[Nexus] The Glass Citadel VI

[RabbitHoleLost]

On the edge of reality, bordering the Nexus, there is a single stereotypical cliffside, shrouded in eternal night, a silvery moon shining, frozen in its fully visible state. Upon it is a citadel, its surface mirrored and made of tempered glass which tosses about moonlight in every direction.

The grounds include a full cemetery, some graves unmarked, and an expansive garden, though one has to wonder how anything grows there, considering as the villainess who resides in the citadel somehow made it eternal night.

Welcome to the home of Rabbit Vasque, Necromantic Villainess Extraordinaire.

Notes: The Glass Citadel is sentient, and capable of shifting itself to its whims, as well as being incapable to take damage. If you attempt to attack the structure itself, time will reset itself back a few moments. The only person currently able to manipulate its shifting shapes is RabbitHoleLost

The Glass Citadel's theme music. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZOuy4YM0AI)

Mirrors are ice which do not melt: what melts are those who admire themselves in them.- Paul Morand


---
She's running. The paths are old and familiar, even if she has no memory of inspecting every last inch of the grounds, and even if they've become overgrown with the plant life allowed to grow in her absence.
And suddenly, she stops, the spires of the citadel sparkling in the night sky.

Gasping for breath, she admires it. If she was going to live anywhere, die somewhere, she had had good taste.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral is short behind.
Not actually needing to stop for breath, he slows down and looks up at the place and whistles.

"That is neat. Asking to be attacked by vampires though." Doctor McNinja vs. Dracula taught us that!

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit wheezed, turning around to face the lich, still unnamed to her, head on with a small smile.
"I'd like to see vampires try to attack me." Slowly, she straightened out, rolling her shoulders back.
"I haven't been here in a while, so I can't tell you what we might find..."

[Reinholdt]

"Good. Won't spoil the surprise."
The Admiral tosses his old cigar down on the ground and grinds it into the dirt before taking out a small golden case from his suit and opening it to pull out another. Putting it in his mouth, he quickly lights it with a similarly gold made lighter.

"Want one?" He asks, holding up the box.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Shaking her head, Rabbit continues down the path, until the spire gives way unto the full Citadel. The graveyard to the side appears to be unkempt, some stones overturned in what appears to have been the job of graverobbers.
"Why even keep smoking? You can't possibly be affected by the chemicals anymore, and you certainly can't still be addicted."
She stopped by the glassy stair stoop, watching the lich with interest.

He would be an interesting thing to study, no doubt.

[ThirdEmperor]

Hey! I need to talk! You're the first person I've met who can actually stop reincarnation! Shouts the man formerly known as Prince, hauling himself up the hill.

[Reinholdt]

"Your loss." The Admiral shrugs and snaps the box closed before tucking it back into his uniform before taking a few steps forward.

"Ah. There are three reasons for that. First..."
The Admiral stops and turns to look at Prince. Well... then. He'll just keep that to himself a little longer. The Admiral steps to the side a bit, to get out of the way.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Oh, frack." Rabbit turned on her heels, staring at the man who came up like a freight train.
"Look, what I'm going to tell you, anyone could do for you. Reincarnation is the reuse and recycle of your soul, right? Then the way to stop the cycle of Reincarnation is to destroy your soul. Go make out with a Succubus, or something."

[ThirdEmperor]

Oh, well, was kinda hoping you knew a way to send me straight to the after-life. Thing is, not everyone reincarnates, and most souls are only used a few times... But mine's one of the True Souls. I can never stop being reborn, and it's getting old. So if you know a way to send a soul to the afterlife that doesn't involve seducing a succubus, I would be very thankful.

[Reinholdt]

"I don't think 'seducing a succubus' is the exact appropriate way to term it. Besides, what if you deserve whatever hell people go to when they die at succubi's lips? Then you'd be wasting your time looking for another way when you have an easy one available to you now! Just call one nine hundred wantsex..." The Admiral winks at Prince.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"If you fell into the favor of a god or goddess, perhaps they could help you. Otherwise, I can't very well help you, I'm afraid. My expertise is in the art of keeping the soul around, using its energy, destroying a soul. I don't know much about the afterlife."
She'd been avoiding it for far too long to know how to achieve it.
"Perhaps you could bargain with a god? I'm certain there are several around."
Rabbit knew because it was her other hobby to know.

[ThirdEmperor]

Actually, if I ever die I get to go to the highest level of whatever heaven the local universe has. Services rendered for the gods, several millenia of faithful service and all that. Plus, I cannot go to hell. I'm one their most wanted list, at the very top.

And I've tried the gods, they want me here. Hell, they're the ones who made me unable to die permanently. Says the man, gasping for breath.

[Reinholdt]

"Well I certainly can't help you then, mister 'I'm so good the gods punish me by not letting me have my eternal reward'. If I were you, I'd go sleep with a succubus just to spit in their face. Well that and it'd be hawt..." The Admiral trails off, imagining such a fate.

[RabbitHoleLost]

She smiled ironically, giving a soft shrug of her shoulders.
"Then that is that. Who am I to defy the gods?"
She was Rabbit, of course. The Destroyer of Faiths, once upon a time. A professional shrine/temple burner.
But that was long in the past, it seemed.
"I'm sorry, but I simply can't help you."

[ThirdEmperor]

Celebite. Got bored of that sort of stuff ages ago. As for the spitting in their face, I've already become an athiest, and spent several millenia raiding every temple I saw and getting hit by every thunderbolt in the region. The man says, sighing. You mind if I tag along then? I haven't had anything better to do in a long time.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Er.." Rabbit looked up to the admiral, tilting her head awkwardly, hoping perhaps he would have something to say.
But then it hit her. What did she owe this man?
"Look, nothing personal, I just don't like people. And the last person I sat around to talk with brought some crazy shadow thing that hurt really bad. So, er, maybe some other time, but I'm not real keen on letting a blessed soul into my house full of undead."

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral rolls his eyes. One of those perfect people who could do whatever they want to whomever they want and STILL make it to the highest level of heaven? He's calling BS. This was the Prince's punishment, just as it was his.

"I've got a song that may make you feel better at least."
The Admiral breaks into a rousing bit. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNTxr2NJHa0)

There's no doubt that he's grinning now.

[ThirdEmperor]

Fair enough, but I'm no blessed soul. Edgar Valentine, ex-Eternal Champion, and current drifter, wander, adventurer and ne'er-do-well. If you ever need help, I'll be in one of the taverns and I pretty much never have anything else to do. Says Edgar, walking off.

(And it wasn't his punishment. He was created to fight off a demonic invasion, and the gods just kinda forgot about him.)

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit watched him go, taking his name down in a mental note. If anything, he might make a good partner in the future.
Or a scapegoat, if she brought the wrath of the Gods down.

"So. You were telling me about that smoking habit of yours. And why you insist on keeping it."

[Reinholdt]

"Some people started singing it not knowing what it was,
And they'll continue singing it forever just because..."
...
"Oh. He's gone. Oh well." The Admiral switches out his old cigar for a new one and ponders. Mmmm... succubus....

"Rightly. There are three reasons I smoke. One, force of habit. I was pretty much a chain smoker in life, that much I remember. Two, it is there as a constant reminder to me of what I cannot have." He takes the lit cigar out of his mouth holding it in front of him with an examining eye and rubbing it gently between his bony fingers. "I cannot feel this cigar's. I cannot smell its smoke. I cannot taste its tobacco. If not for sight, it may as well not exist to me."

He pauses before putting back in and puffing on it, its tip smoldering bright red for a moment. "Lastly, it makes me look pretty damn cool." :smallcool:
What's the lich going to do? Get lung cancer? :smalltongue:
He does have to clean his teeth fairly often though.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Clutching her head, she shook it. Gods, that song. Why would he even start that song?
"Ah. Right. I forget you fully undead can't really feel nor smell nor taste." She scrunched her nose up.
"Not that I can imagine it tasted very well to begin with. You men and your images." She chuckled, showing the lich the way in through the door, which had just formed from the wall of solid glass.

Inside stood another lich.
Another lich who dropped his silver platter, along with his lower jaw.
"M-m-mistress..."
"Oh, hello, Solmuel."
Suddenly, the undead seemed much more pleased, now that the surprise had worn off.
"Are you...replacing me? Am I free to go?"
*snort*
"No, Solmuel. This is a guest. Not your replacement. You earned this punishment, don't you forget it."

[Reinholdt]

"Says the woman in the Hatter's hat. What image are you conveying?"

The Admiral chortles, then steps inside after Rabbit. "Sorry old boy. I don't loathe to be in your place anytime soon. Did that scene for far too long. You'll have to tell me how you earned it sometime though." :smallwink:

[RabbitHoleLost]

Solmuel slunk off, and Rabbit shrugged.
"I like hats. He defied me." Two simple enough questions answered as she went through the hallways, leading him to the kitchen.
The same exact path she had lead Talic through years before.
Of course, the name 'Talic' would mean nothing to her now.
"You knew I lived here, right? Cal...Calublufiok informed you?" The name was strange on her tongue. Unusual.
It also sent unpleasant shivers down her spine to think that anyone she didn't inform knew where she dwelled.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral watches Solmuel for a bit, feeling more than sorry for him. He had the same issue once. He contemplates trying to free the poor lich. But that meant sticking his neck out and maybe ending up with the same fate. Wasn't worth it.

Turning, he followed Rabbit to the kitchen. "That I did and that he did. Or she did depending on the day. Never actually saw the place for myself mind you."

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Right. So I've likely learned all I'm going to learn from you." Groaning, she sat on a glass stool, balancing herself there for a few moments in silence before she chanced a glance at him again.
"You're free to go, Mister I don't actually know. I suppose I have a few leads to follow up on."

[Reinholdt]

"Yes... you are kind of asking odd questions. What's the matter? Slip and hit your head on the glass too hard?" The Admiral leans in the doorway, puffing away.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit looked up, focusing on the undead before her. She smiled slightly, though it didn't carry to her eyes at all.
"I died. There was a little piece of my soul in my journal, and when I died gods know how, that was activated. It was sort of my own little secret. I don't fancy the idea of being dead. But I apparantly stowed my soul away in that journal before coming here, so I don't have any memory of my life or my death in Nexus."

[Reinholdt]

"Ah. Maybe Calublufiok got to you after all before he died. He does like to keep his promises. The bugger." The Admiral shakes his head and shrugs. Who knows.

He starts to turn to leave, but stops, looking back at Rabbit with desperate eyes. "... Before I go, could you... could you do that thing you did in the tavern... with your hand?"

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Maybe he did. I guess my next best guess is to ask Reinholdt, mmm?" Rabbit gave another weak smile before he worded his request.
"Oh..oh..that?" She blinked. "You want me to do that again? Why?" It was just a comforting mechanism, something Rabbit used frequently to calm her zombies down.

[Reinholdt]

"Oh... err... no reason. Forget it. It's silly."
...
Awkward.
He lingers for a bit, hoping she'd do it anyways.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Well, he had helped her. More than anyone else could have, so far. And he didn't leave her writhing on the ground as that...whatever it was came streaking on through the Tavern.
"C'mere." Lifting her right hand, she bit into the silk finger tip, pulling off the glove with her teeth.

[Reinholdt]

Eagerly, like a child who just got told mom brought home a candy bar when she went shopping today, the Admiral steps forward, perhaps a little too fast as he nearly trips over his own two feet. But he recovers and smoothly adjusts his hat back into the proper place, without so much as a word. All the same, he makes it across the room to where Rabbit sits, standing there in anticipation.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Purple-black energy crackled along her skin, causing her flesh to goosebump as she reached out for him, uncertain where he'd rather her touch him.
Afterall, she herself didn't particularly like being touched by a stranger, much less anywhere they pleased. And had he not been undead, well, then...
She wouldn't be touching him in the first place.

"Do you get, like, some kind of thrill out of this?" If so, it was news to her. Very interesting news. Possibly very useful.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral didn't care where. But offered his hand to lead hers to his cheek again.

"Incredibly so. It's the first sensation I've felt in a very, very long time." Well other than getting beat up and exploded. And frankly pain just didn't compare to pleasure. The Admiral sighs with incredible satisfaction as he presses into her hand with a murring sound.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"So, do you have any kind of name or anything?" Rabbit stared away as her hand was lifted to his cheekbone, thumb drifting softly back and forth.
It was kind of weird to her, really, but whatever worked.

[Reinholdt]

"Hmmhm." He says in affirmation.

Oh. Right. She wanted it. Reluctantly pulling away, he brushes down his suit. "Well... sort of. People call me the Admiral. I don't remember my actual name, unfortunately. It could be anything." He shrugs and lights a new cigar. "I gotta get back to the school and start my class again. A pleasure meeting you Miss Vasque. Best of luck on your search." The Admiral gives a sweeping bow before turning to head out and...

((deadtime))

[Reinholdt]

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq276/Reinholdt9000/Avatars/Admiraltrue.png

The Admiral walks up the path towards the Glass Citadel again, a banjo out as he strums it and hums to the Ba Sing Se song. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqSdDvnmq80)

[RabbitHoleLost]

Oh.
What's that you say?
Rabbitclone to the rescue!

She'd been sleeping, wrapped up in sheets of black and purple silk. Not dreaming, though. Never dreaming.
But the music woke her, and, groggily, she wrapped the corners of the silk around her and stood. The glass separated for her, forming a window, and she peeked out.
"Hello." She called softly.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral looks up and stops strumming for a bit in order to wave. "Hello. Did I come at a bad time?"
It's the bed hair. Gives it away every time. Even if there is none.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"If by bad time you mean you interrupted my nap, then I would say yes." Rabbit murmured.
"But there's no saving sleep now, I suppose. Come on up." She sighed, stretching her arms over her head as the Citadel parted, making a door just for the Admiral.

[Reinholdt]

"Ouch. Sorry about that." The Admiral winces. Well at least she didn't seem grumpy.

He watches as the Citadel makes a door.
"You gotta admit, that's pretty darn cool." The Admiral doesn't do a riff. Cause it's a banjo in his hands. He does accept Rabbit's invitation and walk on in though.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Of course it is, I control it." Ruby red lips smiled, and the lich entered directly to Rabbit's bedroom, where the necromancer stood, wrapped in her sheets like an elegant toga.
"What can I help you with today?"

[Reinholdt]

"Oh, just a friendly visit. Wine, women and song are what I live for. Well... since I'm not living and can't have the wine, I make do. Mostly just gotta get away from the wonderful life of middle school sometimes."

The Admiral looks around for something to sit on. "If you need a minute to get dressed or something, I can wait outside."

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Ah, middle school. I'm sure that's tons of fun for a creature like you." Rabbit didn't ask him to leave, but simply walked into a room to the side and began to dress.
It was at such an angle that he wouldn't be able to see, anyways.
"You said you teach? How can you stand kids?"

[Reinholdt]

"By whipping them into shape and ensuring they behave through fear." The Admiral plays a few chords on his banjo, not repentant in the least. "But it keeps me occupied and I get to teach music and military tactics and dish out punishment to the naughty ones. All things I like, even if the school could do without kids. Maybe I should look into some adult night class teaching instead..." Hmm... Nah.

"What's your job?"

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Once upon a time, I kidnapped princesses. Once upon a time, I fought heroes in shining armor. Once upon a time, I was a professional villainess."
She peered around the corner, her grin wide.
"And I have a whole few years of life I don't know anything about. But now I'm just your run of the mill necromancer. I guess I hat a bit on the side, too."
Disappearing back into the closet, she re-emerged moments later, pulling her white lace gloves on.
"A starving artist, some people would call me. But, then again, you know as well as I do that the dead don't really starve." Casually, she leaned against the glass wall.
"How'd you come to be a lich? You don't seem very much like the rest of them."

[Reinholdt]

A particularly sharp note ends the Admiral's strumming as his expression seems to darken.

"That may be because it wasn't by choice."

He stays silent for a bit, just his cigar smoke drifting up idly. After a bit, he reaches up to take it out and hold it between his fingers. "After you live a long time names really start to blur together. But battles. You don't forget those quite so much. I was the lead officer of some nation's navy. And the battle we fought that day... well it was glorious. The single most stunning victory in our nation's history. Many said it was the key battle that finally ended the war. Can't for the undeath of me remember why we were fighting though." He pauses, reminiscing a bit.

"What I do remember is that I received two things during the ceremony they threw for me. One, a sword that belonged to the opposing nation's leader. The other, immortality. A special guest by the name of Calublufiok arrived that day. He whispered sweet lies into my ear about being one of the select few chosen for an immortal life filled with the grandeur of pleasures that came with it. I accepted. Who wouldn't? He lied of course. Sure, he gave me immortality. But took away any point in having it."

"The bastard hid my phylactery and told me that if I didn't do exactly as he said, he'd kill me. Knew he could do it, so I did. Spent forever looking for that box as best I could, but no matter how I went about it, I never did find it. Didn't particularly like helping him blow up universes, or even destroying the multi-verse. But I did it. I'm not a selfless man. If it comes down to me or them, I'll always pick me."

He pauses again.
"And I waited, hoping one day to be free of him. And now I am. And that, I think, is worth a song."
The Admiral resumes playing on his banjo, considerably in lighter spirits than when he started his story.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"So, you were seduced, then." Rabbit murmured, leaning forward, her hand reaching out for him. The look in her eyes were so intense, that, for a moment, it looked almost as if she were coming on to him, moving in to "make a move".
But the Admiral is a skeletal figure, so that's incredibly unlikely.
Especially as she ran her fingers over his and attempted to take his cigar from him. Should she succeed, she'd lift it to her own mouth and inhale deeply before puffing out a could, with naught a cough.
Smoking hallucinogenic drugs did that sort of thing, I suppose.
"You poor bastard." She sighed, leaning back away from him.

[Reinholdt]

"I wouldn't call it so much seduced as I would tempted. Seducing is for those with feminine persuasion." The Admiral says, as he lets his eyes wander for a bit at what seemed to be her moving in on him.

The disappointment is evident in his eyes when she takes his cigar. Then he just chuckles, before pulling out another one from his gold case and lighting it.

"I'm not going to waste my time wallowing around in grief just cause I lost some time and feeling. There's still plenty of amusements to be had. And who knows? Maybe one day I'll figure out a way to get feeling back. Got all the time in the world after all."

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit noted his disappointment, but was oblivious to what it could possibly come from. In her experience, undead didn't crave flesh or touch in a carnal sense- they simply wanted to eat it, on some occasion. This wasn't a common factor in a lich, and, even if it were, Rabbit so often felt cold to the dead that she never appealed to their hungers.

"Maybe he turned you on with his bony features. Plus, you know, you said he whispered sweet nothings to you, so it implies some sort of intimacy." She smirked, sitting down on the corner of her bed and exhaling smoke almost eloquently.

"But, eh, projects are always fun. So you've got a project. Any leads? I am, you know, a necromancer. Maybe we can mess around in my books."

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral chuckles. "Someone being turned on by intimate relations with a skeleton? Doubtful."

He pauses for a bit, thinking. "To be honest, I haven't pursued it very much. I temporarily succeeded when I captured a flying castle town and became king of the technozombies. There was an artifact there, but I lost it when three separate groups attacked while I was away. Dragons and airplanes and everything. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a look in some books." He's not a very bookish person and hadn't considered that option much.

[RabbitHoleLost]

A mischievous glint came to Rabbit's eyes.
One that was only present when something she wanted presented itself with a chance to become hers.
"Well, you know...I could do the research for you..."
The lilt at the end of the sentence implied an unspoken if.

[Reinholdt]

"... Oh?"
The Admiral strums his banjo a bit as he chews on his cigar, thinking, his eyes downturned to his instrument.
"I know I would be much obliged, though I fear it may be rude of me to request such assistance without offering something in return."

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Take me to the cat. The one you told me about the other day. The one who kno-knew me." She held the cigar in her hand, glancing down to it with a light smirk.
"You don't even need to get involved. Point me in the right direction in the next few days or so, and I'll get started looking for an answer to your fragile feelings."

[Reinholdt]

"HMPH!" The Admiral replies, distaste in his voice.

"Well I could possibly do this. I don't think he stays in one place for very long though. And me talking to him is less than optimal, what with having kidnapped him and held him in a cell against his will for a month in order to steal his body." The Admiral chuckles at the memories, strumming a few more notes. Nothing like remembering a good crime to get the mood back.

[RabbitHoleLost]

She rolled her eyes, sighing.
"Yeah, you don't need to talk to him. Just give me the name of some places I might find him, and I can do the rest of the work."
And then she lifted the cigar to her mouth again, leaving a rosy ring of lipstick around it, like a marker of its circumference, before blowing the dark smoke in his general direction.
Not like it would make him cough, anyways.
"How badly do you want to feel again, anyways?"

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral considers, the question, not bothering to wave away the smoke as it gets in his eyes.

"Not badly enough that I'll ever become a slave again. But badly enough that I came back here in hopes you'd do the hand thing once more. If that answers your question." The Admiral averts his gaze back down to his instrument once more.

"I'll find him."

[RabbitHoleLost]

"I don't need a slave. Solmuel threatened me and the rest of the world...though I emphasize the me part, really. I had to punish him for that." Patting out the cigar on a nearby glass dresser, Rabbit sighed softly and stood, taking steps closer to the Admiral.
"I like undead. I like them a lot more than the living. I trust them almost instantly. I trusted you immediately. Living beings have to prove their worth to me. You... you only have to prove your deceit towards me for my wrath to come down upon you. Do nothing to cause me ill, and I'll favor you. If you want my touch..." She lifted her hand, gloves gone. She knew that's what he came for, anyways.
"You need only ask for it. I'll exchange favors with you because I favor you. Do not be so reluctant to side with me."

[Reinholdt]

"Forgive me. But such questions tend to make me wary. Burned once as they say..." The Admiral stands from his leaning position, putting away the banjo and stepping over to Rabbit.

"I think you'll find me honest enough. I find deception just creates pain and complications. I'm a simple man with simple tastes." He sits down next to her, eying her expectantly.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Don't betray me, then." She said simply enough, leaning closer to press her hand against curve of his cheek bones once more. Still, though, she moved closer, until her lips were just about brushing where once there would have been an ear.
" 'cause I can make this hurt just as much as I can make it pleasurable."
And from her fingers licked purple-black negative energies, soothing and comforting and ever so slightly...something else.
It didn't exactly please Rabbit, but she thought it might make him more compliant.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral's eyes narrow. "That may have worked the first time, but I don't take kindly to threats Miss Vasque. Keep playing that tune and this song may go silent." His skull perhaps betrayed him as he leaned into the hand. To feel again was worth it.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"My apologies, Admiral." Her lips, full and red, twisted ever so gently into a smile, and her other hand came up, running along the line of his skeletal jaw.
The pleasurable feeling she was projecting would hence intensify.
"I find its hard for me to act as if I trust anyone these days. Especially since I'm not sure how I died the true death. I suppose I've forgotten how one treats an ally."

[Reinholdt]

"Mmm..." Was all the Admiral could do to reply, now lost in the feeling as his eyes closed altogether, truly savoring the moment. She could probably treat him however poorly she wanted right now and he wouldn't care.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit chuckled, bare fingers tracing across all the lines of his skull. Undead were indeed something she liked, and she had always been curious of skeletal structures.
Still, though, she didn't think of what sort of intimacy the whole situation implied, 'lest it give her nauseous incidents. Undead or not, closeness icked the necromancer out.

[Reinholdt]

Eventually the Admiral pulls away, not wanting to show how much he was really into it. Course, it was far too late for that, but you know how people are. "Perhaps I should be off, looking for Reinholdt then." The Admiral stands.

[RabbitHoleLost]

" Baaaah, don't rush it." Rabbit fell back against her bed, stretching and yawning.
"I'm in no hurry. I learned well enough for one day from Magtok. I could stand to take a few days off."

[Reinholdt]

"Hmm... very well." It'd probably take him a few days to find Reinholdt anyways.

The Admiral takes his cigar out of his mouth and holds it in his fingers for a bit. "If you're taking some days off, what do you do for fun then?"

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Besides pleasure liches?" Her eyebrows rose in amusement.
"I study. I drink tea. I smoke....something of my own. In reality, researching how to give you feeling again should be something of a playdate for me."

[Reinholdt]

"Ah. Never delved much into the necromantic arts myself. More of a mood swinging guy myself." He inspires people through song!

"We shall have to smoke together your something sometime."

[RabbitHoleLost]

Chuckles fell from her lips.
"My something likely couldn't do anything for you. Not unless I kept a constant hand on you." Which kinda lessened the fun of smoking hallucinogenics.
"So you sing and you play and you teach and you once upon a time lead armies. You used to like doing inappropriate things with women and drinking, I'm sure, until you passed out. Heh."

[Reinholdt]

"Oh I didn't let passing out stop me."
The Admiral winks at her.
"Nor am I particularly adverse to the idea of you keeping your hands on me."

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit's cheeks color, her stomach churning, nausea welling up. Awkwardly, she crossed her arm over her eyes, hiding in the crook of her elbow.
"Oh, shut up, you lecherous lich. You'll find no such pleasures in me."

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral grins inside at the reaction. "Can't say it wasn't worth a try."

The lich tips his hat.
"I shall be off then. Enjoy your vacational studies." He turns to leave.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral slowly makes his way up the path again.
Lookit all those gravestones. He wonders idly if they were the former occupants of this Citadel.

[RabbitHoleLost]

If the Admiral looks reaaaaaallly closely, he might notice the necromancer sprawled out along the top of a wide, low stone sarcophagus.
A beastly gargoyle sat slightly above her, as if keeping vigil while she soaked up moonbeams.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral doesn't notice things that easily! He's liable to walk right on by!
Fortunately for him, he was looking kinda right at all the gravestones anyways, trying to make out a few names.
Oh hey.
There's someone there.
"Planning out your gravestone Miss Vasque?" The Admiral asks, walking over.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
Not again anyways. Not if she can help it at all.
Slowly, she shifted, turning so that she was laying on her side, supporting her head by leaning upon her elbow.
The gargoyle shifted, too, staring at the lich with unseeing eyes.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral tips his head to the side, taking the cigar out of his mouth for a second to tap the ashes away idly as he looks at the gargoyle.

"Fair enough. What's the deal with Rocky?" He nods ever so slightly at the gargoyle he's staring at now.

[RabbitHoleLost]

The gargoyle stomped its paw, apparantly none too pleased with the nickname, though Rabbit smiled in an almost-amused fashion.
"I think he's part of the Citadel. Or the graveyard. I didn't even know he was here until tonight. Atleast, I don't think I knew about him."

[Reinholdt]

"Such a creature, could understandably go missed for generations. They tend to be far more patient than even the undead. It's most unnatural." Says the lich who's smoking a cigar. He waves at the unhappy creature. "Perhaps Brock would have been better."

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit sat up, leaning towards the gargoyle so that her head rested against his. She spoke in a whisper that was almost conspiratorial in nature.
"'Its most unnatural', says the lich who's lived for hells know how many years. What do you think of that, precious?" The gargoyle snorted, tossing about his stony head.
"I haven't been able to find anything in my research, Admiral, so unless you came here for that touch, I cannot really assist you tonight."

[Reinholdt]

"Oh. Tis truly a shame..." The Admiral certainly sounds disappointed.

"I will certainly not turn down your exquisite touch, however."

Perhaps the Admiral will hold on to his information about Reinholdt's haunts until something stronger than nothing comes up in Rabbit's research. Insurance...

[RabbitHoleLost]

Placing her middle finger in her mouth, she bit down on the silky material of her gloves, pulling it off in one smooth motion til her hand was milky in the eternal moonlight.
"Come along, then." She motioned for him to sit besides her. She, too, was plotting.
It seemed the times his tongue was loosest was when she gave him that touch, manipulated her energies along him.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral moves to sit down, giving a small wink at Brock along the way.
"You have my thanks."

[RabbitHoleLost]

In what would have been a cute motion, had it not involved a hedonistic lich and a necromancer who was disgusted at the thought of intimacy, Rabbit cupped her bare hand along the bones of the Admiral's, her negative energies spilling against him.
"You know, I say there isn't anything I've found, but there is something, though I suspect it would mean giving up too much of your freedoms."

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral leans into her touch, deeply exhaling as he does so, a cloud of smoke following in the wake of the lost air.
"Oh? What pray tell is this that you refer to?"

[RabbitHoleLost]

Again, Rabbit leans over, grabbing the cigar from his mouth and taking a deep drag before replacing it.
She's clearly beginning to develop a smoking habit. You know what they say about friends and bad influences.
"It's essentially what we do now, I guess. Except, you know, connecting my brain synapses to your consciousness. So, you know, I can eat food and you'd taste it and all that. I can smoke, and you'd feel the buzz. That kind of thing." She shrugged.
"Its not really feeling, but you'd have the ghost of sensations. Its is, however, incredibly reliant on me, or any other necromancer. And it requires a great deal of trust on your part, since I'd be tampering with your 'mind', so to speak."
And she'd have all his thoughts and memories right there at her finger tips for perusing.
That too.
But that was a minor detail.

[Reinholdt]

"And when you bed up with someone, I would feel that too?" The Admiral asks, curious. It was a tempting offer, but she was right. It would be giving up a lot of freedom. Like being forced to watch movies that popped up randomly for no reason whatsoever. Feeling with no control. That wouldn't be much better than what he had now. No... when he felt again, he wanted it to be his feelings.

[RabbitHoleLost]

" I don't touch people." Rabbit pulled her hand away from the Admiral, her voice cold, though her face burned.
"And I don't let them touch me. That is something you'll have to do without until I can find some other answer." She pulled away, reaching to her other side to stroke along the stone head of the gargoyle.

[Reinholdt]

"Mmm." The Admiral chewed his cigar. Odd one this one. Though most necromancers he met always were.

"Afraid I'll just have to pass then. Too many pitfalls with that plan. I appreciate the generous offer, though."

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit dropped from the sarcophagus, standing to her full height...which wasn't that high at all.
The gargoyle froze suddenly, bereft of any previous signs of life, and, now, nothing more than a stone structure.
"If that's all, Admiral.."

[Reinholdt]

"I suppose it is. Unless you desire a song." The Admiral steps down as well. "Bye Brock." He waves to the gargoyle.

"Thanks again. I'll keep looking for you." He nods to Rabbit once before heading out.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral is once more heading up along the path to the Citadel of dreams and nightmares. And glass. Mostly Glass.

[Morty]

[Mountains in the Distance]

The goblin cavecrawler leads Kazia along a beaten path on the slope of a relatively small mountain close to the Citadel and the rest of the Nexus. He stops in front of a small cave entrance. Here. It's one of the entrances to the tunnel compex.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Mountains]

Kazia stops when the goblin stops.
"I see."
She attempts to judge exactly how small the cave entrance is. And also if she might need a light source or not.

[Morty]

[Mountains]

The cave is large enough for a human of Kazia's height to fit, but small enough to feel claustrophobic. She will most likely need some source of light or darkvision, since the tunnel beyond the cave appears to be pitch black.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Mountains]

Kazia does indeed have limited darkvision of a sort, aided by psychic clairvoyance, but probably not enough for a pitch black cave. Luckily, Slayers come prepared for such things, and her goblin companion may notice Kazia's sword starting to glow with a soft white light as it nears the darkness.
"After you."
She says to the goblin.

[Morty]

[Mountains]

The cavecrawler leads Kazia through the tunnel, moving swiftly in the cramped darkness, his eyes glowing soft yellow until they reach a larger cave with three tunnels branching off from it. The middle of the cave is occupied by a puddle formed by water dripping from the ceiling.
Well, here we are. Futher from here begins the dangerous territory. The tunnel to the left is a dead end, though.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Mountains]

Kazia stands, brushing cave dust off of her.
"Right." She says.
She draws her sword and sheaths it again, making sure it's loose enough for an easy draw, then heads to the center of the cave, looking in the puddle. Because there's always a monster in the puddle. Usually one with lots of tentacles.
If not though, she'll head towards whichever of the two tunnels looks the largest. Space is important for fighting in.

[Morty]

[Mountain]

The puddle is about five inches deep. There may be some tentacled monsters living there that are bane to rats though, who knows. The goblin sits down next to it and watches Kazia walk away.
The bigger corridor of the two is the rightmost one, heading downwards. It's wide enough for three adult humans to fit in, and the ceiling is relatively high - high enough for something twice as tall as Kazia. She might or might not hear distant splashing of water and scratching of claws on the rocks. Hearing the splashing would require very good hearing, hearing the claws would be impossible for a normal human.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Mountains]

Kazia is no normal human. Nevertheless, she does not hear the scratching, or at least, does not identify it as such. Despite all her Slaying adventures, she hasn't been underground much. The splashing water however, is easily picked up, and enough to set her on edge.
She continues on cautiously, her heeled boots, for all their earlier clicking and clacking, moving noiselessly over the stone floor.

[Morty]

[Mountain]

As Kazia walks along the corridor, the splashing of water becomes louder; it's obviously an underground river. She might or might not notice some holes in the walls at first, but she'll definetly notice them when a blurry grey shape falls out of one of them and flees very quickly down the corridor, screeching and howling. It seems to be slightly smaller than a goblin and consist of a shapeless torso and long, clawed arms.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Mountains]

O HAI, monstery monster thing of evil! Mind if I follow you and kill you and all of your buddies? No? Well alrighty the !" Kazia says, before following the shapeless monster as promised, sword raised and a grin on her face.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Kazia]

Kazia follows the monster through the tunnel, which keeps going down. It's fast enough to outrun her and eventually Kazia will feel colder air on her face - the tunnel ends in a large cave. The splashing of water is getting louder and she might or might not hear the sound of the monster's claws stop before she reaches the cave.

[Mountains - Cathy]

Cathy is led by the goblin cavecrawler along a beaten bath on the mountain's slope. However, they reach a different cave than the one Kazia and her guide did. And here we are, says the goblin.
The cave entrance is circular and small. A nasty stench is coming from inside.

[horngeek]

Cathy sniffs, and promptly stops. "Okay, that was a bad idea. All right, see you around."

She starts walking down the hole, after tracing a red spear.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

There's probably a nest of some bugs there, says the goblin before sitting down under a rocky outcropping.
As Cathy enters the narrow tunnel, she will realize that she'll need some source of light or darkvision, as tunnel is pitch-black.

[horngeek]

She frowns, and traces a sword that emits light. "...hate to casually trace something like this, but I don't see much other option. A lantern would just get in my way."

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The light from the sword illuminates the tunnel. It's rather cramped and narrow - enough for two people of Cathy's size to walk side by side - the ceiling hangs rather low above her head. The floor seems to be covered in filth and small bones.

[horngeek]

Cathy keeps on going cautiously...

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

As Kathy keeps going, the corridor widens. The layer of filth on the floor gets thickier and there are more, bigger bones. She might also hear a distant hiss that's getting closer.

[horngeek]

Cathy slows down, and continues very cautiously...

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The hissing and clicking get closer and louder, and finally Cathy will be able to see a rather oversized beetle-like insect - about the size of a very large dog - approaching her. It backs away from the light however, clicking its pincers furiously.

[horngeek]

Cathy point the Sword of Light, the sword wielded by the Tuatha De Dannan in the battles over ancient Ireland, at it. "So, you'd be first up."

In her left hand remains Gae Bolg, the spear of Cu Chulainn.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The beetle hisses and attempts to retreat, the light being too bright for it. There's undoubtedly more of them ahead.

[horngeek]

Cathy shakes her head. "I'm not going to let you..."

She draws the spear back as she runs towards the beetle, and attempts to stab the beetle with it.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The beetle is skewered and twitches for a while before it ceases to move altogether. Hisses and clicks can be heard in the distance, echoed through the tunnel.

[horngeek]

Cathy frowns, and waits for the beetles, dismissing Gae Bolg.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The sounds cease to get closer. The beetles seem to be waiting for Cathy to approach.

[horngeek]

Cathy thinks, and starts heading down the tunnel, slowly.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

As Cathy continues forward, she'll notice that the tunnel is becoming wider and that it seems to open to a large cave. The beetles' eyes can be seen right behind the archway.

[horngeek]

Cathy waves the Sword of Light in their direction, seeing how they react.

[Morty]

Cathy waves the Sword of Light in their direction, seeing how they react.

The beetles are still scared of the light, but they're numerous now, so they don't retreat - but don't advance either.

[Mountains - Adir]

The goblin directs Adir's car to another cave entrance, one located in the lower parts of the mountain. Here we are. There's no actual roads up there, so I chose this cave.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Mountains - Kazia]

Kazia follows the monster through the tunnel, which keeps going down. It's fast enough to outrun her and eventually Kazia will feel colder air on her face - the tunnel ends in a large cave. The splashing of water is getting louder and she might or might not hear the sound of the monster's claws stop before she reaches the cave.



Kazia confidently strides through into the cave. She was being stealthy and cautious before, but since the beastie already knows where she is now, why bother?
Clack. Clack. Clack.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

"Alright then. Thanks for the directions. How're you gonna get back?" The stag asks, stepping out. He grabs his pack from the truck-bed, turning to face the cave.

[Morty]

Kazia confidently strides through into the cave. She was being stealthy and cautious before, but since the beastie already knows where she is now, why bother?
Clack. Clack. Clack.

The gremlin - for that's what the creature is called - keeps running. When it reaches the end of the corridor and enters the cave, it dives sideways and disappears. If Kazia enters the cave, it and two more gremlins leap at her from the darkness.


Mountains - Adir

"Alright then. Thanks for the directions. How're you gonna get back?" The stag asks, stepping out. He grabs his pack from the truck-bed, turning to face the cave.

I'll wait here or take a stroll home. The goblin shrugs.

[Murkus]

Adir shrugs, waving at the goblin as he unslings his rifle and steps forward. "You might just wanna go home. I'm gonna be a while."

And with that, he disappears into the cave.

[Morty]

Adir shrugs, waving at the goblin as he unslings his rifle and steps forward. "You might just wanna go home. I'm gonna be a while."

And with that, he disappears into the cave.

Fair enough. The goblin heads towards Inside.
The cave turns out to be fairly large - about the size of a large hall. The walls are riddled with small holes and there's one tunnel entrance on the fair side. The parts of the cave away from the entrance are completely dark though, so Adir will need a source of light or darkvision to see all that.

[Murkus]

The torch (flashlight) strapped to his rifle flickers on, and he raises it to scan the cave with more detail. He takes several cautious steps towards the tunnel entrance, eyes narrowed as he keeps watch.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

The holes are small and strangely regular. As Adir approaches the tunnel entrance, he might pick up the suggestion of high-pitched laugher from one of them... or maybe it's just the wind.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

He grows significantly more alert, scanning the holes carefully before entering the tunnel. The rifle sweeps over every alcove and orifice, searching for his first quarry. If that had been a laugh, that meant there was some sort of intelligent evil already here. Not just an animal or magical creature.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

Adir's light searches the wall, revealing empty holes. Once it reaches a hole a little to the right and above the entrance to the tunnel, a piece of rock detaches itself from the wall above and flies at his head.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

The stag has no real defense against that. He gets hit squarely in the center of the forehead, and it sends him stumbling backwards a few steps. Thank goodness he was wearing the helmet. Still might get a bruise.

He brings the rifle to bear again, scanning the same spot, before trying to hurry into the next tunnel. Can't shoot rocks to make them knock it off.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

Nothing seems to chase Adir into the tunnel, save for one rock that misses him by far. However, one he is in the tunnel, he might feel something brushing past his legs - although he can't see anything there.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

He jumps, eyes widening, and plays his light along the floor. In fact, rather wildly, he plays it over the whole visible tunnel. Then, forcing himself to stop being jittery, he steadies the weapon again.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

The tunnel is silent and seemingly empty. Adir might have caught the glimpse of a small, vaguely humanoid shadow on the floor when he was waving his weapon and flashlight wildly.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

The stag stops, thinking profusely for a moment. Can't risk getting lost in here. Need some way to find my way back out.

He sifts in his pockets for something useful. Something... oh, look at that. Some poison, orange berries that he'd planned to use to lure and kill some monsters.

He supposes they'll work just as well for marking his way. Adir takes a couple berries and smears an orange arrow on the wall, pointing towards the exit.

With that done, he continues onward, stopping every once and a while to smear berries. And keeping a weary eye out for whatever else was there.

[horngeek]

The beetles are still scared of the light, but they're numerous now, so they don't retreat - but don't advance either.

Cathy frowns, and advances a little.

[Morty]

Mountains - Adir

The tunnel splits up soon, and the one Adir chooses also splits. They're also rather winding, going up, down, left and right. If it wasn't for the berries, there'd be a good chance Adir could get lost - he passes through places he already visited more than once. Finally, he reaches a small cave with four tunnel entrances in it. Immediately after he enters, thin pillars of rock block the entrance he went through and he can hear a loud hiss as a stalagmite falls on his head.

Mountains - Cathy

The beetles close ranks and crawl slowly to meet Cathy.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

I suppose it would depend on just how large the stalagmite is. If it's large enough to knock him down, maybe get him stuck, then it does so.

If it's smaller, the stalagmite clunks off his head, and Adir stumbles dizzily. Probably would've knocked him out, again, if not for the headgear. He drops to a knee, raising his weapon and waving the rifle left and right. "If there's... anything with half a brain here, last and only chance. I'm here to hunt animals. Get out or get shot."

[Ashen Lilies]

The gremlin - for that's what the creature is called - keeps running. When it reaches the end of the corridor and enters the cave, it dives sideways and disappears. If Kazia enters the cave, it and two more gremlins leap at her from the darkness.


Kazia slashes at two of them in midair, attempting to bisect them, though she'll let the third one latch on. For about a second. Then she'll attempt to grab it by the head and crush its skull against the wall.

[Morty]

Mountains - Adir

I suppose it would depend on just how large the stalagmite is. If it's large enough to knock him down, maybe get him stuck, then it does so.

If it's smaller, the stalagmite clunks off his head, and Adir stumbles dizzily. Probably would've knocked him out, again, if not for the headgear. He drops to a knee, raising his weapon and waving the rifle left and right. "If there's... anything with half a brain here, last and only chance. I'm here to hunt animals. Get out or get shot."

The stalagmite isn't particularily large, so Adir isn't knocked out. He might feel water plinking down on his head and shoulders and notice two stalagmites growing above his head - slowly, but still indredibly more quickly than normally. At the same time, Adir will see a very small, rougly humanoid figure in the middle of the room - with a tiny torso, very large legs and arms, huge ears and nose. The effort it takes the kobold to grow stalagmites above Adir's head makes it camouflage fail, it seems. It doesn't respond to the hunter's demand.


Kazia slashes at two of them in midair, attempting to bisect them, though she'll let the third one latch on. For about a second. Then she'll attempt to grab it by the head and crush its skull against the wall.

One of the gremlins is cleaved in two. The other one seems to... shift. Move his body mass around so where there used to be his chest about to be sliced in two by the sword there's now empty space because the critter suddenly because much talled and thinner. It lands on the ground, its claws missing Kazia and hisses. The third gremlin latches onto her, but crushing its skull proves problematic - its mouth grows very wide and its neck becomes longer as it attempts to bite Kazia in her hand.

[Ashen Lilies]

Kazia is bitten in on the hand. Pissed off now, she decides not to bother with the wall and attempts simply crush the gremlin's skull in her fist like an egg. And then throw the gremlin corpse at its still living buddy.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Kazia]

The gremlin's head is crushed. It does get two more bites at Kazia's hand before it dies, though.
The other gremlin neatly dodges its fallen comrade's corpse - it looks like it became slightly shorter in order to do so. It lunges forwards and tries to slash Kazia's legs with its claws.

[Ashen Lilies]

Kazia aims a good swift kick at it, attempting to bootface it before it can claw at her.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Kazia]

The gremlin leans back to dodge the kick. His arms grow shorter, thickier and stronger and it tries to latch onto Kazia's leg and bite it.

[Ashen Lilies]

Luckily, Kazia's thick leather boot manages to stop the first bite, giving Kazia an opportunity to attempt to grab the gremlin by the skull and insert the point of her sword into the gremlin's face.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Kazia]

The sword is inserted in the gremlin's face. It twitches and trashes on the blade for a while before it dies and ceases to move altogether. The cave falls silent.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

Figuring it's a magic of some sort, Adir rolls quickly aside, out from under the dripping rock formations. It's a practiced maneuver, one done carefully so as to avoid damaging the stag's antlers.

He wordlessly raises the weapon as it rattles to life. A lance of lead and fire bolts for the kobold's center of mass.

[Morty]

Mountains - Adir

The stalagmites crash into the ground behind Adir. The kobold curls up in a bal and rolls away from the hail of gunfire, two bullets bouncing off him. After it's moved to safedy, if unfolds and with a grunt, tosses a rock at Adir, tearing it out of the ground underneath it.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

The stag is hit in the stomach, and despite the body armor, he staggers back against the cave wall. That knock to the head had really disoriented him, but it was starting to clear.

He fires the entire time, before and after the kobold throws the rock. He aims for the head this time, however.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

The kobold is shot in its tiny shoulder and staggers, hissing. However, its arm isn't torn off like it should be.

[horngeek]

Mountains - Cathy

The beetles close ranks and crawl slowly to meet Cathy.

Cathy traces one more sword...

Hrunting. The sword of Beowulf, it would slice right through every mundane protection without fail... but be stopped by even the slightest of magical defences.

She goes for a test slice! Do the beetles have any magical defences? :smalltongue:

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

One of the beetles is sliced in half. Two insects next to him immediately attempt to bite Cathy.

[Murkus]

[Mountains - Adir]

The kobold is shot in its tiny shoulder and staggers, hissing. However, its arm isn't torn off like it should be.

Adir forgets firing in bursts, switching to full auto and unloading the remainder of his magazine into the creature. He doesn't want to give it another chance to hit.

The cave flashes as shot after shot pours into the creature, the light even brighter than Adir's flash.

[horngeek]

Cathy brings Hrunting back around, attempting to slice through the beetles!

She's still holding the Sword of Light, and will defend with that as well.

[Morty]

Adir forgets firing in bursts, switching to full auto and unloading the remainder of his magazine into the creature. He doesn't want to give it another chance to hit.

The cave flashes as shot after shot pours into the creature, the light even brighter than Adir's flash.

The kobold is riddled with bullets and falls down, dead. After a while, it turns into several small rocks.


Cathy brings Hrunting back around, attempting to slice through the beetles!

She's still holding the Sword of Light, and will defend with that as well.

One beetle is sliced through, the other one is stopped by the Sword of Light, but the third one gets through and hites Cathy in the leg. They're clearly trying to swarm her.

[horngeek]

Tries to bite Cathy in the leg. :smallannoyed:

Cathy is, incidentally, bitten, but no godmodding, please.

She winces, and attempts to jump on the beetles away from the swarm! Using magic to reinforce her muscles.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

Adir drops his emptied magazine, jamming in another and reloading the weapon.

Shaking his head and frowning, the stag goes to take a rock off of the kobold's 'remains' before moving on.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Mountains - Kazia]

The sword is inserted in the gremlin's face. It twitches and trashes on the blade for a while before it dies and ceases to move altogether. The cave falls silent.

Kazia takes the time to cut out their tongues and put them in a bag, as proof of the deed, then continues onwards!

[Morty]

Tries to bite Cathy in the leg. :smallannoyed:

Cathy is, incidentally, bitten, but no godmodding, please.

She winces, and attempts to jump on the beetles away from the swarm! Using magic to reinforce her muscles.

((Yeah, that was a godmod. Sorry. I guess this plot makes me feel like a GM. :smalltongue:))
If Cathy wants to get away from the swarm, she'll probably end up jumping backwards, since beetles keep swarming from the other side. She'll have enough space for this. If she wants to get behind the beetles, the jump will be harder, but there's less beetles that it initially appeared - six of them are still alive - so it's also possible.


Mountains - Adir

Adir drops his emptied magazine, jamming in another and reloading the weapon.

Shaking his head and frowning, the stag goes to take a rock off of the kobold's 'remains' before moving on.

The rock is curious - black from the outside, white from the inside, with reddish veins. As Adir continues onwards, the tunnel goes down and becomes wider. No matter which path he takes, they all converge into one large tunnel eventually.


Kazia takes the time to cut out their tongues and put them in a bag, as proof of the deed, then continues onwards!

The only way forward is to jump across the rives from one rock to another. There's a lot of rocks and they're fairly wide, so Kazia should have no trouble with that. On the other side of the river, the cave narrows into a passage leading steeply downwards.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Kazia]

Obviously, you've never tried to jump in heels. :smalltongue:
Neither have I, actually, but I assume it's difficult. But Kazia manages to do it anyway. WHERE DID THIS WOMAN LEARN THESE SKILLS!? :furious:
She heads down the passage, ready for danger.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Kazia]

She must have learned it from a master of Jumping in Heels. Which begs the question where she found him/her.
As Kazia moves along, she will hear the crunch under her boots - but she might notice the bones of unidentified creatures scattered around first.

[horngeek]

She wants to get behind the beetles! Since she's reinforcing her leg muscles, should be very possible. Then she goes in, trying to carve them up with both swords. I imagine Hrunting is more efficient at this. :smalltongue:

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The beetles are carved up, trying to get some more bites in as they go down. Cathy will hear some strange noises behind her... scratching and clicking.

[horngeek]

Cathy may well be bitten, but she is reinforcing her skin as well for this.

...how much force can the beetles exert?

Anyway, once she hears the scratching, she'll turn and look cautiously in that direction.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The beetles can exert quite a lot of force. Their bites are nasty.
Once Cathy turns around, she'll see a truly huge beetle - about the size of two oxen - squeeze through a hole on the far end of the cave.

[horngeek]

Cathy frowns, and throws the Sword of Light behind her. It'll still glow enough to provide light, thankfully.

She holds Hrunting in one hand, and traces a bow with the other.

"I am the bone of my sword."

Under some circumstances, this would be the first line of a spell. Now, it's just a focus.

Hrunting shifts forms into an arrow, sleek and aerodynamic, as Cathy nocks the Noble Phantasm-turned arrow to the bow, aiming at the beetle...

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

The stag continues marking his path along the way, proceeding into the large tunnel and listening closely to nearby sounds. Gotta find more monsters to kill. Gotta get paid.

[Morty]

Cathy frowns, and throws the Sword of Light behind her. It'll still glow enough to provide light, thankfully.

She holds Hrunting in one hand, and traces a bow with the other.

"I am the bone of my sword."

Under some circumstances, this would be the first line of a spell. Now, it's just a focus.

Hrunting shifts forms into an arrow, sleek and aerodynamic, as Cathy nocks the Noble Phantasm-turned arrow to the bow, aiming at the beetle...

The beetle hisses and rushes forward surprisingly quickly, legs scratching on the rock as it charges Cathy and attempts to ram into her.


Mountains - Adir

The stag continues marking his path along the way, proceeding into the large tunnel and listening closely to nearby sounds. Gotta find more monsters to kill. Gotta get paid.

Adir will hear only silence at first. As he continues along the tunnel, which is winding up and down, he might hear some rumbling and grunting in the distance.

[horngeek]

Cathy fires, aiming right towards the beetle's head, Hrunting losing none of its power as a projectile.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The projectile pierces through the chitinous plate on above the beetle's head - it'd have gone straight between the eyes had it not lowered its head. The creature hisses and clicks in pain, blood flowing from the wound. It continues its attempts to ram Cathy with new, pain-induced ferocity.

[horngeek]

Cathy attempts to dodge to the side, gambling on how agile it is. Meanwhile, she detraces the bow, and traces two more blades (http://img2.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire4/e527037c5736e73588ab50e1e2fef1a11228662363_full.jp g).

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The beetle misses very narrowly, but it keeps flailing around wildly. It also seems to be trying to back Cathy in a corner, taking advantage of its size.

[horngeek]

Cathy, in that case, does the oppisite, trying to jump on top of it and plunge one of the swords into the gap in its armor probably left by Hrunting!

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

Cathy leaps and plunges the sword into the beetle's flesh as it strikes at her with its huge pincers as she goes through the air.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

He heads straight for the rumbling and grunting, rifle at the ready.

[horngeek]

She gets a couple of nasty cuts, wincing, but tries to hang on and use the other sword to keep stabbing it.

[Morty]

She gets a couple of nasty cuts, wincing, but tries to hang on and use the other sword to keep stabbing it.

The beetle struggles and flails, trying to throw Cathy off and/or bite her, but it eventually succumbs and dies.


Mountains - Adir

He heads straight for the rumbling and grunting, rifle at the ready.

Adir will eventually come across a rich coal vein and descend into a large cave containing an underground lake. The grunting and rumbling ceases, but he might notice the shadow of one of rocks twitch.

[horngeek]

Cathy detraces Kanshou and Bakuya, then picks up the Sword of light again, and looks through the hole the big beetle came through.

...not that she intends to go through right now. She's injured, and doesn't have any support. Plus, it isn't time-critical.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

The hole, placed a meter above the floor, leads to a tunnel that goes slightly downwards, it seems.

[horngeek]

Cathy sighs, and chucks a pebble down the tunnel to see if there's any reaction from down there.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Cathy]

Even after a while, there's no reaction.

[horngeek]

In that case, Cathy will start to bandage herself up. When done, she'll head out. "First cavern's cleared, you might want to send people in to secure it."

[Morty]

The goblin cavecrawler gets up from the ground.
What did you encounter in there?

[horngeek]

"Giant beetles. Nasty bite on them."

[Morty]

Ah, alright. I hope there are some unhatched eggs still in there, giant beetles are useful if tamed.
The goblin will lead Cathy back to the city if she wants to, either way he deadtimes.

[horngeek]

Cathy nods, and will be led back to the city!

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

The stag doesn't seem to notice.

There's a rustle as he flicks the flashlight's beam over the majority of the cave, examining the still waters of the underground lake. He absently kicks a pebble in, watching the ripples.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

Tentacles erupt from the lake and wrap themselves around Adir!
Actually, they don't. The water ripples, but nothing else happens. Adir might notice that the rock that previously twitched seems to be in a different place than previously. But there's several rocks in the cave.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

The stag... doesn't notice. Huh.

He bends down beside the lake, starting to unclip the two halves of his helmet-mask. The facial section pulls away, and he sets it down, touching his forehead.

Adir winces a little, sighing. Already a bruise.

Shrugging, he bends down to sip some water. Underground lakes had always been safe to drink, at least where he came from.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

The water tastes strange. Mineral. But it's perfectly normal and drinkable. As Adir drinks, he might become aware of movement behind his back. Whatever it is that's moving makes almost no sound.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

He drinks deeply, washing his face. Though he'd rather not, the mask must go back on. He reattaches the front section, and grabs his rifle, before turning around.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

Adir will see in front of him, quite close, a rock that wasn't there last time he looked. And in the blink of an eye, it becomes a short, wide figure with skin of the texture of the rocks around them. It has a wide, barrel-like torso, long arms and short, muscled legs. Its small head sports a large, bulbous nose and a pair of pitch-black beady little eyes. It's covered in roots and lichen as if in hair. It swings its arms at Adir, and each of them will pack quite a punch.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

The first arm connects, clocking the stag across the face and nearly grazing one of his antlers. He stumbles backwards towards the underground spring, the rifle falling from his hand just beyond the edge of the water.

His boots, thankfully very durable, splash into the pond. Acting quickly, he draws his sidearm, some sort of revolver, and empties three shots into the creature's face. At point blank, he's not too worried about missing the head.

In the dark confines of the cave, the report of the weapon is almost deafening.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

In the distance, screeching of bats can be heard, as they panic, startled by the loudest sound to ever fill these caves.
The rocky thing steps back, the bullets lodging themselves in its thick hide. However, it proves immensly durable as it shakes its head and marches forward once more, swinging its arms.

[Murkus]

Mountains - Adir

Adir takes another step back... two... and falls, flailing, into the water. Even his gun is soaked. He gasps, startled, and rolls aside, just avoiding the creature's renewed assault.

He bolts upright, gaining the shoreline and whipping around to aim his weapon again. The stag squeezes the trigger-

Click, click, click.

He moans out loud, staring angrily at the creature and his own waterlogged weapon.

[Morty]

[Mountains - Adir]

The creature staggers a bit. Even its fortitude granted by the fact that it's a fey spirit of the earth can't let it completely ignore bullets lodged in its head. It eventually starts walking in Adir's direction, but slowly.

[Murkus]

Adir - Mountains

He takes this brief respite to review his situation. Mainly because there's a massive fey between him and his primary weapon. A massive fey. Hm. He was a prince of the wild, a primal spirit of nature who once held court with dozens of the fair folk. He himself would be classified as a fey in some circles.

He speaks in the language of his world, a magical speech that can be understood by wild things, animals and druids alike.

At least on his world. "Uh, do you think we could maybe talk about this? Y'know? Not fight?"

[Morty]

[Adir - Mountains]

The korred - for that is one of the names mortal miners give to this type of fey - suddenly stops and answers - in a slow voice that sounds like rumbing, moving earth.
You... speak the language... but look like a mortal... what you want?

[Murkus]

"I'm a hunter. And I'm one of your kind. Just... different looking." Adir explains, gesturing at his antlers. "Some humble creatures are coming to live here. They need somewhere to stay, and they were worried monsters might hurt someone. I'm here to make sure things are safe."

[Morty]

[Adir - Mountains]

The korred lowers its arms and appears to relax. Mortal-looking or no, this humanoid was fey, no doubt about that.
Who are these... humble creatures you speak of? I do hope.... they're not... goblins...

[Murkus]

Adir pauses, stunned. Well, crap. "They... are, actually. Do you have something against goblins?"

[Morty]

[Adir - Mountains]

The korred waves its arms in the air, where his voice was previously like rumbling earth, it now sounds like an avalanche.
Usurpers... little usurpers... invading caves, bringing their fire, their steel, their machines and their gods... why you working for... them...

[Murkus]

"Because the mortals use this thing called 'money'. I need more of it." Adir says, frowning and crossing his arms. "Please. Is there any way you could simply ignore their passing?"

[Morty]

[Adir - Mountains]

The korred rumbles some more. If you tell them... not enter... my cave... leave them in peace...

[Murkus]

Adir smiles beneath his helmet, and nods. "That sounds great. Thank you, friend. May you sleep in peace."

The stag tries to gather his things and quietly depart, giving the creature a brief wave.

Outside, he'll take the last of his berries and smear them in the shape of a skull outside the cave. That should warn the goblins once he explains it to them.

[Morty]

[Adir - Mountains]

When Adir leaves, the Korred seems to shrink and fold in on itself, becoming indistinguishible from yet another rock once more.

[RabbitHoleLost]

[Citadel Major]
(Infact, you can just assume any post made by me in this thread is just there. I really don't want to label my posts in my own home thread... >>)

Returning from some task far, far away, Rabbit wipes the sweat from over he brow with the back of her hand. The fluid is tinged pink...blood.
Just a little bit, though its enough to make her stop deadly still as she watches it stain the silk of her glove.
"I'm dying faster than I thought." She murmurs, but continues up the hill, walking past dead trees and large rocks, untill she reaches the peak, where upon the Glass Citadel shines, reflecting moonlight.

But...something was wrong. Something wasn't right. She couldn't for the life (or unlife) of herself put her finger on it, but there was a feeling to the air that was unlike the heavy atmosphere of death she had left in her home.

[Reinholdt]

[The Actual Glass Citadel]

Depending on Rabbit's senses, she may smell the stench of cigar smoke coming from the graveyard. The Admiral stands there, in the middle of an intense staring contest with Rocky the gargoyle. Needless to say, Rocky will probably win, but it ain't over until the fat banshee sings.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit did notice it, though it took her quite sometime. Her nose sniffed and snuffled, searching and prodding around, ignoring the smell of mold and decay, focusing, focusing...
There was something living close by.
A small, devilish smile overrode the almost constant frown on Rabbit's ruby red lips, right until she caught that heavy odor of cigar smoke, and she turned on her fashionable spatted boot heels to glare in the general direction of Addy.
"You're still around, then?"

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral holds up a finger without looking at Rabbit and gives a small "Shhhh..."

"I think I've almost got him. I can practically sense his eyelids getting heavy."
...
...
"This is Rocky and not just a regular statue, right?"
All while staring at the thing.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"He doesn't have eyelids." She stated plainly, moving closer with a small amount of grace to lean against a headstone which was clearly falling apart.
Crossing her arms, she couldn't help but smirk.
"Then again, neither do you, so..." Her good humor melted away.
"What can I help you with, Admiral?"

[Reinholdt]

"Ah. This is true. Maybe I should sing him a lullaby?" :smallconfused:

The Admiral gives up the fruitless quest and turns to face Rabbit. "You're already aware of how you can help me. I'm mostly here to inform you that I've held up my end of the bargain and can inform you as to where Reinholdt can be found. On occasion."

"That and I was thinking about getting in some practice with wine glass music. You know the type where you fill them up with water and rub the outside?" The Admiral discards his old cigar and lights a new one, taking a big breath in.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit wastes no time in attempting to snatch the cigar from his bony fingers, and, if she's successful, bringing it to her own lips and taking a long, deep drag.
"Yeah, well, I've been looking, but ways to make the dead feel again are kinda hard to come by, and since you've already rejected the one option I'd found, well, its getting harder." Rocky abandoned his position where he'd been staring at Addy, turning to rub his ugly stone head against Rabbit's orange pants legs.
"I might have to engineer the whole damned thing by myself, you know? And that'll take a whole lotta energy. More time than I may have left, actually."

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral grumbles a little and lights a third cigar, letting Rabbit keep the second.

"More time than you have left?"

[RabbitHoleLost]

She nodding, puffing along.
"More time than I have left. I'm dying, Addy, sloooowly turning into a member of the walking undead." Rabbit tinged almost unnoticeably at the slip of the nickname.
Ah, well, she'd always been more comfortable with the undead, anyways. Even if that wasn't always extended to the Admiral.
"I'd say I've got a few months at best before I've less brain function than you. So, I come to a fork in the road- Do I keep my end of the bargain to you, and spend every last minute of my shortening life being 'honorable', or should I push that off and hope I find something to postpone my own crisis, so that I can eventually maybe if things work out for the best keep my end of the bargain?"

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral is quiet for some time, not even replying to the nickname, chewing away on his cigar. Finally he removes it and let's out a large cloud of smoke.

"Use the time for yourself however it pleases you best. I've got eternity to find a solution." It was a rare act of selflessness from the Admiral. Don't take it lightly.

[RabbitHoleLost]

The cigar dropped from her gloved hand.
Well...
That was unexpected.
Entirely so.
Rabbit pushed herself from the tombstone, standing straight and as tall as her small frame would allow her, taking the steps that separated her from the lich, and she stretched her neck, as if she could find any hint of expression in his skeletal face.
She knew how ridiculous it was, but her handsome face still continued to inspect his. Rabbit had been expecting a fight- she'd been itching for one, really, and had laid the words down in what she had thought would be a perfect prompt.
"Are you feeling alright, Admiral?" Perhaps he was just too laid back to be baited, but she could have sworn she had him pegged down.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral can't help but chuckle, gazing down at the inquiring face.
"My dear, my life revolves around self-fulfilling pleasure. Surely even I can recognize the importance of indulging oneself when reaching the end of your rope. Unless you'd RATHER be researching magic." He shrugs. "Which would be your prerogative."

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Hmmm..." Rabbit twirled about on her boot heels again, holding her hands together behind her back as she began to walk away from the lich. Well, there was one emotional escape option gone...
Sigh.
"I assume you want to be touched, Admiral."

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral rocked on his feet in place a little. "Considering I've only a little while left this particular pleasure according to the circumstances, yes. I'll consider it a consolation prize in exchange for the information. Presuming... you still want it?"

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit shrugged.
"Might as well, you know? Maybe the other me had this all figured out, and he's got the secret tucked away, unknown, in his little kitty mind." She frowned, sitting down on the glass stoop.
"I can't believe that all happened, still. A cat? I allied myself with a cat and under an undead? I almost ended the world? It...doesn't seem possible." Through her own confusion, she took her gloves off, distracted.

[Reinholdt]

"To be honest... I think it's because people make no sense whatsoever. But what can you do?"

He says, sitting down next to her.

"Reinholdt frequents the Black Dragon's Den. It's a tavern, run by a bard by the name of Raril."

[RabbitHoleLost]

"What business does a cat have in a tavern?" Rabbit murmured, offering her hand to the lich that sat beside her.
What business did she have looking for a cat?
None that she knew of, anyways, but it wasn't going to stop her.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral takes her hand and raises it up to his cheek.
"Same as anyone else I imagine. To get drunk and pick up women." At least... that's why the Admiral would go to a tavern.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Are there many girl kitties for him to pick up?" Despite herself, she smiled, running her finger along the cheekbones of his skull, small pulses of negative energy drifting along, like static electricity.
"Does he drink rum and milk?"

[Reinholdt]

"Mmmm..." The Admiral replies to the negative energy rather than the question.

"There were girl kitties where he lived I think, but he killed all of them. I know not of any girl kitties in the area, but he probably does do rum and milk." The Admiral just doesn't know enough about Rein to know the answer to the question.
Which is that Rein prefers tea when he's not drinking himself to oblivion.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Russet eyebrows knitted together as Rabbit took in the lich's words. "Did you say...he killed all of the girl kitties where he came from?" How odd. How strange.
Intriguing, at the very least.
Her thumb flicked rhythmically back and forth, amassing more and more negative energy there, like friction.

[Reinholdt]

"This isn't the first world that nearly got ended. Let's just say a few attempts were successful."
The Admiral nuzzled into her hand, his head moving in a slow up and down motion.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit merely frowned, her hands running from his skull down the column of his neck, burying themselves under the collar of whatever he was wearing to finally rest at the curve of his collarbones.
Her arms had been starting to ache, being held up that long. She was considerably shorter, afterall.
"Right. You're not from here, either, are you?"

[Reinholdt]

"Nope. But this place is alright once you get past all the egos." He'd grin. But he can't. Ah well.

He murrs a bit instead.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Egos? Didn't sound like this Cal guy was the most modest of creatures, and he brought you, didn't he?" Her energy sparked a bit brighter, snaking from her hands like living shadows, curling with purple edges as it slowly branched out around Addy.

[Reinholdt]

"Nope. And I hated his guts, remember? Granted he didn't have any, but that only made me hate him all the more to be honest..."

The Admiral watches a bit. "Comes with a light show!"

[RabbitHoleLost]

"You know," The corners of her lips turned up in a slight smirk. "You should be afraid of that, considering. Its the physical manifestation of my power. To be precise, my power over undead. I'd just need to envelope you, wrap it around you like a blanket..."
Despite her words, her baiting, the tendrils relaxed themselves, ebbing away from the lich like shadows faded as the sun rose to noon sky.

[Reinholdt]

"Hmm... perhaps. But if I thought you'd do it, I probably wouldn't ever come here." The Admiral chews on his cigar. She made it clear what she could do the first day they met.

[RabbitHoleLost]

She'd reminded him several times since then, too. Because Rabbit is entirely a meanyface meanyface.
"So, you trust me, is what you're saying?" Her eyebrows quirked in confusion.
It was a honest to goodness question, asked with sincerity. And a puzzled expression.

[Reinholdt]

"I suppose you could put it that way. I do every time I let you touch me, don't I?" Kind of a prerequisite.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Ahhh..." She pulled one hand away from him, her index finger sticking up, ticking back and forth. "But you didn't trust me enough when I offered that one temporary solution I offered."

[Reinholdt]

"Well let's face it. You know how weird it would be to be teaching a class and suddenly feel like I'm drinking... whatever it is you drink? Or be in a meeting and suddenly be taking a shower?"
Craziness would abound!

[RabbitHoleLost]

At this point, Rabbit pulled both her hands away, grinning. "I'd control it all. Plus, you know, it'd have been a mutual thing. Goodness knows I wouldn't want to hear or see what you were doing all the time..." Her thoughts drifted and she visibly shuddered, repulsed by whatever she thought the lich could possibly do in his freetime.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral rubs his chin.
"I do a surprising lack of things thank you very much."

"But the situation has changed..." Time's now a factor.

[Morty]

Anyone with the ability to do so might hear and feel the earth rumbling on the way from the city Inside to the mountain the goblins chose as their future colony. Looks like they're making underground tunnels between their current home and their home-to-be.

[RabbitHoleLost]

The trek up the hill was long, painful, agonizing, and, to be quite honest, annoying as all hells.
As Rocky the gargoyle came to greet her, though, Rabbit found she was glad to be home, nightmarish thoughts of a past that wasn't exactly hers drifting to the back of her mind.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral is there, not surprisingly, up at the Citadel, leaning against the wall next to the door, arms folded in front of him, eyes closed, puffing, always puffing on his cigar. Thinking about how to collect that Time Spirit really. Tricky tricky business, catching something capable of manipulating time.

Doesn't he have a school to run? :smallconfused:
Ah well.

[RabbitHoleLost]

The smell of smoke was what caught her attention, really, and she looked up from Rocky, whom was rubbing gently against her, almost like a cat.
Except that cats are never really happy to see someone unless they are bringing food, or something.
A small smile spread across her lips, and she crossed the distance between them, stopping a foot or so away, rocking on her heels.
"Hello, Addy." There was an odd lack of...Rabbitness to the way she spoke. Not a smirk to be found, no smugness or sarcasm lurking.
She seemed almost genuinely sweet at that moment.

[Reinholdt]

The Admiral opens his eyes and reaches up to take the cigar out of his mouth and hold it in his hands.
"Rabbit. You seem in a good mood. You haven't caught a cold have you?"

He goes ahead and offers her the cigar before she can take it from him.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Rabbit shook her head slowly, declining.
She'd had more than enough smoke for one night. Instead, she reached out, attempting to knock the cigar from him hand, and, if successful, loop her fingers through his skeletal ones, igniting him with her dark, negative energy.
"I met Reinholdt."

[Reinholdt]

"Hey! That's m-mmmmm...."
The Admiral suddenly doesn't feel so bad about losing his cigar, his eyes half closed.
"Oh? Did you learn what you wanted?" He asks, clearly more interested in savoring the sensation than whatever happened to Rabbit.

[RabbitHoleLost]

"Everything I didn't want to know, actually." It was almost... intimate, the way she held his bones. A wave of nausea came over it, but she swallowed, willing the cool air to play against her. Afterall, Rabbit knew what she had done before.
"And where have you been?"

[Reinholdt]

"Oh out and about. Investigating some spirits that apparently give you their power if you stab them through the heart. Trying to figure out how to collect all ten."
Gotta catch them all!