(Seasonal Quest)Signs in the Mist: Ancient Cries Pt. I

[Eridanus]

Team [B]ob [E]ridanus [D]arik [Z]enai (i can't believe we're actually using this name xD) Eridanus nodded as his new comrade offered him a chance for companionship. Maybe he could find more information about this mysterious fog. This fog that coincidentally was the last thing he could consciously remember about in the nightmare he woke up earlier, the details all but forgotten but the terror of the moment still fresh in his mind. Following Zenai, he was led to a similarly abandoned building near Stumble Alley. Or in it. He couldn't really tell, not with this goddamn mist blurring up his vision. Even with his divinely-tempered vision, which should work better in Leth's blessed time, did not help him at all. He was probably as blind as the next guy. He hurried along the human, knowing that if they seperated for more than a few yards there was no guarantee that he could find him again. He did have a contingency plan for that, however. One that involved lots of yelling and big, pantomimed movements. But he hoped that he did not have to resort to that, for it would attract the kind of attention he probably wouldn't want. And he had no wish of attracting any sort of attention from the weird statue-like mob that he saw earlier on. He made a note to enquiry further regarding that issue as well. "Bob. Bob, Eridanus. Eridanus, Bob. Friends? Excellent. Let’s get out of here.” Zenai concluded. The Ethaefal couldn't agree more. What piqued his interest, though, was the comment from the particularly short fellow who was apparently called Bob. Judging from the ribbing that followed that he and Zen shared it was evident that they shared quite a long history. Still, Bob mentioned his defencelessness, and Eridanus couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. For as long as he could remember, he had observed that humans somehow tended to equate exterior beauty or attractiveness with combat unsuitability. The eagerness of grizzled warriors fighting over to decide who gets to escort a pretty female adventurer was amusing to watch, especially more so when she demonstrated her superior brawling skills when she got tired of the rowdiness and decided to end the argument early. By force. Still, it had always been to his advantage. Granted, it usually made him a preferred target by criminals, but the stereotype played to his benefit for they were usually ill-prepared, underestimating him and already thinking of their next target. He usually helped them to debunk the stereotype pretty violently. The midget glanced at his blades, and immediately made a remark on how great Zenai was for bringing reinforcements. Eridanus tried to suppress his laughter, showing some modicum of courtesy especially amongst new acquaintances. It was a nice save, though, and internally he gave Bob credit for it. He was introduced to Bob's companion, a small boy by the name of Darik. He was pretty unremarkable, except for his scruffy figure and rough-looking expression. Then again, any kid who wasn't scruffy and rough-looking probably didn't exist in Sunberth anyway. The city of anarchy tended to do that to people. Bob mentioned something about a date, and pointed over to a group of figures at the mist nearby. As his eyes adjusted to making out the shapes, Eridanus realized with a jolt of recognition that these were the same frozen mob that he spotted at the building earlier where he encountered Zenai. He was curious, and pointed ask the midget, "What happened?" For some reason, Bob had the kind of look that told the Ethaefal that whatever happened nearby that needs questions probably was somehow related to the diminutive man. It was that kind of aura. He gave the midget a cursory glance over again, and found his eyes being drawn to a kind of stick he was holding. He eyes lingered on it, and tried to make out what little he could in the limited visibility caused by the fog and he realized that it was actually a cane sword, from its frame. Or a cane that has a space inside that holds something. There wasn't much effort to conceal that fact anyway, and usually only top-grade equipment would be able to stand a better chance to scrutiny. What drew his attention, though, was the circles edged into the cane, too crude to be an intended decoration but too intricate to be a random scratch. oocYes, he's staring blatantly at your cane sword, Bob

[Darik]

oocI wanted team awesome. :/ But ohh well.

Team [B]ob, [E]ridanus, [D]arik, [Z]enai Bob egged Darik on. He was daring Darik to mug the frozen figures. He didn’t outright say it, but it was a form of manipulation that worked well on people. Darik was a person so he was manipulated. Darik started to take small steps forward towards the frozen figures. It was mind boggling scary, they looked like they could reaper in motion any second. When Darik got close enough he started to reach his hand towards one of the men’s weapon. As his hand was an inch away from the hilt…the ground resonated from impact. Darik reacted violently, scampering back as fast as possible. At first he thought the people had regained their motion, but a new obstacle had stirred the previously vacant area. Darik slid back into the house using the shadows as cover. When the new foe would enter the building, it would attack Bob giving Darik enough time to escape. Yet, the people who walked into the building seemed completely at ease with Bob. One of them must be a complete stranger to the short man, because his name was introduced. Eridanus was his name. It was… most peculiar. Darik had never heard a name like that before, but then again he hadn’t explored all the reaches of Sylrias. For all he knew, that name was common in some other city occupied by humans. As Bob introduced him Darik stepped out of the shadows. He considered Bob’s approach, calling him weak. He could protest it, but that would prove his point. No, he would go along with Bob’s reasoning. ”Yep, I am the fool. I have no disregard for fights and am completely useless. Bob protects me because I am totally. I can’t even lift a stick.” Darik had a small smirk plastered on his face finding himself hilarious. To further enhance the psychopathic image, he withdrew his knife and started to fiddle with it. If they didn’t think he was insane, they must be missing more than a few brain cells. Bob’s comment about Darik was just stupid. Seriously, a two year old could have made a wittier one. And Darik had to reply. But when you start with the expectations so low, it’s hard to rise above them. ”Well you know Bob, they say things go in and then just come out. ” Did Darik just insult himself again? Yes, he did. He was trying to convince the two newcomers he was harmless. I wonder how that would work when he had already tried to act like a psychopath. Useless chitchat followed that last exchange. Nothing useful would come out of old friends chatting. Darik walked out of the building to do something that would be useful. First, he found a chair missing half of its back and one of its legs. It obviously wasn’t crafted well, because it was easy to Darik to dislocate the legs. Then he took each leg and smashed it into the nearest solid object. He messed up two of the three legs, the whole wood smashing into little bits, but the last one only dislocated into only two. With each stake in hand he walked towards the group of hostiles. He angled each stake so when they regained their motion they would run straight into them. Then their man parts would be in excruciating pain. With this mild distraction made, Darik walked back into the building to listen to the rest of the conversation. Who knows, he could learn a valuable tidbit.

oocYa I know, not a good post but I didn’t want to hold you guys up. :/

[Bob Barton]

OOCWe can still change the name if you want, I only used it because it had all our names in it.

Team [B]ob, [E]ridanus, [D]arik, [Z]enai

Bob never liked sarcasm unless he was the one using it because he knew when it was used on him it was to ridicule him. When you ridicule Bob, he ridicules you, or in this case Zenai. "Petch you! You literally have no life so I bet that me knocking on your door" which Bob knew he didn't "and whatever wedding I'd have will be the highlight of your boring and miserable life" as everyone knew that the disciplined ones are. At least Bob can get a date as he would like to think. Zenai would just fret over missing lights out by a little bit which would be why dates are so much trouble for him if he could ever get one.

But getting a date for Zenai would have to wait until they got through this. The nerve of Zenai suggesting that Bob had something to do with this. "Me?" he asked as innocently as he could, even pointing at himself in a feigned surprised expression before turning to Eridanus asking if "can you believe Zen? He thinks I can do something like this and don't you go accusing me of it too." They barely even knew each other and already he was picking up the bad things about Bob. Everyone knew who to blame for this and that person was Zenai. Not the mob, but the finger pointing.

"Its not me and I don't even know as much as you. She was the one that was supposed to fill me in when she was done talking with the other guy" who was Doler that Bob did not know yet. So now they had a choice that they could "either wait for her or go hide out at home where its a lot safer, but...I thought your heritage would make you more courageous than that Zen? How about you Eridanus. Is that sword for show or for protection because if its the latter, I would think knowing what is going on will help a lot." Nothing for Darik I'm afraid. The boy was probably off doing something stupid and foolish like messing with the mob but Bob didn't really care much for him to be concerned.

As much as Bob was afraid, he wanted to know what the heck was going on like why he was being chased by a mob of angry people when he hasn't even lighted the entire city on fire yet. Better still if he had some people around to help protect him which was why he was going through such pains of trying to convince Zenai and Eridanus here. Darik could go out like he said he wanted to for all he cared. As always when Bob was talking to a person, he would be looking at their face to try and gauge their intent unless of course he himself was lying. Throughout he could see that Eridanus had his eye on his cane when it should be on his mouth. Strange...

Could it be that Eridanus already wanted to mug Bob while all this was going on? That was his first thought since this was the normal practice in Sunberth. The one which came after that was that Eridanus was actually interested in his cane which was something he might be able to use to convince the Ethaefal to stay. Pride swelled in him as he asked if Eridanus "like the cane? I made it myself you know" at least the parts with the rat skull which depicted how awesomely he killed it and the rest of its friends. "Maybe...", just maybe "I can help you get one if I live through this" but whether making or teaching was up to Eridanus. Of course the operating word was I which meant that Bob wanted the Ethaefal to be around to keep him safe.

[Zandelia]

Team Survivors: Tikon, Shai, Zandelia and Lyth



It was with no small measure of grudgingly felt relief that she heard Shai’s voice trickle towards her through the mist, the words partially dampened but still unmistakably those of the tricksome rogue. It was comforting that both herself and Tikon had not only meandered their way through the streets of Sunberth and come out from their trap-like nature, but that they had also managed to succeed in finding the small woman. Zandelia had few friends, few whom were alive at any rate, and whilst Shai might not perfectly qualify as such at that moment she was her battle-bonded sister as far as she was concerned. She let herself relax a little, though that still made her as tense as a coiled spring under the circumstances. She waited with Tikon, eyeing the growing walls of grey around them as not one, but two, figures emerged from the gloom.

Well, at least there’s another hand around to bloody well deal with whatever the petch this is she thought to herself as she listened to the others whispering to each other, not thinking any less of them for hushing their tones when mired in the unnatural environment.

“As far as I’m bloody concerned Shai they could be a mass murderer, which in this town is more of a vocation than a crime. As long as they don’t try and knife me I’m willing to go on a little faith this evening” she hissed back, looking between the three others who were gathered around her.

It was then that all hell broke loose and the small grip on reality that she had been holding onto, by her fingernails at that, was torn from he grasp violently. A blackness descended upon them, its epicentre focused upon the rooftops where a mass of pure darkness seemed to swirl and wrap in upon itself. The very air became pressured, and works shrieked in a manner of a foreign tongue trying vainly to communicate in common ripped into her senses. It smashed her to her knees, gripping her ears in the vain hope of stopping them from exploding out of her skull. The only thing she could comprehend in the cacophony were the last words, slamming into her brain with a force to reckon with the gods themselves.

“Be afraid!” it spoke as she fell forwards onto her face and the mass seemed to explode into as many directions as her frayed consciousness could comprehend.

Then silence reigned and she was left to piece herself together, slowly pushing herself upon and back onto her knees and, eventually, heaving herself to her feet with a sluggishness that she had not felt since she had overgiven using her meagre auristics with that fool Darik in the tavern. She felt shaky, as if she had been washed clean of anything resembling intelligence and was becoming increasingly filled again as it ebbed back like the tide. Her hands had unconsciously pulled out her tonfa and he was holding them with a grip that rivalled a vice itself.

“I bloody knew I should’ve stayed in tonight! At elast I only usually have to deal with petching thugs! What in the name of Akajia was that damned thing?” she growled out loud as the others all came back to their senses aswell.

No one answered, and she did not blame them if they were too scared to even try and guess at what it was they had observed – she wished she could forget it forever, but knew it would be emblazoned within her memory until the day of her death not.

I just hope it doesn’t come all too fucking soon she swore to herself as she tried to keep up with what the others were talking about, dragging her attention back to the task at hand just in time to hear talk of carrying her up a wall.

“Don’t you worry about me Shai, I can get up there by myself. Tikon though, we’ll need to find another way. All I know is we should get the petch out of the open and back into the damned alleyways! At least there we can hide a bit,” she spoke up, trying to regain her composure and lend a bit of confidence to them all with her words, “at least we might find some crates tog et onto the rooftops, if even they are safe tonight” she finished, looking to each of them for their ideas on that matter.

Now was not a time to be choosy, nor fight for leadership. No, it was a time for quick action. She had a strong suspicion that if they did not think quickly then they would die quickly instead.

[Tikon]

Team Survivors: Tikon, Shai, Zandelia and Lyth

This entire night was making him very nervous, and the truth was there were plenty of reasons to be nervous. Knowing that at any moment something could come from the fog and just kill you was beginning to really make him uneasy. Even if he was among friendly company…well friendlier than the fog was. He was sure that the shared drive of survival was among them tonight. That if anything they all needed and wanted to survive this night and would help each other do so. It seemed that each of them was a pin in this wonderful contraption. And he knew that if they all used their skills they could survive the night easily…even though it was something he had never seen before.

He was glad in a way to see that what had happened hadn’t just unnerved him. It meant that they were feeling the same way he was. And he knew just like they did that they would have to get to some sort of safety if they were going to get out of here alive. He had half the mind to kick in a door and just stay there. But he knew there were better ways to do such things…much better ways. He was pretty sure Shai could do these acts for them. Picking locks and gaining them entry to areas that they would have no entry to otherwise…and if they were in a hurry he could always kick the door in or shoulder it hard. That would be sure to gain them entry.

He knew now was a time for action so just like that he started stacking crates to gain himself entry to the roofs. He knew that hiding wouldn’t work against the fog. But getting a little above it would work. OR at the very least getting higher where he believed the fog wouldn’t be so thick. And well it would also get him off of the street where all those other people were. He knew that delayed action was little better than taking no action at all. There were all kinds of crates and boxes here in the alley and he was surely strong enough to move them into position making a sort of stairs to the rooftops. He wasn’t sure how he would traverse them once he was there but he did know that that was where he wanted to be right now. The roof was sounding like a very good idea to him. He wouldn’t waste time talking about what he wanted to do he was simply going to do it. He didn’t need to ask anyone.

If he wasn’t stopped he would have a stairway to the roof in a matter of a minute or so. He was moving with haste and it was apparent he didn’t want to be in the fog any longer. He wanted to be able to observe what was going on in this rat maze instead of being a rat in the maze.

[Lyth]

OOCTeam T, S, Z +L

Lyth was glad to see that it wasn't just him who had seen the shadows and heard the voices. He had been worried that something in the mist had drove him mad, but his companions saw it too, which proved that thought false. Unless they had all gone mad; in which case, he hoped the paranoia wore off so he could enjoy his madness. Slowly, Lyth pushed himself away from the wall, sticking close to the one who seemed most calm at that moment; the large Isur- Tikon? He seemed the most able minded, giving Lyth a small sense of security, though he hardly knew the other.

Slowly, the group recovered from the scene they had just been witness to, wary and wild eyes finding each other again. The woman he had met first spoke about moving up on to the roofs, drawing the half-blood's eyes up. The mist was equally as thick up on the roofs, unless it had moved on in the time he had been on the ground. Still, even if he wasn't able to see his footing, he wanted to get out of the streets. It was unfamiliar, and things always seemed to go wrong when he was down here. Yes, the roofs seemed like a perfectly good plan to him.

He just had to be careful not to slip off an edge, and things would be good.

Lyth watched as Tikon went about stacking heavy crates that would make for an impromptu staircase up on to the roof. Knowing full well that the man was working as quickly as he was able, Lyth wished that the man would hurry. The longer he spent down on the ground, the edgier and high-strung he became. The half-blood paced slightly, unable to sit still as he waited for the man to be finished.

[Cade]

Darian/Rayage/Eryss/Cade

The half blood myrian savage staggered down the mist filled alley, intoxicated with the excessive consumption of honey wine and a few snorts of his new found 'friends' pulp. Cade's staggering was more emphasised with the two dead naked whores draped over each shoulder that He and Eyrss had played with all night tell they expired. Now with respect to their small slice of the slums the two goons were cleaning up their mess and were going to deposit their spoiled prizes into the slag heap. The barbarian took the lead ahead of his mystic friend through the unnatural mist that was beginning to trip out the drunk and high half blood myrian.

The sound of heaving and the expulsion of stomach contents alerted Cade to the two figures ahead of them in the alley. He could not make them out but one voice was familiar, familiar enough for the barbarian to divert his staggering course towards them. "Eryss?.......Eyrss!" He mumbled in a drunken slur trying to catch his partner in crime's attention. "I think I hear Darian". Sure enough as he closed the distance on the two figures in the fog, his ears were not wrong for it was Darian along with a stranger.

" DARIAN!!!!!" Cade roared out in a drunken stupor in hopes of catching the acquaintance of the past's notice. " DARIAN...........THE RAVAGER OF GOATS" the babarian jested with a deep rumble of laughter that echoed throughout the fog filled alley as he staggered into the wall with his left shoulder. He dropped one of the naked whores that made a loud thump on ground in a lifeless fashion. "FREK!" He cursed as he bent down slowly grasping her by the hair then dragging her the rest of the distance towards Darian and his friend.

[Rayage]

Darian/Rayage/Eryss/Cade

Ray kept brooding on the nature of the fog and exactly what it could be. Looking at the man before him it seemed he was out when this all occurred so he couldn’t help him at all with the questions buzzing through his head. ”Why does it feel so unnatural?” The nuit asked himself putting a couple fingers to his bottom lip trying to think of what it was. Grinning, this was going to be a fun little game, figuring out the nature and cause of this fog. Luckily for the man the nuit was here to help unravel any questions.

Laughing to himself still at the thoughts that were crossing his mind he paused for a moment when he heard a name being called. Turning around to meet the man who was shouting the name, he frowned. There was nothing like a loud-mouthed annoying worm to ruin your train of thought. Yes, it was good he didn’t know other more offensive forms of magic of they would have more than likely been used. Darian, that must be his name Ray thought looking over at the pissed on man. Darian… He took a minute to brood over the name before glancing back at the man who was obviously drunk. He wondered how the two knew each other, oh connects are so much fun to make. Perhaps if he listened well enough he could figure out the nature of their relationship, but from what he has observed so far they seem to be on good terms. Now to decide if Darians ‘friends’ were worth consulting with an Alchemist such as himself has to keep up appearances after all. If not, then politics in Sahova would eat him alive.

Noting the dead girl in the others hand he looked at Darians friend. He was strong; Ray smiled, and had quite the nice body. If the person were to die it would be a shame to let the body go to waste. He suppressed his joy though at the finding of such a body because he was still alive. Though if there came a time to where Ray could make a successful move to kill and take the body for himself he would. He was always a man of opportunity where opportunity is seen from the nuits eyes. All that mattered to him was having a body and his Alchemy, nothing else, not money, not power though it would be nice, not other people’s lives, he would end them if it suited him.

Crossing his arms he looked over to Darian, as he knew the man because he certainly wasn’t Darian, and watched, waiting for some kind of reaction. Depending on how Darian handled the situation Ray would do the same. He wondered if the drunken man minded the smell of ‘Darian’.

OOCDang, Dar. There goes my Idea for Team DR Doctor Feel free to come up with a cool{er} team name for the four of us. I will be thinking on it as well.

[Eryss Waldu]

[All this unnatural fog seemed to distract Eryss who was moving slowly behind Cade while the Barbarian carried the two naked whores that had been pleasurable until they expired. Whether their bodies just gave out on them or they were killed who could have said, Eryss didn’t mind either way seeing how his appetites revolved less around using them than they did burning them. Maybe that was one such reason why one of the bodies Cade carried smelt a little more cooked than the other though accordingly the Barbarians appetites may have dictated something different too. It didn’t matter either way, there were two whores and both of them were dead.] [Eryss was likely a little more clear headed than Cade, he didn’t drink as far as anyone knew after all, so he caught the same sounds as the Barbarian and crept closer to Cade from behind as the man started to bellow for the Mage. Laying a hand on his shoulder Eryss would have been heard saying...”Right here Cade. Right here. What did you find?”...and then moving around to stand beside him as the larger man moved off towards the sounds that he had heard. Darian was a name Eryss was not unfamiliar with, he vaguely recalled working with the man once, though if they conversed at all it was brief at best and very to the point. However Cade seemed to enjoy this man or so his demeanour would hint as Eryss continued to move beside him.] [Quiet except for the occasional comment Eryss would attempt looking through some of the unnatural fog that had taken his attention and almost seemed as though he were contemplating its origins though he said little concerning the matter. He was careful though and never let Cade stray more than a few feet away from him. When the Barbarian dropped one of the bodies it seemed to help Eryss make time as he backpedalled until almost running into Cade before turning and circling to stand beside the man once again.] [Now that they were closer Eryss could make out Darian and his companion beneath the hood of the cloak he wore, it concealed his own features quite well as usual, though leaning closer to Cade he would have said...”Nothing good will come of fog like this. Nothing good for anyone else anyways. We should hasten to the slag heap and dump these women.”...it seemed as though he was urging Cade out of a sense of paranoia that wasn’t shown often. Eryss was a killer and more than a little mad but he wasn’t touched right by all this fog, it just didn’t sit right with him. His eyes turned toward Darian and the other, Rayage, though he said nothing to them yet; a tip of the head towards Darian was all that Eryss offered at the time.] [Looking more closely at the other two Eryss suddenly had half a mind to wonder their business here as well. He and Cade had been passing along hoping to dispose of these two bodies but what were the others doing? It didn’t really matter though Eryss had told himself. As long as everyone was amiable towards one another than Eryss had no reason to summon his magic or threaten either of these men, he was after all generally a pleasant individual when his considerably murderous appetites were sated or he was distracted by something of interest such as this fog, they could all coexist together.] [Adjusting himself Eryss would fold his arms over his midsection and slide his hands into the sleeves of his robes before saying pleasantly...”We were just out for a stroll. Our two friends don’t talk much but I assure you they’re good company.”...something about that comment was strangely comical to Eryss after he said it and he couldn’t help but let a strange laugh slip from between his lips.]

[Darian]

Team Deathdealers: Darian/Rayage/Eryss/Cade

Homunculus 1-A? The name itself was foreign to his ears, but the mention of alchemy was not, and nor was the way the man spoke. His next words were soaked in venom, and sharp as his voice went up an octave spewing them forth. "For what mask do you wear! Do you take me for a fool, I recognize those twisting words of yours with your sentences that say stuff but make no sense at all" Darian punctuated the mad shouting by taking a half hearted swipe at the man, not really intending to spilt the man wide with his dagger, but more as a way to get the man to back off. He still held much anger over that day, so long ago when he was yet a boy and he was sure not going to this man get away with running his mouth again. His mind raced, and his heart hammered in his chest as the fog thickened about him like poisonous billowing steam, threading to choke away all the anger that had so lit his blood.

Bringing a hand to touch his temple, he focused for a moment to calm down. There was a shouting behind him, the echo of a name that echoed almost amplified with the aid of the cobble stone walls. His real name rang all too true in his ears, and grimacing fiercely he looked over his shoulder, sparing to expose his back to the middle aged man for the moment it would take him to find the source of the voice. Darian's eyes settled when looking upon on the massive barbarian and his companion, and with no torn cloth to cover his mouth anymore, he spat on the ground with no small bit of distaste. Bandying about his true name for all to hear did not sit well with him, especially in his present company. Even so he raised his hand to hail the pair even as he turned his head to the side to examine the man who had found him in such a sorry state. "I'm not the boy I was when we first met, you'd do well to remember that well or find yourself laying amongst those dead whores that man brought along" He whispered slowly and deliberately to make sure the man knew that under no circumstance were they finished here.

Adjusting himself, his forearm was resting comfortably against the hilt of his longsword when Cade managed to drag himself over to them a few moments later, Eyrss not far behind. Looking to Cade, he arched his eyebrow at the sight of his 'trophies', and slowly shifted his eyes to examine Eyrss in turn. "Been a while since we last met, I'm surprised you still remember the name. I see your enjoying the cities delights none the less" He said gesturing to the dead whores accompanying the pair, before letting his hand drop to his sides, his right hand still clutching the dagger, but in a more relaxed grip now.