Wrath

by **Liar** on March 1st, 2012, 6:46 pm

1 Spring, 512

The storm had passed abruptly. The skies had cleared and, for a moment, there was peace. People held their breaths and looked at the bright, clear sky. Even the monsters paused, overcome with confused silence.

The moment passed, and an ear-shredding shriek resonated through the whole of the city. The noise was impossibly loud, and akin to the whistle of air through an iron kettle or the grating of stone against seasoned metal. The ground shook as the people covered their ears, and the city too seemed to scream as a giant hole was rent through the Southern Quarter. From it rose a giant snake, or perhaps it was a worm; it was nearly ten feet across, fifty feet up, and there was no telling to what depths its body anchored it to the earth. Its pale flesh skin seemed bloodied, unless that was its natural color, and it boasted rows of sharp pink teeth that gnashed angrily at the sky.

It writhed in the cool light of the infant aftermath, fury incarnate. For a few seconds, it was not concerned with the people below. It was apparently without eyes, ears, or a nose... how could it even know they were there?

But then its flailing head and teeth turned downward at the monsters around it, at the bodies that had not been saved as they grew cool in the streets. It turned, as if it were looking, to a pack of marrow dogs that had ceased their feast to look up at the giant beast. Then it was descending on them, devouring them, and screaming as it tossed its blind head up and swallowed them.

Uphis was the first to greet it. Behind him stood monks at the ready, their weapons and robes already bloodied by lesser monsters. They had grouped vaguely into their respective factions, but still there were representatives from all four quarters primed to fight, as well as patriotic citizens, brave foreigners, and a few bold slaves. They had shed the lines of competition and racism in favor of a singular goal: survival.

“Stand your ground,” the Alvina advised as He stared ahead at the beast, armed with His own blessed sword. “Look for weaknesses. Be smart, not brave. Tell me what you see.”

OOC :

by **Etrius** on March 2nd, 2012, 3:16 am

He had come to help, although there was really no other choice, for it is difficult for one to stay in bed when half of the roof has been ripped from atop one's room. Etrius rubbed eyes on his arm. His face and scythe were splattered with blood from a particularly annoying monster that had taken himself and three monks to take down. He would most certainly be dead if the monks had not been there to help. His breath came in short, shallow bursts and he could feel his heart pounding against his chest. His vision was blurred and he could hear whispers in his mind, but was unable to make out what they said. Everything he heard was dulled and muffled. He was panicking. Everyone was panicking.

The terrible, rage-filled scream that ripped through the air did nothing to help his nerves. Etrius dropped the scythe and fell to his knees, pressing his hands over his ears. The sound was not dampened by his feeble attempt and Etrius gritted his teeth in pain. When it finally subsided Etrius looked up to behold the thing that had caused the bloodcurdling noise. It was quite possibly the most terrifying thing that Etrius had ever seen. Its massive body writhed through the air, as if it wanted to bash a hole in the sky. The thing seemed like it knew exactly where its prey was, snapping its victims up with perfect aim. It was hungry and angry, and there appeared to be no stopping it very soon.

Heeding the head monk's advice, Etrius picked up his scythe and slipped out of the group. He dropped to one knee just around the corner of one of the ruined buildings, positioning it between himself and the behemoth. He wanted to be able to see it without it necessarily "seeing" him. Some of the monks eyed him with distaste at his clumsy attempt at stealth, but there wasn't much else Etrius could do. He was still wounded from a previous struggle and he would only be a hindrance to the monks on the front line. He decided he would stay out of sight for the most part, trying to spot any weakness the giant revealed and dragging any fighter that fell out of harm's way.

"Don't get too close to it!" he warned his companions. "Use bows! Weaken it!" The beast looked fleshy. Maybe piercing weapons would have a greater effect on it. He was not entirely sure if the monks would heed his shouted warning, in fact he was not sure that bows could reach the beast while keeping the fighters out of its range, but he was trying to help in any way he could.

by **Kassan** on March 3rd, 2012, 7:47 pm

The city was out of control. As if the destruction of the storm had not been enough, now foul monsters spawned from the aperture roamed the streets. Kassan's robes were splattered with blood and gore from the numerous small monsterlings they had slain on their passage through the quarters.

But he did not fear them. At their head, stood Uphis, leading them with his blade, with his strength and dignity. Kassan could only feel pride following his Lord into battle.

While his steel daggers stayed at his side, he held his glaive in his arms, ready to wield it at a moments notice. The beast before them was the largest they had come across, a worm of impossible dimensions, risen from the ground and crying, eating, devouring. It seemed to have no eyes, or nose. Perhaps it sensed with its mouth, like a snake, he thought.

Uphis turned to them, sword held out, instructing them to hold fire. And then he asked for observations. Tactics. Glimmers of ingenuity that would win this battle.

Kassan strode over the rubble, eyes keening in on the beast, glaive held before him as the conduit of his faith.

"The mouth my Lord," he announced, voice dark and rich with his heritage, "if we aim for the mouth, perhaps with ranged blades?"

Sheathing the glaive, one hand went to his set of steel daggers. If they aimed into the mouth, striking at the back of the beasts throat, it would surely subdue it. At least long enough to get within melee range.

He awaited Uphis' response, prepared to bow to his higher wisdom.

by **Alderache** on March 6th, 2012, 6:51 am

Alseroth was in as much confusion as everyone else in the city. His brother had been in control when the devastating storm had hit. He'd witnessed all the death, all the destruction, everything that had come with the storm. And now Alseroth found himself in control, without having to fight for it. His brother was nowhere to be found in his mind. And even though Alseroth had been vying for control ever since his appearance, it disturbed him to think that Alderache was gone. Where had he gone? And would he ever return?

He'd been corralled into one of the larger buildings as the storm struck. But soon the town was under siege under creatures Alseroth had never expected to see. And all of them appeared to be deadly. He'd been chasing some flying beast out of a nightmare down one of Nyka's cramped streets, when a redclay blade sliced it through and through. Alseroth stopped in his tracks, huffing and puffing from the chase. A small group of creatures, all appearing to be made of earth and stone and filled the alleyway. They looked to be in the shape of men. Were they some sort of ally of the--

The same redclay blade was now slashing down at him. Alseroth immediately knew them to be yet another creature from this hell of a storm. He hopped back and drew Shivara with his right hand once more. His blade felt different, it felt more familiar, but different. It... it felt like Alderache! Was his brother in the blade? But Alseroth had no time to ponder this. The creature pressed forward with his blade, thrusting this time. Alseroth skipped to the left, shifted his weight from left to right, and front to back. With this, he rolled his shoulder downward, bringing Shivara's bite down into the clay blade. Not being made of steel, the blade shattered into a cloud of red dust and small shards. Keeping with the downward momentum, he swung his left leg forward and planted it in front of the creature. He shifted the momentum into his right leg, which kicked backwards. He spun on the ball of his left foot, and kicked his right heel high. The heel connected with side of the creature's head. The head exploded in an explosion of red dust.

Alseroth's leg swung back down, resting in it's back position. He switched Shivara to his left hand, and held it in a reverse grip. He held it out in front of him as he studied the remaining two enemies that made their way toward him. He considered tapping into Evantia, but with all the hell about, he knew he needed to save it. One enemy carried a massive two handed club, and the other carried a massive flat stone as a shield, with a short blade in the other. The club wielder lurched forward, swinging the club back at waist level. Alseroth crouched lightly, prepared to spring. The creature swung it around with devastating force. Alseroth leaned to the left, and collapsed the hip, allowing him to drop beneath swinging blow. From this position, he kicked his right leg toward the creature's knee. But the creature's partner had slammed his stone shield into the path, a surprising display of teamwork. Alseroth's shin hit hard into the flat of the stone shield. If his brother hadn't spent all those years kicking the damned tree to earn his "god's" honor, his leg would've broken there. He rolled away to his right, just barely avoiding the stab of the short blade.

Alseroth quickly scrambled to his feet and assumed his stance once more. The creature swung the heavy mace back over his head, preparing for a powerful downward strike. Then they pair of creatures explode, shards of stone and clay flying toward Alseroth. He flinched beneath the shards, crouching low, and instinctively backed up a few paces. He saw a massive lizard barreling toward him. He quickly turned and ran. He knew when and what he could handle, and that was not on the list. He pumped hard, keeping Shivara at the ready as he ran. The giant lizard was gaining on him, seemingly intent on making a meal out of him. How could something so large be so fast? Alseroth saw a door askew up ahead. He changed his running route from the center of the street, to the side opposite the door. When he neared the door, he sprinted fast across the space. He dove into the open doorway, just as the massive lizard thundered past.

Alseroth picked himself up, and saw that the lizard had stopped outside of the building, trying to find a way to get to its prey within. Alseroth looked around and saw a set of stairs leading upward. And going out the way he came in was clearly not an option. He immediately ran up the stairs, and up another. He kicked open a door open and found himself on a roof top. From the sounds below, the lizard was still preoccupied. Alseroth took a quick moment to get a breath.

His reprieve was short lived, as an earshattering scream pierced the air. Alseroth quickly covered his ears, dropping to one knee. What in the gods was that?!?! When Alseroth rose, he saw a massive worm like creature a few alleys over, burst forth from the road. It was a massive, horrifying monstrosity, something wholly unnatural. Alseroth saw it bending down to the ground, possibly feeding. Alseroth heard the shouts of men, who appeared to be attempting to challenge the creature. Knowing he wouldn't be alone, Alseroth would join the fight.

Alseroth tucked his Lakan in the waist of his pants, and prepared to leap across the alleys between him and the creature. He took in a breath and sprinted toward the gap, arms pumping hard. As he reached the edge, he pushed off with all his might. His crimson body soared over the alleyway, left leg extended. He landed on his left foot, his ankle twisting a bit painfully, forcing his body into a clumsy roll. He quickly gathered himself, and took off running for the final alley. As he leapt off with his slightly injured ankle, he realized that he wouldn't fully make the gap. His strong abdominal muscles absorbed the blow of the corned of the building's roof. But the wind was knocked from his lungs, leaving him scrambling for a grip. He managed to find the lip of the roof, but his body slipped down the side. He hung there limply for a moment to gain his breath, then pulled himself up and onto the roof the creature on the far side.

He looked up at the monster. It had no normal features. It was a mouth on top of a tubular body of seemingly pure muscle. Now that he was here, he had no idea how to even fight this beast. His experience was all close combat. He would have to address that if he survived this. He heard a voice below, "Look for weaknesses. Be smart, not brave. Tell me what you see."

What did Alseroth see? He tried to focus on the 'head' of the beast. A large mouth and huge rows of teeth. He flicked on his infravision, to see if that showed anything of importance, but had no high hopes. He flicked it off, and began looking around for something else to use as weapons. At one side of the roof, a thick wall had collapsed upon a robed figure, burying him in huge chunks of stone. Alseroth had an idea, but knew it to be foolish. But it was all he had. He tapped the mark on the back of his neck, igniting the gift from that damned Wysar. It wouldn't work this far from the creature, but when he was right at the edge of the building, it should. But there were no guarantees. He ran over to the pile, and grabbed a medium sized chunk of the pinkish red stone. He held it by his ear in the palm of his hand. He half ran, half shuffled until he reached the edge of the roof. His arm pushed up and out against the stone, sending it upward. His target had been the creature's gaping maw. But the stone merely bounced off the creature's thick hide. He doubted that the beast would even notice.

He returned to the pile, and grabbed another stone. Repeating the same process as before, he neared the edge of the roof. He pushed the stone off, lightly grazing his cheek in the process. The stone flew higher this time, toward the mouth of the creature. Alseroth waited there on roof's edge, waiting to see if it would hit its mark, poised to swing away from any retaliation. The rock soared into the creature's mouth, the prolific rows of teeth quickly turning it to powder. This was going to be a tough fight.

by **Malavos** on March 8th, 2012, 5:49 am

It has not been for seasons that Malavos was waken up like this. Though it was not in the violent manner like when a fight was forced on him, the screams and shouts admist the rumbling of buildings got him up looking through the windows. The humans finally got what was coming to them as he saw some being chased through the streets by animals. It was a scene to enjoy if it was not for that high pitched sound that was hurting his ears. Even stuffing those pillows at his ears did not help him to lessen it.

He was not going to let the human's mess disturb his beauty sleep. Grabbing his sword to make quick work for whatever was the source of the sound, Malavos ran outside to find a pair of funny looking humanoids. They looked so fragile like clay. His hands would be enough for the job but he did not have a chance to change his weapon because as soon as they saw him, they charged straight for him. As a fighter from the pits, Malavos was not too used to surprise attacks and the pause he had was enough for the yukmen to close in on him.

They were getting far too close and on instinct Malavos swung that sword of his across and it hit. The problem was that it only hit one and was stuck there. He gripped his other hand on the hilt and tried to push on so that the sword could go through but he never had the chance once the second yukman attacked his face. "Get off!" he bellowed sending a punch as it held on and another when he found out that it was not going to release him. When he saw the yukman with his sword in it beginning to move, he knew he had to work faster and did the unexpected.

Wobbly, wobbly, Malavos leaned forward and started falling down without taking much damage since the yukman cushioned it for him. Too bad the same cannot be said for it when he heard something in between a crunch and a squish but he was released! Malavos who was not happy about what happened to him dropped his pants as he was looming above the poor monster. Even if he was still an animal he knew that there were some things that were off limits so he was not going to take advantage of it, unless it was to finish it off.

The yukman did not even get a chance to blink when there was suddenly a giant hairy gorilla which took its attacker's place and in the next moment Malavos fist went down with the full weight of his beastial rage to pound down on his fallen opponent's face. A long shriek interrupted at intervals when gorilla mercilessly pounded on the yukman's face again and again right until the shrieking stopped. Just like Malavos wanted when he came down.

Even the other yukman that was on ground was silent as it looked right at the gorilla. A few grunts came from Malavos as he went straight at it to pull out his sword which seemed a lot easier now that he was no longer like those pale and worthless humans. What was the look that the last yukman was giving him? It did not matter since Malavos has put down so many others with that same face that it was something he was used to. As it was trying to crawl away the kelvic slowly stalked to follow as he raised his sword up setting it up in a nice line so that when he put it down he would be able to say that he took care of three enemies. Yes, animal math was pretty good.

Finished and done, Malavos was thinking of going back to his room and probably getting a new pair of pants. He did not like that restrictive thing but the stupid humans always looked at him strange everytime he went without it when he was just like them. Before he could go back however, he heard more shrieking. More of these nuisances coming. Tired and more hungry than usual for some reason after shifting he did not want to fight and got to his other instinct and that was to flee.

A few streets down and he could tell that the ground was in total chaos and he looked up at the building at his side to begin to climb. Being a kelvic has sucked so far but at least he could climb better with all his limbs. It felt so natural when his foot curled around the same holds that his hands just left until he finally reached the top after fighting back the exhaustion. Up on the roof things did not look good either especially with that gigantic worm he could see. The humans looked like they were mounting some sort of defence against it too. Looks like Malavos had a chance for a good show now on the expense of the humans. It was their turn after all those years he was forced into it.

And a really good show it seems. That red human even stupidly threw something at it to get its attention not that Malavos could blame him. The closest he ever fought to a worm was one of those snake human things, the slippery annoyances. Their movements were the most dangerous things about them at least until they begun to shift back to their humanoid form. Imagine the surprise his opponent had at that time when the kelvic beat him to it and started pounding on him? However, that technique probably would not work on something this big.

No, Malavos had enough of fighting for humans. He will just enjoy the show for now while he is perched up the roof just watching how the humans will fight their opponent and how they would get eaten like those dogs. Great...it does not discriminate man and beast like the kelvic does. It looks like the watching also has to be for weaknesses as well as fun in case he gets attacked as well. No fight he has ever been in has ever prepared him for something like this.

by **Liar** on March 10th, 2012, 3:36 am

Uphis nodded. “The mouth.” Others seemed to have the same idea.

A pair of monks with hammers on their breasts notched arrows on artfully carved bows, as those of the Heavy Coffers and the Sharp Blade readied their discs and throwing knives. All were aimed at the flailing head of the beast, and all patiently heeded the Alvina’s raised hand. The monster moved quickly, for something of such a size, and it seemed neither to notice the crowd of warriors nor the singular mercenary who screamed at them, just out of reach.

It did regard the akalak’s assault. The rock that missed was left to collide, undetected, with the shards of street at the worm’s base, but the second alerted the beast to Alseroth’s presence. It reared, aiming for the source of its powdery meal, but then it paused. It could not see or hear, and yet it somehow stared at him for a second. And then it turned at the monks, the very moment before their leader spoke.

“No, you fools!” The Alvina roared, glaring between the foreigners that had strayed from his side, ignorant to the bystander kelvic. His face was twisted in too-familiar anger, but his arm stayed up at the ready as he stepped forward, away from the group. It was a perfect shot for the rest of them: the vulnerable mouth hung so close as it descended on the demi-god. Arrows and discs and knives flew, and Uphis raised his great sword up between the teeth...

OOC :

by **Etrius** on March 10th, 2012, 9:16 pm

Etrius was frozen in fear, unable to tear his eyes away from what he was seeing. The monster seemed to have devoured the demigod who had stepped forward. One of the very symbols of the very symbols of this city's power, seemingly gone in an instant. The other monks were firing their arrows and flinging their weapons at the creature in a frantic attempt to wound it. Etrius growled in anger. There did not seem to be anything he could do to help.

A mass of hard clay struck him, shattering against the gauntlet on his shoulder. Pieces of clay his his face but he was mostly unharmed thanks to the gauntlet. He turned swinging his arm, using his entire body to add force to the blow. The yukman, surprised that its blade had been broken without harming him, was caught off-guard as the back of Etrius' fist slammed into its face. It's head cracked like a clay pot and the creature fell backwards, dazed. Etrius ran the other way, back towards the group of monks. The worm was still hanging its "head" to the ground, apparently having trouble with its latest attempted snack. Perhaps Uphis was faring better than Etrius had thought.

He paused at the edge of the group as the worm struggled, not only being pincushioned by the arrows and blades flying towards it, but also appearing to be having a problem with the sword stuck between it's teeth. Etrius still had no idea what he could do to help as he did not have any ranged weapons. He'd have to wit until it was deemed safe enough to approach the worm and slash away at it with blade rather than bow. He noticed a feeling, almost like the feeling he got when someone around him used Reimancy, only this feeling was different somehow. Surely no one in the group was using it, they had been warned not to. He shrugged, attributing the feeling to the djed filling the air. He waited and stared at the writhing beast, trying to detect whatever he could, waiting until he could actually attack.

by **Kassan** on March 11th, 2012, 6:21 pm

Kassan's heart thundered as he stared into the maw of the great beast looming before them. Uphis agreed, and Kassan pulled the throwing daggers from his belt with godspeed, readying them to throw.

Everything happened so quickly. The akalak made his own assault, and then suddenly the creature was diving for Uphis.

"No, foul beast!" Kassan shouted, blinded in rage by the attack on his Lord.

He flung the daggers forward, as they arced through the air towards the beasts great maw of a mouth. One hit, one missed, but thankfully they delayed the beast. It moved back, and the most holy Alvina had time to move free of the attack.

"Stay away, my Lord," he breathed darkly, moving closer to the creature. He swiftly recovered the missed dagger from the floor. Keeping only a little distance, he watched the beast writhe in pain, before spitting the dagger out like it was a piece of stale bread. It seemed the attack had done little but delay the great wurm.

He grabbed the spat out dagger, recoiling in disgust at the thick, globulous saliva that now coated the metal surface. The blade was bent too. He scowled, knowing he would have to get it fixed it after the aftermath of the terrible storm.

He turned to Uphis, bowing his head slightly. He could not see the great man hurt. He owed everything to the Alvina of the Sharp Blade.

Turning, he faced the beast again, sheathing his daggers and pulling his glaive free again. The time for careful strategy was over, it seemed. This monster would not comply - it had to be eradicated.

"Foul spawn of the storm's making. Feel my fury!"

by **Alderache** on March 17th, 2012, 8:38 pm

Alseroth watched as the creature turned to him. It seemed to be looking at him, despite the lack of obvious eyes. But Alseroth didn't waiver. He stared the beast down, growling at it, yelling at it. Then it turned away, back toward a man that was yelling, a man Alseroth didn't recognize, though it was clear he was an authoritative figure. It had begun an attack, but appeared to have been stalled by one of the monks down below.

Alseroth had to find a way to involve himself in this fight. Chucking rocks clearly did nothing other than piss it off. He made his way over to the rock pile, where the robed figure was buried. Maybe he could find something useful here. He began stripping the large chunks of rock and stone off of the body tossing them away. He strained under a few of them, his body straining to lift them off the crushed man. When the corpse was clear, a glint of metal was evident. Alseroth grabbed at it, removing it from the body. Normally he wouldn't loot from a body, but he assumed that the monk would want it used to kill those destroying the city. He picked up the weapon and examined it. It looked like a sword, with the tip purposefully bent at the top, like a hook of sorts. This brought about an idea, a horribly stupid idea.

Alseroth carried the dead man's sword toward the edge of the roof toward the creature. He was not accustomed to using a sword, especially such a strange one. But hopefully, it would accomplish what he hoped. He judged the distance from the roof to the worm. It was an awfully large gap. Alseroth walked backwards as far as he could, and prepared to run. He held Shivara in his right hand, the sword in his stronger, more dominant left hand. Then, ignoring the pain in his ankle, he pumped his arms hard as he ran full out toward the roof. He pushed off the roof with his good leg, and pulled both his arms back as he soared over the gap towards the worm. He arched his back, his arms tensed and ready. He blew out the breath from his lungs as he neared the point of impact. He brought his hands down hard, using as much force as he could muster. Shivara bit deep through the worm's tough hide, followed by the hooked tip of the sword. Then Alseroth's body collided with what felt like a stone wall. He was fairly sure he cracked a rib or two doing so, but he managed to force himself to keep hold of his new found purchase on the wall of worm. The worm barely noticed the blades, for they hadn't hit anything that was even remotely vital. Alseroth looked up the worm, and realized that he had a lot of climbing to do. A feat that would be difficult even if the wall wasn't constantly moving. He pulled Shivara out of the wound, raised himself, and plunged it deep into the hide once more.

by **Malavos** on March 24th, 2012, 5:22 am

From where he was sitting, high above those gathered down below to fight against the threat, Malavos could see things that he never could have though knowing what exactly they meant would be another thing entirely. The audible scream unheard and the large amount of prey gathered right before its very eyes ignored. Maybe because it had no eyes or ears that is visible. Not even a reaction to the rocks, until one actually hit it but all the same no retaliation. The stupid red human was looked through. What Malavos wanted to know was why? A weak, secluded opponent was exactly what he would go after before the stronger ones. This fact he knew was true through sheer animalistic instinct.

Following the direction that the worm was facing, Malavos saw what got his attention. The humans were getting out of control and then thought that he might have gotten the answer. Back when he saw the red human, he was standing still on his roof. A warrior ready to attack if given the chance, prepared to retreat at any sign just like he would. Could this monster only be interested in the things that moved? But it ignored the rocks which it could have easily avoided with its noticeable speed.

There was something else. Something that Malavos was missing and could not figure out. Maybe if he went to the group he could tell them, but he did not trust them either. He decided to try and test what he knew on his own first, only to satisfy his curiosity and desire to understand more about the monster. After all the more he knew about a potential enemy, the easier it would be to survive it if he was forced to face it.

Tracing a path along the rooftops towards his target, Malavos started to follow using the strength provided to him by his animal form and the anatomical advantage of his limbs to catch on the next each time he took a jump getting closer and closer until he was at a distance that he judged was safe to stop. The same as the red one from earlier.

He waved at the worm, he did a short but loud roar and then he collected some debris left behind by the storm around him. First a toss towards the front of the worm, then a toss at it keeping still after that to see if he would be ignored and ever ready to make his escape into the streets below if he failed. If he was still able to continue, the rest of the debris he collected would be tossed at the roof closest to the worm and the ground right in front of it.