Call of the Mist Wolf | Page 3

There was admittedly some inner turmoil in her thoughts, most of them tied to how useless she felt as of this moment. The desire of instant gratification was a powerful human need and while music itself was it's own reward to her, comparing it's effects to magic in general made it look a little lackluster. She couldn't heal their Druid guide quickly, nor could it bring someone on the brink of death to good health, but at least if nothing else, her spell was going to affect everyone equally – no one was going to be left untouched among her allies.

As the battle raged on and she kept her mind upon her job, she did notice that item that fell upon the ground but knew better than to try and get it. Someone else better suited could do so, she couldn't let some momentary bout of green compel her to act against the best interest of the team.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the team another time and she noticed some of the party members seemed to be suffering from some sort of debuff, unfortunately Amalia wasn't even savvy about the game mechanics. She had no idea what this one did in particular and she wasn't about to waste time opening the menu – if it was even available there, though she wouldn't know that it wasn't.

When she heard someone issue a general retreat she had to change tune.

“Focus.” she whispered to herself, changing the tempo of the song to a livelier one. She was mindful of her distance from the team members so she wouldn't put herself into danger and become a liability instead of an asset but did her best to retreat, prioritizing running over the song.

OOC: Following team in retreat. Changing song to a song of haste, tailored for mobility.

 

Alpha began to spasm as the current ran through her, drawing uncontrollable tremors and, eventually, left her stunned and immobile. Although she was only helpless for a few seconds, the time seemed to stretch as the trinket which dropped from the collapsing stone glimmered at the base of the statue. She knew that, whatever it was, it was important and was definitely essential enough for Alpha to at least attempt to gather for the more magically-experienced members of the party to investigate. She wasn't that smart herself but she knew that they'd need a lot more information on how to defeat the statue (never thought she'd say that!). The latest close-call with Dempsey and Terry had been enough to motivate her into action.

As the electricity rippled through her body, she gave the diminishing [ELECTRIFIED] status no attention, one goal set in her mind. She placed two fingers to her forehead as she got up, dashing straight toward the trinket. She was a rogue and she hoped that was fast enough for her to swipe it and make a break for the new exit they'd just discovered. Dimly, she noticed Dempsey going for the crystal but gave her no mind. She had her job and, for now, her main priority would be Terry. Just wait for me, boy.

Alpha attempts to investigate & grab the Jinn's Eye, afterwards making for the exit.​

 

As soon as Aaron was no longer stunned, he would push himself up and give a nod of thanks to the two girls who had helped him out. He would be sure to repay them later, but for now, he had no time to waste with words. He immediately pulled open his spell menu and triggered a speed boosting spell on himself as he turned toward the exit where already some of the others were making their way toward. He felt bad, using the spell on himself, but he would be the slowest due to his heavy armor and would be no good to the party if he died due to moving slowly.

Without even waiting for the spell to finish, Aaron began booking his way toward the exit, watching the strange counter tick down the entire time. He'd had ten seconds when it started. Ten seconds to what? He swallowed hard, and hoped that the call to run was correct, because if not, he knew he would be dead soon with hardly anything to show. He prayed that with the boost of speed from both his own magic and the musician, that he would be able to make it, along with everyone else.

OOC:
Using a speed buff.

 

Nalani charged towards the exit, glancing at her health bar for a moment to see another status effect pop up besides her mysterious "???", one with a symbol of a lightning bolt that seemed to be counting down as it flashed. She quickly turned her attention back towards the moment, however, concentrating on where she was going with the ever constant thoughts tumbling through her head, repeating the same questions over and over again, What language is this? How can I understand it? A-E-I-D. What does it mean? What does it mean? Unchanging as they screamed at her repeteadly, not willing to rest until she found the answers, until she understood. She shut her eyes for a quick moment, opening them up a second later as she almost reached her goal, but a mound of charred fur flopped in her peripheral vision caught her attention, Terry.

No one had picked up the dingo yet. Glancing back behind her, the rest of her party seemed either occupied with attacking the statue, helping others, or doing what she was doing- Running. If she was heartless and/or selfish person, she would've just left the dog there to die, but both of those she was not, and as she spotted her little friend Alpha preoccupied as she snatched up an item that had fallen from the statue, she knew what she had to do.

Swerving to the right, she pushed herself faster, scurrying over to the dingo's limp body. In real life, Faye might've hesitated on even trying to haul the animal over to the exit, but with her adrenaline pumping and rational thoughts being but a cry in the wind with her mind preoccupied, she pushed her arms under his body as carefully as she could and hauled him into her arms, taking off as fast as possible towards the exit with the new weight in her arms, "It's a-alright, Terry. Nalani's got you." she cooed under her breath to the best of her ability, too focused on her task at hand to even check at what her timer was at. A-E-I-D.

----

Nalani attempts to save the charred pup and heads towards the new exit.​

 

A sigh of relief sounded from Jack as he watched events unfold. Fortunately for him, the statue had behaved exactly as he had predicted, preventing any more near death missteps… for now. Not wasting any time, his voice began to shout out instructions to the others while distilling a sense of urgency that would hopefully take priority over anything else the other players felt.

“Head for the exit behind the statue!” He’d point off into the distance at the new threshold they had yet to explore. “Secure the druid, then the dog!” Looking around frantically while running, he’d continue to assess the raid’s capabilities while desperately trying to adjust to the most favorable outcome. “Bard! Speed everyone up if you can! Aaron! Speed yourself up!” His feet still swiftly pressing forward, he’d begin chanting fervently while keeping the Felis in mind. Though he didn’t quite approve of such an all in maneuver, it wouldn’t hurt to assist them since they had already committed. Without much warning, the Felis’ katars would erupt in a flare of holy flame (Inner Fire), engulfing her hands in a warm purifying sensation.

The magician himself however wouldn’t drop a beat. Not pausing to assess the results of the imbued katars, he’d continue sprinting towards their final destination while continuing to shout out surface thoughts. “Merkaba! Try to cover that crystal in a dark veil if Dempsey fails! Remember to stay spread out!” Eyes nervously glancing at the timer as he proceeded, his sandals continued to slam against the floor as each step brought him closer towards the exit. Hopefully he’d make it in time.

---------------------------
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Running towards the newly discovered exit.
Casting Inner Fire (Enchant Weapon - Holy) on Dempsey's katars.

 

​

At first her plan had gone exactly how she wanted it to. The fools around her were all falling like flies and she had struck the statue where it hurts and a small object of some kind fell to the ground. Interesting. Unfortunately, it was not hurt enough. The statue had revealed the true source of the lightning. The artifact within and the vein like flesh that was controlling it, or giving it power. It was also still charging. Merkaba would have to dodge this ridiculous contraption yet again. She was willing to do that, but her 'teammate' decided to take charge and spread water over the floor. Causing a electrical current to surge into even her. Wretched man. Was he trying to kill her? That fool will pay for this folly!

Seeing the game as simply another dimension. Elizabeth would not even check her status. Her body was telling her enough of what she needed to know. She was going to have to deal with even more problems... because of this man. The voice of the Felis spoke of a exit on the other side. What, was everyone going to flee? This was becoming unbearable. What a failure, and Merkaba refused to be involved with it. If they survived this it would be by some fluke or because her dark gods decided to let them live. She knew she would live of course.

Moving quickly, Merkaba would head towards this supposed exit. Ready for it too to be a mistake made by these people. She could attack the crystal with her magic again. The thought was enticing but she felt that playing around in here with something strange happening within her, likely the cause of the shock or even the chanting from earlier.. which everyone seemed to forget about. She heard it and knew better than to ignore such a powerful thing as a chant. It was only a matter of time before something else went wrong here.

• Meraba headed for the exit with her focus on the crystal, her health (not through menus but feeling), and staying wary of the effects that the earlier mysterious words may have on the situation (To clarify, not sure if this counts as safe from the words, but she did not speak them earlier. It was not in purple or italics. It was in her head.).

 

In real life, there was no doubt in her mind she wouldn't have made this long journey. An hour of walking would have already utterly exhausted her, a single performance, her limit for the entire day. Half a day's travel on foot was a miracle for Amalia, something she'd only ever experience in a world of fantasy.

That engagement where they had all nearly died was certainly a splendid mess. She didn't feel like they were properly working as a group, there were no assigned roles and moreover, everyone tended to act independently pursuing their own concealed interests. She couldn't even believe they had survived that.

But they had, if barely.

The chamber that opened up before them, a hub to three paths, each having it's own distinct character.

It was a place for them to rest and recover, but they couldn't really linger here. There was no water, no really easy place to fortify in case they were beset, but at least the red and smooth floor could make for a passable place to sleep.

This was going to be a long day – or was it night – it was impossible to tell inside this small sanctuary, if one could even call it that.

 

As she walked through the forward paths, with a torch in hand and a trinket in the other, she felt hunger and thirst began to gnaw at her body. The recent fight had left her drained and the excitement and adrenaline at the aftermath managed to stave off her needs for nourishment and rest. Terry had been safe, her friends had been safe and, almost as if he were just an afterthought, Ornson was safe. The pure joy at seeing everyone make it out was enough to drive her onward through the path with her natural needs pushed straight to the back of her mind.

"We did it guys!" she whooped, cheering and positively bouncing ahead. The Jinn's Eye (she knew the object looked familiar as she saw it as one of the Beta Rewards when she had initially logged in) clanked and clanged with her skips. She purposefully ignored Merkaba, a shiver running down her spine at the mention of the witch. Merkaba, Alpha was sure, wasn't a bad person but she had bad experiences with the woman that kept interfering with her attempts to communicate with her. "All we have to do is heal up these guys!" she gestured to the prone Ornson, Terry, and the heavily injured Aaron. The rest of the group had been injured in some way or form (as expected from such a difficult and perilous battle) but these three had been hurt the most and, unfortunately, Alpha wasn't sure if NPCs would respawn (she wished she read the guide on that, if there was one).

Well, that mentality lasted a few minutes. Then cold reality hit her as they traveled onward, seemingly for years without end, in a single direction whilst clueless, following the lead. They were eventually met with a sizable tunnel of sorts with three different paths and Alpha could feel a headache begin to sport itself dab center on her head. It had been hours of plain old walking and now there were three paths for them to choose from, leading to who knows where.

Exhausted, seemingly depleted of her usual boundless energy, she fell to her bottom and groaned, grabbing a health potion out of her bag for Terry. Hopefully the others would set up camp soon so they could all grab a bite to eat (idly, she wondered if the food rations included cheeseburgers).

 

Once they were safe, the very first thing Aaron would do is cast a healing spell upon the Druid. "This should help you recover from the pain," he said. "I'm sorry we didn't do a better job protecting you, we will do better at that, now." Aaron coughed heavily, his own injuries weighing him down.

Upon being sure the Druid's health was at least above the half way mark, he would begin casting healing spells on himself to bring his own health above that point as well. Finally, he would cast on Terry. When that was done, he let out a heavy sigh and looked all around. "Anyone who needs healing, let me know," he called out to the party. "I'd like to prioritize healing whoever can't heal themselves first, and I'll juggle us all as best as I can as my energy regenerates, though I'd like to save the energy potions themselves for when they might be more urgently needed."

With that announcement done, Aaron would make his way toward Amalia. "Thank you," he said to the girl. "You probably saved the druid's life, and maybe all of ours just after."

Next he would make his way to Merkaba. "I'm not going to try to get along with you, because I have the feeling nothing I can say would make you like me in anyway. But thank you for your help back there, especially with exposing that crystal."

After that, he would make his way toward Lucia. "Sorry I wasn't able to get you clear of the blast radius a little better. I recon you only got targeted because you attacked the thing, which is what I said to do, making it my fault. I'm sorry, about that."

Next, Aaron would approach Dempsey. "I think you might have saved all of our lives right at the end there. I... I apologize, for not thinking you might have necessarily had it in you to be a hero, to save people. That was wrong of me. It's because of your actions we're all alive, right now. Thank you."

He would make his way to Alphabet and Nalani next. "Thank you two for trying to help me while I was stunned there. I appreciate it immensely. If there's anything I can do for you two, let me know, alright?" He looked toward Alphabet and smiled. "Terry will be fine, I promise. He's a good dog."

Lastly, Aaron would approach Jack. "We need to talk," he said plainly. "Once we set up camp for the night, we need to talk."

He would do all this as best as he could on just the journey, weaving through the party to reach the people he felt the need to speak to. If he finished before then, he would spend the rest of the walk as silent as he could, only speaking when spoken to or to cast a requested healing spell. If they had already reached camp by the time he was finished with all of that, he would sit off a bit away from everyone, his back to whatever source of light that would function as a campfire, staring into the darkness.

 

[x]​

A single nod was given to acknowledge the paladin's statement. Little else was said though. Clearly the man wasn't in a talkative mood.

The journey consisted primarily of silence for Jack. His brow deeply furrowed, the dark haired main would quietly follow along with heavy steps and a heavy heart. Though they had come out ahead, a success from perhaps an objective standpoint, the way things had turned out had reflected nothing but failure on the group’s behalf. Their performance was dismal, passing at best considering the shenanigans and antics that had passed.

With each senseless step, he’d continue to replay each event in his mind, nitpicking at even the smallest of details. Yes. Jack had formulated an answer in his mind, a correct solution given how the statue’s behavior had verified his suspicions, however his ability to enact an effective left him at a loss. This wasn’t his old raid group, one that he had whipped into shape and trained into obedience over countless years of shared experiences. No. This was a rag tag lot, a pick-up group at best, one that needed honing in order to function appropriately as a team.

For the endless hours that went on, the man continued to ponder over the headache that plagued his mind. As for whether he’d come up with an appropriate solution… time would only tell.

 

Almost numb from the intense experience earlier, she takes off toward the far exit, only stopping to scoop up the massive chunk of crystal she'd dislodged from the statue. It might come in handy later, or end up being some sort of powerful piece of equipment or crafting material. That would be the last constructive thought that passed through her head for several minutes. She trudged along numbly and tried to process the chain of events that occurred, still shaking with fear and adrenaline. She wanted to be alone right now, but alone meant leaving the safety of the group, and the safety of the light they carried. thus far, she'd just been charging head first into danger, regardless of consequences or thought for how it put her and the rest of the group in danger. given how badly injured some of them had been, she was amazed she was still alive, let alone unscathed. Worse still, the entire group was only fractions of a second away from annihilation. this time she got lucky and saved the day, but next time she acted so wrecklessly it may well spell doom for them all.

When Aaron approached her, she snapped back to reality and donned a weak smile, returning his heartfelt compliment with a simple reply "Thanks for Protecting Lucia. Shes... We're close. Thank you." and fell silent once more.

She decided that she had to snap out of it. The party still needed a scout, and that was just about all she could do better than anyone else here. She lifted her chin and adopted a resolute expression as she returned to her place at the front of the column.

 

Merkaba would say nothing during the hours post the failure that was the magic trap from earlier. The dark lady had no words for just how she felt about the results. If the hemomancers did have the ability to watch them while they were in this place. Elizabeth felt certain that they did not see anything to fear here. Elizabeth was not at the top of her game and it was because she was utterly incompatible with these... these ragtag bunch of morons! If only that fool, Jack Anders had given her the chance, she could have destroyed the contraption herself. Well, what is done is done. Elizabeth did not forget anything, but she did know that she had to forget about these people doing anything right. A victory is not just a victory. It is how you win that shows if you were superior, and they showed nothing but desperation in the face of these witches designs.. How could Merkaba possibly enslave or convert these women if she did not appear the better. The darkness does not follow the weak.

Eventually this fun little gang would reach a split in paths. Finally, a opportunity to leave these fools to die by themselves! Elizabeth was beginning to wonder though... if she was the only one that would everunderstand. When would she meet a worthy follower? Or even someone who also seeked to sit beside the dark gods? Was everyone who was in this dimension like these people? She had not yet met anyone worthy for her cult here either. Perhaps she should invite those that had joined her in the world to come here. That was meant for when the great transference would occur. A time after Merkaba had converted enough of this world to allow her followers to come here and migrate closer to the gods. Perhaps that plan should be hastened...

Her thoughts were taken from her when a voice was directed at her. Aaron the Paladin who fell right at the beginning...

"I'm not going to try to get along with you, because I have the feeling nothing I can say would make you like me in anyway. But thank you for your help back there, especially with exposing that crystal."

Merkaba gave him a emotionless look, but she did appreciate that he understood the standings that they had. She made no gesture but her eyes stared into his for but a moment before looking away to her own thoughts. Aaron could take that as a acceptance of his thanks, a dismissal, or whatever he wanted. Then Merkaba saw the Druid. Useless guide did nothing but get them into the trap to begin with. That Lucia girl saved him. Foolishness, she should have let him suffer.

Merkaba had things come to her that she needed to do soon as they began to take up camp. First was the Felis boxer. She had gathered a part of the crystal from earlier. Merkaba wanted to get a better and closer look at it. Also the Felis had been closest to the statue. If there was anything else worth learning she would pull it from her. Elizabeth would have to make up for all of these fools blunders again at some point, so she needed to know anything additional to what her occult knowledge would bring her. It seemed this world had many more rules and than those a black magic book could teach in the prime.

She wanted to speak with the girl in private though, no need to get too many idiots into the discussion.

 

Lucia had sighed during the break down. Putting her thoughts towards possible inevitable death, she tried not to dwell on things. She'd made a solid effort, the first save she tributed to herself in silence. Though she hoped they'd make it farther, she found peace knowing at least, she wouldn't be going alone. As dark a thought as it was, it was a comfort that she felt in her heart of hearts. It was only when that end didn't come that she felt a small measure of guilt for being happy that others might die with her.

Resolving herself to be more positive and not measure others' life so lightly, she tried to endeavor to work harder. Though she was certain Ornsen had a few choice words for her, as someone who thought they were going to die in an explosion, she wanted to save his life even if he was gravely pained. The pain would be worth it for life she thought, she could only wear a somewhat bitter expression hopping the druid didn't hold her good intentions against her. "Sir Ornsen, we managed to make it, I'm sorry if I was rough with you-- I'd thought... well, I wanted at least to try and ensure your survival." She tried to explain as genuinely as possible. She wasn't sure exactly how to comfort the man, no doubt the pain would be excruciating, and if she was being truthful, the pain differences until now had slipped her mind.

While walking towards safety though and a place for temporary camp, Lucia tried to continue supporting the druid if needed, but if not, she would sooner cling to others with a more optimistic smile, glad to have survived the first encounter. Though she wasn't certain if they would make it out of this quest alive, they'd survived the first step. Looking back on what had happened, playing through what had been done though, she couldn't help feeling their chances were slim. Inaction was an obvious weakness, few seemed willing to step up or even make an effort which made things seem particularly grim. She began investing some thought into how to motivate people to try to fight back...

 

Even after everything was settled down, Nalani still felt as if she was caught up in the action. Getting out of the area didn't cause the words to stop tumbling through her brain, and although they got quieter as they went along, they were still there, causing her to question it over and over again. It really wasn't that great for her anxiety, but as long as she kept her mind on the fact that it was a status effect, it would be fine. But other questions that she asked herself where getting added every now and then, What's is this going to do to me? Will this drive me crazy? Will I die? She'd immediately shake her head and concentrate all her efforts on carrying Terry, though the farther they went, the heavier he seemed to get and the more blanked out she seemed to be. She tried to keep her pace up with Alpha, but she dragged behind a little, zoning out on what was in front of her as her need for food and water grew.

The three paths just frustrated her even more, growing irritable as she distanced herself from the rest of the group, sitting Terry down and flopping on the ground beside him, holding her hands to her head. Is was quieter now, like a soft throb, but she wanted to stop thinking. She couldn't even have a moment of silence to go over what had gone on and what the next plan of attack was without another question pushing those aside. Eventually, she would stand and study the paths for herself, but soon she returned back to the group, flopping down beside the dingo and her little friend. Her mind went over the words Aaron spoke to her... She hadn't even been able to reply to him properly, let alone acknowledge his 'thank you'.

He was right, though... In the sense of what he was trying to do. He had went to all of them and said something nice, thanked them for their work. So once everyone had settled down, she looked around at each of them quickly before forcing a small, warm smile, "... Everyone, thank you. Not everyone would have made it out without the combined effort. So... Thank you." She repeated it to let them know they all meant it, and once she was done, she got up and went to take a small walk before returning back to the camp- She needed to gather herself together first before having any real 1 on 1 conversation.​