amberconarizona.theiforum.com

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject:

Arson stops abruptly, following Ian's orders. The chanters continue, although screams have joined the mix. Hard to tell what is screaming, but 'women and children' would be a good guess from what Ian can tell.

Flora is making her way a bit faster. She pats her mare's neck and is encouraging her to continue. Her head also turns toward the group of cultists. That's when Ian sees it. A well hidden trap of crumbling dirt and grasses ahead of Flora. He had been lucky enough to avoid it, but she is headed right for it. A warning may not be enough to prevent Flora and her mare's fall. In the distance, a child screams in pain while the chanting increases.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

Slightly annoyed that Flora turned away, negating his use and heedless of the cries of the Shadow dwellers, he yells after her. "FLORA, STOP!!" Viciously, he spurs his horse on, urging Arson to speeds he has never reached before. Various thoughts run through his mind as he rides on an intercept course, straight for the trap. Why did you turn toward this? What if she gets hurt or worse? I will kill every living thing on this Shadow if anything happens to her, so help me. Faster, you stupid horse. If it seems that Flora will inevitably fall into the trap, and they are close enough, Ian prepares to shift the Shadows, subtracting the trap, to save Flora.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:14 am Post subject:

Flora reacts incredibly quickly and changes course, realizing she cannot possibly stop. Making her mare jump at the last possible moment, she almost makes it...

The mare's hind legs break the trap through and she beats them against the dirt wall as she tries to pull herself up. Flora has landed aside and pulls on the reins to help her mare up. Soon enough, Ian joins in and they pull her up immediately.

Alas, the mare is wounded, her left hind leg is broken and tears form in Flora's eyes.

It all happens very quickly and it seems the cultists do not bother paying attention, the child's screams covering Ian's earlier yells.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

He goes to her and puts his hands on her cheeks and stares into her eyes. "What do you want me to do? Take care of your horse, rescue the child, kill the chanters?" He looks down for a moment. "I forget myself. Are you injured?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject:

"I-I..." She looks back into his eyes pleadingly.
Then Flora stomps her foot as anger replaces chagrin. She puts her hand over the panicked mare's head and says an arcane word. Her mount collapses, asleep. "Goodbye, Rose."

She takes Ian's hand and leads him to Arson. The tears in her eyes are intensifying their natural blue color. She mutters to him, "They probably aren't responsible but they will pay for this..."
She jumps atop Arson and gives Ian her left hand so that he may climb behind her. She feels warm, feverish almost. "Jump into the fray when it is time. Spare the children... Grant mercy to those already wounded." She wipes her tears and takes out a grenade from within her cloak and kisses it.

Ian notices some of the cultists have turned around. They are still far away and on foot, after all. Half a dozen of them have left the circle and are rushing to them, revealing men and women with deformed ash-gray faces and nude bodies underneath their cloak, as well as long thin daggers.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Stay here." He nearly growls at her.

Ignoring her hand, and his need to ride behind her, to feel her body against his, and his desire to comfort her, he charges the cultists. April would be terrified if she saw the look in his eyes now. It is the look of murder. Evil, maybe, too. Ian feels himself going to a remote place, and thinks back to the first time his mother knocked him off his horse into the middle of a battle.

With slight thought for defense, he does not draw until he is upon them. After that, with Hollowshade in his left hand and his parrying dagger in his right, he plans to leave a feast for crows.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:31 pm Post subject:

Taken aback, Flora freezes and surprise has taken over her deep anger and she watches Ian rush the cultists.

Ian experiences the fever. The cold grind of gears changing. He is upon them like a demon, and near to the road all colors seem to fade except the vivid color of their blood rushing out of their wounds and rising to the sky, a liquid fire.

The cultists scream, dramatic expressions as masks of death when they fall to Hollowshade, and by the time the first six are killed, the remaining cultists have stopped chanting altogether and no longer does Ian hear the screams of victims. They all draw their cloaks from their tormented faces and their daggers from the altar. What is most certainly the cult leader bellows his anger at Ian and urges the cultists to rush and kill him, claiming he would make a greater sacrifice. The leader is a four-armed tattooed man with grayish skin and a large, bloody,curved athame.

Fifteen more cultists rush to kill Ian, their faces grotesque, their screams are fanatic cries.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

Silent as death, Ian weaves in and out of his foes, their screams are heard as if he is listening through a long pipe. They move in slow motion. The dance of death continues, a dagger thrust hits something hard and he twists it, Hollowshade hacks at a limb, and his hand grows warm with blood. He remembers how disappointed Deirdre was after one of her battles, and for the next one started after the two of them drank, and drank and drank. When the battle started, he was carried along the river Berserk. Part of him hated Deirdre now. Part of him was grateful that she had taught him well. Did he just get hit? Friend thought submerged again, and with icy efficiency Ian reaped his bloody harvest.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject:

The cultists fall quickly and most of them are fanatical in their deep-seated anger as they fight to the death. The laughter of the cult leader echoes in Ian's head, while the deep tone of his voice chants a different hymn, with sounds only a shapeshifted tongue and palate can make.

Ian sees him go to the children huddled in chains around a stone and frees them. Between attacks, his furtive glances reveal to him that he is marking the children with a strange sigil, as if an arcane taint has been summoned forth.

Ian stands, covered in blood and surrounded by corpses, a mere one hundred feet away from the unholy gray and blue fire. The cult leader is a monstrous form, a rigid 9-foot tall, four-armed thing. His eyes glow menacingly. His belly is large and round and it is apparent that he has had enough time to swallow 3 of the 7 children whole. The other four are terrorized but stand in Ian's way, intent on protecting the Leader.

"Your skills are incredible," says the brutish voice, steam rising from his mouth and nostrils as he speaks. "I can't imagine that you wish to offer yourself to me, but may I know the name of the one who interrupts?" The mass in his belly is slowly shifting into muscle-bound arms and sturdy legs.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Nicely asked. But my answer is no. You can die not knowing who snuffed out your miserable existence you thrice-damned monster!!" Ian covers the hundred feet in a matter of seconds. He knocks the children over if possible and only if they get in his way, and he leaps towards the demon, meaning to decapitate it. No sense toying with it. It looks fairly nasty.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:37 am Post subject:

The thing grinds his teeth and bites at the air, preparing for the assault as Ian knocks the children down nearly effortlessly.

When Ian leaps, he takes a heavy double punch from the beast's right arms, but it isn't enough to knock his blow off course. The thing's throat gurgles as muscle and artery are cut as effortlessly as any flesh. A thud is heard when it finally hits the cervical vertebrae. The glow of the leader's eyes dissipate quickly as they transpire surprise. Horrified at his own mistake, the leader cannot revel in the two broken ribs Ian sustains.

Hollowshade is still embedded into the thing's throat, Ian still holding it firmly as fiery blood floats into the gray sky. The beast is defeated and gasps for air, its four arms swinging at Ian frantically.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

Ian tries to twist the blade free. Sound is beginning to return, normalcy, time speeding up again. He wonders why the creature is gasping for breath, but he is the one who can't seem to catch his breath. Too much time sitting around, maybe more exercise, more vigorous. He snaps back to the task at hand, trying to avoid the claws, but worried that if he leaves the creature to die, it will float away with his sword. And that would not be good. He suddenly wonders if any of the other opponents are still up, and goes to look around.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:17 am Post subject:

Hollowshade is freed easily enough and when he turns around, he sees that each of the children has been hit by an arrow, a green flame burning within their torso dying down. Flora is riding Arson closer and closer. She lowers her bow and their approach slows before they enter the dark circle Ian entered in his frenzy.

She tries to ignore the mad look on his face and asks, "Is this thing dangerous?" while looking at the obscure design on the ground.

The circle is about twenty feet wide and sports eleven sigils within it, spaced evenly and all are meaningless to Ian.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design

Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 521 Location: South Carolina

"Where the hell did you..." He wheezes for breath. "..get a bow from?" He holds his side, aching and in pain now that the adrenaline rush has worn off. "Never mind. Are you okay?" He walks over, with his hand tucked over his broken ribs. Hearing her question, he looks around, realizes where he is. "Beats me. I'm not exactly magically inclined." He laughs, then coughs then regrets it, doubled over in pain.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject:

"I'm fine," Flora says. "Come on, then. No need to linger here."

The bodies of the children and cultists begin to decay. Another aspect of the Black Road, perhaps.
_________________
AmberCon Arizona Webpage
FabienBadilla.com
Desert Sky Design