Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

31 January (part one)

Spoiler

ShardDM: WHEN LAST WE MET: The party had arrived at the swampborne town of Bitterwater, armed with the knowledge that their new 'ally', Alita, was supposed to meet a figure named Icarus here. Instead, most the party found a mysterious cloaked figure inquiring about a researcher into the Rift Wars, said researcher getting accosted by three cultists, and a quick but bloody fight resulting in the cloaked figure revealing her as a woman named Kiva, armed with a Blackshard herself. As it stands now, Zizth, Kaylia, Alkaia and Gar'Luc are with Jewel, Mona, Alita, and Kalia in the basement of the researcher's house, with Ameus Kileria's secret stash of forbidden literature surrounding them and herself, Kiva, and the unnamed female cultist still restrained and near Zizth. Laani meanwhile was put to sleep in the tavern by Halfdan due to reasons of drunk as a tankard.

Zizth is basically crouched over the woman and staring at Ashur fascinatedly, which sort of quivering from general low blood sugar dispersal.

Gar'Luc is standing near the stairs out of the basement and trying to stay out of the way of the smart people

Alkaia was still hugging Kalla, reassuring and protecting the frightened woman with her wings. Her eyes look curiously at the pair of women who had revealed themselves.

Kaylia folds her arms. "As I said earlier, I think today's little misadventure demonstrates that this particular site is no longer secure. Our enemies know of its whereabouts, clearly, and also of Ameus' involvement. They also got away with knowledge of Kiva, Ashur, and our own little band. I believe it's high time that alternate arrangements were made for security, though I'm not entirely sure of what exactly CAN be done."

Gar'Luc: "I can beat them up if they show their faces. That works, right?"

Kaylia: "Only if you plan to live here. I'm not worried about the enemy finding US so much as the library. Obviously I don't want them to find us either, but that's... well, beside the point."

Alkaia: "Yeah, such knowledge would not be good in there hands. Though I am not sure we can take it all with us either."

ShardDM: Ameus frowned a little, the defiled woman's face having it's many wrinkes enhanced as she scratched behind a horn. "Part of the reason I've been kept here instead of the crown's holdings was to remove the threat of temptation to the higher-ups. With that said, I need to contact them, inform them of the situation..." Kiva glanced up from watching back at Zizth. "From my experience, denying the gits what they want just makes them strike back less covertly, keeping the stash here will just make them try even harder and risk other's lives. The redhead makes a valid point." As if sensing the intense staring, the front of Kiva's armor, just around her cleavage, bulges out slightly, a round protrusion in the chitin forming and opening to reveal a violet eye staring at Zizth's own.

Kaylia frowns as well, her brow furrowed. "Ameus, how difficult would it be to break into the library, if you were to leave it locked behind you with all of its defenses active?"

Zizth blinks a little in surprise at the new eye and looks at it instead, head tilted a bit as she crouches beneath her cloak, feeling exhausted and sick and not really up to commenting right now.

ShardDM: Kalia leaned back into Alkaia slightly, slowly beginning to calm down a little with the dragonkin's touch now. Jewel quietly looked through the shelves as Mona peered at the tied up cultist woman, clearly intent on keeping an eye on the woman. The Blackshard's eye seems to stare curiously around the room before focusing on Zizth again, not much emotion readable on the singular eye. Ameus sighed. "In theory, the many wards set by the crown have probably expired due to the caster's deaths. All that are left are my own, and even then my own spellwork is as flimsy as my age. After that, it's more the question on if they want the books for themselves or just wish to destroy them to keep anyone trying to find the secrets in the pages from other eyes."

Zizth watches back tiredly, observing how alike they were in form in many ways. Such a strange entity.

Alkaia: She frowned as she lightly stroked Kalla's back. "Perhaps we should take the most important items and destroy the rest, in case they wish the knowledge for themselves." Looking to Kiva curiously. "And I thought all blackshards were evil?"

Gar'Luc: "So why can't we just pack all these up and move them somewhere else?"

Kaylia: "This is a bookstore on top, correct? Where do you keep extra copies of books? Is there a back storage area?"

ShardDM: "We could try to move them, but keep in mind that this library is a kingdom secret, even emptying my shop would take a while, but several hundred tomes like this? It's not something I'd trust to magic to unpack, some of these books are even older than the Rift Wars!" the old woman counters. "The storage area is a little ways out of town, it's a bit heavier warded and supported but even then, upon my death a good dose of fire will make it naught but a memory." Kiva's attention is now drawn by the dragonkin as she turned to face her. "In theory, I suppose so. Then again, at least when it comes to Ashur that's like asking if all humans are evil. She's a little... different."

Zizth looks over. "Zhe doez not zlave. Zo zhe iz zine to me. I care about zlaverz, not what zpeziez they are."

Gar'Luc snorts. "Then it seems either way these books are doomed."

Kaylia: "What I propose is this--we take a crate of the most important books and scrolls with us. We take mundane books out of the storage area and switch bindings with the other books here, hiding the remaining Blackshard documents under fake bookcovers in the warehouse, in plain sight. Then we make it appear as though we burned down this library ourselves. Even if they do break into the warehouse and find or destroy the books, we still have the crate with us."

Zizth: "Why not juzt put them in a magic hole? Or magic them zomewhere elze?"

Gar'Luc: "Two crates would be better. I can carry both of them." Gar'Luc flexes after he finishes speaking

Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Such things would require a fair bit of power. And I am not well versed in transportive magics."

Kaylia: "Fair enough. Point is, we bring the vital documents with us, and hide the rest in plain sight. Switching bookbindings doesn't require magic, just a sharp knife and some glue. And I can manufacture glue."

ShardDM: "Rift magic has been outlawed since the Rift Wars, considering the dangers of dimensional connection. Hell, look at the wildlife around us, glowing flora isn't nessisarily normal for your dimension," Ameus deadpanned. "As the only dimensions anyone has ever connected with was either destroyed, or the home to megacreatures that some worship as gods, I don't think those options would work out that well either. I can contact the crown via scrying, but even then, trying to divide the important documents may be the best for the end goal. I take it you are headed to Spine of the Abyss on the Crown's buisness anyway?"

Kaylia: "Well, you're right about the Crown's business part. We can't discuss our destination, but what if we were heading that way?"

Zizth: "I don't know magic. They try to make new zhardz. Zo we take all thingz that let kill zhardz or make zhardz, yez?"

Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Sounds about right. Though I am curious if you have anything on fleshcrafting."

ShardDM: "I'm mostly asking because some of those tomes may be worth it for you to take if you're trying to keep them out of the cult anyway. Information is power, after all," Ameus remarks. "Primarily I could lend you books for identification of the terrors of the Nether and some of the theory, however I am worried that it is not things relating to the Blackshard they are after." Kiva frowned a little at Alkaia. "Why the heck would you want to get into that?" The eyeball rolls itself as the shard gives a little flex along it, mimmicking a rub along Kiva's body and electing a shiver down her. "Sides, if I'm hearing right they're trying the Blackshard racket already, with fatal results." Kalia frowned at that, an eyebrow twitching.

Kaylia: "Oh, and one more detail. Before we leave, Laani and I rig the library, the hidden chamber, and the warehouse with enough explosives to ensure that neither book nor mortal survive the blast, but with a small enough radius to not kill the townies. We use a little of Kalia's Golemancy to set up the detonators with command words from Ameus. One word for each location, one word to blow up all three. Total of four command words." Kaylia looks at Kalia. "Can your magic do that? Four command word triggers?"

Zizth: "Maybe they want to get information zo they can iron out weaknezez? Or maybe they wizh zummon big thingz. Or turn a mountain into a creature. Who knowz."

Gar'Luc: "The fleshcrafting is to help my own kind."

Alkaia: "Well, we came across one cultist who could use it, and others likely could. I am also interested in learning such an art."

Zizth: "Zhe explainz bezt.," says Zizth, prodding the faun forward.

Gar'Luc steps forward, his arms crossed and his eyes staring down his snout at the woman.

Alkaia: "As well as helping mosterkin." Nodding.

Kaylia casts a sideways glance at Alkaia. "Yeahhhh I still think it's a bad idea."

Zizth: "Magic iz bad idea. Zo it iz alzo a bad diea yez."

Alkaia: "It wont be like her, just wish to know a little to help nudge the other magics." Gesturing to the faun.

Zizth: "You zay not like her but you don;t know iz not like her. Zhe wantz zave her zpeziez. Thiz makez zenze. But I don;t zee why you need to do her magicz when you have her to do them. Juzt work toghether."

Alkaia: "We already agreed to work with her, I just don't trust her."

ShardDM: Alita flushes as the bug woman pokes at her hooves. "Apparently the dragonkin wants me to do the unlocking ritual as part of my, ahem, indepted servitude for not getting a bullet in my head for past transgressions-" Ameus held a hand up, stepping up and examing the face tattoo of the faun. "...Well, that explains some of the rumors," the older Defiled mutters, stepping back. "Yeah, I think for the best I need to contact the crown. Excuse me..." she mutters, scooting back upstairs. Alita blinked a bit. "Was it something I said?" Kiva frowned again, moving to her feet as she faces the other, the shoulder on the armored plating shifting again- twisting and bulking up before twisting off, stretching on a pink, sinewy neck. "I agree it's a bad idea to mess with that magic too, even if it's for a good cause. Maybe I'm just jaded though, but either way, I need to think how I'm gonna keep the inetivable counterattack from happening and causing more loss of life. You and your goblin friend good a good job of causing enough trouble here..." she mutters.

Zizth: "Why not attack them bezore they reach the town? Ztrike them firzt bezore they are ready?," asks Zizth, and looks at Alita. "Dunno. Truzt, we already truzt her not to run away. We truzt her to have armz zree here. We truzt her to not alert her alliez and zhe haz not. Iz good zign. Bezidez you are doing whzt zhe wantz. Zo obviouzly there iz no gain zor her betrayal. We do what other cultiztz laugh at her zor."

Laani giggles dreamily, imagining a fetching redhead doing a striptease on a very big rifle.

Alkaia: "Still, I don't trust her fully yet. She may just be cooperating until a time she can get away from us safely." Looking to Kiva curiously. "Though magic is only evil when it is used for such. It may help save the monsterkin and beast kin races from extinction or being wiped out because of their need for men and women."

ShardDM: Kalia frowns, giving a shrug. "Not really on such a thing. I'm not sure I could create such a effect on something not originally designed for machina, especially something that would require constant callback like such a ward would need. The shoulder pad turned head shaped itself a bit more, more cracks in the chitin forming four small, slitted, alien eyes and twisting a mouth along the bottom. The creature gave a bit of a reverberating cough before it found it's voice, a silky smooth reverberation. "I don't know about Kiva, but I can't help but think that it's a bit of a cooincidence that the cult knew of such things. Even back in my era, it would be unheard of to wear such garb as our prisoner in public. It's like they weren't even hiding it." "Or they were just stupid," Jewel commented with a smirk. Kiva shrugged. "Well don't say I didn't warn ya against it I suppose. Least ya know the dangers, unlike what I think half of these gits focus on."

Zizth stands up tiredly and looks to Alkaia. "Zhe gainz nothing from betrayal, and haz everything to gain from cooperazion. Zhe runz, zhe runz zrom a pozible zoluzion and iz zhe wantz it zo badly to go thiz zar, why would zhe abandon any chanze? And moreover, run to where? The otherz make zun oz her goalz and may kill her zor aiding uz. Az zor magic az a tool, that iz only true when the zourze iz not capable of altering you. Zor all you know thiz ritual changez you." She clacks her jaws before looking to the strange talking armor. "Maybe they are conzident. Maybe they have ztrong backerz? A thrull queen joinz them. I hunt her az zhe zlavez her own kind."

Kaylia: "Well, what if the activation word simply activated a simple machina, which would then trigger the detonation? You could have four alternate words, one for each of three machina, and one to activate all three."

Alkaia: "It may change me, but so can a few months. We all change one way or another."

Gar'Luc opts to move over behind Jewel seeing as how the smart people are talking, his right hand slowly sneaking around her back to grasp at her hip.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

31 January (part two)

Spoiler

Zizth: "And iz it changez you into a zlaver, I will kill you..," says Zizth before looking down at her prisoner, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her up to her feet. "I zay we ztrike zirzt. Then there iz no rizk to people here az we are attacking them, and no ezploing houzez. It alzo buyz time for them to move bookz. And we can zind them through thiz one."

Kaylia: "Striking first may take care of a few of them stationed here, but I doubt their headquarters is anywhere nearby. It may even be dimensions away. I still say we rig these buildings to burn on command, but I agree that taking out the local nether cultists is probably a smart move. Especially since it may limit what gets communicated back to whomever's in charge."

ShardDM: "Oh by the Goddesses..." Kiva mutters, her face meeting her hand. "Nether Thrulls, those were just barely a thing before I got done with the last shards... They actually made those now?" The spare head of Ashur glances between the arguments over fleshcrafting and slides down to glare at the cultist, who seems rightfully scared as a head the size of her own full of razor-sharp teeth now focusing her in the eye. Kalia shrugged a little bit. "Potentially, but again, that would require an unknown amount of time with a elder's spirit. All that would risk is the stones required to dry up shortly. Gar'Luc's hand makes Jewel leap slightly and give a squeak, but otherwise she just shrugs a little bit.

Alkaia: "Plus knowing some of it may help in case it is used on one of use and needs to be reversed."

Kaylia: "Alright, then we rig the demolition the old fashioned way--Ameus will have to flip switches in a particular order. We'll make it easy enough to remember, but difficult enough that no one will find it easily or by accident."

Zizth hisses in her prisoners ear. "You zeem zcared of her. I can zee why. Tell me what I wizh to know and I will keep you zrom her. Otherwize, well, we will zplit you between uz." She gave a hiss, leaning the cultist towards Ashur, before looking to Kiva. "They zaid I am a thrull. Iz that dizzrent zrom... NEther Thrull?"

Gar'Luc pulls Jewel close to him gently, his hand slowly making its way forward and a little lower, his head lowered to whisper in her ear. "Are you as bored as I am?"

Kaylia: "For now, though..." Kaylia yawns. "We've been marching all day and just had combat with some cultists. I saw we bind and set a watch on our prisoner here, and get a little rest for the evening."

Zizth: "Do you think they will give uz that chanze?," asks Zizth, "They may think zame az uz, ztrike bezore we rezt and recover."

ShardDM: "Thrull is the base genus, pretty sure there's hives of them everywhere. Nether Thrull was some sort of experiment that some idiot decided to stuff Blackshard genes into a Thrull Queen so the rapid mutation factor of a Blackshard combines with the Thrull hive minds. For being a Thrull I'm surprised you're asking such a question," Kiva commented, tilting her head. "I think we need to see if Ameus can find a new plan before we jump to becoming demolitionists..." Kalia comments, crossing her arms. The cultist woman whimpers, scooting back. "C-can't... T-they'll kill me... l-like the other traitor!" she yelps, a leg kicking towards Alita. Ashur mutters to itself, giving a bit of a growl. Jewel flushes as Gar's hand wanders along her. "Maybe..." she murmers, leaning into the minotaur. "Informative boredom, though."

Kaylia shrugs, turning her gaze to the cultist. "Tell you what. I think we should simply... let you go. I don't think we even need your name. We just let you go. And do you know what will happen?" She leans into the cultists, her face inches from the cultist. "Your former friends will assume that you told us everything. They'll tear out your living entrails and make you eat them. They'll never believe that we simply released you." She looks the cultist in the eye.

Zizth smirks and pats the cultist prisoner on the cheek. "Zilly zlaver. Iz you don't talk, we'll kill you zirzt. But zlowly. Zavoring you az you go.," she says, lowering her scarf and baring her fangs, "I kill many many zlaverz. I can keep you alive a very long time. And I am zure Ashur would love to help. Zhe iz Zhard. You have heard talez, legendz of them... And zhe haz all the time in the world with you." She glance back to Kiva. "I am alone, alwayz alone. I don't know thrullz or netherz. Iz all zame to me. I kill zlaverz. Iz all I need."

Alkaia: Seeing that Kalla was feeling better she unwrapped her arms and wings from her. Letting her wings settle behind her. "Still, such a skill may prove useful against them. I for one do not want to get twisted and transformed by them with no way to reverse it."

Gar'Luc reaches lower and begins to rub that special area, holding Jewel close to him. "Then maybe we should take Kaylia's advice and go to bed." he whispers

ShardDM: "By Athulia, I'm a dead woman anyway. Your threats are meaningless, abomination," the cultist growled, gritting her teeth. "You have no power over me, insect, and neither does that relic you call a Shard! Giving it a personality was the worse idea that the Great Lord could have done, and-" This was interupted as Ashur's added head gave a loud growl and clenches tight to the wizard's shoulder, electing a scream as it's teeth dig in. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT YOU WENCH! WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU YOUR SOUL WON'T EVEN EXI-" "Ashur! Stop! You're better than this, now..." Kiva muttered, halting Ashur's sawing through her shoulder and resulting in the Blackshard letting go from the gnawed flesh. Jewel paused a bit as the blood was ripped from the cultist, before looking back to Gar'Luc. "We can't do much else here it seems. Probably for the best, wonder if Halfdan got the rooms..."

Zizth shrugs then blinks watching the violence involved, "...You upzet her. Not wize. Now then. Alkaia, heal her injury. Iz it iz death zhe zearz then we zhall be kind. Zhe will not die. Zhe will juzt come along til zhe zpeaks. And iz her alliez attack, zhe will make a zine zhield then. W can ztrap her to Gar'luc'z arm."

Alkaia: "I can not heal her. I do not know such magic. Though I could cauterize it with heat."

Kaylia: "We should probably set up a watch here. As for our prisoner... well, I hate to say this, but being here she's already seen too much. We can interrogate her, I suppose, but I see no scenario in which we can afford to let her live. She's privy to this place's security and all of our plans, and her goals are those of the enemy."

Gar'Luc holds Jewel closer to him protectively when the Blackshard seems to rile up, before his name is mentioned "Hey, I don't need a shield. Leave me out of this." he says, his right hand having moved away from Jewel's naughty bits and more over her waist protectively

Alkaia nodded with a frown. Looking sadly at the recent prisoner they captured.

Kaylia uses a rag to blindfold the cultist, then pulls her rapier. "Zizth and I will take her outside and make it a quick death."

Zizth: "Do it," says Zizth calmly, "Can;t have her bleeding out." She looks to Kaylia irrtibly. "No. Zhe livez. At leazt zor now. Zhe will aid uz againzt ehr alliez one way or another, whether becauze zhe gave uz information and aid or through ehr zuffering and az a zhield until zhe perizhez. And I doubt her alliez zpells will be very comzorting."

Kaylia: "But if her allies get ahold of her, they learn all of our plans and the security for the library. We can't take that risk."

Zizth: "Then don't hand her to them."

Alkaia: "I agree with Kaylia with this one. As cruel as it may be."

Kaylia: "We may not have a choice. What if she escapes during a combat? What if she has magics we don't know about, to free herself from her bindings?"

Zizth: "To what avail? Her friendz will kill her whatever her choize, it iz a matter of doez zhe wizh a chanze at a lize without zuzering or doez zhe wizh to be uzed to our advantage? Don't be waztezul. Bezidez, iz zhe had zuch powerz zhe would have uzed them to take her own lize already."

ShardDM: Alita raises a finger to silence the words of the woman discussing healing her. "I got this." Moving behind the cultist, she grins slightly and focuses, energy focusing as she holds over the wound. The cultist winces and whimpers, the woman's arm visibly twisting and shrinking as another apendage was flown out, a fleshy tentacle pulled from her shoulder and left to waver weakly around, clearly not given the bone to move. "How about a bit of a system. Every time you make a bullshit remark that pisses someone off, they'll hurt you. I'll form it into a useless limb, until you're starting to look like one of those horrors and limbless..." Alita threatens, though this is interupted with a clearing throat and the soft clop of hooves on the stairs. Ameus has returned, looking a little more tired than before. "I've contacted the Royals. They're gathering a airship together with guards who will assist in emptying the library and escorting it to the capitol. They think it too dangerous to leave anywhere in the open. The problem, is it will take several days before the troops are mustered and prepared. Plenty of time for an attack."

ShardDM: Jewel flushes slightly, but holds herself close to Gar'Luc even still. Kalia had backed up a bit when Ashur went berserk, but had calmedd herself down again, with Mona now hiding behind her now. Most the room was now focused on the prisoner.

Gar'Luc hugs Jewel close to him "Let's get out of here. I doubt you want to watch what happens next." he says, moving slightly towards the stairs.

Kaylia: "Hrm. Well, that makes it simple. We have to hold this location against enemy attack. That means we're going to have to fortify it rather quickly, and we no longer have much time for rest, at least until this place is ready."

Zizth: "Zo we either ztrike firzt bzore we can." She looks to Alita and nods. "I agre. Though make zome appendagez we can uze az ztrapz. Zhe will make a zhield or zhe will make an inzormant." She lookz to the prisoner. "I am very good at hurting. Alita knowz well. Zhe choze the better choize. Will you az well?"

Alkaia gives a small nod. She moved closer to Ameus. "Do you have anthing on Fleshcrafting. It may help Gar'Luc's people as well as help us reverse it should some cultists do that." Gesturing to what Alita did to the prisoner.

Zizth: "We could have Alita reverze it."

Alkaia: "And would you trust her to do such? Or if we are in battle and she isn't and you need aid right away?"

Kaylia: "Alita, tell me about your meeting with Icarus. When is he supposed to arrive here?"

Zizth looks at Alita, looking her up and down then back to Alkaia. "Yez. Truzt requirez zome faith. Zhe did not need help now. Zhe could have zled when Jewel releazed her during chaoz. We truzt her to aid uz with otherz. They call her traitor, they mocked her even bezore. I truzt her az much az I truzt anyone."

Kaylia: "To be perfectly frank, Alkaia, I trust Alita's judgment more than I trust your own. After all, she wanted nothing to do with performing a dangerous ritual on you without even the basic knowledge necessary to do it properly. A ritual that you were determined to take part in." Kaylia frowns at the dragoness.

Zizth chitters a bit at Kaylia's words.

ShardDM: Ameus gave a bit of a frown at the dragonkin's word but waves somewhere into the library. "Somewhere in there, yes... But yes, we need to at least keep it safe until then. I'm pretty sure Kiva could do it herself, but you know what they say, the more the merrier." Kiva blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Ok, maybe not 'myself'..." she muttered. Jewel simply nodded to Gar, headed towards the stairs by herself now. Alita looked up from the captive, who was staying grit-teethed now and humming loudly to block out Zizth's words. "Essentially, just word on what my activity was and what sorta problems I was doing. Considering they were wanting me to look into the old process for creating, well, Ashur, as well as my pet project, I'm assuming it was more for the former," she admitted. The cultist glares at the faun but doesn't react much more, too busy trying to ignore Zizth.

Alkaia: She frowned, but sighed. "I am only trying to help."

Kaylia: "You. Cultist. Understand me well. My most violent and bloodthirsty associates," Kaylia indicates Zizth and Kiva/Ashur, "have insisted that you can be allowed to live in captivity. I am not convinced, but I am willing to test their theory. However," she places the tip of her rapier against the cultist's cheek, pressing just hard enough to draw a drop of blood, "if for one moment I suspect that you are attempting to escape, or that you may succeed..."

Zizth smiles at the cultist, a cold feral smile as she walks up to the woman. "Aw. It'z zo cute how it triez to be all reziztent. Alita gave up quickly, and waz better zor it. I will have to actually act thiz time." she grins, "Well zinze you are ignoring me, you won't care which part of you I eat firzt. Azter all, I only need your vitalz and tongue intact. Although, Alita can juzt grow back any part I take. Iz gizt that keepz giving indeed. You truly will be the mozt vital member of out group." Zizth look at Kaylia irritatedly again and grab the rapier and pulls it away. "Kaylia, pleaze ztop giving her hope."

Kaylia: "Then I will cut you open from nave to chops and let your blood decorate this pretty ground, without a moment's hesitation."

Gar'Luc heads towards the stairs, motioning with his hands that he was going with Jewel before ascending and catching up to her. "All this torture and cruelty leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'd rather have a night with the most beautiful Cubite in the world." he says, following said Cubite

Kaylia pulls back her rapier and scowls at Zizth. "I'm serious. If there's any chance of her escape, we kill her. She knows too much, and I believe we should already have slit her throat."

Alkaia decides she would poke around the library, perhaps she might find something on fleshcrafting, or more importantly how to deal with and destroy blackshards.

Zizth: "YEz and given death would be a blezzing to her...," says Zizth irritably, "It givez her a way out. But if you are that worried, I will take her legz now."

Kaylia: "Yes, but it does NOT give our opponents information on us. Do what you like with her, but keep her safe. I'm going to make plans for fortifying this town. I'll be at the inn, but likely awake for at least a few more hours." Kaylia sheathes her rapier and starts up the stairs herself. "Mona, you coming along?"

ShardDM: Jewel sighs a little, walking towards the inn after they left the secret passage. "I understand the concern, but you'd think they'd just hold onto her until the soldiers came anyway," she mutters. "I didn't think people from my own continent would go to THAT base instict so easily." Alita glanced between the two before piping up now. "Yaknow, if the military are just going to come here anyway, why don't I make it so she can't run away, and thus they can take her to the prisons at the capitol? I'm sure the King and the rest of this so called hunter group would love a live cultist to interrogate and break on information..." Kiva looked between them all, shrugs, gently reels in Ashur's shoulderhead, and retrieves her cloak. "I'm going to find a place to keep an eye on things," she mutters, headed up the stairs as well. Mona and Kalia would simply keep out of everyone's way.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

31 January (part three)

Spoiler

Zizth looks at them quizzically. "The reazon iz we need to know what will come and where zrom bezore the attack. But yez I zuppoze you could do that. Zafez me expending ezzort to remove them."

ShardDM: With Kaylia going to move, Mona nodded, taking the idea to leave and following the redhead woman.

Gar'Luc follows JEwel to the inn, his stride slow enough to keep pace with her. "Hey, when you aren't fighting instinct every minute of every day, it's really hard to fight it when it does show up." he says, his head tilting back and forth to flop his ears against his head.

Alkaia continued to poke about the library.

Kaylia brings along the keg of whiskey that the goblin bought her. On her way through the town, she makes a brief sketch of the town's layout in her notepad, making plans for a safe area for townsfolk, chokepoints for enemies, and artificial continuations of natural defenses. Once inside her room, she stays up for a few hours yet, marking defensive lines for the party to hold as well as possible attack angles for the cultists. Satisfied, she crawls into bed with the harpy, snuggling the warm feathered monstergirl. Kaylia then scritches the harpy's ears softly for a bit, until the werelioness drifts off to sleep.

Zizth stays put by the pair of cultists for now, grimacing as she considers her then looking to Alita. "I don't like relying on magic zor thiz thing."

ShardDM: Jewel presses into the Inn door, nodding to Halfdan chewing on food at the bar while the Thrull barmaid works at the few customers that hadn't returned towards the houses. After checking in with him, Jewel was pointed to the five rooms he had purchased. Mona followed Kaylia as well, glancing over her shoulder as she worked occasionally, while she gave a whimper and twitches as Kaylia scritched behind her ears. Alkaia's searching of the library would find the library piled in orginization, with sections for rift magics, analysis on the Rift Wars, different forms of magic, all uncensored...

Alkaia: "Think I can borrow a few books?"

Kaylia raises an eyebrow at the harpy's reaction, testing tentatively by slightly increasing the frequency of scritchings behind the harpy's ears.

Gar'Luc continues to follow Jewel, entering the inn and waiting until they were pointed towards the rooms, the minotaur moving to scoop the Cubite up in his arms as he had done once before. "I hope you don't mind me being this forward." he says, turning and heading to take the cubite to one of the rooms.

ShardDM: Alita shrugged, gently sliding to a seat near the cultist. "Maybe you should get something to eat. I can work on the cultist so she can't escape, and you probably don't want to see it," she comments to Zizth. "Can get a bit squicky with this level of modification..." Ameus shrugged a little, lighting a candle on a small reading table. "I suppose, just please return them so they're all in place for now," the aged Defiled replied. Mona gave a louder moan as Kaylia's fingers dug in behind her ears, her entire body giving a twitch at the increased speed. Jewel gave a loud yelp, flushing darker as a few catcalls by bar patrons echo to them before they headed back upstairs. "G-getting used to it," she murmers.

Zizth grunts then sighs. well she did say she trusted Alita after all. "Okay. Come to wagon iz you need me." She sighs then heads out, putting her scarf back on and heading for the wagon to get food and check their supplies

Gar'Luc takes the cubite into a room and shuts the door with one hoof, lifting her just enough to hold against his chest as he leans down and plants a kiss on her forehead. "So, feeling up for some more fun?" he asks, pulling back just enough to eye her over his snout

Alkaia: She nods before finding a book on fleshcrafting, a book about dealing with blackshards and a book dealing with rift magic. She then returned to Kalla, books in hand. "Do you want to return to the inn?"

Kaylia gently shifts Mona so they're laying face-to-face, leaning in close to brush her lips against the harpy's, her fingers resuming the gentle massage of the sensitive ears. She pulls back slightly, "if you want me to stop, you need only say the word," then leans in, gently nibbling at one of the harpy's earlobes possessively.

ShardDM: Kalia turned to Alkaia and nodded slowly. "Probably for the best, yes," she muttered, shifting her braid to in front of her. Jewek shivered and mewled as the the minotaur manipulated her so easily, panting slightly with his possessive grip. "Y-yes, of course, what you think I am, a common wench?" the cubite teases. Mona's moans grow a little louder as her face grows redder, her wings curling slightly against the werelioness playing with her ears and giving a understanding nod to her words, the pointed ears twitching with each little nibble. Zizth's return to the wagon would find it parked near the stable, where all the horses have already been stashed. The wagon's contents was also secured, probably by Halfdan to prevent theft.

Zizth frowned, before going to go find Halfdan inside to get at the food then. He had the key after all and she didn;t want to make a mess

Alkaia: She gave a nod and headd back towards the inn. Looking curiously at Kalla as she walked.

Gar'Luc slowly lowers Jewel to the ground, though he holds her against his frontside possessively, his arousal easy enough for her to feel. "Do you feel up to doing it differently from last time?" he asks,his hands rersting on her back and her head lightly

Kaylia continues the gentle nibble as she gently undresses the harpy, occasionally easing off with her teeth to simply suck on Mona's earlobe. The roommates find themselves naked under the blanket, and Kaylia's right hand grows a claw on one finger, tracing its way down Mona's body, teasing a nipple as the werelioness's left hand continued teasing an ear. The werelioness's lower body pressed up and writhed against the harpy's.

ShardDM: Kalia glanced over to Alkaia with a tilt of her head. "Yes?" As Zizth entered the bar, she'd note Halfdan finishing a meal himself, and possibly to her surprise a creature quite similar to her, but with emerald green carapace and much slender frame, plus long wings similar to a dragonfly. Upon glancing up and seeing the other thrull, the barmaid blinked a bit before speaking up to the new visitor- in a strange buzzing that surprisingly she could understand. [Hail, Queen! What brings you to this fair establishment?] Jewel's panting didn't slow as she was lowered level to the source of his musk, her back and hip wings curling and uncurling slightly, similarly to how her tail twisted and flicked. "C-certainly!" she groaned. Kaylia's actions were having stupendious effect with the harpy, her wings twitching behind her back even as her small top and loincloth were removed by Kaylia's hands, the harpy's vest a bit too difficult to remove with the deathgrip around her back. Her taloned legs press together as she groaned in bliss, enjoying the attention and already drooling nectar just from the earplay.

Zizth went in and went to approach half dan when suddenly she saw another creature similar to her. Another shard? No this was green and was even closer in build, one she vaguely recalled from the train. A thrull, though much diffrent than the ones there in hue. More confusing was the buzzing sound that somehow she understood. She looked around for this queen but then blinked as she moved over cautiously. "...You mean me? I am not Queen, I am Zizth. You muzt be miztaken."

Gar'Luc lowers his right hand to Jewel's bottom, his left fumbling with his belt as he holds her close "If you don't think you can take me down there, we can always settle for what we did last time" he says, his right hand reaching up and motioning for her to remove her skirt

Alkaia: She smiled. "Oh nothing, just surprised you clung to me down there when Kiva showed up." As she walked towards the inn. "Want to help me study these?" Showing her the books she had borrowed.

Kaylia pulls back slightly, moving in to kiss Mona's lips softly again, her right hand's claw receding. Her fingers find their way between the harpy's thighs, gently cupping and caressing the soft mound without penetration, and Kaylia's other hand continued the ear tease, the kiss growing somewhat more passionate and animalistic. Kaylia's legs become tangled with the harpy's, and the werelioness is dimly aware that she's just about as turned on as the harpy, a surprising development given the fact that she was not currently in heat.

ShardDM: Halfdan glances between the two thrull, raising an eyebrow as one speaks in another language to another. The thrull too seemed confused, tilting her head. [You must be mistaken, you have the scent of one, even if you are built closer to a Broodguard. You certainly are of desert build as well, I can tell that much.] Jewel shook her head, smiling lightly. "Nonono, I got a fix for that if that's the case," she murrs, gently sliding the belts off of her hips at his behest. Kalia shrugged. "I didn't know what to think. The shards may not have harmed the Helius much when they first existed, but seeing one up close... How does one react to such things?" She glanced at one of the tomes, titled 'Bane of the Shards: Secrets of Wychfire" and removes it from the pile. "Well, nothing better to do this night." Mona's whimpers of bliss was growing a little louder, leaving her groaning in passion as her hips jump upwards, looking hazily into Kaylia's face as her body shivered with bliss. She seemed to not be sure what was going on but clearly it was a development she wasn't concerned about too much, her legs squeezing against the teasing fingers almost a little needily.

Zizth: "I am from the dezert yez.," says Zizth, frowning, "What are you doing? I have never heard that bezore but I underztand it... Are you uzing zome zort of magic? And I am Zizth. Queen'z are..." she frowns, trying to find the words, "Queenz are thoze human femalez who zerve beneath kingz and zuch. I zerve no one."

Gar'Luc finally gets his belt undone, his right hand heklping her slide her clothing off before lifts her up against his chest, resting her just above his member and sighing with relief to finally be out of his shorts, his left stroking it slightly as he lines up. "I hope you're ready..." he says, pressing it up against her folds and bringing his left hand to hold her lower body in place as he presses forward

Alkaia smiled as she entered the inn. "Well I am sure I could think of something to occupy you." Looking to Halfdan to see if he had rented any rooms for them.

Kaylia removes her hand from between the harpy's legs, licking off a finger slowly. She leans in for another kiss with the harpy, then traces kisses down the harpy's body until her face is close to her dripping womanhood. A tongue flicks out, giving a slow lick up the glistening mound. The werelioness savors the tangy taste of Mona's quim for a second, then begins slowly lapping at the harpy in delight.

ShardDM: The barthrull seems to give a look equating to continued surprise, an eyebrow twitching. "You don't even know your own language? That's... wow, I knew it instinctively... And nonono, I mean the Broodqueens, yaknow, the hive matriachs?" Jewel gritted her teeth a little as her skirt hits the floor and she's lifted back up held up by the minotaur's one hand as they line up. For a few moments, it seems like a losing struggle- the smaller cubite's body pressed against the horseheaded member, struggling to gain access to the tight hole it sought to enter, even with copious amounts of cubite juices splattering it's head. Jewel however bit her lip and reached for her belly, muttering a few words in a language unknown to Gar'Luc, and before either of them could react, gravity took over and Jewel gave a loud squeal as the first few inches of his shaft slid into her, causing a slight stretch into her body. "M-minor enchantment... slightly stretchy," she manages to wheeze out as a explanation, her face flushing red as her wings flap in a vain attempt to get some control on her decent. Beyond Zizth and the thrull barmaid's discussion, Halfdan nodded to Alkaia with a friendly smile. "Yeah, got five rooms and a stable slot for our faun, though I got from some of the others that may be wasted tonight. two of the rooms are used now but still plenty of room for the rest of us." Mona gave a quiet squeal, her body trembling as her talons gently tie into Kaylia's hair, a small flood of juices meeting her lips as the redhead began exploring other sensitive parts of the harpy's body. The harpy's talons tried thier best not to damage her, especially her feet as they slid off to both sides of the bed to avoid clawing it, though potentially a few nicks would result with her claws tightening on her head.

Zizth tilts her head. "Inztinct? Maybe that iz why I underztand it. You are zirzt... Thrull? That I have met. Well, I zaw otherz briezly but then... Alone."

Gar'Luc groans as he holds his Cubite close to his chest and begins slowly pistoning in and out, pushing a little deeper with each thrust. "As long as it........Doesn't hurt you permanently." he says, followed with a grunt of pleasure at how tight she is

Kaylia begins to lick with greater vigor, using her hands to hold Mona's thighs open as she buries her face in the harpy's snatch, only occasionally pausing to take a breath. Juices run freely down her chin, despite her best efforts to lap up every drop of the virgin monstergirl's delicious flavor.

Alkaia: She started for the stairs up. "Shall we share a room again?" Looking to Kalla curiously, once more.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

31 January (part four)

Spoiler

ShardDM: The barmaid nods a little, buzzing her wings a little behind her. "Fair enough, I suppose. Kinda surprised, to be honest, I've not seen many broodqueens willing to leave the hives myself, though it was just my experience..." Jewel moaned weakly as the minotaur continued to slide his cock deeper into her belly, a slight buldge forming at just how much minotaur there was. "I-It won't hurt me, no worries..." she mutters, shivering as she rubs along her belly. "Q-quite the opposite for both of us, I'm sure." Mona's face glanced down over her bare chest as Kaylia worked on her slit, watching her work on her body as she moans into the room, more of her body getting into the passion that Kaylia was giving her. Kalia nodded to the dragonkin, holding her book as she looks to the talking bugs for a second before following.

Alkaia: She picked an empty room and opened the door for Kalla, letting her enter first before stepping into the room. She found herself a spot to sit down and study the books she had found.

Zizth: "It waz not willing. I waz born into zlavery. I waz being zent to be zold when orc raiderz azaulted the caravan and I got looze and ran. I waz alone from then on. Zo I have zeen thrull bezore you zor... A day."

Kaylia takes a breath, then slips her tongue against Mona's clitoris, teasing the little button with her lips and tongue as a finger teases Mona's pussy lips, being careful not to damage the harpy's hymen. She hums into Mona's clitoris, creating a steady but gentle vibration.

Gar'Luc reaches his left hand up to rub the back of Jewel's hair as his right keeps hold of her bottom, his pace steadily increasing and more force slowly being put into his thrusts ash he groans in pleasure "Gods you feel so good." he manages to huff out

ShardDM: Kalia followed, looking over the spare book she had chosen, leaving Alkaia with 'Rift Magic: The Dangers, the Secrets', and 'Athulius Acanius Maximus'. The bug woman's antennas lowered on each side, giving a bit of a gulp. "Oh. Well this is awkward. Sorry..." Mona gave a louder squeal as she again gets triggered into bliss again, more of the fluid flooding into Kaylia's lips, resulting in a slight tightening of her claws. Jewel's own gasps of pleasure grow higher-pitched as he reaches halfway with his shaft, belly squeezing against his cock even with the thrusts. "Y-yer not bad yerself..." she mutters, pressing tight into him again as her tail flicks back and forth madly.

Laani turned in her bed, snoring still.

Alkaia: She decides to read through the Athulius Acanius Maximus. Hoping to learn something useful on how to progress.

Zizth: "Do not apologize, you had nothing to do with it.," says Zizth simply, "It iz juzt a zact of lize. Zome have it eazy, zome have it hard. Now I kill zlaverz. It iz what I do." She walks over and looks to Halfdan. "Halzdan, I can't get to the zood in the cart without braking it. Can you give me the meanz to open it?"

Kaylia reaches up, moving Mona's hands to the back of Mona's thighs instead, but doesn't stop working Mona's clitoris and pussy with her tongue, drinking up her fluids with gusto. She alternates rhythms and patterns, from straight to circular and from fast to slow, then back again, enjoying the harpy's reactions immensely.

Gar'Luc lowers his right hand to touch the bae of Jewel's tail, rubbing it gently and trying to gauge her response, even though he's mostly focused on pushing deeper with each thrust, his pace quickening as he can feel himself getting close to the edge. "Inside, or outside?" he manages to huff out between pants of exhaustion

ShardDM: The thrull nods a little, returning to her work at the bar. "Well, if you ever want to learn a little more about your birthright, well... [I'm always available for another bug, specially one as exotic as you~]," the bug woman said again. Kaylia's movement over her body was causing Mona's breath to catch a little, leaving her whimpering and moaning madly in passion while her hips grind into the lips pressing into her slit. Jewel's groan madly as her back arches, her tail straightening as he grabs the base of her tail before growing limp, her insides squeezing tight around his shaft. "Inside, big boy, I want it alllllll," she moans, biting her lip and waiting for the incoming flood.

Gar'Luc groans as he reaches both hands down to grip at Jewel's hips, thrusting twice more before pulling out much farther and ramming in as far as he can, groaning as he tips over the edge, unleashing himself inside of her as he holds her in place

Zizth: "I would like to know how to do that buzzy talk at leazt.," says Zizth, perking up, though her look clearly indicated the flirtation was completly lost on her, "It zeemz uzezul. "

Kaylia shifts her body, moving to straddle the harpy upside down, with her mouth still over the harpy's pussy. Her legs pin down the harpy's arms, and she begins lapping at the harpy upside down, with her own dripping snatch safely out of reach of the harpy's lips. Her fingers, however, work their way back to Mona's head, resuming the ear-play as Kaylia's tongue tortures Mona's womanhood.

ShardDM: Jewel gasped for breath as he pulls out a little, only to give a loud squeal in pleasure as he slams in to the hilt. Her belly is pressed out nearly to her ribs before the flood of seed starts to swell her up like a stuffed turkey, the cubite all the time twitching and groaning in bliss as her nectar floods across the minotaur's balls. Halfdan glanced at Zizth from his seat. "You know, I could get a meal for you, if you wish. Save the trail rations for later, and all that." The bugkin nods as well, giving a smile. "Certainly could try to unlock your hidden potential. Figure out why you didn't speak back in Thrull at any rate." Mona gave a quiet mewling sound of confusion as Kaylia moved around, her wings held in place and her eyes half-lidded with pleasure at the change of position. However, the swift return of Kaylia's licking and fingers quickly replaced that, the harpy giving a savage groan of pleasure as her legs tense up slightly, leaving her body completely at Kaylia's mercy. The book Alkaia had found was, not surprisingly, a more in-depth version of the Fleshcrafter Arcana, describing concepts in greater details and information far beyond the original. Seemingly hand-written, the stories in this tome was lurid and grotesque at times, detailing the sensations of flesh twisted by one's hands or the feeling of bone twisted to blades and hooks.

Zizth: "I don't know how? And I have nothing to trade for a meal.," says Zizth, looking to the bugtender and nodding, "I would like to zpeak my language then, even iz I never zee another of my kind again azter thiz."

Gar'Luc moves towards the bed as he twitches and groans, his right arm behind her and supporting her. "Good?" he pants, gently easing her onto the bed and then slowly beginning to pull out, still twitching at the slightest stimulation

Alkaia: She decided to see if she couldn't find anything on the ritual to acquire the power to fleshcraft.

Kaylia continues to alternate her patterns and rhythms, but slowly begins to intensify her ministrations, pressing her tongue just a bit harder and licking just a bit faster with every attack. The fingers on Mona's ears grow more and more insistent, the gentle scritching growing somewhat more frenzied, though never quite violent, as Kaylia holds the harpy down for what's likely to be a rather explosive orgasm. Kaylia braces herself for this, but continues lapping faster and faster at the flooding harpy cunt, pressing her face deep into the wet gash.

ShardDM: "Who said you had to?" the giant of a man commented, ratting a sack of change he had on him. The barmaid gave a bit of a smile, gesturing to the barside near Halfdan as more and more patrons waddled out for the night in varying states of drunkeness. "Call me Xerberus, or Xer for short." Jewel drooled slightly on his chest, her insides giving several twitches of lust and pleasure with her slightly-round belly still greedily squeezing at the thing giving her this passion. She squeaked weakly as he dragged part of him out, a flood of spunk partly following from the unplugging of her belly. "A-and then some..." she groaned. Kaylia's actions most certainly got her results, as eve with her grip on the harpy she gave a loud scream of pleasure, her hips jumping in reaction and her nectar splattering around her face. Talons tensing and tightening together, the naked birdgirl could only writhe and twist as Kaylia pleased her body, only to collapse on the bed and pant weakly from her exertions. Alkaia would find what she sought under the title 'Ritual of the Expanding Fold'- indeed, it discussed the ritual in detail, where the casting wizard and the initiate would be mutated, and the magicians would enact intercourse with each other. During which time, the brain itself would be manipulated- pleasure centers made more sensitive, creative zones enhanced, and limitations on the glands thought to dictate magic would be untapped. The pleasure, naturally, was to mask the invasive effects of the magic, and be a test to the casting wizard- without killing the new initiate, and initiating another through endless bliss, they were truely ready as a Fleshcrafter for anything.

Gar'Luc actually pushes back slightly, leaning over her and planting a kiss directly on her lips, before pulling his face away and looking into her eyes "I could go another round if you liked it that much." he saysm staring at her with his very reptillian eyes

Zizth: "Hello Zerberuz. I am Zizth.," nods Zizth, before looking to Halfdan, blinking. "You would trade your bag zor me? I would prezer not. I do not like zeeling endebted to otherz. Um..." She reached about beneath her cloak and took out her map. "I can trade thiz inztead. I gave mozt thingz I have to get it. Would thiz work?" The map itself is a pretty low quality map and fairly inaccurate for anything beyond general ideas where things are. It's very well cared for though.

Alkaia: She frowned a moment before closing her book. Standing up she went to see what progress Kalla had made. Her hands lightly moving to her shoulders and beginning to slowly knead them.

Kaylia continues to work the harpy's body through multiple orgasms, stopping only when the harpy was too sensitive or too drained to continue. Finally, she reverses herself again, slipping a sweaty arm around Mona and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I don't usually..." she pants for breath, "do that outside of my heats. I hope you're," heavy breath, "okay with this." She pulls Mona close, kissing the harpy's sensitive earlobe, then searching her face for a reaction, stroking a feathered wing.

ShardDM: A loud mewl leaves Jewel as he slides back in, giving a glance back upwards. "Mmmgh, always willing," she murmers, her fingers gripping into his chest and giving a gentle grind into his hips and shaft as if to tease him on. Xerberus and Halfdan glanced at each other. "Nonono, meant I could use some of my money for food," Halfdan tried to explain. Xer glanced at the map, giving a bit of a smile. "Nah, it's all good. No need to worry about a bill for this, I'll cover it with my cash later." Kalia's reading seemed to be decent, as she was looking at it intently during the time. She jumped a bit as Alkaia touched her. "Oh, hello, almost forgot you was here," she muttered nerviously. "Sorry." Mona suffered through a few such powerful orgasms before she completely collapsed onto the bed, groaning weakly as the lioness curls up into her again. Gently she curls her wings around her, gently nuzzling her back with a slight mewl as her ears are touched again.

Zizth blinks, looking between them and gives her jaws a clack of resignation. "Zine... I do not know why you would though." She puts her map away, sitting on the stool, cloak wrapped around herself. "Not too much. I bled out a lot zo I don't want to wazte your zood by eating more than my blood can move about."

Gar'Luc wraps his arms around her once more, lifting her back up and beginning again, his left hand groping at her ass as his right presses into the back of her torso, pressing her chest up against his midsection as he snorts and starts thrusting into her with more force than before, slowly giving in to the animal inside as he does so

Alkaia: She smiled as she looked down at Kalla. "Any luck finding a way to deal with a blackshard in case we have to fight one?" Her fingers gently kneading Kalla's shoulder and neck. Her thumbs digging lightly into the flesh near her spine.

Kaylia purrs gently as the harpy nuzzles her, their warm bodies pressed together in the warmth of their bed. She lays there contented, in Mona's wings, holding the harpy's body close as she begins drifting off to sleep. Within a few minutes, she's forgotten all about fleshcrafters and broodqueens and cultists, softly snoozing in a feathery embrace.

ShardDM: "I know how to portion, don't worry. So, you got beat up, huh? Bleh, only injuries I don't really know hot to help with, chitin breaks... Magic can help, though, at least sealing the chitin so further bleeding doesn't happen..." Jewel gave a gasp of surprise as he begins to hammer into her harder than before, the already large amount of seed in her belly sloshing as the minotaur works her smaller form in such a manner. Kalia shrugged. "Nothing that legends haven't already stated. Wychfire, a magic flame created via a certain process which can then be spread via pyromancy or used as a incendiary agent. It damages Blackshards through the chitin, to the point of reverting to thier original form, but the host is killed as well..." Mona seemed to not object as Kaylia's assault on her sensitivity slows, and soon she too was lost in dreams, cradling the kitten in her wings.

Alkaia: She nodded as she continued to gently knead Kalla's soft flesh. "Anything on how to create or find a wytchfire?"

Zizth: "Okay. I waz given mud that iz zuppozed to fix it. I don't believe it will work but we will zee. Either way, I am not magic, and I don't truzt it. Could zay they are healing you but are actually turning you into a bomb and you would never know..."

Gar'Luc reaches his right hand around and down in front of Jewel as he thrusts in and out, resting it on her front as he reaches a calloused thumb down to rub her pleasure-button, his head leaned down to sniff at her hair as he fucks her with all his might "Is it too......Early in our relationship..........To use the word 'love?" he asks between panting thrusts

ShardDM: "The process is complex... oils distilled by the dwarves, treated with incenses of the greenskins and humans, and then magic known primarily by elves and the abyssites. It wound up becoming a green fire concoction that burned hard. It did mention that unless the Blackshard knew how to defend itself from it, normal flames in specific quantities can help force the Shard to retreat, to the objections of the Host or not, however.

ShardDM: Xer gave a bit of a grimace, moving a plate to the bartop with a small, somewhat rare steak. Much closer to what Zizth considered food! "Maybe, and I understand the reasons to distrust magic, not meaning to be rude but sometimes magic can beat out nature for some things. Certain priestesses of the goddesses are also healers, so at the very least you can trust them, right?" Jewel's tongue drools from her mouth as the minotaur's hand joins in the assault on her belly, her arms barely enough to hold her up as her hips smack into his. "I...I dunno... B-but I can say... I'd not say no to this... all the time," she manages to get out through her whimpers and mini-orgasms, her insides fluttering and clenching in a mismatched tempo as the cubite's control over her situation wanes.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

31 January (part five)

Spoiler

Gar'Luc begins to speed up again, his right hand working harder to bring her to orgasm as he once more goes over the edge, shoving roughly back into her and orgasming inside her for the second time, this time sitting himself down on the bed as he finished, groaning in exhaustion

Alkaia: She smiled as she leaned over and Kissed Kalla's head. "Still that is some more then we knew before. Will be useful to us."

Zizth: "I don't know what a prieztezz iz but it zoundz like juzt another wizard. And you can truzt them the zame amount az anyone who can do anything they wizh.," says Zizth, "thank you for the zood." She eats it rather quickly, fangs shearing through the flesh easily, before continuing. "And you can be rude if you wizh. You wizh to help. Only enemiez and prizonerz rezeive punizhment for rudenezz. Anywayz, I do not deny that magic can ignore nature. That iz magic by definizion. It ignorez nature becauze it dezidez what nature iz. I have no trouble with the idea of it. I have trouble with thoze who have it. Zo many wayz to abuze it to do anything. And if the mage iz aware, you can do nothing about it. It iz terrifying."

ShardDM: The lustful screams of the cubite probably carried a few rooms over this time as she got sent to her bliss, squealing madly as another flood of cum bloats her belly again. Her entire body shivers and twitches for several moments before she collapses onto the minotaur's belly again, glancing up at Gar'Luc as her eyes tried to focus. Kalia simply nods again, starting to relax a little more at the dragonkin's hands working her. "Perhaps, if it wasn't for the difficulty of all the regents. Let's hope if we do meet a evil shard, we also got Kiva on our side, eh?" Xerberus nods slowly, reaching up carefully as Zizth speaks and glancing around at her forhead and antenna. "I guess, but then again, focusing like that is just going to lead to parinoia and delusions. Even if a person isn't planning such things, your mind is going to immediately jump to that trauma, and as a result, it'll eventually drive you to being alone again. By what I can tell, you're with a decent enough group at any rate, so maybe it's time to tell the memories of those slavers where to shove it, yaknow?"

Gar'Luc pants as he lays back on the bed, holding his Cubite against his chest as he looks down into her eyes. "You know.......People are going to start talking.........You being famous and all."

Alkaia: "True, let's hope she does continue to stay in the area." Letting her fingers trail down Kalla's back. Her fingers digging and kneading her flesh softly. "Sounds like someone is having fun."

Zizth grunts. "They are, well mozt of them. But better zuzpiciouz to begin then truzt earned than truzting to begin and then burned. In any caze, none of them are healerz anywayz." She blinks, antennas wiggling, her tilting her head, wondering what Xer is doing.

Zizth: "And I get zecond opinionz before I ztart cutting."

ShardDM: Jewel gives a little bit of a smile, even as she pants for breath. "S-so what? I'm a one-woman show, I met a new bouncer on the road," she remarks, flushing deeper. Kiva simply shrugs, giving a quiet murmer. "Just stressed.... today's events have been odd and stressful. Xer gave a shrug and a twitch with her antenna, before scratching a claw over the edge of the chiten on her forehead. "Hrm, that explains a lot... Question? Do you remember the slavers doing any markings on you, or taking a blade to you at any time? I understand you may have been a hatchling, but please, try to remember?"

Gar'Luc brings his right hand up to gently rub Jewel's head "And I'm just a traveling bouncer who has a thing for the most beautiful Cubite in the world." he says, laying his head back and sighing. "Life is good."

Zizth: "They zlized my wingz off. And they branded my name into my leg."

Zizth: "Iz not zomething I will ever zorget. Waz the zirzt thing I recall. It hurt the mozt of anything."

Alkaia: She smiled as she pressed and kneaded the flesh at the center of Kalla's back. "Guess it is a good thing you now someone who can help you relax?"

ShardDM: Xer frowned a little more, before probably to the surprise of Zizth, she poked a claw a little deeper into the head chitin, right before her 'hair' was. "Well someone put a blade right between your antenna, guessing they severed some of the connection there, cutting off some of your queenly duties. I can't even picture a slaver doing that willingly, that means they were stupid or didn't want a Broodqueen with the mentality to breed- at which case they'd be REALLY stupid." Jewel chuckles, nuzzlign into his chest a little bit with a soft murr. "Expect to be mobbed by fangirls, is all I got to say," she half-jokes, her tail flicking idly behind her. A muffled mutter of affirmation leaves Kalia as she leans backwards, shutting the book for now and enjoying her hands fully now.

Gar'Luc laughs lightly, trying not to disturb his Cubite as he reaches his left hand up to scratch hie brow "Well, I'll just have to tell them I'm a one-woman Minotaur."

Zizth hissed in surprised at being touched there, before staring at Xer, before shaking a little. "They... They ztabbed my brain... Why? I...," she frowns, slumping in her seat, shivering nervously. (Huh, lobotmized broodqueen. didn't think of that one)

Alkaia: She smiled as she let her hands trail down to her waist. Her fingers pressing and kneading her flesh softly. A finger lightly brushing her spine.

ShardDM: Jewel chuckled back, seemingly content to lazily rest against him with most of his cock still lodged into her belly, occasionally one of her more demonic body parts giving a soft wiggle. Kalia's body shivered lightly as the dragonkin's claws continue to explore, letting her touch across her technically royal flesh without complaint. Xer nodded slowly, giving a sigh. "I don't got a good idea. A normal slaver certainly wouldn't do that- a broodqueen would be much more valuable undamaged, especially- as you've said- you've known very little of your instincts beyond the violent ones. I'm not even sure there is a magic that's not forbidden that could fix the issue, though I'm sure you could encourage some of the behavior back, or at least re-learn it, with a bit of teaching in some degree or another. Whether you'd gain a hivemind presence or be able to be content with running a hive is the bigger question, however."

Gar'Luc slowly fades into sleep as his left hand comes to rest on Jewel's back possessively, completely content with the results of the evening

Zizth frowns, sighing. "Maybe I waz for zome zort of ezperiment, who knows... I gathered I waz dizzrent zrom otherz. But it'z that I am broken..." She falls silent for a minute before clacking her jaws. "...Doezn't matter. Nothing haz changed, I am ztill me. My purpoze haz changed none."

Alkaia: She smiled at Kalla's reaction to her touch. Running a finger along the entirety of her spine. Her other hands slowly kneading it was up her spine after the finger.

ShardDM: "That's the spirit! Still, I can at least help alieviate some of it, perhaps. Break some of the language barrier, maybe inform you just what your equipment is down there..." Xerberus remarks, no longer pressing at Zizth's body and letting her have her space. Kalia quietly gasps as the dragonkin plays her spine like an instrument, her back arching gently into those wonderously talented hands.

Zizth: "I think they are called cutlazzez.," says Zizth, taking one of her crude bronze weapons out and setting it on the table, "I like them. Good for killing zlaverz."

Alkaia: She smiled as she continued her massaging of her spine. Pulling back just a bit to see if she leaned back further into her hands.

ShardDM: Halfdan glances around the empty bar and quietly moves upstairs, letting the two bug creatures talk in private. "Bleh, not quite what I missed," Xerberus muttered, moving her four-taloned hands to her face. "Meant the biological kind." Alkaia's hunch was proven correct, as Kalia leaned back and tried to keep close to the massaging hands. "You're quite talented, my lady," she mutters a little absentmindedly.

Alkaia: She smiled as she pressed her fingers into Kalla's flesh. Rubbing her spine with her fingers. "I am to please, dear~"

Zizth looks at Xerberus blankly, clearly having no idea what she;s talking about, as she sheaths her sword. "I do have clawz and fangz though I have not uzed them much lately..."

ShardDM: Kalia gave a bit of a nod, cooing softly with each rub along her back. Xerberus's antenna gave a slightly annoyed twitch. "Oh boy... For the record I'm referring to your biological sexual equipment. Bit of an odd subject, I know, but I bet that's even rustier than your claws and teeth. [Also whoever that slaver that fucked your brain up, he deserves to get squashed.]" She wound up buzzing lightly towards the end.

Zizth tilts her head. "...I am irritating you. I am zorry. I don't know what ruzt is, but why would I need to know about thoze?" she asks curiously, "Well, he iz likely dead by orcizh handz. Though maybe not. I don't remember that happening... Juzt the wingz part."

Alkaia: She smiled as she let a hand trail lower to lightly rub the just above her rump. Her other hand continuing to rub and knead a little harder as it continued up and down her spine.

ShardDM: Xer shooks her head. "Nah, not mad at you, just, well... You've been fucked up a bit, sister, and you've not had a lot of same-species companionship in general," she comments, hopping over the bar and raising a hand towards Zizth again. "May I be a bit more grabbyhands, here?" The slow hand movements over Kalia continues her shivers of pleasure, the Helius woman continues to gasp for air as the hands get a little more teasing over her body.

Alkaia: She smiled as she removed her teasing hands from her. "Nice and relaxed now?"

Zizth: "I;ve had no companionzhip until the pazt zive dayz or zo.," says Zizth, blinking before considering then clacking her jaws again and nodding. "I don't know what that meanz but if you wizh to touch my body again I zuppoze it iz okay." She takes her scarf and cloak off, revealing herself beneath it, just wearing a bandolier and belt, her weapons, a map and nothing else, her body a series of canyons of battle damage all over and everywhere, and the number 5 branded on her inner right thigh. And of course, jsut ragged stumps where her wings whould have been

ShardDM: Kalia slowly nods, flushing lightly. "Q-quite..." she murmers. Xer slowly nods, her eyes growing wide as she sees the huge amount of scars. "By the queens..." she murmers, her own talons tracing along a few of them. "You've survived quite admirably, I say. Please, though, allow me to make up for some of that loneliness, hmm?" As if responding more to that, the taloned hand slid donn along Zizth's belly, working to explore the heavily-armed queen.

Zizth blinks, feeling the hands on her stomach. "I have nearly died many timez, but I live thuz zar, yez. You don't need to make up zor anything. It iz not your rezponzibility. I guezz I muzt be fazinating in my brokenezz hm?"

Alkaia: She smiles. "That is good new."

ShardDM: "And it's been several months since I've seen any of my own kind. I wish to help you, and you're beautiful in your own way. Please, I wish to show the sensations you've not had before," the broodlet murmered, her claws still gliding along the chitin of her body as a claw gently feels between Zizth's legs, looking for a specific crack in the chitin to tease. Kalia flushed a little more, not really responding to that remark but not arguing against it either.

Alkaia: She smiled as she sashayed over to the bed. Laying down with a stretch and watching Kalla curiously.

Zizth blinks, not really understanding, but sighs. "...Zine. I don't zeel any need but you have been zind to me and told me much. And you zeem to want thiz. Juzt don't ezpect me to be any good at thiz... whatever it iz." She squirmed a little as Xer searched for her twin sexual guards right by the bar.

ShardDM: Kalia lays down the book, flushing a little more as she heads for the bed. "Well, we should turn in at least for now, hmm?" She sits down on the other side, still a little flushed as she drapes the braid off to one side. Xer simply smiles a little, giving a little pat along the queen's side. "[The patrons have left, noone heads down here at night, it's usually a quiet shift. No worries, my queen, just relax and let the harem do it's job~]" she couldn't help but tease, locating the entry to Zizth's sex. Gently, her claw rubs along the crack in the chitin, seeing if it had even unsealed itself before considering Zizth's mental state and injuries.

Zizth blinks, not really understanding the teasing in the least. Her sex has indeed never been touched or used, though the chitin there has taken a hit before it seems, but the muscles stayed sealed even if the chitin plates were cracked.

ShardDM: Xerberus was now entirely focused on her task, and very gently, she shifted her claws along the broodqueen's chitin barrier, perhaps taking a few moments but the broodlet was a determined lass and was willing to work all night. As the one hand worked to open the queen's juicy, non-dead center, the other claw gently moved behind Zizth's neck, gently carressing and rubbing along her body, feeling along scars with the curiousity of a child meeting a war veteran.

Zizth gave a slight uncomfterble hiss, but didn;t pull away, shuddering at the attention. The damage was jagged and deep, usually such damage disappeared when one shed their exoskeleton. It takes a good amount of time before there was enough stimulation to get the muscles to finally relent, if jsut a bit, loosening their death grip with a very slight part in the seal.

ShardDM: "It's odd... You should have molted more, with all this scarring... Just how much did they break, the assholes..." Xerberus winds up muttering, giving a rub along her some more. With a opening to tease now, she flashes the broodqueen a little bit of a smile, as the small claw gently slides into the Zizth's slit, the broodlet's antenna twitching again.

Zizth gives a hiss of confusion as she;s invaded, having to push down a sudden panic from the bizzare sensations she was having trouble properly processing. she was unusually tight, and not just from being virginal it seemed, her lacking sexuality seeming to have made her attriibutes not nearly as endowed. Still, they seemed to have functionality most part.

ShardDM: "Told you it'd feel good," Xer purrs, giving a light pet along her back again. Still, she gently rubs along her insides, the sharpened talon surprisingly delicate with the soft passage as it rubbed along the insect's interior. Moving her free hand back to herself, she gently works some of the straps off the simple leather attire she was wearing, soon letting the green carapace of her own show properly to the broodqueen. "If you wish to feel back, don't hesitate..."

Zizth: "I don't know what I zeel.," hisses Zizth awkwardly, brain very confused even as she squirmed a bit. She looked back, and then decided to try it, looking the broodlet over. A chance to investigate an proper one of her species seemed like a good chance. "Zo... You're not a queen, yez? Zo which are you?," Zizth asks as she reached out and felt Xer's arms, seeming to be taking it pretty clinically on her side of things.

ShardDM: "Nope, I'm a Broodlet. The lowest of the sentient class, the harem members, diplomats, and so on," she purrs, buzzing her wings slightly. Still, she continues to wiggle her claw around in the broodqueen's body, trying her best to experiment with the broken queen.

Zizth: "Oh. Well I don't conzider you my lezzer.," says Zizth seriously, "You are an equal in my eyez." She roams her hands up to her shoulders, exporing, very careful to avoid the wings, holding a bit of awe for them and not wanting to accidently damage them. Zizth continues to squirm on the finger, hissing a little at the sensation, as confused as ever. "Zo... Unf, what are you doing...?"

ShardDM: "You've been alone and never experienced pleasure before, I thought it'd be a good idea to show you this sensation with another of your kind," Xerberus tried to explain, giving a gentle nuzzle against Zizth's body. She quietly murrs at the light rubs along her shoulders, especially near her wing joints. "Perhaps show a short glimpse at what your life may have been prior to some dick severing your mind?"

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

31 January (part six)

Spoiler

Zizth rubs there a bit more, figuring Xer likes rubs near her wings, blinking as the thrull cuddles up to her. "Iz very confuzing. But I don't know if the damage makez me hard to zeel it or iz I am zeeling pleazure." She shivers at the deeper prodding, "I am zorry I can;t be better company or normal. You zeem lonelier than me."

ShardDM: "You're company enough, stop acting so modest," she murmers, the thumb of her free hand gently moving further up the slit that had held Zizth's equipment, hovering over the entry to her other sexual organ. "I guess if anything, I should be sorry for being so naughty with the equivilence of a virgin..."

Zizth: "IF it helpz, I did agree to thiz. And I don't have the underztanding to be ozzended zo it doezn't really matter." She shivers, blinking as Xer roams upwards to the next vent, as Zizth keeps rubbing about the wings, "It muzt be nize to fly."

Alkaia: She smiles at Kalla and pats the spot next to her. "Alright."

ShardDM: Xer smiled lightly, nodding to Zizth as she worked the second slit now, a little bit of eagerness echoing in her eyes. "It can be, yes, though it's not something I tend to do a lot. I prefer to be grounded, meet more interesting people that way," she murmers, her wings twitching at the rubbing along the edges. Kalia nods slowly, sliding into the bed with a sigh. "Next few days are going to be busy..."

Alkaia: "More than likely." Laying down and watching Kalla curiously.

Zizth hisses again, shivering at the new strange feeling, as she feels around the wing, it working until the vent starts to part as well, Zizth shivering. "...zeelz ztranger there..."

ShardDM: Xerberes smiles lightly, continuing to rub along the second vent. "I'm sure it'll feel even better once whatever's hiding down there is revealed," she murrs, her wings continuing to buzz slightly from the insect's own hands, resulting in the broodlet biting her lip slightly. Kalia watched back, tilting her head. "Yes?" she asked, watching the dragonkin back.

Alkaia: She smiled as she cuddled up to Kalla. "Nothing."

Zizth keeps up her moving, finding some enjoyment in the repetition of the task, before hissing as her body finally surrenders and erects. she;s much smaller than most queens, but it's there, Zizth looking at it a bit confuzedly. "Huh... Zo I guezz I am like that wizard then... Or iz that normal? Are you like that too?"

ShardDM: Kalia shrugged, curling up into the bed a little more. Xerberus grinned, watching the insect's member raise up from it's hiding spot slowly. "Just a broodqueen thing. Allows them to keep making eggs in the harem constantly. Or at least would, if I wasn't sterile, but hey, no regrets," she murmers, gently sliding her hand around it and clutching it slightly, gently starting to rub along the queen's shaft.

Alkaia: She wrapped her arms about Kalla as she watched her curiously.

Zizth hizzes as the insectile member is stroked, it being somewhat prehensile as she shudders. "I do not mean to pry but iz your inzertility normal or juzt you? I know nothing about any of thiz." She shudders continuing to work the spots Xer seemed to like as she wiggled her single small abdomen a bit

ShardDM: "Just me, usually broodlets are quite fertile and tend to be the typical breeding stock Thrull," Xer murmers, leaning downward and giving a light lick at the queenly shaft, her eyes watching Zizth's as she flicks her twin tails lightly. Kalia blinks again at Alkaia but doesn't really comment.

Alkaia: She smiled as she continued to watch Kalla a moment. "Guess we should get some sleep them." Snuggling into the elf.

Zizth gives a hiss of slight surprise and a little alarm as Xer's head went down but she licked rather than bit, making her squirm a bit. "Oh. HEh, we are quite the pair then...," says Zizth, actually chuckling a bit, even as she shivers, "That felt weird... Iz all weird."

ShardDM: Kalia gives a gentle nod, nuzzling back into Alkaia slightly. Xer's gentle licks along Zizth's cock was leaving her panting as she enjoys pleasuring her, holding onto the base of her shaft with one set of claws as another slides back down, sliding in and stirring into Xer's feminine sex again.

Alkaia: She smiled and settled down to fall asleep in the arms of the princess.

Zizth 's shaft was certainly easy to lap at, she was not very big in the least. She hissed once more as her feminine half is sunk into once more. She starts massaging into Xer a bit harder, though careful not to do damage as she shuddered, brain still sending mixed confused signals with the lack of proper connections. Still some instinct let her rock her hips into the attentions. Zizth shivers as she’s licked and suckled it, writhing on her spot on the stool as she;s "pleasured" both ways. She rubs closer to the base of the wings, indeed very confused as her brain works the long way around to work, alongside her general lower blood supply making her a bit light headed.

ShardDM: Xerberus's reaction to Zizth's confusion seems to be layering more loving onto her. Sliding her claw from her slit and letting go of her shaft, Xer slowly climbs upwards, straddling across Zizth's lap with a small grin. Sliding her lap downward, she starts to rub her body downward into that strange shaft. "Now, for the main effect," she teases, slightly.

Zizth: "Huh. Oh, the breeding thing. It waz explained to me onze bezore.," says zizth, blinking as the smaller thrull climbed atop of her, Zizth helping support her rather easily, using her stronger body to assist.

ShardDM: Xer gives a light purr as she moves her hips downwards, her insides stretching along it. "May not be the same size, but that's not what matters," she murmers to herself as she slowly grinds down into the other thrull's body. Her insides were warm and tight, clearly not as used as her own description may had made it sound like.

Zizth hisses at the feeling of herself enturing the other thrull's body, shivering at the feeling. She didn't know one body from another since it was her first time, holding still a moment, blinking. "I think you're zuppozed to bounze, yez?," she asks after a moment, blinking at the strange concept of being inside another creature like this. "Huh... Iz weird thought... That you took part of me inzide you..."

ShardDM: 'According to my old queen, you get used to it real fast. Then again, she was kind of a nympho, always lodged into one harem member or another all the time..." Xer murmers, her hips giving a gentle grind before she slowly begins to slide along her shaft proper now, her thrusts into Zizth being slow to start.

Zizth: "I.. Don't know what that iz.," blinks Zizth, "...You mizz having a hive zometimez I take it?" Zizth shivers a bit at the strange feeling of the slow strokes, unsure of pleasure but certainly feeling the strange wet cushyness and the warmth of another who was clearly enjoying having her inside them. "...Iz there zomething I zhould be doing?," she asked, shivering, wanting to comfort Xer more.

ShardDM: Xer shook her head, giving a gentle nuzzle into Zizth's chest. "S-sometimes I miss it..." she pants, slowly working her hips long that shaft more and more. "Y-you don't need to do more, I'm already imposing much on your body..." Xer seemed to be noticing she was making Zizth feel awkward, but she was too far into this interaction.

Zizth chuckled slightly as Xer nussled into her breasts, giving a slight groan at the thrusting of her friend upon her. She frowned a bit, and lifted Xer's face to look at hers. "It zeelz ztrange to me and I don't underztand how I zeel. But you like it. You want me inzide you, want me cloze. I can zomewhat underztand that. I make you zeel good, wanted. Zo help me make you zeel better."

ShardDM: Xerberus is giving a light whimper as Zizth peers back at her, panting slightly as she rocks along her mate's body as well. "I-I... I guess I dun want to pressure you too much either is all... You a-are wounded..." she mutters, if anything her face looking even more conflicted, mixed between her needs and wants.

Zizth rolls her eyes. "I'll live." She removes a hand from her partners wing spot and grasps her hip, before standing up, and holding her aloft, before using gravity and her strength to pick up the pace, holding Xer close, squirming a bit. "Iz you won;t tell me, then I''ll juzt guezz then how to make you zeel better."

ShardDM: Xerberus gives a loud squeal as she suddenly gets up, her already spread legs catching onto the large thighs of Zizth's body to hold her somewhat up, one of her claws trying to grip on a shoulder without breaking the clay patch. "N-nngh... F-fine... D-don't be too gentle..." she murmers, a bit of the old playfulness coming at the edge of her voice with Zizth's little show of force.

Zizth: "Az you wizh.," smirks Zizth, before starting to thrust Xerberus onto herself vigorously, meeting her half way with her thrusts, making their bodies clap toghether lewdly as Zizth let's the smaller female grip onto her. Pleasure or not, she felt a definite satisfaction at seeing Xer enjoying herself and knowing she was part of that reason, that some part of her was making her beter, that Xer wanted part of her with her. It was that sense of satisfaction that drove her onwards, caring jsut for her partner's pleasure.

ShardDM: Xer's sense of satisfaction was much more primal, and it showed. The first hard thrust was more of a loud squeal from the bug woman, but as the tempo evened out, pleasure won over more and more from pain as Zizth mimicked her more feral cousins. Her insides twitched and squeezed more around the intrusion, as more of her juices coated her partner's body. Long antennae and tails twitched erratically, and her moans if anything only grew louder and louder with each wet slap of chitin on chitin

Zizth didn’t relent her pace, working into her partner's body, shuddering as she worked tirelessly, taking advantage of her superior stamina to drive her partner to her heights of bliss, enjoying watching her back this time and seeing the results of her efforts. She chittered rather happily as she saw her partner heightening her calls of bliss. She refused to stop even for a moment, though she did note a slow pressure building in her body.

ShardDM: The constant pistoning by Zizth was having the planned effect, to the point that Zizth would hear Xerberus's babbling in her native tongue. Even not expecting what could be coming still, the bliss Xer was getting was all worth it, as the faster thrusts soon brought the broodlet over the edge. She held tight to the larger thrull, giving a loud, alien screech while her arms twisted around her, wings buzzing madly for a few moments as the rest of her tensed up, insides seeming to madly grip and massage at the invading mass with no clear rythem while juices drool and splatter from her own slit.

Zizth hissed, shuddering, before giving a slight hiss of alarm as Xer latched onto her and her insides seemed to go mad in their random milking fashion. She shuddered before she felt the pressure hit hard into her, before she latched back to her partner with a hiss of shock as it felt like she had been electrocuted, orgasming her first seed into her infertile partner, the hive starting load to bare no fruit. It was over rather fast, quick as it began with little volume, but it wouldn;t take much under most circumstances anyways. Zizth jsut panted and recovered, feeling a touch dizzy from the sensation.

ShardDM: Xer too panted gently, simply cradling herself in the grip of the much-larger thrull, eyes a little unfocused for a moment before the emerald orbs focused on her. "[G-guess that was a little overboard for a first meeting, h-huh?]" she couldn't help but interject, the slightest tinges of red showing on her face.

Zizth blinks, holding the thrull close and shrugging. "I wouldn't know. Zirzt nigh I travel with my alliez, two did just thiz. I thought it waz normal. What juzt happened? Zelt like I have been electricuted, and prezzure then... now dizzy." She took a seat back down, though kept Xer close still

ShardDM: Xer didn't bother to push back, simply holding herself against her a little more. "That, my little half-queen, was a orgasmn. It's what the humans prefer to think is the primary goal of recreational sex, instead of just the procreation side of things. Either way, even something like yourself could get knocked off your feet I suppose from your first," she murmers, gently running a claw along Zizth's side.

Zizth: "Zomething like me?," asks zizth wryly, leaning back against the counter to relax a bit and recover, "Yez I zound that out when the two did not breed. It waz zurprizing. I waz worried I waz dying. Zigured iz I waz leazt it'd be a better way than mozt."

ShardDM: Xerberus gave a bit of a chuckle. "Nope, though I've heard that remark sometimes after some over-eager cubites get a bit too peckish." She gives a gentle peck to the cheek on Zizth's face as she gently slides her body off of Zizth's member, giving a light quiver while some white juices drool from her belly.

Zizth shivered, her body automatically retracting her small shaft back inside and resealing her parts within. She blinked at the peck, tilting her head curiously. "What waz that?," she blinked curiously, "And you enjoyed yourzelf yez?"

ShardDM: Xerberus nods slowly, her wings buzz slightly. "Just a kiss, my lady. Nothing wrong with those."

Zizth: "I don't know what they are. But I will take it you did.," smiles Zizth, feeling centered enough to get up again

ShardDM: Xer nodded again, gently collected the leather outfit and quietly working it around the spines of her body again to get it back into place. "Mmmhm. I thank you, even if I did mostly force myself upon you."

Zizth shrugs, "I had the choize to deny you. I choze not to. You forzed nothing. And then I dezided that I liked you being happy. Zo I worked for it. I am glad that zome part of me could make you happy for zome time."

ShardDM: Xerberus simply beams a little bit. "Yaknow, minus the injuries, you'd probably would make one hell of a Broodqueen, you know that?"

Zizth blinks, and then turns a little darker brown at the cheeks. "Oh. Um... Thank you... But well, iz not in my future it zeemz. If it changez though you'd be welcome to join or juzt vizit it. Courze, chanzez of me being a real queen are zimiler to me being a mage."

ShardDM: Xerberus simply nods a little, giving a little smile. "True enough, I suppose, and in some ways you are good as yourself as well, as is everyone. I just wished I could help some of your issues more."

Zizth shrugs, "You zound them. That iz plenty. Nobody knew, not even me, bezore then. But iz alright. I may not be queen, but I am Zizth and I do my part. Get rid of zlaverz who ruin livez and zuch. Juzt make world little bit better each time. I do not have a proper zenze of what I have lozt zo I do not mizz it. It'd be like iz you were born without wingz, you never truly know what you mizzed."

((end of session))

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

7 February (part one)

Spoiler

ShardDM: WHEN LAST WE LEFT OFF: Lots and lots of bonerhumping. In seriousness however, incoming royal fleet will be assisting you eventually in securing the hidden lorebooks, however that will take at least a day, at least. As we start this session it's the next morning, the inn is starting to get a little more busy and you all are able to start waking up with your respective times and places.

Kaylia gently rouses Mona, dressing herself quickly and heading down to breakfast. She stops the barkeep. "We'll need breakfast service for twelve, please. Also, a large table or a few tables pushed together. And I need to know who the local mayor or authority figure is, please." She puts a gold coin down on the countertop.

Gar’Luc wakes up with a yawn, looking down at his Cubite and gently moving his hand to rouse her awake.

Alkaia wakes before Kalia. Smirking as she happily let her snuggle up to her nude form. Letting Kalia rest her head on her bosom.

ShardDM: As Kaylia woke up, Mona gave a muttering grumble at being roused from her sleep, though she relented to the warm body pushing away from her as Kaylia walked downward. A few of the locals have arrived as well, mostly avoiding the resting ball of chitin and cloak that was Zizth near the fireplace, with a Kaliferian maiden holding the bar now as the day started. "I believe the head of house is on holiday at the moment," she replies, adding the coin to a can behind the countertop. "His secretery, Millette, may be in today however. There's a community building a little ways up the walkway over the swamp, that acts as the administration in town. With Gar's hand giving her a gentle push over her back, Jewel groaned slightly, giving a blink with her eyes and glancing back to the minotaur. "M-morning," she murmered, wiggling into his chest slightly. With Alkaia awoke, Kalia still slept for a little more, not actively waking up yet herself.

Laani woke up, feeling a nasty urge to piss. Rolling out of bed, tangled completely in the bedding and looking far too much like a walking cocoon, she stumbled out of her room, fell and roll down the stairs, much to any shock or awe of the inn-goers, wriggled her way outside and into the back alleys of the inn and slowly stood up, still in a dazed sleepy mode, wriggled her arms free to remove the bedding around her crotch. "Ahhhh. . ." She moaned, happily feeling nature's relief even as the pitter patter hit the ground.

Kaylia: "Fair enough. Who's in charge of law enforcement around here? And where's the weaponsmith? And is there some sort of alarm bell in town?" The werelioness in human form is taking notes as the barkeep answers her.

Zizth chitters a bit and stretches, getting up with a yawn by the fire, scanning her surroundings cautiously and a little on edge, before calming down a little, seeing as she hadn;t been disturbed. She got up, antenna's wiggling, not seeing Xer around, only Kaylia

Gar’Luc holds Jewel up against his chest as he sits up, then gently sets her back down on the bed as he moves to find his pants. "I take it last night was good?" he asks her, pulling on his pants and buckling his belt, before stretching and yawning

Alkaia smiles as she stretches. Letting Kalia rest against her an awaken on her own.

ShardDM: In another tavern room, a floor and a few steps away from the rest, another figure was sleeping, with a curious device laying on the nightstand next to the bed. Whether alone or having taken one of the bar patrons to sleep with her, Laurel would probably be either awakened or alerted to the sound of three short but loud beeping noises from the radio, alerting her that someone over in command was trying to get ahold of her. The barmaid opened her mouth to reply to Kaylia, only for Laani to barrel down the stairs and out the door. Giving a light frown, she then turned to Kaylia again. "There's a Amon Josheph acting as sherrif, he's mostly alone at times and can be found off the side of the administration building. The weaponsmith would be a few buildings down and then take a right, he's the general smith but he does some weaponwork for the occasional adventurer too, as for any form of alarm bell, no idea... Closest perhaps would be the old Lunis shrine a few miles out into the swamp, but noone's touched that place for years, can't say if the bell would have stayed standing or not."

ShardDM: Jewel gave a little nod, sliding from his belly and giving a slight yawn as well, all four of her wings stretching from her body at once. "Very," she murred a little, her tail giving a few flicks before it started scooping clothing off the floor. Kalia yet again slowly woke up, only to blush deeply and push back slowly from the cubite dragoness, embarressed at the close touch.

Kaylia smiles at the barkeep. "Thanks. Some of that coffee would be nice, too." She puts another coin on the table, then turns to her companions. "Good Morning, Laani. Good Morning, Zizth. I got us a large table--we need to discuss our plans." The werelioness sits at the table, laying out several papers with maps, lists, and diagrams from her previous night of planning.

Laani with the relief over, the goblin yawned loudly, before blearily blinking from her bedding cocoon, looking around the outside. (If anyone is looking) "What're you looking at?" Heading back into the inn, she looked around the inside giving a look at Kaylia. "Hey, what happened last night?" As she stumbled over to the table, feeling an ache in her brain from being hungover as she sat at the table, still nestled quite comfortably in her bedding cocoon. "Morning" She replied to both.

Zizth looks over at Kaylia, frowning a bit at not scenting Xer and went and looked at the table, remaining standing. "Did we not do that yezterday? We zind them, and we ztrike bezore they ztrike uz here."
Laurel: With a groan, Laurel rolled over and out from the sheets, exposing her nude form and that of the lover she'd taken the night before. His manhood was rigid with morning desire, but Laurel simply smacked his chest. "Out," she said, pointing to the door before grasping the radio. "Sgt. Roebuck here," the Cubite muttered into the device.

Kaylia: "This is a map of the town. Remember those cultists from last night? Chances are we're gonna be in for a fight sometime today or tomorrow. And we have no idea where to find them, but defending that library until the books can be removed should be our first priority. Preventing civilian casualties in town should be our second."

Alkaia: She smiled as she sits up. "Sleep well?" Smiling as she slipped out of bed and getting dressed. "Come let's go get some breakfast. Smiling as she sashayed out of the room to head down stairs.

Zizth: "Iz we ztrike them zirzt, then both problemz are zolved."

Gar’Luc stretches his arms and his back, reaching for his club beside the bed and hefting it up into the straps on his back as he heads for the door to the room, waiting for Jewel to finish dressing so he can head down with her.

Kaylia: "Providing they don't circle around and hit the town while we're trying to find them, maybe."

Zizth: "We zhould azk our zaun zriend iz zhe had any luck loozening her tongue then and zee iz we know where they are lairing. Alzo you zhould inzorm the people they are under threat. Then they can zight the zlaverz."

Kaylia: "I say we delay any attempt to track and find them until the royals arrive to remove the library resources. Right now we have what they want. Leaving the library with minimal guards would be playing into their hands. But if you can find that fleeing cultist's tracks, it might be worth knowing what general direction they're likely to come from."

Zizth: "I am not zaying we leave now. I am zaying we zind out where they are and only zend a zew then. Laani, Halzdan and me. Laani cauzez much deztruction, not good zhe iz here. Halzdan can zneak and zo can I. Then you and the wizardz handle dezenze with the aid oz the town."

ShardDM: The man that Laurel had taken for the night quickly tossed together his clothes after getting punted out of the bed, the appearance on his face still making it clear that last night was worth the morning's frigid reaction. The radio squaked slightly before the faint voice of one of her superiors echos through the device. "Apologies for the early wakeup, sir," the voice replied to her, sticking to base military speak. "We got a request for aid from some of them shardhunters the King sent out. You close enough to Bitterwater with your search to take a detour?" Jewel quickly dressed, joining the hulking minotaur on the way down the stairs and followed shortly by Mona, still a little fluffed up from the night's events as she joined the breakfast table.

Kaylia: "Hrm. Sending a small force sounds like a good idea. Alright. How long do you plan to follow the trail? I think it'd be best if you guys checked back in before nightfall."

Laani: "Destruction? What's this good about me being good at destruction? I can tell you both, I did not cause any such destruction last night nor did I change out the inn's privy to where instead of you pooping in it, it poops in you! Totally have nothing to do with that." Laani speaks up easily. (Up to lurker if she is babbling a lie or actually did that *snort*) "Soooo those cultists? Ah, well, they got spells, I need a way to get through their spells to hit them." As she remembered the last one she shot out just deflected the shot.

Gar’Luc goes to the breakfast table and claims a seat next to Jewel "What are we talking about, now?"

Kaylia fills in Gar'Luc on the plan to send a small scouting party on the cultist's trail, and to fortify the town.

Zizth: "We do not have a trail yet. That iz why I intend to check with our zaun zriend to zee iz zhe haz gotten the prizoner to zpeak."

Alkaia sashays into the room in her dancing garb. Her armour still being lent out to Mona. "Morning." Waving as she approached the others at the table.

Laurel rubbed her face and blinked a few times before starting to gather the scattered pieces of her uniform from the rather hasty entrance she had made the night before. "Aye. I can do that. Any details, or should I just go figure it out on my own?" already starting to pull on the breeches tight enough to nearly be a second skin.

Kaylia: "And I'll be talking to the sheriff. I'd like to get an alarm set up in town, so that when the cultists get close we can have the townfolk hiding somewhere away from the library. Preferably underground. Good Morning, Alkaia." Kaylia sips her coffee, pouring over the map of the town she sketched.

Alkaia: "So what is this morning’s business?" Looking at the red head curiously.

Zizth: "I zhall go zind our zaun.," says Zizth, turning and heading for the door to go find Alita

Laani: "Morning bullman, cubite, cubite. . . Wait the faun's still alive? I've got to see this. . ." As Laani hopped off, still in her bedding cocoon, falling flat on the ground before wriggling back up and walking behind Zizth

Gar’Luc: "I vote we just hold out and wait. More people we have out there, less people we have back here to defend."

Kaylia: "Fair enough, Zizth. We're gonna go over defenses for the town." Kaylia explains the basics of the previous discussion first, then continues. "Actually I think we should have either Alkaia or Mona flying above the town for the rest of the day, taking shifts. We need an early warning if the cultists are en route."

Gar’Luc reaches his hand around to pull his Cubite close to him. "Besides, I doubt that we'll be able to do much to stop 'em from attacking this place."

ShardDM: Kalia eventually joins the party at the table, with Halfdan giving a loud yawn as he follows after the rest. Kalia glances at the map, mutting to herself as she seems to focus on things. The radio replies again as Laurel dresses up. "Some scryer located in Bitterwater apparently was also hiding a bunch of literature that was of interest to the enemy. These chaps managed to stop them, but there's a good chance that they could still be caught flatfooted. Apparently they got a minotaur and a faun prisoner with em, so they'll be hard to miss." With Zizth and Laani headed out of the tavern, they'd find the town relatively slowly waking up, with predestrians already moving around. No sign of damage was at the bookstore in question where they had left Alita.

Alkaia: She give a small nod. "Though I could set up magical defenses to protect the town. Though it would require some work and likely my focus to maintain such." Looking over to Kalia a moment. "Though Kalia may be able to use her golems to form an early warning system."

Laurel: The hell was she about to get into. "Roger. I'll check it out. Roebuck out," Laurel said before pulling on the corset, overcoat, boots and glooves of her uniform, and stepping out into the main room of the tavern. As she looked about, searching for something to eat, she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail.

Zizth nods and heads out, heading to find the faun, glad to see nothing was damaged right now. She was curious to see how the Faun did her work. She contemplated the strangeness of it. Everyone treated Alita's magic as worse somehow, and Zizth jsut saw it all equally bad. She was curious to see just what made it so bad.

Kaylia: "Anything we can do as an alarm would also help, agreed. Gar'Luc, you seem to do best in close quarters. I think you should probably act as our last line of defense. Maybe right outside of the library."

Gar’Luc: "I can do that. If anything else I can just block the doorway."

Laani ponders about thinking about bringing that milking machine. Buuut eh. "So, giant, anything happen with the faun? She still a prisoner or something else now?"

ShardDM: Jewel gives a yelp as Gar tugged her closer, perhaps giving Laurel a chance to look over to see not only the famed Braxilian musician, but also a minotaur, a Kaliferian maiden, a dragonkin, a harpy, a giant of a man, and a Helius woman all scruitinizing some things on a table. Well, that was convenient. Kalia simply nodded a little. "I could deploy the Remora Sentinels in the area, of course. They're not strong, but they could hold out against a small force."

ShardDM: As Zizth and Laani reached the bookstore, they'd noticed a cloaked figure on the roof- Zizth would recognize it as Kiva from yesterday, and she gave a nod of recognition to them as she kept sitting there, glancing around protectively of the nearby location.

Kaylia makes plans to cut down the bridge entrances to town, reducing the possible attack angles for the cultists.

Alkaia: "I could conjure up walls of ice at certain spots, though I give them only an hour in this warm climate to melt away."

Laani: "Whose that?" The gobbo asked Zizth

Zizth looks up at the shard lady and nods back before heading inside. She would speak to her after she determined if Alita knew anything.

Zizth looks back. "I zhall tell you onze we are inzide. Zhe iz an ally though."

Laurel: With a blink of surprise, Laurel moved closer to the table, hoping that the Braxillian military uniform wouldn't get her shooed away. "You folks look rather engaged," she said loud enough to be heard over any conversation as she found a place at the table.

Kaylia: "Hrm. Maybe the walls of ice could be set up as soon as the alarm is sounded." Kaylia looks up at the newcomer, raising an eyebrow. "Oh please, please tell me that you've brought the airship with you."

ShardDM: With Zizth entering the bookstore, a soft chime from the bell on the door alerted the inside of thier presense. From the back came Ameus, glancing to Zizth and giving a quiet sigh. "Oh, good. Your friend said she was keeping an eye on the prisoner until you all woke up downstairs. I'll let you you in, but be careful, she's been practicing her craft on the poor fool." Silently Ameus opened the secret passage, the wall once again opening to lead to the downstairs area of the house.

Alkaia: "I can set them up before hand and ready to spring. Do you want me ready to throw up a shield to stop any magic as well?" Looking curiously at the map. "Where do you want them?"

Laani: "Practicing her craft on the fool? Which fool?" The goblin questioned, feeling a bite undecidedly safe since she didn't have her arms free from her nice warm bedding she dragged through the streets as a cocoon.

Gar’Luc wraps his arm around Jewel farther when the strange woman takes a seat, his hand resting on her stomach as he holds her close "And who are you?"

Zizth: "Zhe iz a mage. I am alwayz careful around them. Azter all, who would not be carezul around entitiez that can deztroy you with a glanze?," shrugs Zizth, "Laani, thiz iz zriend. Zhe workz zor government. Alita iz magicking at our prizoner to make her talk and not run. We zhall zee if zhe haz zuczezz."

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

7 February (part two)

Spoiler

ShardDM: Jewel glanced at the newcomer to the table, eyes squinting slightly before giving a shrug and turning back to the bacon on her plate. Kalia quietly started snapping off the crystals off a bangle, laying them on the table as she examined the map. "Let's see, a remora here, here..." Halfdan gave a bit of a snort as he rubbed his chin, the larger man frowning. "Knowing the tact, and not knowing where they started beyond that the one fled down the main road out of town, I'm going to assume any battling may happen at the inn and into the swamp. Last I was aware, subtlety was not the strong point of them." Mona simply chewed through some fruit and watched everyone, trying to not moult feathers into everyone's meals.

Laurel: "No airship, just a few guns, a blade, and the skill to use them. I'm Sgt. Laurel Roebuck, Braxilian military, Alchelia Foresters to be precise," she said with a slight bow of her head to each of those around the table, though a raised eyebrow to the minotaur who held Jewel.

Kaylia: "Well... we can certainly use the help. Please to meet you, Sergeant Roebuck. I'm Doctor Kaylia Smythe. I'm a scientist, but I'm also decent with a rifle." Kaylia offers the cubite her hand, then turns to Alkaia. "That sounds smart. Let's block all land entrances to the town, force the cultists to slog through swamp ground." Kaylia points to the land entrances on the map.

ShardDM: The defiled woman gives a shrug at Zizth and Laani. "It's not my business about it, I just try to keep out of that business beyond my research," she replied back simply, grabbing a candle and leading the way down the stairway as light. After a short flight of stairs, they'd once more be in the secret library. In one corner laid Alita, dozing slightly with her lower body pressed down into the ground, a few books laying open nearby her arms. In the other corner, however, was something a bit more disturbing- the Kaliferian woman the team had taken prisoner last night has had her legs reduced to short stumps, with fleshy tentacle growths wrapped around her chest and pelvis from her back, constantly molesting her. A part of the woman's robes had been used to gag her, quiet pants now coming muffledly out of the gag as the tendrils move under the woman's clothing. Ameus gave a bit of a disapproving sniff before she moved to Alita, giving a few hard rocks at the faun's lower body. "Wake up already, your captors are back," she muttered.

Kaylia: "Oh. Mona, do you have any ranged weapons you might be able to use from the air? If not, we need to try to get you something. Maybe the weaponsmith has a talon bow. Also, could you take first watch? We need someone with wings to circle the town, giving us an early warning when the cultists are en route."

Laani: "That's pretty tame. I was expecting some sort of pig like state." Laani commented with a dry tongue as she looked over at Zizth. "Going to get on her case about this as well?" In reference to when Zizth got on her case.

Alkaia: "Hm..." Nodding a moment. "If I just block them and thicken them, might extend their duration by thirty minutes." She made a small circle of perhaps a few hindred feet. "That is about the size of a shield I can make, only defend against one type of attack at a time."

Zizth looked at Laani. "Yez, thiz iz a bit much. I did not ezpect the... groping.," says Zizth with a sound of distaste, "The rezt iz reverzible at leazt." She walked over and shaked Alita's arm. "Wake up."

Laurel: Taking Kaylia's hand, Laurel turned to look at the map, trying to get her bearings and caught up with the situation. "I'm a good shot, thought about getting a sniper in view of that library?" she asked.

Laani: "But you allowed this to happen. . . Stupid bleeding hearts, if I have to do something as wacky as this girl has done to get this kind of passive acceptance to me interrogating someone. . ." The gobbo bemoaned under her breath.

ShardDM: Mona shook her head. "Not offhand, no. Wasn't even aware such a thing was possible, offhand," the harpy muttered. "I could help out with keeping an eye on things, though." Halfdan gave a small grumble, stretching slightly as the rest talk.

Kaylia: "Actually I was only planning on my own rifle for that... but there ARE two points." Kaylia points out the two tallest buildings in the area with a view of the library and town entries, then turns to Alkaia. "We don't want to prevent the cultists from entering the town, but simply funnel them into an area where we can hit them from all angles. We should leave an obvious opening... here." Kaylia points out a path through town. "Once the remaining cultists get to the library, Gar'Luc holds the line while Kiva and Halfdan flank them. And we continue to snipe at them."

ShardDM: Alita gave a loud "ASGEPASHGU-!" as Zizth's claws touched her arm, bolting dead awake before blinking her eyes and getting the two into focus. "Oh, right, you guys... sorry, bad memories. You all up now then?" she asked, working back onto her hooves. "Luckily, the little girl wasn't entirely crazed, got a few things at least..."

Gar’Luc nods his head "I hold the line. I don't even think Halfdan or Kiva even need to show up." he says, his hand venturing a little bit lower on his Cubite as he speaks.

Alkaia: "Alright. Do you want me slinging spells or holding the line with Gar. I may not look it, but being a dragon comes with some melee benifits. And I know some martial arts."

Zizth: "Apologiez. I did not mean to ztartle you.," sayys Zizth simply, "Tell me what you have learned then."

Laurel: Glancing to the minotaur, and his bulk, Laurel couldn't contain her smirk. "Allright. I can set up in the second point then, pick off some of the bastards. If we're wanting them to funnel in, do we have a signal to start bursting heads?"

Laani: "MMmph. Lucky you. Got to have fun with this one." Laani idly commented from behind Zizth as she poked her head around, still covered in the cocoon of bedding. "Now. . . Are those tentacles regulated to keep her in a constant state of pleasure or a constant state of orgasms?"

Kaylia: "We start shooting as soon as they breach the perimeter, I think," Kaylia responds to the Sergeant. "Alkaia, I think you should start with ranged spell attacks, maybe debilitating magics, then join the melee once the melee is... uh. Joined." The werelioness ponders the map for another moment, taking a bite of a muffin and sipping on her black coffee.

Alkaia: "Unless I get close any debilitating magics I know are useless. I need as least five or six feet for most, and touch for the rest. Though I do know a ton of offensive spells."

Kaylia: "Well then, I guess you're on offensive spells. Pick a tower for optimal range."

Alkaia: "I will need line of sight for some, and ample room for others. I think I will stick to the roof of the library. Should give me ample room for any of my spells."

ShardDM: Jewel's face grows a little redder as the minotaur figits his fingers along her body, before giving a light swat with her hand before piping up. "Er, so what do I do? I'm made for singing and mucking with autobands, not this fighting buisness." "There's always hiding with the books," Halfdan muttered, before giving a shrug. "No idea." Alita gave a bit of a huff, glaring at the goblin a little before turning to Zizth. "Don't worry, all I did was break off her pleasure centers for a moment and then shortened her limbs, using the spare material to keep herself occupied until the Army shows up. I got out of her that apparently some gits called Bleeder and Garus were trying to run off with the books here, both to get them out of the Crown's hands and cus they were after texts on Rift Magic. I don't understand why offhand yet, and didn't get more out of her than that. Also, still need to try and dissuade Icarus that I'm helping you all today still."

Gar’Luc moves his hand back up to rest on Jewel's belly when she swats him "I vote for you staying with the books. Gives me more incentive to keep people out of the library."

Kaylia: "Works for me, Alkaia. Jewel, you don't seem to be 100% on combat skills, but we DO need someone to get the townsfolk to safety when the cultists get close. Mona could probably help you with that." Kaylia finishes off her coffee, standing to get a refill. "I'm gonna go talk to the Sheriff, see if we can get any law enforcement help, and maybe arrange a public announcement to the town. Mona, could you go ahead and start the scouting? Oh, and Halfdan, could you start cutting down the bridges? Try not to do any permanent damage."

Alkaia: She nods a moment. "I should get myself a snack before then." Looking curiously to Kalia a moment.

Zizth: "Iz not too hard. You can zay you had no choize. In any caze, zo we have two then hm? Try to zind out where they are camped or their local rezourzez are. I am going to talk to the Blackzhard and Kiva." She looked over to Laani. "Ther perzon on top the building iz an ally Blackzhard and Kiva. Do not bother them much, pleaze."

Laurel: Moving by the bar and getting herself a scone and a coffee, Laurel glanced to Kaylia, who seemed to be the leader of the group. "So, where do you want me for the time being?"

Laani: "Oi, bother who too much?" the Goblin spoke with an annoyed tone. She waited a few beats for Zizth to leave before looking over at the faun. "So, what's it like practicing flesh craft? Is it possible for you to create some flesh that mimics guns?"

Kaylia: The redhead smiles at the cubite, taking a sip of her fresh cup of coffee. "Um... yes. Actually, come along. You'll lend a little legitimacy when I go tell the Sheriff what's what."

ShardDM: The harpy gives a little nod, giving a little stretch of her wings as she slides off the chair again. "I can try. Don't think we'll see them until nightfall." Halfdan gave a raise of his eyebrow at Kaylia's comment. "Perhaps you should ask permission before you have me start chopping apart any town infrastructure?" Kalia flushes deeper as Alkaia pointedly looks at her, before focusing on the map again, fidgeting with a crystal in her hand. Jewel nodded her head a little as she glanced between everyone. "If they'll listen to me, sure..."

Zizth blinks then shrugs and heads out to scale up to see Kiva.

Laurel: Downing her scone, and brushing some crumbs from her cleavage, Laurel made to follow Kaylia, before glancing back at Jewel. "Promise them a concert if they do."

Alkaia: She chuckled a moment before kissing Kalia chastly on her head. "Alright, I will be at the library then. So if you need me I will be there."

Kaylia: "Hrm. Yeah, Halfdan and Jewel, you guys should come along, too. We can make sure the sheriff approves our plan, and Jewel can be there when the announcement is made to the town."

ShardDM: Zizth would naturally find little resistance as she climbed onto the roof, with Kiva still watching the town. "Hey," she stated with a nod, with the chitin on Kiva's arm quickly forming an eye to watch at the sound of claws scrabbling across stone. Alita simply shrugs, focusing on the cultist and giving a quiet few mutterings. Emerald energy focuses on her hands, and the cultist whimpers as the tendrils that had been molesting her slowly reforms, taking on more of a bone complexition and forming into a slight bracer to hold her upwards. "Depends, I suppose it could be possible, but I don't think I'd know the direct science required to modify someone like that," she remarks, the mutation process slowly working as she focuses.

Kaylia leaves the tavern with Laurel and whomever else comes along, heading to the sheriff's office first.

Alkaia waves Kalia good bye before seeking out the library and the faun.

Zizth nods as she climbs up beside Kiva, staying in a crouch. "Greetingz. Do the namez Bleeder or Garuz mean anything to you? It zeemz they are involved with thiz. The otherz prepare to zight here. I plan to zind our enemiez and ztrike zirzt, or at leazt zind numberz and weaknezzez. Perhapz you have ideaz where they may be?"

Laani: "Really? You’re not saying it's impossible? Strange. Most magick types I've talked to have a complete disdain for any sort of tech. So, let’s say this. . . Do you know of any biological responses that can send objects flying at high speeds? My personal thoughts on an organic starting point is. . ." Laani spat from her mouth, onto the floor. "Something like that. That spark any ideas?"

Gar’Luc eats his breakfast before standing and opting to go stand at his post, releasing Jewel to allow her to go where she's needed

ShardDM: Kalia's flushing grew deeper, as she quietly regathered her gemstones. "I'll work on getting the Remoras set up," she muttered, with Halfdan and Jewel quickly following Kaylia now down the road. As the woman had stated early, shortly after the bookstore there was a raised platform, eventually standing several feet over the swamp with several dwellings built into it. Towards the center was a raised landmass, looking like it had been shaped to support stronger structures, among them being the administration building/sheriff's hutch. Lights burned in both buildings, a lantern in the barred windows of the sheriff's office and several flarestone lights burning through the windows. Naturally, Alkaia would have little issues reaching the bookstore again, with Ameus now at the counter again and silently letting her downstairs, where Laani was accosting Alita and the faun making the captive relatively comfortable- as comfortable as one can be with biological stilting from one's shoulders and spine, of course.

Alkaia: She frowned as she observed the state of the captive. Sighing as she now knew why some considered it a cruel and evil art. "Alita I found how to do that ritual you mentioned." Pulling out the book she had found it in.

Kaylia: "So... Sergeant Roebuck? Your presence in town seems like a very lucky coincidence. Do you mind if I ask what you're doing out in this area?" Kaylia asks the question casually, but listens intently for any contradictions in the cubite's story.

ShardDM: Alita gave a bit of a hum. "Perhaps some form of controlled sneeze would be better, or something like that. I dunno, it would take some work for such a thing to be worked on, I suppose," the faun replied, before turning to the dragonkin. "Oh, another one of you now?" Kiva shrugged a little, her gaze never leaving the main road the party had entered on.. "Just Bleeder, the other one's unknown. Beyond wherever the one guy ran off after you guys took potshots at him, I'm not sure where else they'd find nearby to camp out. The swamp's a big place though." They eye that had spotted Zizth's climb up quietly folded itself back into the armor.

Zizth: "Hm. They muzt have a ztructure of zome zort or zolid ground, yez? Iz hard to build on zuch zoft land. Too zquizhy."

Laani: Tilting her head she looked over at the cubite dragoness and the faun, still within her cocoon as she let out a sigh. "A controlled sneeze? That isn't fast enough for long range. Hmmm, what about whip like motions - sorta like them trebuchets, but flings with air being sucked into the length and being forced behind the object to be jettisoned out at extremely high pressures?"

Laurel: "You can, but I'm not going to tell the whole story," Laurel said, and let her lips curl as she glanced at Kaylia. "For now, we can leave it at: my duty to queen and country happened to lead me here. And for the moment, I believe our goals are parallel," she said.

Kaylia: "Fair enough, Sergeant, keep your secrets." Kaylia gives a little wink to the cubite, entering the administration building and heading straight to the sheriff's office.

Laurel: "I will. For the moment. I'd like to see you try and get them out," Laurel replied, with a wink of her own before following to the sheriff's.

ShardDM: Alita turned to Alkaia, giving a little sigh. "I expected as much. Just because you know of it, though, doesn't mean I'm comfortable enough performing it. It's not really something that a novice like me was supposed to pull off, after all," she replied back, for the moment ignoring the goblin's questions. Kiva shook her head a little, the hood part falling off and letting her black-purple locks and dark tan skin show. "Not really. They'd probably have used one of the ruins around the place. This area all around was originally a site of one of the rift openings to the Riftlands, the Abyssite's homeworld. There's all sorts of things buried around the place from the rift wars and before, though many have since then been eaten up by the swamp itself and the new fauna."

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

7 February (part three)

Spoiler

Kaylia: "Yeah... I'm a scientist. That means I tend to think before I act, and especially before I try to strong-arm a big, tough sergeant into spilling her mission." Kaylia grins as they reach the sheriff's office, wrapping on the door with her knuckles (whether it's open or shut).

Zizth: "Mmm, well. What iz the clozezt one? Iz they eman to attack here, they will camp there mozt likely."

Laurel: "I wasn't suggesting strong arm tactics," Laurel said, leaning against the door as Kaylia knocked.

Alkaia frowned and nodded. "Alright, fair enough." Heading upstairs to go outside. Making her way towards where she would be conjuring the walls of ice.

Laani tapped her foot waiting on an answer from the faun, making pointedly loud tapping noises

Kaylia blushes just a bit at the cubite's response. "Uh-huh. And I also notice things. Like when a half-naked man has to sneak through the tavern to get to his room, and then a fully-dressed (but very cute) cubite sergeant comes by to join our defenses." She gives the cubite a smirk.

ShardDM: As the two cubites, Halfdan, and Kaylia found the door to the small ramshackled structure connected to the administration office, they'd find that it was a relatively small, cramped area, comprising of three rooms- a small jail and cell, a living quarters, and a sort of office and work area foremost, which they could see the most detail of thanks to the open door and lantern in the window. Leaning on a chair was what appeared at first to be a standard Kaliferian man, until he held up one of his six arms and gave a short gesture to Jewel peering inside. "Door's open," he muttered, most of his facial features hidden by a mix of broad-rim hat and a large coat collar.

Kaylia: "Ah. Good. Sheriff, we've got a few things to talk about. We're representatives of the royals. Your town is likely to be the target of a cultist attack within the next twenty-four hours. We want to help you keep your people safe." Kaylia briefs the sheriff on the situation, leaving out the details of what's actually in the library or Kiva and Ashur, and not mentioning the Blackshards.

ShardDM: Alita frowned a little as she watched the dragonkin leave again, before focusing on Laani. "Sorry about that. Sure, something like that could be possible, perhaps, bit of a slingshot effect... Anyway, she's good until tonight, may as well go outside, I got a... meeting, to attest to," she muttered. "You didn't happen to find my spare naginata, did you?" Kiva nodded slowly, giving a small hum. "Think that'd be a old Luna shrine to the northeast, I know some people still visit it but if my reading was right it was also used as a powder store by the Dwarves during the old war. An underground vault like that could act as a hiding area for the cultists," she reasoned.

Laurel listened as well, knowing only bits and pieces more than the sheriff. She had grinned at Karlia's last comment on the man scuttling out of her room. So he had managed to get his pants on after all. But now, she just listened.

Laani: "Meeting to attend too? Eh, I'm going to follow you around right now than for the reasoning that I'm bored and everyone else in my group are busy doing things that leave me puzzled. So where's this meeting out?" As Laani held her hidden hands on her guns, making sure were both loaded in her cocoon and finding to her annoyed surprise Suprise 4 wasn't while Boomy was.

Alkaia went to begin preparing runes and magic symbols at the spots to help funnel the cultists should they attack. Speaking words to as she prepped the sites for the walls.

ShardDM: The sheriff took a second to slide a cigarette from his bag and light it, drawing on it as the werelioness discussed the situation they were dragging into his town. "Yeah, I've heard rumors the Crown was hiding something around here, didn't expect this. I can set up a temporary militia, but with this short notice I can't guarantee how many spellslingers and gunmen would be ready. At the very least, we need to get the townies outta here. There's a meeting point to the west of here, one of the local Thrull hives have kept in contact and said they'd keep an eye on the townies should we get in trouble. The bigger issue is how we're gonna get this all done fast-like..." Alkaia would find it easy to work her runes and traps- something in the air of the swamp was making it easier to focus her magic in, like the land itself was super-charged with untapped power.

Alkaia frowned as she worked. If she could use it, the cultists certainly could.

ShardDM: Alita carefully worked her way up the stairway, passing Gar at the door considering he had put himself there already, and gave a quick glance around at the air. "Outside of the tavern, in the stable area. Out of view of a lot of people, so he can land, last I heard."

Zizth nods at Kiva and hops down. "Then that iz where I zhall inveztigate. I am going to go zind Halzdan then go then."

Kaylia: "Well, take whomever you need to get the townies out. We've got a harpy above the town now, keeping an eye out for the cultist attack. And give us whomever you can spare." Kaylia shows the sheriff her map. "We're going to cut these bridges, set up walls here, with snipers here and here. The cultists will be funneled through here. And we're going to send the harpy and a cubite to keep the townies safe once the fighting commences."

ShardDM: With the enhanced magical power in the area, Alkaia would be quickly able to twist the runes in preparation for her magical powers to twist the barriers up at a moment's notice, leaving her very little. "Blasted mayor having to be out today will make it a little harder, luckily I still got a few people I can call on. I suppose the bridges as long as they were cut right would be easy to fix later," the sheriff muttered, holding the map up with two hands as another looks at the indicated battle plan. "I'll see what I can do, give these bastards hell for the first go around we all had with em." Kiva nodded and hopped down with Zizth as well. "I know where it is, I could easily lead you all to it with little trouble."

Kaylia: "Alright. Halfdan, you start on those bridges. Jewel, go with the townies. If the cultists attack the townies, we need you to send us a message ASAP and hold them off as long as possible. Can you handle that?"

Alkaia frowned. With the enhanced magic feeding her art, it made her worry as the cultists would be able to take advantage as well. Once finished she would head back to the inn to help Kalia with her own preparations.

Zizth: "Not all are very ztealthy. Are you zertain to bring them all? We zhould conzirm their location zirzt."

ShardDM: Halfdan and Jewel both nodded, going to move as the Sherrif gets from his seat and grabs a few weapons off the wall, strapping them into easy reach. Lauren mentions trying to find a good sniper position and heads off as well, allowing Kaylia to choose who to follow or what to do. Alkaia would find Kalia leaving the stable area, her bag of Remora Sentinels already over her shoulder as she moves them towards inside. "Hey," she remarks with a soft nod. Alita gave a simple shrug as the goblin continues following her, moving past Alkaia and Kalia to make it in time. Kiva shrugged. "You were the one mentioning getting others," she pointed out. "But yeah, I can help you find the location easily enough."

Zizth: "Yez, I wizhed to bring Halzdan but zmaller group iz harder to be zeen on approach. Let uz move zwiftly and zee, then bring the zight to them iz they are there."

Kaylia makes a quick stop by the weaponsmith, purchasing a footbow, arrows, two sharp cutlasses, and four well-balanced javelins. Highest quality material possible, preferably well-forged steel. Then she hurries to try to find Zizth before the thrull leaves.

Alkaia: "Need help?" Watch Kalia curiously as she hurried to keep pace with the princess.

ShardDM: Kaylia's purchases were easy to get ahold of, up to the footbow. "Sorry, not something I get a lot of orders for," the massive Gurnold blacksmith remarks, working a hammer into a polearm blade. "You'd have a better luck at some exotic weapons dealer down south or something." At the very least, she was able to catch up to Zizth and Kiva, long enough to hear Kiva remark "Certainly can, of course." Kalia shrugs as she moves the bag and sits down next to the tavern. "I don't think so. I have to keep myself connected to these as I activate them, so it'll be hard for much assistance with them..."

Kaylia: "Zizth! Before you head out, I thought you might be able to make use of these." The werelioness offers Zizth the high-quality steel weapons. "So... who are you taking with you?"

Alkaia: "Alright. I will stay with you then." Giving her a smile before sitting down next to her.

Zizth nods, then looks over at Kaylia, frowning. "I have nothing to trade for thoze. I am taking Kiva. We hunt, we zind, we return then bring zull zorze."

Kaylia: "I'll trade them for your bronze weapons. I think it's a fair deal."

Zizth frowns then nods, taking off her blades and javelins and handing them over, taking the new ones, giving them some test swings. "...They are... Lighter."

Kaylia: "They should also be a bit more durable, and a lot sharper. But I have some uses for this bronze, too." Kaylia quickly bluffs, wanting to make sure the proud thrull took the weapons upgrade. "Later on, we'll get you some even better weapons, maybe from the royals. After all, you ARE performing a mission for them." The werelioness walks the town, checking on the status of the defenses and the evacuation of the townfolk.

Gar’Luc is currently leaning against the doorway of the library, blocking entry with his bulk, and his club resting on the ground in one hand.

Zizth blinks, clacking her jaws a bit before putting her new weapons away and turning to Kiva. "Let'z go. We muzt hunt."

ShardDM: Kiva gave a bit of a smile as she watched Kaylia share the new weapons with the bug girl, before giving a soft nod. "Yeah, probably should head off, yes. It's just a little way out of town," she comments, turning towards the road out of town. Gar would find noone challenging him on his position. Kalia and Alkaia would notice a loud flapping noise as something would dart downward into the stable area, even as Kalia had one of her Remoras active again.

Alkaia frowned as she stood up and went to investigate.

Zizth nods and drops low and creeps ahead, following Kiva and occasionally skirting ahead. She felt a lot better after resting, though she still wasn’t fully herself. She felt good enough to keep up though and was a bit eager to test her new blades. Still she remembered the plan, locate, investigate, report, then strike them hard before they could reach the town.

Kaylia heads to the bridges to find Halfdan. "I have one more idea--if we have time, we should set up stakes and spears along the entry path. Should slow down the cultists just a little bit more, maybe give us more time to snipe them. I'm going to go ahead and start.” The redhead then starts putting spikes, stakes, and spears in the ground, points upward, to slow cultists along the path. She makes use of the bronze javelins from Zizth as well.

ShardDM: Kaylia's walk around the town would note a sizable grouping of people getting gathered by the Sherrif and Jewel, plus a few other figures assisting with the figure's movement. Both Alkaia and Laani, having followed Alita, would find her facing what appeared to be a Helius male, with leather armor and a rucksack on his side. Most pointedly was the scarf around his mouth and bottom of his face, the end dangling on his front given a tribal symbol of some long, winged beast, and the massive bird wings stretched from his back. "You're here on time, for once," the man muttered. "I was able to get away from the centaurs early," Alita countered back.

ShardDM: Kiva slowly led Zizth along the road, moving along it for a while before moving into the swamp herself now. "Always hated this place," she muttered, glaring into the swampland as she starts to wade though the water. Kaylia would indeed find Halfdan, finishing up with one bridge as he reshouldered his blade. "Potentially, yes," Halfdan replied, nodding as he watches the evacuating civilians. "Just hope this doesn't turn into a repeat of some of the Old War..."

Zizth gingerly prods the water with a hand before backing up a bit, thinking, before looking for some solidish looking areas, then taking a running leap with her powerful legs to send herself to it. "...I can;t go in water. I'll drown.," she said, after landing.

Kaylia's ears perk up at this, and she stops to assist Halfdan with bridges before moving on to stakes. "Old War? Hrm. Maybe you could tell me about a few of the battles. Might help me wrap my head around what we're up against."

Alkaia listened in quietly, but stayed in her seat. Curious to see who the faun was meeting.

ShardDM: The swamp water wasn't too deep, and luckily for Zizth, there was many, many trees for her to take ahold of for moving. Kiva, waist-deep in swamp muck herself, simply grumbled to herself as she kept moving. "Always did tell myself adventuring never had any risks. Now look where it got me," she quips, even as the creature around her also adds its own hisses of annoyance around the swamp. Kalia kept quiet as well as she gently worked with the sentinels, the little drones hovering obediently near her as the conversation between the stranger and Alita continued, the two just barely in hearing distance. "What have you found in the books about the Blackshards? Seridus is getting impatient." "Not too much, I told you, I'm nowhere near strong enough in the craft yet to figure that out yet!" "Idiot! Stop with your stupid waste of time then, and maybe you'd have learned something by now!" "Learned what? What you want me to learn?!?" Followed by deathly silence... Halfdan shrugged, assisting with setting up the splinters of wood at the area the bridge dropped free. "They certainly wasn't just a small ragtag group of casters. The cultists of Mondur had gotten a major foothold in the Riftland society, as a result they had disciplined armies as well as the magics the cult had learned of. We fought all sorts of horrors, monsters, abominations twisted together via the fleshcrafters... And then the Shard Knights came, and we nearly broke and lost the world..." Halfdan seems to be glancing into space, the usually silent warrior looking pensive and a little bit unsure.

Zizth looks over at Kiva, tilting her head. "You made ztrange appendagez bezore. Why not make zome to ztay out of the water? Zloat or long legz or zly?" She jumped to the next tree

Kaylia reaches out, touching the hulking werewolf's arm and looking him in the eye. "Hey, big guy. We're gonna be ready for them, this time. And we're gonna fight them hard, here and now." She loosens a knot, dismantling one side of the bridge. "Win or lose, we fight. Right?"

ShardDM: Kiva simply gives a shrug. "You know what they say about power curropting? I prefer to try and avoid that, least as much as Ashur will let me." Ashur gave a mental comment of her own as well. {It's mostly because I know there's potentially a fight ahead as well. Tiring my wearer out before a battle because I wasted my energy on staying dry would be a little... stupid.} The giant swordsman simply nods again, grimacing. "If anything, this is even worse. They're more desperate, annoyed at the stigma and the public opinion, so they got nothing left to lose. When one has nothing left to lose, they get desperate. Desperation is a dangerous thing, in the end." The argument between the winged man and Alita seems to escalate quickly. "You dare question our methods?!? You should have never left the main group!" "And if I didn't I'd be driving myself crazy when I could have done something with my life!" "Instead you are a pursecuted creature with little to fall back on! What hope do you have without our protection!" "Certainly more than I do with what you consider to be sanity-!" This is interupted as, through the opening in the stables, a screaming Alita is suddenly thrown out with a burst of blue light, tumbling for a few moments into the road with a groan.

Zizth hisses in surprise at the voice in her head, though recognising the voice, it was still rather scary to her. "Um... I underztand. I did not know it required energy. In that caze..." She dropped down onto the ground and offered a hand to Kiva. "You are not heavy az me, you do not zink. Zo I can carry you, and then you ztay dry and not wazte energy zighting the water and gunk."

Gar’Luc watches the Faun fly, his eyebrow raising, and his hand hefting his club onto his shoulder, before he remembers he's supposed to be guarding the bookstore, and moves back to blocking the doorway, though he does try to see if Alita is alright from his post

Kaylia returns the nod, loosening the other end of the bridge. "True. But desperation also means that they make mistakes. And we're counting on them rushing into the town through the only paths we leave open to them."

ShardDM: Kiva blinked a bit as Zizth offered a hand. "I suppose..." she said as she allows Zizth to tug her along. "I can still direct you from here I supposed." Halfdan grunts slightly. "Unless they make their own," he mutters.

Zizth adjusts Kiva so she is comfortable on her back, adjusting her carefully, before nodding back at her ally. "Hold tight." She then darted from tree and solid ground and so forth, following Kiva's directions, moving quickly.

ShardDM: Alita grunts as she starts to clamber back up, the winged Helius man growling as he swiftly rushes back into the street after Alita, a foot swinging out and smacking into her chest and sending her spiraling back. "I should have gotten rid of you ages ago," he mutters, sliding a katar from his sleeve and gripping it tightly. "You were a waste of resources from the start!" Unfortunately, his brashness was now making him quite visible to Alkaia, Kalia, and Laani, with Kalia's already-activated Remoras all focusing on him and giving a high-pitched chirp noise, the gems that acted as their 'mouth' glowing brighter.

Kaylia raises an eyebrow, moving to loosen knots on the next bridge. "Unless they make their own... what?"

Laani pulled out Boomy, her shotgun, having swapped the ammunition in it around for an electrode shell. Or to sum it up nicely, a large lightning blast shell. She pulled it out from the cocoon, having spent all the time she had been following behind Alita moving the bedding she had cocooned herself in to be far easier to move her arms around in. With Boomy out, she didn't bother aiming, quite well assuming that 45 to 65 feet in front of her was about to be vaporized as she pulled the trigger. "KER-SHAM!" As Boomy bucked in her arms, the shell exploding with massive force, looking light lightning spraying outwards in hundreds of tendrils in front of her. The gun had been lazily pointed in the Helios's man direction as the lightning smashed into the ground, random passers-by, buildings, pretty much everything within 45 to 65 feet of her, electrocuting them and frying their bodies, leaving only those resistant to electricity or with hearty bodies alive.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

7 February (part four)

Spoiler

ShardDM: Kiva quickly allowed for Zizth to get to the location, and soon the Broodqueen and Shard Knight are facing an old, decrepit stone structure, with a large statue in the middle of a woman holding a scythe. A large flarestone hangs in the middle of the scythe, aiding the nearby fauna with brightening up the ruins around the place. "Here's the place," Kiva announced. Halfdan gave a quiet shrug. "Just, well, they used the powers of the Rift before to attack. What's to stop them from doing it again?" Before Kalia and Alkaia could act, the ball of blankets that was Laani suddenly calls down the thunder, the electrical arcs through the air luckily mostly aimed towards the swamp. However, unfortunately both Alita and Icarus were both right in the middle of it. For his credit, as the lightning surge forth he darted up into the air, and while his legs got singed and scorched feathers followed him, he wasn't grounded. Alita, however, took the brunt of the blow, her body twitching and spasming for a few moments on the ground from the spare lightning arcs from the shell. As the energy dissipated, she gave a weak groan of agony, but at least seemed like she didn't completely fry. However, both Kalia and Laani were now facing down a very angry winged man, now digging into his side satchel...

Zizth frowns, looking at the structure a few moments. "Why iz the light there iz it iz unoccupied..." She studies it again, and circles about it, before scaling up the structure, to peer down into it from above, wanting the vantage point and to avoid sentries expected view.

Kaylia curses, loading a stun round and a magazine. "Come on!" she shouts at the werewolf, running toward the blast at full speed.

Laani pulled out her other pistol smiling at him, Surprise 4 had been loaded with an HE-RPG round as she said "Now for the second salvo." As she aimed directly towards the floating man, her body tensing and already preparing to dodge - towards the winged man with whatever he tossed out from that satchel. "KRKA-BOOOOM!" Surprise 4 lit up, sending jerking pains through her arm as the noise exploded from the gun, sounding off all around from the pistol - and due to the town being semi-quiet, the noise from this shot echoed even as the molten fireball round flew towards Helios, aimed straight at his body mass.

ShardDM: "Flarestone always glows like that when it's warm, though it'd not be this bright with just the standard warmth around here," Kiva comments as they move along the statue's shoulder's, the goddess's visage watching the ruined facade with an innocent expression. Naturally, Halfdan swiftly followed Kaylia, gripping his sword as loud screams echo from the escaping villagers, hastening the evacuation event. Laani's second shot was aided with several light bursts of energy from the floating sentinel golems, and stomping around the corner came Kalia's guardian. Able to dodge the slow flare, he gave a grunt as a few of the energy beams lance through a wing, scattering more feathers. He glances around, noticing Mona suddenly swooping towards him as well, some figures moving from the village further in, and of course the small golem force that Kalia had managed to get together, and lets out an angry growl before spinning around and beating a flight path out of the village- while throwing an object into the air, about the size of a ball and created out of a black, porous stone.

Zizth frowns, watching down from the structure. "Zo there muzt be zomeone uzing it. Where iz the underzide...?," zizth whispered, looking down and about, hiding away from the light, using the dark to her advantage

Kaylia kneels, takes aim, and shoots the flying male with a stun round. If it misses or fails, she starts shooting with conventional rifle rounds. She also calls out to Laurel to do the same, should the stun attempt fail.

Laani grumbling, she began to walk away from the flyer, turning her back, and with a quick step, rushing towards an alleyway for cover and to reload her guns, not tossing off her bedding cocoon just yet, which was now looking far more like an oversized cloak on her as she loaded into Boomy a regular shell and then slowly worked on reloading Surprise 4 with another HE-RPG Round.

ShardDM: Kiva hummed a bit before pointing to the temple behind the statue, only to put a hand over her mouth as a blackish... THING starts to flow out of the temple, rolling along the stones before resting below the statue, stretching into the vague shape of a man. It was followed slowly by a massive Gurnold, easily close to ten feet high, with a line of horns for his 'hair' and steaming patches of skin. "What's taking Icarus so long," the massive beast muttered. A pair of rifle shots fly through the air, as both Laurel from a hidden sniper position and Kaylia take potshots at Icarus, only for him to start flying further into the air and heading to the northeast through the trees. Alita groans weakly on the ground, the faun's legs twitching as the object Icarus dropped hits the ground- only for a round port on the object to glow a bright violet and start floating, other ports popping open and spreading out several large, stone tentacles- a strange contraption similar to Kalia's own golems.

Zizth tucked herself low from the light, keeping quiet as she listened. She didn’t know what these things were really, but the monsters did not look like something they could fight alone. She looked to Kiva, looking for confirmation that these were their targets.

Laani started to reload Surprise 4.

Kaylia shouts to the sheriff, "Get those town folk out of here on the double, mister!" Her rifle proving useless against the foe, she runs to cover behind a building. She switches to HE rounds, taking shots at the adversarial golems.

Alkaia held back protecting Kalia for the moment. Readying a few spells should any draw close to them.

ShardDM: The betentacled golem rapidly hovers over Alita, the stone sphere that made up its body staring menacingly down at the weakened faun, only for a strike of a bullet to catch its attention as a limb is broken off. Focusing angrily at Kaylia, the sentinel golems open fire again, causing a three round burst of pulse shots into its side and knocking it free of Alita. It paused in the air for a second, seeming to reorient itself, before it seemed to lock view on Kalia. With seemingly the original target forgotten, the spherical, tentacled golem focuses on the golemancer and goes to make a beeline towards her, undulating like a squid rapidly in the air, seemingly not even perturbed when the massive crustacean that was 'Scaley' stomped before it's Mistress and raised its four arms in readiness to defend her.

Kaylia loads one of her two remaining HE rounds, aiming for center mass and shooting only if she can get off a shot before it reaches melee. Otherwise she pops out the HE round and fires conventional.

Alkaia stretched her wings out as she stood between it and Kalia. Using her wings to appear a lot bigger then she actually was and shield Kalia. She raised her hand and let loose a bolt of lightning from her hand at the tentacle golem.

ShardDM: Kiva simply nodded to Zizth, gritting her teeth to stay quiet. "Patienssse, Garusss," replies a voice in the area of the black mass- it was hard to tell, as the creature didn't actively form a mouth to speak. "Icarusss ssshouldn't take too long tying up loossse endsss. Besssidesss, all your pacing around isss just going to make your harem annoyed." "Quiet, abomination," Garus grumbled, gritting his considerable amount of teeth. "Seridus shouldn't have bothered to send you here, you'd make a mess of things."

Zizth stays put for now. Trying to sneak away right now was risky with the light being able to outline them if they pulled away right now. They had to wait until the attention was elsewhere or they were back inside. She observed the pair carefully, considering the strange creatures before her.

Laani blinked at the sight of the sudden golem, instead of firing off immediately, she took aim with Surprise 4, getting an HE-RPG, and aimed for center mass, biding her time.

ShardDM: Kaylia's shot hit home this time- before it could close with the other large golem fully, the blast slammed into its side, resulting in the golem spiraling around for a few moments, its tendrils flailing. About this time, Halfdan began to close in to the battle, the machine suffering a blast of lightning from the dragonkin spellcaster and sparking from a metallic object protruding from somewhere in the mass of tentacles. "The power source! Go for the source!" Kalia calls out, as her own warrior golem reaches an arm out and smashes into the front of the golem. There's a loud CRACK, the gemstone that made its eye plate cracking as it tumbles back, its spare limbs flailing with the butt of its body facing upwards and its tendrils flailing around the metal object shoved inside of it.

Kaylia: The golem situation under control for the moment, Kaylia calls up to the circling harpy. "Mona! Track Icarus from a distance! See where he goes, but do NOT get close!" She produces her spyglass, scanning for the fleeing enemy.

Alkaia nods as she releases another blast of lightning, aimed at its center. "Okay."

ShardDM: The apparently goo-like creature let out a bubbly chuckle at the anger showed by its compatriot, stretching a limb out and forming a mockery of a woman out of it, a solid figure formed from its shoulders and with impressive hips and bustline. "Oh, my lord, please won't you go to bed with us, we wish for your presence, you must tell us what to do!" the creature imitates before the imitation figure slides back into its mass and it lets out a loud laugh, Garus's frown growing angrier and angrier all the time. "I'm warning you! You keep that up Bleeder and by Mongor I'll-" "You'll what? BLEEEED ON ME?!?" the creature cackled.

Laani with the golem now safe to say, tracked by her movements, she predicted where it's flailing body would go and let off a shot with Surprise 4, having spent quite a bit of time aimming at the flailing center mass of the golem.

ShardDM: Mona had already taken the initiative, flying after Icarus as high as the tree cover would allow for her, weaving through branches as fast as her wings would allow. With a blast, the flechette round caused the golem to spin around again, the electrical charge from Alkaia focusing around it and continuing to make it wig out, limbs continuing to squirm and twist back and forth. Finally though, Halfdan slammed the side of his blade between a few tendrils to hold it still and grabs the metal clasp of the golem's power source and tugs it free, tossing it away. Nearly immediately, the golem slowly began to power down, its limbs sliding back into the ports of its body and returning back to a now-damaged sphere.

Zizth frowned, figuring who the pair were. She blinked at the curvy figure the creature made, and all the anger the pair had. They were focused on each other but she wasn;t sure if this Bleeder thing was able to see in all directions. She considered the angles. If they were there, then... She figured she could use the light against their vision. It ruined night vision after all, if they stayed low and skirted the light, they could avoid them. So she carefully started to move. They had seen enough after all. Now it was time to rally the troops and hit them before they knew they had been found.

Kaylia: "Alkaia, can you see to Alita?" Kaylia turns around to ensure that the townfolk are still alive and either evacuating or already gone.

Alkaia seeing that the threat was dealt with turned to look back to make sure Kalia was alright. "Sure." Making sure Kalia was unharmed before going to check on Alita.

ShardDM: As Zizth went to move her and Kiva to safety, there was a crash of limbs from the trees and a winged human breaks through the canopy, flapping a few times before landing hard against the ground. "Ssspeaking of... Told you he'd be back sssoon." Garus left a grunt as he stomped closer to Icarus. "Is the deed done? Is the prodigal apprentice dead?" Icarus left out a few coughs, giving a groan. "I-I think so, b-but not b-by me," he groaned, flexing his left wing, which was singed and full of holes.

Zizth frowned, and let the distraction give them time to pull back further into the darkness. Icarus was the one they had set a trap for. It seemed her allies hadn't been able to do the deed. Still, they knew where he was. She needed to be sure they were clear of their sight, but they had a chance to hear their next move now. From out of sight of course.

ShardDM: Alita gasped for air a little as Alkaia got closed, whimpering slightly as the dragonkin continued to examine her. "T-tell that little munchkin she b-better hope I d-don't h-heal that fast..." she coughs out, clutching her chest with a hand. "T-think one of my h-hearts got stopped..." Kalia quietly walked to the golem, examining the crystal that Halfdan had pulled out, looking over the violet sheen the spectre crystal had and it's metal casing around it. "I've never seen golemancy crafting like this in Helios. What is going on..." she mutters.

ShardDM: Kaylia's check on the evacuation left to just the Tetra sheriff and a few minutemen, armed with a few hunting rifles and spears. "Most the town's gone now," he responded, tilting his hat with one hand. "I got a few of the boys ready, I just hope this defense plan of yours works, lady."

Alkaia nods and helps the faun up to her feet. A little glad Kalia came out unharmed. "That could have been worse."

Kaylia: "Well, I'd like to tell you it'll work." Kaylia gives the sheriff a wry smile. "But I really have no idea what I'm doing here." She points to a few tall buildings. "Any riflemen you can spare, put them up there. Tell them to stay out of sight and NOT to open fire until I give the order. Jewel will contact us if you are in danger, and we'll contact her if you need to evacuate further. Good luck, Sheriff."

ShardDM: "How so?" Garus asked, tilting his head over. "I-I left a golem out to finish the job, but it looks like she got a new posse now or the gits you sent last time tipped off the crown. Ragtag group, at least one golemancer and a few rifle users, plus one crazy as hell golem willing to fry the bitch as well as me. We could use that to our advantage as well," Icarus replied, giving a grunt. Unfortunately, about this time, another crash of branches and trees echo through the woods- and Mona comes careening out, flying through the air and quickly trying to refocus herself into the air. All three of the cultists glance up immediately, staring at the falling harpy.

Zizth looks up, and silently curses as Mona dropped in now. What the hell happened now?! She had no choice now, they couldn’t afford Mona being interrogated or used as a hostage. "Hold tight.," she hissed to Kiva, before pulling her cloak off, holding it in her teeth and burning her energy as she literally hurled herself up over the structures, before leaping out, trying to pull the cloak tight and catch the harpy in the cloak midair like a net, before bolting for it.

ShardDM: Alita slowly got back onto her hooves thanks to the dragonkin, panting weakly. "T-this needs medical attention... And I'm not sure a doctor w-would cut into this t-that fast..." she mutters. "Y-you said you saw somewhere in the book w-what had to be opened up?" Kalia continues examining the golem Icarus left even as the sherrif nods to the various men, directing them towards various sniper points.

Kaylia climbs to her sniper position. "Halfdan, spearmen, let's take up those ambush positions for melee flanking. Laani, could you move up toward the front of the town? Give the enemy a warm welcome when they get here?"

Alkaia she looked at the faun in confusion a moment. "What?"

Laani: "Sure." The gobbo spoke before going to assume watch at the front of town, nestling like a boulder on the street.

ShardDM: Instead of holding onto Zizth, Kiva let go, diving towards the three members of the group and forming a large mallet head on her arm as she fell. So focused on the sudden appearance of the tumbling harpy and flying bugbarian, they didn't even notice Kiva landing with a crash, exploding flagstone sending even the massive Gurnold flying backwards and the rest were sent tumbling. Mona was caught by Zizth easily enough without the third person on her back, allowing her to prep a landing on a tree near the edge of the temple clearing. "I got this! GO!" Kiva yelled to Zizth, Ashur forming a protective facemask over her and blades forming on her other arm.

Zizth cursed as Kiva let go, and swore. Somehow she KNEW that would happen. "Hrrrg, zurrounded by foolz..." She cursed and promptly bolted for town, putting her all into it. She had to minimise the time that Kiva was in enemy hands and the time they had to respond to the coming attack. That meant putting it all into speed."

ShardDM: Alita grunted, her fingers twisting against her and her face contorting in pain. "L-Look, I don't got much time, and none of you are the healer types. Unless one of us uses my craft to put at least m-my heart back together I'm fucked. And I-I'm certainly not able to r-really..."

Alkaia: "Oh." Pulls out the fleshcrafting book and offers it to the faun for now. "I have no magic to help."

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)

7 February (part five)

Spoiler

ShardDM: Zizth at least started ahead, barreling through the trees even as Mona mutters something about 'stupid clingy trees' or something to that effect. About halfway back to town, however, a barbed tendril of pink and black slammed in trees near her, with Kiva swinging through the trees alongside her. "Seems they're not following us, at least," she replied, swinging over to try and grab Zizth mid-stride. "Here, I'll take over from here?"

Zizth stared in surprise as Kiva caught up with them, and her being grabbed. She nodded, though she was really heavy, letting herself taken and keeping hold of Mona. "Yezzz...." she hissed, coughing a bit, bleeding her coppery blood as she went

Kaylia runs down to the faun and the cubite. "I don't have any healing magic, but I AM a doctor of medicine. What seems to be the problem, Alita?" She does a quick assessment of the faun.

ShardDM: The faun flipped through the book quickly, coughing occasionally and groaning in pain until she found the ritual page. She gritted her teeth and shook her head. "Sorry, b-but this isn't gonna be a standard initiation..." she muttered, grabbing the dragonkin's head and closing her eyes to focus. At which point, Kaylia's comments piped up. "My upper heart's blown... Unless you can piece it back together with what's left of it, d-doc, I think I'm screwed normally..."

Alkaia lets her head get grabbed. Using some of her eromancy cause the faun's body to produce adrenaline, and numb her own body in case the ritual hurts.

ShardDM: Grabbing Zizth in a soft grip with her arms, Kiva carefully cradled the now-bleeding thrull queen as Ashur took over, rapidly causing bladed tendrils to drag them along through the swamp until the forest edge near town. Arriving behind the Inn, she finally lets go of Zizth and Mona, Mona quietly flaps her way out of Zizth's hand, panting from the adrenal rush.

Zizth lets go, flopping limp on the ground, spitting a bit of her blood up. "Hng... Doing that never endz well..." she hissed tiredly, "They'll zlee zoon to a better locazion. Maybe call reinzorzementz."

ShardDM: Kiva shook her head. "Knowing Bleeder, he'll muster every goddamn cultist in that ruin and march them with as many nether beasts as they can summon to raise the place to the ground for us kicking his ass that easily. You're assuming they're that tactically smart."

Kaylia notes their arrival, running over. "What happened? And... Zizth, are you bleeding again?" She curses, examining the damage to the thrull.

Zizth: "Hnng, better to overeztimate than undereztimate. Ztill. Yez... Mona got caught. Had to... Hurt myzelz to zaze her." She shudders. "They are coming. They are big and zhizty. Kiva knowz better. Where iz Altia? Icaruz got away."

Kaylia: "Alita's doing the fleshcrafter ritual for Alkaia. I don't approve, but it's the only way to keep Alita alive, so I'm not going to interfere. But you aren't even fully recovered from your recent injuries." Kaylia looks at the thrull. "Alright. We're going to move you into the top level of the library, as a last defense. I'm going to patch you up, and you can rest there until you're needed. Which may be very soon. Alright?"

Zizth grunts. "I will zight when needed. I will zight until I am dead. I am good zor little elze, zo I zhall do zo." She grunts and staggers up to her feet, glaring back at the swamp. "...Bleeder haz no body. It iz just... blacknezz. The other iz bigger than a houze."

ShardDM: Mona flushed lightly, rubbing behind her head. "Flying through the trees sucks. Too close at times, especially whenever they are hiding. Zizth and Kiva had to get me out of there fast..." Alita grits her teeth as Alkaia's magic helps her own, before focusing on the words on the page. Indeed, shortly after there were several huge spikes of pain- it felt like the inside of the dragonkin's head was getting reorganized and twisted with a hot iron, before it slowed finally. "T-there... according to the book you're done," Alita panted, gritting her teeth. "N-Now the fun part..." Kiva shook her head a little. "We got until at least nightfall, when they're start mustering forces and doing whatever summoning they'll do for reinforcements. Add in we interrupted Icarus's report so they'll not have gotten the full story until they grill him, if he even sticks around for this long and doesn't go crying to Seridus. Bleeder is too erratic to really prep a siege though."

Kaylia shifts into her hybrid werelioness form, helping support Zizth's weight. "Halfdan, you've fought creatures like this before. Help me move Zizth, and tell me what we're up against. Especially strengths and weaknesses. Kiva, your input would also be appreciated."

Zizth: "A big enough azzault might be enough. I did not zurvive thiz long by fazing zuperior numberz. We muzt do zomething to whittle them down bezore they overwhelm uz. Iz they zummon, they keep zummoning til we are worn down, then ztrike."

Alkaia: She winced as she wobbled upon her feet. The pain nearly overwhelming her. After a moment she stared at the faun. "You will have to guide me through it. I have never done this before."

Kaylia: "So we leave the spearmen and a few others here as a defensive line. And we go kill some monsters. Alright, you sold me. Laani, Laurel, Halfdan, and town militia get to stay here. Mona, too. Mona, if the town is attacked, you come find us and let us know. Who's coming with us to hunt down the cultists?"

ShardDM: Kiva nodded, helping to lift Zizth along, as Halfdan joins the grouping. "For some reason, this 'Garus' is ringing a bell... His head, did it have a bunch of spikes on it instead of hair?" Halfdan asks Kiva, who simply nodded. "How did you know?" Halfdan's teeth gritted, one of his fists clenching. "I've fought him before. He's an egotistical brute, has a harem of cultists to feed his every whim. No bets he'll be sending them after us at any rate, but he likes showboating himself in a fight." Kiva simply nodded as she guided Zizth with Kaylia.

Zizth nods, frowning. "Zo they will zend wavez of zummonz over and over. We need to znipe them down."

ShardDM: "I-it's a lot simpler than it sounds. Make contact with your subject, and then focus on what you want to change. Imagine it hard, and reach into your source of magic... If yer focus is unbroken, your imagination will become a reality," Alita quietly explained her voice sounding like it was getting weaker and weaker as she spoke onwards, before a loud cough comes from her. "I can guarentee I got enough raw material," she manages to quip.

Kaylia: "By the way, Zizth, do you know where we evacuated the townfolk to? There's a thrull community a little ways west of here." Kaylia smiles a bit. "A bon-a-fide community of your kind. When we settle our accounts with the cultists, we should take a little detour. They might have better medicine for thrulls than my clay patchwork."

ShardDM: "Probably not very few summons. It takes a while to drag a creature from the nether, even more so to bend it under one's control. Take that Bleeder git for example. All that's left of him is that damn Blot creature cus he tried to take one over into a Blot Armor. Unfortunately for him, he lost, so now the critter's the man..." Halfdan gave a bit of a snort. "And now I'm sided with a creature I swore to kill years ago. The goddesses do have a sense of humor after all." {Love you too, Curseblade,} Ashur quipped.

Alkaia: She gives a small nod before closing her eyes and placing a hand over Alita's heart. Calling upon her own magic and letting it flow into the faun. Her mind beginning to paint a picture of the faun's broken heart. Her brush slowly changing the image and corecting a line here, rounding a part there.

Zizth gruntz. "I am... Not like them. Iz they are not the zlaver onez then it iz not important. I wizh them the bezt but they cannot help me." She huffs and simply takes her cloak and tears it into strips and wrapps it around her injuries. "It zhall do zor now. I will recover enough to zight zoon. Well they can ztill do it az much az they wizh. We zhould ztrike bezore they dezide to zorze the matter."

Kaylia: After putting Zizth down in the temple, Kaylia does what she can to clean the thrull's wounds, then apply a small set of patches with her remaining medicinal clay. Next, she produces a small knife and a vial of blast powder, converting three of her conventional rounds to HE rounds.

ShardDM: Alita gave a wince as Alkaia slowly focuses on her. For a moment, it seems nothing is changing, before slowly, the feeling of labored breath slows, her weak shivers from her overworking lower heart stops, and then, finally under the dragonkin's hands she feels a steady thumping again. Alita, still relatively weak against the dragonkin, watches her with widened eyes. "Y-you did it..." she stammers, before tugging her in a tight hug.

Zizth grunts as her wounds are tended too, holding still. While her injury was open, she was bleeding a bit from her old wounds now. "When I am in danger I can rizk my health to get more zorze and zpeed. It iz bad zor me but it can mean lize or death. I needed it to zave Mona and get out..."

Alkaia: She opened her eyes and gently stroked the fauns head. "I guess I did. Feel better now?" Curious why Alita could not have done it herself.

ShardDM: The group quietly put Zizth in the library room, while the conversation continued. "Even if we go partly on the offense, that'd just divide ourselves too thin. We're no army as it stands, and I can guarentee that they don't got much resources to call on if they were planning a quick smash and grab," Kiva tried to explain. "I don't think it's smart to give them homefield advantage in this situation!"

Zizth grunts and looks to Kiva. "Mmm... I do not like thiz. But iz you are zertain of their rezourzez..."

Kaylia: "Too brave for your own good. I understand. And for what it's worth, I admire you for trying to save the harpy." Kaylia finishes the patching process. "Now don't move unless the town comes under attack. A few hours and this should set." She begins crafting her HE rounds, turning to Kiva. "So you're recommending we meet the enemy here? That's fine. How do we kill these bastards?"

ShardDM: Alita nodded, giving a quiet nuzzle against her. "T-thanks... much better. I wish I coulda done that myself, but I never got the training that could have focused such things. Trying to self-experiment when dying wouldn't have ended well, I'm sure," she pointed out to the obvious quiet question. Kalia meanwhile walked back up to them, carrying the broken tentacle golem from before. "Er, am I interrupting a moment?"

Alkaia: She shook her head. "No, I just saved her life." Glancing over to Kalia a moment. "Find anything about the golem?" Letting the faun nuzzle against her for the moment.

Zizth grunts and stays still. "Brave? I do not know thiz word. If Mona waz captured zhe would be tortured and harmed. They would make her tell them everything. We canot azzord either oz theze outcomez." She nodded to Mona. "Be more carezul nezt time okay?"

ShardDM: Kiva simply nodded. "As you would any other creature. Stab it enough times until it dies. Only thing different would be Bleeder. Blots are tricky creatures, kind of a living ooze. I've not been too successful fighting them unless you could dilute them somehow. Luckily, unlike a lot of them, there's still a human core to Bleeder, and without that, it's screwed and like a normal Blot, just with an advanced intellect." Halfdan quietly cradled his blade, whispering under his breath- anyone listening too close would note it a prayer to Luna to bless his blade to do her work.

Zizth grunts, listening to the ooze thing. "Zo kill the human and it iz juzt a blob. Could we dilute it? Pierze the membrane then zill it with water til it burztz?"

ShardDM: Kalia simply nodded, flushing a little as she landed next to them again. "Fair enough, I suppose. This building process on the golem is unlike anything we produced in Helios, which has led me to two different potential ideas: Either this 'Icarus' somehow found a way to curropt standard spirit crystals and the pumeric stone we used for golemancy to create this creature, or this is natural material, and they got it from another source. Where, though, is the question."

Alkaia: She nodded. "It could be a material found here in this altered land. I find my magic enhanced here. Perhaps there is new materials here as well with unusual properties." Looking to Kalia curious and wondering momentarily about the flush. "Though I do not know what side effects the rifts had caused in the very land itself."

Kaylia: "Elemental magic might help--ice shards would probably help. I think Alkaia can use elemental magic." Kaylia tucks the HE rounds into her gun belt

ShardDM: Kalia shook her head, as Alita finally pulls free, starting to reorginize her clothes a little and looking over the burn marks that have been thus far neglected. "Nuh-uh. Pumeric stone has only been found underwater, but not in this black shade, mostly just a slate grey or bluish tints. Thus the thought they've found a new source somewhere... Not sure if I like the implications those bring."

ShardDM: "Has potential to work, yes," Kiva added with a nod. "Best I could do is help with any of the stranger monsters, or if one of the cultists really want to break out the big toys out of nowhere." Halfdan simply shrugged. "If Garus shows his scaley ass around here, he's mine."

Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Though I am not sure many natural rules apply here." Gesturing to the edge of town to the brightly coloured and glowing fauna. She paid no mind to the faun reorginizing her clothes. "For all we know a seam of it could have been created along with the other changes."

Kaylia: "Well. Let's leave Zizth to heal and get back to our positions. Mona, I need you back up there as our eyes in the sky. Alkaia will relieve you in a little while, though it would be better if she had an opportunity to feed." Kaylia rearranges her gear, then heads out to check on the faun. "You seem to be doing a lot better. I take it the initiation was successful, then?"

Zizth stays put for now with a grunt and lets her wrappings and the seal do the job, hissing unhappily.

Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Yeah, though I do have a splitting headache."

ShardDM: Kalia sighed, giving a light shrug. "Perhaps, but I'm just going by what I have been told up to this point. The world up here is a wierd and strange place already, adding this Riftland castoff just makes it even more confusing." As Kaylia arrived to the rest, Alita simply nods. "Well I won't be dying from goblin crossfire at any rate. Seriously, someone tell her to put a safety on that thing. First she almost singes my tail, and now blows my heart up..."

ShardDM: Halfdan simply sits with Zizth, continuing to bless his blade and prep for the first cry of battle. Kiva too stays with the insect, sitting and glancing at the floor, her cloak having been forgotten a while ago. Occasionally her breathing becomes a little faster, but otherwise she seems impassive, almost meditating even as the chitin around her flexes and vibrates occasionally, stealthily feeding itself.

Kaylia: "Well, that's why Laani's our front line, now. Anyone tries to come through her defense, we'll DEFINITELY hear it. Alkaia, one of our enemies is a 'blot,' which means that the best way to fight them is dilution. Can you fire ice shards?"

Zizth chitters quietly, appreciating the company a bit even as she was upset with herself a bit and irritated about her general status and position

Alkaia: She gave a nod. "I can. I could also breath frost on it too if I get close. Which if it is a liquid freezing it solid should work too."

Kaylia: "Kind of an ooze. I've never fought one before, but Kiva and Halfdan might be able to tell you more. Which brings me to my second question... how long since you fed? Mona will need relief from her overwatch position, but you may want to... fuel up, first. I'm sure you can find a partner." Kaylia glanced at the faun and the Helius princess, shifting her feet uncomfortably.

Alkaia: She thought a moment. "Three or four days. Though I haven't used much magic since my last feeding, So I haven't lost much of my energy. And with the odd flow of magic here, I am a little leery about feeding. It seems to enhance magic."

ShardDM: "Yes, even my crystal siphoning power has been less intensive. I can barely feel the strain of my golems here as well, there's something about this land that seems to be a magical focal point," Kalia piped up. Alita simply nodded. "By what I read, the Riftlands were a huge focal point for mystical energy, I bet you the flora and fauna in the area have helped invigorate tne energies here, making it easier to focus those talents if we have them."

Kaylia: "Your call. I'm going back to my crow's nest. Take a little time to get your bearings, then start taking turns with Mona on watch." Kaylia pauses. "One more thing--would it be possible for you to place some ice burst enchantments on some of my ammunition? There's not much that my conventional or even custom bullets will do against the ooze creature."

Alkaia: She nodded. "Still, an enhanced and invigorated feeding may be dangerous." Looking to Kaylia a moment. "Sure, I can give it a shot. Though I have not enchanted anything in decades."

Kaylia: Kalia takes a magazine out of her belt, then pops out the ten conventional rounds. She hands them to Alkaia. "Good. Always good to have options in a firefight."

Alkaia: She nods as she accepts the rounds. "I will get them to you shortly."

((end of session))