Alpha groaned, getting sand on her tongue as she laid flat-faced on the ground below. Shaking, she pushed herself back to her feet. What she was horrified her and froze her down to the bone. She weakly reached out in Nalani's direction, mouth gaping and tears beginning to trickle down the corners of her eyes. "Nalani!" she tried to rasp out but, after getting up from her status condition and witnessing a bloody blade pierced through Nalani's barrier, her friend gripping a bloody wrist, she couldn't find the strength to say anything above a whisper. She seemed to get over her shock quickly thought and her face twisted with rage. "How could you?!" she cried and she gave a nod to Terry, the two charging towards the revived Vinka. She didn't care if the woman was a zombie or the morals of killing another. She wanted to get vengeance for her best friend.

Quickly, she used her roguish ability to step onto Terry's back, the dingo barely managing to keep himself up from her light weight, and launched herself from her platform with acrobatic expertise, attempting to glide over the spiky barrier's weak spot. And, with that, she had a vice-grip on her spear. She'd plunge this spear through the woman's head and, with a vicious and humorless grin, idly thought of Nalani, her, and Terry, all hunting fish together, as time slowed.

Alphabet Chocolate

60% HP

MAX HP

67% EN

MAX EN

Protection from Evil - A buff from Amalia.
Retaliation - A buff from Ornson.

OOC: Gets up and uses Terry as a platform to launch herself over top Vinka's barrier and attack her.

 

​

Merkaba

30% HP

MAX orange HP

17% EN

MAX EN

Merkaba watched events unfold. The party was not responding fast enough.... these incompetent saps. Lucia, the fool drained a power that she had no governance of? That was like someone imbibing another person's prescription without reading the label. Merkaba was watching as the archer's magic and health flipped entirely. What a wonderful way to get yourself killed, especially when it was so obvious that this was not over. Was the dark witch the only one who was aware that the hemomancer may have a trump card considering the scenario that had just played out? No, thankfully not when the blood witch was pulled from the pool and her crystal taken.

That was probably not going to really help if she had absorbed the power already. Alas it was too late. The blood witch had rewakened and seemed to be possessed by a even greater power. Merkaba would find herself once again being put off balance and needing to get her weakened body back into a battle ready position. It would not deter her however. This wretched woman... who was she to possess such ability? No one! It was too late to enslave or even befriend the hemomancer. Merkaba had no regret here.

Backing up one step at a time she thrust her scythe in front of her, spinning it around and around as she chanted. She would stay in this defensive stance until the time was right. The moment the blood witch would be have her life taken...

"Farewell witch of my own heart...may your hate and anguish only fuel my power further into my future. Grex perditus factus est, et infirmi essemus, venit latere in tenebris, tibi cleménter exáudi: qui furabatur anima mea!"

She put nearly all of her remaining mana into this. It was time to put things straight here. This hemomancer's soul would either be hers or lost forever to the ether! She swung her scythe down into the ground and reached out her hand grasping it forward. This was her Soul Stealer spell. It was nothing like the grand magic she wanted to use in the future but if she could claim the spirit of such a opponent it would be quite the trophy!

Regardless this was the end.


OOC: Getting back in a defensive position, then casting Soul Stealer in a bid to capture Vinka's soul once she dies!

 

“Shit… keep that protection buff rolling if you can! (@Amalia Leblanc ) It’s crunch time folks!” As the events continued to unfold, Jack could only watch with dismay as the hemomancer’s corpse rose once more with a hollow look in her eyes. Despite his greatest efforts, the man continued to rack his brain in vain as the situation escalated to even greater heights. Were this an orchestral performance, he’d consider this moment to be the final rising moments of a great crescendo.

With little time to think, the man simply followed his gut instinct. Though typically spot on, he’d have to close his eyes and pray in this case. From here on out things would only get even spottier than before… Lacking any hesitation, the dark haired man quickly got up and rushed over to the group’s Felis. A hand would rise to brush against the woman’s face with a gentle caress as the opposing one moved to nimbly steal the blood crystal from her grasp. “Sorry, kitten. Jack’s gonna borrow this. I’ll make it up to you, okay?” A distracting wink was made as he’d make his attempt.

Were he successful at retrieving the item, the support would scurry back into the safety of his the sanctified ground. He’d then proceed to tinker with the stone for a brief moment or two while inspecting it through the game’s interface. Should the object not react to his interactions, he’d let out a frustrated sigh before a devious grin would cross the man’s face. If stopping the blood magic wasn't an option, why not just take control over it? “Well, when in Rome…” Jack wouldn’t finish his statement. Without warning, he’d dive head first into the madness while recklessly slashing at his own wrist in order to supply the crystal with additional fuel. As for would happen next should everything go according to his will… there would only be one way to find out.

Jack Anders

100% HP

MAX HP

22% EN

MAX EN

OOC: Jack attempts to hijack the blood crystal from Nalani, runs back to the safe zone, and bleeds all over it to tap into its power.

 

Whoosh. A wave of confusion washed over Jack as events unfolded. His vision blurring momentarily, the man gritted his teeth as a weak grin cracked across his face with a somewhat sadistic pleasure at the fact that his inane gamble had somehow paid off.

“Bingo.”
​

A sickly curtain of crimson tided over his eyes as a loud buzzing sound permeated every corner of his mind. It was then that he’d notice the changes that had occurred. As if having gained access to some new vision filter, his mind quickly took in the recent information provided to him. The strange new interface however was still beyond his understanding. Having only the icons to go off of, he’d shrug once while eyeballing his three choices. From the looks of it, one appeared to be a buff of sorts? The other looked more defensive in nature while the last… oh boy. The last one stuck out to Jack as especially appealing. Considering the party’s situation, he found himself almost compelled to press it. When in an arms race, the one with the biggest weapons typically won, right?

Without hesitation, he’d swiftly mash the button while eagerly anticipating the result. Though his constitution drastically weakened from his course of action, that silly grin plastered upon his face only broadened as a massive twenty foot blade of blood appeared in his hands. Scythe now in hand, he’d struggle and grunt with great effort while pulling back on the blade in order to wind up. His voice called out playfully as he’d warn the other prior to letting loose.

“Better go high or low! Your choice… but you best pick one!”​

Hopefully his companions would get the memo.

As if a spring loaded cannon, he’d unleash the built up tension with a swing while pivoting in place with a powerful circular arc. Should things go according to plan, the man intended to hopefully end things once and for all, cleaving through both the statue, the witch and her construct with oppressive and unyielding force.

Jack Anders

67% HP

MAX HP

22% EN

MAX EN

OOC: Jack presses option #3 and goes to town!

 

For Lucia things more or less went almost exactly as planned-- she had expected to come out in danger for one reason or another, her pessimistic outlook about the raid assured her expectations were kept low. She however underestimated just exactly what kind of pain would happen. She could feel bones creak, her skin peel, as if her blood had suddenly flowed backwards it made her suck in a cold breath through her teeth. Silent gasps of pain coming out as her frame twitched and jerked as the energy flew into her forcefully. She tried not to refuse anything though, even as she tried to find her voice again, the first thing that returned was her sight as that intense pull was drawing her towards the statue. Her brow furrowed as the pain began to subside a little, her reactions became a little more human as that pain drifted away. Taking the first step was excruciating, worse then being sunburned, but even as she winced, there was a deep and profound desire in her gaze that went unshaken. It was at that point her hearing began to slip back into focus as well, catching Jack's warning without hearing the reason why.

Thus far, Jack had played the role of leader, she had no reason to refuse, causing her to slip down ducking under whatever might come, deciding down was the easiest so she wouldn't have to time her leap in case there was a delay. Instead, she'd wait for whatever he expected to come to pass before continuing to advance towards the statue with quickened pained breaths. Arriving at it's base, her magic would flow, completely full of energy now, she was in incredible amounts of pain but her hungry grin still remained, her tongue rounding her lips as she begin gathering her magic from her body tightly packing it. If Dempsey was still hanging onto the statue or buried under the rubble, Lucia would try to wait for the girl to extract herself before releasing the shockwave to blow the rubble and remaining zombies back a distance. Her simple magic wasn't useful or valuable for much, purely because all it was capable of was pushing without causing much harm; like a strong wave of water she merely used it to dust off the statue's stand before kneeling down to begin searching for whatever was reaching out for her. It's strong call making her feel that much more urgent.

Lucia Mierz

20% HP

MAX red HP

100% EN

MAX EN

 

Aaron groaned from within the sanctuary spell that Jack had set up. He was barely able to process everything that was going on around him. The witch had someone come back to life? Jack seemed to be using blood magic now? Why had Dempsey left the safety of the sanctuary? He was tired. Gods, he was so tired. The magic in the room had forced him prone again. That was fine. That meant he was closer to the floor. Should he just lay down, take a nap?

He shook his head, trying to clear the fog. No! He had to keep fighting. He opened his inventory and pulled out another energy potion, chugging it down as fast as he could. He didn't force himself up quiet yet, he didn't have the energy to do that. "Buy me some time," he said, lacking the energy to call out. The energy potion wouldn't kick in right away, but it would help soon. Unless whatever was draining their energy began draining more. Regardless, he hoped whatever was doing that was what the party would begin focusing on. Gods, this was not his lucky day.

45% HP

MAX HP

7% EN

MAX EN

Effects:
Healing potion (1 round left)
Energy potion (3 rounds left)

 

Out of the frying pan, into the fire. It seemed that the more they tried to move forward, the worse things only became. But then again, that was the fundamentals of level design wasn't it? To make things challenging. She didn't have much room to breathe either. As soon as she arrived within the sanctuary Jack was creating for them, she was put down upon the ground by another wave of power from the enemy.

Jack's instructions however, wouldn't go unheard. “Alright, will do!” she told Jack again through the party chat. There was so much going on and she was powerless to help directly. As potent as her particular 'class' was in aiding large groups of people, the inability to inspire drastic change at the spur of the moment was a little infuriating. Nevertheless, she knew to play her part. Even if it wasn't obvious, the aid she could deliver was something that would become evident over the course of the battle.

She filtered unnecessary thoughts aside and concentrated on keeping her instrument wedged between her neck and shoulders and started with the same song she'd played before. She tried to stay in between her allies, doing her best to make sure her song would reach everyone in the room as her bow frantically, but purposefully danced along the strings, producing a sound that was invigorating and carried a sense of increasing urgency.

95% HP

MAX HP

37% EN

MAX EN

OOC: Playing a Song to provide a protection against Evil to all allies she can reach.

 

She had done it. Successfully grabbed the blood crystal. But before she could even react, all of the party was pulled to their feet again by the magic, however to less of a greater intensity, and Nalani felt herself pushed to the ground. That was when a moan beside her forced her eyes to snap open, followed by a tight grasp around her wrist. And then a terrible feeling around her neck that made her let out a loud choking sound of surprise, hand flying to her neck. It wasn't that bad, but it definitely hurt. She felt herself being raised in the air a bit, before tossed to the side, body hitting the ground as Vinka arose, quickly losing interest in her. However, she still had the blood crystal. And that was a win win.

That was until Jack came running along, and Nalani looked up at him with a dazed expression. Boy, he really was handsome... She'd noticed this countless times before, but it was enough for her to simply melt in his hands as he gently caressed her check, eyes fluttering shut as if it was a break from all that was going on at the moment. However, her eyebrows creased together in confusion as the words he muttered to her registered with her mind, and her pink gaze shot open in enough time to see him sprinting back to his little sanctified area, not even bothering to take her with him, That bastard... And honestly, she would've been a little bit more upset at him, if not for that fact he cut open his hand and began bleeding all over the crystal. Then she was just filled with worry.

Fortunately, he was okay, and as much as the blood magic grabbed her attention for a moment as she wondered if maybe the crystal would've given her answers to the questions in her brain, a little figure climbing the witches barrier caught her attention, Alphabet. The way Jack went, he could swing and hit her, and she really didn't need the little girl to hate him more than she already did. So, before Jack could carry out his attack. Nalani pushed herself to her feet and rushed over to the witches barrier, grabbing her friend by the back of her shirt and throwing themselves both to the ground to get out of the way of the incoming blood scythe. So much for doing her own damage to the witch, but for now, saving their own asses was important as well.​

Nalani Rosa

65% HP

MAX HP

32% EN

MAX EN

??? 3/4

 

Lucia grunted when the undead struck her but fortunately it was only a single one. Using a health potion, she couldn't help a deep frown coming to her face, all she could do was bet that she was more agile then them in her medium armor as she tried to buy enough time to recover. As she tried to fight the creature back with her simplest spell, one that required the least amount of time and had the shortest cast time and gesture list. Forming a pair of hand signs she tried to quickly blast the creature off of it's feed with an acid sphere hoping that her Malefimancy was strong enough to at least knock it back from her even if it didn't die-- for Good measure she even tried to make it as vicious as possible even if it cost her more energy. It was clear she was becoming increasingly paranoid and flustered as she tried to distance herself from the creature.

If she was fortunate enough to defeat it, she'd begin looking for the next person she could help. If not she could only flash a bitter expression knowing she was in critical condition. "If anyone has a free hand, I'd love to not die right here." She confessed with a dry laugh really praying with all she had that it would just stay down so she would have some time to catch her breath.

Lucia Mierz

10% HP

MAX red HP

100% EN

MAX EN

 

Her vision swam as pain erupted from her midsection, causing her to stagger and fall upon the ground clutching her belly. The pain felt extremely real and raw, enough to almost make her pass out. Had she actually had no exposure to pain the eclipsed this sort of agony, she probably would have been knocked unconscious, but she could move, if barely. Wincing, she tried to pull herself away from the sandy pits, chugging down her only healing potion before unceremoniously tossing the empty bottle aside.

As she made her way to escape the pit as fast as she could manage, she clutched her stomach with one hand tightly and held on to her bow and violin with the other. The throbbing from her stomach and the the fear of imminent death prevented her from actually playing. All she was doing was trying to stay clear of any remaining threats, after being rendered useless by the friendly fire damage.

The last thing she wanted at this point was to become an unnecessary burden on everyone else, so she just hoped there wasn't going to be another surprise ray of light from some well concealed statue hidden in the corners of the chamber.

15% HP

MAX red HP

42% EN

MAX EN

OOC: Moving out of the pit, avoiding enemies in proximity if she can.
Healing Potion +5, 2 charges left for the next 2 rounds.
Energy Potion +5, 1 charge left for next round.

 

Alpha pulled herself from the rubble, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes from the pain. She gave a weak groan as she tossed one of the broken rocks away, only to still at the sight before her. "Nalani!" she cried, quickly attempting to scramble to her feet to reach her friend. Before she did so, however, she could hear the grunts of the shambling, undead creatures and found herself staring straight at Jack. The man was weak, weaker than Nalani and the others, and he had a trio of creatures hounding him. He didn't look like he could take another step and, despite his scythe resulting in the statue falling on top of her and Nalani, she felt worry and anxiety brewing in her. "Just wait a sec, Nalani," she mumbled under her breath, guilty for prioritizing this man over her best friend for the moment. "Terry," she called. "Try to protect Jack, okay buddy?" and the dingo gave a tentative, hesitant nod before flinging himself into the fray, attempting to tackle down some of the zombies out for Jack's flesh. Alpha turned away and surveyed the area and noticed the black crystal, the one she had found shining in the statue's eye, had slid out onto the floor during the aftermath.

She was scared that the crystal would be similar to what Jack had found earlier, the crystal that managed to defeat Vriska and save their lives but had drained Jack of all his health. She, however, stood resolute upon looking back at Nalani, the girl weak. "Hang on, Nalani," she prayed desperately before pulling out potion from her inventory and gulping it down. She'd get that crystal soon.

Alphabet Chocolate

15% HP

MAX red HP

62% EN

MAX EN

Protection from Evil - A buff from Amalia.
Retaliation - A buff from Ornson.

OOC:
Healing Potion +5, 0 charges left
Healing Potion +5, 3 charges left.
Drinks Healing Potion, commands Terry to protect Jack, and pulls herself out from rubble.

 

Nope...​

“Heeeey... This is pretty aweso—“ The man’s words slurred to a halt an indescribable quantity of blood was sapped from his very fiber of existence. Thankfully the game’s pain mitigation system had made his blood loss relatively tolerable rather than an immediate state of comatose.

As if to add insult to injury, a large number of undead were sent immediately at his direction. Perhaps this was the statue’s way of offering a final farewell gift to the dark haired man before he had sent it crashing like a tree. His health bar now flashing dangerously low in the red, he’d groggily look down at the crystal while reaching over with his other hand to separate himself from it. “I think you’ve had your fill buddy…” The man then slipped the crystal into his carrying bag for later. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate over potential spoils.

It was then that Terry had come to his assistance. Letting out a thankful sigh of appreciation, he’d nod once gratefully while reaching over to grab at the collar of Merkaba’s dress. Jack then scurried over (with body in tow) to a section of the room that resided safely between two points of the smoke asterisk shape. Seeing how the other support was temporarily incapacitated, he’d try to stabilize the situation as best he could. “Get out of the smoke zones! You’ll die if it goes off again!”

Once positioned off into what he had hopefully deemed was safety, he’d look around cautiously while reaching into his pouch and uncorking yet another potion. “I hope to god these things can’t result in an overdose…” He’d laugh hesitantly knowing fully that it was a realistic possible. “Whatever. Down the hatch!”

Jack Anders

2% HP

MAX red HP

22% EN

MAX EN

Energy Potion: Potion expired (0/3)
Energy Potion: New potion in effect (3/3)