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  1. - Top - End - #61
    Ogre in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post
    [Abandoned Village] Archera & Irena

    The streams hit the rat which hits harder than the bullets and stops it mid-air as the water freezes.
    Yet the creature can still open it's jaws and apparently, speak.
    "We have only brought into your own shame into the light. Did your kind not think it would come back to bite you? We know what you have sacrificed!"

    "****." Irena starts emptying the clip of her second gun at not two but no less than eight more giant rats that burst out of the darkness. Like the children are all clumped together with their tails in a disgusting knot of filth and pus.
    The fact they're all tied together means they have limited mobility but their sheer numbers and the fact they're all moving in the same direction towards them makes it not matter much at the moment.

    They're screeching loudly, the bullets only serve to slow a few of them down, as they just dash towards the two. There's no leaping or fancy maneuvers, they're simply swarming them with numbers and brute force, an obscene amount of froth coming out of their open mouths as their revealed fangs thirsts for their blood.
    [Abandoned Village] Archera & Irena

    Archera backs towards Irena, acting quickly as soon as the additional rats come into view. She grabs Irena's arm. "Hold on." Then she forms a sheet of ice beneath their feet. Quickly she draws in as much water as she can, forcing the impromptu platform up into the air with a geyser from below. And then the geyser freezes, leaving them on a pillar. There's more to do, but for the moment Irena might suddenly be supporting the superhero. That took a lot out of her...

  2. - Top - End - #62
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Abandoned Village] Almost everyone together

    Ruby, Fade and Flicker will get to see Archera and that other masked person shoot up by a impromptu geyser sending them high into the air before it freezes over. It doesn't look particularly stable but it did protect them from the swarm of giant rats which now are gawking in surprise at the spectacle that just took place.
    But before either of them has a chance to join this fight the rats around them seem to go into a frenzy as soon as they get closer to the giant rats and starts to swarm Flicker and Ruby. Fade has still not been detected by the rats so he's still free.

    The other two will have a huge amount of utterly fearless rats to deal with however as they're coming in from all sides. Flicker will have an easier time avoiding getting swarmed thanks to her teleportation but this time the rats are not backing down. They're essentially berserking, throwing themselves at the two with all the might their little bodies can muster. Sinking their fangs into whatever clothing, armor and exposed flesh just trying to cause as much damage as possible.



    Back at the newly created ice-platform Irena have after making sure that Archera was alright holstered her guns and in her right hand she's instead holding a grenade. But before using it she turns towards the alarm of Flicker and some dragon-mutant arriving at the scene. It doesn't give her enough reason to dissuade her from what she's set her mind to however.

    Turning to Archera, who despite the visor can tell that Irena is smiling, she remarks in a low tone. "Don't worry, babe. I know what I'm doing." Then she tosses the grenade in the middle of the giant rats.

    BAAROOMKKKH

    Just the sound of the grenade is enough to leave the rats momentarily stunned while the rest of the scene is now obfuscated by centuries of dust which the grenade thrown into the air.

    [Abandoned Village] Jaahlyn and Holly

    "If it's larger, then the gun is probably going to be more useful. But whatever the case, you can at least mend the wounded if you want to stay out of it. Any assistance is going to be better than talking with me right now." Dena argues and Holly can hear that she takes a small breath as she is about to add something when the signal abruptly cuts out.

    "They're fighting them now." Jaahlyn suddenly speaks up, somehow standing almost right behind Holly as if she materialized from thin air. "Who were you speaking to?" Doesn't sound like she finds the fight incredibly urgent.

    The Ms. J Investigation

    Aha, further proof of demonic corruption. Jezebel had been completely human before, but then she had been corrupted. Not to mention that all her sisters were half-sisters which also seemed pretty suspicious to her too. She would need to inquire further into that. "So what happened to her and the others? I had assumed that she was born like that, with the little horns and all." Anika turns to Charles and raises one of her long eyebrows. "She looks almost exactly like a succubus, y'know?" Perhaps Charles was aware of what that confusion had lead to.

    Moth Park

    "Am only weird since you people are weirder." Hekta insists, sticking out her tongue in protest. "And ei ain't following you. All doesn't revolve around ye' Eli. Ei was just going around the park finding things." She crosses her arms over her chest and shrugs.

  3. - Top - End - #63
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Buffet Dungeon]

    BEAR BOMB!

    The blood seal has been weathering some pretty nasty attacks and having a huge bear dropped on its head appears to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

    Or maybe the bear that breaks the seal's head.

    CRUNCH!

    Either way monster defeated!

    When it's slain the other gribblies it has summoned are rather forcibly yanked back through rifts and tossed back to whatever hell vomited them out. The seal itself rapidly decays away into nothing, leaving a softball sized golden sphere shimmering with pearlecent light floating in the air where it had died. This is no doubt a loot pinata. Anika should smack it.

    Magdalene, meanwhile, says, "That was (flowering) amazing!"

    It sounds like she's a big fan of bear-based combat tactics.
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
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  4. - Top - End - #64
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Abandoned Village

    Flicker tries leading the rats chasing her away from the others, and when she's got a good enough lead she'll blast them with birdshot. She's not willing to let them get too close, however, so she can't stay long- and if she starts moving too soon after pressing the trigger then the blast won't work as the pellets lose their momentum in the barrel. She's only got five shots before she has to reload, and the momentum-cancelling effect of the teleportation means reloading can be a bit tricky on the move.
    Terrowin Avatar by HappyTurtle. Much thanks!

  5. - Top - End - #65
    Ogre in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Quote Originally Posted by Arkhosia View Post
    Moth Park

    "U-uh, no, probably not. I uh..." Anastasia does not admit that she has no clue how to do that sorta thing to begin with either. She's not even really familiar with what "tongue battling" is supposed to be in more common parlance, although it's certainly not hard to have a loose idea of the action itself.

    "Wait, do you have a stalker?" Ana looks more just intrigued by this discovery than anything else. It would explain why the Rizzos are apparently so restrictive on when he's allowed to leave the house, especially considering how not-uptight they seemed when she was over last.

    At least, she assumes that they are restrictive. Why else would Eliseo have to sneak out all the time?
    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post
    Moth Park

    "Am only weird since you people are weirder." Hekta insists, sticking out her tongue in protest. "And ei ain't following you. All doesn't revolve around ye' Eli. Ei was just going around the park finding things." She crosses her arms over her chest and shrugs.
    [Moth Park]

    "I dunno, Hekta, maybe Ana is right. Are you my stalker?" Eliseo puts his hand on his chin and considers thoughtfully. The shoe's on the other foot now.

  6. - Top - End - #66
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    The kid isn't wearing a shirt, and there are no censor bars around.
    Therefore, the kid is a guy.
    Simple as.
    (And, Seraphina finds absolutely nothing unusual about a kid peering into a candy shop.)

    Seeing the kid look so intently into the shop, Seraphina decides to pause and take a look in it as well, just in case there's anything particularly interesting in there.

    "Oh, they do?" she looks closer in the shop. She tries to see if they have any good flavors.
    "I'm actually looking for actual food, though.


    [Abandoned Village] Jaahlyn and Holly

    And, there it goes. No chance to say anything back...which is about what she expected.
    Holly puts away the communicator.

    She almost jumps with the sudden appearance of Jaahlyn. Holly had forgotten that she was around.

    "Oh. It was just the person who sent me. And sent thise other two that were with you earlier, too," she replies.

    She looks into the abandoned village, seeing all sorts of combat and everything.
    Wow, there's a lot of stuff going on.
    She tries to figure out the state of the battle and what needs to be done.
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  7. - Top - End - #67
    Pixie in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    Correct! And yet, also incorrect.

    Looking into the shop reveals all manner of sweet things: candies, liquorice, candy canes, jawbreakers and the like, all arranged in an orderly manner, each having its own section. There's also a counter for serving ice cream of varying flavours, and inside, a number of kids and adults getting their orders.

    "Actual food, miss? Let's go look for some then, miss!" He says, pointing down the street in the direction of a nearby fast food place. "What's your favourite food, Miss... err..." He peers at her, then focuses for a little bit. "... Seraphina?"

    Hey, how'd he know her name?
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  8. - Top - End - #68
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    Seraphina pauses like she's distracted by something, and blinks.
    Saying her name knocks her out of the distraction.
    "Oh, um. Yeah."
    She looks in the direction the kid pointed. "Sure."

    Seraphina starts walking towards that fast food place. "My favorite foods would be fruits, rice, beans, and fish." It's a lot of food.
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  9. - Top - End - #69
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Abandoned Village]

    Fade got a good spot while in his shadow. It's also rather safe from attacks unless they got some magic user in there rows. As he observes he makes out the chagne the small rats got after the big ones appear. That musst be related. He tries to get a closer look at them, but then he takes note of the grenade. He stops immediatly and heads for the otehr two. He jumps out of his shadow and immediatly tries to get a wall or something between him and were the explosion will be. Then he shouts : "Watch OUT!" which might be cut off by the explosion.
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  10. - Top - End - #70
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    Default [Abandoned Village]

    There they are, fighting those giant rats.
    But now the small rats are finally attacking in earnest.

    Ruby does her best to fight them with gun and claw and even just crushing a rat underfoot now and then, but the vermin are utterly fearless and too many. She should have stayed in the hut, she thinks, and dealt with them at the door.
    But then the grenade goes off too close by, and though a bit of shrapnel hits her wing, the little rats are helpless for the moment.
    She shakes them off, draws a deep breath through the pain of the dust in the air, and breathes out a wave of flame to engulf the rat swarm.
    ~Inner Circle~
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  11. - Top - End - #71
    Pixie in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    "Really? How convenient! Count yourself lucky, then, for they sell such over there! Like, a meal of rice, beans and fish, for reasonable prices too." The kid declares with a little spin. "Let's go, Miss! Maybe after, we'll come back and buy whatever distracted you, too!"

    They're almost there, so the kid starts making conversation. "Are you just coming back from work? Or maybe an adventure?"
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  12. - Top - End - #72
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    She blinks and winces. "Oh. Beans and fish don't usually go well together," Seraphina says. "If they only have all three together, I'd rather go somewhere else."

    In order to find out if they actually have anything good, she goes towards it anyway.

    She doesn't know what the kid means by 'whatever distracted you' but doesn't bother commenting on it. Probably just kids being weird.

    "No, neither of those," she says. "A friend and I found some lost genealogy papers. Managed to track down the owner to here; my friend continued on to Inside while I returned the papers to the guy."

    "Since I was already here, I decided to have a look around."
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  13. - Top - End - #73
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Purple Eagle's Avatar

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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    "But they can!" Zabb responds! Eagle would agree, considering people eat that combo a lot around here. "You don't have to buy all three together though, Miss Seraphina, you pick and choose the parts you want, and they have other stuff too!"

    Which she's about to find out for herself.

    He gasps with his hands to his cheek as she explains what she did. "That sounds exciting! If you have more of that stuff to do, can I come?" He says as they enter the establishment, which is called "Madame Xgyl's Kitchen".

    The establishment looks like a standard eatery, but one staffed almost entirely by orcs and half-orcs. Zabb leads her to the counter, and introduces them both. "I'm Zabb, she's Miss Seraphina, and she wants to buy some food. Rice and fish, right Miss?"

    The half-orc girl behind the counter looks bored, but Zabb's enthusiasm causes her to crack a smile. "Well, welcome to Madame Xygl's kitchen. Eating here, or to go?"
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  14. - Top - End - #74
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    5a Violista's Avatar

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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    Seraphina sighs and pulls her hood farther down over her face.

    When asked about coming along, she says, "No, I don't have anything else like that to do. Literally only had that one thing. Just trying to find any reason to stick around in this city for any longer."

    At the counter, Seraphina takes a bit longer to answer Zabb than you'd expect.
    "Um...yeah. That's fine."

    "To-go,"
    she says automatically.
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  15. - Top - End - #75
    Titan in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Lotus Gardens]

    Wenomir arrives here, the day after the Platinum Star party. He called ahead to inform Jezebel and Cessie he'd be coming - on a short notice, but something he heard on the party has concerned him and he needs to discuss it with the two. The commander is wearing his surcoat, but no armor - just the padded gambeson underneath. He doesn't have any weapons with him, either. He'll introduce himself to some of the staff and let them inform Jezebel and Cessie that he's here.
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  16. - Top - End - #76
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post

    The Ms. J Investigation

    Aha, further proof of demonic corruption. Jezebel had been completely human before, but then she had been corrupted. Not to mention that all her sisters were half-sisters which also seemed pretty suspicious to her too. She would need to inquire further into that. "So what happened to her and the others? I had assumed that she was born like that, with the little horns and all." Anika turns to Charles and raises one of her long eyebrows. "She looks almost exactly like a succubus, y'know?" Perhaps Charles was aware of what that confusion had lead to.
    The Ms. J Investigation

    Charles doesn't answer immediately, visibly conflicted as to whether or not it was his place to say so, but it seems the choice gets made for him. "It's alright, Charles. I'll take over." Jezebel says, smiling gently to the older man as she enters the room. At least she's dressed, wearing bodyglove with a pair of slacks over the lower half. "I know your displeasure for this sort of conversation anyway." As Charles bows and departs, Jezebel turns her back to Anika as she heads over to her half-written tome to turn pages. "Turning my back to the so-called God-Emperor of Mankind and falling into worship of a darker god is what changed me initially. Mutation, daemonic taint, where I am from is more akin to a reflection of the soul in many instances than something purely environmental or genetic. It wasn't immediate and developed over time, and the Lotus Gardens itself is the result of such worship though most of us have turned from it in time. My sisters fell as I did to different Powers, though they've committed fully to such paths and are likely beyond any sort of redemption I fear. Just as father planned." There's immense distaste to her voice as she finally seems to find the page she's looking for and gestures for Anika to take a look.

    "And for the last time, I'm not a succubus, Anika. Demonic, perhaps, but nothing you're familiar with. In part because there was never anything like a succubus where I am from. We have Daemonettes instead." Jezebel has made an entire entry on Daemonettes in her book, complete with an incredibly detailed portrait. Lithe, beautiful, strong, horrifying and alluring all in one with inhuman talons and flesh. It almost feels like the sketch wants to crawl off the page and up Anika. It even seems to move slightly and hypnotically before Jezebel closes the tome. "But also it is because I don't have power over minds or feed off sex. I never have."

    Lotus Gardens

    Charles is more than ready to take Wenomir's coat whenever he arrives, and though he's as respectful as always, there seems to be a glint of mischief to his eyes and smile. "I shall fetch them with utmost haste, Sir. It may take a few moments however. Could I interest you in breakfast or coffee while waiting?" He offers, gesturing towards the dining room where a maid waits for a command. Regardless of his answer, Charles will slink away to Jezebel's bedroom to inform the inhabitants of a guest. He doesn't knock, instead slipping inside so he can throw open the curtains and bay window to wake up Cessie and Jezebel both. "Lord Wenomir is awaiting in the dining room." He provides no more context than that before slipping back out.

  17. - Top - End - #77
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    The Ms. J Investigation

    Aha! There was the demon mistress herself!
    Anika had never talked to her within her own domain like this so she had to be on her guard. There was no telling what Jezebel was capable of!
    "Bye, Charles. Nice to meet you!" She waves good bye to the man before turning her attention to his master.
    Uhu, so time to check off the cultist list was it?

    Worship of an 'dark god', CHECK!
    Demonic transformation, CHECK!
    Soul corruption, C-C-CHECK!
    Pretty much standard evil that could be- wait, her father's plan? What was up with that?

    Sounded really creepy and weird.

    So definitely some family issues in the mix too. "So... your family is pretty bad, huh?" She remarks as Jezebel directs her attention to the tome. Anika being relived she doesn't have to read through some demon lore and see some pretty pictures instead. Certainly interesting, kinda disturbing, but what was up with that lobster arm?
    "So you worshiped the god of these, uh, lust demons but you never got any lust-related powers yourself?" She inquires with a raised eyebrow.

    [Buffet Dungeon]

    Anika is too busy seeing double to smack any pinata as she'd probably just hit its annoying twin anyway. While the bear bomb was effective it could also be slightly disastrous if she landed on her head. Something she unfortunately did this time. Thus, Magdalena is meet by a rather wobbly bear raising off the floor. It takes a step forward, then three steps back... and she collapses on the light sphere.

    That's one way to do it, right?

    Lotus Gardens

    Cessie stirs.

    "...it's too early for jokes, Charles. You should take lessons from Garn..." She groans.

  18. - Top - End - #78
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Gullara's Avatar

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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Spoiler: Quotes
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post
    [Abandoned Village] Almost everyone together

    Ruby, Fade and Flicker will get to see Archera and that other masked person shoot up by a impromptu geyser sending them high into the air before it freezes over. It doesn't look particularly stable but it did protect them from the swarm of giant rats which now are gawking in surprise at the spectacle that just took place.
    But before either of them has a chance to join this fight the rats around them seem to go into a frenzy as soon as they get closer to the giant rats and starts to swarm Flicker and Ruby. Fade has still not been detected by the rats so he's still free.

    The other two will have a huge amount of utterly fearless rats to deal with however as they're coming in from all sides. Flicker will have an easier time avoiding getting swarmed thanks to her teleportation but this time the rats are not backing down. They're essentially berserking, throwing themselves at the two with all the might their little bodies can muster. Sinking their fangs into whatever clothing, armor and exposed flesh just trying to cause as much damage as possible.



    Back at the newly created ice-platform Irena have after making sure that Archera was alright holstered her guns and in her right hand she's instead holding a grenade. But before using it she turns towards the alarm of Flicker and some dragon-mutant arriving at the scene. It doesn't give her enough reason to dissuade her from what she's set her mind to however.

    Turning to Archera, who despite the visor can tell that Irena is smiling, she remarks in a low tone. "Don't worry, babe. I know what I'm doing." Then she tosses the grenade in the middle of the giant rats.

    BAAROOMKKKH

    Just the sound of the grenade is enough to leave the rats momentarily stunned while the rest of the scene is now obfuscated by centuries of dust which the grenade thrown into the air.

    [Abandoned Village] Jaahlyn and Holly

    "If it's larger, then the gun is probably going to be more useful. But whatever the case, you can at least mend the wounded if you want to stay out of it. Any assistance is going to be better than talking with me right now." Dena argues and Holly can hear that she takes a small breath as she is about to add something when the signal abruptly cuts out.

    "They're fighting them now." Jaahlyn suddenly speaks up, somehow standing almost right behind Holly as if she materialized from thin air. "Who were you speaking to?" Doesn't sound like she finds the fight incredibly urgent.
    Quote Originally Posted by 5a Violista View Post
    [Abandoned Village] Jaahlyn and Holly

    And, there it goes. No chance to say anything back...which is about what she expected.
    Holly puts away the communicator.

    She almost jumps with the sudden appearance of Jaahlyn. Holly had forgotten that she was around.

    "Oh. It was just the person who sent me. And sent thise other two that were with you earlier, too," she replies.

    She looks into the abandoned village, seeing all sorts of combat and everything.
    Wow, there's a lot of stuff going on.
    She tries to figure out the state of the battle and what needs to be done.
    Quote Originally Posted by Zefir View Post
    [Abandoned Village]

    Fade got a good spot while in his shadow. It's also rather safe from attacks unless they got some magic user in there rows. As he observes he makes out the chagne the small rats got after the big ones appear. That musst be related. He tries to get a closer look at them, but then he takes note of the grenade. He stops immediatly and heads for the otehr two. He jumps out of his shadow and immediatly tries to get a wall or something between him and were the explosion will be. Then he shouts : "Watch OUT!" which might be cut off by the explosion.
    Quote Originally Posted by Recaiden View Post
    There they are, fighting those giant rats.
    But now the small rats are finally attacking in earnest.

    Ruby does her best to fight them with gun and claw and even just crushing a rat underfoot now and then, but the vermin are utterly fearless and too many. She should have stayed in the hut, she thinks, and dealt with them at the door.
    But then the grenade goes off too close by, and though a bit of shrapnel hits her wing, the little rats are helpless for the moment.
    She shakes them off, draws a deep breath through the pain of the dust in the air, and breathes out a wave of flame to engulf the rat swarm.

    [Abandoned Village]

    "Wait!" Nope, too late. The grenade goes off, but Archera is already reacting. The precarious ice platform was already just barely holding their weight, but the concussive blast of a grenade easily destabilizes it. Archera grabs Irena, holding her and the child close as they fall. She musters what she can to pull additional water, changing state is a bit much right now, to cushion their fall. They end up seated on the ground, sopping wet among chunks of ice. "Give him to me. Let's move." She tries to take the baby and get to her feet. Irena's being too reckless...
    Last edited by Gullara; 2020-12-20 at 11:06 PM.

  19. - Top - End - #79
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Lotus Gardens]

    "Just coffee, thank you. I've had breakfast already."

    Wenomir settles in to wait, hoping Jezebel and Cessie won't be long. He feels awkward and out of place here. It's too... formal. Aristocratic.
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  20. - Top - End - #80
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Buffet Dungeon]

    The orb bursts with a hollow BOOM! and sprays coins and magical gear everywhere like a loot pinata. Most of it's yellow and white junk but there are two things in there that might be worth mentioning. The first is a Green ring, the Blood Seal of the Blood Seal! It appears to provide a significant degree of resistance against the chaotic blood magic of the cultists AND allows the wearer to safely deactivate blood seals without them triggering. There's also a pair of Purple gloves which Magdalene points at immediately.

    "Dibs!"

    The Gauntlets of Valrukek. Gloves made of leather and bone with pink jewels set into the back of the hand that pulse like a heartbeat. Not only do they empower vitality draining magic, they increase its life-stealing efficacy. AND they have a proc effect! A ten percent on-damage chance of sending a life-stealing bolt of eldritch power bouncing between foes!

    There's a swishing sound as the door at the back of the room slides open.

    "C'mon let's go," Magdalene says as she'll move to grab the gloves while ignoring everything else. "If there are any prisoners left they're probably going to be in the next room."

    That's usually how these dungeons work.
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  21. - Top - End - #81
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Quote Originally Posted by UncleWolf View Post
    The Empress' Estate

    The laughing woman is swept up off her feet by Glahr, who only grins in response before dumping her upon the bed. Spinning expertly upon her heel, the handmaiden sweeps forward into the closet as she rummages around. It seemed it was at least an affirmative, though the reasons why remain unsaid for now. Octavia would need to speak with The Empress herself to get answers it seems. Despite a difference in their builds, the silent woman decides upon some of her clothing and throws it back over her shoulder without looking in order to have it land on the bed. An offering, or order, to put on.

    Interestingly, there seems to be a new strength in Glahr since the two have last met. A new grace, a sense of...divinity perhaps? Possibly a reward for her connection to The Empress.
    Quote Originally Posted by Gulaghar View Post
    [Moth Park]

    "I dunno, Hekta, maybe Ana is right. Are you my stalker?" Eliseo puts his hand on his chin and considers thoughtfully. The shoe's on the other foot now.
    The Empress's Estate

    Octavia gasps in surprise as Glahr sweeps her off her feet, propping herself up on her elbows to watch as she digs through the closet with stunning alacrity and grace. It's a bit of an enchanting sight - enough that the elf doesn't quite process what's being tossed at her until it hits her in fact. She blinks before picking up one of the garments, a skirt that would probably be a tad short on Glahr but falls to the knee for Octavia.

    "I uh, I-I guess you'll have to take me out shopping," she jokes, pulling on the skirt and a surprisingly comfy oversized sweater. The skirt's a bit loose around her waist, and will probably fall a little low when she stands up.

    Moth Park

    Anastasia quirks an eyebrow but doesn't quite add to Eliseo's verbal advance, just happy not to have to focus on her for the moment.
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

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  22. - Top - End - #82
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

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    Quote Originally Posted by Earl of Purple View Post
    Abandoned Village

    Flicker tries leading the rats chasing her away from the others, and when she's got a good enough lead she'll blast them with birdshot. She's not willing to let them get too close, however, so she can't stay long- and if she starts moving too soon after pressing the trigger then the blast won't work as the pellets lose their momentum in the barrel. She's only got five shots before she has to reload, and the momentum-cancelling effect of the teleportation means reloading can be a bit tricky on the move.
    Quote Originally Posted by 5a Violista View Post
    [Abandoned Village] Jaahlyn and Holly

    And, there it goes. No chance to say anything back...which is about what she expected.
    Holly puts away the communicator.

    She almost jumps with the sudden appearance of Jaahlyn. Holly had forgotten that she was around.

    "Oh. It was just the person who sent me. And sent thise other two that were with you earlier, too," she replies.

    She looks into the abandoned village, seeing all sorts of combat and everything.
    Wow, there's a lot of stuff going on.
    She tries to figure out the state of the battle and what needs to be done.
    Quote Originally Posted by Zefir View Post
    [Abandoned Village]

    Fade got a good spot while in his shadow. It's also rather safe from attacks unless they got some magic user in there rows. As he observes he makes out the chagne the small rats got after the big ones appear. That musst be related. He tries to get a closer look at them, but then he takes note of the grenade. He stops immediatly and heads for the otehr two. He jumps out of his shadow and immediatly tries to get a wall or something between him and were the explosion will be. Then he shouts : "Watch OUT!" which might be cut off by the explosion.
    Quote Originally Posted by Recaiden View Post
    There they are, fighting those giant rats.
    But now the small rats are finally attacking in earnest.

    Ruby does her best to fight them with gun and claw and even just crushing a rat underfoot now and then, but the vermin are utterly fearless and too many. She should have stayed in the hut, she thinks, and dealt with them at the door.
    But then the grenade goes off too close by, and though a bit of shrapnel hits her wing, the little rats are helpless for the moment.
    She shakes them off, draws a deep breath through the pain of the dust in the air, and breathes out a wave of flame to engulf the rat swarm.
    Quote Originally Posted by Gulaghar View Post
    "Wait!" Nope, too late. The grenade goes off, but Archera is already reacting. The precarious ice platform was already just barely holding their weight, but the concussive blast of a grenade easily destabilizes it. Archera grabs Irena, holding her and the child close as they fall. She musters what she can to pull additional water, changing state is a bit much right now, to cushion their fall. They end up seated on the ground, sopping wet among chunks of ice. "Give him to me. Let's move." She tries to take the baby and get to her feet. Irena's being too reckless...


    Abandoned Village

    Irena braces as the platform collapses, perhaps a part of her having expecting this outcome. But then Archera dampens the fall and she finds herself sitting on the ground unharmed. She hands over the baby without question and makes sure to at least stand up before any surviving giant rats might get a jump on them.

    However, as Ruby torches the rat swarm and Flicker shoots whatever survives she can find there is a sudden stillness in the air as if all sounds suddenly became muted. This silence is abruptly interrupted by the voices of what Irena, Archera and Amulungak can recognize as the first rat. The one which seem to act as their speaker.

    "It seems our story is reaching its conclusion, splendid!" From the smoke it raises, bruised, battered, but far from dead. It's walking on its hind legs, which seems to have stretched into an unnatural parody of human appendages, and the rest of its body seems to be trying to follow suit its bones can be heard cracking as the creature seems to be trying to adapt itself to an upright gait. Bursting out from it's scalp is a growing circle of horns that seems to be forming a crown.

    Irena shoots it.

    The rat king stops for a moment as the bullet clearly causes it pause. A wound forming in its chest which instead of blood leaks a yellow pus.

    Yet the next moment it continues as if nothing had happened. "So let us now tell a story before we close the curtains."

    Irena now empties the rest of her clip at the rat king but this time one of the other giant rats interjects the bullets with its body as it too raises from the smoke. Shortly collapsing back into it once more. They can see more of them soon, appearing just as injured as their speaker but still forming in a protective barrier around them.

    Again the rat king continues as if nothing had happened and now is started to rhyme.

    "Once upon a time there was a boy that treated animals as toys.

    A real brat that still owned nine times a rat.

    But despite treating them as playthings, to them he was a lord, no, a king.

    Yet one day their god, imagining the joy it would him bring, decided to tie all their tails together with a string.

    Never questioning any-thing, the rats were all still worshiping.

    Starved, broken, their minds starting to unstring.

    They would only find death under their masters wing."


    At this point the rat king gestures with which is at this point a paw-like hand at the dead rats laying all around Ruby. It doesn't appear like any of them are alive anymore.

    "So the story have now repeated itself once more. Rats, whatever their skin, dying for their kings whims." At this point it gestures at the mutants who have come walking out from the huts they sought cover in. They seem harmless now, with no will left to fight. "We only killed your rats, we only sought to cleanse, yet suddenly their lives were worth something? So tell us truly, and we shall depart, at whomst behest do you us seek? Was there truly a king angry that we killed their rats? Or was it perhaps the rats themselves that bothered you so? The rat kings gaze move over not only Archera, Irena, Flicker and Ruby but Fade too as it appears to have spotted him as he called out his warning. "Answer one each and we shall all yield, deny and we might make you die." Once the rat king has finished its speech it makes an surprisingly elegant bow for such a creature.

    Then it suddenly looks up, its red eyes seeing something beyond the darkness of the village. "And that goes for the servant and the pretender too. Come now and answer our question! What have brought you before us?"

    Speaking of which, Jaahlyn had nodded in reply to Holly when they too could hear the rat king's booming voice echo across the underground village. As it finally seems to call them out, the satyr looks to Holly. "Looks like the story is about to reach its end." A beat. "Might be best to humor them. To avoid, uh, more fighting I mean."

    [Moth Park]

    "Yer' what?" But despite her apparent claim of ignorance to its meaning she still answers the question. "No, ey ain't stalking no one!" Hekta crosses her arms over her chest. "You sit in ya' room all day anyway, didn't ye? Since yer' mom's and all that. Ye'd be the most boring stalkrget ever." It sounds like she just tried to combine the words "target" and "stalker" into an abomination of a word.

    [Buffet Dungeon]

    Anika have just now turned back into her humanoid form but still appears rather wozzy. However, the moment Magda mentions the prisoners her eyes seem to clear up a bit and she quickly follows along. The loot could wait for now.

    "Is it really fair to call dibs? Don't you need to roll dice for these things? That's what we always do once we defeat a boss." Of course, Anika hadn't even had the time to read the stats yet. "Oh, and, uh, good work by the way. You seem pretty seasoned for..." A beat. "How old were you again?"
    Last edited by Shadowcaller; 2020-12-25 at 09:42 AM.

  23. - Top - End - #83
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Quote Originally Posted by 5a Violista View Post
    [Eastside Street]

    Seraphina sighs and pulls her hood farther down over her face.

    When asked about coming along, she says, "No, I don't have anything else like that to do. Literally only had that one thing. Just trying to find any reason to stick around in this city for any longer."

    At the counter, Seraphina takes a bit longer to answer Zabb than you'd expect.
    "Um...yeah. That's fine."

    "To-go,"
    she says automatically.
    [Eastside Street]

    "Aw, that's too bad. It sounds like fun! Don't worry, miss, I'm sure a reason to stick around will present itself, soon enough!" Zabb responds, flashing a disarming grin.

    He'd begun to take note of her reactions, and once inside the shop, notices her continued distraction. Or maybe she was trying to decide whether or not to eat? He focuses on her for a moment, trying to glean exactly why she's acting like this. He's real good at that, being a celestial and all.

    The half-orc girl serves Seraphina's food in a take-away pack, puts it in a nylon and gives it to her in exchange for payment. Luckily, there's a sale going on that day, and Seraphina's eligible for it. The woman likely won't want to stick around, so they go outside the shop together. "Thank you for eating with us!" The cashier says as they leave.

    "My work here is done." Zabb says as he points out a girl approaching in the distance, She's a dark-skinned girl wearing a dark purple hoodie, dark grey sweatpants and sneakers, with beads on her wrist. Her eyes are amber with black sclera, and the epicanthic folds make it clear she's part asian. "Hi Karasu, this is Seraphina! She's looking for things to do, and since you're new to Riverside too, you can be friends!"

    "Oh hey, Zabb!" She says with a reserved smile, while she gives Seraphina a nod in greeting. "Looking for something to do? Fancy giving me a tour, then?" She asks, looking her up and down. Which is really just a way for Eagle to know what Seraphina looks like, since he has no idea right now.

    Zabb disappears once he's sure neither of the two are paying him any attention.
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  24. - Top - End - #84
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Buffet Dungeon]

    "Calling dibs is totally fair. Besides you don't use lifesteal stuff," Magdalene replies as she heads into the next room. "If it was a ring that, like, increased your bearness by twenty five percent I would have passed that to you, no questions asked."

    Twenty five percent more bear is a lot of bear when you already have a ton of bear like Anika does.

    To the second question she just shrugs.

    "I dunno I kind of lost track. The world ended when I was little."

    She is, in fact, fifteen years old. Though as she said she doesn't really keep track of her age at all. She just knows that it feels like she's been doing this for a long time. Which, from her perspective, is quite true.

    Into the next room!

    There's a cage in here. Made of creepy bones. And full of people! Several are unconscious but two are awake, looking up at our heroes fearfully.
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  25. - Top - End - #85
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Abandoned Village

    "I was hired by KABAL, to take the bounty on rat tails. The rats have been eating the food of those above, the ones who are not rats, by any measure." Flicker has very little sympathy for the homeless that have been abducted and mutilated so; being a native of Skyside has jaded and hardened her heart to the suffering of others.
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  26. - Top - End - #86
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Abandoned Village]
    Over there

    Oh. Well, it all seems to be...over? ish?
    There's way too many different ways she could answer that king-person, so Holly turns to Jaahlyn and asks, "So are you the servant or are you the pretender?" She thinks she knows which one refers to which of them, but she could see it going either way.

    She looks back towards the village.
    "I hope he can hear us from here because I'm not in the mood to go all the way into there just to answer this question that should be obvious anyway." Since she doesn't know which of the events that led her here that that person wants answered, she decides just to be safe to go through all of the steps.
    Holly puts her hand on her hip. One of the places the rats targeted the most were the slums like where she lives, so, "The rats were hurting my neighbors and I didn't want to hear their kids going hungry again, so I decided to help out. Then the rats threatened to do worse, so I decided to stop what was making the rats do that. Then they hurt the people with me, and now I was told to make sure everyone gets back safely." And that's why she's there, even though she's only had a handful of hours of sleep this week.


    [Eastside Street]

    Seraphina smiles and waves at the half-orc and takes her food out.

    Seraphina is wearing a dark cloak that obscures most of her figure, and it has a hood that obscures most of her face.
    In terms of height, she's...about 5'7".
    Also, she's vaguely human-shaped. The parts of her that are visible (her mouth and chin and neck and hands feet) are human-shaped, too. She's got a pink-and-black ring on her left hand, and a ring of two snakes eating each other on her right hand.

    "Um..." Seraphina thinks asking the person who is literally brand-new here to give a tour is an awful idea, but she still says, "...okay."

    She points where they just came from. "Please keep you hands and legs inside the vehicle at all times. There's food that way." She points down the street. "Ice cream this way."

    Then she starts to walk this way. "And if you look off to your left, you'll see...some houses. And if you look closely over there, there's a park." They get close enough to see the park. "And across the street is a bank, if you're into that sort of thing."

    They reach the park.
    She stops, and points off towards the horizon. "And if you go waaaay over that way, you'll find a train station."
    She turns around to face that girl. "And that concludes our tour. Thank you for choosing Riverside Tours, Incorporated, please come again."
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  27. - Top - End - #87
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Abandoned Village]

    As if there's any reason to trust this thing. Archera stands on guard, ready to move at a moment's notice. That said, she has think think about protecting this child more than anything, and she's running out of gas quickly. Whether or not attacking this thing again is the right thing to do, it's in her best interest to stall for time and understand the situation better.

    "Nobody should be terrorized by what you're doing, no matter who they are. That's why I'm here to stop you." She declares, firm in her convictions.

  28. - Top - End - #88
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Street]

    Karasu lets Seraphina give her the 'tour', a deadpan look on her face all the time. Once she's done, the black girl folds her arms. "... Point taken. Bad idea to ask another JJC for a tour." She looks down at Seraphina's food nylon bag and points to it. "Actually looking for someplace I can buy my girlfriend a gift. You... should find somewhere to eat that."

    She gestures towards the park. "That place'll do." She suggests.
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  29. - Top - End - #89
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    [Eastside Park]

    Seraphina laughs. "Oh. Actually, I was hoping I could get you to laugh," Seraphina says.
    She looks at the park, and goes there, looking for a place to sit. A planter should be fine. She sits at one.

    "Well, now you know more about this city than I do." She opens up her food bag.
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  30. - Top - End - #90
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    Default Re: Riverside 21: Older than Arkh

    Quote Originally Posted by Arkhosia View Post
    Moth Park

    Anastasia quirks an eyebrow but doesn't quite add to Eliseo's verbal advance, just happy not to have to focus on her for the moment.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post
    [Moth Park]

    "Yer' what?" But despite her apparent claim of ignorance to its meaning she still answers the question. "No, ey ain't stalking no one!" Hekta crosses her arms over her chest. "You sit in ya' room all day anyway, didn't ye? Since yer' mom's and all that. Ye'd be the most boring stalkrget ever." It sounds like she just tried to combine the words "target" and "stalker" into an abomination of a word.
    [Moth Park]

    "How'd you know where I sit all day, huh?" Eliseo asks. Very suspicious. How'd Hekta gonna explain that?

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