +5 Progress Mod ↑
    37
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    • 093 / 118 HP

    Was sure nice having someone around with a solid head on their shoulders, even if that head was missin’ an ear. Hell, Destiny had been plenty glad when the white-haired gal had asked to come along—she didn’t mind company, ‘specially somewhere so potentially lethal. As the two explored their surroundings, the eeriness of the game trails wasn’t lost on the forest ranger. Her Hunting skill was high enough that Investigation Mode should’ve highlighted animal tracks, territory marks, scat, somethin’. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but somethin’ about this was all wrong. Some kinda air predator eat everything? It was damn uncanny—

    And then the world ground to a halt.

    Pink and purple and flowers and Portia and chilly weather and sweaters and holding hands and hell, why weren’t they holding hands? They should—

    “…Huh?” she said to Bradwynne some time later, snapping out of a daze in the middle of what seemed to be an in-progress campsite. She blinked, letting it sink in, and then brightened. “Oh hell yes, thanks, man! C’mere babe, sit.” Des slung the coat on her shoulders over the log and sat down, patting the place next to her. Her eyes drifted calmly to Portia and she turned her head, eyes half-lidded as the other girl leaned towards her. “Mm? Who’s a fan? Hon, sometimes you say the weirdest stuff,” the Yladian said easily, un-crossing her legs. She leaned in a little closer, one hand shifting subtly towards the white-haired girl. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. Her eyes were bright.

    There was no room in Destiny’s berry-inflicted mental state for phantasmal magic or inescapable horrors. It’s all just so easy, Destiny thought lazily as she jogged after the fleeing woman, heart beating sluggishly with every footstep. Her boots kicked up swirls of cherry blossoms and merry splashes of black ooze as she chased after her porcelain princess, each step a slow-motion reverie. So easy, when you’re in love. Hell, why haven’t I done this before? With Portia on the line, nothing could stop her—not the sight of Ivan limp and motionless, or Temperance distantly shouting, or the tiny animal thrashing wildly against her chest. The world, even as it was consumed by frost and ink, had never seemed so bright.

    She caught up to her at the ledges, and hell, Portia had never looked more beautiful. “I got you, babe,” she said, confidently scooping up the smaller girl in a princess-carry and looking down at the one-eared angel clasped safely in her arms. The world stilled around them. Destiny’s gaze was direct and serene, filled with a calm self-assurance only as strong as her embrace. The frigid wind tousled her raven hair as she tightened her arms around Portia and stepped forward into the new day with her heart soaring, holding her sunshine girl, walking confidently into the sunset of tomorrow that was actually the edge of the cliff.

    Progress (100)
    7
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  3. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    [​IMG]
    The Inverted Spire

    With a snow haired princess in her arms and an unspeakable horror behind her, Destiny’s flight down the ledges was nothing if not legendary, the ninja bounding from one ledge to another despite lacking any acrobatic skill at all. Indeed, no matter how much she may wish it, a dream could only last for so long, and her feet skidded on gravel as she descended down the third ledge. With one thud, then another, then a third, the two tripped and fell down one set of ledges to another, thumping painfully each time before bouncing off and falling onto the next.

    Perhaps the power of love did have some merit though, as throughout their unfortunate flight down the stairs, Destiny shielded Portia with her body the entire time, absorbing all the pain and injury that her fair princess would have taken. Ending their unfortunate descent with a final, agonizing thump, the two of them laid there as Temperance, with her own ‘sleeping prince’, travelled down the ledges unimpeded. A few heartbeats later, Bradwynne came down as well, bringing with him all the drama that two people madly in love with different people would.

    Regardless of all the love triangle drama hijinks, however, the group managed to escape that strange black ooze and the sudden ice storm, driving themselves further down despite their dwindling supplies. If they kept this up, they were going to run out of supplies fast. And their injuries were slowly but steadily increasing as well, frostbitten flesh and heavy bruises adding up as their journey continued deeper and deeper, into a darkness that finally seemed befitting of abyssal cave they had original entered. Eventually, stony ledge gave away to a gentler decline, gravel replaced by hard, perfectly smooth stone. This far below, the illumination presented by that odd, white light was all but dispersed, tall shadows growing, some of them without a body associated with them. The tranquility of the forest layer gave way to the incessant buzz of this shadowed layer, devoid of vegetation and color, a cradle for the heartless and the aberrant.

    Fog formed around the party as they strove further down, smelling of sulphur and reducing visibility dramatically. The warmth of the fog too, was blessed, by all accounts caused by a natural hot spring somewhere in the area. Sharper senses could indeed hear the gentle bubbling of water, promising an actual bath after all the shit the party had been tossed through. At the same time, however, those same senses could pick up the unnatural, irregular sound of water being splashed and displaced. If they were to seek to warm up their bones, they would also no doubt be encountering the occupants of that spring.

    And this far down, did they really want to have an encounter with another monster?

    But if they did slaughter that monster, perhaps they could disassemble it into valuable Supplies?

    Decisions, decisions, decisions.

    The incessant buzz that they could all hear was increasing gradually in volume, a mild headache emerging for the lot of them. But it was no real concern yet. Not compared to the problems at hand.

    Do they stay or do they go?

    OOC
    @Bradwynne @Temperance @Destiny Divebird @Portia Ahrens @Iván Carl
    • Minimum of 100 words and maximum of 500 words. Posts with less or more will be ignored.
    • 1 post per character per cycle, with DM posts resetting the cycle at 4PM PST, daily.
    • All dice must be rolled in this thread.
    • If you want to do some extra communication between party members, do so here.
    • *insert Jeopardy music*
    HTML:
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  4. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    Cycle 5: Decadence

    Total Progress: 928/2000
    Total Supply: 130/655
    Total Scouting: 17
    Ivan Stealth: 20
    Brad Stealth: 17

    Extra Details
    @Iván Carl heals himself for 1 HP.

    @Bradwynne heals himself for 6 HP.

    @Destiny Divebird @Bradwynne @Iván Carl take 20 HP damage from the cold temperatures.

    50 Supply is lost.

    @Destiny Divebird takes 10 + 30 damage, for both Portia's and their own mistakes on the Ledges.

    +30 Progress was gained by taking the Ledges.

    The small creature "Sharkie", reduces Progress by 5.

    ~~~​

    They are beginning to realize it now. That their love may not be real, that their love may be naught but the influence of that strange and curious fruit they had eaten. But this love kept them warm, kept their heart beating. This love made them happier, made them realize that they could care so deeply about another. This love was fake, but this love was...desirable.

    Do they blow out the candleflame of their passions? Or hold onto the last fumes of their romance?

    ~~~​

    The cycle begins anew as the adventurers stand on a crossroads. Their supplies are dwindling and they won't last much longer unless drastic measures are taken. Before them stands an easy path to a natural hot springs, where they could warm their flesh and cleanse their wounds. But others seek this same sanctuary, and an encounter when the adventurers have been battered so much...could be beneficial. The flesh of the weak could sustain them for a while longer. If they turned a scouting mission into an exterminating mission, they could go so much farther!

    But they would also be staring death in the eyes the entire time.

    Decisions, decisions, decisions.
    • Approach - Progress towards the Hot Springs, knowing full well that another inhabitant of this abyssal spire lies there in comfort.
    • Diverge - Do not take the risk, and do your best to get as far as you can on the last Supplies you have.
    • Exterminate - Fuck this shit. Fuck all this shit. You've had enough of this fucking cave and its fucking ghost shitters. You will state your challenge and invite them to approach, so that you may kill them all.
     
    • 033 / 118 HP

    Somewhere along the way—hell, maybe even while sliding and tumbling head-over-heels down the ledges like a slinky down a staircase—some sense had finally gotten knocked back into Destiny. Sure, she was still dazed—about as much as someone who’d probably just suffered consecutive concussions should be. But a second line of thoughts had reemerged among the cotton-candy love haze, and those thoughts said What the hell just happened? and What's happening now?

    It was that damn berry, wasn’t it.

    Her bruised body screamed objection as she moved. Right. She’d just taken a fall or ten down a stone terrace, and she’d wrapped every one of her gangly limbs around Portia to keep the other player from getting smashed to bits instead. Portia! Damn—is she okay? Did she get hurt? The thought leapt to mind and Destiny whipped her head around, relaxing again as she saw the white-haired girl. She let out the breath she’d been holding. Even as her heart pounded with relief, however, a grimmer second thought sent a wave of dread crashing over Destiny. Hang on, lover girl. Where’s everyone else?

    Her blood ran cold. Aw, christ. What did I do?

    ...They were there. Temperance, Ivan’s motionless form strapped to her back. Bradwynne, still looking towards Destiny with adoration written all over his features. And of course Portia, who Destiny realized too late and with crushing guilt, she would have sacrificed all the others to save in an instant.

    What the hell?

    That’s it. She was a bad tour guide.

    Destiny could usually keep it together, but she had to hide her face in her hands for a moment as the group trudged on despite the searing cold and their aching bodies. Despite herself, Destiny felt herself still gravitating towards Portia again, some part of her longing for the teenage girl’s warmth as they descended into the frigid depths. That other part of herself forced her to keep a slight distance between them, an inch or two of space that seemed to scream for air. Des was quiet as they walked. Hell, she didn’t know what to say.

    The presence of steam was the first indicator that a hot spring was nearby. The thought of warm, soothing waters was enough to turn Destiny in its direction, but the sound of movement—surely something predatory and aggressive in the water—was enough to give her pause. She hesitated, turning to glance at the rest of the party. “Spring ahead might do us some good,” she ventured cautiously, screwing up her eyes. “Somethin’s already in there, though. Knowin’ this place, nothin’ friendly.”

    She was exhausted—monsters or not, she needed a damn rest. She slung her longbow off her back and readied it, glancing cautiously over her shoulder to make sure the rest of the party was close behind. Her eyes crossed Portia's and darted away. “Y'all ready?” Destiny stepped out from behind the rock into hot, ankle-deep waters.

    Approach
    No Roll
    Tracker
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2018
  5. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    [​IMG]
    Approach: Red Within the Fog

    Could they have expected anything more? Could they have expected anything less?

    Within the sulphurous fog, they could see the guardian of the springs, the great beast that proudly strode about. At first glance, it was cute, comical even. Its body was rotund and white, entire mass supported by four pudgy, stubby legs. There was no grace in its movements as it plodded along like a half-asleep bear, turning to face the trespassers of its warm sanctuary. Even its face, naught but a red circle with five holes in it, appeared all that frightening. Only a low growl emitted from its body, and the way its entire body shook was reminiscent of pudding. No dramatic roar. No unnecessary flexing. No sign of the dead around it.

    It was like the cave entrance itself. Devoid of sound and unintimidating in appearance. But frightful all the same.

    The thousand quills upon its body extended outwards, the beast puffing up to twice its original size as the intruders showed no sign of retreat. It was now the size of a small bus, that red gaze never changing all the while.

    This was the precipice. With victory, their success is all but guaranteed. With defeat, their lives would be all but forfeit.

    Wisteria petals from a far off stratum were scattered into the fog by a spring wind, setting the stage for the decisive battle.

    <<The Snow Quilled Guardian>>
    400/400
    Counter Attack Damage: 10 + ???
    Retreat Cost: None​
    Naturally, conflict is all but impossible to avoid within a dungeon. In the case where an altercation is at hand, there are four actions that each individual party member may take:
    • Attack - Roll a d100 to inflict damage upon your foe.
    • Reckless - Roll a 2d100 to inflict damage upon your foe. Double Supply cost.
    • Protect - Shield an ally from damage by taking it in their place.
    • Support - Roll a d20 to heal a single person, or to buff three other members of your party.
    Taking a combat action consumes 15 Supply, but if the monsters are slain, the party receives extra loot at the end of the adventure. If not all members of the party have posted in the cycle when the monsters have been vaniquished, they may continue on with their regularly scheduled dungeon run afterwards. However, be warned: those who attack monsters will receive HP damage immediately, something that can be mitigated only by the Protect action.

    Thus, in situations where the party decides to avoid combat instead, there are two actions they can take:
    • Rapid Retreat - Receive a certain amount of unhealable damage, and escape the monsters by sprinting away.
    • Stealthy Retreat - Roll a d100, modified by Stealth. If successful, receive no damage during your escape. If unsuccessful, receive double damage during your escape.
    Retreating does not cost Supply, unless otherwise specified. After retreating, adventurers may continue on with their regularly scheduled dungeon run...but that's not an option here, is it?
     

    • 65 / 118 HP


    -20 HP from Nat 1 Event Cold, +1 HP from Recovery (self)​

    Absolver…

    It was the last word Iván saw during whatever it was that had happened to him. Despite all the chaos that drowned the group mere minutes after he passed out, which he completely blames on Haru not giving him a log to sit on, he found himself sound asleep. Well, maybe not sound or asleep. Something else was happening to him, in his head, in his mind, or wherever he truly was. There were no words to explain what had happened, no words sufficient to describe, to give justice to, the out-of-body, rather out-of-mind, experience that Iván went through.

    He remembered his own mind trembling, as if giving weight to the truckload of new information, sensation, that had run him over. For an instant, Iván saw beyond the static veil that separated what they knew and what they didn’t. He considered it as some sort of magic before he realized it was more than that. It was, to Iván, some sort of programming, magical in nature but far more superior than natural casting. Whatever it was, Iván found it amazing, bewildering, as an experience.

    Despite being a Trained Tinkerer, with a specialty in Alchemy, Iván knew that even his Mastery would pale in comparison to what was before him, even modern science in itself could not hold a candle to this beautiful, perfect truth, one that pretty much stripped away all the mystery, all the interpretations and falsehoods of deities. Within the game and outside the game, the truth was that he was no religious devout, but what he was witnessing, it was making him rethink that truth.

    The one who stripped away all sin until purity remained…

    “Absolver…” Iván shot right back up as soon as the group stopped moving. His eyes were wide in amazement, his cheeks flushed at the honor and the privilege that he alone was given… And then he realized the rest of his group were staring at him, either in confusion or fury. “What?”

    Some of them rolled their eyes, others crossed their arms, as Iván, still strapped to Temperance’s back, continued to ponder the miracle he had experienced, witnessed, while he was unconscious. Should he tell the others what he saw? Would they even believe him?

    “What happened?” the words flowed out of his mouth before his brain could rein them in, perhaps the after effects of whatever that was that had happened to him. “Where are we? Is that sulfur I smell?” Iván adjusted his goggles and more importantly his hearing in an attempt to clarify what that sound that had unexpectedly invaded his ears was. “Am I strapped to someone?”

    He shook his head, trying to regain control over his senses, his very sanity, “I need to tell you guys something… Oh, crap, everyone down!” At the sight of the faceless thing, Iván instinctively whipped up another phantasmal spell to strike their foe.


    Attack (100)
    ↑ +13 mod, Attack ↑
    72
    Roll / Tracker
     
  6. Rat

    Rat

    • 125 / 125 HP


    Running, sprinting, climbing, dropping. Falling, landing, leaping, hopping. Passing over rock and fleeing from the black beast. Winding, turning, skipping, rushing. Like a pack of sled dogs, mushing. Fleeing frantic in a panic from the big bad thing!

    At last at the base of the ledges Temperance stopped, a fallen Destiny and Portia nearby looking very very very wounded. She should probably help them... probably set Ivan down carefully. So, as soon as he began to stir, she cut him loose and left him to fall on his ass and break his stupid neck. He was already hurling spells at some... weird... thing that was guarding some water nearby, which Destiny had approached. Fantastic. This entire adventure had been juuuuust fantastic. The only thing left to do was to survive. That HAD been their instructions, after all. Shrugging, the woman moved off to the side to avoid combat and channeled white magic into herself, healing the little damage she had taken the entire time. Back to full health. What a champ!

    Healing
    ↑ +25 Healing Mod↑
    18 + 25 = 43 hp to Self
    Roll / Tracker
     

    • 102 / 121 HP



    It all happened very quickly. As that bastard Ivan sat nearby his Destiny, he seemed to sit on something that glowed suddenly. Then it seemed as if Ivan was being drained of his energy by that glowing stone, and he smiled as he saw what happened.

    "THAT'S YOUR KARMA FOR SITTING BESIDE MY DESTINY!" he thought to himself, laughing madly at what was happening to Ivan. But as he noticed the ooze hurtling on them at record speed, he suspended his laugh, and then tried to run away. The frigid cold swept him as his lungs could not take the cold, and he was coughing blood out violently. As he was skipping on the ledges, he then saw his beloved carrying another person, and he could not help but be jealous. But wait, Destiny was not known to be a lesbian, right? So was Portia? He then managed to suspended his jealousy. Hell that should be impossible. He then followed them as they try to outrun the ooze, and they were successful in that regard... only that he saw his beloved stumble at one ledge.

    "DESTINY!" he then shouted her name aloud as he tried to reach the scruff of Destiny's clothes, but he could not reach her as the two women tumbled down until they had reached the end.

    Bradwynne then looked at the condition of Destiny as he was very worried about her. As he then saw her manage to stand up, he was thankful. But as he saw that she continued to trudge forward into the fog, he could not help crying.

    "Stop, Destiny, stop... You need to rest, I should heal you..." Bradwynne muttered as he was watching Destiny continue to walk. He should stop her from walking, but a part of him eanted to tespect her desire. To lead them to the true way, like she had always did. The only thing he could do right now was to respect her decision and follow her wherever she went. And so, he moved forward, hoping to accompany her. But he then saw something within the fog. With its round spiky form and stubby legs, it looked like Sharkie that he was holding the whole time. But as Destiny continued to move forward, its form became more spikier, and some of its quills was about to puncture Destiny if she had not seen it yet.

    This was it. He would not let Destiny suffer more harm that she was experiencing right now. More importantly, he would prove to her that he was the hero that she was waiting for.

    Grabbing Destiny's hand with his right hand, Sharkie in his left, he would try to move her out of reach of that creature. He would them shout, "I WOULD NOT LET YOU HURT DESTINY YOU OVERGROWN HEDGEHOG!" before drawing his katana towards the creature, swinging many times so that it would change its focus towards him and not Destiny. Some of his slashes were missing their mark, but it should be fine. He would just make sure that Destiny would suffer no harm.

    RECKLESS
    ↑ +23 mod, Attacking ↑
    5 & 92
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    Last edited: Mar 9, 2018
    • 033 / 118 HP

    That’s right. Things were starting to feel more normal. She wished she could stop to listen to Ivan recount his lucid dream, but same as when they’d been underwater, they just didn’t have time. Besides, even as she trained her ears back towards the group—Sharkie was mewling, Temperance cracking jokes—she heard Portia’s voice as well. The immediate rush of giddiness it gave her put a fast halt to anything Des would call normal. She gritted her teeth. I gotta look out for all of ‘em, not just Portia. Aw, but Brad and Temp could always heal themselves up, and Ivan seemed all the merrier after his experience. That’s the berry talking. This ain’t a dimestore novel, this is a dungeon. Love’s swell, but it don’t put food on the table.

    ...She loved her anyway.

    Destiny took a deep breath of hot, moist air as she moved forward into the steam like a hunter stalking her prey. She swung her bow around suddenly to point at the red face that emerged from the fog, feeling the hairs rise on the back of her neck. Gotcha. She trained her first arrow on that living bullseye as the creature jiggled closer, its true shape still intangible through the mist. “You’re a big boy, huh,” Des muttered as she crept another step into the springs, closing one eye to sight down the shaft. “It’s too bad…"

    Hang on—were those quills? Was that…

    “Hell. Sharkie?”

    Destiny wasn’t sentimental, but she was surprised.

    Her bow dropped an inch just as she felt a sharp sting across her cheek and a hand close around hers and yank her away. A long, milk-white quill had just brushed her, sharp enough to draw blood. Hell, had she crept that close? “Holy shit—” Her battered body yielded to Bradwynne’s greater strength as he hauled her back. "Hell, thanks!" As he drew his blade and charged into the fray, Destiny's eyes returned to the Hot Spring Guardian which so resembled the voracious little animal they'd carried with them all this time.

    Shakily, she got back to her feet. Sorry about your momma, Sharkie, she sent a grim prayer to the damn rabbit and drew her bow again. Sorry, Brad, I gotta get the shot. She circled around, firing sporadically and trying to get that bright red face back in her line of sight as flying spines tore stripes across her frostbitten skin. Sorry, big guy, we’ll put you down as fast as we can. Her savior had bought her time—Sweat trickled down her temple from the effort of drawing the bow, her arms trembling, muscles straining.

    I'm out of arrows,
    Destiny realized, and the guardian still lived, still suffered. Sorry... Sorry to put all the pressure on just one person. Someone she was begging not to get hurt, but someone she trusted all the same.

    Her voice cracked as she called out. “Damn it… Portia! End it!”

    Reckless Attack
    68 & 50
    +30 Attack Mod
    Roll / Tracker
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2018

    • 56 / 116 HP



    First came relief.

    She had successfully avoided what would've otherwise been the cause of a few broken bones at worst and the source of a considerable amount of bruises at best, but not thanks to her own effort. As she ran behind Temperance, a familiar figure had come to pick her up, bearing words of reassurance on her lips, a strong grip to maintain her in place and a confidence unlike any she had ever witnessed. Destiny interrupted her steps, replacing them with those of her own as she now made it her duty to see Portia to safety, purpose left unclear.

    Back on land, however, it changed back to something she couldn't define. Portia had meant to thank her for ''sacrificing'' all of her effort and energy into her well-being rather than focusing on her own, but there was something amiss with the other woman. A quirked brow of hers and a glance cast on the dark-haired female would earn the brawler nothing than a flushed face and an endless quiet, only to then fade out of her sight. Off to scouting what was ahead of them and decide what their next steps would be.

    And said relief turned into a belated sigh as the group came to the conclusion it might be better to deal with whatever foe awaited them at their chosen destination, lest they waited around for Iván to fuck another thing up.

    She couldn't manage to talk with Destiny again before she parted to the Hot Springs, taking her avoidance as an invitation to forget what had happened on the ledges. Duly noted, her inner voice mused as the warnings of a monster soon struck her ears. Brad, a conscious Iván and Destiny already swinging their spells and weapons at it like their lives depended on it, which they certainly did. With the loss of an ear ever a reminder of how foolish she had been when she decided to forsake silence in favor of fun, came the memory of the arcane surge of power bursting from her fingertips. Hers wasn't the intention to lose another limb on the same day, and somehow, a part of her already knew the answer as to how to contribute to the fight while staying out of reach.

    ''On it!'' Her hands were quick as they worked on the menu that brought up a list of the different Arcane spells available for her to use against the guardian. Unlike the first one she had used during their underwater venture, this time she tapped on another one with a slightly different method of use. Portia made a small shape in the air with a flourish of her hand, beckoning a small series of spheres to manifest in front of herself, their color the same as the spell which had been the water dragon's undoing. Wordlessly, she pointed towards the creature and snapped her fingers, giving the projectiles the command to bolt in its direction.


    Attacking (100)
    ↑ +15 Attack Modifier ↑
    42
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