Elizabeth saw the effects of the water and decided to drink some with her hands. The dead dog floating in it did not effect her at all. In fact such a morbid act was a great joy for the witch. The bloody sacrifice and consumption of lives was a great pleasure for her. The words Nalani spoke criticising and going so far as to threaten the witch would only be responded to by a shift of her red eyes, tired looking and bloodshot but still a menacing glare. Her eyes stayed shifted on the woman as she drank the water and then lifted her quickly recovering body up. The witch would not be bothered with this one. There was other things to do.... the entire building was now ripe for the dark lady's investigation. At last the secrets of how this region. Norfolk Virginia would become Norfova may be discovered! The secrets of the blood magic and the dark powers of her ancestors that may be just waiting in slumber for her to awaken them!

"Would you really make yourself into player killer for my sake? How honored I feel."

The witch would then move past Nalani quickly and investigated the nearby areas lighting her one torch to check all of the exhibits and to see the painting for any clues. The witch was once again entering 'research crazed occultist mode' like she had outside during the sandstorm. Finally after a bit of time... she felt a massive flow of power emitting from upstairs. Wait... where was that Lucia woman? She was like her, most likely to also be seeking great dark power here. Why not? No one worth their salt as a dark mage would pass on this chance.... damn wretch was up to something!

Merkaba would grab anything that may be useful and move with a surprising swiftness towards the source of the power. What she saw was....

(OOC: Drinks from healing spring. Uses Torch. Searches the exhibits and the painting for information and anything useful. Rushes to see what Lucia is doing.)

 

Feeling rejuvenated after a quick bath, and the fact that she was no longer on the verge of collapse from the multitude of injuries she'd sustained earlier. she had watched in fascination as the injuries she sustained sealed and faded; it was as if she was watching a time lapse video that felt amazing to watch. She took her time in drying herself off and dressing, then spoke up to the group.

"Anyone else want to have a look at the other room with me? I mean, I'm all for taking a breather, but come on. You can't tell me you're NOT curious as to what's over there."

She didn't bother waiting for a reply before digging through her pack for another meal. she hadn't realized until just now, but she was absolutely starving. Possibly from either stress, the sudden relative lack thereof, or possibly just because it had been a while since she'd last eaten. For whatever reason, the hard tack, cheese and nuts she'd disdained yesterday were absolutely the best thing she'd ever eaten right now.

 

Taking what few precious moments were available, Jack had begun to bathe himself in the healing waters while keenly eying his various meters and bars. Though perhaps not a flawless victory, it was one that he was more than happy to accept given their group composition (personalities). To be honest, the man hadn’t gotten his hopes too high in the first place considering the misfortune circumstances each player’s quirks seemed to draw in.

While quietly reflecting upon the most recent events, he’d chuckle silently to himself while watching their druid friend fawn over their musician’s mid-section. As strange Ornson’s actions were, they weren’t entirely unfounded considering the difference between denizens of this world when compared to their kind. The most Jack could hope for was simply that the extra attention the NPC showed to Amalia wasn’t entirely unwanted.

It was then that a cold shiver ran down the man’s spine, causing him to visibly shake while staring about with cautious. Quickly eying the druid for perhaps a better understanding of what had happened, he’d realize the fruitlessness of it all. A moment of silence followed from the support as his eyes opened wide with a mix of shock and curiosity. One of his companions’ health bars had simply drained in its entirety.

This wave of confusion was tided over by yet a second surge of emotions as the man could only let out a sigh while pressing his face into both hands and letting out a groan. It appeared as though their merry little band had permanently decreased in number. How inconvenient. The man felt a tinge of regret upon completely absorbing this new bit of information. After all, Lucia was perhaps one of the more cooperative members that were present. At the very minimum, her mental health seemed to be closer to normalcy than some of the others.

Rather than accepting the hand dealt to him, the healer frantically scrolled through his list of spells in the game's interface. Surely such a basic mechanic would exist in the most touted MMO to date, right? It was then that a devious light flickered in his eyes as he'd hurry over to Lucia's corpse. Mashing the button furiously, a beam of light would descend upon the now headless raid member as he'd forcefully tug back at her fleeting soul.

"... Ain't no rest for the wicked."​

OOC: Casting Resurrection on @Lucia Mierz

 

"Terry?" she whispered, eyes widened in horror. She stumbled, falling in the pool of blue, and choked on the springs which trickled down her throat. She coughed as she weakly stood up, her knees shaking, as she stared at the stone-cold body. Merkaba's taunts and Nalani's words went unnoticed to her as her breaths became frenetic and her hands began to tremble. "It's okay, Terry. It's alright. Everything's okay. It's all okay. Okay?" she chanted and, maybe somewhere in her heart, she somewhat believed it. She scooped some water and poured it down the dog's throat before pushing his body down lower into the pool, desperation permeating her form. She ignored the ping as the Unlife Fragment appeared in her inventory. And then, as her mind faintly remembered about the object, a wretched smile crawled up her fast. "It's okay, Terry," she cooed, stroking the dog's mangled body. She played with his frayed fur, blackened, and tried her best to reassure him with a small, humorless laugh. "We'll just use the magic to revive you...It'll work. We'll fight all the zombies and witches and statues and then we'll force them to heal you and then we'll go to Pormont after all of this and grab you some fishsticks, right boy?"

She didn't notice the tears that continued to trickle down her face, staining her cheeks a raw pink. She didn't notice the bits of blood from her lips after she had bitten down a tad bit too hard. She didn't notice the others as she dragged Terry's body out of the pool, tying one of the ropes around him as she crawled up and tried to use it as a pulley to bring him back up. "Come on, guys!" she exclaimed as cheerfully as she could manage. "We gotta hurry up or else Terry's gonna be so angry at us when he wakes up and it's, like, ten years in the future!" and she panted, using the rope to pull Terry's body up with much struggle. It took awhile but she finally managed to bring the pup's body up and she smiled, cuddling into it. And then she paused. Her face drained of all its color and she stared at the head before her. Her throat was dry and, once again, she found herself at the precipice of despair.

"...Lucia?" she murmured weakly. And then she screamed.

OOC: Drank from pool and climbs rope to go up with Terry.

 

It was creepy. All of it was downright creepy. Though Jack had seen corpses before, none had ever decayed to this extent. Between the various rotting bits and dangling flesh, the man resisted the urge to gag while staring at these creatures. He wouldn’t lash out however. Their words were reasonable, showing openness for negotiation.

To be honest, even if their raid squad had declined their plea for assistance, the man didn’t think they’d be too inclined to attack. The previous exchange of words suggested that a majority of these individuals were common folk and peasants rather than soldiers. Though flood tactics might prove successful, it’d be a pyrrhic victory at most.

Continuing to listen on in silence, the dark haired man would nod with comprehension while looking about to gauge his companions’ reactions. Personally wanting to assist the undead in their endeavor, he’d shrug once while scratching his head. This was more of a group vote sort of deal. As such, he’d simply voice his opinion while listening for others and keeping a mental tally.

“They seem nice enough. At least they’ll negotiate without blackmailing us or holding someone hostage. I’ve no objections to helping… granted we probably need a bit more intel on what’s expected of us before deciding. What do you guys think?”

 

The undead..... the spawn of the underwold itself... in this world they were the remainders of what may be the prime dimensional timeline. Merkaba cared little for the mythos of gods of this world. She saw them as the same as those of the others, fake and or lesser than her own dark gods. Whether her own gods were real or imaginary was besides the point. For her, The Risen as they were calling themselves here. Were but slaves to dance the eternal dance of torment forever doing the most dull, or disgusting tasks for the greater more worthy sheep and shepherds. This was basically what the majority of the masses that were not simply consumed would be made up of.

However this world's laws are being tampered with. That much the witch had convinced herself of. These lost souls were not following the proper path of the dark gods but rather the fake creator gods... or game creators wishes. No matter how much she discovered here. Everything was being tainted with falsehoods. Lucia had gained something great in exchange for her life. Merkaba had been surpassed here but it was only a gift from the false gods in her mind. Some day soon Merkaba would gain her own path... the true path. The purest powers of hell and the abyss.

What that meant for now? Not much honestly. This was a journey of discovery and research for the witch. The undead could know many things and she needed as many allies of the dark as possible. Even if they were not exactly what she wanted. So she would stay on their good side for now. They spoke as if there were more blood witches about. If that was true there was still hope to meet one in a less hectic scenario.

"The Risen? How terrible to be left in such a state and trapped in this place for so long.... unable to be free."

The witch made certain to not act aggressively and her current appearance even while healed was a bit ragged. This would work in her favor though because she would seem more... humble this way. A nod of her head and a light touch of her hand to heart as she spoke as generously as a egotistical, power mad, fanatic could.

"I am not a necromancer. However that also means I have no desire to enslave your kind. This black crystal of dark power is a bane to your kind. I as a witch myself may be able to help prevent future issues with such things. I would like to spend more time with your people and learn as much as I can so that I may help you and admittingly further my own research. Research that could lead to your escape from the terrible curse you may be under both here and elsewhere. You could also consider me a.... expert of the old world. I could help you remember how it was, allow you relive fond memories in exchange for your mutual friendship...."

As always Merkaba worked for her own interest above anyone else. Why else was she even going through all this hogwash? If others tried to get in her way here... that would show hostility among the party... putting them at danger of being misjudged by The Risen. So she would unlikely be prevented from this speech although the upstart Lucia may take this chance as well.... This was a good chance to make a bargain at least to leave it in the 'races' head.

 

Dempsey was still trying to enjoy a bland but filling meal and a moment of relative quiet when Lucias head fell off. She stared dumbly with a mouth full of half chewed food and a speckling of bread crumbs surrounding her mouth as it simply fell off and bounced a few feet. The next thing she knew, there was a sort of blinding white light, and Lucia was whole and alive again, except she looked like an amalgam of every "after" image ever from those "drugs are bad" posters she remembered from high school.

She was almost lucid and self aware enough to remember to swallow when good old Jimmy GoodNews chimed in once more. Even before the druid finished his first word, she was already convinced that the group was doomed. Giant ants falling from the sky, exploding acid worms, or maybe even half frog, half turtle monsters that shot fireballs and made fun of your hair. She was beyond exasperated, and was almost relieved when the crisis in question turned out to only be a completely insurmountable cadre of zombies.

She watched them approach and introduce themselves with wide eyes, and a mouth still laden with half chewed food inside, and crumbs outside. As jack finished addressing the group, she finally found enough of her scattered wits to swallow what would be the last bite of her lunch, discarding the remainder carelessly onto the floor. She needed her hands for something else; a small flask of liquor that she had intended to save for a victory celebration, or a moment of silence to lament their defeat, or any other reasonably predictable situation in which a stiff drink was appropriate. She did not think she would be breaking it out for a "Surrounded by zombies, but it's ok because they're friendly, but I've had a shit day, and I just need a minute" party.

As Jack and Merkaba both entered into whatever discussions and negotiations they intended to work through with their new undead BFFs, Dempsey simply stood back and took a long pull from her flask with a blank expression.

 

So much seemed to happen at once. Lucia was dead, then not dead, seemingly due to Jack. Did illumancy really have the power to resurrect like that? Holy shit! Then, out of no where, the group seemed to become surrounded by zombies. His sword and shield were readied in an instant, but the Risen's words gave him pause.

He pondered for several moments. On the one hand, by all logic, the undead were abominations, souls and bodies unnaturally kept in the world beyond their intended time, given twisted mind and form as a parody, a mockery of life. Yet had Jack not just brought Lucia back after her time, in a way? Could the players of this world not return unnaturally? But that was different. Their forms were not a mockery of life, but a continuation. How could he rationalize, as a paladin, working with the undead?

Yet these Risen seemed sentient. Thinking. Self-controlled, rather than commanded by a dark force. He frowned for a moment, before sheathing his sword. "People are defined, not by the state of their existence, but their actions." He approached the leader of the Risen. "My name is Aaron, I am a paladin in training. You have my word, my oath, that I will do all I can to help your people," he promised. He looked around at his group. "That being said, my friends and I need rest, and food. Give us time for that, first. We came here to rid this place of evil, of the blood witches. What you ask is what we already intended to do. If you can help us with that, we can free your homes together."

 

Lucia at first was welcoming the change. She was after all prepared to pay whatever was needed, though she was a little shocked her life was what was needed, feeling the cold arms around her, she didn't have much of a desire to fight it. Accepting her death with contentment, she was prepared to respawn and research the necronomicon's magic thoroughly before deciding her next step. Unfortunately she was wrested from that cool embrace, and soon found herself back to the raid. Blinkingly the blackness in her gaze still lingered briefly before fading out and away, she was back, but not finished. It didn't take her long to realize her needs had dropped either, the warning signs were a little clear after all. She began eating first, getting her thirst and food up was a priority, one that couldn't wait like health and energy could. She could casually try that spring that seemed to heal the others while hs was busy searching for answers.

The Risen however made her eyes brighten. Sentient undead! It was possible-- they were here! Not just as puppets, but as more! She seemed to struggle to approach as she spoke up reaching out towards the undead man. "You know about this power?" She asked, still clutching the grimoire to her chest with her free hand. She had a frail smile, one that showed warmth and a strange kinship. After all Lucia's ambitions didn't end at learning to summon and control life and death. She wanted to change herself too, to share in that power and uniqueness, to rise the undead up as a premiere race much like the Felis or Faerin. "Please, I mean you no harm... I've been looking for a long time for those like you. Thus far I'm afraid I've only come across those that have lost their mind or have been controlled as you said." She spoke her words with a warm smile despite her weakness. She was thrilled to find evidence of a possible bright future for her kingdom right in front of her.

"If it is so dangerous or frightening why remain here? Is there something important that keeps you from crumbling?" She couldn't help asking, if she was to make a ziggurat, a necropolis or a civilization for the undead, this information was positively critical, naturally she couldn't resist asking. Catching her mistake quickly she grew a little bashful before shaking her head softly. "I'd love to help you, though I dare not make any promises for my companions. The dead are my allies." She spoke with a certainty after feeling Synra's arms around her.

 

Alpha stared at the newcomers with renewed vigor shining in her eyes. She had watched with fascination as Jack had revived Lucia right before their eyes and, upon seeing the shambling corpses of the dead, she stood resolute and with Terry's head wrapped in her arms and his limp body sliding across the cold floor. "You guys...know about the dead and stuff, right?" she asked hopefully, clutching bits of charred and bloodied fur. "You'd know how to revive Terry, right?" her breath hitched, waiting for an answer before turning back to Jack.

She bit her lip.

"You helped Lucia," she pointed at the revived woman who was now questioning and urging the undead horde to inform her more of the situation. Then she pointed at Terry. "Can you fix Terry too?" she begged, rubbing her eyes with a sleeve. And then she knelt down, hugging the dingo close to her chest.

 

Even as Amalia sank into the waters and drank deeply from the pool, she couldn't help but find it strange how such a place of solace would be in the middle of this death trap. Still, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and she would simply make the most out of the situation.

For the most part, the musician was ready to simply let herself float away into blissful relaxation, the druid Ornson however had other thoughts. He seemed to be interested in her, specifically her injury or lack of it, even going as far as to touch her without even asking for her permission. She almost laughed as she was a little too ticklish, but she schooled her expression into a neutral one though her face was flushed from the shame.

A part of her honestly wanted to push him away, but she managed to hold that back. This was likely the academic part of the druid at play. He was probably only interested in how she survived such a blow. She didn't think she would herself, but sometimes there were things from this game that reminded her that it was precisely that, a game, no more, no less.

When the new group of undead came by, Amalia was tempted to leap out of the pool but she knew she wouldn't be able to do so quickly enough from where she was resting. Still, they were fortunate that the leader of the group seemed willing to talk.

There was still a risk that this was a trap, but given their current condition, even pretending they were buying into the the Risen's words was better than confrontation. Besides, Amalia was good natured enough to give people a shot. “So what do you want from us Merdin?” would he ask them to free the rest of their brothers... or find more witches holed up here.

 

Nalani recovered from her moment of illness just as the dead bodies arrived, wiping the puke from her mouth as she glanced back up at the party, paying no attention to the new coming species. Lucia was back, seemed she had been resurrected by Jack, which was a thank goodness. Now they wouldn't be down one member and Nalani wouldn't have to see her dead body anymore... She shuddered at the thought before turning to Alphabet.

Watching the girl desperately cling to help, well... It made her sad. It made her upset. And it also irritated her. She dropped down to her knees beside the girl and moved her to look her in the eyes, giving her a serious look. Gone was the sweet, caring Nalani, and replaced was a serious one. One that needed Alphabet to man up and move forward for the time being. It was a side she didn't show very many of people, seeing as her true bluntness came off as rude or offensive. Coddling the young girl would do nothing, however, and Nalani opened her mouth to speak.

"Alphabet? Let go." She started quietly, pink eyes piercing back into hers, "Nothing that you do right now will bring Terry back. Whining and crying wil only make it worse. Do you think Terry wants to see you sad? He's what to see you happy. You're just letting his legacy be in vain." Then her eyes softened over, and she hugged her friend, patting her back, "We'll get you a Terry 2.0 when we get out, okay?" Maybe it was her being irritated from the words still tumbling through her head, but... She needed her to keep going.

@Alphabet Chocolate​